(SoI) The Rise of the Ayyubid Dynasty (1171–1341)

The Turk

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Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
2,217
Location
Canada
Introduction
This is a story about the Rise of the Ayyubid Dynasty, from humble beginnings to grand Empire building, from fighting the Latins (Crusades) to capturing the Hejaz. This story aims to be fairly historically accurate, while taking some unhistorical liberties as well. Throughout this story you will see the rise and fall of some great historical characters that I have either added in or that are already scripted in SoI, this will hopefully bring to life the history of the Ayyubid Dynasty and the greater Middle East as well.

I am currently unsure if I want to complete the UHV's or not, as my main objective is to create a good story for you guys! :)
I will be adding in unit names, to make the game more interesting, so no its not a mini-mod that I am using.
Also I will be playing on Epic speed, so I can add in new events and what not without feeling limited on speed, so no, there is no problem with my production levels ;)

And finally, if you are enjoying the story (or not), please leave your comments here, as I would love to take in suggestions, and it would be nice to know what you guys think of the story so far.

Starting Game Info

Ayyubids - Sultan Difficulty
Epic Speed

Civics:
Government: Monarchy
Legal: Vassalage
Labour: Slavery
Economy: Agrarianism (originally Decentralization, but on the first turn I changed to Agrarianism)
Religion: Organized Religion

Spoiler :


UP: The Power of Diplomacy - +2 Attitude versus all Leaders
UU: Tawashi Lancer [Replaces Lancer]
UB: Qalaat [Replaces Castle]

Spoiler :


For those of you not familiar with this mod I'm using, I highly recommend you check out Sword of Islam by Embryodead here!
 
Our story begins not in 1171 (when the Dynasty became officially established), but actually fairly earlier in 1164. Nur al-Din (atabeg of the Zengid Dynasty of Syria) sent Shirkuh to head an expeditionary force to prevent Crusader dominance of an increasingly anarchical Fatimid Egypt. Shirkuh, enlisted Ayyub's son, Saladin (Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūbi), as an officer under his command. They successfully drove out Dirgham, the Fatimid vizier of Egypt, and reinstated his predecessor Shawar. After being reinstated, Shawar ordered Shirkuh to withdraw his forces from Egypt, but Shirkuh refused, claiming it was Nur al-Din's will. For several years, the Shirkuh and Saladin would defeat the combined forces of the Crusaders and Shawar's troops, first at Bilbais, then a site near Giza, and Alexandria where Saladin would stay to protect while Shirkuh pursued Crusader forces in Lower Egypt.
Shawar died in 1169 and Shirkuh became vizier, but he too died later that year from overeating. After Shirkuh's death, Saladin was appointed vizier by the Fatimid caliph al-Adid because there was "no one weaker or younger" than him, and "not one of the emirs obeyed him or served him" according to chronicler Ibn al-Athir. Saladin soon found himself being more independent than ever before in his career, much to the dismay of Nur al-Din who attempted to influence events in Egypt. He allowed for Saladin's elder brother Turan-Shah to supervise Saladin in order to cause dissension within the Ayyubid family, undermining the Ayyubid's family position in Egypt. Although Nur al-Din failed to provoke the Ayyubids into rivalry, the extended Ayyubid family was not entirely behind Saladin, particularly a number of local governors in Syria.
Saladin consolidated his control in Egypt after ordering Turan-Shah to put down a revolt in Cairo staged by the Fatimid army's 50,000-strong Sudanese regiments. After this success, Saladin began granting his family members high-ranking positions in the country and increased Sunni influence in Cairo by ordering the construction of several Sunni buildings. In 1171, al-Adid (last Fatimid Sultan) died and Saladin soon switched Egypt's allegiance to the Baghdad-based Abbasid Caliphate, converting the Empire to Sunni Islam, (although in this game we will start off Sunni, as it would be a pain to convert back to Sunni Islam a couple turns later).


PS. Not everything I say in this story is going to be historically accurate, as I'll make up some of it for fun or for the sake of gameplay reasons.
 
