The City of Water:A Venetian TL (Discontinued: See V2 in Industrial Progress: A Story Of Venetian..)

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Lucius Verus

Banned
The Dogale and The Francorum Rex

Best described by a Venetian Patrician as being chained to an elephant the Venetian alliance with France has carried the Republic far but also to uncertain waters. Roughly matched between Venice and Barcelona Lothaire de Foix was the deciding factor against Neapolitan intervention against Venice and ultimately Venetian victory. From the spoils of war Aragonite Egypt was acquired, Aragonite mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean lost, and Venetian commercial goals accomplished. The French in turn were able to reclaim Roussillon, impose a massive annual indemnity on Barcelona, and claimed the prestige of being the guardians of the holy land.

But it wasn't enough for the ruthlessly intelligent Lothaire who saw the peace as a truce, deducing that just like the last Aragonite-French war the Aragonites would attempt to reclaim the province when France was weak and thus he resolved to break the Aragonites once in for all. It wasn't long before Lothaire was once again at war with Burgundy and Aragon and the Venetians obligated to assist.

With the knowledge of star forts mostly confined to the Po Valley the Venetians sent assistance in the form of its Combat Engineers and countless companies of the Sons of Mars. Unlike the first Venetian-Aragonite war the wars fought with France afterwards were mostly without commercial value and more geared towards French designs; Venetian trade was repeated disrupted by opportunistic German lords and Aragonite pirates and Venice was excluded from Iberian and German trade for decades. Nonetheless both France and Venice had poor reputations throughout Christendom and they complimented each other indirectly, Venice provided a secure flank for France and allowed it to concentrate its naval efforts in the Atlantic while France provided much needed land power and protection for Venetian Egypt. Stronger together the two states came together to further their own divergent goals.[1]






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[1]IOTL the star forts of Italy was well known due to all the foreign armies that fought there and subsequently in demand due to the fame. ITTL the star forts of the Po Valley has mostly been peaceful with the exception of the Hungarians which didn't adopt them.
 

Lucius Verus

Banned
The Pax Aeterna and the Thirteen Regions of the Republic

Part 2 of 4
Venetian_Republic_Regions.png

Old Terra Firma

The Language, History, and Geography of Old Terra Firma

Bordered by the Alps to the North Old Terra Firma is first and foremost a land of rolling plains streaked by gentle streams. An land of mills, workshops, and vineyards Old Terra Firma is the domain of nobles, signori (dictators), and the occasional bishop. Rife with factions, ancient feuds, and religious disagreements the senate in Asolo even has an arena for ritual dueling. At peace for over two centuries the region is nearly as wealthy as the Venetians. Unlike the metropolitan beehive that is Venice most of the region is a divide between rural and urban with the rich and powerful preferring the former. Considered full partners in the Venetian Republic the nobles of Old Terra Firma are afforded considerable autonomy and respect and are the only region of the Republic allowed to raise and host its own armies. The first among many the region has over the centuries gradually come to adopt their own dialects of Venetian.

The Venetos (Venetians speakers but not citizens) consider the Venetians vain, materialistic, and indulgent whereas the Venetians consider the Venetos prudes, stubborn, reserved, and vain as well. Regardless of what each side actually was there is always a hint of truth in stereotypes. The Veneto rich prefer to live in relative isolation on their own estates and while they take care of their residence and they do not bother painting a tapestry on their homes for display like Venetians in Venice. From centuries of tradition the Venetos are more reserved and ritualistic in their day to day interactions whereas the Venetians are communal and sanguine. Yet in contrast to their differences there are several times a year when the Venetos become more vain, uninhibited, and indulgent than the Venetians during the numerous sports competitions held throughout the year.

From humble beginnings of spontaneous games of weary workers relaxing after a day's work sports have transitioned into massive festivals with sponsors and official backing as holidays. Fueled by local pride and leisure time afforded by rising incomes the citizens of Terra Firma pour their heart and soul into the sports competitions each year as work is put on hold and entire regions travel to watch their teams compete. The sports range from the team sports such as Calcio (mob football), Tennis, and Pallone (fist volleyball) to the sports of champions in archery, dueling, animal fighting, and seed spitting. [1]


The Economy and Infrastructure of Old Terra Firma

Like most of the Po Valley the lower regions of Old Terra Firma does not receive much rain but rather down flow from precipitation in the Alps further North. Blessed with rich soils, wealth, easy access to German markets, and an industrious mindset the region yields bountiful harvests, some of the best wine in the Republic, and the finest smiths in the Republic. Well populated and industrious the region has extensive civilian infrastructure as well as military fortifications in the North.


