Anyway, idea: Prince Hal, that kid who was in Henry IV, Part I (easily my favorite play), was wounded in the Battle of Shrewsbury, depicted in said play. Specifically, by an arrow fired by the opposing side. So let's take the opposite tack from das' old Transoceanic/Plantagenet Empire/Habsburg Amazing HRE of Doom TL: what if the arrow wound had been improperly cleaned by the surgeons, and had ended up infected, killing the Prince before he could become king and go off for an extended raiding session on the other side of the Channel?
EDIT: Also, in das' timeline, why the devil didn't Henry end up crusading after he conquered France? I would have paid money to see the Plantagenet Empire send an expedition along with Hunyadi and Skanderbeg to fight Murad. Even if the Roman Empire's lifespan wasn't increased by such a venture. Was interfering with the Conciliar Movement really enough to satisfy Henry's crusader spirit?
Outline:
We want a world where the Chinese and Japanese have a shared, Christian (Arabic Right) synergetic culture with additional Turkish influences.
We have a few conditions:
First Christian Arabic Rite Turks must invade and occupy China or at least a significant portion of it for a reasonable period of time, while diffusing its cultural influences.
Then Nestorian Mongols must then invade and conquer China or at least a significant portion of it for a reasonable period of time, while further defusing its cultural influences.
Then China must be occupied by Japan with a steady mixing of Japanese and Chinese culture, such that they become virtually indistinguishable.
Additional endgame goals:
Buddhism must be marginalized by Christianity.
We have additionally chosen the year 888 for the conversion of the Emperor to convert to Christianity.
Additionally Confucius must be regarded as a Crank.
India should also be under significant Sinnic influence.
I'm sure that if you paid money (and were a prominent European banking house or something), Hal would've at the very least given this idea a second thought.
First Christian Arabic Rite Turks must invade and occupy China or at least a significant portion of it for a reasonable period of time, while diffusing its cultural influences.
I propose a modification. I somewhat doubt that Turks will be any good at spreading their religion - any Turkic religion - to China. Instead, I propose that the spiritual and ideological vacuum of the Three Kingdoms and afterwards that historically was filled with Buddhism (friggin' Buddhism out of all things that might possibly become a popular religion in China; thankfully it was pretty warped for the most part) should be filled by Ta Chin teachings. Maybe the key is introducing it earlier, but then again it occurs to me that the most important thing is to have a great Ta Chin spiritual leader emerge. He would have to finalise the growing syncretism of Taoism and Nestorian Christianity, and then bring his faith to the desperate masses. Afterwards, whatever emperor emerges will either be a Taoist Christian or will have to support this creed to the utmost (incidentally, we still can work the Turks into this; they will conquer the place and then accept this faith for political reasons, like Clovis accepted Catholicism). It should be way more viable than Buddhism, and as long as the new dynasty, whatever it is, wouldn't screw up as bad as the Sui did all should be well. A lot depends on how exactly the Church would develop, though; I think either the State will take over the Church Byzantine-style or the Church will establish a theocracy, taking over the State. The two would be pretty hard-pressed to coexist, though one alternative is for the faith to be a more itinerant and Taoist-like one. Then no Emperor would destroy it.
Ofcourse, since what I am proposing is Taoist Christianity as a popular religion much like in the Roman Empire, rather than Arabic Rite Christianity as a religion brought by foreign rulers, this is something entirely different. I still like it better, though.
I don't know if there is any way to make the Turk thing work; maybe if some great prophet-warlord (think a Nestorian combination of Mohamed and Genghis Khan) emerged and conquered war-wrecked northern China, that might be doable and might eventually expand southwards from there. Still, it'd be weird.
Then China must be occupied by Japan with a steady mixing of Japanese and Chinese culture, such that they become virtually indistinguishable.
First we need Chinese missionaries to Sinify Japan to a greater extent, then we need the larger portion of the Japanese elite to move to China after conquering it and to be fully assimilated after a few generations. The rest will go the way of the Manchus, only maybe even more so.
Throw it out of South-East Asia. Possibly by means of treasure ship crusades, culminating in the xia from the Martial and Righteous Order of St. Lao burning the unholy Buddhist relics in Sri Lanka.
We have additionally chosen the year 888 for the conversion of the Emperor to convert to Christianity.
No, Confucius will be a virtuous pagan, because the Empire's ideology must be a combination of Neo-Confucianism (very different in this world, ofcourse) and Taoist Christianity. Unless we go by the theocracy route (might also work with the Turks), in which case...
The true doctrine was clearly announced,
Overseers of the church were appointed in due form;
The people enjoyed happiness and peace,
While all creatures were exempt from calamity and distress.
When Hiuentsung commenced his sacred career,
He applied himself to the cultivation of truth and rectitude;
His imperial tablets shot forth their effulgence,
And the celestial writings mutually reflected their splendors.
