I guess I'll step in here. Primarily, the reason the Mongols didn't sack Jerusalem was because there would be a colossal political horsehockystorm headed their way. Not even to say TTL a significant minority of Mongols are already Christian and revere Jerusalem, if they were to sack it they would have no chance of maintaining control in Egypt. Prior to the collapse of Egypt TTL, if the Mongols were to sack Jerusalem the Copts would realize they were no better than the Mamluks. A regime of Mongols supported, by what, a few hundred or a thousand or so Mongols, in a country of millions? It wouldn't last long. Even OTL, when the Mongols sacked Baghdad, not even technically one of the three Muslim holy cities, it caused problems for them from all over. The Muslims hate them, and the Mongols are basically depending on the 20, 25% (many who were forced to convert to Islam a generation or so ago have re-converted) of native Christians in the populace who realize the Ilkhan is gonna be at least a little nicer to them than any sultan will be and support him accordingly. Probably the last Ilkhan who would have even considered sacking Jerusalem, Hulagu, is dead now. He didn't while he was alive because either he needed the Franks to defeat the Mamluks, he was at war with the Golden Horde most of the time, and heck, his favorite wife was a Christian. Now even if Abaqa Khan randomly decides to pillage down the Levant, ignoring everything else, he wouldn't necessarily even be able to just steamroll a very much revitalized Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Mongols are very much at the end of their tether, and maybe they even realize that.
Alternate History Thread V
- Thread starter Dachs
- Start date
Nice timeline Yui, could you fix the paragraphs for the benefit of my eyes please? 
Because inanely repeating the same assertion again and again goes to the heart of the problem that's been pointed out. Heck, the logical implications are and were easily discernible by just about everyone involved. But thankfully Yui has taken the time to plot out exactly how obvious this should all be:
Thanks Yui, you shouldn't have had to say that. But thanks!
Explain why the Mongols would want to piss everyone off for little or no gain. Some of the issues have already been pointed out, and while blithely being dismissed still more have been pointed out by Yui in the part of his post I've already quoted, which I'll kindly bold for you. If your power base is primarily Christian why would you then pursue a course of action designed to antagonize it? Maybe you might just slaughter it instead?
Why? Kill the lead instigators that would generally seem to have worked... outright slaughter hurts the bottom line and gives you little in return.
Exactly. Why would this matter then?
Do you see the logical implications now?
Now I'm confused. That wasn't how it read contextually. And even so: capitalizing on some conquests already wrought seems to be a better idea than butting heads with Hungary et. al.
Sure. But having Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem on the list is just plain stupid. And the Crusader states are problematic for other reasons which was nicely fulminated on in the time-line even if it wasn't explicitly pointed out. But I'll defer to Yui:
Because other than the "LULZ IMMA A BARBARIAN I NEED MA GOLD" argument the idea doesn't carry much weight at all.
Your arguments simply weren't realistic or logical to start with. It hasn't got markedly better in the mean-time.
It doesn't have to sack the Holy City of the very group your relying on to run your richest provinces. And it doesn't pay to push the envelope any further when your so obviously spread out. And it doesn't help if contextualization isn't work for you either
spryllino said:
Because inanely repeating the same assertion again and again goes to the heart of the problem that's been pointed out. Heck, the logical implications are and were easily discernible by just about everyone involved. But thankfully Yui has taken the time to plot out exactly how obvious this should all be:
Yui108 said:
Thanks Yui, you shouldn't have had to say that. But thanks!
spryllino said:
Explain why the Mongols would want to piss everyone off for little or no gain. Some of the issues have already been pointed out, and while blithely being dismissed still more have been pointed out by Yui in the part of his post I've already quoted, which I'll kindly bold for you. If your power base is primarily Christian why would you then pursue a course of action designed to antagonize it? Maybe you might just slaughter it instead?
spryllino said:
Why? Kill the lead instigators that would generally seem to have worked... outright slaughter hurts the bottom line and gives you little in return.
spryllino said:
Exactly. Why would this matter then?
spryllino said:
Do you see the logical implications now?
spryllino said:
Now I'm confused. That wasn't how it read contextually. And even so: capitalizing on some conquests already wrought seems to be a better idea than butting heads with Hungary et. al.
spryllino said:
Sure. But having Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem on the list is just plain stupid. And the Crusader states are problematic for other reasons which was nicely fulminated on in the time-line even if it wasn't explicitly pointed out. But I'll defer to Yui:
Yui108 said:
Because other than the "LULZ IMMA A BARBARIAN I NEED MA GOLD" argument the idea doesn't carry much weight at all.
spryllino said:
Your arguments simply weren't realistic or logical to start with. It hasn't got markedly better in the mean-time.
spryllino said:
It doesn't have to sack the Holy City of the very group your relying on to run your richest provinces. And it doesn't pay to push the envelope any further when your so obviously spread out. And it doesn't help if contextualization isn't work for you either
Well, I call the end to this argument. I see your point, and I disagree in some ways, but I think I've made them apparent enough. It's a great ATL all the same, and I look forward to reading the next bit. To an extent, four against one you win.
Well sprylino I'm glad you have concerns about my timeline. I don't mean to argue with you, I just hope you can see why I made some of the choices I did. And Masada, thanks, and what else would you like me to do as far as spacing. the CFC forums are terrible for copypasting long things.
spryllino said:
This isn't a democracy.
Yui108 said:
Just the spacing. There's some issues with intelligibility in some places but that's more a product of writing on your own without a proof reader. There's no other issues, really.
Azale said:
This and congratulations I could follow it well, it seemed to flow logically and it had good pacing with realistic outcomes. That would seem to tick all the boxes I can envision on such short notice for a ATL.
Well wow, thanks for the high praise guys. I'm glad to see you all think I've matured as an amateur historian as well. I've done some more work, and plan to post it again on here when I get to 1300, then again when I get to 1360 (or whichever end date seems to be best for the start of a NES). I plan on going back, editing, checking for continuity errors, etc. when I post the final, final time line.
