The first installment…
(The sequence of some events was not depicted strictly in order so as to fit better into the narrative. Sorry about the big pictures, I ran into some problems when first converting the .bmps into .gifs and then for some reason into .jpgs, won’t happen again, hope I didn’t break any rules.)
When his father died, Uwais was a man grown, 27 years of age. He was the Third of the Jalayirid Dynasty and had been shaken twice this year and the realm had shaken with him. Uwais III and with him his fathers subjects had always believed that the Khalif father would eventually be succeeded by his brother Walad, his elder by 13 years, who had served as the primary council and the right hand to his father. Yet, by god’s infinite wisdom, both his esteemed father and his beloved brother had been taken from him within the span of but a single year. His new realm looked impressive on the map of the world, yet he was aware that large tracts of land were arid and but sparsely settled.
Uwais III knew well that this was no time to lament. Provinces, remote from court, which had only ever answered to the authority of his late father, had risen in open rebellion. Equally disturbing was that a general and distant kin to him had made the convenient discovery that his ancestry could be traced directly from the prophet and lay claim to the throne, drawing malcontents to his side. Alas, the Khalif’s troops remained loyal and numerous and the rulers coffer well filled, thus Uwais III was confident that he would be able to weather the storm.
Gloomily Uwais III reflected the prophesies the court astrologers had made at his and his brothers birth. If Walad would fall, they had said, a million men would fall with him. And Uwais’ III foretelling had been even more enigmatic. The old men had discussed the meaning of the constellation of his birth for days, only to declare that Uwais III was to go east if he wished to go west and that he was to restore the old if he wished to bring forth the new. Angered by their constant riddles, Uwais’ III father drove the foolish men away.
As he himself was inexperienced in the matters of administrating a state Uwais III was relieved to find his his council of advisors to be both competent and diverse.
Not wishing to alienate his court with his plans any earlier than what would prove necessary; he devised a way to remove ‘Abbas Mohsin, the main representative of the influential clergy from court. He tasked him with the establishment of an Sheikh ul-Islam office.
Absent from the seat of government the theologian’s influence at court was quickly surpassed by that of a young scientist that had attracted the Sultan’s attraction.
‘Abd al Karim Mirza, his late father’s valued advisor in all matters monetary reported that the they possessed a modest amount of wealth and that the lands, he reigned over, would sustain that. He was only troubled be the rise in prices over the last decades that hindered commerce and the state alike.
Uwais III bid the three commanders of the Khalifate’s troops to engage smaller rebel forces primarily and to only operate in provinces affected by major rebellions when having far superior numbers. While some rebels managed to seize control of limited areas of Uwais’ dominion, his commanders proved to be able and quelled the insurrection within 2 years of the coronation.
In April 1475 the final forces of the pretender had been encircled and would soon meet the fate they deserved. This marked the end of the rebellion.
Dismayed by this display of dominance several local leaders approached Uwais III to swear fealty to him and swore to rule their lands in his name.
Appeased by his subjects’ subservience and eager to be able to mobilize resources that would otherwise remain bound, Uwais III made his first mistake. He trusted the false pretences of the envoy of the Qara Koyunlu nomads speaking of lasting peace and plentiful tribute if he were to disband his garrisons in their lands. In truth they only accepted the peace to gather their forces and would assault the realm again in time. Yet they grossly overestimated their strength and never proved to be more than a mere nuisance to the Jalayrids.
When peace was restored Uwais III finally found the time to operate beyond the borders of his lands. He invited foreign dignitaries, which brought with them offers to share kin and troops. The Khalif embraced the former but rejected the later – wise beyond his years as future events would serve to show.
These endeavors soon bore fruit and the people in the streets rejoiced. A son had been born to Uwais III.
In the meanwhile Uwais III cautiousness proved to be justified, as the Mamluks were embroiled in a long lasting conflict with the Ottomans.
