The Timeline Without A Name

[AmericanAdam]

The Timeline Without A Name

(Because I don’t know what to call it)

By AmericanAdam

​

Just going to put some notes in here. The POD of the timeline is the foundation of the von Rot dynasty, which, despite being the overthrowing of an extremely minor title, has huge butterflies that ripple all over the world. Also, the general idea of this timeline is basically nonexistent, so I shall come up with ideas as we go, and also try taking as many of you guys' ideas!

Part 1 - Introduction


The tale of the von Rot dynasty has its origins in the countryside surrounding Zurich, Winterthur, and Kloten. These three cities bred an isolated lifestyle, similar to much of the rest of "Switzerland", or the land in between Burgundy and Tirol. The citizens of the various cities stayed tucked away within the walls, feeling safe. However, on the outer regions of the walls, there were still farmers and laborers. Among these were the Rots, who were serfs that remained on their master's soil, farming and the like. It stayed much like this for the von Rot children for many years. However, in the Holy Roman Empire, in the little county of Schwyz, on the fields of Gottschalk Wigmar's manor, in the year 900, the many peasants of the manor had been making conversation over the lowering rewards they had gotten for working there. The most militant of the peasantry, in accordance with the history of our dynasty, was Wilfried von Rot. Over the course of several days, Wilfried organized an open rebellion, which would utilize their personal farm tools. Plans were made to organize at the back of the home of Gottschalk's house at around 3 AM, and begin setting up ladders and makeshift siege weapons. Wilfried had a whole lot of expertise in the field of strategy, and war. He had learned much of this by sitting, and watching battles occur between the various counts fighting for titles and the like.


Finally, the day had come for organized rebellion. Wilfried marched to the back of the castle undetected with his allies, as planned. By dawn, everything was set up, and the plans began. Peasants flooded into the windows of the castle from the ladders, and Gottschalk was killed in the chaos. His few guards were also overwhelmed, most being stabbed to death with rusty scythes, and others being thrown off the roof. Finally, the entire manor had been cleared, and that evening, the peasants all celebrated their great victory with a feast from the noble's food supply. They decided their new leader would be Wilfried himself, the one who had organized the rebellion. The von Rots had just been catapulted to a title. So began the von Roth Dynasty.



Part 2: The New Leadership


Now, not all that has gone differently in this world is related to southern Germany, many other changes shall happen.

But, for now, we will focus on our friends in Zurich. Wilfried’s somewhat benevolent rule has begun, in the year of 900 A.D. He passed some small reforms lifting taxes somewhat on his new subjects, and began policies of militarization. He had plans for his land holdings. The city that grew around his manor, which originally was deemed so small it didn’t have a name, now bore the name “Rotenberg”. His plans, anyway, were to attack the neighboring city of Kloten, which was chaotic at the moment, due to civil unrest. He established a regiment of about 150 men, who were given basic training and were allowed to continue their lives as usual when not at war.



In his personal life, he had recently reached the age of 35. Friends described him as “friendly to people who don’t dislike him, but hateful towards his enemies”. His policies were somewhat outwardly hostile, except to the few who he liked, and whose policies he agreed with. He worked a lot on developing the land within his holdings, putting a lot of money into defenses for the manor. However, he still had to pay his tax every once and a while to the count of Schwyz. And with this, all was well in Rotenberg, as Wilfried prepared for war with his neighbors in order to gain more land and power. In 904, war would begin between the two cities of Rotenberg and Kloten. The two armies of the cities finally met on the battlefield. Rotenberg had 150 undersupplied men, albeit, but they were tremendously trained for combat. Kloten, on the other hand, had somewhat better supplied men, but they were mostly peasants from the country who had absolutely no knowledge of combat. It was made up of around 125 soldiers. Both sides had no cavalry or archers.



The ensuing fight was quite the bloodbath. Each side slaughtered the other, but in the end, the Rosenberger regiment was able to effectively supply their right flank enough to surround the enemies on 3 sides, killing most of the enemy soldiers. The losses of Rotenberg were still heavy, though, at only 102 surviving soldiers. Kloten took far higher losses, however. They had only 33 remaining soldiers, who surrendered the city, finally. The new leadership finally brought stability to the city, which was suffering from revolts and civil unrest. The winning of the “First War” was celebrated magnificently in Rotenberg, which now integrated the city of Kloten into greater Rotenberg. However, an event that would soon happen would further catapult the von Rots to power.


The county of Zurichgau was a vassal of duke Erchanger, in the newly created “Duchy of Swabia”. Its current ruler, Udalrich I, was aging in 914. He had no children, and was unable to procreate due to a… problem. This led to a dynastical issue, in which he didn’t have an heir. Various nobles of Zurichgau had contested for the rank. Among them was good ol’ Wilfried. He began getting lots of support due to his younger age, and his many children. With this, he was brought forward to the forefront of the succession. He grew his military power, primarily via his newfound allies supporting him. When the time was right, he finally assembled his full regiment and began leading them. His army marched into the capital, Zurich, taking control of the government. He was celebrated by the nobles of the land. With this, the von Rot dynasty expanded their land holdings significantly. Now, he also had children of his own at 37 years old. His first child is a 12 year old boy, his second is a 10 year old girl, another 7 year old girl, and finally a 2 year old boy. The 12 year old’s name is Wilfried, the first girl’s name is Adolfa, the second’s name is Ishilde, and the 2 year old boy’s name is Archibald. All was well in the dynasty, and succession was guaranteed. Things in Zurichgau stayed much the same for many years. Many, many years.



