I would like to be a more wise and merciful ruler than my fathers have been. I mean yes, some people will be a threat to the Empire and must be dealt with. However if my brothers are peaceful and accept my rule I will try to restrain myself from following the traits of my fathers and separating them from their heads. I do manage to imprison all those looking to rebel without them escaping my guards leaving me with just the one rebelling lord who was active when my father died. My dad was…a bit out of control with things. I still follow the tradition of taking new wives but I only take two. Let us be honest I have 5 sons already. I don’t need many more kids. I would like one though with that little something extra though. The rebellion was close to being crushed when my dear father passed on and in short order I finish the job. Now with my nation ordered I think it is time for my hajj.
As I leave from Constantinople I really have to think how much easier this would be if I ruled all the lands from here to Mecca but no matter. Certainly there wouldn’t be these bandit issues! I really must speak with the lords of my lands when I return. Bandits that harass pilgrims? This should not be permitted! I rule the Arsacid Empire! I stir my fellow pilgrams to wrath against these bandits and we go to fight them!
I personally kill 3 of the bandits before we drive them off and we suffer no more dangers before we leave the fertile parts of Armenia and begin to enter the Syrian deserts. I have been too coddled in my life as ruler and of course my upbringing before as prince. The desert heat...I should have brought more supplies and water. Yet temptations play at my mind as I see strange visions in the desert. My fellow pilgrims don’t seem to see anything though. It must be an illusion and I ignore it. Mecca itself is all that I have been told. I can feel the touch of Allah in the land. We change and dress in white for all are equal from the poorest pauper to myself before Allah. When I perform the Tawaf I only call out for three circuits instead of all 7 times. It is humbling to be sure. I chose to sacrifice a lamb as well. That is traditionally what my family does when we are in Mecca making the hajj.
The return trip is a grim reminder that Allah can take us anytime. More than that it is a sign that we must work hard to make this world a just one. While I cannot ensure that people will carry enough supplies when they make their pilgrimage I can at least try to put down the risks of banditry that some pilgrims must go through
I return home to terrible news! One of my vassals…is a follower of the Yazidi heresy! These people have incorporated Zoroastrian ideas into sunni doctrine. Well! I shall put an end to this. Maybe a bit of religious zeal in me after my trip to Mecca but I shall see this man stripped of all his lands though not killed. An apportunity presents itself though as the Aytekin and the Yanbu both suffer some internal wars. Both are to lower Crown Authority. Well when opportunity knocks you have to answer the door and there are some piece of land I wouldn’t mind bringing into the fold as well as continuing to conquer towards Mecca. I start 5 minor wars. Since they are rebelling lands fighting to reduce authority I have no real chance of losing. At worst they win or lose their personal efforts to reduce authority which will automatically end the wars with me. All this starts in 1371.
I gain some territories but I do not manage to claim Medina in the far south. A pity I was truly hoping to not have to go to war with the Yanbu directly for that piece of land. Still I made my gains by the middle of 1373. Lands I can share with the family as a host a celebratory tournament. A great and glorious one where all those who waged true and great war for their Shahanshah can prove their worth once again. I personally even take part in the tournament. A my trusty whip at my side and a fancy hat on my head. I should make up a title for the greatest warrior in the land. Jones maybe. Or perhaps Indiana? Both sound half right.
The Sultan of Egypt has his own issues now. The lands of the Nile Delta are up in revolt against him. My first wife says I should take action. My youngest shows all the signs of being the one I want to leave my lands to and so I should make moves now to ensure he has the lands he will need to ensure rule passes on to him. It is a wise point and I can make a holy war out of the matter since it is currently held by those of the Shia faith. After consultation with some more of my vassals I decide to let my forces sail and march for the heart of Egypt. Besides this will distract people from the fact I have emptied the treasury during Ramadan. While I wage war in Egypt I hear word of yet another of these Khans from the east poised to strike at Khiva and Persia.
Still the lands are won and I take control of three of the four parts of the emirate of Damietta. I think now is a time to prepare myself for these coming Mongols and their third invasion. There are more than 200,000 of the ones who took part in the so called Golden Horde’s invasion of my lands still trapped in the northeast parts of my land now and forever. If these new ones trouble me Allah shall surely inflict a similar curse upon them. Yet before they arrive I think it is time to take an assessment of the world we live in as of 1374.