Uwais III remember his late father’s yearnings well to subjugate the lands of the Mamluks to the West. Yet they still yielded substantial forces and the Khalif was hesitant to fare war against a Dynasty that had only recently been joined with his by blood, knowing of the uproar that this would cause among the nobility. Yet he was still determined to use the situation to his advantage and so his gaze wandered to the lands to the east, for where the astrologers had prophesized his destiny.
To the east there lay Persia, the remnant of a once glorious civilization. The Mamluks had sworn to eternally protect them but Uwais III knew only too well the value of oaths in dire times. He bid his commanders to march and destroy the Persian armies, seize their garrisons and pacify their lands. As he had expected, the Mamluks never honored their obligations, preferring to not open their flanks up to the Jalalyrid forces.
The Persians on the other hand were no match to Uwais’ III armies.
After their armies had been scattered, the Khalif knew that it was only a matter of time, until he could incorporate these lands into his realm.
It was an easy victory to say the least yet it was an important one for Uwais III. Until now he had proven to his people that he could restore and keep order within the realm but now he had shown to them his ability to reach beyond and successfully lead an army into foreign lands. (Even though unlike some of his predecessors, especially Walad the Furious, he never rode into battle himself.) His people trusted him now and he would need their trust to its fullest extend for what was to come.
For his ambition reached further and he knew that while his army had proven its mettle for the time being, it simply would not suffice for that which lay ahead of them. So he began a great reform program that would have shaken the foundations of society, had it not be for the voice ‘Abbas Mohsin, who published a widely received tome on the importance of the monetary system to Muslim society. (Within the same year ‘Abbas Mohsin was banished from the realm for charges of heresy, but that is another story.) This allowed Uwais III to rechannel funds, which had hitherto been used to maintain the conscript system to institute a bank, which would finance the state if needed. For Uwais III was preparing for war and he knew, that wars may be fought with swords, but they were won with money.
Yet, the Khalif didn’t foolishly believe that wars could be won by money alone, so he undertook further measures to reform the army. He increased and standardized the size of his 3 armies to 12.000 men each, commanding that no less than a third of them were to be provisioned with horses, because he knew the cavalry to be their greatest strength. Whenever he was confronted with a choice, Uwais III upheld his vision of a disciplined army of trained soldiers. To this end he introduced a system of Military Drill, that would replace the rag-tag levies of older times.
When he inspected his newly recruited and drilled soldiers, Uwais III knew that they were as ready as they were ever going to be for what he hoped to accomplish. Only time would show if it had been enough. For Uwais III did not wish to stop at the conquest of Persia. He yearned for more. It had hurt him more than he had shown to destroy what had remained from Persia, yet he had only done so because he realized, that they on their own could not hope to restore themselves to their former glory. No, they had been lost but not their cause. Uwais III was intent to revigorate the Persian Empire of old for he knew that he alone lacked the legitimacy to put an end to the constant strife within the tribes he ruled. If his dynasty could only recreate itself in the image of the Persia that once was, he knew that his people would follow him and his sons and their sons alone, abandoning their tribal bonds for good.
Yet he could not lay claim to a glorious past if he had not the lands and the people under his control, that were to give power to his vision. These lands had been conquered by infidels, Dravidian Hindus that traced their descent from the city of Vijayanagar, the city of victory. He could only hope that that did not bode ill omen.
His initial plan was simple. He needed no pretense for his aggression, for nobody would question his outrage at the conquest of the Persian heartlands by infidels.
Two armies would attack the Hindus simultaneously in the north and in the south while the third army were to remain in the capital as a reserve and in order to maintain the peace of the land. Scouts reported little resistance as Uwais III expected, since Vijayanagar and their allies were embroiled in conflict with the powerful remains of the horde of Timur. Thus the Khalif envisioned an easy capture of the main cities in the area, after which the growing discontent of the enemy’s people would soon force the rulers of Vijayanagar to give up these lands, that by right belonged to the Khalif as the supreme leader of the Muslims.
It turned out that he was gravely mistaken about the lack of resistance.