The Sands of Purple: An Islamic Greece TL

Prologue: The Arab Conquest of Rum and its aftermath

Prologue: The Arab Conquest Of Rum and its aftermath


The Arab Conquest of the Ruman Empire or the Rhomaion as the Greeks called it was a landmark event in History in 96 AH* . Within less than century , The Arab Muslims had conquered both the Sassanid Persian and The Rhoman Empire . After capturing Constantinople in 96 AH*, The Umayyad Moved to destroy the Rhoman Remnants and had conquered the whole of Anatolia by 97 AH* and advanced to take Crete and most of Southern Greece and the Aegean while the rest fell to Bulgars and Slavs. Despite this , Rhoman Polities survived in Italy , Sicily and Sardinia, only to be conquered during an expedition during 104-106* and had marked the Alps as the Border between the Christian and Islamic World , though Venice remained Independent.

Despite the Conquests, the Caliphate went into a steep decline under the reign of Marwan III, losing the Maghreb to the Berber Revolt except the Tunisian coast , Loss of Gaul and Northern Italy to The Franks and the Threat of the Bulgars. These events eventually lead to his deposition in 150* AH, by Al Mansur, who established the Abbasid Caliphate and founded the Capital City of Baghdad . The Abbasid Dynasty started with the Loss of Ifriqya , Al Andalus and Italy . Ifriqya and Al Andalus was taken over by Fihirids , only for them to be deposed in both areas by Berbers and Abd Al Rahman respectively. Italy meanwhile was taken over by Al Aghlab , who went on to solidify his rule in Italy , coopting the Italo Lombard Lords to a great deal, establishing the Emirate of Lumbardi . Despite these losses , The Abassids were a formidable force and had retaken Ifriqya from the Berbers and had conquered Thessalonica , though Greece remained under the Constant threat of the Bulgars and Slavs .

The Abbasid Period marked a period of Cultural Harmony and prosperity. Many Greek Works had been translated to Arabic and many Greco Roman Concepts integrated with the Islamic World . Hellenic Culture was beginning to revive itself albeit with an Islamic face. A Similar phenomenon was observed in Persia , Italy and the Berber States. It was also marked by the Conversion of the Bulgars to Islam in 223 AH*. However the Central authority of Abbasids weakened and it had lost lost Ifriqya to the Akkids . It had also lost the Eastern Territories to the Persian Qarninids and Balkhids and had lost Egypt to the Turkic Tulunids. Anatolia came under the rule of the Armenian Bagratids in the eastern and the Armenian Highlands, the Arab Abbarids in Most of Central Anatolia and the Shia Faroukids in Thrace , including Constantinople and Bithynia and most of the Aegean and Attika and the Peloponnese, while the rest of Greece is under the Bulgars and was an Intermittent Warzone . All this contributed to the eventual formation of Greek identity and the first Hellenic Dynasty in the Islamic World.


* Calendar starts from 622. Keep in mind it is not the Islamic Calendar but rather a secular one that starts from the Hijra( similar to the Gregorian Calendar in Russia)
96:718
97:719
104- 106: 726 -728
150 : 720
223 : 845
I would use the Gregorian Calendar from now onwards.

Also the PoD is 717- 718 , while the TL mostly starts from the late 800s. I want to give an overview of the world in that period and a map before going through with my First Chapter.
Also i Will be reusing some dynastic names like the Tulunids. But they are different but similar.
 
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>all the way to the alps given the situation at the time

Please be honest and include wank in your title or among the various tags. Without that tag it's almost as disgusting as seeing a "Rome reconquers the Mediterranean in a hundred years starting from Basil II" TL or "Trajan Borders lol" timelines.
 
wait 96 ? so 714? just in case if you wanted the siege of Constantinople then that was 98 or 99 in the Islamic calendar
 
I'm assuming you're more interested in exploring the consequences of an Islamic conquest of the Roman Empire than the conquest itself, if so this should be very interesting.

BTW did the Iberian Peninsula get conquered too or is it still under the Visigoths?
 
Please be honest and include wank in your title or among the various tags. Without that tag it's almost as disgusting as seeing a "Rome reconquers the Mediterranean in a hundred years starting from Basil II" TL or "Trajan Borders lol" timelines
I don’t think it is impossible for the Umayyads to go to Italy after conquering the Romans .
I'm assuming you're more interested in exploring the consequences of an Islamic conquest of the Roman Empire than the conquest itself, if so this should be very interesting
Yes, the TL starts in late 800s
wait 96 ? so 714? just in case if you wanted the siege of Constantinople then that was 98 or 99 in the Islamic calendar
Different calendar . Given you said it, I am going to use the Gregorian One from now on.
 
