WI the kingdom of Knut the great had not fallen apart?

[Fabilius]

And at last, the kingdom of Knut I is reunited

1329: The battle of Cologne ends up to everyone´s surprise in a victory for the Bavarians. The overly confident Jamuka got hurt during the battle and was taken to safety. Soon after that the Ordu flees.
Catherina isn´t interested in more conquest in the north. She heads back to Munich with the army and gives Conrad the good news. Then she requests more men for she is intent on going to Vienna with him and get him crowned there as emperor of the holy roman empire. Conrad gives in and they head out on a perilous journey. Once again the world is amazed as people celebrate Conrad´s arrival and when he arrives to Vienna his army is bigger than before.

1330: After licking his wounds, Jamuka decides that time is ripe to take revenge for Cologne. His army faces Catherina in Bohemia and after hard fighting he manages to push them back south. He is close to Munich when Charles I of France arrives with reinforcements and instead of going to battle Jamuka retreats.
Charles I uses his now good position to wring Conrad´s hand into promising Charles large territories in Germany. Catherina is enraged and is said to have shouted that they don´t need any French help. However their situation had been hopeless without them and Conrad refuses to apologize for the deal.

1331: Catherina is captured in Bohemia by a band of Mongols. She is brought to Lübeck and condemned as a traitor to the emperor.
This same year a rebellion breaks out in both Denmark and England. To pay off the Mongols and still keep good lifestyle Valdimar raises taxes. Both peasants and nobility revolt. Valdimar steps aside as king and his cousin Alexander II takes the crown.

1333: The French and Bavarian forces capture Saxony. The Anglodanish union joins the war again after having ceased to pay tithes to the emperor two years ago. The Anglodanish forces are a joke to the Mongols but the French and Germans outlast the Mongols. The war drags on.

1335: The last Mongols are driven out of Japan. What follows next is a huge and bloody civil war in Japan itself.

1336: The first mention of Golf ever in Denmark. Golf has by that time gained some popularity there and is on it´s way to become the favoured sport of the Danes in Jutland.

1337: Giovanni De Lorozzo is born in Pisa. He is the first of the four great masters of Burgundy.

1338: Finally all Moors are expelled from the Iberian peninsula. George I, the last king of Jerusalem is born.

1340: Conrad I of Germany dies and his son, Ottorak I becomes the king. Ottorak marries Charles I daughter Jean.

1341-1346: Due to the great war in Germany, a lot of Germans flee to the port cities of the Dantzig league. The league has remained unattacked by both Bavarian/French forces and Mongol/Polish forces and it is easy to understand why they attract refugees. The flood of landless people into the cities causes problems and the league offers to help the refugees settle in the new world against a small sum of money. During this time 15,000 Germans resettle in Helluland to work as suppliers for the Dantzig league.

1343: The daughter of former king Valdimar Elizabeth, marries Hakon prince of Norway.

1344: Jamuka´s distant cousin, Olokdai invades India with a large Iranian army.

1346: A recordbreaking year in immigrant movement from Europe to Magnia. Large expeditions from the Anglodanish Union, Germany, Frisia, Ireland and even Norway go to the new world.
This year the plant Nicotiana for the first time is smoked in Europe as Irish explorers bring it home.

1349-1351: The great plague. The bubonic plague is thought to have origined in central asia and been brought to China and Europe at a similar time. The effects of it were devastating and it is thought that 75 millions might have died from it in these 4 years. That´s a lot considering the population in the countries at the time. This was the start of Europe´s deep population plunge downwards.
In Germany and Sweden it is taken as a punishment from god, and people try to find a way to appease him by flogging themselves.
In Poland, Hungary and all of Russia people fall down, and soon there is an involuntary ceasefire between Jamuka and his adversaries since both lack manpower to fight the war. The country that is worst hit by the plague is Norway, which more than 50% of the population might have died. The plague takes longer time to get to Magnia, but it reaches there on tradeships soon after the epidemic ends in Europe.

1350: As Alexander II dies Valdimar I takes the throne again. A year later he is dead from the plague as well and so is Alexander´s only son Edwyn.

1351: Prince Hakon of Norway is called to York after a thingmeeting fails to agree on any local nobleman taking charge. Hakon I becomes the second king of the Anglodanish union that is a Norwegian married into the family.

1353: Jamuka burns down Munich and kills Ottorak I. Ottorak´s son, Frederick is brought to Rheims.

1354: Fighting between German traders of the Dantzig league and Anglodanish traders from Jutland starts in Hafnarfjörður Iceland. The next few years Anglodanes and Dantzig league traders fight in Iceland without causing much attention at home.

1356: Hakon I, firstborn son Harold drowns. This leaves his younger son Knut as the only heir.

1360: Everyone has grown tired of the fighting in Germany and a peaceconference is held in Brandenburg. The Brandenburg agreement ends up in dividing Germany up in the Emperor´s zone of interest and French zone of interest. Frederick returns to Munich and becomes the King of Saxony/Bavaria/Luxembourg.

1361: Jamuka dies from drinking to much. His son Ortugai II becomes “the emperor of Europe.”

1362: The first colonizers after 1346 arrive to the new world from York. The plant Nicotiana is starting to gain popularity in Dublin, and is referred to as “fear bréan” or as smelly grass, disgusting grass. In England the name will catch on as Breen.

1364: Frederick I starts war again with the Mongols to enlarge his area in Germany. This time though the Mongol rule is so weak that they can´t do much about it. In Lithuania, the Krimean and Hungaria, rebellions are being fought, and so the emperor´s hands are tied. A year later Frederick gets Vienna and Austria along with Brandenburg in peace agreements. Frederick doesn´t claim the title Holy roman emperor, in order not to insult the king of Italy Philip III. Instead he simply adopts the title king of Germany.

