MarshalBraginsky
Banned
Entry No. 1: Death Changes the Fate of a Nation
Strange events can certainly lead to strange results, as one single act can decide the fate of either one ruler or an entire nation. From a change in tactics during the battle, or a premature death that leads to a fratricidal war, it depends on how the response will turn out. Furthermore, this particular premature death of a young heir to the throne of a newly rising nation close to the edge of the Byzantine Empire will have a different set of consequences.
-----
Vladimir-Rasate’s decision to personally lead the attack against the Serbian forces commanded by Knyaz Mutimir was the subject of an intense controversy that plagued even modern day scholars and historians. Surely the eldest son of Khan Boris would have been advised to be careful on the battlefield and yet Rasate ignored this advice given by one of his lieutenants. It was a foolhardy mistake that tragically led to his death. His horse suffered a wound, causing the Bulgarian prince to fall off his horse before a Serbian infantryman swung his sword at him. While Rasate and his soldiers kept pushing on forward, hoping to win against Mutimir’s forces, the Serbian contingent army fiercely resisted. It was not until he noticed a gash in his chest that he coughed up some blood. As Rasate climbed on an unused horse abandoned by a dead Bulgarian horseman, he failed to notice a spearman impaling him in the chest. By the time the Bulgarian soldiers saw their leader fall into battle, they hastily retreated from the battlefield, but Mutimir will have the unfortunate task of delivering the dead prince back to his father, Khan Boris.(1)
Boris was devastated and stunned when he and his guards arrived at the Serbian camp as Mutimir approached him. The Bulgarian Khan expected his Serbian counterpart to present some conditions for peace. To his surprise, Mutimir simply brought the corpse of Boris’s son and did not talk much. Both leaders simply desired for peace but as for the Serbian Knyaz, there is much to gain from playing the Bulgarians and the Byzantines off against each other while gaining concessions. Serbia was still in its infancy and in a region where empires would wage wars for decades in order to gain supremacy over the other, Mutimir needed to display a sense of pragmatism in order to survive. As for Boris, while a pro-Byzantine ruler of Serbia can be utilized to cause trouble against Bulgaria, he chose to hold a series of negotiations down the road. Within the Bulgarian court, the death of Vladimir-Rasate had shocked the nobility as they feared that Gavrail would succeed Boris. Not that Gavrail was any better than Vladimir-Rasate, but no one knew how Gavrail will lead Bulgaria should Boris either abdicate or die earlier.
Over the Steppes:
Over in the Khazar Khaganate, the tribes that make up the so-called Hungarian confederacy rebelled against their Khazar overlords and moved westward and settled in a region the Hungarians called Etelkoz. Once settled in that region, the Hungarians had to face a new kind of people: the Varangians and the East Slavs. Even though there was an entity called the Rus’ Khaganate that was established in the north, the prize that both the Varangians and the Hungarians would eventually encounter was a prestigious settlement called Kiev. It was the settlement and town that the Varangians and Hungarians would eventually clash over, with the trade routes that the Varangians controlled between the Black Sea and the Baltic, while the Hungarians almost have nothing to possess and were searching for a permanent homeland that they can claim as their own.
Thus it was not surprising when the Hungarians decided to launch their raids up north instead of in the south against the Varangians because of the danger they posed to Etelkoz. Between 854 and 859 AD, the Hungarians would face constant attacks from the Varangians and the Pechenegs. Even after 859 AD, the Varangians and the Pechenegs could not dislodge the Hungarians from Etelkoz. The Khazars expected the Hungarian tribes to return from Etelkoz once the Varangians and the Pechenegs surround them from two sides, but they’ve been so focused on the departing Hungarians that they did not notice the growing threat from the east. The Kimek Khanate controlled the trade routes between the known worlds of China, Persia and Byzantium, so they were in a peculiar position to wrest concessions from traders who traveled through their territories.
The Kimeks and the Kipchaks were the main tribes who controlled the Kimek Khanate, and the growth of the Khazar state threatened their position in this lucrative trade. Thus in October of 859 AD, the Kimek Khan sent an envoy to the Hungarians to wage war upon the Pechenegs long enough for the Kimeks to launch their expansionist campaign against the Khazars, with the promise of integrating the Hungarian tribes into their confederation. It took a month for the Kimek envoys to reach the Hungarian camp, but during the winter of 860 the Hungarians had expanded their realm to the gates of Kiev. Along the way, they managed to subdue the East Slavic tribes living within the proximity of Etelkoz and the Dnieper River, but their control over these unpredictable tribes could be lost at anytime.
-----
The Byzantine Empire at this time was in the middle of a campaign against the Abbasids as Michael III was in the middle of his attack on Samosata, a stronghold of the Abbasids on Byzantium’s eastern frontier. It was at this time that the Kimek envoys returned to their homeland with the news that the Hungarians agreed to wage war against the Pechenegs as a Kimek ally while the Kimeks and KIpchaks would wage war against the Khazars. Without any raids staged from the north, Michael III was able to storm Samosata and force its Arab defenders to surrender. Yet once the Byzantine Emperor secured the eastern regions, he received news from a Khazar emissary that his master’s domains were under attack by other nomads and requested an audience with the Emperor himself. Michael III could not accept the Khazar offer, but he agreed to hold a meeting with the Khazar ruler himself in Samosata to discuss a possible alliance and eventual conversion of the Khazar Khaganate to Christianity. At the same time, an emissary from the Emirate of Armenia arrived, along with Prince Smbat, the father of Armenia’s first Bagratid King Ashot I, arrived in the same fortress.
