-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
I like it: First HTTT AAR in about a year I could say I actually enjoyed.
Also nice choice of a Zoroastrian Persia.
(What other religions appear in MMU anyways?)
Also nice choice of a Zoroastrian Persia.
(What other religions appear in MMU anyways?)
Besides the vanilla religions, there are Oriental Orthodoxy, Hussites, Gnosticism, Ibadi Islam, Wahhabi Islam, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Sikhism, and several pagan religions. Judaism is also represented by province modifiers, events, and advisors.
Never seems to be a real religion in these games. Tsk Tsk.
Anyways thanks for answering
Anyways thanks for answering
From Mazandaran to Fars
Amidst our celebrations, an officer came up to the Shah's modest quarters. He did not wish to be disturbed, but this was Maziar Karimi, a young and fresh, but talented warrior who had caught the Shah's eye in past battles. Shah Khosrow was unpleased at first, but he reasoned that any news that came at this hour would be important. “Your majesty,” said Maziar, “we found this letter among Hussain Khalil's correspondence in the enemy camp.” The Shah took the letter and read it. “Son, what unit are you with?” “I am with the unit of a thousand from Ajam. I am but a foot soldier, your highness,” Maziar replied. “You are now part of the Royal Savaran. Report to Daryush in the morning.” “Y, yes, your majesty,” Maziar said, and then he bowed and left.
Convening his senior officers, the Shah gave out the news: “My fellow soldiers, Timur is dead!” He then placed the letter on the table ahead of him. “He died while on campaign against the Turks from an unknown disease, and his son, Miran Shah, has risen to the throne, but he is a weakling that knows nothing of war, and he is stranded in the Caucasus. What is even more important, though, is that a massive rebellion has formed in Turan and Tajikistan against Miran's rule, and we also have rumors of more peasant uprisings throughout Timur's domain. The time to strike is now. We march in the morning.”
Khosrow gave little time to the army to celebrate their victory at Sari, as he gave orders to his army to march the day after the battle. He set out in pursuit of Hussain Khalil, hounding his army across the central Iranian plateau and as far as Khuzestan. The Timurid army finally disintegrated after months of pursuit, though Khalil personally evaded capture. Legend has it that he met his end at the hands of an old nomad woman after he sought shelter in her dwelling, though there are no contemporary accounts that corroborate this.
Turmoil reigned supreme throughout Iran, as nobles rose up against Miran Shah, peasants rose up against nobles, and Sunnis and Shi'ites rose up against each other. A peasant rebellion in Ajam overthrew the garrison of Tehran, and Khosrow moved in to take advantage of the situation. The peasants were poorly led, and Khosrow defeated them after minimal casualties. Sending a contingent to Rasht in Gilan, he laid siege to Tehran. After several months, both cities fell, and Persia's position grew stronger in the vast sea of chaos that the Timurid empire was becoming.
Khosrow's strategy for taking advantage of the situation was simple, yet effective. He waited for a rebellion to spring up in a particular region, and once the rebels overthrew the Timurid authorities, he moved in with his forces and easily brushed aside the rebels, who were almost universally poorly led and utterly dismal in any real battle. Khosrow was then able to easily take the region's strongholds, which were only lightly garrisoned by the rebels. Khosrow was able to assert control over the Dash-i-Lut and occupy Khuzestan and Lurestan in this manner. In addition, Khosrow placed great importance on keeping his army mobile and well-supplied. This way, it could strike swiftly and decisively wherever it needed, and it would not wither away due to attrition, as armies of that age tended to do.
Meanwhile, Miran Shah's army descended from the Caucasus, moving through the land of the Kurds, to Hamadan, which was controlled by rebels. Miran Shah had competent tactical sense, but he was incapable of effectively dealing with the massive rebellions that were springing up throughout his empire, and he coupled that with an overbearing arrogance that led him to make many catastrophic decisions.
One such decision was storming the citadel of Hamadan, which was held by a thousand rebel troops. While these troops were unreliable fighters, they were fighting for their survival, and Miran Shah had less than 3,000 infantrymen to storm the citadel with. Khosrow was already making his way to Hamadan when he learned of this. Catching Miran Shah's troops in this vulnerable state, he defeated them, and pursued them to Shahrizor, where he abandoned his pursuit due to a lack of supplies. At any rate, Miran Shah's army was so weakened that he had less than one thousand soldiers left, all infantrymen.
Leaving behind a force at Hamadan to continue Miran Shah's siege, Khosrow took his main army to Gurgan, a well-fortified province to the east of Mazandaran. By then, it had been six years since the war had started. Shahbanu Tahmina handled many of the administrative duties of the realm while Khosrow was out on campaign, but Persia's finances were becoming strained, and she was forced to debase the currency in order to pay for all of the kingdom's expenses.
