what if?

what if william the conqueror had never invaded england, or if the english had won at fulford or beaten william after he landed at hastings, or even attacked normandy first?

what if he had gone to portugal, ireland, denmark or even asturias or morrocco or, most unlikely, Vinland ie america, since we know he wanted an independant kingdom?

what if henry the II had taken england into the orthodox church?

what if richard strongbow had been left to rule as the de jure uxoris king of leinster and meath, and as it happens a native irish high king over connaught meath and ulster, and the plantagenet kings of england hadn't made themselves lords of ireland?

what if the tudors had adopted a more consultative and constructive, democratic and oligarchical approach to ireland, leaving virginia for errant lords powerful, and allowing the irish lords and commons. and clergy to develop their own institutions, and if the reformation there had proceeded somewhat like that in england, scotland and the baltic, for example?

what their had never been an 1801 act of union? what would the world in 1830 have looked like? and today?

or what if elizabeth I had followed her fathers laws and by passed the stuart heirs to the throne of england, and/or their had been no 1707 act of union?

what if ireland had had a canada style dominion status in 1867 or thereabouts?

is anyone interested in this kind of pseudo-history in a serious way? many opine about such things in pubs and bars... but what do those steeped in historical, political and sociological knowledge and reasoning believe? or do they even bother to think about such things?