Indeed, and Austria will probably get involved soon as well. Thanks!
The New Athens - An Alternate North America
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Indeed, and Austria will probably get involved soon as well. Thanks!
They are certainly preparing, with all of the weakness in the empire. However, that will come later
21
After a bit of a hiatus, I stopped procrastinating and finished the post.
The End of The Peace - The Saxon War of Succession
The End of The Peace - The Saxon War of Succession
The territories under control of the Saxon Crown.
Germany was, extremely surprisingly, at a relative peace for many, many years. In fact, there were a little under 10 separate wars since 1626, the end of the Great European War, as religion was no longer much of contention internally. Of course, though, this was not going to last. It was Germany, after all.
The von Wettin dynasty, and her cadets, proved to be a powerful one throughout the years, controlling many territories across Europe, including the crowns of Saxony, Poland, and Saxe-Coburg. Their dynasty went back all the way to the 10th century. They also, despite their proximity to their home region, had rather cordial relations to the Habsburgs. This meant that they often would join their wars and fall under their sphere of influence, and they remained content with that. This was until John George III. He was the elector of Saxony, and some said he was not sound of mind occasionally, although he seemed to be fit to rule.
However, as he entered his older years, it seemed that he began growing less aware of his surroundings. He would often march through the halls yelling random orders or obscenities. He also began to get a very serious eating problem, which, along with his mental ailment, made him appear to age far faster, and he appeared as if he was in his 90s when he became 50 years old in 1678.
The last king of Saxony of his line.
Another serious part of his rule was the fact that he refused to have children (making him one of the many leaders remembered throughout history for being homosexual or possibly asexual) but it would be no matter as his nephew was open to claiming the throne.
Despite this, he still retained power as rule, and he would excercise this on his deathbed. As John George was left dying, both deeply unwell mentally and physically, he would spell what could lead to the end of the Wettins. He designated his heir as Charles VI, heir apparent to the Holy Roman Empire and heir to the Archduchy of Austria. Coincidentally, his father would die of cardiac arrest a week later. This led to him claiming the Saxon throne shortly after his coronation in 1686. This was contested by Johann Adolf of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt, a tiny duchy ruled by the Wettins. He claimed the throne, saying that his uncle was mad and did not truly wish to give the throne to the Habsburgs. He was soon backed by the Brandenburgers, with them not wishing to see an entire other kingdom absorbed by the Habsburg Empire. The states of the Holy Roman Empire would follow Austria into battle, causing a very one-sided war sparking, that is, until several more nations would join.
First, Venice would join, seeking to claim the title of the Kingdom of Croatia and adding it to their trading empire. Next, the Poland-Lithuanians would follow, led by their new vigourously anti-Austrian ruler, who desired to retake lost Polish territory, as well as take Transylvania if they were lucky. The big power that could offset the power balance was the Kingdom of France, led by Louis XIV, “The Sun King”. Louis and his advisors would spend several days debating on whether or not to join the war against Austria, however it was eventually decided that he should instead pursue an alliance with the Catholic power, and soon an envoy was sent asking the Habsburgs for some spoils from the war in exchange for mercenaries, all paid for by France to Austria.(This may seem ASB, but several deals during this time period between the French and Austrians appeared to be, in fact, very unlikely to a typical historian)
Salzburg would soon join Austria as well, due to being under their protection, and hours after joining, the first skirmish would occur. A Brandenburg-backed attack would begin in Bohemia, with a large regiment of cavalry with several infantry following would make their swift advance past the Sudetic mountain range and into the plains of northern Bohemia. This culminated in the First Battle of Reichenburg, between the enlarged Austrian garrison of Liberec, supported by 40,000 strong Holy Roman Guard(formerly the Army of the Holy Roman Empire, changed in 1622) would encounter the Brandenburger army, quickly taking them off guard. After sending in a mass of cavalry and disorganizing the opposing army, Imperial troops would smash into all flanks, pushing them against a steep hill, which led to a slaughter of all but some of the left regiments, who were able to get the message across that they wanted to surrender. The defeat was devastating for Brandenburg. Not only did it destroy much of their army, it also significantly diminished the morale of their troops that still remained.
The Battle of Reichenberg
However, the war was, of course, not just occurring in the north. Poland-Lithuania had also sent some troops of it’s own into Hungary, past the Carpathian mountains. In this case, they had sent a much larger army than the Brandenburgers, at 35,000 strong, full of infantry, and a good number of artillery, but somewhat lacking in cavalry-power. An early feat of intrigue caused the Austrians to think that they were to attack Moldavia, however the attack was, as stated, in eastern Slovakia, in places of the Carpathian range that were much easier to pass. They would lay siege to much of Slovakia, and take quite a few cities before getting deeper into Hungary. Austria responded by quickly sending the army of 27,000 in the east to the invading Poles, but found that the army was not enough, and once the battle began, it was clearly not in Austrian favor.
The battle ended conclusively in Poland’s favor, and they continued to push into the Carpathian mountains. Despite this, the Austrians were continuing to make gains in Brandenburg, and several regiments were planned to be removed from the German front and relocated.