The sun rises on the year 1169 AD; the old Shi'ite Fatimid Sultanate has crumbled away. Egypt is in political disarray, chaos runs through the streets of al-Qariah, al-Iskandariyya, al-Minya and Domyat, as political unification of the Fatimid dynasty dies out, and with it, its old Shi'ite legacy. Out of the smoke comes a new dynasty though, one lead by a relatively unknown Kurd, from a Kurdish tribe around Dvin, Armenia; his name is Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūbi. Brought with to Egypt with his uncle Shirkuh, who had recently died of indigestion, Saladin and his older brother Turan-Shah, would together revolt and break away from the Zengids of Syria, to setup the beginnings of a new Sunni dynasty, overthrowing the old Shi'ite Fatimid aristocracy. The last Shi'a Fatimid Sultan, al-Adid, hid in his Palace in Al-Qariah, he understood that he would only be a puppet ruler from now on, answering to his so called "Vizier" Saladin, the true new power of Lower Egypt.


As Saladin was wresting control of a still rioting al-Qariah, the Orthodox King Merkurios of the Makurians, those who dwell in Nubia; immediately declared war on this upstart dynasty. Seeing their chance to finally take over Lower Egypt, their unfulfilled true dream from the times of Ancient Egypt till now. Saladin was not worried however, as he knew that the Makurians did not pose much of a threat. If anything he thought, he would send Turan-Shah to Upper Egypt to grab it in the name of the new Ayyubid Dynasty.


As the year ended, Saladin knew that there would be many new challenges ahead. With enemies on all sides, Christian and Muslims alike, it was going to be hard to prove to the Muslim world, that he was a force to be reckoned with, especially considering that he was still Vizier, and true legitimacy still rested in the hands of the aging Fatimid Sultan al-Adid; Saladin knew that if the weak Sultan al-Adid did not pass away naturally soon, he might have to resort to other, less dignified methods of claiming the title of Sultan. Already the hated Latin's had captured Domyat from the crumbling Fatimid Sultanate, and had changed its name to the old Greek name "Damietta". But Saladin knew, that once the population of Domyat had gotten a whiff of his new Dynasty, they too would rise up against the Latins and restore the city in the name of Allah. Saladin's first goal after uniting Lower Egypt, would be to take control of Syria, his homeland, from the Zengid Atabeg's that now ruled it. Nur ad-Din Zangi, Atabeg of the Zengids, the man who had once trusted him and had first sent him to Egypt with his uncle Shirkuh to wrestle control of the land away from the corrupt Fatimids, was now pitting his family in Syria against him, something which Saladin knew he had to act upon fast. Damascus and its environs were ruled by his family of his late father Najm ad-Din Ayyub and Saladin knew, that if they were given the right incentive, they too would rebel from Nur ad-Din Zangi and remove the Zengid yoke, and join his new Ayyubid Dynasty.
 
*I'm having a bit of a crisis at the moment, as I seem to have forgotten how to attach photos to a textbox in CFC... Could someone please assist, as this is my first story! :D*

I recommend that you create a photobucket (or imageshack) account and load the pictures there. That's how I do it.

Anyways, I am following this!:D I thought of doing a SoI story myself, but I have been lazy lately..
 
I recommend that you create a photobucket (or imageshack) account and load the pictures there. That's how I do it.

Anyways, I am following this!:D I thought of doing a SoI story myself, but I have been lazy lately..

THANK YOU! I got a photobucket account, would a imageshack one have been better?
Look at third post, for some reason I can't post the picture up, it gives me an error sign -_____-"
 
Hmm, are you using the wraps?

ya I'm using those. I just type in the URL and its supposed to work, but in this case, it is not. :mad:

HTML:
[IMG]http://img510.imageshack.us/f/pic1yy.jpg/[/IMG]

How are you doing it, for your stories?
 
Like this: (I removed the M)

Code:
[IG]http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz188/Jusos2108/Civ4ScreenShot0002-15.jpg[/IMG]
 
Like this: (I removed the M)

Code:
[IG]http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz188/Jusos2108/Civ4ScreenShot0002-15.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks for your help! I got it to work, I would just copying the wrong URL :p
 
Ah, a story from the ever-enthusiastic Turk. This ought to be good.
 