This is a bit different from what I usually do for timelines, and YES I KNOW I HAVE OTHER TIMELINES RUNNING IT'S A BAD HABIT! Thank you, any constructive criticism is, as always, very helpful!

Update coming late tonight or tomorrow!

 

[Upvoteanthology]

You should call this TL "Germany Rots".

 

[AmericanAdam]

You should call this TL "Germany Rots".

Good idea!

 

[AmericanAdam]

Part 3: Centuries Later…


Swabia, in 1254, was a much different place. The county of Zurich was now a much smaller entity. Swabia was no more, replaced by lots and lots of counties and small duchies. But, the von Rot dynasty managed to keep its hold onto power in Zurich, despite some poor leadership over the years. Count Otto II was struggling with old age, and passed away in 1254 at age 68. He was replaced by his son, Conrad II. Conrad II had plans for his family, though. He couldn’t bear to not do anything. He was indeed a very ambitious man, and his plans involved marriage. At age 37, he already had less than half his life left, but he wouldn’t let that get to him. It was announced that his son, Wilfried VI, would marry the daughter of the duke of Gascony (England never inherited Gascony, due to a butterfly.), Maïté. His hope was that the elderly duke would die soon without sons, as he only had one daughter so far. However, the chance of this occurring were extremely slim. He only prayed and hoped. He was lucky. Very, very lucky.



Soon enough, the duke would fall into a canyon, mysteriously, while with some of his guards (Obviously an assassination attempt by Conrad.) and broke almost all of his bones when he hit the bottom, dying agonizingly. Now, a woman couldn’t inherit the dynasty, and the closest living relative was Wilfried… This led to the final demise of the House of Poiters. Now, Conrad and his son ruled alongside each other, with plans for when Conrad would die, that Wilfried would inherit both thrones, making Zurich an enclave of the duchy of Gascony. And, as planned, Conrad eventually died, making Wilfried VI the ruler of the county of Zurich as well as the duke of Gascony. The von Rot dynasty’s land holdings got exponentially larger. Now, Wilfried, who already was fluent in German, needed to direly learn Gascon as well, and possibly English, as his realm was now a part of England, and not the Holy Roman Empire. When the Swiss Confederation was declared, however, he refused to join, and Zurich stayed out of the Confederation, loyal to its neighboring powers.



Now, he had an ocean holding, for the first time in his family’s history. This would truly prove important to the history of his dynasty. He often was quoted to have looked out at the Bay of Biscay, wondering, if maybe, just maybe, there was something else out there. Perhaps some sort of island, with mythical creatures, perhaps new unsettled land, perhaps exotic tribes… he couldn’t know unless he would find out himself. He still didn’t dare do so, but his quotes became famous for his family for a long while afterwards. The new capital of the Duchy of Gascony-Zurich would be Bordeaux, however his son, once of old enough age, would have de facto control of Zurich, due to the land ways in between. Anyway, just because he wouldn’t explore the oceans, that doesn’t mean he won’t send someone he doesn’t like to do so…


One of his “advisors” recently had been somewhat… troublesome. He publicly insulted other diplomats, making many people angry at him, and thus the rest of the country. Also, he openly stated his “slight distaste” for the current ruler. Finally, Wilfried had enough, and decided that he would go on a journey out to sea, and if he could make it back with items from a new land, he would give him a large gift of money. He sent Arnaud out (that was his name by the way) in 1264 and just waited. He was expecting him not to return, and began looking at other people to hire now. Life mostly continued as normal for Wilfried, who continued handling his government. What he didn’t know, is that Arnaud was recently killed by the prisoner crew, in favor of one of the indebted prisoners. He would take control of the ship, and continue sailing out with no idea where he was going. Eventually, land was sighted. It was an absolute miracle. What they didn’t know is that they had landed in the present-day island of Madeira. Upon landing, they witnessed a beautiful wonderland, if that is how it should be described. The island was bare of all human inhabitants, and resources were plentiful. They soon were able to get enough food to return back to Gascony and receive their reward. They returned to a small port in Galicia, and payed some travelers with some of their food to renovate the ship back to a better state, and they continued to travel. Finally, in summer of 1267, they returned.



Wilfried was absolutely shocked, but also delighted. He kept his promise, and payed back the debt of all the prisoners, setting them free, and also giving them free small houses. His plans began coming together for overseas expansion. 5 more ships were sent with plenty of food in the same general direction in the same season, and sure enough, 8 months later, they arrived back on the island after some skillful maneuvering. This was the beginning of European overseas colonialism and imperialism. The colonists planted the flag of the von Rot dynasty on the northern shoreline of Madeira. The settlement was named Nouveau Rotenbourg, after the original beginnings of the dynasty which they served. The island was named Nouveau Gascony, and settlement began in the 100s. The population still remained relatively small, but the island, which was now known to the world, had the entire coast claimed and protected from their large Muslim neighbors.



Once the island was fully secured, the land in Europe became quite interconnected with the island. Madeira also became known for its wine. The grapes that were grown there had a very unique flavor, and it was well-liked among the aristocracy of Europe, often used as a status symbol. All was well in the Duchy, and plans were already being drafted to further explore the ocean, with hopes of finding more territory.