I'd pick some new colors and make the borders..."softer" if you get what I mean. It looks like an LSD trip right now.
Book 2: All’s Well That Ends Well
Chapter IV: All That Comes Up Must Come Down
“Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labor to him?”
JOB XXXIX, 11
Note: Past this point, all divergences from the historical timeline are not detailed. Such an attempt would be time-consuming and ultimately futile. One should generally assume things have progressed normally unless detailed here, or if a divergence seems somewhat obvious.
1270-1275:
The Kingdom of Jerusalem has experienced intense growth in these five years, growing into a relatively self-sufficient country feeding itself on the grain of Oultrejourdain and made a nice profit importing rare Palestinian produce and sugar to Italy. Almost the sugar consumed in Europe is produced in Outremer. They also had favored trading status in Mongol Egypt, and were the only available trader for the Mamelukes (especially for their absolutely vital new Turkish slaves, a distasteful trade to be sure), so they made a tidy profit there, especially with wood They made a huge amount of money importing and then exporting goods from all of the diverse luxuries from Asia and the nearer hinterlands. The Middle-East is united and relatively prosperous, leading to ideal conditions for trade. Militarily, the Kingdom of Jerusalem has not fought besides some minor raids into Egypt to prevent the fall of the Mongol state in northern Egypt. Some of the military orders have been campaigning for a full expedition to conquer Egypt, because they have been losing funds because people in Europe see Frankish Outremer as being basically “safe” and not in danger of falling. His marriage with Margaret Lusignan has yet to produce issue. In Cyprus, Hugh II is increasingly submissive to the wishes of Conradin, who he is completely devoted to. This frightens many of the main leaders for Cypriot independence, especially as Hugh II’s wife remains barren. Cilicia has been granted some more land in the north of Anatolia for their extreme loyalty to the Ilkhanate, and many of their soldiers are still in Russia.
The various sectarian factions of Egypt have become more entrenched, with the four principal Muslim and Mongol groups establishing power, and the Kingdom of Makuria in Nubia is also a major player. Mecca and Medina have been captured by the revivalist Ayyubid Dynasty along the Red Sea, giving them a position of great moral authority among the factions. The Mongol faction in north Egypt is basically now a vassal state of Jerusalem with little more than Alexandria to its name. Their position has been undermined by the increasing willingness of the Muslim factions to make large concessions to the Coptics, who along with the Ayyubids appear to be the only real winners in the war thus far. The Ilkhanate has been thus far been unable to send aid to its struggling comrades in Egypt because of its own wars with the Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate, which have wound down.
In the rest of North Africa, the Mongol khan Toghrul of Tripolitania have obtained official designation from Abaqa as a vassal khanate of the Ilkhanate. Charles of Anjou is consolidating is reign in Tunisia. He is also scheming to ally with the Marinid Sultanate, who are now the rulers of all of North Africa west of Tunis. With so many strong powers in the Eastern Mediteranean and already having been thwarted in some of his designs on the Byzantine Empire, he thinks he will go to the Western Mediterranean to satisfy some of his power-lust. He has consolidated a great deal of power in Piedmont, and even is making some conquests in Tuscany. The Guelphs have experienced great success with Charles, but it seems the Pope is beginning to fear his great power.
In Germany, Rudolph and his Hungarian allies have made great progress against Ottokar of Bohemia and his minions. In 1275 a new election was called, in light of great Hungarian and Habsburg against the anti-imperial forces. Alfonso X of Castile was paid to renounce his claim as the King of the Romans and Ottokar had been thoroughly subdued. Rudolph was crowned by virtue of the Reichstag in Aachen in 1275 with virtually no opposition
Edward, prince and soon-to-be king of England, led a large army into Wales in 1270, with the intention of conquest instead of mere raiding. It has met with good success, and Llywelyn is forced to become a vassal of the Kingdom of England, with little territory except Gwynned.
Magnus VI of Norway and Valdemar of Sweden have betrothed their first-born (son and daughter respectively) as a sign of improved relations.
The French, Spanish, and some minor German nobles launched a crusade intending to topple the growing power of the Marinid Caliphate. This crusade was a terrible failure, plagued by overconfidence, disunity, pride, and poor planning. Pope Pius II was greatly shamed by this overeager venture, and it greatly dented his prestige and that of all Christendom. This resulted in the tragic death of Phillip, son of King Louis IX of France. This leaves his son, Louis age ten, as the heir apparent in the French Kingdom. Granada, with the aid of Marinid soldiers made some minor gains against Castile and Aragon in retaliation.
The Byzantine Empire completed its conquest of the Duchy of Athens, and has recently purchased half of the former Duchy of Naxos from Genoa. The Byzantines have been making a tidy profit being the only state of the Eastern Mediterranean that isn’t a vassal of the Ilkhanate, they are able to trade freely and easily with the Golden Horde.
On an even grander scale, the war between the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde continued and began to slowly flicker out. The Ilkhanate has continued to score major victories, albeit at huge costs in men. They pushed north of the Caucasus in 1271, in 1272 they sacked the Golden Horde’s capital after the vicious battle of Sarai. In 1273, they lost the capital, only to take it again later that year. After these decisive defeats of the Golden Horde and the compromise that was reached between the Traditionalists and the Yuan in 1272 the Chagatai Khanate also made peace with the Ilkhanate. This peace defined the Persian borders of the Ilkhanate and the Chagatids. The newly freed up forces of the Golden Horde raided around the Black Sea and many of the Tumens linked up with forces of Vladimir, Tver, and Novgorod in 1274. By 1275 the Golden Horde was ready for a peace treaty to what had been one of the bloodiest wars ever. In an incredibly weak position, they were forced to cede vast amounts of territory and become a vassal to the Ilkhanate. Nogai Khan was executed for both his intrigues and crimes against Christians, and Mengu-Timur was made ruler of the Golden Horde, but Abaqa Khan was the “Khan” of the Golden Horde and was owed allegiance by Mengu-Timur. Mengu-Timur also had to marry Abaqa’s daughter Borakchin.
