alternatehistory.com
Iksander-1
"Alexander’s empire survived his death on several other parallel Earths. On Iskander-1 (Q4, current year 1260), Alexander lived another 20 years and passed the crown on to his son Alexander IV. The TL4 Third Macedonian Empire rules from Kashmir to Venice under a decadent Buddhist Turkish dynasty; its main rivals are the Novgorodi city-states of the Baltic, a militant Hindu kingdom in Bengal, and Franco-Saxon Gaul."
In the first century AD (not that there ever was a Jesus here), the Buddhist militias spread their religious influence into Persia and Babylonia. It was slow at first, but after several centuries of missionary after missionary, groups began to convert. Indian culture was common to see in the Middle East, especially with some sort of Greek influence. The Bhadrapala Dynasty of India stretched from the Indus to the Euphrates in the 300's, guaranteeing the preservation of the Buddhist religion in the Middle East for a long while. Meanwhile, in Europe, things went from bad to worse. Petty fights over religion were common, keeping any Celtic or Germanic tribes from uniting. The Romans built a brief empire in Hispania and the Alps, only to lose it a few years later. The Illyrian League was arguably the strongest power in Europe in the 400's, and they were small in comparison to the Macedonians. The King of Armenia founded some settlements in Dacia and Thrace, even establishing some proper footholds by 450. Even so, there was nothing noteworthy whatsoever, making Europe something of a backwater. However, in the 520's, a Greek scholar named Dimachus set out to reestablish the Macedonian Empire, using the unstable kingdoms as fodder for his slow ascent. After unifying Epirus, he moved into Pella, slowly but surely expanding out of Greece and into the rest of Europe. He took over Syracuse, Athens, and parts of Anatolia, before his pupils teamed up to take Sparta, Pergamon, and Tyre. The Second Macedonian Empire, reaching its peak in the 600's, managed to reestablish Greek culture in Anatolia and the Levant, while also giving it more exposure to the Buddhist religion. After the scholars saw the merits of Buddhism, some began to bring it back to Greece. This ultimately lead to the fall of the empire once more, as the Greeks began to see that the only way to hold Persia and India was to fully convert to the religion the foreigners practiced...
Enter the Turks. They hailed from the steppes of Central Asia, usually absorbing the culture or religion of whatever land they conquered next. After keeping their empire in the north for centuries, they were forced to migrate south after the Nirrun ran them out of their regular hunting grounds. Some began to move west, others moved south into Kashmir. Eventually, both groups rounded the Caspian Sea, assimilating with the Anatolian Greeks and Persians. Most were Buddhist, a religion the more educated Turks had practiced for a while already. Some of the nomadic groups continued to move through Anatolia, welcoming the more temperate environment. Most Buddhists had avoided Anatolia since the rise of the Second Macedonian Empire, as they knew whatever Hellenic kingdoms remained there would execute them before they could do anything. However, the Turks, not staying in any one place for too long, were able to spread the principals of Buddhism without being caught. Many began to purposefully do this, as an effort to get to the top of the social ladder by being the ones to destabilize the elite. For those in the smaller dukedoms, it worked like a charm, as the populous revolted against the corrupt kings who called themselves Macedonian. They continued to spread their power until they unified into something of a single polity, moving into Thrace and Greece. Many began to educate themselves like Dimachus did centuries before, and one of the Turkish chiefdoms proclaimed the Third Macedonian Empire, taking power for themselves. Being Buddhist, they were able to avoid most of the pitfalls of religious fallout. The first two empires had practiced the Greek religion, and were destabilized by Buddhists challenging the beliefs of the kings. This time, they had the Buddhists in Mesopotamia to help them conquer any Greek rebels (as there were many). By 1100, the new dynasty was decadent and sprawling, with more and more of Europe slowly falling under the boot that was the Third Macedonian Empire (not that it was very Macedonian anymore).
By 1260, there are three major competitors to the Empire; there are the Alathians in Gaul, a bunch of pagan Franco-Saxons. After them, there's the League of Holmgardr, a group of *Novgorodi city-states allied against the Macedonians. Then, in the east, there's the Kingdom of Gangaridda, the major Hindu power with a vendetta against Buddhist India. Will the three powers be able to surround and collapse the non-Buddhist regions of Macedonia, or will the Turks prevail as they did against the principalities two hundred years earlier?
