Triumph of the Gael: A Hibernian TL

A little exaggerated: Christianity simply didn't have the capacity to overrun the western Muslim world at the time, although they certainly could do some serious harm. (And the Fatimids themselves were Shia's, although most of their subjects weren't).
 
A little exaggerated: Christianity simply didn't have the capacity to overrun the western Muslim world at the time, although they certainly could do some serious harm. (And the Fatimids themselves were Shia's, although most of their subjects weren't).

I agree, even if some amazingly coordinated Crusader-Byzantine front managed complete conquest of the Fatimids (which is in and of itself implausible), they’d still have to deal with migrating Berber tribes from the West, the Sunni Caliph in Baghdad who would gain a lot legitimacy in the eyes of Muslims who just witnessed the complete fall of their greatest rival, zealous Bedouins, etc.

The whole region is very dynamic and constantly shifting, and I think I have some interesting plans for it, but none of them involve overthrowing the Muslim world
 
A little exaggerated: Christianity simply didn't have the capacity to overrun the western Muslim world at the time, although they certainly could do some serious harm. (And the Fatimids themselves were Shia's, although most of their subjects weren't).

I agree, even if some amazingly coordinated Crusader-Byzantine front managed complete conquest of the Fatimids (which is in and of itself implausible), they’d still have to deal with migrating Berber tribes from the West, the Sunni Caliph in Baghdad who would gain a lot legitimacy in the eyes of Muslims who just witnessed the complete fall of their greatest rival, zealous Bedouins, etc.

The whole region is very dynamic and constantly shifting, and I think I have some interesting plans for it, but none of them involve overthrowing the Muslim world

From your map, a pity the Eastern Romans don't capture Jerusalem in the ATL First Crusade from the map. (Although they seem to do well north of it.) Always next time...

I do wounder how al-Andalus would turn out. (Start eyeing the Berbers.) Same with Egypt. (The Coptics Part Two!)

Same from the other Religious affects. (Aside from the fate of Rome and the Papal now subject to secular rule.) Ireland can also favor more Celtic Christianity while the Eastern Orthodox. (Best Church!) laugh. (Not while they fighting the Muslims of course.) Sure, Baghdad would seem to be favor by this, but they will still worry over the Fatimids foolish actions over Rome and the full wrath of Christian Europe coming after them, and that they may be next.

Overthrow the whole Muslim World is not in the cards, but knocking it down a few pegs for a long while is in the works as we can see.
 
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From your map, a pity the Eastern Romans don't capture Jerusalem in the ATL First Crusade from the map. (Although they seem to do well north of it.) Always next time...

They have a pretty solid grasp from their base in Antioch, but pushing down along the coast leaves them with a long snaky border exposed to the Bedouins and Syrians directly east. The possibility of a Byzantine Jerusalem is definitely on the table, but that all depends on if the Emperor makes allies to secure the future province.

I do wounder how al-Andalus would turn out. (Start eyeing the Berbers.) Same with Egypt. (The Coptics Part Two!)

Andalusia will certainly be interesting, the Taifas are pretty much on the same course at OTL so the rise of the Almohads is likely to continue uninterrupted. I’m planning some interesting interactions with the more African focused Crusaders.

Same from the other Religious affects. (Aside from the fate of Rome and the Papal now subject to secular rule.) Ireland can also favor more Celtic Christianity while the Eastern Orthodox. (Best Church!) laugh. (Not while they fighting the Muslims of course.) Sure, Baghdad would seem to be favor by this, but they will still worry over the Fatimids foolish actions over Rome and the full wrath of Christian Europe coming after them, and that they may be next.

I actually need to do some research on the effects of a secular victory in the Investiture Controversy considering how big of a PoD is on the Catholic Church. I’m assuming it would parallel the Eastern Church in that the Emperor would control the Pope most of the time, but the temporal power of the Papacy is butterflied for a stronger Emperor so that’s pretty huge.

The destruction of Shia power in the Levant will provide a Pandora’s box of opportunities for the Sunni powers in the region as well.

