ASB PLC relocated to America in 1600.

[Batrix2070]

As it appears in the title. Some mischievous ASB decided to kick the colonial powers in the balls and decided that he would swap parts of America with the entire PLC territory on April 1, 1600.

To make things easier, Gdańsk found itself where Chicago and Warsaw was where Indianapolis.
The ASB didn't want to play around too much and simply cut out the PLC boundaries of 1600 in America and placed it there, perfectly aligning it with North America.

And what he replaced he put in place of the PLC. RIP to anyone who had the misfortune to be there that day.

How much has the world just been skewed?

 

[Skallagrim]

The displaced (ex-)American lands are about to be gobbled up by the neighbours in a really cruel free-for-all.

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is now set to be the Polish-Lithuanian Empire of America. The French have ventured inland, but settlement is barely there. The English haven't really established themselves at all, yet. The Poles are in some ways an obstacle for French expansion, but are also an obvious French ally. Catholic unity is a boon here, and if the French play nice, the displaced Commonwealth is a ludicrously advantageous spingboard for rapid expansion in all directions. If you get Spain on board, you basically have North America in the bag.

England never stands a chance, in this scenario. Polish cavalry turns the Great Plains into a vast Western March, and trade between New Spain, Ameri-Poland and New France makes all of them very rich.

 

[Batrix2070]

The displaced (ex-)American lands are about to be gobbled up by the neighbours in a really cruel free-for-all.

Technically, the PLC has just replaced and heavily altered the coast from North Carolina to New Jersey, thanks to the Ruthenia. And Lithuania's Vitebsk will be the first city the French will encounter to their amazement.

In Europe, meanwhile, a new sea has emerged, or at least the Black Sea has expanded strongly northward.
Of course, the English may try to snatch something from the Wild Fields which here will turn into a peninsula, there Poland ruled in theory. No less, we are talking about an expedition to a bunch of people (i.e., Cossacks) what they like very much to militate, and at the same time suddenly have a lot of free space where no one can stop them.
I think Florida will very quickly become their favorite place to visit.

but settlement is barely there.

Which makes the eventual ousting of them from the colonies very easy and may even happen from the bottom up through the immigration of willing Belarusians. To the French territories, and since it is closer they will physically occupy the area faster from possible French colonists.

Polish cavalry turns the Great Plains into a vast Western March

More correct would be, Western Ukraine or Western Wild Fields. The Poles already have experience, and a lot of it, from fighting on such terrain thanks to the Great Steppe. Everything will really depend on getting colonists, but since OTL did not lack them to colonize Ukraine, it would be hard to lack them to colonize the Great Plains.

 

[WolfBear]

This is going to be an epic Polandwank. Poland is going to have so much Lebensraum here that it's just going to be overjoyed. And even in the early and mid-20th century, the Poles were still a highly fertile people, so I would expect them to have no problem populating all of this Lebensraum of theirs. We could actually see a Polish (well, PLC) superpower emerge in North America in this TL, with it eventually facing off against its rival Russia across the Pacific Ocean and Bering Strait. So, almost the entire global North is likely to be Slavic-dominated in this TL.

Russia, of course, would "benefit" in the nationalistic sense from never acquiring the PLC's Jews and thus never having to worry about what to do with them. Instead, these Jews will be free to roam about the new, much larger PLC in North America.

 

[ATP]

Epic Polandwank,indeed.
We would take over North America.And remain Republic ruled by gentry.Europe - stronger Moscov and Turkey.They probably take Vienna here during 30-years war.Which would be shorter and leave Europe in protestant,russian,and turkish hands.

 

[Buba]

Do the vassal duchies of Courland and Prussia come along?

Just to make a point:
Although the high water mark of the Reformation has passed and several magnate families have (re)converted to Roman Catholicism, the PLC is not as Roman Catholic as it will become later. Not having subsidies/bribes from Habsburg neighbour/ally will change Counter-Reformation dynamics.
And the PLC is much more Orthodox than it will become later. There had been an Union in 1596, true, but it really took off in the XVIIIth century when the Orthodox Church in the PLC was transferred from the Ecumenical to the Moscow Patriarchate.

