Vegetarian World

(Note: This Althistory is not complete, and I am working on it as of September 2006. Also, this is not a collaborative effort, as I want it to stay my vision.  Thanks and enjoy!  However, feel free to categorize my pages.)

This is the story of how in many respects the human race began to think of itself as a force to preserve life and nature instead of destroying it. Despite the name, this Alternate Timeline (ATL) world is not completely vegetarian, but is much more so than in Our Timeline (OTL), and is moving in the vegetarian direction (just as human rights have been evolving but are far from ubiquitous in OTL). Because of points of divergence starting hundreds of years ago, this ATL world is quite different in other major ways than in OTL, including but not limited to the fact that the religions are quite different, the New World is composed of more nations, and many of them are largely Native American, and the natural world has been preserved to a much greater extent. Many things that do not specifically relate to vegetarian are discussed.

For a list of OTL equivalents of names mentioned in the "Vegetarian World" timeline, click on the link below: Our Timeline Equivalents (Vegetarian World)

Vegetarian World Timeline:
500s BCE: Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher and "the father of numbers" teaches that a vegetarian diet is best for the body and spirit. Later Greek philosophers would learn from him and in turn extoll the benefits of vegetarianism. Vegetarians, though not a majority, were a very visible and important minority. (Now, the diets of Greeks are still largely vegetarian, and Greek classical literature is known world-wide.)

676: Emperor Tenmu of Japan, an early Japanese supporter or Buddhism, proclaims a ban on eating meat, including fish. For a decades thereafter, the enforcement was lax, but most of the following emperors over the next 1,000 years agreed with the prohibition and vegetarianism became established in Japan. (OTL Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Islands never became part of ATL Japan.) Emperor Tenmu also supported the Silla kingdom in Korea, which eventually united Korea's three Kingdoms. This alliance led to a lasting peace and cultural exchange between Japanese and Koreans.

962: Alptigin, a Sunni Muslim Turkic general is killed while trying to capture Ghazni (in OTL eastern Afghanistan). Muslims were never able to establish a foothold in the Indian Subcontinent. (Hinduism would spread west to include eastern OTL Iran. No Ghaznavid Empire, Delhi Sultanate, or Mughal Empire would be established in India.)

1000-1100: Khazaria, a Jewish Turkic kingdom (in OTL Ukraine and Caucasian Russia) becomes a minor world power, following its allignment with the Eastern Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire. This allignment, as well as support from Western Europe kept the Muslim Seljuk Turks at bay. Migrations of Christians and Jews (called the Abrahamites, who seeked to peacefully unite all Abrahamic peoples) flowed into Jerusalem. Backed by the threat of invasion, the Muslim caliphs did not order an assault on the immigrants.

1000s-1800s: Bantu-speaking peoples are not able to take southern Africa from the Khoisan peoples already inhabiting the area. (Thus, now in the modern Nation-State era, much of Southern Africa is inhabited by the Khoisan peoples, and Central African forested areas are largely inhabited by Pygmies.

1100s: The Chola Dynasty of the southern Indian subcontinent blossoms. It is the main power on the Indian subcontinent and its influence grows. It makes pacts with other Vedic dynasties in the subcontinent, thus creating an economic and military alliance. India becomes one of the richest and most powerful regions of the world, though it generally shows tolerance to other cultures and grows not mainly through military campaigns, but by hegemony through trading and limited migration.

1209-1255: The Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars of Languedoc is a failure, partially because the French King, Louis VIII, dies and his son, Louis IX suffered an incapacitating disease. This disease started the day he gave the order to continue the crusade against the Cathars and led him to believe that he did not have God's support. Interestingly, similar diseases struck the Vatican around the same time, and the Popes Innocent III, Honorius III, and Gregory IX suffered horribly throughout most of their tenures. Support for the Albigensian Crusades waned, and the Cathars emerged victorious. (Their power and influence would grow until versions of Catharism spread across much of Europe. Catharism-based sects are some of the first and largest Protestant sects.)

1300s: The Renaissance begins in Florence, spurred on by trade with the Byzantine Empire and Muslim caliphates. This produces a wave of new types of art and architecture approximating or based off the classical Greek and Roman designs. The writings of Pythagoras and other Greek vegetarians are also rediscovered. Vegetarianism is picked up by many people of Florence, and to a lesser extent, those of other Italian states. In the northern Italian states (particularly Milan) and into the rest of Europe, these vegetarian ideas mix with Catharism, which preaches vegetarianism already, as well as Catholicism, giving further credence and support to Cathar practices and winning over a few Catholics to the cause.

1400s: Catalonia (OTL Occitania (FR), Catalonia (SP), Valencia (SP)), which is largely Cathar, becomes a major power in Europe through trade.

1410s-1430s: The Chinese Empire sent out "treasure ships" to various parts of Southeast Asia.