The Food of Old Terra Firma

Similar to Venice the food of Old Terra Firma is vegetarian in nature supplemented by fish, bread, and generous helpings of sugar and spice. Seen as a necessity of high-class food and a status symbol the region has adopted numerous tastes of the east from nutmeg, pepper, and tarragon in the 12th century, ginger and cloves in the 13th century. Much like Venice the people of Old Terra Firma have went out of their way to bring color in their clothes and food to appeal to the eye and tongue. Known for its crayfish and eels the region is locked in a bitter contest with their Venetians cousins to claim the title of the best seafood chefs. [2]


Paduan Region

The History of the Paduan Region

Much to the annoyance of its citizens outside of Padua the region was named after the city of Padua; the traditional estate of the Carrara family, much hated adversary of Venice, and the most well-known city in the region to Venetians at the time. Numerous attempts to change the name and at the regional senate have failed due to disagreements among the other communes, everyone can agree upon changing the name just not what the new name should be. The region was annexed in the aftermath of Galeazzo Visconti's war and death, unlike New Terra Firma the region retains a higher degree of autonomy due to the circumstances of its annexation; this is to say while the threat of Visconti's sons was still present.


The Geography and Infrastructure of the Paduan Region

A land of hills and fertile valleys the Paduan region has seen extensive improvement as marshes are drained and canals built. Usually sunny the valley is undergoing new and untested agricultural development with something old and familiar. Majestic aqueducts are constructed across the land as the Venetian Republic attempts to make the hills of the valley arable. Located at the mouth of the Po and Adige rivers the Paduan Region is the gateway to the Adriatic and hosts an extensive infrastructure network.

Of particular interest is the town of Comacchio, located just south of Chioggia the city has been described as the poorer Venice. A similar town of canals and merchants Comacchio was never allowed to develop like Venice, lacked the moat that is the lagoon, and most importantly was burned down by the Venetians in the 12th century. Regardless of its wealth the town's extensive canals and watercraft travel bears an uncanny resemblance to Venice.


The Language of the Paduan Region

Much like Old Terra Firma the region hosts a Venetian majority and a small minority of Emiliano speakers exists in the southern reaches of the Paduan Region. The language is a result of Venetian economic hegemony since the 10th century and formal Venetian rule in the 15th century.[3]


The Food of the Paduan Region

A particular local speciality is wine from the Euganean hills, gifted with volcanic soils the region is known for white wines of exceptional sweetness and quality. Similar to Venetian cooking the diet is heavily vegetarian with fish, bread, and rice supplemented by sweets and spices. While plain the dish of rice and peas has become so common place that the local word for food has the same pronunciation as rice and peas and that one asking for food is assumed to mean rice and peas by default.

Trent District

The History of the Trent District

Formerly the Bishopric of Trent the region was conquered by second generation republican exiles in Venice in 1454. Since then the region has more or less been ignored exception by the Venetian military and the merchant community. Under the direct supervision of the Venetian Senate the region is not represented in the senate and is also administered by a committee due to its military value.


The Economy and Infrastructure of Trent

Home to lucrative silver mines and some of the few passes through the Alps the region is modestly travelled and militarily important with a dense network of infrastructure and fortifications used mostly by the military and merchants.

The district is dominated by the Alpine mountains interrupted by forests of great pines. While they receive moderate amounts of rain only the rare valleys are fertile and thus the region remains sparsely populated.


The Language of Trent

Due to the number of Germans as well as the regular interaction with the empire the region's language is a mix of German, Ladin (Venetian-related), Mòcheno and Cimbrian (Bavarian).


The Food of Trent

Due to its proximity to the Empire the food of Trent shows distinct German influences evident in their love of pork and fried foods. In fact this may be the only region of the Republic that indulges in such heavy eating outside of Lombardi.