In China a large part of Kublai’s forces headed north to combat the Mongolians. After suffering a handful of defeats and less victories they eventually comprised. Mongolia would become a territory ruled by a council of three. The Yuan Emperor, the head of the Mongolian clique, and a respected mutual figure chosen by both. This first council was comprised of Kaidu, Kublai, and Bayan a respected general who scored many victories against the Yuan yet refused to fight fellow Mongolians. Because the returning Mongol armies were in perfect position to invade Japan and the Yuan Dynasty had already planned to do so, Kublai attacked. They successfully raided up Honshu and forced the Kamakura shogun to pay extensive tribute to the Yuan dynasty. At 1275 raids into the Song had been temporarily delayed, but resumed soon enough. Unfortunately, the Song had been given an opportunity to regroup from the Mongol onslaught and were able to provide bitter resistance.
1275-1279:
The Ilkhanate was beset in 1276 year by a wave of Muslim uprisings that began in Damascus and quickly spread eastward throughout the khanate. They were protesting the hugely favorable treatment given to Christians and Pagans, the Muslim sack of Medina, the forced conversion of the Khan of the Golden Horde, and trying to reestablish autonomous Mongol caliphates in the religions own heartland. They are mainly spiritually led by Al-Hakim II claimed successor of the Abbasid Caliphate, who made a miraculous escape from the Golden Horde with half of the Ilkan’s army searching for him. Across the Ilkhanate the Muslims have risen up against their foreign rulers. This has become a colossal headache for Abaqa, fortunately yet only a minority have his Muslim subjects have risen up. That is still a huge number, and if the Mongol armies did not have such a tremendous advantage in skills and equipment the Ilkhanate would likely have been ejected from the Middle East by now. While this revolt is not likely to completely overthrow the Ilkhan, it is posing a serious check on him and he is presently unable to do anything besides keeping down the Muslim rebellion. This has given the Russian states a chance to pick on the disarmed Golden Horde, limited to doing little more than begging for from a liege little able to provide it. This has resulted in them largely being driven out of the territories inhabited by ‘Rus and Galicia declared independence. On the Black Sea, the Genoese have demanded more favorable trading rights or they would attack. Fortunately for the Golden Horde, on at least one front the Italians were bluffing. Embarrassed, the status quo was restored.
The Chagatai Sultanate, ashamed by its recent defeats and needing to bring military victories to awe its somewhat restive subjects into submission, commissioned an army for raids into the Delhi Mameluke Sultanate. They have met with success, and have struck fear into the heart of the Indian populace.
The Ming Dynasty scored a handful of rare victories against the weaker Yuan forces in the middle of the decade. By 1278-79 the tides had turned again, and the Ming Dynasty was clearly on its last legs. It took refuge in South China and is appealing to the Yuan for mercy.
If we turn thousands of miles to the west, in the Baltics the Teutonic Order has scored some key victories against the Lithuanians. They have been bolstered by a great upswing in interest in Crusading after the revitalization of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the magnificent successes of the Eighth Crusade. Livonia fell to them relatively easily after they humbled the Lithuanians, and they even sold some of their castles in Outremer to the Templars and Hospitallers to fund their conquests in Northern Europe.
In the aftermath of the civil war in the Holy Roman Empire, Ottokar I was not executed but suffered a fate that was perhaps, to him, worse than death. Styria was granted to the Hungarian Kingdom of Stephen V, Austria was partitioned between the Hungarians and Rudolph I with Vienna going to Rudolph. While there is now a king (even though he is invested with the lowly title King of Germany, and is not crowned by the Pope to be the Holy Roman Emperor) Germany still remains largely lawless in sections, as Rudolph does not have the strength to wipe out the robber barons yet.
Louis IX continues his profoundly Christian life. He compromised with England, refusing to cede them Auvergne yet promised assistance in their next conflict with Scotland or Norway.
Pope Pius II died in 1277, presiding over one of the longer tenures of the recent Popes. The cardinals convened in conclave, but here was exposed some of the great flaws of the medieval laity. To 1279, a Pope still had not been chosen, leaving Christianity leaderless. Several rulers took advantage of this, one of whom will elaborated upon in the next chapter.
The marriage between Conrad III of Jerusalem and Margaret Lusignan was at first happy one. Yet gradually, Conrad came to believe that his wife was utterly barren. This was a bit of a desperate situation for him and his court, as he was the last surviving Hohenstaufen, and if he was to die without having produced any issue his dynasty would become extinct and the Lusignans, his wife’s family, would inherit the throne. This consideration compounded by two factors: Primarily because his wife was nearing the end of the medieval childbearing age, and he did not want to waste any more time without an heir in a land as ripe with assassins as the Levant was. Then, the daughter of Kitbuqa (“rightful” King of Egypt as recognized by the Ilkhanate) Mary was maturing into a lady, and through her any heirs Conrad might produce would also be the Kings of Egypt. This was an extremely lucrative offer, and would even give Conrad some sort of casus belli for a proper invasion of Egypt rather than the small raids and supporting army he has sent to prop up the Mongol regime recently. Mary and her mother had been in the court of Conrad since 1269, protected from the ravages of Egypt. Conrad was an exceptionally handsome man, and Mary was already quite taken by him. He would merely need to wait a couple years for her to come-of-age properly, and he could marry her. The only obstacle to this then being his once beautiful wife, now fat, shrewish, and infertile. He knew the Pope would not grant him a divorce, for while he sympathized with Conrad and his Kingdom, Charles of Anjou who had almost complete power over the Pope supported the Lusignans. A window was opened with the extremely long Papal conclave of 1277-1281. When he wanted to divorce his wife in 1277 via Papal dispensation, he could not due to the lack of the Pope. While he was considering trying to influence the election to assure a favorable Pope ascended who would grant him a divorce he realized that this Papal conclave might continue for a while, and would be a perfect excuse to get his divorce granted by a lower, more sympathetic, authority. He turned to the Latin Archbishop of Jerusalem, Peter of Barcelona, who of course obliged the king with his divorce. Margaret was sent packing back to Cyprus, to meet with her enraged relatives. This marriage should’ve ensure, one way or another, the ascension of a Lusignan to the throne of Jerusalem. With this action, the Cypriots realized their hold over Outremer was perhaps crumbling. They made a single demand –Retake your wife, or war-. The official diplomat returned to Nicosia with both a reply and the wedding band. Hugh II, king of Cyprus, was against a war with the Conrad he worshipped, but was overruled by his powerful uncle Hugh III. The Principality of Antioch joined in the war against Jerusalem, resenting their growing supremacy in Outremer, where there had previously been parity. They justified this by claiming Conrad defied the authority of the Pope. The conflict began in 1279, with major naval battles in the Mediterranean. Due to a temporary nine year truce in Egypt, Khugen’s successor Tolui granted soldiers and ships to Jerusalem. The Venetians and the military orders supported Jerusalem as well. Charles of Anjou and some Genoans fought with the Cypriots. The Ilkhanate was unable to stop this inter-vassal conflict because of their own problems with the Muslim rebellion. There is a general stalemate, but it will not last.
