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  1. Realistically, how long could the Emirate of Sicily have lasted?

    The Emirate of Sicily ruled the island for about two centuries, eventually falling apart due to Italian naval supremacy, Norman adventurism, and political fragmentation. But was it truly doomed to fall apart? Sicily itself was not the only Muslim presence in Italy, but it was the most...

  2. Wilson's stroke happens in 1917, how does President Marshall carry on Progressivism?

    I've encountered Thomas Marshall in my state constitutional law courses, and he seems rather cool. Which got me to thinking- what if Wilson had his stroke sooner? Marshall broadly refrained from trying to become acting president in OTL 1919, but I suspect if Wilson was out of commission for...

  3. What caused nations to "Go Protestant?"

    The Reformation is one of the most important and controversial parts of history, but it's also something that is, I think, rather more difficult to conceptualize in terms of cause and effect. Like most big events, there probably isn't an easy one-off answer, but probably a multiplicity of...

  4. If Tamerlane destroys the Ottomans, who is most likely to capture Constantinople?

    Byzantine revival is naturally one of the more popular ideas on this site, but all things considered, even if the Greek Goose wasn't totally cooked, after the 1341-47 civil war they were very clearly in a tailspin, and more often than not IMO the Empire would have been conquered by someone. That...

  5. What happens if Venice did not surrender to Napoleon?

    Venice's government failed to maintain itself in the face of an aggressive and revolutionary France, and yet I do not think that armed resistance would have been entirely futile. The mainland was lost, as had happened during the war of Cambrai, but I suspect that had the city not admitted...

  6. AHC: Ethiopian conquest of Sudan

    I've long been fascinated by East African Christianity- the Kingdoms of Alodia and Makuria- and absent Ottoman power I wonder whether it would be possible for the Ethiopian Empire to expand north into modern-day Sudan. Arabic and Egyptian influence led to Arabization of groups like the Beja...

  7. WI: Italo-Turkish War triggers WWI

    The Italo-Turkish war and the subsequent Balkan Wars arguably did much to set the stage for WWI, but is it possible that the conflict could have itself become a continental conflagration? There are two potential avenues to a general war. First, I vaguely recall reading somewhere that Von...

  8. Consequences for the HYW and Spain if Henry of Trastamara is killed at the Battle of Najera

    The Battle of Najera was arguably the peak of the Black Prince's military career. England allied with Peter I against his half-brother and decisively defeated the Trastamara, but Henry escaped, the alliance broke down, and Peter was eventually overthrown by Henry, who fled across the Pyrenees...

  9. AHC: have the Southern Ming survive ala thr Southern Song

    After the fall of Beijing the Shun "dynasty" and the Manchiriam invasion, the Ming remnants fled South to a brief rump state. This is quite notably in contrast to the Song Dynasty, which persisted after the fall of their northern capital for a full century. Of course, the 17th century is quite...

  10. AHC/WI: Italian involvement in Gallipoli

    I would argue that Italy made a serious strategic mistake in the Great War by bashing her head against the Izonzo. Her forces would have been much more decisive deployed into other theaters, especially (IMO) the Balkans. Indeed, her alliance with Germany envisioned deploying two army corps to...

  11. Ramifications of English Conquest of Flanders in the 14th Century

    As part of the Hundred Years War, England supported Flemish rebels in Ghent against the Count Louis "the Bad" and his son-in-Law Philip of Burgundy. Thanks to John of Gaunt's diversion of resources to Spain (whose throne he had a claim to) and general malaise and political incompetence in...

  12. The Visconti Victorious 2.0
    Threadmarks: The Visconti Victorious

    In the fourteenth century, Italy's famed cities- the proud communes who had humbled the Hohenstaufen Kaisers- fell victim to the insidious, inevitable erosion of traditional institutions, and succumbed to the rule of tyrants. The Papacy had fled to Avignon and Imperial Germany collapsed into...

  13. AHC: Trastamara England

    As part of the negotiations resolving John of Gaunt's claim to Castille, King Henry III of Castille married John's daughter, Catherine of Lancaster; this being the sister of the future Henry IV and the grandmother of Isabella of Castille, whose marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon created modern...

  14. Ramifications of John of Burgundy's death at Nikopolis

    John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, took part in the great debacle that was the Crusade of Nikopolis, being captured and eventually ransomed by the Turks in the wake of that battle. John played a crucial role in the final stage of the Hundred Years War, first assassinating Louis of Orleans and...

  15. WI: Anne of Bohemia survives, has kids with Richard II

    Anne of Bohemia was the wife of Richard II, the last main line Plantagenet who got deposed historically in 1399 by his nephew Henry IV, Duke of Lancaster. Historically she died of plague in 1395, without the couple having any children. But what if she survived, and produced a son somewhere...

  16. AHC: better Italian Performance in the third war of independence

    The 1866 Italian War of Independence was something of a mess for Italy owing to the disorganized state of her army. Nevertheless I wonder if it would have been possible for Italy to win at Lissa and effect the invasion of Trento and Trieste before Prussia signed her armistice, securing both...

  17. Without the Ottomans, what happens to the Mamluks?

    Let's say that the Ottomans get taken out by Tamerlane and/or a more successful Hungarian Crusade. Mamluk Egypt obviously doesn't get conquered by them, but I have to wonder what would become of it. My general impression is that the Mamluks were on the way out by the 16th century owing to the...

  18. Sun Yat Sen Lives: effects on China and WWII

    Dr Sun Yat Sen is the only polticial figure revered in both Taiwan and thr PRC, and for good reason- he was one of the greatest political leaders in modern Chinese history. His premature death to cancer in 1925 undoubtedly hampered the ROC. So what if he lives longer and is able to unify...

  19. AHC: Wank the Aksumite Empire

    Pre Islamic Arabia and thr Horn are something of a fascination of mine, thanks in part to Imperator rome. The Aksumites briefly held sway not only over Ethiopia and Eritrea but also Yemen. In a world where the Sasanids don't invade Yemen could Aksum have maintained a stronger presence in the...

  20. AHC/WI: Norman conquest of Byzantium

    Its not often appreciated how close to destruction the Byzantines came in the 11th century. Were it not for the Komnenoi I suspect the Normans would have carved Greece and Asia Minor like a fat turkey- Guiscard conquered Epirus and reached as far as Thessaloniki, while Roussel de Bailleul...
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