Remnants of Rome
- Thread starter Zuvarq
- Start date
Well, the Coronation of the Hun already had a France where England should be, so it's not without precedent.
BARBARI SEPTENTRIONALES
After the advent of Zoharism, and especially after the creation of the Yehudahid Rahbarate, Kehsi were sent throughout the known world to spread the faith. Central Asia happened to be a place where they were particularly successful. Large numbers of Hua (sometimes called White Huns by outsiders, or occasionally claiming to be White Huns, to frighten those outsiders) converted to Zoharism. This led to a prosperous trading relationship with the Yehudahids as a component of the Silk Road.
However, since the beginning of the 6th century, other nomadic groups passed through their lands, and small skirmishes occurred. For the first few decades of the 6th century, however, this was rare. In the late 520s, a group called the Qoktürüks began to migrate west, passing through the northernmost areas of the Hua’s lands. They passed through peacefully until they encountered the most northwestern, and also the least predominantly Zoharist, of the Hua tribes, the Uars.
The Uars already engaged in conflicts with another, very similar group, called the Avars. When the Qoktürüks arrived this increased exponentially. The Uars allied themselves with the Qoktürüks against the Avars. At this time the Avars were a group of approximately 16,000 horsemen. Two months later, their numbers were 4,200. Battles were bloody. The Avars were subjugated. Roughly 1,800 joined the Qoktürüks and 2,400 joined the Uars. The Qoktürüks and Uars migrated northwest. They reached the frontier of the Taurigothic Kingdom in 542. The Qoktürüks and Uars (by then, they were more often known as Vars) demanded tribute from the Taurigothic Kingdom, or else they would invade. The Taurigothic Kingdom obliged. However the barbarian threat still loomed to the east; its vengeance was simply delayed.
This snowballed into chaos for the other tribes of the Hua, too, as they began to fight each other. This entire chain of events significantly damaged trade along the branch of the Silk Road traversing most of the Hua lands--instead, traders returned to a southeasterly route. This led to less prosperity for the Hua, and they were forced into desperation.
The Gupta Empire had been unstable, and the states of Southern India stable and mostly at peace, ever since the Yehudahid Rahbarate conquered northwestern India. In June 541, the Gupta Empire collapsed save a small inland area, which did not even include the capital. The rest fell into chaos. A state to the southeast, Kalinga, conquered most of the southeast of the Gupta Empire. The entire west coast was subjugated by Rashtrakutas. The far north was conquered by the Kingdom of Licchavi, and the northeast was conquered by an Assamese state led by Narayanavarman, called the Varman Empire. The area of the former Gupta Empire was in chaos with refugees, warfare between kingdoms, warfare within kingdoms, and battles with tens of thousands, sometimes even a hundred thousand men fighting. However from 550 to 551 the various states made peace and the conflicts ended as quickly as they started.
The Yehudahid Rahbarate would have been in a perfect position to exploit the collapse of the Gupta Empire. But it was not so, because the Hua, in their desperation, attacked the Yehudahid Rahbarate in January 543. Toramana, Khan of the Xiyon (the largest Hua tribe), led the Xiyon as well as the rest of the Hua in a 70,000-man and 140,000-horse horde. He became known by his enemies as the Scourge of God.
The Yehudahid probably could have fought away this invasion. They had, in the past, commandeered massive armies. They had fought massive armies. They had defeated massive armies. Toramana’s army was not even nearly as massive as some of the armies they had fought. The Hua were, despite all this, one of the most formidable enemies the Yehudahid Rahbarate--or any Rahbarate, ever--would face.
Toramana conquered one city after another. Merw, Bactriana, Kandahar, Herat, Nischapur, Ben-Ardaschir... all were razed and conquered. Usually after each victory, the surviving men would join the Hua, to avoid their fate otherwise--enslavement, execution, and so on. Women and children were not so lucky. And after a man joined the Hua, he, too gained a thirst for blood. Toramana, with an army that increased, rather than decreased, in size after each battle, continued to zig-zag through Yehudahid territory, destroying all in his path.