Otto Ferdinand Graf, an Austrian Field Marshal, also was leading these armies. He and several generals and high-ranking officers would gather in Vienna to formulate a plan for the crushing of Poland, as they seemed to be a thorn in their side if they were going to try and take all of Saxony. So, they came to the conclusion that he would lead a large army directly from Saxony and march straight to Warsaw, where the claimant to Saxony was, and also where the Polish had their power center in. They would hopefully catch them off guard, and something this risky had never been tried before, so they were just hoping that they could make this as some sort of breakthrough. After all, they didn’t NEED Saxony, so it was a matter of luck, this war could finish by next year, December of 1690.
And so, their plans to relocate troops to the Carpathians were changed, and the armies there just went on the defensive, trying to stop them from making their way to Austria proper. This would be important later on, as they didn’t care much for protecting the Hungarians from getting their farms pillaged and set ablaze. They simply wanted to protect themselves from the Poles. The king of Poland-Lithuania, Jan III, had plans to push their way through Hungary, and hope that the Austrians would think of the war as futile, and surrender after they started helping Brandenburg as well.
Leopold’s Army, led by Otto Graf, would hold a huge army of Imperial and Austrian troops. It would begin it’s drive through in early spring, where he would send his armies reeling in the other direction, around through Krakow, and up the roads to Warsaw, after avoiding the fort near Krakow. The plan went surprisingly well, and they were very lucky not to get caught sooner. The huge army would reach the gates of Krakow by Summer, and they would soon lay siege to the city, not letting a single person leave the city. After several weeks of the slow slog of siege, their artillery would break through the walls, and the troops would flood in. In a cinematic scene, they fired shrapnel through the gates, one of the first recorded instances of it being used, although not neccisareily in warfare. The army, led by Otto, would operate similarly to the Russians in Czargrad, formerly Constantinople, and reach the Palace after fighting through the streets in brutal guerilla warfare. Similarly to what they had planned, the Poles were caught completely off-guard, and the armies had soon held both rulers hostage, in which they, as directed by the Emperor Leopold, would take them both under house arrest, demanding the immediate revoking of the crown from the Saxon claimant.
They also managed to negotiate the ceding of parts of Moldavia to the Habsburg Crown, and the entirety of Silesia under Bohemian claims. Johann Adolf would be taken by horse to Leipzig, where he would meet Emperor Leopold, cede the crown of Saxony to him, and have a large coronation ceremony, declaring “Elector Leopold I von Habsburg of Saxony” now the ruler.
Coronation of the new Saxon ruler
The war ended much sooner than planned, and the Leopold was gleeful at his new possession in Saxony. The Emperor now had another title in his domain, and the many powers around him feared. The Austrian Eagle now left it’s huge shadow over Europe, where things like feudalism and the social hierarchy were to be questioned, and a new book was starting to become popular in the defeated countries...
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22
The Absolutist War - Part 3 - Enter the Irish
A very significant part of the Absolutist War was religion. Specifically, the Anglican-Catholic divide, which of course would culminate to a degree in Ireland. Consequentially, the northern regions in Ulster and parts of Leinster and Connacht would be relatively pro-royalist to some degree, while the parliament and their reformist stances were significantly supported by the southern Catholics. Despite northern Ireland’s pro-monarchist standpoint, many remained wary, as the king still upheld some of the characteristically Anglo-monarchist anti-Irish ideals.
The first Irish revolts in the south were for the parliament, as one would expect, and they first seized the city of Cork. However, the groups of peasants and aristocracy would begin to have a notable split. The aristocracy was pro-parliamentary, as were a few of the peasants, although there were more radical pro-Irish groups who argued for full and complete independence, and a peasants’ republic based off of the old Dithmarschen state. The radical peasants in support of the creation of an Irish state had gathered in a pub in Cork, where they had immediately began coming up with ideas for what ideals the government would have. It, as they decided, would consist of a confederation of various peasant families, who would all gather in various meeting halls in the country. It also took on somewhat of an early anarchist ideal, dubbed “proto-Diggerism” by modern scholars, historians, and political scientists. It is the baseline for modern-day Diggerism (OTL Anarcho-communism with a lot of agrarian ideals). The early ideology called for heavy landscaping, by flattening much of Ireland and turning everyone to a one-class system of farming, with various rural communities having control, each electing their own leader from the peasants within that are ruling it.
These radical Irish revolutionaries remained small and relatively divided, but they still were able to make significant gains throughout the south of Ireland, and they even came close to taking Dublin. However, they remained divided and eventually collapsed later in the war. Although, they made a lasting influence, allowing for increased popularity in Ireland for a certain book…
In the more moderate, conservative areas of the parliamentarians, they were much more inclined to support their faction, and they did do well against the northern royalists, who were small in number, and the Catholic Church formally recognized the parliamentarians as the true rulers of England, despite the fact that the Anglican Church still had dominance over the Catholic one.
