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Chapter 81: The Rise of Armenia and Novgorod
Now we will take a look at Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. The new hegemon of this region is again Armenia[1]. The kings of Armenia have once more managed to unify almost the entirety of the Highlands, except the region of Kharpert.
The Duchy of Kharpert remains a separate independent polity, where Paulicianism actually becomes the official religion; this borderland region on the borders of Rhomaic and Armenian territory has come to develop its separate identity, calling themselves Tzopkeanner[2].
View attachment 510826
Kharpert is a bastion of Paulicianism. Also notice the advances of Orthodoxy along the Daugava (Bishopric of Jersika)
Armenia itself thus unified most of the Highlands, including Syunik, Vaspurakan, and further northwards, they also subjugated Kartlia[3], where the Kartli language takes in a considerable number of loanwords from Armenian. This time also sees the change of the ethnic identity in the region of Tao-Klarjeti (Tayk) from Georgian to Armenian again.
On the other hand, the western Kartvelian kingdom of Lazica or Colchis, facing the Pontic Sea remains independent, and the Mingrelian tongue rises to prominence.
The lands of Aghbania remain under Seljuk rule, although most probably this will not last very long. The middle Kura valley still speak Utyk, the ancient language of Aghbania.
Further northwards, the Alans have become the major power in the area. The Kingdom of Alania has expanded westwards to subjugate the various Circassian tribes, and extending to the Kuban and the Terek Rivers. While Circassian has taken quite a lot of loanwords, especially those regarding Christianity from (Pontic) Greek, other words, regarding to structures of power were taken from Alan[4].
The northeastern parts of the Caucasus remained home to a great variety of tribes: but Khundzia region came to be subjugated by the Kartlian vassals of the Armenians (the region already became Christian). [5]
The coastal regions of the Khazar Sea [6] are becoming again more urbanized, and gradually the people adopt the Khazar language as the tongue to communicate amongst themselves, although in the villages they speak their own languages. The majority religion in this region has in fact become Judaism, and thus this region is one of the few where the majority and the ruling elites are actually Jewish.
We have discussed the realm of the Cumans already, so let us take a look at Eastern Europe now.
The realm of Bolgharia[7] remains one of the few staunchly Manichean realms in the world. Manichean beliefs slowly spread up the Kama River to the Udmurts and also downstream to the nearest Cuman clans.The Bolghars are faithful to the Denawar branch of Manicheism, and Manichean scripture is being translated into the Bolghar language (which is being written using the Manichean alphabet).
The Merya Kingdom is a prosperous realm on its offensive; controlling practically the entire middle Volga basin. Many new bishoprics have been founded, and the Bible was translated to the Merya language (with many Slavonic influences, however). The existence of the separate Metropolitanate at Obran Osh means that even Constantinople recognizes this Finno-Ugric kingdom as realm culturally distinct from the neighbouring East Slavic peoples. The Merya have incorporated the Duchy of Muromia-Ryazania, incorporating the gross majority of the Mordvin into their realm. True, many Mordvin have until no remained pagan.
Marketplace in Novgorod
In the north of the East Slavic lands, arose the Republic of Novgorod. Referred to its citizens as Gosudar Gospodin Velikiy Novgorod [8], this republican city-state situated on Lake Ilmen has come to dominate much of the surrounding region, expanding to the shore of the White Sea and commanding the trade in the region. Trade consisted mainly of furs, sea fauna, salt and other resources, collected by neighbouring Uralic tribes who paid tribute to Novgorod.
View attachment 510823
Languages of Eastern Europe. Notice that the Volga Finnic group remains strong
Thus, while a highly divergent form of the East Slavic language (Novgorodian) is spoken by the townspeople, influences of Scandinavian (North Germanic) and Uralic languages are present in the speech. Novgorodian rule actually did not seek to displace the native tribes, rather for the Novgorodians the native Uralic tribes were important, in fact crucial for their trade, for they knew best where to gather and collect the trade commodities, which were to be exported on the European market.[9]
Nevertheless, some coastal areas of the White Sea were settled by Novgorodian settlers (these people became to be known as Pomors [10]
Politically the head of state was the Posadnik, while the head of the army was called the Tisyatsky; and the city had a parliament called Veche.
Apart from the city itself, the land controlled by Novgorod was divided into pyatinas (fifths), which encompassed the core regions of Novgorodian land, and then volosts, which could be compared to hardly-settled territories, inhabited by tributary tribes.
