das
Regeneration In Process
After entering a (fairly loose) union with the Roman Catholic Church (btw, the word "Roman" is more important than in OTL, because there is also another prominent Catholic Church around), the Solomonids had become great allies of the Crusaders and their associates (i.e. Egypt and Venice). With their help they eventually crushed Adal and numerous other traditional enemies, and entered a golden age around the 17th century. In spite of later complications, Ethiopia still remains a fairly progressive enlightened monarchy, has a flourishing commerce and an interesting culture that mixes Catholic/Portuguese and more traditional Ethiopian elements. It is also in a very good position expansion-wise, as long as it doesn't alienate the Egyptians too much (lately Ethiopia had been becoming less of an Egyptian ally and more of a Portuguese one).
After the Venetians entered the Indian Ocean in the 14th/15th centuries, they begun to run into occasional resistance during their attempts to monopolise trade in the region, especially as they begun to set their sights on various ports and fortresses that were as important to the local powers. So they decided to use the same weapon that had opened the door into the Indies for them, and with Papal blessing initiated a series of crusades against various enemies, recruiting many of the impetuous Egyptian and other Crusader State nobles (as by then the social conditions there had become similar to pre-crusade Europe in many regards). There were also the clashes between the Roman Catholic missionaries and the increasingly xenophobic local rulers. The Crusaders had devastated the Swahili city-states and parts of coastal India, but failed to secure any lasting strongholds there, for the most part; in Ceylon, various factors (such as it being an island; easier to conquer once invaded, and once conquered easier to hold, and obviously it was of great interest for the Venetians) allowed an Egyptian Crusader order (the Knights of the Nile) to prevail. What emerged was soemthing of a hybrid of the Teutonic Knights and the Knights Hospitaller; eventually it evolved into something closer to the latter and to the Templars (i.e. they cut back on crusading and instead begun trading with and studying the heathens). As changes came to the Roman Catholic Church, and the Venetian colonial empire collapsed during the Great Mediterranean War in the late 17th century, the state became a strong regional naval and commercial power in its own right, and also a natural centre of missionary activities. A new religious order (the Noahites) arose on the island; it is fairly Jesuit-like in approach, though even more keen on evangelisation.
The short of it is that the Crusades had succeeded, and a Norman kingdom was carved out in chaos-struck Egypt. Initially things were troublesome, but eventually the kingdom was consolidated, the Norman ruling class resembling the Greek one of the Ptolemaics. The fairly pragmatic Norman approach to administration (see religious policies in Sicily) helped as well. After a while Norman Egypt went on to become a great power, gradually uniting the Crusader States around itself, while internally a cultural flourishing occured with the help of the assorted orders (both Templar-like Crusaders and an earlier Freemason analogue). Naturally the new Egyptian culture was increasingly unorthodox and divergent, but the Papacy had more pressing concerns like an Europe-wide religious civil war that raged on for centuries (ofcourse the actual fighting was far from uninterrupted during this time, but religious clashes are still not quite over). Anyhow in 1683 a dynastic crisis ended the reign of the Hautevilles, and after a brief "corrupt council of regents vying for power with increasingly manipulative and secretive orders" episode a military coup led by the metis (half-Arab, half-Norman) who would become King-and-Emperor Alexander I, Stupor Mundi, occured. A Napoleonic kind of person, he secularised the realm, curbed the power and privelege of everyone that had any (the orders, the guilds, the nobles, the Church), confiscated numerous church lands, adapted a new calendar and measurement system, introducing vaguely egalitarian social reforms and so on. Then he decided to rebuild the Roman Empire (and get back at the Venetians that tried to overthrow him); he built a huge empire and made the Eastern Mediterranean an Egyptian lake, and even took Rome itself at one point, but the man who already held the title of Roman Emperor (and Holy, at that!) rallied the opposition against the Egyptians. A long war ensued in Italy and the Balkans (and elsewhere, especially if we count the French warmongering as it was largely incited by Alexander at a more desperate point of the war), and ultimately a compromise peace was reached; the Egyptians kept most of their gains (Tunisia, Sicily, Calabria, the Balkans, Anatolia), but left the Imperial title to the House of Leiningen, which imposed German hegemony over northern Italy. Central Italy, previously led by the Pope, became a neutral and secular republic-type state, and the Egyptians withdrew from there and from southern Hungary. Also Venice lost its independence and its empire along the way.
But early in the 18th century, Alexander died, and his empire crumbled (though the core Egyptian lands were naturally preserved, and it took a few more decades and regional wars to push his heirs out of the southern Balkans and Italy). Pax Germanica dawned upon Europe; as for Egypt, it underwent a period of power struggles and court intrigue, but revived again later in the century. As a consequence of Alexander's reforms - never really reversed - it is even now the most egalitarian nation in the world, and though falling somewhat behind technologically as of right now its strategic position still is enough to make it flourish commercially, and its influence in the world, though diminished since its golden age, is bound to rise again given an energetic ruler. Need I say that the Chosen People are doing quite well for themselves as well?
I literally asked for it and non-sarcastically have no regrets.
And if it has?
We all know that you're going to launch a rebellion anyway.
But, Japan might work for you just fine based on your Bladeist performance, if you want to be [insert the threat that silver2039 is bound to post any moment now here] by silver2039. Denmark is also pretty close to your "arrogant small nation suicide" playing style. I suppose, if you so desire, you could fire off a nation recommendation for me as well.
The Despotate of Ionia, though its extremelly petty. Still, that would be an interesting reversal from how you usually rebuild the Byzantine Empire, don't you think?
What do you think it is? You're probably wrong. Actually it sounds like a nation Panda or Stormbringer would like to play. Meanwhile, France is a bitter diplomatically-isolated theocracy besieged by hateful neighbours. Sounds straight up your alley, I think.
A very large Armenian empire. Its rather plain, really, apart from being a large and strong modern Armenian state. Well, it is also a pretty old state with a continuous dynasty and debated religious affiliation, and it used to be an Egyptian vassal, though right now it is more of a Chernigovian ally. Could be made into something greater given the right leadership and some luck, I suppose; the Serbian example is certainly inspiring.
Heh, I want a nation recommendation too
Apart from the explicitly obvious Xin Han China... Ja, Portugal or Australia (Australia being fairly similar to OTL USA in numerous key regards, though far from identical ofcourse) could work too.
What nation would I lead, save instigating a coup against Thlayli ?
As was already said, the Holy Roman Empire. It certainly needs a good leader as it is in a bit of a crisis right now, having lost several periphereal vassal states and principalities after the Italian Rising. The Pax Germanica is crumbling and it needs you to shore it up!
Then there's Tver and Arcadia (though Symphony D. would fit right in in the latter, I think).
"Has been"? It still is, though this is becoming somewhat problematic as the surviving "Kirishitans" had gotten both scarce and skilled at hiding.
As for uniting Europe again, its in the middle of the Age of Nationalism and full of great powers, so this is going to be a bit difficult. Still, that's the spirit.
