Apartheid Superpower 6.0

[MerryPrankster]

Here's the sixth iteration of my magnum opus, inspired by an AH Challenge from Reddie. This version takes into account criticisms from Terence before he was banned. I believe Terence was South African and knew a fair bit about the technology and geopolitical situation of the region, which necesitated revisions, primarily in the 16th and 17th Centuries.

I'll post the 16th Century and then wait awhile before posting each installment, to give people time to comment and ask question.

16th Century

POD: Leiden Falls to the Spanish (1574 AD)-Leiden in the Netherlands falls to the Spanish before relief forces can arrive.

Johannes Buckhout Plans Calvinist Exodus (1574 AD)-Buckhout fears that the Dutch cause is lost, and begins planning an escape route. He decides on the Cape of Good Hope, since it’s very far away from Europe, is a good spot for participation in the India trade, and could give the Calvinists a place to establish their utopia.

Battle of Mookerheyde (1575 AD)-This battle is another Spanish victory, and gives Buckhout more credibility.

The Exodus (1575 AD)-Fifteen ships carry the Dutch Calvinists to the Cape of Good Hope and establish Calvinist settlement there. Total initial number of settlers in South Africa is 5,000.

Foundation of the Cape Free State (1576 AD)-The Afrikaner settlement establishes the Cape Town Compact, the constitution of the Cape Free State. Said constitution limits suffrage to male heads of household, establishes the Dutch Reformed Church as the only legal religious body, and guarantees the rights of property, freedom of speech and press (except for heresy), and some other things.

Battle of Rijnsburg (1577 AD)-Here the Spanish army, overextended by its recent victories, suffers a severe blow. Leiden is recaptured soon afterward, along with The Hague.

Word of the Dutch Victory Reaches the Cape (1579 AD)-Word of the recent Spanish reversals reaches the Cape. Some of the Dutch return to Holland, but most have invested too much into the new land to leave it. Those who do return, however, bring back word of a bountiful and useful place to settle. Many poorer Dutchmen and Calvinist refugees from elsewhere in Europe will make their way to southern Africa in the coming years.

Treaty of Cape Town (1579 AD)-The Afrikaners make a treaty with the Dutch Republic. Free trade and travel between the two nations, although the Afrikaners look askance at Catholic Dutch and do not want them to own land or set up Catholic churches in their territory. Military alliance as well—Afrikaners begin preying on Spanish ships trading in the Indian Ocean.

The Great Grab (1581 AD)-The Afrikaners grab three Portuguese and two Spanish ships loaded with spices and the like. This aggravates the Portuguese community, already unhappy with Spain’s inability to defend their colonial empire from the Dutch and the Afrikaners. The Spanish government decides to seize control of the Cape of Good Hope to turn the tables on the Protestants.

Afrikaner Population Before Spanish Assault on Cape Town (1584 AD)-10,000. Much is due to immigration, although there are some African-born youngsters.

Spanish Assault on Cape Town (1584 AD)-The Spanish land a naval force in Cape Town and seize control of the city, taking the Cape militia by surprise and ejecting it from the city. The Reformed leadership is given a choice between conversion to Catholicism or the stake, and get burned.

Battle of Solomon’s Hill (1584 AD)-The Spanish soldiers pursue the Afrikaners into the bush. The Afrikaners, who’re all mounted infantrymen, manoeuvre around them and destroy the fort (and the supplies therein) at Solomon’s Hill. Although the Spanish get some help (food, water, and guides) from natives annoyed at the land-grabbing tendencies of the Dutch settlers, they can’t get ammunition.

Battle of Towsrivier (1584 AD)-Low on ammo and slowly being attrited by Afrikaner hit-and-run mounted attacks, the tercios begin making their way back to the captured city. Unfortunately, the Afrikaners get them in a bad spot, encircle them, and destroy them in detail. The Afrikaners, angry at the execution of their churchmen, return the favour and show no quarter.

Cape Town Liberated (1584 AD)-The Afrikaner militia returns to the city in force. The citizens rebel and eject the Spanish troops. The battle begins when a group of Afrikaner slip into the town and hijack one of the two Spanish ships, sinking the other one and then turning its guns on the Spanish occupation forces. The main body of the Afrikaner militia invades the city and the citizens rebel. The Spanish are massacred.

Conscription, Expansion, Immigration Policy Established (1585 AD)-The Afrikaners are determined not to allow something like that to happen again. A more formal military policy is established, along with a coherent scheme to expand their political control outside of the Cape region—it was the ability to retreat into the hinterland that enabled the Cape militia to defeat the Spanish, and the local Africans cannot be trusted not to help the Spanish. The Afrikaners also decide to try to attract more immigrants from Europe, to make sure their population base is large enough to maintain a powerful military AND a productive economy. The Afrikaners also send word to the Dutch about how the Cape of Good Hope is a good spot to interdict Spanish/Portuguese commerce in the Indian Ocean.

