I've been writing a timeline that I'm making a story in for a while.
The Point of Divergence is that a Mongol ruler who was not Genghis Khan came to power and made many different decisions, such as not conquering the Islamic Caliphate and putting all of their resources from China and Korea into a successful invasion of southern Honshu in Japan, followed up by several less successful naval invasions all over East and Southeast Asia. These differences lead to Baghdad, while on the decline, to remain a place of some prestige for a century or so longer. This also allows Henry the Pious to defeat the Mongols at the Battle of Legnica and go on to become King of Poland.
Right now, I am focusing on building an alternate North and South America (called Columbia and Vespuccia for ITTL reasons) from this and would like help with some details.
Here are the major events in order:
Mid-1100s: Dozens of adventurous naval convoys depart from Mongol Japan and Mongol China, heading out in all directions. Most number at around ten ships that house at least 5,000 men (a mix of Japanese Samurai, Mongol Horse-lords, and Chinese soldiers) and a few hundred horses altogether. At least ten of these convoys successfully land in Columbia, but have absolutely no contact with each other or the rest of the Mongol Empire.
Several short-lived empires rise along the Western Coast of Columbia, as the Mongol invaders try to carve out lands of their own to rule. Without the sprawling civilizations, like those that existed in China and Persia, these empires soon lose their steam and collapse.
1200s: The Mongol forces slowly rise to prominence as their horses and the diseases they brought with them give them an advantage over the natives they conquer. They don't replace the native population of Columbia, but in time they significantly alter their culture, religion, style of warfare, and gene pool.
Early-1300s: The Emperor of Mali, Abubakri, latches upon an ideology that emerges from Baghdad in one of the last, more desperate attempts at maintaining its influence. The ideology states that the most important goal of a state ruled by Islam is to spread the religion as far as possible. Abubakri takes this to heart and, using his nation's extravagant wealth, begins to spread Islam as much as he can in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eventually, one of his many missionaries begins lobbying for spreading their influence beyond the Atlantic Ocean. Believing that there are an untold number lands of people who must be saved, an expedition mainly made up of hired Arab explorers is outfitted that lands in Brazil.
This leads to a short-lived colonial effort, as sailors, philosophers, and merchants from all over the Islamic World are hired to be stationed along the Brazilian coastline on the continent of Vespuccia. This goes on for roughly thirty years until Abubakri's death. When Mansa Musa replaces him, he realizes just how massive of an expense this is. Over the course of the first decade of his reign, he decommissions the outposts along the coastline of Brazil, sells of whatever ships he can, and tries to get the kingdom back on track, focusing on maintaining their control over their African territories. Most of the people who were sent to Brazil return, if they can, but many also decide to stay and live among the natives there.
Mid-1300s: The Blackfoot Empire rises to prominence over the Midwest, dominating the entire region on horseback. They were little more than a particularly large nomadic army until they conquered the Western Coast of Columbia, giving them massive farmlands (cultivated by a mix of East Asian and native people), extensive access to fishing, and a seat of power in what would one day become the great city of Shamokawa. After conquering much of the west, the Blackfoot Empire would turn east and forming vassal states along the extent of what they can rule, most notably the Muscogee Vassal.
The Blackfoot Empire would only last roughly sixty years before collapsing itself. The remnants of the empire all controlled powerful regional states. One of the most notably of which was ruled the area around the Rio Grande and were known as the Kingdom of the Great River. At one point, they attacked and defeated the Aztec Alliance, crowning their king as Emperor of the Southern Lands, which they keep until the Spanish arrive centuries later.
Early-1400s: The Portuguese, know of a legendary land across the waves named Bakria (which is not a name that the Europeans really take to), after Abubakri. Tristao Vas Teixeira is the first European to land in Vespuccia and begins the Age of Exploration.
The New World as of 1600:
Spain rules over Mexico, much of the Caribbean, New Granada (Colombia and Venezuela), and Peru. Portugal, having been the first nation to reach Vespuccia, controls Brazil (Brazil, Uruguay, and Guyana), as well as Terra Richa (Paraguay and northern Argentina).
