Wonderful empire there! Now it's time for a reverse invasion of England. And then, Muslim Britain can invade Europe. Oh the irony of it all! 
The Sunni Invasion
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CHAPTER 6
THE CELTIC UNION
Abbas Ibrahimid sat upon the throne of the greatest realm in the North, and one of the strongest in the known world. In just 60 years, he and his ancestors had landed in Dublin, united the disunited Irish tribes, crossed the waters and subjugated Scotland, and now held one of the strongest cities in Brittany. The small Welsh Kingdoms, the Isles, the Bretons, and even the Norman English feared where House Ibrahimid would strike next.
As of the terms of the treaty signed after the Invasion of Scotland, Princess Maisie was to marry Abbas' younger brother. When she turned 16, the couple was wed.
The world needed not to wait long for the news of Ibrahimid expansion. 4 targets remained on Britannia. The two Welsh Kingdoms, the Isles, and England, the secret goal of House Ibrahimid. Abbas declared war on Deheubarth, one of the two Welsh Kingdoms.
Naturally England was called. This wasn't because House Ibrahimid needed their help, it was because they didn't want to have the English fight with their fellow Catholics.
The English-Ibrahimid army met the Deheubarthians in Powys, easily outnumbering them. Needless to say, they were crushed. After the one sided battle, the English-Ibrahimid forces settled into siege outside of Dyfed.
After a few sieges, Deheubarth surrendered and retreated to their fortress in Northern Wales.
The Emirate was reformed and given to the grandson of the traitorous Abu, also called Abu. Despite the fact that Abu still remained in prison for his treachery near the beginning of the Sunni Invasion, Abbas believed the son, and the grandson, need not suffer for the sins of the father, or in this case the grandfather. Abu, the Traitor, the Traitor Across the Water, the Firstborn, the Disinherited, finally saw his branch of House Ibrahimid, which should have been the ruling branch if not for his treachery, finally hold land of their own. He was allowed out of his cell for the first time in decades to witness his grandson's coronation as Emir of Deheubarth.
Abbas' eldest son, Jyad, finally turned of age. He quickly proved to be a Brilliant Strategist, taking after his ancestors. He was made Marshal of the Realm.
Just a year after his grandsons coronation, the Traitor Across the Waters passed in his sleep, in the dungeon which had become his home. The funeral held was small, as many Ibrahimid's held a hatred for the man, but Abbas himself lead the processions and made a speech.
'Abu may have held many titles, such as Traitor, Rapist, Thief, but to me he held only one title - Uncle. Abu may have done terrible, terrible things, and conspired to do many more, but Abu was still a man, and so are we all. No one is perfect, and some may be better than others, but now Abu passes into paradise to dine with the Houris. His legacy may be tainted by what scholars and scribes from past and future times will write, but to us gathered here today, he is our family, and so we say goodbye for the last time. Goodbye, Abu. May Paradise treat you well.'
Tears could be seen in Abbas' eyes, and he held Emir Abu in an embrace for a long time, as they had both lost a close family member.
Just 6 days later, Abbas was himself again. He couldn't spend forever mourning what was seen to many as a traitor, and so he turned his men north, to Gwynedd. Abbas' Uncle Fath, Court Imam, had gained bribed several other council members and was gaining considerable influence in the realms decisions. Perhaps he wished to gain power in the realm, but Abbas did not fret. He still needed to bribe another council member to turn the war vote in his favour, but it was declared none the less.
Once more England joined.
The 7000 strong army met the Welsh outside Llanelwy, and the outnumbered Welsh fled after losing just a few hundred men, however every single one of them was cut down by an unknown ragtag army made of peasants, farmers and miners. When the dead littered the battlefield and not a single Welshman remained, the two leaders met. Abbas' learned the army was lead by a man named Ahmad. He was born to an Andalusian father born in Ireland, son of a member of the 5000, and an Irish mother. He took on the last name Corkid, or 'of Cork', to remember his birthplace and his mother. He only asked for one reward for massacring the Welsh - a place in Abbas' court. He was accepted.
Unsure of the realm's future, a vassal of England named Fulk conspired to overthrow the King of England and end English cooperation with Islam and House Ibrahimid. He posed a serious threat at first, but after a few battles, it was clear that the war was in favour of King Hubert.
When the news of Princess Maisie's marriage reached the rest of House Dunkeld, they were infuriated. David Dunkeld, uncle of Maisie and veteran of the Sunni Invasion, worked together with his fellow Dunkeld's to raise a force of mercenaries, sellswords and hopefuls to reclaim Scotland, divorce Maisie and see her as the independent, Catholic monarch of Scotland.
After one last battle, Gwynedd surrender their lands to Abbas.
Their lands were granted to Ahmad Corkid. He was chosen as he had proved to be an able military commander, loyal to Abbas, and proved to be able to organise a group of people who were completely different.
Rather then return to Dublin, Abbas simply marched south to Dyfed where he crowned himself Sultan of Wales. He declared that in the event of Empire, Dyfed would be the capital of Wales.
Abbas' expansion continued, as his chancellor gave him justification to conquer Kernev. Rather than declare war, he simply held onto the claim.
The final war for Wales began. Abbas sought to quickly subdue the County of Glamorgan before David Dunkeld could raise his host.
Glamorgan raised the Knights Templar to defend against Abbas, but it was no use. After smashing them but inflicting few casualties, Abbas settled in for a slow siege of Glamorgan.
After taking Glamorgan, he quickly moved his army east to expel the Templars from Britannia.
Over 3000 Templars died that day, ending their hopes and dreams of land in Britannia.
However not everything was well for Abbas. David Dunkeld had completed his host, and saw no better time to strike then when House Ibrahimid was tied up in war. He had gathered his host in the Isle of Man, and marched north into Scotland.
To lift the pressure, England was called into both wars, though they were not expected to do much. Abbas merely hoped that many of the Dunkeld Host would disband in fear of utter defeat.
