East African Adventure - An Ethiopian AAR

Count Zeyd (1066 - ?) - The early years

First task for our hero was to choose a wife. His chancellor presented a rather disappointing selection of five possibles. Four of these came from Zeyd’s own court and the fifth was only six years old.



So it was, that Amhara became countess of Assab. She had promise on the child-bearing front and was a religious zealot and theologian to boot.
Straight after the wedding, Zeyd went on honeymoon, without his new bride, to Mecca. Instead, he took his best pal, Tessema. The pilgrimage was mostly uneventful but Zeyd came back a better man for it (+1 martial and proud).

Now a good story needs some villians, just like these two:



While the pilgrims were away, our villians joined forces and declared war on the wasteland kingdom of Shewa. Zeyd and Tessema returned from Mecca just as hostile forces entered Shewa. Ali IV of Shirazid entered the fray on Shewa’s side but they were no match for the infidel army. Zeyd’s new wife, Amhara , urged him to fight against the infidels but he was struck by indecision. While he pondered the best course of action, half of Shewa was taken by the King of Abyssinia.

Zeyd finally came to a decision, he required a second wife. His chancellor was given the task of finding suitable spouses. The choice was the same as last time minus one. Zeyd picked Dilla. She had a gift for scheming but Zeyd is confident he can handle her.

As the wedding rituals were completed, the rest of Shewa fell to the Abyssinians.



The situation looked bleak as infidels camped on the borders of Assab. Zeyd even contemplated swearing fealty to Ali IV but decided he wasn’t that desperate yet. Our “hero” does a lot of contemplating.

As peace briefly returned to the region, Zeyd is presented with a baby daughter, Sisay. However, joy is followed by sadness as Talib, heir to the throne and Zeyd’s only son, passed away.



This AAR could be doomed as there is no dynastic heir.

Remember our villians? Well, one of them, King Dawit of Axum has declared war.



Zeyd did’t understand why he attacked Kassala, a Christian realm, instead of his own. Amhara had to explain to her suitably embarrassed husband, that Axum is actually a Jewish realm and not Christian. Zeyd made a good choice of wife after all.

Christian infidels banded together and declared war against Axum (except Abyssinia who stayed out of it).

Zeyd went into his contemplation chamber and .... contemplated. Was this a good time to attack Axum whilst Dawit was busy against the Christians? What about Ali IV and the Abyssinia king though? Zeyd became wary about making a move much to Amhara’s annoyance. Zeyd told his wife to be patient, wait a little, for when the time was right. Too little, too late. Inside a few months, Dawit won the war with a quick strike.



Zeyd contemplates. He has good reason too. No heir, surrounded by infidels, incapable of making a decision and a wife that lets him know it. Happy days!

Count Zeyd (1070 - ) – the war years

Zeyd waited for the invasion from Axum. King Dawit of Axum was now known as the bewitched, though nobody knew why. However, a different turn of event took place when the realm of Makuria declared war against Dawit. Zeyd breathed a sigh of relief as the Jewish threat subsided, at least for the time being. Axum was not, of course, the only threat. The old king of Abyssinia readied his armies and made a formal declaration of war:



Zeyd again breathed a sigh of relief. Emir Ali IV, of the Shirazid emirate, was situated between the advancing Abyssinians and the Somali nation of Berbera. Zeyd wondered whether he would join the war and assist his Islamic neighbour. Any chance of that disappeared when revolt broke out in Ali’s realm.

The Abyssinians marched to the borders of Berbera.

Count Zeyd approaches his wife, Amhara, busy studying religious texts as always. Zeyd announces to his wife “I’m leaving”. Amhara looks perplexed. “Leaving what?” she asks. “For War, to fight the infidels and save Berbera!”.

Zeyd, proudly led his 1000+ army out of his capital.



The armies of Abyssinia and Somali clash at a place called Borama. The Abyssinians have the slightly larger army. Two days of fierce fighting ensued with equal losses on both sides. On the third day, the battle recommenced. The battle paused as a loud horn sounded. The Abyssinians were shocked to see Zeyd’s army descend upon them. The battle was turned and in defeat, the Abyssinians lost two thirds of their fighting force.



Zeyd ordered that the rest of the routed Abyssinians be chased down and put to the sword. Shortly afterwards, the war is over and Berbera has been saved.



