The Martyrs, Triumphant [OOC/OPEN/AH]

[The V O I D]

The Martyrs, Triumphant

An Alternate History Roleplay

OOC [You Are Here] || IC [Coming Soon] || Map [WIP]

Discord [WIP/TBD]

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Upon the Highway of the Martyrs, there was only the cry of triumph for the believers of Allah. Al-Faransa had fallen to the Caliphate, and with this triumph came more. Soon enough, both the Cities of Rum and Konstantiniyye would join al-Faransa, and the Martyrs would be remembered as those who triumphed for the Caliphate. Such a triumph would not last, however, as the Caliphate would inevitably collapse; a suitable successor to the claim of Caliphate has yet to continue that triumph.

Instead, in al-Andalus, the Emirate of Cordoba reigns over Andalusia and seeks to claim control over al-Faransa's various taifas. The Sultanate of Rum governs the City of Rum and its peninsula with careful grace, claiming to be the one true successor of all Rome, for those of the Muslim faith and of Christendom. And in the east, the Karamanids vie for control over Anatolia and over Konstantiniyye - contested only by Ottoman Rumelia, in the Balkans, that also seeks the City of Rum.

The powers that be elsewhere in Christendom are not at rest, however: the Holy Roman Empire, now in exile to northern Europe, vies to slay all nonbelievers in a grand Crusade, and contests Cordoba for the fate of al-Faransa and has made attempts at pushes into Rumelia and into Rum. Likewise, the Normans of England are fighting to Christianize the isles and vying to reclaim al-Faransa for their own. And this is to say nothing of the far north, where ambitious Viking kings stir from their rest.

Amidst this battle for the future of all Europe, for the Caliphate and beyond, there is also the strange call to discovery by some sailors in Cordoba, to attempt to claim Caliphate by gaining allies to the far east by sailing west to find them. The world is at a turning point: where shall the coin toss land, now? Shall the Martyrs ever be remembered as Triumphant? Or will there yet be a Reconquête?

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Hello, and welcome to The Martyrs, Triumphant; this alternative history roleplay is set in a world where the Battle of Tours was an Umayyad victory, and the Umayyad Caliphate collapsed a few hundred years later after claiming Italy and the Balkans/destroying Byzantium once and for all. Christendom is under existential threat, though there is a respite given the three most powerful Islamic nations are all vying for the claim of Caliphate - but this respite may not last forever, and the last centuries have been one of constant territorial gains and losses in al-Faransa, Rumelia, and eastern Europe.

This RP takes place in 1500 CE / 905 AH (for Christian and Islamic states, respectively). The New World has just been discovered by Cordoba, who may yet utilize the wealth and resources to be gained to gather an upper hand; however, the English are not that ignorant, and the battle over Konstantiniyye for Rum, Rumelia, and the Karamanids is coming to a head. Likewise, the last Christian kingdom of France, Norman Brittany, may also seek riches elsewhere to fuel the Reconquête. You will take the role of a Taifa of al-Faransa, of Norman Brittany or Norman England, of a state in the Holy Roman Empire as it is in exile, or even one of the three claimants to Caliphate, or perhaps a more minor player in the great game for Europe's future. In any case, the board is set.

Please read the Rules before applying!

I. No godmodding, metagaming, etc. Please, just don't.
II. Keep in mind the established history/scenario here, when constructing your app.
III. The Major Powers of this world are Cordoba, Rum, Rumelia, Karaman, and the more powerful of the HRE states. Minor Powers include Norman England, Norman Brittany, and the lesser HRE states. Other unmentioned powers are to be presumed much smaller players in terms of the field of Europe.
IV. As this takes place in 1500, gunpowder weapons etc. are allowed but shouldn't be overly advanced, and most battles will involve large armies charging at one another via cavalry, swords, pikes, and other weapons whilst wearing armor. Keep that in mind.
V. All standard NS RP Etiquette is absolutely required. That includes keeping things PG-13.
VI. Try to post at least once a week, once every other week at minimum.
VII. The POD is the Battle of Tours, as long as you keep in mind the established Major and Minor Powers/general background information for what Europe should look like - and also keep it somewhat realistic, within that same vein.
VIII. Have fun.
IX. To prove you have read the Rules, please put the Roman Numeral of this Rule in the designated section of the app.