In Egypt things remain largely the same, with Makurian progress and Ayyubid victories against the southern Mamelukes. After the deployment of a tumen (10,000 men) by Abaqa to aid Tolui, Mongol regent of Egypt, he made some progress, and succeeded in negotiating an advantageous truce. Half of the tumen was recalled in 1278 to aid with suppression of the rebellion.
The Byzantines completed their conquest of the Duchy of Athens this year.
1280-1284:
The war between the Crusader states rages on. In 1280, King Conrad III launched a massive expedition into the Principality of Antioch, scoring several key victories against them. Krak Des Chevaliers, under the command of the Hospitallers, recognized Conrad’s authority and he advanced freely into Antioch. By the fall of 1280 he had laid siege to Antioch itself. After trying to take it conventionally for a month or so, Conrad became aware relief was marching up from elsewhere in the kingdom. He may have been able to fight them off regardless, but did not want to take the casualties. Thus he built a giant siege tower, but had it broke into many parts so that it could be disassembled and reassembled quickly. He assembled it facing the north side of the walls of Tripoli, and then after night fell quickly reassembled it on the southern side of the city, and attacked. The city fell with relative ease, yet the citadel held out until the Jerusalemite forces promised their free passage into Antiochene territory. This was a critical blow to the Antiochenes and largely protected Jerusalem proper from assault. In 1281 Conrad III was wedded to the fifteen year old daughter of Kitbuqa, Mary. She was crowned as the Queen of Jerusalem and Egypt in a ceremony rich with pomp in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Then, Conrad III and his armies continued on the offensive. With Antioch basically neutralized by the extensive chains of well-protected fortresses in Tripoli, an expedition was embarked to Cyprus with the aid of the Venetian fleets. By 1282, the island was largely dominated by Jerusalem, except for a few fortress holdouts including Nicosia. But then, a huge military expedition led by Charles I of Sicily and Anjou arrived. The Jerusalemites and the military orders were bested in combat after combat, largely driving them off the island. Charles even launched a few raids into Jerusalem itself. Most notably, Ascalon fell to his armies. But next is one of the great triumphs of “Byzantine” diplomacy. Andronikos II, emperor of Byzantium, realized that if Charles and the Lusignans triumphed over Jerusalem, it would leave the nakedly ambitious and powerful Charles as the most powerful man, incontestably on the Mediterranean. Charles had already showed aggressive overtures, and the Byzantine hierarchy was terrified of a re-do of the Fourth Crusade. So they did two things. The first was that they joined the war on the side of the Jerusalemites, sending men and ships to their aid. Secondly, using the Muslim fervor currently sweeping the Middle-East they encouraged a huge uprising in Tunisia (which was owned by Charles I of Sicily). This forced him to return to Africa and to recall his armies. By 1284 Cyprus had been largely subdued and the only remaining Lusignan faction state still fighting was Antioch. By this point the Byzantines had exited the war due to resumed Turkish attacks on their Anatolian border. Luckily for Conrad, a massive Islamic horde invaded Antioch intent on reclaiming it in the growing Dar-Al-Islam. The Antiochenes surrendered to Jerusalem and accept their ultimate sovereignty in return for aid against the Islamic army. Cyprus accepted full union with Jerusalem, due to the large occupying force currently stationed across their islands. In return for their aid, Jerusalem promised full military aid in any conflicts the Byzantine’s might fight themselves in for fifteen years, expanded rights for Eastern Christians, joint Orthodox and Latin rights over the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and aid in reclaiming Crete from Venice. Obviously this last clause was the most significant. Under the threat of revoked trading rights in the Levant, the threat of a three-way attack from the Genoese, Byzantines, and Jerusalem, the Venetians consented to giving up Crete in return for an autonomous trading quarter comprising one third of every single port in Cyprus. After some serious arm-wringing on the part of Andronikus, Conrad agreed to these terms. Also in 1282 Mary gave birth to a son, Godfrey. In 1284, she gave birth to twin girls named Melisende and Mary.
In 1281 a new Pope was finally elected. Rome has already adopted an aggressive policy regarding Charles of Sicily, fearing his growing hegemony over the north and south of the Italian peninsula. Even in Sardinia does Charles lay schemes. Bitter after the peace in the Levant and finally convinced his scheming in the Eastern Mediterranean had come to naught, Charles conquered the Guidicati of Gallura off some manufactured documents “proving” Capetian rights to it. He is attempting to force an alliance with the final remaining Guidicati, Arborea, offering them protection from Pisa and Genoa in return for a dynastic merger with his line. He has largely consolidated many of the northern Italian states as well, culminating with his personal union through his children into the line of Tuscany, with a helping of self-proclamation. The revolt in Tunisia was only beginning to be quelled by the most brutal of methods (some estimates say that 40% of the male Muslim population of Tunisia met their death). Yet Charles of Anjou could always find a way to make gains. The beleaguered Mongol government of Tripolitania experienced revolts that carried over into their state, and promised Charles all land west of Tripoli in return for Capetian aid. Aid was granted.
