The Horde of the Lord: A History of Asiatic Judaism

Titus_Pullo

Banned
It is said that where mediocre writers borrow, great writers steal. As I am but a poor teenager who has years to go before he can dream of even becoming an OK writer, I happily admit that the main idea of this TL was borrowed from Judith Tarr’s excellent short story Measureless to Man, which in turn borrowed its main idea from Henry Turtledove.

I’d like to think the research I’ve done for this TL is pretty good, but as always feel free to point out any inaccuracies or discrepancies that you see. And above all, COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!

Introduction


The Lord works in mysterious ways.

This phrase has been used so many times and in so many ways that it has become a cliché dead of actual meaning; and yet still if the religiously inclined look back across the broad expanse of human history those words ring truer than ever. If a man merely pays attention to the events of his own days, the world he lives in seems chaotic and ungoverned by the laws of logic; yet if he looks back at the days behind him, some small part of the truth snaps into view. The trends and arcs of history become apparent, surprises become obvious, and the obvious becomes surprising; the world gains context…

What is the meaning of this meandering introduction? It is merely to explain the approach to my subject I will be taking. Many who have only taken a cursory glance at the origins of Asiatic Judaism profess incredulity; how is it, they say, that a petty Asian lord converted to a tiny, defeated religion whose followers were scattered across a continent hundreds of miles away, and then made that faith the fourth largest in the history of the world? Surely if this appeared in a work of fiction it would be castigated as a ridiculous fantasy?

While the conversion of Temujin to Judaism was indeed a dramatic left turn of the wheel of history, there was already plenty of grease on the axle. The Mongol peoples had always lived in a state of constant flux, and by the time Temujin reached adulthood his own Khamag Mongols were in a state of crisis, as the mighty Jin Empire to the south had switched its patronage from them to the rival Tatar tribe. The Khamag Mongols and their allies, the Kerait, were desperate for a way to stave off Chinese influence, and of course desperation on a nation-wide scale always leads to religious turbulence. And the pre-existing Mongol religion, however distorted by post facto tampering by Asiatic Jewish historians, does seem to have been in some ways ideal for syncretism with Judaism, with its quasi-monotheistic emphasis on the worship of the Eternal Blue Sky (which in the early days of Asiatic Judaism was declared to be one and the same with God Most High) and the holiness of the mountain Burkhan Kaldun, which provided an excellent justification for Temujin’s chosen status (he was born at its base) and an convenient connection to the story of Moses.

Nor was this momentous shift the work of a single man in a single moment; Temujin may have begun the formation and spread of Asiatic Judaism in earnest (even though he received the basics of the religion ready-made from the Ong Khan), but that religion reached its current size only due to the tireless work of many men spread over four centuries. Shlomo Melech Chonguo*, Khagan Ogedai, the above-mentioned Ong Khan, and even Jochebed the Slave can put forward a case for fatherhood of Asiatic Judaism in some ways better than that of Temujin himself.

But I run centuries ahead of myself. The story of Asiatic Judaism begins its long and crooked tale in the glorious springtime of the year Christians call 1162, in the hilly plains to the north of the Gobi Desert…


*Imagine a bit of Paul of Tarsus, a bit of Constantine the Great, and a bit of OTL Genghis Khan. The name means “Solomon, King of China” in...errr...Hebrew-Mandarin (Hebranderin?). Don’t worry, it’s not actually what he called himself; that’s just the name traditionally used for him in the West.


Asiatic-Judaism is already a historic fact. They're called Khazars.
 
Most evidence seems to point that only some of the Khazar aristocracy converted to Judaism, perhaps some of the mercantile class. The Khazars were a Turkish confederation of tribes more than a people -- with a polyglot assortment of faiths present.
I think the Mongols of this timeline will develop in a similar fashion. But as a more nomadic and more aggressive warrior society, though.
 
Last edited:

Yonatan

Banned
This TL is awsome, please continue!

A few questions:
1) Will the Mongols invade China in this TL, or just head west slowly untill they reach Jerusalem?
2) How will they get over the whole pork thing, seeing it is a major food source?

Im eagerly waiting to see the results this will have on Chinese demographics as well as the reaction of the Catholic world when they reach Jerusalem...
 
This TL is awsome, please continue!

A few questions:
1) Will the Mongols invade China in this TL, or just head west slowly untill they reach Jerusalem?
2) How will they get over the whole pork thing, seeing it is a major food source?

Im eagerly waiting to see the results this will have on Chinese demographics as well as the reaction of the Catholic world when they reach Jerusalem...

The Mongols weren't so much about pork OTL, that I know. The Chinese, of course, were. It will be one more factor that distinguishes the Jewish/Yuan Dynasty from their subjects, should that develop in this TL. As if being nomadic invaders wasn't enough.
 
The Mongols weren't so much about pork OTL, that I know. The Chinese, of course, were. It will be one more factor that distinguishes the Jewish/Yuan Dynasty from their subjects, should that develop in this TL. As if being nomadic invaders wasn't enough.

For what it's worth, yak should be kosher.
 
For what it's worth, yak should be kosher.