The Muslims Conquered Iberia.
Yeah that is what i mentioned, that happened at the same time second Constantinople was happening, so that might has goes unchanged
Italy meanwhile was taken over by Al Aghlab , who went on to solidify his rule in Italy , coopting the Italo Lombard Lords to a great deal, establishing the Emirate of Lumbardi . Despite
Ohh interesting, especially the name of the Emirate too

All this contributed to the eventual formation of Greek identity and the first Hellenic Dynasty in the Islamic World.
And here is when the funs begin, seems the Abbasadid goes amazing but got more they could chew, a shame, but the whole Muslim Mediterranean is one of a hell of butterfly hurricane
 
Ohh interesting, especially the name of the Emirate too
The Aghlabids were the ones that conquered Sicily OTL. ITL, they end up as governors of Italy / Lumbardi instead of Africa and become independent, although they are still nominally under the Abassid Caliphs. The Naming was due to the fact that The Romans Quickly lost Italy to The Lombards and the Muslims ITL and also because of Al Andalus and also because Rum is used for Thrace and also for Greece and Anatolia to a lesser extent.
 
The Aghlabids were the ones that conquered Sicily OTL. ITL, they end up as governors of Italy / Lumbardi instead of Africa and become independent, although they are still nominally under the Abassid Caliphs. The Naming was due to the fact that The Romans Quickly lost Italy to The Lombards and the Muslims ITL and also because of Al Andalus and also because Rum is used for Thrace and also for Greece and Anatolia to a lesser extent.
Ohh nice very nice, thanks for all the details, seems there was a very dynamic time the post ummayds era
 
My main issue over the Italian conquest is that it was kinda just skimmed over. You just said they conquered it without explaining the how's or the fact that they would have to have beaten the lombards as well, their only pasingly mentioned later on. The fact that Rome, the center of Western Christianity would have fallen is also kinda ignored. In general, you kinda bullrushed or ignored a lot of important things to get to your desired outcome.
 
My main issue over the Italian conquest is that it was kinda just skimmed over. You just said they conquered it without explaining the how's or the fact that they would have to have beaten the lombards as well, their only pasingly mentioned later on. The fact that Rome, the center of Western Christianity would have fallen is also kinda ignored. In general, you kinda bullrushed or ignored a lot of important things to get to your desired outcome.
I think we're too used to the very linear timeline style, then this format changed us, and seems the Main Character of this timeline is Greece/Rum, not the rest, but that would come much later.
 
I think we're too used to the very linear timeline style, then this format changed us, and seems the Main Character of this timeline is Greece/Rum, not the rest, but that would come much later.
it's simply ignoring too many things for my liking, I know it's not the point of the timeline but I just can't accept such massive things being given basically no explanation. I don't think a Muslim conquest of Italy is impossible but it certainly required more justification than what was given. Hopefully, a future chapter can go into a bit more detail.
 
I think we're too used to the very linear timeline style, then this format changed us, and seems the Main Character of this timeline is Greece/Rum, not the rest, but that would come much later.

I agree, it's completely legitimate to do a TL that doesn't focus on the immediate POD but rather in what comes after, which is something this board (clearly) isn't quite welcoming to.

An author can very well be more interested in discussing the politics and culture rather than battle order, strategy and comparative military strength of each country. And that's more than fair.
 
it's simply ignoring too many things for my liking, I know it's not the point of the timeline but I just can't accept such massive things being given basically no explanation. I don't think a Muslim conquest of Italy is impossible but it certainly required more justification than what was given. Hopefully, a future chapter can go into a bit more detail.
I guess a mega opening chapter would do wonders for readers like you.
 
