Map Monday: Aztec/Chinese Britain by Anekcahdep

Just like the Weekly Updates, how I write Map Mondays will be changing as well. They still will read the same and I will be making the final decision on what are the best maps of last week, but now I am taking your opinion into account as well. I will post maps that catch my fancy on Facebook and Twitter, so don't forget to follow me there if you haven't already. I share a lot of other stuff on social media that I don't always feature on The Update so that is another reason to follow me as well.

Anywho, once I see what people have to say about the maps I share I will make my decision on what map deserves the Map Monday crown. So congrats to Anekcahdep for his map of Britain divided between the Chinese and Aztecs:

I wish I could come up with a better title for the map, but Anekcahdep wasn't forthcoming about what he called it. Even the file name was just the map contest it was created for. Regardless, in this timeline Mohammed was never born and thus the Middle Ages never ended for Europe. The rest of the world, however, progresses rather rapidly and eventually China and the Aztec Empire begin to divide up the world, including the bickering states of Britain and Ireland. The Aztecs get Ireland, Scotland and northern England, while the Chinese take Wales and the rest of England.

What I like about this map is that it features a fun scenario that you don't see very often in alternate history. Timelines where Europe is divided up between non-European empires gives us a lesson in what colonialism is like that can't always be taught in the history books. If you want to read other timelines that show Europe being gobbled up by alternate imperialistic powers, check out Easternized World on the AltHistory Wiki.

Honorable mention this week goes out to SoaringAven's Ukrainian Crisis. If you want to submit a map for the next Map Monday, email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com with your map attached and a brief description in the body of the email.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Twilight Histories Cover: Aztec Steel

With the permission of Sam McDonald and Jordan Harbour, the voice behind Twilight Histories, I present this new map and description made by Sam. It was inspired by the "Aztec Steel" episode of Twilight Histories. Enjoy!

After the sack of Tenochtitlan, Chinese hegemony was established and a new era of Sino-Aztec cooperation and rebuilding was born. The wealth brought by China's New World possessions, combined with a more outwardly thinking dynasty, meant that China was considered by many nations in the West to be the most powerful nation on earth.

China also made contact with the Incan Empire. The Inca fell into a civil war after the Old World diseases set in. The civil war was between those who wished to continue trade with China and those who wanted the foreigners out of their land. Eventually the Pro-Chinese faction won out. The Chinese began establishing colonies on Incan land to help make up for the depleted workforce.

China's colonies became autonomous regions within the Chinese sphere. This wasn't caused by any ill-will towards China, but rather because nominal self-governance was a more efficient form of managing distant lands. The former colonies still retained close relations and trade with China. Originally, the former colonies Xuya [1] and Mexica comprised a single province. The two, however, ultimately split over ethnic tensions due to Xuya being more pure Han Chinese, while Mexica was a mix of Aztec and Chinese culture. Tawantinsuyu, China's former Incan colony was a mix of Chinese and Incan culture.

Xuya modeled itself closely off of China's government where anyone was free to join if they passed the imperial exams. Mexica and Tawantinsuyu modeled themselves off of traditional Aztec and Incan government respectively, but certain Chinese elements such as imperial exams and increased bureaucracy persisted. Other progressive social developments were seen in the autonomous regions including the banning of human sacrifices and women being allowed to participate in the imperial exams.

Korea never established a colony in the New World. However, many Koreans made it to the New World through China's autonomous zones. Today, Koreans make up a noticeable minority in Xuya, Mexica and Tawantinsuyu.

The tiny nation of Tecas, made of an eclectic mix of Chinese, Korean, Aztec and English settlers. The Tecas were a threat to the larger autonomous zones because they practiced a form of direct democracy.

The Spanish established colonies in Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. However, lacking direct access to Aztec and Incan gold and silver meant that Spain never became a great empire. Spain focused more on European affairs while at the same time putting more effort into the colonization of the Philippines. Spain also settled the Patagonia region of South America, to the consternation of the Chinese, and placed more emphasis on trade and commerce rather than conquest. This economic strategy proved more sustainable for Spain in the long run, and it remained a major power in Europe.