Zeyd returned to his capital. He is given a hero’s welcome. His reputation had increased immeasurably in the eyes of his people and even more so with his wife Amahara. Now if only she could give him an heir, everything would be perfect.

Meanwhile the bewitched king of Axum was under serious attack from several neighbours and the future looked grim for him. Zeyd lost no sleep over his predicament. Let the infidels fight amongst each other.

A non-eventful year follows the war, but already Abyssina is quickly growing in strength again. Zeyd is shocked when a messenger delivered the following note:



Zeyd was horrified at the thought. He politely declined.

The following year (1075), the inevitable happened as the old king of Abyssinia declared war:



Zeyd was surprised that the king attacked Ali IV as he was not involved in the last war. Who can figure the minds of kings, he thought. Remembering the successes in the last war, Zeyd immediately declared war against the king of Abyssinia. The old king was shocked enough that he passed away. Berbera also joined the war.

Even against the combined Islamic forces, the Abyssinians still had the superior numbers. The war dragged on. At one point it looked like the Abyssinians were on the brink of victory. However, they were distracted by an attack on Abyssinian territory by Zeyd. Eventually, a white peace was signed.

The war achieved little. On reflection, the Islamic realms had held firm and not lost any lands to the infidels. However, Zeyd had employed the services of a mercenary army during the war which bankrupted the country. At least he had a five year truce.

Over in the West, the bewitched Dawit of Axium had fared badly. He had lost his capital and his realm was now known as Semien.



Many years of peace followed. Zeyd concentrated on rebuilding the economy and producing an heir.



Instead, his wives kept producing daughters. He loved them all but he became desperate for a son. It had all become a bit much for him:



That is where we leave our hero for now. Failing health, no heir still but at least he had a military victory under his belt, his country was still independant and the infidels had been halted...at least for now.

Thanks for looking in. Yes, always a possibility that this could end all too quickly. There is at least one more update though....

Count Zeyd (1084 - ) – Mid Life Crisis

There was a queen of Abyssinia now. She had usurped the throne in 1082. Zeyd contemplated whether the new queen would bring some peace to the region, unlike the belligerent old king.



In this year, the new Queen declared war on King Dawit the Bewitched of Semien (ex-Axum). Dawit had been portrayed as a villain of this story but instead he had become more of a victim. Nobody could deny that he had brought his doom upon himself , with his aggressive invasions in the early years and following the Jewish faith. Within four years, Dawit's meagre forces had been defeated by Abyssinia and his last county is usurped by the Duke of Wag. We will hear no more from our villian turned victim in this story.

Meanwhile, back in 1085, Assab rejoiced as news spread across the desert sands. Amhara, beloved wife of Count Zeyd, had given birth to a baby boy.



Shortly afterwards, sad news reached Zeyd that his eldest daughter had been murdered in Berbera. He had married her off to secure an alliance but that was now gone. Despite the tragic news, Zeyd was overjoyed at the birth of his son. So much so, that his health improved and the stress that had plagued him over the last few years disappeared. In the following years, another son and daughter are born. The risk of not being able to further the Afari dynasty on his death had greatly reduced.

This was how the independent realms of the region looked like in 1088:



The Queen of Abyssinia had shrewdly married the King of Alodia to make them the dominant power in the region. Zeyd feared an infidel invasion was only a matter of time. Neither of his Islamic neighbours, Ali IV of Shirazid or the Somalians of Berbera, could withstand an infidel invasion alone.
In 1089, the Queen of Abyssinia and her ally Alodia, declared war on Berbera and swept eastwards. The infidel invaders crushed any resistance and Berbera became part of the ever expanding Abyssinian empire:



Zeyd went to his contemplation chamber as he so often did in times of strife. He prayed to Allah to show him the way. The realization of what he had to do dawned on him. He was horrified at what he had to do but he could see no other way. Would his people forgive him? Would Allah forgive him? To save his people from utter destruction he had to sacrifice their independence. Not just that, but to the Queen of Infidels!



The Abyssinian Queen turns her attention to the last remaining Islamic ruler on the peninsular, Ali IV of the Shirazid Emirate. He had also been portrayed as a villain earlier in this story. He too would become a victim but also a glorious hero, bravely standing alone against the infidel invaders led by their terrifying Queen. Zeyd brooded in his capital during the war struck by conflicting emotions. The war was short and Ali IV now held a single county, an oasis of Islamic hope. That oasis would dry up in 1096.