Sheep and goats are kosher and I think among the more regular Mongol animal protein, along with wild animals (get the Mongols to give up wild boar!). They also will have to give up their own peculiar slaughtering methods (they'd rip out the aorta of a restrained animal) for kosher methods.
 
Would ghetto Jews in Poland and Hungary see the Mongol invaders as their liberators?

There were no ghettos in "Poland" at this time. Jews were treated more tolerantly here than any other place in Europe in the 11th, 12th, 13th centuries.
Hungary did have many prohibitions levied at the Jews. Hungarian Jews saw the invasion by the Mongols as meeting some of the messianic prophecies popular at the time.
 
I'd like to apologize for the sudden lack of updates-it was caused by a nasty combination of Writer's Block and trouble shifting to a new computer. This is not abandoned, and new updates should come out at a pace of about one or two per week in the immediate future (unfortunately, the State of Illinois cares more about math then the investigation of the counterfactual...:rolleyes:)

One interesting question - how does the Horde handle the the Exilarch (Resh Galuta)? At the time, he was universally recognized as the Davidic heir, and had significant influence particularly with Jews in the Islamic world. (Edit: it's not clear when the Exilarchy ended, but it's around 1200. So you can include such a figure in your TL or not, as you wish.)

By the time the Mongols arrive, the Exilarch will be vastly reduced in status, and will be...how shall we say...inclined to try to please the Mongols.

Jewish Mongols. I will follow this.

Gracias.

Asiatic-Judaism is already a historic fact. They're called Khazars.

The Khazars were more Pontic-Caucasus Turkic.

In addition to what KoM says, the Khazars are ITTL as in IOTL a historical footnote not known to anybody but medieval experts, while the brand of Judaism that originated with the Mongols is a thriving, massive religion.

Most evidence seems to point that only some of the Khazar aristocracy converted to Judaism, perhaps some of the mercantile class. The Khazars were a Turkish confederation of tribes more than a people -- with a polyglot assortment of faiths present.
I think the Mongols of this timeline will develop in a similar fashion. But as a more nomadic and more aggressive warrior society, though.

The first 150 years of Asiatic Judaism will be more or less improvised, soaking up elements of existing faiths like crazy to gain new adherents (and containing a lot of token believers who actually secretly worship the Old Gods). Eventually, though, it'll gain a sharper form (though not as sharp as the other Abrahamic religions); that's one of Shlomo's major achievements.

This TL is awsome, please continue!

A few questions:
1) Will the Mongols invade China in this TL, or just head west slowly until they reach Jerusalem?
2) How will they get over the whole pork thing, seeing it is a major food source?

Im eagerly waiting to see the results this will have on Chinese demographics as well as the reaction of the Catholic world when they reach Jerusalem...

China will still be the first major target. In the early years of unification less then 1% of the Mongols will be Jewish; Jerusalem may be the goal for the far future, but wiping out the decadent Southerners that are natural rivals of the new Mongol state is the task at hand.

As I said, Temujin can improvise. The New Covenant need not be exactly the same as the Old. ;)

China will be...very different from OTL.

The Mongols weren't so much about pork OTL, that I know. The Chinese, of course, were. It will be one more factor that distinguishes the Jewish/Yuan Dynasty from their subjects, should that develop in this TL. As if being nomadic invaders wasn't enough.

Sheep and goats are kosher and I think among the more regular Mongol animal protein, along with wild animals (get the Mongols to give up wild boar!). They also will have to give up their own peculiar slaughtering methods (they'd rip out the aorta of a restrained animal) for kosher methods.

Would ghetto Jews in Poland and Hungary see the Mongol invaders as their liberators?

There were no ghettos in "Poland" at this time. Jews were treated more tolerantly here than any other place in Europe in the 11th, 12th, 13th centuries.
Hungary did have many prohibitions levied at the Jews. Hungarian Jews saw the invasion by the Mongols as meeting some of the messianic prophecies popular at the time.

The way I see it, the Ashkenazim are in for tough times, actually. Europe will be invaded by vast hordes of demonic riders that look like they just rode out of Tartarus that...are Jewish, and are using the native Jews as a caucus belli against the Europeans states. Given that medieval Christians weren't exactly naturally disposed to be kind to Jews, Spain and England style total expulsions will probably be the best case scenario for Jews not living in Mongol-dominated states. The same goes for the Jews in the Muslim world, for that matter.
 
IT LIVES!

Part I: Out of the Wilderness​

Chapter I (Part I)

AN: As per usual, all of the information in this update comes from sketchy post facto medieval sources, many of which are more propaganda then history.

…Though Temujin’s interlude with the Tayichiuds left him with a number of deep theological questions, he still had a far more pressing practical concerns. In the spring of 1176, as he turned fifteen and thus passed the Mongol threshold of manhood, Temujin found himself alone in the wild, with his only allies moving quickly away with the Tayichiud clan. The steppes of Mongolia were deadly for poorly armed loners-every passing day increased the probability of re-enslavement by another clan or simple execution at the hands of bandits.