Tragedy struck Christendom in 1284 when Louis IX passed away, leaving the kingdom of France to his son Louis X of France. This man was immediately put on the fast track to canonization, beloved across Europe for his genuine and unwavering piety. Upon the stalwart king’s death, tension between England and France have begun a steady increase as revanchists in Paris seek to reclaim chunks of land in France from the English monarchy.
Abaqa Khan passed away in 1283, clearing the way for the succession of his son Arghun Khan. Momentously, Arghun is a Christian convert and was baptized in Jerusalem in 1279. He is now the most powerful Christian ruler on Earth and as the Great Muslim Rebellion of 1276 begins to show signs of weakness the first waves of Muslim converts to Christianity have started. The seat of the Nestorian Church has been moved to Marageh, the capital of the Ilkhanate. Yahballahah, Patriarch of the Eastern Church, has crowned Arghun as the official Protector of the Nestorians.
The Sultanate of Granada has become a vassal of the Marinids, to the great chagrin of Castile.
The situation in Egypt and the borders have been normalized to an extent now. The Mamluk sultanate, direct heir to Baibars’ state, has made some progress against the
Mongols in establishing a break-through to the coast. Baibars’ heir died, likely of
poisoning.
The Byzantines have continued to make great gains against the Bulgarians, and now have a marriage alliance with Hungarians. Across the Balkans, the revanchist Byzantines are spreading fear, particularly in Serbian Stari Ras. The Despotate of Epirus has submitted to vassalization.
In China, the Song have been reduced to a small southern polity, for now at least not troublesome enough to be wiped out by the Yuan. On the other hand, the Japanese were. They have become a recalcitrant vassal, paying their tribute rarely. In order to teach them a lesson they were invaded in 1283. Despite a few victories and bravery like the Mongols had never seen, Japan had basically fallen to the Yuan by the end of 1284. Nippon was engulfed in rapine, murder, and destruction to such an extent that it may never fully recover. Nestorian Christianity has begun to become more popular among the Mongolian nobility, with the missionaries sent from the Ilkhanate.
The Chagatids have continued their invasion of the Sultanate of Delhi. They have met with success, adding much territory to their khanate, albeit the weakest of the three remaining independent khanates. The Sultan of Delhi has begun an offensive against the Chagatids who were largely taken by surprise by this development. The Chagatids have increasingly become Islamic, in order to better rule their largely Muslim subjects.
Chapter IV: All That Comes Up Must Come Down
“Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labor to him?”
JOB XXXIX, 11
Note: Past this point, all divergences from the historical timeline are not detailed. Such an attempt would be time-consuming and ultimately futile. One should generally assume things have progressed normally unless detailed here, or if a divergence seems somewhat obvious.
1270-1275:
The Kingdom of Jerusalem has experienced intense growth in these five years, growing into a relatively self-sufficient country feeding itself on the grain of Oultrejourdain and made a nice profit importing rare Palestinian produce and sugar to Italy. Almost the sugar consumed in Europe is produced in Outremer. They also had favored trading status in Mongol Egypt, and were the only available trader for the Mamelukes (especially for their absolutely vital new Turkish slaves, a distasteful trade to be sure), so they made a tidy profit there, especially with wood They made a huge amount of money importing and then exporting goods from all of the diverse luxuries from Asia and the nearer hinterlands. The Middle-East is united and relatively prosperous, leading to ideal conditions for trade. Militarily, the Kingdom of Jerusalem has not fought besides some minor raids into Egypt to prevent the fall of the Mongol state in northern Egypt. Some of the military orders have been campaigning for a full expedition to conquer Egypt, because they have been losing funds because people in Europe see Frankish Outremer as being basically “safe” and not in danger of falling. His marriage with Margaret Lusignan has yet to produce issue. In Cyprus, Hugh II is increasingly submissive to the wishes of Conradin, who he is completely devoted to. This frightens many of the main leaders for Cypriot independence, especially as Hugh II’s wife remains barren. Cilicia has been granted some more land in the north of Anatolia for their extreme loyalty to the Ilkhanate, and many of their soldiers are still in Russia.
The various sectarian factions of Egypt have become more entrenched, with the four principal Muslim and Mongol groups establishing power, and the Kingdom of Makuria in Nubia is also a major player. Mecca and Medina have been captured by the revivalist Ayyubid Dynasty along the Red Sea, giving them a position of great moral authority among the factions. The Mongol faction in north Egypt is basically now a vassal state of Jerusalem with little more than Alexandria to its name. Their position has been undermined by the increasing willingness of the Muslim factions to make large concessions to the Coptics, who along with the Ayyubids appear to be the only real winners in the war thus far. The Ilkhanate has been thus far been unable to send aid to its struggling comrades in Egypt because of its own wars with the Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate, which have wound down.
In the rest of North Africa, the Mongol khan Toghrul of Tripolitania have obtained official designation from Abaqa as a vassal khanate of the Ilkhanate. Charles of Anjou is consolidating is reign in Tunisia. He is also scheming to ally with the Marinid Sultanate, who are now the rulers of all of North Africa west of Tunis. With so many strong powers in the Eastern Mediteranean and already having been thwarted in some of his designs on the Byzantine Empire, he thinks he will go to the Western Mediterranean to satisfy some of his power-lust. He has consolidated a great deal of power in Piedmont, and even is making some conquests in Tuscany. The Guelphs have experienced great success with Charles, but it seems the Pope is beginning to fear his great power.