However, their discoveries were not simply ignored by their fellow Atlantic nations. For example, the kings of the north, in Denmark, Sweden Norway, and especially Iceland, began looking through lost records of discoveries of a land known as “Vinland”. This became quite popular among the Icelandic aristocracy, and some small settlements were reestablished in Greenland by rich nobles, sort of as a jumping-off point for more colonization. One of the largest of the Greenlander settlements, which would eventually go on to move into the Americas, was a religious settlement that was founded in 1269. It was created by Cathars who were viscously persecuted in their homelands, and many moved northward to live a basic life in small housing. They even adopted their own home-rule, led by a bishop who was elected from the priests of the settlement. It was, however, de jure part of Iceland, and if they tried wriggling free, it would be far too costly in lives for their side. Explorers were also sent out by various nations, with an English explorer named Henry Drake being sent out in 1273, and eventually becoming the first Englishman to step foot in America, landing in Newfoundland. A flag was planted down on the coastline, but English colonists wouldn’t actually arrive to colonize it for a long time.

 

[AmericanAdam]

Part 4: France’s Rise


Long had France been dominated by England, with the house of Plantagenet controlling all of the lands on the Atlantic coastline, and the only French holding on the water being a port a few kilometers north of Calais. While this was all true, and France resented it’s domination by the English, it’s military simply wasn’t powerful enough. Its nation’s unity in terms of morale wasn’t the best. It needed some way to assert their position as the dominator of the French lands. And so, Louis IX, in 1263, began a process of restoration of prestige to the house of Valois. He also started to strategically improve the amount of money coming into the treasury, eventually repaying off most of France’s debt. His economic buildup also led to a military buildup. And, early propaganda campaigns among the nobles began, strangely enough. They worked, though, and nobles were promised new areas of land in Normandy and Guyenne as long as they supported France with all they could muster. He also began centralizing the state, absorbing his many vassal states. The largest of these were Burgundy and Toulouse. This led to a huge amount of land being absorbed into the French state.



Next, it was time to recover his rightful territory from the Kingdom of Aragon. They had long dominated Toulouse and the southern Mediterranean coastline of France. This would not be tolerated. The newly powerful French state began its campaigns of military buildup along the borders, with plans to take even a few cities south of the Pyrenees, despite how hard the war would be. That was certainly something to consider, though, although the odds were balanced in Louis’s favor, there is always a chance of defeat. What could they claim if he lost? The southern regions of France? Perhaps a lot of his treasury? He may be able to recover for that. And so, he took the bet and French pikemen flooded over the border in 1271, crossing the coastline along the Pyrenees. The war began with the Battle of Roussillon. The French troops were a lot higher in number, but the Aragonite army was supplemented by ships that bombarded the coastline with flaming arrows. At the start of the battle, the French position was able to move to the northwest, gaining a hill position somewhat far from the ships. Every Aragonite attempt at invading the French garrison atop the hill failed, and eventually the French cavalry stormed down the hill, taking the enemies by shock, and cutting straight through the center. They somewhat reorganized, but it was too late. French Pikemen were storming down the hill, followed by archers. The battle ended with a decisive French victory.



The victory led to the French troops to push southwards, laying siege to all that they could. However, things weren’t going as quickly in Provence. Despite victories by the French in some smaller skirmishes, the Aragonite garrisons were very strong, and they held up against the invaders. But, the French who were slowly inching their way through the farmlands of Provence, had help from some rebels to the east. Native Occitan rebels had begun to lay siege to several large cities in Aragon. Once again, back in the south, the French army continued steamrolling through Aragon, until they reached the capital at Barcelona. What would ensue is an 8 month-long siege that ended in the loss of many, many Aragonite lives. During the battle, however, the King of France died, and his son took over. His son had similar policies, and nothing got too disorganized in the war, with a smaller coronation than usual. As I was saying, the garrison in Barcelona hesitantly surrendered to the invading French forces. The king of Aragon was held hostage, and a peace treaty was agreed to be signed in Marseille, in winter of 1272. France was to get all her claimed land, including Provence, Toulouse, and northern Aragon. Celebrations were held all around France for the reconquest of her former lands.

 

[AmericanAdam]

Part 5: The Beginning of the Angevin War

Now, France was once again recognized for her might.


Next, it was time to prepare for the fight with England. With the new manpower from the taken Aragonite lands, the French military was widely built up. Knowing they wouldn’t need a navy for this attack, Phillip III shrunk the navy significantly, and began building up his army to new heights. Once this was complete, he began looking for new allies to support him in the war. First of all, Scotland was far too weak, and right on the border with England, so not Scotland. Next, the Irish states. Many of them could probably fend off a naval invasion, especially with England focusing primarily on the French offensive. So, French diplomats began making treaties with many of the Irish clans. Plans began being drafted to invade the English Pale from all directions. It was going to be an absolute onslaught and massacre of English citizens, mostly out of revenge for the persecution of the Irish. Soon afterwards, a treaty was sent very secretly into Bordeaux, agreeing that if Guyenne were to aid France, they would get much territory after the war.


Now, it was time for war. The French manpower reserves had finally recovered, and French-hired “advisors” to King Henry III Anjou had “advised” him that no invasion was imminent, and thus he kept his usual-sized garrisons throughout the kingdom. French troops immediately rushed across the countryside into Rouen, with some support from the Loire. Now, 21,000 French troops encountered 15,000 English troops, including the 1,000 man garrison inside the fort. The French won decisively, driving the English from the fort, and capturing Rouen in 1276.

