timelines:empty_america_-_archived_version
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timelines:empty_america_-_archived_version [2018/06/20 05:37] – [28: I Don't Know Where I'm A-Gonna Go...] petike | timelines:empty_america_-_archived_version [2023/03/19 04:39] – [Glossary] petike | ||
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====== Empty America - Archived Text Copy Version ====== | ====== Empty America - Archived Text Copy Version ====== | ||
- | NOTE: The Empty America timeline was originally posted at [[offtopic: | + | NOTE: The //[[Empty America]]// timeline was originally posted at [[offtopic: |
- | All text below is copyright of the timeline' | + | All text below is copyright of the timeline' |
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It has the desired effect - Brihtwine is flabbergasted. North of Hyperborea! [FN27.02]. There is a way! He had thought that there must have been a route through the vast expanse ice that surrounds the giant magnetic mountain at the top of the world. Excited to talk to these sailors who must have seen many unknown lands, he wangles himself an invitation to the feast King Ricard was having for Admiral. He excitedly [FN27.03] quizzes the Admiral Chao Yen-Wei and his subordinates at length, asking them to describe the islands, currents and ice-floes he and his men encountered on the way through the frigid waters. The Archbishop and the King repeatedly try to change the subject, but Brihtwine is dogged in his curiosity. | It has the desired effect - Brihtwine is flabbergasted. North of Hyperborea! [FN27.02]. There is a way! He had thought that there must have been a route through the vast expanse ice that surrounds the giant magnetic mountain at the top of the world. Excited to talk to these sailors who must have seen many unknown lands, he wangles himself an invitation to the feast King Ricard was having for Admiral. He excitedly [FN27.03] quizzes the Admiral Chao Yen-Wei and his subordinates at length, asking them to describe the islands, currents and ice-floes he and his men encountered on the way through the frigid waters. The Archbishop and the King repeatedly try to change the subject, but Brihtwine is dogged in his curiosity. | ||
- | King Ricard II, a good-natured fellow who has been patronizing Brihtwine' | + | King Ricard II, a good-natured fellow who has been patronizing Brihtwine' |
- | studies, but who is eager to talk trade and other matters with the Admiral, | + | |
- | finally laughs and says, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" | + | |
- | A couple of his knights start to get up from the table, but the King rolls | + | |
- | his eyes and bids them to sit. | + | |
- | Embarrassed, | + | Embarrassed, |
- | Admiral Yen-Wei and implores him to accept baptism and the love of Christ. | + | |
- | The Admiral smiles benevolently and asks Brihtwine if he would have him | + | |
- | worship the Christ whose pope is in the land of the Franks, Luoma [Rome] or | + | |
- | Xila [Greece, i.e. Constantinople]?" | + | |
- | "There is but one Lord Jesus Christ!" | + | "There is but one Lord Jesus Christ!" |
- | surprised that a Cathayan would know so much about the affairs of the | + | |
- | Church. | + | |
"Then why," Admiral Yen-Wei asks placidly, "do your peoples quarrel so?" | "Then why," Admiral Yen-Wei asks placidly, "do your peoples quarrel so?" | ||
- | Abashed for all of Christendom, | + | Abashed for all of Christendom, |
- | laughs kindly, saying that it was an unfair question, since it is the same | + | |
- | world over. The Buddhists in his homeland, he says, are forever arguing | + | |
- | amongst themselves, as were the Taoist and Confucian luminaries. No doubt | + | |
- | no more than two Qing Zhen [Muslim] or Yěn Dů Jiŕo [Hindu] clerics could be | + | |
- | found to agree with one another. To make it up to Brihtwine, Admiral | + | |
- | Yen-wei invites him to visit his flagship the next day. Brihtwine beams. | + | |
- | And the next day, the Bishop is ferried in a lighter out to the great | + | And the next day, the Bishop is ferried in a lighter out to the great Cathayan ship and he spends hours poking through it, marveling at the individual cabins for the merchants, the ingenious water-tight compartments for the cargo and the general bustle of activity. Admiral Yen-Wei tells him that the ship can carry a year's supply or rice for the crew and they can set out barrels to catch rainwater on lengthy voyages. Amazing! thinks Brihtwine. These men could sail around the world without ever touching land. They can grow food plants and raise animals on deck and live better than most men on shore. God, how he envied them and their travels! The high point of the visit was a stop in the Captain' |
- | Cathayan ship and he spends hours poking through it, marveling at the | + | hour intently studying the ship's charts and maps, committing as much as he could to memory, and when his tour is over, it is with great reluctance that he makes his way back to dry land. |
- | individual cabins for the merchants, the ingenious water-tight compartments | + | |
- | for the cargo and the general bustle of activity. Admiral Yen-Wei tells him | + | |
- | that the ship can carry a year's supply or rice for the crew and they can | + | |
- | set out barrels to catch rainwater on lengthy voyages. Amazing! thinks | + | |
- | Brihtwine. These men could sail around the world without ever touching | + | |
- | land. They can grow food plants and raise animals on deck and live better | + | |
- | than most men on shore. God, how he envied them and their travels! The | + | |
- | high point of the visit was a stop in the Captain' | + | |
- | hour intently studying the ship's charts and maps, committing as much as he | + | |
- | could to memory, and when his tour is over, it is with great reluctance that | + | |
- | he makes his way back to dry land. | + | |
< | < | ||
- | Back in his study, Bishop Brihtwine looks at his map and sighs. It is not | + | Back in his study, Bishop Brihtwine looks at his map and sighs. It is not all wrong, but from the Cathayan maps he can see that his representation of the West Coast of Ultima Thule is way off and his depiction of Hyperborea is just fanciful. He flips the big sheet of paper over and decides to begin all over again. And he will need to add much to 'The Ultima Thule Chronicle,' |
- | all wrong, but from the Cathayan maps he can see that his representation of | + | |
- | the West Coast of Ultima Thule is way off and his depiction of Hyperborea is | + | |
- | just fanciful. He flips the big sheet of paper over and decides to begin | + | |
- | all over again. And he will need to add much to 'The Ultima Thule | + | |
- | Chronicle,' | + | |
- | The years of studying Ultima Thule have dangled some troubling conclusions | + | The years of studying Ultima Thule have dangled some troubling conclusions before the Bishop' |
- | before the Bishop' | + | and Terranova, which were held back for a thousand years after the birth of Christ, so that His People could settle there. |
- | creatures never before seen by man - olifaunts, giant beavers, enormous | + | |
- | bears, sloths, tigers and wolves, long, sleek cats that can outrun the | + | |
- | swiftest horses, and flocks of birds so numerous they darken the | + | |
- | sun[FN27.031]. It is an article of faith within the Church that this land, | + | |
- | with all its riches, was set aside and left unpopulated by God for the | + | |
- | benefit of Christendom. After the Flood, the world was divided among the | + | |
- | sons of Noah: Shem, Japeth and Ham. Each received their share of the | + | |
- | thousand peoples and the lands and nations. But none received Ultima Thule | + | |
- | and Terranova, which were held back for a thousand years after the birth of | + | |
- | Christ, so that His People could settle there. | + | |
- | That, of course, has been shaken with the realization that the pagans of | + | That, of course, has been shaken with the realization that the pagans of Cathay actually hold more of Ultima Thule and _much_ more of Terranova than do Christian powers. This continent of riches, untouched by the hand of man for thousands of years after Creation, was just sitting there, waiting to be taken by whoever - Christian or pagan - came across it first. This is particularly troubling to Brihtwine because, through his studies, he realizes that the Cathayans not only do not believe in the God of the Bible, |
- | Cathay actually hold more of Ultima Thule and _much_ more of Terranova than | + | they evidently believe in nothing even remotely resembling the God of the Jews, Christians and Saracens. |
- | do Christian powers. This continent of riches, untouched by the hand of man | + | |
- | for thousands of years after Creation, was just sitting there, waiting to be | + | |
- | taken by whoever - Christian or pagan - came across it first. This is | + | |
- | particularly troubling to Brihtwine because, through his studies, he | + | |
- | realizes that the Cathayans not only do not believe in the God of the Bible, | + | |
- | they evidently believe in nothing even remotely resembling the God of the | + | |
- | Jews, Christians and Saracens. | + | |
- | But he thinks he understands it now. The New World is was set aside by God | + | But he thinks he understands it now. The New World is was set aside by God for the peoples of the world to meet, and learn to live in harmony. The Cathayans from the East have brought their wondrous knowledge of nature and the artes machinae, and the Christians of the West have brought the Word of God. |
- | for the peoples of the world to meet, and learn to live in harmony. The | + | |
- | Cathayans from the East have brought their wondrous knowledge of nature and | + | |
- | the artes machinae, and the Christians of the West have brought the Word of | + | |
- | God. | + | |
- | They could build something here, something new... Brihtwine sighs again, and | + | They could build something here, something new... Brihtwine sighs again, and gets back to work on his map. |
- | gets back to work on his map. | + | |
< | < | ||
Line 3211: | Line 3157: | ||
Religion in Cocagne is preeminently orthodox Catholicism, | Religion in Cocagne is preeminently orthodox Catholicism, | ||
- | Like all the states of Ultima Thule, Cocagne gets a quick infusion of | + | Like all the states of Ultima Thule, Cocagne gets a quick infusion of fortune-hunters when word gets around that the Cathayans have discovered vast amounts of gold and silver in Mu-lan-P' |
- | fortune-hunters when word gets around that the Cathayans have discovered | + | |
- | vast amounts of gold and silver in Mu-lan-P' | + | |
- | everyone but the diggers themselves, they do stumble across significant gold | + | |
- | deposits [FN27.08]. Nothing like the big strikes the Cathayans have made, | + | |
- | but enough that the Duke of Cocagne can make a tidy profit taxing the | + | |
- | diggers and panners and selling mining rights to enthusiastic immigrants. | + | |
- | The fortune hunters will prove to be a disruptive element in time, but for | + | |