England established its first colony, Henrytown, in what would have been Louisiana. It was close to the Chinese-Aztec autonomous regions, which was good for trade, yet far enough away as to not pose a threat. England became the primary European trading partner for these regions. Despite the fact that half the colonist died in the first year due to malaria, the colony was a success. The English slowly expanded around the gulf coast with colonies called Chesapeake Bay and Plymouth. English settlers encroached on the edges of the French Ohio River Valley where tensions rose.

Scotland also established trade with the Chinese-Aztecs. The English remained the Aztecs’ primary trading partner for arms and armor, but the Scottish traded something equally valuable: whisky. The economics benefits of trading with the Chinese-Aztecs meant that Scotland didn't have to merge with England and remained an independent state. Scotland focused on colonizing Nova Scotia and what would have been New Brunswick and New England. Their colony's northern half was known as Nova Scotia, while the southern half was called Massachusetts.

France filled the power vacuum caused by Spain's lack of an empire. Eager to keep their spot on top, the French made colonizing the New World a priority. They colonized Canada and the Ohio River Valley, and the denser population of colonists allowed France to retain its lands. New France tended to be more laid back about religion than its mother nation.

The New Netherlands continued to survive and thrive despite occasional border clashes with the Scottish colonies. About half their population was Dutch, while the other half comprised of various foreigners. Meanwhile, Portugal colonized Brazil.


The royal families of Sweden and Brandenburg united and were known as the United Kingdom of Sweden and Brandenburg. Sweden-Brandenburg become a regional power in the Baltic. It has established a small colony in the northern part of South America.

Footnotes

[1]: Xuya, the name of one of China's former colonies, was originally a place holder I had until I could come up with something better, but as I worked on the map the name stuck with me so I kept it.  The name itself roughly translates as Dawn Shore, and I got it from Alliette De Bodard's series of alternate history short stories, collectively known as the Xuya Stories, which have a similar premise of China discovering the New World and the Aztec Empire surviving.

This article was written by Sam McDonald and edited by Jordan Harbour. It first appeared on the Twilight Histories Facebook page.

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Sam McDonald is a college student from Shreveport, LA.  When not involved with his studies he can be found making and posting maps across the web and working on short stories that he hopes to have published in magazines such as Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, and the Escape Artists Podcasts.

Interview: Jordan Harbour

I now present my interview with Jordan Harbour, host of the Twilight Histories podcast:

According to your website you have a strong interest in archaeology. Where did that come from?

It was a childhood passion. I loved reading when I was young, mostly because of the imaginary worlds it would stimulate. When I discovered history, I found worlds far vaster, more colorful and certainly more complex than those from the books I was reading. The best part was, they were real!

I heard an archaeologist describe how he viewed the world. He said when he looked at ruins, he didn't see old stones toppled over. He saw city streets full of people, sights smells--he saw a living world. That’s what I wanted. That was the job for me. So I became an archaeologist. I went on digs in the Middle East, Europe and finally in Canada.

What is a usual day like for an archaeologist on a dig and is it anything like Indiana Jones? Sorry I had to ask.

It is profound to imagine an object you are holding was last touched many thousands of years ago. When you hold that object, in that place, you can sometimes feel you’re looking around the landscape with their eyes. For a precious moment, their world is yours. It is those precious few moments of clarity that make archaeology special.

That said, most of an archaeologist’s day is less exciting. It involves digging up topsoil, filling buckets, scraping, brushing and shoveling.  Sometimes it involves hiking through the woods or along highways, stopping every now and again to dig test pits--often in the rain. It’s a tough job with long hours and little pay, and it keeps you away from home a fair amount.

What got you interested in time travel?

I think the dominant and persistent desire of any archaeologist (whether they admit or not), is a desire to time travel. An archaeologist tries with every faculty to understand the past--to see it. Time travel would make that task easy. If a time machine is ever invented, the first person who should try it out is a commando  The second is an archaeologist.

What inspired you to produce Twilight Histories?

When I left archaeology, I had a hole to fill. In podcasting, I saw an opportunity to fill that hole. I wanted to create something that would allow listeners to experience history as archaeologists do. But to create the show was a very long process. It took two years of writing scripts and recording them, only to scrap them and start over.

