By a Single Decision (Alternate History)

[das]

OOC: THIS IS NOT DEAD.

Just to prove my point:

IC:

Chapter Thirty Six.

Ever since in 939, Khalid confirmed the existance of the land to the west, there were five more expeditions, although Khalid chose not to participate in those. Only one of those expeditions did not return, all the others charted more-or-less reliable sea routes to the "Yasmin Islands" (the Lesser Antiles) and the "Khalidid Island" (Venezuelan coast).

The Arab colonists first arrived in circa 943, on one of the Yasmin Islands, now known as "Rashi Island" (Trinidad). It was then that the serious contactwas made with the cannibalistic Caribs. Disgusted at them, the colonists used their superior weaponry to wipe them out. Ofcourse, some of the diseases that the Arabs brought helped, as the Caribs were dying out. This was interpreted as the Allah's punishment for the sins of the Caribs, and some of the mystic clergymen, such as Abu Hussein, even said that the Caribs appeared with the only purpose to be made an example of.

Steadily, towards 947, the colonization continued. It was around that time that the first expedition to the mainland other then the Khalidid Island took place, as contact was established with post-Classical Mayans. Although the Muslims were rather disgusted with the Mayan human sacrifice, they chose not to fight the Mayans yet as trade with them was proving to be very profitable. However, around that time, the Arab diseases reached the Mayans and the other Mesoamericans. Abu Hussein and others were quick to exploit the situation in Mayan territory, as conversions to Islam amongst the Mayans suddenly begun to increase...

Further still in Mesoamerica, the Toltecs were relatively isolated from Muslim influence. In the meantime, though, they still suffered from the "plague". Nevertheless, the Toltecs used this to their advantage - having recovered somewhat faster then their neighbours, the Toltecs of Tula now began to subjguate and enslave their neigbhours, having found such a good stimul as the loss of large parts of their population.

 

[Specialist290]

Heh... Arab influence leading to the rise of a Central American empire. Clever

Keep it up!

 

[jalapeno_dude]

So start it!

Not anytime soon. I've only been in 2 NESes, and don't have that kind of time, anyway.

Keep going! This must not die!

 

[das]

OOC: NK, if you still read this, I think you might like this.

IC:

Chapter Thirty Seven.

In Greater Magyaray, Arpad was succeeded by his brother Bela, Bela was succeeded by Zator. Unlike Bela, Zator was not content with small-scale raiding against the two Roman Empires, and rather, wished to conquer. As he assessed the strength of the Western and Eastern Empires, he decided that, though the Byzantines had more wealth to plunder, Western Empire’s conquest would be much easier, if only for the fact that Rome’s new fortifications were still far from Constantinople’s level.

In 941, the Magyars Hordes were reorganized into two armies: the Italian Horde, led by Zator, and the Frankish Horde, led by Veprem (OOC note - the Hordes here mean the armies, not the Empire. I won’t have Magyars falling apart yet).

The Frankish Horde crossed Rhine (taking some casualties due to the Roman archers that arrived just in time), and then proceeded to attack the undergarrisoned cities in the area (the Roman armies were tied up at the time in Italy). Much of Franconia has been simply burned to the ground, and when the Roman army in Acquitaine had enough strength to actually try and fight the Magyars, that army was surrounded and crushed, for all of its heavy infantry and cavalry. Bretons were quick to exploit this, and retook Rennes, as well as some parts of Acquitaine. The Frankish Horde chose not to fight them yet, and instead, advanced to Toulouse. There, what little forces Rome could spare were crushed, but Veprem was seriously wounded. The Magyars, nevertheless, controlled large parts of Gaul now.

The Italian Horde dominated Northern Italy from 941. Having crossed the Alps and having, due to Zator’s superior command, destroyed the Roman fortress (“Christiania”) baring the entry into Italy, and begun besieging Mediolanum. By 943, much of Northern Italy countryside was devastated, Mediolanum and Pavia were taken and burned down, and Venice was saved only a by a daring raid on the assembling Magyar fleet.