Further southwards, we have other squabbling Russian principalities, such as Smolensk, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Kiev and Galicia-Volhynia. Out of these, Kiev still appears to be the senior one, yet challenged by Galicia and Chernigov. This is helped also by the fact that Kiev remains the seat of the Metropolitan, and has been considered as the principal Russian city; and the Russians have expanded a little southwards, ploughing some of the land that was formerly the Steppe and used to belong to the Cumans
The Duchy of Polotsk was, however, conquered by Lithuanians, a Baltic tribe, while its Latgalian vassals at Jersike have broken themselves free. This Latgalian duchy appears to have unified much of the region around the Daugava River, to include also Semigallia and Selonia, as well as parts of Livonia.
Similarly, the Curonians have unified the western coast, from the Gulf of Riga to the Nemunas estuary; they were feared pirates, and the Scandinavians have sent numerous expeditions against them.
Ultimately, there were the consolidating duchies of Lithuania, Sudovia and Prussia. Apart from Latgallia, the rest of these tribal chiefdoms were pagan; although Lithuanians have conquered quite a large number of Russian subjects in the Duchy of Polotsk.
As for now, Lithuania and Lattgalia appear to be close into entering the eastern cultural sphere, while Curonia and Prussia might enter the western world. Sudovia remains a big unknown, however. Anyway, things may change, but this is the state of the Baltics as they are right now.
View attachment 510824
in the end, a political map of Eastern Europe.
[1] In OTL, Georgia has come to be the hegemon of the region. Here, Armenia, because it was not hit as badly by the Seljuks, nor suffered under the Arabs, rises to prominence.
[2] Derived from the name Tzopk (Sophene, a historical region roughly in the smae area)
[3] Eastern Georgia, mainly in the Kura valley
[4] Ossetian language
[5] Really, one must not forget that Georgian did in fact have real contacts with peoples beyond the Caucasus, and by the twelfth century, a large majority of them were baptized by priests from Georgia (or Alania).
[6] We are speaking of the Dagestani Coast
[7] Kingdom of Volga Bulgaria, centred on the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers, roughly around Kazan
[8] His majest, Lord Novgorod the Great
[9] I envision Novogorod like the Hudson Bay company, relying on pioneers trading with the native Americans...
[10] Who
View attachment 510827
Who expects a republic so far north?
The Duchy of Kharpert remains a separate independent polity, where Paulicianism actually becomes the official religion; this borderland region on the borders of Rhomaic and Armenian territory has come to develop its separate identity, calling themselves Tzopkeanner[2].
View attachment 510826
Kharpert is a bastion of Paulicianism. Also notice the advances of Orthodoxy along the Daugava (Bishopric of Jersika)
Armenia itself thus unified most of the Highlands, including Syunik, Vaspurakan, and further northwards, they also subjugated Kartlia[3], where the Kartli language takes in a considerable number of loanwords from Armenian. This time also sees the change of the ethnic identity in the region of Tao-Klarjeti (Tayk) from Georgian to Armenian again.
On the other hand, the western Kartvelian kingdom of Lazica or Colchis, facing the Pontic Sea remains independent, and the Mingrelian tongue rises to prominence.
The lands of Aghbania remain under Seljuk rule, although most probably this will not last very long. The middle Kura valley still speak Utyk, the ancient language of Aghbania.
Further northwards, the Alans have become the major power in the area. The Kingdom of Alania has expanded westwards to subjugate the various Circassian tribes, and extending to the Kuban and the Terek Rivers. While Circassian has taken quite a lot of loanwords, especially those regarding Christianity from (Pontic) Greek, other words, regarding to structures of power were taken from Alan[4].
The northeastern parts of the Caucasus remained home to a great variety of tribes: but Khundzia region came to be subjugated by the Kartlian vassals of the Armenians (the region already became Christian). [5]
The coastal regions of the Khazar Sea [6] are becoming again more urbanized, and gradually the people adopt the Khazar language as the tongue to communicate amongst themselves, although in the villages they speak their own languages. The majority religion in this region has in fact become Judaism, and thus this region is one of the few where the majority and the ruling elites are actually Jewish.
We have discussed the realm of the Cumans already, so let us take a look at Eastern Europe now.
The realm of Bolgharia[7] remains one of the few staunchly Manichean realms in the world. Manichean beliefs slowly spread up the Kama River to the Udmurts and also downstream to the nearest Cuman clans.The Bolghars are faithful to the Denawar branch of Manicheism, and Manichean scripture is being translated into the Bolghar language (which is being written using the Manichean alphabet).