There were two podcasts that helped me come up with Twilight Histories. The first was Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. His shows are intense. They sometimes leave me emotionally exhausted. That’s the tone I wanted. The second was Rob Cain’s Ancient Rome Refocused. He did an episode called ‘Time Travel is Easy, History is Hard.’ In this episode, Rob does something very unique and narrates in the second person. YOU are the time traveler visiting Rome. With Rob Cain, I had my format. Rob has also been a sort of mentor to me as I build the show

How did you come up with the title?

This I also thought about long and hard. I really wanted the show to have something of the ‘creep’ factor I had seen in old Twilight Zone shows from the 60s. As a naming convention, I also wanted to tie in with Hardcore History. Unfortunately, I made the same mistake in my title as Dan did. If you do a search for ‘hardcore’, you get nothing good. Likewise, if you do a search for ‘twilight’...

What do you use to record and edit your podcast?

I use the Rode Podcaster microphone. It’s solid metal, heavy and very satisfying to use. Many podcasters start out with the Blue, but I often encourage new podcasters to invest just a little more and get the Rode. It’s a serious mic and makes you feel like a serious podcaster when you use it.

As for recording software, I unfortunately use Garage Band. I don’t like Garage Band. The problem is, if you change the volume levels (for instance, if you want to fade in a sound), they don’t stick to your recording. So if you move your recording around, your volume changes don’t move with it. That’s really annoying!  It would be fine if you only have a couple tracks, but Twilight Histories requires many, many tracks. I’d love to get something more pro, like Adobe Audition.

Twilight Histories started off as a time travel themed podcast, but recent episodes involve alternate history. Why the change?

I got to the point where I’d spent two years creating podcasts that I wasn't happy with. When I came up with the concept for Twilight Histories, I decided I’d go for  it, even though the idea wasn't fully formed. As I’m writing this, I’m still playing around and refining the show.

I did some alternate history shows and they were a success. In a recent listener poll, I found the overwhelming majority of people wanted more alternate history shows.

I've always liked the idea of alternate history, and I feel throwing myself into this genre will open up a lot of creativity. There are endless possibilities, and that’s very exciting.

What kind of new worlds are in store for the Twilight Histories audience?

The one I’m dreaming up right now involves the Chinese making contact with the Aztec in the 15th century. All that gold and silver makes the Aztec an incredibly attractive trading partner, especially when the Chinese realize they can trade iron tools and weaponry pound for pound for precious metals. By the time the Europeans sail to the New World, the Aztec are a powerhouse.

There are many other ideas I have floating around. I want to do a show about a brilliant Hindu philosopher who visits Athens and starts a school, influencing the future of Western thought. Another show concept involves a Roman colony being founded in the New World--long after the empire collapses, this colony remains. Yet another involves a second (and much deadlier) civil war taking place in America during WWI.

Even with earlier contact with the Old World, Aztecs and other Native Americans will still have to deal with Old World diseases. Won't that hurt their chances of becoming a regional power?

Disease is inevitable when dealing with any form of contact with the Old World, whether it’s Europe or China. But civilization collapse is not inevitable. After the Black Death, Europe rebounded dramatically and those who survived were much better off because of it. Real Estate was cheap, labor rates were good, wills were plentiful... life was good. You could even make the argument that the Renaissance was a direct product of the Black Death.

The time travel consultant you voice in the intro to some episodes is very unsympathetic.  Is that just the character or do most people who work in the industry become pessimistic on the chances of a traveler's survival?

Time travel has only recently opened up to tourism. Wealthy patrons sign up for what they think will be an exciting trip, like going to a living museum.

In reality, time travel is immensely dangerous. Even the best trained Navy Seals and Special Ops experience heavy casualties. They die of plagues and battle wounds, they’re burned at the stake for witchcraft, forced to fight in the arena, and sometimes they’re even sacrificed at the altar.

The time travel consultant sounds jaded. He’s jaded because he knows most of the bright eyed tourists will never return. Those that do are changed. They come back confused, scared, half-starved, sick  or with missing limbs. Their eyes are darkened.

