The House of Karen was one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran during the Parthian and Sasanian Empires. What if they had formed a Persian Empire of their own at some point?
 
The first thing they do is demand to speak with the manager.
I knew this joke was coming the second I read the title lmao.

The House of Karen was one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran during the Parthian and Sasanian Empires. What if they had formed a Persian Empire of their own at some point?
Didn't they have a sort of Rump state that initially escaped the Islamic conquest of Persia? Could they have have pulled off an Asturias and slowly retaken Persia over time much like the Iberian Reconquista?
 
I will admit I actually though it was a shitpost the first time I read the title.
Now, taking it seriously:
I imagine when you say the House of Karen taking over you mean Sukhra? If so, I think it may have resulted in the empire falling into civil war as one of the reasons why his plans failed in OTL was due to the rivalries of the great houses.

Didn't they have a sort of Rump state that initially escaped the Islamic conquest of Persia? Could they have have pulled off an Asturias and slowly retaken Persia over time much like the Iberian Reconquista?
They did, holding out as an independent nation from between 783 to around the 11th century on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. About them retaking Iran, I don't really know since it all depends on how easy it would be to expand from where they were
 

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The House of Karen was one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran during the Parthian and Sasanian Empires. What if they had formed a Persian Empire of their own at some point?
One thing to remember of the phalav faction of the sassanid empire, they never allowed a clan to get a upper hand and were even willing to side with the sassanids or the parasig faction to get that clan back down to earth. This happened with sukhra and also with bahram chobin.
You need to forsee a situation that is so dramatic that a phalav clan takes over the empire that too peacefully as the sassanids are to mixed up with the phalav that if things get violent more heads will roll.
Post collapse I don't know, I think it's hard I guess.
 
Post collapse I don't know, I think it's hard I guess.
You do have the advantage that the political situation is completely mixed up and so there's a lot more scope for "adventurism". The disadvantage, of course, is that the Arabs are very powerful. If you want a post-collapse reconquest/refoundation of the empire by the Karen (or any other native group, really), probably your best bet is something to cause the Arab Empire to rapidly collapse. Maybe if Ali dies at the Battle of Siffin or something so that the First Fitna goes out of control...
 
I knew this joke was coming the second I read the title lmao.


Didn't they have a sort of Rump state that initially escaped the Islamic conquest of Persia? Could they have have pulled off an Asturias and slowly retaken Persia over time much like the Iberian Reconquista?
No that was the dabuyids house karen was defeated at the battle of Badghis along with some Hephthalites
 
You do have the advantage that the political situation is completely mixed up and so there's a lot more scope for "adventurism". The disadvantage, of course, is that the Arabs are very powerful. If you want a post-collapse reconquest/refoundation of the empire by the Karen (or any other native group, really), probably your best bet is something to cause the Arab Empire to rapidly collapse. Maybe if Ali dies at the Battle of Siffin or something so that the First Fitna goes out of control...
Alternatively, if the Sassanid House under Yazdegerd III, Peroz III and Bahram VIII all are captured, killed or surrender to the Arabs rather than flee to Iran and seek the aid of the Great Houses, it is conceivable that House Karen could potentially come to be elected as the King among Kings and lead the confederation, especially if they, on the frontlines of the Arab tide eastward, could manage a solid victory in the field against the Arab army.

Otherwise, there is no way to have a Karenid empire as they would always prefer to control figureheads, as the positions of Shahhanshah carried too much obligation and also inhibited the liberties of the particular noble clan. The only reason that they would break this taboo is if there is no longer a potential figurehead and the military unity is still necessary, such as in the otl case of the Arab conquests.
 
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