The Merya Kingdom is a prosperous realm on its offensive; controlling practically the entire middle Volga basin. Many new bishoprics have been founded, and the Bible was translated to the Merya language (with many Slavonic influences, however). The existence of the separate Metropolitanate at Obran Osh means that even Constantinople recognizes this Finno-Ugric kingdom as realm culturally distinct from the neighbouring East Slavic peoples. The Merya have incorporated the Duchy of Muromia-Ryazania, incorporating the gross majority of the Mordvin into their realm. True, many Mordvin have until no remained pagan.
Marketplace in Novgorod
In the north of the East Slavic lands, arose the Republic of Novgorod. Referred to its citizens as Gosudar Gospodin Velikiy Novgorod [8], this republican city-state situated on Lake Ilmen has come to dominate much of the surrounding region, expanding to the shore of the White Sea and commanding the trade in the region. Trade consisted mainly of furs, sea fauna, salt and other resources, collected by neighbouring Uralic tribes who paid tribute to Novgorod.
View attachment 510823
Languages of Eastern Europe. Notice that the Volga Finnic group remains strong
Thus, while a highly divergent form of the East Slavic language (Novgorodian) is spoken by the townspeople, influences of Scandinavian (North Germanic) and Uralic languages are present in the speech. Novgorodian rule actually did not seek to displace the native tribes, rather for the Novgorodians the native Uralic tribes were important, in fact crucial for their trade, for they knew best where to gather and collect the trade commodities, which were to be exported on the European market.[9]
Nevertheless, some coastal areas of the White Sea were settled by Novgorodian settlers (these people became to be known as Pomors [10]
Politically the head of state was the Posadnik, while the head of the army was called the Tisyatsky; and the city had a parliament called Veche.
Apart from the city itself, the land controlled by Novgorod was divided into pyatinas (fifths), which encompassed the core regions of Novgorodian land, and then volosts, which could be compared to hardly-settled territories, inhabited by tributary tribes.
Further southwards, we have other squabbling Russian principalities, such as Smolensk, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Kiev and Galicia-Volhynia. Out of these, Kiev still appears to be the senior one, yet challenged by Galicia and Chernigov. This is helped also by the fact that Kiev remains the seat of the Metropolitan, and has been considered as the principal Russian city; and the Russians have expanded a little southwards, ploughing some of the land that was formerly the Steppe and used to belong to the Cumans
The Duchy of Polotsk was, however, conquered by Lithuanians, a Baltic tribe, while its Latgalian vassals at Jersike have broken themselves free. This Latgalian duchy appears to have unified much of the region around the Daugava River, to include also Semigallia and Selonia, as well as parts of Livonia.
Similarly, the Curonians have unified the western coast, from the Gulf of Riga to the Nemunas estuary; they were feared pirates, and the Scandinavians have sent numerous expeditions against them.
Ultimately, there were the consolidating duchies of Lithuania, Sudovia and Prussia. Apart from Latgallia, the rest of these tribal chiefdoms were pagan; although Lithuanians have conquered quite a large number of Russian subjects in the Duchy of Polotsk.
As for now, Lithuania and Lattgalia appear to be close into entering the eastern cultural sphere, while Curonia and Prussia might enter the western world. Sudovia remains a big unknown, however. Anyway, things may change, but this is the state of the Baltics as they are right now.
View attachment 510824
in the end, a political map of Eastern Europe.
[1] In OTL, Georgia has come to be the hegemon of the region. Here, Armenia, because it was not hit as badly by the Seljuks, nor suffered under the Arabs, rises to prominence.
[2] Derived from the name Tzopk (Sophene, a historical region roughly in the smae area)
[3] Eastern Georgia, mainly in the Kura valley
[4] Ossetian language
[5] Really, one must not forget that Georgian did in fact have real contacts with peoples beyond the Caucasus, and by the twelfth century, a large majority of them were baptized by priests from Georgia (or Alania).
[6] We are speaking of the Dagestani Coast
[7] Kingdom of Volga Bulgaria, centred on the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers, roughly around Kazan
[8] His majest, Lord Novgorod the Great
[9] I envision Novogorod like the Hudson Bay company, relying on pioneers trading with the native Americans...
[10] Who
View attachment 510827
Who expects a republic so far north?
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 1.2k