I know we've split with Aberration. But I still think one of ArchDuke's founding principles is a good one: 'No vanilla majors should be Abe majors'. Of course you may disagree, so what follows are just my random opinions, partly to provoke a discussion on this.
Of course, an absolute ban on vanilla majors is hard to justify in terms of storyline. But I don't think we should give the vanilla majors any special help in re-emerging, if they do at all. To a large extent we must ignore all that they did after 1419, and much of what they did before, because it simply didn't happen in Interregnum. Even if a state emerges in roughly the same area as a historical major, it may be different in several respects, including its name (so we can make the distinction clear). If the accidents of history are repeated, they can be largely by accident, rather than guided by events.
As for the specifics:
Prussia - emerges well after 1419 as a major IRL. Prussia proper is in the heart of the Teutonic Order in Inter.
Austria - We still have the Habsburgs, but they no longer inherit Hungary and Bohemia, and don't rule Styria or Vienna either. As long as we don't call their realm 'Austria' there shouldn't be an issue.
Spain/Portugal: the shape and divide between these two was created in the Reconquista and the merger between Castile and Aragon. Neither has happened in our story. If a strong Christian kingdom emerges in Iberia, why not give it another historical name like Leon or Asturias? Alternatively, we could give it another classical name in the same fashion as 'Espana' was named in real life, and call it simply 'Iberia' (the Greek equivalent of Hispania) or 'Lusitania' (if it's more centred on the north-western corner).
Venice: Venice is a possible revolter, but given its position, and the fact that it would appear with Veneto and Italian culture only, it would face a tremendous uphill struggle to become a major, like trying to turn Ragusa into a major in vanilla.
Ottoman Empire: All sorts of names we could use for a Turkish state. But in any case, how likely is a Turkish empire in Abe, given the Turks are sandwiched between Byzantium and the Caliphate? I don't think an OE or anything much like it is a serious prospect.
Poland-Lithuania: Hmm, Poland exists in Inter, and it is a vanilla major. But there's a key difference: our Poland never joined with Lithuania. As a result it may grow to a moderate size, but it's extremely unlikely to become one of the great powers.
Russia: appeared after 1419, but it's true that it drew on a legacy that still exists in Inter. However, this legacy is usually picked up by the Ukrainians, who'll most likely take it in quite a different direction. Russian culture could be renamed to make it clear that these people are not the 'principal' descendants of the old Rus', and aren't necessarily too fond of the new one either.
Denmark: Still exists as an idea in Inter, and could be a revolter. But Denmark on its own has limited prospects for becoming a major in Inter.
Sweden: Similar to Denmark, but its history as a unified realm is shorter and unity was more fragile. We could instead have the 'lands of Sweden' as separate revolters, viz. Götaland and Svealand. Norrland is territory historically annexed by Sweden, perhaps more of this should be Finnish instead if we want a strong Finland.
England: Among the vanilla majors, this has a fair chance to re-emerge, as it collapsed shortly before the start of the game. The four likely contenders to bring it about are Scotland, Brittany, York and Wessex. But:
- Wessex is actually a good name for England, as many of its people are 'West Saxons' (as opposed to East Saxons in Germany)
- Brittany is quite a different cultural entity to England
- Scotland and Brittany should be proud enough of the prestige of their own names to keep them
- York might well want to call itself England, but Scotland will be very unhappy with it doing so, as the title carries implicit claims of suzereinty over Scotland as well. Brittany and the Hansa OTOH will be cross that York has taken over there spheres of influence. So for diplomatic reasons York might find it expedient to continue to call itself York, rather than agitate its neighbours. At any rate, a Yorkish England would be rather different to a London-centric one.
France: A tricky one, this. It's a title with a long and prestigious history, even if it does collapse well before 1419. But one could argue Burgundy is like Scotland, in that it has built up sufficient history and prestige to be proud of its own name. We could have a 'westward' Burgundy which is predominantly French, just as we can have a 'southward' Scotland that is predominantly English.