Today, when I beheld my beloved wife's face after years of facing war and death, was the most blessed day of my life. Her warm face is as lovely as the moon, no less beautiful than when I saw her last. She encourages us in our struggle for our country, yet she also has confided in me her worries that we may not be able to continue fighting this war. Though my soldiers are courageous and our cause is favored by the heavens, we have few resources at our disposal. Victory is won not only by the warrior's sword, but by the farmer's plow and the blacksmith's hammer. Our funds are running low, and we must resort to extraordinary means to make more available. This will eventually lead to chaos and destruction, but for now, it is the only way to continue our struggle.
My son is growing in stature, strength, and bravery every day. He can ride the horse now, and is learning to shoot the bow, though it will be some time before he has the strength to wield it effectively. His mother has also taught him to tell the truth in all instances, for which I am proud. He prefers to spend his time outside, and urges me to take him along on my campaigns. He sometimes neglects his studies, but he has an indomitable spirit and a talent for making others see his point of view. He will bring Persia to further heights after I am gone.
Miran Shah, hoping to limit the loss of his territories, sent out envoys to Khosrow. At first, they asked for a withdrawal of Persian forces to Mazandaran, but as the war raged on, they were prepared to accept the loss of more territory. Khosrow rejected all these peace offers, insisting on obtaining enough territory for Persia to be a strong power after the war, including an outlet to the sea.
After the successful siege of Gurgan, Khosrow moved south to Fars, which had been in rebel hands for several years. At this point in the war, huge bands of bandits, outlaws, and ruffians roamed the land, and some of these groups became so large as to constitute an actual army. In January of the year 1406 Khosrow laid siege to Isfahan, the Timurid capital of Fars, which lay in the north, along the border with Ajam. Not wanting to repeat the mistake of Miran Shah several years before, Khosrow prepared himself for a battle if another army should come.
That army came before the end of the month. This was a massive force of 12,300 men, including nearly 2,000 cavalry. Though the force had no clear leader, it sought to fight Khosrow and his army, despite them both sharing Miran Shah as a common enemy. The two armies met some distance outside the walls of Isfahan. Sensing the lack of clear leadership in the opposing army, Khosrow ordered a charge. The Persian cavalry punched through the enemy flanks, and the Persian infantry pushed back the opposing enemy line, despite being outnumbered almost two to one. Though weakened considerably, the rebel army still managed to inflict heavy casualties on the Persian cavalry. The Persian infantry aggressively pushed the rebels back, showering them with arrows whenever they fell back. Both armies fought until nightfall, when the bandit leaders and petty warlords, one by one, decided to withdraw. Khosrow sent out his cavalry in pursuit, though he placed them under orders to go no further than the border with Laristan. The rebel army was decisively defeated, with well over half of its strength lost to casualties and desertion. Khosrow's army had relatively light casualties, though they were concentrated among the cavalry.
After the battle at Isfahan, Khosrow continued the siege, capturing the city in the spring. His next target was Shiraz and Laristan.
We march right now in the ancient homeland of our people. Aging ruins tell us of our distant, yet glorious past. Today, I visited the “Tomb of Solomon's mother,” or so it is called by the Arabs. I know the truth behind this tomb, for it is the resting place of Kurosh, the greatest of the Shahs of Iran, and the founder of the Persian empire. He embodied the best qualities of the Aryans- brave in battle, magnanimous in victory, and wise in leadership. I was moved by its sight, and I knelt down towards it in respect. All my men did as I, and I made a simple prayer to Ahura Mazda- “Let the soul of Kurosh be satisfied with all our efforts. So long as Iran exists, let his memory never perish from our hearts.”
Khosrow kept sending envoys to Miran Shah, hoping for peace on his own terms, but Miran Shah kept clinging to hope that he could restore his rule throughout his shattered empire. The only way to make him change his mind was to capture more Timurid strongholds, even as the war threatened to send Persia into its own downward spiral. Fortunately, after the capture of Shiraz and Laristan, Miran Shah was finally willing to agree to Khosrow's terms.
I, Shah Khosrow of Iran, demand your recognition of my sovereignty over Persia. In particular, I demand that you hand over to my realm the provinces of Gilan, Ajam, Fars, and the Dash-i-Lut. There shall be no peace between us unless you agree to these terms.
Miran Shah received this message while he was in his camp in Circassia. His army in Kurdistan destroyed, he was forced to flee to the one Timurid army that still existed. This army was stranded north of the Caucasus, with no way to return to Samarkand, and located in a region where the incensed Georgians longed for revolt and reunification with their kingdom. In a miserable state and even more miserable mood, Miran Shah finally accepted the inevitable, that Persia was arisen, and that Khosrow of Khorasan, follower of Zarathustra, was its rightful king.
*Credit to Amir Hussain Zolfaghary for taking such a wonderful picture of Cyrus' tomb.
