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CIF: Turkic Invasions of Persia
Thank you for those kind words!
The Yabghu Turks invaded Eastern Persia in larger numbers in the 10th and 11th centuries. This was the border region of the Ismaili world, and had proven difficult to handle ever since it was conquered. Local Zoroastrian-Persian bandit lords had waged low level warfare against the Ismaili’s ever since the final chapter of the Four Cardinal Campaigns. The Turks found them eager allies. After defeat at the Battle of Veh-Ardashir in 1034, the Ismaili Tayifa began the gradual process of withdrawal back towards its “line of actual control”, roughly from Rasht to Bushehr, giving up much of Persia to the Yabghu-Persian alliance. This saw the foundation of the Yabghu Empire, which would gradually expand east towards India after the Ismailis fended off another attempt to push West.
In 1225, the Yabghu were at the height of power, with its eastern border on the Indus. The howling winds of the steppe brought this to an end. The Green Banner Horde of the Khitan came slamming in, breaking up the Empire and bringing it to heel under the Khitan Khaganate. The collapse of the Khaganate in 1385 has seen various Turco-Persian states arise in competition, each seeking to restore the old Empire.
Turkic invasions that swung around the Caspian also had effects on the Caucasus, but the Rhomanians and Rus in Yarkaya managed to prevent them from pushing entirely into Anatolia.
The Turco-Persians are Zoroastrian on the whole, keeping the sacred fires alive, though there is a smattering of Buddhists, Nestorians, and Isnailis.
I've been curious about what you were going to do with the Turkic Invasions of Persia and Anatolia for ages. It is sure to be a fascinating affair with that the huge butterflies that came with the butterflying away of Islam, the Slavic settlement in Anatolia and the presence of the Onoghur's.
This has been one of my favorite timelines so far, I hope it continues for a long time
Thank you for those kind words!
The Yabghu Turks invaded Eastern Persia in larger numbers in the 10th and 11th centuries. This was the border region of the Ismaili world, and had proven difficult to handle ever since it was conquered. Local Zoroastrian-Persian bandit lords had waged low level warfare against the Ismaili’s ever since the final chapter of the Four Cardinal Campaigns. The Turks found them eager allies. After defeat at the Battle of Veh-Ardashir in 1034, the Ismaili Tayifa began the gradual process of withdrawal back towards its “line of actual control”, roughly from Rasht to Bushehr, giving up much of Persia to the Yabghu-Persian alliance. This saw the foundation of the Yabghu Empire, which would gradually expand east towards India after the Ismailis fended off another attempt to push West.
In 1225, the Yabghu were at the height of power, with its eastern border on the Indus. The howling winds of the steppe brought this to an end. The Green Banner Horde of the Khitan came slamming in, breaking up the Empire and bringing it to heel under the Khitan Khaganate. The collapse of the Khaganate in 1385 has seen various Turco-Persian states arise in competition, each seeking to restore the old Empire.
Turkic invasions that swung around the Caspian also had effects on the Caucasus, but the Rhomanians and Rus in Yarkaya managed to prevent them from pushing entirely into Anatolia.
The Turco-Persians are Zoroastrian on the whole, keeping the sacred fires alive, though there is a smattering of Buddhists, Nestorians, and Isnailis.
- Rognvald
- Word Count: 260