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Excellent overview all what the Borcalans did and yes, quite educational about the Mary intrigues there.
I'm back and damn did I miss some exciting times! However, for some strange reason I have the feeling that the Scots having the throne are going to provide quite a few interesting occurances through the years!!!
stnylan: Yep. Well, Hungaro-Scots, although they don't hold much of their origins anymore.
canonized: Lizzie (both this version and the real-life one) ought to have remained illegitimate in favour of her Scottish cousin. Too bad it worked the other way around.
Kurt_Steiner: Not doing anything particularly important. Not everything can be the same as our timeline.
RGB: Yeah, they kind of got pushed out of the way for other things during the main story. I don't have nearly enough time to talk about everything, sadly...
Draco Rexus: Now what could possibly give you that idea?
canonized: Lizzie (both this version and the real-life one) ought to have remained illegitimate in favour of her Scottish cousin. Too bad it worked the other way around.
Kurt_Steiner: Not doing anything particularly important. Not everything can be the same as our timeline.
RGB: Yeah, they kind of got pushed out of the way for other things during the main story. I don't have nearly enough time to talk about everything, sadly...
Draco Rexus: Now what could possibly give you that idea?
I know you're busy with schoolwork , JM , but wanted to let you know that we'll be waiting for the next update
canonized: *sigh* Patience is a virtue... I update when I can. You'd think that ridiculous spree with Lizzie would have tided you over.
- - - - - - - -
Titles: (claimed but unrecognised in brackets)
Emperor of Great Britain
King of Ireland [and France]
Prince of Wales
Lord of the Scottish [and Greek] Isles
Duke of Lothian, Albany, [Holland and Friesland], Flanders, Cornwall, [Iceland and Bretagne]
James had worked hard to restore his duchy's importance after his mother had been deposed, and did an admirable job avoiding coming too far under the influence of anyone else. One notable work was his marriage to Emilia, daughter of William the Silent. Even a scandal involving her and Manuel, a claimant to the Portuguese throne, did not affect his standing much. In fact, James was able to promote Manuel (unsuccessfully) as a pro-English pretender to the Portuguese throne in opposition to the Spanish Babenburgs.
As James travelled south from Edinburgh in early 1603, while Elisabeth was on her deathbed, he was concerned with the potentially volatile situation his kingdom was in. France was recovering from the Wars of Religion, and looked to restore Catholic rule over Flanders; Spain looked as if it could be a threat, although actually much weaker than it appeared; and Catholics inside the country constantly demanded at least acceptance. Any potential spark could set off a major conflict. That spark would come on 8 November 1605.
Attempts at removing the Catholic majority in Kent had been proving very unsucessful, and a revolt there had only recently been put down. In response to this violence, a group of Catholics determined to kill James and most of the English government in one strike. They chose the official opening of a new Parliament to do so, when the greatest number of dignitaries would be in attendance. In James' place, the plotters would put the nine-year-old Elisabeth, his daughter, and ensure her devotion to Catholicism.
Elisabeth Borcalan, by Robert Peake (1606).
At the head of this plot was Robert Catesby; several others took part, including Thomas Percy, Constable of Alnwick, Robert Wintour, a member of Parliament, and most famously Guy Fawkes, a former Spanish soldier who prepared the gunpowder after which the plot was named. The plot had begun in 1604, but plague had constantly pushed the opening of Parliament back, despite the fact that the powder was in place by March. They were forced to wait for months until the time was right.
Finally, the opening of Parliament came. Fawkes was the only one in London; the others had left for the Midlands to seize Elisabeth and then lead a revolt of Catholics to London. However, just as Fawkes was ready to set light to the powder, he was discovered by Sir Thomas Cnyvett and arrested. As it turned out, one of the plotters had warned a Catholic member of Parliament, the Baron Arndon,* of the event so that he would not be killed with the Protestants. However, Arndon had realised what would actually have resulted from success: complete massacare of all Catholics in Great Britain. To keep this from happening, he chose to pass on knowledge of the plot to Emperor James, who ordered Cnyvett to guard the cellar.
The Gunpowder Plotters, by Crispijn van de Passe (1605). From left to right: Thomas Bates, Catesby's servant; Wintour; Christopher Wright; his brother John, who left the plot; Percy; Fawkes; Catesby; and Wintour's brother Thomas.
