I'd somehow manage to disolve the HRE, and make Germany into 4 or so states. Bavaria, Rhineland, Saxony and Brandenburg. Hamburg get's annexed into Denmark.
I'd go back even further after the battle of Grunwald and when everyone was celebrating after the battle, i'd tell them that it would be in our best interest to destroy the Teutonic Order once and for all (rather than just heading back to Poland celebrating). Poland takes the last Teutonic stronghold(Malburg was it? Don't remember) and banish all non-Polish people in the area and repopulate it with Poles. Only for the benefit of the future.
I Make sure both Muscovy and Novgorad continue fighting all the way to fairly lately, letting Poland take more of Belarussia and Ukraine. When I was done with that, i'd advise the Polish king that a war against Bohemia would be best, to reclaim territories such as Breslau and Silesia, as both will prove valuable in the future. Poland allies with Austria after they agreed on a proper division (which favored Austria, to get them into the war) and than we divided up Bohemia as planned, leaving only a buffer state of Moravia behind.
By now it should be somewhere in the 1600's, so I make the Ottomans more succesful and let them invade Hungary decisively. I tell Polish king (as his advisor) to take advantage of this, and annex some former Hungarian land, such as Slovakia.
I at the same time, told the king that it would be best to sponsor rebels in former Byzantine and Romanian territory against the Ottoman Empire following the battle of Vienna. The Romanians regroup themselves into Transylvania, Moldova and Wallachia, and shortly later as a united Romania. In Greece, nationalist revolts occurred when the populous were finally against their oppression. All this also sparked revolts in Serbia.
I told the Polish kind, as his advisor, that perhaps setting up some colonies could prove to be beneficial to Poland. Colonies Poland could profit from where noted in Panama and Coastal Texas in the American mainland. Colonization of Tobago and Antigua and attempted to colonize Dominica, but the French became controllers of the land. Unsatisfied, the Kings advisor(me) decided to colonize a portion of coastal Brazil, which will later be known as Polish Guiana. The French settled next to Polish Guiana, and called it French Guiana. Poland also took several colonial possessions in Africa, most notably Southern Angola. (Polish Angola) As well as several other ones from time to time, but the only long lasting one was in Angola. 3 nearby Indonesian Islands fell rule to Poland, as well as a colony in India. Poland opened the Polish East Indies Trading company.
With this new colonial wealth, back in mainland europe, was used to sponsor the collapse of the Brandenburg. Poland gained territories on it's western front, as well as the western bits of Pomerania. Brandenburg became a buffer state between the Polish power and the nations on the Atlantic Coast.
Ottomans fall in power even more at the start of the 1700's with more revolting provinces such as Albania (who like other balkan nations, missed the period of islamic missionaries, and thus remained christian) Greece and newly created Bulgaria pushed the Ottomans back to the Anatolian side of Thrace.
I than change Poland's political system so fighting back won't be to hard like it was in real life, just in time for the Swedish invasion. 5 years before, I order the construction of a larger navy. Sweden invade and our navy will be outnumbered, but once our reserve troops from other parts of the country reach the coastal regions, Swedish forces are decimated.
1700's continue as is.
1800's so no partition of Poland. Poland remained neutral in the French Succession wars. In this century, Poland was fairly peaceful but gained military strength as neighbors Muscovy united Russian lands, and Austria gained in power as they swallowed parts of the Balkans. (down to Albania, so they have a border with Greece) Romania became a worthy ally or enemy as well. To the West, Germany and Italy are united following Napoleon's campaigns. Germany is strong as a threat to Poland, they already invaded Denmark and took back Hamburg. England is having it's little colonial goldenage and France is as powerful as ever. Spain doesn't fall in power either following the annexation of Portugal and it's colonies. (something it could not do in real life).