Part 5: The Oligarchy of Oman, and the state of the Indian Ocean trade.



The rich aristocracy of Oman had, over the years, gained much more power. This, combined with bettering relations with surrounding countries, and the discovery of more and more tribes throughout the Indian Ocean, led to the creation of a rich merchant class that began to dominate the government of Oman. Muscat began developing into a vibrant trade city, with ships from all the way in North Australia, China, and The Zulu. Tributary states were starting to develop, pledging their allegiance to various nobles of Oman. After several years of this merchant class growing, they oligarchy was able to hold the sultan at spear-point, forcing him to sign a document giving the merchants many new privileges, turning Oman into essentially an oligarchic republic, similar to Venice, to the north.



In fact, one of their newest, most common trade ally was Venice. Sometimes merchant caravans would travel across the desert to Port Said and take a ship to Venice, sometimes they would travel through the red sea, and across the short desert, and take another boat. This made Port Said become a highly developed, large, trading city. It soon would become the meeting point between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Anyways, Oman continued to expand overseas, directly and indirectly control tributaries and take over small little ports and develop them greater.



An Omanese force also began attacking the south of the Seljuks, so as to gain more clay territory for Oman.

The new connection with Venice, and therefore much of Europe, led to much of Asia being reconnected with Europe. The Spice Trade began to ramp up again, with Indonesian traders indirectly giving various spices to Omanese merchants, who traded it with the Venetians, who traded with various other European nations. The Silk Road began recreating itself, but soon, another reunion would occur, specifically among merchants from Portugal…


Part 6: The Resistance from the Mongols



The Mongol Empire under Temujin, or Genghis Khan, was rapidly expanding. It had witnessed a quick rise to power, and has begun invasions into Southern China. Truly, they were unstoppable.



However, the Russian States to the west which had originally been falling one by one to the power of the Horde, had begun a fierce resistance back. Once contact had begun to reconnect with the eastern nations, tales of new technology began coming to the Europeans. Gunpowder was among them. While it wouldn’t have much use for now, several decades later semi-powerful, working cannons would be put into use by European armies.



For now, Russian troops used gunpowder to launch large rocks over the enemy, sometimes using boiling oil or another very hot material. Along with this, Russian armies, particularly Kievan, began using the same tactics they had observed from the Mongols. Many leaders in the Russian world had hoped that this would save them. While it didn’t drive the Mongols out, it certainly alerted them and made their invasions start stagnating.



However, a metaphorical storm was to hit the Mongol Empire in 1268. An unknown European disease had infected Genghis Khan, and he began crippling. Finally, about 3 months after catching the disease, Temujin had passed away, along with a legacy of being one of the greatest conquerors in human history, on par with Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.



Chaos in the inheritance for the Mongol Empire ensued. Who would inherit? What would happen to the new conquered lands? Finally, it was decided that the Mongol Empire would split up into 4 different “hordes”, led by each of 4 first born sons. They all were required to follow a pact though, that would ensure they worked together in invasions.



The first horde was the Green Horde, also known as the Jade Horde. It was made up of the newly conquered areas of China, along with some of Mongolia, and Manchuria.



Next was the Golden Horde. The Golden Horde, for now, was relatively small. However, it has lain claims to all of India and Persia, with hopes that they will one day be conquered.



Next was the Yellow Horde, which had plans for the conquest of much of Europe, primarily southern Europe.



Finally, there was the Blue Horde. The Blue Horde also had plans for the conquest of Europe, however the northern part. They announced claims to Scandinavia, as well as Russia.


A new era had dawned for the Mongol Empire, with the surrounding states hoping that it was an end to Mongol Rule…

 

[Not Henry G.]

"I've been through the desert on a timeline with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain"

...I'll show myself out...

 

[AmericanAdam]

"I've been through the desert on a timeline with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain"

...I'll show myself out...

*claps*

Well said my friend, well said.

 

[AmericanAdam]

Part 7: The Reconquista Finishes, and the State of the Iberian Nations

Despite claims from their government, the various Islamic governments of southern Iberia finally are deemed to be defeated soon by the joint anti-Moor coalition of Portugal, Leon, Castile, Aragon, and Navarra. They all sorted out their claims to southern Iberia, and once again, war erupted between the two coalitions in 1273.


The war was practically decided at the very beginning, when a huge army of 35,000 Castilian, Leonese, and Portuguese troops trekked southward, capturing small villages and liberating Christians for their army. They continued southward until they reached the city of Cordoba, long considered the capital of the Iberian Muslims. The large army combated the 12,000 underequipped league of various Iqtas put together. Unsurprisingly, the battle was a decisive victory, and the Christian army began to lay siege to the city. The garrisons surrendered after 3 days.


This led to a crushing of morale for the other side, and soon enough, and Aragonite-Navarrese army began laying siege to Valencia, which surrendered after a month. When all hope was lost for the Muslim side, they sued for peace. Long considered a black day for the Moroccans, and indeed, the Muslim world. The treaty agreed that all Christian claims in the regions of Iberia would be recognized, and various land holdings would be handed over, with some leaders agreeing to convert to Christianity, with the ones who wouldn’t being killed and replaced.