After all of Glamorgan was completely occupied, they surrendered, and Emir Abu gained the land de jure part of Deheubarth.
Abbas marched his army back into Ireland, as the Dunkeld Host had seen fit to strike at Dublin rather than Scotland. Perhaps they wished to capture members of House Ibrahimid and force Abbas into an uneasy peace, but Abbas arrived before any siege could be executed.
The battle of Kildare saw every soldier in the Dunkeld Host exterminated, ending House Dunkeld's hopes of ever regaining Scotland. The war was over.
David Dunkeld was in possession of all the wages which were to be paid to the Dunkeld Host, but with them exterminated he held all the gold. Abbas, against the will of the council, seized David's wealth and expelled him from the wealth. Jyad saw potential in the man, using him to cement Ibrahimid rule in Scotland, but was satisfied when David's son was taken as a hostage, to be educated in the ways of Islam.
As punishment for supplying the Dunkeld Host, the Isles were declared on to seize the Isle of Man.
The Grand Vizier of the realm was killed in Naoned by an anti-Jewish rabble.
Abbas' main army met the Islander army in Carrick, while a token force looted and burned on the Isle of Man.
The battle was won with total annihilation of all Island forces.
THE CELTIC UNION
Abbas Ibrahimid sat upon the throne of the greatest realm in the North, and one of the strongest in the known world. In just 60 years, he and his ancestors had landed in Dublin, united the disunited Irish tribes, crossed the waters and subjugated Scotland, and now held one of the strongest cities in Brittany. The small Welsh Kingdoms, the Isles, the Bretons, and even the Norman English feared where House Ibrahimid would strike next.
As of the terms of the treaty signed after the Invasion of Scotland, Princess Maisie was to marry Abbas' younger brother. When she turned 16, the couple was wed.
The world needed not to wait long for the news of Ibrahimid expansion. 4 targets remained on Britannia. The two Welsh Kingdoms, the Isles, and England, the secret goal of House Ibrahimid. Abbas declared war on Deheubarth, one of the two Welsh Kingdoms.
Naturally England was called. This wasn't because House Ibrahimid needed their help, it was because they didn't want to have the English fight with their fellow Catholics.
The English-Ibrahimid army met the Deheubarthians in Powys, easily outnumbering them. Needless to say, they were crushed. After the one sided battle, the English-Ibrahimid forces settled into siege outside of Dyfed.
After a few sieges, Deheubarth surrendered and retreated to their fortress in Northern Wales.
The Emirate was reformed and given to the grandson of the traitorous Abu, also called Abu. Despite the fact that Abu still remained in prison for his treachery near the beginning of the Sunni Invasion, Abbas believed the son, and the grandson, need not suffer for the sins of the father, or in this case the grandfather. Abu, the Traitor, the Traitor Across the Water, the Firstborn, the Disinherited, finally saw his branch of House Ibrahimid, which should have been the ruling branch if not for his treachery, finally hold land of their own. He was allowed out of his cell for the first time in decades to witness his grandson's coronation as Emir of Deheubarth.
Abbas' eldest son, Jyad, finally turned of age. He quickly proved to be a Brilliant Strategist, taking after his ancestors. He was made Marshal of the Realm.
Just a year after his grandsons coronation, the Traitor Across the Waters passed in his sleep, in the dungeon which had become his home. The funeral held was small, as many Ibrahimid's held a hatred for the man, but Abbas himself lead the processions and made a speech.
'Abu may have held many titles, such as Traitor, Rapist, Thief, but to me he held only one title - Uncle. Abu may have done terrible, terrible things, and conspired to do many more, but Abu was still a man, and so are we all. No one is perfect, and some may be better than others, but now Abu passes into paradise to dine with the Houris. His legacy may be tainted by what scholars and scribes from past and future times will write, but to us gathered here today, he is our family, and so we say goodbye for the last time. Goodbye, Abu. May Paradise treat you well.'
Tears could be seen in Abbas' eyes, and he held Emir Abu in an embrace for a long time, as they had both lost a close family member.
Just 6 days later, Abbas was himself again. He couldn't spend forever mourning what was seen to many as a traitor, and so he turned his men north, to Gwynedd. Abbas' Uncle Fath, Court Imam, had gained bribed several other council members and was gaining considerable influence in the realms decisions. Perhaps he wished to gain power in the realm, but Abbas did not fret. He still needed to bribe another council member to turn the war vote in his favour, but it was declared none the less.
Once more England joined.
The 7000 strong army met the Welsh outside Llanelwy, and the outnumbered Welsh fled after losing just a few hundred men, however every single one of them was cut down by an unknown ragtag army made of peasants, farmers and miners. When the dead littered the battlefield and not a single Welshman remained, the two leaders met. Abbas' learned the army was lead by a man named Ahmad. He was born to an Andalusian father born in Ireland, son of a member of the 5000, and an Irish mother. He took on the last name Corkid, or 'of Cork', to remember his birthplace and his mother. He only asked for one reward for massacring the Welsh - a place in Abbas' court. He was accepted.
Unsure of the realm's future, a vassal of England named Fulk conspired to overthrow the King of England and end English cooperation with Islam and House Ibrahimid. He posed a serious threat at first, but after a few battles, it was clear that the war was in favour of King Hubert.
When the news of Princess Maisie's marriage reached the rest of House Dunkeld, they were infuriated. David Dunkeld, uncle of Maisie and veteran of the Sunni Invasion, worked together with his fellow Dunkeld's to raise a force of mercenaries, sellswords and hopefuls to reclaim Scotland, divorce Maisie and see her as the independent, Catholic monarch of Scotland.
After one last battle, Gwynedd surrender their lands to Abbas.
Their lands were granted to Ahmad Corkid. He was chosen as he had proved to be an able military commander, loyal to Abbas, and proved to be able to organise a group of people who were completely different.