Throughout the war, northern Ireland was a battleground, and battles consistantly took place between the two opposing sides, who wracked the landscape and turning it into somewhat of a wasteland in the north. Brawls in the local pubs also broke out, with members of the aristocracy; in particular their children in their early 20s, who were most likely drunk; fighting with the large amounts of peasants, who would overwhelm pro-royalist factions. The most famous of these brawls was the Belfast Brawl of 1679, where almost 30 people were dead, and many more injured. It was indecisive, with both sides seeming to pass out, either of being knocked out by a punch in the head, or knocked out drunk. As documented by a passerby, it was “gruesome yet ha’ an odd bit o’ hilari’y”. And so, the war continued all over the British isles, and support for certain sides began coming from various countries…
(Sorry for the shorter post, I wanted to get an update out on the Absolutist War before working on some other updates)
I appreciate the positive feedback! Austria will certainly be expanding into the 18th century, although they may become too powerful to contain all their cultures... thanks again!
23
Back across the Atlantic...
Flag of New England under colonial administration. The five trees represent the five colonies of New England: Maryland, Plymouth, New Cornwall, New Scotland, and New Anglia.
During the periods of peace in Europe, a time which lasted about from the end of the Great European War in 1626, all the way to the 18th century, the overseas colonies of the European powers seemed to grow exponentially, with increased incentives to travel there. Many of the overseas companies had used a lot of false advertising, promising gold and other riches if they were to travel there and start a family. Each colony seemed to become whole other worlds, not simply colonies of their respective countries.
A farming culture began to develop in the southern regions of the Cotton Coast, and the many immigrants there began sending ships of their own to the coasts of Africa to trade with the various kingdoms in Ghana and the Congo for slaves, leading to a booming African population, albeit in a very harsh way of immigration. However, the brought with them their culture, and Carolinian Voodoo culture started to develop in the lower regions of society.
The Spanish colonies south of Carolina also developed a branch off of their culture, a mix of Catalan(who were the primary settlers of the region, simply due to the fact that the language became popular there and many settlements speaking it were propped up), African, and some Basque culture.
Far north of them, the Danish were very unique, as they were not used to the land, and used interesting older systems of production, and they had to reform. Their new systems were partly inspired by the Italian colonists to the north, leading to a close bond of friendship between the two sets of colonies, a strange friendship nonetheless. They would form somewhat of a mercantilist culture, which began getting influenced by Genoese and even Venetian forms of government, which eventually evolved into an admiration of Roman government, and even their architecture, language, and culture. This merged with the old Viking cultures of Denmark, and an extremely bizarre mix of ideals between the Nords and the Romans created a warrior-mercantalist culture, which meshed Italo-Scandinavian culture together. Soon enough, the higher classes of Danish society overseas were speaking Latin and Genoese and Savoyard dialects of Italian, and the aristocracy of Lombardia began speaking Danish in some cases, or even old North Germanic and various Nordic languages. This scared the peoples back home to some degree, and the distinct culture of “Thamlikgard” or “Romlicia” or even “Thamlika” in the merging dialect, would develop, and even envelop the ruling classes there.
A mid-19th Century depiction of the early Danish colonies, titled "Thamlika"
Finally, to the north was the giant of North America, New Netherland. It had gained a vast population, with immigrants coming from countries all over Europe, due to excellent advertisement campaigns. The Dutch at home were capitalizing on their colony as well, and used the money to their advantage, by expanding trading colonies around the world and expanding their sphere of influence deep into Germany. New Netherland itself was, by 1700, dominated by the massive trading hub of New Amsterdam, which had several major North American companies, with each spreading it’s arms across the colonies, as far south as the Spanish La Plata Viceroyalty, as far North as the Danish outposts in Greenland, as far west as the Pacific, and as far East as the Cape of South Africa.
The colony also boasted a few other large cities, including Willemstadt, which was increasingly being called simply Willem. The city was the primary administrative center, with much political development occurring in the city. The city of Delavaar, which was located along the Susquehanna River(OTL Philadelphia) was also getting larger. It grew a significant liberal population, with a certain book becoming popular in the city, with it being sold out very quickly in many libraries. A book written by a Frenchman… Anyways, the city was more cordial to the native populations, and grew to have a largely cosmopolitan population, with a significant Anglo population, followed by a Native population, followed by a French population, all working together in one city. These large cities dominated politics in New Netherland, as well as cultural and economic things in the colony. However, there were other settlements gaining prominence too. Among these was firstly the small settlement along Lake Ohio(Lake Erie OTL). The settlement was called Geloofe, or “Faith”. It was a highly religious settlement, hence the name. It would start off relatively small, but eventually the city would grow in size signficantly…
To continue northward, the colony of New England was continuing to grow, although it was slow. Dominated by a traditionalist fishing culture, they didn’t send many colonists into the interior, and the colony continued to stagnate. However, the city of Boston still grew in size, and became a center of power for England overseas. It was rather conservative itself, and also vehemently anti-French, which New Englanders pride themselves for even today.
They still were, however, overshadowed by the French behemoth of a colony to their north, which had claimed vast territory, blocking any sense of a path past the Mississippi. The administrative, economic, and cultural center of Northern New France was the city of Quebec, which housed the governor. It was the largest city of New France, with New Orleans in a close second.
The colonies would continue their ascent, and as rivalry grew between all of them, so would their sense of nationalism, militarism, spirit, and yet still a sense of friendship and the working-togetherness of being all colonies, all on the same continent, together.