As the sun dawned on the year 1170 AD, the middle aged Fatimid Sultan al-Adid lay on his deathbed, and finally succumbed to a brain tumor. Leaving no sons to continue the Fatimid Dynasty, power now shifted to Saladin, al-Adid's "Vizier".
The revolts of the pro-Fatimid Dynasty loyalists led by Shawar (the ex-Vizier of the late Fatimid Sultan, al-Adid) had also been crushed this year. Ex-Vizier Shawar, the cowardly and treasonous man, who had burnt down parts of old Cairo, in attempts to stave off a Latin attack of Egypt, was taken to the central square where he was executed, for his treachery. After calming the capital of al-Qariah, the political and spiritual center of Egypt, Saladin was coronated in a lavish ceremony to commemorate the beginning of a new Dynasty, the Ayyubid Sultanate, and became Sultan Saladin.
Saladin's first act as Sultan was to send out letters to the rest of the revolting Shi'ite loyalist generals in the country side, who had continued to put up a fight against his new Dynasty. Saladin knew that many Shi'ite generals and old Fatimid bureaucrats were afraid that they would be purged by his new Sunni Dynasty. Therefore Saladin proclaimed that if they promised that they would put down their arms peacefully and swear loyalty to the new Dynasty, they would not be harmed, and they would be able to go into retirement.
Saladin sent out two Sunni Missionaries from al-Qariah, one to Latin controlled Damietta (Domyat) and another to still Fatimid controlled, Al-Minya; in hopes of promoting the religion throughout Egypt, after years of Fatimid Sh'ite rule. Saladin hoped that the masses of Egyptian people, many of whom still followed the Sunni tradition, would re-embrace Sunni Islam. And with such hopes, Saladin inaugurated the construction of a new Sunni Madrasah in al-Qariah, with the hopes of increasing scientific research and also a place where new Sunni Missionaries could be taught and then sent out to other places within his realm.
At the same time, Saladin sent out 6000 soldiers; one Tawashi Lancer regiment, three Egyptian spearmen and one Catapult division, towards the Kingdom of Jerusalem's frontier border in Damietta (Domyat). By positioning the army close to the border, Saladin hoped that the people of Damietta would know that Saladin had not forsaken them, and would try and overthrow the Latins. He knew they would most likely do this, as just a few years ago, the Latins had massacred the Muslim population, which was just beginning to recover.


By the year 1172 AD after the execution of the corrupt Shawar, many of the old Fatimid elite agreed to Saladin's proposal, allowing them to put down their arms in exchange for amnesty and a peaceful retirement. With that, the cities of al-Iskandariyya and al-Minya declared their loyalty to Saladin and the new Ayyubid Dynasty. Later that year, the occupying Latins of Damietta (Domyat), were ejected from the city, following a popular uprising, and feeling the noose tightening over their neck with Saladin's army to their south, they decided to return to Hierosolyma (Jerusalem).
Even cities such as Kerak and Al-Aqabah in the Transjordan province broke away from the Kingdom of Jerusalem, to join Saladin's rising Sultanate. But the crowning prize of all was Damascus flipping to his new Dynasty. His family in Damascus, being granted good positions and large estates in Syria, refused to continue listening to Nur ad-Din Zangi, who continuously tried to pit them against Saladin. With the unification of all his domains (Lower Egypt and Syria especially), Saladin knew the time had come to expand outside of Lower Egypt and into occupied Crusader Palestine.
Saladin left the capital of Al-Qariah with 2,000 reinforcements that had joined his army after the capitulations of al-Minya and Domyat, as well as a few from al-Aqabah. He pushed forward into the Sinai, with the intention of taking Gaza first, then using that as a springboard, launch his army to recapture a weakly defended Hierosolyma.
As Turan-Shah loaded his armor into the caravan that would carry it to the Holy Land, Saladin stopped his brother, saying that he would have to stay in Al-Qariah, and make sure that any Makurian advance into Lower Egypt, was met with a quick end; and when the time came, to expand into Upper Egypt, and build a new city (South of al-Minya). Turan-Shah hesitated, but agreed, knowing full well that his younger brother's advice was always good advice.
Before Saladin left al-Qariah for good, he received news from Domyat that the Sunni faith had been restored in the city, but that rivalry between the Sunni's and the Catholic minority was rife. Saladin therefore decided to put the construction of his new madrasah in al-Qariah on hold, and instead ordered the training of a group of religious persecutors who would go and remove the Roman Catholic faith from Domyat. More concerning news comes from al-Minya though, where the local inhabitants, who have been nominally Christian for hundreds of years, refused the teachings of the Sunni Missionaries sent from al-Qariah in previous years; therefore forcing Saladin to begin training a Sunni Missionary in al-Iskandariyya, to try again to convert at least a portion of the Shi'ite population away from Shi'ite Islam to Sunni Islam.


