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MP Featured article This is a featured alternate history!

The Kalmar Union is a featured timeline, which means it has been identified as one of the best alternate histories produced by the alternate history community. If you see a way this alternate history can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please say so on this page's talkpage.

Flag of the Kalmar Union (The Kalmar Union)

Point of Divergence[]

Norway: 934 AD.

Harald I Fairhair has been dead for four years. His son and appointed successor Eirik I Bloodaxe has done little to endear himself to either of his brothers, Olaf Gierstadalf and Haakon, or his high lords still clinging to power in their respective lands. Olaf holds the East with support from local rulers; Eirik, the West. At the Battle of Haugar the brothers clashed...

Defeated, Eirik flees over the North Sea to his kinsmen in Jorvik to rebuild his support. Haakon takes Eirik's share of Norway and almost instantly falls out with Olaf and the Earls of Lade and More to the North. The breakdown of the kingdom into three warring states creates havoc as the half-brothers and their successors continually fight for the crown. This violence slowly spills out into the neighbouring kingdoms, strengthening some, dividing others. In Britannia Eirik's presence in Jorvik keeps the Norse in Ireland and Man on their toes, and the rulers of Wessex and their uneasy vassals in the Danelaw prepare to crush Jorvik's independence.

To the West the newly discovered Iceland is becoming a haven for those fleeing the chaos of Norway and Britannia. But it is filling up rapidly and many are searching for further lands to settle and farm.

Events[]

Morgenstjernen - 'your daily news source'

Timelines[]

Brief 'headline' event from that era

Wars[]

List of Wars

Nations[]

Europe[]

In this timeline Europe is even more divided than it is in OTL. Around the edges of the continent lie the large nation states while toward the centre the divisions begin to multiply.

Map & List of European Nations

Leifia[]

Leifia (OTL North America) was discovered by the Norse explorer Leif Ericsson in 1003 AD. Population pressures from Iceland and Greenland led increasing numbers of Norse to settle on the island they called 'Vinland'.

As settlement increased the Norse soon came into contact with native tribes, with whom they traded, taught European technologies and farming techniques to and unfortunately devastated due to the diseases they introduced. However over time the populations recovered, and with the new farming techniques, horses, livestock introduced from Europe and further South, this allowed the tribes to flourish and form into nations.

Map & List of Leifian Nations

Tawantinland[]

Tawantinland (OTL South America) is named after the people that Vinlandic explorers first came into contact with: the Tawantin. The Tawantins would in time go on to create a vast empire on the western coast.

List & Map of Tawantinland Nations

Africa[]

The 'dark' continent of Africa has been the one most ignored by Europe. Away from the coasts and the limited trading bases the huge kingdoms and sultanates struggle to raise their people's living standards.

Map & List of African Nations

List of Asian Nations[]

Asia contains some of the world's largest and oldest empires.

Map & List of Asian Nations

Australia[]

Australia is made up of the large landmass of Australia itself plus various island archipelagos in the Southern Roasjoinn.

Map & List of Australian Nations

People[]

People - A list of important people in the Timeline in chronological order.

Monarch Lists - A comprehensive overview of monarchs by country.

Detailed biographies are available (and always expanding in number) of the Kings and Queens of:

OTL to ATL differences[]

  • European diseases are introduced to North America in the 11th century. Although the initial outbreak is horrendously devastating, the population recovers long before Europe can fully exploit the situation. The Norse colonies are never strong or united enough to conquer the entire continent and as technology and knowledge spreads, the native tribes soon have their own states and armies equal to the Norse. Therefore, the land occupied by USA, Canada and Mexico in OTL is split between some 90 odd separate countries.
  • Although European powers do set up small colonies in the OTL Americas, as the populations are resistant to disease there is no need for widespread slavery. As a result there is little impetus to colonise Africa, and trading forts on the coastline are generally as far as the Europeans get. This successful pattern is replicated in India and beyond.
  • Most of the OTL European states do not exist. As Norway breaks down, the spread of Norse military forces and nobility changes the OTL path of Britain and Scandinavia. The survival of other dynasties and non-agglomeration of states after that is a Butterfly Effect of this. (I have assumed that in Europe after 1500 or so virtually no ruler is same as OTL).
  • There is no French revolution (though there is a smaller-scale Spanish one) and nationalism does not play a big role in society (and if it does it is much more localised).
  • Due to the division of countries and the population effects of various events, technology is about 100 years behind OTL. Technology advances are virtually identical until 1600 after which inventions imported from the east (paper, printing press, gunpowder etc) dry up. Inventions, fashions, culture, etc., continue to lag by an extra 25 years every century - as does population which is hampered by backward farming techniques and the slow advance of medical innovation.
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