Basically right now the Mediterranean is a box of gunpowder that just got ignited.
 
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If the Crusade (or future ones, at least) succeeds in taking North Africa, I could see a greater pressure by other Christian states apart of the Iberian ones against the surrounded muslim kingdoms in Iberia, maybe even a true crusade against al-Andalus and an earlier Reconquista.
 
Everyone's so pantingly eager to destroy Islam: it's starting to creep me out. :biggrin:
DEUS VULT! Brother, DEUS VULT! :D
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Deleted member 67076

I’m writing a draft as we speak and the Norman experience in North Africa OTL will be a partial basis for how Christian rule goes in Ifrīqiya ITTL.
Remember though, the Norman Kingdom was a set of towns paying tributary payments, implying loose hegemony not much actual control on the ground.

Actual control depends on breaking the cycle of nomadic empire building (and probably going native to a degree) which Im not sure can be done unless extension agricultural investment occurs to break and settle tribes.
 
Just a quick heads-up on Chapter 15, I’ve been a bit bogged with real life so I haven’t had time to sit down and hammer it out, apologies and I’ll have it out by Friday for sure. Cheers!
 
Chapter 15 - In Nomine Patris
Chapter 15 - In Nomine Patris

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"Veni, Sancte Spiritus, Et emitte coelitus Lucis tuae radium."
When the call came from Clement in 1087 to take the cross against the infidel, it ignited the powderkeg that was Christendom. For decades, fractious wars of conquest and greed had been waged among the multitude of feudal fiefdoms. From the highlands of Scotland to the plains of the Magyarország, many thousands of petty wars had been fought and much innocent blood spilled. Clement, like any respectable Pope, lamented this fact and sought to unite the world of Christ around a common cause. This cause, ironically, would be the sack of Christianity’s holiest site at the hands of an Arab army.

In mid 1087 at Aachen, a Papal Council was called and here the Pope demanded that all Christian men of Europe draw their weapons and descend upon the infidel. The first to heed Clement’s call was the Lombard princes of southern Italy. They had already been preparing an attack on Palermo in Sicily prior to the Council of Aachen, so when new filtered south by the fall, they were ready to go. A large host of Lombards, led by the Princeps Gentis Langobardorum [Prince of all the Lombards] Atenulf III, set sail from Amalfi in October 1087. Upon reaching Palermo, the Lombard host settled in for a siege through the winter. They came with plenty of provisions and had a comfortable supply line to the Lombard Kingdom.

Events elsewhere in Europe were moving fast as well. The news of Aachen had reached the William IV, Count of Toulouse, and he prepared an expedition against the Fatimid Governor occupying the Balearic Islands. These islands had for years been a haven for pirates of all creeds to raid the wealthy shipping of southern France. Crusade or not, William had much to gain from seizing control of these islands and so in the early months of 1088 his ships set sail from Narbonne. Leading a reported host of 7500 spears, William IV landed on Manûrqa [Menorca] and besieged the fort of Madînat al Jazîra [Ciutadella]. He took it by force in February of 1088 with minimal loss of life and prepared to attack the largest of the islands: Mayûrqa [Mallorca]. The Fatimid Governor of the Balearics, not expecting such a large force to descend on the relatively poor island, attempted to send a party of ships to foil the Crusaders. A small naval engagement was reportedly fought between Menorca and Mallorca and the outcome is unknown but it is probable that the Muslim ships saw the numbers of their opponents and turned sail. Regardless, William IV and his army of Occitanians stormed Mallorca and took the city of Medina Mayûrqa. By the end of February 1088, some of the first fighting of the Crusade was brought to an end.


