Can anybody create a Plausible What If scenario for a Scottish Empire that at the height of its power in the late 15th century controlled; Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and France
Ireland and Norway I could see under the Scots with an early PoD. Just have them beat the English to Ireland (or have a PoD that stop English expansionism westwards). Norway is possible if the family ties between the royal houses in Scotland and Norway end up creating a personal union. Scotland keeping Cumbria is not completely impossible. With some imagination a strong Scotland could build some forts on the West African coast, and snatch some plantation islands in the Caribbean. If the Scottish- Norwegian Union also means Iceland and Greenland ending up Scottish, we could see some small colonies in Canada too.
Wasn't the otl british empire a defacto Scottish empire?
King James started off as king of the Scots and later became also king of england & Ireland.
Ireland and Norway I could see under the Scots with an early PoD. Just have them beat the English to Ireland (or have a PoD that stop English expansionism westwards). Norway is possible if the family ties between the royal houses in Scotland and Norway end up creating a personal union. Scotland keeping Cumbria is not completely impossible. With some imagination a strong Scotland could build some forts on the West African coast, and snatch some plantation islands in the Caribbean. If the Scottish- Norwegian Union also means Iceland and Greenland ending up Scottish, we could see some small colonies in Canada too.
I fully agree with this.
An early enough POD could add parts of northern England to Scotland, increasing the population base of the "motherland".
If you add either Spain or France to that, the Empire will not be centred in Scotland anymore. And the same should also hold for Denmark or Sweden.
Wasn't the otl british empire a defacto Scottish empire?
King James started off as king of the Scots and later became also king of england & Ireland.
The first three, maybe, at a stretch. Spain and France though? As soon as the ruler of Scotland gains the throne of either of them they're going to bugger off to the larger, richer, more influential - and warmerCan anybody create a Plausible What If scenario for a Scottish Empire that at the height of its power in the late 15th century controlled; Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and France
But if the stars aligned in such an unlikely way, Scotland would just become a province of a Franco-Spanish kingdom. As already pointed out, when a Scottish king became the King of England, it essentially resulted in England taking control of Scotland, not the other way around.