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[1] More or less a smattering of sports played at the time given money and organization,
[2]OTL's favorites
[3]Just as OTL there wasn't a standardized language, but the locals could understand each other well enough.
 
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Lucius Verus

Banned
The Great Accident
Part 1
(Christian Kingdoms in the New World during the 16th century)

Overseas Map of the Portuguese Empire During the 16th Century
Portuguese_Empire_1500_1600.png

*I'd like to ask for feedback on the new map style. Yes? No? Why?
And before you say it a world map is done but, it contains too many spoilers.​


The Early Years

Nicknamed the Great Accident the arrival of the Atlantic Kingdoms in the New World was unintentional from the start. First discovered by Portuguese sailors waylaid by Trade winds the "Grandes Bancos" (Grand Banks, Newfoundland) was only frequented by fishermen that only ventured ashore to dry their fish. It was only in the 1520s that the Portuguese crown took a fleeting interest in the Americas. Splitting the New World into noble titles the fiefs were donated to nobles with the expectation that the nobles cultivated and administered the land, a thrifty and optimistic project which ended in failure due to a lack of noble interest with most of the land reverting back to the crown.[1]

It was the Knight Order of Saint James that finally managed to create the first permanent settlements in Brazil so named after the lucrative Brazil wood that the region produced. Taking advantage of the region's tropical climate the Knights managed to replicate the success of Maderia's sugar plantations. Enslaving the primitive natives as labour it was soon evident that the natives were ill suited to the task due to their high fatality rate and the use of Negros substitutes soon became the norm, even still the mortality rate for Negro slaves was atrocious and a constant supply was required. Tapping into an existing slave trade on the Ivory Coast the Portuguese bartered textile and metallurgical goods for gold, pepper, ivory and now even more slaves. While the islands of Sao Tome, Maderia, the Canaries, and the Azores were already importers of slaves the sheer amount of land available in Brazil and the potential slave demand meant that the rulers of the Ivory Coast suddenly found their people more valuable as commodities than tools of that ruler; the implications of this is unclear and the few Venetians and Tartars that could provide an answer are ignored. Cheery-picking from Venetian ideas the slaves of Portugal became were made into a permanent social class whose status is inherited through the generations and legally considered property of their owners.[2]

As the years passed, the Portuguese steadily settled southward towards the Pampas plains. Temperate and fertile the Pampas plains was described by Portuguese farmers as the Garden of Eden for its bounty and bliss. Over the decades the Pampas plains gradually became the land of opportunity for many in Castile and Portugal. The common adage was "escravos norte, colono sul" (slaves go north to Brazil, settlers go south to Pampas) reflecting a demographic pattern which is considered by many historians the largest and most persistent influence on the continent to this day.

Despite the numerous Castilian-Portuguese wars, there was a lack of an official Castilian presence in the New World due to more urgent concerns back in Christendom and the threat of Portuguese piracy. Yet it was all the same as countless Castilian adventurers went to the New World through the Knight Order of Saint James, a practice that the manpower-strapped Portuguese crown turned a blind eye to. Much like the Portuguese explorations of the Ivory coast a century ago organized explorations in the west tapered off as the Portuguese focused their efforts on Brazil. While there was still opportunistic adventures that ventured into the Amazon and up and down the Brazilian coast little came of their efforts except for the Carib fiasco.[3]


The Carib fiasco

Fueled by the promise of prestige and wealth an unofficial crusade was launched by entrepreneuring adventures to conquer, plunder, and enslave the Carib islands. With their primitive ways the natives stood little chance against the invaders and the Cariab islands was under the banner of the Knight Order of Saint James within a year. Those that conquered the islands were rough men of a mercenary disposition without knowledge of administration or agriculture and sought to replicate the success of Brazil's plantations. It was for three economic reasons that the venture was ultimately a failure.
  1. Having the ideal climate Brazil was so abundant in potential plantation land that the newly conquered land was relatively worthless.
  2. By the virtue of proximity Brazil was easier to travel to, safer to travel to, and mostly importantly closer to markets back in Christendom.
  3. Brazil had an existing infrastructure that facilitated further investments, the Caribbean on the other hand was virgin land.
Ultimately, after the initial plundering the Caribbean was depopulated, abandoned, and treated like the endless stretches of worthless jungle that the New World had in abundance. Two outposts were left behind for wayward ships and to enforce Portuguese claims but they eventually fell into disrepair and was abandoned during the 4th Castilian-Portuguese war.[4]


Future Parts:

The Devil's Empire: Portuguese accounts of the land of death, decay, and pestilence hidden in the mountains and ruled by an immortal emperor of death.

