alternatehistory.com
Chapter 41: The Pontic Basin
Caucasus
The Caucasian Mountains are sometimes perceived as the border separating the European and Asian continents. To the south of these mountains is the area drained by the Kura and the Araxes rivers, by the Rioni, which is known as the southern Caucasus.
The kingdom of Apkhazeti, known to Rhomaic sources as Lazica and to most of us as Abkhazia, would continue to maintain its independence on the eastern shore of the Pontic Sea, beneath the ridges of the Caucasus, to encompass Sukhumi, but also Mingrelia, Imereti and Guria. With its capital at Kutaisi, this kingdom would have remained open to Rhomaic cultural and ecclesiastical influences.
For the Kartvelian regions on the upper Kura valley, the area would have underwent both periods of fragmentation, but also integration. Notably, king Adarnase IV would unify the eastern Kartvelan regions, including the duchies of Tao-Klarjeti, of Kakheti and Javakheti held as appanages and duchies, as powerful landed vassals. This inland Georgian state was under the ruler of the Bagrationi dynasty, with its own autocephalous church under the Catholicosate of Mtskheta; ths jurisdiction would have also been expanded to include Apkhzeti during the later half of the ninth century. Thus the Catholicosate of Colchis would have been merged with Catholicosate of Mtskheta, unifying the Kartvelian linguistic space in the context of canonical jursidictions
The region of Iberia and Abkhazia would by no means have been linguistically unified. Iberian or Georgian would have dominated the Iberian realm; Lazic would be spoken in Tao-Klarjeti and by Kartvelian speakers in Rhomaic lands; a distinct Kartvelian language would have been spoken in Svaneti, and Mingrelian would have been spoken on the Pontic coast. Furthermore, there would have been speakers also of other Caucasian languages in the area, as well as Rhomaic and Armenian merchants
The Kingdom of Armenia could be found to the south of the Iberian (yes, Iberia is the name under which inland Georgia has been known) realm. Armenia in this period would have mostly been unified as a state under the Bagrationi dynasty. Smaller independent duchies and counties would exist in Syunik, Artsakh and Vaspurakan; and to the west of the borders of Bagrationi Armenia, the followers of the dualistic Gnostic Paulician sect would have established their own state around Tephrike.
The Bagratouni Armenian kingdom would have been located in the valleys of the upper Araxes and the upper Euphrates. The mountainous terrain would have meant a challenge to a centralized state, and the area would actually be ruled inderctly by local aristocracy.
Most of the Paulicians would have been ethnic Armenians, who would have lived in the mountainous borderlands in the eastern part of the Rhomaic Empire; the Paulicians have assimilated by this time the followers of another Gnostic movement, the Archontics.
The Paulician State around Tephrike and in the regions south was by definition hostile to the neighbouring Rhomaic Empire; should the empire be on its offensive, it would have been quite an early target for the empire to invade. The hilly landscape was thus heavily fortified, with many castles appearing in inaccessible terrain. Of course, the Paulician state would have been run as a theocratic realm, ruled by the leaders of the Paulician sect.
Tephrike, the Paulician capital
To the east of Armenia lay the Aghbanian realm. Aghbania would have been under a large cultural influence from neighbouring Armenia, although the area had been vassal to the Khazars. Most of the inhabitants of the inland regions, that is of the Kura and Araxes valleys and plains would have been actually Miaphysites, belonging to the Church of Aghbania, while the coastal areas, mainly the Apsheron peninsula, was inhabited primarily by Tats, an Iranian people, practicising Zurvanism.
Across the ridge of the High Caucasus lie the vast expanses of the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Most of the western steppe would have been continued to be dominated by the Turkic Oghur Khazars, while the areas between the lower Itil River and the Ural River would be roamed by the Cumans, known also as the Polovtsi. Near the source of the Itil River would have been the lands of the Bashkirs, and from there northwestwards was the kingdom of Boulgaria, near the estuary of the Kama River into the Itil.
Volga Boulgaria would have commanded much of the trade between the Varangians, the Khazars and the Permian peoples. Indeed, the city of Bulgar was a major fur market and also a contact point for the Uralic tribes. As for the ethnic makeup of the Bolgarian population, the majority would have been Turkic, with some Uralic admixture as well. The Oghur Turkic tribes were: Sabir, Barsil, Bilar ,Balanjar; also Uralic tribes of Esegel and Paskatir.
