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Post by Max Sinister on Feb 12, 2024 19:11:30 GMT
Some PoDs related to Frederick the Great:
WI there had been a double marriage: Frederick to a Hanoverian princess, and his sister Wilhelmine to the English crown prince?
WI general Mosel hadn't stopped Friedrich Wilhelm from killing Frederick in 1730?
WI Charles VI of Austria had lived longer? Originally, Frederick had planned a war against Jülich-Berg instead.
WI in 1745, the king of Saxony-Poland had been elected HREmperor?
WI Austria had made war with Russia (which wanted Vlachia) in 1771?
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Post by Otto Kretschmer on Feb 12, 2024 19:35:26 GMT
What if the Balto Slavs invent iron smelting in 1500 BC and the heavy plow-horse collar combo in 1000 BC? How far would they spread thanks to thess advances?
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Post by Otto Kretschmer on Feb 16, 2024 10:19:40 GMT
WI: Rome becomes a merchant depublic early in it's history - how does it impact Roman and European history?
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Post by Otto Kretschmer on Feb 18, 2024 11:21:47 GMT
WI: Charles Martel born a girl.
This butterflies away both Pepin and Charlemagne. How does Western Europe look like without three excellent rulers in a row?
stevep, 575?
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 18, 2024 12:35:52 GMT
WI: Charles Martel born a girl. This butterflies away both Pepin and Charlemagne. How does Western Europe look like without three excellent rulers in a row? stevep, 575?
It depends on the circumstances. Assuming he's born a girl does Pepin of Herstal , his father have more sons. OTL there was a younger one, Childebrand I who outlived Charles and with the butterflies there might be others. Pepin established his family as hereditary mayors of the palace and reduced the power of the Merovingian dynasty that was the formal rulers of the Frankish kingdom. This could change on Pepin's death with a resurgence of royal power. Or alternatively Pepin actually declared his grandson Theudoald but he was deposed by rivals with Charles coming out on top in the resulting civil war, although another claimant, Ragenfrid was the leader who defeated Theudoald. Without Charles [and assuming no butterflies in the time after his/her birth which is a hell of an assumption] possibly there is no civil war or Ragenfrid wins and becomes a successful Frankish leader.
The Franks are in a good position to become the dominant power in western Europe unless they really screw things up with a serious of disastrous rulers and the history of unity is likely to make a successful ruler want to reunite it and assorted neighbours are significantly weaker other than possibly the Umayyad Caliphate but that is facing overstretch.
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575
Captain
There is no Purgatory for warcriminals - they go directly to Hell!
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Post by 575 on Feb 18, 2024 13:03:35 GMT
WI: Charles Martel born a girl. This butterflies away both Pepin and Charlemagne. How does Western Europe look like without three excellent rulers in a row? stevep, 575? Agree with stevep. The problem is that only the successfull sons of rulers in that day and age usually made it into the annals and only some of those made it into history books that made it to our time!
So very much a possible as scetched out by stevep. The thing is that even if there is no real contender to the Franks they'll have to face constant threats at different times on all borders - Danes - Saxons - Frisians - Wends - Alans - Langobards - Moors - etc. etc. May well have to run from crisis to crisis as Charlemagne oft did hence he never defeated the Danes.
At some time the Empire may fracture only to be reassembled into a new one ore stay fractured - the core lands Austrasia, Neustria and Aquitaine, the Roman/Italian Kingdom and Burgundy may all pop up again - well perhaps not the Italian as the Peninsula is fractured into Duchies but then the Byzantine may still want to rebuild the Roman Empire making for another contender.
That early - 688 possible birth of Charles Martel - a lot may happen. Denmark and other Scandinavian are only emering from the Shadow of 536-40 as are a lot of others. Vesegoths are still ruling Hispania and Moors conquering them is some 25 years into the future. Saxony and Frisland haven't been conquered yet by the Franks and Bavaria and other parts of Germania is still stem duchies. The Langobards have 100 years ago conquered Italy and is not that weak.
So generally difficult to just make a big sweep off.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 18, 2024 13:48:13 GMT
WI: Charles Martel born a girl. This butterflies away both Pepin and Charlemagne. How does Western Europe look like without three excellent rulers in a row? stevep, 575? Agree with stevep. The problem is that only the successfull sons of rulers in that day and age usually made it into the annals and only some of those made it into history books that made it to our time!
So very much a possible as scetched out by stevep. The thing is that even if there is no real contender to the Franks they'll have to face constant threats at different times on all borders - Danes - Saxons - Frisians - Wends - Alans - Langobards - Moors - etc. etc. May well have to run from crisis to crisis as Charlemagne oft did hence he never defeated the Danes.
At some time the Empire may fracture only to be reassembled into a new one ore stay fractured - the core lands Austrasia, Neustria and Aquitaine, the Roman/Italian Kingdom and Burgundy may all pop up again - well perhaps not the Italian as the Peninsula is fractured into Duchies but then the Byzantine may still want to rebuild the Roman Empire making for another contender.
That early - 688 possible birth of Charles Martel - a lot may happen. Denmark and other Scandinavian are only emering from the Shadow of 536-40 as are a lot of others. Vesegoths are still ruling Hispania and Moors conquering them is some 25 years into the future. Saxony and Frisland haven't been conquered yet by the Franks and Bavaria and other parts of Germania is still stem duchies. The Langobards have 100 years ago conquered Italy and is not that weak.
So generally difficult to just make a big sweep off.