Zeyd was miserable. He did nothing. It was Amhara, the first wife and mother of his heir, that lifted his spirits. She told him that he had done the right thing. He had ensured there survival for a bit longer. Now was the time to strike back at the enemy from within. Use the protection of the infidel Queen to plot a way back to power and one day reclaim independence. What legacy would he leave his son by idly doing nothing.

Zeyd understood the truth in her words. He need to gain some power and allies. He was isolated amongst the Abyssinian vassals. He was hated.
Now was the time for action. It would be a long road but Zeyd was determined. Rebuild the economy, gain land and allies, whilst keeping out of the Queens ways. Perhaps she would tolerate an infidel vassal, being consumed with power for ever more lands herself.

For now, we leave our hero. He has his heir but has lost so much more.

Count Zeyd (1092 - ) – The alliance years

Count Zeyd studied the map of the Abyssinian realm with his council. His plan was to establish a second Islamic vassal, and ally, in the realm. The county of Ankober in the duchy of Shewa was the weakest. Zeyd pressed the claim of a noble called Assefa and declared war against the Duke of Shewa. The army marched south to the wasteland of Shewa. Zeyd had actually discovered somewhere more inhospitable than his own home. Not that he desired this barren place, it was a move for political means, to gain an ally within the realm.

Zeyd’s army outnumbered the Duke of Shewa’s men and the battle was short and decisive. After a subsequent short siege the war was won.



Count Zeyd quickly arranged a marriage between the new Duke Assefa and his daughter Debre. An alliance between the two counties had been secured. Zeyd was impressed with himself. The nightmare of bending the knee and kissing the ring of the infidel Queen would never leave him but this small victory started to heal his damaged pride.

Zeyd, inspired by the victory, immediately looked for further opportunities. The county of Tadjoura bordered his own. It had little in the way of armies and Zeyd wondered how it had survived this long amongst the cutthroat Abyssinian vassals. Whatever, it would soon be his, or so he thought. War was declared and the armies of Assab, once again marched south. This time though, Zeyd had not considered that the Duke of Tadjoura might have had a friend. None other than the Duke of Wag, one of the major players within the Abyssinian realm. Thousands of Wags (as the men of the Duke of Wag were known) appeared, readying themselves for war. Zeyd realised that he had made a grave and foolish mistake.
He had no choice and surrendered in humiliating fashion.

Zeyd counted the cost of his rashness. A setback to his plans for sure. Perhaps, the Queen would not see him as a threat after this stupidity, he thought to himself.

A further setback occurred in 1096. Zeyd’s daughter, Debre, who had married the Duke of Assefa arrived back at court.

“What are you doing here” Zeyd asked.
“Oh father, the Duke is dead. He died when the balcony collapsed. Why would Allah do this?” asked Debre.
“I don’t think it was Allah” replied Zeyd.

The murder meant the alliance he had fought a war for, no longer existed. Zeyd ordered his daughter to get over her mourning. She was to marry the new Duke quickly before anyone else did. So it was, that Debre married the Duke of Harba’ir and the alliance was reformed.



Zeyd had a rather more pleasant surprise in the following year, when his chancellor announced that he had fabricated a claim on the county of Harer. Zeyd checked army size of the Count of Harer. He also checked if any allies of Harer were ready to ambush him. All looked favourable, so yet again the Assab army marched south. Zeyd also called his new son-in-law and ally, the Duke Harba’ir to arms. He dutifully answered the call. Even more remarkably his army managed to link up with Zeyd’s in the correct place at the right time.

In 1099, victory was achieved and Zeyd now had control of two counties. Zeyd built a new mosque in Assab to commemorate the victory.



Whilst these events were occurring, the Queen of Abyssinia had conquered the last Islamic state on the peninsular. She was now known as "the Bold", although Zeyd had other names for her. Whatever she was called, she was now in control of a huge swathe of land (though still dwarfed by the Fatimid and Seljuk empires further north).

Here is a map of the independent realms as of 1099:



So, has our "hero" sunk as low as possible and is now showing signs of recover? Or is it a false dawn? All will be revealed in the next update.