1366: Louis Capellier prints the first bible. He isn´t the first to attempt printing in Europe as the idea of printingmachines came to Europe with Chinese scholars in the 13th century. However he is the first one to build a machine in Europe in which letters can be rearranged and used again and again. His inventiveness will gain him a place in history and a great deal of money. Today the first prints of Capellier´s bible are valued at 6 million pounds each.

1367: Great fire burns Dublin down.

1368: Giovanni de Lorozzo makes his masterpiece Moses. His works are considered to be the highpoint of the Burgundian Gothic style.

1369: Olokdai dies. The war in north India continues and the plague spreads around. The casualties of both the plague and the war cause the caste system to appear impractical and in many of the areas which the Persian/Mongolian army takes over it is abolished.

1371: King Hakon I dies and his son Knut VI becomes king of the Anglodanish union. For the first time ever since 1045, a man named Knut rules over Norway, Denmark and England.

 

[G.Bone]

Nice to see the N/S/E Empire once more.

How much as TTL's English/Norweigan/Danish deviated from OTL?

Is Ireland becomign more of OTL England because of the *Empire*?

 

[Fabilius]

Nice to see the N/S/E Empire once more.

How much as TTL's English/Norweigan/Danish deviated from OTL?

Is Ireland becomign more of OTL England because of the *Empire*?

Norway is very similar, they suffered from both Hansa league attacks, civil wars, and lost apparently up to 70% of their population in the black plague, which made them to weak not to become part of other states.

Denmark and England speak the same language, Danish is a lot more English, and English is a lot more Danish. Their culture deviates a little but not much more than north England and South England deviate from each other. There is a Jutland, Scanian, and Danish accent, Yorkish accent, Cornwallish accent so on in the language...

Ireland is not becoming necessarily more of England OTL, but maybe a bit more like. The thing is, in TTL there is no Norman invasion into Ireland, and not even an English one.

It´s already 1371 and Ireland hasn´t had any English rule or meddling so far. I made the unlikely change to Ireland, to make it united and stable. The high king system had to go obviously, and I haven´t really given any good reasons why yet bit of a poetic license, maybe I´ll write something more on Ireland later and explain how it differs from OTL and why.

England is still a bigger than Ireland, and also a bigger naval power, in a war England would win unless the Irish get really lucky. In case of an invasion from Wales, they really can´t hope for a storm or any such thing. But in any case, the Irish are more influential in this TL, getting to form settlements in the new world, trading a little bit independently.

It´s a good question whether or not Ireland will eventually end up in England´s grasp or something, or if it could develop into an independent and even powerful country. I wonder if any experts here in the history of the British isles are reading? Whatya think?

 

[Constantinople]

Wow, the mongols are really losing it, though not without taking down a large chunk of the people first.
Interesting how england has developed, that means also that Welsh and cornish will be a bit better off. Also the Anglo-Danish are the only ones with colonies in the new world currently?

 

[Fabilius]

Wow, the mongols are really losing it, though not without taking down a large chunk of the people first.
Interesting how england has developed, that means also that Welsh and cornish will be a bit better off. Also the Anglo-Danish are the only ones with colonies in the new world currently?

Yes, they´re the only ones that are really into any colonial game. Although, they really aren´t governing it much, mostly leaving the settlers to their own devices.

Of course there will some later other settlements come to.

The thing is, right now, the king of the Anglodanish union and most other people, don´t realize the potential of Magnia.

 

[Fabilius]

The three Dantzig wars

1372: The dynasty of the Mongols in China is crumbling down as well as in Europe. Peasant rebellions spread through out the country but they lack a leader to unite them. Anarchy and civil war are going to tear China apart for a long time to come.

1374: War between the Dantzig league and the Anglodanish union starts when king Knut tries to set up a toll for passing by Haroldsburgh in the Öresund. This year a german fleet burns down Bergen and a naval battle is waged not far from York. This war is ultimately about who dominates trade in the Baltic and Atlantic and not just shipping tolls.

1375: The printing press arrives to both Crackow and York. The first bibles are printed in Poland and England this year as Louis Chapellier´s invention gains fame.

1376: In order to gain favour amongst his subjects in the north King Frederick I of Germany declares war on the Anglodanish union. Before a german army marches into Jutland Knut VI and the Dantzig league settle. The Öresund toll will not apply to ships of the Dantzig league. The Anglodanes apparently suspected they might not be able to withstand a war on land against Germany.

1377: The pope in Rome demands that the kings of Italy and France get rid of all the heretic sects in their countries. All over Europe small sects such as the Cathars have blossomed, and more than two millions all over France, Burgundy and Italy are not catholics. This can mostly be traced back to the break of papacy´s authority during the Mongol invasion. A similar demand is made to the Anglodanes and Germans but their kings show no will to comply. In France and Italy however purges start, resulting in massive movements of heretics fleeing to the new world.

1378: After the failure to gain control of the Baltic-Atlantic trade routes king Knut VI is looking for other ways to make the trade deficit go away. Spices and other oriental exports are bought at ridiculous prices from Turkish trading caravans stopping in Poland and Novogorod. An irish seafarer Cormac O´connor comes to his court with new ideas. This Cormac has already offered his services to the king of Ireland and even Scotland, and was reluctant to go to York despite it being his best chance of getting support for his project.
Cormac o´connor is convinced there is a trade route to be found leading to China, in the west. Knut VI gives him money to find the northeast tradingroute, and Cormac sets sails to explore what is north of Helluland. Cormac discovers Cormac´s bay. (OTL Hudson bay). He doesn´t however manage to find a viable trading route.

