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Prologue:
Background to 1747:
Mesopotamia, the ancient homeland of both the Sumerians and Babylonians, the 'cradle of civilization' itself once flourished in cultural pristine, Baghdad, founded under the Caliphs was for centuries the intellectual center of the Muslim world, this was no more. The population of both the entire region and the city itself had been decimated both the successive massacres inflicted by the Mongol invaders and the warlord Tamerlane, by the time the region came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in 1533, the region stood impoverished and population numerically smashed.
Mongol Siege of Baghdad (c) 1258
Under Ottoman rule the region remained one of the least developed of the Empire and became a constant battle ground between the Ottoman Turks and Safavid Persians. In the period of direct Ottoman administration up until 1750, mis-administration would lead the region to become subject to a repeated cycle of inter-clan struggles and outbreaks of plague and cholera, creating a deep-seeded and everlasting resentment towards their overlords.
The Ottoman Empire (c) 17th Century - With the Iraqi regions shaded pink
Under the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-30), the Empire experienced relative political stability and extensive reform. As part of the solution to the problem of the warring clans in the Iraqi regions, the Sultan gave permission to one of those groups, the Mamluks, predominantly former Christian slaves converted to Islam and of largely Georgian descent, to form an elite corp in the name of the Empire. Under Ahmed III's reign, the Mamluks provided a valuable service to the Ottoman Porte, providing a steady inflow of taxes for Istanbul and an added defense against the Safavids, however, upon Ahmed's death, the sultan in attempt to prevent the Mamluks from seizing power sent a wali to Baghdad, however upon assuming power, the Georgian guard ousted the Ottoman administrator in what would later be known as The First March on Baghdad, thereby inaugurating autonomous Mamluk rule in Iraq.
A Mamluk cavalryman, drawn by Carle Vernet in 1810
The Road to Revolution:
By the early 19th century, the Persian Gulf region had become part of The Great Game between the Russian and British Empires whom sought to gain supremacy over Central Asia. Russian ambitions laid out by Peter The Great to secure a port on the Indian Ocean through Persia lead to the growth of British interests seeking to prevent the intervention of any power in the Gulf.
Political Cartoon depitcting an Islamic Emir with his "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion
The existence of the autonomous Mamluk regime in Iraq had become a source of great anxiety in Istanbul, so after successive defeats in attempting to restore authority over Muhammad Ali Pasha's Egypt and the Greek independence, Sultan Mahmud II initiated a strict policy of re-asserting hegemony throughout the Empire by the use of force. Consequently in 1831 an Ottoman army under Ali Rida Pasha was dispatched from Aleppo and after only token resistance Baghdad capitulated and any Mamluks who had remained, were swiftly exterminated. The arrival of the Sultan's new governor in Baghdad signaled the end to 84 years of de facto Mamluk rule and the beginning of direct Ottoman rule in Iraq, an occurrence that was deeply unacceptable to British interests in the region, and so British units in the Persian Gulf region were mobilized along the Iraqi border for potential intervention should British demands not be met.
British units landed in Persia
Amidst what could potentially be the eve of war between The Ottoman
and British Empires, Frederick William III intervened on behalf of The Concert of Europe whom sought to retain the status quo in balance of power part of which involved preventing the decline of the Ottoman Empire and so convened the Convention of Berlin which sought to balance British demands as well as ensuring that such a series of events could not occur, and so the subsequent Treaty of Berlin entailed:
Whilst reluctant to ratify the treaty and essentially loose all the gains in Iraq that had been made, the Turks came under mounting pressure from the Austrians and French whom threatened the withdrawal of any backing of the Empire in future disputes and the establishment of protectorates over the Empires Christian subjects should the Turks not comply, so without choice, the Treaty of Berlin was ratified by the members of the Concert of Europe and the Ottoman Empire.