Count Zeyd (1099 - 1112 ) – The final years

Our hero had suffered his fair share of setbacks in his reign and in 1099 he was to experience another one. The Queen of Abyssinia had noticed Zeyd's recent success and decided to put a stop to it in an ingenious way. She created the duchy of Afar and granted it to an infidel nobody had heard of. That is how Lebna, Duke of Afar, became liege lord of Count Zeyd. This prevented Zeyd from attacking any other vassals of the Queen. The only vassal he could attack was Lebna who had an alliance with the powerful Duke of Wag. Zeyd didn't have enough men to attempt an attack on his liege at this point in time. Zeyd had been stymied.

The Queen hadn't finished either. Remember Zeyd's daughter Debre, who had married two different Dukes of Shewa to secure an alliance? Well, she returned to her father as the Queen had forced the current Duke to give up the one true faith and to adopt Christianity. This had ended the marriage and the alliance.

Every year for the next ten, Zeyd received an invitation from his liege, Lebna, to go to his feast. Every year, Zeyd went, and pretended to enjoy himself. Actually, if truth be told, he had started to enjoy them, and the company of Lebna. On one occasion, they stayed up late and drank each other silly, long after the other guests had departed. It seemed implausible but Zeyd and Lebna became good friends.

Then in 1109, Zeyd's chancellor fabricated a claim on the Duchy of Afar. Zeyd put friendship aside and declared war against Lebna. As expected, the Duke of Wag, sent his own army to Lebna's side. However, Zeyd had expected this and had built up enough wealth in the previous ten years to pay for a mercenary army. The Wags are defeated and Lebna is left to his fate alone.

19 April 1112 – The war is won. Count Zeyd becomes Duke of Afar at the grand age of 72.



The map below shows the extent of Zeyd's dukedom of Afar in 1112:




There is one de jure county that is not yet in the duchy of Afar. That county is Asayita, owned by the Duke of Wag. Zeyd is convinced that this is the time to strike. His army has just beaten the Wags so they can do it again. So, war is declared and Zeyd's army heads out once more. However, Zeyd has badly underestimated the strength of the Wags and their allies. The initial battle ends in defeat and Zeyd’s army is all but wiped out. The Wags invade Assab and lay siege to the capital.

It is at this point that Zeyd leaves our story having reached the age of 73.



The independent realms look like this upon Zeyd's death:



Next up is Teferi. His father at least kept the dynasty alive and expanded it's lands. However, he has also left him with an infidel liege and enemies at the door. Good luck Teferi!

Duke Teferi – (1112- ?) - "Enemies knocking at the door"

After the long reign of Zeyd, young Teferi gets his opportunity. Actually he isn’t that young, already being 29. He is keen to make up for lost time. He has none of his fathers’ skill for money management. He is not blessed on the diplomatic front either. He will depend heavily on his wife, Esin, and steward for that. Teferi is a keen student of intrigue, which shall become clear later on in his reign. What he lacks in skill he makes up for in ambition, drive and the will to succeed. He also has a nickname to terrify, “The Cruel”.



Some may think that the timing of Teferi’s succession was not the best, what with all the Wags outside the gate. However, his elevation as Duke also brought with it his personal wealth. Enough wealth that a mercenary army could be raised. The poor Wags are stunned when the mercenaries and remnants of the Afar army charge upon the army of Wags outside the capital city. The Wags are destroyed and the siege is lifted. The victorious Afar army marched back into Asayita and laid siege to the capital there which quickly falls. At this time, the Duke of Wag died and he is succeeded by his one year old son.

By 1115 the war is still going and the Afar treasury has been exhausted. The mercenary army waved goodbye and marched off into the sunset. Teferi disbanded his army in order to rebuild for the next stage of the war. The war is finely poised with evenly matched armies.



The Wags raise an army and lay siege to the capital of Asayita. Teferi gathered whatever fighting men he could muster. The Wags were too busy with the siege to see the incoming Afar army. The Wags were defeated and retreated back to their homeland.



During the battle an enemy commander was captured. Teferi ordered his execution. Teferi’s advisors were concerned with this callous act but nobody said anything in public.

Teferi looked for ways to increase his levies. He dished out honorary titles to his vassals, arranged marriages. He would have bribed his way to more men but he had no money. If there is one thing that could be said about the Wags it is this, they are a persistent bunch. Yet again the Wags raised an army and attacked the capital of Asayita. Once again, Teferi raised whatever men he could and marched towards the Wag army. The second battle of Assiata took place and just like the last time the Wags were defeated. Both armies disband after the battle and the war continues.