But the Hua could not have been as successful as they were without the assistance of luck and coincidence. For internal feuds reached to a boiling point roughly at the time they invaded. Beginning decades before, sentiment was brewing, with the occasional small revolt, in Arabia, and in Ahirstan. Arabia at this point mostly adhered to Zoharism, and the cities that existed contained sizable amounts of Persian speakers, mostly the nobility. Arabs even spread themselves and their culture throughout the Rahbarate (for example: the adoption of the Arab name ‘Abd’ by the Persians as an ordinary name rather than a prefix to mean ‘the servant of’). However, with cultural brethren, came pretenders to the throne, and small power struggles. In addition, the Badw [1] in the desert, and many in the cities, retained their distinct Arab identity, they even still worshipped the old pagan gods along with Ahura Mazda and the essences of Christ and Antichrist, a practice not prohibited, but disliked, and which made the Badw eligible for the non-Zoharist tax. Recently, Rahbar Zarin II had demanded some new taxes, which, to the Badw, were overbearing when combined with the non-Zoharist tax. In Ahirstan, there was a large minority of Zoharists, and the province had a small, powerful Persian-speaking nobility. Like in Arabia, this did little for stability. Internal feuds happened often.
Abdahura ibn-Khaldun declared his own Rahbarate and became the most influential of the Arab rebels, not only because he, well, led the new Arab Abdahurid Rahbarate, but also because of his skills as a general. Little is known about his personal life, but he was a Zoharist Arab who knew Persian. According to Badawi legend, prior to his generalship, he went into the desert and lived with a tribe Badw for five years, even participating in their rituals, honoring the old gods as well as Ahura, and also fighting another tribe of Badw in a skirmish in the desert, during which he lost his left eye. Upon returning the city of Adan, he knew that the Arab people must be free, and he aspired to have the power to make that happen. To be a Rahbar fulfilled that aspiration.
Prior to the declaration of a new Rahbarate in March 543, Abdahura, and another former general, Mustafa Khodil, amassed an army of 28,000 Badw from the desert, and 5,000 mercenaries in an inland town in southwestern Arabia, Qarnawu. Abdahura declared himself Rahbar in this town, which had no garrisons. Around 3,000 men from the town volunteered to join Abdahura’s army. Abdahura, Mustafa, and their force of 34,000 troops headed south to Adan. Adan was defended by 3,000 Yehudahid soldiers.
These 3,000 men were easily defeated Abdahura’s forces. After roughly 2,000 of them were killed in battle, the remaining 1,000 offered to join Abdahura’s own army. Abdahura and Mustafa ventured northeast. They came upon Kindasahr, a town founded by the Yehudahids on the land of the Kindah after Arabia was conquered. There was a garrison of merely 500, who surrendered without a fight. Abdahura’s and Mustafa’s army of 33,500 marched into Kindasahr and managed to recruit 800 able men. The Abdahurids marched northeast and about 2 minutes after the army exited the gates of Kindah, they spotted a massive Yehudahid army.
The Yehudahid army was composed of about 40,000 men, most of them horsemen. The Yehudahid army charged at the Abdahurids while the Abdahurids retreated towards the gates. About 11,000 Badawi archers, 5,000 Badawi horsemen, 1,000 mercenary horsemen, and 500 of the volunteers made it inside the gates, while Abdahura, Mustafa, and 16,000 troops were left outside of the gate. Abdahura, Mustafa, and the 16,000 spread out and, if they had shields, held their shields in front of them. If not they held their weapons out in front of them and braced themselves. Their hearts were full to the brim with suspense and fear. The cavalry impacted the defenders with bone-crushing force while, simultaneously, the archers on the walls unleashed a rain of arrows on the ranks of cavalry in the back. Both sides took immense casualties. After this initial charge, 14,000 Abdahurids including Mustafa, as well as 13,500 Yehudahids, died.
The situation seemed grim for the Abdahurids. However they, blessed by Ahura Himself, were assisted by 14,000 Badawi camel archers from the north. After a day’s fighting, the Abdahurids were victorious. 12,000 Abdahurid-aligned troops remained and 500 of the Yehudahids joined Abdahura’s army. In addition 400 more able men from Kindah joined Abdahura’s forces because their homes were destroyed. The 12,900 troops marched northeast towards the city of Sohar. Sohar had liberated itself. Mercenaries were hired, more Badw joined Abdahurid forces, and men from Sohar volunteered. The size of Abdahura’s forces swelled to 30,000 and he marched northwest. Little resistance was encountered, as the Yehudahids were busy elsewhere.
Parekhlal Kardar was the governor of the Ahirstan province. He had always sought a chance to declare his province independent. He, ironically appointed as a governor primarily because of his perceived loyalty, saw an opportunity after the Hua invaded. In July 543, Parekhlal Kardar declared himself Rahbar. A new Kardarid Rahbarate of Ahirstan was born. Initially only a small area of Panjab, including the capital of the province, Yehudabad (former Kurukshetra), was loyal to Parekhlal. The rest of Ahirstan was firmly under Zoharist control. Parekhlal led an army of 40,000 troops and 30 elephants on a campaign southward. By December 547, he reached Vadodara and had totally conquered all settlements in Ahirstan. He fought a Yehudahid army in the surrounding countryside in early January 548, and had by then pacified Ahirstan completely. He would not see combat again for the rest of his life.