Unfortunately this wasn’t nearly the end of the bloodshed. While William IV was seizing the Balearics, two more Christian armies descended from the north. Following the Council of Aachen, the empowered Emperor Henry IV took his army that was by and large still together from their relief of Rome and headed towards Italy once again. The great Imperial host included among its ranks a few key figures besides the Emperor: Wratislaus II of Bohemia, Berthold of Swabia, Henry’s son Conrad II of Italy, and the Theodoric II the Duke of Lorraine. Upon reaching the port at Orbetello, the great Crusader Army of Henry embarked for Africa. The army ended up taking almost a week of straight sailing before they landed on the coast of North Africa (most of them anyways, some ships sank in a storm and Berthold of Swabia had landed on Sardinia to attack the Saracen there.) In an unfamiliar land with shaky supplies, the army at first did not know what to do. Modern estimates say they landed somewhere near Tabarka and so were 155 KM from their destination. Not knowing this at the time, the army set camp for a few days and pillaged the countryside. During this time they managed to procure an Italian speaking Muslim by the name of Idir (likely a merchant) who offered directions to the army. Following his instructions to head east, they made their way along the coastal round until they neared Bizerte. In the foothills outside Bizerte, the Crusaders would face their first foe. The Zirid ruler of Ifriqiya, one Tamim ibn al-Mu’izz, had gathered a host of Berber tribesmen and was lying in wait for the sluggish train of Crusaders. Reports from the Battle of Cape Angela are confused since it seems the Papal Chronicler, Adhemar de Bourdon, didn’t witness it first hand. From what we can gather though this is how it went: the Crusader army had been marching on rugged terrain for days on end and were quite tired. As night fell on March 16th, the Christian Army was nearing the end of its daily march. As the multitude of columns were making their way down the thin roads of Cape Angela, small skirmishes broke out with Berber horsemen. The news of Saracen cavalry traveled down the line and the army slowly halted its march. While the army was confusedly organizing, Tamim loosed his infantry out from their hidings places in the hills down onto the plain. In the dark, chaotic fighting began up and down the line. It seems the front of the column was not prepared for a joint cavalry-infantry attack and cracked under the pressure. They turned and fled back towards the baggage train, colliding into their comrades behind them. Despite this, the cavalry of the Emperor rode forward marshaling their infantry. At this critical moment, the Emperor and his heavy horse chased the Berber cavalry from the field and surrounded the ambushing tribesmen. Slowly, the Christian infantry regained its cohesion and pushed forward in great numbers. Realizing his gambit had failed, Tamim sounded the recall as best he could and fled the field. Overall, it seems the Crusaders lost more then they would’ve liked but the Muslims came off much the worse from the engagement. In the next week, the Christians would successfully besiege Bizerte and then move onto Tunis itself.

As the main army of the emperor winded it’s way along the ancient Roman roads of Africa, events in Sicily continued to move on at the same time. Palermo had fallen to the Lombards at the end of a 4 month long siege. As March drew to a close, the northern coast of both Tunisia and Sicily had fallen to the Crusader army (in addition to the Duke of Swabia’s successful attacks on Muslim forts in Sardinia.) Emboldened by news of success, the Venetians decided to heed to call and carve themselves out trading ports in the southern Mediterranean. A fleet of Venetian sailors and mercenaries set out in April 1088 and made their way down the Adriatic. Stopping in ports in Croatia and Serbia, they recruited many zealous Slav warriors to join the Crusade. By June, they had arrived at the Fatimid held port of Syracuse and subjected it to siege. Local Roman contingents emerged from their forts in the highlands of Sicily and attacked overstretched Fatimid towns and forts as well. The Lombards, having since taken the city of Palermo, sallied forth as well and marched along the coast securing towns and villages for their new Crusader state.

The Fatimid Caliph Abū Tamīm Ma‘ad al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh (al-Mustansir for short) was receiving through this time chaotic reports from all over his Empire. An army of heathens sacking the islands near Andalusia and making a great slaughter, rough foreigners landed in Ifriqiya and brutalizing all the lands from Tunis to Cyrenaica, Roman armies on the move in the East and West. The Caliph surely must have not known what to make of it. He decided the best course of action was to gather a large force in Alexandria and launch it to the island of Sicily. It was the heart of Fatimid control in the Mediterranean and it had to be preserved. He gathered a host of some 20,000 faithful soldiers and summoned the Fatimid fleet. They set sail just before the rough sailing season in August to relief Sicily from barbarous attack. They landed just south of Syracuse at the tail end of 1088 only to discover that the great port at Syracuse had fallen to a Christian army. The Fatimid commander, despairing at the news but resolving to carry on, marched towards the city with intentions of a siege. A siege he would not get though, as the Christian army sallied forth to meet him in the field.