The Arsacid Empire is the world’s dominant force. No other land comes close to the size, wealth, majesty or prestige of the Arsacids. Throughout all our history we proceeded carefully and wisely slowly building power never taking unnecessary risks. For uncounted years now we have always been the agressors in battle. Aside from minor civil wars no one ever has actually tried to attack us in living memory. The Egyptian Sultanate rules all along eastern Africa and even some parts up inside Germany and Italy. Farther west the great Marwen Sultanate rules northwestern Africa, parts of the Iberian peninsula and pieces of Italy as well. I know little of them. They busy themselves with the Catholics in the west and I dominate the east. Iberia itself is divided amongst a half dozen various powers with France possessing some land in it too.
From what I can see of the most ancient historical documents France is little changed in totality. They have last parts of their realm to the Holy Roman Empire but gained Brittany and parts of Iberia. The Holy Roman empire is ruled a German Kaiser. My grandmother was German and told me about her homeland. From what I can gather they have not significantly expanded their borders given land lost but they have grown stronger internally though internal wars still cause problems given their elective style of succession. England, Scotland and Ireland seem to do little aside from fight internally against their own lords or squabble with each other. I know once Ireland joined a Crusade against us but stories of that distant place are much exaggerated.
In the distant snowy north we find Denmark is well Denmark. They exist. They grow and shrink. They are not a major power but have existed a long time. Sweden is strong. They dominate the area around their lands and have taken much of what was once part of Rus. We have peaceful relations. I think they understand that I have no interest in anything more north of me and they are wise to not upset me. My father once talked about how he wanted to marry a swede with skin like ivory and hair like gold. Father did love his women. Norway and the Rus are broken kingdoms. They may have had power once but no longer with Norway ruled by Germans descended from the family that rules the Holy Roman Empire. Volga-Bulgaria has suffered some hard times as well. Long ago they were traditional allies of my family but that time has passed. They are left to the northern steppes.
The Persian Sultanate is ruled by a Turk now. A pity. My family still holds to our Persian roots. The Arabian Peninsula is shared between them and the Yanbu though the Persians are suffering internal strife related to reducing their crown authority.
The two most dominant religions in the world are the Sunni faith and the Catholic faith. After that are the Shia faction of the Muslims. There are no Orthodox kingdoms anymore. Within my domain you find scattered holdouts and I think there is a northern duchy that is ruled by an Orthodox Christian but their time is past. There are no major heresies though there are a tiny few Orthodox or Christian ones here and there. The Tengri faith exists only in two places now and none in my lands. I would rather Catholics or Orthodox followers than they. A forgotten pagan religion of an older time who will pass away to nothing in time. Both the Catholic Pope and the Sunni Caliph have absolute moral authority over their domains.
Culturally one looks at the world and thanks to my family you can see the spread of the Persian culture. The seat of our power remains Greek for now but we ourselves are Persian through and through. Greek is on its way out. No longer do Greek lords rule. In their place are Persians of my family. Still it is a slow thing. Even that ancient Georgian culture still exists in a small piece of land. Looking to the future I can see only glory for us. The most recent survey of the total size of the Arsacid Empire is 1204 separate counties that make us up. The next largest of the Holy Roman Empire is a mere 442. I am 31 years old and ready to fulfill my destiny.
The Mongols have finally gained land in the east. They have picked a fight with Allahyarid Sultanate and have been winning. The first Mongols broke against the Seljuks. The second broke against me. The third picked a fight with a small and weak nation and have finally gained some territory. The Timurids. Nothing too serious though. Meanwhile I manage to claim Medina. Now Mecca itself is right next door to my southernmost territory. The years pass mostly peacefully. Though there are sometimes internal issues they are always small and easily crushed. To the east the Timurids have claimed all the territory between myself and the Persian Sultanate. I wonder if their Khan is foolish enough to try to pick a fight with me. He is apparently a Shia follower oddly enough. I may have to take over his lands.