- | now, the Duke of Cocagne has, for the first time in the history of Ultima | + | |
- | Thule struck the first ever gold coin bearing the likeness of a Monarch of | + | |
- | Europe, Phillip the Bold. The King receives a small chest of the coins in | + | |
- | honor of the occasion. | + | |
- | For all the good as it will do him ... | + | For all the good as it will do him... |
- County of Avalon [roughly OTL's South Carolina][FN27.09] | - County of Avalon [roughly OTL's South Carolina][FN27.09] | ||
- | The founders of the County of Avalon clearly took a page from the early | + | The founders of the County of Avalon clearly took a page from the early Norse land-naming scheme. Give a howling wilderness an intriguing name (Green-land, |
- | Norse land-naming scheme. Give a howling wilderness an intriguing name | + | starting with subsistence agriculture, |
- | (Green-land, | + | |
- | Avalon will not, unfortunately, | + | |
- | see a State that is on its way to becoming the wealthiest in the League. In | + | |
- | 1280, Avalon, a feudal dependency of the King of England, is on the verge of | + | |
- | a great expansion. Up until now, Avalon has prospered, in its small way, | + | |
- | starting with subsistence agriculture, | + | |
- | economy. Like Cocagne, once it has managed to meet its own food needs, it | + | |
- | exports. But the big export for Avalon is rice. The coastal wetlands of | + | |
- | Avalon are primo rice country and the Count of Avalon, by way of his close | + | |
- | relationship with the King of England, has very good contacts with the Hansa | + | |
- | cities of the Holy Roman Empire. And that means slaves. Baltic pagans and | + | |
- | Russian schismatics can both be enslaved by good Catholic Christians. And | + | |
- | they are. They are seized in raids, marched to the ports of the Mongol | + | |
- | dominion, crammed into the great ships of the Hansa, freely exported (after | + | |
- | the fall of the Anskar Union) out into the Germanic Sea and across the | + | |
- | Western Ocean to toil in Avalon' | + | |
- | Newcastle [Charleston] is choked with shipping, delivering rice to the | + | |
- | Ursulines and to Mu-lan-P' | + | |
- | Veracruz]. Rice flows out, silver flows in. But that is only the | + | |
- | beginning. Circa the late 1270s, the Indian method for indigo dying arrives | + | |
- | in Europe [FN27.10] and indigo cultivation arrives in Avalon. It fits | + | |
- | perfectly into the crop rotation with rice. Indigo flows out, primarily to | + | |
- | Europe, where it is sucked up by the booming textile industry. | + | |
- | Just as the Count of Avalon is a feudal subject of the King of England, the | + | Just as the Count of Avalon is a feudal subject of the King of England, the great plantation owners of Avalon are feudal subjects of the Count. Fortunately for Avalon, they are generally too busy making money to fight amongst themselves in any serious fashion. That and the Count has by far the largest armed retinue and he is very interested in keeping the peace. To compensate for the lack of combat, it is always pretty much always tournament time in Newcastle, and many of the nobles do their quarantine with the Knights of Ultima Thule. Tournaments earn the condemnation of the clergy, including Brihtwine who characterizes the " |
- | great plantation owners of Avalon are feudal subjects of the Count. | + | |
- | Fortunately for Avalon, they are generally too busy making money to fight | + | |
- | amongst themselves in any serious fashion. That and the Count has by far | + | |
- | the largest armed retinue and he is very interested in keeping the peace. | + | |
- | To compensate for the lack of combat, it is always pretty much always | + | |
- | tournament time in Newcastle, and many of the nobles do their quarantine | + | |
- | with the Knights of Ultima Thule. Tournaments earn the condemnation of the | + | |
- | clergy, including Brihtwine who characterizes the " | + | |
- | "most extravagant and bellicose of any race in Christendom." | + | |
- | Among the free inhabitants of Avalon, religion is orthodox Latin | + | Among the free inhabitants of Avalon, religion is orthodox Latin Christianity, |
- | Christianity, | + | |
- | The Counts take the conventional thirteenth-century English line that heresy | + | |
- | is something for Continentals. As of 1280, Avalon has a Cathedral Chapter, | + | |
- | but no cathedral, and its clergy elect its own bishops. Among the slaves, a | + | |
- | minority cling to their traditional faiths in the face of forcible baptism | + | |
- | and aggressive evangelization, | + | |
- | churches of their own and with each generation born in Avalon, the former | + | |
- | religions of the enslaved begin to fade into memory. | + | |
- Kingdom of Nova Catalonia [approximately OTL's Georgia] | - Kingdom of Nova Catalonia [approximately OTL's Georgia] | ||
- | Unlike the other major members of the Fjaraland League, Nova Catalonia is | + | Unlike the other major members of the Fjaraland League, Nova Catalonia is not a feudatory ruled by a hereditary Duke or Count, it is a Kingdom of the Crown of Aragon (for most of this period, occupied by Jaime I of the House of Barcelona). Pursuant to its Cartae Populantionis [charter of settlement], |
- | not a feudatory ruled by a hereditary Duke or Count, it is a Kingdom of the | + | |
- | Crown of Aragon (for most of this period, occupied by Jaime I of the House | + | |
- | of Barcelona). Pursuant to its Cartae Populantionis [charter of | + | |
- | settlement], | + | |
- | Crown called a Batle and a territorial legislature called the Consell. | + | |
- | Candidates for the Consell are nominated by a combination of a lottery and | + | |
- | nominations by the Jurats (the judiciary, such as it is - a handful of | + | |
- | circuit judges) and are then elected by a reasonably inclusive electorate | + | |
- | [free inhabitants can meet the property qualification without great | + | |
difficulty] in a popular vote [FN27.11]. | difficulty] in a popular vote [FN27.11]. | ||
- | From its beginnings around San Braulio [OTL's Savannah], Nova Catalonia | + | From its beginnings around San Braulio [OTL's Savannah], Nova Catalonia struggles at first, and gets a leg-up from the Papacy in the same vein that helped settle the Ursulines. Particular types of sinners (arsonists, those who sold weapons to the Saracens or assaulted priests, etc) can expiate their sins by moving to the new colony. On top of the land grants just about all colonial rulers offer in the New World, Jaime also grants settlers a sliding scale of fiscal and legal incentives In addition to peasants, Jaime gives tax exemptions (usually for a fixed period or a generation or two) to blacksmiths, |
- | struggles at first, and gets a leg-up from the Papacy in the same vein that | + | |
- | helped settle the Ursulines. Particular types of sinners (arsonists, those | + | |
- | who sold weapons to the Saracens or assaulted priests, etc) can expiate | + | |
- | their sins by moving to the new colony. On top of the land grants just | + | |
- | about all colonial rulers offer in the New World, Jaime also grants settlers | + | |
- | a sliding scale of fiscal and legal incentives In addition to peasants, | + | |
- | Jaime gives tax exemptions (usually for a fixed period or a generation or | + | |
- | two) to blacksmiths, | + | |
- | colony. And these incentives, as well as the land grants, increase with | + | |
- | family size. The free inhabitants of Nova Catalonia are predominantly | + | |
- | Tributarii - peasants who owed tribute to the King, rather than serfs who | + | |
- | are bound to the land. | + | |
- | Nova Catalonia, like Avalon, has the rice export business as the backbone of | + | Nova Catalonia, like Avalon, has the rice export business as the backbone of its trading economy, with the paddies being owned by magnates whose holdings range greatly in size. The rice-lands are worked primarily by Greek and Sardinian slaves. The latter, who are seen as wild and tribal, are rounded up in great numbers by Aragonese slave-raiders. The slave population also contains many Muslim captives of the frequent skirmishing between Aragon and neighboring Grenada. Slaves in Nova Catalonia, while legally non-persons, |
- | its trading economy, with the paddies being owned by magnates whose holdings | + | |
- | range greatly in size. The rice-lands are worked primarily by Greek and | + | |
- | Sardinian slaves. The latter, who are seen as wild and tribal, are rounded | + | |
- | up in great numbers by Aragonese slave-raiders. The slave population also | + | |
- | contains many Muslim captives of the frequent skirmishing between Aragon and | + | |
- | neighboring Grenada. Slaves in Nova Catalonia, while legally non-persons, | + | |
- | can, with the consent of their masters, contract a valid marriage and own | + | |
- | personal property. Following the lead of the Italian planters on San | + | |
- | Erasmus [Cuba], the Catalonians are shifting some of their land to cotton | + | |
- | cultivation for both domestic manufacture and export to Europe, dar al Islam | + | |
- | and Mu-lan-P' | + | |
- | - Commonwealth of Serendib [roughly, OTL's Northeast Florida, centered on | + | - Commonwealth of Serendib [roughly, OTL's Northeast Florida, centered on St. Augustine][FN27.12] |
- | St. Augustine][FN27.12] | + | |
- | Bishop Brihtwine has nothing good to say about the people of Serendib, | + | Bishop Brihtwine has nothing good to say about the people of Serendib, primarily because the Serendibian Christians, while professing loyalty to the Church, are perfectly content to live among Norse pagans and even intermarry with them, while seemingly doing nothing at all to try to convert them to Christianity. Even the bishops of Fjaraland, who as heirs of the Apostles should be diligently evangelizing the pagans, pretty much leave the Norse to their frohargs and attend to their Christian charges. By the middle of the thirteenth century, however,the population of Serendib is trending Christian. There has been not-insignificant immigration from Germany, of all places. Merchants of the Hansa cities, eager to access the goods of Mu-lan-P' |
- | primarily because the Serendibian Christians, while professing loyalty to | + | |
- | the Church, are perfectly content to live among Norse pagans and even | + | |
- | intermarry with them, while seemingly doing nothing at all to try to convert | + | |
- | them to Christianity. Even the bishops of Fjaraland, who as heirs of the | + | |
- | Apostles should be diligently evangelizing the pagans, pretty much leave the | + | |
- | Norse to their frohargs and attend to their Christian charges. By the middle | + | |
- | of the thirteenth century, however,the population of Serendib is trending | + | |
- | Christian. There has been not-insignificant immigration from Germany, of | + | |
- | all places. Merchants of the Hansa cities, eager to access the goods of | + | |
- | Mu-lan-P' | + | |
- | restrictions imposed by the Khan's Venetian agents, decide that they need an | + | |
