Moscow at that time could not “give away” Novgorod because the Republic was a completely independent state. Neither did anybody have more or less rights to it: the princes of Novgorodian Republic had been elected by a popular vote, thus was not a life time position and there were no dynasties.
Moscow didn't 'give away' Novgorod, it meant Dmitry stepped down as the prince of Novgorod. The polity simply elected Vytautas and he is residing there at the moment. But as our Vytautas is still young, we'll see how his conversion to Orthodoxy and reign as prince of Novgorod(no matter how short) turns out.
BTW, title “tsar” at that time was reserved for the Khan of the Great Horde and could not apply to a Prince of Moscow and Moscow at Dmitry’s time had a stone wall (which Totkhamish failed to breach) so the picture illustrates the realist period or a different place. ;)
Thanks for the info and yes, the Crimeans pulled half a siege which is nothing close to the OTL Toktaymish's siege of Moscow. It was simply meant as a pressure on the Rus Duchy and the additional Lithuanian ultimatum forced them to negotiate, otherwise the Muscovites are still in a good position. The picture is just OTL sack of Moscow by Toktaymish.
Isn’t a Lithuanian lead and united Russia bound to Russificate ? Kinda hoping the Russians principality doesn’t completely all fall to the Lithuanian and some of them remain independent to keep the two still somewhat separate , even if Lithuania is bound to do better in the TL .
the complete Russification of GDL Will probably depend if the Lithuanian convert to orthodoxy which seem likely right now
I will not have all of Rus under Lithuania, by the way the crowning of Vytautas is a trick on behalf of his uncle Algirdas to secure his bloodline as the rulers of Lithuania proper which is more important to him, revenues from Novgorod are just bonus. He plans to unite Lithuania under a single dominant ruler. We'll see how that goes. As for Lithuanian conversion to orthodoxy, it is not unlikely BUT I will not give any spoilers.
Witold in OTL presumably was Orthodox after he was a pagan and before he became a Catholic (as a Great Prince of Lithuania). The “ripple” would happen only if as a Great Duke of Lithuania he reneged on the condutions of Union of Krewo and made Orthodoxy an official religion of the Duchy (not too realistic).
Yes, his religious 'jumping' is quite interesting but I have plans for him to remain solidly orthodox here. Vytautas will try to be the champion of orthodoxy in Lithuania to what effect, we'll know in the future.
I think the maximum Lithuanisation you could get at the moment is when the grand duchy finally commits to orthodoxy, they insist on having a Lithuanian language Bible for the Baltic ex-pagans, and then at some point that liturgical tradition is extended over the entire duchy- maybe when the dukes assert ecclesiastical independence from the metropolitan of Kiev.
as I said with others, it is not yet sure whether I'll have all of Lithuania convert to orthodoxy or simply have a Lithuanian dynasty at the throne of Novgorod (and subsequent Russian territories they capture). But a bible in Lithuanian language will happen at the insisting of Vytautas who will want to establish Orthodoxy as the 'popular' religion in his father's domain, which will ring alarm bells in Poland and Teutonic order. As for the seperation, there is a big event upcoming in the region that will decide Kiev's possession and future as a city.
I notice that “Simkus” is in fact,a Lithuanian surname. I guess that means ittl,GDL united Russia in the end,and Lithuanians became the Russian version of Manchu conquerors
Finally someone noticed! You are right about Manchuria analogue. But don't forget Jogalia and Vytautas were enemies at first. Now the latter is an Orthodox Nazarene that will have effects on their personal relations and the brows of those in HRE and Teutonic order will be raised a bit high.
 
Thanks for the info and yes, the Crimeans pulled half a siege which is nothing close to the OTL Toktaymish's siege of Moscow. It was simply meant as a pressure on the Rus Duchy and the additional Lithuanian ultimatum forced them to negotiate, otherwise the Muscovites are still in a good position. The picture is just OTL sack of Moscow by Toktaymish.
Sorry, you seemingly missed the point about the picture. It could not be OTL “sack of Moscow by Totkhamish” by two reasons: 1. Moscow (what is now Kremlin) already had a stone wall (with the artillery mounted) and 2. that wall was not breached. Totkhamish offered negotiations and when delegation came out, his troops rushed through the open gates. 😜

BTW, when the conversation goes about the Bible in “Lithuanian”, what you or anybody else means? The earliest written document on Lithuanian is date by 1503-15 and it is using the Latin alphabet. The first (AFAIK) version of the independent Latin-based Lithuanian alphabet is dated by 1547. If Witold is going all the way Orthodox he would have either to use the Ruthenian (already used at Lithuanian court) or to invent a brand new alphabet well ahead of the schedule. 😂
 
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Flight to the east
In 776, Khan Makmut was suspicious of Toktaymish's political string-pulling and sought to control the unruly Beglar bek. But it would turn out to be a mistake as the cunning Toktaymish now had support of Toqtaqiya and the prince of Novgorod, the Lithuanian Vytautas. Makmut cleverly appointed Barag, son of Toqtaqiya as Orda beg on the pretext that Toktaymish couldn't occupy two posts at once. Toktaymish acted indifferent to the Khan's decision without any hubris and continued serving as the Beglar bek. One of the prominent actions taken during his tenure was the renovation and expansion Kazan which would grow to be an important city sitting on the trade conduits between Rus and the steppes. The economic activities on the western part of the Golden horde also increased partly due to amicable relation between Vytautas and Toktaymish.
Medieval-Kazan.jpg

image : Kazan during the rule of Makmut Khan.

But Toktaymish was not abondoning the Russians, he continued to support the Rus prince Dmitry, much to the latter's suspicion in muscovite hegemony over Tver. He asked the Great Khan to start a system where individual Rus princes would start residing in Sarai for a definite period of time. This would increase their familiarity with the horde system and would allow for an exchange of administrative techniques. But there were several problems to this arrangement. Firstly the incumbent princes couldn't come, so their heirs would have to do in their lieu. Second, the journey back and forth between Sarai and Muscovy was rather lengthy on that part. So those heirs of the princes would either leave behind their aspirations of ever holding the throne. The young age at which Toktaymish required the heirs to leave unsettled Dmitry but he acquisced since the Khan approved of it. An alternative destination was chosen, the burgeoning city of Kazan. Makmut didn't want to put them far away, fearing an alternative shadow government by Toktaymish in the city which the latter was renovating. Toktaymish was able convince the Khan by promising to stay in Sarai. Finally, prince Simeon Dmitrievich* reached Kazan in Safar 778 , being the first Muscovite heir to reach the Tatar territory for lengthy residence under new arrangement.
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Image: Prince Simeon Dmitrievich in Persian attire during his childhood (drawn in circa 1400 AH)

But there was again, intrigues by Toktaymish. Vytautas had a daughter named Sophia but he was reluctant to send his only child away. Toktaymish understood the concerns of the father and said that he would only ask if Vytautas had another child. Only that Vytautas had to give him some 'extra' revenue without the Khan's knowledge that year. Vytautas gladly agreed, his domain was becoming rich and he sought to return to his ancestral lands one day, as the prince of Novgorod.