I have decided to discontinue this TL since writing a TL with a POD so far back is just too difficult . I agree with the criticism that i didn't go into detail enough with the Italian Conquest and starting the TL so late into the future really complicates since i would have to give an overview of the world to the readers and myself really. Not to mention borders aren't concrete During the time of the PoD

To those interested in what would have transpired , the Frankish empire is split into 3 and one conquers Italy leaving Southern France . The Bulgars take Constantinople and Bithynia , leading to the Faroukids being overthrown by a Sunni Hellene dynasty who retake Constantinople and West Bithynia , leaving East Bithynia under the Slavs and Bulgars who continue to expand south. The Greek State manages to establish itself as the Predominant aegean power and takes over Greece . IN Italy , The Aghbalids are replaced over by a Lumbardic Dynasty who lose siciliy and Sardinia to the Akkids who fall to a radical Islamic Sect and thus the Lumbardis reconquer Sicily but not Sardinia.

I Do Plan to do a future TL on a Similar subject , which would Involve Islamic Greeks , under the Abbasids instead of the Umayyads,
 
see you have started a thread discussing the possibilities already.
Yes. It is very much a future project which I will do when I complete or temporarily stop my Huns TL or if I just decide that 1 TL is not enough. This TL was really difficult and the vague borders make it even more , I suspect a later PoD would be much easier and also allow me to explore military campaigns and battles ( which I am not very good at it ) and make use of the Butterfly Effect.
 

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Prologue: The Arab Conquest Of Rum and its aftermath


The Arab Conquest of the Ruman Empire or the Rhomaion as the Greeks called it was a landmark event in History in 96 AH* . Within less than century , The Arab Muslims had conquered both the Sassanid Persian and The Rhoman Empire . After capturing Constantinople in 96 AH*, The Umayyad Moved to destroy the Rhoman Remnants and had conquered the whole of Anatolia by 97 AH* and advanced to take Crete and most of Southern Greece and the Aegean while the rest fell to Bulgars and Slavs. Despite this , Rhoman Polities survived in Italy , Sicily and Sardinia, only to be conquered during an expedition during 104-106* and had marked the Alps as the Border between the Christian and Islamic World , though Venice remained Independent.

Despite the Conquests, the Caliphate went into a steep decline under the reign of Marwan III, losing the Maghreb to the Berber Revolt except the Tunisian coast , Loss of Gaul and Northern Italy to The Franks and the Threat of the Bulgars. These events eventually lead to his deposition in 150* AH, by Al Mansur, who established the Abbasid Caliphate and founded the Capital City of Baghdad . The Abbasid Dynasty started with the Loss of Ifriqya , Al Andalus and Italy . Ifriqya and Al Andalus was taken over by Fihirids , only for them to be deposed in both areas by Berbers and Abd Al Rahman respectively. Italy meanwhile was taken over by Al Aghlab , who went on to solidify his rule in Italy , coopting the Italo Lombard Lords to a great deal, establishing the Emirate of Lumbardi . Despite these losses , The Abassids were a formidable force and had retaken Ifriqya from the Berbers and had conquered Thessalonica , though Greece remained under the Constant threat of the Bulgars and Slavs .

The Abbasid Period marked a period of Cultural Harmony and prosperity. Many Greek Works had been translated to Arabic and many Greco Roman Concepts integrated with the Islamic World . Hellenic Culture was beginning to revive itself albeit with an Islamic face. A Similar phenomenon was observed in Persia , Italy and the Berber States. It was also marked by the Conversion of the Bulgars to Islam in 223 AH*. However the Central authority of Abbasids weakened and it had lost lost Ifriqya to the Akkids . It had also lost the Eastern Territories to the Persian Qarninids and Balkhids and had lost Egypt to the Turkic Tulunids. Anatolia came under the rule of the Armenian Bagratids in the eastern and the Armenian Highlands, the Arab Abbarids in Most of Central Anatolia and the Shia Faroukids in Thrace , including Constantinople and Bithynia and most of the Aegean and Attika and the Peloponnese, while the rest of Greece is under the Bulgars and was an Intermittent Warzone . All this contributed to the eventual formation of Greek identity and the first Hellenic Dynasty in the Islamic World.


* Calendar starts from 622. Keep in mind it is not the Islamic Calendar but rather a secular one that starts from the Hijra( similar to the Gregorian Calendar in Russia)
96:718
97:719
104- 106: 726 -728
150 : 720
223 : 845
I would use the Gregorian Calendar from now onwards.

Also the PoD is 717- 718 , while the TL mostly starts from the late 800s. I want to give an overview of the world in that period and a map before going through with my First Chapter.
Also i Will be reusing some dynastic names like the Tulunids. But they are different but similar.
Will the Muslim Arabs pursue in their conquest into Europe more after they took down the Byzantine-Romans?
 
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