Section Five: 1520-1560 (II)
July 23, 1532
I am honored to report to the Council that your strategy of threatening to withhold trading privileges with the Caliphate has been remarkably successful. To regain access to our trading center, the Caliph’s government has agreed to send a large gift of several hundred ducats to our magnificent Doge. I would suggest that we look favorably at this gift, and use it as a springboard for future cooperation against the Ottomans.
The Caliph’s palace is rife with rumor and intrigue at present. My belief is that some sort of internal power struggle is taking place, although the nature of it is unclear. I am also endeavoring to develop more information about the Fahti clan and its internal structure, but as I am sure you can imagine, this is a very difficult enterprise. My tentative probings into their background have revealed that the Fahti are descendents of slaves to the old Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. I can only guess that they were enslaved during the great sack of Baghdad in 1258. They made their first moves towards power by ingratiating themselves with the Great Emir Tamburlaine. Their founder, who gave his name to the family, was appointed to watch over Timur’s puppet Caliph. In other words, this family is technically the property of the rulers who they dominate. A most curious and depraved situation, if it is true, but nonetheless it speaks of great wiliness. I will of course continue to dig for further insights, given the growing importance of this family.
May 14, 1534
At last! My constant efforts have borne fruit. Our inveterate enemies, the Ottoman Turks, have foolishly declared war on the Mamaluke emirate. The Caliphate and the Ak Koyunlu Turks have loyally responded, and even as I speak are rushing toward the frontier. The emergence of this conflict will surely assist our sore-pressed armies in the Balkans, and perhaps give us an opportunity to liberate the rest of the peninsula.
I must note, however, that this war is extremely controversial. One of the Caliph’s sons is married to a daughter of the Sultan, and is actively opposed to the war, while another potential heir, the Caliph’s younger brother, is a fierce proponent of the conflict. It remains to be seen whether the Fahti shall be able to mediate this dispute.
August 27, 1535
This has been a very difficult year. The chaos began with a failed assassination of Bahira Fahti, a middle-aged female attendant to the Caliph. Soldiers of unknown provenance slipped into the palace and began slaughtering its denizens, particularly the women of the Caliph’s harem. There was also an attack on the Caliph himself which was incompetently handled and easily repulsed. I believe that the true focus of the attack was Bahira Fahti, due to the large numbers of warriors sent against her. This impressive female defended herself with man-like determination until our rescuers arrived and were able to slay her attackers.
How do I know all of the details of the attack? I has the (mis)fortune of having been invited by Bahira Fahti to meet with her in a sitting room just outside the formal boundaries of the harem, which is of course forbidden entry by all but the Caliph. The official reason for the invitation was her interest in Venetian glassware and painting- she expressed some interest in acquire portraits by the great Raphael. The True purpose, of course, was to establish a direct contact with me after the many years (and much gold) I have spent seeking out the leader of the Fahti. She is a motherly figure of grace and charm, with an easy and feminine manner.
What became quite clear as the night progressed was her tenacity and will. Discovering that the castle was under attack, we fled to my apartments outside the inner city. It was but a short time until we were discovered by desperate assassins, who must, I imagine, have been very surprised that Bahira was not in the palace. My household servants, Bahira, and myself managed to barricade the doors and hold off the assassins until help arrived.
The outcome of this attack has been disastrous. The Fahti have responded with ferocity upon discovering that the Caliph’s son is responsible for the attack. There have been disappearances and massacres of opponents to the regime. The chaos reached its height when the Caliph himself drowned in his tub, leaving the succession open. Finally, on the Night of a Thousand Knives, when its seemed the empire would disintegrate and the dynasty collapse, the Fahti managed to eliminate its enemies in their entirety and place an infant Caliph on the throne.
The events of this year forced and early end to the war with the Turks. It has also destabilized the Empire as a whole, which has had to contain several rebellions in the provinces. The only saving grace is that I have established a direct link with the de facto ruler of the Empire, which I hope shall bear fruit in the future.
December 5, 1537
Subject to your approval, I am taking a hiatus from my duties here and returning to Venice. I am leaving in my stead as interim Consul by loyal aide Abdullah al Dennis de Corrella. There are great matters which I must import to your highnesses privately, and I have a great gift from the Caliphate to bring to the Republic. Given its sheer size, I would like to accompany it personally.
September 1543
After a long sojourn I have once more taken up my duties as Consul for the Serene Republic. I arrive witnessing the evidence of yet another tumultuous period in the history of the Caliphate. From what I can gather, another attempt was made to shake off the domination of the Fahti clan, with similar results. The members of the royal family are shrinking precipitously, which has the convenient bonus of cancelling their royal stipends and re-filling the treasury. Surprisingly, the Caliphate’s neighbors have missed a golden opportunity to weaken the Arabs. The Fahti’s long-standing policy of marriage alliances and large gifts to its neighbors has averted what could have been a major crisis. The rebellions in Persia were certainly enough to rattle the foundations of the state- a major war might have undone it.
