AHC/WI: Pope and Caliph meet

Okay, I got this. Well... if you can stretch the definition of "formal meeting."

The Muslim pirates who raid Rome in 846 don't just plunder the Vatican, but somehow manage to scale the city walls and sack Rome itself. They can't really hold the city, but Pope Sergius II is captured. Since the raiders are under the auspices of the Aghlabids, who pay tribute to the Abbasids, the Aghlabid emir decides to offer the enslaved Pope as part of his tribute, and Sergius manages to be taken to Baghdad before his death (which IOTL was only about six months after the raid, but hey, maybe the abundant butterflies keep him alive a little longer).

Possible but wouldn't Romans evacuate pope before? Altough it might be bit difficult if Rome is totally sieged.
 
Possible but wouldn't Romans evacuate pope before? Altough it might be bit difficult if Rome is totally sieged.

Well, historically he wasn't evacuated, presumably because it was a surprise raid. Sergius hid behind the city wall with the rest of the Romans, and the corsairs - who were after easy money, not a siege - limited themselves to plundering what was outside the walls. My scenario is predicated on the Muslim raiders deciding to storm the walls and doing so quickly, which is not impossible; the Aurelian walls are massively long and the capacity of 9th century Rome to hold them all is suspect. It might require a somewhat larger expedition and a rather enterprising leader.
 
In the white corner, weighing 105 kilograms, His Holiness the Pope John "Lord Is My Strength" Paul III!
In the green corner, weighing 106 kilograms, the Rightly Guided Caliph Ali "Smash the Infidels" ibn Hassan!
The Duel of Faiths is to begin!
:openedeyewink:

Sorry, but that is the first thing I thought about after reading the title.
 
Could they set a meet at the holy land before the crusades kick off?
Its pretty easy for the pope to make it there some months by boat and the faiths are not oficially in open conflict.
 
Could they set a meet at the holy land before the crusades kick off?
Its pretty easy for the pope to make it there some months by boat and the faiths are not oficially in open conflict.

Too dangerous trip. And being away almost one year is quiet long time when pope should rule his own nation too.
 
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