Iksander-1
From the highlands of Bhod to the Alps, the Buddhist religion penetrates into culture and lifestyle. After the death of Alexander III in 303 BC, he was peacefully followed by his heir to the throne, Alexander IV, who kept up his father's expansionist outlook. He finished the conquests of Rome his father started in the 310's, and solidified rule in Persia and India. Puppet dynasties were set up in Carthage, Persia, and Armenia, as Alexander IV had goals of keeping the empire intact for a long time. Decades passed, and Macedon appointed Greek vassals to lead parts of India and Parthia, even giving them the right to expand their own little provinces individually of one another. The system went well, especially as the line of succession became murky and unclear in the 100's BC, but it began to go awry when the Indian provincial lords converted to Buddhism, trying to blend in with the native culture. Religion, one of the main ways the Macedonian Empire held itself together, began to fall apart. The Buddhists began to revolt along with their governors, trying to fight their way through Persia and Babylonia into Macedonia itself. Once the Indian rebel army reached Cappadocia, however, it was already much too late for Macedon. The Achaeans seceded, along with Lydia and Rome, collapsing the remainder of the empire. By 65 BC, what once was the Alexandrian Empire became 24 squabbling kingdoms.
In the first century AD (not that there ever was a Jesus here), the Buddhist militias spread their religious influence into Persia and Babylonia. It was slow at first, but after several centuries of missionary after missionary, groups began to convert. Indian culture was common to see in the Middle East, especially with some sort of Greek influence. The Bhadrapala Dynasty of India stretched from the Indus to the Euphrates in the 300's, guaranteeing the preservation of the Buddhist religion in the Middle East for a long while. Meanwhile, in Europe, things went from bad to worse. Petty fights over religion were common, keeping any Celtic or Germanic tribes from uniting. The Romans built a brief empire in Hispania and the Alps, only to lose it a few years later. The Illyrian League was arguably the strongest power in Europe in the 400's, and they were small in comparison to the Macedonians. The King of Armenia founded some settlements in Dacia and Thrace, even establishing some proper footholds by 450. Even so, there was nothing noteworthy whatsoever, making Europe something of a backwater. However, in the 520's, a Greek scholar named Dimachus set out to reestablish the Macedonian Empire, using the unstable kingdoms as fodder for his slow ascent. After unifying Epirus, he moved into Pella, slowly but surely expanding out of Greece and into the rest of Europe. He took over Syracuse, Athens, and parts of Anatolia, before his pupils teamed up to take Sparta, Pergamon, and Tyre. The Second Macedonian Empire, reaching its peak in the 600's, managed to reestablish Greek culture in Anatolia and the Levant, while also giving it more exposure to the Buddhist religion. After the scholars saw the merits of Buddhism, some began to bring it back to Greece. This ultimately lead to the fall of the empire once more, as the Greeks began to see that the only way to hold Persia and India was to fully convert to the religion the foreigners practiced...
Enter the Turks. They hailed from the steppes of Central Asia, usually absorbing the culture or religion of whatever land they conquered next. After keeping their empire in the north for centuries, they were forced to migrate south after the Nirrun ran them out of their regular hunting grounds. Some began to move west, others moved south into Kashmir. Eventually, both groups rounded the Caspian Sea, assimilating with the Anatolian Greeks and Persians. Most were Buddhist, a religion the more educated Turks had practiced for a while already. Some of the nomadic groups continued to move through Anatolia, welcoming the more temperate environment. Most Buddhists had avoided Anatolia since the rise of the Second Macedonian Empire, as they knew whatever Hellenic kingdoms remained there would execute them before they could do anything. However, the Turks, not staying in any one place for too long, were able to spread the principals of Buddhism without being caught. Many began to purposefully do this, as an effort to get to the top of the social ladder by being the ones to destabilize the elite. For those in the smaller dukedoms, it worked like a charm, as the populous revolted against the corrupt kings who called themselves Macedonian. They continued to spread their power until they unified into something of a single polity, moving into Thrace and Greece. Many began to educate themselves like Dimachus did centuries before, and one of the Turkish chiefdoms proclaimed the Third Macedonian Empire, taking power for themselves. Being Buddhist, they were able to avoid most of the pitfalls of religious fallout. The first two empires had practiced the Greek religion, and were destabilized by Buddhists challenging the beliefs of the kings. This time, they had the Buddhists in Mesopotamia to help them conquer any Greek rebels (as there were many). By 1100, the new dynasty was decadent and sprawling, with more and more of Europe slowly falling under the boot that was the Third Macedonian Empire (not that it was very Macedonian anymore).
By 1260, there are three major competitors to the Empire; there are the Alathians in Gaul, a bunch of pagan Franco-Saxons. After them, there's the League of Holmgardr, a group of *Novgorodi city-states allied against the Macedonians. Then, in the east, there's the Kingdom of Gangaridda, the major Hindu power with a vendetta against Buddhist India. Will the three powers be able to surround and collapse the non-Buddhist regions of Macedonia, or will the Turks prevail as they did against the principalities two hundred years earlier?
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