In 552, the Qoktürüks and Vars once again demanded tribute. The Taurigoths refused...
[1] Plural form of Badawi, which is the Arabic word for Bedouin.
After the advent of Zoharism, and especially after the creation of the Yehudahid Rahbarate, Kehsi were sent throughout the known world to spread the faith. Central Asia happened to be a place where they were particularly successful. Large numbers of Hua (sometimes called White Huns by outsiders, or occasionally claiming to be White Huns, to frighten those outsiders) converted to Zoharism. This led to a prosperous trading relationship with the Yehudahids as a component of the Silk Road.
However, since the beginning of the 6th century, other nomadic groups passed through their lands, and small skirmishes occurred. For the first few decades of the 6th century, however, this was rare. In the late 520s, a group called the Qoktürüks began to migrate west, passing through the northernmost areas of the Hua’s lands. They passed through peacefully until they encountered the most northwestern, and also the least predominantly Zoharist, of the Hua tribes, the Uars.
The Uars already engaged in conflicts with another, very similar group, called the Avars. When the Qoktürüks arrived this increased exponentially. The Uars allied themselves with the Qoktürüks against the Avars. At this time the Avars were a group of approximately 16,000 horsemen. Two months later, their numbers were 4,200. Battles were bloody. The Avars were subjugated. Roughly 1,800 joined the Qoktürüks and 2,400 joined the Uars. The Qoktürüks and Uars migrated northwest. They reached the frontier of the Taurigothic Kingdom in 542. The Qoktürüks and Uars (by then, they were more often known as Vars) demanded tribute from the Taurigothic Kingdom, or else they would invade. The Taurigothic Kingdom obliged. However the barbarian threat still loomed to the east; its vengeance was simply delayed.
This snowballed into chaos for the other tribes of the Hua, too, as they began to fight each other. This entire chain of events significantly damaged trade along the branch of the Silk Road traversing most of the Hua lands--instead, traders returned to a southeasterly route. This led to less prosperity for the Hua, and they were forced into desperation.
The Gupta Empire had been unstable, and the states of Southern India stable and mostly at peace, ever since the Yehudahid Rahbarate conquered northwestern India. In June 541, the Gupta Empire collapsed save a small inland area, which did not even include the capital. The rest fell into chaos. A state to the southeast, Kalinga, conquered most of the southeast of the Gupta Empire. The entire west coast was subjugated by Rashtrakutas. The far north was conquered by the Kingdom of Licchavi, and the northeast was conquered by an Assamese state led by Narayanavarman, called the Varman Empire. The area of the former Gupta Empire was in chaos with refugees, warfare between kingdoms, warfare within kingdoms, and battles with tens of thousands, sometimes even a hundred thousand men fighting. However from 550 to 551 the various states made peace and the conflicts ended as quickly as they started.
The Yehudahid Rahbarate would have been in a perfect position to exploit the collapse of the Gupta Empire. But it was not so, because the Hua, in their desperation, attacked the Yehudahid Rahbarate in January 543. Toramana, Khan of the Xiyon (the largest Hua tribe), led the Xiyon as well as the rest of the Hua in a 70,000-man and 140,000-horse horde. He became known by his enemies as the Scourge of God.
The Yehudahid probably could have fought away this invasion. They had, in the past, commandeered massive armies. They had fought massive armies. They had defeated massive armies. Toramana’s army was not even nearly as massive as some of the armies they had fought. The Hua were, despite all this, one of the most formidable enemies the Yehudahid Rahbarate--or any Rahbarate, ever--would face.
Toramana conquered one city after another. Merw, Bactriana, Kandahar, Herat, Nischapur, Ben-Ardaschir... all were razed and conquered. Usually after each victory, the surviving men would join the Hua, to avoid their fate otherwise--enslavement, execution, and so on. Women and children were not so lucky. And after a man joined the Hua, he, too gained a thirst for blood. Toramana, with an army that increased, rather than decreased, in size after each battle, continued to zig-zag through Yehudahid territory, destroying all in his path.