The Khazar khanate would be in a decline by the late ninth century, with its major settlements being on the coast of the Caspian (or as it was known back then, the Khazar) Sea. These would include Semender, Balanjar and Derbent. The cities of Atil (1), Sarkel and Tana (2) would have been major Khazar cities on the river banks, serving also as administrative and military centers, but also as major trade posts.
Apart from the dominating Khazars, there would have been also many Armenian merchant sliving in the cities, mainly in Atil and the Daghestani coast, the western parts not so much, who would have established a major foothold of Miaphysite chrisitianity in the realm. The Alans dwelling on the northern foothills of the Caucasus, along with the Cricassians, would have become a major target for Rhomaic missionaries. The western borders of Khazaria would remain on the lower Dnieper, with Khazaria controlling also the greater part of Crimea; populated mostly by Orthodox Crimean Goths, an eastern Germanic people.
Khazars art
The Khazars had allowed Variags to sail through their lands and raid other countries further south, on condition with sharing the loot. While this arrangement was alright for the time being, who knows for how long will the Rus and the Khazars be able to cooperate.
West of the Khazars, between the lower Dnieper and the Dniester rivers would be the land of the Pechenegs. They were a people closely related to the Khazars, and in their westward movement, they expelled the Magyars living in the area previously.
The Rhomaic Emperors sought to get the newly displaced Magyars, a Finno-Ugric people dwellin g previously in the same lands the Pechenegs have conquered, to attack the biggest Rhomaic headache in the Balkans, called Bulgaria.
With strong Rhomaic border defences on the Haemos (3) Mountains, the Bulgarian state was restricted to the lower Danube basin that is Lower Moesia, Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania.
The late ninth century was marked by the rule of Boris I. (852-889). Careful manoevering would have allowed Boris to assert autocephaly; all Rhomaic preists were banished, and Slavic priests, exiled from Moravia would be welcomed. Furthermore, Italian missionaries from Benevento would have been invited to Bulgaria as well, establishing themselves mainly in the region of Oltenia.
Boris welcoming the disciples of Cyril and Methodius
As a result of the proximity of Rhomaic borders, the location of the capital at Pliska is changed for Severin, lying at the Iron Gate of the Danube at the Danube gorge. This change of the capital city means also a shift in the cultural indetity of the Bulgarian state. Severin is located actually at the center of the Vlach ethnic region – should there be any other city in the Bulgarian realm with more East Romance speakers that would possibly have been Vidin. Such a decision would be in stark contrast to adopting Church Slavonic
Thus Bulgaria would become known in Latin documents as “Regnum Bulgarorum et Blachorum”, with the Bulgars being the Slavic inhabitants of the realm, and the Vlachs being the eastern Romance peoples inhabiting the country. The Slavs would have by now mostly assimilated the Turkic population, and populate the lowland region of Moesia, Walachia and Moldavia, as well as the Transylvanian basin. The Vlachs would dominate the region of Dacia Ripense, Oltenia and the valleys of the Carpathian Mountains.
The Western Balkans continue to be a rather disunited region, fragmented into the realms of Rashka (Serbia) Duklia (Montenegro), Pagania (Herzegovina) and Croatia, which would by now unify the lands from Lika to the Bosna River.
The lands between the Sava and the Drava would have been known as Savia, or Pannonian Croatia, and be a vassal of East Francia.
Ultimately there was the realm of Moravia. With its core at the Moravia and Váh basins, this early West Slavic State would halt Frankish eastward expansion. Although not pagans anymore, King Rastislav sought to end continuous Frankish interference by putting a halt to Frankish influence among the clergy. This was stopped by the Rhomaic mission of Saint Cyril and Methodius, who would have established an independent Slavic liturgy, while remaining under the jurisdiction of Rome.
This was changed by his successor Svätopluk, who favoured Latin liturgy, and achieved great military glory in expanding the borders of the realm, to incorporate Bohemia, Pannonia, Vistulia, Silesia and Sorbia.