In Germany, Rudolph and his Hungarian allies have made great progress against Ottokar of Bohemia and his minions. In 1275 a new election was called, in light of great Hungarian and Habsburg against the anti-imperial forces. Alfonso X of Castile was paid to renounce his claim as the King of the Romans and Ottokar had been thoroughly subdued. Rudolph was crowned by virtue of the Reichstag in Aachen in 1275 with virtually no opposition
Edward, prince and soon-to-be king of England, led a large army into Wales in 1270, with the intention of conquest instead of mere raiding. It has met with good success, and Llywelyn is forced to become a vassal of the Kingdom of England, with little territory except Gwynned.
Magnus VI of Norway and Valdemar of Sweden have betrothed their first-born (son and daughter respectively) as a sign of improved relations.
The French, Spanish, and some minor German nobles launched a crusade intending to topple the growing power of the Marinid Caliphate. This crusade was a terrible failure, plagued by overconfidence, disunity, pride, and poor planning. Pope Pius II was greatly shamed by this overeager venture, and it greatly dented his prestige and that of all Christendom. This resulted in the tragic death of Phillip, son of King Louis IX of France. This leaves his son, Louis age ten, as the heir apparent in the French Kingdom. Granada, with the aid of Marinid soldiers made some minor gains against Castile and Aragon in retaliation.
The Byzantine Empire completed its conquest of the Duchy of Athens, and has recently purchased half of the former Duchy of Naxos from Genoa. The Byzantines have been making a tidy profit being the only state of the Eastern Mediterranean that isn’t a vassal of the Ilkhanate, they are able to trade freely and easily with the Golden Horde.
On an even grander scale, the war between the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde continued and began to slowly flicker out. The Ilkhanate has continued to score major victories, albeit at huge costs in men. They pushed north of the Caucasus in 1271, in 1272 they sacked the Golden Horde’s capital after the vicious battle of Sarai. In 1273, they lost the capital, only to take it again later that year. After these decisive defeats of the Golden Horde and the compromise that was reached between the Traditionalists and the Yuan in 1272 the Chagatai Khanate also made peace with the Ilkhanate. This peace defined the Persian borders of the Ilkhanate and the Chagatids. The newly freed up forces of the Golden Horde raided around the Black Sea and many of the Tumens linked up with forces of Vladimir, Tver, and Novgorod in 1274. By 1275 the Golden Horde was ready for a peace treaty to what had been one of the bloodiest wars ever. In an incredibly weak position, they were forced to cede vast amounts of territory and become a vassal to the Ilkhanate. Nogai Khan was executed for both his intrigues and crimes against Christians, and Mengu-Timur was made ruler of the Golden Horde, but Abaqa Khan was the “Khan” of the Golden Horde and was owed allegiance by Mengu-Timur. Mengu-Timur also had to marry Abaqa’s daughter Borakchin.
In China a large part of Kublai’s forces headed north to combat the Mongolians. After suffering a handful of defeats and less victories they eventually comprised. Mongolia would become a territory ruled by a council of three. The Yuan Emperor, the head of the Mongolian clique, and a respected mutual figure chosen by both. This first council was comprised of Kaidu, Kublai, and Bayan a respected general who scored many victories against the Yuan yet refused to fight fellow Mongolians. Because the returning Mongol armies were in perfect position to invade Japan and the Yuan Dynasty had already planned to do so, Kublai attacked. They successfully raided up Honshu and forced the Kamakura shogun to pay extensive tribute to the Yuan dynasty. At 1275 raids into the Song had been temporarily delayed, but resumed soon enough. Unfortunately, the Song had been given an opportunity to regroup from the Mongol onslaught and were able to provide bitter resistance.
1275-1279:
The Ilkhanate was beset in 1276 year by a wave of Muslim uprisings that began in Damascus and quickly spread eastward throughout the khanate. They were protesting the hugely favorable treatment given to Christians and Pagans, the Muslim sack of Medina, the forced conversion of the Khan of the Golden Horde, and trying to reestablish autonomous Mongol caliphates in the religions own heartland. They are mainly spiritually led by Al-Hakim II claimed successor of the Abbasid Caliphate, who made a miraculous escape from the Golden Horde with half of the Ilkan’s army searching for him. Across the Ilkhanate the Muslims have risen up against their foreign rulers. This has become a colossal headache for Abaqa, fortunately yet only a minority have his Muslim subjects have risen up. That is still a huge number, and if the Mongol armies did not have such a tremendous advantage in skills and equipment the Ilkhanate would likely have been ejected from the Middle East by now. While this revolt is not likely to completely overthrow the Ilkhan, it is posing a serious check on him and he is presently unable to do anything besides keeping down the Muslim rebellion. This has given the Russian states a chance to pick on the disarmed Golden Horde, limited to doing little more than begging for from a liege little able to provide it. This has resulted in them largely being driven out of the territories inhabited by ‘Rus and Galicia declared independence. On the Black Sea, the Genoese have demanded more favorable trading rights or they would attack. Fortunately for the Golden Horde, on at least one front the Italians were bluffing. Embarrassed, the status quo was restored.
The Chagatai Sultanate, ashamed by its recent defeats and needing to bring military victories to awe its somewhat restive subjects into submission, commissioned an army for raids into the Delhi Mameluke Sultanate. They have met with success, and have struck fear into the heart of the Indian populace.
The Ming Dynasty scored a handful of rare victories against the weaker Yuan forces in the middle of the decade. By 1278-79 the tides had turned again, and the Ming Dynasty was clearly on its last legs. It took refuge in South China and is appealing to the Yuan for mercy.
If we turn thousands of miles to the west, in the Baltics the Teutonic Order has scored some key victories against the Lithuanians. They have been bolstered by a great upswing in interest in Crusading after the revitalization of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the magnificent successes of the Eighth Crusade. Livonia fell to them relatively easily after they humbled the Lithuanians, and they even sold some of their castles in Outremer to the Templars and Hospitallers to fund their conquests in Northern Europe.
In the aftermath of the civil war in the Holy Roman Empire, Ottokar I was not executed but suffered a fate that was perhaps, to him, worse than death. Styria was granted to the Hungarian Kingdom of Stephen V, Austria was partitioned between the Hungarians and Rudolph I with Vienna going to Rudolph. While there is now a king (even though he is invested with the lowly title King of Germany, and is not crowned by the Pope to be the Holy Roman Emperor) Germany still remains largely lawless in sections, as Rudolph does not have the strength to wipe out the robber barons yet.