The Mongols continue to pick a fight with the Persian Sultanate. I give them a 40% chance of success in their wars. We will see how things go. Some of my court say I should wipe them out. Still those lands are so distant to my own. I am not sure if I wish to do such. I have an opportunity to suggest another fatwa. This time against one of the mayors. In the end I strip the title from him. My wife though one evening she and I are alone have a little talk about the matter of the Mongols.
Nagihan is dressed in darkened silks and veiled. She is a Turkish woman by descent and hearing about the Mongols has had her on edge for weeks. “Dear…I fear for those in my homeland. The lands of my grandfathers. These barbarian Mongolians from distant east. They have taken over the ancient lands of Khiva and fight with the Persians and Turks to their south. I know that they are no real danger to the Arsacid Empire but…”
“But you fear for those beyond our borders. You worry for others who must endure their ravages and the domination of these foreign people. You want me to take the land back from them and drive them back into the east?”
She nods. “I know how you have no real wish for wars so far east from Constaninople but we should take some action. You have the favor of Allah we know this. You need only look to the northeast at those of the Golden Horde who are trapped there forever. You could do this easily.”
While I had no plans to engage in the warfare but I had taken the time to examine matters in case I had to do something. The Mongols have only a tiny fraction of my power. If I go to war with them it will be a crushing victory. I close my eyes and she goes completely silent while I give due consideration to what she says. Finally I open my eyes and give her a nod. “I personally will take my forces and those of my vassals and we shall march east.”
Her eyes go wide and her smile brightens the room as she leaps to hug me and thank me. I will spare you the details of the rest of the night but I leave the next morning tired from a lack of sleep, hundreds of thousands of soldiers beginning to march east. I haven’t personally left my great capitol in years and years. They quickly capitulate and they continue to be pressed from the south by the Persians. I suspect a very short Mongol empire in the east. Dealing with them and forcing the surrender of two lands allows me as well to ensure my heir of choice will take over now.
It is in 1392 that I find myself once more at war with the Pope and the Catholic Christians over Sicily. You would have thought that he had learned his lesson about daring to oppose me. Well if that is what he plans to do I shall make sure his soldiers turn the shores red with blood. I give out word to all the lands that sit by the sea and can raise a fleet to carry soldiers to Sicily. That is enough I think to best this Pope. We will see if I need more. Well I try to at least. Seems my armies are growing too large for my fleets! Still I have mobilized some 100,000 soldiers to await the enemy assault. Seems that the King of Ireland fancies his chances at us again. Apparently some don’t learn the lessons of history!
I form a single fighting force of nearly 90,000 soldiers after the first initial battle is one. After that I keep them on the sea striking like lightning where the enemy lands to slaughter them. The Queen of Denmark and the King of Scotland have joined this battle as well. Interesting but they are small compared to me. My allies have started to arrive as well slowing down the enemies movements. Haha! The Queen of Rus is joining in? I have emirates larger than her kingdom! The Yanbu are suffering an internal strife. Oh how I wish I could act on it. Damn the Pope for tying up my forces! Actually given how devastating their losses have been. I think I could disband my forces and invade and take Mecca.
In fact with how well the defense of Sicily goes in the Crusade and the fact that I can bring over one million soldiers into battle means that I can easily take the risk and fight on two fronts. After dispersing my forces and then putting out a new call to arms I assembled a force of more than 1800 ships and 130,000 soldiers to protect Sicily while some 850,000 more march from all parts of my Empire towards the Yanbu.
The Yanbu quickly capitulate. The fool Pope continues his war, Christian soldiers dying shortly after they land in Sicily. Little known fact about warfare. If you put soldiers in boats so long as you have enough boats for them all you needn’t worry about any of them starving. This is terribly convenient for defensive coastal wars. The crusade has gone on for four years now without them ever managing so much as to successfully siege a single holding. After six years of it though I can force the Pope to surrender. It is truly a pleasant thing.
The Aytekin have some troubles once more with rebels and I decide to help myself to some more of their territory. I have no true need for it but my wife she insists that I bring them in under my protection and appeals to my sense of justice on the matter. Sadly I can only claim one small piece of the Emirate of Damascus before the wars end. A shame. Still things are going most well as I look out to review the Empire