However, after his death, the realm fell into a succession crisis and a civil war between Mojmír II. And Svätopluk II. The Magyars would take advantage and seize the Pannonia basin…
Magyar Blood oath
(1) Near Astrakhan
(2) Near Azov
(3) Balkan
The Caucasian Mountains are sometimes perceived as the border separating the European and Asian continents. To the south of these mountains is the area drained by the Kura and the Araxes rivers, by the Rioni, which is known as the southern Caucasus.
The kingdom of Apkhazeti, known to Rhomaic sources as Lazica and to most of us as Abkhazia, would continue to maintain its independence on the eastern shore of the Pontic Sea, beneath the ridges of the Caucasus, to encompass Sukhumi, but also Mingrelia, Imereti and Guria. With its capital at Kutaisi, this kingdom would have remained open to Rhomaic cultural and ecclesiastical influences.
For the Kartvelian regions on the upper Kura valley, the area would have underwent both periods of fragmentation, but also integration. Notably, king Adarnase IV would unify the eastern Kartvelan regions, including the duchies of Tao-Klarjeti, of Kakheti and Javakheti held as appanages and duchies, as powerful landed vassals. This inland Georgian state was under the ruler of the Bagrationi dynasty, with its own autocephalous church under the Catholicosate of Mtskheta; ths jurisdiction would have also been expanded to include Apkhzeti during the later half of the ninth century. Thus the Catholicosate of Colchis would have been merged with Catholicosate of Mtskheta, unifying the Kartvelian linguistic space in the context of canonical jursidictions
The region of Iberia and Abkhazia would by no means have been linguistically unified. Iberian or Georgian would have dominated the Iberian realm; Lazic would be spoken in Tao-Klarjeti and by Kartvelian speakers in Rhomaic lands; a distinct Kartvelian language would have been spoken in Svaneti, and Mingrelian would have been spoken on the Pontic coast. Furthermore, there would have been speakers also of other Caucasian languages in the area, as well as Rhomaic and Armenian merchants
The Kingdom of Armenia could be found to the south of the Iberian (yes, Iberia is the name under which inland Georgia has been known) realm. Armenia in this period would have mostly been unified as a state under the Bagrationi dynasty. Smaller independent duchies and counties would exist in Syunik, Artsakh and Vaspurakan; and to the west of the borders of Bagrationi Armenia, the followers of the dualistic Gnostic Paulician sect would have established their own state around Tephrike.
The Bagratouni Armenian kingdom would have been located in the valleys of the upper Araxes and the upper Euphrates. The mountainous terrain would have meant a challenge to a centralized state, and the area would actually be ruled inderctly by local aristocracy.
Most of the Paulicians would have been ethnic Armenians, who would have lived in the mountainous borderlands in the eastern part of the Rhomaic Empire; the Paulicians have assimilated by this time the followers of another Gnostic movement, the Archontics.
The Paulician State around Tephrike and in the regions south was by definition hostile to the neighbouring Rhomaic Empire; should the empire be on its offensive, it would have been quite an early target for the empire to invade. The hilly landscape was thus heavily fortified, with many castles appearing in inaccessible terrain. Of course, the Paulician state would have been run as a theocratic realm, ruled by the leaders of the Paulician sect.
Tephrike, the Paulician capital
To the east of Armenia lay the Aghbanian realm. Aghbania would have been under a large cultural influence from neighbouring Armenia, although the area had been vassal to the Khazars. Most of the inhabitants of the inland regions, that is of the Kura and Araxes valleys and plains would have been actually Miaphysites, belonging to the Church of Aghbania, while the coastal areas, mainly the Apsheron peninsula, was inhabited primarily by Tats, an Iranian people, practicising Zurvanism.
Across the ridge of the High Caucasus lie the vast expanses of the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Most of the western steppe would have been continued to be dominated by the Turkic Oghur Khazars, while the areas between the lower Itil River and the Ural River would be roamed by the Cumans, known also as the Polovtsi. Near the source of the Itil River would have been the lands of the Bashkirs, and from there northwestwards was the kingdom of Boulgaria, near the estuary of the Kama River into the Itil.
Volga Boulgaria would have commanded much of the trade between the Varangians, the Khazars and the Permian peoples. Indeed, the city of Bulgar was a major fur market and also a contact point for the Uralic tribes. As for the ethnic makeup of the Bolgarian population, the majority would have been Turkic, with some Uralic admixture as well. The Oghur Turkic tribes were: Sabir, Barsil, Bilar ,Balanjar; also Uralic tribes of Esegel and Paskatir.