June 1545
Once again the Caliphate has rebounded from a difficult period to extend further its power. After nearly forty years of close relations with the Ak Koyunlu dynasty, the policy of intermarriage (and discrete bribery of the Turkish nobility) has resulted in a major political coup. The sultan of the Ak Koyunlu has quite simply been bought off, sacrificing his rule in favor of an annual stipend and a palace in Transoxania. He has abdicated in favor of “his beloved nephew” the Caliph of Baghdad, and ceded the territories of Sivas, Armenia, Daghestan, Kurdistan, and Nuyssaybin.
This bloodless expansion has brought a substantial chrisian population into the Empire for the first time. Armenia has long been under the Muslim yoke, and I shall do my best to ease their circumstances (and perhaps open up a few trading contacts!).
The annexation has not been entirely without cost, however, as a scion of the royal house has raised up rebellion and won the support of many local lords. The Caliph has dispatched large armies into his new territories to secure the conquest and crush all resistance.
February 1546
After a difficult campaign, the great Turkish rebellion has been suppressed. The war was suprisingly difficult, and the Caliph’s armies suffered several embarrassing defeats. Numbers have told, however, and the Caliphate is now in full control of these rebellious territories. The Arabs now have a direct frontier with the Turks.
The growing might of this new empire is causing me some concern. They so far are still cut off from the Mediterranean, but this circumstance may not last. While the Turks are at the moment a more direct threat, the Arabs appear at the moment to be a greater long-term hazard to our position in the Levant. I can only speculate on what course the future may take, but it might behoove us to prop up the Mamalukes. As long as they exist as a potential counterweight, Venice should remain secure.
January 1551
I am concerned to hear that my last two reports have not reached the Council. I can only summarize the contents, but suffice it to say that the Empire’s rulers are primarily focused on allaying the fears of their neighbors at the Caliphate’s latest annexations. They have done so by sending ambassadors laden with gold, and I fear that treasure before the eyes is always the brightest coin. This policy seems on the whole to have been successful. The Fahti has also been merciless in crushing revolts, but the Armenians have been intractable and have humiliated several of the Caliph’s armies. I wish them well, but I would advise against antagonizing so great a state over an issue where we have so little ability to effect a change. The only other issue of note is that the Caliph’s has twice seen fit to allow a controversial intellectual to remain free, which has annoyed the priesthood. The Fahti seem determined to open up the Caliphate to new ideas.
July 1553
Another of the Caliphate’s famous diplomatic volte-faces seems to be in the works. The young Caliph has recently been quite hostile to the Mamalukes, mocking their ruler in public and snubbing his relatives here at court. At the same time, precious gifts of silver and ivory have been sent to the Turkish Sultan. If, as I expect, the Caliphate is luring the Egyptians into war, we should do our best to encourage the Turks to side with the Mamalukes rather than the Arabs. We dare not allow the Caliphate to consume the riches of Egypt and Syria.
May 1554
War between Egypt and the Caliphate is imminent. A trumped up-dispute over new borderlands once claimed by the Ak Koyunlu has resulted in a major breach in relations. The Caliph’s representatives demanded that the Mamalukes hand over the territories, a demand which has been caustically rebuffed. The alliance has been allowed to lapse, and the Fahti are feverishly building vast armies. The Egyptians are foolishly relying on diplomacy to avert the crisis, but the Turks have been gulled by Arab gold.
April 1555
After nearly two years of posturing, the Caliphate has unleashed its armies and initiated the 2nd Mamaluke War. The war began last year when a rebellion by desert nomads broke out in Syria against the Mamalukes, I can only guess due to Arab diplomacy. The Caliphate declared war and deployed three armies, that of the North, South and Center. I will track the fortune of each in turn.
The northern army swept into Syria and routed in the rebels. Assuming those rebels were Arab-sponsored, this could only be the basest form of treachery. The army then laid siege to Damascus with every hope of success. A Mamaluke army marched north from Lebanon to contest them, and in a short battle the Caliph’s troops were utterly defeated and retreated to Sivas. The Egyptian army is in pursuit of their demoralized foes.
The Army of the South first invaded Jordan, I believe in order to close the invasion route between Egypt proper and Mesopotamia. They laid siege to the town, bested a weak relief army, and then stormed the capitol of the province. They thence have invaded the province of Samaria. The apparent strategy is to isolate the Asian provinces from Africa and then conquer then piecemeal.
The Army of the Center has remained in Iraq in order to fend off any Mamaluke incursions. The Capitol has been consternated by the defeat in Syria, but the government is raising reinforcements as quickly as possible. They also enjoy the advantages of a large treasury. I have heard more than once that the regime envies the ability of western powers to raise mercenaries.