- | outpost of their own in Ultima Thule, outside the Venetian-dominated | + | |
- | Ursuline Sea. So, in the 1250s, agents from Luebeck make a deal with | + | |
- | Serendib to allow the Germans of the Hansa cities to settle and trade freely | + | |
- | from Serendib and shortly thereafter groups of German families found a | + | |
- | settlement they name (rather unimaginatively) Neustadt. | + | |
- | The government of Serendib could fairly be called retrograde Nordic. They | + | The government of Serendib could fairly be called retrograde Nordic. They have an Althing, which meets periodically in Hop, the largest town and de facto capital [FN27.13], and a Logsogumadur ("law speaker" |
- | have an Althing, which meets periodically in Hop, the largest town and de | + | |
- | facto capital [FN27.13], and a Logsogumadur ("law speaker" | + | |
- | prime minister of sorts, presiding over the Althing and conducting relations | + | |
- | with Serendib' | + | |
- | locals serving as judges. The Althing has delegated revenue collection | + | |
- | (such as it is) to tax-farmers, | + | |
- | keep the peace and summon posses to aid in law enforcement. | + | |
- | Unlike the other Fjaraland League states, Serendib does not adopt plantation | + | Unlike the other Fjaraland League states, Serendib does not adopt plantation agriculture. It pretty much continues as is had before da Conti arrived, focusing on fishing, farming and animal husbandry. The Serendibians continue working their vegetable gardens and their hops, barley and flax. The Serendibian preference for linen cloth (and their post-wheelbow enthusiasm for tinkering) leads to the invention of the ' |
- | agriculture. It pretty much continues as is had before da Conti arrived, | + | |
- | focusing on fishing, farming and animal husbandry. The Serendibians | + | |
- | continue working their vegetable gardens and their hops, barley and flax. | + | |
- | The Serendibian preference for linen cloth (and their post-wheelbow | + | |
- | enthusiasm for tinkering) leads to the invention of the ' | + | |
- | mechanically-minded weaver who also happens to be a Cathar Perfect. Along | + | |
- | with the spinning wheel[FN27.131], | + | |
- | manufacture greatly. | + | |
- | In addition to the traditional Serendib livestock, such as the woodland musk | + | In addition to the traditional Serendib livestock, such as the woodland musk ox (symbols cavifrons), Thulian horses (equus scotti), peccaries and giant capybaras (neochoerus pinckneyi), European horses and cattle have arrived in Serendib. And not all livestock raising is strictly for meat and milk. Serendibians capture, domesticate and export more than a few giant horses (equus giganteus). Weighing in at 1,150 pounds, those that survive the Atlantic crossing and their progeny make quite an impression on the |
- | ox (symbols cavifrons), Thulian horses (equus scotti), peccaries and giant | + | |
- | capybaras (neochoerus pinckneyi), European horses and cattle have arrived in | + | |
- | Serendib. And not all livestock raising is strictly for meat and milk. | + | |
- | Serendibians capture, domesticate and export more than a few giant horses | + | |
- | (equus giganteus). Weighing in at 1,150 pounds, those that survive the | + | |
- | Atlantic crossing and their progeny make quite an impression on the | + | |
battlefields of Europe. | battlefields of Europe. | ||
- | Serendib develops a legendary reputation for the quality of its small-scale | + | Serendib develops a legendary reputation for the quality of its small-scale craftsmanship and exports leather products throughout Ultima Thule and the Ursulines. Serendibian saddles, which incorporate the bone-plate leather of Serendibian glyptodont, become expensive and prestigious luxury items for noblemen in Europe and Ultima Thule. Serendib' |
- | craftsmanship and exports leather products throughout Ultima Thule and the | + | popular in dar al Islam. Andalusiyyun, |
- | Ursulines. Serendibian saddles, which incorporate the bone-plate leather of | + | |
- | Serendibian glyptodont, become expensive and prestigious luxury items for | + | |
- | noblemen in Europe and Ultima Thule. Serendib' | + | |
- | also has an outstanding reputation, is bhang. Serendibian bhang is | + | |
- | universally praised for both its power and flavor, and it is fantastically | + | |
- | popular in dar al Islam. Andalusiyyun, | + | |
- | regular Atlantic runs, trading African gold and Iberian steel weapons and | + | |
- | armor for cask after cask of bhang. Through the bhang trade, the | + | |
- | Commonwealth develops very cordial relations with the Andalusiyyun and the | + | |
- | North African Sultanates, a fact which greatly displeases the Church. | + | |
- | This papal displeasure eventually requires the Serendibians put the weapons | + | This papal displeasure eventually requires the Serendibians put the weapons and armor to good use. As will happen in Ultima Thule, prosperity attracts predators. The depredations of Norse corsairs are largely halted by the Knights of Ultima Thule, but their are others. |
- | and armor to good use. As will happen in Ultima Thule, prosperity attracts | + | |
- | predators. The depredations of Norse corsairs are largely halted by the | + | |
- | Knights of Ultima Thule, but their are others. | + | |
Line 3388: | Line 3200: | ||
- Republic of Annwyfn [approximately OTL's Alabama and Mississippi] | - Republic of Annwyfn [approximately OTL's Alabama and Mississippi] | ||
- | To call Annwyfn a ' | + | To call Annwyfn a ' |
- | is a republic in the sense that it has no monarch. Or any government at | + | about a dozen or so dedicated followers. Among those he left behind, disorder ensues, as does a series of [in]felicitous accidents, homicides and what-not, the Welsh settlers find themselves almost entirely without a noble class. The peasantry, by now quite discontent and disillusioned with the people who led them across the Mor Werydh [" |
- | all, for that matter. Shortly after the arrival of the last flotilla from | + | |
- | Gwynedd in 1175, Madoc had one of his trademark mood swings, triggered by | + | |
- | some persistent squabbling among the leading families. And, abandoning his | + | |
- | charges, off he went, deep into the wilderness, eventually settling high in | + | |
- | the mountains at Dywydd Briga [" | + | |
- | about a dozen or so dedicated followers. Among those he left behind, | + | |
- | disorder ensues, as does a series of [in]felicitous accidents, homicides and | + | |
- | what-not, the Welsh settlers find themselves almost entirely without a noble | + | |
- | class. The peasantry, by now quite discontent and disillusioned with the | + | |
- | people who led them across the Mor Werydh [" | + | |
- | them, turn on the few surviving nobles. When all is said and done, they are | + | |
- | left on their own to clear the land and make a life for themselves. As | + | |
- | Brihtwine puts it, "the Welsh of Annwyfn will suffer no governance and do | + | |
- | not hesitate to raise their hands against any man who attempts to issue | + | |
- | commands or take on lordly airs." In other words, they have a state with no | + | |
- | government above the village level - no king, no Thing, no aristocracy, | + | |
- | logretta, no folkhagi, no doge, no armadir, no podesta, no khan, no sultan. | + | |
- | There are no feudal obligations or regular taxation. Every man is obliged | + | |
- | to keep arms and join in the militia when it is summoned by the village | + | |
- | governments, | + | |
- | But there is law. Judges, juries are and sheriffs chosen on an as-needed | + | But there is law. Judges, juries are and sheriffs chosen on an as-needed basis and the few literate men, the vast majority of whom are priests, are charged with recording the Common Law of Annwyfn. And speaking of the Church, the Popes do not forget about the Christians who have departed for the end of the world. The Church appoints Bishops for Annwyfn, although its exact location is not exactly well-known, even in Wales. This is a ready-made situation for absentee Bishops well until the early thirteenth century. And so Christianity suffers among the Welsh of Annwyfn. Their priests are decidedly uncelibate and the priesthood becomes predominantly, |
- | basis and the few literate men, the vast majority of whom are priests, are | + | |
- | charged with recording the Common Law of Annwyfn. And speaking of the | + | |
- | Church, the Popes do not forget about the Christians who have departed for | + | |
- | the end of the world. The Church appoints Bishops for Annwyfn, although its | + | |
- | exact location is not exactly well-known, even in Wales. This is a | + | |
- | ready-made situation for absentee Bishops well until the early thirteenth | + | |
- | century. And so Christianity suffers among the Welsh of Annwyfn. Their | + | |
- | priests are decidedly uncelibate and the priesthood becomes predominantly, | + | |
- | but not exclusively, | + | |
- | standards. Latin has largely vanished and Mass is conducted in the | + | |
- | vernacular, with the entire congregation receiving communion in both types. | + | |
- | Once more sustained contact with Europe is established after da Conti' | + | |
- | expedition, Rome dispatches a resident bishop and priests in an attempt to | + | |
- | get the Annwyfnians back on the doctrinal reservation. But they meet with | + | |
- | great resistance - the Annwyfnians have been having things their way for two | + | |
- | generations and they wind up simply ignoring the newcomers, and the Bishops | + | |
- | tend to stay in Tremadoc [Mobile], where the fishermen and others, who have | + | |
- | more sustained contact with the outside world, are a bit more receptive. | + | |
- | Annwyfn, like the other European settlements, | + | Annwyfn, like the other European settlements, |
- | agriculture, | + | household owning strips. Like the early Serendibians, |
- | villages surrounded by fields that are plowed in furlongs, with each | + | |
- | household owning strips. Like the early Serendibians, | + | |
- | Annwyfn brought little livestock with them, so they adapt their animal | + | |
- | husbandry to the local fauna. And a musk-ox, once broken, does make a good | + | |
- | plow animal. By 1280, the Annwyfnians, | + | |
- | growing tubbaq for export. The Annwyfnians also trade with their neighbors | + | |
- | and buy salt, torsk [salted fish], wadmal [cloth], raw iron and other goods | + | |
- | that make their way down the Afon Ganol [Mississippi] River from Hrafenmark, | + | |
- | Vinland and Solbjorgland. | + | |
- | There are those who would prefer to conquer a settled land than go through | + | There are those who would prefer to conquer a settled land than go through the laborious process of creating their own, and towards the late thirteenth century, they cast their covetous eyes upon Annwyfn as well as Serendib. |
- | the laborious process of creating their own, and towards the late thirteenth | + | |
- | century, they cast their covetous eyes upon Annwyfn as well as Serendib. | + | |
