What alternate history ideas you wish they were used more often?
- Thread starter Gar48
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It would be interesting to see the consequences of a loyal and ambitious José de San Martín. Depending on how things turn out, Spain could keep half of the empire (Peru, Rio de la Plata, Chile and the Philippines) instead of losing it all, although at the price of giving great concessions to the Creoles and San Martin going down in history as the Hero of the Empire and eternal Archinemesis of Bolivar.
If there is any timeline like that, it should be named "Under the Splendid Sun" or something similar in reference of the book "Thousand Splendid Suns"
Honestly, I think it would be pretty cool to see timelines where the Polynesians retain contact with the Philippines and begin trading with South America once the Polynesians come into contact with South America, forming a trans Pacific trade route between South East Asia, Polynesia, and South America.
Exile kingdoms are severely underrated
We do see that sometimes with insert european power(generally Britain) pulling a Portugal and moving elsewhere, and dont get me wrong I love that, but I think there's a great untapped potential of TLs using that trope outside of Europe and/or before the Early Modern Period
One OTL example being the khitans estabilishing new dynasties after the fall of Liao and another being Alyssa the phoenician princess fleeing West to found Carthage
I know its very badass when a nation make this epic last stand in face of oblivion and goes out with a bang like the last Roman Emperor did, but know what is even cooler?
When they have a backup plan even under these overwhelming odds and instead of sacrificing themselves and their people in a brave but ultimately futile charge for personal glory they decide to just...flee elsewhere, save as many people as they can because they genuinely care about their population, creating this epic new beggining in far away lands where they ultimately far overshadow the pre-exile state by becoming greater than they ever were and perhaps ever could have been if they didnt leave
Bonus points if their descendants at the height of their power after the metaphorical rebirth do encounter the country that forced their ancestors to flee in the first place and are seen with both fear and admiration by them after having surpassed it long ago, be it resulting in the exile country taking this badass revenge on the heirs of their persecutions because they held this grudge that long(pretty much the founding myth really) or, more wholesomely, they put such a past behind them as neither side are their ancestors and therefore pursue friendship rather than hatred instead
So much storytelling potential
We do see that sometimes with insert european power(generally Britain) pulling a Portugal and moving elsewhere, and dont get me wrong I love that, but I think there's a great untapped potential of TLs using that trope outside of Europe and/or before the Early Modern Period
One OTL example being the khitans estabilishing new dynasties after the fall of Liao and another being Alyssa the phoenician princess fleeing West to found Carthage
I know its very badass when a nation make this epic last stand in face of oblivion and goes out with a bang like the last Roman Emperor did, but know what is even cooler?
When they have a backup plan even under these overwhelming odds and instead of sacrificing themselves and their people in a brave but ultimately futile charge for personal glory they decide to just...flee elsewhere, save as many people as they can because they genuinely care about their population, creating this epic new beggining in far away lands where they ultimately far overshadow the pre-exile state by becoming greater than they ever were and perhaps ever could have been if they didnt leave
Bonus points if their descendants at the height of their power after the metaphorical rebirth do encounter the country that forced their ancestors to flee in the first place and are seen with both fear and admiration by them after having surpassed it long ago, be it resulting in the exile country taking this badass revenge on the heirs of their persecutions because they held this grudge that long(pretty much the founding myth really) or, more wholesomely, they put such a past behind them as neither side are their ancestors and therefore pursue friendship rather than hatred instead
So much storytelling potential
I have the Russian imperial government set up shop in Russian Somaliland after the Vostochnists (Alt!Eurasianists) take over at home.
You know, the whole myth of Romulus and Remus being descended from Aeneas and by extension, the Trojans, also has shades of this.
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These People I've visually fascinated with and my God they are super underrated to not be used in any history at all because not only they was the largest group in the Caucasus before the russian arrived, but have a great and Unique culture who combine their indigenous belief to Islam. Hell they are warrior people and were a proud one of that before the Cowardly General Yevdokimov.
Geese I really want them to be into Alternate history where they survived or I'm doing it myself.
Well the TL i am making wont have a "Russia" in the sense we know it, and Russians wont expand past Northern Caucasia (By which i mean the Don Area, Volvograd, Astrakhan etc) So both the Tatars and the Circassians will survive.
The idea is interesting, what would happen if Charles III of Spain married Maria Theresa of Austria?
Until the 17th century, most Circassians were Orthodox Christians. In the 14th century there was also a significant influence of Catholics (in fact, the most influential Catholic community in the Captaincy of Gothia were the Circassian Catholics - and they were also found in Crimea).
In fact, that is why so many Mamluks and Ottoman Devshirme were Circassian; They were one of the closest and easiest to raid Christian people for the Islamic polities in the Middle East.
Hmm that makes sense, I would've thought that there'd be more Armenians and Georgians/Laz though. Is it bc they're under the 'protection' of other Muslim empires?
The Laz are Muslim i think, the Christian Laz are called Mingrelians? (I hate Caucasian Ethnoreligious groups) And them, Armenians and Georgians live in the mountainous part of Caucasia. The Circassians lived North of the Caucasian Mountains, in the open plains where the Tatars could easily raid, capture and sell them.
Hmm that makes sense except for cilician Armenians being a thing. Maybe they weren't that abundant at this point?
Not that big of a thing, especially also since Cilicia has a lot of mountains. Sure, on a map it may look under Ottoman or Muslim control, but how much control is really being exerted?
Also, the Muslim Empires liked to buy slaves without going through the blood and economic trouble of capturing them themselves, and it was just more efficient to buy from the Tatars.