I’d encourage you not to feel offended by the time travel consultant’s tone. He’s certainly bitter, but maybe now you can imagine why. He doesn't want another death or ruined life on his conscience.

I'd also encourage you not to back down. You paid your deposit. You moved up the waiting list. Now it's time to step back in time... if you dare.

Interview: Henrik Fåhraeus

I present my interview with Henrik Fåhraeus, the project lead and lead designer of Crusader Kings II. We talked about the game and the upcoming alternate history DLC.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm a project lead, programmer and game designer here at Paradox Development Studio; kind of a jack of all trades (you don't want to see my graphics though). I started working for the company way back in 2001 as a scripter on Europa Universalis II, and went on to program and design games - most recently Crusader Kings II.

What is Crusader Kings II about?

Crusader Kings II is about the political machinations of the medieval nobility in the period 1066AD to 1453AD. It is about military conquest, intrigue, diplomacy and other interactions between distinct characters with unique appearances, traits and skills as you try to expand the influence and power of your dynasty, playing a succession of rulers down the ages.

How is Crusader Kings II different from other Paradox games like the Europa Universalis series of games?

In our other games you play a country. Characters, if they exist at all, are of secondary importance. In Crusader Kings II, the situation is reversed. You play a character, and the titles he or she holds (such as the king of England) are of secondary importance. What matters is how much power and prestige you can gain for yourself, your successors, and, to some degree, your dynasty. The characters in the game have distinct personalities and motivations in a way that countries don't. Another difference is the feudal system, where kings are not necessarily more powerful than some of their nominal vassals (i.e. you have a complex and meaningful "internal" game within your realm in addition to the external game between realms/countries).

Do you have any favorite characters?

I have a few favorites I like to play; Stenkil, the king of Sweden in 1066 is interesting because of the pagan north and the likelihood of an early, major civil war. I also quite like the d'Hautevilles of Sicily; the Norman conquerors. They are in a precarious position, but have good opportunities to expand. Then there is the count of Vermandois, also in 1066, who is the last ruler directly descended from Charlemagne (he is of the Karling dynasty.) Also, any of the Jimena kings of Spain (Galicia, Leon, Castille, Navarre and Aragon), they are all dynastically allied and can expand into Andalusia (Muslim Spain.)

What inspired you to create the Sunset Invasion DLC?

The Mongol invasion coming in from the east in the mid 13th century makes playing on that side of the map precarious to say the least, whereas the lords of western Europe have little to worry about. We have thought about this imbalance on and off since the original Crusader Kings and jokingly tossed around various ideas for transatlantic invasions; Atlantis, a Norse Vinland empire, deep ones from sunken R'lyeh... and Aztecs. It's also been suggested on our forum, and I think that was what ultimately made us go with it, for a laugh.

What does the DLC add to the game?

It adds a new culture and religion for the Mesoamerican invaders, with associated character portraits, units and on-map shields. The Aztecs (more properly the Mexikha) arrive at some point along the coast of Europe sometime between 1250 and 1350, with a small chance of them never appearing (though you can, of course, disable the DLC if you want to avoid the invasion.) There is a first probe, where their explorers make contact with local lords. Then, soon after, a huge fleet arrives, disgorging an army to rival that of the Mongol Hordes. Once they have arrived, they will conquer lands indiscriminately until they run out of steam and their initial armies. Meanwhile, there are various flavor events adding to the immersion for players (e.g. the spread of a new disease, news from across the ocean, or the fall of significant cities, like Rome).

How did the Aztecs get the technology to invade Europe?

It is implied that technological advances have progressed at a faster pace in the Americas than they did historically, at least for the Incas and the Mesoamericans. It is also implied that Norse explorers were captured by the Aztecs, giving them knowledge of Europe and its technology.

Will horses play a role in the Aztec conquest of Europe?

Not really. The Aztecs have no horses when they arrive, but they are aware of their existence and are not frightened by them. If they manage to conquer some European holdings - which is very likely - they will be able to raise some horse levies of their own.

Do the Aztecs have immunity to Old World diseases?

Yes, we did not want to take this too far, but we did toy with the idea of a Hollywood-esque ending to the invasion, where they all basically died of European diseases. However, they are only as susceptible to disease as anyone else.