For Arndon, however, this proved a fool's hope. Discovery of the plot only increased popular hatred of "Papists" in Britain, and despite James granting Arndon a subsidy, the rest of the Catholic population of his realm was practically outlawed. Dom Manuel left for France, all the while speaking out against "this new Diocletian". In 1603, James had built up the army in Ireland with the intent of keeping that country in line; now, in 1606 he set out to sweep away the Catholic lords remaining there. Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell ("Red" Hugh having died in 1602) decided to make a stand, alongside Sir Cathaoir ó Dochartaigh (or Doherty), Lord of Inishowen. These three lords built up a decent-sized army and stood at Castlederg in Ulster.
The battle was quick. The better-equipped English, fanatically seeking to punish the Catholics, burst through the equally fanatical but lighter Irish army. All three lords escaped without their army; in the famed "Flight of the Earls", O'Neill and O'Donnell made their way to Rome, while Doherty stayed. He kept fighting for two years, until he was killed by a Scottish bounty hunter in 1608, and his head placed on a pike in front of Dublin Castle until the early 20th century.
The crackdown on Catholicism in England proved brutally effective. By 1611, even the region of Kent was pacified, and the Catholics there either killed, driven into hiding, or forced to flee. This period also saw an increased move away from "High Church" forms, and the popularity of Puritanism, which held that the Church of England had not gone far enough, and wished to make it Calvinist. Also in 1611, James ordered a new translation of the Bible, the Authorised or Emperor James Version.
However, these events also struck James mentally. That same year, he was affected by stress-induced hallucinations, and only a year's rest at his country house at Cheshunt managed to restore him to effectiveness. He would be struck by this two more times during his reign, once during an important event in Europe. It is not sure what made him quite so succeptable to mental disorder, although the stress of keeping another major secret (which will be dealt with in time) may have played a role.
__________
*A Saxon translation of "Monteagle", the name in our history of this baron.
- - - - - - - -
James I
Born: 19 June 1566, Edinburgh
Married: Emilia van Nassau (on 19 December 1591)
Died: 28 March 1625, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
Born: 19 June 1566, Edinburgh
Married: Emilia van Nassau (on 19 December 1591)
Died: 28 March 1625, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
Titles: (claimed but unrecognised in brackets)
Emperor of Great Britain
King of Ireland [and France]
Prince of Wales
Lord of the Scottish [and Greek] Isles
Duke of Lothian, Albany, [Holland and Friesland], Flanders, Cornwall, [Iceland and Bretagne]
James had worked hard to restore his duchy's importance after his mother had been deposed, and did an admirable job avoiding coming too far under the influence of anyone else. One notable work was his marriage to Emilia, daughter of William the Silent. Even a scandal involving her and Manuel, a claimant to the Portuguese throne, did not affect his standing much. In fact, James was able to promote Manuel (unsuccessfully) as a pro-English pretender to the Portuguese throne in opposition to the Spanish Babenburgs.
As James travelled south from Edinburgh in early 1603, while Elisabeth was on her deathbed, he was concerned with the potentially volatile situation his kingdom was in. France was recovering from the Wars of Religion, and looked to restore Catholic rule over Flanders; Spain looked as if it could be a threat, although actually much weaker than it appeared; and Catholics inside the country constantly demanded at least acceptance. Any potential spark could set off a major conflict. That spark would come on 8 November 1605.
Attempts at removing the Catholic majority in Kent had been proving very unsucessful, and a revolt there had only recently been put down. In response to this violence, a group of Catholics determined to kill James and most of the English government in one strike. They chose the official opening of a new Parliament to do so, when the greatest number of dignitaries would be in attendance. In James' place, the plotters would put the nine-year-old Elisabeth, his daughter, and ensure her devotion to Catholicism.
Elisabeth Borcalan, by Robert Peake (1606).
At the head of this plot was Robert Catesby; several others took part, including Thomas Percy, Constable of Alnwick, Robert Wintour, a member of Parliament, and most famously Guy Fawkes, a former Spanish soldier who prepared the gunpowder after which the plot was named. The plot had begun in 1604, but plague had constantly pushed the opening of Parliament back, despite the fact that the powder was in place by March. They were forced to wait for months until the time was right.