Makmut meanwhile was drawing provincial boundaries for the new taxation system(not yet implemented) to work. He encouraged the wandering nogai Tatar tribes to settle between the Tunais and Ital rivers[1]. He forcefully settled the Uighurs and Oirats trickling from the east in far away places like Crimea and western part of Sibir Sanjak( a designation equivalent to Turkish Vilayet). He divided the horde into following provinces (Sanjaks)
1. Kazan
2. Astrakhan
3. Sibir
4. Qimir (Crimea)
5. Sarai ( the capital and surrounding areas)
6. Aral

But all good things must come to an end. Toqtaqiya was increasingly becoming restive about Toktaymish's lavish spending in the former's territory. He complained to the Khan about it but he didn't listen at first. On 781 (1379), Makmut called Toktaymish to Sarai to discuss state affairs. But the sly fox knew better and he left Kazan with an army of Tatars and Muscovites for Sarai, there were some Lithuanian elements too. Toqtaqiya was imprisoned and possibly poisoned in captivity. The rush at which the rebel forces reached Sarai was astonishing. Makmut tried contacting the Crimeans but by then the city was under siege from the Beglar bek's forces. On 4 Rajab 781 (October 1379), the forces of Toktaymish entred the city in truimph. But there was no sign of Makmut or his brother Atrak and their families. The newly constituted footmen palace guards were able to hold off the besiegers for quite sometime, allowing the Khan to escape. Where did he go, none could tell. Until some Tatar scouts informed Toktaymish next month about the passing of a medium sized caravan near Aral sea. But it was too late to pursue and the fleeing dethroned Khan escaped to the realms of Timur Gurigan, a notorious warlord who established himself in the east.

[1] Don and Volga river respectively

(From Empire of the steppes by Mahmud Sakafi)
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*He died as a child OTL but I plan to keep him alive and his story will be interesting to say, a Persianized Russian prince( since Persian is the dominant culture in the horde)

And this is my last update until Eid. I'll try to draw some map. And for the record, we have just reached the part of the story where things get really interesting with Timur added to the mix. The next update will be a novella format , telling the story of Atrak Beg, Makmut's brother who will be among the entourage of Timur and will accompany him to places of his conquest.
 
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Clouds of War
Samarkand Diaries (adoption from Sijillat Atrak by Edward Hoffman, Horizon publications)
Atrak rode across the the bazar in a hurry. He was accompanied by his trusted companion, Shahnawaz who was quite the scholar in terms of astronomy but fumbled with bridles as he tried to ride alongside the hurrying prince in exile.

"Uff my prince, please go slow! I'm about to die here!"

"Is that you talking? If the horse is alright then I see no qualms."
Atrak bemusedly retorted as he urged his horse on.

The duo were across the new construction site of Aq sarai, a grandiose project by Emir Timur. It seemed as if the ragtag war chief from Barlas tribe was intent on making his name amongst the great rulers of Central Asia, by whatever means necessary. Anyway, Atrak never forgot that he and his elder brother Makmut were amongst his 'projects'.

Coming to the place where troops usually assemble before leaving on a campaign, he quickly dismounted and sought out his brother. Soon his eyes were cooled with a soothing scene,

Makmut was kissing Timur's Hand, the latter being flanked by various military commanders, qadhis and Imams.

"Allah bless you, lineage of Tini Beg. May the land of Ozbeg be showered by blessings of Almighty as you restore it to the former glory, worthy of Berke Khan." The warlord spoke as he put his hand on the shoulder of Makmut, who was perspiring.

As he was about to leave, he spotted Atrak waving his hands at him. He excused himself from Timur and the generals and neared his brother.

"Oh, my sibling. It is indeed Allah's graciousness that Timur decided to help our cause in taking back Ulus of Jochi from the conniving Toktaymish. But I had to make an arrangement for you. You are to remain in the court of Timur, like a political hostage. And since you're not interested in throne, you may as well take this advantage."

"How is this an advantage for me, brother?"
Atrak irked eyebrows which caused Makmut to smile.

"This burgeoning empire of his, has great potential. He is gathering artisans, craftsmen, scholars, astrologers, lecturers from far and wide. Since you're good with the ink and book, your chance to divulge into knowledge and explore the unknown realms as Emir Timur expands and goes on new conquests, is of unimaginable dimensions. Our biggest library back in Sarai stands no chance against the smallest book collection in Samarqand. You'll be able to find far too many interesting and amazing things which I can never provide you back in Kipchak lands. Also, your coming of age. Maybe in just 5 more years I'll see you with a bride, hopefully from this dynasty. This will make our political ties strong with that of the Emir." Makmut explained.

"I understand, I never wanted the throne. But will we meet again?" Atrak spoke in a broken voice.

"Allah willing, we will. Now pray to Allah that we may be able to settle the score in battlefield. I will keep in touch with you by messengers. Timur is certainly investing a lot in my campaign, I'm afraid to think what he may want in return."

"Allah help us all. And Pray for me too so that I may be able to find my place which Allah designated for me."


Makmut patted his brother on the head and left the place with some military commanders.

"Whoah is that Miran shah? I never expected him to go on this campaign." Shahnawaz's words brought Atrak back to reality from the world of depression that he briefly fell in. Looking at his companion, he gazed at the man he was pointing at.

"That's Miran shah? Yes, his armor and helmet are far too ornate for any regular commander. Now I realize what my brother meant by 'Timur really investing in this campaign' ".

He watched as his brother and Miran shah mounted their horses and galloped away along with other officers. There were so many emotions being welled up inside him. But what are emotions than relative reactions to the situation perceived by human, a weak creature of Allah? To Him are the secrets of life and death and to Him all shall return for judgement.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
In Dhul Hajj 783 (March 1382), Timur sponsored a campaign against Toktaymish's golden horde. He supported the exiled son of Tini Beg, Makmut who was accompanied by Timur's son Miran Shah. They took the northern route along the Caspian sea, marching through the Kazakh plains and captured Saraszhik. Toktaymish hastily assembled a force of Tatars and Muscovites to meet the invading force. After playing cat and mouse with the Timurid force, Toktaymish finally met the invading force north of Astrakhan, near Kigach river in Rabius Sani 784 ( May 1382). In this battle, both forces were evenly matched in terms of numbers. But with Rus infantrymen, Toktaymish was having the upper hand. A charge almost decimated the Timurid center, forcing Miran Shah to divert his forces from the flanks to secure the crumbling troops in the center. This opened a gap between the flanks, particularly in the right one. Toktaymish used this advantage and swung around a few hundred cavalrymen through this gap. The first charge was stopped by valiant Oirat and Nogay tatars who accompanied Makmut. The second charge was the killer blow and Timurid forces were almost routed save for a detachment led by Joku Barlas and a group of irregular cavalry numbering not more than 5000 under Makmut.

b6a3ea27ff193d838fc2c5aae9243d81.jpg

Image: Battle of Kigach River

But for all of Toktaymish's brilliance in the field, he forgot to check his rear. Makmut, sensing they would be needing allies inside the horde sent a messenger to Beg of Astrakhan a week before. After watching from a distance on the other side of the river, the beg of Astrakhan charged. He saw opportunity as the troops of Toktaymish were busy looting Timurid camp and along with the troops of his retinue already in the battlefield, he charged the rear of Toktaymish forces. This proved to be too much for the disarrayed forces of Golden horde as they were crushed between two forces, only the Rus were left standing. Toktaymish managed to escape the fray along with some of his commanders.

