Ooh, so Florence returns to Spañan hands once more.
And Enrigo as a master of propaganda - what an interesting role...
And Enrigo as a master of propaganda - what an interesting role...
The Raptor of Spain
- Thread starter MNP
- Start date
Uh oh. I was worried about this when I realized the guy with a similar name was the only legitimate male line descendant (well maybe some Hellenzied guy in Cyprus).
Enrique of Balyon (b. 1111) is Amina's heir, the Crown Prince -- he's the one who had idea to start propaganda.
Enrigo of Lejon (b. 1094) is Amina's Husband the Prince-Consort -- he's is the guy who can broker deals and he jumped onto the idea to start propaganda explaining it to his wife.
Originally that scene was split into 2 scenes one with Enrigo (husband) one with Enrique (heir) but I merged them and removed Enrique because I was afraid as written it was too confusing. Maybe I should start calling him Henrique? They're essentially the same name.
Enrigo was 16 or 17 when he impregnanted Amina? I thought he was quite a bit older. I think you may have had a mis-type here, as the Wiki says Enrique, their son, was born in 1135
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Double Uh-oh. Let's nip this in the bud. I checked the chronology and it correctly listed the birth date of Amina's son. Enrigo was 40. So please point out where the mistake is so I can fix it.
Enrigo de Lejon b. 1094
--fathered Rodrigo Gregorio Enriguez b. 1135 on Amina Araman
(H)Enrique de Balyon b. 1111
--no (legitimate) children just yet
At the bottom of the Wiki Timeline synopsis
Save the Queen
During Tajer’s reign Italy had once again revolted and Amina had to send an army to retake parts of that peninsula. During this time, the new King Robert had Pope Michael I proclaim Juan the King of Spana because Amina as a woman, could not rule. In 1129 the Francians attacked beginning the War of Spanan Succession.
Amina sent her lover Enrigo to Italy to assist in brokering a political settlement. This was done and a great battle was fought at Auscita in 1132 where the Spaniards were routed. All of Aquitania fell to them and Garcia Maurez’s attempts to root out Roman Catholic rebels in the Ebro valley backfired when his methods touched off a general revolt for which he was exiled back to the Maghreb. In desperation, Amina held a Councillarium in 1133-1134 with the rich and powerful of the kingdom. They agreed to a poll tax to fund the war for seven years. Afterwards Amina defended the Meseta, her generals winning a victory at Daressina in 1134 against the rebels and regaining Riebro and Tudela by the end of the year.
In the summer of 1134 Enrigo returned to Toledo and Amina discovered she was pregnant by him and married him, making him Prince-Consort. Going into seclusion at Caldas and later Brecanta, her son Rodrigo Gregorio Enriguez was born in 1135. That summer a great army went north to battle the Francians at the Siege of Zaragoza. To help break the stalemate, Enrigo left for the Kingdom of Provence which had already suffered from Francian incursions. At this vulnerable moment, the disgraced Vizrey Garcia Maurez attacked the capital with 10,000 men to depose the queen and place Juan on the throne with himself as his regent beginning the Siege of Toledo. The siege continued throughout the year until in 1136 Garcia’s forces attacked the Royal Palace and Amina is held at sword point by a Senhaja mercenary…
Save the Queen
During Tajer’s reign Italy had once again revolted and Amina had to send an army to retake parts of that peninsula. During this time, the new King Robert had Pope Michael I proclaim Juan the King of Spana because Amina as a woman, could not rule. In 1129 the Francians attacked beginning the War of Spanan Succession.
Amina sent her lover Enrigo to Italy to assist in brokering a political settlement. This was done and a great battle was fought at Auscita in 1132 where the Spaniards were routed. All of Aquitania fell to them and Garcia Maurez’s attempts to root out Roman Catholic rebels in the Ebro valley backfired when his methods touched off a general revolt for which he was exiled back to the Maghreb. In desperation, Amina held a Councillarium in 1133-1134 with the rich and powerful of the kingdom. They agreed to a poll tax to fund the war for seven years. Afterwards Amina defended the Meseta, her generals winning a victory at Daressina in 1134 against the rebels and regaining Riebro and Tudela by the end of the year.
In the summer of 1134 Enrigo returned to Toledo and Amina discovered she was pregnant by him and married him, making him Prince-Consort. Going into seclusion at Caldas and later Brecanta, her son Rodrigo Gregorio Enriguez was born in 1135. That summer a great army went north to battle the Francians at the Siege of Zaragoza. To help break the stalemate, Enrigo left for the Kingdom of Provence which had already suffered from Francian incursions. At this vulnerable moment, the disgraced Vizrey Garcia Maurez attacked the capital with 10,000 men to depose the queen and place Juan on the throne with himself as his regent beginning the Siege of Toledo. The siege continued throughout the year until in 1136 Garcia’s forces attacked the Royal Palace and Amina is held at sword point by a Senhaja mercenary…
Btw, thank you Drago.