Armenia and the Khazars had both requested an audience with Michael III because of the danger that the Abbasids had posed on their states, despite the former’s control by the Arabs. Yet the Armenians also wanted to restore their kingdom in the hopes of spreading Christianity to the Turkic khanates in the north, but through their Apostolic Oriental Rite instead of the Byzantine Greek rite. The Byzantines on the other hand, were not comfortable with the Armenian aspirations to spread its cultural influence among the nomadic groups operating in the north and at the same time, Michael III grew worried that his Bulgarian neighbor might adopt Christianity of the Western Rite or adopt the Islamic faith that his Arab adversaries had professed. Yet the Khazars had to maintain neutrality in religious matters because of their control of the steppe and the trade routes that they also possess, in addition to the Silk Road trade routes the Kimeks controlled. So while they refused to adopt the Muslim faith, they balked at the idea of converting to Christianity. It was because of these differences that Judaism became popular with the Khazar elite. Thus the Byzantines would either have to rely on converting the Khazars’ enemies to the Christian faith or the Armenians will have to send their missionaries to the Kimeks, Kipchaks, Hungarian tribes and even the Volga Bulgarians.
----
So guys, this is my first attempt to actually create a TL that focuses on the most interesting empire in Europe besides the Byzantines and the Franks: the First Bulgarian Empire. I'm surprised that no one has actually tried to make this kind of TL, seeing as there are several Byzantine TLs that talk about a surviving Byzantine Empire.
Hopefully that this TL about Bulgaria (other than BgKnight's A lion Rises over the Balkans) could generate some interests from you guys. I will definitely keep Russia around for sure, though I'm not sure if that is going to work since I also want to experiment with the Hungarians establishing a state in the east, the Cumans too and Khazars. Just tell me what should their fates be.
I will try to include maps here too, as well as using different colors if it works.
----
(1) The PoD: Vladimir-Rasate is killed during the Bulgarian invasion of Serbia in 854 AD. I'm not sure when Gavrail was born, but it is assumed that he would have been a young child by the time his big brother died. Though Simeon will still be born, the succession would be a lot easier for Khan Boris.
Strange events can certainly lead to strange results, as one single act can decide the fate of either one ruler or an entire nation. From a change in tactics during the battle, or a premature death that leads to a fratricidal war, it depends on how the response will turn out. Furthermore, this particular premature death of a young heir to the throne of a newly rising nation close to the edge of the Byzantine Empire will have a different set of consequences.
-----
Vladimir-Rasate’s decision to personally lead the attack against the Serbian forces commanded by Knyaz Mutimir was the subject of an intense controversy that plagued even modern day scholars and historians. Surely the eldest son of Khan Boris would have been advised to be careful on the battlefield and yet Rasate ignored this advice given by one of his lieutenants. It was a foolhardy mistake that tragically led to his death. His horse suffered a wound, causing the Bulgarian prince to fall off his horse before a Serbian infantryman swung his sword at him. While Rasate and his soldiers kept pushing on forward, hoping to win against Mutimir’s forces, the Serbian contingent army fiercely resisted. It was not until he noticed a gash in his chest that he coughed up some blood. As Rasate climbed on an unused horse abandoned by a dead Bulgarian horseman, he failed to notice a spearman impaling him in the chest. By the time the Bulgarian soldiers saw their leader fall into battle, they hastily retreated from the battlefield, but Mutimir will have the unfortunate task of delivering the dead prince back to his father, Khan Boris.(1)
Boris was devastated and stunned when he and his guards arrived at the Serbian camp as Mutimir approached him. The Bulgarian Khan expected his Serbian counterpart to present some conditions for peace. To his surprise, Mutimir simply brought the corpse of Boris’s son and did not talk much. Both leaders simply desired for peace but as for the Serbian Knyaz, there is much to gain from playing the Bulgarians and the Byzantines off against each other while gaining concessions. Serbia was still in its infancy and in a region where empires would wage wars for decades in order to gain supremacy over the other, Mutimir needed to display a sense of pragmatism in order to survive. As for Boris, while a pro-Byzantine ruler of Serbia can be utilized to cause trouble against Bulgaria, he chose to hold a series of negotiations down the road. Within the Bulgarian court, the death of Vladimir-Rasate had shocked the nobility as they feared that Gavrail would succeed Boris. Not that Gavrail was any better than Vladimir-Rasate, but no one knew how Gavrail will lead Bulgaria should Boris either abdicate or die earlier.