Birth of a Nation:
In the 84 year period that Iraq had ruled autonomously, whilst the dominant faction consisted of the Mamluks, it was by no means the sole remaining faction of the quarreling clans, and so instead after assuming power, lead a coalition and shared power with a series of factions including the Hashemites, whom, after the Ottoman eradication of the Mamluks, emerged as the dominant underground faction in absolute opposition of the ruling regime, whom would rally the spite of a Nation for the cause of overthrowing those whom humiliate and outsource Iraq for the gain of foreigners.
Militant activity in Iraq rapidly grew once the Puppet regime had been established
For over four years, the elitist Hashemites would unify and rally all those whom opposed what they termed the illegal occupation of Iraq by the Ottoman and British Empires, however, despite its strength drawn on from the masses, it was still doubtful that any uprising would last in the wake of the intervention by the worlds foremost power, the United Kingdom. And so after years of anticipation in drawing their strength and collecting their forces, the opportunity they had long sought presented itself. A secret envoy sent directly by the Russian Tsar to the inner-circle of the Hashemite organisation, had hinted the Russians wished to remove British suzerainty established in the Persian Gulf region and so would support a Hashemite regime both diplomatically and with supply.
On November 11th, 1835. The House of Hashim unilaterally declared into existence the Emirate of Iraq and marched with their followers into Baghdad, effectively ending the Ottoman Puppet State, the Sultanate of Iraq. Upon preparing for the encounter with the Empire that was expected to soon follow, the Revolutionaries were greeted with an unexpected and joyous news, the Iraqi forces had mutinied against the Empire and raised the Royal Standard! The expected struggle before the promised Russian assistance had turned into a bloodless Revolution.
Iraqi Royal Standard
Before an inevitable British and Turkish intervention could take place, the second Convention over the so-called Gulf-Question had been called, this time in Moscow. The Russians threatened that should the newly established Hashemite regime not be recognized as a fully independent state, then military action would be required, and as alarm bells across Europe rang as a war of potentially global proportions loomed, every effort was made until it was finally established that the formation of an Iraqi nation, whom would in theory be as impoverished and backward as its neighbors would settle the dispute by the effective removal of all parties concerned from the region thus averting the possibility of war and the maintenance of the balance of power, the 1835 Treaty of Moscow dictated:
Independence achieved for Iraq, upon ascension, for the sacrifices made during the Revolutionary years, the Hashemites unilaterally made but one promise to the people, to restore Iraq, to restore Baghdad to her Ancient glories.
The House of Hashim claimed direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad
Background to 1747:
Mesopotamia, the ancient homeland of both the Sumerians and Babylonians, the 'cradle of civilization' itself once flourished in cultural pristine, Baghdad, founded under the Caliphs was for centuries the intellectual center of the Muslim world, this was no more. The population of both the entire region and the city itself had been decimated both the successive massacres inflicted by the Mongol invaders and the warlord Tamerlane, by the time the region came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in 1533, the region stood impoverished and population numerically smashed.
Mongol Siege of Baghdad (c) 1258
Under Ottoman rule the region remained one of the least developed of the Empire and became a constant battle ground between the Ottoman Turks and Safavid Persians. In the period of direct Ottoman administration up until 1750, mis-administration would lead the region to become subject to a repeated cycle of inter-clan struggles and outbreaks of plague and cholera, creating a deep-seeded and everlasting resentment towards their overlords.
The Ottoman Empire (c) 17th Century - With the Iraqi regions shaded pink
Under the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-30), the Empire experienced relative political stability and extensive reform. As part of the solution to the problem of the warring clans in the Iraqi regions, the Sultan gave permission to one of those groups, the Mamluks, predominantly former Christian slaves converted to Islam and of largely Georgian descent, to form an elite corp in the name of the Empire. Under Ahmed III's reign, the Mamluks provided a valuable service to the Ottoman Porte, providing a steady inflow of taxes for Istanbul and an added defense against the Safavids, however, upon Ahmed's death, the sultan in attempt to prevent the Mamluks from seizing power sent a wali to Baghdad, however upon assuming power, the Georgian guard ousted the Ottoman administrator in what would later be known as The First March on Baghdad, thereby inaugurating autonomous Mamluk rule in Iraq.