This is an economic disaster, with all export markets now being across the ocean. And not all commodities can be exported by sea, e.g. live oxen.

Speaking of sea transport - the Vistula, Niemem and Dvina draining into the Great Lakes makes the economic disaster even worse - now there is no way to export high volume and weight goods like grain and naval stores. Maaaybe the Warta drains into the Missouri/Mississippi which would then allow - with extensive canal building - the restoration of such exports, now through (ugh! eww ... ) New Orleans Gdańsk. The canals will need, naturally, time, money and know-how. Before - if ever - commercial ties are recreated DECADES may be expected to pass. In the meantime - good luck!
The Dneper draining into the Atlantic is practically useless due to the rapids. I imagine the Dnestr basin becoming much more attractive, though. Anybody know how navigable it is? It passess through the same rock formations as the Dniepr ...

PLC Westward expansion? Actually - in all directions
Quite likely. But with the PLC being as anarchic as it was - would the newly occupied and settled lands pay heed to Warsaw and Wilno?

With no Tartars and Turks around I expect the Zaporozhe Cossaks to break away. The devastated PLC will be incapable of reining them in. Also their location - note to non Slavic folks, the name Zaporozhe means Beyond (i.e. below) The Rapids - will privilige them in contacts with the Maritime Powers. Leaning towards Orthodoxy the Cossaks will probably be more open towards the Prots, i.e. the United Provinces. England is poor and primitive, and the less said about Scotland the better.

In Europe the Free Clay has a strong contender in Sweden. Instead of (or alongside) attempts to steal Ancient Russian Clay like Karelia it will have lots of juicy, empty (Amerindians do not count to European rulers) land.
Brandenburg will be delighted too
Russia is having its Troubles which - with no PLC adventurers - may be overcome faster here. Or maybe not - with no need to unite against the PLC and Sweden (Sweden busy in the new clay) the infighting may continue for longer.
Tartars lose part of their slave raiding grounds - either switch to more raiding of Muscovy - maybe Moldavia and north Caucasus - or face economic hardship.
The 1683 siege of Vienna is too far to be relevant. The Thirty Years War will be different enough as to trash bin the OTL.

 

[Batrix2070]

Do the vassal duchies of Courland and Prussia come along

Yes, it will be more fun.

This is an economic disaster, with all export markets now being across the ocean. And not all commodities can be exported by sea, e.g. live oxen

For Europe it will be as well, and probably much more so.

the Vistula, Niemem and Dvina draining into the Great Lakes makes

The Polish part of Estonia as I looked at truesizeof just removed one of the lakes. Only through the Dvina, connected by a canal to this US-Canada border river, could one go to the ocean again. Although it would rather be a short canal.

The Dneper draining into the Atlantic is practically useless due to the rapids.

And where it begins because the lower reaches of the river disappear and begin to flow directly into the Ocean.

Quite likely. But with the PLC being as anarchic as it was - would the newly occupied and settled lands pay heed to Warsaw and Wilno

I have an idea that some adventurous nobleman decides with a band of helpers to go to the Great Plains and conquer the local tribes to create his own Tartar horde.

With no Tartars and Turks around I expect the Zaporozhe Cossaks to break away.

What are the chances that they turn into pirates and start raiding every tribe, colony and merchant ship in the area?

 

[Buba]

What are the chances that they turn into pirates and start raiding every tribe, colony and merchant ship in the area?

100%

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chadzki_kozackie

No English version, you have to use some translating software

Only through the Dvina, connected by a canal to this US-Canada border river, could one go to the ocean again. Although it would rather be a short canal.

With quite a few locks. Look at the asl elevation of the disapeared lake.
I'm fairly sure nobody in the PLC knows how to build pond locks.

lower reaches of the river disappear

Yay! Waterfall!

 

[Batrix2070]

No English version, you have to use some translating software

Kaszel, nie pomyliło ci się coś?

 

[Buba]

Kaszel, nie pomyliło ci się coś?

That remark was not for you, but for the poor sods who have not learned Polish yet