Very War of the Worlds. Do you have any other alternate history DLCs planned?

No. Sunset Invasion is pretty much a one off; part joke and part gameplay variant. If it is favorably received we might consider other scenarios, but our focus on actual history has not changed.

Review: Aztec Century by Christopher Evans

Guest post Chris Nuttall.

SM Stirling gave us the Draka, who won largely through the author not allowing them to lose.  Christopher Evans has given us a picture of an alternate world where Cortes went over to the Aztecs instead of conquering them and the Aztecs became a world power that, eventually, overran the British Empire.  The POD is a little more complex; unlike OTL, Mexico had a disease that spread to Europe (instead of vice versa) and crippled the Europeans, allowing the Aztecs a chance to become a superpower.  This is even less believable than the Draka, as historically smallpox and suchlike devastated Mexico (and in this timeline would probably cripple the Aztecs too).  Still, I can put that to one side and read the story.

The story is told through the eyes of Princess Catherine of Britain, daughter of the King and sister to Victoria and Richard, who is the heir to the throne.  Catherine is married to a divorcee called Alex and is in hiding, after the Aztecs successfully invaded Britain.  This doesn't last; a chapter or two into the story, the Aztecs manage to capture Catherine and Richard, taking them back to London as prisoners.

Catherine spends most of her time attempting to resist the Aztec occupation with the somewhat dubious assistance of Bevan, a former gardener who becomes her manservant (apparently because the Aztecs scooped him up while capturing the Royals) and ALEX, a computer program based on her husband’s personality.  Her brother, the somewhat dim Richard, is elevated to the Throne as a puppet king, while the Aztecs start making their way towards conquest of Russia and the rest of the world.

(It is probably worth making the point that the geopolitics in this world make no sense.)

She soon finds herself caught up in a subtle political struggle that makes little sense to her.  Prince Extepan of the Aztecs starts to court her, and – after her refusal – marries a woman from the North American tribes.  But this woman is tormented by the Prince’s maid and eventually commits suicide.  Poor Catherine finally accepts the Prince’s proposal, only to discover that her entire life in captivity has been a lie.   She has been betrayed many times over, by just about everyone.

Christopher Evans deserves credit, like Stirling, for creating (or displaying) a genuinely alien society in the form of the Aztecs.  On the face of it, the Aztecs are calm, civilized and Christian.  Below the surface, however, run some very dark currents.  The high nobility of the Aztecs practice human sacrifice and cannibalism, including a point where they trick Catherine into eating human flesh.  They are also incredibly ruthless and, in some ways, more subtle than the Draka.  It seems that they are winning the battle for hearts and minds at the end of the novel.

The writer also displays a masterful grasp of ambiguity.  It is never clear what is going on with some characters, allowing the readers to make up their own minds.  Some other moments come as a surprise, but are terrifyingly obvious in hindsight.  As the central character, Catherine is alarmingly convincing, having moved from being a princess to a fugitive and then to a captive woman in the enemy court.  She makes mistakes that make perfect sense for her.  Clearly, she isn't very genre savvy.

A major problem is that technology has advanced too far in this world.  The Aztecs were historically a largely unscientific society.  They could learn from the West, but not enough to create hovering flying saucers, space-based weapons and other marvels.  (For some reason, they missed nukes – and are shocked when they encounter one.)

If there was a Mexican disease that got back to Europe (and if there was a recognizable Aztec Empire) what might actually happen?  Well, the first problem would be actually getting it to Europe realistically.  It took months to move between Europe and the New World during the original Spanish conquest.  This disease might wipe out every European settlement in the New World and then kill everyone on the ships, before they got home.  It might be quite some time before a ship made it to Europe, which suggests that the disease wasn't completely lethal.  Still, once it got there, the results would be disastrous.  It would burn through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East at terrifying speed.  Their 2012 would look nothing like ours.

Overall, however, Aztec Century is a very good read, if somewhat unrealistic.

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Chris Nuttall blogs at The Chrishanger and has a website by the same name. His books can be found on Amazon Kindle. Check out his new book The Royal Sorceress and vote for his novel The Empire's Corps for the Self-Published Author Awards.