The Christians of Brazil: culture, economy, and demographics of Brazil and Pampas

Vous aussi? : Accounts of the remaining Atlantic Kingdoms in the New World






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[1]Just as OTL
[2]Similar to OTL but with a greater religious and Castilian presence in Brazil.
[3]Unlike OTL's Spanish presence in the New World OTL's Castilian presence is unofficial and directed south through Portuguese possessions.
[4]Similar to OTL but conducted under the Portuguese crown instead of the Spanish, though many of the adventurers were Castilian in origin. IOTL many of the early explorers were militarily skilled and economically and administratively incompetent. These were not settlers but conquerors.
 

fsponholz

Nice map.
Portuguese colonisation methods leave a lot to be desired as OTL.
Seeing your map the colonisation effort is in the region where most gold was found OTL in Brazil. If they find it ITTL the gold rush will be ugly I think.
 

Sceonn

Well, if Brazil isn't set up for an eventual Slave rebellion I don't know what is. The North is difficult to conquer in the best of days, a Black majority wouldn't make that any easier. Also encourages the development of a creole language rather than Portuguese.
 

Lucius Verus

Banned
The Pax Aeterna and the Thirteen Regions of the Republic

Part 3 of 4

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The Lombardi Region

The History, Geography, and Politics of the Lombardi Region

Named after the Longobards that ruled the region for over two centuries the Lombardi region. Originally a swampy land with broken river passages it took three centuries of labour and ingenuity from the 12th-15th century to transform the region into prime farmland and to make its rivers navigable. Dominated by the Visconti family the Duchy of Milan was exhausted during the Italian Wars (1350-1437) and brought to the brink of starvation as the waterworks and infrastructure that fed the region was damaged and neglected. Annexed by the Compact of Bergamo (1437) the region almost managed to regain its former wealth and influence before the French invasion during the Holy League of Pope Mark II (1480). Given over a century of peace after Pope Mark's Holy League the region has finally gotten back on its feet and has taken its traditional role as a regional influence.

Like much of Western Terra Firma the region's senate has considerable control over economic and religious policy but, it doesn't have the military control Old Terra Firma has. Furthermore considerable portions of Western Terra Firma was snatched up at starvation sale prices in the wake of the Compact of Bergamo, a fact reflected in large numbers of Venetian owned estates and businesses in the region today. Located in Milan the regional senate is split between landowners, urban guilds, the Faber Family, and the Venetian trade houses that jumps from ship to ship seeking the best deal.


The Economy and Infrastructure of the Lombardi Region

The Lombardi region is a major producer of silk, foodstuffs, textiles, leatherworks, and by sheer population and industry a lot of everything else. Originally a land of marshes extensive aqua civilian infrastructure spans the rich and populous region while the home base of the Sons of Mars ensures extensive military facilities.


The Language of the Lombardi Region

The language in the region is dominated by a Lombard majority with sprinkles of Venetian, Emiliano, Piedmontese, Occitan, and Provencal from the surrounding regions. In a surprising turn of events classical Latin is making a return with a heavy Lombardi influence due to the romantic fascination with classical culture.[1]


The Milano Renaissance

Traditionally, the cities of the Po Valley gave half-hearted lip service to their Roman roots with claims to roman glory backed by little but words. Prior to the 16th century most Roman artefacts & ruins were sold for a pittance, recycled, or simply discarded but the Fabers and factions of the Cooperators have revived demand for relics of the past with soaring monetary rewards. Celebrating the ideals of order, patience, endurance, honor, prudence, and above all logic a stoic Milano counter-culture was born against the backdrop of Venetian values with a romantic longing for the past. Contrary to Venetian stereotypes a substantial Venetian community has grown within Milan repulsed by what they perceive as Venetian decadence.

Socially the Milano Renaissance has also come with strict enforcement of social classes dividing people by birth, class, and wealth into numerous categories and sub-categories each with duties and specific codes of conduct.