- County of Hy-Brasil [roughly, OTL's southern Louisiana] | - County of Hy-Brasil [roughly, OTL's southern Louisiana] | ||
- | The County of Hy-Brasil (quickly truncated to Brasil in common usage), like | + | The County of Hy-Brasil (quickly truncated to Brasil in common usage), like Nova Catalonia, is a possession of the Crown of Aragon. However, because of its origin, it is a County confederated with those of Catalonia. The King of Aragon is merely the Count of Hy-Brasil. Unlike Nova Catalonia, Hy-Brasil is divvied up among magnates (Seniores or Accaides) holding large areas of land and enjoying a great deal of autonomy - almost all have received certain Immunities from the Count, mostly from feudal duties or payment in lieu of those duties. Almost all the Accaides hold judicial powers within their lands, and the most powerful ones can render judgments that are not appealable to the Count. The Count himself is represented by his Vicari, who routinely consults with the nobles of Hy-Brasil and ensures that the Count' |
- | Nova Catalonia, is a possession of the Crown of Aragon. However, because of | + | |
- | its origin, it is a County confederated with those of Catalonia. The King | + | |
- | of Aragon is merely the Count of Hy-Brasil. Unlike Nova Catalonia, | + | |
- | Hy-Brasil is divvied up among magnates (Seniores or Accaides) holding large | + | |
- | areas of land and enjoying a great deal of autonomy - almost all have | + | |
- | received certain Immunities from the Count, mostly from feudal duties or | + | |
- | payment in lieu of those duties. Almost all the Accaides hold judicial | + | |
- | powers within their lands, and the most powerful ones can render judgments | + | |
- | that are not appealable to the Count. The Count himself is represented by | + | |
- | his Vicari, who routinely consults with the nobles of Hy-Brasil and ensures | + | |
- | that the Count' | + | |
- | Generally speaking, anything that can be said about the plantation colonies | + | Generally speaking, anything that can be said about the plantation colonies in the Ursulines and Ultima Thule can be said about Hy-Brasil - sugar, rice, slaves, etc. But there is one thing that makes Hy-Brasil exceptional. It sits at the mouth of the Afon Ganol River, and thus has easy access to the exports from the Norse colonies. The usual products make their way down-river either in one-shot flatboats that are subsequently dismantled and sold for the timber, or in more conventional Norse longships. The interaction between the Nordic boatmen and their Iberian trading partners is a bit uneasy. It is a profitable business and everyone wants it to continue, but the more pious Christians are uncomfortable being routinely visited by pagans, especially considering their reputation. The King, who has a significant number of Saracen subjects, is more sanguine. He grants the pagans the right to transit and sojourn in Brasil and even gives them leave to build a froharg, at which they can give thanks to their gods for a safe journey through the wilderness. |
- | in the Ursulines and Ultima Thule can be said about Hy-Brasil - sugar, rice, | + | |
- | slaves, etc. But there is one thing that makes Hy-Brasil exceptional. It | + | |
- | sits at the mouth of the Afon Ganol River, and thus has easy access to the | + | |
- | exports from the Norse colonies. The usual products make their way | + | |
- | down-river either in one-shot flatboats that are subsequently dismantled and | + | |
- | sold for the timber, or in more conventional Norse longships. The | + | |
- | interaction between the Nordic boatmen and their Iberian trading partners is | + | |
- | a bit uneasy. It is a profitable business and everyone wants it to | + | |
- | continue, but the more pious Christians are uncomfortable being routinely | + | |
- | visited by pagans, especially considering their reputation. The King, who | + | |
- | has a significant number of Saracen subjects, is more sanguine. He grants | + | |
- | the pagans the right to transit and sojourn in Brasil and even gives them | + | |
- | leave to build a froharg, at which they can give thanks to their gods for a | + | |
- | safe journey through the wilderness. | + | |
- | Also, the Vicari of Hy-Brasil has sent expeditions up the valleys of the | + | Also, the Vicari of Hy-Brasil has sent expeditions up the valleys of the Afon Ganol and its tributaries, |
- | Afon Ganol and its tributaries, | + | |
- | Thule. These expeditions have brought back reports of just incredible flora | + | |
- | and fauna, of vast mountain ranges and blazing deserts. But still they keep | + | |
- | pushing north and west. The goal, you see, is Jen Men. The Aragonese are | + | |
- | unhappy with the Venetian hammer-lock on the seaborne trade with Mu-lan-P' | + | |
- | So they are thinking overland. There are some obstacles, of course, | + | |
- | deserts, mountains - the Riphean Mountains, which Brihtwine firmly believes | + | |
- | encircle the world - and ferocious beasts. | + | |
- | But the doughty Aragonese explorers keep going, certain that they can make | + | But the doughty Aragonese explorers keep going, certain that they can make it all the way to the ocean. |
- | it all the way to the ocean. | + | |
Terranova | Terranova | ||
- | There are a number of small plantation and other colonies in Terranova | + | There are a number of small plantation and other colonies in Terranova (Whitsunland), |
- | (Whitsunland), | + | to exploit the deposits. Bulk-carrying ships were constructed, |
- | of example, in the 1270s, Genoese explorers, searching for gold in Miniera | + | noteworthy for the fact that it was the first settlement endeavor to import slaves directly from West Africa. Other Africans had been imported as slaves to the Ursulines and Nova Catalonia, but they were first routed along the old caravan routes through the Sahara to Ifriqiha and Tlemcen on the Mediterranean, |
- | Di Oro [OTL's Guyana] stumble upon significant deposits of alum, which is | + | |
- | valuable as a dye fixative for cloth. Benedetto Zaccaria, the Genoese | + | |
- | merchant/ | + | |
- | company that bears his name, organizes a massive (for the time) enterprise | + | |
- | to exploit the deposits. Bulk-carrying ships were constructed, | + | |
- | were recruited and textile firms in Lombardy, Aragon and England were | + | |
- | committed to buying the output of the mines. Zaccaria' | + | |
- | noteworthy for the fact that it was the first settlement endeavor to import | + | |
- | slaves directly from West Africa. Other Africans had been imported as | + | |
- | slaves to the Ursulines and Nova Catalonia, but they were first routed along | + | |
- | the old caravan routes through the Sahara to Ifriqiha and Tlemcen on the | + | |
- | Mediterranean, | + | |
- | slaves to work the mines and ready (like all Genoese traders) to stick it to | + | |
- | Venice by defying their attempted monopoly on the slave trade, goes straight | + | |
- | to the source. He takes his round ships down the coast of Africa, to the | + | |
- | far side of the mouth of the Senegal, where - as his Moroccan informants led | + | |
- | him to believe - he encounters the Wolof people. The Wolof, a tributary | + | |
- | people of the Empire of Mali, have a large equestrian class well-versed in | + | |
- | the practice of slave-raiding and slave-trading. A deal is quickly made for | + | |
- | a significant quantity of slaves, who are duly rounded up and herded into | + | |
- | Zaccarias' | + | |
- | several times, consuming what remains of the working capital of the Zaccaria | + | |
- | enterprise, and much besides. But soon the alum mines are up and running. | + | |
- | Settlers work the fields to feed the miners and the miners load the great | + | |
- | ships with precious alum. It all goes swimmingly for a while - of course, | + | |
- | from the perspective of the Zaccaria investors and not the slaves toiling in | + | |
- | the mines - but then the bottom falls out. Great new deposits of alum are | + | |
- | found north of Rome, which causes the market price to drop just enough to | + | |
- | put Zaccaria out of business. So the enterprise collapses. Some of the | + | |
- | settlers - and all of the miners - wish to return home, but the ships and | + | |
- | their crews have hi-tailed it to Dieppe, where they will be safe from | + | |
- | attachment by Zaccaria' | + | |
- | to make what they can of this fiasco. And they do. But we will get back to | + | |
- | them later. Right now, we are going to discuss: | + | |
- Tarshish [OTL's Cumana, Columbia and environs] | - Tarshish [OTL's Cumana, Columbia and environs] | ||
- | Tarshish, a possession of the Emir of al-Andalus [FN27.14], is the only | + | Tarshish, a possession of the Emir of al-Andalus [FN27.14], is the only Muslim colony in Terranova, and the largest European colony on Terranova. And it is truly a colony - its government is wholly appointed by the Emir. The Emir's power is primarily wielded by the Hajib [governor], who is responsible for the defense and domestic peace of the colony. Beneath him, the Sahib al-Shurta is in charge of the police, and the Sahib al-Suq supervises the markets, guarding against fraud, theft and other practices contrary to Islamic law. There are a number of Mosques in Tarshish, and in a corner of each sits a Qadi, an Islamic jurist who dispenses justice in civil cases between Muslims. |
- | Muslim colony in Terranova, and the largest European colony on Terranova. | + | |
- | And it is truly a colony - its government is wholly appointed by the Emir. | + | |
- | The Emir's power is primarily wielded by the Hajib [governor], who is | + | |
- | responsible for the defense and domestic peace of the colony. Beneath him, | + | |
- | the Sahib al-Shurta is in charge of the police, and the Sahib al-Suq | + | |
- | supervises the markets, guarding against fraud, theft and other practices | + | |
- | contrary to Islamic law. There are a number of Mosques in Tarshish, and in | + | |
- | a corner of each sits a Qadi, an Islamic jurist who dispenses justice in | + | |
- | civil cases between Muslims. | + | |
- | Since Tarshish is on the mainland, it is exempt from Venetian economic | + | Since Tarshish is on the mainland, it is exempt from Venetian economic control pursuant to the agreement between al-Andalus and the Republic. The inhabitants of Tarshish are, therefore, free to trade with whomever they want. Given its location, it is perhaps inevitable that Tarshish develops a very prolific trade with the Cathayan merchants at Zhongmeizhou [Panama]. The Andalusiyyun of Tarshish grow not only foodstuffs for themselves and to trade to the merchant ships on their way back to Europe from Zhongmeizhou, |
- | control pursuant to the agreement between al-Andalus and the Republic. The | + | |
- | inhabitants of Tarshish are, therefore, free to trade with whomever they | + | |
- | want. Given its location, it is perhaps inevitable that Tarshish develops a | + | |
- | very prolific trade with the Cathayan merchants at Zhongmeizhou [Panama]. | + | |
- | The Andalusiyyun of Tarshish grow not only foodstuffs for themselves and to | + | |
