The Royal House of Cromwell Part II

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

The Royal House of Cromwell Part II

The Rise & Decline 1857-2000

By David Atwell

Arthur of Britain 1856-1879 Arthur reigned in interesting times, as they say. As the Industrial Revolution had truly transformed the British landscape, it was soon becoming clear that the British people were suffering as a result. Squaller & illnesses began to take its toll on the population, especially those people who lived in the crowded industrial cities. It did not, thus, take long before popular unrest began to take hold.

Parliament soon began to debate these domestic issues, but such things were put on hold for two years as Britain found herself at war with Russia. Along with France & the Ottoman Empire, Britain was waging a war in the Crimea & the Baltic Sea against an aggressive Russia. Alas for the troops, just like the civilian population at home, they too suffered greatly from illnesses & sheer poverty. Far more died as a result of putrid conditions than from combat with the enemy.

Although the war with Russia had delayed the health & environmental reforms, the lessons learnt from the war experience soon changed things dramatically back home once peace had been established. Various Acts of Parliament were finally enacted by the Crown wherein the standard of living for the people of the cities was raised drastically. Although the industrial barons citied that financial hardship would be caused by these various reforms, it was found not to be the case. The financial strength of Britain was greatly increased instead.

John II of America 1859-1870 Compared to his cousin’s experience in Britain, John II had far more problems than any Cromwellian Monarch to date. It would be fair to say that no other King of the Royal House of Cromwell has ever faced the various crises which the Crown did during his reign. Not long after his Ascension to the Throne, the Southern States of America declared that they would never release the slaves. This was a clear sign that they viewed the new King to be hostile to their way of life, which indeed he was.

John II had made it very clear, as the Prince Regent, that he opposed slavery. Like his father John I who did not tolerate slavery either, & had started to move against it just before his death, John II would have none of it. As a result, the new King instructed his Parliament to immediately work out how to end slavery whilst compensating the owners. At least John II was being considerate in this regards, but fundamentally freedom was for all Americans regardless of colour. Yet even before the Anti-Slavery Act (1860) could even be voted on in Parliament, the Southern States declared their independence from the Kingdom.

The American Civil War, which thus followed, would be the bloodiest war up until this time in history. Close to 700 000 Americans would die during the four years of the war. Hundreds of thousands more would be wounded during the conflict. In the end, though, the South had really no chance. With no help coming from Europe, with United Kingdom of Great Britain a close ally to the American Cromwellian Kingdom, the South was literally fighting the world. Yet they did so with much bravery for four years.

By 1865 the Civil War was over. That did not mean, however, that all was right in the Kingdom. Various rebuilding programs had to be introduced, especially in the South. And the South did not easily forget what had happened. In fact it was probably impossible to forget as much destruction had taken place, especially around Richmond & elsewhere. Entire cities now laid in ruins as the Crown’s armies had conducted a vengeful campaign against the traitors & rebels of the South.

It is thought that the Civil War, though, was a cathartic event for America & one which it needed to go through before its true potential, as a great world power, was realised. Old & archaic ideas had vanished from institutions such as slavery to the aristocracy. Now, more than ever, it was understood that America, even though a Kingdom, was a people’s nation. Alas this strength was only found after so many Americans had died fighting fellow Americans.

George II of America 1870-1902 After the death of his father John II, who it is said died from sorrow caused by the Civil War, George II came to the Throne free of the stress & strains of slavery & the War. Now was a time of reconstruction for America. It was also a time of awakening for the Kingdom. As a result, America’s economy & position on the world’s stage greatly increased. By the time the new century dawned, it appeared that nothing could stop America. And nothing would.

America grew in other areas as well. Having a powerful army & navy, thanks mostly to the Civil War, American industry also equipped her armed forces with the latest weapons & technology. Along with this came a powerful voice to be reckoned with. And one which, although a Kingdom, was nonetheless a democratic voice representing freedom. This was unique in this part of the world, as elsewhere in America, there was none other. It was, thus, inevitable that a clash sometime, somewhere, would take place.

And so it did. Spain, which had had a presence in America ever since it had been discovered by Europeans, had always been a threat to the American Kingdom, regardless who had sat on the Throne. America, on the other hand, seldom interfered in the business of it neighbours. That was about to change as Cuban refugees pleaded with George II to help them in their struggle for freedom. Elsewhere too, refugees from Spanish oppression cried for help. At first George II & Parliament ignored their requests, but after an altercation between an American ship, the USS Maine, & a Spanish naval vessel, America could no longer isolate itself from the rest of America.

