Year 867: House Hashimid, Emir of Medina

[Colruth]

The early years

5 Sheikdoms with a total of 18 holdings and 4 empty spots without any port access. 2 Mosques (Mecca and Medina) are holy sites to the Shi'a and Sunni muslims, while Mecca is also holy to pagan faiths. Technology is well advanced as is common in Araby at this stage. However, we have no advancements in the military whatsoever, while Economy and Culture are moderately advanced (6-7)

Our culture is Bedouin and our religion is Sunni. The population of 3 of our counties fit our culture and religion, however the 2 northern ones are Levantine/Sunni. Revolt should be rather low.

We start with a decadence rating of 25% without any decadent family member yet. Our neighbors are the Sunni Caliph to the north and the Shi'a heretics to the south. Our west front is protected by the red sea, and to the east an Emir roughly of our strength.

Muhammed I probably wins the contest of worst administrator ever. With a mixture of Cynical Slothful, Lustful and Arbitrary, our Mastermind Theologian makes for a weird mix.

Even though we can only manage one Sheikdom effectively, we shall find a first wife for Muhammed who may bring some direly needed skills at management. That shall be our ambition for now.

Midas Touches, Temperate, Ambitious and Patient, Awriya's only issue is that she is cruel. She also happens to be the daughter of an Andalusian Emir, giving us a little alliance that may serve as a deterant for those who may want to attack us. We'll now set our Ambition at raising our Stewardship, hoping it will not take too long to at least be in the positive.

Before we find ourselves our other wives, something came to our attention. The religion screen was showing Medina as partially controlled and so we went digging. Happens that the Wali of Medina is actually a Shi'ate. We could revoke his title and find a Sunni Wali, but the guy already likes us (+18) and isn't too bad.

Naming him Cupbearer along with a bribe of 27 gold is enough for him to accept our request to convert back to Sunni.

Our council is rather competent and liking us already. Ranging from 12 to 21, we send our Grand Vizier on diplomacy in our capital, to ensure best relations possible. Our Marshall and Steward will be researching while our Spymaster is sent to Constantinople to steal research, hopefully kickstarting our military progress. Our Court Imman is sent for charity in Hijaz, mainly to counter the slight possibilities of revolt from the Levantines.

Time to find ourselves a second wife, as Emir we should at least have 3. We'll go for 4 anyway.

All 3 of them issued from our court, they are bedouin and sunnites, limiting the risks of our heir not to be liked. Besides, they all have interesting traits that would be nice to transmit to their children.

With everything set, time to do our pilgrimage to the Mecca. Which, for us, means crossing the street.

 

[Colruth]

18 gold and a Regency later...

Hmmm, tea.

And then an old man with a story...

1 gold piece worth of bread, it must be some very damn good bread. But in the end his story materialized 8 gold out of thin air. That's called return on investment.

I finally arrive at the Mecca, humbled. Putting on the white cloth I do my circuits, shouting the prayers at every turn. Later that same day, I and a fellow pilgrim notices that the water is soiled, what an insult.

On the ninth day I stand my vigil as expected. We leave, but on our way home, bandits stops us. Even though they outnumber us, our morale is at its maximum and we charge, unwilling to be defeated by these scum and, with Allah at our back, we defeat them unscatted.

Finally we get home, back to business. A few days later a teacher from Mecca seeks audience, having heard my interest for knowledge. Pleased by his theological teachings, I grant him access to my court, so he may share with all who wishes to learn.

It would seem that the Ukaidhirid Emir to the east is a Shi'ate and sports a very tiny army. We could crush him in a holy war, but would the Shi'ates to the south try to protect them? At the same time, if we wait too long, the Caliph will probably conquer them very soon.

A Thamaritid arives at my court, most likely a refuge from the war between the Caliph and the Sultan of Egypt. He seems to dislike our Slothful arbitrariness. Menwhile, my spy informs me that some nomad tribes named Magyars have decided to settle down and establish a kingdom called Hungary. As if I care.

Nevertheless, on december 3rd 867, we declare a holy war on the Ukhaidirid Emirate.

