New Map! Your Opinion Wanted

Some time ago I posted a thread in the hopes of finding some inspiration for a POD based map,
to some degree it was successful but lately ive experienced a cartographers block, I cant think
of any new ideas. I would be highly appreciative if you would give your thoughts, grievances,
or just overall opinion of the map ive created thus far. Even if its just a case of not liking the
way I handled your favorite country feel free to post, and let me know how to make the map better.
The POD is tentative so try not to weigh so heavily on the plausibility of the map in terms of it.



In 1465 future Queen of Spain, Isabella, was forced into a marriage by her brother for political
gain. Isabella naturally didn’t approve of the marriage and prayed for it to never come to pass.
Her prayers were answered when her fiancée suddenly fell ill and died. Isabella would later go
on to marry Ferdinand II of Aragon and unite their two kingdoms into the Spain we know today.


So what if her fiancée hadn’t fallen ill? Not only would Spain never unify but Isabella was also
responsible for funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus, in this timeline he never would
have discovered America.

So as a result of the POD

- João Santos (A Portuguese Sailor) is credited with the discovery of America
- Castile is only able to conquer a fraction of the OTL Spanish Empire
- Britian, France, Aragon, and Portugal end up setting up colonial empires in
South America in areas that would have been Spanish territory.
- North America is colonized much later and in different patterns than OTL.
- The OTL King of Spain, Ferdinand II, ends up instead setting the groundwork
for a dynastic union between Aragon & Portugal which eventually wages war
on Castile, sending the legitimate Castilian royals to their colonies.
- This map is set during the present time ATL

*note all map changes seemingly unexplainable by the POD are the work of the Super Butterfly, don't make him angry!



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The Map
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One question, how does Aragon retain control of Peru? With an independent Gran Colombia and New Castile, how does Aragon retain control of the territory? They would have to get around British Patagonia, and I imagine the Brits wouldn't have that, or use Aragon's East Indian territory as a way of controlling the territory, which I imagine would have a litany of guerrilla groups supported by Gran Colombia and the other South American nations.
 
One question, how does Aragon retain control of Peru? With an independent Gran Colombia and New Castile, how does Aragon retain control of the territory? They would have to get around British Patagonia, and I imagine the Brits wouldn't have that, or use Aragon's East Indian territory as a way of controlling the territory, which I imagine would have a litany of guerrilla groups supported by Gran Colombia and the other South American nations.

You sir make a good point, ive updated Peru accordingly
 

Tsao

Banned
The Sino-Persian border looks... weird.

Edit: Also, Ethiopia should be unified.
 
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The Sino-Persian border looks... weird.

Edit: Also, Ethiopia should be unified.

Any particular time period's border you would suggest? This one is from 1803 I believe. Also as for Ethiopia why would you have it unified, just curious.

i like it, the only thing i wonder about is how Castile gets by without a coastline.

Portugal and Aragon purposely deprived Castile of her links to the ocean in order to permanently eliminate the threat of castilian maritime aggression. Castile modernly is probably a very dismal place ruled by an illegitimate nobility directly controlled by Portugal/Aragon.
 
the republics

I like your map !
Why did you write Republic of New France and use french for republique de l australie and riviere d argent ?
No french language in New France ?
I am waiting for the complete TL.
 

Tsao

Banned
Any particular time period's border you would suggest? This one is from 1803 I believe. Also as for Ethiopia why would you have it unified, just curious.
n.

The border itself just looks ugly. As for Ethiopia, splitting it doesn't make much sense, unless you have a specific POD in mind. Also, Ethiopia and Abyssinia are the same thing.
 
I like your map !
Why did you write Republic of New France and use french for republique de l australie and riviere d argent ?
No french language in New France ?
I am waiting for the complete TL.

I put those two in French to make sure people knew they were former french colonies not just a rump Argentina or Rogue Ex British Australian Republic. I figure everyone would know New France would have to have been French at some point. As for that complete TL I might do one if this thread gets enough interest.

The border itself just looks ugly. As for Ethiopia, splitting it doesn't make much sense, unless you have a specific POD in mind. Also, Ethiopia and Abyssinia are the same thing.

Yea it was a spur of the moment idea, Ethiopia seems so cliche as a big ol' independent African empire. I was going for possibly a french backed south but to be honest I didnt really have a motive, ive changed the border and clarified the map to say its a french protectorate but let me know if you have an alternative idea or explanation.
 
You made the Southern Cone settled by France and England. I am fond of that idea and you beat me to it.:( South America is always so sleepy. More languages, cultures and empires will fix that.


But I have two comlaints. 1. The kingdom of Borealia is a space-filler and is unexplainable. 2. Japan has Baja.
 