The troops of Miran Shah were reinvigorated at this victory, although a pyrrhic one. Then a war council was declared and the allies contemplated whether they should march on to Sarai or stay until Timur came( in reality he was just in Mazenderan). Miran Shah boasted of his valour much to indifference by Makmut and opted for charging straight to Sarai using this momentum. He argued saying that Timur was just on the other side of Kafkas. While against this idea, Makmut could do little as bulk of the forces were Timurid. So after a pause of 2 months, the allied Tatar-Timurid forces again marched north west. Toktaymish was unable to muster any force for the time being but prepared for a bitter siege of Sarai. On Jumada Sani 784, the allied troops were at the gates of Sarai. A siege ensued but Makmut knew better. He proposed a feigned retreat to bring in forces of the Jochid khan to open field. He feared that Toktaymish would be able to muster enough forces if they got stuck in a siege. Accordingly, messengers were sent to Timur for reinforcements and the Timurid-Tatar forces dug in for a siege. Toktaymish however, was stuck in Sarai. He already sent messengers to the Begs of Qimir and Kazan for reinforcements. But he was not ensured of their total loyalty. So he devised a plan. He offered negotiations and favorable terms for Makmut, offering him the throne of Khan while Toktaymish remained as the Beglar bek and Beg of Kazan. Distrusting the conniving man, Makmut said negotiations were only preferable as long as 'the parties attend in person'. Toktaymish didn't mind and chose a neutral place.
20db45c8401ca9295235431bbb58162b.jpg

Image : Makmut Khan (circa 1300 AH).

In Ramadan 784, both parties sat in a yurt for negotiation guarded by forces from both sides. After bickering and a lot of table bonking, Toktaymish appeared to have conceded to the demands of the opposite side. But it was all a clever ploy by Toktaymish to escape the siege. He suddenly threw a dagger at Makmut which missed and hit Miran Shah instead. Though it didn't penetrate deep, the allies were shocked for a while, allowing Toktaymish to exit the Yurt in haste and retreat further west, leaving Sarai to it's fate. Though it appeared only as in injury to the shoulder, soon immense pain radiated through Miran's body, leading to the fact that Toktaymish used poisoned dagger at the negoatiation table. The Timurid -Tatar forces were furious and vowed to avenge such a betrayal in the holy month of Ramadan. News soon reached Timur who abandoned his Perisan campaign and crossed the Dasht-E-Kipchak, whose anger was beyond anything he showed thus far. The city of Sarai surrendered on Shawwal, after realizing that Toktaymish abandoned them for good. As for the conspiring Toktaymish, he soon reached Kazan and began recruiting army for Qimir, Kazan, the Rus principalities and appealed to his friend Vytautas in Novgorod. Timur reached Sarai on Dhul Qadh 784 ( January 1383)and saw the helpless condition of his son Miran Shah, who finally passed away in the next month. Timur, conqueror of the east was shrouded with grief that was soon replaced with anger. He spoke of vengence against the dishonorable Toktaymish and his Nazarene allies, riling the troops with him. Toktaymish gathered a massive force of 90,000 in Muharram 785 which was joined by Lithuanian mercerneies. War was brewing on the horizon again......
( from Empire of the steppes by Mahmud Sakafi)

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And so, an Eid update. Timur will be more involved in the war against Toktaymish. But there will be important changes as not the entirety of Golden horde area will be involved like OTL.

Sorry I had to kill Miran Shah in an ignoble way, but I needed to anger Timur so that he will unleash his fury upon his enemies in a profound way. As for Toktaymish, this is nothing as he is the one who charged through opened gates of Moscow in when the Rus delegate was coming to negotiate OTL. But Toktaymish will be screwed real bad this TL. Timur's Perisan campaign is on hold, but one wonders how things will be once he crosses the Caucasus after finishing his revenge upon Toktaymish.

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE!
 
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Eid Mubarak folks. Man what a chapter. Seems like its setting the stage for massacres galore on the part of Timur.
Timur is a mad bull now. Toktaymish will not be alone in receiving his fury.

As for Vytautas, he's currently embroiled in civil war so there's not much he can do to help the trickster.
 
Dark times
Timur's campaign in Russia

Timur spent the winter of 784 subduing renegade Toktaymish loyalists in Qimir. In Muharram 785, he encamped near Donets river with 1,00,000 force and an allied detachment of 30,000 Tatars. This place will be known as 'Gurigansarai'* (Gurigan's palace). He started northwards soon after, not wanting to give Toktaymish any respite. They large allied force took a different path in approaching Kazan, Toktaymish's rebel base. Timur chose to stomp over the Rus principalities loyal to the usurper first before taking a strike at him.

Toktaymish meanwhile was in Vladimir, bringing an army of 90,000 tatars and ordered Dmitry Donskoi to gather his forces. The two forces met in Vladimir and sought to cut off Timur's forces from the west. But after getting the news that Timur already subdued Qimir and was on his way north, he hurriedly rushed south, reaching Ryazan on 23 Muharram 785. Timur meanwhile was ravaging the countryside of Muscovy which he considered soft underbelly of Toktaymish's realm. In 27 Muharram 785( 1 April 1383), a vanguard of the allied army under Makmut reached and besieged Ryazan. This was actually a diversionary tactic from Timur who wanted to go around and strike Toktaymish whom he thought was somewhere in Muscovy.
7f44e7fe823da9852b6e1ad4ccdd6e7c.jpg

Image : Timur's army , a formidable force that was the terror of every empire in 14th century

Initially, Makmut was successful in engaging Toktaymish's army and soon lifted the siege heading south, Toktaymish wanted to follow but after understanding that this was not the main force, he headed north. Toktaymish almost panicked when he heard Timur's army ravaging Bryansk. To avoid encirclement and being cut off from Kazan, Toktaymish now headed west to openly engage Timur's army. the two armies finally met near Tula, a fortress. Toktaymish wanted to house his troops but the Russian boyar refused, leading the former to attempt a sacking of the fortress. But soon arrival of Timur's army forced Toktaymish to divert his attention to the warlord's army.

