The "Saxon England Saga" is a multi-game Paradox Interactive After-Action Report by Judas Maccabeus, chronicling the history and development of an England wherein the Norman Conquest never happened and the old Anglo-Saxon way of life endured a few centuries more. The result is a country — and world — that is at one similar yet different. And all done with both a "detached" historian's objectivity and absurd attention to detail, most notably in how the English language evolves into something that would sound archaic and strange yet still recognizable to our ears.
The Saga so far consists of three parts:
- After Hastings: A Weekly Report from England (Crusader Kings)
- O Lord, our God, Arise: More Weekly Reports from England (Europa Universalis II)
- While Thou Shalt Flourish Great and Free: Saxon England, pt. 3 (Victoria II; Currently unfinished)
Tropes:
- Alternate History
- Ambiguously Brown: Unlike in real life, there's a larger Native American population thanks in part due to the British landing earlier and a less severe epidemic. Combined with a policy of intermingling, this has resulted in a considerable proportion of the colonies' inhabitants being mixed-bloods.
- The American Revolution: Happens somewhat like it did in our world. Except it fails, leading to all of British America becoming a Canada-style Dominion by as early as the 1770s.
- After-Action Report
- Bilingual Bonus: Some of the earlier samples of this world's English and even later terminology may require some understanding of Old English ala Beowulf.
- The Empire: England, which later comes to be known as the Empire of Great Britain.
- For Want Of A Nail: The failure of the Norman Conquest in 1066 has lasting repercussions on England's future.
- The French Revolution: Happens in the Netherlands first, of all places. Said revolt plays out much less violently than it did in our world although the French version that happens years later is similarly bloody to ours.
- In Spite of a Nail: ...but some events and characters still show up down the line.
- Left Hanging: Crossed with Orphaned Series: the last known update was in late 2010. On the other hand, the writer's known to have taken long hiatuses before, so there remains some chance that he may return to continue his tale.
- Multinational Team: By 1800, the Empire is home to Englishmen, Scots, Welsh, Irish, Flemish, Walloon, Bretons, Portuguese, Corsicans, Native Americans and so on...
- Oliver Cromwell: Not only is he not quite as Puritanical in this version of events, but he's also shown to have founded an Imperial dynasty that lasts well into the 19th Century and possibly beyond.
- Shown Their Work: In addition to the alternate events being based or at least inspired by actual history, there are a number of nods to at times obscure historical sources as well as contextual details on the changing faces of England. Hwic is swa Þorough swa his take on Englisc...
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Averted and subverted. The writer makes use of actual Old English early on and develops it from there as the language evolves into something more recognizable but still alien. In fact, he even rewrites material ranging from Shakespeare passages to the Declaration of Independence entirely in this way.