1453: The Byzantine Empire allows religious freedom for those of Abrahamic religions. Slowly, Khazars and Seljuk Turks enter the empire and contribute to its cosmopolitan and tolerant character.

1460s-1470s: Leonardo da Vinci becomes a vegetarian. As one of the most important people of the Renaissance, he impacted many people, not only in Florence and throughout the Italian states and France, but throughout Europe and the world.

1498: A Catalonian fleet reached India. This was the first time that India was reached by Europeans by sailing around Africa. The Indians were friendly and many Indian spices and other foods were taken back to Catalonia. The Catalonians, though ignorant of the outside world in many ways, had been interested in India for a long time, because besides India being one of the greatest empires of the world, Indians were also largely vegetarian (like the Catalonians). This trade has a far-reaching impact on Catalonian cuisine, inspiring European curry.

1500s: Leonardo da Vinci succeeds in producing a glider that works. (After his death, the church would crack down on gliders, and they would fade into obscurity for a few hundred years, except for in the Byzantine empire, where they would be recreated in just over 100 years.)

1502: In a bid to outsmart the Catalonians, Portugal and Spain (minus OTL Catalonia, Valencia, Basque areas and Andalusia) agreed to cooperate by sending an expedition West, over the Atlantic Ocean. Many Portuguese officials believed that the earth was much larger than the Spanish thought, however the Portuguese kept this secret, for they thought that the loss of a few men and ships was worth the chance of finding a short way to India, China, or possibly undiscovered lands. (In both Portugal and Spain, slavery was legal and vegetarianism was largely absent. Catalonian ships regularly fought Spanish and Portuguese vessels thought to be involved in slave trading around the coast of Africa.  Any new discoveries would provide a new source of slaves and perhaps more riches, which could propel these countries past Catalonia.)  The 1529 expedition found the New World. The fleet landed on Trinidad, which was occupied by an unfriendly group of Caribs. The expedition was heavily armed and killed many of the Caribs, taking some as slaves and transporting them back to Spain and Portugal.

1511: The English, who were a rising power at the time, were intrigued once they found out about the Spanish/Portuguese voyages. At the mercy of Spain, Portugal, and the Italian States (Catalonia and France were its allies) when trading in the Mediterranean or trying to round Africa, they decided that they were at a great advantage if a New World existed, since they did not have to pass through the waters of other countries to get to lucrative trading spots. England thus sent its first expeditions to the New World in 1541. They landed in what is now Massachusetts. (Their second voyage in 1542 was to what is now Virginia. Soon afterwards, the French, Netherlanders, and Catalonians wanted in on the exploration.)

1520s: By this time, it was apparent that a plague of smallpox was wiping whole Native Populations out. The English soon instituted a rudimentary health inspection. Only if it didn't appear that a trader or colonizer had any sickness could he or she take the voyage. In practice, this only helped a little, but this still probably managed to save thousands of lives. (Over the next 70 years, this would become standard practice in most European countries.)

1550s: By this time "Civilized Europe" was largely split into the Catholic League (Spain, Portugal, Italy) and the Free League (Catalonia, England, and France). The Netherlands was neutral. The Dutchland Provinces' economies could generally not compete yet with the previously-mentioned countries. Also, Bartolomé de Las Casas (a Spaniard and Bishop of Mexico) documented the genocide and torture of the natives by Europeans. His book, "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies", published in 1552, written about the atrocities, was banned in Spain but soon spread throughout Western Europe and outraged many people. Many Western powers instituted laws that, though laxly enforced in places, outlawed the indiscrininate killing of Natives, including killing them without a trial (except in cases of a battle, in which only adult males could be killed).

1570s: The Spanish monarchy, in a bid to quell its rebellious populace, as well as to show it still had strength, started the Spanish Inquisition, imprisoning or occasionally executing non-Catholics (especially Muslims, Cathars and Quakers), and pushing into neutral Andalusia (which was a majority Muslim country) with the intent to annex it. Spain won some major battles against Andalusia, and then it turned its attention to England.

1588: The Spanish monarchy, with the former help of Pope Pius V and, later, Pope Sixtus V, attempted a crusade against England, which was not a Catholic nation like the Catholic League was. Also, the English were gaining supremacy of the New Continents and the seas. In the summer, the Spanish Armada was sent to attack England. However, the crusade was a complete failure, as the English, aided by a hurricane, took apart the Spanish fleet.

1589-1604: England and Catalonia attacked the already ailing Spain, as well as Portugal. At around the same time, Spain deteriorated into civil war. By 1604 the monarchy admitted defeat. The truce limited Spanish and Portuguese power, gave minority religions equal rights with Catholics, abolished the slave trade, and set new rules in dealing with Natives of the New World. Also, the treaty was very important in that it was the first to established "No Man's Lands", or lands that no country should own. (Many of these would later become Wilderness Refuges.)