It's back! Sorry for the long delay, I was uninspired with respects to working on the timeline. After this, there will be an update on the situation in England, and hopefully an update on where I plan to direct the timeline.
The Rise of Korea - The 17th Century
Much of what we know about the Empire of Korea was learned from Portuguese ships who had visited the few ports they were allowed into. The beginnings of the century were a time of chaos, however, although chaos that would come to bolster the morale of the Korean people.
[NOTE FROM AUTHOR: In another place in the world, a set of galleons that were sent on another path because of a different jerk of the arm that placed the ship on a totally different path OTL led to winds that would change things on the other side of the planet. That other side of the planet was the Sea of Japan, or in this case, the Nippon Sea]
Nippon’s extremely ambitious Toyotomi Hideyoshi had made plans for a Japanese invasion of both China and Korea, starting with a landing in Korea. When he had gathered all of his forces, all seemed well. Korea, supported by the Ming dynasty in China, as they were a tributary state of them, would receive reinforcements after hearing of the invasion. The Nipponese Fleet would enter into combat with the mediocre Korean fleet, leading them to enter into a rout, returning to their home port. However, a large gust of wind set many of the ships heading towards Jeju, where they would crash and a large amount of the fleet were damaged to a point where they were irrepairable. They were successful in capturing the island however, despite losing many men from a surprise assault on the part of the Korean garrison on the island. The other part of the fleet, however, would continue on their mission to get to Korea. Poor timing led to an encounter from Korean and Chinese armies, however, and the invasion soon went to a stall with the Nipponese invaders, confused as to where the reinforcements were, fled to Jeojedo, an island off the coast, where they attempted to stay and defend the island for as long as they could, until reinforcements arrived. The armies in Jeju were soon under assault from the Chinese Navy, whose massive ships towered over the smaller, quicker Nipponese fleet. The island was attacked soon after.
The invasion was deemed a complete and utter failure, although it may have been successful had the winds had been better. Perhaps in another universe Nippon was successful and ruled the peninsula for many years, even winning a war against China and developing a massive empire. But not here. Jeju was once again captured, and put under Ming control. The island of Jeojedo was taken back after a brutal attack. Nippon was defeated. Hideyoshi would, after hearing of the unsuccessful invasion, commit suicide, as was customary for something so shameful. Korea now had a new slate to work on, one where they could perhaps build up their naval power, or turn the tide back against Nippon, attacking the mainland island. The army was still depleted, however, and needed rebuilding. After the war was a time for Korea in which they gradually opened up their country to foreigners, specifically the Europeans. In the 1620s, increased relations with Spain and Portugal led to an exchange of ideas, to China’s dismay. The surprisingly open ruler of Korea, King Injo, would allow the island of Jeojedo to be given to Portugal in exchange for monthly payment. It was the very same island that was taken during the First Nippon-Korea War. The island itself was given as Injo hoped that it would be developed by the Portuguese. Thus the era began of increased relations between Europe and Asia.
In 1636, an attempted invasion by the Manchurian tribes of the north into China ended as a failure, and China had ended up occupying part of the southern tribes. Korea would use this new influence to their advantage, and King Injo would use an early “divide and conquer strategy” to whittle down the Manchurian tribes to their north. The first to be attacked were the Jianzhou Jurchens, who were to the direct north of Korea. They also occupied much of the coastline in Manchuria, which would allow for access to fishing up the coast in Manchuria, and an easier way to attack the rich Nipponese. The steps were justified by a claim that “the barbarians had attempted an attack on their tributary master”, although they had little or nothing to do with the attempted coup d’etat in Beijing. The Koreans would begin their attack by sending a large regiment of troops up into the southern portions of the tribal monarchy, eventually securing the coastline and officially bringing it into their country within a matter of a week. The war ended with the leader of Jianzhou submitting as a tributary state, making them a tributary of a tributary. Korea continued by declaring war on the Haixi, and using their same tactics from before to cut up their country, this time deposing the king and putting in various governors for the smaller vassal states. They also cut off part of the western Haixi, giving a large part of the conquered horde to the Ming. Relations remained tense between the Koreans and the Jurchens, however, but things became stable in Manchuria.
The rest of the reign of King Injo would last until 1653, when the halfway point of the 17th century showed a bright future for Korea. They had now opened up their country to trade with the Europeans, and goods manufactured in Paris, Vienna, and especially Madrid flooded into Hanseong, with an especially booming market in firearms, soon gaining the most advanced military east of the Urals, a significant feat. They used this to gain their own influence over China, with King Injo visiting Beijing in frequent trips. The trips were, as the government stated in several documents, in order to “advise” the emperor, but it seemed that they had meant more than that, with China actively giving Korea more leeway in their tributary system of alliances, and the Korean military became an integral part of defending the Empire. The naval capacity also grew, and the famed turtles of their navy were reformed and recreated to be able to handle more blows whilst also supporting much larger amounts of cannons, and more efficient weapons, like improved Sulfur weapons, used to demoralize and weaken the enemy. The Koreans also had improved infrastructure throughout the capital city of Hanseong including a new, refined palace, several new administrative buildings, and, of course, an improved Chinese embassy. Even European architecture had a small reflection on the new buildings, with some degree of neoclassical influence, using marble and limestone as integral parts of certain buildings. They also improved their embassies with Portugal and Spain to some degree, with post-Great European War Portugal and Spain having wildly different administration than only a few years before.
