Hello, all.
I've been posting for over a decade now with probably a dozen major TL's. Most of these tend to start in the 17th and 18th centuries as those are both my periods of interest and "expertise". I have a business degree, not history so this is just a hobby of mine.
Thus far, the earliest TL I ever made was one which started in Tudor England.
For this TL, I've decided to branch out and try a new era of interest. Here are some necessary historical facts leading up to this timeline for those unfamiliar with the era.
1. In the early 7th century, Christianity was starting to fragment. Already the Nestorians had broken off after the Council of Ephesus as had what would become the Syriac Church after the Council of Chalcedon. These had been deemed heretical by the Pope and Byzantine Emperor. Thus, naturally, they were quietly supported by the major rival to the Byzantine Empire at the time, the Sasanian (Persian) Empire.
2. The Byzantine Empire (and the Roman Empire which preceded it) had lost most of the western reaches of the old Roman Empire including half of Italy itself. Constant conflict with the Lombards of Italy (with their Germanic alliese) as well as the Azars and Slavs of the Balkans left the Empire almost constantly broke due to the costs of war and tribute to the barbarian tribes in hopes of keeping the peace.
3. The Byzantine was also rivalled in the Near East by the Zoroastrian Sasanian Empire of centered in Persia.
4. The Zoroastrian Church was largely a Persian-centric religion and had, in the opinion of many contemporaries and later historians to have become decadent and corrupt.
5. The Byzantines had an Arab client state called the Ghassanid Kingdom of southern Syria (despite being heretical Miaphysite sect which became Syriac) while the Lakhmid Kingdom of southern Iraq (Nestorian like the largest Christian denomination of the Sasanian Empire) was a client of Sasanian Persia.
See a map for Europe, the Near East and North Africa in 565 AD below courtesy of our friends at wikipedia:
6. The Byzantine and Sasanian Empires had fought a number of wars over the decades and centuries. These would not only destroy relations with each other but with their Arab Christian/Native Religion allies.
7. Both the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires would see numerous political and military coups. In 590, powerful nobles over through the Sasanian King and replaced with his son, Khosrau II. By 591, another General overthrew Khosrau II.
8. In 591, Khosrau II would flee to an unexpected destination: the court of Maurice. The two agreed to ally and then end the war between Persia and the Byzantine. This was accomplished later that year and Khosrau II was put back upon the Sasanian throne. Against many contemporary expectations, Khosrau II actually followed through on his promises to return the Sasanian portion of Armenia to the Byzantine Empire.
9. While Khosrau II would be pressed to adopt Christianity (the "official" form beholden to Rome), he would decline to do so. However, he did allow the Nestorian and Miaphysite's great freedom and even raised several of these Christians to high office. Khosrau II would spend the next decade concentrating on internal issues.
10. Maurice, freed from war with Persia, would concentrate his limited resources upon regaining control of the northern Balkans. After a crushing victory over the Avars and Slavs in Wallachia, he regained control to the Danube. Plans were made to colonize the region with Armenian settlers. With the victory, the Byzantine no longer had to pay 80,000 gold solidis per year in tribute to the Avars. However, the Byzantine Empire remained functionally bankrupt and was forced to make austerity cuts to reduce costs. This included a 25% reduction in soldier's salaries, making him very unpopular despite extending the Empire's borders to its greatest extent. Maurice also unwisely refused to pay a minor ransom in 599 or 600 AD in order to retrieve 12,000 captured Byzantine soldiers from the Avars.
It is at this point that my TL begins. Hope you enjoy it.
I've been posting for over a decade now with probably a dozen major TL's. Most of these tend to start in the 17th and 18th centuries as those are both my periods of interest and "expertise". I have a business degree, not history so this is just a hobby of mine.
Thus far, the earliest TL I ever made was one which started in Tudor England.
For this TL, I've decided to branch out and try a new era of interest. Here are some necessary historical facts leading up to this timeline for those unfamiliar with the era.
1. In the early 7th century, Christianity was starting to fragment. Already the Nestorians had broken off after the Council of Ephesus as had what would become the Syriac Church after the Council of Chalcedon. These had been deemed heretical by the Pope and Byzantine Emperor. Thus, naturally, they were quietly supported by the major rival to the Byzantine Empire at the time, the Sasanian (Persian) Empire.
2. The Byzantine Empire (and the Roman Empire which preceded it) had lost most of the western reaches of the old Roman Empire including half of Italy itself. Constant conflict with the Lombards of Italy (with their Germanic alliese) as well as the Azars and Slavs of the Balkans left the Empire almost constantly broke due to the costs of war and tribute to the barbarian tribes in hopes of keeping the peace.
3. The Byzantine was also rivalled in the Near East by the Zoroastrian Sasanian Empire of centered in Persia.
4. The Zoroastrian Church was largely a Persian-centric religion and had, in the opinion of many contemporaries and later historians to have become decadent and corrupt.
5. The Byzantines had an Arab client state called the Ghassanid Kingdom of southern Syria (despite being heretical Miaphysite sect which became Syriac) while the Lakhmid Kingdom of southern Iraq (Nestorian like the largest Christian denomination of the Sasanian Empire) was a client of Sasanian Persia.
See a map for Europe, the Near East and North Africa in 565 AD below courtesy of our friends at wikipedia:
6. The Byzantine and Sasanian Empires had fought a number of wars over the decades and centuries. These would not only destroy relations with each other but with their Arab Christian/Native Religion allies.
7. Both the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires would see numerous political and military coups. In 590, powerful nobles over through the Sasanian King and replaced with his son, Khosrau II. By 591, another General overthrew Khosrau II.
8. In 591, Khosrau II would flee to an unexpected destination: the court of Maurice. The two agreed to ally and then end the war between Persia and the Byzantine. This was accomplished later that year and Khosrau II was put back upon the Sasanian throne. Against many contemporary expectations, Khosrau II actually followed through on his promises to return the Sasanian portion of Armenia to the Byzantine Empire.
9. While Khosrau II would be pressed to adopt Christianity (the "official" form beholden to Rome), he would decline to do so. However, he did allow the Nestorian and Miaphysite's great freedom and even raised several of these Christians to high office. Khosrau II would spend the next decade concentrating on internal issues.
10. Maurice, freed from war with Persia, would concentrate his limited resources upon regaining control of the northern Balkans. After a crushing victory over the Avars and Slavs in Wallachia, he regained control to the Danube. Plans were made to colonize the region with Armenian settlers. With the victory, the Byzantine no longer had to pay 80,000 gold solidis per year in tribute to the Avars. However, the Byzantine Empire remained functionally bankrupt and was forced to make austerity cuts to reduce costs. This included a 25% reduction in soldier's salaries, making him very unpopular despite extending the Empire's borders to its greatest extent. Maurice also unwisely refused to pay a minor ransom in 599 or 600 AD in order to retrieve 12,000 captured Byzantine soldiers from the Avars.
It is at this point that my TL begins. Hope you enjoy it.