I've decided to revisit a old timeline of mine that I really liked but never entirely finished. I got too caught up in world building to just do the TL.
This TL assumes a further north Antarctica which collides with Australia.
Here is a old map:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3299/oz3fq.jpg
There's probally a lot of weird words not understood here with the names of civilizations and stuff...A lot of it is somewhat apparent from the map but if I forgot to mention anything please say.
I have a better one but its on my external hard drive and I left the wire for it at home, I should be back there in a week or so though.
YES it is ASB however it's fairly realistic ASB apart from the POD and I've noticed a few similarly ASB threads floating around here too (i.e. the African sea).
Also there are no butterflies until full contact. Just to make things more interesting and not a utter fantasy world.
History
<50,000BC: Humans reach Australia
8,000-800BC: Rise of civilization. Domestication of several species of animal (a kangaroo like creature and a few kinds of bird), agriculture starts, development of writing, invention of the wheel, etc…
800-603BC: First Erano empire. Much of the east coast under their control. Eventually brought down and split into two due to over extension and attacks by Kahao and Muaihet- capital is conquered by Muaihet.
~600BC: Iron age begins
603-574BC: Southern half of the Erano empire apart from the area around its capital at Wahp, overran by Kahao
574-500BC: Rise of southern civilizations
500-474BC: ‘Golden age’ of river piracy
474-432BC: Muaihet-Ahngroo wars (Ahngroo: Yutahn is capital, Muaihet: Muaishin)
352-212BC: Age of exploration amongst the Duashi. Introduction of a few more crops, pigs and new diseases.
212-120BC: Age of strife/Collapse of the first civilization. Plagues sweep the continent killing many and totally upsetting the balance of society despite all efforts made to stem the flow. Enough people do survive though to restart civilization- and keep the diseases alive.
120BC-59AD: Rise of the second age of civilization mainly centred in Wahp.
59-197AD: Muaihetian empire rises to cover much of the centre of the continent.
197-202AD: Muaihet-Kananoi war
202-218AD: The great rebellion covers much of the Muaihetian empire
218AD: Kananoi conquers Muaihet.
218-221AD: Kananoi empire attempts to directly replace Muaihet by extending its authority across the empire.
221-230AD: Kanahnet (southern ice-nomads) invasions overwhelm the already weakened civilization. End of the second age of civilization.
230-354AD: Dark ages. Cities left largely depopulated as people revert to rural lifestyle.
354-371AD: ‘False start’ of civilization based at Muaishin fails.
371-641AD: People begin to settle in larger towns however civilization is still far from restarting.
641-645AD: Drought causes Duahnet (OTL Australia nomads) invasions
645-685AD: Rise of the third age of civilization in Kahao, in part due to an influx of refugees from the mainland after northerner invasions.
685-779AD: Informal Kahao Federation the dominant power with city states covering much of the east coast and stretching down rivers from here.
779-802AD: Muaihet rises again in the semi-democratic mould of the Muaihet of the first age
802-959AD: A largely peaceful period during which civilization rises over much of its former range. There are some wars but none which shape major cultural borders to any large extent
959-975AD: ‘The war of the genders’ between Matriarchical Ahngroo civilization and the more traditionally gender roled Muaihet influenced city states to the east of them. Ahngroo’s larger population emerges triumphant.
975-1023AD: Northeastern civilization recovers somewhat though maintains a deep fear and hatred of seafaring and outsiders.
1023-1055AD: Muaihet-Ahngroo wars. Muaihet eventually emerges triumphant and gains control of the four major rivers stemming from Hudahn.
1055-1100AD: Ancient Teeish rises again as a united nation from a group of Kahao city states in the region (the capital being near the location of the old city)
1100-1200AD: Many further wars against mass nomad invasions take place however civilization arises triumphant this time around.
1200-1400AD: An age of expansion. The range of civilization moves far further south then it has ever before. Kahao also begins to take a interest in exploration and colonization of parts of Polynesia.
1374-1389AD: Muaihet-Ahngroo wars. Overall Muaihetian civilization is pushed greatly back to the east with Hugho becoming a independant city state between the empires.
Early 1400s: Chinese explorers are believed to have reached NW Australia. The far NW of the island however is practically untouched by civilization and they find nothing of interest.