Almost evenly matched, the two Turkic armies clashed, Toktaymish initiating the first charge across the entire front. Timur had to divert some his reserves from the center so that the wings don't falter. The two armies disengaged without any concrete result. Next day Timur devised a plan. He ordered his center to be deployed at a distance creating a wide gap between the center and left wing, as a bait for the conniving Khan. After the first day he knew the Rus forces were in the left flank of Toktaymish's army which would engage his right flank. To dislodge the Rus, he would need something more than a simple encirclement by cavalry. But he had a secret weapon, stone throwing cannons**.

When the forces engaged after midday, Timur's Maneuver caused Toktaymish to dedicate even more troops to encircle the seemingly disarrayed enemy. But this also created problems for Toktaymish as most of his troops chased enemy forces 10 miles south. Toktaymish called for his overstretched force to fall back but it went unheard by zealous Tatar horsemen. They were struck down by Timur's reserve sent from the center, trapping them between the reinforcements and the troops they were just chasing.. 50,000 Tatar troops were killed and many more were injured, leaving Toktaymish with only 20,000 cavalry and a similar number of Rus warriors. But their day was about to go bad from worse as Timur unleashed his cannons, 30 in number upon the advancing Tatars. Though the accuracy was very annoying, it produced a loud noise which spooked the horses and created a panic amongst Tatars who never saw anything like this and soon the entire cavalry was on the rout.

Toktaymish was nowhere to be found and the Muscovites were on their own. Now Timur launched his pincer attack and annhilated the rest of the army which included many Rus nobles, grand prince Dmitry Donskoi being one of them. But even after a bloody massacre of another 20,000 Tatars and Muscovites, Timur was not satisfied as his son's dishonorable killer Toktaymish escaped. Timur now marched north towards Moscow, hot on Toktaymish's trail with vengeance clouding his mind.
14232636_514104395449726_1921079427165884642_n.jpg

Image : Timurid sack of Moscow and capturing prisoners (drawn circa 1300 AH)

On 5 Saffar 785, Timur reached Moscow and erected massive catapults around the city. He also ordered tunnels to be dug and stationed his cannons near the openings. For weeks the siege continued. After hearing that Toktaymish escaped to the Lithuanians, Timur was even more furious and blamed Muscovites for covering his retreat. Finally on 13 Rabiul Awal 785 (May 16, 1383), Moscow's stone walls were breached after withstanding periodic cannon blasts and almost incessant stone missiles. What followed was a 'bloodbath never witnessed since the time of Batu's invasion'. Timur promised his troops spoils as a gift of Mawlid-un Nabi( the prophet Muhammad's birth on 12 Rabiul Awal), subjecting the city to plunder and destruction for an entire week. The Kremlin was destroyed by mining tunnels and the outer walls ravaged by primitive cannons. The population was subject to widespread atrocities and slavery. It is estimated that Timur's army captured 100,000 slaves from Moscow alone (most were sold to Turks and Genoese across the black sea). The rural Russia was subjected to back and forth plunder regardless of the army passing through it. This created a widespread migartion of Rus refugee into Golden horde proper and Novgorod.

Timur was not finished however and on Rabuil Sani 785, he attacked Tver. The prince quickly submitted himself to the cruel warlord, appearing in the latter's camp with a coffin and a sword, sparing his principality for now. But Toktaymish was still missing. Apparently after his defeat in the battle of Tula, he wanted to move towards Kazan but after learning it was being approached by Makmut he retreated west to his friend Vytautas.

But Timur still followed the cunning Mongol leader's initial trail and besieged Kazan. The jewel of Volga was sacked by Timur's army on 19 Rabius Sani 785 (21 June 1383). Only now was Timur sated, ordering Umar Sheikh to cross over the Kafkas with an advance guard of 40,000. But as fate would have it, a messenger from Lithuania arrived in Sarai, with the ripe news that Toktaymish was now in the court of Vytautas. This messenger was sent by Jogalia, the former's cousin who allied himself with the Teutonic knights in battling Vytautas who wanted to regain his father's holdings. Timur was inclined to get revenge but finally understood the Lithuanian envoy's ploy to get him involved in the civil war between cousins after caution by his advisors. Timur would absolutely have none of it but would still punish Lithuanians for harboring Toktaymish. So on Jumada Awal 785, the warlord marched west again, towards Lithuania.....

(Piece from "From Vikings to Tsars: Early Russian History" by Vasily Simkus)

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* OTL Luhansk
** There was some mention of usage of primitive stone throwing cannons by Timur's army in their India Campaign, I just had it modified earlier( hence only 30 pieces).

And here is Timur's Punishment for Russia, ramifications are still left to discuss. But this is the end of Timur's campaign north of Caucasus (Lithuanian campaign will be only sacking one or two cities at most as Timur knows his campaign has lost steam). Makmut will be his vassal, for now.
 
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Whether it's a Mongol or Tatar tl,it good enough and fill the blank.

The Gold Horde hold the heartland,make they have potential get hegemony in eurasia.Particularly in a good position face Persia,India,and China.Hope Gold Horde ITTL done better than Russia IOTL.
 
Whether it's a Mongol or Tatar tl,it good enough and fill the blank.

The Gold Horde hold the heartland,make they have potential get hegemony in eurasia.Particularly in a good position face Persia,India,and China.Hope Gold Horde ITTL done better than Russia IOTL.
Golden horde will likely hold less land area than Tsarist Russia, but yes, they will be in a far better place when it comes to influencing the East.

As a result of this and their geographic distance from mainland Europe, will hardly make it a European nation in the eyes of European powers. They will not likely get involved in European affairs unless it involves their neighbours (Poland, Lithuania, Ottoman). Well you can't have everything☺
 

Osman Aga

Banned
Ramadan 742 ( February 1342)
Sarai, Khanate of the Golden horde
sigh of relief


Tini Beg was tensed the entire night, not knowing whether the harbingers of death will bring him good news. Perhaps Allah knows what's best and he should quit being a scaredy-cat. This morning he'll finally see the result. But the suspense, as usual is killing him.

He was soon relieved of his stress as two soldiers entered the throne room carrying a hatch. One of them leaned over the box and humbly asked for the Khan's per mission to open the lid. Tini Beg acquiesced with a shrug, the previous tension all vanished from his features and was replaced instead by curiosity.

Opening the lid, the soldiers stepped back and allowed the khan to have a full view of the treacherous fiend who wished to end his life.

"No way, Jani beg? But why? This is outrageous! The web of conspiracy is much more spread than I thought. How many have been caught? " The khan asked the attending bey ( commander of forces).

" 10 so far have been caught alive and 2 were sent to Jahannam by our brave sentries as those fools tried to escape the law. It seems that his followers have now dispersed across the steppes as we speak , my khan. Allow me and we will track down those conspiring snakes be they in the palace of Khakan in China or in some infidel's court to the west."

Tini Beg sighed and spoke in an intimidating voice:
"Send out search parties in their trail, leave no stone unturned. I wish to see those munafiqs' corpses hanging from the grand bazaar gate in Sarai."

The soldiers and the bey bowed and left the Throne room accompanied by their bey.

Tini Beg furrowed his brows and was in deep thought. But now the biggest threat to his reign over the golden horde was gone. He could now reign supreme over the vast realms of Jochid ulus and set out a path for this state in the ever-changing world.