Finally, the opening of Parliament came. Fawkes was the only one in London; the others had left for the Midlands to seize Elisabeth and then lead a revolt of Catholics to London. However, just as Fawkes was ready to set light to the powder, he was discovered by Sir Thomas Cnyvett and arrested. As it turned out, one of the plotters had warned a Catholic member of Parliament, the Baron Arndon,* of the event so that he would not be killed with the Protestants. However, Arndon had realised what would actually have resulted from success: complete massacare of all Catholics in Great Britain. To keep this from happening, he chose to pass on knowledge of the plot to Emperor James, who ordered Cnyvett to guard the cellar.
The Gunpowder Plotters, by Crispijn van de Passe (1605). From left to right: Thomas Bates, Catesby's servant; Wintour; Christopher Wright; his brother John, who left the plot; Percy; Fawkes; Catesby; and Wintour's brother Thomas.
For Arndon, however, this proved a fool's hope. Discovery of the plot only increased popular hatred of "Papists" in Britain, and despite James granting Arndon a subsidy, the rest of the Catholic population of his realm was practically outlawed. Dom Manuel left for France, all the while speaking out against "this new Diocletian". In 1603, James had built up the army in Ireland with the intent of keeping that country in line; now, in 1606 he set out to sweep away the Catholic lords remaining there. Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell ("Red" Hugh having died in 1602) decided to make a stand, alongside Sir Cathaoir ó Dochartaigh (or Doherty), Lord of Inishowen. These three lords built up a decent-sized army and stood at Castlederg in Ulster.
The battle was quick. The better-equipped English, fanatically seeking to punish the Catholics, burst through the equally fanatical but lighter Irish army. All three lords escaped without their army; in the famed "Flight of the Earls", O'Neill and O'Donnell made their way to Rome, while Doherty stayed. He kept fighting for two years, until he was killed by a Scottish bounty hunter in 1608, and his head placed on a pike in front of Dublin Castle until the early 20th century.
The crackdown on Catholicism in England proved brutally effective. By 1611, even the region of Kent was pacified, and the Catholics there either killed, driven into hiding, or forced to flee. This period also saw an increased move away from "High Church" forms, and the popularity of Puritanism, which held that the Church of England had not gone far enough, and wished to make it Calvinist. Also in 1611, James ordered a new translation of the Bible, the Authorised or Emperor James Version.
However, these events also struck James mentally. That same year, he was affected by stress-induced hallucinations, and only a year's rest at his country house at Cheshunt managed to restore him to effectiveness. He would be struck by this two more times during his reign, once during an important event in Europe. It is not sure what made him quite so succeptable to mental disorder, although the stress of keeping another major secret (which will be dealt with in time) may have played a role.
__________
*A Saxon translation of "Monteagle", the name in our history of this baron.
Good to see the Plot foiled, hopefully there'll be some measure of peace in England...
Yeah we'll just have to ignore Ireland for the time being
Yeah we'll just have to ignore Ireland for the time being
More darkness . What a pity . Can't say much more than that . If only the Armada had succeeded . - sigh - lament , oh lament !
. Can't say much more than that . If only the Armada had succeeded . - sigh - lament , oh lament !
Judas Maccabeus said:
Spanish... had Fawkes been Catalan, the plot wouldn't have failed...
English Patriot: Yes, peace in England... and maybe after that, we'll see some flying pigs.
canonized: Sorry... blame me and my poor ability to balance things. Yeah, I suppose I could have just rolled over and let the Spanish win, but I'm trying to play realistically, not as I'd like.
Kurt_Steiner: Well, he was English in any case, just in the Spanish army. I'm sure there were Catalans there, too. Maybe some of them went over to Argentina, and were the ones who defeated me, it might explain a lot.
- - - - - - - -
The Bible had first been translated into English by anonymous monks on the island of Lindisfarne, in between the lines of the Latin Vulgate. There would be no further translation until John Wyclif, in the late 14th century; his Bible was officially declared heretical but not actively hunted down, though never printed. The first to be published offically was the translation of Tyndale in 1534. However, he never completed the Old Testament, and his language was that of Henry III's time. Over the next century, the English language continued to evolve, and a new version needed to be made.