ED: At one point, AVENGER had a scene where Amina gave her husband a different title because it was confusing people. Maybe I'll put that back in.
Yes that's correct. That was done by Enrigo (Prince-Consort), no Enrique (Crown Prince) mentioned.
ED: At one point, AVENGER had a scene where Amina gave her husband a different title because it was confusing people. Maybe I'll put that back in.
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In my defence I was pretty distracted when I read it, which will teach me to read your posts while working
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
No problems, how are the demographics in the parts of Italy that Spana rules? I see Upper Hespanic Romance has made some on-roads. How is the situation of the Greek speakers in the south?
Sorry. Amina is definitely giving him a new title.
I suggest Lord of Snuggles or Guardian of the Royal Bedchamber
You deserve death by Who's Who forced ingestion for that.
Nice update by the way.
@Drago, demographically Italy is at about 6.5 million with the Spaniards having about 4 million in their territories now that they've retaken Tuscany. Those spots where UHR is, are where they settled people from the peninsula--you'll note I mentioned Campania as having a lot. Basically they're proto colonies. As for the Greek speakers, most of them are under the rule of Sicily which is Greek speaking by a large margin (perhaps 80% Greek speaking). However since they emerged as a revolt against the eastern empire their language probably has a few superficial Romantic features at least by now.
Moving on from pet names...
I had originally planned to continue this with the next update, but people wanted to see what's happening in Asia. So I will work on an Asia update next time as this is a good place to stop right now in the west.
Moving on from pet names...
I had originally planned to continue this with the next update, but people wanted to see what's happening in Asia. So I will work on an Asia update next time as this is a good place to stop right now in the west.
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Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
Thank for addressing the question and I apologize for not keeping up to date on your time-line but who's in control of Sicily? Things like that tend to slip past me since your updates, while always informative and interesting, tend to be rather large and again I apologize. An independent Christian state?
That's quite alright. I am far behind in your own TL... one day I will catch up.
In my notes I describe it as the "Basileom of Sicily" but that's a nonsense title I use as a heuristic. During the Roman Wars in 974 the Tornikes brothers rose in revolt against the eastern emperor. Because earlier emperors had forcibly removed Greeks from Italy over the years to strengthen other frontiers, Sicily was the center of Greek power in Italy.
In the big battle where the eastern empire was crushed, the rebels fought with the Spaniards. The emperor signed a treaty splitting Meditrranean Europe along the Adriatic--leaving Sicily in the sphere of the Spaniards. This didn't go over well and the empire was plunged into civil war from about 976-first decade of the 1000s. To try and salvage something, Duke Rolando crossed the Adriatic with the deposed emperor Romanus and an army of mercenaries and the Second Bulgarian Empire was established. Eventually Nikolaos Balsamon from Antioch was able to take the throne. He proposed a marriage alliance with the Spaniards, and his daughter Sophia was Amina's great-grandmother. He was more concerned with ending the Second Bulgarian Empire and dealing with the threat from the Qarmatians and this eventually allowed him to do both.
Being in the orbit of the Spaniards, Sicily began to look west more often and took part in the wars against the Banu Hilal of Africa. In fact for a brief time they conquered Tunis and held significant lands along the coast. It was the Sicilians that destroyed Kairouan. Though they lost their last African possessions during Amina's early years, they are a strong trading and naval power with many connections in the east despite picking the loser in the Makanid civil war. This is one reason they were willing to help Juassan and Enrigo reconquer Tuscany, to hurt their rivals.
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It would be great if Sicily would be able to play an important role IATL. I visited there a couple of months back and the sheer weight of history there is quite something
JOURNEYS
The collapse of Tuscan resistance was a bright spot for Amina that year. She had postponed the Councillarium due to the urgency of the Italian expedition but by the spring of 1141 had once again left the capital for Sevilla. This time few lords from Africa attended due to the turmoil there in the last few years. Mazin was there, having left his charge in the hands of his nephew who was a better fighter than his son Edir. Though Edir was an acceptable warrior, his talents lay closer to organization and administration.