Rather then return to Dublin, Abbas simply marched south to Dyfed where he crowned himself Sultan of Wales. He declared that in the event of Empire, Dyfed would be the capital of Wales.
Abbas' expansion continued, as his chancellor gave him justification to conquer Kernev. Rather than declare war, he simply held onto the claim.
The final war for Wales began. Abbas sought to quickly subdue the County of Glamorgan before David Dunkeld could raise his host.
Glamorgan raised the Knights Templar to defend against Abbas, but it was no use. After smashing them but inflicting few casualties, Abbas settled in for a slow siege of Glamorgan.
After taking Glamorgan, he quickly moved his army east to expel the Templars from Britannia.
Over 3000 Templars died that day, ending their hopes and dreams of land in Britannia.
However not everything was well for Abbas. David Dunkeld had completed his host, and saw no better time to strike then when House Ibrahimid was tied up in war. He had gathered his host in the Isle of Man, and marched north into Scotland.
To lift the pressure, England was called into both wars, though they were not expected to do much. Abbas merely hoped that many of the Dunkeld Host would disband in fear of utter defeat.
After all of Glamorgan was completely occupied, they surrendered, and Emir Abu gained the land de jure part of Deheubarth.
Abbas marched his army back into Ireland, as the Dunkeld Host had seen fit to strike at Dublin rather than Scotland. Perhaps they wished to capture members of House Ibrahimid and force Abbas into an uneasy peace, but Abbas arrived before any siege could be executed.
The battle of Kildare saw every soldier in the Dunkeld Host exterminated, ending House Dunkeld's hopes of ever regaining Scotland. The war was over.
David Dunkeld was in possession of all the wages which were to be paid to the Dunkeld Host, but with them exterminated he held all the gold. Abbas, against the will of the council, seized David's wealth and expelled him from the wealth. Jyad saw potential in the man, using him to cement Ibrahimid rule in Scotland, but was satisfied when David's son was taken as a hostage, to be educated in the ways of Islam.
As punishment for supplying the Dunkeld Host, the Isles were declared on to seize the Isle of Man.
The Grand Vizier of the realm was killed in Naoned by an anti-Jewish rabble.
Abbas' main army met the Islander army in Carrick, while a token force looted and burned on the Isle of Man.
The battle was won with total annihilation of all Island forces.
After the Isle was sieged, Elspeth Ivaring swore fealty to Abbas. She was the current head of House Ivaring, and old and proud house which could trace its lineage back to Ivar the Boneless and the legendary Ragnarr Lodbrok. Yet another ancient house had taken a drastic turn by kneeling to Islam.
And thus ends this chapter. Thanks for reading!
Authors Notes - Again, you have my apologies for the long wait for this update. I've just been lazy, but seeing my family for Christmas has put me in a good mood, so I will endeavour to get at least 2 chapters done before the end of January. Thanks for all the support.
Also for some reason I'm now only allowed 35 images, and this chapter was 36 lol.
And thus ends this chapter. Thanks for reading!
Authors Notes - Again, you have my apologies for the long wait for this update. I've just been lazy, but seeing my family for Christmas has put me in a good mood, so I will endeavour to get at least 2 chapters done before the end of January. Thanks for all the support.
Also for some reason I'm now only allowed 35 images, and this chapter was 36 lol.
Last edited:
Well, I've always thought England would look good painted green. I just always had a different green in mind.
CHAPTER 7
THE FROZEN JEWEL
After House Ivaring was subjugated, they retained their Catholic religion. Abbas sought to sway them to Sunni Islam, because after all - if they can change once, why not again? Abbas gave Elspeth Ivaring the title Emira of Man, which contained nothing more than the land she already owned. It was enough to make her convert, however.
To strengthen House Ibrahimid's position, and to gain a foothold larger than Britanny, Abbas married his son to one of the daughters of King Orson of France, gaining and alliance with him.
The alliance with France soon came in handy. After the conquest of Wales, and Abbas proclaiming himself Sultan of Wales, the Count of Powys was urged to send soldiers under the guise of bandits to loot and pillage, and otherwise hinder Ibrahimid control of Wales, attempting to get the locals to revolt, or better yet, seek protection from England. The invasion of Wales had perhaps been one step too far on Britannia. After the discovery of these soldier bandits, a letter was sent to the King of England demanding that the operations would cease and that reparations would be paid. After a two week long period of negotiations and diplomatic standoffs known as the 'Powys Crisis', several nations in Europe declared for one side or the other in the event of war. Britanny and some of the Spanish Kings declared for England, but their power was nullified by the large armies that France could field, which could pacify Brittany, Hispania and English Normandy. The Muslim rulers in Southern Hispania declared for Abbas, intent on reclaiming the north. Needless to say, England was outnumbered and soon ceased operations in Wales, however the County of Powys still remained under English control. Despite a diplomatic Ibrahimid victory, it proved that the alliance with England was built on shaky foundations.
A radical sect of Muslims known as the Hashshashin believed that House Ibrahimid intermarrying with the nobility of Western Europe, and the refusal to invade England over Powys, believed that House Ibrahimid was growing decadent from their alliances. Abbas' son, also called Abbas, was the link that forged the alliance between House Ibrahimid and France. He was assassinated just a few months after his marriage to the French Princess, and the alliance was promptly declared null.
Rather than face the prospect of once more being alone with England, rather than returning the French Princess Almodis to France, he simply married her there and then, reforging the alliance. No assassin would dare strike at the Sultan or his wife, and so the alliance was safe.
Despite both the Sunni's failing in the First Sunni Jihad, and the Catholics failing in the First Crusade, Shiite Caliph Asim declared a mobilisation of all Shiite's throughout the world, to invade the easternmost holdings of the Byzantine Emperor.
The former leader of the Dunkeld Host, David Dunkeld, died at the mere age of 31 to his poor health. After his humiliating defeat to Abbas, shaming himself and his House, he had been banished from the Ibrahimid lands, so he joined the Hospitallers in defense of the faith. A mix of a broken spirit and shame killed him.