Thus in 1898 war broke out between Spain & America. At first things do not go all that well for America, but after a massive victory for the Royal American Navy in the Gulf of Mexico, a large invasion force landed on Cuba to take on the Spanish Army. Soon, thereafter, other invasion forces arrived at other Spanish colonies in south America &, just as importantly, in the Philippines. Having said that, it took about twelve months of bloody fighting before the last Spanish stronghold was taken.

Nonetheless George II lived long enough to see victory. His Kingdom had, within 2 years of conflict with Spain, seen its territory almost doubled & extended to over three continents. Overall, the Kingdom of America was now larger than the Empire which Britain had created. For all intents & purposes, the Royal Family of Cromwell ruled the world for a brief time, even though the American Parliament began to debate whether the American Kingdom should keep its newly won territory. The King, however, would die before Parliament made its final decision known.

William III of Britain 1879-1889 The reign of William III lasted for only a decade as the King came to the Throne at the old age of 58. His reign, furthermore, was a quiet one as little took place during this period, other than some unrest on the Continent. That, however, had nothing to do with Britain & hardly effected the Kingdom.

The only notable achievement of William’s reign was that of the Electoral Reform Act (1882). Here the King gave his full support for the Act & signed it without any hesitation. The Act extended the voting franchise to all male citizens over the age of 21 & to all property owning females over the same age. Women were also, significantly for the first time, permitted to stand for Parliamentary elections. Two women, as a result, were elected to Parliament at the next election.

Alfred II of Britain 1889-1924 At the death of William III, all seemed peaceful throughout the British Empire, if not the world in general. Alfred II, nor Britain for that matter, would not enjoy such circumstances for long. Things soon began to fall apart not along after Alfred’s Ascension to the British Crown, albeit these first events took place in the Empire & not at Home.

The first challenge to the Empire took place in South Africa. Being a distant colony did not help much either, let alone that fact that two regions of the South African colony were semi-independent & none British. Being of Dutch origin, these two regions now demanded full independence from Britain. The British Government in Westminster, on the other hand, wanted the reverse. Thus having opposite views, it was inevitable that a clash would take place.

The resulting Boer War would last eight years & suck in forces & resources from the entire Empire. Even the Kingdom of America got involved, albeit in a minor fashion. Nonetheless, about 1 million Boers were able to keep the entire British Empire a bay. In the end, they basically lost only when they were overrun due to sheer numbers more than anything else: that & their main ally Germany finally dropped its support for fear of a major European war.

That European war, however, was merely delayed. The ins & outs of the First World War are far too much to explain here, but in 1914 Europe found itself at war. Having started by an incident, which involved none of the major powers, soon everyone in Europe was going to war. Britain soon found itself in the middle of it as Germany & Austria attacked Britain’s European allies in Belgium, France & Russia. The war would continue until late 1918 after millions had died. In the end, Germany & Austria were smashed, but only after the Allies had exhausted almost every resource.

William II of America 1902-1910 The American Empire would last only a few years. This was partly thanks to the American Parliament recommending to the new King not to keep the recently won territories & the new King, William II, sharing a similar view. There was also a growing fear among many in Parliament that a large American Empire would also mean a large military. Although the military would tell all who asked that the country had nothing to fear from the large army, Parliament was not so sure.

The result of William II’s decision to let the American Empire go was two fold. Not only were there a large number of friendly independent democratic nations established around the borders of America, for once securing these borders from foreign threats, but the American military was significant reduced. This was the first time, since the Civil War, that the military had shrunk & was warmly greeted in many circles. Thus for Parliament, the threat from a military coup, was over. Furthermore, money could now be spent in other areas other than the military.

Thus civilian infrastructure, which had been lacking funds since the Civil War, could now be attended to. Soon, schools, libraries, hospitals & so forth were being built by the hundreds across the Realm. Although criticised at first, this explosion of civilian infrastructure would become the foundation stone for America’s future & be the main reason why the Kingdom would become the dominant world power a generation or so later.

George III of America 1910-1935 Like His cousin Alfred II of Britain, George III came to the Throne during a period of peace. With the brief American Empire gone, America itself had entered massive a period of rebuilding & reform. Like his father William II, George continued with the massive construction of civilian infrastructure whilst the military continued with its reduction. By the beginning of 1914, hence, the Army could muster only one division of full-time soldiers, although the navy was much better off being able to keep two fleets sailing the seas.

America, though, was caught completely unawares to the conflict looming in Europe. Unlike everyone else, America had concentrated on its domestic issues first & foremost whilst international issues were often ignored. Thus when Britain requested help from its sister Cromwellian Kingdom in August 1914, America had little to offer in the military sense.

