Thanks for the feedback, Advernt
I'd like to see The United Provinces to include at least Antwerp and Southern Brabant, possibly more of modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, or France but it depends when and how this happens. I was sort of leaning towards a later POD after the 80 years war, but that is definitely an option. What if the United Provinces and France make an agreement to split up the Spanish Netherlands during the War of Devolution or leading up to the Franco-Dutch War. Is there any chance that Louis XIV would give up all of modern day Flanders if he still got "French Flanders' and Wallonia? (I use modern geographic terms because the various counties and duchies are a bit more complicated and involve listing a dozen or 2 obscure city/regions)
I like these ideas but they're much earlier than the time period I'd like to work with and I think enough butterflies would result that the Netherlands would be a very different place.
Some other ideas I have been thinking about that i'd be curious to hear thoughts on:
-Leading up to the 1st Anglo-Dutch War, Oliver Cromwell suggested the Netherlands join the Commonwealth. Then suggested that the English and Dutch split the world up into 2 spheres, English get the New World and the Dutch get the old. What if the Dutch had agreed to this 2nd proposition? Would it be null and void after the Restoration? Would the Restoration still definitely happen? Is there any chance the deal would last, giving the Dutch and English each profitable empires that weren't in competition? Any way to include France in on the deal later, as the proposition was mostly to compete against the Spanish and Portuguese Empires?
-I've noticed peoples responses to the idea of William II dying earlier still assume that all the wars and major events of the next period still happen. If instead of the "stadholderless period" the Netherlands had a stadholder who had limited power in the form of William Frederick would the attitudes towards English and/or French proposed deals change? What if they had a stadholderless period but there was also no looming threat of the infant William III of Orange? Would Orangism still exist in any form? Would the Republicans show any interest in expansion or be any more or less interested in appeasing England & France?
-I bring up this next point because someone suggested the War of Spanish Succession wouldn't happen without William III of Orange. Without King Billy would the War of Spanish Succession still happen? IMO, so much could change in the 2nd half of the 17th century that anything is possible, but the fact remains that there would be the question of who Spain's king would be. Or is it assumed there would be a united Bourbon Kingdom?
I am new to Alternative History, but it seems to me that there are so many possibilities within a few years of a minor change that it is really open what could happen 50 years down the road, or even 20. I would still love to hear more feedback though as I want to be sure that especially the early years of my TL make historic sense.
I'd like to see The United Provinces to include at least Antwerp and Southern Brabant, possibly more of modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, or France but it depends when and how this happens. I was sort of leaning towards a later POD after the 80 years war, but that is definitely an option. What if the United Provinces and France make an agreement to split up the Spanish Netherlands during the War of Devolution or leading up to the Franco-Dutch War. Is there any chance that Louis XIV would give up all of modern day Flanders if he still got "French Flanders' and Wallonia? (I use modern geographic terms because the various counties and duchies are a bit more complicated and involve listing a dozen or 2 obscure city/regions)
I like these ideas but they're much earlier than the time period I'd like to work with and I think enough butterflies would result that the Netherlands would be a very different place.
Some other ideas I have been thinking about that i'd be curious to hear thoughts on:
-Leading up to the 1st Anglo-Dutch War, Oliver Cromwell suggested the Netherlands join the Commonwealth. Then suggested that the English and Dutch split the world up into 2 spheres, English get the New World and the Dutch get the old. What if the Dutch had agreed to this 2nd proposition? Would it be null and void after the Restoration? Would the Restoration still definitely happen? Is there any chance the deal would last, giving the Dutch and English each profitable empires that weren't in competition? Any way to include France in on the deal later, as the proposition was mostly to compete against the Spanish and Portuguese Empires?
-I've noticed peoples responses to the idea of William II dying earlier still assume that all the wars and major events of the next period still happen. If instead of the "stadholderless period" the Netherlands had a stadholder who had limited power in the form of William Frederick would the attitudes towards English and/or French proposed deals change? What if they had a stadholderless period but there was also no looming threat of the infant William III of Orange? Would Orangism still exist in any form? Would the Republicans show any interest in expansion or be any more or less interested in appeasing England & France?
-I bring up this next point because someone suggested the War of Spanish Succession wouldn't happen without William III of Orange. Without King Billy would the War of Spanish Succession still happen? IMO, so much could change in the 2nd half of the 17th century that anything is possible, but the fact remains that there would be the question of who Spain's king would be. Or is it assumed there would be a united Bourbon Kingdom?
I am new to Alternative History, but it seems to me that there are so many possibilities within a few years of a minor change that it is really open what could happen 50 years down the road, or even 20. I would still love to hear more feedback though as I want to be sure that especially the early years of my TL make historic sense.