In 944, the two Magyar Hordes met up, and advanced all the way to Rome...

 

[North King]

Nice and interesting... I can't wait for the sack of the eternal city...

 

[jalapeno_dude]

We want more! We want more!

 

[das]

OOC:

I can't wait for the sack of the eternal city...

I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you, unfortunately. Rome will not be burned down to the ground this time (to keep you around until it IS, at least ). But the Western Roman Empire WILL be beaten up, though.

Oh well. Rome wasn't sacked this time, unfortunately, but it won't get away next time!

IC:

Chapter Thirty Eight.

The Magyars advanced towards Rome rapidly, and nothing seemed able to stop them. One by one, three Holy Legions sent to stop them were crushed at Ravenna. Veprem and Zator now headed to Rome itself...

By that time, the Romans have already realized that open battles with Magyars in favorable terrain are pointless. A patrician and a general, Xenius Maximus, managed to persuade Emperor Lucius to fall back into Rome, and to lure the Magyars into the city. This was carried out. The Magyars entered the city after a surprisingly short siege, were allowed in, traveled to negotiate the city’s surrender to the palace and then suddenly, along their way, attacked from all directions. Magyars fell back to the gates, but reinforced their numbers and begun another assault.

The Roman troops by now, though, had recovered their morale having seen the Magyars just beaten back. Zator realized that the battle was not getting anywhere. The Roman infantry could not be routed as easily in the streets as they were in open field.

Magyars fell back out of the city, and begun a lengthy siege, trapping the Roman army inside while pillaging pretty much everything outside.

Rome was, according to some sources, resisting for over three years. That is somewhat unlikely, but nevertheless, the siege was long and Romans did try to lift it time to time. But eventually, the starving Romans, cornered into their now-impoverished city just gave up. Lucius agreed to pay HUGE tribute and to leave Gaul and large parts of Northern Italy - this expansion of the Magyaray was finalized in 949 (minus, ofcourse, Venice which now became independent and destroyed yet another Magyar fleet in the earnest). The weakness of the Romans allowed the Western Caliphate to seize most of their islands back, and even occupy Sicily. Western Roman Empire was crushed yet again, and was now limited to parts of Italy Proper. And already then, unsatisfied with the defeats, Lombardian nobles begun plotting a coup…

In the Western Caliphate, preparations were made to fight back the inevitable Magyar attack... which never came. Zator lost too many men, and furthermore, knew about the Basques. He chose to do like Arpad and to consolidate his gains.

 

[North King]

This is getting better and better. Keep going!

 

[jalapeno_dude]

Yay! Can we get an updated map of Europe?

 

[Specialist290]

Looks like the concept of street warfare has been discovered a little early...

Good job, das!

 

[das]

As always, the map will have to wait.

Am working on the next chapter, dealing with the beginning of a huge Middle Eastern War (or rather, an ongoing series of smaller wars after the bigger war quiets down). Oh, the suspense!

 

[jalapeno_dude]

Middle Eastern War.... CRUSADES!

No, probably not, given the weakness of Christianity.

 

[das]

OOC: Well, crusades have a part in it. Admittedly, those crusades will be completely different from the "Sacred Wars" in the west...

And you are forgetting that Christianity isn't just the deceased Western Roman Empire...

IC:

Chapter Thirty Nine.

Europe was not the only part of the world where horse nomads ran around and created havoc. In 952, presumably under the urgings of Khazars, Orguz Turks (OTL Seljuk Turks) attacked the Eastern Caliphate. Whether or not they really were persuaded by the Khazars remains a mystery, but one can assume this to be true as they converted to Judaism slightly earlier.