It was a difficult gathering. The councilors were upset about the delay but by furnishing taxes for one year longer than agreed, conceded her power to tax them for defense of the realm. Andrés and Domenco set her reports of exhausting detail on exactly when the taxation would reach the level of ruinous. Trade was beginning to suffer but they had not yet reached the critical point. What the councilors feared was exploitation by a future ruler or her new Administrator Generals. The scrupulous accounting that drove Andrés and his underlings half-mad proved itself there, she could show them exactly how the money was spent. But the crisis was over, sending troops to Italy confirmed it and they wanted changes. Amina, confident in her abilities, agreed to abide by their decisions… until she heard them.
“How dare you sirs!” she said through clenched teeth. “The rule of this state was charged to Our family by Almighty God and We discharge that duty in a manner pleasing to Him. Not you! You have no power to appoint officials. Andrés de Moya stays! By whose command are the roads maintained? Whose soldiers keep the peace every year? Whose ships drive back the pirates? Advice will be sought and you may be deputized to accomplish these tasks, but the governance of this realm is mine.”
Not all their demands were unreasonable. Andrés had gone ahead with his plans to debase the coinage and they wanted that to stop. They also wanted a way to present her with complaints about corrupt officials. But they also wanted to curb the lending practices of Jews, have her set prices on a range of goods, and reduce the privileges of the nobility. The nobles tended to exploit their towns when possible and treated construction projects like gifts to be dispersed.
“What can I do about that?” she demanded of her heir, Enrique, after a particularly trying session. “The nobles don’t go around buying up private armies because they can run the towns as they want as long as I get paid. The officials are there so nobles don’t rebel against me and to make sure I get the taxes, but what is done to the townsmen is not something I can effect. As long as the city keeps functioning I can’t interfere.”
“Why would they complain if the practices led to prosperity anyway?” Enrique wondered.
“Prosperity for whom? The only time nobles are stripped of rank is for rebellion. I can watch Sevilla, Luz and Lisboa because they are important. My predecessors used marriages to keep others in line like with Zaragoza, but the rest? Give them long charters like with Porto and Salamanca?[1] I might as well cut off my own head right now.”
“They aren‘t your enemies. Kings have worked with them in the past and many have done good work. It could all be exaggeration. I was a noble,” he pointed out. “I haven’t run this city too badly either for all that you’ve watched me. Keep order, keep abuses down.”
Amina looked up from the papers she was studying, blinked and removed the spectacles from her face, placing them over a welcome report on gold ships from Africa. She shook her head.
“You're like me. You like it when things you’re responsible for prosper. Why do you think I was so willing to choose you? They are not all like that. They will do the minimum required to keep me away. The chronicles don’t mention it but the first Ramiro had to put down revolts to build the army and administration. We’ve done our best to erase that--I doubt anyone outside the family knows more than Ramiro “convinced” them--but they fought us once and they would do it again only this time two hundred years richer and more sophisticated.”
“Then remove them. If the counts don’t like it, you set precedent with the Maurez.”
“Not so easy. If Garcia and his allies hadn’t actually tried to kill me I would have had to call a Royal Assembly and beg. They overreached and I saw an opportunity. They’re used to confirmation of their holdings when a new king is selected. Technically they exercise authority in the name of the sovereign, so if I give it to them I can take it way. This generation will never stand for it, but maybe your son…” she shrugged.
“Leave my son out of it,” he said to her suddenly appearing uncomfortable. Amina did not know why, maybe he didn’t like that his son was a twin. Privately she thought naming him Alejandro was uninventive but it wasn't her business. “That doesn’t help us today.”
“No,” she admitted. “But the councilors are right. I would like to give them justice if I can. There needs to be limits on the nobility. They won’t like that at all.”
“I have some ideas but I don’t think you’ll like them.”
He was right.
*********
Taxes were reduced but revenues would remain significantly higher than 1125, the first year of her rule (as opposed to reign). Amina then went to the Royal Assembly and endured some bitter arguments before the relinquished some of their rights in the towns. In exchange she gave them what was recorded as ius malentractandi, the right of ill-treatment for those who directly worked for them on their rural estates. She also agreed to formalize a court of peers to sit in judgment on them, exempting them from the municipal judges who they were previously obligated to obey. Finally she bribed key members, directing rents to sway them.
“I am going to need to bathe,” she muttered when it was over. “I can’t believe I promised to call another gathering in only five years.”
Amina was grateful to turn her attention to other matters. When news of her husband’s victory in Tuscany reached the peninsula, she held a celebration despite his absence. The colors of the cities subdued were prominently on display, each flag under the state standard. Privately she was enthusiastic when he proposed to build a port on the harbor at Génova, a small fishing town[2] and marveled at the success of his new ally Giovanni, in forging his own domain.