Having said that, the American Parliament declared war on Germany & its allies a day after the British Parliament had. Unlike Britain, however, no immediate army force was forthcoming. The navy, on the other hand, went to action straight away & began patrolling the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the Royal American Navy & Marines moved on the German island territories & later on supported the Japanese in their operations against German forces in Asia.

American involvement in Europe, however, would take some time. Due to the fact that a large national army had to be raised & trained from scratch, it was not until 1916 before the Royal American Army was engaged in battle. Yet, even though the Americans would be fighting it out with the Germans, the army was still rushed into action under French & not American command. Having said that, its action at the Battle of Verdun saved France from collapse & was the first step for the defeat of Germany. Peace was finally achieved in November 1918.

After World War I, the world appeared to recover quickly from the nightmare of world war. In many respects this was reflected no where better than America. As a result of this, & other factors, millions of immigrants left Europe for a new life in America. Many Americans were not overly fond of this influx of Europeans, but George III instructed Parliament to help the “New” Americans were it could. Thus social welfare schemes were introduced the likes of which the world had never seen. It was just as well too as in 1929 the “Great Depression” began. But thanks to the efforts of the King, although millions were out of work because companies had gone bust everywhere, the people were sheltered from the worst.

Henry XI of Britain 1924-1939 When Henry came to the Throne, Britain had well & truly recovered from the First World War. Things, in fact, were never better. Britain had recovered its leading position in the world & its sister Kingdom of America was a in close second position. The world was Cromwell & all was once again well in the world. Then, out of America, came the Great Depression. Of cause America was hit first, but due to the close economic bonds between the two Kingdoms, Britain was hit next.

Unlike America, though, Britain had only a small social welfare system & one which had little experience when dealing with a large number of people. In this respect, America was by far more advantaged due to dealing with the millions of immigrants. Britain had missed all this & the country was soon showing the strains of economic peril. Riots, from 1934 onwards, had begun on the streets & the worst effected were the industrial cities. Similar stories came from Europe, but one country, Germany, had already begun to recover under the administration of the Nazi government.

Henry XI, during this period, was all but useless. Nonetheless, after taking note of what was happening in Germany by 1935, the King began to instruct his government to implement similar policies. Parliament became alarmed at these requests by the Crown & showed some resistance. This did not help much when the King began to reject the advice of his Prime Minister & began ordering policy personally. For three years thence a constitutional deadlock took place wherein Parliament went one way with policy whilst the Crown went the other.

But events were soon to take charge of things as a second European war loomed. Germany, which had become more war like every day, finally overstepped the mark forcing the unimaginable to take place in Britain. Regardless of the authority of the Crown, Parliament could always rely upon the Act of Ascension. Although it had never been used to dismiss a Monarch, this was soon to become a reality. After refusing to declare war on Germany, for its invasion of Poland in 1939, Parliament could tolerate the wayward King no more & sacked Henry replacing him with his son George Prince of Wales.

George of Britain 1939-1959 George was the last of the “War Kings”. Having come to the Throne somewhat unexpectedly, George soon discovered he had a major war on his hands. Having said that, unlike his father Henry XI, George gave no support whatsoever to the Nazi government of Germany. Having made it clear his opposition to the Nazis, Parliament showed no hesitation in placing him on the Throne. Alas, due to Henry’s neglect of the armed forces during his reign, Britain could do little to help Poland.

Nevertheless, George ordered whatever military could be sent to France to be done so. Soon a small army of eight divisions & supporting aircraft were fighting along side the French. Alas this effort did not stop the Germans overrunning the French & thus threaten Britain with invasion. Britain, however, would survive, thanks in part to reinforcements coming in from the Kingdom of America & from its own Empire. After five more years of war, Germany, followed by its ally Japan, surrendered in 1945.

However, if the completion of World War Two meant a return to good times for Britain, it was not to be. The strains of a second world war was too much for Britain. By 1950, she had lost much of its Empire, including India & Australia. By 1950, Britain had basically been reduced to merely the island of Britain consisting of England, Wales & Scotland. Ireland had finally gained full independence as a federal republic consisting of the north & south.

In other matters, because American factories & industries had escaped the destruction of the war, Britain found it hard to compete whilst having to rebuild hers. As a result of all this, America soon replaced Britain as the most powerful country in the world, with Britain lagging far behind. Furthermore, Britain would never recover its previous prestige let alone its industrial & economic strength.

Abraham of America 1935-1964 America was doing it tough when she would get its longest severing &, incidentally, last King. In many respects, the reign of Abraham was always one of turmoil. From the moment of his Ascension to the Throne to his last day on it, America was in flux. At first it was due to the Great Depression, which it really never recovered from, until America was dragged unwillingly into the Second World War. And for this the American people never forgot.