The day of the Reconquista, when, finally, the Christian forces of Iberia triumphed over enemy armies, recapturing Iberia for the Christians for the first time in almost five centuries, was celebrated greatly among the Christian world, Catholics and Orthodox alike. The Christian Iberian countries all created little semi-autonomous regions governed by the military, just to wait until the population was steadily integrated.


Now, the Iberian nations had no one of the other faith to have a rivalry against. It was now time for them to look towards each other. The boiling point of negative relations between Leon and Castile had finally been reached. A sort of arms race began, in which the two looked to the east, towards gunpowder. This led to the first forms of “hand cannons” being created. Also, early forms of artillery began construction in both countries. Hopefully nothing too destructive would be created…


While this was going on, Portugal was secretly laughing at both of them. They recently had gotten a request from a little-known Christian cartographer named Manuel Dias. His request was that he could have 3 small ships, and he would travel as southward as he could. In return, any land he found that appeared barren, unclaimed, or had weak tribespeople, he would claim for the Portuguese Crown. Reluctantly, the King accepted. The ship traveled southbound, getting all the way southward to the Kingdom of the Kongo. A brief meeting between the explorer and the king of Kongo led to a treaty, where Portugal would offer protection to the Kongo (Note that it says protection, not an alliance) in exchange for the king’s conversion to Christianity. Also, further northward, a large piece of land was claimed that seemed suitable for Portuguese settlement, and it was taken note of for further colonization.



Once Manuel returned home and reported his discoveries, and the new protectorate to the south, The King began to realize the opportunities for trade. He ordered that several more ships travel southward, establishing many new forts and settlements. This led to the founding of the Portuguese African Trade Company, in Portuguese, Africano Trade Company Português, or the ATCP. The company began trading with the natives of Africa, a very profitable business, especially with the new slaves they were getting.


Part 8: The End of the Angevin War


Finally, after 13 years of fighting, the English had begun to get their final hopes for victory in the war crushed.


Firstly, the various Irish states that had allied themselves with France in order to gain land in the Pale had taken Dublin, and heavily fortified all their coastlines, stopping any possible English Invasion. The English people that lived in the Pale were slaughtered with no mercy, mostly out of anger from the conquest of their land.


The French also had begun harsh rule against English nobles in their former lands. Many English forts and cities had been captured for France. Among these were Rouen, as said above, Caen, Poiters, and Anjou. The French armies continued their slow, slow push across northern France. The king of France was laughing gleefully, already figuring out the peace terms with England.



The armies of Wilfried VII, son of Wilfired VI, also continued their slow push across Guyenne. The claim lines also were drafted between Paris and Bordeaux. The war would, hopefully, soon come to an end. In 1289, Anjou was finally captured, leading to the end of English attempts at holding northern France. The French armies pushed across their claimed land, reaching Brest within a year. Once people gave up on any sort of war attempt, a peace treaty was signed between France and England in Autumn 1290.



The peace treaty was a somber occasion for the English, held in London. The various English nobles and powerful leaders that came to visit and discuss terms were clearly weary and unhappy. King Henry III had also been in quite a bad mood. On the other hand, however, the various nobles of France and the King of France were all clearly in a quite a good mood about the treaty. So much so, that Phillip IV “practically danced to the treaty room” as reported by one of his advisors and personal friends. Wilfried was also, clearly, quite happy about the treaty. His new domain would double in size. Truly it was a good day in France.


The treaty agreed that French claims to Northern France would be accepted, along with Guyennese claims. The Kingdom of Bretagne would also gain independence, as a sort of puppet kingdom of France. The Kingdom of England also had to agree to monetary concessions. Very large ones. Once the treaty was grimly signed by Henry, Phillip returned home to survey his new huge land gains.



The immense amount of money strain France had put on England was quite problematic for the kingdom. Taxes had to be raised significantly just to allow minor things to run. Obviously, this made the peasants not very happy. This would lead to the Northumberland Rebellion, one of the largest peasant revolts in history. They went as far as to demand new leadership, under a peasant among them who they revered and honored. He was a little-known lad named Thomas Cromwell... His military leadership would prove effective, along with his charisma that attracted many new supporters of his cause. The rebellion continues on, only time will tell the results of the rebellion...

An Eighteenth-century depiction of the Angevin War in it's late stages, Francis de Foix.​

 

[AmericanAdam]

Does anyone want me to slow down at all? Perhaps talk about something more local and in dialogue? Any ideas welcome!

 

[AmericanAdam]

Part 9: Continued Expeditions


By 1285, many nations of Europe have realized that there is some sort of land-mass to the west, mostly from English settlers. This leads to a small amount of adventurous people to begin traveling on ships westward. People come primarily from countries on the Atlantic coastline, of course, specifically France, England, Scotland, Portugal, Leon, and of course Guyenne. Some of these colonies, like the one in Nouveau Rotenbourg, are government controlled or governed, with little local authority. However, some colonies, like the Cathar colonies in Greenland, are made independently, and are generally locally governed, and usually with autonomy, very rarely do they declare fully independent nations.


From Greenland and Madeira, further expeditions continued. Guyennese explorers landed in the Canarias, before soon returning home due to hostile natives. Along with this, some lone ships from Guyenne actually traveled to what is around the Caribbean, probably St. Kitts. The knowledge was shared with the government, but most don’t believe them. The colonies in Greenland also served as excellent jumping-off points for further expeditions and colonies in “Terra Nova”. The largest of these was a Danish colony on the coastline of *Labrador, which they named Markland. The first city, and largest, that they founded, was named Ny København. It grew to the population of about 1,500. Other smaller ones also existed. The next few settlements were mostly established by almost to fully independent peoples.


