Showing posts with label civilization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label civilization. Show all posts
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Stu Plays Civ: 1312 AD - 1776 AD
(This is the final post in a series of posts about a Civ IV file wherein I tried to recreate the British Empire. The previous posts can be viewed here, here, here and here.
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Part V
From the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of the British Empire (1534-1603 AD)
The British Empire had been at peace for over two hundred years when we were placed upon the throne. They were quiet years, spent developing the economies of the colonies, pacifying India, and slowly absorbing Australia through diplomacy. The Chinese colony of Tianjin in Australia was sold to the House of Lancaster for money to use against the Mongolians. The Spanish gave the realm Colonia Australia del Sur upon the marriage of our predecessor Mary and Philip I of Spain. The only remaining foreign colonies in Australia were the Arabian and Malian colonies, which we continue to offer to purchase from the current owners.
However, this peace masked tensions. The liberal democratic order, though invented by the British, was perfected abroad. As of late, the groanings of the British people grew louder and louder. The Liberal-aligned House of York and the Conservative-aligned House of Lancaster kept fighting it out for control of Parliament and therefore the succession. The Yorkists appealed to the people, promising to reform the peerages, weaken the House of Lords and abolish the property qualification for voting that our ancestors had used to restrict the franchise to the rich. The Lancastrians appealed to the gentry and the rich, often resorting to tricks like rotten boroughs. Their Parliaments were Parliaments of money, and they maintained the stagnant social order. It could have been worse, though - for all their politicking, it's not like the Yorks and Lancasters ever did battle, after all.
The final victors of that long period of electoral struggle were our ancestors, the Tudors - a minor faction of the Lancasters settled on as compromise candidates. The first Tudors extended the franchise to the middle classes, the burghers that were now scattered and prosperous throughout the Empire. However, that act led to widespread and enduring support of those same burghers for the Tories, which the Tudors were associated with.
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Part V
The British Empire had been at peace for over two hundred years when we were placed upon the throne. They were quiet years, spent developing the economies of the colonies, pacifying India, and slowly absorbing Australia through diplomacy. The Chinese colony of Tianjin in Australia was sold to the House of Lancaster for money to use against the Mongolians. The Spanish gave the realm Colonia Australia del Sur upon the marriage of our predecessor Mary and Philip I of Spain. The only remaining foreign colonies in Australia were the Arabian and Malian colonies, which we continue to offer to purchase from the current owners.
However, this peace masked tensions. The liberal democratic order, though invented by the British, was perfected abroad. As of late, the groanings of the British people grew louder and louder. The Liberal-aligned House of York and the Conservative-aligned House of Lancaster kept fighting it out for control of Parliament and therefore the succession. The Yorkists appealed to the people, promising to reform the peerages, weaken the House of Lords and abolish the property qualification for voting that our ancestors had used to restrict the franchise to the rich. The Lancastrians appealed to the gentry and the rich, often resorting to tricks like rotten boroughs. Their Parliaments were Parliaments of money, and they maintained the stagnant social order. It could have been worse, though - for all their politicking, it's not like the Yorks and Lancasters ever did battle, after all.
The final victors of that long period of electoral struggle were our ancestors, the Tudors - a minor faction of the Lancasters settled on as compromise candidates. The first Tudors extended the franchise to the middle classes, the burghers that were now scattered and prosperous throughout the Empire. However, that act led to widespread and enduring support of those same burghers for the Tories, which the Tudors were associated with.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Stu Plays Civ: Britain, 1067 AD - 1311 AD.
(This is the latest in a series of posts about a Civ IV file wherein I'm trying to recreate the British Empire. Previous posts can be seen here, here and here. Anyway, without any further ado...
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Part IV
From the reign of King William I of the British Empire (1066 AD - 1117 AD)
The death of King Edward II, the Confessor, brought a brief succession crisis. Brittany, an independent duchy on the Continental side of the English Channel, has long been an ally of the British Crown, and then it came under the personal union of Edward II in 1047 AD. The personal union ended when he made us, his nephew, Duke of Brittany.
Brittany had originally been founded with the fall of Roman Gaul. As the Franks poured into the territory, so did the British from Cornwall. King Malcolm's War, which raged from 325-355 AD, saw the expansion of Breton territory all the way to Champagne. Norsemen were hired to fight the Franks, and promised lands and fiefs of their own out of the conquered lands. Our ancestors were those Norsemen who conquered Normandy.
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Part IV
The death of King Edward II, the Confessor, brought a brief succession crisis. Brittany, an independent duchy on the Continental side of the English Channel, has long been an ally of the British Crown, and then it came under the personal union of Edward II in 1047 AD. The personal union ended when he made us, his nephew, Duke of Brittany.