The British began colonizing the Eastern Coast of Columbia in the mid-1500s, leading to two stable colonies as of 1600 Virginia and Carolina (North and South Carolina). These lands had two distinct and different social and governmental structures, free cities and noble estates.
Noble estates were given to the landless sons of prestigious nobles, granting them massive tracks of land in the New World. These nobles would live on these estates, far from their homes in Europe, and bring a fairly large number of servants and serfs with them. Due to the inability to bring as many serfs as desired, mainly because the cost was not worth it, the nobles would also purchase slaves from the natives of Columbia and African slaves brought over by the Portuguese. Without a distinct concept of African slavery compared to other kinds, the serfs, native slaves and African slaves were all generally treated under the exact same conditions.
Free cities were mainly large trading posts, entirely built around the drive for profit and usually ruled by the wealthiest families. Free cities were largely independent of the affairs of noble estates, besides relying on those estates for food and crops to sell back to Britain proper.
Columbia of 1776:
The Union of Columbia declares independence from the Kingdom of Britain for many of the same reasons as the Americans did in real life. However, notably differences take place during the revolution.
-RL Canada, being Arelesies Catholic and heretical is not given any equivalent to the Quebec Act and revolts alongside the other colonies.
-George Washington begins the war as Commander-in-Chief, but is killed at the Battle of Fort Washington, being remembered as a pompous, yet honorable, leader.
-Benedict Arnold succeeds at his invasion of Quebec due to massive amounts of local support. Due to his great popularity, he is named as the new Commander-in-Chief by the Continental Congress and, after the war is won and the first Constitutional Convention happens, becomes the first President of Columbia (thus the inspiration for my username).
Some major events throughout Columbian and Vespuccian History in the 1800s:
-The first few generations of serfs end up becoming a race of their own called the Cisors (a corruption of a Latin word meaning tree-cutters). They end up slowly getting emancipated and are generally a minority population in major cities across Columbia.
-Staten Island is made the capital of the new republic, due to the North being stronger in many of the early arguments in politics.
-Without Britain or Russia on the continent at all, Columbia has free reign to expand any way they wish to.
-New Granada declares independence from Spain with strong Columbian backing. Its first official name is the Revolutionary Columbian Republic of New Granada. Simon Bolivar eventually ends up going Napoleon and declaring himself Emperor of the Revolutionary Empire of Vespuccia, which lasts until his death. From then on, New Granada is a somewhat unstable country that is generally a republic but suffers military or imperial coups.
-Peru is much like Canada IOTL, remaining loyal to Spain and slowly becoming more and more independent over time.
-With the Mongols having invaded Columbia and introduced Old World diseases and horses to the natives centuries before European contact, the Native Columbians exist in far greater numbers than Native Americans do IRL.
-Without Britain ruling Canada and with Columbia being a more Northern-focused country that has to give great concessions to the South, there is not as great of a focus on getting rid of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, leading to the Slave Trade lasting until the 1830s. This leads to the population of the South being overwhelmingly of African descent (both black and Cisor).
-The Kingdom of Portugal-Brazil stays together with a moving capital going from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro that eventually stays in Rio de Janeiro. The full name of the country is the United Kingdoms of Portugal, Brazil, the Algarves and Terra-Richa. The nation becomes majority black in Brazil, Terra-Richa, and, eventually, Portugal while Algarves only has a large minority of black people.
-The Federalist Party is formalized into an actual party that lasts for the entirety of Columbian history up until my story takes place. There are eras of challengers to this party, but they last throughout.
-Due to the Federalist Party being very aristocratic, a lot of things that didn't necessarily have public support are done.
-The Spanish-Columbian War takes place in the early 1840s, with Columbia easily conquering their Caribbean holdings and making them territories.
-The All-Mexico Movement wins out in the debate during Mexican-Columbian War in the late 1840s and all of the Empire of Mexico (which is much weaker ITTL due to significant internal unrest) is annexed except for Yucatan and Chiapas, which both become independent republics.
-There is much unrest in the annexed regions of Mexico, especially after all of the lands along the Gulf of Mexico are made into slave territories and all along the Pacific are made free.