- | trade to the merchant ships on their way back to Europe from Zhongmeizhou, | + | |
- | but also bhang and tubbaq to trade directly with the Cathayans. Many of the | + | |
- | farmers in Tarshish are munasifim [sharecroppers] who work the mustakhuas, | + | |
- | the private estates of the Emir | + | |
- | And then there are the pearls. The pearl fisheries of Tarshish were the | + | And then there are the pearls. The pearl fisheries of Tarshish were the original source of its wealth and what brought a number of Andalusiyyun to the territory. They are a hot item in Europe and dar al-Islam and the trade has enriched the Emir - who is entitled to a significant percentage of the profits - greatly. The vigilant Emirs, routinely appoint sahib al-Mazalim, civil officials whose duty is to ferret out abuses of power and corruption, to keep an eye on the pearl trade. |
- | original source of its wealth and what brought a number of Andalusiyyun to | + | |
- | the territory. They are a hot item in Europe and dar al-Islam and the trade | + | |
- | has enriched the Emir - who is entitled to a significant percentage of the | + | |
- | profits - greatly. The vigilant Emirs, routinely appoint sahib al-Mazalim, | + | |
- | civil officials whose duty is to ferret out abuses of power and corruption, | + | |
- | to keep an eye on the pearl trade. | + | |
- | The Muslims of Tarshish are very cognizant of the fact that they are in a | + | The Muslims of Tarshish are very cognizant of the fact that they are in a singularly vulnerable position. As a Saracen territory, they are - to borrow a phrase - a ' |
- | singularly vulnerable position. As a Saracen territory, they are - to | + | |
- | borrow a phrase - a ' | + | |
- | Christians of the Ursulines. Therefore, they have taken precautions. A | + | |
- | small garrison of Berber mercenaries guards the territory, from a scattering | + | |
- | of log and earth fortifications. However, given the history of North | + | |
- | Africans in al-Andalus, they are seen by the Andalusiyyun officials as more | + | |
- | of a costly internal threat than as protection, and the Sahib al-Shurta' | + | |
- | officers keep a close eye on them. The Hajib of Tarshish lives a life of | + | |
- | anxiety, waiting for a fleet of sailing ships bearing the banner of the | + | |
- | Cross to appear on the horizon, bearing crusaders bent on conquest and | + | |
- | plunder. | + | |
- | Therefore, when a troop of muddy frontiersmen appear at the Khitzanat al-Mal | + | Therefore, when a troop of muddy frontiersmen appear at the Khitzanat al-Mal [treasury] with big bags of gold dust, intent on paying the Emir his share and changing the rest to dinars, the realization that Tarshish has gold deposits worthy of its namesake causes a frission of both excitement and fear through the Hajib. Excitement at the new-found riches, and fear that it will bring on the long-anticipated Christian attack. But the Hajib has a plan. |
- | [treasury] with big bags of gold dust, intent on paying the Emir his share | + | |
- | and changing the rest to dinars, the realization that Tarshish has gold | + | |
- | deposits worthy of its namesake causes a frission of both excitement and | + | |
- | fear through the Hajib. Excitement at the new-found riches, and fear that | + | |
- | it will bring on the long-anticipated Christian attack. But the Hajib has a | + | |
- | plan. | + | |
- | [FN27.01] Relief maps, invented by the Chinese, circa 3rdC B.C. Gospatric' | + | [FN27.01] Relief maps, invented by the Chinese, circa 3rdC B.C. Gospatric' |
- | skill in depicting the contours of the earth is about the same as his (and | + | |
- | other medieval mapmakers' | + | |
- | other words, it varies wildly depending upon the quality of information they | + | |
have to work with. | have to work with. | ||
- | [FN27.02] Roughly speaking, through the Canadian Arctic and, although not | + | [FN27.02] Roughly speaking, through the Canadian Arctic and, although not much is known about it at the time, around Alaska. There is a good deal of speculation that during the Medieval Warm Period there could have been a Northwest Passage linking Atlantic and Pacific that was navigable during the late summer months. I have not seen anything definitive either way. Some of the propeller-hat types even assert that the Vikings could have made it to the Pacific. It's a beauty way to go. |
- | much is known about it at the time, around Alaska. There is a good deal of | + | |
- | speculation that during the Medieval Warm Period there could have been a | + | |
- | Northwest Passage linking Atlantic and Pacific that was navigable during the | + | |
- | late summer months. I have not seen anything definitive either way. Some | + | |
- | of the propeller-hat types even assert that the Vikings could have made it | + | |
- | to the Pacific. It's a beauty way to go. | + | |
- | [FN27.03] Through a Latin and Chinese-speaking Florentine merchant who | + | [FN27.03] Through a Latin and Chinese-speaking Florentine merchant who accompanied the Admiral from Jen Men. |
- | accompanied the Admiral from Jen Men. | + | |
[FN27.031] Passenger pigeon, still alive and well, for the time being. | [FN27.031] Passenger pigeon, still alive and well, for the time being. | ||
Line 3608: | Line 3252: | ||
[FN27.04] Excepting those portions covered by previous parts. | [FN27.04] Excepting those portions covered by previous parts. | ||
- | [FN27.05] This allegation is technically true. The Knights have been | + | [FN27.05] This allegation is technically true. The Knights have been operating numerous pawn shops throughout Niwe Wessex. Their effective interest rates are much lower than other money-lenders, |
- | operating numerous pawn shops throughout Niwe Wessex. Their effective | + | |
- | interest rates are much lower than other money-lenders, | + | |
- | providing a valuable public service, providing credit to those who otherwise | + | |
- | could not afford it. Makes no nevermind - its still usury. | + | |
- | [FN27.06] The arguments of Ceolwulf' | + | [FN27.06] The arguments of Ceolwulf' |
- | foundation stones for some scholarship that will have a much greater impact | + | |
- | in Western Christendom. | + | |
- | [FN27.07] Recall that the Papacy maintained that it held fee over all of | + | [FN27.07] Recall that the Papacy maintained that it held fee over all of Ultima Thule and could grant fiefs to whatever it wanted. |
- | Ultima Thule and could grant fiefs to whatever it wanted. | + | |
- | [FN27.08] http:// | + | [FN27.08] http:// |
- | [FN27.09] Props to Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker books for Camelot [aka | + | [FN27.09] Props to Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker books for Camelot [aka Charleston]. |
- | Charleston]. | + | |
- | [FN27.10] The Indians devised a method for making the dye insoluble. OTL, | + | [FN27.10] The Indians devised a method for making the dye insoluble. OTL, Marco Polo purportedly brought the technique back from India. |
- | Marco Polo purportedly brought the technique back from India. | + | |
- | [FN27.11] The details of the government and colonization of Nova Catalonia | + | [FN27.11] The details of the government and colonization of Nova Catalonia are lifted directly from OTL's Aragonese colonization of Majorca. |
- | are lifted directly from OTL's Aragonese colonization of Majorca. | + | |
- | [FN27.12] The original Fjaralanders eventually gave up and accepted the | + | [FN27.12] The original Fjaralanders eventually gave up and accepted the name da Conti and the Venetian traders gave their land, but were gratified when the League took their original name. |
- | name da Conti and the Venetian traders gave their land, but were gratified | + | |
- | when the League took their original name. | + | |
[FN27.13] The original name of Anskar, the current capital of Vinland. | [FN27.13] The original name of Anskar, the current capital of Vinland. | ||
Line 3643: | Line 3275: | ||
[FN27.132] " | [FN27.132] " | ||
- | [FN27.14] Based upon some recent reading, I am, er, revising somewhat the | + | [FN27.14] Based upon some recent reading, I am, er, revising somewhat the progress of al-Andalus. Since the liberation of Islamic Spain from domination by the North African Almoravids, as of 1280 the Emir of |
- | progress of al-Andalus. Since the liberation of Islamic Spain from | + | al-Andalus has yet to proclaim himself Caliph. The names are going to be changing somewhat, also. Since the Emir's territory encompasses more than Grenada, I am going with al-Andalus. Poking through the web site and changing terminology is on the to-do list. |
- | domination by the North African Almoravids, as of 1280 the Emir of | + | |
- | al-Andalus has yet to proclaim himself Caliph. The names are going to be | + | |
- | changing somewhat, also. Since the Emir's territory encompasses more than | + | |
- | Grenada, I am going with al-Andalus. Poking through the web site and | + | |
- | changing terminology is on the to-do list. | + | |
**[[timelines: | **[[timelines: | ||
Line 10063: | Line 9690: | ||
[FN52.08] A very truncated retelling of the founding of the Empire. | [FN52.08] A very truncated retelling of the founding of the Empire. | ||
- | **[[timelines: | + | **[[timelines: |
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Dictionary ==== | ||
+ | Dictionary of Empty America (1260-1410) - 1 | ||
+ | |||
+ | [Note - EA has been liberated from the tyranny of the narrative. The remainder of the TL is going to be presented in the form of a rather ad-hoc Dictionary, through which the history of the period can be pieced together.] | ||
+ | |||
+ | **ABU' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **ALFHEIM**. [OTL's Cape Town, South Africa] Loghport named after the home of the Elves in Norse Mythology. Founded in 1323 by Domstollander pirates preying upon the European and African trade around Cape Válijörd, which the Norse corsairs do with great success. In the 1340s, it occurs to the Norsemen of Alfheim that they could simply extract ' | ||
+ | open-minded about who can settle in their vicinity - never mind race or religion, so long as the tribute keeps rolling in to the ruling oligarchs - the descendants of the corsairs who founded the loghport. The settlers are a polyglot bunch, but the big groups tend to be religious refugees. Italian Patarenes [Cathars] begin arriving in the 1350s once the Republic of Rome repudiates the hated Yasa and religious toleration. Similarly, when John Wycliffe and the Lollards were banished from England in 1381 and then turned | ||
+ | away from Avalon by John III, they came to Alfheim to settle and worship freely. | ||
+ | |||
