Lost Princess Extras

📔Thirty Eight What Now?

SPOILER FREE

If you were confused by the line "thirty eight American kingdoms" in chapter two, this chapter is for you. I threw in the line as a quick explanation of the fact that states were individual countries, and all of them except New York are monarchies, but then I really fell in love with this strange alt history concept. Here I will explain it to you in way too much detail because I have thought about this way too much. 

How did the Thirteen Colonies (and more) become monarchies?

At the First Continental Congress, the delegates made a slightly different agreement. Instead of agreeing to stand together against England, they agreed to stand together against England in the event of a war actually taking place. They still eventually declared their independence and worked together to achieve it, but after that, instead of setting up the Articles of Confederation, the colonists decided they wanted another monarchy  (Yes, I am aware there was no chance of this actually happening, but that's why it's an AU). They decided a national monarchy would be too powerful and too distant to actually understand the issues going on across their new country. The colonies all became independent countries, choosing their favorite revolutionaries as their new royal families. 

Thirty eight American kingdoms? What's up with that?

By 1927, when The Lost Princess takes place, all forty eight continental states are part of the US, but Alaska and Hawaii aren't states yet, so forty eight was the most I could have. That number immediately goes down to forty seven though, because New York is communist now. Now, let's talk about the ways the thirteen colonies acquired territory, and what that territory looks like in my universe. 

The Northwest Territory-Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin were British territory at the start of the American Revolution, so they were granted to the US as part of the Treaty of Paris. In my universe, the same thing happened. The territory became part of Pennsylvania, but on the agreement that kingdoms would eventually be established when there was enough population.  No changes here, and five more kingdoms were added. 47-5=42, and the kingdom total is 5. 

The Louisiana Purchase-Manifest Destiny still exists in my universe, just in a slightly different form. Instead of trying to conquer the middle of the continent, a lot of people wanted to free  others from the oppression of empires like France and Spain and help them establish their own small-scale kingdoms (a system that has worked really well for them up to this point). At this point, The United American Kingdoms has been established. The United American Kingdoms is similar to a lot of other multinational organizations, but it's just for America the way the EU is just for Europe and has different powers, such as the ability to purchase territory that will eventually be converted into kingdoms. The UAK wants to purchase Louisiana from France, because it's a major port with a high population, but Napoleon does what Napoleon does and offers them the whole Louisiana Purchase. The couldn't possibly refuse, and so the greatest real estate deal in history still takes place and thirteen more kingdoms (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado) were eventually added. 42-13=29 and the kingdom total is 18.

Texas-Texas still stages a rebellion from Mexico, and they still win. The thing is, Texas has had enough of monarchies, and doesn't want to establish a new one. Basically, Texas invents democracy instead of America. It keeps it's original independent borders, so some states are looking strange. One more state accounted for here. 29-1=28 and the kingdom total is 18.

The Mexican-American War-It never happened or if it did, nothing much came of it. This is because Texas isn't part of America or even the UAK, and because even if a war did happen, I don't think any individual kingdom would have a strong enough military to do what America had to do to win the war. They wouldn't all have worked together either, because the UAK doesn't have the power to declare war yet, and not all the monarchs care about Manifest Destiny. California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona stay part of Mexico. Four more states accounted for here total kingdoms is still 31.28-4=24 and the kingdom total is 18.

New Mexico-Currently split half and half between Texas and Mexico. 24-1=23 and the kingdom total is 18.

Oregon Territory-England only sold this to America under threat of war, so I can't see how the UAK would acquire it here. Oregon, Washington, and Idaho stay part of England, eventually become part of Canada, then are either absorbed into British Columbia or become their own province(s).  23-3=20 and the kingdom total is 18. 

Florida-Florida was ceded to the UAK in the Adams-Onis treaty, the same as happened in real life, and the UAK went on to establish it as a monarchy. 20-1=19 and the kingdom total is 19. 

The Original Thirteen Colonies-I saved the best for last. Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Vermont, Maine, West Virginia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama are the states that make up what were the thirteen colonies. Over time there were splits in the thirteen American kingdoms, and eventually nineteen kingdoms were formed. (well technically 20, but we're not counting NY any more). 19-19=0 and the kingdom total is 38.