-In 1853 William Walker takes control of the United Provinces of Enpuertia (alternate name for Cental America, an amalgomation of words meaning Gateway) during a civil war that was breaking the country apart. After his success, the Union of Columbia pardons him of all crimes and takes Enpuertia as a territory, surrounding the Republics of Yucatan and Chiapas, which are both annexed completely by 1875
-The main political conflict of Columbia until 1856 (when it becomes a military one) is between the moderate, leaning anti-slavery Federalist Party against the pro-slavery Republic Party. It's not until the anti-slavery wing successfully gets one of their own as the Federalist Presidential Nominee that tensions reach a boiling point.
-The American Civil War is replaced by two conflicts, collectively known as the Columbian Wars of Secession. The Republic of Dixie (the South) declares independence in 1856, with the election of John C. Fremont as President of Columbia as a member of the Federalist Party. Fremont is much more radical than Lincoln ever was, quickly making the war about slavery. Aristocrats in Mexico, fearing that the days are numbered for indentured servitude (which is an incredibly popular practice all over Columbia and the equivalent of the 13th Amendment explicitly continues to allow it for that reason) crown one of their own as the new Emperor of Mexico and attempt to secede themselves. Benito Juarez, Melchor Ocamp, and Santos Degollado, who politically oppose the Federalist and Republic Parties, also oppose the insurgent Empire of Mexico. They gain the nickname, the Mexican Republicans for their work in fighting against the Imperialists and attempting to have all of the territories of Mexico added into the Union as states.
-Three term Republic Party president and iconic leader of the party for decades, Henry Clay, gives a speech a few months after Fremont's election where he declares the name of the Republic Party to be permanently tarnished. This is what destroyed the Republic Party.
-After the wars are won by Columbia in 1868, a Constitutional Convention is called. This sets the precedent of calling one after every major conflict (this, the world wars, and after the civil war that is the focus of my story). The decisions at this convention shape Columbia forever.
-Those who took up arms against Columbia are stripped of their right to vote or run for office. This causes a mass migration of white Southerners and white Mexicans (generally aristocratic leaders and poor or middle class soldiers) out of their homelands to an unorganized territory north of Texas. Due to the lack of incorporation as a state, they are able to vote and run for office in territories. They create what is originally called the Territory of New Dixie, a sprawling land that takes up most of the southern Midwest. It is eventually incorporated as a state by the name of Meridia.
-In the late 1870s, following decades of unrest, the largest slave revolt ever begins in Brazil in the Kingdom of Portugal-Brazil. Due to enslaved black people being the plurality throughout almost all of the country(combine this number with free black people and you reach a majority of the population), this revolt quickly spreads and becomes a revolution. When a man by the name of Mathius Alivre (The Free) won the siege of Rio de Janeiro it was clear that slavery was coming to an end in Portugal-Brazil.
In an attempt to keep out of the conflict, several prominent aristocrats in mainland Portugal declared the independent Republic of Portugal, with themselves as its governing council. This government only lasted for three months before a small army of former slaves docked in Portugal and rode across the countryside, gathering numbers to attacked the location where the council met in Porto.
Around the same time back in Brazil, Mathius declared himself Emperor of Lusitania (a common name for Portugal-Brazil at the time), and united the freemen of the union of kingdoms. He was much more of an autocratic ruler compared to any of the recent Kings of Portugal-Brazil, but used that power to make sweeping changes to how the entire society of this Trans-Atlantic empire operated.
Major events of Europe:
-Instead of the Protestant Reformation, there are splits within Catholicism itself. Wycliffite Catholicism is British Catholicism, based off of the beliefs of the Lollards. Wendish Catholicism is the Commonwealth's religion, based off of the beliefs of the Hussites. Ulmist Catholicism is Deutch and based off of the Lutherans. Arelesies Catholicism is French and based off of the Avignon Papacy. Jesuit Catholicism is dominant in the Spanish New World, but not back on the continent. This eventually drives the Revolution of New Granada forward.
-A much more powerful Poland unites the Kingdoms of Poland, Bohemia, and Lithuania into the Commonwealth in the 1300s.
