| "The More it Changes" | |
|---|---|
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| Author | Harry Turtledove |
| First Appearance | Europa Universalis IV: What If? the Anthology of Alternate History |
| Publisher | Paradox Interactive |
| Editor | Tomas Harenstam |
| Reprinted | Galaxy's Edge Magazine #35, November, 2018 |
| Collected | No |
| Genre(s) | Alternate History |
| Publication date | 2014 |
"The More it Changes" is a short alternate history work by Harry Turtledove, published in Europa Universalis IV: What If? The Anthology of Alternate History, edited by Tomas Härenstam, Paradox Books May, 2014. It was reprinted in Galaxy's Edge Magazine #35, November, 2018.
The Point of Divergence is September, 1666 when Sabbatai Tzevi was summoned before Ottoman sultan Mehmed IV. In OTL, Tzevi was given the choice between converting to Islam or impalement, and chose to convert. In Turtledove's work, Tzevi instead was able to convert Mehmed IV, giving rise to a continental Sabbatean movement.
The story itself is set between August and November 1772, in the village of Kolomija, months after the First Partition of Poland, and centers on Yitzkhak, a Jewish cobbler. When word comes to the village that Sabbatean hadimacks are roaming the countryside attacking Jews and Catholics alike, the people of Kolomija band together to defend their home. Unfortunately, they fail.
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