1379: An hitherto unknown disease spreads to the people of Mesoamerica. It could possibly have been smallpox or perhaps even black death. In any case this disease had been brought by Europeans to the east coast of north Magnia, and slowly spread across the entire continent. The Nahua tribes are hard hit and the newly founded empire of the Aztecs crumbles down during the plague.

1380: Cormac is given money for a second attempt to find a traderoute. He and his crew perish somewhere in the north atlantic.

1381: David of Florence is born.

1383: Civilwar starts in Italy when no heir is found to the throne of Burgundy/Italy.

1385: At the age of 47 George I becomes the king of Jerusalem.

1386: The printing press has now become known all across Italy, and the first books in Greek are printed in Constantinople. George I brings the printing press to Jerusalem.

1389: Knut VI dies and his son Valdimar II becomes king.

1390: Kevin O´Connor, Cormac O´Connors cousin visits the king of England asking him for support to continue his late relative´s mission. He is refused.

1391: The heretic sect called the Canterburians start spreading around the Anglodanish union. They have Gnostic ideas, believing that the god that created this world was evil and that there was a true one behind this one. They also believe that Jesus was a man and not divine. On top of all that heresy, they think that the clergy should be poor like Jesus. Not surprisingly they are banned. However, their teachings spread through the kingdom, f.x. through printing.

1393: A mysterious disease attacks the rising Inca civilization tearing apart. Very likely it´s the same epidemic that hit the Aztecs, and it´s origin probably lies in the European settlements on the eastcoast of Magnia.
A major attack is made on Canterburian churches and those that aren´t killed flee to the new world. Valdimar II gains the name, Valdimar the Pious. New Canterbury is founded.
Ommaya unites Syria and the caliphate of Bagdad once again, and ends the anarchic age.

1395: Ommaya defeats Persia in a brief borderwar. His army is quite modern by it´s times standard. The soldiers are well trained, well disciplined, and the hierarchy is more based on actual skills and ability, rather than f.x. talent. Also newly deviced gunpowdermuskets are used.

1396: The printing press is used to print a Koran in Bagdad.

1397: The civil war in Italy ends with Victor I becoming a king of a new dynasty. He locates the capital in Milan. To give thanks to god for his victory he decides to build a cathedral. The cathedral is constructed by using building techniques newly recovered from Roman ruins by the architect Alberto Giacamatti.

1398: Kevin O´Connor reaches the court of Castilia in Lizbon. He offers his service to Alphonso III. Alphonso is slightly interested in shipbuilding and exploration and gives him some small amount of fee to use.

1399: Temujin II becomes the “emperor of Europe.” His interest in arts and science is reminiscent of his great-great grandfather emperor Jamuka the wise. The old palace is restored, and Temujin starts recruiting artists from all over Europe.

1400: The second war against the Dantzig league starts in May. This time the Anglodanish union faces serious problems. Although it´s navy has more than doubled it is unable to fight against it´s foes.
The reason is fear of the union completely controlling the seas. To Valdimar II great surprise Ireland joins the Dantzig league and Scotland as well. England is attacked from across the sea both on the East and West side, along with a land invasion. The knights of the black cross join the fight and attack Scania, by the end of the year even France has joined the fight.

1403: The second war of the Dantzig league ends with a humiliating defeat for the Anglodanish union. Or so it seems, but in fact could also pass as a victor. The improvements made by king Valdimar´s generals to the army made it capable of fending France, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and most of north Germany and Poland for three years. Giving Irish and German traders monopoly on trade with Iceland and Greenland, along with allowing Dantzig Kontors to open up again in York and London isn´t that much of a sacrifice. More painful though is the loss of Scania to Sweden.
However Scotland and Ireland have brought themselves the anger of the Anglodanish union, and their participation would not be forgotten.

1404: Alberto Giacamatti arrives to Crackow and is given commission to build a great cathedral. It is thought of as the starting point of the renaissance. Old roman construction methods and aesthetics are used for the first time in a thousand years.

1405: Ommaya dies and his son Mehmet becomes the sultan of Bagdad.

1406: The civil war ends in Japan with Yamana Yoshimasa becoming the most powerful shogun.

1407: Mehmet starts the Jihad. Although the muslims and Christians had been living peacefully together for 100 years Mehmet starts a war against George I of Jerusalem. It´s not really religious, more just economical. The arabs want back Acre and Sidon as they´ve become big trading cities.

1409: Rebellions in Scania. The black cross knights send a lot of troops but the rebellers refuse to give up, convinced that the Anglodanish kingdom would soon free them. They were wrong, disappointed and eventually wiped out.

1411: James I of Aragon gains Sardinia and Sicily. This irritates the king of Italy.

1412: Georg I is killed on the walls of Jerusalem, forever remembered as a saint. However the Christians of Jerusalem fail to get any crusade on their way. Aragon and Italy refuse to agree to work together. By the end of the year, the kingdom of heaven is over.

1413: Mehmet decides that it´s not enough to own Jerusalem. He envisions gaining Mecca and Medina as well. He invades the Arabian peninsula.

1414: Valdimar II dies, and his son Knut VII becomes king. He will go down in history as Knut the avenger.