*****


Hello everyone! Sorry this took longer than expected to get up, I suffered a bad migraine on Friday and I was catching up on some other work on Saturday so I did not have the time to deliver. I decided to cut the Crusades update into two parts as I was afraid it was getting a bit long winded for one part. Next part will cover the Fatimid-Crusader battle outside the walls of Syracuse and the Byzantine response to the Crusades, and after that I shall do a quick State-of-the-World update (and accompanying map) and then we can finally return to the Emerald Isle. Cheers!

 
Hey all, I’ve made a bit of a decision here.

I’ve been working on this timeline on and off since June and now nearly 6 months later here we are. I’ve learned a lot about writing timelines from this first one here (especially about planning and writing a storyboard first.) For Triumph of the Gael I find I don’t have a cohesive plan or story from here on out. That’s why I feel that I should put this timeline on an indefinite hiatus. I have some other projects on my mind at the moment and I think the story here has run its course for the most part and it’s gotten to the point where I’ve lost my enthusiasm for updating it. That’s why I’ve decided to end it.

Anyways, thanks everyone who has read this through my updates, I greatly appreciate it!
 
Hey all, I’ve made a bit of a decision here.

I’ve been working on this timeline on and off since June and now nearly 6 months later here we are. I’ve learned a lot about writing timelines from this first one here (especially about planning and writing a storyboard first.) For Triumph of the Gael I find I don’t have a cohesive plan or story from here on out. That’s why I feel that I should put this timeline on an indefinite hiatus. I have some other projects on my mind at the moment and I think the story here has run its course for the most part and it’s gotten to the point where I’ve lost my enthusiasm for updating it. That’s why I’ve decided to end it.

Anyways, thanks everyone who has read this through my updates, I greatly appreciate it!

Thanks for the update - sorry you're closing this off, but I understand. I look forward to your next project!
 

Md139115

Banned
Hey all, I’ve made a bit of a decision here.

I’ve been working on this timeline on and off since June and now nearly 6 months later here we are. I’ve learned a lot about writing timelines from this first one here (especially about planning and writing a storyboard first.) For Triumph of the Gael I find I don’t have a cohesive plan or story from here on out. That’s why I feel that I should put this timeline on an indefinite hiatus. I have some other projects on my mind at the moment and I think the story here has run its course for the most part and it’s gotten to the point where I’ve lost my enthusiasm for updating it. That’s why I’ve decided to end it.

Anyways, thanks everyone who has read this through my updates, I greatly appreciate it!

Good luck with your next writing project!
 
:pensive:I was really enjoying this TL, but I understand why you ended it.

Good luck with your next projects. Maybe in the future you could retake the story of the triumph of the Gaels...
 
:pensive:I was really enjoying this TL, but I understand why you ended it.

Good luck with your next projects. Maybe in the future you could retake the story of the triumph of the Gaels...

I’ll definitely consider picking this up again (and probably rewriting a lot) in the future if I decide to come back to this era

I’ll be sure to make a post when I start my next project
 
Hey all, I’ve made a bit of a decision here.

I’ve been working on this timeline on and off since June and now nearly 6 months later here we are. I’ve learned a lot about writing timelines from this first one here (especially about planning and writing a storyboard first.) For Triumph of the Gael I find I don’t have a cohesive plan or story from here on out. That’s why I feel that I should put this timeline on an indefinite hiatus. I have some other projects on my mind at the moment and I think the story here has run its course for the most part and it’s gotten to the point where I’ve lost my enthusiasm for updating it. That’s why I’ve decided to end it.

Anyways, thanks everyone who has read this through my updates, I greatly appreciate it!

I was a late comer, but I enjoy what I read.

Can't wait what you may do next.
 
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