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Description

My first completed map. This was based on an Europa Universalis IV multiplayer game I did with some friends, which hopefully explains some of the... odd and less logical elements. Of course, I adapted some parts and fast-forwarded to the 20th century, since we stopped at around 1710, just to make things more interesting.

I also decided to add a bit of lore — mostly attempts at detailing the nonsensical outcomes of a Paradox game. Not very good or experienced with writing but I tried. Here are some passages about the scenario:

—————————— o ——————————

The two kingdoms, Great Britain and France, bound by crown, by history, by rivalry and by brotherhood. Nothing stands between the intertwined destiny of these two nations, may they perish — may they outshine them all.

While the Spanish were busy squabbling with their Moroccan rivals and Byzantium built its walls higher, the Kingdom of England faced an almost existential threat. It hadn’t been too long since the county of Maine was relinquished back to the Valois dynasty, in an attempt to maintain a truce — but their efforts were hopelessly unsuccessful and the hundred years conflict was soon rekindled.

However, by strategic genius, enemy incompetence, or just a stroke of luck, the French were decisively defeated at the Pale of Calais, allowing for the English to march into Paris and force a favourable peace. This was to be the first of many unexpected victories, which would all culminate in the final French capitulation and the end of the Tricentennial War by 1632.

As the 18th century rolled in, a new problem arose for the Anglo-French kingdom — a Spanish problem. Their hegemony had to be dealt with, else they continue to subjugate the European continent piece by piece. And so began the Anglo-Spanish Diplomatic Race. Envoys and diplomats hurried across the continents and seas to rally sympathetic nations to their side. The English with their coalition, and the Spanish with their pact — the last of which survives until this day.

After the Second Pan-Continental War, the remnants of the French monarchy in the south were overthrown, being replaced by a republican military government. This gave the English the perfect opportunity to do that which they wished for so long — in 1911, the crown of France was fully embraced by the monarch of England and the continental duchies were reorganised under the entity that was the Kingdom of France. Much to the displeasure of the Lyon regime.

Thus, the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and France was born — and strides ever forwards, past all the hardships, into a new age of glory and hope.

—————————— o ——————————

The Byzantine Empire rises from its catatonic state — defying all odds, revolting against destiny itself, and dawning the Roman wreath once more!

When all seemed bleak, Byzantium prepared itself for the final clash with their mortal foe, the Ottoman Turks, something which caught the attention of the Castillian monarchy — and their own gripes with the Muslims. When war broke out, the armies of the sultan were decisively defeated at the Siege of Constantinople, when Spanish reinforcements hurriedly disembarked to the dismay of the surprised Turks. The Spanish-Greek forces swept across Bulgaria and Thrace, assisted by Skanderbeg and local revolts.

By the end of the 17th century Anatolia and the Balkans had been fully reclaimed, and British envoys now urged the Byzantines to join them in a coalition against the overwhelmingly strong Spanish Empire. Prompted by desires to reconquer Italy and contest naval dominance in the Mediterranean, the empire joined the First Pan-Continental War, fighting bloody battles against the Mamluks and Austrians.

Nowadays, they are a great power in the world — controlling the seas of the Eastern Mediterranean and constantly squabbling with the Mamluks and Persia over influence in the Middle East and North Africa. They are also a part of the Russian-led Imperial Bloc — a very controversial stance, which some see as a natural bond between orthodox nations, while others see it as an act of treason against historical allies, or even the submission of old Rome to the new Rome.

Regardless, Constantinople stands as a strange symbol of resilience and the unpredictable tides of history — the rebirth of the greatest empire ever seen, the seat of eternal Rome.

—————————— o ——————————

Additional notes:

Morocco has survived the Spanish onslaught and the divisions of Africa, partly due to their key-role in the first coalition against Spain — which cemented their relationship with the British and allowed for the retaking of most of their claims. An expansion further south, and a complex web of alliances with West African realms also allowed for the containment of Spanish outwards expansion from the Ivory Coast. Nowadays they are a central pillar of the Commonwealth of Nations and a close ally of Britain's.