1415: North China is united under a Jerchin/Mongolian emperor named Kangxi. He is a mix of both, as the Manchurian royalty and Mongolian one have intermarried a lot for political purposes.
South China unites on it´s own under the rule of Wu Zangui. Wu Zangui was apparently a great leader and charismatic. His origins are unknown and his army mostly consisted of robbers that he had united under himself.

1416: Knut VII invades Scotland. This is merely to avenge for it´s alliance with the Dantzig league. The Scottish army is defeated and the Scottish are forced to pay a large sum of money to get rid of the Anglodanes.

1417: The third Dantzig war starts. A great Anglodanish fleet burns down Dublin, and another attacks Hamburg.

1420: The Anglodanish union and Dantzig agree on a permanent peace. All special treatment of Dantzig marked traders is stopped, and the Dantzig assets in England are grabbed by the crown, leading to an increase in the king´s power.
Emperor Kangxi invades south China upon the death of Wu Zangui.

1421: Mehmet dies. The war he started in Arabia will continue for thirty years until the sultan completely controlles entire Arabia. Egypt and Byzantium sign an alliancetreaty and promise to help each other against possible invasions.

1423: Jamuka III becomes emperor of Europe. To improve the finances he decides to go for an easy target with lots of cash. He attacks Dantzig and sacks it. The Dantzig league declares war but this time they have met their match. The league is a naval power not a landpower, and the combined might of Rus, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary is to much to bear.

1424: Knut VII takes hold of all Dantzig league trader money in the Anglodanish union. Soldiers run into banks and kontors all through out Denmark, Norway and England. The king becomes filthy rich.
Frederick II of Germany not so surprisingly does the same thing in a more dramatic way. He invades north Germany.

1425: A big year in history. China is united once again under the second Jin dynasty. The Dantzig league is dissolved. The polish/jewish philosopher Zaleski Jachowitz puts forth his sunmiddle theory. He places the sun into the middle of the universe. In London, Paul Svensson the reformer is born.

1427: The sultan of Bagdad makes an invasion attempt into Egypt. Byzantine forces arrive to support the Egyptians but they fail completely to be of any help. Egypt falls.

1428: Nicholas the great becomes the Byzantine emperor. He realizes the military needs to reform if Constantinople is to remain Greek.

1429: The Canaries are discovered by Castilian explorers. King Lukas I is very interested in sailing but decides to concentrate on finding a route to China by going around Africa.

1430: Knut VII sends an expedition to find a northern route once again with no success.

1431: The first great exploration ships are made in China. The age of exploration is about to start.

 

[Fabilius]

1432: China is united once again. The new emperor is interested in expanding overseas, and exploring the world, giving a huge boost to the shipbuilding going on in the area.
Nicholas the great defeats the Bulgarians in the bulgarian war. His effort in building a new and better army based on the army of Mehmet are starting to pay off. Knights from Poland and muskets from Germany and archers from England are brought to Constantinople.

1433: Jianwen becomes the admiral of the chinese exploration fleet. His first expedition visits Taiwan, and Malaysia. Jamuka III dies. The empire is split apart by his three sons, Temujin getting Poland/Hungary, Pyotr getting Ukraine, parts of Romania and parts of Lithuania, and finally Olokdai getting Novogorod.

1434: Population decline in Europe ends and starts going up again. This happens because of surplus food being generated in Magnia, along with more kinds of vegetables becoming known, improving agriculture.

1435: The second voyage into the western sea is lead by Jianwen again. The eunuch visits Indonesia and lands on the northern coast of the southern continent, which would be more commonly known in Europe under the name of Austrasia. (OTL Australia) However, the chinese don´t have any interest at all in the newly discovered continent, it seems just to be an island full of desert.
Olokdai´s first wife dies, or is perhaps killed. Olokdai marries into the Muscovite family leading to the beginning of Russia.

1436: Castilian sailors bring the first slaves to Castilia. They kidnapped them somewhere north of the ivory coast. Castilian trade in Africa with ivorytusks and slaves is about to begin.

1437: Knut VII dies. His son Harold becomes Harold VI of the anglodanish union.


1438: The third voyage of Jianwen leads him to India. He uses military might to force Sri Lanka to acknowledge the emperor of China as their ruler.


1440: The sunmiddle theory is debated in a church council in Rome. The pope refuses to accept it, however in England, Denmark, Poland and other places north of Europe it´s becoming generally accepted. Only in Sweden is it illegal to claim the sun to be the middle of the world.

1442: Jianwen visits Lemuria (OTL, Madagascar) He fills his huge junks with animals from there and from the east coast of asia. He even brings a giraffe to China.

1443: A castilian ship lands into a storm and finds south America. Nothing is done for now though.

1444: Emperor Shangtzen is very amused by the exotic animals that Jianwen has brought him. He demands that Jianwen heads even further west to see what else he might discover.

1445: The great painter Leonardo de Parma finishes the masterpiece, birth of Madonna.

1446: Jianwen visits Persia, Arabia, the red sea, and heads down to the southern tip of Africa, leaving behind a few men to form a small settlement. It´s purpose is research.
Paul Svenson, the reformer joins a monastery in Jutland.

1447: Jianwen dies on his way home. Emperor Shangtzen orders another admiral in his stead but tells him to explore other places. The new admiral, Chen zu heads westwards. He is thought to have arrived on the coast of west Magnia, and brought along with him sealions and pumas.

1448: Emperor Shangtzen dies. His successor Kangxi is not as interested in oceantravel. He agrees to allowing Chen zu to go to Africa and retrieve the landexplorers from the southern tip.

1448-1456: The Byzantine empire is attacked by the Mehmetian army. The conflict goes on for a very long time but in the end the Byzantines manage to repel the Mehmetians from their empire.