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Delvestius

Banned
I like it.

- Tonkin might be kind of weird for Japan to have if China is holding it's own. If Japan actually controlled it, it'd probably be a pretty heavily defended settlement.
- While I can see Aragorn, I have a hard time seeing them having the resources to control colonies as far as the Pacific Ocean.
- France is weird, it's like it's buffed and nerfed at the same time... They have Alsace Lorraine, but yet a smaller colonial empire. Perhaps an effect of some sort of internal conflict?
- A buffed France makes me wonder how the United Provinces still exist. Perhaps an alliance with Britain, which would coincide with Britain's poorer success abroad, in that the had to maintain a home readiness.
- Would the Kingdom of Borealis exist? I feel like somehow, nothing of international worth would be there.
 
You made the Southern Cone settled by France and England. I am fond of that idea and you beat me to it.:( South America is always so sleepy. More languages, cultures and empires will fix that.


But I have two comlaints. 1. The kingdom of Borealia is a space-filler and is unexplainable. 2. Japan has Baja.

Borealia is quite the space-filler isnt it, do you have a suggestion to replace it, I was originally thinking Russian America myself. Japan has Baja, well they cant accuse me of being unoriginal! (but on a serious note what is it you dont like about it and how would you see it changed?)

I like it.

- Tonkin might be kind of weird for Japan to have if China is holding it's own. If Japan actually controlled it, it'd probably be a pretty heavily defended settlement.
- While I can see Aragorn, I have a hard time seeing them having the resources to control colonies as far as the Pacific Ocean.
- France is weird, it's like it's buffed and nerfed at the same time... They have Alsace Lorraine, but yet a smaller colonial empire. Perhaps an effect of some sort of internal conflict?
- A buffed France makes me wonder how the United Provinces still exist. Perhaps an alliance with Britain, which would coincide with Britain's poorer success abroad, in that the had to maintain a home readiness.
- Would the Kingdom of Borealis exist? I feel like somehow, nothing of international worth would be there.

Think of Hanoi as a Taiwan, an island China really wants but is unobtainable due to some ocean and a ridiculous amount of heavy weaponry. As for the Aragonese east indies remember they are on good terms with Portugal so that could alleviate some of the issues, but I hear what your saying, is there another colonial power you had in mind that could administer the Islands? (that doesn't already have holdings in the region of course) As for Holland I was going for something like that, Britian would make a good ally. As for France I was going for once a giant empire but fell into civil war or something that prompted their colonies with home rule (Australia, French South America,New France, but not Africa) to break away leaving an enlarged France in Europe but with minimal colonies abroad (if that explanation doesn't feel right let me know how I can change it). As for Borealis I was going for it was an old British colony that for some reason got a Monarch :p, If you have any alternate ideas let me know though.
 
I Suppose I can think of a few suggestions for Borealia.

1. Three words: Hudson's Bay Company,

2. New France. They'll follow the fur trade.

3. Russia. Same motives as France and Britain.

Regarding Baja, I changed my mind a little and I guess I could see it. I just don't think many Japanese would want to move there...
 
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You need one bigger butterfly and much earlier. Aragon suffered a lot from the Black Death, they simply did not have manpower to defy Castille (even in combination with Portugal): they needed castillian troops to take Naples.

The POD you're proposing would probably mean a different Spain. Instead of Spain=Castille+Aragon, you would get Spain=Castille+Portugal (note that portuguese kings claimed against the use of Spain by Isabel and Fernando).

An independent Aragon would follow a similar path to that of Venice: centered in the Mediterranean, slow decay and being absorbed either by France or *Spain. Most probably by *Spain.
 
That is one unique Australia.
Quite unique and almost impossible, or at least unlikely. The Dutch part is fine. I could easily see that. South West Australia is very close to the Dutch trade routes towards Indonesia. So a settlement couls easily be made and used as a supply station towards Batavia. Outside the south west there isn't realy much use of Australia for the Dutch, but I could see them claim the coastal areas, even if they don't settle it or settle it very lightly.

The British have the best part of Australia. They settled basicly all the good parts. I do have a slight problem though. Without a big British India, it seems to me that the British would have very little interest in the region. Still it is not unlikely they'll settle it and they do have two smaller colonies close by.

The French realy have ended up with the short end of the stick. A very large majority of their Australia is desert and basicly worthless. Only the part near Brisbane is realy habitable and I see no reason why the French would want all that desertt. Probably because neither the Dutch or British wanted it.

Finally Portuguese Australia. Poor Portuguese, they ended up with the most worthless part. I see no reason why this part of Australia would end up Portuguese. They can't use it and it is too far from the other Portuguese colonies. I could see it maybe as an Aragonese colony, but not Portuguese.
 
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