With the news of a Civil War in Britanny, Abbas was quick to invade. The rebels were clearly winning, and so there was little chance of the war ending inconclusively, and so the Breton Revolt was invaded for the County of Kernev.
The English and the Ibrahimid's landed together at Kernev, crushing the much smaller Breton army.
The fruits of keeping Duncan Dunkeld hostage had paid off. His guardian, Aliyah, sent word of him acting like a true Andalusian and Sunni Muslim.
After Kernev was completely sieged out, the rebellion surrendered to both Abbas and their rightful liege lord.
A bastard cousin of Abbas was given both Vannes and Kernev, now known as Cornouaille. In given time, he or his descendants would be granted the whole of Britanny.
After the death of the old King Orson, the new King of France, Roubaud, sort to renew the alliance with House Ibrahimid to start off his reign.
With his rule solidified over the independent realms of Britannia, an invasion of England had been considered, however it was discarded. England could raise more men than House Ibrahimid could, and could organise them quicker. It was unlikely that France would send over enough troops in time to make a difference, and so England remained a useful ally to House Ibrahimid.
Abbas was growing old, however, and was running out of room to expand. He did not want to be seen as the old man who would not make war in the last years of his life, nor did he want to be seen as a man who stabbed his allies in the back, replacing one with the other. he wanted to be seen as a man who could strike fear into the heart of Europe, and what better way to do it then attack the so called guardian of Europe. Norway was going to be his.
Both the French and the English joined in, although their men were tied up in their own wars in Al-Andalus, ancestral homeland of House Ibrahimid. For now, it was up to England to provide support to House Ibrahimid.
A sign from Allah came just a few months after the war began. Abbas was truly destined to win. A large rebellion made up of Bohemia, some Italian lords, and some French lords seeked to gain their independence from the Holy Roman Empire. Even if they did not win, the rebellion would hopefully kill man enemy soldiers and buy time for Abbas to quickly win his war.
Two armies were landed in the fertile southern ports of Norway, which if captured could prove devastating to the rest of Norway, perhaps raising fears and doubts of the Norwegian lords, forcing the Holy Roman Emperor to negotiate a peace treaty.
The rebellion would not last, however. After both sides had conflicted additional casualties on each other, the King of Bohemia realised that no matter the outcome of the Invasion of Norway, the rebellion was lost. The HRE would simply march its men to Prague and settle into a siege, and Bohemia could not sustain an extended war. He sought to surrender his rebellion, under the terms he and his followers would be declared innocent, and that their swords would immediately march north to defend Norway.
After the lightning fast sieges of Vestfold and Akershus, Kaiser Otto began to doubt his ability to wage war in the north. Using his newly installed Pope, he appealed to other nations in Europe for help on the grounds of the defense of Catholocism. A large multinational army, made up mostly of Hungarians, threw a desperate attack at Akershus. They lost, essentially ending Hungarian and Swedish intervention in the war.
The Orkney Isles were one of the reasons for the Invasion of Norway. They were far too close to Ibrahimid territory, and were a serious cause for concern during the First Crusade. Armies could be gathered mere kilometres from Ibrahimid land, and then unleashed upon Northern Scotland. England had sent forth 7000 men to pacify the base at Orkney, but with Venetian help several thousand soldiers were able to land in Northern Scotland. They were dealt with swiftly.
After the King of England ended his official support to the bandits in Wales, several leading officers stayed behind as outlaw leaders. Since the Powys Crisis, they had gathered several Catholics willing to occupy Wales in the name of the remaining army officers. With the news that the Ibrahimid army was in Norway, they rose up quickly to install themselves as Kings of Wales.
Abbas knew he could not lose many men to these Welsh rebels, and so he raised an army known as the Bektashi Order. The Bektashi were a group of militants devoted to keeping Islamic nations safe from Kaffir attack. He merged them with his own men, to pacify the rebellion and eventually sail to Norway.
One single battle saw most of the rebellion crushed and its leaders imprisoned, and so the remaining fighters stood down and begged for mercy. Any hopes of Welsh independence had been dashed in one single battle.
After the Holy Roman Empire had recovered several of its levies lost to the rebellion, the failed rebel lords had marched north and set into siege the occupied lands of Norway, relieving the stress on the starving people of the very north of Norway. To counteract this, Abbas needed to strike fear at the Kaiser himself. He met with his war council on a ship residing in the port of Calais. Several minor commanders were in attendance, along with Ahmad Corkid, now known as 'Ahmad Ironside', and the heir to realm, Jyad.
A young general calling himself Little Abbas, named after Sultan Abbas after the invasion of Scotland, spoke first. 'Your Grace, I suggest we evacuate the armies we have currently located in Norway by boat.'
Ahmad Corkid was quick to object. 'And then what? Abandon the supplies of Akershus and Vestfold to the Kaiser? We captured those cities because they put pressure on the rest of Norway!'
'And so we shall capture other ports, further north,' Little Abbas responded, 'Like Trondheim and Narvik. We will cut off supplies to everything north of them, and we can organise a few men to hold off any supplies coming north. After all, the Kaiser will not risk sending an army north in such terrible conditions.'
'And neither will we!' Jyad yelled. Abbas was impressed by his sons ability to quickly gain the attention of everyone. Jyad was fuming while he walked up to Little Abbas, pointing a finger in his chest. 'I don't know if you noticed, but there is NOTHING north of Narvik that we care about. NOTHING! Norvik and Trondheim are useless to us, but Akershus is not. We are not sending good men north to die holding off supply wagons which may or may not come, while we starve out the already starving northern lords in the hope they surrender to us! Why do we care for endless fields of ice and snow? The important cities in Norway, why we declared this war, are in the south. I will say this a million times if I have to - there is nothing north of Narvik.'
'Ease off the lad, Jyad.' Abbas said softly. 'But you are very right. Southern Norway is better than Northern Norway, because it has fields and population. By occupying that, we cut them off from the Kaiser and his Norwegian lords.'