For example, a large group of people who supported the former rulers of Muslim Spain, due to persecution by the Christian rulers. Thus, they assembled in several large boats and set off. After quite a while out at sea, and with diminishing food supplies, they land in what was probably northern OTL Brazil. The new land they claim is known as “Al-Jadida” and a settlement is formed with the same name. It grows quite quickly, with the large influx of Muslim immigrants from Iberia, and is declared a fully independent nation. While it’s independence will not last, it will be remembered as the first Old World nation in Terra Nova.

Hooray it's Al-Jadida​

 

[AmericanAdam]

Part 10: A Short Biography of Henri Boucher


The slow drag away from feudalism and the centralization of European monarchies, a process that was unknown to many, brought with it many benefits, as well as many ills. However, one of the people spawned from this move towards centralization was Henri Boucher, born in Dijon in 1253 to wealthy aristocrats from the countryside. He got a very rich education, especially because of his parents claiming to see “vibrant potential” in him, one that would prove to be quite true. Once he reached the age of 18, Henri had become very adept in Astronomy, and also got quite an education in the field of history and philosophy. However, Astronomy was the subject that he found most interesting.


He went to university in Bordeaux, after coming into contact with a friend of the Duke, who offered an early form of a scholarship to him. It was there where he studied the sky, and all the planets and stars that inhabit it. He also learned other subjects he was good at, as mentioned before, for example, philosophy, history, and natural sciences. However, after doing constant research into the planets’ movements and movements of the sun, etc. he determined, in secret so as to not disturb the church, that the Earth actually moved around the sun, along with all the other planets. But, once he became fed up with keeping the secret that he believed to be truth, he told several of his friends, who seemed to agree with him.


However, by reasons he didn’t know, a high church official eventually learned of this, and he was ordered into prison. But, he was able to escape with his still somewhat young body, and he ran away to hide in a small barn, where he wrote his most famous and most selling book, “The Sun and It’s Children” which explained the solar system, and how each planet moves around the sun, and how each moon moves around its planet. Once he returned to civilization 10 years later, he was marked down as dead, but began selling his books. The church began burning many for heresy, but of the small bit of books he copied, a few survived. They were kept in secret until the invention of the printing press, in which they were mass-produced by an unknown person, eventually being distributed all over Europe, and even, the world.


He died in a prison cell of starvation at the age of 46, in 1299, despite being remembered as one of the most important men for astronomy in history.

Henri Boucher​

 

[AmericanAdam]

As you could probably tell, there was no update today. The updates from here on, like before, will begin to slow down in pace.

 

[GauchoBadger]

Do you mind if i comment in some criticism?
I can pass on with this being a rookie timeline, but i'm afraid i'll have to say some bad stuff if i want you to get better.
-The PoD seems a bit too minor and vague, and i'm not even sure if this "von rot" guy even existed.
-The chain of events is a bit too confusing. Too much handwavium used to create specific scenarios, and mind that technology doesn't advance that freaking fast.
-If your intention is to create a random, il-bethisad-like scenario, i respect it. But you have to make such random events seem interesting in order for your timeline to stand out. You can still go balls-to-the-wall with crazy if still not borderline ASB ideas (such as a nestorian christian mongol khanate), provided that the PoD that causes them is complacent by at least a bit or that you offer a connective enough set of butterflies to make these event chains seem reasonable.
I hope i didn't offend anyone.

 

[AmericanAdam]

Do you mind if i comment in some criticism?
I can pass on with this being a rookie timeline, but i'm afraid i'll have to say some bad stuff if i want you to get better.
-The PoD seems a bit too minor and vague, and i'm not even sure if this "von rot" guy even existed.
-The chain of events is a bit too confusing. Too much handwavium used to create specific scenarios, and mind that technology doesn't advance that freaking fast.
-If your intention is to create a random, il-bethisad-like scenario, i respect it. But you have to make such random events seem interesting in order for your timeline to stand out. You can still go balls-to-the-wall with crazy if still not borderline ASB ideas (such as a nestorian christian mongol khanate), provided that the PoD that causes them is complacent by at least a bit or that you offer a connective enough set of butterflies to make these event chains seem reasonable.
I hope i didn't offend anyone.

Don't worry you totally didn't offend me. I appreciate the help, and I'll keep all that in mind!

 

[AmericanAdam]

Do you mind if i comment in some criticism?
I can pass on with this being a rookie timeline, but i'm afraid i'll have to say some bad stuff if i want you to get better.
-The PoD seems a bit too minor and vague, and i'm not even sure if this "von rot" guy even existed.
-The chain of events is a bit too confusing. Too much handwavium used to create specific scenarios, and mind that technology doesn't advance that freaking fast.
-If your intention is to create a random, il-bethisad-like scenario, i respect it. But you have to make such random events seem interesting in order for your timeline to stand out. You can still go balls-to-the-wall with crazy if still not borderline ASB ideas (such as a nestorian christian mongol khanate), provided that the PoD that causes them is complacent by at least a bit or that you offer a connective enough set of butterflies to make these event chains seem reasonable.
I hope i didn't offend anyone.

