This is from a map I posted at The Official Map Thread; I called it a Norse-dominated Europe, but "Icelandic Empire" sounds so much cooler!
The Romans defeated the Germans at Teutobergerwald in 9 AD, and conquered Britain, but expanded too far and too fast. They were less lucky with emperors than OTL.
The German lands were too difficult to hold, the civil wars began in 230, and the invasion of the Goths came soon after. The empire began its final collapse in one last civil war in 290. The last emperor was killed in 300. The kingdom of Gothland was established in Italy.
How much earlier could Iceland have been colonized?
Iceland was discovered by the Norse in 504. Europe was Christianized but the weaker papacy was unable to impose a uniform set of tenets everywhere, and separate churches were formed. Ireland remained disunited. The colonies of Iceland were united, dominated by a strong, ruthless clan, and in 724 a king of Iceland began conquering territories in Scotland, and later in Ireland. A later king married a British princess in 1002. Wales was conquered in 1100. During this period Norway controlled parts of the isles but the Icelanders were better at making alliances, and were able to win more battles. By 1400 the Icelanders held all of the British Isles.
The Kingdom of Iceland includes Iceland, Greenland, Britain, Ireland and the other British Isles.
Norway was Christianized earlier, and the Vikings settled down in more places. The Norwegians were turned back in efforts to conquer the British isles on several occassions, so they decided to concentrate on Continental Europe.
The Kingdom of Norway now has Norway, Holland, France and the Iberian peninsula.
Denmark was able to expand southward, unhindered by German rulers. There was no Charlemagne and no German empire, and a Danish king marries a German princess in 1487.
The Kingdom of Denmark includes Denmark and Central Europe, and most of the Italian peninsula.
Sweden was able to conquer, or marry into, the kingdoms of E. Europe. Sweden expanded into Poland and controlled the Baltics by 1702. The Ottomans controlled parts of E. Europe for a time but lost battles to the Swedes, Russians and Finns.
The Kingdom of Sweden includes Sweden, half of the Baltics, all of E. Europe to the Balkans, but not Greece.
Finland began expanding due to early chiefs having modest success and unity. The Dukes of Moscovy were defeated early on and the rulers of Kiev and Novgorod expanded east instead of west, allowing the Swedes to control E. Europe.
The Kingdom of Finland includes the E. Baltics and parts of Russia and Belarus.
Ukraine was able to take advantage of its rivals being weakened in battles with each other, and with the Finns and Swedes. The Ukrainians took their time, and built up strength and population, and after 1400 were able to expand north, beating back efforts by the Finns to expand any further eastward. Novgorod was unable to expand very much due to rivalries, plagues and storms, and defeats by the Turks and Bulgars, and later by the Finns.
The Empire of Ukraine includes W. Asia and much of Eastern Asia.
Bulgars settled in Asia Minor, and established their capital of Onogur at the site of OTL Byzantium, but were unable to expand into Swedish, Finnish or Ukrainian territories. They were successful against the Turks, who went northeast.
The Kingdom of Bulgaria includes Turkey and the Levant.
Turkmenistan was established by the Turks, who were unable to defeat the Bulgars and were driven northeastward, where they settled. They found it necessary to make compromises in dealing with the natives of the Caucasus, and the kingdom ended up being a confederation. The king supposedly has absolute power but is restrained by a parliament consisting of members from many different ethnic groups in the area, even Finnish and Russian. The ethnic groups take turns having one of their own as king, though it doesn't really matter. Decisionmaking is usually very slow. The Kingdom of Turkmenistan includes the Caucasus.
The Papal States was established in recent times as a compromise for die-hard Catholics. The Danes found it too difficult to rule all of the Italian peninsula. The constant rebellions were a drain on the Treasury. The Papal States includes SW Italy and Sicily.
Greece is called Gotlaea. The last of the Roman emperors had hired Norse bodyguards and mercenaries, and when the empire fell the Varangians fled in a fleet, eastward, and settled in the Greek islands and the mainland. With no Ottoman empire, the locals disorganized and disunited, and a new ethnic group arose, Norse-Greek. They dominate the kingdom.
In later centuries, the Swedes and Danes found that trying to hold the area was too much of a drain on the treasury and both agreed to let Gotlaea remain independent.
The Kingdom of Greece is only OTL Greece.
Ostria is named for the Ostrogoths, who supposedly came from the area. Finns colonizing Russia expanded their territories southward and encountered the Persians during the collapse of the Persian empire. The Finns took over the area and renamed the country, forming a new, major ethnic group, the Finnish-Persian. The region north of Ostria was eventually absorbed into the Ukrainian Empire.
The Empire of Ostria occupies the location of the former Persian Empire.
Georgia occupies the region to the north and west of the Black Sea. As the Turks settled in the Caucasus, many Georgians fled westward and settled along the Black Sea coast, eventually asserting their independence from the Finns, Swedes and Ukrainians.
The Kingdom of Tuaregia is dominated by the Tuareg tribe and covers most of North Africa. It rules an Egyptian puppet state centered at Cairo, and controls the confederation of the Arabian peninsula.
North America was discovered in 795, but the first permanent colony was established in Nova Scotia in 1508. The continent is divided into many kingdoms and commonwealths.
South America is divided into several kingdoms.
India is a set of petty chiefdoms allied with one or another of the European states, with influence from Japan and Tibet.
Tibet controls both Tibet and Nepal.
The Chinese Empire occupies OTL China, and is ruled by the Chao Dynasty.
Norway has been attempting to gain control of the many kingdoms of SE Asia, and Indonesia.
Australia is divided between four kingdoms which were established by Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Finland, with much influence from the native Aboriginals.