Amidst our celebrations, an officer came up to the Shah's modest quarters. He did not wish to be disturbed, but this was Maziar Karimi, a young and fresh, but talented warrior who had caught the Shah's eye in past battles. Shah Khosrow was unpleased at first, but he reasoned that any news that came at this hour would be important. “Your majesty,” said Maziar, “we found this letter among Hussain Khalil's correspondence in the enemy camp.” The Shah took the letter and read it. “Son, what unit are you with?” “I am with the unit of a thousand from Ajam. I am but a foot soldier, your highness,” Maziar replied. “You are now part of the Royal Savaran. Report to Daryush in the morning.” “Y, yes, your majesty,” Maziar said, and then he bowed and left.
Convening his senior officers, the Shah gave out the news: “My fellow soldiers, Timur is dead!” He then placed the letter on the table ahead of him. “He died while on campaign against the Turks from an unknown disease, and his son, Miran Shah, has risen to the throne, but he is a weakling that knows nothing of war, and he is stranded in the Caucasus. What is even more important, though, is that a massive rebellion has formed in Turan and Tajikistan against Miran's rule, and we also have rumors of more peasant uprisings throughout Timur's domain. The time to strike is now. We march in the morning.”
From the memoirs of Jamshid Shirazi, Khosrow's personal secretary
Khosrow gave little time to the army to celebrate their victory at Sari, as he gave orders to his army to march the day after the battle. He set out in pursuit of Hussain Khalil, hounding his army across the central Iranian plateau and as far as Khuzestan. The Timurid army finally disintegrated after months of pursuit, though Khalil personally evaded capture. Legend has it that he met his end at the hands of an old nomad woman after he sought shelter in her dwelling, though there are no contemporary accounts that corroborate this.
Turmoil reigned supreme throughout Iran, as nobles rose up against Miran Shah, peasants rose up against nobles, and Sunnis and Shi'ites rose up against each other. A peasant rebellion in Ajam overthrew the garrison of Tehran, and Khosrow moved in to take advantage of the situation. The peasants were poorly led, and Khosrow defeated them after minimal casualties. Sending a contingent to Rasht in Gilan, he laid siege to Tehran. After several months, both cities fell, and Persia's position grew stronger in the vast sea of chaos that the Timurid empire was becoming.
Khosrow's strategy for taking advantage of the situation was simple, yet effective. He waited for a rebellion to spring up in a particular region, and once the rebels overthrew the Timurid authorities, he moved in with his forces and easily brushed aside the rebels, who were almost universally poorly led and utterly dismal in any real battle. Khosrow was then able to easily take the region's strongholds, which were only lightly garrisoned by the rebels. Khosrow was able to assert control over the Dash-i-Lut and occupy Khuzestan and Lurestan in this manner. In addition, Khosrow placed great importance on keeping his army mobile and well-supplied. This way, it could strike swiftly and decisively wherever it needed, and it would not wither away due to attrition, as armies of that age tended to do.
Meanwhile, Miran Shah's army descended from the Caucasus, moving through the land of the Kurds, to Hamadan, which was controlled by rebels. Miran Shah had competent tactical sense, but he was incapable of effectively dealing with the massive rebellions that were springing up throughout his empire, and he coupled that with an overbearing arrogance that led him to make many catastrophic decisions.
One such decision was storming the citadel of Hamadan, which was held by a thousand rebel troops. While these troops were unreliable fighters, they were fighting for their survival, and Miran Shah had less than 3,000 infantrymen to storm the citadel with. Khosrow was already making his way to Hamadan when he learned of this. Catching Miran Shah's troops in this vulnerable state, he defeated them, and pursued them to Shahrizor, where he abandoned his pursuit due to a lack of supplies. At any rate, Miran Shah's army was so weakened that he had less than one thousand soldiers left, all infantrymen.
Leaving behind a force at Hamadan to continue Miran Shah's siege, Khosrow took his main army to Gurgan, a well-fortified province to the east of Mazandaran. By then, it had been six years since the war had started. Shahbanu Tahmina handled many of the administrative duties of the realm while Khosrow was out on campaign, but Persia's finances were becoming strained, and she was forced to debase the currency in order to pay for all of the kingdom's expenses.
Today, when I beheld my beloved wife's face after years of facing war and death, was the most blessed day of my life. Her warm face is as lovely as the moon, no less beautiful than when I saw her last. She encourages us in our struggle for our country, yet she also has confided in me her worries that we may not be able to continue fighting this war. Though my soldiers are courageous and our cause is favored by the heavens, we have few resources at our disposal. Victory is won not only by the warrior's sword, but by the farmer's plow and the blacksmith's hammer. Our funds are running low, and we must resort to extraordinary means to make more available. This will eventually lead to chaos and destruction, but for now, it is the only way to continue our struggle.
