A History of Alyska to the year 1800.

[Count of Crisco]

Starting in the early part of the fifteenth century a number of voyagers began to set out from European ports, mostly Portuguese. Initially intending to discover a route to the orient and east Asia these voyagers would initiate the age of discovery. With the discovery of the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in 1419 and 1427 allowing Portuguese voyagers a useful jumping off point to allow new and improved Portuguese vessels to range ever farther into the oceans. Sailors from Portugal (many of whom where Italian, but working under the employ of the Portuguese government) next discovering the coast of west Africa in 1434.

By the end of the century the Portuguese would have established an oceanic route to India, cutting out the Ottoman and Venetian merchants which had previously dominated the trade with the subcontinent and wider Asian world.

Well aware of the Portuguese efforts to find a navigable route around Africa the newly unified dual crowns of Aragon and Castile would sponsor several of their own voyagers to attempt to jump Portuguese efforts.

One of these sailors was the Genoese Christopher Columbus (Christoforo Colombo in Italian) who during 1492-1493 set out on what became his first voyage with three ships. Aiming to discover a new and faster route to the Indies by sailing west rather than around the African continent. Needless to say he failed, instead of landing in India he instead made landfall on a small island on the 12th of October 1492 after many weeks at sea. Visiting several Caribbean islands and making contact with native peoples before he set sail for home, bringing several natives with him and also leaving a small contingent behind.

Columbus would not learn until later that he had failed in his mission to discover a new route to the indies. But his expedition, and subsequent voyages, would be the first of many such European missions to what was soon realized to be anew world. Or at least a world new to the Europeans.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Following the battle of Ixlaca in 1488 the two factions in Alyska which had been at oneanothers throats since the breakdown of the Ashikaga shogun in the early part of the century had begun to fall apart. With both sides turning against one another as the defeated cities blamed one another for their defeat, while the victors fought over the spoils of their victory.

This period initially saw the last few remaining smaller states absorbed into larger polities. With five major states emerging to dominance by the beginning of the sixteenth century. These being Uniyoshima, Nexo, Aria, Naaro, and Singoshu (see map for locations) in descending order of power. For some time it seemed that these states would continue to conglomerate into even larger states through a mixture of combat and alliance. However it was not to be.

A tense peace would descend on Alyska as fighting died off in the 1490s as the different states were forced to halt their fighting to lick their wounds and recoup the massive losses they had taken in Ixlaca. The temporary peace was not expected to last by any side.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Short, and very late update today setting up the stage for events in Alyska after a few diversionary posts explaining whats going on in the rest of the world at the time. The next few updates I am planning on will explore the formation of the Tlingit kingdom, the splintering of the Japanese states in Alyska, and the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate back in Japan. In more or less that order.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Forgot to mention but I am out of town, took a last minute trip, and so cant do an update to the TL at the moment.

 

[Pio2013]

Forgot to mention but I am out of town, took a last minute trip, and so cant do an update to the TL at the moment.

No problem, im enjoying this Alyska.

Im willing to see how will hold these Artic Shogunates.

 

[Count of Crisco]

No problem, im enjoying this Alyska.

Im willing to see how will hold these Artic Shogunates.

I hope not to disappoint.

 

[Count of Crisco]

The early Tlingit kingdom under Anxiou II

While the Japanese city states were tearing themselves apart in the south, in the north the still young Tlingit kingdom was facing its own issues as the new king Ainxiou II attempted to effectively govern the kingdom he had inherited from his late father. A kingdom which had been won and held together largely through the personal reputation and power of Ainxiou I.

With the death of the first Tlingit great king many of the vassals and tribes of the kingdom began pushing for independence from Axaa. Either rebelling openly and making war on the new king, or else quietly stopping their payment of tribute and taxes to the king.

Obviously this sudden lack of revenue could not stand, to say nothing of the rebellion of his vassal tribes, both open and quiet. But Anxiou II was limited in his ability to effectively respond to these challenges to his power through military force as large parts of the army had returned home with the death of Anxiou I. Claiming that they owed their loyalty to the dead king, not his son.

Anxiou quickly found his kingdom, a nation he had worked alongside his father for decades to help build, falling apart before his very eyes, and he was unable to stop it from happening because he lacked money to pay an army. What he needed was a miracle. And a miracle is precisely what he would stumble upon.

