Preface
PREFACE
I would begin by expressing my gratitude to everyone in this vibrant and knowledgeable community for encouraging and inspiring me to actualise this idea. As a long-time alternate history hobbyist, I have been reading forum discussions and stories for a few years. I always want to write my own timeline and have compiled a long list of ideas which I wish I would have the chance to share with you in the future.
British history has always been a common trope on this forum, with a great focus on the War of Roses, the Tudor Period, and the Victorian Era. What is often overlooked is the long 18th century which is intriguing in its own way. The influence of this period on the course of the 19th and 20th centuries cannot be understated since it was a pivotal period in the foundation of the British Empire. The Royal Navy gained primacy in the seven seas. Its victory over France in the Seven Years’ War not only hastened the conquest of large swathes of North America and India but also consolidated its position as the unrivalled global hegemon. Domestically, this era brought revolutionary changes to the political and economic lives. The parliamentary system stabilised and accumulated much power, effectively performing its function to check the monarch’s powers. An independent cabinet system also emerged, where ministers were no longer solely the monarch's right-hand men but became answerable to elected delegates. It was said that the power dynamic between the crown and the ruling class had reached a peaceful equilibrium following the violent bloodletting of the 17th century. The creation of financial institutions like the Bank of England represented early forms of capitalism which paved the way to the industrial revolution. A new educated and prosperous merchant class appeared in cities like London where its ports were connected to markets as far as India and China.
The geopolitics of the European Continent also shifted drastically over the course of the century. In sharp contrast to Britain, the inability of the French ruling class to embrace substantial political and economic reforms resulted in the downfall of the absolute monarchy in 1789. The revolutionary wars that came after consumed much of Europe for twenty years. In Germany, the internal balance of power was shattered as the preeminence of Austria in the Holy Roman Empire was challenged by a rising Prussia which had transformed into a centralised and efficient military machine. Prussian victories in 1742, 1745 and 1763 confirmed its status as a great power which eventually led to the German unification. Contrary, Austria’s surprising defeats marked the beginning of its long decline, cumulating in its complete expulsion from Germany altogether in 1866. Poland, the Netherlands, and Sweden, once well-respected powers in the 17th century, were knocked off the pedestal. On the other hand, Russia, once regarded as a half-Asian blackwater state on the fringes of civilised Europe, rose to become an Eastern giant through its aggressive conquests in Northeastern Europe and the Ukraine. Its menace could be felt as far as London and Paris. There were also visible changes in European societies. Enlightened philosophers and their ideals reshaped administration and their emphasis on reason laid the intellectual groundwork for common notions of liberty and democracy; The feudal political structure inherited from the Middle Ages was supplanted by a centralised bureaucracy which diminished the powers and privileges of the nobility; Advances in weaponry and tactics made it possible to field larger armies; And the ever-changing alliances, known as the ‘Stately Quadrille’, made politics unpredictable and thrilling.
In such an eventual century, there is no doubt countless points of divergence that could alter the course of history, whether it may be the outcome of a battle or the survival of a monarch. I hope to explore an alternate 18th century, but taking the road less travelled, rather than indulging in another timeline about a French victory in the Five Years’ War [1] or the American Rebellion [2]. Writing an alternate history story about Britain in the 18th century is a less popular choice, probably because it was less dramatic than, for example, Henry VIII and his wives, or the epic struggle between Yorkists and Lancastrians. Nevertheless, it was a significant period which serves as the premise of my timeline. I want to imagine an alternate Britain and Europe but with a different king, dynasty, and empire.
For me, it is best to describe history as a combination of overarching trends and individual contingencies. It was never a deterministic flow of a river or a teleological progress. Unexpected events and their unintended consequences have caught the attention of historians for centuries. Although the ‘great men’ narrative of history has fallen out of fashion in academia, it still holds a grain of truth as often decisions made by an individual at a decisive moment will leave a lasting impact. Reading history with a counterfactual lens offers a profound joy, for it unveils the notion that past events were not predetermined. Countless twists and turns, no matter how minor, had the potential to alter everything—a single drop of ink in a vast glass of water. This story is a prime example of this historiography, as it begins with the death of a young German prince in the Netherlands which kickstarted an unstoppable domino chain. The actors in London and Berlin will be closely examined and analysed, and the perspectives from Paris, Vienna and Saint Petersburg will also be discussed. In this intricate web of alliances and rivalries, leaders seldom acted in a vacuum, as their actions were responses to the wider political context they were in. My ultimate goal in this project is to explain how British diplomacy influenced Continental Europe and vice versa.
Although I have read quite a few academic journals and books to familiarise myself with the geopolitics of this era by the time I am writing this, my historical knowledge is still cursory at best, so your input is greatly appreciated. The beginning years of my timeline will mostly align with OTL but it will take a more drastic divergence once the pre-PoD generation passes away. Nevertheless, I will limit the butterfly effects to maintain some form of semblance with our world. I will try to balance historical consistency and creativity to make this timeline fun to read. You are welcome to provide suggestions to improve this timeline. I know some fellow writers on this forum have used the same premise before, but I hope to give the most detailed and realistic rendering.
As a side note, I used the name ‘Brandenburg’ rather than the more popular term ‘Hohenzollern’ for my timeline title since the former is a more fitting name for a British royal house. In OTL, the House of Hanover is originally called the Welfs in Germany but George I adopted the electoral name in 1715 when he ascended the British throne. As the Hohenzollern Kings of Prussia were the Electors of Brandenburg, I assume they would take up their electoral name too [3].
I would like to give my special thanks to @Earl Marshal for his “Pride Goes Before a Fall: A Revolutionary Greece Timeline” and @Gwrtheyrn Annwn for his “So Evident a Danger”. Your works are a great inspiration.
Anyway, it is time for me to start putting my ideas on paper, but before that, here is the list of academic journals and books I have relied on. I will update the list when I progress further.
Books
- ‘The Hanoverians: The History of a Dynasty’ (2004), Jeremy Black, Continuum
- ‘The Hapsburg and Hohenzollern Dynasties in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries’ (1970) C A Macartney, Macmillan
- ‘The Whig Supremacy 1714 - 1760’ (1949) Basil Williams, Oxford
- ‘The Quest for Security 1715 - 1740’ (1963) Penfield Roberts, Harper
Academic Journals
- ‘George I and Peter the Great after the Peace of Nystad’ (Apr 1911), J F Chance, The English Historical Review Vol 26
- ‘Parliament and Foreign Policy in the Age of Stanhope and Walpole’ (Jan 1962), C G Gibbs, The English Historical Review Vol 77
- ‘Hanover and British Foreign Policy’ 1714-60 (Apr 2005) Jeremy Black, The English Historical Review Vol 120
- ‘Britain's Foreign Alliances in the Eighteenth Century’ (1988), Jeremy Black, Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies Vol 20
- ‘Parliament and Foreign Policy 1689-1714’ (Oct 1953), M A Thompson, History Vol 38
- ‘British Neutrality in the War of the Polish Succession’ (Aug 1986), Jeremy Black, The International History Review Vol 8
Notes:
[1]: The Seven Years’ War
[2]: The American Revolution
[3]: The ‘House of Brandenburg’ as a historical term was also used in Prussian and German historiography. For example, Frederick II had referred to the ‘survival’ of Prussia during the Seven Years War as the ‘Miracle of the House of Brandenburg’ (‘Mirakel des Hauses Brandenburg’)
Next: Prelude — Problems and Patterns
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