-Oliver Cromwell is crowned King of Britain (with the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, along with their ruler numbers, no longer recognized) and reforms the Wycliffite Church to fit more into Puritan values. King Oliver I is succeeded by King Henry I followed by King Henry II, King Thomas I, King Oliver II, Queen Elizabeth II (with queens having to be co-rulers, she is co-ruler to Ernest Augustus), King Regent Ernest Augustus, King George I (George V of Hanover IRL), King George II (George V's son ITTL), and King Thomas II (George V's grandson ITTL).
-Novgorod unites a far smaller and weaker Russia, with Southern European Russia being a Tatar state called Qasimstan and the lands east of the Ural Mountains forming a loose alliance that eventually unites into the Tatar Federation (which Qasimstan and Mongolia are not a part of)
-Napoleon invades and defeats Britain, forcing the sitting king to abdicate in favor of his son, with Napoleon putting a relative in charge as the boy's regent (which is the same thing he did in Spain ITTL). Napoleon rules until his death and the Bonapartes rule France perpetually (eventually being reduced to the level of power that the modern monarchs of Britain have).
-The Revolutions of 1848 happen somewhat differently. They begin in 1849, with the Spanish Revolution instead of another French Revolution. Due to this, different words and ideas relating to radical left-wing politics become important. Instead of socialism (which IOTL refers to moderate reform in favor of workers and the poor in favor of a social democracy) we have Igalism (a corruption of the Spanish word for equal). Instead of communism we have Abrierism (a corruption of the Spanish word for laborer), which is significantly different. It emphasizes the syndicalist aspects of its ideal government in practice as well as on paper (like how the Soviet Union was named for being a union of farming collectives).
-The Deutch Revolution is incredibly successful and, for a short time, unites the country under Kriegenism (a very nationalistic offshoot of Abrierism that serves as this world's anarchism, a not-nearly-as-popular alternative to mainstream left-wing radicalism).
A couple of more notes:
-Electricity is never invented (biggest point)
-The Ottoman Empire never existed and Venice rises to prominence over the Balkans instead (for a time)
-There are three world wars:
The First World War (1899-1907) is kind of like the First World War IOTL (The Entente, lead by France and Spain against the Eastern Powers, lead by Deutchland, the Commonwealth, and Novgorod), except Columbia does not get involved (Lusitania does though)
The Second World War (1913-1918) is between Zakan (a fascist-like ideology that began in Novgorod's Russia and lead to a massive war across all of Europe) Nations (Russia, Qasimstan, and the Tatar Federation) and the Second Entente (France, Spain, Lusitania, Columbia, and China)
The Third World War (1938-1944) (which happens about ten years before my story) is mainly between Columbia and China (with Lusitania and France joining Columbia) and ends in a Columbian victory, but China proves to be next to impossible for them to occupy
[Britain stays neutral during all World Wars]
-The two superpowers to emerge from all of this are Columbia and Lusitania
-The Civil War breaks out after twelve years of do-nothing administrations while the Occupation of China is failing, a plague that emerged from China is ravaging the country (started roughly two years into the war, 1940), and this world's Great Depression began in 1947 (three years after the war)
-The most recent presidents were:
Albert Porter (1896-1900) - Populist Party
Adlai Stevenson (1900-1908) - Federalist Party
Eugene V. Debs (1908-1916) - Igalist Party
Charles Hueys (1916-1928) - Federalist Party
Alfred Smith (1928-1936) - Federalist Party
Huey Long (1936-1944) - Federalist Party
John Garner (1944-1952) - Federalist Party
Joseph Kennedy (1952 President Elect - assassinated) - Federalist Party
Richard Russell (1952-1955 - assassinated) - Federalist Party
What I am trying to do is really figure out the cultural ramifications of all of these things. As I am writing the story, I feel as though what I have been writing is too close to what the real world is like. They have no electricity, there have been three horrendous world wars in living memory, and Columbia itself has completely gone to hell. I would love to hear any ideas on how to really convey that. I decided to throw in a bunch of facts that are in the world but don't have much to do with the story itself because I'd love for that to add some more flavor.
Thank-you for any responses you can give.
EDIT: If you have any questions about the world or whatever, please let me know. There is a lot I skipped and more that I am going to add when I get the chance.
