A House of Lamps: A Moorish America
- Thread starter dontfearme22
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Is that the African West coast , more specifically Ghana ?
A Defiant Empire
The Purépecha are a group native to western Mishica [Mexico]. They formed the powerful Tarascan empire (Iréchecua Tzintzuntzáni) in the 14th century, and even long after the first Arab conquests in the region they retained power and independence while their traditional rivals all collapsed. Growing Arab political interference and economic stagnation eventually ground the empire down, pushing its last few emperors to cede more and more power away until they were but a figurehead inside the Arab colonial administration. Long after the loss of the empire as a distinctively sovereign state the Tarascan ‘emperor’ still existed, an unbroken line going back to Pre-Islamic times.
When Arabs reached the mainland, their first concern was always the sprawling Mishica Empire [Aztec]. Pushed up against the Pacific Ocean in a mountainous, densely forested region they were isolated from Arab mercenaries and traders coming from their southeast. The Mishicans and Tarascans fought frequently, but the Mishicans could never overpower the empire. Arab forces drastically changed the dynamic in the region. Disease ravaged the local peoples which upended the old political order. Arabs took advantage of this to insert themselves into local affairs. They pitted different rulers against each-other, campaigning when it suited them to extract resources and favorable deals from local leaders desperate to shore up their positions.
The Mishica Empire was at the center of this. A devastating Arab invasion in 1489 left Tenochtitlan, the capital, in ruins, and gave many Mishican vassal states the chance they needed to break the imperial yoke. The Tarascans took advantage of this to invade, seizing the contested frontier zone to the Mishican west, putting Tarascan armies within a days march of the capital. Successive emperors recaptured some lost territories to the north and east, but could never truly beat the Tarascans back from their gains. The Mishicans increasingly turned to defensive warfare, building networks of fortifications across their empire called chicalotlatoni that helped repulse later Tarascan invasions. Despite this, the writing was on the wall. The Arabs were always expanding their territory, placing new economic demands, and spreading their cultural influence to the detriment of local sovereignty. Over the course of the 16th century the Mishica state slowly fell under the control of Arab authorities who used the empires still-considerable military to bolster their own efforts to conquer all of Mesoamerica. This process continued until by the end of the 16th century, the northern frontier, of which the Tarascans were part, remained the last fully independent region in Mesoamerica.
In 1616, under the command of the military governor of Mishico (since the region was not fully incorporated into the Arab empire as a province, or Wilayat), Abu Uthman Ibn Hakam, a invasion force of 3000 men and horses with a large force of Mishican auxiliaries moved into Tarascan territory on the pretense of protecting Arab merchants in the region. He defeated the local army and killed the emperor, Yzniquanto, which sparked a wholesale campaign of looting throughout the kingdom. Abu Uthman carved up the Tarascan state and sold many of its inhabitants into slavery. He loaned the empires coastal territories to his native subjects.
Abu Uthman died less than a year after the campaign in an ambush. Intense local resistance eventually drove the Arabs back out no less than 5 years after they had first invaded. Nominally the region was under Arab authority, but on the ground the Arabs had no control outside of major centers. Eventually the new Arab governor signed a treaty with Yzniquanto’s son Chague to reinstate the empire provided it paid tribute and ceased its persecutions of local Muslims. Chague agreed but wasted no time in reasserting his position with Arab support. Chague started a tradition of giving slaves and tribute to Arab authorities while he also pushed local nobles to convert to Islam. His sons would continue this habit of appeasing Arab authorities while fiercely protecting their own power in their traditional territories. Much of this negotiating power was from mines in the area, which the emperors could lease to Arabs while extracting their own fees. Waves of Arab, Islamized Nahua, and Otomi (a group from the north) settlers entered the region in search of wealth. Eventually pressure from disgruntled miners pushed the Arab administration to curtail the empires control over. In 1660 the emperor Muhammad Hozi (many Tarascans, like other native peoples adopted Muslim names when they converted to the new faith) signed a treaty granting mining rights in full to Arab claimants which only sparked a new wave of immigration. Coups weakened the empire further, but the Tarascan state remained a distinct power atleast until 1705 when emperor Abduripe was imprisoned on charges of sedition. He died in prison, and his successor Cuini was installed to a puppet throne.