'M'lord I hate to say this but.... we can not hold them for too long.' Ironside began, 'The Kaiser has more men then us and our allies combined, and he will win a drawn out war. We need to strike fast, somewhere relatively undefended but important to the German war effort, and their spirit. Somewhere Islam has never been, somewhere they feel is invincible. I propose Bremen. A strong port city, where supplies can be shipped north to the Germans in Norway. It is a large city in Germany, and it's loss will cause unrest in the Holy Roman Empire, it's citizens losing faith in their Kaiser.'
'Thankyou, Emir Corkid. Anyone else?' Abbas asked.
'Father, I have a suggestion.' Jyad said.
'Tell us.' Abbas demanded.
'Give me command of a good amount of men. Send the English north, along with the rest of our army, to defend Akershus. The men under my command....' He smiled, and licked his lips. 'Father, give me the ships needed to carry my men. We will sail down the River Rur, right till Julich. We will disembark there and capture the County, hopefully the royal family as well. The Holy Roman Empire has never lost its capital, especially when they are believed to be winning the war against a dwindling enemy. After I capture Julich, I shall rule there as the Prince in Julich. After all, I am to rule your lands one day. I need to practice how to rule.'
Abbas pondered this for a moment. 'Very well, although I have some changes to make. Most of our army, which includes me, the men gathered here, and the Bektashi, shall sail with you to Julich. After the capture of the land, we shall leave and return north. If you truly do believe yourself to be able to pull this off, you must organise the men of Julich into a garrison capable of fighting off any attempts to reclaim the land. This will be a true test of your skill, Jyad. Don't disappoint me.'
They sailed the very next day, shortly arriving at Julich.
After the Principality of Julich was set up, Abbas returned to Scotland to fight off another incursion. He bolstered his army with mercenaries, and met the invaders on Orkney.
Another sign of light came in mid 1141. King Bartol of Croatia proposed to marry his nephew to one of Abbas' daughters, and to have an alliance as well. Both were accepted, although Croatia was not called to raise their levies, although some men quickly raced towards Julich to remind Jyad he was not alone.
After several attempts to reclaim occupied land and invade from the Orkney Isles were beaten off, and occupied French land reclaimed from marauding German armies, Kaiser Otto IV saw no reason to continue the fight. Despite only losing three counties in Norway, they were some of the most important counties in Norway. After losing a large amount of his army and wealth, the threat of rebellion once more from the King of Bohemia, and the constant risk posed to his own royal family by the Prince in Julich, the Kaiser abandoned his frozen jewel to House Ibrahimid. The image below shows the zones of occupation. They are:
The Norway Occupied Zone - Mainly under English Occupation. Several attempts were made to reclaim, and several sieges were made, although it was always defended.
The Orkney Isles - The Isles were quickly invaded after the war began, to deny the Kaiser easy access into Scotland. With Venetian and Pisan aid naval invasions were conducted, but always beaten off.
The Principality of Julich - Technically independent Principality under the rule of the self styled Prince Jyad of Julich, many of the royal family and several important advisors were held hostage here, not to mention the supplies cut off. Capital of the HRE, its capture struck fear into the heart of many commoners.
And with that, Norway, the Orkney Isles and Iceland came under the rule of House Ibrahimid.
And thus ends this chapter! Thanks for reading.
Authors notes:
I have a strawpoll here to decide on whether I should form Britannia or a custom empire - http://www.strawpoll.me/12066956
I would love it if you voted!
THE FROZEN JEWEL
After House Ivaring was subjugated, they retained their Catholic religion. Abbas sought to sway them to Sunni Islam, because after all - if they can change once, why not again? Abbas gave Elspeth Ivaring the title Emira of Man, which contained nothing more than the land she already owned. It was enough to make her convert, however.
To strengthen House Ibrahimid's position, and to gain a foothold larger than Britanny, Abbas married his son to one of the daughters of King Orson of France, gaining and alliance with him.
The alliance with France soon came in handy. After the conquest of Wales, and Abbas proclaiming himself Sultan of Wales, the Count of Powys was urged to send soldiers under the guise of bandits to loot and pillage, and otherwise hinder Ibrahimid control of Wales, attempting to get the locals to revolt, or better yet, seek protection from England. The invasion of Wales had perhaps been one step too far on Britannia. After the discovery of these soldier bandits, a letter was sent to the King of England demanding that the operations would cease and that reparations would be paid. After a two week long period of negotiations and diplomatic standoffs known as the 'Powys Crisis', several nations in Europe declared for one side or the other in the event of war. Britanny and some of the Spanish Kings declared for England, but their power was nullified by the large armies that France could field, which could pacify Brittany, Hispania and English Normandy. The Muslim rulers in Southern Hispania declared for Abbas, intent on reclaiming the north. Needless to say, England was outnumbered and soon ceased operations in Wales, however the County of Powys still remained under English control. Despite a diplomatic Ibrahimid victory, it proved that the alliance with England was built on shaky foundations.
A radical sect of Muslims known as the Hashshashin believed that House Ibrahimid intermarrying with the nobility of Western Europe, and the refusal to invade England over Powys, believed that House Ibrahimid was growing decadent from their alliances. Abbas' son, also called Abbas, was the link that forged the alliance between House Ibrahimid and France. He was assassinated just a few months after his marriage to the French Princess, and the alliance was promptly declared null.
Rather than face the prospect of once more being alone with England, rather than returning the French Princess Almodis to France, he simply married her there and then, reforging the alliance. No assassin would dare strike at the Sultan or his wife, and so the alliance was safe.
Despite both the Sunni's failing in the First Sunni Jihad, and the Catholics failing in the First Crusade, Shiite Caliph Asim declared a mobilisation of all Shiite's throughout the world, to invade the easternmost holdings of the Byzantine Emperor.