+ | And then there are those who do not come freely - the slaves. The Alfheimers raid the surrounding area aggressively, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **ANNWYFN CRUSADE** (1292-94). In 1291, Roman Catholic Pope Callixtus III authorizes the mercenary Grand Catalan Company to make war upon the schismatic Welsh of Ultima Thule in what comes to be known as the Annwyfn Crusade. As Callixtus is a puppet of the Khan of the Fu-lang [Chinese - " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **ARGOS, EXARCHATE OF** [OTL Island of Grenada]. Sole Byzantine possession in the New World. In the late 1280s, two expatriate Genoese families residing in Byzantium agree to pool their resources to exploit an island in the Ursulines. By this point, however, the solidarity among the Genoese that the destruction of Genoa has wrought is fading, and neither family trusts the other to govern the proposed colony and, after much wrangling, jointly request the Emperor of Byzantium to take titular sovereignty over the island and administer it through an Exarch. The families will nominate the candidates for Exarch and the Emperor will choose. Initially, Emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus resists the proposition - he wants either total sovereignty over the island or none at all, fearing to set a precedent that could be applied closer to home. However, once the Genoese families promise him a suitable split of the revenues of the island, he " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Argos struggles initially, with expenses far outstripping profits from the venture. However, in 1292, Vandino Vivaldi returns to Constantinople, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Once European sea power penetrates the East Indies in the mid 14th Century, it is only a matter of time before more spice plants are transported to the Ursulines for cultivation. In the 1340s, cinnamon and cloves arrive in Argos, and the good times keep rolling. For decades, the planters turn a very tidy profit for themselves, and they also ruthlessly cheat the Exarch out of the Byzantine share of the profits, kicking back enough to placate the local authorities but not nearly what is due. That is until a singularly capable Byzantine civil servant named Demetrios Rendi arrives in the early 1360s to scrupulously audit the books at the beginning of what would be a long and momentous career in the service of the Empire. Backed by the Emperor, who is anxious for additional revenue, Rendi successfully imposed Byzantine authority on Argos, making it a major contributor to the Imperial fisc, the funds going to support the revitalization of the Byzantine army and fleet in the late 14th and early 15th Centuries. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **AVALON, KINGDOM OF**. [OTL's South Carolina] Capital: Camelot [Charleston]. Plantagenet possession on the eastern seaboard of Ultima Thule, formerly the County of Avalon, After the failure of Edward III's effort to throw off the shackles of Baronial Rule in 1337, he flees to Camelot in Avalon to escape imprisonment and possible execution at the hands of radical Barons. After Parliament formally abolishes the English monarchy, Edward, while not recognizing the establishment of the Commonwealth, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dictionary of Empty America (1260-1410) - 2 | ||
+ | |||
+ | **BARTOLUS DE SAXOFERRATO** (1317-57). Greatest Republican political philosopher of the early 14th Century. His early writings on the institutions and law of the ancient Roman Republic crystallize the political interest in republican government and establishing the basis for the founding of the new Republic after the successful uprising against Mongol and Venetian authority in Italy. Bartolus himself played no active role in the uprisings, and refused any formal position in the new government, but he did draft the Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **BASQHIS**. Itinerant Buddhist teachers. Many were dispatched from Yuan China to the Khanate of the Franks in the early 14th Century, primarily to work in the service of Mongols who adopted Buddhism and had appenages in Europe. The Basqhis made few converts in the Khanate of the Franks, but had more success pagan Lithuania, which by the end of the Khanate period is one-fourth Buddhist, with numerous temples. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **BOCCONIO, MARIN** (1267-1302). Rebel leader of the short-lived " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **BORDEAUX**. Formerly French city annexed, along with much of Guyenne, to the Kingdom of Castile during the first partition of France in 1292. Bordeaux' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **CAMELS**. Mainstays of the caravan trade from Aragonese Hy-Brasil [OTL's Louisiana and East Texas] to Yen Men, the camels of Ultima Thule [about 20% longer than Asian camels] are initially difficult to tame but Arab trainers brought to Hy-Brasil from Tarshish [roughly OTL's Columbia] succeed where Europeans fail. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **CANATIES**. Local name for Central and West Asian slaves transported to the Ursulines in the 13th Century. Derivation of the name for such slaves sold in Egypt during the same period. Canatie, or Cuman, language and culture are largely submerged by the influx of large number of slaves from sub-Saharan Africa, but remain an important presence in the older European colonies such as San Erasmus [Cuba] and the Kingdom of Foix [Hispaniola]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **CIVITAS DEI**. "Godly State." | ||
+ | |||
+ | When Pope Gregory issued his Accommodations, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Pope Martin establishes himself at Reims, with the blessing of the King Louis X. Louis cedes the city, site of the meetings of Pope Stephen III with Pippin the Short, and of Pope Leo III with Charlemagne, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **" | ||
+ | airs of those who simply lift the terminology from republican literature (particularly that imported from Italy) without genuinely understanding it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **DEL TEGGIA, ISOLATA**. [OTL's Singapore] Island at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, seized in the name of Aragon by the Italian mariner Angelino del Teggia, then commanding a three-ship flotilla of exploration in the employ of King Peter IV. Del Teggia obtains the allegiance at gunpoint of the local villagers, raises the banner of Aragon, and builds a fort. Because of its strategic position astride the Malacca Straight and the spice trade, Isolata del Teggia becomes one of the most hotly-contested pieces of real estate in the world. In 1352, Norse corsairs from Alfheim seize Del Teggia, rename it Válijörd, and enlarge and reinforce the fort. Venice, while paying tribute to the pirates of Alfheim out of expedience, will not tolerate them controlling yet another choke-point of world trade, and dispatches a small fleet in 1355 to attack Válijörd. The corsair fortress falls to the invading Venetians. Unfortunately for the Lion City, a rumor beings that the mercenaries hired for the campaign will be left behind to garrison the island, and they mutiny, seizing the ships and forcing them to sail back to Europe. The Norse prisoners, who had freed themselves during the mutiny, reoccupy the fort and resume their piracy. In 1366, a squadron of Nangiyan ships, looking to interdict Yuan contacts with the Erkut Khanate, take and hold Válijörd on the orders of Haiyang Emperor. After the fall of the Yuan, however, the expense of maintaining the outpost cannot be justified. With the Mu-lan-P' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **DUSAN, STEFAN UROS IV**. (1308 - 1365). Emperor of the Serbs and commander of Erkut, Serbian and Byzantine forces at the Battle of Malatya, June 20, 1339, which breaks the back of the il-Khanate' | ||
+ | will be safety among their fellow Muslims. The furious Khan orders Dusan to relinquish control of the conquered territory to Byzantium, but also to resettle the depopulated areas with Serbs, which he reluctantly does over the course of the next five years. The Byzantines also move back into Anatolia in significant numbers as the Empire restores the smallholders who traditionally formed the backbone of its military. The Serbian and Greek populations of Anatolia, both Orthodox, eventually reach a wary understanding and peace settles over the land which, by the end of the 14th Century is 65% Greek, 20% Moslem and 15% Serb. | ||
+ | |||
+ | After the death of Stefan Uros IV Dusan, political infighting wracks Serbia, forcing Khan Nawroz to intervene. He installs Dusan' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **ERKUT**. Mongolian term for Christians. One of the alternative names for the Khanate of the Franks or Khanate of the Fu-lang used among the Mongol overlords of Europe is the Khanate of the Erkut. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **ESHI KHATUN**. The "first lady," a Mongol term commonly applied both to the Christian Virgin Mary and the Lithuanian pagan goddess Ausra. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dictionary of Empty America (1260-1410) - 3 | ||
+ | |||
+ | **GLASS BOTTLES**. Introduced for widespread rum and wine storage and transport in San Erasmus [Cuba] in the mid 14th Century. In the wake of the Great Mortality, the Venetian government, eager to spur the recovery of its domestic glass industry, decrees that all wine and rum transported to and from San Erasmus must be transported in glass bottles. This, of course, is utterly impractical, | ||
+ | |||
+ | But the decree does speed up the adoption of glass bottles for both wine and rum. It is an expensive development, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **HESPERIDES, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **HOLY LETTER OF ST. SOPHIA**. A message, purportedly written by God, which appears on the altar in the Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople during Orthodox Holy Week, 1345. It foretold the coming of a great plague and the downfall of the Khanate of the Franks. The Greek Catholic Church, seeing it as a propaganda blow against the Khanate, releases it to the public. The letter becomes the first major Christian document to be printed with movable type and circulated to a mass audience in pamphlet form. Indeed, the miraculous appearance of the letter so catches the imagination of Europe, it causes a spike in adult literacy so that believers could read it for themselves. The Letter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The predictions in the Letter are somewhat borne out with the arrival in Europe of the Great Mortality in 1348 and the military disasters which follow and shake the foundations of the Khanate. As the plague ravages Europe, Italy rises and expels its Mongol overlords and their Venetian satraps. When the tammachi garrisons are ousted from Italy, and Roman Republic is proclaimed in the North, the nobles of Sicily and Naples offer their allegiance to the Peter IV of Aragon. The sole exception is the city | ||