The Bushman War (1586-8 AD)-Afrikaners devastate the San and Khoi, establishing their control over the southern interior regions of present-day South Africa. Perhaps 60% of the Bushmen are killed in the war, while the remainder are enslaved. However, these new slaves all die within ten years due to disease and simply not being able to hold up.

Edict of Nantes (1598)-Henri IV converts to Catholicism in order to be crowned King of France. The Afrikaners complain about this compromise, and predict dire results.

[MerryPrankster]

Now things get rather different from the last iteration of the TL, thanks to Terence's advice.

17th Century

Afrikaner Population Reaches 20,000 (1600 AD)-Although a large proportion of the population consists of kids (larger families), the Afrikaners are powerful enough to hold the Cape and maintain some control over the interior.

Synod of Cape Town (1601 AD)-The Afrikaners have made many black or Bushman (although those are largely dead at this point) converts to the Reformed Church—now what to do with them. Many whites are uncomfortable jointly worshipping with blacks. The Synod decrees that blacks will be integrated into existing (white) churches whenever possible, but exceptions can be made “for the weakness of some.” Unfortunately, over the centuries, the exception became the rule.

Diamonds Discovered Across the Orange (1605)-Diamonds are discovered in the region of OTL Kimberly by Afrikaner explorers who’ve crossed the Orange River. The Afrikaners—more educated and mercantile than OTL’s Boers—recognize the value of these and decide to secure control of the territory.

The Northern Expedition (1606 AD)-Afrikaner militia armies move northward and seize the diamond-rich regions, enslaving or driving away African villagers. This provokes a large-scale response from African tribes all the way to the Limpopo.

Battle of the Ridgeline (1606 AD)-The Afrikaners and their victims meet in battle. It’s an Afrikaner victory—they lose 200 soldiers and the tribal forces lose perhaps 1,000, devastating black manpower south of the Limpopo. The Afrikaners’ low manpower does not permit them to immediately conquer everything south of the river, but over the next generation, they manage this.

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Beginning of the Thirty Years’ War (1618 AD)-The defenestration of Prague sets off the Thirty Years’ War as in OTL.

First Diamond Shipments to Protestants (1619 AD)-The Afrikaners send a large shipment of diamonds to aid their Protestant co-religionists, particularly the Dutch. These diamonds fetch high prices, helping out the Protestant war effort.

South African Diamond Rush (1619-40 AD)-When the Afrikaner diamond arrives, large numbers of Europeans head south to participate in the giant mining rush. The Afrikaners are very strict about migrants—non-Calvinists not welcome, and immigrants must do military service, the same as native-born. Despite the Afrikaners’ high standards, 30,000 white settlers arrive during this time period. The city of Dorlanburg is founded on the site of OTL Kimberly, named in honor of Gerben Dorlan, who has taken advantage of the rise in manpower the diamond rush has brought to conquer the recently-depopulated regions south of the Limpopo.

Afrikaner Invasion of Mozambique (1635 AD)-Afrikaner forces, swelled by new immigrants and in conjunction with the Dutch, invade present-day Mozambique. The attack begins with a large cavalry raid that moves up the coast as far as present-day Inhambane. This does a lot of damage, but it rouses the Portuguese, who quickly move south to intercept the Afrikaner infantry force that’s surely coming behind.

Battle of the Limpopo (1635 AD)-The Portuguese and their African allies attack the Afrikaner forces as they ford the Limpopo River. This battle is a near-run thing—the Afrikaners’ army is small and they’re used to fighting opponents largely armed with spears, not guns. The Portuguese army isn’t much larger and the Afrikaners’ ferocity carries the day. To be on the safe side, however, the Afrikaners decide to recruit mercenaries from India and the Arab lands to bolster their small military. Envoys are sent to India and Arabia to recruit mercenaries.

Siege of Lourenço Marques (1635 AD)-The fresh manpower brought in enables the Afrikaners to seize control of the Portuguese city of Lourenço Marques (present-day Maputo).

Battle of Nova Lusitânia (1635 AD)-Overconfident Afrikaners, fresh from the occupation of L-M, surge northward. Remaining Portuguese forces check them here.

Battle of the Rio Lurio (1635 AD)-This is the final defeat of the Spanish/Portuguese and their native allies in East Africa. The Afrikaners catch the Portuguese while they’re fording the river, and destroy them.

Afrikaner Occupation of Palma (September 15th, 1635 AD)-A month after the Afrikaner destruction of the Portuguese forces at the Rio Lurio, Afrikaner forces take possession of the small settlement of Palma.

Mozambique Incorporated into the Free State (1635 AD)-Portuguese territories in East Africa are incorporated into the Free State. Portuguese holders of prazos (large landed estates) are given the choice between conversion to Protestantism and the loss of their lands (under Confederation law, only Protestants are allowed to own land). About a fifth or so of the landholders convert; most refuse and consequently lose their land. Some prazos (and their dependent African workforce, which paid the Portuguese in labor or cash) are taken over intact by Afrikaners (creating a class of “Maputo Gentry”), while others are broken up and settled by individual landless Afrikaner families. Afrikaners do not impose slavery, as the status-quo serfdom-like system works well enough. Most of the Portuguese who refuse to convert to Calvinism leave the colony, vowing revenge, although a few remain in the urban centers.