However, this new era brought with it new conflicts, this time, to the north. The Jurchen situation at the time was not one someone would be envious of, as they were squeezed in between the land claimed by the growing Russian Empire, which established a few Pacific Coastal forts and settlements, and the growing Korean power and her Chinese overlord. To the west, in Mongolian territories, a few skirmishes between Russian and Chinese colonists meant increased tensions and insults. Russia wasn’t planning on backing down in the conflicts, and neither was China. The situation continued into the 18th and 19th centuries, with little being done to fix the issues.
Korea continued her might into the rest of the 17th century, with various rulers contributing to it sometimes, but King Injo was forever remembered as “The Great”.
The Rise of Korea - The 17th Century
Much of what we know about the Empire of Korea was learned from Portuguese ships who had visited the few ports they were allowed into. The beginnings of the century were a time of chaos, however, although chaos that would come to bolster the morale of the Korean people.
[NOTE FROM AUTHOR: In another place in the world, a set of galleons that were sent on another path because of a different jerk of the arm that placed the ship on a totally different path OTL led to winds that would change things on the other side of the planet. That other side of the planet was the Sea of Japan, or in this case, the Nippon Sea]
Nippon’s extremely ambitious Toyotomi Hideyoshi had made plans for a Japanese invasion of both China and Korea, starting with a landing in Korea. When he had gathered all of his forces, all seemed well. Korea, supported by the Ming dynasty in China, as they were a tributary state of them, would receive reinforcements after hearing of the invasion. The Nipponese Fleet would enter into combat with the mediocre Korean fleet, leading them to enter into a rout, returning to their home port. However, a large gust of wind set many of the ships heading towards Jeju, where they would crash and a large amount of the fleet were damaged to a point where they were irrepairable. They were successful in capturing the island however, despite losing many men from a surprise assault on the part of the Korean garrison on the island. The other part of the fleet, however, would continue on their mission to get to Korea. Poor timing led to an encounter from Korean and Chinese armies, however, and the invasion soon went to a stall with the Nipponese invaders, confused as to where the reinforcements were, fled to Jeojedo, an island off the coast, where they attempted to stay and defend the island for as long as they could, until reinforcements arrived. The armies in Jeju were soon under assault from the Chinese Navy, whose massive ships towered over the smaller, quicker Nipponese fleet. The island was attacked soon after.
The invasion was deemed a complete and utter failure, although it may have been successful had the winds had been better. Perhaps in another universe Nippon was successful and ruled the peninsula for many years, even winning a war against China and developing a massive empire. But not here. Jeju was once again captured, and put under Ming control. The island of Jeojedo was taken back after a brutal attack. Nippon was defeated. Hideyoshi would, after hearing of the unsuccessful invasion, commit suicide, as was customary for something so shameful. Korea now had a new slate to work on, one where they could perhaps build up their naval power, or turn the tide back against Nippon, attacking the mainland island. The army was still depleted, however, and needed rebuilding. After the war was a time for Korea in which they gradually opened up their country to foreigners, specifically the Europeans. In the 1620s, increased relations with Spain and Portugal led to an exchange of ideas, to China’s dismay. The surprisingly open ruler of Korea, King Injo, would allow the island of Jeojedo to be given to Portugal in exchange for monthly payment. It was the very same island that was taken during the First Nippon-Korea War. The island itself was given as Injo hoped that it would be developed by the Portuguese. Thus the era began of increased relations between Europe and Asia.
In 1636, an attempted invasion by the Manchurian tribes of the north into China ended as a failure, and China had ended up occupying part of the southern tribes. Korea would use this new influence to their advantage, and King Injo would use an early “divide and conquer strategy” to whittle down the Manchurian tribes to their north. The first to be attacked were the Jianzhou Jurchens, who were to the direct north of Korea. They also occupied much of the coastline in Manchuria, which would allow for access to fishing up the coast in Manchuria, and an easier way to attack the rich Nipponese. The steps were justified by a claim that “the barbarians had attempted an attack on their tributary master”, although they had little or nothing to do with the attempted coup d’etat in Beijing. The Koreans would begin their attack by sending a large regiment of troops up into the southern portions of the tribal monarchy, eventually securing the coastline and officially bringing it into their country within a matter of a week. The war ended with the leader of Jianzhou submitting as a tributary state, making them a tributary of a tributary. Korea continued by declaring war on the Haixi, and using their same tactics from before to cut up their country, this time deposing the king and putting in various governors for the smaller vassal states. They also cut off part of the western Haixi, giving a large part of the conquered horde to the Ming. Relations remained tense between the Koreans and the Jurchens, however, but things became stable in Manchuria.