The Purépecha are a group native to western Mishica [Mexico]. They formed the powerful Tarascan empire (Iréchecua Tzintzuntzáni) in the 14th century, and even long after the first Arab conquests in the region they retained power and independence while their traditional rivals all collapsed. Growing Arab political interference and economic stagnation eventually ground the empire down, pushing its last few emperors to cede more and more power away until they were but a figurehead inside the Arab colonial administration. Long after the loss of the empire as a distinctively sovereign state the Tarascan ‘emperor’ still existed, an unbroken line going back to Pre-Islamic times.
When Arabs reached the mainland, their first concern was always the sprawling Mishica Empire [Aztec]. Pushed up against the Pacific Ocean in a mountainous, densely forested region they were isolated from Arab mercenaries and traders coming from their southeast. The Mishicans and Tarascans fought frequently, but the Mishicans could never overpower the empire. Arab forces drastically changed the dynamic in the region. Disease ravaged the local peoples which upended the old political order. Arabs took advantage of this to insert themselves into local affairs. They pitted different rulers against each-other, campaigning when it suited them to extract resources and favorable deals from local leaders desperate to shore up their positions.
The Mishica Empire was at the center of this. A devastating Arab invasion in 1489 left Tenochtitlan, the capital, in ruins, and gave many Mishican vassal states the chance they needed to break the imperial yoke. The Tarascans took advantage of this to invade, seizing the contested frontier zone to the Mishican west, putting Tarascan armies within a days march of the capital. Successive emperors recaptured some lost territories to the north and east, but could never truly beat the Tarascans back from their gains. The Mishicans increasingly turned to defensive warfare, building networks of fortifications across their empire called chicalotlatoni that helped repulse later Tarascan invasions. Despite this, the writing was on the wall. The Arabs were always expanding their territory, placing new economic demands, and spreading their cultural influence to the detriment of local sovereignty. Over the course of the 16th century the Mishica state slowly fell under the control of Arab authorities who used the empires still-considerable military to bolster their own efforts to conquer all of Mesoamerica. This process continued until by the end of the 16th century, the northern frontier, of which the Tarascans were part, remained the last fully independent region in Mesoamerica.
In 1616, under the command of the military governor of Mishico (since the region was not fully incorporated into the Arab empire as a province, or Wilayat), Abu Uthman Ibn Hakam, a invasion force of 3000 men and horses with a large force of Mishican auxiliaries moved into Tarascan territory on the pretense of protecting Arab merchants in the region. He defeated the local army and killed the emperor, Yzniquanto, which sparked a wholesale campaign of looting throughout the kingdom. Abu Uthman carved up the Tarascan state and sold many of its inhabitants into slavery. He loaned the empires coastal territories to his native subjects.
Abu Uthman died less than a year after the campaign in an ambush. Intense local resistance eventually drove the Arabs back out no less than 5 years after they had first invaded. Nominally the region was under Arab authority, but on the ground the Arabs had no control outside of major centers. Eventually the new Arab governor signed a treaty with Yzniquanto’s son Chague to reinstate the empire provided it paid tribute and ceased its persecutions of local Muslims. Chague agreed but wasted no time in reasserting his position with Arab support. Chague started a tradition of giving slaves and tribute to Arab authorities while he also pushed local nobles to convert to Islam. His sons would continue this habit of appeasing Arab authorities while fiercely protecting their own power in their traditional territories. Much of this negotiating power was from mines in the area, which the emperors could lease to Arabs while extracting their own fees. Waves of Arab, Islamized Nahua, and Otomi (a group from the north) settlers entered the region in search of wealth. Eventually pressure from disgruntled miners pushed the Arab administration to curtail the empires control over. In 1660 the emperor Muhammad Hozi (many Tarascans, like other native peoples adopted Muslim names when they converted to the new faith) signed a treaty granting mining rights in full to Arab claimants which only sparked a new wave of immigration. Coups weakened the empire further, but the Tarascan state remained a distinct power atleast until 1705 when emperor Abduripe was imprisoned on charges of sedition. He died in prison, and his successor Cuini was installed to a puppet throne.