Mamluk Egypt too survives, nearly succumbing to the advancing Byzantines was it not for Spanish diplomatic intervention. They are Morocco's counterpart in the Spanish bloc, though less amicable to their allies compared to Rabat and London's relationship. Still, their rivalry with the Byzantines is enough of a reason to keep them from wandering off — and with tensions rising in the Levant, it is probably best that they stick by Spain's side.

Arabia is ruled by a Mamluk-aligned dynasty after their subjugation during the 1700's. However this order is shaky at best, with local Arab tribes growing ever more weary of the foreign Mamluks, and even more tempted by British support.

Persia and Iraq were united by the Qara Qoyunlu, a confederation of Turkoman nomadic tribes. They eventually centralised, creating their own Turkoman-Persian dynasty. Although powerful enough to discourage direct confrontations, they remain stuck in the crossfire of Russian and Byzantine ambitions, both who eye the nation and its territories with great interest. All while having to deal with the Afghan frontier — an especially unstable region, prone to foreign-supported rebellions.

The League of Turin is a perfect example of how a common enemy unites even the most estranged of neighbours. Born out of the fear and anger of France's conquest of Savoy and the Spaniard's plot to fully incorporate Naples and influence the Papacy — it was first conceived when the Genoese and Venetians agreed to cooperate against shared rivals in Mediterranean trade. Being officially signed by the remaining free Italian states after the Second Pan-Continental War, it guarantees military, economic and diplomatic cooperation between all members.

The Imperial Confederation of German States, the successor to the ancient Holy Roman Empire, is a strange sort of political entity. It inherited the territorial mess, while at the same time reforming much of the political structure, to the point of creating the first semi-united German... thing... in almost five centuries. The title of Emperor is elected by the big six: Saxony-Bohemia, Pomerania, Bavaria, Liège, Trier and Mainz. However, as things stand, the only real contenders to the title are the current Saxon holders and the Pomeranians. The Confederation has its own army, shared currency (the Reichsgulden) and a central parliament in Frankfurt, which, of course, is prone to bouts of internal disagreement.

Denmark-Norway — what nation has been thrown around, beaten and outright bullied more than the other united kingdom? The Danish once controlled all of Scandinavia, managing to crush Swedish attempts at independence time and time again — they once pioneered the colonisation of North America, establishing 'Vinland' in Canada and going as far in as the Rocky Mountains — they once held Schleswig-Holstein and influence over Northern Germany. Yet it was not to last. The British dealt a decisive blow and seized all of North America — the Russians invaded, supporting the Swedes as they marched into Stockholm — the Germans occupied the Elbe duchies and united under the ICGS. Fate has certainly not been kind to the Danish and Norwegians, and that has left a clear mark. The kingdoms agreed on sharing dual powers in 1824, and since then have been strictly opposed to the major world blocs — deeply denouncing their imperialistic agendas and jingoist methods. Leading to the creation of the...

International League of Armed Neutrality. The brainchild of Danish-Norwegian sorrow, Swiss paranoia, Southern French frustration and Chinese humiliation — the League serves as the club for all those exploited, threatened, harmed or otherwise unaligned with any of the major blocs. The first proposals came from Copenhagen, right at the start of the Second Pan-Continental War, inviting all those countries that didn't want to perish horribly, to form a pact of mutual defence and strict armed neutrality. The Swiss eagerly jumped at the opportunity, being surrounded from all sides by war, while other nations steadily joined in the aftermath. Southern France was a diplomatically isolated, defeated and humiliated carcasse of a nation, helped only by Danish-Swiss humanitarian aid, encouraging their admission to the League — the Chinese Republic, proclaimed only in 1907, had to deal with the weight of a century of foreign exploitation, joining the alliance hoping to discourage further Japanese and European aggression.