James began the project while still Duke of Lothian in 1601, and continued it after becoming Emperor. Finally, in 1609, the translations were put before an editing committee, who chose what they considered the best ones (or at least the most theologically acceptable). Careful work was made to promote Anglican theology over either Catholic or Calvinist beliefs. The final result was published in 1611, and sold for 10 shillings.
The effect the EJV has had on English literature is immense. Most familiar Biblical quotes are best remembered in this version's language, and almost every writer in English who quoted the Bible until the 20th century used it. It is at times overly literal to its source, and the cheap methods of printing at the time could cause puzzling or even amusing errors (such as one in 1631, which forgot to put a "not" in the 7th Commandment and thus ordered believers to commit adultery). Still, it remained in use in most of the English-speaking world until the 20th century, and some conservative denominations still use it today.
1 Þer was a' mann of þe Pharisees, namde Nicodemus, a weilder of þe Judes:
2 Þe same cam to Jesu by night, and unto him yesayed, Rabbi, we cenaþ þat þou art a' teacher com fram God: for ney mann can do þese wonders þat þou dost, but God be wiþ him.
3 Jesu answerd and yesayd unto him, Sooþly, sooþly, I sey to þee, but a' mann be born angain, he cannot see þe cingrice of God.
4 Nicodemus sayeþ unto him, How can a' mann be yeborn hwan he is ald? can he fell þe eft into his moþers womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answerd, Sooþly, sooþly, I sey to þee, but a' mann be born of water and of þe Ghost, he cannot fell into þe cingrice of God.
6 Þat hwilc is yeborn of þe flesc is flesc; and þat hwilc is yeborn of þe Ghost is ghost.
7 Wonder not þat I sayd to þee, Ye must be born angain.
8 Þe wind bloueþ hwer it listeþ, and þou hearest þe sound þerof, but canst ney tell hwence it comeþ, and hwiþer it goeþ, so is efery ane þat is born of þe Ghost.
9 Nicodemus answerd and yesayd unto him, Hou can þese þinges be?
10 Jesu answerd and yesayd unto him, Art þou a master of Israel, and cennest ney þese þinges?
11 Sooþly, sooþly, I sey unto þee, We spreacaþ þat we cen, and cyþaþ þat we havaþ yeseen; and ye afon ney ouer witness.
12 If I hafe yecyþde you earþly þinges, and ye beliefe ney, hou scall you beliefe, if I yecyþ you of heafenly þinges?
13 And ney mann haþ ascended up to heafen, but he þat cam doun fram heafen, efen þe Son of mann hwilc is in heafen.
14 And as Moses yaforde þe drace in þe wilderness, efen so must þe Son of mann be yaforde:
15 Þat hwasoefer beliefeþ in him scould ney acuel, but hafe endless life.
16 For God so lofde þe world, þat he gafe his anlybegoten Son, þat hwasoefer beliefeþ in him schould ney acuel, but hafe eferlang life.
canonized: Sorry... blame me and my poor ability to balance things. Yeah, I suppose I could have just rolled over and let the Spanish win, but I'm trying to play realistically, not as I'd like.
Kurt_Steiner: Well, he was English in any case, just in the Spanish army. I'm sure there were Catalans there, too. Maybe some of them went over to Argentina, and were the ones who defeated me, it might explain a lot.
- - - - - - - -
Sources of the English Language, no. 7
Þe Haly Bible (Emperor James Oferlade)
Þe Neu Cyþness: John, Capitol 3
Þe Haly Bible (Emperor James Oferlade)
Þe Neu Cyþness: John, Capitol 3
The Bible had first been translated into English by anonymous monks on the island of Lindisfarne, in between the lines of the Latin Vulgate. There would be no further translation until John Wyclif, in the late 14th century; his Bible was officially declared heretical but not actively hunted down, though never printed. The first to be published offically was the translation of Tyndale in 1534. However, he never completed the Old Testament, and his language was that of Henry III's time. Over the next century, the English language continued to evolve, and a new version needed to be made.
James began the project while still Duke of Lothian in 1601, and continued it after becoming Emperor. Finally, in 1609, the translations were put before an editing committee, who chose what they considered the best ones (or at least the most theologically acceptable). Careful work was made to promote Anglican theology over either Catholic or Calvinist beliefs. The final result was published in 1611, and sold for 10 shillings.