Abraham, it goes without say, was the least popular of Monarchs. Having appeared to be incompetent when failing to counter the Great Depression, he demanded that America follow Britain into the Second World War. But after the Kingdom’s previous experience in the First World War, few wanted to experience such a thing again. Yet, what with the constitutional crisis which occurred in Britain echoing across the Atlantic Ocean, Abraham believed that the Cromwell’s in America had to show support to their new cousin on the British Throne.

Unfortunately for America, the experience of the First World War would be repeated even more so in this second war. The military was far from ready, & by the time the first American division was ready for action, France had already been overrun. Nonetheless, the army was sent to Britain whilst the navy patrolled the Atlantic Ocean keeping the German U-Boats at bay. But next came the Japanese attack in the Pacific in December 1941. Having caught everyone by surprise, the Royal American Pacific Fleet was almost decimated. It would take until 1945 before war in both Europe & Asia would finish. Victory in Europe was eventually achieved by sheer weight of numbers against the Germans; whilst in Asia it required the use of two nuclear bombs.

The post-WW2 era, for Abraham, at first appeared promising. But having become concerned about what the war ally, the Soviet Union, was up to, Abraham instructed the American Parliament to distance itself from them. Thus Parliament did not have to wait long before the communists in North Korea, supported by the USSR, invaded South Korea. The result was the Korean War. Although the status quo in Korea was eventually “won”, Abraham became even more unpopular with his subjects because of America’s involvement with another bloody war.

Alas for Abraham, & the American branch of the Royal House of Cromwell, the collapse of the American Kingdom would come in 1964. Ironically this came about due to a conflict with the new Kingdom of Australia which, incidentally, also had a Cromwell as its Monarch. But for the American people, they had had enough of Royalty. Once peace had been restored between America & Australia, the American Parliament declared America to be a Republic. The King was to be replaced by a democratically elected President. There would be no more Kingdom. The American House of Cromwell had fallen.

Robert of Australia 1948-1967 A junior member of the Henris Line of the Royal House, King Robert was nonetheless Australian born. It was for this reason that he was accepted by the new Kingdom of the Australian Commonwealth, when the then British Dominion was granted independence in 1948. Unlike India, however, Australia chose the way of a Constitutional Monarchy based upon that of Britain.

Australia had actually enjoyed full democracy since 1901 & the change over to an independent Kingdom altered little the political, cultural, societal, & economic structure of the country. Instead a rather proud & arrogant attitude developed in Australian politics &, what with victory in WW2, the new Kingdom demanded a hegemony of the surrounding South Pacific & South-East Asian regions.

As a result of this “hegemony” policy, even though Australia had survived World War 2 relatively unscarred, the new Kingdom soon found itself at war with another new & close neighbour: Indonesia. Even though the Dutch had left & Indonesia had gained its independence thanks to Australian & Indian support, by 1955 Indonesia & Australia were at war. Australia won this war eventually in 1962, but only after much of South-East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Timor & Papua New Guinea) had been dragged into it, not to mention Britain.

In similar circumstances, the “hegemony” policy also witnessed a souring of relations with the Kingdom of America. Even though America had come to Australia’s aid during WW2, & was a fellow Cromwellian Kingdom, that did not deter Australia demanding America leave the South Pacific to Australia’s sphere of influence. In fact, by the end of Robert’s reign, a naval clash between Australian & American fleets signalled, not only the nadir of relations between the two Kingdoms, but brought on the American Crisis in 1964, which inturn, witnessed the Kingdom of America fall & North America become a republic - the United States of America.

Victoria of Britain 1959-present Having inherited a weak Britain from her father, Victoria has nonetheless done much to ensure that the Cromwell Royal Family would continue on the British Throne. Mixing Royalty with television, Victoria has gained in popularity during a period when Monarchs around the world were losing it. This period would include the loss of the Kingdom of America to the Cromwell Family.

Having said that, much had changed for Britain. No longer having an Empire, Britain now reformed itself into a federation consisting of England, Wales & Scotland. If this political restructuring was not drastic enough, Britain’s entry into the European Union (then known as the European Common Market) would see an end to Britain’s full sovereignty - something a decade or so before would be seen as impossible.

Since then, however, Britain has had a significant impact upon the politics of Europe. In doing so, even with the loss of some independence, Britain’s economy has strengthened enormously. It is currently the strongest country in Europe & only second to America in the world.