Russia is one mighty powerful empire, though it stands as the lesser of the three world powers. They are an autocratic, deeply conservative nation — dedicated above all else to the figure of the Tsar, the Nation and God. While calls of reform have been discussed, the army and nobility vehemently oppose any motions — and so the empire remains socially and politically antiquated. A multi-ethnic entity at its core, Russia has had some recent troubles containing their more unruly minorities — with the Ukrainian and Baltic opposition steadily growing in strength through Polish-Lithuanian aid. Still, they are a key player in the diplomatic stage, boasting of an expansive industry, major natural gas deposits, as well as a thirst for imperial power worldwide.

South China, or officially the United Southern Provinces of China, is in short, an artificial creation by the British. It was born from the Opium Wars, paired with internal instability caused by the famines of 1876-79, when a British expeditionary force militarily intervened in the Southern provinces with the assistance of local officials and rebel factions. Guangdong was seized as a de facto protectorate, while other regions declared independence, growing increasingly more dependent on the British's kind hand — in exchange for concessions, of course.

The Commonwealth of Three Nations, or simply the Commonwealth, is the final form of the Polish-Lithuanian union, forced to concede power and autonomy to the Ukrainian nation. They are Russia's incredibly large, incredibly inconvenient, roadblock — continuously provoking the bear while still allied with their fellow catholics in Spain.

Portugal, even if seen as nothing more than a pawn for the Spaniard, is still a major empire on its own. Their pioneer expeditions led them to far off places in the East and India, while agreements with Spain made them concentrate their efforts in expanding influence in Africa. The Portuguese Kongo serves as the only real threat to total British control over the Sub-Saharan continent, while Formosa is the strategic stepping stone for Spanish moves against both Japan and Southern China.

The Netherlands split from the Burgundian crown in the late 1600's after securing a series of agreements with the French, which directly sealed Burgundy's fate and eventual annexation. Eventually abandoning France, they were viewed with suspicion by a grieving English nation — which saw Burgundy as their biggest ally — however the two eventually secured an uneasy alliance... which was promptly broken after generous promises from Madrid. To say the least, Dutch involvement in the Second Pan-Continental War proved decisive in keeping the stalemate — diverting British-German attention away from both Austria and the Pyrenees.

Japan, modernised and ready for empire. They bear a deep hatred for the Portuguese, in part due to their attempts at religious conversion — which were crushed with extreme prejudice — and the, only recently broken, occupation of Nagasaki. For this, though not explicitly against the Portuguese, the Anglo-Japanese alliance was signed. Nowadays, Japan is eager to expand their influence over the East Asian mainland — claiming Formosa and intervening in Chinese and Manchu affairs.

The Commonwealth of New South Wales and Terre Australe are the two entities that occupy the main Oceanian landmass. The former is a British dominion, the latter a French colony conquered during the Second Great War. As such, one can guess that the relationship between the two is not very good, even with British attempts at forcing reconciliation. All while New Zealand watches from afar.

The North American continent is split between the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the Commonwealth of North America. Both nations are industrialised powerhouses, considered to be the secondary leaders of their respective blocs.

Vinland, the strange little Danish hat to the much more powerful CNA, is the product of Scandinavian colonial ventures before the arrival of the English in Newfoundland. It remains stubbornly Danish, avoiding and opposing any attempts of cultural assimilation into the Anglosphere — something which has been a constant pain to the Newfoundland colonial administrators

A cold and unease peace settles in the Indian subcontinent, where Vijayanagar and Delhi eye each other in deep suspicion — yet still relent to the League's, frankly obtrusive, diplomatic overtures.

—————————— o ——————————

I was deeply inspired by mdc01957 's and KitFisto1997 's map and writing work when making this.

Resources:
Modern Map
1453 Map
1444 Map
Rivers

I was playing England, and the others were playing Byzantium and Spain, if you wanted to know.