Either way, the Orguz Turks were raiding Eastern Caliphate territory for some time now. But only in 952, led by their leader, Kablyk, they struck with huge forces into Central Asia. Ashkabad was utterly burned down, followed by Samarkand in 954. At that point, Orguz Turks also unified with them various other Turkmen tirbes, including even the distant Uzbeks and Moghuls. The Eastern Caliphate's army has resisted the Orguz Turks fiercely at Kyzyil-Arvat in 955, but Kablyk eventually emerged victorious. The Eastern Caliphate defeat and the weakening of its military garrisons elsewhere to reinforce the surviving Arabian troops there led to a series of rebellions as pretendants to the throne appeared at every step. Caliph Khalid was growing ill, and died soon after the defeat. This allowed many massive rebellions, especially from the Shiites, led by an enigmatic new leader. Salid, reformer of the Shia cult, who claimed himself to be a descendant of 'Ali. The fanatical Shia rebels defeated the remaining Eastern Caliphate forces in Iran in April 957, at Darab. At that point, though, the Turks invaded Iran and Sind.

The Shiites were not the only ones rebelling, ofcourse. Remaining Hindus in Sind rebelled as well, and the Orguz Turks wisely allied with them. In Iraq, a bitter power struggle begun - the Caliph's older children were assassinated, and the local nobles strived for the control of the younger children.

The Orguz Turkic invasion and these rebellions marked the beginning of the fall of the Eastern Caliphate. Role of cultural and political leadership amongst Muslims (Sunni Muslims, at least) shifted to Alexandria and Corduva.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

A Jewish empire also...

Now all we need is for the Buddhists to invade!

 

[das]

Buddhists? *plays around with an idea of a renaissance in the Tibetian Empire, resulting in a Tibetian Empire from the Caspian Sea to California* Nah. Too silly, for now at least. However, rest assured about Hinduists.

As for the Jewish Empire... Don't say you didn't notice Khazaria. It qualifies as well.

 

[das]

OOC: THE CRUSADERS ARE HERE! Sort of.

IC:

Chapter Forty.

The Byzantine Emperor Heraclius II was not sitting idly while the news were reaching him that the Eastern Caliphate was collapsing.

Up to 959, the Byzantines were still busy recovering from the blow of the loss of Pannonia and Heraclius was still busy putting the Patriarch of Nicea back under his control. Lately, though, Heraclius begun extensive military reforms. Having put the religious policy under his own control as well, he needed to seize Jerusalem. That would defeat the last remnants of “Catholic” influence in the Byzantine territory and will further grow his and Imperial prestige.

Heraclius’ military reforms reorganized the army, and created three large armies in the Middle East, assigned to the border territories. The Byzantine Crusade was about to begin. However, the Byzantines chose not to go in alone - after all, the Mamunids were still in control in the Holy Land. The Khazars promised their assistance - after all, the Khazars already did occupy Dagestan, and were promised control over parts of northern Iran.

Thus, in May 959, the Byzantines struck into Mamunid Syria, crushing a local Mamunid army at Lake Tiberus. Two of the three border armies besieged Damascus and Acre, respectively. The third, led by Heraclius himself and bolstered by the Khazars, besieged Jerusalem. Elsewhere, the Khazars defeated the last Mamunid forces in Iran at Tehran. Control over the region was hard to establish, though, due to the constant Shiite raids.

By the beginning of 960, Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus were safely in Byzantine hands. Khazars and Byzantines then advanced into Iraq and burned down Baghdad after a courageous assault. The Byzantines returned to Mesopotamia, while the Khazar territory in Iran now reached Tigris. The last Mamunid Caliph, Bahrein, was killed in Basrah, his temporary capital, by Shiite “hahashishin” (“gashish-smokers”, or assassins). The Eastern Caliphate has effectively ceased to exist, but this was only a beginning of a era of struggle never seen in the region since the Diadochi Period. War of the Caliphate, or War of Mamunid Succession, in which numerous powers vied for the control of Middle East.

In this conflict, the Western Caliphs took part as well.

 

[North King]

Interesting... Continue please.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

Yay! It's alive!

 

[das]

Interesting... Continue please.

Sadly, I think I will not follow the conflict in the Holy Land with the next chapter. Fortunately, I will switch to a certian geographic area close to your, NK, heart.

Yay! It's alive!

.

It's as alive as Lenin according to the Soviet propaganda and credible necromancer sources. As in: eternally.

 

[Specialist290]

Byzantine revival coming soon?