Edward of Australia 1967-present On coming to the Australian Throne, Edward was immediately thrusted into the middle of the debate raging over the Vietnam War. Unlike his father Robert, Edward was hardly a war hawk. The irony of the situation was that, within three years of the Australia-American fracas, both countries were back to good relations by 1967. By then, Robert had already sent Australian military forces to Vietnam to fight alongside American forces battling a communist insurrection.

One year later, however, & not only was the war escalating, but it was already unwanted by the Australian public. The Australian Parliament & government, however, were willing to persist with its involvement with the war, even though both King & the people wanted to leave the war to the Americans. It took until 1972 before this eventually happened thanks to a change of parties in Parliament & thus the formation of a new Australian government.

The aftermath of the Vietnam war far reaching. Not only had Australian attitudes changed as to who they were in the world, but the societal changes were even more significant. Not only, thus, were demands for equality for the Aboriginal People sought for, but equality for the sexes was likewise demanded. Within a decade, both were achieved in law if not in reality. Having been the first country on the planet to allow all women over the age of 21 to vote, Australia once again would lead the world on matters such as sexual & racial equality.

By the mid 1980s, multiculturalism had become the key phrase in Australia & no one more so than Edward was its key supporter. Having supported the other cultural changes since he came to the Throne, the current Monarch is thoroughly supported by his subjects. Now near the end of his reign, due to age, Edward’s proudest moment was at the recent Sydney Olympics. Few Australians disagreed with their King when he proudly opened the Olympics in 2000 when he welcomed the world to the “Great Southern Land of wonder & beauty, summed up not just in her appearance, but more so in her People.”

Ed: The Royal House of Cromwell Part II

I’ve enjoyed reading this Alternate History, but I rate it as not particularly plausible. The POD and some of the developments are valid and interesting, but I disagree with the main points and the Alternate world, which seems to be practically identical to OTL, just different players.

I tend to disbelieve that any king could lope off half the kingdom, even the practically worthless (or so people believed at the time) American colonies and grant them practical independence. Its not a kingly act and I can’t think of any comparable act that did happen in OTL. Even if the king did want it to happen, the people might not go along with the idea; it would be like Britain pushing Sussex out of the UK. That said, I see nothing wrong with the establishment of an American Parliament, which would give the Americans some autonomy, while maintaining free imperial trade, mutual defence and a common ground.

I’m not sure if you mentioned it, but is Canada part of the American kingdom? If so, there will be problems with the French population. They were concerned about becoming part of the OTL USA, while the Americans wanted the Canadian lands for reasons that frankly escape me. If the king does anything equivalent to the Quebec Act, the population will be seriously unhappy, while I can’t see an American parliament passing the act.

In circumstances where America did develop an astrocraticy, the slave trade would be harder to stamp out. Remember that the US was unable to stop slavery without a civil war, while Britain could only stop it with great difficulty. An alliance of the American and British aristocrats would mean that many of the people who held money and slaves would be making the decisions. If they hold out for compensation, it would have a serious effect on the economy, while angering people who don’t own slaves, but are already worried about competition from newly freed slaves.

Incidentally, in any timeline where Britain is a close ally of the United States, the CSA doesn’t stand a chance. Instead of the hope of British recognition, the British navy would make the blockade even tighter, while preventing France or Germany from interfering in Mexico. The war would probably last no more than a year. Of course, if France is not occupied in Mexico, they might notice the Prussians sooner…..

In the 1800’s, Britain rarely gave back territories or made them independent. Yes, there were places where such a solution would have been very effective, but they did not do that.

The First World War would not last four years if America was in the war from the start. If we assume the British and American navies to be the same as their OTL equivalents, they’ll be more than capable of destroying the German navy or even risking one of the harebrained schemes that Churchill came up with, such as the naval attack on Denmark, or a close blockade. The American manpower could provide a vital boost to the BEF, while American industries might well develop tanks before OTL. The joint forces could also sweep Germany’s colonies up before Japan or China could become involved.

No king of Britain could order the use of Nazi-type polices. They could suggest them, such as Victoria suggested polices, but they could not order them. Nor could the parliament force the king out merely for liking the foe – King George of OTL, who was delighted that the French were no longer in the war, was not forced out.

Something that did interest me from this AH was the possibility of a global British monarchy. I have tinkered with such an idea, but you’ve given me a better one. Let’s say that the Parliament of America is set up like Britain’s, but has the heir to the throne as viceroy. Someone to serve as a focus for public loyalty, while being unbribeable and a distraction from the business of government. This idea could also allow the British to absorb monarchies from India when they take over there, which would involve Indians in the highest levels right from the start.