It was here that Temujin was graced by the luck that always attends the great men of history. The Khamag Mongol had in a recent conflict with the Tatars found themselves allied with another, more powerful confederation of tribes called the Kerait. Their leader was a mighty warrior by the name of Toghrul, better known as the Ong Khan after a title given to him by the grateful Chinese*. The Ong Khan rode and fought alongside Yesugei, Temujin’s father, and the two had become so close that they became andas-blood brothers. The bond of the anda, achieved through an arcane ritual involving the mixing of the participants’ blood, was believed to be as strong if not stronger than actual brotherhood.

So it was that, when Temujin rode into the court of the Ong Khan in midsummer 1176, he was greeted with open arms. Apparently just ignoring the rumors of Temujin’s fratricide, Toghrul quickly let the young man into his closest circle of confidence, and Temujin rapidly became accustomed to his new role.

If Temujin’s enslavement to the Tayichiuds was the Genesis of Asiatic Judaism, his sojourn with the Kerait was its Exodus and Leviticus. The religion of the Kerait, which medieval Europe (in a prime case of wishful thinking) identified as pure Nestorian Christianity**, was in fact an entirely unique Abrahamic faith, one that accepted Jesus as an agent of God (whether they considered Him the messiah is not known) but remained based primarily in the Torah, as well as incorporating some elements of pre-existing pagan religions. How this religion developed is not fully known; it seems to have its roots in a syncretization of various Abrahamic ideas that came from the West in the tenth century***.

Ong Khan was a devout believer in this faith, and much of the time that he spent with Temujin at his court was given over to theological discussion. It is seems**** that the two of them heard what they wanted to hear; Temujin mostly ignored the discrepancies between the faith Jochebed had described and the faith Toghrul was describing (though he was rather confused as to why Jochebed never mentioned this Jesus fellow); Toghrul was suspicious of the odd Chinese sect that Temujin seemed to have joined, but gradually decided that it was close enough to the Kerait religion to be acceptable. The importance of these discussions, and of the observations Temujin made of the Kerait, cannot be overstated; it was here that Temujin learned the fine details of the Abrahamic faiths, it was here that he learned how to use syncretism to run a multi-religion state, and it was here that he saw how a religion born in the dusty plains and lush coasts of Palestine could be adapted to the Mongol world. Indeed, some historians have gone so far as to declare the Kerait faith the prototype of Asiatic Judaism.

Sometime in 1178, Temujin grew tired of these heavy matters. The dangers of two years before had passed, and now he began to plot his revenge on those responsible for his humiliation and enslavement. Coming to the Ong Khan as a humble servant, he politely requested Toghrul’s aid in reclaiming is birthright.

The Borjigh, so close to annihilation a few years before, had managed to effect a revival during Temujin’s absence. Thanks to the superhuman efforts of Hoelun, starvation had ceased to be an immediate concern, and the perilously thin number of young males had begun to increase. But they still were not nearly powerful enough to do anything when Temujin rode into their camp on his seventeenth birthday with Ong Khan on his right, his newly recovered wife Borte on his left, and a large body of Kerait warriors behind.

So started what was perhaps the least eventful period of Temujin’s life. For about a year, he was but the humble leader of the Borjigh and a close but minor ally of the Kerait. His family caused him no trouble, and the administrative skills he had honed with Toghrul came of use in the day-to-day of his rule. But secretly Temujin’s heart was seething, both out of a burning desire for future glory and a lingering curiosity at the religious events of the past few years. After twelve whole months of restlessness, Temujin finally decided to make a pilgrimage to his birthplace at the mountain of Burkhan Khaldun, hoping to find some kind of answer.

Little did he know what kind of answer he would get…

*The Tatars had been rebelling against their Chinese masters; the Mongols and Kerait, traditional enemies of the Tatars, joined in to get a piece of the pie
**Some went so far as to identify Ong Khan with the legend of Prestor John, a mythical and mighty Christian King in Africa or Asia.
***OTL, believe it or not. I’m actually surprised at how easy this scenario is to achieve…
****Again, by Asiatic Jewish historians; there are no known histories written by the Kerait.
Part II coming later today or tomorrow…
 
Last edited:
Great timeline

I will be watching this. I like the idea of jewish Mongols :)

I guess that in this timeline the Mongols will be very intersted in the conquest of other countries than in OTL...
 

Zioneer

Banned
Jewish Mongols, with a Nestorian-ish side Mongolian tribe helping form their Asiatic Jewish religion? Yeeeesssss. I'm going to follow this.
 
This is just so much fun--glad to see this continue. All the way to the Atlantic!

It's alive!!! Hahahaha!

Seriosuly, great update, can't wait for more!

I will be watching this. I like the idea of jewish Mongols :)

I guess that in this timeline the Mongols will be very intersted in the conquest of other countries than in OTL...

Jewish Turkic Hordes? Yes, please!
Consider me subscribed to the thread.

Many thanks.

Jewish Mongols, with a Nestorian-ish side Mongolian tribe helping form their Asiatic Jewish religion? Yeeeesssss. I'm going to follow this.

Yeah, the Kerait religion is one of those obscure yet completely awesome things you stumble upon while researching a TL. IIRC there are actually a few remnants of it in modern-day OTL Mongolia. I wonder if any of them will ever read this TL.:D
 
Top