Over the Steppes:
Over in the Khazar Khaganate, the tribes that make up the so-called Hungarian confederacy rebelled against their Khazar overlords and moved westward and settled in a region the Hungarians called Etelkoz. Once settled in that region, the Hungarians had to face a new kind of people: the Varangians and the East Slavs. Even though there was an entity called the Rus’ Khaganate that was established in the north, the prize that both the Varangians and the Hungarians would eventually encounter was a prestigious settlement called Kiev. It was the settlement and town that the Varangians and Hungarians would eventually clash over, with the trade routes that the Varangians controlled between the Black Sea and the Baltic, while the Hungarians almost have nothing to possess and were searching for a permanent homeland that they can claim as their own.
Thus it was not surprising when the Hungarians decided to launch their raids up north instead of in the south against the Varangians because of the danger they posed to Etelkoz. Between 854 and 859 AD, the Hungarians would face constant attacks from the Varangians and the Pechenegs. Even after 859 AD, the Varangians and the Pechenegs could not dislodge the Hungarians from Etelkoz. The Khazars expected the Hungarian tribes to return from Etelkoz once the Varangians and the Pechenegs surround them from two sides, but they’ve been so focused on the departing Hungarians that they did not notice the growing threat from the east. The Kimek Khanate controlled the trade routes between the known worlds of China, Persia and Byzantium, so they were in a peculiar position to wrest concessions from traders who traveled through their territories.
The Kimeks and the Kipchaks were the main tribes who controlled the Kimek Khanate, and the growth of the Khazar state threatened their position in this lucrative trade. Thus in October of 859 AD, the Kimek Khan sent an envoy to the Hungarians to wage war upon the Pechenegs long enough for the Kimeks to launch their expansionist campaign against the Khazars, with the promise of integrating the Hungarian tribes into their confederation. It took a month for the Kimek envoys to reach the Hungarian camp, but during the winter of 860 the Hungarians had expanded their realm to the gates of Kiev. Along the way, they managed to subdue the East Slavic tribes living within the proximity of Etelkoz and the Dnieper River, but their control over these unpredictable tribes could be lost at anytime.
-----
The Byzantine Empire at this time was in the middle of a campaign against the Abbasids as Michael III was in the middle of his attack on Samosata, a stronghold of the Abbasids on Byzantium’s eastern frontier. It was at this time that the Kimek envoys returned to their homeland with the news that the Hungarians agreed to wage war against the Pechenegs as a Kimek ally while the Kimeks and KIpchaks would wage war against the Khazars. Without any raids staged from the north, Michael III was able to storm Samosata and force its Arab defenders to surrender. Yet once the Byzantine Emperor secured the eastern regions, he received news from a Khazar emissary that his master’s domains were under attack by other nomads and requested an audience with the Emperor himself. Michael III could not accept the Khazar offer, but he agreed to hold a meeting with the Khazar ruler himself in Samosata to discuss a possible alliance and eventual conversion of the Khazar Khaganate to Christianity. At the same time, an emissary from the Emirate of Armenia arrived, along with Prince Smbat, the father of Armenia’s first Bagratid King Ashot I, arrived in the same fortress.
Armenia and the Khazars had both requested an audience with Michael III because of the danger that the Abbasids had posed on their states, despite the former’s control by the Arabs. Yet the Armenians also wanted to restore their kingdom in the hopes of spreading Christianity to the Turkic khanates in the north, but through their Apostolic Oriental Rite instead of the Byzantine Greek rite. The Byzantines on the other hand, were not comfortable with the Armenian aspirations to spread its cultural influence among the nomadic groups operating in the north and at the same time, Michael III grew worried that his Bulgarian neighbor might adopt Christianity of the Western Rite or adopt the Islamic faith that his Arab adversaries had professed. Yet the Khazars had to maintain neutrality in religious matters because of their control of the steppe and the trade routes that they also possess, in addition to the Silk Road trade routes the Kimeks controlled. So while they refused to adopt the Muslim faith, they balked at the idea of converting to Christianity. It was because of these differences that Judaism became popular with the Khazar elite. Thus the Byzantines would either have to rely on converting the Khazars’ enemies to the Christian faith or the Armenians will have to send their missionaries to the Kimeks, Kipchaks, Hungarian tribes and even the Volga Bulgarians.
----
So guys, this is my first attempt to actually create a TL that focuses on the most interesting empire in Europe besides the Byzantines and the Franks: the First Bulgarian Empire. I'm surprised that no one has actually tried to make this kind of TL, seeing as there are several Byzantine TLs that talk about a surviving Byzantine Empire.
Hopefully that this TL about Bulgaria (other than BgKnight's A lion Rises over the Balkans) could generate some interests from you guys. I will definitely keep Russia around for sure, though I'm not sure if that is going to work since I also want to experiment with the Hungarians establishing a state in the east, the Cumans too and Khazars. Just tell me what should their fates be.
I will try to include maps here too, as well as using different colors if it works.
----
(1) The PoD: Vladimir-Rasate is killed during the Bulgarian invasion of Serbia in 854 AD. I'm not sure when Gavrail was born, but it is assumed that he would have been a young child by the time his big brother died. Though Simeon will still be born, the succession would be a lot easier for Khan Boris.
Last edited:
