Alternate History Ideas and Discussion
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TheRomanSlayer
Kayabangan, Dugo, at Dangal
I mean, all the Anglo Saxons had to do is to hold their high ground instead of falling for a feint that the Normans launched. Even with their cavalry, the Anglo Saxons held a geographic advantage. Heck, not disbanding the entire army or retreating towards the Midlands and southern Northumbria would have shortened Harold’s supply line but risked getting caught between William and Harald Hardrada.
If by that you mean the release of the fyrd which Harold did shortly before William landed that was because there was a limit to how long it could be held in service so to speak. Both in legal terms and also practical as it made up a high proportion of the manpower available and in an overwhelmingly agricultural society it simply couldn't be kept in service for long.
IIRC they were called out not because of a clear threat from William - which was however known as an issue - but because fairly early in the year Harold's rebellious brother Tostig, prior to his linking up with Harald Hardradra raided some settlements in southern England and there was concern about larger scale attacks.
Yes basically. Several of his son's were given Danish names in part of curry favour with the Danish kings Godwine served prior to Edward coming to the throne.
Eparkhos
Well-known member
A stub based on two interesting coincidences I found scrolling Wikipedia
1. A minor Roman patrician, Nebridius (fl.c.370-410) was the son-in-law of Gildo, a schismatic rebel that united Kabylia behind him in the 390s, and a female-line relative of the Theodosians; he was also a frequent correspondant of St. Augustine. The Kabylians remained restive even after Gildo's defeat and death, and were never really conquered until the 10th century....
2. The Kabylians weren't so much conquered as they were converted (to Shiism) at their own volition. The Kabylians formed the first powerbase of the Fatimids, powering their expansion across North Africa and into the Levant.
My idea is thus: The Kabylians are more thoroughly Christianized and retain some measure of political coherency as the Romans and Vandals collapse. Then, as the rest of the region descends into chaos and destruction, the Kabylians come down out of the mountains, sweeping across North Africa and establishing a significant state. I think any PoD that enables this would be interesting, but something relating to Nebridius seems particularly so, partially because the strengthening of Chalcedonian Christianity could fuel wars against Arian/Donatist heretics and lead to a Romanized elite culture claiming distant descent from the empire proper. Obvious, having this foreign-born 'literal who' hold any real power would require extreme contrivance, but I think it could be done with a slightly different PoD (Nebridius the Elder flees Rome to Saldae/Bejaia and his son, Nebridius the Younger, is raised in both the Roman and Kabylian worlds and thus acceptable to both groups?).
Thoughts?
1. A minor Roman patrician, Nebridius (fl.c.370-410) was the son-in-law of Gildo, a schismatic rebel that united Kabylia behind him in the 390s, and a female-line relative of the Theodosians; he was also a frequent correspondant of St. Augustine. The Kabylians remained restive even after Gildo's defeat and death, and were never really conquered until the 10th century....
2. The Kabylians weren't so much conquered as they were converted (to Shiism) at their own volition. The Kabylians formed the first powerbase of the Fatimids, powering their expansion across North Africa and into the Levant.
My idea is thus: The Kabylians are more thoroughly Christianized and retain some measure of political coherency as the Romans and Vandals collapse. Then, as the rest of the region descends into chaos and destruction, the Kabylians come down out of the mountains, sweeping across North Africa and establishing a significant state. I think any PoD that enables this would be interesting, but something relating to Nebridius seems particularly so, partially because the strengthening of Chalcedonian Christianity could fuel wars against Arian/Donatist heretics and lead to a Romanized elite culture claiming distant descent from the empire proper. Obvious, having this foreign-born 'literal who' hold any real power would require extreme contrivance, but I think it could be done with a slightly different PoD (Nebridius the Elder flees Rome to Saldae/Bejaia and his son, Nebridius the Younger, is raised in both the Roman and Kabylian worlds and thus acceptable to both groups?).
Thoughts?
Zyobot
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
‘More Murderous Julius Caesar’.
Yes, I know he killed a great many Gauls in his conquests, but what I’m talking about is having him be exceptionally brutal and bloodthirsty, even for his time and place. As in, more like a Roman version of Lenin or Stalin when it comes to quashingclass enemies the Optimates and their supporters, but way less… communist, I guess.
Yes, I know he killed a great many Gauls in his conquests, but what I’m talking about is having him be exceptionally brutal and bloodthirsty, even for his time and place. As in, more like a Roman version of Lenin or Stalin when it comes to quashing
Skallagrim
Well-known member
Easy. Just have the conspiracy to kill him fail. The betrayal, including people he really trusted, will cause (justified) paranoia. Enemies he previously forgave get rounded up and killed. That causes others to become very worried, creating a spiral of plots and persecutions. If you have Caesar rule for a good long time, ever more isolated from potential enemies (real or imagined), the final result can be pretty gruesome.
Zyobot
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
So, Twilight of the Red Tsar: SPQR Edition, then?
Because that’s my sense of where ATL is headed, sans Caesar not being a Major League despot to begin with, as well as way more justified in his purging and scourging than Stalin ever was.
Zyobot
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
I dunno, I think masterminding an artificial famine to crush a “resistant appendage” of your empire, signing off death lists with derogatory remarks like “scum” and “prostitute” to rub it in the condemned’s faces, and having hundreds of thousands of your own people in every city and province purged by quota would mark you as a distinctively brutal (or at least, harsh) ruler in any time period.
Not that I expect ATL Caesar to appropriate Stalin’s playbook word for word, but as I said, someone who goes well beyond ruthlessness and into outright sadistic and cack-handed territory isn’t normal. After all, they did vilify Caligula for all his torturous “eccentricities”, and even if there were exaggerations here and there, the fact such deeds were thought excessive even then — regardless of whether they actually happened or not — tells me a Caesar who’s more of a Stalin, Mao, or Castro come early wouldn’t be received all that well, either.
TheRomanSlayer
Kayabangan, Dugo, at Dangal
'PC: Internal Polish or Polish-Lithuanian Politics in a Hapsburg-ruled Poland-Lithuania, or just Poland'
What would the Hapsburg rulers' policy in this case, had Maximillian II or his son Ernest been elected as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania? Though his policies had resulted in an uneasy peace, I would have thought that he could be a more pragmatic, though cautious ruler for both Poland and Lithuania. Would the Lithuanians also be eager to accept Maximillian II as their ruler, or would they go with Stephen Bathory, or some other candidate? Moreover, would Poland proper become a similar kind of crown land to what has happened to Hungary IOTL? One other possible PoD would be Stephen Bathory dying much earlier, possibly during the conflicts with the Turks as well.
What would the Hapsburg rulers' policy in this case, had Maximillian II or his son Ernest been elected as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania? Though his policies had resulted in an uneasy peace, I would have thought that he could be a more pragmatic, though cautious ruler for both Poland and Lithuania. Would the Lithuanians also be eager to accept Maximillian II as their ruler, or would they go with Stephen Bathory, or some other candidate? Moreover, would Poland proper become a similar kind of crown land to what has happened to Hungary IOTL? One other possible PoD would be Stephen Bathory dying much earlier, possibly during the conflicts with the Turks as well.
Buba
A total creep
Sadly, the ship has sailed and the Union of Lublin is in place. So it is PLC already - a 2-for-1 deal. If Max gets elected it is for the combined throne.
Acceptance of Max will cut across "national" and "class" lines, with neither Lithuania nor Crownlands, neither magates or szlachta being monoliths. How peaceful things go depends on how tolerant Max is - the Reformation is more or less at its high water mark, with close to half of magnates - and maybe a quarter of the szlachta - Presbyterian.
Zyobot
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
‘Joe Stalin Succumbs To A Stroke In October 1945’.
See this article for more background on his medical history, if you’re interested. After all, Stalin suffered an array of illnesses and deformities throughout his life, so having a great many ATLs where he dies well before turning 74 is more probable than most would think. If anything, I’m starting to wonder if Stalin had even more health issues than Hitler, with his longer lifespan being due to winning the war (and thus, not having to commit suicide or get taken out by enemy fire any time after 1945).