Spanish and Portuguese Reinforce Angola (1636 AD)-The Spanish and Portuguese reinforce the Portuguese colony of Angola, determined not to lose it to the Afrikaners.

Dutch Take Goa (1637 AD-The Dutch take Goa from the Portuguese.

Grootfontein Raid (1638 AD)-Spanish and Portuguese forces based in Angola raid into Afrikaner-held territory, defeating small Afrikaner garrisons and at one point, massacring several families and razing their homesteads.

Battle of Ondangwa (1638 AD)-An Afrikaner militia attempts to intercept the Spanish force as it retreats out of Afrikaner territory. The Afrikaners are defeated, although Spanish losses are heavy.

Afrikaner Invasion of Angola (1639 AD)-The Afrikaners, supported by Dutch ships, decide to put an end to the Spanish menace.

Battle of Cunene Crossing (1639 AD)-

Battle of Lobito (1639 AD)-

Battle of Huambo (1640 AD)-

Peace of Westphalia (1648 AD)-This treaty ends the 30 Years’ War. In addition to OTL stuff about national sovereignty and the recognition of Calvinism as a legal faith (leading to a decrease in the number of immigrants), the Spanish and Portuguese are forced to recognize the loss of Goa and present-day Mozambique and Angola to the Afrikaners and Dutch. The Portuguese government and individual dispossessed landowners are compensated by a large shipment of Afrikaner diamonds. Borders within Germany and Holland might be different, since the Afrikaner gold helped the Protestant cause (Sweden and Denmark might hold more German territory and the Netherlands might include Antwerp). Afrikaner Territorial Possessions At The Time of the Peace of Westphalia: Coastal OTL South Africa, the interior of OTL South Africa from the Atlantic to just beyond Kimberly, coastal Namibia and Angola, and Mozambique (plus some bits of the interior). Total white population is 65,000, while the total black population is 70,000 and the total Coloured (Indian and Arab) population is 15,000 (about 1/4 in the Afrikaner military and the rest are migrant workers).

Abraham Van Keuren Proposes Makes His Improvements Speech (1648 AD)-Van Keuren proposes a policy of using the nation's mineral wealth to improve the Free State rather than fund wars outside of Africa. He envisions a great university at Cape Town and another at Kimberly, and a powerful fleet to defend the Cape against any outside threat and to defend the Afrikaners’ growing position as middlemen in the Indian trade. “So that our Dutch brothers do not have to bear the burden alone,” is his justification for the creation of an independent Afrikaner navy in addition to the Dutch fleet. The later Afrikaner efforts to win naval supremacy in the Indian Ocean and efforts to build a world-class educational system come from this.

Catholic Deportations (1649 AD)-Oliver Cromwell, at the suggestion of his Afrikaner advisor Arnold Koch, rounds up thousands of Irish Catholics who occupy positions he deems threatening to English settlements in Ireland. Rather than deporting them to another part of Ireland, he deports them to the non-Puritan North American colonies—the sugar plantations of the Caribbean, the tobacco plantations of Virginia, the nascent Catholic colony of Maryland, and Pennsylvania. By the time of the Restoration, 150,000 Irish Catholics will be deported to the New World (this in addition to OTL immigration). This timeline’s center of Irish-American culture will be in Virginia/Kentucky, although South Boston will be Irish per OTL.

Catholics Permitted to Settle Frontier Zones (1650 AD)-Some leaders of colonies that forbid Catholics (primarily the New England ones) suggest Catholics be permitted to settle the frontier regions, to defend against Indian raids. This takes the pressure off Maryland, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania, who were getting more people then they could handle. They have only limited self-government in their segregated frontier towns and must submit to officials appointed by the Protestants.

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Fall of Sri Lanka to the Dutch (1658 AD)-The Dutch finally seize control of Sri Lanka (with the exception of the Kingdom of Kandy in the center of the island) from the Portuguese. The Afrikaners benefit greatly from having SL as a jumping-off point for trade and military adventures in India.

(more)

Oliver Cromwell Dies (1658 AD)-He dies per OTL.

Army’s Attempt to Remove Richard Cromwell Stopped (1659 AD)-English-Afrikaner soldiers prevent the army from removing Richard Cromwell. This delays the Restoration by a year.

Richard Cromwell Removed (1660 AD)-Richard Cromwell proves to be a weak ruler and the English-Afrikaner faction allows him to be removed and the Rump Parliament to be summoned.

Battle of Edgehill (1662 AD)-John Lambert attempts to restart the civil war in order to prevent the monarchy from returning to England. Many English-Afrikaners rally to his cause and prevent his OTL arrest by the regicide Richard Ingoldsby, who is killed before the battle begins. Monck’s armies crush the Puritan die-hards, but many are able to escape. They flee Britain aboard 3-4 Royal Navy ships captained by similarly die-hard Puritans.