 

[Count of Crisco]

I have been busy the past few days, but expect an update out later today.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Ainxiou reasserts control.
While few chose to accept his authority within the kingdom Ainxiou did have his allies. Mostly those he had worked closely with during his fathers reign. And this support allowed him to maintain at least the official title of king, with several key vassals choosing not to declare their independence outright.

While he would officially retain the title of king Ainxiou II was largely a prisoner within the capital of Axaa. Merely one of the numerous local settlements with their own military forces, albeit a fairly large one. Obviously for the son of a powerful ruler with his own ambitions for power this could not stand.

But the fact was that given his own relatively limited strength Ainxiou could not risk open war against the “vassals” which were being less than compliant wit his will without running the risk of open rebellion. And without the money to afford a larger military it was unlikely that even his present position would continue. And money was something he was increasingly short of as the taxes owed by his vassals were ever more late.

But Ainxiou was not only a competent military leader, who had aided in the conquest of the kingdom in a not insignificant way, but he was also a savvy politician with a keen knowledge of the situation around his kingdom.

Notably Ainxiou was well aware of the ongoing situation in the south. Where the Japanese city states were undergoing the opening phases of their own troubles. Many Japanese were looking to escape the chaos gripping their own homeland, both in the Japanese mainland, and Alyska. These people were looking for land to settle and jobs where they could employ their skills.

As the chaos engulfed the south Ainxiou saw his opportunity. Offering extensive rewards for those Japanese who came north to work for his kingdom. Promising them wealth, jobs, and land in exchange for their service to him. Soon he had thousands of Japanese arriving to serve him.

He did not have money to pay them of course. But he had a plan which he hoped would soon solve all his problems and secure his position as king for some time to come.

 

[Count of Crisco]

A little sneak peak of things to come.

 

[Pio2013]

Alyskan script?

 

[Count of Crisco]

Alyskan script?

Kinda sorta. It wont come up for awhile but it's something I have been working on and figured I would share.

 

[Count of Crisco]

So I am struggling with a bit of writers block, well more like distraction. You see I have this timeline planned out loosely to the present. Currently I find myself fixated on the 1940s period, basically I am distracted by something else and while I have motivation to write, its not in this era. Going to watch some videos on the Sengoku period, and read a bit on it as well to try and transition back into things.

In the meantime two things come to mind that I want to do, the first is to just briefly summarize the situation in Alyska in the period. Currently the Japanese have broken down into several city states of varying size, with regional power blocks forming around the largest of the states. A brutal war has just concluded pitting a faction loyal to the Shogun against independents which has ended in the defeat of the loyalists, but the disintegration of both alliances. In the north meanwhile the Tlingit Kingdom is also experiencing a period of internal instability following the death of the first king. With his son so far unable to command the same level of authority as his father. Factions are forming and armies coalescing across the entire region in preparation for another round of fighting.

The second thing I wanted to quickly touch on was to see if anyone had any questions about the timeline so far? Anything you found confusing, or not adequately explained? Any issues with the plausibility of a part of the timeline? Or just questions you have about how things will develop going forward? If so please say so and I will try and explain things as best I can.

 

[Stretch]

So I am struggling with a bit of writers block, well more like distraction. You see I have this timeline planned out loosely to the present. Currently I find myself fixated on the 1940s period, basically I am distracted by something else and while I have motivation to write, its not in this era. Going to watch some videos on the Sengoku period, and read a bit on it as well to try and transition back into things.

In the meantime two things come to mind that I want to do, the first is to just briefly summarize the situation in Alyska in the period. Currently the Japanese have broken down into several city states of varying size, with regional power blocks forming around the largest of the states. A brutal war has just concluded pitting a faction loyal to the Shogun against independents which has ended in the defeat of the loyalists, but the disintegration of both alliances. In the north meanwhile the Tlingit Kingdom is also experiencing a period of internal instability following the death of the first king. With his son so far unable to command the same level of authority as his father. Factions are forming and armies coalescing across the entire region in preparation for another round of fighting.

The second thing I wanted to quickly touch on was to see if anyone had any questions about the timeline so far? Anything you found confusing, or not adequately explained? Any issues with the plausibility of a part of the timeline? Or just questions you have about how things will develop going forward? If so please say so and I will try and explain things as best I can.