I am very busy IRL right now so individual posts will be shorter. I enjoy making maps so I will keep making ones to show off different parts of the timeline, along with small blurbs and bits of information to accompany.
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Eh, it's still longer than all of the posts on my TL, you're good.
A Defiant Empire
The Purépecha are a group native to western Mishica [Mexico]. They formed the powerful Tarascan empire (Iréchecua Tzintzuntzáni) in the 14th century, and even long after the first Arab conquests in the region they retained power and independence while their traditional rivals all collapsed. Growing Arab political interference and economic stagnation eventually ground the empire down, pushing its last few emperors to cede more and more power away until they were but a figurehead inside the Arab colonial administration. Long after the loss of the empire as a distinctively sovereign state the Tarascan ‘emperor’ still existed, an unbroken line going back to Pre-Islamic times.
When Arabs reached the mainland, their first concern was always the sprawling Mishica Empire [Aztec]. Pushed up against the Pacific Ocean in a mountainous, densely forested region they were isolated from Arab mercenaries and traders coming from their southeast. The Mishicans and Tarascans fought frequently, but the Mishicans could never overpower the empire. Arab forces drastically changed the dynamic in the region. Disease ravaged the local peoples which upended the old political order. Arabs took advantage of this to insert themselves into local affairs. They pitted different rulers against each-other, campaigning when it suited them to extract resources and favorable deals from local leaders desperate to shore up their positions.
The Mishica Empire was at the center of this. A devastating Arab invasion in 1489 left Tenochtitlan, the capital, in ruins, and gave many Mishican vassal states the chance they needed to break the imperial yoke. The Tarascans took advantage of this to invade, seizing the contested frontier zone to the Mishican west, putting Tarascan armies within a days march of the capital. Successive emperors recaptured some lost territories to the north and east, but could never truly beat the Tarascans back from their gains. The Mishicans increasingly turned to defensive warfare, building networks of fortifications across their empire called chicalotlatoni that helped repulse later Tarascan invasions. Despite this, the writing was on the wall. The Arabs were always expanding their territory, placing new economic demands, and spreading their cultural influence to the detriment of local sovereignty. Over the course of the 16th century the Mishica state slowly fell under the control of Arab authorities who used the empires still-considerable military to bolster their own efforts to conquer all of Mesoamerica. This process continued until by the end of the 16th century, the northern frontier, of which the Tarascans were part, remained the last fully independent region in Mesoamerica.
In 1616, under the command of the military governor of Mishico (since the region was not fully incorporated into the Arab empire as a province, or Wilayat), Abu Uthman Ibn Hakam, a invasion force of 3000 men and horses with a large force of Mishican auxiliaries moved into Tarascan territory on the pretense of protecting Arab merchants in the region. He defeated the local army and killed the emperor, Yzniquanto, which sparked a wholesale campaign of looting throughout the kingdom. Abu Uthman carved up the Tarascan state and sold many of its inhabitants into slavery. He loaned the empires coastal territories to his native subjects.