Good point about the fact Iberia is still under Visigoth control at this stage although its already rocky and unstable with internal division among the Visigoths about their religious policy which is a persistent Achilles heel for them. Although with a different situation in Byzantium the Moors possibly may not even reach Iberia.
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Post by Otto Kretschmer on Feb 19, 2024 11:44:07 GMT
Earliest possible abolition of serfdom in Russia and it's economic and political consequences.
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Feb 27, 2024 2:23:37 GMT
WI: King Alfonso XIII dies from Russian Flu during the 1889-90 Russian Flu Pandemic?
The Russian flu pandemic was probably one of the deadliest pandemics of the late 19th century, though the 20th century will see more pandemics as well. It was also one of the few pandemics that predated the modern vaccination era, in which cheaper medical treatments (by 19th century standards, that is) were still available. Most of the royals of Europe, as well as various other figures, had come down with such sickness, including King Alfonso XIII and Prince Albert Victor, who was the heir apparent to the British throne before his untimely death and the elevation of Prince George, who became King George V.
How would an early death of Alfonso XIII affect Spanish politics overall? The 1890s are best known for Spain losing the last of its colonies (Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines) mostly due to the Spanish-American War, but without the Spanish-American War, Spain may still be able to hold on to its colonies, but rebellions would still occur.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 27, 2024 10:52:45 GMT
WI: King Alfonso XIII dies from Russian Flu during the 1889-90 Russian Flu Pandemic? The Russian flu pandemic was probably one of the deadliest pandemics of the late 19th century, though the 20th century will see more pandemics as well. It was also one of the few pandemics that predated the modern vaccination era, in which cheaper medical treatments (by 19th century standards, that is) were still available. Most of the royals of Europe, as well as various other figures, had come down with such sickness, including King Alfonso XIII and Prince Albert Victor, who was the heir apparent to the British throne before his untimely death and the elevation of Prince George, who became King George V. How would an early death of Alfonso XIII affect Spanish politics overall? The 1890s are best known for Spain losing the last of its colonies (Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines) mostly due to the Spanish-American War, but without the Spanish-American War, Spain may still be able to hold on to its colonies, but rebellions would still occur.
Well there's still likely to be ongoing revolts in Cuba and the Philippines, although I have heard that Puerto Rico was loyalists. Its likely that the US will support an independence movement in Cuba and possibly if that doesn't lead to war Japan might end up being the power that liberates the Philippines. Or alternatively Spain might, if sufficiently impoverished or disillusioned with empire seek to sell its Pacific possessions, in which case either Japan or Germany might be likely buyers.
Of course the other issue with the king dying is does this prompt further disorder. Either another Carlist uprising or pressure for reform or both.
Hadn't realised that Bertie had an older son that OTL George V.
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Feb 29, 2024 6:05:14 GMT
Well there's still likely to be ongoing revolts in Cuba and the Philippines, although I have heard that Puerto Rico was loyalists. Its likely that the US will support an independence movement in Cuba and possibly if that doesn't lead to war Japan might end up being the power that liberates the Philippines. Or alternatively Spain might, if sufficiently impoverished or disillusioned with empire seek to sell its Pacific possessions, in which case either Japan or Germany might be likely buyers.
Of course the other issue with the king dying is does this prompt further disorder. Either another Carlist uprising or pressure for reform or both.
Hadn't realised that Bertie had an older son that OTL George V. Before Alfonso XIII's birth, his oldest sister Maria de las Mercedes was the heiress to the Spanish throne, despite the Legitimist rule of succession being that of primogeniture. Her husband is Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, so the loyalists would probably go with him on the throne. However, a different marriage of Maria de las Mercedes to Infante Jaime (the Carlist claimant on the Spanish throne) would actually result in the Carlists returning to the Spanish throne without bloodshed at all, and while it may still lead to several anti-Carlist rebellions, it might also lead to an attempt at an earlier formation of a Second Spanish Republic, giving us a four decades too early version of the Spanish Civil War. Which may force Spain to sell its remaining colonies if it wants to retain its throne. Or alternatively, it could also try to prevent rebellions in Cuba and the Philippines by giving them seats in the Spanish Cortez (Spanish Parliament). If Spain is forced to sell its remaining colonies, then I can see the US buying Cuba and Puerto Rico, while Japan would be more likely to buy the entirety of the Spanish East Indies. Yet, Japan's acquisition of the Philippines might butterfly the Japanese acquisition of Taiwan, due to an even bigger Korean peasant uprising (Donghak Uprising), which IOTL had been suppressed, but the lingering tensions between China and Japan exploded and we ended up with the First Sino-Japanese War. As for Bertie's older brother who IOTL died from the Russian flu, it's this guy: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_Victor,_Duke_of_Clarence_and_Avondale |
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Post by Otto Kretschmer on Mar 1, 2024 21:44:47 GMT
Challenge: a successful Irish invasion of England around 1066 AD, replacing the Norman invasion.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Mar 1, 2024 22:57:12 GMT
Challenge: a successful Irish invasion of England around 1066 AD, replacing the Norman invasion.
Well that would probably need the Vikings remaining the military/politically dominant force in Ireland and uniting it more successfully. However their unlikely to have much interest other than the north of England and attempts to move south would be difficult for them without a Norman threat.
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Post by Otto Kretschmer on Mar 2, 2024 10:07:51 GMT
AHC/WI: a wanked Carthage with a PoD around 600 BC.
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Post by Max Sinister on Mar 2, 2024 23:37:09 GMT
AHC/WI: a wanked Carthage with a PoD around 600 BC. They discover the Americas and can exploit a virgin continent, similar as in GURPS: Alternate Earths?
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