Roman architecture has also made a comeback within the region characterized by symmetry, proportion, and geometry. Unlike the gothic architecture further North the Milano Renaissance emphasized the horizontal instead of the vertical with massive solid arches and dooms supported by thick sturdy columns that instilled a sense of awe, presence, and power.

Unintentionally, the Milano Renaissance also paved the way for military innovations (or rediscoveries depending on perspective) in the form of a standardized military. Organization tables, field hospitals, professional officers and more were torn from the history books and transplanted to the Sons of Mars. This combined with a do-or-die culture within the Sons of Mars has led to a black and white Aristotelian logic with little room for ambiguity as well as an obsession with homosexuality and dominance.[2]


The Food of the Lombardi Region

If there's anything to say about the Lombardi palate it is that they are heavy eaters, heavy on meat, heavy on dairy, and heavy on desert. Unlike the rest of the Republic the Lombardi aren't predisposed to vegetables seeing them as compliments and sides to a main dish. In fact the Lombardi are such fans of dairy that they have a strategic cheese reserve as well as cheese banks that finances cheese-makers while storing the cheese as collateral.[3]


The Emiliano Region

The History, Geography, and Politics of the Emiliano Region

The most fertile lands of the Republic the Emiliano region has long been defined by the road that has shaped the region. Running along its length the ancient Roman road "Via Aemilia" connects with six of the eight major cities along its length and gave the region its namesake. For the longest time the region's borders were undefined until the Este dynasty managed to unite the region for over 150 years. It is during this time of stability that the region gained a common culture and sense of identity under the Este family.

Emiliano is unique as the only Terra Firma region without a regional senate, instead the descendants of the Este dynasty rules as vassals of the Republic as agreed to in the Compact of Bergamo. In place of a regional senate the Este court serves as a venue for everyday requests and complaints. In the last few decades the Este family has been increasingly delegating responsibility to handpicked ministers in response to great workloads. Considered decent administrators the Este family are allowed considerable leeway and the right to levee special lancieri (policemen) that are not labeled military troops. Fervent patrons of art and music the Este family are also the first patrons of an earthquake observatory in the aftermath of the earthquake of 1570; a particularly destructive earthquake that leveled more than half the city. Nonetheless the Este Family was able to restore the city of Ferrara and even expand its own domains.

Connected to the Republic of Ancona region by proximity and the Via Aemilia roadway the region was also the only region of Terra Firma to expand during the 15th century. Like the mythical Phoenix the Republic of Ancona rose from the fall of the Papal States to the Kingdom of Naples. Unknown to Venice the Este family took advantage of its existing contacts in neighbouring Ancona inciting a "revolt" that it prompted "crushed" to "restore order". Much to the displeasure of the invading Neapolitans, the Venetian senate was more concerned with greed than the potential of war with a weaker kingdom. In the end this blatant land grab secured the Republic of Ancona as a vassal of the Este Family and indirectly an indirect client of the Venetian Republic but it also cemented Neapolitan attitudes towards Venice and began the ageless bitter North-South rivalry on the peninsula. [4]


The Economy and Infrastructure of the Emiliano Region

Blessed with rich soils and spared from most of the French invasion during the Holy League of Pope Mark II (1480) the Emilano region is vibrantly wealthy. Well diversified in almost every industry the region's industries are uniformly distributed in rural villas and urban centers. The Emiliano region is known as a hub for artists, actors, and poets as the rich, led by the Este family spend fortunes to distinguish themselves. Unlike the rest of Terra Firma the Emilian region does not have significant rivers and instead relies on an extensive system of roads that span the region like spider webs.[5]


The Language of the Emiliano Region

The center of the Emilian language the region is also host to minorities of Romagnolo, Venetian, Piedmontese, and Occitan. The Emilian language was the second language after Venetian to be codified and while Venetian Printing Houses set the standards in Emilano the Este royal court was the defining factor in setting standards.


The Food of the Emilano Region

The Emilano Region is known for the saying "bread and butter" for those are the two favorite staples of the region, in fact they are so common that the phrase itself came to mean "the essential basic". The Emilanos are known for liking it salty and it comes without surprise that their favorite dish is fired and salty eels; a dish that is often used to tease Lombardis that are unaccustomed to picking out eel bones. This practice of teasing Lombardis has over the ages unintentionally led to the deaths of two Lombardi senators due to choking.