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This is my first attempt at a TL at this site, inspired by "Lightning out of Tartary" which was done by @Mirza Khan . POD is that Jani Beg is killed by Tini Beg before he can usurp and set the horde in a long succession crisis. I will try to be realistically plausible about the wide butterfly effects that my TL is likely to cover. There will be a bit Muslim wank here and a definite Sunni wank, but many things will turn out better for some unlikely non-Muslim states. Though I will not spoil too much now.
Ramadan Mubarak!

Looks interesting so far. I guess I don't need to tell you Russia must be a bit more unlucky in this TL. A growing and unified Muscovy (or any other Russian State) is highly unfavorable for a Unified Tatar Khanate in Europe. Be it division, be it plagues or whatever.
 
Worlds collide
Saffar 786( April 1384)
Sarai
4.00 PM


The late afternoon prayer was over and in the court of Makmut Khan, a new warlord had a prominent presence, perhaps more than the Khan himself. The Chagataid warlord Timur Gurigan sat on the right to Makmut, in his bold appearance even more entrancing and the gathered court knew about it too. The courtiers held their breath and whispered in a low voice as if they were criminals waiting for execution. Perhaps no one else had this foreboding than the present Rus princes Vasiley and Yury .

"Rise, oh Princes of Rus, progeny of Vladimir the Grand prince! Your father made a grave mistake by deciding to ally with a dishonorable Chingissid but you are wise, for now" began Makmut.

"Allah made us prevail with the assistance of the great warlord of the vast realm, Emir Timur. The true followers of Jesus have triumphed. I have 2 choices for you, convert to Islam like your brother Samiu'n here or pay the Jizya." The Khan gestured towards a young Rus boy in turban who sneered at the prostrating men.

"My Khan, the glorious victory of yours and Emir's forces has proved our worthlessness to inherit the realm of Rus and be the honorable legacy of Vladimir the great. But still, faith is the only thing that unites us as Rus. We kindly decline your first offer, what our brother Simeon did is of his own choice, we will pay what you require though it will be better if we are exempted from taxation for 2 years at least, there aren't enough people in our realms." Yury replied.

"Indeed, I have a solution which is provided by the glorious Emir who excels not only in the art of war but also in statesmanship. I hereby grant Moscow to Yury and Vladimir to Vasiley. You may return to your princedoms as legal rulers and establish law and order. But remember, if you pick unnecessary fights amongst yourselves or involve any outside power in any of your conflicts, you may forget your birthright as Dmitry's son, let alone the legacy of Vladimir the great. "

The princes bowed in respect and were dismissed. The rest of the court was dismissed just prior to Maghrib prayer. Under a dead birch tree, Makmut and Timur gathered for discussion along with some prominent members of both court.

"I am not the one to undermine or question Emir's advice, but what would we gain from the division of Muscovy equally amongst them?" Samiu'n asked.

"Faithful Rus, the unrelenting boy warrior of Kazan! You have very much mastered the art of war under Makmut and Toktaymish. Yes, you are still naive in terms of diplomacy but you still have a long way to go. Your Khan Makmut will get tribute from both sides who will try to compete with each other in gaining his loyalty unlike last time when a single ruler could muster a large enough force and had treasury of almost all Rus principalities to challenge a force of Tatars. Think of two women married to the same men, fighting for his affection but he wants both so doesn't support one against the other." Joku Barlas replied to the young Rus, smiling at his question.

"Indeed, what the noble warrior said is a situation prevailing since the Great Khan Ozbeg. There should not be any vassal that is powerful enough to challenge, like what happened in Kablukovo. Though Toktaymish pulled some strings, Beklar beg Orys lost the battle on the field fair and square. But now comes the prospect of directly ruling these land. When you are old enough, you may go and conquer your father's territory and spread the true faith." Makmut spoke. Timur meanwhile stayed silent as he watched the men interact.

"My emir, do you have any more suggestions for us to improve our situation? Should we expect Lithuanian attacks after you sacked Kiev? We definitely need to deploy more artillery gunpowder weapons. But we lack the urban population which made up your infantry. Our infantry will never exceed 5,000 at most." The khan asked his patron who seemed gloomy.

"My answer is easy, the example is staring you in the face. This lad Samiu'n, he's a Rus who spent half his childhood amongst the believers. Now he's a sword of Islam, who will spread the faith through conquests if Allah grants him a long life. My superior forces have completely destroyed the Rus in the battles, a lot of the children are orphaned as a result. Children are free of sins and our beloved prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told us to love the orphans. We should take care of them and also spread the the light of Islam among them." Timur spoke.

"Though we won't be able turn all of them into soldiers, surely a cadre of sarai employees can be made if we incorporate them. That is if the orthodox church doesn't get to them first." Makmut replied with caution.

"The orthodox clergy should lose their tax-indemnity after allying with the rebellious dishonorable Toktay, if I were you my Khan I would have enforced extra tax other than jizya upon these two-faced snakes." Hafiz E Abru, a scholar of Timur's court stated plainly.

"That is another matter to discuss, let us put aside the jobs of ruling for a while and enjoy Allah's creation." Makmut was irritated at the meddling of a Timurid courtier in the affairs of his state but was able to put on a smile and gazed at the late afternoon sun which was glowing a soft orange as it prepares to descent to the west.

The sound of hooves caught everyone's attention as a rider came galloping.

"My sovereigns, a messenger from Duke of Lithuania Vytautas." the rider said as he dismounted.

"An offer of peace? Or perhaps a declaration of war?" Makmut contemplated as he approached the rider.

"My khan, he has sent a chest."

"Then it is definitely a peace offer. Let's see what gifts he has to offer."


The Lithuanian envoy bowed and asked for permission to open the chest and Makmut nodded. Everyone, including Timur the lame gasped as they saw what was inside the chest.

"By Allah...."

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As Timur ended his campaigns in Russia after sacking Kiev for no particular reason other than to punish 'Lithuanians', he crossed over the Kafkas mountains and joined Umar Sheikh Mirza in Persia. After Devastating the Georgians in Rajab 786 (September 1384) and forcibly converting the King and queen to Islam, the warlord continued on his campaign to subdue rest of Persia. Now Makmut could have a sigh of relief as Timur and his forces were not breathing down upon his neck anymore.

The first thing he did was to form a new 'artillery force' specializing in siege weapons and gunpowder. There were a number of gunsmiths who were amongst the refugees fleeing Timur's conquest in Persia helped him a lot in this regard. The second was creation of a new infantry force not just limited to the palaces but as an overall paramilitary organization comprising of some 3000 nomadic Turks and Mongols. Their task was more like that of a police, maintaining order in the urban centers and trade outposts.