My son is growing in stature, strength, and bravery every day. He can ride the horse now, and is learning to shoot the bow, though it will be some time before he has the strength to wield it effectively. His mother has also taught him to tell the truth in all instances, for which I am proud. He prefers to spend his time outside, and urges me to take him along on my campaigns. He sometimes neglects his studies, but he has an indomitable spirit and a talent for making others see his point of view. He will bring Persia to further heights after I am gone.
Miran Shah, hoping to limit the loss of his territories, sent out envoys to Khosrow. At first, they asked for a withdrawal of Persian forces to Mazandaran, but as the war raged on, they were prepared to accept the loss of more territory. Khosrow rejected all these peace offers, insisting on obtaining enough territory for Persia to be a strong power after the war, including an outlet to the sea.
After the successful siege of Gurgan, Khosrow moved south to Fars, which had been in rebel hands for several years. At this point in the war, huge bands of bandits, outlaws, and ruffians roamed the land, and some of these groups became so large as to constitute an actual army. In January of the year 1406 Khosrow laid siege to Isfahan, the Timurid capital of Fars, which lay in the north, along the border with Ajam. Not wanting to repeat the mistake of Miran Shah several years before, Khosrow prepared himself for a battle if another army should come.
That army came before the end of the month. This was a massive force of 12,300 men, including nearly 2,000 cavalry. Though the force had no clear leader, it sought to fight Khosrow and his army, despite them both sharing Miran Shah as a common enemy. The two armies met some distance outside the walls of Isfahan. Sensing the lack of clear leadership in the opposing army, Khosrow ordered a charge. The Persian cavalry punched through the enemy flanks, and the Persian infantry pushed back the opposing enemy line, despite being outnumbered almost two to one. Though weakened considerably, the rebel army still managed to inflict heavy casualties on the Persian cavalry. The Persian infantry aggressively pushed the rebels back, showering them with arrows whenever they fell back. Both armies fought until nightfall, when the bandit leaders and petty warlords, one by one, decided to withdraw. Khosrow sent out his cavalry in pursuit, though he placed them under orders to go no further than the border with Laristan. The rebel army was decisively defeated, with well over half of its strength lost to casualties and desertion. Khosrow's army had relatively light casualties, though they were concentrated among the cavalry.
After the battle at Isfahan, Khosrow continued the siege, capturing the city in the spring. His next target was Shiraz and Laristan.
We march right now in the ancient homeland of our people. Aging ruins tell us of our distant, yet glorious past. Today, I visited the “Tomb of Solomon's mother,” or so it is called by the Arabs. I know the truth behind this tomb, for it is the resting place of Kurosh, the greatest of the Shahs of Iran, and the founder of the Persian empire. He embodied the best qualities of the Aryans- brave in battle, magnanimous in victory, and wise in leadership. I was moved by its sight, and I knelt down towards it in respect. All my men did as I, and I made a simple prayer to Ahura Mazda- “Let the soul of Kurosh be satisfied with all our efforts. So long as Iran exists, let his memory never perish from our hearts.”
Khosrow kept sending envoys to Miran Shah, hoping for peace on his own terms, but Miran Shah kept clinging to hope that he could restore his rule throughout his shattered empire. The only way to make him change his mind was to capture more Timurid strongholds, even as the war threatened to send Persia into its own downward spiral. Fortunately, after the capture of Shiraz and Laristan, Miran Shah was finally willing to agree to Khosrow's terms.
I, Shah Khosrow of Iran, demand your recognition of my sovereignty over Persia. In particular, I demand that you hand over to my realm the provinces of Gilan, Ajam, Fars, and the Dash-i-Lut. There shall be no peace between us unless you agree to these terms.
Miran Shah received this message while he was in his camp in Circassia. His army in Kurdistan destroyed, he was forced to flee to the one Timurid army that still existed. This army was stranded north of the Caucasus, with no way to return to Samarkand, and located in a region where the incensed Georgians longed for revolt and reunification with their kingdom. In a miserable state and even more miserable mood, Miran Shah finally accepted the inevitable, that Persia was arisen, and that Khosrow of Khorasan, follower of Zarathustra, was its rightful king.
*Credit to Amir Hussain Zolfaghary for taking such a wonderful picture of Cyrus' tomb.
Last edited:
Now to settle into a period of conversion and economic expansion. I wonder how freely Persia will embrace the return of the old god.
Congrats on your success! The take-after-rebels tactics worked wonders in my Savoy aar; well, not much choice when one is so much weaker and running out of manpower 
...speaking of which, yours is abysmal, money's tight, infamy high, and the conquered lands full of infidels; I fear the victorious war might have been much more to Khosrow's liking than administering that mess.
...speaking of which, yours is abysmal, money's tight, infamy high, and the conquered lands full of infidels; I fear the victorious war might have been much more to Khosrow's liking than administering that mess.
wouldn't rebel defections work better for gaining ground without gaining too much infamy?
King of Kings
The flame of truth burns brightly in Iran once more. We have defeated those who they said could not be defeated.