1449: First contact. Castilian sailors from Lizbon under the leadership of Alphonso Maradona meet chinese sailors under the leadership of Chen zu. The castilians are amazed by the size and strength of the chinese ships. Chen zu is curious and is uncertain whether the emperor will allowe any other expeditions for exploration and he makes one of his junks accompany the castilians home to Europe. Two of the european ships return with the huge chinese junk, however the third ship, under Alphonso´s control follows Cheng zu to China. Cheng zu copies the European maps, and the Europeans copy the chinese maps.

 

[Fabilius]

Diego Alligheri and the voyage around the world.

The year 1450 the world changed in the eyes of Alphonso IV king of Castilia. The chinese ship was huge and according to the tales he heard the emperor of China ruled over an empire more populous than the entire population of Europe. It filled him with worries and fear, and also amazement and admiration. The chinese were mapping the world even faster than they were.

It seemed that Diego Alligheri was in the right court at the right time. This italian adventurer and trader was dreaming of a chance to sail westward go under Magnia and to China. However, the kings of Castilia had been until now obsessed with the south-east passage, and the kings of Ireland and Anglodanish union were obsessed with the northwest passage.

"If you look at these maps your highness, you´ll see that the chinese have no doubt landed on the continent of Magnia. The ocean is vast, no doubt, but it isn´t impossible to cross. Just give me the chance. Either we will be the first to go around the world or they will."

Alphonso gave his approval January 13. 1451 and Diego Alligheri was given a fleet commission beyond his wildest dreams. Inspired by the chinese, the castilian king had built even huger ships than before seen in Europe. Diego was sent out to lead six ships towards China. They were filled with presents to the emperor, and were going to be accompanied by the chinese junk towards it´s homeland.

Diego sailed straight forward, but he was not going to reach China however. They reached islands in the west with natives, that had never seen any chinese nor europeans. Diego first though they must be subjects of the emperor but was soon assured by the chinese sailors, that these must what the irish and englanders called: Skraelings, or Magnians. After going through various islands they finally landed in the mainland. Christmas were held on the coast of Nahua, (OTL Mexico) the natives there were more civilised, and it seemed that they considered Diego to be a god. The gold in their cities was noticed by both the castilians and the Chinese, but after receiving some of it in form of presents they continued the trip.

The ships sailed further south until it became blatantly obvious that Magnia was a huge mainland, that wasn´t going to be passed so easily. Diego reluctantly accepted that they weren´t going to find China, when his sailors threatened to mutiny. The chinese ship was allowed to sail further south, searching for a way home but the Europeans were left disappointed.

But, of course the next best thing was right there. They weren´t perhaps going to be the infamous crew that sailed across the world, but they sure were going to bring a lot of gold back home.

Through use of gunpowder and clever alliances Diego and his men robbed incredible amounts of gold from the native kingdoms of Nahua. The natives had been united 50 years ago by a tribed called Aztec, but they split apart when a plague ravaged their homeworld. Now once again they were attacked by an epidemic, although not as huge one, and the castilians used gunpowder and ironarmour to defeat them.
Diego returned to Lizbon 1455. The wealth he brought home was going to spawn further invasions, explorations, colonisations and much more.

 

[Fabilius]

1450: The war of Scania starts. Sweden seeks to get a part of the Öresund toll, but king Harold won´t hear any of it. Troops from England, Wales and Jutland invade Scania and reclaim it. The war will last six years and end with an humiliating defeat for Sweden, who´s oldfashioned cavalryarmy proves to be little match for the archers and gunmen of the anglodanish union.

1451: The anglodanish fleet takes Gotland. Gotland had become independent after the Dantzig wars but they´re taken since they´ve become a strategic point in the war. Alandislands quickly follow.
Diego Alligheri is sent west to find China, he discovers the land of the Nahua and a whole lot of gold.

1453: After seven years in Jutland, Paul Svenson returns home to canterbury where he will study theology.

1454: After spending more than five years in China Alphonso Maradona is called for by the new emperor Wu. Emperor Wu is more curious than his predecessor and likes Alphonso. He gives Alphonso responsibilities as an errant for the emperor. Through his new job Alphonso will get to visit all the main cities and places in the chinese empire.

1455: Diego Alligheri returns home with gold in abundance. The castilians are impressed, and the king orders his fleet to be sent to Nahua and claim it under the Castilian crown.

1456: The city San Diego is founded on the ruins of Mexico city. The king of Aragon, Ferdinand III decides that he also wants a piece of the cake. He has already started a grand naval project and he now sends a fleet to south Magnia to claim some territories.
The war between Sweden and Anglodanish union ends, and a lot of territory is annexed by the union. However the attention of the king of York is for the first time in more than a century turned from European affairs and towards Magnia. The news of the gold don´t go unnoticed in both Ireland and England.

1457: The island of St. Paul (Cuba) is discovered and claimed by Irish sailors. The island Haroldsland (Tahiti) is claimed by Anglodanish sailors. The rest of the islands in the caribbean are claimed either by Aragon or Castilia.

1459: The convention of Magnia is held in Lizbon. Magnia is carved by Ireland, Anglodanish union, Castilia, and Aragon. All Magnia north of Nahua, belongs to the Irish and Anglodanes, all Magnia south of it belongs to Castilia and Aragon.

1460: Paul Svenson after lots of thoughts proposes what he calls: Ten proposals for moderate reforms. However the proposal is not very moderate, but implies a need for radical reconstruction in the church. The bishop of Canterbury decrees him a heretic, and he barely escapes to Ireland. People are afraid of another canterburian cult springing forth, and some of Paul´s followers flee to Magnia. Paul is not going to give up though.

