Can I make up History?

[Clevernick]

So, I wouldn't be offering an "alternative" history as such, but would be casting a different light on the way things did turn out.

I think that's the essence of all historical fiction. The good stuff, anyway. Nobody really knows why things turned out as they did, so your interpretation, using your fictional characters, is as good as any.

And if your characters are believable enough, people may go away thinking, "I wonder if that character really existed! That explanation makes so much sense!"

And I think that's your goal.