See this article for more background on his medical history, if you’re interested. After all, Stalin suffered an array of illnesses and deformities throughout his life, so having a great many ATLs where he dies well before turning 74 is more probable than most would think. If anything, I’m starting to wonder if Stalin had even more health issues than Hitler, with his longer lifespan being due to winning the war (and thus, not having to commit suicide or get taken out by enemy fire any time after 1945).
TheRomanSlayer
Kayabangan, Dugo, at Dangal
This was actually the pod for my final TL for ah.con before I got banned.‘Joe Stalin Succumbs To A Stroke In October 1945’.
See this article for more background on his medical history, if you’re interested. After all, Stalin suffered an array of illnesses and deformities throughout his life, so having a great many ATLs where he dies well before turning 74 is more probable than most would think. If anything, I’m starting to wonder if Stalin had even more health issues than Hitler, with his longer lifespan being due to winning the war (and thus, not having to commit suicide or get taken out by enemy fire any time after 1945).
Zyobot
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
Ah, I thought I saw something along those lines once.
Sorry to hear you got banned, though. Don’t suppose you’ve considered picking it up elsewhere?
TheRomanSlayer
Kayabangan, Dugo, at Dangal
Although didn’t the Lithuanians tried to get Ivan the Terrible elected in 1572, albeit as Grand Duke of Lithuania? I mean, why would they even try to do that, having just completed the Livonian War years prior to 1573.
TheRomanSlayer
Kayabangan, Dugo, at Dangal
Muscling his way in, I see.
As for the earlier death of Stalin in October of 1945, the title of that was How We Define Paradise or Desolation, and it follows Anastas Mikoyan succeeding Stalin.
As for the earlier death of Stalin in October of 1945, the title of that was How We Define Paradise or Desolation, and it follows Anastas Mikoyan succeeding Stalin.
Zyobot
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
Must admit, I know next to nothing about Mikoyan, though having briefly reviewed (read: skimmed) the top of his Wiki page, helping De-Stalinize the Union under Khrushchev’s command almost certainly makes him better than, say, Lazar Kaganovich or some other Stalinist ramrod as General Secretary. Nevertheless, I doubt ATL will be a boring one, if the title offers any hints as to what might’ve happened instead.
TheRomanSlayer
Kayabangan, Dugo, at Dangal
In the TL that I wrote, the main issue that would face Mikoyan right off the bat would be the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhichevan, mostly because of the conflicts between Armenians and Azeris. Of course, I did write this with my goal of creating a scenario where Turkey and Iran are Finlandized. The Soviets would withdraw from the disputed areas that they have claims with those two nations, but in return, they must be neutral. I wonder if it was possible for the Soviets to Finlandize Afghanistan as well.
LOL!
They did not try to elect him - he simply signed up for the election
I guess it wouldn't make a difference if the Lithuanians tried to offer the seat of the Grand Duchy to Ivan the Terrible's son then. It is a shame that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania could have been elevated to an actual Kingdom, with the huge amount of territory that they have. Of course, if Max II or Ernest does get the 2-for-1 special deal, it could have a major effect on how a Hapsburg PLC would deal with the Orthodox minorities there. There may not be a Union of Brest that led to the creation of the Eastern Catholic Church. Though hopefully the Hapsburgs in the PLC don't screw up the same way as the Vasas did IOTL, or there might be more Cossack rebellions.
If we really need to go back even further to achieve a Muscovite-Lithuanian 'partnership', I'd say having Alexander Jagiellon surviving a hell lot longer and siring any children with Helena of Moscow. Perhaps two daughters, or a daughter and a son, or two sons. Most likely, a daughter and a son would be the best choice, as the daughter could marry one of the Orthodox Ruthenian magnates (say the ATL daughter of Alexander Jagiellon and Helena of Moscow would marry Ivan Vyshnevetsky, who was born in 1490) while the son could marry a daughter of a minor Russian noble. Alternatively, having Vasily III marry either Barbara or Elizabeth Jagiellon instead of Solomoniya Saburova might also help mend relations between Muscovy and Lithuania too.