Hawaii, New Zealand and the other islands are autonomous regions with ties to the Icelandic Empire, on which the sun hardly ever sets.
The Romans defeated the Germans at Teutobergerwald in 9 AD, and conquered Britain, but expanded too far and too fast. They were less lucky with emperors than OTL.
The German lands were too difficult to hold, the civil wars began in 230, and the invasion of the Goths came soon after. The empire began its final collapse in one last civil war in 290. The last emperor was killed in 300. The kingdom of Gothland was established in Italy.
How much earlier could Iceland have been colonized?
Iceland was discovered by the Norse in 504. Europe was Christianized but the weaker papacy was unable to impose a uniform set of tenets everywhere, and separate churches were formed. Ireland remained disunited. The colonies of Iceland were united, dominated by a strong, ruthless clan, and in 724 a king of Iceland began conquering territories in Scotland, and later in Ireland. A later king married a British princess in 1002. Wales was conquered in 1100. During this period Norway controlled parts of the isles but the Icelanders were better at making alliances, and were able to win more battles. By 1400 the Icelanders held all of the British Isles.
The Kingdom of Iceland includes Iceland, Greenland, Britain, Ireland and the other British Isles.
Norway was Christianized earlier, and the Vikings settled down in more places. The Norwegians were turned back in efforts to conquer the British isles on several occassions, so they decided to concentrate on Continental Europe.
The Kingdom of Norway now has Norway, Holland, France and the Iberian peninsula.
Denmark was able to expand southward, unhindered by German rulers. There was no Charlemagne and no German empire, and a Danish king marries a German princess in 1487.
The Kingdom of Denmark includes Denmark and Central Europe, and most of the Italian peninsula.
Sweden was able to conquer, or marry into, the kingdoms of E. Europe. Sweden expanded into Poland and controlled the Baltics by 1702. The Ottomans controlled parts of E. Europe for a time but lost battles to the Swedes, Russians and Finns.
The Kingdom of Sweden includes Sweden, half of the Baltics, all of E. Europe to the Balkans, but not Greece.
Finland began expanding due to early chiefs having modest success and unity. The Dukes of Moscovy were defeated early on and the rulers of Kiev and Novgorod expanded east instead of west, allowing the Swedes to control E. Europe.
The Kingdom of Finland includes the E. Baltics and parts of Russia and Belarus.
Ukraine was able to take advantage of its rivals being weakened in battles with each other, and with the Finns and Swedes. The Ukrainians took their time, and built up strength and population, and after 1400 were able to expand north, beating back efforts by the Finns to expand any further eastward. Novgorod was unable to expand very much due to rivalries, plagues and storms, and defeats by the Turks and Bulgars, and later by the Finns.
The Empire of Ukraine includes W. Asia and much of Eastern Asia.
Bulgars settled in Asia Minor, and established their capital of Onogur at the site of OTL Byzantium, but were unable to expand into Swedish, Finnish or Ukrainian territories. They were successful against the Turks, who went northeast.
The Kingdom of Bulgaria includes Turkey and the Levant.
Turkmenistan was established by the Turks, who were unable to defeat the Bulgars and were driven northeastward, where they settled. They found it necessary to make compromises in dealing with the natives of the Caucasus, and the kingdom ended up being a confederation. The king supposedly has absolute power but is restrained by a parliament consisting of members from many different ethnic groups in the area, even Finnish and Russian. The ethnic groups take turns having one of their own as king, though it doesn't really matter. Decisionmaking is usually very slow. The Kingdom of Turkmenistan includes the Caucasus.
The Papal States was established in recent times as a compromise for die-hard Catholics. The Danes found it too difficult to rule all of the Italian peninsula. The constant rebellions were a drain on the Treasury. The Papal States includes SW Italy and Sicily.
Greece is called Gotlaea. The last of the Roman emperors had hired Norse bodyguards and mercenaries, and when the empire fell the Varangians fled in a fleet, eastward, and settled in the Greek islands and the mainland. With no Ottoman empire, the locals disorganized and disunited, and a new ethnic group arose, Norse-Greek. They dominate the kingdom.
In later centuries, the Swedes and Danes found that trying to hold the area was too much of a drain on the treasury and both agreed to let Gotlaea remain independent.
The Kingdom of Greece is only OTL Greece.
Ostria is named for the Ostrogoths, who supposedly came from the area. Finns colonizing Russia expanded their territories southward and encountered the Persians during the collapse of the Persian empire. The Finns took over the area and renamed the country, forming a new, major ethnic group, the Finnish-Persian. The region north of Ostria was eventually absorbed into the Ukrainian Empire.
The Empire of Ostria occupies the location of the former Persian Empire.
Georgia occupies the region to the north and west of the Black Sea. As the Turks settled in the Caucasus, many Georgians fled westward and settled along the Black Sea coast, eventually asserting their independence from the Finns, Swedes and Ukrainians.
The Kingdom of Tuaregia is dominated by the Tuareg tribe and covers most of North Africa. It rules an Egyptian puppet state centered at Cairo, and controls the confederation of the Arabian peninsula.
North America was discovered in 795, but the first permanent colony was established in Nova Scotia in 1508. The continent is divided into many kingdoms and commonwealths.
South America is divided into several kingdoms.
India is a set of petty chiefdoms allied with one or another of the European states, with influence from Japan and Tibet.
Tibet controls both Tibet and Nepal.
The Chinese Empire occupies OTL China, and is ruled by the Chao Dynasty.
Norway has been attempting to gain control of the many kingdoms of SE Asia, and Indonesia.
Australia is divided between four kingdoms which were established by Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Finland, with much influence from the native Aboriginals.
Hawaii, New Zealand and the other islands are autonomous regions with ties to the Icelandic Empire, on which the sun hardly ever sets.