+ | of Amalfi, which boldly declares its independence and stoutly maintains it against all challengers. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1350 the plague destroys the army that Khan Janibeg had assembled on the French coast for his invasion of England. Both of the Muslim il-Khanates break their titular allegiance to the Khanate, leaving the Kingdom of Jerusalem as the Khan's only possession in the Middle East. While the Khanate trembles, it does not fall, and the Letter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **HRAFENMARK, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Like the other Nordic states of northeast Ultima Thule, Hrafenmark sets aside its traditional rivalries, declares a truce with Solbjorgland, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Although a majority of the ships are provided by Domstolland and Vinland, Hrafenmark troops serve with distinction in the expedition to Iceland, routing the Khan's German infantry using traditional Norse tactics for unmounted combat. Although it is agreed in advance by the three governments that, after securing Iceland, the invading forces should raid the northern coasts of the Khanate proper, the Vinlanders and Solbjorglanders fall out with the pagan Domstollanders and Hrafenmarkers and intramural fighting prevents further action against the common foe. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **JASIRAH AL-KHALIM** [OTL's Sao Tome y Principe] "Empty Islands" | ||
+ | |||
+ | **KARACHUS**. Or " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **KING' | ||
+ | The Kings of the House of Miles generally possessed these traits in abundance, and under their rule, the Kingdom of Niwe Wessex developed its reputation for sturdy (if unimaginative), | ||
+ | |||
+ | **KONGMING SHIP**. The world' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Through his office, Hsiao has access to a lot of silk, confiscated from smugglers. He retains some seamstresses to turn it into a large, vaguely egg-shaped envelope, which he then attaches by a netting of silk cords to a wicker basket, sizable and sturdy enough to carry a man. He consults early treatises on man-carrying kites for some of the basics and, after stumbling across a copy of ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Finally, in the spring of 1407 the ship is ready and, buoyed by air heated by a brazier in the basket, the Hsiao ascends gracefully into the clear blue sky over Jen Men. The flight causes a great deal of alarm amongst the good citizens of the city, which is not at all alleviated when Hsiao unfurls a banner reading " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **LULL, ST. RAMON**. (1235-1315) Famous Greek Catholic missionary to India. Throughout his career in the late 13th and early 14th century, Lull converted thousands of Indians in the Calicut region. He was also renowned for bringing the ancient community of ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **MADINAT AL-SALAM**. "City of Peace." | ||
+ | |||
+ | The arrangement is mutually advantageous. It gives the Haiyang both cash (which it does not really need, but is never refused) and a strategic position with which to act against the Mongol puppets of the Nanhai Dynasty under the Song heir, the former Duke of Yin. Having a port on the northern coast of Terranova is particularly important for Haiyang, since the Nanhai have secured the allegiance of the trading towns of Zhongmeizhao [OTL's Panama] and the Haiyang need a base in the area to conduct anti-Mongol operations. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Relations between the Emir of Tarshish and the Caliphate in al-Andalus are, of course, poor from the start. The Caliph' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Emir does establish a very productive relationship with the Empire of Mali, trading gold, bhang and tubbaq for large numbers of African slaves, who are put to work in the mines and on plantations. Unlike most of the Islamic and Christian slave powers of the New World, the Emirate takes an interest in the religious life of its slaves and converts them to Islam, after first obtaining a fatwah stating that a pagan slave who converts to Islam must remain a slave. The Emir's government is more religiously conservative than the Andalusian Caliphate and sees expanding Dar al-Islam as a religious mission. By the end of the 14th Century, Madinat al-Salam is the largest Islamic city in the New World, a polyglot mix of Arabs, Berbers and black Africans (slave and free), all speaking the language of the Prophet. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **MAUPERTUIS, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **MAQURRA, KINGDOM OF**. Christian kingdom in northeast Africa, south of Egypt. Maintained good relations with both the Khanate of the Franks and, subsequently, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **MUTAKALLIMUM**. Practitioners of ' | ||
+ | Scientific Revolution of the early 14th century blossoms, with the Mutakallimum in the vanguard. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **NANGIYAN**. Mongol term for Southern Song Chinese. After the fall of the Southern Song, it refers exclusively to the Chinese inhabitants of Mu-lan-P' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dictionary of Empty America (1260-1410) - 4 | ||
+ | |||
+ | **PAI-LIEN CHIAO**. "White Lotus Society." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Evidence suggests that the Pai-lien Chiao' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **PATRICIUS**. Defender of the Roman Church, which entitled the holder to cast the first vote in a Papal election. Until the 11th Century, this power resided in the Emperor of the Romans, then went unclaimed. In 1285, King Phillip III, shortly before his death, asserted it for the French Monarchy over the French Catholic Church. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **PREVOT DE MARCHANDS**. Head of the municipal government of Paris under the Capetian monarchy. The authority of the Prevot de Marchands was limited to the affairs of merchants, with other officials holding command of the garrison. However on 6 June 1291, Phillip IV left Paris to avoid being trapped between the pincers of Toqto' | ||
+ | a self-governing commune, and placed the Prevot de Marchands, the popular Étienne Marcel, at their head. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **QUILON**. City on the Malabar Coast of southwest India frequented by European traders and missionaries. Quilon was the home of one of the Apostle Thomas' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **ST. RICHARD OF WALLINGFORD** (1292-1356). Defrocked English Abbot, scholar, critic and translator of Roger Bacon' | ||
+ | method of reproducible experimentation and observation and published his masterwork, "The Supremacy of Reason." | ||
+ | |||
+ | **RIDDERMARK, | ||
+ | |||
+ | By the 1350s, the issue of religion has reached the boiling point. Well over one-third of Vinlanders are adherents to the Reform faith. The Church is demanding that the Logretta act to suppress the " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Vinlanders stake their claim in what they call the Riddermark (" | ||
+ | |||
+ | **RIVOALTO, REPUBLIC OF**. [OTL's Martinique] Ursuline possession of the Republic of Venice which declares its independence after the breaking of Venetian naval supremacy by Aragon in 1349. Rivoalto is the richest of Venice' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **SHAMBHALA**. [OTL's Machu Picchu] Massive Chan [Zen] Buddhist temple complex high on Wudan Mountain, constructed in the mid to late 13th century. It is thought that Emperor Ningzong himself, upon hearing of the magnificence of Wudan Mountain, ordered that a great temple be built there, and directed revenues for its construction, | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Monks of Shambhala are expert practitioners and teachers of Shàolínquán, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **SHI MIAN MAI FU**. [lit: ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The shi mian mai fu work to achieve their goals both through education and propagandization of the bu yi and direct action against the Haiyang Imperial government. As they score stunning successes ambushing army patrols and assassinating police officials throughout Mu-lan-P' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **SIGER DE BRABANT** (1240-1292). Theological founder of the unified Reformed Christian Church. Born in Flanders, Siger is taken to the Khanate of the Fu-Lang as a slave with Batu Khan's retreating armies after the Battle of Ghent (1250). His intellectual gifts shine bright and early, and he is manumitted and given a monastic education. He draws the interest the Mongol authorities and rises quickly in the administration of the Khanate. He first comes to the attention of the Great Khan, however, after he is selected to represent Western Christianity in a series of debates with Mar Yaballa III, the Nestorian patriarch, over what a true Christian believes. The Great Khan is impressed with Siger' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Siger devotes his formidable intellect to the task, quickly outshining all the others on the council and bending the collective effort to his will. When all is said and done, Reform Christianity is purged of much of its Catholic residue, but important doctrines remain. While veneration and intercession of the Saints is kept, doing the same for saintly relics is condemned as idolatry. Siger simultaneously rejects the iconoclasm of the more extreme Reformists, permitting both statuary and decoration in churches and processionals, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Mary, as Mother of God, also keeps her privileged position within the Church. The centrality of the sacraments to salvation is confirmed, but Siger breaks the power of the clergy as the sole custodians of the sacraments. Thousands of men and women have taken up the ministry as lay preachers, and their power to administer the sacraments - which they are doing anyway - is affirmed, so long as they swear the Creed of Constance and adhere to the Reform Rule. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Apostolic poverty is absolutely mandated, both for the individual clerics and their churches and monasteries. The former must divest themselves of their personal wealth, and the latter must give up their lands other than those needed for the church and monastic buildings themselves. The clergy must live on alms or by the sweat of their brows and are not permitted to own serfs or exact labor from peasants. These strictures have the intended effect - they cause many of those posing as preachers in order to escape the exactions of the Khanate to lapse back to their non-clerical status. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Among the Council' | ||