In 1117, The Count of Akordat is pulled into another war when the Duke of Axum revoked his title. Without their ally, the Wags are vulnerable. Teferi is not slow to notice and seizes the opportunity to end the war quickly by invading Wag. The capital of Wag is surrounded and a siege begins. However, depletion of the Afar army meant that the siege could not be maintained. Teferi was mightily frustrated. Teferi’s army attacked a small army of Wag loyalists and captured the count of Lakomelza, along with a mayor. They are both executed much to the dismay of Teferi’s advisors who were preparing the ransom notes. The Duke of Wag is furious with Teferi’s conduct and immediately sends another army but yet again they taste defeat. This final battle effectively ended the five year war.



Teferi had obtained the county of Asayita. He gave instructions to his chancellor to determine the strengths of arms of all the vassals in the realm of Abyssinia. He was greatly pleased to learn that he had become the most powerful vassal of the king.



So, not a bad start for Teferi, especially given his starting position. Some of his actions cannot be condoned and he is certainly living up to his cruel nickname.

Duke Teferi – (1120- ?) “The Purge”

Now that the war has been won and peace had returned to the land, Teferi turned his attention to domestic matters. There were “undesirables” on his council:

A Somalian chancellor.
A Bedouin marshall.
A Rabbi steward.
A Somalian inman.

Teferi met with his spymaster and together they produced a “hit list”. The aforementioned council members were put on the list along with some other threats:

Half brother Ogbai
Sheik Uways of Kabala (son of Ali IV who had a strong claim on the duchy of Afar)
Duke Gabra of Wag – for obvious reasons.
Lebna the Unready – had taken refuge in Wag after banishment.

Teferi also mentally noted to add his Christian spymaster to the list but thought it wise not to inform him of that. First to bite the dust was his half brother Ogbai. He’d been imprisoned for twelve years and Terefi thought it merciful to put him out of his misery.

Teferi took advantage of the peaceful period and journeyed to Mecca. Upon his return he was furious to find that the mosque his father had built in Assab, had been turned into a church by the Jewish Rabbi. The Rabbi became public enemy number one and straight to the top of the “hit list”. He had rather a lot of enemies and an “accident” occured soon after. The Rabbi was replaced by a muslim and the church turned back into a mosque overnight.




Teferi quickly plotted the murder of his Christian bishop vassal. His unpopularity made him an easy target and his life ended rather abruptly. Teferi next plotted to kill Sheik Uways but he had already been imprisoned by a foreign court and died in the dungeons. Teferi was very disappointed by this as he had been eargerly looking forward to the torturing of the sheik. Unfortunately for Teferi, the Duke of Wag and Lebna were untouchable in their Christian kingdom. Nobody was prepared to back a muslim plot there.

Away from the assassinations, Teferi looked eastwards to Berbera, which was ruled by a Duchess. Part of the duchy had fallen from the one true faith. His chancellor had a weak claim on the duchy and so Teferi started planning for an attack. In 1121, war was declared.



The war lasted a little over two years. Victory was achieved and Berbera again had an Islamic ruler. Teferi betrothed his daughter to the new Duke of Berbera’s son. When they married it would create an alliance. The only slight snag was that the wedding was not scheduled until another ten years. This was a long term plan and a lot could happen in ten years!

Shortly after the war, the county of Asayita converted to Sunni Muslim. For some reason, maybe it was just old age, Terefi started to lose his ambition. It appeared that the dukedom would be subject to a period of calm stability. Then in 1127 Terefi’s youngest son died in suspicious circumstances. This led to a paranoid Terefi purging his court of all non muslims. Two Jewish courtiers died in quick succession from “accidents”. A Christian bishop had a run in with a snake (and lost). Others followed in similar fashion.

So, we leave our “hero” for now. He’s assassinated half his court during this relatively calm period for the region. His thoughts are turning towards expanding his dukedom. Find out how that goes in the next update.

Selzro said:

That was a nice and murdery update.

Click to expand...

Thanks, it has been an interesting period and fun to play. Teferi is getting things done in his own way.

Duke Teferi of Afar – (1120- 1147) “Time for expansion”

It was at this time that Duke Teferi’s thoughts turned to the expansion of his dukedom. There was a deep mutual hatred between Afar and the Wags, however, there still existed a truce between them. Teferi waited patiently for the truce to end. When the truce expired, Teferi noticed that the Wags had obtained an ally. Then war broke out between Wag and Axum. Teferi didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it so he looked elsewhere.

