TL: Paraíso del Santiago

Well, first official timeline discussion/post I made. This is a timeline loosely based on the changes of the Caribbean. It's an alternate timeline started in the 1640s, and it deals with the struggles of the Spanish, Dutch, English, and French Caribbeans. It holds lots of changes, especially with the focus of the Island of Jamaica after the 1640s. Any questions/suggestions/advice/anachronisms can be discussed within this timeline :D :D .


POD:
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Pictured is Álvaro de Luna y Sarmiento, the governor of Spanish Cuba from 1639-1642

Alvaro de Luna y Sarmiento, not related to the 13th century figure, had priorities to refortify Forts in Havana due to warnings against the Portuguese and Dutch attack on Havana Harbor by June in 1642. He was granted 200,000 ducats, spent it with his lust and greed on his villa and plantation, he was not being concerned about his duties as being a governor and a protector of the island. On August 26th, a joint Dutch-Portuguese fleet arrived at Havana and bombarded the coastal cities and the fort at Coximar. The end result was the abdication of Alvaro de Luna y Sarmiento from power and subsequent execution.

On September 2nd, 1642, the Spanish elected Sebastián Fernández de Gamboa as governor of Cuba. His reign would last until 1651 as he was replaced by Pedro Benedit Horruytiner, nephew of Florida Gov. Luis Benedit and Horruitiner until May 19, 1655.

Santiago, a beautiful island in close proximity of Cuba, Las Islas Tortugas, and Hispaniola was governed by Diego de Villalba y Toledo, marqués de Campo from 1643-1653. A ruthless decorated knight was granted the honor of the defense of the island. His rule and decoration would lead many Andalusians and Canarians to move to Santiago, having an impact on displacing Maroons to the south central part of the island. In 1653, he was briefly replaced by Fernando de la Riva Agüero y Setien until April 15th of 1655.
 
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1642, English Civil War occurs between the Parliamentarians and Royalists of England. In spite of all odds of support of the Parliamentarians, the Royalists under Charles I succeed and Oliver Cromwell succumbs to sickness and dies February 17, 1647. Most Englishmen adhere to the Royalists and with that, the Parliamentary system was given fairer odds in power, although changes had to occur with the positioning of powers. Alongside that, William Penn, father of William Penn, were one of the Parliamentarians who were to remain arrested since 1648. He wasn't released anytime soon from prison until 1659, thus never leading the siege on Santo Domingo.

With the relations of the Dutch fairly high, the English Monarchy allied themselves with the Dutch against the Spanish, infuriating early war on Spanish Flanders in 1651. Led by newly appointed Admiral Richard Badiley and Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp, these attacks on the port of Bruges allowed the Netherlands to control the northern coast of Flanders. A joint Anglo-Dutch invasion of Northern Flanders occurred in December of 1651, and with minimal Spanish resistance, the Spanish lost. Therefore, the consequence of the war was the Treaty of Antwerp (1652) which gave Flanders to the Dutch, and free ports of entry into Flanders for the English, and a cost of about 300,000 pounds. Because of that, Spain had invested heavily into defending their Caribbean islands and Latin American coast from fear of Dutch, English and Portuguese resistance which was incoming...
 
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If I may : I find that a Dutch annexation of Flanders would encounter several issues. Not only the local population, if not elite, could be quite reluctant, but I'm almost sure that seen the diplomacy of its time, French court would see well such move.

Maybe I'm seeing to far and that it would be mentioned in later update : so far the multi-PODs looks interesting.
 
If I may : I find that a Dutch annexation of Flanders would encounter several issues. Not only the local population, if not elite, could be quite reluctant, but I'm almost sure that seen the diplomacy of its time, French court would see well such move.

Maybe I'm seeing to far and that it would be mentioned in later update : so far the multi-PODs looks interesting.

Of course, the population of Flanders are mainly Catholic and most nobles would be against Dutch rule, many would hate the Dutch for it. And also the French would be bound to do something soon though..
 
Portugal just emerged as an independent country free from Spain under the Braganza crown. Dom João IV de Portugal (King John IV of Portugal) was fighting the restoration war over in Iberia. After 1642, the Portuguese on several accords allied themselves with the French whom recognized Portugal as a country. The Dutch and the Portuguese at times were allies and enemies, but a full alliance never occurred until the English made accords with the Portuguese and the Dutch to create a tripartite alliance against the Spanish. The French Bourbons were only interested in the part of gaining Spanish Walloon and Luxembourg, although that would be competed with the Holy Romans.

Much of the Hapsburg - Bourbon rivalry was still active, but both powers (Spain and France) decided to end the multiple conflicts with the Spanish allowing the French acquisition of the remnants of Spanish Netherlands (Walloons) in exchange for peace of the French - Spanish War. Luxembourg became an independent Duchy under French control in 1655, but it is a contested territory under the demise of the HRE and the Bourbons.

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1655. Christopher Myngs a valuable asset of the English Navy was the Commander of the Frigate - Marston Moor. His crew was under munity and thus Christopher Myngs was left at sea in the Mid-Atlantic, left swimming with the fishes. Piracy was prevalent in the Caribbean by shipworkers and commanders. Most English, French and Dutch men were deserters and mutineers in the time of Piracy from the 1520s to about the early 1700s. They would usually loot and steal treasures and gold from islands held by Spain and England, and ships held by the colonial powers. People like Blackbeard, and Jack Morgan, and Hendrick Lucifer were notorious pirates, serving in small islands in the Caribbean and preserved the lavished lifestyle until it was out of use.
 