Any plans to make a map/commission a map to show how things look like on the ground in Alyska at the moment?

 

[Count of Crisco]

Any plans to make a map/commission a map to show how things look like on the ground in Alyska at the moment?

Not presently. Making maps is on my to do list. But they take time I don't currently have. And I am not in a place to spend money on a commissioned map no matter how badly I may want it.

 

[Count of Crisco]

By 1493 Ainxiou had his hand forced. What funds he did have were gone and with them his time to prepare. He would need to act fast if he were to ever restore the power of his house and excerpt full control over his kingdom again. And with this in mind he began to accelerate his plans as soon as possible.

He called a council with all the lords and nobles in the kingdom to be held in Axaa in spring of 1494, notably he required that all his nobles be there, a departure from prior language he had used in his addresses which struck a more polite tone.

The king would spend the winter performing last minute checks, planning out the coming campaign, and organizing his forces. He did not send further letters to the lords to see if they would meet with him. Instead he did his best to project nothing but strength and authority. He was king and anyone who did not attend his council would face the consequences.

By the time the snow melted and the country thawed a majority of the nobles and lords from the kingdom chose to attend the kings conference. Many having their curiosity piqued at the sudden shift in tone in the letters the king had sent them and wondering what game he was playing at.

Axaa was crowded with troops, many of them Japanese troops. All flying the kings banner. This further raised the interest of the nobles and they hurried to attend to the king in the recently completed royal palace at the heart of the city.

Ainxiou addressed his nobles in full battle dress. A further sign that war was coming. It is said that the king let his nobles speak amongst themselves for several minutes before he said anything to them directly, instead addressing his attendants.

But he did not let them wait very long before he announced that he planned to launch an invasion of the south. Capturing the rich Japanese lands beyond the kingdoms current borders and adding them to his own personal holdings. Any who did not support this war would be dealt with, their authority removed, and their lands seized. This done the king then left, leaving the stunned nobles to think over what had been said.

 

[Count of Crisco]

I am working on a timeline right now. By that I mean a year by year recap of events, not a timeline like you are currently reading.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Part One, the Campaign Begins. Spring of 1494.

Ainxiou had been gathering his forces for his planned invasion of the south since 1493, so he had very little left to do before he sent his forces out to begin the invasion. However, his nobles who had been caught flatfooted by his announced plans, would take significantly longer to get their fighting bands properly assembled. This would take until the very end of the fighting season.

The king had anticipated that however and included it into his plans. His own forces would spend the spring and summer months taking as much land as possible, aiming for the rich trade center of Arai, and once they were nearly exhausted then the nobles forces would be used to garrison the captured territory.

Ainxiou’s main forces were a mix of Tlingit and Japanese troops. Promised great wealth, land and power by the king many Japanese had gone over to his side. Many of these having been on the losing side of the Senso war and thus eager for revenge. At the time Japanese had not yet become the language of the Tlingit court, and thus few of Ainxiou’s native troops understood their Japanese counterparts. Making cooperation between the two elements difficult to impossible.

The campaign began with the kings forces assaulting the town of Jengessi, a fortified border town that Tlingit and Japanese troops had fought over in the past, but had been firmly held by Japanese forces since the 1430s.

Jengessi fell quickly, its lord and people putting up only token resistance before Ainxiou offered them favorable terms of surrender. He did not want to get his forces stuck into a lengthy siege of a relatively unimportant border town.

With the Jengessi mountain pass now in his control and the snow melting early, Ainxiou quickly split his forces off into several smaller groups and sent them out into the Pengai valley below him. As spring turned to summer his troops had captured several further settlements, though none were of any great size. And the Japanese were beginning to realize what was going on.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Hoping to have an update out Saturday, I have stuff to do sadly. Next week I am also busy and wont have the chance to write much, so hoping to have a longer post out tomorrow.

 

[Orisha91]

The second thing I wanted to quickly touch on was to see if anyone had any questions about the timeline so far? Anything you found confusing, or not adequately explained? Any issues with the plausibility of a part of the timeline? Or just questions you have about how things will develop going forward? If so please say so and I will try and explain things as best I can.

It would be interesting if the Tlingit kingdom ended up accidentally conquering their way into a small empire. A probably weak and decentralized empire, but still one that could add some prestige even if it's only in name.