Then good news, very good news, reached Teferi, that the Queen of Abyssinia, leader of infidels, had died. The subsequent shuffle of vassal territories left the county of Zeila, traditionally an Islamic territory, open to attack. The county was ruled by the Duke of Semien, imprisoned in Cairo. Inferior army, no allies, Teferi did not need a second invitation. Zeila was invaded and the defending army easily beaten.



The Duke of Berbera had also declared war against Zeila. This was the same duke that had been Teferi's chancellor. The same duke that had a son, betrothed to Teferi's daughter for ten years. Terefi did not want to jeopardize the wedding so he signed a white peace with Berbera. The war with Zeila was won and the Dukedom of Afar now looked like:



Now that the war had finished, Teferi looked forward to the wedding of his daughter and the subsequent alliance with Berbera. However, the new king of Abyssinia had other plans. He issued an ultimatum to the Duke of Berbera that he and his son change to the Christian faith. The wedding was subsequently cancelled. So, after ten years of planning, it looked like it had all been a waste of time. That is until a few months later when Teferi received a marriage proposal from the Duke of Berbera, even though his son was now Christian. Teferi was unsure about the wedding, as he was against it on religious grounds but the prospect of the alliance was too tempting.

Teferi celebrated the success of his ten year plan by assassinating a number of Christin bishops and mayors in the new province of Zeila. Teferi felt very content with the way things had panned out.
A bigger concern, for the whole Abyssinian realm, was the ever expanding Fatimid empire.



In 1140, Teferi declared war on the Duke of Axum over the county of Aksum. This was one of the richest counties in the Abyssinian realm at the time. It had been beset by rebellion and had no allies. In 1141, victory was achieved and Aksum became part of the Duchy of Afar.



Just after the victory, with the Afar army depleted from the war, the Duke of Orna saw an opportunity and declared war against Teferi. The Duke called in the Count of Lakomeza as an ally. Teferi asked the Duke of Berbera to assist but he declined as rebels had attacked his capital. So much for the ten year plan to get an ally. So, all things considered, Orna had slightly higher number of men in his army. The war begins with each side sieging castles in enemy territory. It is all a bit cat and mouse at this stage of the war. Teferi then lures Orna’s army to the county of Asayita. This is a place of many famous Afar victories and excellent for a defensive stance due to the mountainous terrain. The two armies meet and losses are even in the skirmish phase, however Teferi’s army inflicts heavy losses on Orna’s army during the melee phase. A great Afar victory is obtained.



Orna isn’t quite finished yet as he calls in a new ally, the countess of Matamma. However, the great victory at Asayita was defining and Orna had to surrender shortly afterwards.

This was to be Teferi’s last victory as he died in battle fighting for the King against the Duke of Gondar in 1147.



Teferi’s son, Rahad, will take over the reins now. Can he continue the expansion of Afar? Will everyone still fear the shadows and the assassins blade? Find out in the next update.

1147 – Duke Rahad of Afar – The downfall of Abyssinia



Rahad, Duke of Afar, had waited a long time to succeed his father, aged 40 as he was. This hadn’t bothered him though as he was content to study religious texts. He showed a keen interest in other religions and construction. He was a mastermind theologian and quite different from his father Teferi. Somewhat shy, he was seen as charitable and just. Despite his scholarly pursuits, if called upon on the battlefield, he was courageous and brave. He had no interest in intrigue but his wife made up for this and was installed as the spymaster.
His mother died in childbirth therefore all his siblings were half-brothers or half-sisters. He had five half-brothers in all but three in particular of interest.



Berihun had been imprisoned for four years now. He hated Rahad with passion. The feeling was somewhat mutual. Let us say that Rahad disliked him rather than hate. He was certainly too dangerous to be let free.

Zeyd had adopted the Christian faith and was also a cowardly individual. He neither liked or disliked Rahad. For his part, Rahad found the religious differences made their relationship difficult, even though he was generally tolerant of other religions.

Finally there is Hackeem, who was maimed as a child. Despite this, he was a masterful leader on the battlefield and held the title of Marshall. Rahad could tolerate Hackeem and certainly got on with him the best out of his half brothers.