A Mamluk cavalryman, drawn by Carle Vernet in 1810
The Road to Revolution:
By the early 19th century, the Persian Gulf region had become part of The Great Game between the Russian and British Empires whom sought to gain supremacy over Central Asia. Russian ambitions laid out by Peter The Great to secure a port on the Indian Ocean through Persia lead to the growth of British interests seeking to prevent the intervention of any power in the Gulf.
Political Cartoon depitcting an Islamic Emir with his "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion
The existence of the autonomous Mamluk regime in Iraq had become a source of great anxiety in Istanbul, so after successive defeats in attempting to restore authority over Muhammad Ali Pasha's Egypt and the Greek independence, Sultan Mahmud II initiated a strict policy of re-asserting hegemony throughout the Empire by the use of force. Consequently in 1831 an Ottoman army under Ali Rida Pasha was dispatched from Aleppo and after only token resistance Baghdad capitulated and any Mamluks who had remained, were swiftly exterminated. The arrival of the Sultan's new governor in Baghdad signaled the end to 84 years of de facto Mamluk rule and the beginning of direct Ottoman rule in Iraq, an occurrence that was deeply unacceptable to British interests in the region, and so British units in the Persian Gulf region were mobilized along the Iraqi border for potential intervention should British demands not be met.
British units landed in Persia
Amidst what could potentially be the eve of war between The Ottoman
and British Empires, Frederick William III intervened on behalf of The Concert of Europe whom sought to retain the status quo in balance of power part of which involved preventing the decline of the Ottoman Empire and so convened the Convention of Berlin which sought to balance British demands as well as ensuring that such a series of events could not occur, and so the subsequent Treaty of Berlin entailed:
- A Satellite nation of Iraq is be established recognising Mahmud II as Head of State
- The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire is to appoint a 'pro-British' Conservative Government to administer the region
- The British Empire should renounce all militaristic and economic ties with the Qajar Persian State and proceed to withdraw all military units from the Persian Gulf and surrounding territories
- All Iraqi military units would serve directly under Ottoman command and bear the flag of the Empire
Whilst reluctant to ratify the treaty and essentially loose all the gains in Iraq that had been made, the Turks came under mounting pressure from the Austrians and French whom threatened the withdrawal of any backing of the Empire in future disputes and the establishment of protectorates over the Empires Christian subjects should the Turks not comply, so without choice, the Treaty of Berlin was ratified by the members of the Concert of Europe and the Ottoman Empire.
Birth of a Nation:
In the 84 year period that Iraq had ruled autonomously, whilst the dominant faction consisted of the Mamluks, it was by no means the sole remaining faction of the quarreling clans, and so instead after assuming power, lead a coalition and shared power with a series of factions including the Hashemites, whom, after the Ottoman eradication of the Mamluks, emerged as the dominant underground faction in absolute opposition of the ruling regime, whom would rally the spite of a Nation for the cause of overthrowing those whom humiliate and outsource Iraq for the gain of foreigners.
Militant activity in Iraq rapidly grew once the Puppet regime had been established
For over four years, the elitist Hashemites would unify and rally all those whom opposed what they termed the illegal occupation of Iraq by the Ottoman and British Empires, however, despite its strength drawn on from the masses, it was still doubtful that any uprising would last in the wake of the intervention by the worlds foremost power, the United Kingdom. And so after years of anticipation in drawing their strength and collecting their forces, the opportunity they had long sought presented itself. A secret envoy sent directly by the Russian Tsar to the inner-circle of the Hashemite organisation, had hinted the Russians wished to remove British suzerainty established in the Persian Gulf region and so would support a Hashemite regime both diplomatically and with supply.
On November 11th, 1835. The House of Hashim unilaterally declared into existence the Emirate of Iraq and marched with their followers into Baghdad, effectively ending the Ottoman Puppet State, the Sultanate of Iraq. Upon preparing for the encounter with the Empire that was expected to soon follow, the Revolutionaries were greeted with an unexpected and joyous news, the Iraqi forces had mutinied against the Empire and raised the Royal Standard! The expected struggle before the promised Russian assistance had turned into a bloodless Revolution.