Persia was finally recognized by Miran Shah and the Timurid Empire as an independent state on the 12th day of November in the year 1406. Throughout the country, Zoroastrians and Muslims joined in celebration, as they were free from the oppressive Timurids. However, the country was ravaged by war, and Muslims looked upon their new monarch with suspicion. Furthermore, though Khosrow began his campaign for independence intending to claim all of Persia, none of the surrounding countries recognized the legitimacy of Khosrow's rule, primarily because he was not a Muslim. Persia's reemergence as a Zoroastrian nation was a major shock to the other established countries in the region, and they looked upon the new country with a mixture of suspicion and fear. This caused considerable diplomatic and internal difficulties for Khosrow for the rest of his reign.
Khosrow thus resolved to unambiguously stake his claim to all of Persia and proclaim his rule over the territories which he now controlled. Summoning his wife and son and several notables and allies which were to be the core of the new nobility, Khosrow made his way toward the ancient ruins of Parseh, northeast of Shiraz. Known as Persepolis to the Romans and Franks, it was once Persia's capital, and an appropriate location for Khosrow to formally reclaim Persia's age-old legacy.
Making sure all his guests were assembled, Khosrow rode in escorted by his bodyguard, 200 elite cavalry armored in the style of Savaran cataphracts, and he sat on his throne. He wore a richly-embroidered blue robe and trousers and an imposing winged merlon crown with a korymbos reminiscent of that of the Sassanian kings. The army then marched around the old city, proclaiming victory over the enemy as Khosrow and the other dignitaries looked on. Afterwards, a Zoroastrian priest walked in front of Khosrow, and behind him came a man and a woman, the man holding a vessel which carried a flame, and the woman holding a golden wreath. The man placed his vessel on the ground, ahead of Khosrow. The priest and his two followers then prostrated themselves in front of the king, with the woman holding the wreath up. The priest then rose and took the woman's wreath and walked up to Khosrow. Khosrow then rose to his feet, and grasped the wreath with his hand. Before the priest let go of the wreath, he told Khosrow, “With this, the divine Ahura Mazda invests in you and your heirs the sacred right to rule.” Letting go, the priest then turned and addressed the army and Khosrow's gathered followers.
Long live Khosrow I of Khorasan, Shahanshah of Iran and Aniran!
Long live Tahmina of Gilan, Shahbanu and Queen of Queens!
Long live Khosrow son of Khosrow, Prince of Persia!
A great cry came out from all the Persians witnessing this event. It may be even said that this cry was heard among all of Persia and all the other royal courts in the world, as Khosrow in no uncertain terms claimed rulership of all of Persia, including the provinces of Hamadan, Lurestan, Khuzestan, Laristan, Hormozgan, Kerman, Khorasan, and Golestan. Over the following weeks and months, more and more foreign rulers sent dignitaries to Khosrow's court to formally recognize him and his empire. Traders and merchants soon followed, and before long Fars became a hub of trade for the entire region. Khosrow also chose Tehran as the new capital, as it was more centrally located, yet still close to his base of support in Mazandaran.
Throughout the seven years of fighting Khosrow had implemented the makings of a focused government policy, though there was little opportunity to fully implement it until peace came. One of the first laws decreed by Khosrow was that all male subjects of the crown older than age fifteen were subject to mandatory recruitment into the army. In practice, Khosrow sought volunteers, and when resorting to forced recruitment, he only recruited Zoroastrian Persians, as he was doubtful of the loyalties of Muslims. Khosrow also took in female volunteers, wanting to resurrect the ancient Iranian tradition of warrior women as a contrast to the Arab customs of keeping women at the home and segregated from men.
Khosrow, in his quest to revive the dwindling Zoroastrian faith, extended substantial support to Zorastrian clergy, and after the war this matured into a full-fledged integration of the Zoroastrian church and the Iranian state. All Zoroastrian priests were responsible to the crown, and later emperors would work closely with the Zoroastrian clergy in order to expand the faith's influence. This also brought unity to the Zoroastrian church, since it was not a unified organization like the Orthodox Church of the Romans or the Catholic Church of the Franks. Khosrow himself venerated Ahura Mazda almost exclusively, though later emperors would support various cults of the Yazatas. Nevertheless, due to Khosrow's influence, and also the influence of Islam, the Zoroastrian religion in Persia became decidedly monotheistic, with the Yazatas playing a role similar to the saints in pre-reformation Christianity.
Interested in reviving Persian culture, Khosrow encouraged the growth of the arts. He built several lesser monuments throughout Iran and lent support to various painters, poets, and musicians. His palace was the old residence of the Timurid governor of Tehran, and though it was roomy, it was quite modestly decorated. Khosrow filled the palace with Persian carpets, tapestries, paintings, and sculptures. He also had a band of musicians live permanently in the palace, so that he would be able to hear their music at any time.
