AHC White Abyssinian Monarchy

yourworstnightmare

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How implausible would it be for Ethiopia to employ Caucasian Mamluk soldiers who would then take the throne in a coup, similar to what happened in Egypt?
Yes, but if you have a Mamluk dynasty the Sultan would still need to procreate to continue the dynasty, and probably marry a local.
 
I don't know about a "White" Ethiopian monarchy but there were certainly Euro-Ethiopian communities present there, especially by the descendants of Portuguese soldiers who settled down (not wanting to be sent to India) and the local women. Given that Ethiopia's status as a Christian enclave surrounded by Islamic neighbors (and the fact they had no direct access to the sea) put them out of the loop when it came to technological advances in warfare. It's not unreasonable for some of these Luso-Ethiopians to become minor nobility and then be lucky enough to take the throne.
 
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Everyone's related to someone, or more than one someones. For example, I'm probably related to charlemagne. The point is, I could be, but I'm probably not.
If you'r of European descent you're almost certainly a descendant of Charlemagne, even if you're non-Caucasian there's a major chance you're a descendant of him.
 
So I say this game where one thing that got me facepalming was an obviously Caucasian portrait of a King of Abyssinia, modern day Ethiopia and Somalia.

Well, maybe it would be fun just to see how that could happen.

So here is the challenge. Start POD from 1190, the third Crusade. Get these landmarks.

By 1220, have at least 3,000 European family units go into Abyssinia. A family unit is defined by a male female pair that will have a surviving kid. Since childbirth death is common, there is going to need to be more than that number. They can be civilians, or soldiers along with significant others.

By 1530, have a white-looking Miaphysite (Coptic Christian or some call it Oritental Orthodox which has nothing to do with Eastern Orthodox) monarch on the Abyssinian throne who is a decentdant of Yekuno Amlak. The local royal family must not be displaced forcefully (so I guess that means our newcomers need to strike it rich to make them appealable marriage candidates to marry into nobility and later royalty). I think one needs 7 out of 8 great grandparents to light skinned to have light skin oneself, but I don't remember the melain genes of the top of my head.

By 1620, have the Coptic Christians and Catholic Christians not at each other's throats. This can be by getting along or isolation. The Abyssinian Kingdom must be more prosperous than its OTL counterpart.

Or maybe 1190 is too late to hit any of these. The Third Crusade seems militarily doomed.

The Italian king was Emperor of Abyssinia from after the invasion in 1935 until Italy´s loss in WW2. OTL
 
Ummm... Did I do something wrong with the original post? I didn't want to imply that mixing of a European line with the Abyssinian one was a bad thing. I just wanted to look for a series of events to get that thing I saw while watching someone on YouTube.
 
Somalia was already partially controlled by the decendents of Yekuno Amlak. The royal family in charge of that area was already Christian!

It doesn't need European culture, just the looks. If you have some remnants of the Crusader States fleeing (say they got separated from the Jersuseum forces), they would adopt customs in the South. But if they are fleeing, then they're nobodies, and commoners don't get to interact with royalty.

So we need some way to get some of the Europeans South and their decedents to become in favor. I can't see this to happen with a Third Crusade POD. I can see it with PODs in the Dark Ages, but 1190 seems too late. Anyone have any creative ideas.



Yekuno Amlak reigned in the late 1200's and he was of the Zagwe dynasty claiming to come form the line of Solomon and inheritors of Axum, but in reality they were Agew ethnic group a cushtic groups that made up a part of Axum but never ruled. Geographically they were from the northern highlands around gondar.
The Zagwe evolved into the Amharic ethnic group which came to dominate Ethiopia and create an empire,
but during yekuno amlak they were over 1500KM from the nearest somali settlement.

Right next to the zagwe was Shoa an Islamic Emirate that had a muslim nobility but was multi ethnic and majority of the subjects were Waaqists.
Between Shoa and today's political border of Somalia were nearly a dozen city states and ethnic groups, mostly muslim highly urbanized and sophisticated compared to "Ethiopians", but weak and divided and not militaristic.

During yekuno amlaks reign a 300 year war between muslims and Christians started with the Muslims on the losing end for most of the time.
The Zagwe were militaristic and aggressive and started by conquering Shoa, and gobbling up city state one by one or vassalizing the larger ones.
The remaining states coalsed into the Sultanate of Ifat, when an arab hashimite family from Ziela (Wali asma Dysnasty) todays Somalia Launched a call to jihad, attracted Nomadic Somali and Afar with their large cavalry armies
and over a thousad arabs from yemen.
For over 30 years the border between Ifat and Zagwe stabalized but their were skirmishes and a cold war, till war started again and the Christians were victories again due to the King Amde Seyon (Pillar of Zion ??) being a millitary genius. Ifat lost more land and was made to pay tribute. Amde seyon also raided deep into Ifat past its borders to the east and looted, burnt Somali Cities like Amoud the source of Ifats manpower.

In written down Chronicles celebrating Amde seyons victory, he lists the states and tribes he has defeated
and this is the first recorded mention of name Somali, AD 1342.

So no Somalia was never christian and never ruled by Ethiopian, and the first time an Ethiopian army ever set foot on somali land was decades after yenkuno amlak in the 1340's.


If you go back 1000 years Axum did control the northern Somali coast as it was a maritime power focused on the navy and control of trade.
Zeila and Berbera were outposts and the population might have been christian there are ancient tombs with Crucifixes but the majority of the population were camel herding nomads in the interior.
During the Axum - Sassanid war, the persians defeated Axum in Yemen, and then briefly held ziela and berbera in 575 AD, Prophet Muhamed was a 4 year old at that time.
Residents of Ziela were one of the first Muslims in the World, there are 2 mosques with 2 qiblas, one facing jerusalem and the other mecca , the other is in Eritrea . Most likely built before mecca was muslim and arabia unified under islam. Ziela was also multi ethnic and multi faith, a christian community survived for centuries and there is a ruin of a hindu temple.
 
Sorry for going slightly off topic before, but if you want a "white" Emperor of Ethiopia, the easiest was is to get surviving Portuguese soldiers gain land and become landed gentry and then claim the throne later.

During the failed Portuguese conquest of Moqadishu, around 200 Portuguese were captured and enslaved ,
losing on land but dominating at sea, they used cannon fire from ships offshore to damage a large part of the city.

The decendants of those Portuguese slaves still live in the city of Merca to the south of Moqadishu,
even today you will come across Mediterranean looking people and allot lighter skinned than even the arabs in the city.
Ive met one that applied for asylum in Sweden, facing allot of difficulty and requiring the intervention of the community because they wouldnt believe he was from somalia.
He has green eyes and light brown hair, looking more syrian than yemeni and married to a blonde swede
now, i wonder how their children will turn out.
lol
 
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CalBear

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Racism. Racism. Racism
Well, I gave you a day to back up your charge and... nada.

I'll just quote Ian straight up for this one...

This site has a rule against unsubstantiated accusations of prejudice, and you just broke it in one of the dumbest ways I've seen.

You're kicked for a week.
 
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