1600s: By this time, the continents of Terra Nova (or the New World) were referred to individually. In English, the northern continent came to be called "Pemkamick" (or Pemhakamik), and the southern continent came to be called "Pacha". With the Spanish and Portuguese out of commission, there were many rebellions in Pacha and southern Pemkamick. Many colonies never recovered. The Free League nations, though now showing signs of stress between themselves, took this opportunity to colonize more lands.

1610s-20s: The Dharmic Malay Sri Vijaya Kingdom was now under threat from the English and Netherlanders. The French were occupied in Europe and Pemkamick, and the Catalonians were afraid of Indian reprisals, since is had a good trading relationship with India for over 100 years. Both countries tried to establish colonies in Southeast Asia. (It was a difficult process, but both the Netherlanders and English eventually took Batavia and some other parts of the Dharmic Majapahit Empire (on Java) and Sri Vijaya (on the Malay Peninsula). The Empires struck back, however, and the captured lands remained a small portion of Southeast Asia.

1630s: The Mahicanetuk (or Mahicanetuck) River basin (OTL Hudson River basin in New York) was colonized by an English force. This was named New York. Many of the Native people of the area were made to move. The land was bought cheaply in exchange for the population moving away from the islands and up stream. This led to Lenape and Mahican tensions with the Iroquois.

1630s-1640s: In the Byzantine Empire, Muslim Turkish scientists developed gliders.

1682: William Penn (a vegetarian and Quaker) was granted a charter for what was to become Pennsylvania. To the south, along some of the coast of the Assateague (OTL Delmarva) Peninsula was set aside as the "Province of Lenape and Assateague". This was the first "Exclusive Native Zone", which Europeans could not enter except by permission from the tribal leaders. Up in Pennsylvania, William Penn started a good, lasting relationship with the Natives.

1780s: Deism takes off, especially in English Pemkamick. Two famous deists of the time include Benjamin Franklin (governor of Massachusetts) and Thomas Jefferson (governor of Virginia). Both figures did more to gain rights for the people of the Pemkamick colonies, especially at a time when dissent was growing. In the end, much more autonomy was afforded to the colonies.

1783: Relations between the English, French, Netherlanders, and Catalonians had broken down because of greed stemming from riches to be had in Atlantic Pemkamick. War had almost erupted more than a few times, most being linked to incursions into various "No Man's Lands". Also, the Natives were showing major signs of discontent, especially with the English and Netherlanders. However, an all-out European or Pemkamick war was narrowly averted thanks to a few influential people who brought these powers to the bargaining table. The result was the "Treaty of Paris" and the "Royal Proclamation of 1763", in which all the major European occupying powers agreed to create a boundary line (or proclamation line) along the Jalagi (OTL Appalachian) Mountains west of which white settlers could not cross. Formal boundaries between the already colonized areas were also created. Besides the already created Lenape and Assateague, there came to be 11 other Native Lands, for a total of 12 in English-owned Pemkamick. The other nations similarly created Native Lands. These Native Lands still belonged to the crowns of the respective countries (like the colonies), but were protected from encroachment. Also, "No Man's Lands" were extended and enlarged. "Reserved areas" were also founded, and were the first state-owned lands that couldn't be privately-owned. West of the proclamation line, Native groups would be out of European jurisdiction. The Proclamation also established a northern boundary for West Florida (OTL currently southern Alabama and Mississippi). (West Florida, a Catalonian colony, would be sold to the English in 1803.)

1781: "Ghanshyam Pande", later to become "Bhagwan Swaminarayan", was born in Uttar Pradesh, India. He would later go on to found one of the largest religious sects in the world (a sect of Hinduism). (At the turn of the 21st century, his followers would have a major impact not only on moral thinking, but also on architecture around the world.)

1789: Jeremy Bentham publishes "An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation", the ideas contained therein spreading like wildfire over the next decades. Jeremy Bentham comes up with the philosophy of "Utilitarianism" and, being a vegetarian, argues for animal rights. His published works find their way into the laws of Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), and also to the colonies around the world (including English Pemkamick, in particular). The French, Catalonians, Dutchlanders, Netherlanders, Italians, are extremely impacted over the years, and the Spanish translation converts many in Spain. (John Stuart Mill and others would later add to and fill out the idea of Utilitarianism.)

1798: In "An Essay on the Principle of Population", the English demographer Robert Malthus stated that population growth would end in massive starvation and environmental damage. This idea influenced the prime minister and many other officials to a great degree. (Francis Place would continue where Malthus left off and condone birth control. Also, the first modern census would be taken in 1801.)

1800s: By this time, religion only has a fraction of the importance it had even 50 years earlier. New ways of thinking are propelling Europe into a modern era.