But the Hua could not have been as successful as they were without the assistance of luck and coincidence. For internal feuds reached to a boiling point roughly at the time they invaded. Beginning decades before, sentiment was brewing, with the occasional small revolt, in Arabia, and in Ahirstan. Arabia at this point mostly adhered to Zoharism, and the cities that existed contained sizable amounts of Persian speakers, mostly the nobility. Arabs even spread themselves and their culture throughout the Rahbarate (for example: the adoption of the Arab name ‘Abd’ by the Persians as an ordinary name rather than a prefix to mean ‘the servant of’). However, with cultural brethren, came pretenders to the throne, and small power struggles. In addition, the Badw [1] in the desert, and many in the cities, retained their distinct Arab identity, they even still worshipped the old pagan gods along with Ahura Mazda and the essences of Christ and Antichrist, a practice not prohibited, but disliked, and which made the Badw eligible for the non-Zoharist tax. Recently, Rahbar Zarin II had demanded some new taxes, which, to the Badw, were overbearing when combined with the non-Zoharist tax. In Ahirstan, there was a large minority of Zoharists, and the province had a small, powerful Persian-speaking nobility. Like in Arabia, this did little for stability. Internal feuds happened often.
Abdahura ibn-Khaldun declared his own Rahbarate and became the most influential of the Arab rebels, not only because he, well, led the new Arab Abdahurid Rahbarate, but also because of his skills as a general. Little is known about his personal life, but he was a Zoharist Arab who knew Persian. According to Badawi legend, prior to his generalship, he went into the desert and lived with a tribe Badw for five years, even participating in their rituals, honoring the old gods as well as Ahura, and also fighting another tribe of Badw in a skirmish in the desert, during which he lost his left eye. Upon returning the city of Adan, he knew that the Arab people must be free, and he aspired to have the power to make that happen. To be a Rahbar fulfilled that aspiration.
Prior to the declaration of a new Rahbarate in March 543, Abdahura, and another former general, Mustafa Khodil, amassed an army of 28,000 Badw from the desert, and 5,000 mercenaries in an inland town in southwestern Arabia, Qarnawu. Abdahura declared himself Rahbar in this town, which had no garrisons. Around 3,000 men from the town volunteered to join Abdahura’s army. Abdahura, Mustafa, and their force of 34,000 troops headed south to Adan. Adan was defended by 3,000 Yehudahid soldiers.
These 3,000 men were easily defeated Abdahura’s forces. After roughly 2,000 of them were killed in battle, the remaining 1,000 offered to join Abdahura’s own army. Abdahura and Mustafa ventured northeast. They came upon Kindasahr, a town founded by the Yehudahids on the land of the Kindah after Arabia was conquered. There was a garrison of merely 500, who surrendered without a fight. Abdahura’s and Mustafa’s army of 33,500 marched into Kindasahr and managed to recruit 800 able men. The Abdahurids marched northeast and about 2 minutes after the army exited the gates of Kindah, they spotted a massive Yehudahid army.
The Yehudahid army was composed of about 40,000 men, most of them horsemen. The Yehudahid army charged at the Abdahurids while the Abdahurids retreated towards the gates. About 11,000 Badawi archers, 5,000 Badawi horsemen, 1,000 mercenary horsemen, and 500 of the volunteers made it inside the gates, while Abdahura, Mustafa, and 16,000 troops were left outside of the gate. Abdahura, Mustafa, and the 16,000 spread out and, if they had shields, held their shields in front of them. If not they held their weapons out in front of them and braced themselves. Their hearts were full to the brim with suspense and fear. The cavalry impacted the defenders with bone-crushing force while, simultaneously, the archers on the walls unleashed a rain of arrows on the ranks of cavalry in the back. Both sides took immense casualties. After this initial charge, 14,000 Abdahurids including Mustafa, as well as 13,500 Yehudahids, died.
The situation seemed grim for the Abdahurids. However they, blessed by Ahura Himself, were assisted by 14,000 Badawi camel archers from the north. After a day’s fighting, the Abdahurids were victorious. 12,000 Abdahurid-aligned troops remained and 500 of the Yehudahids joined Abdahura’s army. In addition 400 more able men from Kindah joined Abdahura’s forces because their homes were destroyed. The 12,900 troops marched northeast towards the city of Sohar. Sohar had liberated itself. Mercenaries were hired, more Badw joined Abdahurid forces, and men from Sohar volunteered. The size of Abdahura’s forces swelled to 30,000 and he marched northwest. Little resistance was encountered, as the Yehudahids were busy elsewhere.