The Khazar khanate would be in a decline by the late ninth century, with its major settlements being on the coast of the Caspian (or as it was known back then, the Khazar) Sea. These would include Semender, Balanjar and Derbent. The cities of Atil (1), Sarkel and Tana (2) would have been major Khazar cities on the river banks, serving also as administrative and military centers, but also as major trade posts.
Apart from the dominating Khazars, there would have been also many Armenian merchant sliving in the cities, mainly in Atil and the Daghestani coast, the western parts not so much, who would have established a major foothold of Miaphysite chrisitianity in the realm. The Alans dwelling on the northern foothills of the Caucasus, along with the Cricassians, would have become a major target for Rhomaic missionaries. The western borders of Khazaria would remain on the lower Dnieper, with Khazaria controlling also the greater part of Crimea; populated mostly by Orthodox Crimean Goths, an eastern Germanic people.
Khazars art
The Khazars had allowed Variags to sail through their lands and raid other countries further south, on condition with sharing the loot. While this arrangement was alright for the time being, who knows for how long will the Rus and the Khazars be able to cooperate.
West of the Khazars, between the lower Dnieper and the Dniester rivers would be the land of the Pechenegs. They were a people closely related to the Khazars, and in their westward movement, they expelled the Magyars living in the area previously.
The Rhomaic Emperors sought to get the newly displaced Magyars, a Finno-Ugric people dwellin g previously in the same lands the Pechenegs have conquered, to attack the biggest Rhomaic headache in the Balkans, called Bulgaria.
With strong Rhomaic border defences on the Haemos (3) Mountains, the Bulgarian state was restricted to the lower Danube basin that is Lower Moesia, Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania.
The late ninth century was marked by the rule of Boris I. (852-889). Careful manoevering would have allowed Boris to assert autocephaly; all Rhomaic preists were banished, and Slavic priests, exiled from Moravia would be welcomed. Furthermore, Italian missionaries from Benevento would have been invited to Bulgaria as well, establishing themselves mainly in the region of Oltenia.
Boris welcoming the disciples of Cyril and Methodius
As a result of the proximity of Rhomaic borders, the location of the capital at Pliska is changed for Severin, lying at the Iron Gate of the Danube at the Danube gorge. This change of the capital city means also a shift in the cultural indetity of the Bulgarian state. Severin is located actually at the center of the Vlach ethnic region – should there be any other city in the Bulgarian realm with more East Romance speakers that would possibly have been Vidin. Such a decision would be in stark contrast to adopting Church Slavonic
Thus Bulgaria would become known in Latin documents as “Regnum Bulgarorum et Blachorum”, with the Bulgars being the Slavic inhabitants of the realm, and the Vlachs being the eastern Romance peoples inhabiting the country. The Slavs would have by now mostly assimilated the Turkic population, and populate the lowland region of Moesia, Walachia and Moldavia, as well as the Transylvanian basin. The Vlachs would dominate the region of Dacia Ripense, Oltenia and the valleys of the Carpathian Mountains.
The Western Balkans continue to be a rather disunited region, fragmented into the realms of Rashka (Serbia) Duklia (Montenegro), Pagania (Herzegovina) and Croatia, which would by now unify the lands from Lika to the Bosna River.
The lands between the Sava and the Drava would have been known as Savia, or Pannonian Croatia, and be a vassal of East Francia.
Ultimately there was the realm of Moravia. With its core at the Moravia and Váh basins, this early West Slavic State would halt Frankish eastward expansion. Although not pagans anymore, King Rastislav sought to end continuous Frankish interference by putting a halt to Frankish influence among the clergy. This was stopped by the Rhomaic mission of Saint Cyril and Methodius, who would have established an independent Slavic liturgy, while remaining under the jurisdiction of Rome.
This was changed by his successor Svätopluk, who favoured Latin liturgy, and achieved great military glory in expanding the borders of the realm, to incorporate Bohemia, Pannonia, Vistulia, Silesia and Sorbia.
However, after his death, the realm fell into a succession crisis and a civil war between Mojmír II. And Svätopluk II. The Magyars would take advantage and seize the Pannonia basin…
Magyar Blood oath
(1) Near Astrakhan
(2) Near Azov
(3) Balkan
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 1.5k