The latter of the 1800's saw Italy skirmish with it's new african colonies, the Ottomans fall even more in power, and Germany also gained some colonies. The 1800's were fairly quite in Europe after the first 25 years or so (which saw much war following Napoleon, the Balkans and Russia), but what was making noise and keeping Europe occupied was it's colonies, seeking independence. America gained independence a bit later in this history, as England kept it with a tighter grip. However, Napoleon sponsored an American independence which succeeded, most Spanish territories gained independence as well, Most famously Simon Bolivar and his quest in Spanish independence. Polish Texas gained independence as well. Panama stayed under Polish control however. Britain took the resources to throw out all other colonies in India, and united the land now known as British India. This included Polands colony... :\
1900's came with increasing tensions in Europe, Ferdinand's assasination in Sarejevo still takes place, and becomes the spark. The Central Powers are Germany, Austria-Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and the Ottomans. The war was bloody, in the west, it commenced as normal, trench warfare. In the East, Italy, and Poland fought Germany and Austria. Austria facing much independence revolts in the Balkans, succumbed easily. Germany was finally defeated after some help on the Eastern Front from Russia, in a joint Polish-Russian-Italian side. Poland and Russia than fought against Romania and they were decisively defeated. Following the defeat of Germany, England had the resources to start a land invasion in Turkey. Turkey were defeated in a joint Russian-British-Italian-Greek side.
Treaty of Versailles saw Poland lose possestions to an independent Lithuania, and Russia and Poland create a Ukrainian buffer state as well as a Latvian one. Russia gave up it's Baltic states. Austrian empire was no more, Hungary and all of it's balkans were destroyed. Ottomans also were no more, Turkey was the new state to come out, with Ataturk taking power. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was formed. Germany lost many colony's in the treaty. A new country, Czech Republic was formed.
Following the war, there was the Spanish Civil war, which saw an independent Brazil, Portugal and Basque Republic, as well as a couple of colonies overseas.
Than there was a madman called Hitler, who came in power in Germany. He annexed Czech Republic and Austria. Poland was much to strong for Germany at this point, so he continued annexing small countries like Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as allying with Italy, Romania and Hungary. He than made the pact with Russia in 1940 to invade Poland. Poland was invaded and lost after nearly 4 months of war, it could not defend an invasion from all sides by two world powers and a minor power. Although the consequences of this was Britain and France getting into the war. Hungary, wanting the territory of Vojvodina, invaded Yugoslavia, and Germany had to help them after Yugoslavia started to fight back. Yugoslavia brought Bulgaria and Greece into the war. Albania was invaded by Italy. France was defeated and the battle of Britain started. Hitler also invaded Norway and Sweden. Finland occupied Russia with the much longer lasting Winter War. Finland was more victorious in this war and it actually gained territory controlling Murmansk. Russia had to make a make-shift treaty with Finland, ceding Murmansk as they had to put troops against Germany, which had just broken their pact and invaded Ukraine, Belarus and Latvia. Germany and Russia were now at war. America got involved after Pearl Harbor. Germany was a little more succesful in this timeline againt Russia, but they had to retreat due to the Polish Uprising.
Yugoslavia defeated Hungary and put them out of the war. The German retreat allowed Russia to effectively defeat Romania. Invasion of Normandy happened a month later, and the allies moved into german occupied territory, than German territory as the crossed Alsace. Sweden and Norway gained some help from America and started to beat down the Germans. Italy surrendered soon afterwards and Germans were forced to invade Italy and battle the allies. Russia invaded German occupied territories. The Allies reached Berlin, but the fighting continued, as Hitler escaped to Poznan. The Allies marched and reach Poznan, where Hitler was shot down by troops. They continued through Polish territory to Warsaw crushing any resistance, and met the Russians in Warsaw.
WWII ended in Europe in September 1946, exactly 6 years after the war started. Milllions of lives were lost. To weaken Germany, they forced Bavaria independent, Alsace to France, as well as some minor border territory all around. Poland lost even more territory to the Ukrainian state, including it's territory in the Black Sea.
The Cold war happened regardless of the USSR being less powerful (Yugoslavia, Czech Republic, Germany, nor Poland ever became communist, and Finland gained territory on Russia and never became communist) USSR found new friends in Communist Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Philippines and Indonesia as well as several African countries. Cold war ended 10 years later than it did in real life, as China, Iran and Saudi Arabia ended Communism, and all the European countries(and Indonesia) under it revolted and killed it's commie leaders. Most African states under communism descended into Civil War as did Cambodia.
Poland let go of it's last colonies, South Angola, Panama and Antigua in the 1970's.
Will you guys like a map?
I would be curious to see the results.