In his style of governing, Khosrow could not substantially change from how past rulers did things, primarily because local nobles and landowners were firmly entrenched and resistant to any form of change. Khosrow did move to limit their power, with limited success.
Landowners, both nobles and lesser gentry, held most of the influence in the country, though commercial interests still had some power, and were not completely overwhelmed. In general, social mobility was limited. Most peasants were tenants to landlords, and though the peasants' living conditions were not as bad as in other countries, nearly all peasants remained in their station their entire life. In the war of independence and in the subsequent early wars, though, many people of low birth ascended to the aristocracy, as the established aristocracy was almost wholly Muslim and a large portion of it was killed or fled into exile.
Khosrow championed a return to the old Persian traditions. In many instances, this meant a break with the present norm, such as the inclusion of noblewomen in positions of civil and military authority. Nevertheless, starting with Khosrow, the Persians had a disdainful sense of superiority towards other nations, and embraced their traditional values. Though these sentiments were not as crippling as they would prove to be in other countries, they would hinder Persian progress in technological advancement.
Despite the growth of a commercial class in Fars and throughout the other provinces, Iran's economy would remain almost completely based on agriculture and low-scale manufacturing. Though only moderately conservative in most other respects, the way a Persian earned his daily bread was almost wholly based on traditional methods of doing business.
Before and during the Timurid occupation, most Persians tended to look to the seas in order to make their fortune. Khosrow refocused his country's focus towards the land almost as a matter of necessity. The new Persian military did not have a focus particularly bent toward offensive or defensive action, though it relied more on numbers than the individual skill of its soldiers. This attitude, of course, hardly existed in the cavalry.
As more countries sent envoys to the Persian emperor, Khosrow resolved to reopen contact with an old adversary.
Today, in the court of Basileus Manouel II Palaiologos, we received a trade delegation from Persia. When we inquired as to which kingdom of Persia they hailed from, they said that they were from the realm of the Aryans, known to us Romans by no other name than Persia. They spoke of how after the great war between our two countries eight centuries ago, the Arabs came out of the desert and overwhelmed their kingdom and pushed our frontiers back to Anatolia. All this is well-known to us, but now they claim that their kingdom is the rightful successor to the Persian empire of old, and that they are not followers of Mohammed, but of Zoroaster, the prophet of the ancient Persians. Their king, Chosroes of Chorasmia, wishes for our two countries to forget the enmity of the past which has cost both countries so dearly, and he expresses a sort of kinship with us, as both he and us Romans face the Arabs and the Turks as our most dangerous enemies. In particular, he feels that opening up our realm to merchants from Persia would be an appropriate gesture of friendship.
It took around one month for the delegation to finally be granted their wish, though in all reality, this was a token gesture, as Persia could not support sending a succession of merchants to Constantinople.
Khosrow took several measures to expedite the country's recovery from the war. First, he cut spending on the army, allowing some of his veterans to return to their homes, at the cost of a lower pool of available military leadership and tactical and technological development. Khosrow also tightened the supply of money, stopping the inflationary minting of currency that was a necessity during the war. More money was available to the crown, especially as more Persians, both Zoroastrian and Muslim, saw Khosrow as the legitimate ruler of Iran. Even foreign observers acknowledged that Persia was growing more powerful and was becoming an important actor in the region.
skip to next part
-------------------------------------------------------
The entrenched Muslim aristocracy and clergy, however, remained hostile to Khosrow's rule. They strove to regain their former influence, though Khosrow repeatedly thwarted their ambitions. After two years of peace, they rose up in revolt.
The rebellion had weak support, and it was crushed in just a bit less than a year, though the rebels managed to briefly take control of Shiraz in Fars, Yazd in the Dash-i-Lut province, and Rasht in Gilan. Khosrow seized the opportunity to systematically eradicate the Muslim elites as an opposing force in Persia. After bloodily putting down the rebellion, he seized the rebels' lands and gave them out to his own Zoroastrian supporters. He then banished all those who took part in or aided the rebellion.
Zoroastrianism was now in a much stronger position in Persia, though Khosrow was reluctant to risk another rebellion by making any concerted conversion efforts. Instead, he focused on making a stable course for the country to follow and recover from the effects of the war. For several years, there was peace in Persia, and the only enemy the Persians had to fight were the pirates. However, events in the crumbling Timurid empire would soon shatter the peace once more.
The flame of truth burns brightly in Iran once more. We have defeated those who they said could not be defeated.
Persia was finally recognized by Miran Shah and the Timurid Empire as an independent state on the 12th day of November in the year 1406. Throughout the country, Zoroastrians and Muslims joined in celebration, as they were free from the oppressive Timurids. However, the country was ravaged by war, and Muslims looked upon their new monarch with suspicion. Furthermore, though Khosrow began his campaign for independence intending to claim all of Persia, none of the surrounding countries recognized the legitimacy of Khosrow's rule, primarily because he was not a Muslim. Persia's reemergence as a Zoroastrian nation was a major shock to the other established countries in the region, and they looked upon the new country with a mixture of suspicion and fear. This caused considerable diplomatic and internal difficulties for Khosrow for the rest of his reign.