The Point of Divergence is that a Mongol ruler who was not Genghis Khan came to power and made many different decisions, such as not conquering the Islamic Caliphate and putting all of their resources from China and Korea into a successful invasion of southern Honshu in Japan, followed up by several less successful naval invasions all over East and Southeast Asia. These differences lead to Baghdad, while on the decline, to remain a place of some prestige for a century or so longer. This also allows Henry the Pious to defeat the Mongols at the Battle of Legnica and go on to become King of Poland.
Right now, I am focusing on building an alternate North and South America (called Columbia and Vespuccia for ITTL reasons) from this and would like help with some details.
Here are the major events in order:
Mid-1100s: Dozens of adventurous naval convoys depart from Mongol Japan and Mongol China, heading out in all directions. Most number at around ten ships that house at least 5,000 men (a mix of Japanese Samurai, Mongol Horse-lords, and Chinese soldiers) and a few hundred horses altogether. At least ten of these convoys successfully land in Columbia, but have absolutely no contact with each other or the rest of the Mongol Empire.
Several short-lived empires rise along the Western Coast of Columbia, as the Mongol invaders try to carve out lands of their own to rule. Without the sprawling civilizations, like those that existed in China and Persia, these empires soon lose their steam and collapse.
1200s: The Mongol forces slowly rise to prominence as their horses and the diseases they brought with them give them an advantage over the natives they conquer. They don't replace the native population of Columbia, but in time they significantly alter their culture, religion, style of warfare, and gene pool.
Early-1300s: The Emperor of Mali, Abubakri, latches upon an ideology that emerges from Baghdad in one of the last, more desperate attempts at maintaining its influence. The ideology states that the most important goal of a state ruled by Islam is to spread the religion as far as possible. Abubakri takes this to heart and, using his nation's extravagant wealth, begins to spread Islam as much as he can in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eventually, one of his many missionaries begins lobbying for spreading their influence beyond the Atlantic Ocean. Believing that there are an untold number lands of people who must be saved, an expedition mainly made up of hired Arab explorers is outfitted that lands in Brazil.
This leads to a short-lived colonial effort, as sailors, philosophers, and merchants from all over the Islamic World are hired to be stationed along the Brazilian coastline on the continent of Vespuccia. This goes on for roughly thirty years until Abubakri's death. When Mansa Musa replaces him, he realizes just how massive of an expense this is. Over the course of the first decade of his reign, he decommissions the outposts along the coastline of Brazil, sells of whatever ships he can, and tries to get the kingdom back on track, focusing on maintaining their control over their African territories. Most of the people who were sent to Brazil return, if they can, but many also decide to stay and live among the natives there.
Mid-1300s: The Blackfoot Empire rises to prominence over the Midwest, dominating the entire region on horseback. They were little more than a particularly large nomadic army until they conquered the Western Coast of Columbia, giving them massive farmlands (cultivated by a mix of East Asian and native people), extensive access to fishing, and a seat of power in what would one day become the great city of Shamokawa. After conquering much of the west, the Blackfoot Empire would turn east and forming vassal states along the extent of what they can rule, most notably the Muscogee Vassal.
The Blackfoot Empire would only last roughly sixty years before collapsing itself. The remnants of the empire all controlled powerful regional states. One of the most notably of which was ruled the area around the Rio Grande and were known as the Kingdom of the Great River. At one point, they attacked and defeated the Aztec Alliance, crowning their king as Emperor of the Southern Lands, which they keep until the Spanish arrive centuries later.
Early-1400s: The Portuguese, know of a legendary land across the waves named Bakria (which is not a name that the Europeans really take to), after Abubakri. Tristao Vas Teixeira is the first European to land in Vespuccia and begins the Age of Exploration.
The New World as of 1600:
Spain rules over Mexico, much of the Caribbean, New Granada (Colombia and Venezuela), and Peru. Portugal, having been the first nation to reach Vespuccia, controls Brazil (Brazil, Uruguay, and Guyana), as well as Terra Richa (Paraguay and northern Argentina).