Iraqi Royal Standard
Before an inevitable British and Turkish intervention could take place, the second Convention over the so-called Gulf-Question had been called, this time in Moscow. The Russians threatened that should the newly established Hashemite regime not be recognized as a fully independent state, then military action would be required, and as alarm bells across Europe rang as a war of potentially global proportions loomed, every effort was made until it was finally established that the formation of an Iraqi nation, whom would in theory be as impoverished and backward as its neighbors would settle the dispute by the effective removal of all parties concerned from the region thus averting the possibility of war and the maintenance of the balance of power, the 1835 Treaty of Moscow dictated:
- The establishment of a fully independant Iraqi Monarchy headed by the House of Hashim
- So to recognize this newly established State's existence on the will of the Nations of Europe, the nation will be styled the Kingdom of Iraq with the Head of State adopting the title King
- To delimit the direct power of The Hashims, a consititution which would be set by The British Empire is to be accepted by the State
- To compensate The Ottoman Empire for its loss of the Iraqi territories, the right for the Sultanate to re-assert hegemony through the use of force over the Levant will be recognized
- The Ottoman Empire will be admitted to the Concert of Europe
Independence achieved for Iraq, upon ascension, for the sacrifices made during the Revolutionary years, the Hashemites unilaterally made but one promise to the people, to restore Iraq, to restore Baghdad to her Ancient glories.
The House of Hashim claimed direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad
Just a quick overview: Since at gamestart the Ottoman Empire is at war with Tripoli and thus making it impossible to release a nation, I made a save-game, edited the war out of the file, loaded up again as the OE, released Iraq, saved again, edited the Tripoli war back in and restored the OE the 5 prestige they lost as a result of releasing Iraq.
My long-term goal should be fairly self explanatory given the title of the AAR
I'm running Rizzmond's [MOD] Colonial Development and chann's Unofficial fix pack for 1.2 the former which balances the whole concept of colonies to run more in line with what they would historically have done so and the latter just allows the game to run more in line with what PI intended
Much thanks for the support guys, it will undoubtedly motivate me to keep this AAR going
I'd been inspired by both Tommy4ever and Tanzhang's AAR's so had wanted to begin an AAR at the beginning of 1.2, I enjoy the idea of physically building your own Nation from scratch and had intended to play a Greek campaign after PI announced the inclusion of Byzantium, however, someone else had attempted such a feat upon the patches release and so I searched for other ideas, in the patch readme, i noticed Babylon was included. Whilst realistically Babylon as it historically existed was of another world to modern Iraq, I pictured it instead as whilst quite ambitious, an ideal nonetheless. 'Iraq' is a fixed region yet Babylon presents an idea for this Nation to form a greater Empire, and so rampant expansion can atleast be justified
I felt that establishing a context should be a top priority, when I decided on this course however, I didn't realize how little material was actually available to the topic on the internet. Everything in the Prologue is historically accurate up to and including when the Ottoman's re-asserted control over Baghdad in 1831. Historically, the Hashemites came to rule a Kingdom in Iraq from 1931 onward, yet there was next to no material available on 19th century Iraq so instead I had to settle in transplanting material from both the period before and after the AAR begins.
Thanks for the support
At game start Iraq has an adult male population of 387k, but just so you can understand how devastating and long lasting the massacres inflicted by the Mongols and later Timur were: As Timur's troops progressed through modern day Iran & Iraq, he ordered that each soldier return with two skulls or face execution (as the Persians and Iraqis had resisted his rule). As a result of this, it is estimated that anywhere up to 3/4 of the regions population was lost and the physical population of Iraq in the 14th century would not be restored until the mid-20th century.