Description

My first completed map. This was based on an Europa Universalis IV multiplayer game I did with some friends, which hopefully explains some of the... odd and less logical elements. Of course, I adapted some parts and fast-forwarded to the 20th century, since we stopped at around 1710, just to make things more interesting.

I also decided to add a bit of lore — mostly attempts at detailing the nonsensical outcomes of a Paradox game. Not very good or experienced with writing but I tried. Here are some passages about the scenario:

—————————— o ——————————

The two kingdoms, Great Britain and France, bound by crown, by history, by rivalry and by brotherhood. Nothing stands between the intertwined destiny of these two nations, may they perish — may they outshine them all.

While the Spanish were busy squabbling with their Moroccan rivals and Byzantium built its walls higher, the Kingdom of England faced an almost existential threat. It hadn’t been too long since the county of Maine was relinquished back to the Valois dynasty, in an attempt to maintain a truce — but their efforts were hopelessly unsuccessful and the hundred years conflict was soon rekindled.

However, by strategic genius, enemy incompetence, or just a stroke of luck, the French were decisively defeated at the Pale of Calais, allowing for the English to march into Paris and force a favourable peace. This was to be the first of many unexpected victories, which would all culminate in the final French capitulation and the end of the Tricentennial War by 1632.

As the 18th century rolled in, a new problem arose for the Anglo-French kingdom — a Spanish problem. Their hegemony had to be dealt with, else they continue to subjugate the European continent piece by piece. And so began the Anglo-Spanish Diplomatic Race. Envoys and diplomats hurried across the continents and seas to rally sympathetic nations to their side. The English with their coalition, and the Spanish with their pact — the last of which survives until this day.

After the Second Pan-Continental War, the remnants of the French monarchy in the south were overthrown, being replaced by a republican military government. This gave the English the perfect opportunity to do that which they wished for so long — in 1911, the crown of France was fully embraced by the monarch of England and the continental duchies were reorganised under the entity that was the Kingdom of France. Much to the displeasure of the Lyon regime.

Thus, the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and France was born — and strides ever forwards, past all the hardships, into a new age of glory and hope.

—————————— o ——————————

The Byzantine Empire rises from its catatonic state — defying all odds, revolting against destiny itself, and dawning the Roman wreath once more!

When all seemed bleak, Byzantium prepared itself for the final clash with their mortal foe, the Ottoman Turks, something which caught the attention of the Castillian monarchy — and their own gripes with the Muslims. When war broke out, the armies of the sultan were decisively defeated at the Siege of Constantinople, when Spanish reinforcements hurriedly disembarked to the dismay of the surprised Turks. The Spanish-Greek forces swept across Bulgaria and Thrace, assisted by Skanderbeg and local revolts.

By the end of the 17th century Anatolia and the Balkans had been fully reclaimed, and British envoys now urged the Byzantines to join them in a coalition against the overwhelmingly strong Spanish Empire. Prompted by desires to reconquer Italy and contest naval dominance in the Mediterranean, the empire joined the First Pan-Continental War, fighting bloody battles against the Mamluks and Austrians.

Nowadays, they are a great power in the world — controlling the seas of the Eastern Mediterranean and constantly squabbling with the Mamluks and Persia over influence in the Middle East and North Africa. They are also a part of the Russian-led Imperial Bloc — a very controversial stance, which some see as a natural bond between orthodox nations, while others see it as an act of treason against historical allies, or even the submission of old Rome to the new Rome.

Regardless, Constantinople stands as a strange symbol of resilience and the unpredictable tides of history — the rebirth of the greatest empire ever seen, the seat of eternal Rome.

—————————— o ——————————

Additional notes:

Morocco has survived the Spanish onslaught and the divisions of Africa, partly due to their key-role in the first coalition against Spain — which cemented their relationship with the British and allowed for the retaking of most of their claims. An expansion further south, and a complex web of alliances with West African realms also allowed for the containment of Spanish outwards expansion from the Ivory Coast. Nowadays they are a central pillar of the Commonwealth of Nations and a close ally of Britain's.

