Geography - Government - History - Economics
Anthropology - Climatology - Psychology - Religion - Military Science
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
1500 AD - As the news of discovering a new land spread many saw it as a redemption, a fulfilling of the "promised land" of salvation by the Catholic church. But it caused the church to lose even more power. A competing religion sprang up from Germany, mainly associated with Martin Luther (Lutheranism, more generally Protestantism as other spinoffs emerged). It stressed being your own interpreter of Gods word, and, the ability to access Gods grace without the intercession of a priestly class. Two revelations motivated Luthers movement, the selling of indulgences by Catholic priests (Fuggers), and the use of gibberish Latin in Rome during mass. Indulgences were upgrades to heaven paid for in cash or sex. Even England left the Catholic church when their famous Henry the VIII formed the Anglican (Anglo) Church when the Pope wold not grant him an anullment of his marriage.
As Europe turns westward evermore, it leaves a vacuum for Islam to swoop into. Jerusalem has not been held by the west in 250 years. Islam does allow Christians from Europe to visit Jerusalem's holy places. You may have heard of the Knights Templar who escorted them on their pilgrimage. The northern branch the Tuetonic knights had served the same function. Groups such as the Templars and Tuetonic (Tuetomer) evolve into later secret societies such as the Freemasons, later the Illuminati. The land we know today as the middle east is dominated by the Ottoman Empire, ostensibly greater Turkey in the guise of West Islam. Their empire is large but, not as large as the old Mongol Empire. No one will ever match that. They reach ever deeper into Europe also, turning the Greeks, then the Hungarians from blond to brunette. For another 180 years will they push deeper reaching as far as Vienna, this is culmination of the old paranoia of Islam which haunts us to this day.
Two more developments evolving now are the concentration of wealth into family owned banks and the concentration of military science into weapons manufacturing conglomerates. The first family to dominate banking in Europe was the DeMedici family dating back to 1300's Italy. This family acquired the bulk of its wealth from the Catholic Church, providing three different Popes for the church and investing in distressed properties when the peasants sold out from fear of the plague and moved to the countryside. A German family named the Fuggers began to whittle away at the DeMedicis fortunes, roughly in time with the Protestant Church taking adherents from the Catholics.
The Fuggers financed the first big weapons makers a family named the Krupp's of Germany. They (the Fuggers) gained wealth by marrying their representative into the Habsburg family, then getting them married into the Spanish royal family the Castilles, and working a deal to siphon off much of the silver based wealth coming back to Spain from the New World. Then Jakob Fugger struck a deal with the Pope (a DeMedici, who ran whore parties) he would get to sell tickets to heaven and keep half the money. He was then put in charge of the Vatican mint and allowed to keep overruns. Even today, Fuggers descendants, in fact an entire town, lives off the interest. The Fuggers held on for centuries and were eventually displaced by a family of German Jews named the Rothschilds, who dominate world banking to this very day. The Krupps are still in business today also. They make elevators. The Krupps made rifles for the HRE and artillery for the Nazis.
But again we are getting ahead of ourselves. It is 1540 (DeSoto at Pensacola FL) and the Spaniards are moving through Florida. Italian Juan Cabotini begins to explore the northeast coast of the USA. Balboa spots the Pacific Ocean, and it is confirmed, this is not Asia, or India, it is a completely new world. The USA's oldest settlements are established, at Pensacola and St. Augustine FL.
More was exchanged between the old and new world than just people and ideas. The Europeans brought smallpox, gunpowder and horses, in return the Europeans got syphilis, tomatos and tobacco.
1619 AD - A small settlement of English has been established at Jamestown. The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock. The English begin to send settlers in huge numbers. The English begin to push back against the Spanish for dominance in the new world. The 30 years war has started in Europe. By now the Spanish Armada has been defeated by the British Navy. In Norway, Kongberg is founded. They mine silver and make rifles.
1666 AD - The Thirty Years War has passed, fighting over whether Protestantism or Catholicism will be the religion of the land. The Great Fire ravages London. This event in the year 1666, which some associate with Revelations of the Bible and the end of times, serve as additional impetus out of Europe, especially to those that perceive themselves as persecuted.
1683 AD - The Thirty Years War has passed, they decide to let each Prince decide the official religion for his lands. Central Europe is decimated, leaving a vacuum for the forces of West Islam, the Ottoman Empire (greater Turkey) to push further into Europe. Not until they reach Vienna are they turned back by a coalition of Christian forces led by the Pole Jan Sobieski and his archers. It is the invasion, and retreat of Islam through southeast europe that led to a mixing of religions, races and ethnicities that led to the chaos, fragmentation, unrest, and Balkanization which was exploited to start WW1.
In the Americas an episode of witch paranoia occurs in Salem, MA. It had occurred by the thousands in Europe up to this point, this will be the only case in America. Another case of religious inspired terror is the Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic Church using informants, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture and death to suppress the rising Protestantism and other heresies.
A company in Japan called Mitsubishi has been founded.
1710 AD - the Great Frost (ice skating until June), this is the only time that all three major financially related families the DeMedicis,the Fuggers and the Rothschilds are simultaneously active. By now the Exodus from the Catholic Church is in full swing, religious wars having been fought, millions heading for the Americas. Control of the British isles flowed to the Germans because of various intrigues in British politics and the inabilities of rulers to have suitable heirs. The families running England have shifted from Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart, and now shifting to the more Germanic Wettin line (Saxe-Gothe-Coburg and Hannover) King George III that the USA broke away from was a German, and elector for the Holy Roman Empire, which was 900 years old by this time, but had only 100 years to go.
Another famous royal family at this time are the Habsburgs. They would be involved in ruling Austria-Hungary, Spain, even Mexico, their reign ends at WW1. The Archduke Ferdinand whose assassination was used as the excuse to fire up WW1 was a Habsburg. The ships captained by Christo Columbo were financed by the Habsburgs.
1776 AD - The 7 years war, along with its New World component the French Indian War is over. The war will decide whether England or France has the upper hand in settling North America, and worldwide colonialism in general. England wins. Remember Spain was beat by the English (the Armada) and have migrated south to Mexico, Central and South America. With fighting all over the globe, many consider the Seven Years War, the first world war. In North America the Revolutionary War is starting up.
The contest for supremacy in North America has ended up with three finalists: the Spanish, English, French. Spain dominated in the south and southwest, the British on the coast and northwest Pacific, the French around the Great Lakes and further west (Louisiana Territory). The economic character of the regions influenced development as well: trade on coasts, industrial to the north, agrarian to the south, and natural resource based out west, esp. timber and fur. As the newly forming America is based in the coastal northeast its language and customs tended towards the English, with Puritan overtones mixed in from central Europe such as the Calvinist and Amish.
A secret society the Illuminati is founded in Bavaria Germany (May). The Illuminati has among its members remnants from older societies such as the Knights Templar, Masons, the Tribe of 13, and such. A German family takes power in Russia and changes their name to Romanov, their leader will be called the Czar. The winemaker (Kallstadt) for the Illuminati changes his name from Drumpf to Trump. The USA declares independence from England (July). France is in its own Revolution, deposing King Louis. The writings of Adam Smith "The Wealth of Nations" advocate for the freemarket and capitalism.
Combat during the Revolutionary War had not advanced much in 400 years. Infantry could only fire one shot at a time and it took them a minute to reload. The most powerful weapon was the cannon. The most powerful weapons platform was the ship outfitted with several cannons. Mastery of this technique had given the west the upper hand in colonizing Asia and Africa.
