When I consider this topic, one person that comes to mind is Kamehameha I of Hawaii. He went from ruling a single district on the Big Island of Hawaii to reigning over the entire island chain by the end of his life. When it comes to uniting a single ethnic group in one lifetime, who do you think of that is not often mentioned in alternate history? Note, unification does not need to be through conquest. Marriage, alliance, religious conversion, etc are all acceptable for the purposes of this thread.
Great unifications in a single lifetime?
- Thread starter cincpac overboard
- Start date
I'm sure Ivan III is highly regarded in Russia, but in the West he's basically unknown in comparison to his "Terrible" grandson. Under his rule, Novgorod was conquered, tributes to the Golden Horde were officially ended, Lithuania's power in the east was greatly reduced, and Moscow took on much more of an autocratic character akin to its Byzantine forebear. By the time of his death, Muscovy had at least quadrupled in size.
The unification of Castille and Aragon, along with some smaller kingdoms, to form Spain is does not receive much attention on this site. The rapid shift of Rome from detesting Christians and engaging in paganism to having Christianity be the state religion also comes to mind. Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar all conquered vast swathes of territory in their lives and are underrepresented on this site, although the people that Cyrus and Alexander unified were not all of one people group, and the people group that Caesar conquered, the Gauls, were of a different race than Caesar. Tecumseh and Bismarck both lead great unifications of their people, but both receive a decent amount of attention here on AH.com
CastilloVerde
Gone Fishin'
The unification of the Mongol tribes under Temujin was not yet mentioned but surely counts as a great unification. Temujin, later known as Genghis Khan also introduced reforms which were used to expand the Mongol state and subdue foreign peoples.
Shaka Zulu united the majority of the natives in the region, though it didn't last too long. Attila and his huns
There are so many.
Chandargupta Maurya's empire is a particularly impressive example of this and I don't think it is given an especially great deal of attention.
Chandargupta Maurya's empire is a particularly impressive example of this and I don't think it is given an especially great deal of attention.
The interesting question, for AH purposes, is who came to the brink of achieving such a unification, but faltered before accomplishing it?
Charles the Bold for Burgundy?
Gian Galeazzo Visconti for North Italy?
Charles the Bold for Burgundy?
Gian Galeazzo Visconti for North Italy?
Mesopotamia was united under the rule of single leaders an enormous amount of times frankly. Brief mentions of times and the ways united:
Lugalzageshi 2295-2271 BCE, the king of Uruk and supposedly the descendant of the historical Gilgamesh, united Mesopotamia for a short time from his city of Uruk. His kingdom was more of an Uruk hegemony over many different lords made into vassals and subjects. His most important capture, was the subjugation of Kish and its submission under Lugalzageshi. His reign was brief however, a mercenary group led by a man from Kish-Akkad defeated Lugalzageshi and assumed as head of the kingdom Lugalzageshi created.
Sargon 2271-2215 BCE, a mercenary and gardener from Kish, who defeated Lugalzageshi in battle and took him as his slave. Formed an hegemony over the region and asserted the most enigmatic regime of the Bronze Age. His descendants would rule the region as a unified entity for around 150 years.
Utuhigal 2055-2048 BCE, a king of Uruk, who led a coalition of states in rebellion against the Gutian lords who had conquered the Akkadian hegemony. His reign was short and his city's status as power brokers was short indeed, as it was only nominal. Upon his death in 2048 BCE, the hegemony collapsed.
Ur-Nammu 2048-2030 BCE, a king of Ur and vassal of Utuhigal, he rebelled against Uruk in 2048 BCE and defeated the city in battle and united the two city's monarchies. After this, Ur-Nammu embarked upon a series of diplomatic unification processes, primarily intimidating cities and kings into submission. In short order, he was able to enforce a hegemony over the region and restored the borders of Sargon of Akkad. His successors would become enigmatic kings, lasting for around 100 years.
Hammurabi 1728-1686 BCE, a king of Babylon and vassal of Assyria to his north, he formed a strong kingdom in the shadow of Assyria and defeated and vassalized Assyria and his rival the kingdom of Larsa and the kingdom of Eshnunna. This kingdom, mimicked the prior kingdom of Ur-Nammu, but lacked the durability, the kingdom of Babylon would lose hegemonic authority as early as 1683 BCE, only three years after the death of Hammurabi.
Assur-Uballit I 1353-1318 BCE , king of Assyria, managed to through the actions of his father, Ariba-Adad I enforce an alliance and marriage with the kingdom of Karduniash (Babylon) out of Babylon under the Kassite warrior caste. This marriage in effect assured that the nephew of Assur-Uballit I would become the king of Karduniash. However, when the Kassite nobles slew the child upon the death of his father, the king Burnaburiash II, Assur-Uballit I took advantage and with support from part of the Kassite nobles defeated the new installed king of Karduniash Shuzigash and appointed Kurigalzu II. This united the two kingdoms, but was once again short-lived when Kurigalzu II rebelled in 1319 BCE with Elamite assistance and slew Assur-Uballit I in 1318 BCE, dividing the region into two again.
Adad-Nirari I 1295-1264 BCE, king of Assyria, goading the Karduniash king into a foolish battle, is able to slay the king of Karduniash, Nazi-Marrutash in battle and made Karduniash a tributary as a result, once more uniting the two kingdoms.