Now that I am back from my creative withdrawal, I want to answer some of your points

- Indeed the POD is quite minor and vague, but remember that the butterfly effect can make massive consequences to history. Also, their are some Rots in Germany, so why not have an impact on history from a hugely minor change?
- Certainly a fair point. So I could have a specific chain of events following it much more exactly instead of just throwing information in and coming up with the reason later? Because in hindsight I do make this mistake VERY often.
- To make it more interesting, should I put in more unique things like events completely different from history that we wouldn't expect, like the example you gave ?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Zurirach Adankar]

If you need lower nobility in Southern Germany and northern Switzerland (in the duchy of Allemannia or later Schwaben) in the early middle-ages, I could recommend several books (in German).

First "Die Grafen Alemanniens in merowingischer und karolingischer Zeit : eine Prosopographie" from Michael Borgolte.
For the duchy of Alemannia, you could use "Der Herzog von Schwaben : Grundlagen, Wirkungen und Wesen seiner Herrschaft in ottonischer, salischer und staufischer Zeit" from Helmut Maurer.

Something similar from Borgolte is available online (but without most of the details about the different counts) (http://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/vuf-sb/article/view/17378/11187). Since this is a time without many written sources we have for most of these nobles just their names and some anecdotes in several deeds. So it is not possible to reconstruct the exact length of the rule of the counts in Alemannia.
At page 230 is a list of the counts (Grafen) in the various parts of Alemannia. Page 232 lists the counts in the Zürichgau. So at 896 (with a ?) Adalgoz is count in the Zürichgau. In 902 Udalrich (VI) is count and also in 911 and 912 count in Thurgau. In 894 Adalbert (III) was count in the Thurgau. Schwyz is part of the Zürichgau (according to the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz).
If you are unable to read german, there is a special chapter about Zürichgau and the Thurgau (starting at page 93), there is some information about the borders of the counties, but not everything is relevant. You should consider the power of the bishop of Konstanz as an important regional power. St. Gallen owned also many possessions in the Zürichgau. (according to the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz).
According to the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, there was a Königspfalz, a "royal palace" in Zürich. The possession of it could gain prestige but it would make it difficult, since a duke or king could try to regain this Pfalz. In OTL Zürich developed into an important place for the early dukes of Allemannia.

If you want to improve your timeline, I could borrow the first book and inform you about some persons listed in it, since it is in my local university library, because I like to see a timeline about the early middle ages in southern Germany and northern Switzerland. There are several German historians with some nice research about early medieval Alemannia (for example Borgolte and Zotz).

A short summary of the political situation in Alemannia during the beginning of your timeline (I could add more details if you want)
The decades between 880 and 920 where interesting and unstable in Southern Germany. First Charles the Fat, the last Carolingian who ruled nearly all of the Frankish Empire (except Southern Burgundy which was ruled by Boso of Vienne) had a powerful position in Alemannia. He visited this central area at several times and had several advisors from this area. But even the nobles of Alemannia joined the usurper Arnulf of Carinthia (but only after nearly everyone in East Francia supported Arnulf). After that, Charles illegitimate son Bernhard started a rebellion in 890 but died in 891. (He secured the support of only one abbot and one count)
The development towards the new creation of duchies in East Francia was sometimes violent. I'm not as well informed about this time as on the situation under Charles the Fat, but the Lexma (a german standard encyclopedia of the middle-ages) mentions several conflicts between various local nobles and bishop Salomo III of Konstanz.
King Konrad I took part in the conflict. He failed against the different duchies during his reign so he was a weak king.
Please avoid the name "Holy Roman Empire" until the coronation of Otto I.

So I doubt that your original POD could work. Your newcomeer dynasty needs the support of various important actors. St. Gallen and the Bishop of Konstanz, or a duke of Alemannia or a king. If you capture Zürich by force but without good relations to the king or the duke, you can't survive in the long term as a newcomer dynasty. Zürich is far to important because of its symbolic and economic value. I suggest using the political instability in Alemannia. Either a newcomer could help Arnulf of Carinthia establishing his power in Alemannia or a newcomer could support either the local duke or the king and gains protection for his new rule over Zürich.

Familiy names are not common in Early Medieval Central Europe. Even for dynasties. This changes during the High Middle Ages. Historians use the name of either the first known member of the dynasty or a prominent member to identify dynasties.
For example Carolingians (Charles)
Luidolfings/Ottonians (on of the first members was Luidolf, and Otto was a often used name in this familiy)
So use the name of the founder of the dynasty and add -ings or -ians.

Friends described him as “friendly to people who don’t dislike him, but hateful towards his enemies”

It is unusual even for kings to have enough sources to get this detail of information about the character of a person. Most sources of the late carolingian era describe the ruler as a good christian and his enemy as unchristian/sinful and so on. So they often use stereotypes.

Since several important families of the holy roman empire started in Alemannia or had some posessions their, a new local actor could cause enough butterflies to change the history in the next generations. (The House of Habsburg started in the area which is today the Swiss-German border region, the Hohenstaufen emerged in the Swabian-Bavarian border region and could maybe survive the butterflies. But if butterflies change the history of the Hohenstaufen maybe the dissolution of the duchy of Swabia could be avoided)

 

[Zurirach Adankar]

I hope, my criticism isn't offending you. Knowledge about early medieval regional history of Southern Germany and Northern Switzerland is not that common on English speaking Alternate History pages.
I'm just happy to discuss and share my knowledge, since I wrote a small text about the area 2 decades before your POD in the area, and knew some German Research about it.