The rest of the reign of King Injo would last until 1653, when the halfway point of the 17th century showed a bright future for Korea. They had now opened up their country to trade with the Europeans, and goods manufactured in Paris, Vienna, and especially Madrid flooded into Hanseong, with an especially booming market in firearms, soon gaining the most advanced military east of the Urals, a significant feat. They used this to gain their own influence over China, with King Injo visiting Beijing in frequent trips. The trips were, as the government stated in several documents, in order to “advise” the emperor, but it seemed that they had meant more than that, with China actively giving Korea more leeway in their tributary system of alliances, and the Korean military became an integral part of defending the Empire. The naval capacity also grew, and the famed turtles of their navy were reformed and recreated to be able to handle more blows whilst also supporting much larger amounts of cannons, and more efficient weapons, like improved Sulfur weapons, used to demoralize and weaken the enemy. The Koreans also had improved infrastructure throughout the capital city of Hanseong including a new, refined palace, several new administrative buildings, and, of course, an improved Chinese embassy. Even European architecture had a small reflection on the new buildings, with some degree of neoclassical influence, using marble and limestone as integral parts of certain buildings. They also improved their embassies with Portugal and Spain to some degree, with post-Great European War Portugal and Spain having wildly different administration than only a few years before.
However, this new era brought with it new conflicts, this time, to the north. The Jurchen situation at the time was not one someone would be envious of, as they were squeezed in between the land claimed by the growing Russian Empire, which established a few Pacific Coastal forts and settlements, and the growing Korean power and her Chinese overlord. To the west, in Mongolian territories, a few skirmishes between Russian and Chinese colonists meant increased tensions and insults. Russia wasn’t planning on backing down in the conflicts, and neither was China. The situation continued into the 18th and 19th centuries, with little being done to fix the issues.
Korea continued her might into the rest of the 17th century, with various rulers contributing to it sometimes, but King Injo was forever remembered as “The Great”.
The Absolutist War - The End
As the parliamentarians were cornered in lower England, the fate of the war was beginning to seem decided. Oliver Cromwell was dead, the main force behind the parliamentarians’ fight. Royalist forces encountered a set of parliamentarians en route to London. The force carried with it a good set of supplies. They were preparing for a siege of London, which, as predicted, would be their last major fight to defend English Liberty, and in this case, the Magna Carta itself. The Royalist forces intercepted the supply-holding force, where their weight seemed to stop them slightly. They did, however, attempt to use it to their advantage.
This regiment of parliamentarians was special in that it contained many of the most radical of their flock. This meant that they would do anything to defend their ideology. They decided to utilize the cannons that they had available, and they would run, holding loads of gunpowder, into vast groups of royalists, where they would, ultimately, blow themselves up along with the group around them. This is sometimes noted as one of the first incarnations of major ideological extremism, to the point where one would be okay, even elated, with being martyred in pursuit of spreading their tenets. They did very well in killing off many Royalists, even if it lead to the deaths of many of their own men. In the end, however, enough of them were killed of so as to make them surrender or flee. The Royalists “won” the battle, even if they had taken significant, significant losses.
The remainder of the army, now blocking the supply path to London, signaled to Charles’ army to begin to lay siege to the city. The siege was clearly going to do major, major damage. And it did, causing widespread destruction, with even the parliament building taking many damages.
Again, though, the wheels of history took it in a direction. A bad one, perhaps. Definately a bad one.
London had long had a history of bad sanitation, and it would make it often prone to outbreaks of disease, even if they were centuries old. 3 centuries old, in this case. The Bubonic Plague had killed a massive portion of Europe’s population, and also had significant outbreaks in the East. London was not an exception, and she had to deal with plagues of her own, with the 1600s beginning a revival. Specifically it was a revival right at the time of the siege of London. The lack of supplies caused an outbreak to form, whether it was due to infected water, worse sanitation, or something else. But the parliamentarians would use it to their advantage to try to stall the war some more. Dead bodies were flung over the wall, in a sight similar to the bio-warfare the Mongols had used against their victims in Azov. Thus, the Royalists became infected, and the disease spread among their ranks, spreading across England within a few months. It, however, was still localized in large cities and other places that were densely populated. Britain became an absolute mess of iron, blood, and disease. Charles would plan to create a post-war new order. One of huge regressivism and absolutism. The siege of London eventually succumbed, however, and as those Royalist troops marched through London in 1689, the “Absolute Order” was marked as starting.
The parliamentarians last-ditch effort at a propaganda campaign
Charles II, now growing old and infirm, was a lot like his father, but even more authoritarian. He renamed the Kingdom of Great Britain to the Empire of Britain. The Empire of Britain had lain claim to all of the Isles, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and all. The parliament was completely dissolved, and the parliamentarian-supporters money ripped away and distributed to those who supported to Royalists, creating a layer of nobility who ruled their serfs with an iron fist, working for their ruler. They did have a say in government, but the rule of the king was basically absolute. So absolute, in fact that France denounced their government. The new Britain entered a new century. A century where “splendid isolationism” continued, and the English colonies became undersupported, and the rise of the Netherlands began. The end of the Magna Carta was the beginning for the “Orange Years.
As always, another amazing update! I'm excited to see how an absolutist England will deal with its colonies in the future. Always excited for the Orange Age. Also, you wouldn't happen to have a map of how the 5 New England colonies are divid up, would you. I'm having a hard I've picturing it in my head.
