alternatehistory.com

Middle East 1600-50

Retcon first:
1575: The army topples and kills sultan Kay Qubadh V after having lost two wars, replacing him with his son Mas'ud IV.
In the same year, Muslim refugees from Naples (mostly merchants replaced by the Florentines, but some scientists too) arrive in Constantinople. The bring the printing press, which was used until then only in Seljuk Italy (and Austria, which was Seljuk only for a few deacdes anyway). The mighty guilds of the calligraphers protest.

1581: The sultan rules that the printing press may be used for government jobs only. This will lead in the long run to a better administration, higher literacy and wider spread science in the Seljuk empire.

1584: The young sultan makes treaties with Persia and Choresm, the other big Muslim powers, to be able to use his full power against the Europeans.

Middle East 1600-50:

1599-1604: England-Castille-Portugal and France fight the Seljuks together. In the peace of Naples, Seljuks have to give parts of South Italy (Pescara, Benevent) to Florence, the Ionian islands and Crete to Venice, the Sinai to France and core Hungary to Bourbon Hungary. All of Algeria and Tunisia are left to E-C-P.

1605: France starts building many ships in Suez, making it a big trade center, starts competing with Arabs for trade in the Indian Ocean.
Mas'ud IV is toppled by the army and replaced by his brother Süleyman VI.

1606-13: Russian-Kuman War. The Dvoryan republic of Polovtsia now covers all the lands between Don and Dnepr, except for Tauria (the bit between Crimea and last part of Dnepr). The Seljuks are unable to support their tributary.

1610s: Arab pirates start plundering coastal cities of Vijayanagar.

1623: Arab pirates defeated by a combined navy of Hindu and Hong. Maledives lost.

1629: France uses the opportunity to grab Algeria, where the Castillian rule isn't firm enough yet. In the following centuries, it becomes a source for slaves and a place of settlement for French and other Southern Europeans (coming from as far as Bavaria, Austria and Hungary).

1635-46: Second French-Seljuk War. In the peace of Györ, Bourbon Hungary acquires Croatia, Slavonia, Transsylvania and the Banat, Venice the Peloponnes, Florence the northern half of South Italy. The Italians grumble, however, because they think their share is too small.

1638: Grand Duke Piero III of Florence dies fighting the Seljuks.

1647: After the lost war, sultan Mas'ud V is toppled by the army too, replaced with his young son Kilij Arslan V.

Since 1650: Seperated from the rest of the Seljuk empire, the governors of Egypt start to aim for more independence.

After the fifth defeat in a row, Seljuk intellectuals (for lack of a better word) suggest a different policy - instead of trying to regain a foot in Europe, the Empire should try to build up a "Greater Seljuk Empire", including many areas in Persia and Choresm, like the empire of sultan Saladin.

Read [post=716094]about a remnant of the Seljuks in Europe[/post]!


Bonus: Seljuk Sultans 1350-1650
Kay Khusrau IV (in Rum) 1348-77
Kilij Arslan IV (in Konya) 1348-57
Kay Qubadh III 1377-90
Süleyman III 1390-1421
Mas'ud III 1421-39
Süleyman IV 1439-65
Kay Khusrau V 1465-75
Kay Qubadh IV 1475-96
Kay Khusrau VI 1496-1514

Süleyman V 1514-33
Kay Khusrau VII 1533-62
Kay Qubadh V 1562-75
Mas'ud IV 1575-1605
Süleyman VI 1605-12
Kay Khusrau VIII 1612-43
Mas'ud V 1643-47
Kilij Arslan V 1647-