1461: The court in Dublin is more willing to pay attention to Paul, and the king of Ireland Brian IV is interested. Later on historians will often compare Paul and Patrick together, since one brought christianity to Ireland from England, and the other one changed it.
Paul´s suggestion are f.x.: You can only be saved through faith, there should be no decorations in the churches (he considers it idolworshipping), and the church should stay out of worldly affairs.

1462: War almost breaks out between Aragon and Castilia over Magnian land. Christopher Modigliano sails to India from Lizbon and back.

1463: The ideas of Paul spread through Scotland, Ireland and England. The printing press helps a lot. A church convention is called for in York, and Paul shows up. King Harold himself listens to Paul´s words. The convention doesn´t condemn Paul on the spot, as it disagrees on lot´s of things. Paul is allowed to go unharrassed to Jutland. He visits his old monastery and convinces a lot of his former fellow monks.
Paul´s others suggestions include that priests should be allowed to marry. When he returns to Dublin he marries a former nun.

1464: Paul is condemned by the archbishop of York. Brian IV dissolves the catholic church in Ireland and takes a hold on all it´s assets. Paul himself is opposed to it, hoping for a compromise. The feud is out of his hands by now, and no compromises will be coming up.

1465: Alphonso Maradona is allowed to return home by the emperor. His book on China: "My travels in the empire of Asia", will affect western way of thought the rest of the century.

 

[Constantinople]

Very cool, its seems that the Danes are far in advance when it comes to the settlement of the New World. How rich, powerful is ireland?
Do youhave a map?

 

[Fabilius]

Very cool, its seems that the Danes are far in advance when it comes to the settlement of the New World. How rich, powerful is ireland?
Do youhave a map?

Thanks

To the do you have a map question: I´m currently searching for a good, blank worldmap... working on it that is.

Ireland is quite powerful, they aren´t Castilia, France, Germany or the Anglodanish union certainly, but they are similar to OTL Holland in strength. Lots of traders in Dublin, will do good when tobacco spreads, will do some slave trading, will do some sugar plantation stuff. They won´t be a major power, but unlike OTL, they will have a strong middle class living a pretty decent lifestyle, that is on 15th, 16th century standard.

 

[Swede]

1457: The island of St. Paul (Cuba) is discovered and claimed by Irish sailors. The island Haroldsland (Tahiti) is claimed by Anglodanish sailors. The rest of the islands in the caribbean are claimed either by Aragon or Castilia.

Hispaniola, not Tahiti, right?

/looking forward to the map

 

[Fabilius]

I´m half finished with the world map, let´s see how it´ll look. I´m not an adept mapmaker, and I think I will ask someone to take it to an extreme makeover after me.

Anyhow I´ve a few questions for those who read this TL:

Byzantium? Will any reform be able to save it, or make it last long enough to be called the sick man of Europe in 19th century? Or should I let someone take over the show? It´s doing better than OTL, getting a better army, but the society hasn´t been radically restructured, the emperor has wee bit more power.

Flags? What does the flag of the Anglodanish union look like? Or the Irish flag? Or Germany´s? We know Sweden has a black cross.

America, does someone think that a more curious China could colonize in California. I know Hendryk has made a TL about it...

Also, technology, I´m speeding things a little, the church has less power, reformation comes sooner, America discovered more than 100 years earlier... How much faster would technology progress?

 

[Fabilius]

World map, way to small

 

[Fabilius]

Novogorod, Kiev and the emperor of Poland

In the year 1433 the socalled empire of Europe fell apart. Three brothers shifted the empire much in the same way the carolingian empire was broken five hundred years earlier. It was unavoidable, the empire was so vast it was difficult to control and all of the kingdoms were with movements that wanted separation.

Poland:

Starting in 1400s lots of philosophical old texts from Romans and Greeks, were translated to Polish, from Latin and Arabic. They were printed all over the country and became very known amongst scholars. This is known as the renaissance.
Art flourished as well, and trade. A lot of books were also printed with Jiddish translations of those same works.

The empire did face some problems though. The power of the emperor had decreased although he had annexed Dantzig and broken the German trade league. Polish dukes and other noblemen were getting more powerful at the expense of the bureaucracy and government. Antijewish sentiments increased and caused problems. The mainproblem was that many jews had been working for the government in tax collecting and stuff like that, and the Poles saw them as oppressive.
Those descended from the invaders were trying to hide away their turkish origins and taking increasingly more and more polish names. The noblemen dreamed of making a revolution against the emperor and bringing in a truly polish king, just as the Germans had now a german king.
The Hungarians in the south rebelled 1487 and 1494. A coup d´etat was made in 1501 putting into power Johannes Malynski as the emperor. What followed was a seven years long civil war, in which jews and people of mongol origins were persecuted. Previous religious tolerance was ended, and those of Islamic faith and jewish faith were killed.
Johannes Malinsky held to the title emperor of Europe. He was a catholic like the majority of Poland but in the north protestanism was spreading out. Germans in Dantzig were converting en masse and a lot of Polish noblemen were intrigued by it. Catholicism had never been strong after the mongol invasion and it now faced a new threat which had arrived by trading ships from Denmark.
Religous and racial tensions didn´t hamper the renaissance though. The dukes were wealthy and supported artists from Italy and south Germany in making statues with religous themes and engravings. In the 1500s a lot of buildings imitated classical buildings in Italy because the empire viewed itself a lot like a new Rome.