Mamluk Egypt too survives, nearly succumbing to the advancing Byzantines was it not for Spanish diplomatic intervention. They are Morocco's counterpart in the Spanish bloc, though less amicable to their allies compared to Rabat and London's relationship. Still, their rivalry with the Byzantines is enough of a reason to keep them from wandering off — and with tensions rising in the Levant, it is probably best that they stick by Spain's side.

Arabia is ruled by a Mamluk-aligned dynasty after their subjugation during the 1700's. However this order is shaky at best, with local Arab tribes growing ever more weary of the foreign Mamluks, and even more tempted by British support.

Persia and Iraq were united by the Qara Qoyunlu, a confederation of Turkoman nomadic tribes. They eventually centralised, creating their own Turkoman-Persian dynasty. Although powerful enough to discourage direct confrontations, they remain stuck in the crossfire of Russian and Byzantine ambitions, both who eye the nation and its territories with great interest. All while having to deal with the Afghan frontier — an especially unstable region, prone to foreign-supported rebellions.

The League of Turin is a perfect example of how a common enemy unites even the most estranged of neighbours. Born out of the fear and anger of France's conquest of Savoy and the Spaniard's plot to fully incorporate Naples and influence the Papacy — it was first conceived when the Genoese and Venetians agreed to cooperate against shared rivals in Mediterranean trade. Being officially signed by the remaining free Italian states after the Second Pan-Continental War, it guarantees military, economic and diplomatic cooperation between all members.

The Imperial Confederation of German States, the successor to the ancient Holy Roman Empire, is a strange sort of political entity. It inherited the territorial mess, while at the same time reforming much of the political structure, to the point of creating the first semi-united German... thing... in almost five centuries. The title of Emperor is elected by the big six: Saxony-Bohemia, Pomerania, Bavaria, Liège, Trier and Mainz. However, as things stand, the only real contenders to the title are the current Saxon holders and the Pomeranians. The Confederation has its own army, shared currency (the Reichsgulden) and a central parliament in Frankfurt, which, of course, is prone to bouts of internal disagreement.

Denmark-Norway — what nation has been thrown around, beaten and outright bullied more than the other united kingdom? The Danish once controlled all of Scandinavia, managing to crush Swedish attempts at independence time and time again — they once pioneered the colonisation of North America, establishing 'Vinland' in Canada and going as far in as the Rocky Mountains — they once held Schleswig-Holstein and influence over Northern Germany. Yet it was not to last. The British dealt a decisive blow and seized all of North America — the Russians invaded, supporting the Swedes as they marched into Stockholm — the Germans occupied the Elbe duchies and united under the ICGS. Fate has certainly not been kind to the Danish and Norwegians, and that has left a clear mark. The kingdoms agreed on sharing dual powers in 1824, and since then have been strictly opposed to the major world blocs — deeply denouncing their imperialistic agendas and jingoist methods. Leading to the creation of the...

International League of Armed Neutrality. The brainchild of Danish-Norwegian sorrow, Swiss paranoia, Southern French frustration and Chinese humiliation — the League serves as the club for all those exploited, threatened, harmed or otherwise unaligned with any of the major blocs. The first proposals came from Copenhagen, right at the start of the Second Pan-Continental War, inviting all those countries that didn't want to perish horribly, to form a pact of mutual defence and strict armed neutrality. The Swiss eagerly jumped at the opportunity, being surrounded from all sides by war, while other nations steadily joined in the aftermath. Southern France was a diplomatically isolated, defeated and humiliated carcasse of a nation, helped only by Danish-Swiss humanitarian aid, encouraging their admission to the League — the Chinese Republic, proclaimed only in 1907, had to deal with the weight of a century of foreign exploitation, joining the alliance hoping to discourage further Japanese and European aggression.

