Fimbulwinter History

A site for links, ideas, historical summaries, etc. relating to the historical aspects of Fimbulwinter.

The stuff below assumes that the series opens in late 1910, which may get revised in light of the pilot.

Established Divergences from Real-World History

• So far, just the ones implied by the premise: an international Antarctic expedition, and also Cthulhu.
• Also, Zeppelins are advanced enough to be useful on an Antarctic expedition.

History Stuff

(These are of course subject to the Magic of Historical Fiction, and can be revised at will to suit the story; but this gives a rough background from which to vary. Add links, details, possible ways that this could impact the story, etc., at will; bear in mind that nothing is canon until it appears on-screen.)

In the buildup to the Great War, the alliances are mostly established; Russia, the UK and France are aligned by the Triple Entente; Germany and Austro-Hungary have long been allied, and may be counting on Italian support, but Italy has signed a secret alliance with France. The Ottoman Empire remains unaligned, though courted by the UK and Germany; the USA remains neutral (though sympathetic to the Allies); Japan, newly impressive after its defeat of Russia, is allied to the UK. With war seeming inevitable, the Great Powers are sparking off smaller wars to flex their muscle and engage in brinksmanship.

The Pope Has Troubles

The Papacy is presently in its Roman Question / Prisoner in the Vatican stage; the Papal territories have been annexed by Italy, but the Pope refuses to acknowledge this diminished status. Most governments still maintain diplomatic relations with the Pope; Pius X, however, has taken an uncompromising anti-modern line, condemning or breaking off diplomatic relations with any government that maintains relations with Italy (notably the increasingly secular France).

Kingdom of Italy

Italy is officially allied with Austria-Hungary and Germany, but has territorial ambitions against Austria-Hungary and has secretly signed military agreements with France. Italian politics are corrupt and frequently ineffectual. With Catholics forbidden from taking part in national politics by the Pope, Protestant, Jewish and secular leaders are prominent in government; the present Prime Minister, Luigi Luzzatti, is Jewish. Fun fact: in 1911 Italy becomes the first nation to conduct aerial bombardment from dirigibles.

The Third Republic

France is dominated by left-wing parties - recently allied to establish state secularism, but now divided over the prospect of war. The right - old monarchists and proto-fascists - are vigorous but marginalised. Revenge against Germany for defeat in the disastrous Franco-Prussian War, and the recapture of Alsace-Lorraine, are major priorities. The Triple Entente has secured alliance with the UK and Russia.

German Empire

With Bismarck out of the picture, Kaiser Wilhelm II dominates the German political landscape. Socialism is electorally popular, but executive government is by conservative militarists appointed by the Kaiser, eager to expand both in Europe and overseas. Wilhelm's failed diplomacy - and European nervousness about the massive growth of German industrial and military power - have left Germany allied to the declining Austro-Hungarian empire and nobody else.