1819: Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Sundarapura (usually known in English as Sundarapore). The name means "beautiful city" in Sanskrit, and was given to the city by Raffles. Raffles, a conservationist, historian specializing in Asia, and vegetarian profoundly influenced by utilitarianism, was able to claim the Pulau Ujong archipelago for England (including OTL Singapore, and the Riau Islands, including Natuna, etc). He created what he called a "natural buffer" (what had been called a "No Man's Land") that included many of the Pulau Ujong archipelago's islands (which remain National Wildlife Parks today). Over the following years, Raffles would oversee the development of Singapore. His ship, "The Fame", took many artifacts to England from the Malay archipelago, furthering interest in the history of the Malay kingdoms and Macronesia (OTL Indonesia). Until his death in 1874, he would often visit Sundarapore (continuing to exert much influence in its development) and other places in Asia and tell his countrymen back in England of the historical and ecological richness of exotic locales. He was also a life-long supporter of human and animal rights, and his ideas live on in modern Sundarapore.

1845: The first rubber condoms are invented (though latex condoms would not be available until the 1930s).

1848: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels get "The Communist Manifesto" published, which goes on to further set off demonstrations against income inequality, the monarchies, and governments based on religion. In France, demonstrations had already begun before the publishing of the book, but with them waning, "The Communist Manifesto" adds fuel to the fire.

1859: Charles Darwin publishes "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". This book gains a wide audience. Europeans are increasingly searching for knowledge and deciding for themselves what they think is true instead of merely following tradition. Also, Thomas Huxley creates the term "agnostic".

1860-1865: (See The Pemkamick War) Some southern English Pemkamick colonies break away from England, declaring their independence. (These include OTL South Carolina, Georgia, and the formerly Catalonian but later English settlement of West Florida (OTL current southern Alabama and Mississippi).) The stated reason is justice, but it seemed to have been brought on because the white southerners wanted to move west and north, into land that in 1763 had been designated as Native soil. They came together to form the Confederate States of Pemhakamik. The CSP gathered an army to push into the Native Territories, conquering the newly-formed Republic of Jalagi, Catawba, and even the Carolina No Man's Land, as well as Mejican Texas and Coahilla (leaving neutral French Louisiana alone, so as not to provoke a response from two European countries). The English Colonial forces pressed into the South. War erupted between the CSP, England, Mejico, and various Native Tribes. The result was that all of Mississippi was lost to the Natives (thus giving them a major river route to the Gulf of Mejico), The Jalagi Republic was enlarged, Tejas became a part of the Native Coalition (giving them a long coastline), Coahilla was returned to Mejico, and Mejican California was split up between colonial powers, which included Native Homelands (though not nation-states) in the territories. Native Nations with central governments sprang up, and most of Pemkamick's current formal national boundaries were established.

1867: The Dominion of Canada and the Dominion of New England were formed. Quebec (including OTL Quebec, Ontario, and other areas) and Acadia (itself with 3 provinces named New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Mi'gma'gi) were joined, creating the Dominion of Canada. Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut (including OTL Rhode Island), New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Lenape and Assateague (OTL Delaware), Maryland, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina formed the Dominion of New England. For the time being, the English-speaking Dominion of Newfoundland (or Newfound Land) stayed separate from both Canada and New England.

1871: The English census indicated that of the total population counted, 31% were vegetarians. As for religion, 39% were of Cathar sects, 12% Quaker, 8% Catholic, 6% other Christian denominations. 6% were Jewish, 2% were Vedic, and 2% belonged to other religions. 16% were agnostic and 9% were atheist.

1901: The English census indicated that of the total population counted, 39% were vegetarians. As for religion, 36% were of Cathar sects, 11% Quaker, 7% Catholic, 6% other Christian denominations. 6% were Jewish, 3% were Vedic, and 2% belonged to other religions. 18% were agnostic and 11% were atheist.

1927: Camry joins the coalition of England and Scotland, and "The United States of Great Britain" is formed. The USGB is not a single country, but rather a loose confederation.

1980: Sundarapore, known for its strict laws, became the first country in modern times (though not the first political entity) to declare a ban on possessing (including carrying, storing, selling, and consuming) meat. (At the time of the declaration, approximately 96% of the Singaporean population was already vegetarian.) Implementation was in stages, and the complete ban came into effect in 1998. The long interval between was given to slowly wean the 4% of omnivores off meat, as well as to show food companies and other countries that trade would not hastily be stopped. Although the economy slightly contracted in 1980 and 1981, the average economic growth rate during the period between 1980 and 1998 was 7% per year. After becoming fully vegetarian in 1998, Singapore's economy has grown by an average of 8% per year thus far (1998-2006).

Leo Tolstoy Mohandas Gandhi