Empire of the West

February 18th, 1516: Catherine of Aragon gives birth to a son and heir to the thrown of King Henry VIII, Prince Martin. When King Ferdinand II arrives in England to see his grandson, he raises the child up out of his cradle and proclaims, "All look upon the next Emperor of the West!" Now with an heir relationships between Britain and Spain begin to flourish, and rumors of a potential union begin to surface.

1530: Prince Martin of Wales is given title to Aragon, he begins courting Madeleine of Valois.

1533: In May Prince Martin marries Madeleine of Valois, gaining title in France. The same year Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, plots an assassination of Prince Martin, who is now widely expected to succeed him. The assassination, however fails when a young Priest informs the Royal guards outside of Aragon of the attempt. Charles is ousted from office and a temporary council maintains order until Martin succeeds his father, plans for a union between France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and England.

1538: King Henry VIII elects to retire so that his son may succeed him and solidify the plans for union. An alliance is struck between the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdoms of Spain, France, Scotland, and England to form the Empire of the West under Emperor Martin I by the Treaty of Rome.

1544: The last of the Irish Kingdoms fall to the Empire, completing the consolidation of the British Isles. The same year Martin announces the birth of his successor Charles.

1545: Emperor Martin declares that English be made the official language of the Empire. With popularity among the majority of the citizenry the proclamation receives little opposition. The Imperial Capitol is officially declared to be London, the Emperor commissions the construction of the Grand Palace of the Empire in the heart of the city.

1565: The Empire begins the exploration of the New World. Five years later Sir Francis Drake makes his landing on the Eastern Seaboard of Northern Columbia and declares the new land Martania in honor of the Emperor.

1578: Emperor Martin dies in his sleep only a few months after the conquest of Norway. The Imperial Palace of Westminster is completed only weeks after his death. His funeral is observed by the Pope and his sons Charles, Edward, Henry, and daughter Mary. King Charles I of England assumes control of the Empire, as Emperor Charles the VI.

1615: Emperor Richard IV, son of Charles VI, grants Martania representation in the Imperial Senate and the Imperial House of Commons.

1671: The Empire of the West pushes the Ottomans back into Asian Turkey and Emperor John the Ruthless proclaims Empire of the West as the sole power in Europe.

1703: With no male heir to the thrown, Emperor Martin II dies leaving the Empire in Civil War. The War for the Throne lasts until 1715, finally ending with Martin II daughter Anne the Bloody assuming the throne as Empress Anne I after her army retakes London. She proclaims representation for all women in the empire in the Imperial Parliament.

1810: After centuries of conflict the Columbian Wars finally end when the Columbians finally reach a peace with the Empire.They agree to a territorial boundary at the Mississippi, while the Empire maintains their dominance in the East and allows tribes in the East to move to new lands.

1897: After decades of uprisings and support from Abolitionists in the Imperial Parliament the Slave Revolution begins in earnest when slaves in New Aragon take control of the Provincial Capitol. By 1901 slaves across all the territories of the Empire have unseated regional governors and the war finally ends when General John the Black sacks London and kills Emperor Edward VII. He grants representation to all citizens of the Empire and gives far more power the the Imperial Parliament. His second act while in office is the redistribution of wealth to the majority of the working class citizens of the Empire, and the establishment of Dominions for more autonomous regions of the Imperium.

1918: The Empire agrees to a formal peace with the Orthodox Russian Empire ending nearly 20 years of war. The Empire now spans all of Europe west of Russia, has long since conquered all of Africa and has colonies in Asia, Columbia and in the Indian Ocean.