The Bergamo-Mantua Region

The History, Culture, and Politics of the Bergamo-Mantua Region

Originally created to limit the influence of a regional Milano senate the region of Bergamo-Mantua is in many ways the chimera of the Republic. Situated in the middle of the Po Valley between the economic and cultural centers of Milan, Venice, and Parma. While the political center is located at Bergamo due to historic choices the cultural and economic focus of the region is concentrated in the city of Mantua. Borrowing the idea of allocated seats from Old Terra Firma the regional senate is allocated by class with nobles retaining 1/2 of the seats, clergy 1/2, and the rich 1/2 which combined with the Venetian practice of random draw meant that only a few dozen of the 150% of seats are every involved in a decision through random draw. Much like Lombardi the region has been enthralled in Romantic culture, but unlike Lombardi who are enamoured with the Romans and the Greeks the Bergami are fascinated with the ancient culture of the Cantons. Philosophies of "Confucio and Laozi" are debated from a Christian perspective in Bergami barbershops while artists try to imitate Cantonese styles and potters frustrate themselves trying to duplicate the porcelain process.[6]


The Food of the Bergamo-Mantua Region

If there was one thing that was always in style in the Bergamo-Mantua Region it would be novelty, unlike Venice's fascination with the East the Bergamo-Mantua Region treats all foods foreign with naive excitement. Of course the food of the common person is limited to bread and vegetables supplemented by cheese and meat the richer members of the region pursues foreign palates with gusto. The current flavor of the year is the "xigânte dodo", a massive & flightless bird obtained by Venetian poachers on the island of "Ìxola Socrate" off the East African Coast.


The Economy and Infrastructure of the Bergamo-Mantua Region

Having escaped a good deal of the destruction of the Italian wars and of the Holy League of Pope Mark the region was briefly hurt by a two decade recession as the Portuguese dominated Indian trade early 1500s but recovered swiftly afterwards as trade reoriented towards France and the Polish-Lithuanian Union. The region hosts productive farms, a thriving aqua-cultural scene, and

The Language of the Bergamo-Mantua Region

Dominated by a large Lombard majority in the plains alongside a sizable Venetian minority the Northern regions are also home to small populations of Ladin and German speakers.[7]







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[1]IOTL 16th century Milan was heavily French influenced, something only exaggerated ITTL by the Franco-Venetian Alliance. IOTL most of the European nations had loads of regional languages, unfortunately lost over the centuries.
[2]Very similar to OTL's palate.
[3]IOTL a lot of Roman organizational techniques were re-introduced by the Dutch, ITTL it was slightly beat by nostalgic romantics in Lombardi.
[4]IOTL a combination of Papal intrigue and destruction by the earthquake destroyed Ferrara's economy, reputation, and left the city to obscurity and mediocrity till the 19th century. ITTL the Este family has a lot more resources to recover from.
[5]One of the truly landlocked regions of the Republic IOTL and ITTL that does not have the Alpines rivers to provide transport.
[6]IOTL the Ming Empire experienced something similar to the renaissance, in contrast to a millennia of innovation the eunuchs, nobles, and scholar bureaucrats of the empire became romantically enamoured and hostile to change and closed to new ideas.
[7]Similar to OTL
 

Lucius Verus

Banned
The Great Accident Part II

World_map_1600s.png

A Map of Christian Colonies by 1600​

Following in the steps of the Basque & the Portuguese the French are the second largest population of Christians in the New World. Like their Basque competitors the Bretons were lured to the Grand Banks by the allure of bountiful catches and as the number of ships increased it was soon profitable to include trading missions with the natives with minor settlements near the Grand Banks. Unlike the Portuguese the main impetus of French colonization was the hostility of the French court to Bretons and a desire for religious freedom. Strong and devote Catholics the Bretons always saw the Gallicanism of the French state church to be heretical, especially as the "false" Papacy once again took refuge in Avignon after being exiled from the Papal States in 1511. In defiance to the crown the Bretons supported the Burgundian pope which in combination with harsh French oppression led to significant numbers of migrants to the New World. [1]