The Duke of Gondar was still at war with the King of Abyssinia. Rahad had great respect for the King, despite their religious differences. So much so, that Rahad ordered that the Afar army be sent against the army of Gondar and aid the King. Rahad himself was chosen by the King to lead the main Abyssinian army into battle. The tide of war had turned and a white peace is signed. For his loyal service, Rahad is made chancellor of the realm.

After a short period of peace, war again breaks out between the King and Gondar. Rahad is called upon yet again to lead the Abyssinian army. The main army of Gondar is chased down and put to the sword. After a siege, Gondar surrenders and Rahad’s reputation increases throughout the realm.

This is how the ducky of Afar looked at this point:



Some years of peace followed and Rahad demonstrated his passion for construction by commissioning the building of a new church in Axum. He planned to present the church as a gift to his Christian half-brother Zeyd. However, Zeyd died in 1151 in suspicious circumstances and the church was converted to a mosque instead.

Zeyd then made a controversial decision against the advice of his council. He released his half-brother Berihun from prison and gave him a barony.
The years passed and there were no wars to distract Rahad from his construction projects. Rahad was content and fulfilled. Then he heard news that his friend and liege, the King of Abyssinia had passed away. The peaceful years were about to end.

The new King of Abyssinia, Dawit, decided it would be a good idea to declare war on the Fatimid empire. Everyone could see that this was not a wise move. Rahad could not order his men to fight for a Christian king against muslims, even if they were Shia. Rahad stayed out of the conflict. The war is predictably lost and King Dawit ends up in prison.

The year is 1156. The year when all hell breaks lose in Abyssinia! Emir Hassan II of the Rassid Emirate declares war on King of Abyssina for Afar. Abyssinian and Afar armies prepare for the invasion from across the strait.



The Rassid armies cross the strait and land in Afar. Rahad leads the Afar army but they are outnumbered and suffer defeat. The King’s army is too late to save Rahad’s army. At this time, The Fatimid empire declares war against the King of Abyssinia for the whole kingdom of Abyssinia!
The Fatimid army, with over 10,000 Mamuks, marched on Abyssinia. It’s a massacre and the Abyssinian empire has gone, perhaps never to be seen again.



So life starts anew in the Fatimid Emirate. There is now a new boss in town, Caliph Sha’ban “The Glorious”, Sultan of Egypt, Sultan of Arabia and the Sultan of Syria and so on. Abyssinia is carved up and territories are shuffled between vassals. Rahad maintained his rule over all of his counties except for the county of Asayita. This was disappointing to Rahad as it was the county that his father Teferi had fought so hard to conquer. Most of the provinces had been badly looted during the wars so a major rebuilding job is necessary. At least Rahad was part of a muslim empire, even though Shia, and he feared for the Christian rulers of the old Abyssinian duchies.

Rahad decided that this was the right the time to move the capital of Afar from Assab. The county of Assab had suffered badly during the wars. There were two candidates for the new capital, Aksum or Zeila. In the end, Rahad chose Zeila which didn't please certain members of the court, due to it being a Somalian province and also not a de jure county of Afar.

The glorious Caliph ruled with an iron grip. He had introduced crown laws forbidding vassal wars. Whilst this kept Rahad safe from attack it also prevented any expansion plans. Rebellion against the Caliph was out of the question. The only possibility was the quirky petty kingdom of Gondar. Nobody knew how the single county had become independent but it was now a small fish in a sea of sharks. Rahad sent his chancellor to fabricate a claim but it never came to anything. Rahad concentrated on his construction projects, rebuilding the economy and scholarly research during the subsequent years. He became known as “The Blessed”.

In 1171, Caliph Muhammad IV revoked the title of Afar. Rahad is outraged and declared war on his liege and personally leads the revolt against his tyranny. The Caliph has over 17,000 men, which start heading south from Cairo. Before they can arrive at Afar, Rahad passes away after a period of illness. The revolt is left in the hands of his son, Zula.

Well, it seems to be the Afari way for its leaders to die during wars and put their heirs in difficult positions. Zula has a massive problem heading his way. Thanks dad!

Selzro said:

I like how you're eating the Kingdom of Abyssinia from the inside. Let's hope Duke Rahar will continue the process, and that the Fatimids won't become too interested in the south.

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I think we can say that the Fatimids took a healthy interest in the South. Good call.