The imperial domain was rich and luxuriant,
While the whole land rendered exalted homage;
Every business was flourishing throughout,
And the people all enjoyed prosperity.
Then came Suhtsung, who commenced anew,
And celestial dignity marked the imperial movements.
Sacred as the moon's unsullied expanse,
While felicity was wafted like nocturnal gales.
Happiness reverted to the imperial household,
The autumnal influences were long removed;
Ebullitions were allayed, and risings suppressed,
And thus our dynasty was firmly built up.
Taitsung the filial and just
Combined in virtue with heaven and earth;
By his liberal bequests the living were satisfied,
And property formed the channel of imparting succor.
By fragrant mementoes he rewarded the meritorious,
With benevolence he dispensed his donations;
The solar concave appeared in dignity,
And the lunar retreat was decorated to extreme.
When Kienchung succeeded to the throne,
He began the cultivation of intelligent virtue;
His military vigilance extended to the four seas,
And his accomplished purity influenced all lands.
I, for one, still think that a reverse Rice and Salt scenario that wipes out all or most of Asia would be an interesting thought experiment, if not a legitimate althist.
I, for one, still think that a reverse Rice and Salt scenario that wipes out all or most of Asia would be an interesting thought experiment, if not a legitimate althist.
Sorry, can't come up with much of anything, apart maybe from the fact that had he lost disastrously the consequences for the Second Triumvirate might've been fun to watch.
Sorry, can't come up with much of anything, apart maybe from the fact that had he lost disastrously the consequences for the Second Triumvirate might've been fun to watch.
I like the idea of him and Antonius switching places: he goes to Brundisium while Antonius confronts Pacorus, Labienus and co. IMHO Antonius (given his Atropatene performance) would have lost out to the Parthians (there's a good reason for Pacorus being called 'Conqueror of the Romans' by his daddy Orodes II; besides, Antonius was competent or perhaps slightly better than competent, but Bassus was genial and the Pahlavan trio were, put together highly skilled), while Bassus might have joined Octavian wholesale given his actions in 41 during Fulvia's rebellion. Admittedly, it's kind of sparse. I blame the inordinate attention given by Roman sources to the Triumvirs as opposed to the impressive struggle that went on in the east on which there is a paucity of good literature. It'd be nice if there was actually a quality description of the battle of Apamea, for example; one of the greatest triumphs of Pahlavan arms and it barely gets a mention in Plutarch.
Alternatively, we could look at another thing. Was there even a remote possibility of Trotsky using his position as head of the Army to go Napoleon and eliminate the Stalin/Zinoviev/Kamenev troika? IMHO that's the only way he could have won out in that particular struggle; permanent revolution was looking like a bad idea during the Nep foreign policy era after the Brits et al recognized the USSR and opposing the excesses of the bureaucracy is never the way to go when you need the support of said bureaucracy.
Alternatively, we could look at another thing. Was there even a remote possibility of Trotsky using his position as head of the Army to go Napoleon and eliminate the Stalin/Zinoviev/Kamenev troika?
Trotsky being something of a wuss aside, he was nowhere near Napoleon in the terms of commanding military support; I suppose that the "military specialists" might have relied on him to a significant extent, but Frunze was in a far more Napoleonic position and he wouldn't have gone against Zinoviev. And Stalin himself had a fairly strong affiliation with certain elements of the military (such as Budenny) - I suspect it might've even been a backup plan.
Trotsky being something of a wuss aside, he was nowhere near Napoleon in the terms of commanding military support; I suppose that the "military specialists" might have relied on him to a significant extent, but Frunze was in a far more Napoleonic position and he wouldn't have gone against Zinoviev. And Stalin himself had a fairly strong affiliation with certain elements of the military (such as Budenny) - I suspect it might've even been a backup plan.
Aww. Still, it'd produce chaos. Even if Trotsky does go down hard, mightn't the greater inroads Zinoviev (and I suppose Kamenev by extension) have in the military help out in the 1925-7 maneuverings against Stalin? Since they ended up basically endorsing an early version of the First Five-Year Plan between themselves, if the power struggle lasts long enough for the '27 crop failures (or even add them in a bit earlier) they have a reasonable chance, right? (Other than the 'nerve' factor, I suppose.)
I actually thought about this for quite some time.
The scenario that I'm envisioning here is quite simple: After Bassus' great Persian triumph, when Antony relieves him of command, Octavian, presumably secure in the wake of Brundisium, convinces Bassus, rather than return to Rome and a life of obscurity, to betray Antony's side and attack Egypt with the veteran legions of Syria. This being what it is, Judea is still pro-Antony, but Bassus shouldn't have trouble getting Herod the Great to either betray or allow his legions safe passage. If Bassus simply gets destroyed in Egypt, Antony is still weakened, making the eventual breaking of the Triumvirate an even easier victory for Octavian.