+ | other core tenets of the Church. Even heretical beliefs, asserts the Council, have their value, since refuting them sharpens the belief of the Faithful. Also, if the facts discerned about the material world seem to conflict with matters contained in Scripture, the conflict may be deemed to be the result of a imperfect reading of Holy Writ. This liberality enables Reform Christendom to survive through the Scientific Revolution. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **SUKUN**. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **TAOISEACH**. Chief executive of the Irish Commonwealth, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **TEA**. Chinese beverage immensely popular with the Mongol overlords of Europe. Through the 13th century, ortok merchants monopolize the tea trade, hauling from China to Europe via caravan. However, after Vandino Vivaldi' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **VALDEMAR IV**. Highly capable King of Denmark (1340-44) then King of Solbjorgland (1346-75). King Valdemar IV ruled Denmark as a vassal state of the Erkut Khanate, working quietly but steadily to reassert Danish independence after the Tatar invasion of the late 13th Century, establishing close contact with the Norse states of Ultima Thule and earnestly undermining the authority of the resident Darugha. Unfortunately for Valdemar, Khan Janibeg gets wind of his efforts and orders his ouster, which the Danish nobles duly carry out in 1344, under threat of renewed Mongol invasion. Valdemar, deciding that he would rather reign in hell (i.e. Ultima Thule) than have his head chopped off in heaven, flees for the New World, where (after much misadventure) he takes up the then-vacant throne of Solbjorgland. Never one to recognize resource limitations, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **WOLOF**. A sedentary African people whose primary domain was south of the Senegal River. Highly skilled horsemen, practiced in the capture of slaves. Annexed to the Empire of Mali after being repeatedly defeated in the early 14th Century by Mansa Musa's armies. The Wolofs' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Wolof also play a prominent role in the maritime expansion of the Empire which follows the seaborne pilgrimage Mansa Kankan Musa I to al-Andalus, Egypt and Mecca in 1324-24 and his subsequent decision to make Mali a naval power. Wolof captains and crews quickly become renowned for their daring voyages. By the mid 14th century, Malian ships have pushed around the southern tip of Africa and are operating in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. They establish themselves at Vohemar on the northern tip of Madagascar and on Zanzibar, where they work the East African trade. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **WU-PEI SSU**. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Wu-Pei ssu continuously tinkers with gunpowder manufacture methods and formulas, developing coarser powders for field, siege and naval guns and finer grains for hand weapons. They also perfect grinding of powder using wheel-mills to produce a greater quantity of more uniform powder in a shorter period of time, and the use of a screw-press to squeeze damp powder to half its former volume, which produced more explosion for less powder. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Jen Men Wu-pei ssu was also not afraid to build upon the innovations of others and the systematic nature of its work (which it tries, but fails, to keep secret) inspired similar efforts in other countries. Castilian armorers - fully aware that spinning projectiles are more accurate - develop rifling for long weapons at the end of the 14th Century and this development is taken up and improved upon by the Nangiyans. Dissatisfied with the slowness and difficulty of ramming the conical bullet down the barrel, and dismayed that streaks of lead become embedded in the grooves, degrading the rifling effect, the Nangiyans work hard to develop an alternative. A new technician recalls that, when he was a sailor traveling in India, he learned that local hunters used blowguns which shot a needle with a tuft on the trailing end. When the hunter blew into the tube, the tuft expanded under the pressure, sealing the tube behind the needle and propelling it out at high speed. He and his fellows worked to adapt this concept to rifled firearms, eventually developing a conical bullet with a hollow cup-shaped base. The bullet is smaller than the diameter of the barrel, so it can be loaded quickly, and when it is fired, the exploding gas expands the cup, which grips the rifling and spins the bullet. With a single development, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **YIH-PUN**. Nangiyan name for ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dictionary of Empty America (1260-1410) - 5 | ||
+ | |||
+ | **NEUFCHATEAU**. [OTL's Norfolk, VA] Capital of the Duchy of Cocagne [roughly between OTL's James River and Pamlico Sound], a feudal dependency of the King of France. Cocagne is a tubbaq and bhang colony of middling prosperity, with much suitable land but not nearly enough hands to work it. Through the 13th Century, the Duchy relies upon a steady but small trickle of immigration from France, peasants who wish larger holdings and lighter feudal duties. But Cocagne does not even begin to fully realize its potential until the beginning of the African slave trade in the early 14th Century, when thousands of slaves are brought to work the bhang and tubbaq fields. Slavery is an institution of somewhat questionable legality under French law, but the Duke issues a comprehensive slave code, based upon the ancient Roman model. The Cocagnois planters, unlike their counterparts in the Ursulines, have their chattel baptized into the Church, in compliance with an edict of the Gallican Council, then in residence in Neufchateau. | ||
+ | |||
+ | While Cocagne is technically a tributary of the French King, feudal Obligations lay very lightly on the Duchy until the Fall of France in 1291. King Phillip IV, having fled south from Paris before the Khan's armies closed off the escape routes, roamed the countryside, | ||
+ | |||
+ | After a very uncomfortable journey across the Britannic Ocean, Phillip arrives in Neufchateau to a dutifully warm welcome from René II, Duc D' | ||
+ | |||
+ | René and his ancestors have worked far to hard for him to abandon his birthright without a struggle, so he closets himself with his most trustworthy retainers and comes up with a plan. The first step is to start a war. This is not difficult, since Cocagne has been skirmishing off and on with the knights of the County of Drengeard [roughly Chesapeake Bay and environs] for some time. The Orders in Drengeard are highly orthodox Catholic, and the consider the Cocagnois to be schismatic. Combine that with the expansion of Drengeard settlement south towards the Cynwise [OTL's York] River, and the result is nearly constant tensions and periodic small battles on the borders. | ||
+ | |||
+ | So René dispatched some knights to sack and burn several small Drengeard settlements that were on territory he claimed, and bring back whatever loot (including slaves) that they could get their hands on. Several weeks later, a Cistercian Monk, acting as Drengeard ambassador, arrived in Neufchateau and demanded redress. René, with Phillip' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ever since the Battle of St. Grimbald, it has been a subject of some controversy whether René went to war hoping that Phillip would be killed, or simply thinking that the King of France could possibly acquire some territory in Drengeard of his own, and thus cease to be a burden upon Cocagne. Either way, the Duchy of Cocagne no longer has to support a monarch in the style to which he was accustomed. The funeral is, of course, expensive, as is the mausoleum in the Cathedral of Neufchateau, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **QAH' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **SALA AUSRINE**. [OTL's Curacao] Sole Ursuline possession of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, named after Ausrine, the Goddess of the Morning Star. Lithuania, which was preoccupied by its relationship with the Erkut Khanate and the Khanate' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **XIAOYIN**. [platinum]. Nangiyan " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dictionary of Empty America (1260-1410) - 6 | ||
+ | |||
+ | **OPHIR**. [OTL's Minas Gerais, Brazil] and environs] Colony of the Kingdom of Castile in Terra Nova. Unlike its more maritime-oriented neighbors, Aragon and al-Andalus, Castile is a late entrant into the scramble for colonies in the New World. However, Alfonso X "The Learned," | ||
+ | |||
+ | After a rough crossing, Guzmán' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Guzmán determines that further exploration of the coast is called for, to see if there is a way to cross Terranova by water. He knows that, several years earlier, the Vivaldi expedition managed to find its way through the Straight of Satanaxio [OTL's Straight of Magellan] far to the south, but he hopes that perhaps there is a navigable river that could take them far enough into the interior. Guzmán takes several ships into what he christens the Rio Hiddekel [OTL's Rio Plata] and voyages up the Pishon [Uruguay] and Gihon [Parana] rivers, but does not find his passage to Mu-lan-P' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Lack of determination is not one of Guzmán' | ||
+ | |||
+ | This is the chance that Jaime II of Aragon has been waiting for. The House of Barcelona has been itching for some payback against the Most Serene Republic since it brought a Sartak Khan's Erkut army to Sicily in 1265, snatching it from the hands of Pedro III. Now it is time to take Venice down a peg or two. Jaime quickly aligns with Sancho - who, since Castile is completely outclassed by Venice when it comes to maritime power, thankfully welcomes the addition of the sizable fleet of Aragonese galleys and round ships. In May of 1301, the two monarchs mass their fleets at Valencia, and simultaneously pull off the diplomatic coup that dramatically alters the shape of the war. The Caliphate of Al-Andalus, Venice' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Caliph' | ||
+ | |||
+ | On June 15, 1301, the Aragonese and Castillan fleets pounce upon Dandolo' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The treaty is remarkably lenient and realistic, considering that Aragon and Castile simply do not have the power to take the fight up the Adriatic to Venice proper, and the Khan would never allow them to advance overland. Also, Venice, Aragon and now Castile all have to live together in the New World, and no one power can exclude the others. Some small, sparsely settled islands change hands - Venice transfers Rivoalto [Martinique] and San Marco [Dominica] to Aragon, and Isola da Fiori [Guadalupe] San Pietro [Montserrat] to Castile. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ophir is secured for the time being, and with the war concluded, the Castillan settlers redouble their efforts to extract as much gold from the hills around Quivira. Slaves from sub-Saharan Africa start arriving in great quantities, a development that, in the years to come, will profoundly change the face of Ophir. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **[[timelines: | ||
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timelines/empty_america_-_archived_version.txt · Last modified: 2023/03/19 04:40 by petike