The effect the EJV has had on English literature is immense. Most familiar Biblical quotes are best remembered in this version's language, and almost every writer in English who quoted the Bible until the 20th century used it. It is at times overly literal to its source, and the cheap methods of printing at the time could cause puzzling or even amusing errors (such as one in 1631, which forgot to put a "not" in the 7th Commandment and thus ordered believers to commit adultery). Still, it remained in use in most of the English-speaking world until the 20th century, and some conservative denominations still use it today.
1 Þer was a' mann of þe Pharisees, namde Nicodemus, a weilder of þe Judes:
2 Þe same cam to Jesu by night, and unto him yesayed, Rabbi, we cenaþ þat þou art a' teacher com fram God: for ney mann can do þese wonders þat þou dost, but God be wiþ him.
3 Jesu answerd and yesayd unto him, Sooþly, sooþly, I sey to þee, but a' mann be born angain, he cannot see þe cingrice of God.
4 Nicodemus sayeþ unto him, How can a' mann be yeborn hwan he is ald? can he fell þe eft into his moþers womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answerd, Sooþly, sooþly, I sey to þee, but a' mann be born of water and of þe Ghost, he cannot fell into þe cingrice of God.
6 Þat hwilc is yeborn of þe flesc is flesc; and þat hwilc is yeborn of þe Ghost is ghost.
7 Wonder not þat I sayd to þee, Ye must be born angain.
8 Þe wind bloueþ hwer it listeþ, and þou hearest þe sound þerof, but canst ney tell hwence it comeþ, and hwiþer it goeþ, so is efery ane þat is born of þe Ghost.
9 Nicodemus answerd and yesayd unto him, Hou can þese þinges be?
10 Jesu answerd and yesayd unto him, Art þou a master of Israel, and cennest ney þese þinges?
11 Sooþly, sooþly, I sey unto þee, We spreacaþ þat we cen, and cyþaþ þat we havaþ yeseen; and ye afon ney ouer witness.
12 If I hafe yecyþde you earþly þinges, and ye beliefe ney, hou scall you beliefe, if I yecyþ you of heafenly þinges?
13 And ney mann haþ ascended up to heafen, but he þat cam doun fram heafen, efen þe Son of mann hwilc is in heafen.
14 And as Moses yaforde þe drace in þe wilderness, efen so must þe Son of mann be yaforde:
15 Þat hwasoefer beliefeþ in him scould ney acuel, but hafe endless life.
16 For God so lofde þe world, þat he gafe his anlybegoten Son, þat hwasoefer beliefeþ in him schould ney acuel, but hafe eferlang life.
UGH , makes me want to go running back to my vulgate , but great historical digging up here and context , can't deny that !
hmmmmm....James' BIG secret? That's almost a compliment.
----
I love your King James' Version Saxon. It really helps to highlight the differences between your world and our history, which can otherwise be pretty similar.
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I love your King James' Version Saxon. It really helps to highlight the differences between your world and our history, which can otherwise be pretty similar.
canonized: Yeah, I much prefer the Vulgate myself. Though I suppose I could have put in a section from the Douay-Rheims version instead, that'd allow the exploration of English at the time while using a good Catholic translation. Though the point was to show the one that had the most influence on the English language from then on.
RGB: Neither compliment nor condemnation. I'm being nice and objective with this AAR, in case having the country become rabidly anti-Catholic didn't make that point enough.
Yep, have to have a few changes floating around. If I wasn't stuck with EU2 I could probably add in some differences as well, but... *shrugs* Paradox wanted a 3D map for EU3, so I'm stuck with what I can get.
stnylan: Yes. And things aren't getting much better in the coming years...
Update today or tomorrow, most likely. I ought to be able to update more often now that I've got all my papers done for college.
RGB: Neither compliment nor condemnation. I'm being nice and objective with this AAR, in case having the country become rabidly anti-Catholic didn't make that point enough.
Yep, have to have a few changes floating around. If I wasn't stuck with EU2 I could probably add in some differences as well, but... *shrugs* Paradox wanted a 3D map for EU3, so I'm stuck with what I can get.
stnylan: Yes. And things aren't getting much better in the coming years...
Update today or tomorrow, most likely. I ought to be able to update more often now that I've got all my papers done for college.
