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I really shouldn't start another TL before finishing any of my previous ones but here goes, just for kicks. In order to avoid having to arbitrarily invent personalities the "Jewish Ethiopia" is protected by a butterfly net which prevents any major changes to Geopolitics, personalities and ideas outside the horn of Africa until 1860.

Post #1 Völkerwanderung

People
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudit Queen of arguable, non Christian origin (Either Falasha, Agaw, or Sidama) who sacked Axum and led to a century long dark age.
places
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Semien-Jewish Kingdom north of lake Tana which was finally destroyed in 1627 after an unknown period of existence.


Bernard Lewis (1): The Jews of the Dark continent, 1980
The early history of the Jews of the Habashan highlands remains obscure, with their origins remaining more mythical than historical. In this they areas in other respects, they are the mirror image of their supposed Kin across the Red sea. For while copious external records of Byzantine, Persian, old Axumite and Arab sources exist of the large-scale conversion of Yemen to Judaism, and the survival of a large Jewish community at least until the 11th century, no such external records exist for the Jews of Habash, presently by far the numerically and politically dominant branch of this ancient people.

Their own legends insist that Judaism had reached the shores of Ethiopia at the time of the First temple. They further insist that Ethiopia had always been Jewish. In spite of the claims of Habashan nationalists, Byzantine, Persian and Arab sources all clearly indicate that the politically dominant religion of Axum was, for a period of at least six centuries Christianity and that the Tigray cryptochristian minority, far from turning apostate following contact with Portugese Jesuits in the 15th century is in fact the remmanent of a period of Christian domination which lasted at least until the 10th century.

For the historian, when records fail, speculation must perforce fill the gap. Given our knowledge of the existence of both Jewish and Christian sects in the deserts of Western Arabia and Yemen it is not difficult to speculate that both may have reached the shores of Axum concurrently prior to the council of Nicaea and the de-judaization of hetrodox sects. Possibly, they coexisted side by side for centuries without the baleful conflict which was the lot of both faiths in the Meditaranian. Indeed, it is possible that they were not even distinct faiths. We must recall that early Christians saw themselves as Jews and practiced all aspects of Jewish law and ritual for the first century of their existence. Neither did Judaism utterly disavow the Christians, rather viewing them much as later communities would view the Sabateans and other messianic movement. The advent While Paul of Tarsus changed the course of Christian evolution but failed to formally de-Judaize all streams of Christianity, with many surviving even after the council of Nicaea.

Might not Habash have offered a different model of coexistence, even after it's purpoted conversion to Christianity in the 4th century? If it had, then what occurred? Did Christianity, cut off from contact with Constantinopole following the rise of Islam, wither on the vine enabling a more grassroots based religion to assume dominance? While such a view is tempting, archaeological evidence pointing to the continued centrality of a Christian Axum as an administrative and economic center for several centuries following the purpoted relocation of the capital of the kingdom to Gonder indicates a darker possibility.

The most likely scenario, in my opinion, turns on our knowledge of the Yemenite- Axum-Byzantine conflict of the 6th century. This conflict was clearly seen as a religious, and indeed divinely sanctioned one by Emperor Kaleb, with certain of his inscriptures clearly indicating the a version of "replacement theology" had taken root in his court, forcing individuals and sects straddling both sides of the Christian-Jewish continuom to pick sides. Is it overly speculative to assume that those cleaving to Judaism within Axum would be subject to suspicion and persecution? It seems to me likely that the formation of an alternative capital by the shores of lake Tana, far from being an organized relocation of the imperial seat, was, in fact, an act of secession and flight by a numerically inferior and marginalized minority (2).

Read in this light, the fabled Saga of King Gideon and Queen Judith recapturing Axum from Muslim invaders and restoring the Zadokan dynasty in the 10th century must be viewed skeptically as an attempt to superimpose on the distant past a more contemporary enemy as part of the process of national myth making. What truly occurred during this time of isolation can only be the guessed at but I would hazard an opinion that the Axum these legendary rulers "liberated" was held by Christians rather than Muslims.

Lake Tana, Kingdom of Semien, 960 CE

The storms had pounded the stark mountains the previous night and filled the streams with life giving water which poured into the wide lake which was the center of the kingdom. Come the spring the pastures would be verdant and allow the herds to recover from the terrible struggle of the previous year… if they were spared a further bloodletting from the new enemy from the south.

King Gideon Hadani, fourth of his name and the first to humble mighty Axum not once but twice(3), gripped the reins of his steed tightly as the barbarian queen and her retinue approached.

"They are afoot!" His captain proclaimed the obvious.

"Yes. And their weapons are made from inferior Iron and even Obsidian. And they don't use armor. And their bowmanship is inferior to ours as well.".

"Then why treat with them? If they invade our lands we should slaughter them and sell the survivors to the Arabs!"

The forward ranks of the barbarian regiments had crested the top of the hill. As they descended an nearly infinite sequence of spearmen followed, filling the horizon with their formations.

"They are many. We are few. Fewer after the wars with Axum. Try to stop them, and we shall be swept away. But if we can channel them, ally with them even…(4)"

He cut his thought off in midsentance as the savage queen approached. She was impressive, standing nearly six feet tall, face covered with savage tattoos. In her hands she held a spear which seemed more than purely ceremonial which she casually struck into the earth before Adressing him in heavily accented Agaw (5).

"You have called for a paraley. Speak. Do you wish to surrender and pay tribute to my horde?"

"No. Do you wish to offer tribute to me before my cavalry rides down your ill trained rabble?"

The savage queen threw back her head and laughed.

"I know the numbers of your armsmen. I know how many died fighting the Tigray. You could not hope to win… but flushing you out of your mountains might prove difficult."

"Impossible, not difficult. For three centuries have our enemies tried. Always they had failed. Try to invade and you will be bled to death. Try to bypass us on your march north and we will dog your steps. Unless…"

"Well, what did you wish to offer?"

"An alliance, an alliance of equals."

"Equals? How are we equal?"

"I am a ruler of my realm as you are as yours. Further, I am a ruler whom many of the Tigray have already accepted, save for a few insignificant rebels (6). Let our two realms therefore be joined together… as will our blood"

Gudit eyed Gideon speculatively. "These rebels…"

"Their land is of course forfeit to your followers. To those of them who will, like yourself acknowledge the all highest as supreme god (7)"


(1) Born in 1916. So yeah, he's butterflied away but the family isn't and they still produce a Cambridge historian, albeit one more focused on Africa than the Middle East.
(2) Which you may view as the scenario I view as most likely.
(3) Consider this the POD. OTL The anscestors of the Falasha SEEM to have subjugated Axum and make themselves the #1 warlords of the strife torn empire sometime in the mid 10th century after Axum tried to expand into their lands. In the following years conflict resumed which the Falasha won but with the death of the their King. Then (probably) the barbarians swept in, vassalized the Falasha before sacking Axum and plunged Falasha and Axum both into a century long dark age. TTL, Gideon enjoys a second decisive victory.
(4) This is the African Völkerwanderung. OTL the Falashas were probably swept away or became vassals of the barbarians. TTL they are in a stronger position and have more able leadership.
(5) For the purpose of TTL Queen Gudit is the ruler of the Kingdom of Damot and is ethnically proto Sidamo. The Agaw straddle the lands between the Semien and Damot with various chiefdoms being under the sway of both.
(6) As in- most of them. King Gideon is a feudal warlord and first among equals, not an emperor. But with Barbarian bully boys as enforcers…
(7) According to some versions OTL queen Gudit was a convert to Judaism. TTL, the conversion is more widespread and lasting. Obviously, the conversion process is rather superficial at first.
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