I hope the down the line that England is free from the shackles that enplaced on it, maybe with Neo-diggerites as the leader of freer england movment
Thank you again! It's good to see a dedicated reader!
Yes, the absolutist England is going to have a different foreign policy. Charles II and his administration, ITTL are very much isolationist, and the colonies will be dealt with a lot differently. I can work on a map of New England right now, as I have nothing better to do
(P.S. The Orange Age is mentioning the Netherlands, if you couldn't tell
)Sorry I missed your comment, I was watching some baseball.
Anyways, I don't want to give away too much, but in essence, yes the shackles are going to be released...
Around 1789...
Long live the revolution!
Paint the world orange, Holland.
Indeed they shall!
By the way, does anyone have any recommendations for something that needs clarification before the 18th century? I want to pump out as much info as possible before part 2...
Hello everyone, I'm sorry for not updating the timeline in forever, I thought I should update this as soon as possible to show that the timeline isn't going to end any time soon. I may have not posted in a while, but I still love how it is going so far, and want to keep it going. On to the future!
The 1600s were a time of change. Lots and lots of change. Speaking of change, the Benedictine Calendar had come into use, a system that marks the dates from Jesus’s birth, making the new century, officially thoughout Europe, 1700. Millions had died from war, and massive land changes had occurred. New powers had also emerged, and their colonists spread from the tip of Patagonia to the Great Bay, and from Nippon to Bermuda to the Appalachians and the Andes. The landscape of Europe had changed significantly, with new empires dominating land across the continent, and new religious denominations rose up to fight Catholicism even bloodier than before.
The world, however, continued its push onwards, in some places onwards meant insanity, and in other places it meant democracy. A place where democracy began to spread as the ideals of everyday men was overseas. In perhaps one of the “least important” continents to the Europeans, and one where they cared little, the world would change. The birthplace of a second Athens.
End of The Century
The 1600s were a time of change. Lots and lots of change. Speaking of change, the Benedictine Calendar had come into use, a system that marks the dates from Jesus’s birth, making the new century, officially thoughout Europe, 1700. Millions had died from war, and massive land changes had occurred. New powers had also emerged, and their colonists spread from the tip of Patagonia to the Great Bay, and from Nippon to Bermuda to the Appalachians and the Andes. The landscape of Europe had changed significantly, with new empires dominating land across the continent, and new religious denominations rose up to fight Catholicism even bloodier than before.
The world, however, continued its push onwards, in some places onwards meant insanity, and in other places it meant democracy. A place where democracy began to spread as the ideals of everyday men was overseas. In perhaps one of the “least important” continents to the Europeans, and one where they cared little, the world would change. The birthplace of a second Athens.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
*-* The World in 1700 *-*
Pretty big, eh? I'm going to use the space for info and stuff later, don't worry. Also, the maps will follow the things outlined in TOASTER.
Please Read:
The timeline is, being a new chapter, going to have some more changes. I am looking to changing the writing style to a degree, so that I may fit in more information. This will mean that posts will oftentimes have no title or vague titles, or something along those lines. In the posts, I look to covering more information in a somewhat less organized format, but there will most certainly be more info in each post. Also, a noticeable difference is the map, which I wanted to update to make it more pretty, include more info, etc.
*-* The World in 1700 *-*
Pretty big, eh? I'm going to use the space for info and stuff later, don't worry. Also, the maps will follow the things outlined in TOASTER.
Please Read:
The timeline is, being a new chapter, going to have some more changes. I am looking to changing the writing style to a degree, so that I may fit in more information. This will mean that posts will oftentimes have no title or vague titles, or something along those lines. In the posts, I look to covering more information in a somewhat less organized format, but there will most certainly be more info in each post. Also, a noticeable difference is the map, which I wanted to update to make it more pretty, include more info, etc.
Okay, I made a post, it's short, but I'm still racking my brain for large-scale ideas
New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw-Amsterdam); July, 1700
Frederick de Wit was shuffling through the crowded lanes of Rotterdam Street, making sure he wouldn’t be noticed. He didn’t want to get trapped in a conversation with someone interested in his politics. It was unusually cold, especially for july. Many said that this was to be the coldest year in centuries. They probably weren’t wrong. He was going to the colonial parliament, or “Koloniestaaten” as it was dubbed. They time for debate had arrived, it was required after the situation to the east.
It was obvious that the new rulership in Britain had meant they were to follow a more aggressive diplomatic policy, but this was ridiculous. It had come out, and was now being published in the small newspaper business, that several colonists had been paid to come and settle on Dutch-claimed territory. Not only that, but had attacked the few colonists in the sparse lands of upper Anker Bay. It was outrageous. Reports had also came from their neighbor to the north that the Treaty of Lisbon was violated. English soldiers and ships had reportedly entered French Louisville, their enclave within British Maryland. Frederick could only think to himself. He had a great knowledge of history, studying the Great European War in Rotterdam. This conflict could mean a return to the alliance of old with France, one allied against the British. And this was without knowledge of what would happen to the south as well…
-=-
Europe
The British were clearly more inclined to state their interests to their surrounding nations, by force if necessary. The border skirmishes had gotten to a point where action would need to be taken. The European powers’ overseas focus would be a hot point of tension until the American Wars nearly a century later, where the colonies would split off, creating their own rivalries, etc.