Lambert, Others Arrive in Free State (1662 AD)-Lambert and the others arrive in the Free State. The ships they come with are added to the nascent Afrikaner navy, and the sailors are in high demand to train Afrikaners up to their high standards.

Year of the Papist Risings (1662 AD)-Upon hearing of the defeat of Lambert and the pending restoration of Charles II, Catholics revolt against their Protestant superiors throughout the colonies. In most places, they’re quickly crushed (although some flee into the backwoods and establish maroon-type settlements). In New England, Catholic insurgents march out of their frontier “reservations” and seize control of the port of Boston. Unfortunately, they did not take pains to guard their flanks and the rebels are cut off from their sources of support by the Puritans. Despite this, they manage to hold out in the port itself.

English Restoration (1663 AD)-Charles II restored to the thrones of England and Scotland. Owing to the disturbance made by Lambert, he is a tad bit less conciliatory than OTL. Some of the religious laws are enforced a bit more strenuously, leading a trickle of harder-core Calvinists to make their way to South Africa.

Massachusetts Compromise (1663 AD)-The Catholic rising has reached a stalemate. Catholic partisans are trapped within Boston and have been living almost exclusively on fish, while the Puritans cannot take the city. Fearing renewed Indian attacks and intervention by Charles II (who both sides think will side with the other), the Protestants and Catholics negotiate a peace. The worst discriminations against Catholics are abolished and the Catholics are permitted to elect one representative to the various assemblies. However, other than that, Catholics cannot vote, and they still face a lot of social discrimination. Similar measures applied in other colonies to avoid future unrest.

University of Cape Town Opens (1667 AD)-This is the firstfruit of Van Keuren’s plans to build a world-class navy and educational system in the Cape Free State. Many of its faculty were lured away from the finest schools in (Protestant) Europe (and some were former Catholics who made useful conversions to work there). The University establishes a large press to produce books for both the university and the public at large. There are relatively few students at first, but the diamond $$ means a lot of resources.

Establishment of First Afrikaner Settlement in India (1670 AD)-The Afrikaners establish a colony in SW India.

Shivaji’s Coronation (1674)-This marks the beginning of the Maratha Empire in India.

First Cinchona Plantations Established (1675 AD)-Faced with lots of malaria deaths among the settlers of the interior, the Afrikaner leadership learns of something called “Jesuits’ bark” used to treat tropical fevers in South America. The Afrikaners import some cinchona trees and set up plantations. The plantations don’t do well at first, since they’re in the temperate zone of South Africa proper, so plantations are set up in Angola and Mozambique, where they do better. Within two decades, malaria is brought under control in the region, although the tsetse flies remain a problem. “Jesuits’ bark” becomes an Afrikaner export, although the anti-Catholic Afrikaners don’t like the name.

Edict of Nantes Revoked (1685)-Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes and subjects French Protestants to persecution.

Edict of Potsdam Issued (1685)-Frederick William, Elector of Brandenberg, offers asylum to fleeing Huguenots. Most of them end up there, but some end up going to the Confederation, attracted by the wealth of the diamonds and the possibility of participating in the Indian trade.

Thomas Geerling Writes Sermon “No Compromise” (1685)-Afrikaner minister Geerling writes the sermon “No Compromise.” Inspired by recent events in France, the sermon’s basic premise is that ANY compromises with the world will, sooner or later, lead to violence against God’s elect. This sermon is often cited to justify Afrikaner intransigence re: non-Calvinist foreign states.

Free State Volkstadt Passes Refuge Act (1685)-The Volkstadt of the Cape Free State offers refuge to French Huguenots, including full citizenship. By the time the great Huguenot exodus has passed, tens of thousands of them will have come.

First Skirmishes with the Rowzi Empire (1690)-The first skirmishes between the Afrikaners, still consolidating their hold over the territories taken from the Portuguese, and the Rowzi Empire, which controls almost all of OTL Zimbabwe. The Afrikaners get the worst of it a couple of times and establish a border similar to the OTL Portuguese border with the Rowzi.

[Hamburger]

Hey, I've been familiar with your TL since the earlier incarnations and have a suggestion on format, how about writing your TL in prose form this time, rather than in the raw TL format? Anyway keep up the great work!

[Avalon1]

excellent work, although i preferred the prose format.

[MerryPrankster]

Originally Posted by Hamburger

Hey, I've been familiar with your TL since the earlier incarnations and have a suggestion on format, how about writing your TL in prose form this time, rather than in the raw TL format? Anyway keep up the great work!

I do have written fiction set in TTL, but it's set much later in the timeline and I would prefer not to post any of it here, as that would count as "publication" and make it harder to sell.

Of course, "Dragon and the Bear" was not written in entry/date, entry/date format, but it wasn't narrative with characters either.

Hmm...I could always take a page from benjamin and describe specific happenings rather than straight narrative with all the events of the entire TL in there.