Parekhlal Kardar was the governor of the Ahirstan province. He had always sought a chance to declare his province independent. He, ironically appointed as a governor primarily because of his perceived loyalty, saw an opportunity after the Hua invaded. In July 543, Parekhlal Kardar declared himself Rahbar. A new Kardarid Rahbarate of Ahirstan was born. Initially only a small area of Panjab, including the capital of the province, Yehudabad (former Kurukshetra), was loyal to Parekhlal. The rest of Ahirstan was firmly under Zoharist control. Parekhlal led an army of 40,000 troops and 30 elephants on a campaign southward. By December 547, he reached Vadodara and had totally conquered all settlements in Ahirstan. He fought a Yehudahid army in the surrounding countryside in early January 548, and had by then pacified Ahirstan completely. He would not see combat again for the rest of his life.
In 552, the Qoktürüks and Vars once again demanded tribute. The Taurigoths refused...
[1] Plural form of Badawi, which is the Arabic word for Bedouin.
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
Ah I see the competition is back up and running. Excellent update! May I suggest than other Zoharist states not necessarily use Rahbar like the Muslims did to Caliph? Try something like emir or sultan or malik. 
I am going to, but as of now they will all be Rahbars. The new Zoharist states, though, will not have emirs, sultans, or maliks. Cause those sound too MuslimAh I see the competition is back up and running. Excellent update! May I suggest than other Zoharist states not necessarily use Rahbar like the Muslims did to Caliph? Try something like emir or sultan or malik.
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Great Update Xwarq. It good see the Yehudahid Rahbarate is collapsing, and no longer the Eastern Hegemon. I hope the Taurigoths can resist the oncoming Barbarian hordes, maybe so help from the Slavs can save them from the barbarians. Also what is going on with the HRE is their any plan to expand into Pictavia and Goidel. It be great to see Britannic Christianity rise as a major political force, as well as the HRE. Keep up the amazing work, this is easily one of the best timelines on the here.
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
It would be so ironic if the Nomitrope Christian missionaries led by the Pater of Constantinople managed to convert the likes of the Qokturks or another tribal confederation of steppe nomads to Christianity and prompt them to invade Anatolia. Zoharist Greeks vs Christian Turks.
Kosta
Banned
It would be so ironic if the Nomitrope Christian missionaries led by the Pater of Constantinople managed to convert the likes of the Qokturks or another tribal confederation of steppe nomads to Christianity and prompt them to invade Anatolia. Zoharist Greeks vs Christian Turks.
Do I see a Christian Reconquista on the horizon?
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so, if there are crusades ITTL, or something of a similar nature, will they go for Constantinople, or Jerusalem?
I'm still uncomfortable with the Allemannii border looking waaaay too much like france, but i put faith in your guiding hands Xwarq. something has to screw up that border eventually.
i can't believe so much has happened and its only the middle of the 6th century!
I'm still uncomfortable with the Allemannii border looking waaaay too much like france, but i put faith in your guiding hands Xwarq. something has to screw up that border eventually.
i can't believe so much has happened and its only the middle of the 6th century!
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
I can't see them take Jerusalem. As much significance it has in Christianity, it'll be pure suicide for any army to march through Zoharist territory. Plus the majority of the population is now Zoharists; it's not like in the Crusades when the majority of the Levant was still Christian.
Don't count on it. It would seem Xwarq is very against Rome getting any larger. This timeline is more about a 'different dark ages', rather than Rome doing well post-collapse.
I do have a question though. If the southern Biohaemians view themselves as latins, then wouldn't also most of M,N,O, and P also be majority Latin?
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
Considering those states are Hermundarii successor states, they're probably overwhelmingly Romance with maybe a relict Germanic elite.
It would be so ironic if the Nomitrope Christian missionaries led by the Pater of Constantinople managed to convert the likes of the Qokturks or another tribal confederation of steppe nomads to Christianity and prompt them to invade Anatolia. Zoharist Greeks vs Christian Turks.
I'm afraid it'll be Christian Greeks vs Jewish Turks... (but that will happen much later)
The Levant is like 45% Zoharist now. Not the majority still.
Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Persia are majority Zoharist. The Levant, Egypt, Eastern Anatolia, and Ahirstan are large-minority Zoharist. And Western Anatolia and Maqedunya are medium-minority Zoharist.
It wouldn't be suicide for them to attack the Zoharists as a combined force. The only real problem is, how to recreate the situation of the Crusades to actually cause this. Which is not too likely.
Rome will still expand sometimes.
Yes and yes. (I never said the north Italian states were majority Germanic. Their rulers simply are. Some of them. Most of them have fully assimilated.)
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Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
Eh not really. I'm just trying to fill in whatever holes he sometimes leaves out with assumptions derived from information in OTL.
Eh not really. I'm just trying to fill in whatever holes he sometimes leaves out with assumptions derived from information in OTL.
Forget Xwarq let's give you the turteldove? (kidding)