The former leader of the Dunkeld Host, David Dunkeld, died at the mere age of 31 to his poor health. After his humiliating defeat to Abbas, shaming himself and his House, he had been banished from the Ibrahimid lands, so he joined the Hospitallers in defense of the faith. A mix of a broken spirit and shame killed him.
With the news of a Civil War in Britanny, Abbas was quick to invade. The rebels were clearly winning, and so there was little chance of the war ending inconclusively, and so the Breton Revolt was invaded for the County of Kernev.
The English and the Ibrahimid's landed together at Kernev, crushing the much smaller Breton army.
The fruits of keeping Duncan Dunkeld hostage had paid off. His guardian, Aliyah, sent word of him acting like a true Andalusian and Sunni Muslim.
After Kernev was completely sieged out, the rebellion surrendered to both Abbas and their rightful liege lord.
A bastard cousin of Abbas was given both Vannes and Kernev, now known as Cornouaille. In given time, he or his descendants would be granted the whole of Britanny.
After the death of the old King Orson, the new King of France, Roubaud, sort to renew the alliance with House Ibrahimid to start off his reign.
With his rule solidified over the independent realms of Britannia, an invasion of England had been considered, however it was discarded. England could raise more men than House Ibrahimid could, and could organise them quicker. It was unlikely that France would send over enough troops in time to make a difference, and so England remained a useful ally to House Ibrahimid.
Abbas was growing old, however, and was running out of room to expand. He did not want to be seen as the old man who would not make war in the last years of his life, nor did he want to be seen as a man who stabbed his allies in the back, replacing one with the other. he wanted to be seen as a man who could strike fear into the heart of Europe, and what better way to do it then attack the so called guardian of Europe. Norway was going to be his.
Both the French and the English joined in, although their men were tied up in their own wars in Al-Andalus, ancestral homeland of House Ibrahimid. For now, it was up to England to provide support to House Ibrahimid.
A sign from Allah came just a few months after the war began. Abbas was truly destined to win. A large rebellion made up of Bohemia, some Italian lords, and some French lords seeked to gain their independence from the Holy Roman Empire. Even if they did not win, the rebellion would hopefully kill man enemy soldiers and buy time for Abbas to quickly win his war.
Two armies were landed in the fertile southern ports of Norway, which if captured could prove devastating to the rest of Norway, perhaps raising fears and doubts of the Norwegian lords, forcing the Holy Roman Emperor to negotiate a peace treaty.
The rebellion would not last, however. After both sides had conflicted additional casualties on each other, the King of Bohemia realised that no matter the outcome of the Invasion of Norway, the rebellion was lost. The HRE would simply march its men to Prague and settle into a siege, and Bohemia could not sustain an extended war. He sought to surrender his rebellion, under the terms he and his followers would be declared innocent, and that their swords would immediately march north to defend Norway.
After the lightning fast sieges of Vestfold and Akershus, Kaiser Otto began to doubt his ability to wage war in the north. Using his newly installed Pope, he appealed to other nations in Europe for help on the grounds of the defense of Catholocism. A large multinational army, made up mostly of Hungarians, threw a desperate attack at Akershus. They lost, essentially ending Hungarian and Swedish intervention in the war.
The Orkney Isles were one of the reasons for the Invasion of Norway. They were far too close to Ibrahimid territory, and were a serious cause for concern during the First Crusade. Armies could be gathered mere kilometres from Ibrahimid land, and then unleashed upon Northern Scotland. England had sent forth 7000 men to pacify the base at Orkney, but with Venetian help several thousand soldiers were able to land in Northern Scotland. They were dealt with swiftly.
After the King of England ended his official support to the bandits in Wales, several leading officers stayed behind as outlaw leaders. Since the Powys Crisis, they had gathered several Catholics willing to occupy Wales in the name of the remaining army officers. With the news that the Ibrahimid army was in Norway, they rose up quickly to install themselves as Kings of Wales.
Abbas knew he could not lose many men to these Welsh rebels, and so he raised an army known as the Bektashi Order. The Bektashi were a group of militants devoted to keeping Islamic nations safe from Kaffir attack. He merged them with his own men, to pacify the rebellion and eventually sail to Norway.
One single battle saw most of the rebellion crushed and its leaders imprisoned, and so the remaining fighters stood down and begged for mercy. Any hopes of Welsh independence had been dashed in one single battle.
After the Holy Roman Empire had recovered several of its levies lost to the rebellion, the failed rebel lords had marched north and set into siege the occupied lands of Norway, relieving the stress on the starving people of the very north of Norway. To counteract this, Abbas needed to strike fear at the Kaiser himself. He met with his war council on a ship residing in the port of Calais. Several minor commanders were in attendance, along with Ahmad Corkid, now known as 'Ahmad Ironside', and the heir to realm, Jyad.
A young general calling himself Little Abbas, named after Sultan Abbas after the invasion of Scotland, spoke first. 'Your Grace, I suggest we evacuate the armies we have currently located in Norway by boat.'
Ahmad Corkid was quick to object. 'And then what? Abandon the supplies of Akershus and Vestfold to the Kaiser? We captured those cities because they put pressure on the rest of Norway!'
'And so we shall capture other ports, further north,' Little Abbas responded, 'Like Trondheim and Narvik. We will cut off supplies to everything north of them, and we can organise a few men to hold off any supplies coming north. After all, the Kaiser will not risk sending an army north in such terrible conditions.'
'And neither will we!' Jyad yelled. Abbas was impressed by his sons ability to quickly gain the attention of everyone. Jyad was fuming while he walked up to Little Abbas, pointing a finger in his chest. 'I don't know if you noticed, but there is NOTHING north of Narvik that we care about. NOTHING! Norvik and Trondheim are useless to us, but Akershus is not. We are not sending good men north to die holding off supply wagons which may or may not come, while we starve out the already starving northern lords in the hope they surrender to us! Why do we care for endless fields of ice and snow? The important cities in Norway, why we declared this war, are in the south. I will say this a million times if I have to - there is nothing north of Narvik.'