Abu Uthman died less than a year after the campaign in an ambush. Intense local resistance eventually drove the Arabs back out no less than 5 years after they had first invaded. Nominally the region was under Arab authority, but on the ground the Arabs had no control outside of major centers. Eventually the new Arab governor signed a treaty with Yzniquanto’s son Chague to reinstate the empire provided it paid tribute and ceased its persecutions of local Muslims. Chague agreed but wasted no time in reasserting his position with Arab support. Chague started a tradition of giving slaves and tribute to Arab authorities while he also pushed local nobles to convert to Islam. His sons would continue this habit of appeasing Arab authorities while fiercely protecting their own power in their traditional territories. Much of this negotiating power was from mines in the area, which the emperors could lease to Arabs while extracting their own fees. Waves of Arab, Islamized Nahua, and Otomi (a group from the north) settlers entered the region in search of wealth. Eventually pressure from disgruntled miners pushed the Arab administration to curtail the empires control over. In 1660 the emperor Muhammad Hozi (many Tarascans, like other native peoples adopted Muslim names when they converted to the new faith) signed a treaty granting mining rights in full to Arab claimants which only sparked a new wave of immigration. Coups weakened the empire further, but the Tarascan state remained a distinct power atleast until 1705 when emperor Abduripe was imprisoned on charges of sedition. He died in prison, and his successor Cuini was installed to a puppet throne.
I am very busy IRL right now so individual posts will be shorter. I enjoy making maps so I will keep making ones to show off different parts of the timeline, along with small blurbs and bits of information to accompany.
Its not the length of the post its the motion of the words...or something like that.
Something thats in the cards is photoshopping up a entire Nat Geo-style infographic, if people are prepared to wait a long friggen time while I work on one. It also would be difficult to display off here. If I made it, I would upload it as a series of large images with the text in them that you would need to pan around to read.
I will post a new timeline update before the end of november, but then that will be the last one. There might be other small posts still here and there, but I will focus most of my attention to different projects. Expect some small stuff before that update too.
I learned a lot from this timeline, like the original meaning of the word avocado (hint: ballz). Thanks everyone for your support! Don't cry, we will always have Planet of Hats awesome timeline as well for our Andalusi kicks.
I learned a lot from this timeline, like the original meaning of the word avocado (hint: ballz). Thanks everyone for your support! Don't cry, we will always have Planet of Hats awesome timeline as well for our Andalusi kicks.
Sorry to hear that this timeline is ending. Do you have any plans for a new timeline afterwards?
My IRL background is actually native american (specifically Maya) history so if I do a new timeline, it might be something like that. Often when you get amerindian timelines it is set during the contact period or it somehow hinges on how the butterfly point would affect colonialization, but I like the idea of doing a focused timeline on just a front to back native theme, say ending during the Maya collapse instead of the Spanish conquest. We are lucky that with the Maya we have a level of political detail unmatched elsewhere in the New World because of their writing, so detailed timelines set entirely in the politics of pre-colombian periods are much more feasible.
Not gonna lie , pretty bummed to see this go but all good things must come to and end I suppose. Still it was fun while it lasted and I wish good luck in your other projects. Would it be too much to ask when does the timeline end (early 1800s ? Or earlier)
Deleted member 67076
Would it still be possible to get a little snapshot or a vague idea of how Al Andalus would look like in the modern era?
Also, this was an incredibly good project and its been so fun to read.
The main reason behind it ending is just IRL time constraints. As I get more work obviously thats a good thing for me but at a certain point I have to seriously prioritize my career. This is different from the last time I made this sort of announcement because I want to firmly say there will not be any continuation or restart, once its done its done. I also personally feel it has run its course. Rather end while I'm ahead than drag it out (take a note, Dexter). I can include some snapshots now that it looks like people are interested.
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A shame to see this go, but I'll definitely be interested in any pre-Columbian timeline! Seeing a glimpse of the modern day here would be nice, too.
This timeline is so amazing. I truly loved seeing the interactions between cultures and seeing what new things came out of those interactions.
Really really good timeline I’d say one of the best I’ve read, would love to see snapshots of modern era asides from that ill just say thank you for creating this for us to enjoy
I have really fond memories about this TL (I remember I stayed up all night two years ago reading it), and it'll be sad to see it go, but I'm excited to see your future projects. Excellent work!
By the way, if you ever have the time, could you threadmark this timeline? It's definitely a bit of work, but it'll make it much easier for readers to find individual posts.
By the way, if you ever have the time, could you threadmark this timeline? It's definitely a bit of work, but it'll make it much easier for readers to find individual posts.