Military successes and surplus population meant there was no shortage of men willing to sign contracts to enlist. In 1142 the Crown Prince marched out of Toledo with a small army, crossed the mountains to join Duke Alvaro and launched a campaign against the pretender. Enrique was overjoyed to finally take part in military operations and did not mind that she dispatched Ortiz Almagre as his chief aide.
“If she placed you to report on me, it will be an honest report,” he told the younger man.
Tragedy marred the year when Rodrigo de la Vega finally died in Lejón. Amina was astounded he lived as long as he did and departed Toledo to visit his tomb. With her went her son who had been named for him. Since her departure to Africa, she’d left him with his nurses and later with tutors for months at a time. Now after the birth of Enrique’s own children, she made the attempt to become a regular part of his life. At Lejón, Amina told her son the story of Rodrigo’s defense of her. He dutifully listened but was more interested in exploring his new surroundings. If she worried at his fragility she hid it and indulged him. The servants smiled at sight of the queen playing with her son and the other local children in the residential gardens. Before they left she endowed a small mausoleum for her teacher with an inscription carved in the usual Visigothic letters.
On her return home, Amina was surprised to run into couriers racing for the capital. A fear of disaster gripped her but the news was anything but. Enrique reported a number of border settlements captured and a larger effort to reduce the lands around the city of Tarba, abandoned by her during the northern revolt. This would not have been important save that Juan himself had come down to inspire resistance and in the course of his journey had fallen ill--possibly by drinking bad water--and died.
Amina was so stunned she burst out laughing. Then before the astonished couriers and her own men she got down on her knees and prayed, asking St. John his namesake and brother of James who shielded Spaña, to guide Juan‘s soul. At home she ordered a private mass in the Water Oratory, saying, “He was still a member of this family.”
Afterwards she had to hurry to a meeting she had some hopes for.
*********
Despite faint lines around her mouth and eyes, the Queen’s face is almost that of a young woman with only a few gray hairs. She dressed in plainly cut but expensive fabrics and was bareheaded save for a gold chain set with small stones woven into her hair. Behind her an enormous, woven map of the kingdom was stretched along the wall that ran from Albi to Adrar and from Caliastra to the Solitarios.[3] At her side was a very young modest noblewoman who I learned later was Lady Salia, and the old man who is her personal secretary, Isaac Astril.
She complimented me on returning from Persia and asked where Tibbovin was so I explained his illness. After expressing her sympathies for him, she proceeded to question me about the events that enabled the present situation in the lands of the Caliph.
I related to her what Juan[4] told us in Damascus about how Caliph al-Faris II was slain at Harem during the lesser judgment that struck the region. Only a few weeks later, armies mustered to conquer Crete by the Greek Emperor Leo instead arrived to defend the border only to find Syria in chaos. While the sons of al-Faris fought each other, the Greeks were able to capture Aleppo and invade north Syria. Though the region itself was in turmoil we could afford to hire men to guard us. We continued eastwards through the lands of Edessa and Arbil until we reached lower Iraq where Marsvan Shah had recently taken Baghdad, which I have already described as a city twice the size of our capital.[5]
The Queen said she was glad to hear the emperor’s attention was directed eastwards and asked how the mission to the Persians went and if the Shah still thought of an alliance against the Arabs. She thought the presence of the imperial armies in Syria would make direct contact extremely difficult and I responded that the Shah’s magistrates thought the same. Never the less we did secure some agreements with Emir Juan at Tyre and Acre which should improve the situation somewhat. The queen was very interested when I told her that ships from India had established several small enclaves in the ports south of Arabia. I was unable to determine if these ships were from the same kingdom as that of Hirajaraya. Nor was I able to determine if any knew the true size of Africa and this disappointed the Queen.
Never the less the Queen was still thinking of sponsoring a much larger mission to India and asked for my opinions. I mentioned the interest shown by t’Calza in Tyre and she nodded approval…
She complimented me on returning from Persia and asked where Tibbovin was so I explained his illness. After expressing her sympathies for him, she proceeded to question me about the events that enabled the present situation in the lands of the Caliph.