 

[Deaghaidh]

I always find the Hajj events amusing when playing as Emir of Mecca. Because the Hajj then becomes an especially harrowing trip across town. Somehow you manage to get lost in the desert and menaced by pirates.

 

[unmerged(271387)]

I love playing as the Hashimids myself.As such,I will follow this AAR.

 

[Tommy4ever]

We do need more Muslim AARs here. Good choice of starting position.

 

[Colruth]

Im currently in the process of finishing my Roman Republic AAR (yeah started as Amalfi, rebuilt a destroyed byzantine empire and now reformed the roman empire). But this Hashimid AAR is next in line afterwards.

 

[Colruth]

The help from the Rassid Shi'ate didn't help the Ukhaidirid. In June 872 they were crushed and the Hashimid Emirate grew, adding the Nefoud Emirate to its protectorate.

From there the realm was shared among loyal Sheiks and honorary titles distributed to ensure a cohesion in the realm. Mecca, Medina and Asir, predominantly Bedouin, were kept as the core holdings of the crown.

Meanwhile the Abbassids to the north broke into 3 civil wars, weakening them enough to give Muhammed Hashimid time to breath. The Abbassids, at their full strength outnumbers Muhammed 3 to 1, so this time is precious to enable the Hashimid to grow their borders far enough so that their army isn't such an easy picking.

Muhammad sets his eyes southward, to the Rassid Shi'ates in hopes to conquer the lands surrounding the arabian desert while opening a door to the christian lands of Abyssinia.

 

[Colruth]

Ah, those women and their drama...

Two wives in prison, 1 son dead and our body decides to fail us...

At least our war in the south is going well and unopposed, and our spy in Constantinople has started sending back results from his travels. Gold has also been pouring in our coffers, gold used to build a barrack and a training ground for the militia in a capital. But the wives are not resting easy...

Jail seems to give them no lesson, so this one dies. We replace her overnight, but we won't get the pleasure of trying her out...

 

[Colruth]

My name's Abdullah I of the Hashimid's dynasty, Emir of Medina and Nefoud. As my father died, he was waging war on the worthless Shi'ates of the Rassid Emirate to the south.

Where my father swore by books and prayer, I prefer people. Especially women...

Yes, Awriya, she was one of my father's wives. She's a bit old, but what can I say, I like her and she has a family to speak of unlike the other 3.

I'm ill anyway, it's not like I'll be having fun soon. The war's over now at least. I won, of course. Annoyingly enough Taizz was occupied by the Shirazzid from beyond the red sea, so I didn't get it. It's fine, the Sirazzid are Sunnis at least and they are winning.

Once I stop coughing blood, I'll head to Mecca. I mean, by crossing the desert, not just home.

 

[Colruth]

Let's complete that fifth Pillar and take a breath of fresh air.

Meanwhile, the Shirazid in the south wins Taizz but loses their realms in Harer to the Abyssinian...how ironic. Well, that's what I hear from my messengers... while on a pilgrimage to the Mecca...across the street.

Anyway, we cross an old man in the desert who teaches us that the next world after life is better than this one..which triggers in us some kind of wisdom about managing the realm in this world...

Then I hear some more news... that the guy we had left the Regency to, declared war on the Azdid Emir while I am gone. Not a big deal, I was going to do that when I returned. Sadly the Abyssid declared war on the Azdid as well and it becomes a race to see how we will divide the Azdid. Well, his realm.

We end up with Mahra, the Abyssids with the rest. We might not stay independent for long, but who knows, they might turn their attention on the Byzantines or the Persians. Meanwhile we probably should cross the red sea and clear the area of christians before the Egyptians do it.

Anyway, I'm supposed to be on a spiritual pilgrimage here.

 

[Colruth]

Well, nevermind that. The Caliph of Abyssid pushed his claim on the Emirate of Medina... with 25,000 troops against our meager 6,000, we couldn't do much. Problem being, the Emirate of Medina contained every single Sheikdom we controlled directly. So yeah, game over.

Not really the most entertaining starting position if the Caliph doesn't lose a single battle at the start. Which he unlikely will ever with the Byzantines more busy pushing claims on single counties here and there rather than slapping the Arabs around.