Dahyan wrote:My Fatimid application is done. I used the previous one as a template, but changed and added some things.NationStates Name: Dahyan
Nation Name: Fatimid Caliphate
Capital: Al-Qahira (royal), Fustat (administrative)
Government Type: Iqta Feudalism
Head of Government: Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Dynasty/Family Name: Fatimids
Population: ~8 Million
Eligible Military Population: 80,000-400,0000
Territory: https://i.imgur.com/7AfTJBH.png
Territorial Claims: Sicily, Cyprus, Crete.
State Religion: Ismaili Shi'a Islam
Dominant Religion: Ismaili Shi'a Islam
Minority religions: Sunni Islam, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Miaphysite Christianity, Judaism.
Religious Information: While the official religion of the Fatimids and the main court of the Caliph is the Ismaili Shi'a Islam, the Fatimid Caliphate is generally tolerant, although certain specific Sunni practices that are considered to be later additions to the Islamic faith are heavily discouraged or even banned from public practice. The current Caliph, Al-Hakim, views his actions as divinely inspired.
Economy Information: The Caliphate is very wealthy, controlling the massive amd fertile lands at the banks of the river Nile and at the Mediterranean coasts of North Africa and Palestine. The port city of Alexandria is the economic capital of the empire, and one of the major commercial venues of the Mediterranean, supported by other port cities such as Fustat and Jerusalem.
Military Information: The military of the Fatimid Caliphate is vast and well organised. Originally based on the warrior code of the Hutuma Berbers that form the core of the armed forces, the Fatimid military is generally organised along ethnic lines, based on the traditional military skills of each culture represented. The Berber units usually make up the light cavalry and foot skirmishers, the Turks fulfill the duty of horse archers or Mamluk heavy cavalry forces, and Arab and Sudanese heavy infantry and foot archers.
While the Fatimid Army was strong, it's navy is the pride of the Mediterranean, rivaled only by the Imperial Fleet of the Byzantine Empire and counting some 75 dedicated warships. Its primary base is at Fustat. The fleet was made up of several different kinds of vessels, all generally modeled around the Byzantine Dromon. In tactics and strategy, the Fatimids primarily used the fleet to ensure the survival of their holdings in Palestine and Syria, while also forming a shield around Egypt and North Africa.
Generally, the Fatimid military doctrine is defensive, especially regarding their Levantine possessions, where the threat of Byzantine and Abbasid interference is most acute.
History: The Fatimid Dynasty began in Tunisia, originating from the Berber tribes of that region.
In the early 10th century, the 11th Imam of the Ismaili Shia sect, Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, moved from Syria to Morocco in order to escape persecution at the hands of the Abbasid rulers and to preach to the local population. As a resukt, Al-Mahdi was mprisoned by the Aghlabid emir, who was a vassal of the Abbasids.
The influential Shia cleric Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i however, who had served under Al-Mahdi's father Imam al Husain al Mastoor, threw his support behind Al-Mahdi, and started rallying the downtrodden Berber population in revolution against the Aghlabids. After conquering the Aghlabid capital of Raqqada, al-Shi'i succeeded in liberating Al-Mahdi, who then took position as the leader of the fledgling new state.
Al-Mahdi spent much of the rest of his life establishing the new Ismaili state in North Africa, as well as carrying out attacks against Byzantine possessions in Italy and Sicily, following a secret agreement with the Bulgarians.
Eventually, the Fatimids turned their attention towards their old nemesis, the empire that had always betrayed and persecuted them: the Abbasids.
While the Caliph there was technically the overlord of the Sunni Islamic world, in truth his writ carried little weight outside of Mesopotamia. Egypt was conquered by the Fatimids in 696, and they built a grand new capital at Al-Qahira. Around this time, the Fatimid Amir challenged the authority of the Abbasid Caliphs, directly staking a claim to leadership over the Ummah, and taking the title of Caliph for themselves. Claiming direct descendance from the Prophet Muhammad himself through his daughter Fatima, the Fatimids established a zealous Ismaili Shia state in Egypt, driving out the corrupt rule of the Abbasids. Supported by loyal Berber tribes as well as devout religious warriors, the new Caliphate was established with its seat in Al-Qahira.
After this, the swift expansion into Syria and Arabia prompted increased concern by their neighbors, especially when Palestine and the holy city of Jerusalem came under Fatimid control. Subsequently, the Caliphate and the Byzantines found themselves at war yet again for a great part of the remaining century.
With a peace treaty with the Byzantines signed in the year 1000, the Fatimids turned inwards, focusing on their economic, and cultural health. This period of peace was cultivated by the young Caliph Al-Hakim, who had assumed the throne at a mere 11 years of age.
Enlightened and peaceful, Al-Hakim kept the Fatimids out of any foreign wars for almost two decades. During this time, Egypt was extremely prosperous, and the court at Al-Qahira was renowned for its extravagance and beauty, as well as being a haven for intellectual discussion and scholarly study. The House of Wisdom in Al-Qahira became one the world's major centres for sciences, theology and philosophy, while so-called Wisdom Sessions are dedicated to the theological study of the more esoteric mysteries of the Ismaili school of thought.
This period of extended prosperity allowed for the treasury to grow fat and by 1018, the Fatimid state was in a powerful position, being well funded, and with a powerful army. Caliph Al-Hakim still rules, though in recent years he has become more prone to religious intolerance.
Ruler's Name: Al-Hakim
Ruler's: Age: 33 (Born in 985)
Ruler's Personality: Al-Hakim is not a warrior, but rather a scholar. Intelligent, and pious, he is deeply devoted to the islamic faith, and is more suspicious of religious minorities than his predecessors.
Despite his scholarly disposition, he is a ruthless politician, and is not afraid to be violent if need be. He is an advocate of increased trade through the empire.
Al-Hakim is a very pious man, and is notable for his simple and at times even ascetic lifestyle. He has been known to ban Christian and even Sunni practices that he considers to be insulting to Islam. As Caliph, he is known for being ruthless when it comes to rooting out all signs of corruption or immorality at court, and has had numerous high-ranking courtiers executed
Physical Appearance:
Ruler's Family Information: Ali az-Zahir, son of the Caliph, born in 1005.
Ruler's History: The son of the previous Caliph, al-Hakim became the Fatamid ruler after his father died of illness while touring Syria in 996. A young al-Hakim was only 11, and so power was vested in a number of regents. For the next four years, al-Hakim was a pawn in other men's games, and he found himself dangerously weak. After his Vizier was murdered in 1000, he decided to take the reins of power fully, aged only 15. At this young age, he ordered a political purge, killing many of the Fatimid power players that had dominated his regency. Much of al-Hakim's reign has been focused on internal development and strengthening the current Fatimid dynasty, rather than engaging in foreign conquest.
Despite this, there has been an intense friction with both the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad, and the Byantine Emperor in Constantinople. While al-Hakim has avoided open war, he has also kept the military well provisioned, especially in Syria and Palestine. As Caliph, al-Hakim has promoted the arts, learning, and science, and has maintained a cordial relation with most religions in Egypt, though, in recent years, he has begun to exert more control over them.
Accepted
