Christian the Great, King of the Incas
I posted the following to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup back in 2003. It didn’t attract any attention, though, so I’m reposting it here now, since I think it’s one of my better ATLs.
PoD ca. 1518. King Christian II of Kalmar decides that fighting the
Swedish rebellions will only harden their resistance. Instead, he
sees possibilities in the Americas, discovered only a few decades
earlier. He thus sends out exploration teams headed by the most able
Swedish noblemen. The remaining Swedish nobility is easily silenced.
Around 1523, a small strong force including Gustav Vasa, a young but
very determined nobleman, arrive in the Inca Empire, beating the
Spanish by a few years. In the following years, they manage to
conquer the empire. Gustav Vasa becomes the Governor of this new
Kalmar possession.
In the 1530s, King Christian II is convinced (i.a. because he wants to
divorce his wife and marry his long-time lover Dyveke instead) to
introduce Lutheranism in the Kalmar Union. The whole Bible is
translated (”Biblia, Det er All den Hellige Scrifft”), based on
Luther’s German translation, into one language which forms the basis
of the Kalmarian language to our days.
To deal with the American trade, a new city is founded in 1542 on the
mouth of the Göta River: Christiania. This also helps to keep the
Swedish nobility happy, since not all money now flows directly to
Copenhagen. The vast amounts of gold of silver flowing in from the
Inca lands helps finance more colonies while playing a strong role in
the European power game.
1559: Christian II (”The Great”), King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway,
of the Goths, Wends and Incas, duke of Sleswig and Holstein, dies,
mourned in all parts of his possessions. He is succeeded by his son,
Hans II.
Scorpions
I’ve always disliked scorpions (well, ever since Ötz found a scorpion crawling on his son’s duvet in his house in Italy very close to my parents’). That said, I’m in two minds whether I like them better roasted on a spit, like the seem to do in China. It has the advantage they’re dead, but on the other hand I’m not sure I’d really fancy putting one into my mouth. Oh well, I’m not planning any trips to China, so there’s no need to make a decision just yet…