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Originally Posted by MerryPrankster

Abraham Van Keuren Proposes Makes His Improvements Speech (1648 AD)-Van Keuren proposes a policy of using the gold mined from the Witwatersrand to improve the Free State rather than fund wars outside of Africa.

The gold is found 2 1/2 centuries early? You mentioned premature discovery of diamonds, but not gold.

[MerryPrankster]

Originally Posted by Dathi THorfinnsson

The gold is found 2 1/2 centuries early? You mentioned premature discovery of diamonds, but not gold.

Oops.

Due to the technological problems of getting the gold from the Witwatersrand, I kicked the gold rush forward to about 1790, with the diamond rush staying in place.

I'll have to fix that.

[MerryPrankster]

Where do you all see the TL going from here?

I obviously have my own ideas, but so do you, I imagine, and I'd like to hear them.

[MerryPrankster]

Here's the next century, which includes the breaking of the Rowzi Empire in Africa and the American Revolution.

If this continues to attract little interest, I think I might pose "Apartheid Superpower: The Prose Edition" to be a little different.

It certainly won't have all those (insert battles) and various filler moments. Plus prose TLs tend to be more readable and popular anyway.

18th Century

Afrikaner Population Reaches 80,000 (1700 AD)-Total Afrikaner population is 80,000; total non-white population is 300,000.

Passage of the Test Act (1704 AD)-This requires that all military and governing officials in Britain be members of the Anglican Church, disenfranchising not only Catholics, but Presbyterians and other dissenters too.

First Scots-Irish Arrivals in South Africa (1705 AD)-Although 4/5 of the Scots-Irish wave will emigrate to the USA, the most hard-core Calvinists will go the extra mile and journey to South Africa. They leapfrog the Afrikaners to settle in the interior regions of present-day Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, and Mozambique, as well as (eventually) move northward through eastern Africa into present-day Zambia, Rwanda, Malawi, and Uganda. Their potatoes grow surprisingly well in Africa and they pick up other crops from the Afrikaners already there. There are tensions between the S-I, who don’t really wish to assimilate, and the Afrikaners, who want them to, and consequently, the Afrikaner local governments tend to encourage the new arrivals to settle on the borders or in more isolated areas.

First Rowzi War Begins (1725 AD)-The Scots-Irish moving inland provoke a war with the Rowzi Empire.

First Rowzi War Ends (1726 AD)-The war ends with a status quo ante peace.

Beaufort Incident (1738 AD)-This is a large-scale battle between Afrikaner and Scots-Irish militias. It started out as a border dispute between an Afrikaner and a Scots-Irish township (the first is Beaufort, the latter is New Londonderry). The S-I were sick of their people not getting the proper respect from the Afrikaners (the town was founded by people who wished to live in Beaufort, but were unwelcome) and the Afrikaners viewed the S-I as impolite guests. By the time the dust was settled, the Afrikaner town had been levelled.

Battle of (What?) (1738 AD)-This is another, larger clash between the Afrikaners and Scots-Irish. The Afrikaner settlement of (Dutch name) is burnt, while Afrikaner cavalry drive away a herd of Scots-Irish cattle.

The Great Invasion (1739 AD)-Taking advantage of the budding civil war, the Rowzi Empire under the command of Tombolaikonachimwango II, son of the previous king of that name, decides to invade the Afrikaner Confederation. The Afrikaners call him King Tom and call the conflict King Tom’s War (it’s similar to America’s King Phillip’s War), even though the technical term for it is the Second Rowzi War.

Battle of (What?) (1739 AD)-This battle is a defeat for hastily-called-up Afrikaner reserves and is their first major loss to a non-white power. King Tom’s tribal levies move southward to threaten the Witwatersrand, where gold has been recently discovered.

Uprising at (Where?), (Where?), and (Where?) (1739 AD)-Slave uprisings break out in the Witwatersrand and in Natal. An Indian mercenary regiment based (where?) mutinies at heavy-handed Afrikaner attempts at evangelism.

Battle of (Where?) (1739 AD)-Afrikaners defeat the Indian mercenaries, shoot the ringleaders, and distribute the individual squads throughout other Afrikaner forces. Unofficially, Afrikaner preachers are told to be a bit more subtle.

Battle of (Where?) (January 12th, 1740 AD)-Outnumbered Afrikaner forces are surrounded by slave insurgents who have escaped the new Witwatersrand mines and King Tom’s regular forces which have moved into the area to take advantage. They manage to defeat their enemies, though at a high cost. This battle is known as “the day of the vow” because the Afrikaner soldiers made vows before God that if they were given the victory, they would celebrate the day as a Sabbath from now on. The black armies press and press and press, but the Afrikaner formations do not break and King Tom, having taken fearsome losses, retreats to the north (another Afrikaner army is moving in, so he can’t simply go around the first one). The last African charge will penetrate the outer ring of the Afrikaner defenses but it won’t get very far.

