WI: More Feudal American Colonies

[Pesterfield]

I'm not sure if feudal is the right term, but it's what I could think of.

On the claiming of lands in the Americas the British crown officially claims it all, then begins handing it out to their many sons, as rewards for loyal subjects, etc.

So colonization of the British Americas is the local lord and retinue coming to his new Duchy, Barony, whatever and importing workers for it.

 

[MAlexMatt]

This is kind of the way several of the colonies DID get their start.

You might end up with the rest of America looking more like the area around the Chesapeake.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

I'm not sure if feudal is the right term, but it's what I could think of.

On the claiming of lands in the Americas the British crown officially claims it all, then begins handing it out to their many sons, as rewards for loyal subjects, etc.

So colonization of the British Americas is the local lord and retinue coming to his new Duchy, Barony, whatever and importing workers for it.

Part of your problem is that the Anglo-American colonies were settler colonies.

It was tough enough to get someone to uproot their life and travel across the ocean, when they had the option of owning their own land and creating a new life for themselves.

To say 'cross the Atlantic and continue to be a tenant farmer' - why bother? what's in it for the settlers?

You might get a Baron of Charleston - but if he wants to settle his land, he's going to have to offer inducements enough that his title is meaningless in any feudal sense.

Could it be done like the Railway concessions - alternate blocks of land held by the RR/Proprietor, and alternate blocks sold to independents? Maybe, but the Proprietor is still going to have sell off a lot of his land to newcomers.


The only real difference in the long rule would be the existence of titled nobility on this side of the ocean. (OK, a few more colonies might have toxic politics like New York's where remenants of the Dutch Patroonschip have a lasting effect.)

 

[frozenpredator]

A more successful Patroonship system in New Netherland would definitely have such an effect, just look at Rensselaerijck (lasted untill the mid 19th century).

 

[Maniakes]

You also need limits on westward expansion. The scarcer land is, the more valuable it is, and the more wealth and power the big landowners can capture. Nobody's going to pay you a third of their crop as rent if they can just walk a few days further inland and set up a little farm of their own.