The other option is that Bassus actually wins. This is in some ways more dangerous for Octavian. Given the quality of Ptolemaic troops versus the Syrian legions, and Bassus' previous command experience, it's quite likely. Even if Antony (and presumably Cleopatra) dies, Bassus will gain control of a very important resource: Caesarion. Given that Bassus is an old guard loyalist who marched with Caesar in the Gallic Wars, he would most likely consider it a duty to serve as regent for the young Caesarion, (who has a claim to rule both Egypt AND Rome, btw,) rather than killing him as Octavian would like.
This will not make Octavian happy, and he'll probably begin to see Bassus as his next threat to deal with (and vice versa) in order to secure his uncontested domination of Roman society. Now that the Triumvirate has imploded almost immediately, I could easily see a Lepidus/Bassus alliance against Octavian, or a Lepidus/Octavian alliance against Bassus and Herod.
If Cleopatra betrayed Antony and offered him up to Bassus at the last minute, that would be an even more interesting combination.
I definitely could see that coming, especially if Antony is somehow defeated early into the conflict (say, trying to lead an army against Ventidius into Syria).
PoD: the effect of the Seven-Year Famine in the fifth century Sassanian empire is lessened. Peroz I, without the need for military adventurism to distract from the failures in his domestic policies, doesn't provoke the war with the Hephthalites and the amicable relationship of his previous years is continued. Instead, he goes off, Yazdegerd II-like, on a campaign against the Romans. In having to repulse this effort, the Eastern Empire doesn't have the resources or the diplomatic clout to put Anthemius on the Western throne, which instead remains in the hands of Ricimer, who was having his fun civil war against the putative magister militum Marcellinus, it will be remembered. Marcellinus' Dalmatia can probably survive against Ricimer, and may even seize control of northern Italy (after all, Marcellinus was one of the more skilled generals of the time, and Dalmatia itself under his suzerainty was essentially impregnable; in addition, most of the sources that I can find for him report his army as being the most well equipped and skilled of the major armed forces of the time). Anyway, by the time Leo is ready to turn back to the West, probably in the early 470s, Marcellinus has become extremely important to securing power in the West for Anthemius. So Anthemius will seize power in Italy with Marcellinus at his side, using Eastern and Dalmatian troops and taking down Ricimer; it will be with Marcellinus, a far more skilled leader, that the Western and Eastern combined expeditionary force will set sail for Africa, and by that point the end of the Vandals is nigh, spelling a good deal of respite for the Western Empire. Italy, Dalmatia, and North Africa is a solid imperial core, after all, especially when one considers the nominal allegiance of Syagrius' dominion in Noviodunum. I can see the Visigoths being the main loser from all this, because their position in southern Gaul, although strong, will be immensely weakened from OTL, and they will probably have issues securing Spain as well. A series of Roman fortified ports would elude their grasp, I think.
Plus, a non-debilitated Persia, or at least one which isn't prostrated to the Hephthalites so long, might stage something of an early renaissance, before the OTL one of Khosrau of the Immortal Soul (Anushirvan is such an awesome title, no?). Sassanids without the bad effects from the famine have a reasonable chance of redirecting much of the Hephthalite force into India (straight through the lamentably brief Indo-Sassanid territories; I always thought that the Indo-Parthians, Indohellenic Baktrians, and Indo-Sassanids were pretty cool), turning the Gupta Empire into Swiss cheese even faster (Skandagupta dying around this period, IIRC) and carving out a state on the upper Ganges, with attendant amusing demographical effects. Also, the Sassanids will perform better than OTL against the Romans, and have a reasonable shot at driving them out of Syria and Armenia. Especially if they exploit the issues that the Eastern Empire is going to be having with the Ostrogoths and Isaurians during the 470s and 480s, like Khosrau II did during the Phokaid revolt.
Depends on what happens with Egypt, I think. Remember, too, that just like the Arche Seleukeia against the Parthians, the Sassanids managed a reasonably close run fight against the Arabs up until the very end at Nehavand, where even the seriously-weakened-by-civil-war-and-exogenous-shock Sassanids scraped together a hundred thousand men to fight against An-Numan ibn Muqarrin.
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Was interfering with the Conciliar Movement really enough to satisfy Henry's crusader spirit?
Even if Trotsky does go down hard, mightn't the greater inroads Zinoviev (and I suppose Kamenev by extension) have in the military help out in the 1925-7 maneuverings against Stalin? Since they ended up basically endorsing an early version of the First Five-Year Plan between themselves, if the power struggle lasts long enough for the '27 crop failures (or even add them in a bit earlier) they have a reasonable chance, right? (Other than the 'nerve' factor, I suppose.)