'Ease off the lad, Jyad.' Abbas said softly. 'But you are very right. Southern Norway is better than Northern Norway, because it has fields and population. By occupying that, we cut them off from the Kaiser and his Norwegian lords.'
'M'lord I hate to say this but.... we can not hold them for too long.' Ironside began, 'The Kaiser has more men then us and our allies combined, and he will win a drawn out war. We need to strike fast, somewhere relatively undefended but important to the German war effort, and their spirit. Somewhere Islam has never been, somewhere they feel is invincible. I propose Bremen. A strong port city, where supplies can be shipped north to the Germans in Norway. It is a large city in Germany, and it's loss will cause unrest in the Holy Roman Empire, it's citizens losing faith in their Kaiser.'
'Thankyou, Emir Corkid. Anyone else?' Abbas asked.
'Father, I have a suggestion.' Jyad said.
'Tell us.' Abbas demanded.
'Give me command of a good amount of men. Send the English north, along with the rest of our army, to defend Akershus. The men under my command....' He smiled, and licked his lips. 'Father, give me the ships needed to carry my men. We will sail down the River Rur, right till Julich. We will disembark there and capture the County, hopefully the royal family as well. The Holy Roman Empire has never lost its capital, especially when they are believed to be winning the war against a dwindling enemy. After I capture Julich, I shall rule there as the Prince in Julich. After all, I am to rule your lands one day. I need to practice how to rule.'
Abbas pondered this for a moment. 'Very well, although I have some changes to make. Most of our army, which includes me, the men gathered here, and the Bektashi, shall sail with you to Julich. After the capture of the land, we shall leave and return north. If you truly do believe yourself to be able to pull this off, you must organise the men of Julich into a garrison capable of fighting off any attempts to reclaim the land. This will be a true test of your skill, Jyad. Don't disappoint me.'
They sailed the very next day, shortly arriving at Julich.
After the Principality of Julich was set up, Abbas returned to Scotland to fight off another incursion. He bolstered his army with mercenaries, and met the invaders on Orkney.
Another sign of light came in mid 1141. King Bartol of Croatia proposed to marry his nephew to one of Abbas' daughters, and to have an alliance as well. Both were accepted, although Croatia was not called to raise their levies, although some men quickly raced towards Julich to remind Jyad he was not alone.
After several attempts to reclaim occupied land and invade from the Orkney Isles were beaten off, and occupied French land reclaimed from marauding German armies, Kaiser Otto IV saw no reason to continue the fight. Despite only losing three counties in Norway, they were some of the most important counties in Norway. After losing a large amount of his army and wealth, the threat of rebellion once more from the King of Bohemia, and the constant risk posed to his own royal family by the Prince in Julich, the Kaiser abandoned his frozen jewel to House Ibrahimid. The image below shows the zones of occupation. They are:
The Norway Occupied Zone - Mainly under English Occupation. Several attempts were made to reclaim, and several sieges were made, although it was always defended.
The Orkney Isles - The Isles were quickly invaded after the war began, to deny the Kaiser easy access into Scotland. With Venetian and Pisan aid naval invasions were conducted, but always beaten off.
The Principality of Julich - Technically independent Principality under the rule of the self styled Prince Jyad of Julich, many of the royal family and several important advisors were held hostage here, not to mention the supplies cut off. Capital of the HRE, its capture struck fear into the heart of many commoners.
And with that, Norway, the Orkney Isles and Iceland came under the rule of House Ibrahimid.
And thus ends this chapter! Thanks for reading.
Authors notes:
I have a strawpoll here to decide on whether I should form Britannia or a custom empire - http://www.strawpoll.me/12066956
I would love it if you voted!
Just caught up to this fascinating AAR. Subscribed
Some questions: How could Abbas be confident about declaring war against the much larger HRE, even before HRE's rebellion? And (I'm new to CK2) are religious intermarriage and alliances common in CK2, or did you artificially arrange it for this AAR? Can't believe how loyal England has been, and how you've easily marry your family into major Christian dynasties
Some questions: How could Abbas be confident about declaring war against the much larger HRE, even before HRE's rebellion? And (I'm new to CK2) are religious intermarriage and alliances common in CK2, or did you artificially arrange it for this AAR? Can't believe how loyal England has been, and how you've easily marry your family into major Christian dynasties
@feldmarshall
I believed that with England and France on my side, we would prevail. An the fact that Norway was isolated from the rest of the HRE.
When you start a game of CK2, you have an options menu for that game. Interfaith marriages are one of these options, and I turned it on for this game, as it would be way too hard otherwise.
I believed that with England and France on my side, we would prevail. An the fact that Norway was isolated from the rest of the HRE.
When you start a game of CK2, you have an options menu for that game. Interfaith marriages are one of these options, and I turned it on for this game, as it would be way too hard otherwise.
Bonus Chapter - The Founding of an Empire
On the 31st of May, 1142 AD, Abbas knelt before a local Imam, named Abdul. A lowly man, but that did not bother Abbas. He wanted a humble procession, for what was seen here was nothing compared to what the rest of the world would see on maps. Imam Abdul began his short speech.
'And so we gather here today, man and woman, Sunni and Catholic, European and Arab, to witness an event which will be remembered and respected far after we are all forgotten about. We gather here today 1142 years after Jesus walked this Earth and spread his teachings, and 536 after Muhammad walked this earth and spread his teachings. Let us all take a moment to offer praise to our god, whomever they may be.'
The court was silent for a few moments. Abbas mouthed something that Abdul could not make out, but it did not bother him. Whatever Abbas would pray for would be good.
He continued his speech.
'The man who kneels before me is known to many throughout the world. Abbas of the House Ibrahimid, Sultan of Ireland, Sultan of Scotland, Sultan of Wales, and Sultan of Norway. Abbas the Great, Abbas the Holy, Abbas the Righteous, Abbas the Worthy...... Abbas the Victorious.' He said the last one not so loud. It would not be good to remind the Norwegians, and some very old Scots and Welsh, that they had been subjugated by this same man.