I related to her what Juan[4] told us in Damascus about how Caliph al-Faris II was slain at Harem during the lesser judgment that struck the region. Only a few weeks later, armies mustered to conquer Crete by the Greek Emperor Leo instead arrived to defend the border only to find Syria in chaos. While the sons of al-Faris fought each other, the Greeks were able to capture Aleppo and invade north Syria. Though the region itself was in turmoil we could afford to hire men to guard us. We continued eastwards through the lands of Edessa and Arbil until we reached lower Iraq where Marsvan Shah had recently taken Baghdad, which I have already described as a city twice the size of our capital.[5]
The Queen said she was glad to hear the emperor’s attention was directed eastwards and asked how the mission to the Persians went and if the Shah still thought of an alliance against the Arabs. She thought the presence of the imperial armies in Syria would make direct contact extremely difficult and I responded that the Shah’s magistrates thought the same. Never the less we did secure some agreements with Emir Juan at Tyre and Acre which should improve the situation somewhat. The queen was very interested when I told her that ships from India had established several small enclaves in the ports south of Arabia. I was unable to determine if these ships were from the same kingdom as that of Hirajaraya. Nor was I able to determine if any knew the true size of Africa and this disappointed the Queen.
Never the less the Queen was still thinking of sponsoring a much larger mission to India and asked for my opinions. I mentioned the interest shown by t’Calza in Tyre and she nodded approval…
--from In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
journal of Telles Lasquez de Gizonosco. Published 1178.
___________________________journal of Telles Lasquez de Gizonosco. Published 1178.
[1]The free cities, subject directly to the crown without nobility.
[2]Genoa was sacked several times by both the Muslims of North Africa and rival Italian cities in the period from 850-1025, and with the growth of Pisa and Albenga never managed to become a major player.
[3]Azores. It was discovered by sailors returning from African voyages as they had to sail farther west to catch winds to return home more quickly. Because the island lacked large animals, sheep were set wild onto the island to build up food supplies. In this case it means Lonely Islands.
[4]Yahya actually, the Emir of Damascus. Because he’s a Muslim and is also a male-line descendant of Ortiz, the author is Christianizing his name to its Spañan equivalent. Which is ironic considering Amina’s own name but that didn’t occur to him because he doesn’t see Amina’s name as foreign.
[5]Compared to our TL, Baghdad has declined since the Abbasids were driven from Baghdad around 849 and since then has changed hands about a half dozen times. However it also has more potential for growth since the irrigation works are more intact relative to our TL. Its population is probably ~400,000.
Author's Note: Okay so the eastern stuff is going on adjacent to the rest of the war. Huge map of west Francia coming soon... ah, also I have revised the language map complete with what the main varieties are called. That will be coming up.
Key Points:
Legislative law making takes a step forward.
The nobility get some formal legal exemptions and more money.
Juan dies!
The Spaniards use a very close variant of the Visigothic scipt.
Earthquake of Aleppo helped the Byzantines conquer Syria.
It also pushed the Makanids into a civil war (2nd time in 20 years).
Spaniards know about but haven't settled the Azores.
Amina is wondering if she can bypass the Makanids by sailing around Africa and wants to reach India.
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Amina continues to be a pretty good ruler. I feel like she was born centuries early.
Finally I'm up to speed!
comments in no particular order:
I find fascinating the religious tolerance of the Spaniards.
I personally think that maps are very important and yours are nothing short of awesome! the variety (political ones, religion, languages) is a sign of the upmost quality. If it's too much trouble i'd ask if it was possible to have a map showing the percentage of muslims in the various regions, please? (don't get me wrong the maps about the predominat religions are very good, I'm just interested to see the resilience of Islam in the tolerant spaniard dominions).
Very interesting the Irish colonization of North America ( the set up was very good, being cut off from eastern trade as Europe in OTL after the the rise of Ottomans, with a parallel with Norse exploration in the same period).
I get the interested of Spaniards for the East (among others Persia, but India in particular) will lead to find an alternative to the Red Sea to get there? I'm thinking on the line of African circumnavigation with someone then getting to Brazil by chance (as the Portuguese in OTL).
I think this is the best TL set in the Upper Medieval Age I've seen. I'm hooked.
comments in no particular order:
I find fascinating the religious tolerance of the Spaniards.
I personally think that maps are very important and yours are nothing short of awesome! the variety (political ones, religion, languages) is a sign of the upmost quality. If it's too much trouble i'd ask if it was possible to have a map showing the percentage of muslims in the various regions, please?
(don't get me wrong the maps about the predominat religions are very good, I'm just interested to see the resilience of Islam in the tolerant spaniard dominions).Very interesting the Irish colonization of North America ( the set up was very good, being cut off from eastern trade as Europe in OTL after the the rise of Ottomans, with a parallel with Norse exploration in the same period).
I get the interested of Spaniards for the East (among others Persia, but India in particular) will lead to find an alternative to the Red Sea to get there? I'm thinking on the line of African circumnavigation with someone then getting to Brazil by chance (as the Portuguese in OTL).
I think this is the best TL set in the Upper Medieval Age I've seen. I'm hooked.