Judas Maccabeus said:
Have I ever mentioned that I love the Bible?
This Saxon English sounds quite curious. Sometimes it has a more formal "sounding" so to speak. It would be interesting to take a look to the whole Haly Bible of King James (from a linguistic point of view).
Kurt_Steiner said:Have I ever mentioned that I love the Bible?
This Saxon English sounds quite curious. Sometimes it has a more formal "sounding" so to speak. It would be interesting to take a look to the whole Haly Bible of King James (from a linguistic point of view).
Give me a passage (no more than one chapter, I don't have all the time in the world!) and I'll work it out for you, if you want.
(Keep in mind that this will be the official version, so adultery will still be condemned this time around.
)
While James was dealing with religious matters in Britain, colonisation and exploration continued apace. Two of the most celebrated expeditions in British history took place during James' time as Emperor: the Frobisher Bay expedition of John Smith, and the Indian expedition of William Baffin. Both would extend the furthest reaches of English knowledge, and work to establish trading and diplomatic contacts with the native countries of their respective regions.
Smith had already established himself as a major figure in America. After his successful expedition against the Wyandot, he was appointed governor of New York, yet did not spend much time there. As a practical leader of all of His Majesty's colonies, he actually equally divided his time between New York, New Lothian, and New England; most important was his plan to divide the colonies more equally. Nova Scotia remained untouched, but New England was divided into Massachusetts and Connecticut; New York into New York and New Jersey; and New Lothian into New Lothian and Carolina (named after James' young son Charles). This was a practical response to the rapid growth of the colonies that had occured since the "tetrarchy" put into place during the time of Ethelred Harcourt.
John Smith's division of the American colonies, and his expedition.
What truly gave him fame, however, was, in 1605, leaving New York to travel again up the Hudson River. He had been this way before as a conqueror, but now only had two thousand Lenape and five hundred English horsemen, not arrayed as soldiers but instead as explorers. This group was to go through the Wyandot lands, find the best trackers and survivalists among them, and then go north to find an overland route to Frobisher Bay, hopefully along a navigable river. If such a route could be found, Smith would then try and see if an ice-free passage to the Pacific could be found - the famed Northwest Passage.
After travelling through the Wyandot lands and wintering with them, Smith set out from them in early 1606. It was rough and slow going; the hope was to reach Frobisher Bay by the middle of the year and winter in a permanent trading post there, but instead, high summer found them still struggling along Lake Superior. Finally, on 15 July, Smith discovered Lake Nipigon. He was able to head north from there, but learned there were no rivers to be found. In fact, he later discovered that he had gone too far - the Wyandot led him back to the Missanabi river, from which Smith was able to get to the coast.
Sir John Smith, from a contemporary engraving.
However, he reached it only on 22 December 1606. Perhaps a thousand men in his expedition died, although a trading post was successfully established. 1607 looked to be a good year, as the new fort of Moose Factory developed; unfortunately, the Cree of the region did not much appreciate Smith. Much of the blame can be placed with Smith himself; some of his actions appear especially tailored to anger the local inhabitants. Whatever the case, a sharp battle on 19 August 1607 resulted in a victory for the English and forced the Cree to flee for other lands.*
This led to Smith leaving the newly-created fort with only a small band of traders. He himself led the infantry southward back to the Wyandot lands, while Ethulf Bradley, his second-in-command, led the cavalry onto ships to go the quicker sea route to Boston. The hope of a fast sailing route up the rivers proved a foolish one, but Smith had placed a semi-permanent British settlement on Frobisher Bay. He would remain in the American colonies, one of his most famous works there being supposedly gaining a treaty with the Powhatan of New Lothian through the intervention of Pocahontas, daughter of the leader of the tribe. The veracity of the unusual story is doubtful, and in any case is too much of an aside to go into detail with here.
One important problem with Smith's time was his view towards defence of the colonies; rather than put up organised defensive units, he simply left it to the local militia. A golden opportunity had been passed up to prevent a large number of potentially devastating native raids. What instead would come of it would be a massive wave of them which crippled the American colonies for years.