With the creation of the new Ayyubid Sultanate, Emperor's and Sultan's from around the world came to pay homage to the new Dynasty and its Sultan Saladin. Even the cautious Emperor Basil II of the Roman Empire, leader of the Orthodox Christian faith had sent envoys to Al-Qariah negotiating new trading deals; including the agreement that people of the Orthodox faith in Egypt would not be harmed, and they're right protected as they had been during the Fatimid Sultanate. This came at a time when even the Roman Empire was growing wary and tired of the brutish Latins, who had grown to be more of a political burden to them. Some even whisper in the great palace of Constantinople, that the Emperor Basil II had even concluded a deal with the Seljuk Turks to betray the Principality of Antioch, in exchange for peace talks; but such rumors were only rumors...


In 1172 AD, as Saladin continued to proceed towards Latin controlled Gaza, a message sent from the Caliph of Bagdad on behalf of some of the most prominent ulama of the Near East, urged Saladin and other prominent Muslim leaders that it was by Allah's will that al-Quds (Jerusalem) should be recaptured from the infidel Latins. Saladin, growing old now, realized that perhaps it was time to repent his sins, and launch this jihad towards a now weakly defended Hierosolyma, in the name of Allah. Gaza could wait he thought, and with this call for Jihad sent out to all the great leaders of Dar al-Islam, it was only a matter of time before another leader, like the hated Nur ad-Din Zangi also answered the call to Jihad.
Saladin quickly sent out commands to the lieutenants of all the infantry and cavalry regiments ordering them to advance East, towards Hierosolyma, abandoning the Gaza campaign for now.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will Saladin and his 8000 soldiers complete the Jihad demanded by the Caliph of Bagdad and the Ulama? Or will the Latins be able to defend the city?
Tune in next time, as we answer these questions!
Feel free to comment on how you think Saladin's campaign is going to far! :)
I'll try to reply to all your comments/suggestions


Ah, a story from the ever-enthusiastic Turk. This ought to be good.
Thanks! I hope you like it!
 
 
Major props for using Roman instead of Byzantine. Makes me happy it does. And the ending questions of part 2 seem to have a familiar format... In any case, good luck on the jihad. I'd be more worried about the Zengids snatching the prize than KoJ mounting any defense.
 
Major props for using Roman instead of Byzantine. Makes me happy it does. And the ending questions of part 2 seem to have a familiar format... In any case, good luck on the jihad. I'd be more worried about the Zengids snatching the prize than KoJ mounting any defense.

ya, I don't know why Edead refuses to change their name to the "Roman Empire", it really just dosen't make any sense :rolleyes:

As for the questions, which ones did you mean?
 
As for the questions, which ones did you mean?

These ones:

Will Saladin and his 8000 soldiers complete the Jihad demanded by the Caliph of Bagdad and the Ulama? Or will the Latins be able to defend the city?
Tune in next time, as we answer these questions!

I once used a similar format in one of my own stories, so long ago. I've seen it pop up around here in other things too, so maybe there's a bigger picture I'm missing.
 
I once used a similar format in one of my own stories, so long ago. I've seen it pop up around here in other things too, so maybe there's a bigger picture I'm missing.

oh lol, no I don't know, I don't think they have any meaning other than what they say : P
 
oh lol, no I don't know, I don't think they have any meaning other than what they say : P

Well, in that case, carry on. It is time to watch, and sit back for the journey.
 
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