The Orthodox clergy faced a fire from the Tatar nobility as the latter was vocal in imposition of taxes due to them siding with Toktaymish in the civil war. Makmut treaded carefully in the area as a lot of Rus people were now living in horde territories after Timur's destructive campaign. He had no desires to impose Islam upon them like his mentor Timur nor did he wanted to anger the Tatar hierarchy who increasingly viewed the latter's brutal methods as a solution to rebellious attitudes of the Rus. So he went a middle ground. Since Church had a practice of accepting orphans and undesired children, he ordered every church to supply him with Rus children on the condition that he would abolish their proposed taxes. The clergy, eager to avoid over-taxation after devastation of their land, agreed reluctantly. And there was no dearth of orphan kids after Timur's devastation of Muscovy. So a new force was created which was named 'Onchin Kus' or 'orphan force'. Initially there was no catagory of warfare which this new force specialised. A few who showed exceptional talent were sent to live as adopted sons in house of Begs.
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image: Onchin Kus recruits training scene (circa 1200 AH)

Next came the tax reform. To do that, Makmut required the nomads to settle down. Royal decree went out which ordered all nomadic clans to settle down for at least half a year and have a sedentary portion of their population gather around a permanent settlement all year round. Many clans obeyed but some like Nogay Tatars out rightly rejected the decree. They travelled back and forth between Aral and Sibir Sanjaks which had poor government monitoring. They would continue their nomadic lifestyle until early 16th century. Within this time frame many of the nomads settled down. This started a trend to settle around the promising Volga region. Now a situation was created where there would be an interesting mixing of Tatar and the displaced Rus in these settlements. But aside form a few inter-ethnic marriages, the two remained apart largely due to their faith. The prior destruction of Kiev and the flight of Rus people into golden horde proper bolstered the orthodox clergy in Sarai. Thus Rus were largely able to preserve their Nazarene faith. New settlements which were erected include Kharkiv, Saffabad, Tiaru and Kokqala*. These mini towns, particularly Kokqala experienced immense growth from trade as it sat on the silk road extension and was flooded with merchants and goods coming from places like Timurid and Ming empires.
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Image : A Bazar Scene in Kokqala ( artwork circa 1200 AH)

Theoritically Golden horde was still a subservient state to Timur as Makmut ordered Khutbas to be read in both his and Timur's name in where he mentioned Timur as "Emir Ul Azam"( Great Leader) and himself as "Khan E Tatar". This terminology gave no doubt on Makmut's intention as he declared himself ruler of domain of Tatars which was one of the many realms under Timur's tutelage. But aside from sending military commanders and courtiers from time to time and annual tribute Timur didn't interfere with Makmut's ruling. This trend would continue until late 15th century. But the relation between Timurids and Jochids would continue through the next centuries with many ups and downs.

(From Empire of the steppes by Mahmud Sakafi)

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* OTL Lipetsk, Saratov and Orenburg

And so Timur goes to Persia which will be subdued more or less like OTL. Makmut has instilled some reforms which are much needed. And there is debut of Russian Janissaries! Though they are different as they are not indoctrinated through any religious order like Bektasi for Ottoman, they are simply taught Islam by Palace imams and A'lims(as in the case with Samiu'n/ Simeon).

What was inside the chest sent by Vytautas? E-steak for anyone who can guess:p.
 
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Tokhtamysh Head or at least his bodypart.

Well good for the Tatar then to not create problem down the line with education of these "orphan" handle by Palace Imam.
 
Tokhtamysh Head or at least his bodypart.
We have a winner😁!!!
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Thing is that Vytautas can't afford to fight against Tatars while embroiled in civil war against Jogalia. Timur doesn't care if he killed Jogalia's or Vytautas's retinue in Kiev. So Vytautas killed Toktaymish and presented his head to "Timur" so that he is not attacked from east again.
Well good for the Tatar then to not create problem down the line with education of these "orphan" handle by Palace Imam.
The education on faith of Onchin kus is simpler than their ottoman counterparts and they are not a class like janissaries. They will occupy different positions in the Tatar administration but most will be member of a personal guard for the Khan. But they will lack the eliteness of Janissaries, the main difference between the two.
 
Over the mountains and far away
The Lithuanian Civil War (783 to 787 AH)

The Lithuanian civil war between cousins Jogalia and Vytautas started when Vytautas, prince of Novgorod wanted to reclaim his father's realm from Jogalia and his brother Skirgaila. The Teutonic order, a third party was a benefactor of this conflict. Vytautas supporting a Ruthenian alphabet bible to spread his Orthodox faith amongst the Lithuanian nobles rang alarm bells and the Knights of Teutonic order and Livonian order began crusading against Lithuania. But since Vytautas's father Kestutis was a thorn in the way of uniting Lithuania under Jogalia, the latter sought an alliance with the knights in fighting against Vytautas and Kestutis. This culminated in the 'Dovidiskes treaty' in which Jogalia promised Samagotia to the Knights and promised to convert to Catholicism. The knights were spooked by a resurgent Orthodox Novgorod and with the defeat in the battle of lake Peipus still fresh, they gladly accepted the offer.

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Image: Vytautas, prince of Novgorod

In 783 (1381 AD), the knights raided Duchy of Trakai. Kestutis repelled the assault and chased the knights upto the border in Riga. At first Kestutis didn't know that Jogalia was behind this. But after a prisoner knight from the Livonian order told him about it, he was furious. He quickly sent messengers to his son Vytautas inquiring him about it. The prince of Novgorod denied any knowledge about Jogalia's involvement and warned his father about a trap by the Knights. But once Jogalia returned from crushing the Polatsk rebellion, Kestutis was captured and kept in Vilinus. The news quickly reached Vytautas who marched from Novgorod and faced a Livonian force near Daugava river. Muharram 784( April 1382), in the battle of Daugave river Vytautas and his Novgorod forces were victorious against the knights. Vytautas captured a lot of territory and even besieged VIlinus. A coalition of Teutonics and Jogalia loyalists drove him off in Dhul Hajj 784 (February 1383). The death of Kestutis in prison further deteriorated the situation when Vytautas promised vengence for his 'murdered' father.

In Rajab 785(September 1383), the eastern conqueror Timur the lame devastated Lithuanian territory in the Dnieper basin. As the civil war in Golden horde raged on, Toktaymish sought refuge in Vytautas's realm after angering the warlord by assassinating his son Miran Shah in siege of Sarai . Jogalia knew and tried to use this to his advantage. But Timur was furious against any Lithuanian for harboring the 'dishonorable' Toktaymish and didn't care whether he destroyed Jogalia or Vytautas's realm. The sacking of Kiev in Ramadan 785( November 1383) was a phenomenal event which shook Lithuanians to the core. After burning the citadel, Timur ordered every soldier to bring at least 2 heads or be punished. The erection of two towers made of skulls struck fear into the hearts of the noble and peasantry alike. Vytautas was forced to do away with Toktaymish later that year. The cunning Tatar lord in exile was called to Vytautas's throne room and strangled from behind. after that his head was chopped off and Vytautas sent it for Timur. Whether or not the cruel warlord was satisfied seeing the head of Miran Shah's murderer was not known but Timur never launched another attack on Lithuania and went to Persia in early 786.