Khosrow thus resolved to unambiguously stake his claim to all of Persia and proclaim his rule over the territories which he now controlled. Summoning his wife and son and several notables and allies which were to be the core of the new nobility, Khosrow made his way toward the ancient ruins of Parseh, northeast of Shiraz. Known as Persepolis to the Romans and Franks, it was once Persia's capital, and an appropriate location for Khosrow to formally reclaim Persia's age-old legacy.
Making sure all his guests were assembled, Khosrow rode in escorted by his bodyguard, 200 elite cavalry armored in the style of Savaran cataphracts, and he sat on his throne. He wore a richly-embroidered blue robe and trousers and an imposing winged merlon crown with a korymbos reminiscent of that of the Sassanian kings. The army then marched around the old city, proclaiming victory over the enemy as Khosrow and the other dignitaries looked on. Afterwards, a Zoroastrian priest walked in front of Khosrow, and behind him came a man and a woman, the man holding a vessel which carried a flame, and the woman holding a golden wreath. The man placed his vessel on the ground, ahead of Khosrow. The priest and his two followers then prostrated themselves in front of the king, with the woman holding the wreath up. The priest then rose and took the woman's wreath and walked up to Khosrow. Khosrow then rose to his feet, and grasped the wreath with his hand. Before the priest let go of the wreath, he told Khosrow, “With this, the divine Ahura Mazda invests in you and your heirs the sacred right to rule.” Letting go, the priest then turned and addressed the army and Khosrow's gathered followers.
Long live Khosrow I of Khorasan, Shahanshah of Iran and Aniran!
Long live Tahmina of Gilan, Shahbanu and Queen of Queens!
Long live Khosrow son of Khosrow, Prince of Persia!
A great cry came out from all the Persians witnessing this event. It may be even said that this cry was heard among all of Persia and all the other royal courts in the world, as Khosrow in no uncertain terms claimed rulership of all of Persia, including the provinces of Hamadan, Lurestan, Khuzestan, Laristan, Hormozgan, Kerman, Khorasan, and Golestan. Over the following weeks and months, more and more foreign rulers sent dignitaries to Khosrow's court to formally recognize him and his empire. Traders and merchants soon followed, and before long Fars became a hub of trade for the entire region. Khosrow also chose Tehran as the new capital, as it was more centrally located, yet still close to his base of support in Mazandaran.
Throughout the seven years of fighting Khosrow had implemented the makings of a focused government policy, though there was little opportunity to fully implement it until peace came. One of the first laws decreed by Khosrow was that all male subjects of the crown older than age fifteen were subject to mandatory recruitment into the army. In practice, Khosrow sought volunteers, and when resorting to forced recruitment, he only recruited Zoroastrian Persians, as he was doubtful of the loyalties of Muslims. Khosrow also took in female volunteers, wanting to resurrect the ancient Iranian tradition of warrior women as a contrast to the Arab customs of keeping women at the home and segregated from men.
Khosrow, in his quest to revive the dwindling Zoroastrian faith, extended substantial support to Zorastrian clergy, and after the war this matured into a full-fledged integration of the Zoroastrian church and the Iranian state. All Zoroastrian priests were responsible to the crown, and later emperors would work closely with the Zoroastrian clergy in order to expand the faith's influence. This also brought unity to the Zoroastrian church, since it was not a unified organization like the Orthodox Church of the Romans or the Catholic Church of the Franks. Khosrow himself venerated Ahura Mazda almost exclusively, though later emperors would support various cults of the Yazatas. Nevertheless, due to Khosrow's influence, and also the influence of Islam, the Zoroastrian religion in Persia became decidedly monotheistic, with the Yazatas playing a role similar to the saints in pre-reformation Christianity.
Interested in reviving Persian culture, Khosrow encouraged the growth of the arts. He built several lesser monuments throughout Iran and lent support to various painters, poets, and musicians. His palace was the old residence of the Timurid governor of Tehran, and though it was roomy, it was quite modestly decorated. Khosrow filled the palace with Persian carpets, tapestries, paintings, and sculptures. He also had a band of musicians live permanently in the palace, so that he would be able to hear their music at any time.
In his style of governing, Khosrow could not substantially change from how past rulers did things, primarily because local nobles and landowners were firmly entrenched and resistant to any form of change. Khosrow did move to limit their power, with limited success.