Louis IX continues his profoundly Christian life. He compromised with England, refusing to cede them Auvergne yet promised assistance in their next conflict with Scotland or Norway.
Pope Pius II died in 1277, presiding over one of the longer tenures of the recent Popes. The cardinals convened in conclave, but here was exposed some of the great flaws of the medieval laity. To 1279, a Pope still had not been chosen, leaving Christianity leaderless. Several rulers took advantage of this, one of whom will elaborated upon in the next chapter.
The marriage between Conrad III of Jerusalem and Margaret Lusignan was at first happy one. Yet gradually, Conrad came to believe that his wife was utterly barren. This was a bit of a desperate situation for him and his court, as he was the last surviving Hohenstaufen, and if he was to die without having produced any issue his dynasty would become extinct and the Lusignans, his wife’s family, would inherit the throne. This consideration compounded by two factors: Primarily because his wife was nearing the end of the medieval childbearing age, and he did not want to waste any more time without an heir in a land as ripe with assassins as the Levant was. Then, the daughter of Kitbuqa (“rightful” King of Egypt as recognized by the Ilkhanate) Mary was maturing into a lady, and through her any heirs Conrad might produce would also be the Kings of Egypt. This was an extremely lucrative offer, and would even give Conrad some sort of casus belli for a proper invasion of Egypt rather than the small raids and supporting army he has sent to prop up the Mongol regime recently. Mary and her mother had been in the court of Conrad since 1269, protected from the ravages of Egypt. Conrad was an exceptionally handsome man, and Mary was already quite taken by him. He would merely need to wait a couple years for her to come-of-age properly, and he could marry her. The only obstacle to this then being his once beautiful wife, now fat, shrewish, and infertile. He knew the Pope would not grant him a divorce, for while he sympathized with Conrad and his Kingdom, Charles of Anjou who had almost complete power over the Pope supported the Lusignans. A window was opened with the extremely long Papal conclave of 1277-1281. When he wanted to divorce his wife in 1277 via Papal dispensation, he could not due to the lack of the Pope. While he was considering trying to influence the election to assure a favorable Pope ascended who would grant him a divorce he realized that this Papal conclave might continue for a while, and would be a perfect excuse to get his divorce granted by a lower, more sympathetic, authority. He turned to the Latin Archbishop of Jerusalem, Peter of Barcelona, who of course obliged the king with his divorce. Margaret was sent packing back to Cyprus, to meet with her enraged relatives. This marriage should’ve ensure, one way or another, the ascension of a Lusignan to the throne of Jerusalem. With this action, the Cypriots realized their hold over Outremer was perhaps crumbling. They made a single demand –Retake your wife, or war-. The official diplomat returned to Nicosia with both a reply and the wedding band. Hugh II, king of Cyprus, was against a war with the Conrad he worshipped, but was overruled by his powerful uncle Hugh III. The Principality of Antioch joined in the war against Jerusalem, resenting their growing supremacy in Outremer, where there had previously been parity. They justified this by claiming Conrad defied the authority of the Pope. The conflict began in 1279, with major naval battles in the Mediterranean. Due to a temporary nine year truce in Egypt, Khugen’s successor Tolui granted soldiers and ships to Jerusalem. The Venetians and the military orders supported Jerusalem as well. Charles of Anjou and some Genoans fought with the Cypriots. The Ilkhanate was unable to stop this inter-vassal conflict because of their own problems with the Muslim rebellion. There is a general stalemate, but it will not last.
In Egypt things remain largely the same, with Makurian progress and Ayyubid victories against the southern Mamelukes. After the deployment of a tumen (10,000 men) by Abaqa to aid Tolui, Mongol regent of Egypt, he made some progress, and succeeded in negotiating an advantageous truce. Half of the tumen was recalled in 1278 to aid with suppression of the rebellion.
The Byzantines completed their conquest of the Duchy of Athens this year.
1280-1284:
The war between the Crusader states rages on. In 1280, King Conrad III launched a massive expedition into the Principality of Antioch, scoring several key victories against them. Krak Des Chevaliers, under the command of the Hospitallers, recognized Conrad’s authority and he advanced freely into Antioch. By the fall of 1280 he had laid siege to Antioch itself. After trying to take it conventionally for a month or so, Conrad became aware relief was marching up from elsewhere in the kingdom. He may have been able to fight them off regardless, but did not want to take the casualties. Thus he built a giant siege tower, but had it broke into many parts so that it could be disassembled and reassembled quickly. He assembled it facing the north side of the walls of Tripoli, and then after night fell quickly reassembled it on the southern side of the city, and attacked. The city fell with relative ease, yet the citadel held out until the Jerusalemite forces promised their free passage into Antiochene territory. This was a critical blow to the Antiochenes and largely protected Jerusalem proper from assault. In 1281 Conrad III was wedded to the fifteen year old daughter of Kitbuqa, Mary. She was crowned as the Queen of Jerusalem and Egypt in a ceremony rich with pomp in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Then, Conrad III and his armies continued on the offensive. With Antioch basically neutralized by the extensive chains of well-protected fortresses in Tripoli, an expedition was embarked to Cyprus with the aid of the Venetian fleets. By 1282, the island was largely dominated by Jerusalem, except for a few fortress holdouts including Nicosia. But then, a huge military expedition led by Charles I of Sicily and Anjou arrived. The Jerusalemites and the military orders were bested in combat after combat, largely driving them off the island. Charles even launched a few raids into Jerusalem itself. Most notably, Ascalon fell to his armies. But next is one of the great triumphs of “Byzantine” diplomacy. Andronikos II, emperor of Byzantium, realized that if Charles and the Lusignans triumphed over Jerusalem, it would leave the nakedly ambitious and powerful Charles as the most powerful man, incontestably on the Mediterranean. Charles had already showed aggressive overtures, and the Byzantine hierarchy was terrified of a re-do of the Fourth Crusade. So they did two things. The first was that they joined the war on the side of the Jerusalemites, sending men and ships to their aid. Secondly, using the Muslim fervor currently sweeping the Middle-East they encouraged a huge uprising in Tunisia (which was owned by Charles I of Sicily). This forced him to return to Africa and to recall his armies. By 1284 Cyprus had been largely subdued and the only remaining Lusignan faction state still fighting was Antioch. By this point the Byzantines had exited the war due to resumed Turkish attacks on their Anatolian border. Luckily for Conrad, a massive Islamic horde invaded Antioch intent on reclaiming it in the growing Dar-Al-Islam. The Antiochenes surrendered to Jerusalem and accept their ultimate sovereignty in return for aid against the Islamic army. Cyprus accepted full union with Jerusalem, due to the large occupying force currently stationed across their islands. In return for their aid, Jerusalem promised full military aid in any conflicts the Byzantine’s might fight themselves in for fifteen years, expanded rights for Eastern Christians, joint Orthodox and Latin rights over the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and aid in reclaiming Crete from Venice. Obviously this last clause was the most significant. Under the threat of revoked trading rights in the Levant, the threat of a three-way attack from the Genoese, Byzantines, and Jerusalem, the Venetians consented to giving up Crete in return for an autonomous trading quarter comprising one third of every single port in Cyprus. After some serious arm-wringing on the part of Andronikus, Conrad agreed to these terms. Also in 1282 Mary gave birth to a son, Godfrey. In 1284, she gave birth to twin girls named Melisende and Mary.