November 1555
The best chance for the Mamalukes to win this war has been lost. The Egyptians pursued the beaten Army of the North into Sivas and won another battle, but rather than continuing the pursuit and destroying their enemies, or halting the advance of the Army of the South, they raided Iraq. As soon as the Egyptian troops began crossing the middle Euphrates, they were surprised by the Army of the Center. This army had made a night march through the Arabian desert while leaving a covering force to guard the bridges. Hemmed in on two sides, the Egyptian host was completely annihilated. A second Egyptian army also threatened Baghdad, but it was cut off from water supplies and forced to surrender ignominiously. The Center Amy has marched on to Syria and resumed the siege of a defenseless Damascus.
Meanwhile, the Army of the North has recovered its dignity. After being drubbed twice, they recovered and re-entered Sivas. The Mamalukes, after giving the Northern Army time to rest and receive reinforcements, then foolishly decided to attack and were summarily destroyed. The Army of the North is now laying siege to Adana.
The Army of the South has enjoyed brilliant success, smashing and Egyptian army in Samaria, conquering that province by bloody sack, and then moving on into Judea.
I believe the only hope for the Egyptians is to receive foreign assistance, but this is unlikely given their squandering of early success and the Fahti’s able diplomacy.
October 1556
The year’s campaigning is at an end, and the Egyptians have essentially given up on Asia in order to defend their home provinces along the Nile. In an interesting move, the Caliph has forged a new alliance far to the east with the Afghan ruler Akbar. Akbar himself is marching with two small armies to come to the Caliph’s assistance in Anatolia. I had the good fortune to meet the Mughal ruler, who is an intelligent and ambitious boy and appears destined for great things.
The army of North is bogged down in siegework in Adana and Aleppo, while the Army of the Center has captured Syria. The Army of the South took Judea and then invaded Egypt after capturing Sinai. They are blockading Cairo itself, and await the support of the Army of the Center and a great new Royal Artillery Battery being assembled in Baghdad. These cannons are mighty one and fairly up-to-date by western standards. So far, the Treasury does not appear overly strained by the conflict, and the characteristically rebellious Persians have remained quiescent.
May 1557
The Egyptian empire is in a state of total collapse. Its only remaining holdings in Asia are the province of Konya, under siege by Akbar’s Afghan troops and the Army of the North, and the poor desertlands around Mecca. The Army of Egypt, as it has been re-christened, has captured Cairo with the aid of massive canon, and in a bold maneuver has marched down the Nile and crossed un-opposed to the great river’s eastern bank. The Army thence defeated the last Egyptian army defending Alexandria and has laid the town under siege.
February 1558
The was is over, with surprisingly favorable outcomes for Venice given the magnitude of the Arab victory. With the fall of Alexandria, the fate of the Mamalukes appeared sealed. Fearing a direct annexation by the Caliphate, I approached Bahira Fahti and expressed the concerns of our government. She assured me that the Caliph had no interest in further territorial expansion, and only desired that the Mamaluke dynasty recognize the sovereignty (spiritual and temporal) of the rulers of Baghdad. True to her word, the Caliphate demanded that the Egyptian monarch swear fealty to the Caliph, and agree to personally bring a large tribute to the Arab capitol every year.
The Egyptians have been reduced to the status of client states to the Caliphate, and their only remaining rival in the near East is the Ottoman Empire, with whom they are on good terms. In the far East, they are enjoying a prosperous alliance with the Mughals of Aghanistan. In short, the Caliph has fully has regained his ancient place as the lord of Islam. We can only hope that this is enough, or whether there will be no imperial adventures imperiling our levantine colonies.
May 1559
The reason for the active assistance given the Caliphate by Akbar in the recent war is now apparent. Now that the Mamalukes have been crushed, the Mughals have declared war on the Indian Sultanate of Delhi. I have investigated the nature of this kingdom as best I am able, but all I have been able to determine is that is a Muslim state ruling the lands of a great river, called the Ganges, in lands to the east of the Alexander’s explorations. I have been granted permission by the Caliph (re: Bahira Fahti) to accompany the expedition to India so that I may gather more information on this distant realm. I shall send letter to my factors in Basrah as best I am able.
October 15, 1561
I, Karim al Abdullah di Corrella, grandson of your Ambassador Dennis de Corrella, have woeful news to impart towards you. My father-in-law, Lorenzo di Averstra, your distinguished Ambassador, has perished far to the East across the great river Indus. The incessant rains were simply to much for the old man’s health. He took ill after we had crossed the Indus, and died of a fever after only a few days. You will know that he has been greatly honored by the Caliph: a Christian priest was found and performed last rites, and at great expense his body has been carried back to Basrah. When the current permit, he will sent on to Venice. We can only hope that another man as great and wise shall bent sent to succeed, for we know that he can never be replaced.
I guess I just screwed that one up.