1400-1420AD: Minor age of exploration on the west coast leads to the discovery of the closer western islands. Settlement begins quickly with mainlanders displacing much of the native culture.
1420-1442AD: Muaihet civil wars take place after disagreement over the imperialistic bent the country is beginning to take. The ‘pacifists’ win and Muaihet power is severely reduced.
1442-1500AD: Rise of the ‘Kingdom of Ice’ in the south based at Viroh
1500-1538D: Australian crusades. Muaihet and many of the western Kahao city states attack the Kingdom of Ice to reclaim access to holy temples in the area
1522AD: ‘Magellans expedition’ reaches the land that is to become named Magella in his honour. It is clear to him that this is a large landmass and not yet another tiny island, upon his return rumours begin to circulate in Europe about Terra Australus.
1530AD: A Portuguese trade fleet en route to India runs into trouble somewhere far to the east of the Cape of Good Hope. One of its ships under the command of a young captain by the name of ‘Luis Guzmán’ manages to make it ashore on the north coast of Magella.
Repairs are made using Magellas ample supplies of trees and friendly relations with the natives are established.
Believing himself to be on Madagascar and not the largely unknown island of Magella Luis sets a far more easterly course then would be necessary to reach India and instead reaches the islands of Eirohn (X) and sails into the Irbrin trading post of Irbroeht.
Though the Portuguese all believe themselves to be in some previously unexplored part of Indonesia the natives take a deep interest in the sudden appearance of these explorers from the west, the Portuguese are treat as honoured guests and communication between the two peoples begins to open up.
1531AD: The Portuguese travel to Irbrin itself where they continue to be treat very well.
The inhabitants of Irbrin are divided over who the Portuguese are and what to do with them. Many believe that they are really just from Muaihet and want to ask them for help in fighting off the recent western expansion by Ahngroo, others think that they are supernatural beings of some sort- and if they should be worshipped or killed and their magic stolen.
The Portuguese themselves learn much and deduce that they have discovered something big in this corner of the world.
Eventually something does go wrong leaving the Portuguese to have to flee for their lives (many not manging this). Several Irbrin ships give chase however they are soon outran with the Portuguese eventually finding their way back to Goa.
1537AD: Having attained the backing of the crown Luis Guzmán returns to the 3rd world with a large fleet, A fort named ‘King Joäo’s Land’ in honour of João III is established on a large island NE of Magella.
Leaving a small force at the fort the ships then head east to confront Irbrin.
Off the south west coast of the Irbrin island a fleet consisting of over fifty native ships attacks the Portuguese. The Irbrin vessels are dwarfed by those of the Europeans being of a design that is something of a cross between a Viking, Ancient Greek and Roman vessels. The battle is a crushing victory for the Portuguese, though their losses are not entirely negliable the majority of the native fleet is destroyed.
Amongst the native prisoners taken many decide to join the Portuguese claiming to have been forced into fighting by the dictatorial theocratic government which has took control of the city in the chaos created by Guzmán’s previous visit.
Much of Irbrin's ruling elite and soldiers flee to the mainland before the Portuguese can arrive leaving Guzmán free to take his seat of viceroy of the third world and allowing priests begin preaching the word of God to this new pagan land.
The natives in Irbrin are generally welcoming of their new rulers after a few years of unjust Ahngroo focussed dictatorship (a major part of the Ahngroo religion being the promise of the future coming of ‘evil ones from the western ocean’).
1537-1550AD: The islands between the Australian mainland and Magella steadily come under Portuguese control with the Irbrin culture having long since retreated to the mainland.
Immigrants from Europe begin to flock to the new world in pursuit of fortune bringing their disease with them. Though these diseases are nowhere near the scale of those in the Americas they are still damaging.
1541AD: Upon recieving fresh troops from Portugal a invasion of the mainland is launched in search of gold (the Irbrin ruling classes having taken much their treasure with them as they fled)
1542: The Portuguese army tired after months of virtually fruitless search reaches OTL Lake Vostok and head for Yutahn.
SW of the lake the Portuguese come under attack by a large Ahngroo army. Having taken the islands so easily and so far meeting with very little resistance on the mainland the Portuguese are highly confident and engage the natives head on at first believing it to be yet another easily beatable peasent force.
It turns out to be a ambush however led be elite bahnonai knights and the Portuguese are crushed. Very few Portugese survive, even fewer escape.