These are just some ideas for avoiding familiar names; I don't think they'd distort the story too much. But it's up to the team in general as to whether we want vanilla majors.
Of course, an absolute ban on vanilla majors is hard to justify in terms of storyline. But I don't think we should give the vanilla majors any special help in re-emerging, if they do at all. To a large extent we must ignore all that they did after 1419, and much of what they did before, because it simply didn't happen in Interregnum. Even if a state emerges in roughly the same area as a historical major, it may be different in several respects, including its name (so we can make the distinction clear). If the accidents of history are repeated, they can be largely by accident, rather than guided by events.
As for the specifics:
Prussia - emerges well after 1419 as a major IRL. Prussia proper is in the heart of the Teutonic Order in Inter.
Austria - We still have the Habsburgs, but they no longer inherit Hungary and Bohemia, and don't rule Styria or Vienna either. As long as we don't call their realm 'Austria' there shouldn't be an issue.
Spain/Portugal: the shape and divide between these two was created in the Reconquista and the merger between Castile and Aragon. Neither has happened in our story. If a strong Christian kingdom emerges in Iberia, why not give it another historical name like Leon or Asturias? Alternatively, we could give it another classical name in the same fashion as 'Espana' was named in real life, and call it simply 'Iberia' (the Greek equivalent of Hispania) or 'Lusitania' (if it's more centred on the north-western corner).
Venice: Venice is a possible revolter, but given its position, and the fact that it would appear with Veneto and Italian culture only, it would face a tremendous uphill struggle to become a major, like trying to turn Ragusa into a major in vanilla.
Ottoman Empire: All sorts of names we could use for a Turkish state. But in any case, how likely is a Turkish empire in Abe, given the Turks are sandwiched between Byzantium and the Caliphate? I don't think an OE or anything much like it is a serious prospect.
Poland-Lithuania: Hmm, Poland exists in Inter, and it is a vanilla major. But there's a key difference: our Poland never joined with Lithuania. As a result it may grow to a moderate size, but it's extremely unlikely to become one of the great powers.
Russia: appeared after 1419, but it's true that it drew on a legacy that still exists in Inter. However, this legacy is usually picked up by the Ukrainians, who'll most likely take it in quite a different direction. Russian culture could be renamed to make it clear that these people are not the 'principal' descendants of the old Rus', and aren't necessarily too fond of the new one either.
Denmark: Still exists as an idea in Inter, and could be a revolter. But Denmark on its own has limited prospects for becoming a major in Inter.
Sweden: Similar to Denmark, but its history as a unified realm is shorter and unity was more fragile. We could instead have the 'lands of Sweden' as separate revolters, viz. Götaland and Svealand. Norrland is territory historically annexed by Sweden, perhaps more of this should be Finnish instead if we want a strong Finland.
England: Among the vanilla majors, this has a fair chance to re-emerge, as it collapsed shortly before the start of the game. The four likely contenders to bring it about are Scotland, Brittany, York and Wessex. But:
- Wessex is actually a good name for England, as many of its people are 'West Saxons' (as opposed to East Saxons in Germany)
- Brittany is quite a different cultural entity to England
- Scotland and Brittany should be proud enough of the prestige of their own names to keep them
- York might well want to call itself England, but Scotland will be very unhappy with it doing so, as the title carries implicit claims of suzereinty over Scotland as well. Brittany and the Hansa OTOH will be cross that York has taken over there spheres of influence. So for diplomatic reasons York might find it expedient to continue to call itself York, rather than agitate its neighbours. At any rate, a Yorkish England would be rather different to a London-centric one.
France: A tricky one, this. It's a title with a long and prestigious history, even if it does collapse well before 1419. But one could argue Burgundy is like Scotland, in that it has built up sufficient history and prestige to be proud of its own name. We could have a 'westward' Burgundy which is predominantly French, just as we can have a 'southward' Scotland that is predominantly English.
These are just some ideas for avoiding familiar names; I don't think they'd distort the story too much. But it's up to the team in general as to whether we want vanilla majors.