Brittany had originally been founded with the fall of Roman Gaul. As the Franks poured into the territory, so did the British from Cornwall. King Malcolm's War, which raged from 325-355 AD, saw the expansion of Breton territory all the way to Champagne. Norsemen were hired to fight the Franks, and promised lands and fiefs of their own out of the conquered lands. Our ancestors were those Norsemen who conquered Normandy.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Stu Plays Civ: Britain, 701 AD - 1066 AD
(This is a continuation of this thread and this thread. I'm trying to recreate the British Empire in a Civ 4 Earth map with the holy cities in the right places.)
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Part III
From the reigns of Kings Ine, Cuthred, Cinewulf and Beorhtric of the British Empire (703 AD - 802 AD)
The war against the Byzantine Empire continues. Having conquered Madagascar, we are mobilizing troops for the conquest of the Holy Lands. Madagascar was handed off to the French, in an attempt to mollify their rage, strengthen them in Africa and rebalance that continent in our favor, and to relieve ourselves of the upkeep of the colony. Troops are being landed on the Arabian peninsula, but the catapults are taking longer to ship. As a result, our forces are idling in the environs of Aden, resting up for the attack on Mecca.
The Kievan Rus are having no such difficulties. They have conquered the Byzantine fortress city of Phasis in 740 AD, and driven them from the eastern Black Sea. They have established their own city nearby, Rostov, and they progress towards the Byzantine citadels of Tyras and Astrakhan next.
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Part III
The war against the Byzantine Empire continues. Having conquered Madagascar, we are mobilizing troops for the conquest of the Holy Lands. Madagascar was handed off to the French, in an attempt to mollify their rage, strengthen them in Africa and rebalance that continent in our favor, and to relieve ourselves of the upkeep of the colony. Troops are being landed on the Arabian peninsula, but the catapults are taking longer to ship. As a result, our forces are idling in the environs of Aden, resting up for the attack on Mecca.
The Kievan Rus are having no such difficulties. They have conquered the Byzantine fortress city of Phasis in 740 AD, and driven them from the eastern Black Sea. They have established their own city nearby, Rostov, and they progress towards the Byzantine citadels of Tyras and Astrakhan next.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Stu Plays Civ: Britain, 2 AD - 700 AD
(This is a continuation of the game I started in this thread. Also, holy traffic stats, Batman! I posted a link to that post on Reddit and my blog's blown up ever since. Like, my traffic has grown tenfold. So hi, new readers! If you like the stuff I write, you might be interested in my webcomic or my book. Anyway, let's get on with the Civvy business.)
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Volume II
From the reign of Boudicca II, Queen of the United Kingdom of Britain, Ireland and Iceland (27 AD - 58 AD)
Our Jewish inhabitants of Abona have been noting with interest the latest of the would-be messiahs in their homeland, the Eastern Roman province of Judaea. This Jesus of Nazareth has split from the earlier messiahs, in that he appears uninterested in revolt against the Roman or Hasmonean rulers in Jerusalem. At the behest of interested Jews in my court, I dispatched an envoy from the Second Fleet out of Tingis. The envoy, a Briticized Greek called Andrew of Syracuse, arrived in Jerusalem only in time to witness an unprecedented inhumanity - the crucifixion of this peaceful man. He was in the city during the death and purported resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and his purported ascension to Heaven.
The Chronicles of the Kings of Britain, Volume II
Our Jewish inhabitants of Abona have been noting with interest the latest of the would-be messiahs in their homeland, the Eastern Roman province of Judaea. This Jesus of Nazareth has split from the earlier messiahs, in that he appears uninterested in revolt against the Roman or Hasmonean rulers in Jerusalem. At the behest of interested Jews in my court, I dispatched an envoy from the Second Fleet out of Tingis. The envoy, a Briticized Greek called Andrew of Syracuse, arrived in Jerusalem only in time to witness an unprecedented inhumanity - the crucifixion of this peaceful man. He was in the city during the death and purported resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and his purported ascension to Heaven.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Stu Plays Civ: Britain, 4000 BC-1 AD
One of my favorite vidyagaems is the Civ series. As a historian, it's enthralling to look at history and wonder if I could've done a better job. Alternative histories are one of the big preoccupations of the field (just look at the "What If?" series) and so yeah. I've tried to play Civ games and show them to the public, but it always got bogged down before. But now, with my very own blog, this is going to be a thing. I'm playing on a Civ IV Earth map with the holy cities established in the right places, because otherwise you just end up with worldwide holy wars between Hindus, Buddhists and Jews because they got there first.
Anyway, enough of that. It's time for the Chronicles of the Kings of Britain.
Anyway, enough of that. It's time for the Chronicles of the Kings of Britain.
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