'But today, he will rise as something different.'
An attendant handed a large turban, lined with jewels to Abdul. It was placed on the still kneeling Abbas' head.
'And now, Abbas Ibrahimid rises...... as the Badshah of the Ibrahimid Empire.'
Abbas rose to the cheers of the people gathered. It was only just. He had brought these people together, formed many different cultures and religions into one single Empire under the light of Islam.
He began his own speech.
'I thank you all. I thank you all for being here, to witness such a moment. It has been 76 years since my grandfather, Ibrahim, landed in Dublin with 5000 soldiers. In 76 years, him and his descendants have forged this great realm with equal parts sword and arrow, but also kindness and understanding. It is no secret - I am an old man. My ancestors passed before the first grey hairs even touched their heads, but yet I have ruled from my teenage years, until now. I have outlasted them all. But my time is near. Soon my son, then his son, then his son and so on shall rule this land, until the end of time or until it is seen fit that we all go to Paradise. Throughout my waning years, I promise you this. As Badshah, I can not bring you the rage and the violence of my youth. Mayhaps our Empire will still grow under my rule, but now is a time for peace. For the soldiers who have charged into battle hundreds of time under my command - I grant you rest. Relaxation. A place to live and die peacefully in your old age, those who served me their whole lives. I cannot promise you what my son will do, for he is he and I am I. But I can promise you that, under any circumstance, I will never allow one of my subjects to be treated unjustly. This is a time to rebuild, and go beyond what we had before. I start now.'
From within his robes, he produced a circlet of iron. The symbol of a Norse King.
'Skofte Gisking. Come forth.'
A big Norwegian man, big from both fat and muscle, came forth slowly. He looked like he struggled to walk. He seemed absent minded, and not quite in the moment. Upon reaching Abbas, he stood stupidly for a second before a cheeky grin spread across his face.
'Oh.' Was all he said, realising he needed to kneel. He did so.
Abbas placed the Iron Circlet upon his forehead.
'Skofte Gisking, I name you Sultan of Norway. The kingdom has been reorganised into better internal borders, for the benefit of all. I trust you with the responsibility to see those borders made reality. Arise now. You are a Sultan.'
Skofte stood, did an awkward half bow, before returning to the crowd.
The Coronation was over.
On the 31st of May, 1142 AD, Abbas knelt before a local Imam, named Abdul. A lowly man, but that did not bother Abbas. He wanted a humble procession, for what was seen here was nothing compared to what the rest of the world would see on maps. Imam Abdul began his short speech.
'And so we gather here today, man and woman, Sunni and Catholic, European and Arab, to witness an event which will be remembered and respected far after we are all forgotten about. We gather here today 1142 years after Jesus walked this Earth and spread his teachings, and 536 after Muhammad walked this earth and spread his teachings. Let us all take a moment to offer praise to our god, whomever they may be.'
The court was silent for a few moments. Abbas mouthed something that Abdul could not make out, but it did not bother him. Whatever Abbas would pray for would be good.
He continued his speech.
'The man who kneels before me is known to many throughout the world. Abbas of the House Ibrahimid, Sultan of Ireland, Sultan of Scotland, Sultan of Wales, and Sultan of Norway. Abbas the Great, Abbas the Holy, Abbas the Righteous, Abbas the Worthy...... Abbas the Victorious.' He said the last one not so loud. It would not be good to remind the Norwegians, and some very old Scots and Welsh, that they had been subjugated by this same man.
'But today, he will rise as something different.'
An attendant handed a large turban, lined with jewels to Abdul. It was placed on the still kneeling Abbas' head.
'And now, Abbas Ibrahimid rises...... as the Badshah of the Ibrahimid Empire.'
Abbas rose to the cheers of the people gathered. It was only just. He had brought these people together, formed many different cultures and religions into one single Empire under the light of Islam.
He began his own speech.
'I thank you all. I thank you all for being here, to witness such a moment. It has been 76 years since my grandfather, Ibrahim, landed in Dublin with 5000 soldiers. In 76 years, him and his descendants have forged this great realm with equal parts sword and arrow, but also kindness and understanding. It is no secret - I am an old man. My ancestors passed before the first grey hairs even touched their heads, but yet I have ruled from my teenage years, until now. I have outlasted them all. But my time is near. Soon my son, then his son, then his son and so on shall rule this land, until the end of time or until it is seen fit that we all go to Paradise. Throughout my waning years, I promise you this. As Badshah, I can not bring you the rage and the violence of my youth. Mayhaps our Empire will still grow under my rule, but now is a time for peace. For the soldiers who have charged into battle hundreds of time under my command - I grant you rest. Relaxation. A place to live and die peacefully in your old age, those who served me their whole lives. I cannot promise you what my son will do, for he is he and I am I. But I can promise you that, under any circumstance, I will never allow one of my subjects to be treated unjustly. This is a time to rebuild, and go beyond what we had before. I start now.'
From within his robes, he produced a circlet of iron. The symbol of a Norse King.
'Skofte Gisking. Come forth.'
A big Norwegian man, big from both fat and muscle, came forth slowly. He looked like he struggled to walk. He seemed absent minded, and not quite in the moment. Upon reaching Abbas, he stood stupidly for a second before a cheeky grin spread across his face.
'Oh.' Was all he said, realising he needed to kneel. He did so.
Abbas placed the Iron Circlet upon his forehead.
'Skofte Gisking, I name you Sultan of Norway. The kingdom has been reorganised into better internal borders, for the benefit of all. I trust you with the responsibility to see those borders made reality. Arise now. You are a Sultan.'
Skofte stood, did an awkward half bow, before returning to the crowd.
The Coronation was over.
That sultan is a moron, that will perhaps make him easier to handle in case of internal trouble.