Kiev

The most loosely governed kingdom that came into existance in 1433 was Kiev. The king had hardly any authority outside of Kiev and the nobles ruled. Here Judaism and Orthodoxism prospered, but Kiev was nonetheless a backwater compared to Poland. The renaissance didn´t fully reach there, and the kingdom didn´t progress a lot. Most trade was with the Bysantine empire and a lot of influence came from there.
The king of Kiev compared Poland to the west roman empire and Kiev to the east roman and there fore, when building styles of Italy were imitated in Crackow, Kiev imitated Constantinople.

Novogorod

The Russians as they became known after the split prospered a lot in the 15th century. Communication with the Anglodanish union and Poland lead to blooming age in both arts and science in Novogorod. In 1450 the king founded an university in Novogorod. Ivan I changed the name of the country into Russia and made attempts to invade Finland. The Finns defeated him and he turned his ambitions to internal affairs after that.

However, if Novogorod prospered and progressed like the rest of Europe, then the rest of the country remained in the middle ages. The serf system wouldn´t be abolished until the 19th century, and slavery wasn´t illegal unlike in western Europe. Like Poland, Russia would have a civil war in the 16th century and after that it would turn isolationist. However seeds were sown in those years for the empire that would later rise.

 

[Fabilius]

1466: Hakon II becomes king of the Anglodanish union.

1467: New Wales is founded in Magnia, the number of settlers in Magnia reaches 750,000. Hakon II decides it´s time to focus more on Magnia and sends both explorers and military personel to the colonies. Administrative buildings are built in New London, Alexandria and in Hellustadt in little Germany.

1468: Bastian I becomes king of France.

1469: The bible is translated into Irish.

1470: Bastian divorces his first wife.

1471: The catholic church refuses to approve of Bastians marriage to Isabella of Wallonia. Bastian is angered and he takes advantage of the growing number of reformers in the country. He founds the french protestant church in which the king is head of the church.

1472: Peace is settled between the Mehmetian caliphate and the Bysantine empire.

1473: Aragonian explorers sail up the great river in south Magnia. They name it the river of snakes. (OTL Amazons)

1474: Hakon II decides to imitate Bastian of France and found the church of the Anglodanish union. The king grabs all church land.

1476: A meeting is held in London by worried thing members. The noblemen worry about the growing power of the king, after annexing all of Dantzig traders property a few decades ago his power has been growing and the thing has become increasingly irrelevant. The London resolution condemns the king for abandoning the catholic church.

1477: Hakon II crushes the catholic rebellion. He dissolves the thing and ends thereby an almost 400 year old tradition. The king has become an absolute monarch not ruling in the name of the church nor under the support of the thing. His actions are celebrated in Denmark where the reformation is very popular, especially in Jutland. However the majority of Englanders are still catholic.

1478: Bastian I is assasinated starting the French civil war.

1479: Aragonian exploration ships sail south of Magnia and discover the Andez civilisations.

1480: The king of Italy, Thomas IV, meets the pope´s challenge. After all the king of Burgundy and Italy has been the official protector of the catholic church since the thirteenth century. An italian army is sent to France to help the catholics in the war.

1481: Charles III becomes the king of France. Catholic church is reestablished in france from Bordeaux to the netherlands.

1482: Chinese junks land on the east coast of Magnia. The chinese explore most of the coast, they notice that it is fertile...

1483: The emperor of China decides against raising settlements in Magnia. He doesn´t see any profit in it, and decides that it´s best to concentrate on asian affairs.

1484: The king of Finland Mikhael I defeats an invasion from Novogorod. Ivan I gives up on trying to take land from Finland.

1485: A peasant rebellion is quelched in Sweden. Lots of people flee from Sweden and end up in Norway. They´re sent from there to Magnia.

1486: Knut VIII the cruel is born.

1487: The first Hungarian rebellion starts. The Poles defeat it.

1489: Aragonians invade Peru. Emilio Ecresta lands in Lima with his 240 men force. The Peruvians are at first surprised by both plagues and firearms, but they start to fight back viciously. The conquest will take many years. In the end though the Aragonians win.

1490: The Icelandic revolution. For a long time Icelanders had been disgruntal, the farmers had for a long time disliked the fishing villages inhabited by fishermen originally from England and Anglodanish and german traders. They accused the traders for selling them bad grain and kidnapping children, and they complain about the high tax. The revolt though doesn´t really start until a ship from the king announces that all church assets will be confiscated. Needless to say the revolutionary leader, bishop Gottskálk Tumason is caught and beheaded when the king sends a military ship north. This marks the end for the icelandic indigenous culture, as from now on, the language gets assimilated into Anglodanish.

1491: The chinese emperor allowes Castilian ambassadors to visit his court.

1492: Bombay is captured by Castilian troops. The port will grow under the Castilians as Skraeling gold flows in to pay for indian spices.

1493: The binocular is invented.

1494: The first Skraeling war. The natives of Magnia have had it and start attacking settlements in Markland, Helluland and Alexandria. Various tribes have formed a coalation. They´re at first very succesful, however a year later Anglodanish troops arrive and completely squash the Skraelings.
Peasants and nobles revolt and take Budapest in the second hungarian revolution. The emperor is getting short on money and raises taxes.

1495: Bulgarians start a siege around Constantinople. They manage to break the walls using cannons and flood in. The war keeps on going in Greece for a while, but the Bulgarian dynasty takes over with Alexander Kolev as the first emperor.