In 1281 a new Pope was finally elected. Rome has already adopted an aggressive policy regarding Charles of Sicily, fearing his growing hegemony over the north and south of the Italian peninsula. Even in Sardinia does Charles lay schemes. Bitter after the peace in the Levant and finally convinced his scheming in the Eastern Mediterranean had come to naught, Charles conquered the Guidicati of Gallura off some manufactured documents “proving” Capetian rights to it. He is attempting to force an alliance with the final remaining Guidicati, Arborea, offering them protection from Pisa and Genoa in return for a dynastic merger with his line. He has largely consolidated many of the northern Italian states as well, culminating with his personal union through his children into the line of Tuscany, with a helping of self-proclamation. The revolt in Tunisia was only beginning to be quelled by the most brutal of methods (some estimates say that 40% of the male Muslim population of Tunisia met their death). Yet Charles of Anjou could always find a way to make gains. The beleaguered Mongol government of Tripolitania experienced revolts that carried over into their state, and promised Charles all land west of Tripoli in return for Capetian aid. Aid was granted.
Tragedy struck Christendom in 1284 when Louis IX passed away, leaving the kingdom of France to his son Louis X of France. This man was immediately put on the fast track to canonization, beloved across Europe for his genuine and unwavering piety. Upon the stalwart king’s death, tension between England and France have begun a steady increase as revanchists in Paris seek to reclaim chunks of land in France from the English monarchy.
Abaqa Khan passed away in 1283, clearing the way for the succession of his son Arghun Khan. Momentously, Arghun is a Christian convert and was baptized in Jerusalem in 1279. He is now the most powerful Christian ruler on Earth and as the Great Muslim Rebellion of 1276 begins to show signs of weakness the first waves of Muslim converts to Christianity have started. The seat of the Nestorian Church has been moved to Marageh, the capital of the Ilkhanate. Yahballahah, Patriarch of the Eastern Church, has crowned Arghun as the official Protector of the Nestorians.
The Sultanate of Granada has become a vassal of the Marinids, to the great chagrin of Castile.
The situation in Egypt and the borders have been normalized to an extent now. The Mamluk sultanate, direct heir to Baibars’ state, has made some progress against the
Mongols in establishing a break-through to the coast. Baibars’ heir died, likely of
poisoning.
The Byzantines have continued to make great gains against the Bulgarians, and now have a marriage alliance with Hungarians. Across the Balkans, the revanchist Byzantines are spreading fear, particularly in Serbian Stari Ras. The Despotate of Epirus has submitted to vassalization.
In China, the Song have been reduced to a small southern polity, for now at least not troublesome enough to be wiped out by the Yuan. On the other hand, the Japanese were. They have become a recalcitrant vassal, paying their tribute rarely. In order to teach them a lesson they were invaded in 1283. Despite a few victories and bravery like the Mongols had never seen, Japan had basically fallen to the Yuan by the end of 1284. Nippon was engulfed in rapine, murder, and destruction to such an extent that it may never fully recover. Nestorian Christianity has begun to become more popular among the Mongolian nobility, with the missionaries sent from the Ilkhanate.
The Chagatids have continued their invasion of the Sultanate of Delhi. They have met with success, adding much territory to their khanate, albeit the weakest of the three remaining independent khanates. The Sultan of Delhi has begun an offensive against the Chagatids who were largely taken by surprise by this development. The Chagatids have increasingly become Islamic, in order to better rule their largely Muslim subjects.
Egypt has some balls, expanding into Wales
oh geez... England, Egypt, really what's the difference?
EDIT: And thanks for reading guys.
1.) Yep
2.) Not a whole lot. They are a vassal of the Ilkhanate, as seen by their gray border with the Ilkhanate. They were one of the last areas to rebel in the Muslim Rebellion and kind of got raided pretty bad, as the Ilkhanate was just getting its act together when they rebelled. The Selchuk Sultan has very little power, and tons of petty emirs are basically establishing soveirgnty in the western bits of the sultanate. Some of these emirs are already becoming quite a headache for the Byzantines.
That's actually sort-of an OTL map. Sort-of because the historical knowledge of the period in general is not deep enough to be able to claim those borders with any certainty. But it is supposed to be a map of Western Europe at a PoD I am thinking about developing. I won't confirm any guesses 
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
Well, Britain doesn't have a color, so I suppose Constantine still does his usurper thing.
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