My long-term goal should be fairly self explanatory given the title of the AAR
I'm running Rizzmond's [MOD] Colonial Development and chann's Unofficial fix pack for 1.2 the former which balances the whole concept of colonies to run more in line with what they would historically have done so and the latter just allows the game to run more in line with what PI intended
Much thanks for the support guys, it will undoubtedly motivate me to keep this AAR going
I'd been inspired by both Tommy4ever and Tanzhang's AAR's so had wanted to begin an AAR at the beginning of 1.2, I enjoy the idea of physically building your own Nation from scratch and had intended to play a Greek campaign after PI announced the inclusion of Byzantium, however, someone else had attempted such a feat upon the patches release and so I searched for other ideas, in the patch readme, i noticed Babylon was included. Whilst realistically Babylon as it historically existed was of another world to modern Iraq, I pictured it instead as whilst quite ambitious, an ideal nonetheless. 'Iraq' is a fixed region yet Babylon presents an idea for this Nation to form a greater Empire, and so rampant expansion can atleast be justified
I felt that establishing a context should be a top priority, when I decided on this course however, I didn't realize how little material was actually available to the topic on the internet. Everything in the Prologue is historically accurate up to and including when the Ottoman's re-asserted control over Baghdad in 1831. Historically, the Hashemites came to rule a Kingdom in Iraq from 1931 onward, yet there was next to no material available on 19th century Iraq so instead I had to settle in transplanting material from both the period before and after the AAR begins.
Thanks for the support
At game start Iraq has an adult male population of 387k, but just so you can understand how devastating and long lasting the massacres inflicted by the Mongols and later Timur were: As Timur's troops progressed through modern day Iran & Iraq, he ordered that each soldier return with two skulls or face execution (as the Persians and Iraqis had resisted his rule). As a result of this, it is estimated that anywhere up to 3/4 of the regions population was lost and the physical population of Iraq in the 14th century would not be restored until the mid-20th century.
Thank you for taking part in the contest and good luck!
Linked your thread in the contest list, i will follow your AAR
Mind that the contest ends on the 15th November and you will need to have 5 chapters for the contest till then,
so please update your AAR accordingly, because every missing chapter from the 5 necessary
will give you -20 points substracted from your total score.
Neverthless thank you for taking part, i hope you will be able to get the chapters necessary in time.
Should your Prologue be counted as a chapter for the contest? (it would fit in the contest guidelines)
Also you nowhere mentioned that you are using my MIP, that is a requirement for the contest, so i hope you are using it
Linked your thread in the contest list, i will follow your AAR
Mind that the contest ends on the 15th November and you will need to have 5 chapters for the contest till then,
so please update your AAR accordingly, because every missing chapter from the 5 necessary
will give you -20 points substracted from your total score.
Neverthless thank you for taking part, i hope you will be able to get the chapters necessary in time.
Should your Prologue be counted as a chapter for the contest? (it would fit in the contest guidelines)
Also you nowhere mentioned that you are using my MIP, that is a requirement for the contest, so i hope you are using it
I was excited enough to see that this was a Babylon aar, and when I read your prologue I practically got chills. Although my area of amateurtese is on Babylon proper, watching Iraq claim the banner is going to be incredible, I can tell. Looking forward to how your gameplay and storytelling weave this one into something supernaturally delicious. I'd say Inanna be with you, but it appears that insh'Allah seems more appropriate. Good luck, and keep an eye out for the Brit and the Bear!
Good luck, and keep an eye out for the Brit and the Bear!
Still no answer and time is running out for the contest...
Please note that i will take AAR´s that dont have any chapters out of the contest, after the 15th November.
So you need at least one chapter to stay in the contest!
Please note that i will take AAR´s that dont have any chapters out of the contest, after the 15th November.
So you need at least one chapter to stay in the contest!
I hope to see an update soon, only 4 more days till the end of the contest, and there is still no chapter to read here sadly
So the contest reached its end date without an answer or further update from you,
so i have to take you out of the contestors list.
Thank you anyway for your time and participation so far.
so i have to take you out of the contestors list.
Thank you anyway for your time and participation so far.