1496: Mikhael I of Finland attacks Sweden and claims some territories in the north. The pope of Sweden is assasinated and the knight hierarchy dissolves. They divide into factions, one faction is extreme black cross and wants to keep the theocracy, the other faction wants to make Sweden a normal kingdom like Germany and the Anglodanish union.

1497: Abraham Jakobsson and the monarchists win the battle of Smaaland. Abraham is crowned king. The first thing he does is to order the bible to be translated into Swedish, he then allowes foreigners to trade not just in Uppsala but in the rest of the country as well. The war continues but the rule of the black knights is broken. However Abraham keeps most of the religious laws and the bible is still the highest law of Sweden. The black cross remains the flag of Sweden.

1499: Irish settlers land in Kerry. (OTL Florida)

1500: Last vestiges of the black knights flee Sweden. The king of the Anglodanish union allowes them to settle in the new world. Most of the knights however settle in either Norway or Denmark.

1501: Johannes Malinsky becomes the emperor of Poland. Mass killings are made against people with mongol or jewish blood. Ironically however Johannes mother is the great grand daughter of emperor Jamuka, although Johannes pretends to be all polish.

1502: Knut crownprince of the Anglodanish union secretly becomes catholic on his visit to France.

1503: Knut returns to York when his father dies. He is crowned Knut VIII. His first doing as a king, is declaring the Anglodanish church nul and void and restoring catholicism. He is celebrated in England, Iceland and Norway, the Magnians don´t care as his authority is loose, but in Denmark reformers become afraid. Their worst fears are proven right as Knut starts persecuting protestants. Not much can be done since the king is practically all powerful.

1504: Knut´s VIII sister Margareth marries Robert king of Scotland. She is not all to happy about it, Robert is old and sick, and he is catholic like Knut. Margareth on the other hand was a fervent supporter of the Anglodanish church. Some say Knut did it to get her out of the country as he couldn´t possibly kill her.

1505: Henry VI becomes king of France.

1506: Manuel I of Italy starts the inquisition.

1507: Revolts in Denmark are twarthed. The rebel leader Christian, duke of Sjaelland flees the country to Germany.

1508: Knut divorces his wife. He and Anne from Castilia had been unsuccesful and the cruel king is rumoured to be impotent. At least among the protestants.

1509: Robert of Scotland dies. A constitutional crisis arises. Robert has a fourteen year old son with his now dead first wife. His name is Malcolm. On the other hand he has another son named Harold with Margareth. Many want to get rid of Margareth which has been ruling the country instead of her sick husband for many years. However the Scots fear what her brother might do. A secret message from Knut indicates to the conspirers that he wouldn´t mind seeing Malcolm become king instead of his protestant sister. An attempt to assasinate Margareth fails and she manages to best the conspirers. The eight plotters are hanged.
Margareth surprises the court when she announces that Malcolm will become king. She and Malcolm get along well and she helps him get into the throne. A little while later Malcolm founds the scottish church.

1510: Knut and his second wife, Vilhelmina, are unable to have children. Knut invites Margareth´s son Harold to York. Margareth is unwilling to allowe her older brother to adopt her son. Knut becomes furious and even threatens a war. His sister taunts him, and nothing happens.

1511: Christian, former duke of Sjaelland visits Margareth´s court in Scotland. Knut is further irritated by his sister playing host to the rebel. Not so surprisingly, despite being invited to their wedding he doesn´t show up.

1512: Malcolm gets a bad fever and dies. Harold is crowned Harold I of Scotland. Aragonia captures Calcutta. Irish sailors land in Sri lanka.

1513: The second Skraeling alliance is defeated. Fur trade increases and settlers head further inland.

1514: Knut VIII the cruel chokes to death. Possibly he was poisoned. News soon spread that Margareth and Christian are heading towards York with an army. Knut´s closest men prepare the army for battle, not going to withstand a protestant king. At the last minute the Yorkists decide to compromise. Margareth knows she isn´t going to win easily, and the Yorkists know that they´ve got noone with a better claim to the throne than her son Harold. The compromise is that she reinvokes the thing. Margareth signs the York declaration, that the king must always rule in coalation with the thing. The Anglodanish starts it´s long way towards becoming a constitutional monarchy.

1515: After a thingmeeting, Harold is crowned Harold VII of the Anglodanish union. Scotland becomes apart of it, and it is soon quite apparent that the Anglodanish union cannot be used to describe an union between Norway, Wales, Denmark, England, Scotland. The United Kingdoms are much better way to phrase it.

 

[dreadnought jenkins]

get mad if you must Fabilius, but I couldn't resist trying to put your world map onto my favourite base(god bless the blank map thread) and so here I go. Sorry if your mad.

 

[Redbeard]

get mad if you must Fabilius, but I couldn't resist trying to put your world map onto my favourite base(god bless the blank map thread) and so here I go. Sorry if your mad.

Cool, but isn't Scania etc. still Anglo-Danish? Also N. Norway is far more accessible from the sea (i.e. Anglo-Danes) than over land (Swedes).

Next, is it my monitor, or are the Anglo-Danes suddenly stuck with the middle east!?

Regards

Steffen Redbeard

 

[dreadnought jenkins]

sorry about that, the middle east is actually a lighter shade of green, even i have trouble with it and I made it.

 

[Fabilius]

sorry about that, the middle east is actually a lighter shade of green, even i have trouble with it and I made it.

Not mad at all. I think it´s great

Scania is still a part of the Anglodanish union. Well, if you´re basing it on recent developments you´re right in putting Scotland together with the union. However, then Florida should get an irish color as well.

But thanks a lot for the map. Maps make things come to life.

I didn´t have any problems discerning the Middle east from the Anglodanish union...