Battle of (Where?) (1740 AD)-Although King Tom’s push towards the Witwatersrand has been defeated, his army still occupies the north-central regions of Afrikaner territory and has been recruiting escaped slaves and serfs. He has to be dealt with, and fast. Scots-Irish and Afrikaner armies join together and attack King Tom’s force at (where?), inflicting heavy casualties and forcing him to withdraw from Afrikaner territory. Afrikaner forces pursue him into his heartland and occupy it up to the (what geographic feature?). King Tom is forced to sign a peace treaty surrendering much of his territory and promising compensation.

Foundation of the Afrikaner Confederation (October, 1740 AD)-The recent invasion of the Free State by King Tom in the aftermath of Scots-Irish/Afrikaner squabbles reveals just how fragile the situation has become. Representatives of the various white ethnicities (and one or two Coloureds as well—high-caste Indians) come to Cape Town and hammer out a new constitution. Slavery, which the white ruling class recognizes as untenable in the long term and a standing internal threat due to the recent slave risings, is also abolished. The proposal to abolish slavery (with compensation for masters) was a major kink in the reorganization process—Biblical debate raged for days before the anti-slavery forces won (the leader of that faction pointed that although slavery may be Biblical, it is not mandatory, and if the “powers that be” outlawed slavery, it would be immoral). Mechanisms will be put in place to exploit blacks economically—“hut taxes” to make previously self-sufficient black communities (untouched by slavery) need money to pay and thus need to work for whites, reparations in cash and labour from the Rowzi due to the carnage caused by the recently-concluded war, and limits to the size of tribal cattle herds (ostensibly for environmental reasons, but in reality to keep the tribes from supporting themselves, thus requiring them to work for Afrikaners). An apartheid-like policy is put in place where newly-freed slaves are NOT considered legal residents of the white settlements, but of the places where they (or their parents or grandparents) were taken as slaves. Thus, they’re subject to legal controls of various kinds. The state church is legally separated from Holland and becomes the Afrikaner Reformed Church. It is made the official religion and one must be a member in order to have a government position or own land larger than (what amount?). Other Protestant churches have complete freedom of religion, while Catholics, Hindus, and Muslims are subject to restrictions of various kinds (no attempts to convert Calvinists, must apply for permission to expand buildings, etc). The harshest restrictions are on Catholics, since the Afrikaners fear the Catholic states of Europe. The Afrikaner Constitution, or Great Charter, is signed by representatives of every existing settlement. The existing settlements become the nuclei of staten, the individual governing units within the Confederation. Universal manhood suffrage established in the Confederation—before, each staten had its own laws re: suffrage, leading to same states allowing only male heads of households to vote, some with property qualifications, and some even allowing women (!) to vote. One of the signers is Matthias de Lange, a recent immigrant who has risen to wealth and prominence due to his trading skill.

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King Tom Launches Second Invasion of Afrikaner Territory (1760 AD)-King Tom is growing old and fears what will happen to the Rowzi Empire after his death. He decides to launch a pre-emptive strike on a large settlement of Scots-Irish on the fringes of his domain. His army destroys the settlers, but takes severe losses—it’s not the war machine it used to be.

Battle of (Where?) (1760 AD)-A combined Confederation army meets Tom’s force in battle. The Afrikaners defeat his army in three hours and force him to retreat to his kraal. The battle is on the Zambezi and the Afrikaners are supported by naval gunfire, which overcomes Tom’s advantage in numbers.

Burning of the Rowzi Capital (1760 AD)-Afrikaner forces destroy Tom’s city, killing hundreds of his people and the entire Rowzi royal family. Though various “sub-kings” will resist for years, the power of the Rowzi Empire is broken. This marks the end of the Third Rowzi War.

Quebec Act Passed (1767 AD)-This act grants the Catholic French Canadians the right to participate in governmental affairs in British Canada and replaced the explicitly-Protestant oath of allegiance with a nondenominational one.

Catholic League Formed in Boston (1768 AD)-Catholics, who despite being a large part of the populace (and the majority in certain parts of New England) continue to be discriminated against, form the Catholic League. They want the Quebec Act applied to them too. British authorities resist this demand, as they fear that it would eventually lead to more political rights for Catholics in Ireland and England.

Fourth Rowzi War Begins (1770 AD)-The Afrikaners decide to finish off the remnants of the Rowzi Empire, whose sub-kings are fighting for the scraps of King Tom’s dominion and periodically causing trouble for the white settlers who are establishing European-style civilization in the old Rowzi territory.

Fourth Rowzi War Ends (1771 AD)-The last remains of the Rowzi Empire are destroyed and the Afrikaners are triumphant.

Battle of (What?) (1773 AD)-This is TTL’s “shot heard round the world,” setting off the American Revolution.

Declaration of Independence (April 6th, 1774 AD)-The Thirteen North American colonies declare their independence from Great Britain.