However great Smith's expedition may have been, it was nothing compared to that of William Baffin. Rather than try for the "Northwest Passage", Baffin joined an expedition, led by James Hall, to go around Africa and increase the English presence through that direction. Hall did not inspire much confidence, and upon landing in the Portuguese Cape Colony (required to pay the Portuguese tolls for ships rounding Africa) he was left there and replaced by Baffin. This mutiny would be knowingly ignored by the British government, and Baffin continued to India.
Wiliam Baffin, by Hedrick van der Borcht (1624)
He did not spend much time in India proper, however, and preferred to go to modern Indonesia. On Christmas Day, 1612, his ships, led by the Discovery, landed off the coast of Sumatra. During the next year he continued to sail around it and get to know the island carefully, including the discovery of the sultanate of Atjeh on 13 October 1613. This first meeting was quite successful, the Sultan allowing Baffin full use of his ports as a base. It was not the best location, but it also made passage through the Straits of Malacca easier, since they could use the Sultan's influence to get lower tolls from the Malaccan rulers.
Throught 1613 and 1614, Baffin continued to explore the South China Sea. Finally, in April of 1615, he contacted the rulers of Malacca and Siam, establishing British influence on the mainland of southeast Asia. These did not go as well, however, and the true breakthrough came on 8 July 1615. While sailing along the Annam coast, Baffin ran across a large fleet of pirates. His three small ships appeared no match for their larger five ships. However, using the better maneuverability and armament of English "race-built" galleons, he was able to sail rings around them and disperse or sink the fleet without taking any notable damage. Upon hearing of this, the ruler of Dai Viet, Le Kinh Tong, invited Baffin to his court at Hanoi.
As it turned out, piracy had been a major problem for Dai Viet; Baffin was offered a major position in the king's navy. He accepted, on condition that he would be allowed to continue explorations and that his duty to the British emperor would take precedence. Le Kinh Tong accepted, and Baffin divided his time between further exploration and defeating pirates off the Vietnamese coast. In 1616, he made it as far as Japan; however, the Japanese had already closed the country to outsiders. In 1620, he explored much of the Jacobines** (named, of course, for the Emperor), but did not establish a permanent presence there. In fact, Baffin's entire expedition, for all it found of all of coastal Asia, did not lead to a single permanent settlement. Baffin himself, of course, ended up well-off in the service of the king of Dai Viet, but was killed on 23 November 1622 by plotters against the new king, Le Than Tong.
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*Whatever ill will this may have caused with the Cree must have been forgotten by the 19th century, when one can find a Chief John Smith as one of the main leaders of the Cree.
**Our Philippines.
Smith had already established himself as a major figure in America. After his successful expedition against the Wyandot, he was appointed governor of New York, yet did not spend much time there. As a practical leader of all of His Majesty's colonies, he actually equally divided his time between New York, New Lothian, and New England; most important was his plan to divide the colonies more equally. Nova Scotia remained untouched, but New England was divided into Massachusetts and Connecticut; New York into New York and New Jersey; and New Lothian into New Lothian and Carolina (named after James' young son Charles). This was a practical response to the rapid growth of the colonies that had occured since the "tetrarchy" put into place during the time of Ethelred Harcourt.
John Smith's division of the American colonies, and his expedition.
What truly gave him fame, however, was, in 1605, leaving New York to travel again up the Hudson River. He had been this way before as a conqueror, but now only had two thousand Lenape and five hundred English horsemen, not arrayed as soldiers but instead as explorers. This group was to go through the Wyandot lands, find the best trackers and survivalists among them, and then go north to find an overland route to Frobisher Bay, hopefully along a navigable river. If such a route could be found, Smith would then try and see if an ice-free passage to the Pacific could be found - the famed Northwest Passage.
After travelling through the Wyandot lands and wintering with them, Smith set out from them in early 1606. It was rough and slow going; the hope was to reach Frobisher Bay by the middle of the year and winter in a permanent trading post there, but instead, high summer found them still struggling along Lake Superior. Finally, on 15 July, Smith discovered Lake Nipigon. He was able to head north from there, but learned there were no rivers to be found. In fact, he later discovered that he had gone too far - the Wyandot led him back to the Missanabi river, from which Smith was able to get to the coast.
Sir John Smith, from a contemporary engraving.