Russia is one mighty powerful empire, though it stands as the lesser of the three world powers. They are an autocratic, deeply conservative nation — dedicated above all else to the figure of the Tsar, the Nation and God. While calls of reform have been discussed, the army and nobility vehemently oppose any motions — and so the empire remains socially and politically antiquated. A multi-ethnic entity at its core, Russia has had some recent troubles containing their more unruly minorities — with the Ukrainian and Baltic opposition steadily growing in strength through Polish-Lithuanian aid. Still, they are a key player in the diplomatic stage, boasting of an expansive industry, major natural gas deposits, as well as a thirst for imperial power worldwide.

South China, or officially the United Southern Provinces of China, is in short, an artificial creation by the British. It was born from the Opium Wars, paired with internal instability caused by the famines of 1876-79, when a British expeditionary force militarily intervened in the Southern provinces with the assistance of local officials and rebel factions. Guangdong was seized as a de facto protectorate, while other regions declared independence, growing increasingly more dependent on the British's kind hand — in exchange for concessions, of course.

The Commonwealth of Three Nations, or simply the Commonwealth, is the final form of the Polish-Lithuanian union, forced to concede power and autonomy to the Ukrainian nation. They are Russia's incredibly large, incredibly inconvenient, roadblock — continuously provoking the bear while still allied with their fellow catholics in Spain.

Portugal, even if seen as nothing more than a pawn for the Spaniard, is still a major empire on its own. Their pioneer expeditions led them to far off places in the East and India, while agreements with Spain made them concentrate their efforts in expanding influence in Africa. The Portuguese Kongo serves as the only real threat to total British control over the Sub-Saharan continent, while Formosa is the strategic stepping stone for Spanish moves against both Japan and Southern China.

The Netherlands split from the Burgundian crown in the late 1600's after securing a series of agreements with the French, which directly sealed Burgundy's fate and eventual annexation. Eventually abandoning France, they were viewed with suspicion by a grieving English nation — which saw Burgundy as their biggest ally — however the two eventually secured an uneasy alliance... which was promptly broken after generous promises from Madrid. To say the least, Dutch involvement in the Second Pan-Continental War proved decisive in keeping the stalemate — diverting British-German attention away from both Austria and the Pyrenees.

Japan, modernised and ready for empire. They bear a deep hatred for the Portuguese, in part due to their attempts at religious conversion — which were crushed with extreme prejudice — and the, only recently broken, occupation of Nagasaki. For this, though not explicitly against the Portuguese, the Anglo-Japanese alliance was signed. Nowadays, Japan is eager to expand their influence over the East Asian mainland — claiming Formosa and intervening in Chinese and Manchu affairs.

The Commonwealth of New South Wales and Terre Australe are the two entities that occupy the main Oceanian landmass. The former is a British dominion, the latter a French colony conquered during the Second Great War. As such, one can guess that the relationship between the two is not very good, even with British attempts at forcing reconciliation. All while New Zealand watches from afar.

The North American continent is split between the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the Commonwealth of North America. Both nations are industrialised powerhouses, considered to be the secondary leaders of their respective blocs.

Vinland, the strange little Danish hat to the much more powerful CNA, is the product of Scandinavian colonial ventures before the arrival of the English in Newfoundland. It remains stubbornly Danish, avoiding and opposing any attempts of cultural assimilation into the Anglosphere — something which has been a constant pain to the Newfoundland colonial administrators

A cold and unease peace settles in the Indian subcontinent, where Vijayanagar and Delhi eye each other in deep suspicion — yet still relent to the League's, frankly obtrusive, diplomatic overtures.

—————————— o ——————————

I was deeply inspired by mdc01957 's and KitFisto1997 's map and writing work when making this.

Resources:
Modern Map
1453 Map
1444 Map
Rivers

I was playing England, and the others were playing Byzantium and Spain, if you wanted to know.