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Image: Timurid soldiers look at a skull tower after sack of Moscow in 785. Such structures were an epitome of Timur's ruthlessness being repeated throughout his campaign

As Jogalia failed to capitalize on the brief Tatar incursion in Lithuania, he became frustrated. He also began distrusting his allies, the knights. He also believed they were playing him and Vytautas against each other, for a while. But he knew all would have to come to his aid if he baptized as a Nazarene. So on 20 Shaban 786(7 October, 1384), Jogalia was baptized as Wladislaw the second. He subsequently married Jadwiga of Poland and crowned as king of Poland in 2 Ramadan 786( 18 October 1384). This caused most nobles in Jogalia's court to convert to Catholicism en masse. But Orthodox and polytheism would remain in Lithuania.

After securing his positions as a christian monarch in the eyes of Europe, Jogalia called for aids from Holy Roman Empire against the 'heretic orthodoxy'. Though there was little he would receive in the form of aid, the pope and the Holy Roman emperor's paying heed nevertheless created pressure upon the Baltic crusaders to keep him under their influence. So the Knightly orders were forced to cease their actions in Jogalia's territory whilst they continued their campaign against Vytautas and allies. Jogalia saw Vytautas as more of a threat to his rule in Lithuania than the orders. But he deemed them as a secondary ally and not a force on equal footing, at least in the political sense. So when he sponsored the diocese of Vilinus under archbishop Andrzej Wasilko and subordinated the region of Samagotia to the newly constituted diocese in early 787, Teutonic order was furious. They demanded Samagotia which was geographically between Prussian and the Livonian order. Some experts said that Jogalia feared that these two would combine and create trouble for Lithuania in the future. But at least the Livonian order was still more friendly to the Polish King whom they saw as a potential ally in their future quests in nearby Novgorod.
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image : Knights of the Livonian order, the more trusted ally of Wladislaw II amongst the Baltic crusading states

The ascension of Robin Von Eltz as the grand master of Livonian order in Muharram 787(March 1385) further warmed up relation between Poland and the Knights. The Prussian branch reluctantly followed its Livonian branch and warmed up to Wladislaw II who promised the knights land and monetary concessions. The renewed alliance was solidified in Rabiul Awal 787 ( May 1385) under the treaty of Krakow which saw Wladislaw giving Paloga to Livonian order thus connecting the two crusader states by a narrow margin of land. The order territories were now connected by land but it was so narrow that Lithuania could easily overran and separate them if they felt necessary.

In 8 Jumada Sani 787 (3 August 1385), Wladislaw II along with his Teutonic and Livonian allies marched against his cousin Vytautas who was camping in Dryssa. The two armies met in a drizzling afternoon, Vytautas slightly outnumbering Wladislaw II in number of troops. Both sides began charging in sporadic fashion but the Knights were more disciplined and repelled several Rus charges. The battle began and numerically superior cavalry of Vytautas charged but were brought to halt by bombards. At the height of the battle Vytautas was knocked off his horse by a stray arrow which hit him in the thigh. But many of his troops thought that their leader was shot in the chest which caused panic. Forces from Novgorod were routed and started fleeing indiscriminately. The Lithuanian faction still held out but were annhilated by the knights. The vast amount of Rus artillery stayed silent throughout the battle as Vytautas's men forgot to cover their gunpowder which were rendered damp by drizzling rain. A final cavalry charge by the Polish troops finished the battle which became a clean victory for Wladislaw II and his knight allies. Vytautas was able to escape but many Lithuanian nobles were not so lucky. It seemed that Vytautas would lose all of his Lithuanian realm as the knights were seething in revenge of defeating an army of Novgorod. Vytautas lost all of his Lithuanian territory upto Rohaczew in the north and Krzemienczew in the East. But Wladislaw knew he can't afford more incursions into Lithuania proper by Knights. He allowed knights to build outposts in Wilikiye Luki , near the Novgorod republic. It seemed that Wladislaw wanted to create a buffer state between Lithuania and Vytautas's realm in Novgorod. But the Prussian order was more inclined to 'crusade' in the newly acquired Lithuanian lands. Wladislaw's determination to keep the Knights from messing things in his new territories finally culminated in treaty of Dyneburg in Shaban 787(October 1385). In this treaty the orders were free to do their activities only in their territories and leave the Christening of Lithuania in the hands of its Monarch. Wladislaw also granted whatever territory the knights can grab from Novgorod but all Lithuanian alnds once 'liberated' must be returned to him. The war was over, Vytautas retreating to Novgorod to recover his wounds. The knights, particularly the Prussian ones were not happy over the 'meddling' of Wladislaw II and limiting their territorial ambitions on Lithuania. But for now they would lay low, for defeating the heretics to the east was more important.

( piece of "From Vikings to Tsars: early Russian history" by Vasiley Simkus)

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He who has one enemy shall meet him everywhere- Umar Khayyam


A journey long way down
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In the month of Dhul Qad, the air was light in the autumn weather. The harsh rays of the sun beat down meadows across Mawarennahr, though temperature was milder now. Inside the great City of Samarqand, a young man hurriedly climbed stairs to a hall.

Not just any hall, it was the darbar of the great Warlord Timur Gurigan. The Emir of Turks, the dread of the heretic Batiniyah Ismailis, The Shah of Persia, the Gazi of Moscow, the gurdians of the Mongol Jalayarids, Chagtaids, Jochids and recently, of Juans.

"Our Emir is definitely not inferior to the great Sultan Almahmud who attacked Hind 17 times. By Allah's grace, a hundred thousand horsemen wait upon the orders of him and if Allah wills, he shall be victorious in this campaign and our treasuries will be filled with the vast riches of pagan polytheists and those who support them." a courtier was speaking as Atrak entered the hall.

"Assalamualaikum great scholarly mongol, I am very disappointed that you skipped my invitation to sarai (tavern) last night. Oh well, you don't like forcing the women in pleasuring you. But watching a little dance wouldn't hurt." Muhammad Sultan Mirza, a close friend of the young scholar whispered as the latter found his place within the courtiers.

"Oliekum Salam, prince Muhammad. You very well know if I see or indulge myself in pleasure of gazing upon the curvaceous bodies of the new girls brought from Georgia only once, I won't be able to concentrate on my studies for at least 3 day straight." Atrak replied and the prince smiled.

"One of these days, Mr. scholar you may find yourself in delicate position with a girl who will not heed to your words but go down straight into action. May Allah give me hayat(longetivity) to see that day." Muhammad whispered to him. Atrak just sighed and focused on the ongoing topic in darbar.

"Allah willing, we will crush those idolaters and fill our coffers with gold, silver and precious jewels. Since the days of the Persian sultans, the title of king of Iran and Turan had been Shahan shah which was more glorified than Darai, title of the king of Hind. Now you my Emir are the Shahan shah of this land by grace of Allah." Shahrukh spoke eloquently.