 

[AmericanAdam]

If you need lower nobility in Southern Germany and northern Switzerland (in the duchy of Allemannia or later Schwaben) in the early middle-ages, I could recommend several books (in German).

First "Die Grafen Alemanniens in merowingischer und karolingischer Zeit : eine Prosopographie" from Michael Borgolte.
For the duchy of Alemannia, you could use "Der Herzog von Schwaben : Grundlagen, Wirkungen und Wesen seiner Herrschaft in ottonischer, salischer und staufischer Zeit" from Helmut Maurer.

Something similar from Borgolte is available online (but without most of the details about the different counts) (http://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/vuf-sb/article/view/17378/11187). Since this is a time without many written sources we have for most of these nobles just their names and some anecdotes in several deeds. So it is not possible to reconstruct the exact length of the rule of the counts in Alemannia.
At page 230 is a list of the counts (Grafen) in the various parts of Alemannia. Page 232 lists the counts in the Zürichgau. So at 896 (with a ?) Adalgoz is count in the Zürichgau. In 902 Udalrich (VI) is count and also in 911 and 912 count in Thurgau. In 894 Adalbert (III) was count in the Thurgau. Schwyz is part of the Zürichgau (according to the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz).
If you are unable to read german, there is a special chapter about Zürichgau and the Thurgau (starting at page 93), there is some information about the borders of the counties, but not everything is relevant. You should consider the power of the bishop of Konstanz as an important regional power. St. Gallen owned also many possessions in the Zürichgau. (according to the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz).
According to the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, there was a Königspfalz, a "royal palace" in Zürich. The possession of it could gain prestige but it would make it difficult, since a duke or king could try to regain this Pfalz. In OTL Zürich developed into an important place for the early dukes of Allemannia.

If you want to improve your timeline, I could borrow the first book and inform you about some persons listed in it, since it is in my local university library, because I like to see a timeline about the early middle ages in southern Germany and northern Switzerland. There are several German historians with some nice research about early medieval Alemannia (for example Borgolte and Zotz).

A short summary of the political situation in Alemannia during the beginning of your timeline (I could add more details if you want)
The decades between 880 and 920 where interesting and unstable in Southern Germany. First Charles the Fat, the last Carolingian who ruled nearly all of the Frankish Empire (except Southern Burgundy which was ruled by Boso of Vienne) had a powerful position in Alemannia. He visited this central area at several times and had several advisors from this area. But even the nobles of Alemannia joined the usurper Arnulf of Carinthia (but only after nearly everyone in East Francia supported Arnulf). After that, Charles illegitimate son Bernhard started a rebellion in 890 but died in 891. (He secured the support of only one abbot and one count)
The development towards the new creation of duchies in East Francia was sometimes violent. I'm not as well informed about this time as on the situation under Charles the Fat, but the Lexma (a german standard encyclopedia of the middle-ages) mentions several conflicts between various local nobles and bishop Salomo III of Konstanz.
King Konrad I took part in the conflict. He failed against the different duchies during his reign so he was a weak king.
Please avoid the name "Holy Roman Empire" until the coronation of Otto I.

So I doubt that your original POD could work. Your newcomeer dynasty needs the support of various important actors. St. Gallen and the Bishop of Konstanz, or a duke of Alemannia or a king. If you capture Zürich by force but without good relations to the king or the duke, you can't survive in the long term as a newcomer dynasty. Zürich is far to important because of its symbolic and economic value. I suggest using the political instability in Alemannia. Either a newcomer could help Arnulf of Carinthia establishing his power in Alemannia or a newcomer could support either the local duke or the king and gains protection for his new rule over Zürich.

Familiy names are not common in Early Medieval Central Europe. Even for dynasties. This changes during the High Middle Ages. Historians use the name of either the first known member of the dynasty or a prominent member to identify dynasties.
For example Carolingians (Charles)
Luidolfings/Ottonians (on of the first members was Luidolf, and Otto was a often used name in this familiy)
So use the name of the founder of the dynasty and add -ings or -ians.


It is unusual even for kings to have enough sources to get this detail of information about the character of a person. Most sources of the late carolingian era describe the ruler as a good christian and his enemy as unchristian/sinful and so on. So they often use stereotypes.

Since several important families of the holy roman empire started in Alemannia or had some posessions their, a new local actor could cause enough butterflies to change the history in the next generations. (The House of Habsburg started in the area which is today the Swiss-German border region, the Hohenstaufen emerged in the Swabian-Bavarian border region and could maybe survive the butterflies. But if butterflies change the history of the Hohenstaufen maybe the dissolution of the duchy of Swabia could be avoided)

I hope, my criticism isn't offending you. Knowledge about early medieval regional history of Southern Germany and Northern Switzerland is not that common on English speaking Alternate History pages.
I'm just happy to discuss and share my knowledge, since I wrote a small text about the area 2 decades before your POD in the area, and knew some German Research about it.

Thank you so much! I'm going to start rewriting a lot of the timeline and I might start a new thread or something. I plan on reading the sources that you supplied me with as I know a little German, and there is always translation software I can use to read it. Thanks again!

 

[Zurirach Adankar]

I forgot to post the link to the "Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz" http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/