The British began colonizing the Eastern Coast of Columbia in the mid-1500s, leading to two stable colonies as of 1600 Virginia and Carolina (North and South Carolina). These lands had two distinct and different social and governmental structures, free cities and noble estates.
Noble estates were given to the landless sons of prestigious nobles, granting them massive tracks of land in the New World. These nobles would live on these estates, far from their homes in Europe, and bring a fairly large number of servants and serfs with them. Due to the inability to bring as many serfs as desired, mainly because the cost was not worth it, the nobles would also purchase slaves from the natives of Columbia and African slaves brought over by the Portuguese. Without a distinct concept of African slavery compared to other kinds, the serfs, native slaves and African slaves were all generally treated under the exact same conditions.
Free cities were mainly large trading posts, entirely built around the drive for profit and usually ruled by the wealthiest families. Free cities were largely independent of the affairs of noble estates, besides relying on those estates for food and crops to sell back to Britain proper.
Columbia of 1776:
The Union of Columbia declares independence from the Kingdom of Britain for many of the same reasons as the Americans did in real life. However, notably differences take place during the revolution.
-RL Canada, being Arelesies Catholic and heretical is not given any equivalent to the Quebec Act and revolts alongside the other colonies.
-George Washington begins the war as Commander-in-Chief, but is killed at the Battle of Fort Washington, being remembered as a pompous, yet honorable, leader.
-Benedict Arnold succeeds at his invasion of Quebec due to massive amounts of local support. Due to his great popularity, he is named as the new Commander-in-Chief by the Continental Congress and, after the war is won and the first Constitutional Convention happens, becomes the first President of Columbia (thus the inspiration for my username).
Some major events throughout Columbian and Vespuccian History in the 1800s:
-The first few generations of serfs end up becoming a race of their own called the Cisors (a corruption of a Latin word meaning tree-cutters). They end up slowly getting emancipated and are generally a minority population in major cities across Columbia.
-Staten Island is made the capital of the new republic, due to the North being stronger in many of the early arguments in politics.
-Without Britain or Russia on the continent at all, Columbia has free reign to expand any way they wish to.
-New Granada declares independence from Spain with strong Columbian backing. Its first official name is the Revolutionary Columbian Republic of New Granada. Simon Bolivar eventually ends up going Napoleon and declaring himself Emperor of the Revolutionary Empire of Vespuccia, which lasts until his death. From then on, New Granada is a somewhat unstable country that is generally a republic but suffers military or imperial coups.
-Peru is much like Canada IOTL, remaining loyal to Spain and slowly becoming more and more independent over time.
-With the Mongols having invaded Columbia and introduced Old World diseases and horses to the natives centuries before European contact, the Native Columbians exist in far greater numbers than Native Americans do IRL.
-Without Britain ruling Canada and with Columbia being a more Northern-focused country that has to give great concessions to the South, there is not as great of a focus on getting rid of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, leading to the Slave Trade lasting until the 1830s. This leads to the population of the South being overwhelmingly of African descent (both black and Cisor).
-The Kingdom of Portugal-Brazil stays together with a moving capital going from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro that eventually stays in Rio de Janeiro. The full name of the country is the United Kingdoms of Portugal, Brazil, the Algarves and Terra-Richa. The nation becomes majority black in Brazil, Terra-Richa, and, eventually, Portugal while Algarves only has a large minority of black people.
-The Federalist Party is formalized into an actual party that lasts for the entirety of Columbian history up until my story takes place. There are eras of challengers to this party, but they last throughout.
-Due to the Federalist Party being very aristocratic, a lot of things that didn't necessarily have public support are done.
-The Spanish-Columbian War takes place in the early 1840s, with Columbia easily conquering their Caribbean holdings and making them territories.
-The All-Mexico Movement wins out in the debate during Mexican-Columbian War in the late 1840s and all of the Empire of Mexico (which is much weaker ITTL due to significant internal unrest) is annexed except for Yucatan and Chiapas, which both become independent republics.
-There is much unrest in the annexed regions of Mexico, especially after all of the lands along the Gulf of Mexico are made into slave territories and all along the Pacific are made free.