Tiglath-Pileser I (1116-1076 BCE) and Nebuchadnezzar I (1125-1104 BCE), one the hereditary king of Assyria and the other a rebel Akkadian king from the city of Isin, both formed an anti-Elamite coalition (really made by Assur-Resh-Ishie I and Nebuchadnezzar I in around 1122 BCE). This coalition led to the destruction of the Elamite ascendancy and the sack of Susa and Anshan, the end of the Kassite warrior caste elite of Elam. This alliance was framed as a unification by later writers, as the two acted as a single realm with the two kings as strong equals. It was the basis for the Dual-Monarchy system of Assyria-Karduniash (kingdom of Babylon).
Assurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE), after the decline of Assyria from 1055-975 BCE, Karduniash drifted from Assyria. Assurnasirpal, making gains from his predecessors who had reconquered most of Assyria from Aramaen states and also pushed into Syria and into the Zagros, invaded Karduniash in 881-880 BCE. There, Assurnasirpal defeated the Karudniash under Naboo-apal-iddina (888-855 BCE), which reasserted the dual-monarchy system over the region of Mesopotamia. This would remain the case until the fall of the Assyrian state beginning in 631-627 and finalizing in the year 609 BCE.
Lugalzageshi 2295-2271 BCE, the king of Uruk and supposedly the descendant of the historical Gilgamesh, united Mesopotamia for a short time from his city of Uruk. His kingdom was more of an Uruk hegemony over many different lords made into vassals and subjects. His most important capture, was the subjugation of Kish and its submission under Lugalzageshi. His reign was brief however, a mercenary group led by a man from Kish-Akkad defeated Lugalzageshi and assumed as head of the kingdom Lugalzageshi created.
Sargon 2271-2215 BCE, a mercenary and gardener from Kish, who defeated Lugalzageshi in battle and took him as his slave. Formed an hegemony over the region and asserted the most enigmatic regime of the Bronze Age. His descendants would rule the region as a unified entity for around 150 years.
Utuhigal 2055-2048 BCE, a king of Uruk, who led a coalition of states in rebellion against the Gutian lords who had conquered the Akkadian hegemony. His reign was short and his city's status as power brokers was short indeed, as it was only nominal. Upon his death in 2048 BCE, the hegemony collapsed.
Ur-Nammu 2048-2030 BCE, a king of Ur and vassal of Utuhigal, he rebelled against Uruk in 2048 BCE and defeated the city in battle and united the two city's monarchies. After this, Ur-Nammu embarked upon a series of diplomatic unification processes, primarily intimidating cities and kings into submission. In short order, he was able to enforce a hegemony over the region and restored the borders of Sargon of Akkad. His successors would become enigmatic kings, lasting for around 100 years.
Hammurabi 1728-1686 BCE, a king of Babylon and vassal of Assyria to his north, he formed a strong kingdom in the shadow of Assyria and defeated and vassalized Assyria and his rival the kingdom of Larsa and the kingdom of Eshnunna. This kingdom, mimicked the prior kingdom of Ur-Nammu, but lacked the durability, the kingdom of Babylon would lose hegemonic authority as early as 1683 BCE, only three years after the death of Hammurabi.
Assur-Uballit I 1353-1318 BCE , king of Assyria, managed to through the actions of his father, Ariba-Adad I enforce an alliance and marriage with the kingdom of Karduniash (Babylon) out of Babylon under the Kassite warrior caste. This marriage in effect assured that the nephew of Assur-Uballit I would become the king of Karduniash. However, when the Kassite nobles slew the child upon the death of his father, the king Burnaburiash II, Assur-Uballit I took advantage and with support from part of the Kassite nobles defeated the new installed king of Karduniash Shuzigash and appointed Kurigalzu II. This united the two kingdoms, but was once again short-lived when Kurigalzu II rebelled in 1319 BCE with Elamite assistance and slew Assur-Uballit I in 1318 BCE, dividing the region into two again.
Adad-Nirari I 1295-1264 BCE, king of Assyria, goading the Karduniash king into a foolish battle, is able to slay the king of Karduniash, Nazi-Marrutash in battle and made Karduniash a tributary as a result, once more uniting the two kingdoms.
Tiglath-Pileser I (1116-1076 BCE) and Nebuchadnezzar I (1125-1104 BCE), one the hereditary king of Assyria and the other a rebel Akkadian king from the city of Isin, both formed an anti-Elamite coalition (really made by Assur-Resh-Ishie I and Nebuchadnezzar I in around 1122 BCE). This coalition led to the destruction of the Elamite ascendancy and the sack of Susa and Anshan, the end of the Kassite warrior caste elite of Elam. This alliance was framed as a unification by later writers, as the two acted as a single realm with the two kings as strong equals. It was the basis for the Dual-Monarchy system of Assyria-Karduniash (kingdom of Babylon).
Assurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE), after the decline of Assyria from 1055-975 BCE, Karduniash drifted from Assyria. Assurnasirpal, making gains from his predecessors who had reconquered most of Assyria from Aramaen states and also pushed into Syria and into the Zagros, invaded Karduniash in 881-880 BCE. There, Assurnasirpal defeated the Karudniash under Naboo-apal-iddina (888-855 BCE), which reasserted the dual-monarchy system over the region of Mesopotamia. This would remain the case until the fall of the Assyrian state beginning in 631-627 and finalizing in the year 609 BCE.