However, he reached it only on 22 December 1606. Perhaps a thousand men in his expedition died, although a trading post was successfully established. 1607 looked to be a good year, as the new fort of Moose Factory developed; unfortunately, the Cree of the region did not much appreciate Smith. Much of the blame can be placed with Smith himself; some of his actions appear especially tailored to anger the local inhabitants. Whatever the case, a sharp battle on 19 August 1607 resulted in a victory for the English and forced the Cree to flee for other lands.*
This led to Smith leaving the newly-created fort with only a small band of traders. He himself led the infantry southward back to the Wyandot lands, while Ethulf Bradley, his second-in-command, led the cavalry onto ships to go the quicker sea route to Boston. The hope of a fast sailing route up the rivers proved a foolish one, but Smith had placed a semi-permanent British settlement on Frobisher Bay. He would remain in the American colonies, one of his most famous works there being supposedly gaining a treaty with the Powhatan of New Lothian through the intervention of Pocahontas, daughter of the leader of the tribe. The veracity of the unusual story is doubtful, and in any case is too much of an aside to go into detail with here.
One important problem with Smith's time was his view towards defence of the colonies; rather than put up organised defensive units, he simply left it to the local militia. A golden opportunity had been passed up to prevent a large number of potentially devastating native raids. What instead would come of it would be a massive wave of them which crippled the American colonies for years.
However great Smith's expedition may have been, it was nothing compared to that of William Baffin. Rather than try for the "Northwest Passage", Baffin joined an expedition, led by James Hall, to go around Africa and increase the English presence through that direction. Hall did not inspire much confidence, and upon landing in the Portuguese Cape Colony (required to pay the Portuguese tolls for ships rounding Africa) he was left there and replaced by Baffin. This mutiny would be knowingly ignored by the British government, and Baffin continued to India.
Wiliam Baffin, by Hedrick van der Borcht (1624)
He did not spend much time in India proper, however, and preferred to go to modern Indonesia. On Christmas Day, 1612, his ships, led by the Discovery, landed off the coast of Sumatra. During the next year he continued to sail around it and get to know the island carefully, including the discovery of the sultanate of Atjeh on 13 October 1613. This first meeting was quite successful, the Sultan allowing Baffin full use of his ports as a base. It was not the best location, but it also made passage through the Straits of Malacca easier, since they could use the Sultan's influence to get lower tolls from the Malaccan rulers.
Throught 1613 and 1614, Baffin continued to explore the South China Sea. Finally, in April of 1615, he contacted the rulers of Malacca and Siam, establishing British influence on the mainland of southeast Asia. These did not go as well, however, and the true breakthrough came on 8 July 1615. While sailing along the Annam coast, Baffin ran across a large fleet of pirates. His three small ships appeared no match for their larger five ships. However, using the better maneuverability and armament of English "race-built" galleons, he was able to sail rings around them and disperse or sink the fleet without taking any notable damage. Upon hearing of this, the ruler of Dai Viet, Le Kinh Tong, invited Baffin to his court at Hanoi.
As it turned out, piracy had been a major problem for Dai Viet; Baffin was offered a major position in the king's navy. He accepted, on condition that he would be allowed to continue explorations and that his duty to the British emperor would take precedence. Le Kinh Tong accepted, and Baffin divided his time between further exploration and defeating pirates off the Vietnamese coast. In 1616, he made it as far as Japan; however, the Japanese had already closed the country to outsiders. In 1620, he explored much of the Jacobines** (named, of course, for the Emperor), but did not establish a permanent presence there. In fact, Baffin's entire expedition, for all it found of all of coastal Asia, did not lead to a single permanent settlement. Baffin himself, of course, ended up well-off in the service of the king of Dai Viet, but was killed on 23 November 1622 by plotters against the new king, Le Than Tong.
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*Whatever ill will this may have caused with the Cree must have been forgotten by the 19th century, when one can find a Chief John Smith as one of the main leaders of the Cree.
**Our Philippines.
You gotta love these European adventurers in foreign courts.
And yes, Baffin wins style points for that like OMG.
And yes, Baffin wins style points for that like OMG.
Haha Baffin and the Jacobine Islands . For some reason , this gives me a sense of megalomania XD . Naming whole archipelagos after yourself should be a standard policy XD .
canonized said:
But James is such a common name! I mean, it could be worse, it could be Charles, but still.
People with unique names should be Kings so that the megalomania is more fun.