Landowners, both nobles and lesser gentry, held most of the influence in the country, though commercial interests still had some power, and were not completely overwhelmed. In general, social mobility was limited. Most peasants were tenants to landlords, and though the peasants' living conditions were not as bad as in other countries, nearly all peasants remained in their station their entire life. In the war of independence and in the subsequent early wars, though, many people of low birth ascended to the aristocracy, as the established aristocracy was almost wholly Muslim and a large portion of it was killed or fled into exile.
Khosrow championed a return to the old Persian traditions. In many instances, this meant a break with the present norm, such as the inclusion of noblewomen in positions of civil and military authority. Nevertheless, starting with Khosrow, the Persians had a disdainful sense of superiority towards other nations, and embraced their traditional values. Though these sentiments were not as crippling as they would prove to be in other countries, they would hinder Persian progress in technological advancement.
Despite the growth of a commercial class in Fars and throughout the other provinces, Iran's economy would remain almost completely based on agriculture and low-scale manufacturing. Though only moderately conservative in most other respects, the way a Persian earned his daily bread was almost wholly based on traditional methods of doing business.
Before and during the Timurid occupation, most Persians tended to look to the seas in order to make their fortune. Khosrow refocused his country's focus towards the land almost as a matter of necessity. The new Persian military did not have a focus particularly bent toward offensive or defensive action, though it relied more on numbers than the individual skill of its soldiers. This attitude, of course, hardly existed in the cavalry.
As more countries sent envoys to the Persian emperor, Khosrow resolved to reopen contact with an old adversary.
Today, in the court of Basileus Manouel II Palaiologos, we received a trade delegation from Persia. When we inquired as to which kingdom of Persia they hailed from, they said that they were from the realm of the Aryans, known to us Romans by no other name than Persia. They spoke of how after the great war between our two countries eight centuries ago, the Arabs came out of the desert and overwhelmed their kingdom and pushed our frontiers back to Anatolia. All this is well-known to us, but now they claim that their kingdom is the rightful successor to the Persian empire of old, and that they are not followers of Mohammed, but of Zoroaster, the prophet of the ancient Persians. Their king, Chosroes of Chorasmia, wishes for our two countries to forget the enmity of the past which has cost both countries so dearly, and he expresses a sort of kinship with us, as both he and us Romans face the Arabs and the Turks as our most dangerous enemies. In particular, he feels that opening up our realm to merchants from Persia would be an appropriate gesture of friendship.
Ioannes Phokas, Roman court official
It took around one month for the delegation to finally be granted their wish, though in all reality, this was a token gesture, as Persia could not support sending a succession of merchants to Constantinople.
Khosrow took several measures to expedite the country's recovery from the war. First, he cut spending on the army, allowing some of his veterans to return to their homes, at the cost of a lower pool of available military leadership and tactical and technological development. Khosrow also tightened the supply of money, stopping the inflationary minting of currency that was a necessity during the war. More money was available to the crown, especially as more Persians, both Zoroastrian and Muslim, saw Khosrow as the legitimate ruler of Iran. Even foreign observers acknowledged that Persia was growing more powerful and was becoming an important actor in the region.
skip to next part
-------------------------------------------------------
The entrenched Muslim aristocracy and clergy, however, remained hostile to Khosrow's rule. They strove to regain their former influence, though Khosrow repeatedly thwarted their ambitions. After two years of peace, they rose up in revolt.
The rebellion had weak support, and it was crushed in just a bit less than a year, though the rebels managed to briefly take control of Shiraz in Fars, Yazd in the Dash-i-Lut province, and Rasht in Gilan. Khosrow seized the opportunity to systematically eradicate the Muslim elites as an opposing force in Persia. After bloodily putting down the rebellion, he seized the rebels' lands and gave them out to his own Zoroastrian supporters. He then banished all those who took part in or aided the rebellion.
Zoroastrianism was now in a much stronger position in Persia, though Khosrow was reluctant to risk another rebellion by making any concerted conversion efforts. Instead, he focused on making a stable course for the country to follow and recover from the effects of the war. For several years, there was peace in Persia, and the only enemy the Persians had to fight were the pirates. However, events in the crumbling Timurid empire would soon shatter the peace once more.
Last edited:
The Romans should now try to provoke a conflict between you and Turkey, and utilise the Turk's weakness after the war to re-conquer a few provinces. But alas! The AI is no Prawnstar
But maybe you should help them a bit yourself? For old times sake
But maybe you should help them a bit yourself? For old times sake
Very nice update. Did you make the Persian events? If so, I'd love to play as a Zoroastrian Persia.
This is all vanilla MMU apart from the slightly modified start as far as I can tell.
I altered the Persia file and the culture file to add in Persian names and remove Islamic names. I also made some tweaks to the NI files based on CJL78's SubUltimate sub-mod. I did not add any events or decisions for Persia.
For an independent OPM Persia, I had to edit the savegame, as there is no other reliable way to get a Zoroastrian Persia.
For an independent OPM Persia, I had to edit the savegame, as there is no other reliable way to get a Zoroastrian Persia.