-In 1853 William Walker takes control of the United Provinces of Enpuertia (alternate name for Cental America, an amalgomation of words meaning Gateway) during a civil war that was breaking the country apart. After his success, the Union of Columbia pardons him of all crimes and takes Enpuertia as a territory, surrounding the Republics of Yucatan and Chiapas, which are both annexed completely by 1875
-The main political conflict of Columbia until 1856 (when it becomes a military one) is between the moderate, leaning anti-slavery Federalist Party against the pro-slavery Republic Party. It's not until the anti-slavery wing successfully gets one of their own as the Federalist Presidential Nominee that tensions reach a boiling point.
-The American Civil War is replaced by two conflicts, collectively known as the Columbian Wars of Secession. The Republic of Dixie (the South) declares independence in 1856, with the election of John C. Fremont as President of Columbia as a member of the Federalist Party. Fremont is much more radical than Lincoln ever was, quickly making the war about slavery. Aristocrats in Mexico, fearing that the days are numbered for indentured servitude (which is an incredibly popular practice all over Columbia and the equivalent of the 13th Amendment explicitly continues to allow it for that reason) crown one of their own as the new Emperor of Mexico and attempt to secede themselves. Benito Juarez, Melchor Ocamp, and Santos Degollado, who politically oppose the Federalist and Republic Parties, also oppose the insurgent Empire of Mexico. They gain the nickname, the Mexican Republicans for their work in fighting against the Imperialists and attempting to have all of the territories of Mexico added into the Union as states.
-Three term Republic Party president and iconic leader of the party for decades, Henry Clay, gives a speech a few months after Fremont's election where he declares the name of the Republic Party to be permanently tarnished. This is what destroyed the Republic Party.
-After the wars are won by Columbia in 1868, a Constitutional Convention is called. This sets the precedent of calling one after every major conflict (this, the world wars, and after the civil war that is the focus of my story). The decisions at this convention shape Columbia forever.
-Those who took up arms against Columbia are stripped of their right to vote or run for office. This causes a mass migration of white Southerners and white Mexicans (generally aristocratic leaders and poor or middle class soldiers) out of their homelands to an unorganized territory north of Texas. Due to the lack of incorporation as a state, they are able to vote and run for office in territories. They create what is originally called the Territory of New Dixie, a sprawling land that takes up most of the southern Midwest. It is eventually incorporated as a state by the name of Meridia.
-In the late 1870s, following decades of unrest, the largest slave revolt ever begins in Brazil in the Kingdom of Portugal-Brazil. Due to enslaved black people being the plurality throughout almost all of the country(combine this number with free black people and you reach a majority of the population), this revolt quickly spreads and becomes a revolution. When a man by the name of Mathius Alivre (The Free) won the siege of Rio de Janeiro it was clear that slavery was coming to an end in Portugal-Brazil.
In an attempt to keep out of the conflict, several prominent aristocrats in mainland Portugal declared the independent Republic of Portugal, with themselves as its governing council. This government only lasted for three months before a small army of former slaves docked in Portugal and rode across the countryside, gathering numbers to attacked the location where the council met in Porto.
Around the same time back in Brazil, Mathius declared himself Emperor of Lusitania (a common name for Portugal-Brazil at the time), and united the freemen of the union of kingdoms. He was much more of an autocratic ruler compared to any of the recent Kings of Portugal-Brazil, but used that power to make sweeping changes to how the entire society of this Trans-Atlantic empire operated.
Major events of Europe:
-Instead of the Protestant Reformation, there are splits within Catholicism itself. Wycliffite Catholicism is British Catholicism, based off of the beliefs of the Lollards. Wendish Catholicism is the Commonwealth's religion, based off of the beliefs of the Hussites. Ulmist Catholicism is Deutch and based off of the Lutherans. Arelesies Catholicism is French and based off of the Avignon Papacy. Jesuit Catholicism is dominant in the Spanish New World, but not back on the continent. This eventually drives the Revolution of New Granada forward.
-A much more powerful Poland unites the Kingdoms of Poland, Bohemia, and Lithuania into the Commonwealth in the 1300s.