Afrikaners Declare War on Britain (1774 AD)-The Afrikaners take advantage of Britain’s distraction with the American rebellion in order to expand their possessions in India in conjunction with the Marathas and in alliance with the French (who get drawn into the whole thing). They rather sanctimoniously criticize both sides on Biblical grounds—the Patriots are in rebellion against the God-ordained British government, while the British monarchy is fulfilling Samuel’s warning about greedy monarchs—but they do offer to mediate.

French Aid to Colonists Begins (1775 AD)-France is drawn into the American Revolution due to its interests in India, and begins aiding the colonists.

Battle of (Where?) (1775 AD)-

Battle of (Where?) (1776 AD)-General Benjamin Danvers routs the British in the district of Maine. Taking advantage of how (name?), the British general, had stripped the surrounding regions of troops, he surges northward, hoping to take the British base at Halifax by surprise.

Battle of St. John (1776 AD)-The British forces manage to slow him down. Taking Halifax by surprise is not going to work. Although Danvers is able to defeat the small British force, it slows him down enough for Halifax’s few defenders to fortify it.

Siege of Halifax Begins (1776 AD)-It’s a race against time—British ships and men are being pulled out of New York in order to deal with the threat to their trans-oceanic lifeline.

The Burning of the Ships (1777 AD)-With most of the defenders occupied, a small Patriot guerrilla band slips into Halifax. They sneak aboard the ships Hastings, Invincible, and Francis Drake, set them on fire, and steer them into the other docked ships. The resulting inferno destroys 2/3s of the British fleet in the harbour and much of the dockyard facilities.

Reinforcements Arrive at Halifax (1777 AD)-Reinforcements arrive at Halifax soon afterward. The destruction of many of the docks and the fouling of the harbour with debris, damaged ships, etc. slows down the unloading of the soldiers.

Battle of (Where?) (1777 AD)-Danvers engages the larger British force, just to “sting” them and force them to commit to a pursuit. He then begins retreat back towards New York.

Battle of New York (1777 AD)-Meanwhile, the Patriot general John Carter attacks New York City. The depleted British force is defeated and the city reclaimed.

Battle of (Where?) (1777 AD)-Patriot forces under General Robert Harms defeat the British. This battle secures the Ohio Valley for the future United States.

Battle of Lake Ontario (1778 AD)-General Robert Harms decides to “roll the hard six” and advances on the Great Lakes from his bases in the Ohio Valley. This combination land-and-sea battle will give the infant US the Niagara Peninsula, which includes the future sites of Toronto, Oshawa, Bramptom, Peterborough, etc. between Georgian Bay and Lake Erie.

Battle of (Where?) (1779 AD)-The British are not without their successes. The British rout one of the two major Patriot armies in the South and Loyalists begin flocking to their banner. Phillip Crook takes command of the Patriot armies in the South and prepares to make his stand (where?).

Battle of (Where?) (1779 AD)-Crook, aided by Scots-Irish militiamen who take several key British positions via infiltration, defeats the British army. The British commander is killed in the battle and the British forces are forced to retreat to Savannah. The south is secured for the United States.

Battle of (Where?) (1779 AD)-This battle is analogous to Yorktown. The French fleet prevents the British army from being evacuated by sea while Patriot forces commanded by Danvers and Carter attack the British army by land. The British general (name) is forced to surrender.

Treaty of Ghent (1780 AD)-The treaty that ends the American Revolution. Britain is forced to recognize American independence and the expansion of Afrikaner and Maratha power in India. However, the Afrikaners must permit British ships to use Afrikaner and Dutch ports and facilities in the Indian Ocean; the Americans are required to demilitarize the northern parts of Maine so that they cannot threaten Halifax again (and thus the St. Lawrence River and the rest of Canada). The British also begin negotiations with the Ottoman government for the creation of a Mediterranean-Red Sea canal, in case they need to rush forces into the Indian Ocean to defend their Indian empire and support Australia, which the British have been looking at for use as a penal colony.

Articles of Confederation Passed (1781 AD)-The new United States sets up a Confederate form of government. The government under the Articles has some similarities to the Afrikaner governmental structure.

Arrival of First Convicts in Australia (1783 AD)-A fleet of eight ships with 1000 prisoners arrives in Australia.

American Constitutional Convention (1784 AD)-The Confederation government didn’t work very well, so a more federalist structure is established.

Bill of Rights Passed (1785 AD)-The Bill of Rights is added to the Constitution after some anti-Federalists, fearing the infant US will degenerate into a dictatorship, emigrate to the Confederation.

Danvers Elected President (1785 AD)-Danvers, “victor of land and sea,” is elected to be the first President of the United States.

(What?) Process Invented (1785 AD)-That there was gold in the Witwatersrand was known for a long time, but how to extract it efficiently? This set heads a-thinking and in 1785, the (what name?) process is invented many years ahead of OTL. It will make the Witwatersrand mines MUCH more economical and set off another great rush and (white) population explosion in the Afrikaner Confederation.