"Not only riches, land of Hind is also filled with trees right for making wear apparel, aromatic shrubs and sugercane. The land is always verdant and green and the overall aspect of the land is magnificent to the eyes and delightful to feel." prince Muhammad now spoke.

"Now since the inhabitants are polytheists our campaign is justified by the sunnah of Rasool (pbuh) and we shall tread the path of the sahabas and all other mujahedeen who have struggled throughout their lives to bring the words of Islam to the furthest corner of the earth." he continued

"Though Hind sounds tempting and a nice place to live, we must not fall into that honey trap. For if our kind were to live there we would become like those degenerate natives. My lord doesn't need to look far, the Tughlaqs are right there. Why do you think they have plunged into their current condition?" a general cautioned.

"By Allah, prince Muhammad speaks the truth! We must strive for the suppression of all polytheist faiths under the sun for in the books of fiqh there is no breathing room for them. We must also make wars against those deviants who retract from taking jizya from the other faiths. The Tughlaqs fit into this catagory. I have looked up fiqah from all other sects icluding those of Ibn Hambal. He tells that only Zorostrians are allowed to continue their polytheist rituals in exchange of jizya. All other polytheist groups must be eliminated from dar Al Islam." spoke Abu Jabbar Khwarezmi, a religious scholar who held a prominent presence in Timur's court.

"No one is like the leader of Imams Abu Hanifa. But we must not forget whilst he was a learnt men it is unlikely he was able to provide answer for all if not most of the questions of islamic ruling. We will always follow his jurisdiction in most of our lives. But my heart tells me to follow Imam Hambal's reasoning in this matter. After all, there is no question of sin if I do, all are Imams right? Some less in prestige than the others but that doesn't mean we have to neglect all of it."

"Allah be pleased! Our Emir has spoken in such a language that is befitting of scholars who respect all valid sects within the Ahlus Sunnah, not of a conqueror like him. May Allah increase his knowledge and give barakah(promotion) to his reasoning abilities."
prince Muhammad said with a wide grin.

"Ameen!" the courtroom spoke in unison.

"So it is settled, we're gonna unleash our swords against the land of mushriqs(idolaters) that is Hind. Meanwhile, let's welcome a new guest." Timur spoke and gestured.

a young Mongolian in Persian attire entered the courtroom and looked at the floor.

"Rise oh son of Borijin, you don't have to bow to us anymore, now that you're one of us." Timur spoke.

"Selam Alykum brothers in faith. I am Bunyashiri of Borijin tribe. I have come to this land seeking refuge from my brother Orug Guilichi who is acting subordinate to the polytheist Chinese." the young man spoke.

"You may attend the classes of Sheikh Jabbar Khwarezmi. If you need any catering further than that ask this lad named Atrak. He's a mongol like you, of Jochid origin."

"I am honoured my Emir."
Atrak replied and for the first time, he thought he could see a small glint of smile in the warlord's face. But vision can be wrong if the heart is not in the right path.

'So it begins, the forces of the Emir travels to Hind on 10 Rajab year Hijra 799......'

( piece from 'Smarqand Diaries' by Edward Hoffman, English adoption from Sijillat Atrak)
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So here it is. Sorry for the 24 hours delay.

Important differences are Earlier conversion of Jogalia and more rabid attitude of knights towards Vytautas because of his Novgorod connection. So now we have a catholic 'Poland-Lithuania' and an orthodox 'Novgorod-Lithuania'. But fear not! For Lithuania will unite, we'll see under who.

And Timur goes on Indian campaign a year early. His Persian campaign before has been more or less OTL and the next campaign will be too. Also Olej Temur Khan aka Bunyashiri is in Samarqand! Up next we'll go out of Asia and see what the Ottomans and other Europeans are up to.
 
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Bump! I have received more than enough reactions for a noob, but no responses?

This leads me to these theories:

1. the sheer size of the last update scared everyone( aww come on , I even posted more pictures this time)

2. this is definitely the first proper golden horde TL in this forum and there aren't enough experts.( but there should be at least some Poland-Lithuania experts, or they are not reading this)

3. My background checking was sooo goood that nobody found any mistakes (highly unlikelyx'D)
 
Bump! I have received more than enough reactions for a noob, but no responses?

This leads me to these theories:

1. the sheer size of the last update scared everyone( aww come on , I even posted more pictures this time)

2. this is definitely the first proper golden horde TL in this forum and there aren't enough experts.( but there should be at least some Poland-Lithuania experts, or they are not reading this)

3. My background checking was sooo goood that nobody found any mistakes (highly unlikelyx'D)
You can count me in the second one. because I have no fuckin idea what is going on. 😅😅😅
 
Well for some reason the notification seem not work for me...

Anyway, it seem like otl for now for northern Yuan with Timur islamize some borjigin of note. While I have my doubt for Yuan restoration in China maybe a significant of Mongol in Mongolia proper will be islamized or at least partly islamised in this tl. Especially if the ties with western khanates still maintained to the future.

Like otl the great Amir now gaze his eyes to the rich land of indus. Hopefully with less destruction (piped dream i know). Maybe in the aftermath Sayyid Dynasty can leave more impactful legacies? I don't know. Now the interesting question, Timur spent a better part of his life with various conflict in the west. If he is not bogged down with it maybe he can continue further in India or east Moghulistan or even beyond it. We will see.
 
Well for some reason the notification seem not work for me...

Anyway, it seem like otl for now for northern Yuan with Timur islamize some borjigin of note. While I have my doubt for Yuan restoration in China maybe a significant of Mongol in Mongolia proper will be islamized or at least partly islamised in this tl. Especially if the ties with western khanates still maintained to the future.

Like otl the great Amir now gaze his eyes to the rich land of indus. Hopefully with less destruction (piped dream i know). Maybe in the aftermath Sayyid Dynasty can leave more impactful legacies? I don't know. Now the interesting question, Timur spent a better part of his life with various conflict in the west. If he is not bogged down with it maybe he can continue further in India or east Moghulistan or even beyond it. We will see.
I have plans to convert mongolia proper to islam but not under Timur. And his times in restoring 'muslim Yuan' will not be without opposition from mongols ( the 4 oirats are still there and I have lots of plans for them and their 'future' neighbours. )And of course as I mentioned in previous updates, Jochids and Timurids will have a mixed relationship in the coming days. But it won't be too bad as we can see a jochid prince in Timur's court. For now he is uninterested in the subject of ruling but he's still unmarried and we haven't met his descendents yet😉.

India campaign will be more or less OTL and I won't describe it too much because Atrak won't be going with mr. Lame. Sayyid Dynasty will occur but we'll see how much they impact as the dynasty's last ruler stepped down from the throne willingly. As for Timur's conquest in east Asia, I have some nice surprises.
 
Some special guests in Samarqand court.Make me thought of from Dnieper to Ob,western of Eurasia Steppe has ready become domain of Jochids.So what the fate of eastern,the Mongolia Steppe?
About the reply,I think maybe the new Golden Horde still obscure.
 
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