Unlike the Portuguese and Castilians that were driven by better prospects the Bretons were mostly political refugees as French oppression intensified every decade or two that France was at war with Burgundy. Driven south from the Grand Banks settlements by harsh winters the Bretons found relatively empty lands populated by semi-nomadic natives. In contrast to the plantations in Portuguese colonies the French colonies were mostly self-sustaining agricultural communities that had little use for slave labour but a need to acquire fertile land. With the arrival of the French colonies most of the neighbouring native communities were decimated due to a combination of disease, intra-tribal conflict, social disintegration, and the new sin of alcoholism. Seen by the French crown as an outlet for the most rebellious Bretons the region is autonomous and only nominally French territory. Free from much of the war, disease, and malnutrition of the old world the Bretons thrived in numbers and spirit. While the inhabitants of New France would much rather prefer the name New Brittany, such a reckless act would be akin to open revolt against Paris and they have instead settled for the name "New Breton… Under France". Life within New Bretonwas simple, steady, and revolved around its churches where people worshipped and socialized. Nominally under Papal Authority of Burgundy sheer distance and apathy has led to an independent branch of clergy administering New Breton.[2]

Further North in the "Andrata River Valley" named so by an eccentric Scottish explorer after an ancient Celtic goddess of fertility, in what would be considered heresy in the Old World has become a point of pride and tradition within New Ireland. Due to their allegiance with Burgundy the Scottish are forced to stay clear of their protector's enemy France and her colonies and instead endure the harsh winters of the North. Lured to New Ireland by the promise of land and economic deprivation at home the Scottish of the New World are fewer in number as only the region only offers employment to fur traders and farmers willing to tolerate the harsh winters. Unlike the Bretons further south the Scottish are primarily male adventurers hoping to make enough to return to the duchy of Ireland and those that stay often marry with native women earning themselves the name of "whitebreads" for a hereditary wheat & alcoholic intolerance inherited from a common ancestor.[3]

In the final years of the century the French, Burgundians, Hamburgers & Hamburgerins of Hamburg, Scottish, and Danish have taken an interest in the Carib islands for their plantation potential for sugar and have settled various islands as a result. Initially settled by indentured servants and the poor the arrival of large organized plantations backed by rich investors and slave labour has forced many of the original settlers to migrate to New Breton and Andrata. Occasionally an island or two would switch hands due to wars and trades back in Europe but overall the region is secure if only due to French, Danish, and Burgundian apathy of their New World territories. If not for the sugar tariffs, the region would be considered a military and economic drain on their host kingdoms.[4]






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[1]A bit of an anachronism as Gallicanism IOTL was a concept from 17th century France, ITTL the idea was accepted earlier due to the continued papal schism.
[2]ITTL the Duchy of Brittany is currently considered occupied land of the Duchy of Burgundy which the Duchess of Brittany inherited in name although the reverse is true in practice.
[3]ITTL the European beaver was depleted a few decades earlier which in combination with an insightful Scottish merchant who realised the value of American beaver led to Scottish couriers
[4]Similar to OTL, plenty of minor powers took colonies but keeping them is another matter entirely.
 

demonman24

This TL is amazing! I'm not quite caught up yet, but I really love the emphasis on economic history! @Irene Are you in the field, or do you just have a really keen interest in the subject?
 

Lucius Verus

Banned
demonman24 said:
This TL is amazing! I'm not quite caught up yet, but I really love the emphasis on economic history! @Irene Are you in the field, or do you just have a really keen interest in the subject?
Click to expand...

Aww thanks. A bit of both really, I studied enough econ to know that I didn't want a job in statistics and I just like economic history.
 
umbrieus

umbrieus

I am really enjoying this TL. You have been quite thorough in the various political, cultural and economic aspects of the TL. I'm looking forward to the next part.
 

Lucius Verus

Banned
umbrieus said:
I am really enjoying this TL. You have been quite thorough in the various political, cultural and economic aspects of the TL. I'm looking forward to the next part.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I'm currently putting this TL on hold. It was getting too unwieldy and I've made enough factual mistakes that I don't feel right building on so many false premises. I might come back if the inspiration strikes, we'll see.
 
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