Storming of the Bastille (1785 AD)-France’s bills from aiding the Patriots in the Revolutionary War, the leaders’ luxurious lifestyle, and maintaining their position in India (a TTL added expense) prove too much for the monarchy to handle, and a series of events very similar to OTL occur. The Tennis Court Oath will be made somewhere else (perhaps in a church, since a lot of clergy supported the 3rd Estate).

Danvers Inaugurated (1786 AD)-

First Coalition Forms against France (1786 AD)-Like OTL, the other monarchies of Europe fear the revolution and try to destroy it.

Afrikaner Confederation Declares Neutrality (1786 AD)-The Afrikaner Confederation declares neutrality in the growing European war, against criticizing both sides on Biblical grounds. The French Republic is guilty of rebellion against a divinely-ordained king and mixing the authority of Church and State (by requiring priests to swear oaths to the government—the Afrikaners don’t emphasize this point too much b/c they don’t like Catholicism), while the French monarchy was guilty of abusing the populace (esp. Protestants), which the European monarchies are guilty of as well. All sides in the war may trade and travel freely within Confederation domains. The Afrikaners aim to profit from the war and the flight of refugees it will generate—they hope to attract more whites to exploit the gold without needing as many black laborers.

Afrikaners Declare War on French Republic (1787 AD)-The Afrikaner policy of neutrality does not last long. The French advance per OTL into Holland and establish a new government. The Afrikaners declare war on the French for this brazen assault on their ally. French nationals in the Confederation are interned unless they register with the Confederate government and submit to surveillance. The only real action between the Afrikaners and the French takes place in India. Thousands of Dutch flee to the Confederation, which the growing gold rush means many more jobs.

Battle of (Where?) (1787 AD)-A British attempt to land an army on the Continent to relieve the Dutch is smashed by the French. The French mount several raids on the British coastline, setting off an invasion scare.

Battle of (Where?) (1787 AD)-Afrikaner forces attack the supply lines of a major French force in India while the British attack the main army. The two armies destroy the French force between them.

Battle of (Where?) (1787 AD)-Afrikaner forces defeat the French and their Indian allies and lay siege to (where?)

(What City?) Falls (1788 AD)-The fall of this city to the Afrikaners marks the end of French power in India.

British Landings in Western France (1789 AD)-The British land in western France. Something like the Vendee occurs.

Execution of Louis XVI (1789 AD)-The regime panics and executes Louis XVI and his unpopular Austrian queen (NOT Marie Antoinette). Several more moderate leaders object and get executed too. The revolutionary government is panicking—the loss of India and now a British-backed rebellion on their own soil?

Danvers Re-Elected (1790 AD)-

Battle of (Where?) (1790 AD)-(Analogue of Napoleon) distinguishes himself by driving the British expeditionary force into the sea.

Suppression of the Vendee (1790-91 AD)-The Vendee suppressed.

Establishment of the Directory in France (1791 AD)-A government very similar to OTL’s Directory is established in France in the aftermath of TTL’s Reign of Terror and the execution of Louis XVI.

George Kern Elected President of the United States (1795 AD)-Danvers does not run for a third term. Kern, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, is elected President.

End of the Wars of Revolution (1795 AD)-This is something like a hybrid of the Anglo-French Peace of Amiens and the various other treaties made with Revolutionary France, only with the French not doing as well (particularly in Italy). The other states recognize the French Republic and its ally the Batavian Republic, and concede to France the territories it had annexed (Belgium and the short-lived Cisrhenian Republic). Basically France has its “natural borders.” The Ancient Regime survives in Spain, Italy (with some modifications due to the French occupation), Germany, and the Hapsburg lands, and the French are forced to cede the remainder of their Indian holdings to the Afrikaners and British.

The German and Czech Revolts (1796)-Revolts flare in Germany and the Czech lands, spurred by the French example. They get crushed by the Prussian and Austrian princes, the latter with the aid of a Russian army that is returning to its home. Many leaders flee to France, where they vow revenge. A trickle of German Protestants head for the Confederation and its burgeoning gold industry.

Afrikaner Gold Rush Begins (1796)-The reports of the Dutch and German refugees of the riches the newly-rich gold mines of the Afrikaner Confederation attracts hundreds of thousands of (Protestant) fortune-seekers to the Confederation. This prompts further waves of European immigration to the Confederation, as well as huge numbers of Africans seeking their fortunes in the mines. This in turn leads to:

Afrikaner Immigration Policy Liberalized (1796 AD)-The Afrikaner leadership, having turned away thousands of whites due to the anal-retentiveness of their religious policies, decides that the demographic issues require more white people. The strictness of the religion test is reduced—applicants are no longer quizzed on the finer points of Calvinism, but instead given a test designed to see if they meet certain basic Protestant criteria. People with certain skills (ex-military men, for example) are given an even looser test—all they really need to do is sign off on a basic “statement of principles” that includes basic Christianity, white supremacy, etc.

[LordInsane]

Well, er, it is interesting, it is just that I don't know much about the period in OTL, which hampers my ability to comment with more than 'interesting', or something like that.