The contest obviously meant repercussions in Europe. Especially when just a year after the border skirmish, which was still hotly debated by European colonialists, the convoluted system that is the House of Habsburg had a major issue in Spain, where a massive portion of the family was killed when the Madrid gunpowder factory exploded when a meeting was going on between the king, his family, and the nobles.(Hey, it was the early 1700s these people didn’t know placing a gunpowder factory next to an important diplomatic center would be bad) The explosion ended up killing a good 90% of those in the building on impact, while the rest suffocated or were burnt. The ensuing chaos of the “Madrid Explosion” led Madrid and the surroundings into absolute anarchy. The fire spread through Madrid, and was only put out after burning through a good sixth of the city. The king’s son had died, however. As had all of his kids, and the closest living relative was not currently living in Spain. He was living in Vienna. Ruling the Holy Roman Empire. Upon hearing of the explosion, Joseph I supposedly looked sullen at first, upon his loss of a friend, before realizing that he was due to inherit a world-spanning empire. But this wouldn’t sit well with the fellow European powers.
The two emperors of Western Europe would grow closer during this period, the Empire of Britain and the Empire of Holy Rome. The alliance wouldn’t end in flames, however. While Austria and Britain drew closer, talks of having Joseph’s brother, Ludwig, ascend to the throne of Spain became more common. Under the agreement of peace (Austria wasn’t interested in war after annexing more land in Saxony) Ludwig, now Luis I of Spain, would ascend to the throne in place of his former rulers. However, the agreement also made clear that the Holy Roman Emperor would have significant influence over Luis, and Spain and Naples were given official electorate status, so as to expand the empire. This made Spain and Naples a de facto part of the Holy Roman Empire, making it not a solely German Empire, and instead, a Habsburg-European union under an iron fist.
New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw-Amsterdam); July, 1700
Frederick de Wit was shuffling through the crowded lanes of Rotterdam Street, making sure he wouldn’t be noticed. He didn’t want to get trapped in a conversation with someone interested in his politics. It was unusually cold, especially for july. Many said that this was to be the coldest year in centuries. They probably weren’t wrong. He was going to the colonial parliament, or “Koloniestaaten” as it was dubbed. They time for debate had arrived, it was required after the situation to the east.
It was obvious that the new rulership in Britain had meant they were to follow a more aggressive diplomatic policy, but this was ridiculous. It had come out, and was now being published in the small newspaper business, that several colonists had been paid to come and settle on Dutch-claimed territory. Not only that, but had attacked the few colonists in the sparse lands of upper Anker Bay. It was outrageous. Reports had also came from their neighbor to the north that the Treaty of Lisbon was violated. English soldiers and ships had reportedly entered French Louisville, their enclave within British Maryland. Frederick could only think to himself. He had a great knowledge of history, studying the Great European War in Rotterdam. This conflict could mean a return to the alliance of old with France, one allied against the British. And this was without knowledge of what would happen to the south as well…
-=-
Europe
The British were clearly more inclined to state their interests to their surrounding nations, by force if necessary. The border skirmishes had gotten to a point where action would need to be taken. The European powers’ overseas focus would be a hot point of tension until the American Wars nearly a century later, where the colonies would split off, creating their own rivalries, etc.
The contest obviously meant repercussions in Europe. Especially when just a year after the border skirmish, which was still hotly debated by European colonialists, the convoluted system that is the House of Habsburg had a major issue in Spain, where a massive portion of the family was killed when the Madrid gunpowder factory exploded when a meeting was going on between the king, his family, and the nobles.(Hey, it was the early 1700s these people didn’t know placing a gunpowder factory next to an important diplomatic center would be bad) The explosion ended up killing a good 90% of those in the building on impact, while the rest suffocated or were burnt. The ensuing chaos of the “Madrid Explosion” led Madrid and the surroundings into absolute anarchy. The fire spread through Madrid, and was only put out after burning through a good sixth of the city. The king’s son had died, however. As had all of his kids, and the closest living relative was not currently living in Spain. He was living in Vienna. Ruling the Holy Roman Empire. Upon hearing of the explosion, Joseph I supposedly looked sullen at first, upon his loss of a friend, before realizing that he was due to inherit a world-spanning empire. But this wouldn’t sit well with the fellow European powers.
The two emperors of Western Europe would grow closer during this period, the Empire of Britain and the Empire of Holy Rome. The alliance wouldn’t end in flames, however. While Austria and Britain drew closer, talks of having Joseph’s brother, Ludwig, ascend to the throne of Spain became more common. Under the agreement of peace (Austria wasn’t interested in war after annexing more land in Saxony) Ludwig, now Luis I of Spain, would ascend to the throne in place of his former rulers. However, the agreement also made clear that the Holy Roman Emperor would have significant influence over Luis, and Spain and Naples were given official electorate status, so as to expand the empire. This made Spain and Naples a de facto part of the Holy Roman Empire, making it not a solely German Empire, and instead, a Habsburg-European union under an iron fist.