-Oliver Cromwell is crowned King of Britain (with the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, along with their ruler numbers, no longer recognized) and reforms the Wycliffite Church to fit more into Puritan values. King Oliver I is succeeded by King Henry I followed by King Henry II, King Thomas I, King Oliver II, Queen Elizabeth II (with queens having to be co-rulers, she is co-ruler to Ernest Augustus), King Regent Ernest Augustus, King George I (George V of Hanover IRL), King George II (George V's son ITTL), and King Thomas II (George V's grandson ITTL).
-Novgorod unites a far smaller and weaker Russia, with Southern European Russia being a Tatar state called Qasimstan and the lands east of the Ural Mountains forming a loose alliance that eventually unites into the Tatar Federation (which Qasimstan and Mongolia are not a part of)
-Napoleon invades and defeats Britain, forcing the sitting king to abdicate in favor of his son, with Napoleon putting a relative in charge as the boy's regent (which is the same thing he did in Spain ITTL). Napoleon rules until his death and the Bonapartes rule France perpetually (eventually being reduced to the level of power that the modern monarchs of Britain have).
-The Revolutions of 1848 happen somewhat differently. They begin in 1849, with the Spanish Revolution instead of another French Revolution. Due to this, different words and ideas relating to radical left-wing politics become important. Instead of socialism (which IOTL refers to moderate reform in favor of workers and the poor in favor of a social democracy) we have Igalism (a corruption of the Spanish word for equal). Instead of communism we have Abrierism (a corruption of the Spanish word for laborer), which is significantly different. It emphasizes the syndicalist aspects of its ideal government in practice as well as on paper (like how the Soviet Union was named for being a union of farming collectives).
-The Deutch Revolution is incredibly successful and, for a short time, unites the country under Kriegenism (a very nationalistic offshoot of Abrierism that serves as this world's anarchism, a not-nearly-as-popular alternative to mainstream left-wing radicalism).
A couple of more notes:
-Electricity is never invented (biggest point)
-The Ottoman Empire never existed and Venice rises to prominence over the Balkans instead (for a time)
-There are three world wars:
The First World War (1899-1907) is kind of like the First World War IOTL (The Entente, lead by France and Spain against the Eastern Powers, lead by Deutchland, the Commonwealth, and Novgorod), except Columbia does not get involved (Lusitania does though)
The Second World War (1913-1918) is between Zakan (a fascist-like ideology that began in Novgorod's Russia and lead to a massive war across all of Europe) Nations (Russia, Qasimstan, and the Tatar Federation) and the Second Entente (France, Spain, Lusitania, Columbia, and China)
The Third World War (1938-1944) (which happens about ten years before my story) is mainly between Columbia and China (with Lusitania and France joining Columbia) and ends in a Columbian victory, but China proves to be next to impossible for them to occupy
[Britain stays neutral during all World Wars]
-The two superpowers to emerge from all of this are Columbia and Lusitania
-The Civil War breaks out after twelve years of do-nothing administrations while the Occupation of China is failing, a plague that emerged from China is ravaging the country (started roughly two years into the war, 1940), and this world's Great Depression began in 1947 (three years after the war)
-The most recent presidents were:
Albert Porter (1896-1900) - Populist Party
Adlai Stevenson (1900-1908) - Federalist Party
Eugene V. Debs (1908-1916) - Igalist Party
Charles Hueys (1916-1928) - Federalist Party
Alfred Smith (1928-1936) - Federalist Party
Huey Long (1936-1944) - Federalist Party
John Garner (1944-1952) - Federalist Party
Joseph Kennedy (1952 President Elect - assassinated) - Federalist Party
Richard Russell (1952-1955 - assassinated) - Federalist Party
What I am trying to do is really figure out the cultural ramifications of all of these things. As I am writing the story, I feel as though what I have been writing is too close to what the real world is like. They have no electricity, there have been three horrendous world wars in living memory, and Columbia itself has completely gone to hell. I would love to hear any ideas on how to really convey that. I decided to throw in a bunch of facts that are in the world but don't have much to do with the story itself because I'd love for that to add some more flavor.
Thank-you for any responses you can give.
EDIT: If you have any questions about the world or whatever, please let me know. There is a lot I skipped and more that I am going to add when I get the chance.