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April 23, 1655
The tripartite alliance, led mostly by England were off the shores of the Caribbean Sea.

The English Admiral Robert Blake was in charge of occupying and besieging the islands of Santiago and Cuba. Majority of the force was led to occupy Cuba due to the island being in disrepair. Santiago de Cuba was thus invaded on the morning of April 25th, and much more Dutch and Portuguese regiments had occupied Guantanamo. Most of these small skirmishes against the Tripartite would then fall out of favor as Holguin, Santiago and Guantanamo provinces were transferred to Tripartite control. Soonly, Cuba's western provinces were in disrepair. What was left of Spanish control was Havana, where the colonial government had surrendered to the Tripartite on May 11th.

St. Augustine, Florida was the sight of where John Davis and his crew had landed on the shores of San Augustin, and a fierce three day firefight occurred. Spanish Mayor Diego de Rebolledo surrendered on May 6th. Lastly, the Siege of Santiago Island would bring Spain down on its knees. But judging from its defeats, the Spanish were well prepared, and were heavily fortified. For about a week lasting until May 13th, Santiago held out against joint Anglo-Dutch invasion. From a force of about 3,212 Spanish Men, and 658 volunteers (mostly Maroons) defeated a force of about 7,300 Anglo-Dutch forces. Although losing more men than the English and the Dutch witnessed a defeat.

Other minor battles occurred, mostly in Buenos Aires where Portuguese and Dutch ships bombarded the city. A portuguese landing force then occupied and annexed Buenos Aires into Portuguese/Brazilian territory in 1658. After several minor skirmishes and naval battles fought in the Caribbean, the Tripartite-Spanish War of 1655 ended in 1657, concluding with the Treaty of Havana which gave control to Cuba and Florida to England, and gave Portugal the River Plate region in South America. This soon became the downfall of the Spanish Empire, but led the dominance of Portugal and the Netherlands to control vast areas.
 
If I may : I find that a Dutch annexation of Flanders would encounter several issues. Not only the local population, if not elite, could be quite reluctant,
Don't forget that Dutch Brabant was majority catholic too and they accepted it.
but I'm almost sure that seen the diplomacy of its time, French court would see well such move.
The Dutch and the French were basicly allies at the end of the 80-year war. I am fairly certain the French would accept it. Better the Dutch than the Habsburg. Weather they will accept it later is another question. The French had the delusion of their "natural" borders after all.
 
Don't forget that Dutch Brabant was majority catholic too and they accepted it.

The Dutch and the French were basicly allies at the end of the 80-year war. I am fairly certain the French would accept it. Better the Dutch than the Habsburg. Weather they will accept it later is another question. The French had the delusion of their "natural" borders after all.

The French in fact does do something about it, quoted from an earlier post, here it is:

The French Bourbons were only interested in the part of gaining Spanish Walloon and Luxembourg, although that would be competed with the Holy Romans.

Much of the Hapsburg - Bourbon rivalry was still active, but both powers (Spain and France) decided to end the multiple conflicts with the Spanish allowing the French acquisition of the remnants of Spanish Netherlands (Walloons) in exchange for peace of the French - Spanish War. Luxembourg became an independent Duchy under French control in 1655, but it is a contested territory under the demise of the HRE and the Bourbons.

More is to be spoken about what occurs in the German states, and the rest of Europe.
 
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The European Thirty Years' War was a major conflict where it was a highly religious war. The circumstances of the death of Louis XIII of France, the Duc d'Enghien engaged in the Battle of Rocroi in 1643 were he unfortunately led to a French defeat. Although the Spanish won, they were merely close to loosing the war, which allowed them to gain an upper hand in the European wars. Successive conflicts were the Anglo/Dutch conquest of Spanish Flanders, Franco-Spanish Peace, and an eventual French-Ecclesiastic War against the Electorate of Trier and her allies over Luxembourg in 1656. These conflicts of the 1650s came to be known as the Decade of Decline where most Northern European powers at utmost were at war against each other.

The Italian City-States were at a relative time of peace after the Italian Wars. But the Spanish States of Naples and Sicily were at the risk of invasion by the French or the major italian states. And Venice at this time would see a huge competition against the Ottoman Turks for trading routes. Corsica was generally a site of where the Genoese would mistreat the Corsicans, and feelings of independence were soon to come about eventually. The Ukraine was also disputed, by the Polish and the Russians and the Ottomans. It was evident that pride and independence would run well, in fact, it did though.
 
The French in fact does do something about it, quoted from an earlier post, here it is:
Looking at the map and what you wrote the situation in the southern Netherlands is still unclear to me. You wrote that the Dutch got Flanders; looking at the map it looks like you mean the county of Flanders, ok makes sense. You also wrote that France decided to conquer the Walloon parts of the Spanish Netherlands. Ok fine. I assume that means that Artois, Hainaut, Cambrai and Namur is French, ok. Looking at the map though it looks like that "Belgian" Brabant, which for the most part Flemish/Dutch speaking (including the major cities like Antwerp, Brussels, Leuven and Mechelen) is also French. So can you explain to me what parts of the Netherlands are Dutch and which part are French?

Besides that, what happened to the Bishopric of Liege? It looks like it is French too? Why?
 
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