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[align=center][REMOVE ALL BRACKETS, INCLUDING THESE]
[size=150][b]NATION APPLICATION - MARTYRS, TRIUMPHANT[/b][/size]

[img]Flag Goes Here[/img]

[i]Formal Nation Name [Native Language First, then English Translation][/i]
[i]Informal Nation Name [Same as Above][/i][/align]


[b]Government Type:[/b] (Absolute Monarchy? Islamic Emirate? Electorate? Prince-Bishopric? etc.)
[b]Head of State/Government:[/b]
[b]Capital City:[/b]
[b]Population:[/b] [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_in_1500][Use This][/url]
[b]Military Population:[/b] [No More Than 3%]
[b]Territory:[/b]
[b]Power Status:[/b] [Major/Minor/Small]
[b]History:[/b] [Read the Rules for POD etc. 2 Paragraphs Minimum.]

[b]RP Example:[/b] [At LEAST 1; 2 if playing a Major Power]
[b]Rules Read Indicator:[/b] [Place the indication that you've read the rules, here.]

#MARTYRTRIUMPH - do not remove, for finding apps

NATION APPLICATION - MARTYRS, TRIUMPHANT



إمارة قرطبة (Imārat Qurṭubah) [The Emirate of Cordoba/Qurtuba]
قرطبة (Qurṭubah) [Cordoba/Qurtuba]

Government Type: The Emirate of Qurtuba is an Emirate that functions as an absolute monarchy under an Umayyad Emir that claims to be the true successor of the Caliphate, due to being directly related to the Umayyads by direct descent.
Head of State/Government: His Sublime Majesty, Muhammad XII, the Emir of Qurtuba and Amir al-Mu'minin, Khalifat Allah
Capital City: Qurtuba / Cordoba
Population: Approx. 12 million.
Military Population: Approx. 350k.
Territory: All of Andalusia (IRL Spain/Portugal/Iberia-writ-large + Morocco, Western Sahara), some of southern al-Faransa (south of France west of Montpellier / south of Toulouse), North Africa (Ifriqiya / North Africa to Carthage; somewhat contested by the Sultanate of Rum).
Power Status: Major.
History: After the victory of the Martyrs at the Highway of the Martyrs, the Caliphate looked to be ensuring its triumph across all of al-Faransa and in Rum, in Rumelia, and spreading ever closer to total victory for Europe. However, after centuries of pushing and war, the Caliphate would end up collapsing when a Caliph died with an unclear heir. The Emir of Qurtuba, one of the sole direct descendants of a brother of the Caliph's grandfather, proclaimed himself as the successor to the Caliphate. Al-Faransa largely fell to pieces, as the Emir of Qurtuba fought to hold his territory and establish himself as a contender against fellow cousins in Rum, in Rumelia, and in Karaman.

Over the next few centuries, Qurtuba has remained one of those strongest contenders, and has mostly been harassed by those seeking the Reconquête in al-Faransa even as the Emir also tries to tame the Taifas for his control. The Qurtuban push for the Caliphate has been going on strong, and though it remains among the strongest of the contenders, it has begun to look to new lands recently discovered to the West, after a bid by Emir Muhammad XII to discover a way to Hindustan and to claim Arabia by circumnavigation. Nonetheless, the world stage is set, and the Emirs of Qurtuba are still unyielding in their zeal to see the Martyrs' Triumph not be undone...

RP Example: I'm the OP.
Rules Read Indicator: See Rules, but I made them so I'm good.

#MARTYRTRIUMPH - do not remove, for finding apps

Dramatis Personae:

Major Powers:

• The Emirate of Qurtuba, Caliphate of the Umayyads Claimant [Played by OP]
  
• The Sultanate of Rum, Caliphate of the Fatimids Claimant [Reserved by Pentapolitan Kyrene]
  
• The Emirate of Rumelia, Caliphate of the Ottomans Claimant [OPEN]
  
• The Beylik of Karaman, Caliphate of the Karamanids Claimant [OPEN]
  
• The Kingdom of Bohemia, Electoral State of the Holy Roman Empire [OPEN]
  
• The Archduchy of Austria, State of the Holy Roman Empire [OPEN]
  
• The Duchy of Saxony, Electoral State of the Holy Roman Empire [OPEN]
  
• The Archbishopric of Mainz, Electoral State of the Holy Roman Empire and Host to the True Papacy-in-Exile [OPEN]
  
• Other HRE states considered powerful at this time can be argued for/be considered open.

Minor Powers:

• The Norman Kingdom of Brittany, the Last of Christendom in al-Faransa [OPEN]
  
• The Norman Kingdom of England, the True Kings of All France and Brittany [Reserved by Hypron]
  
• Al-Fatikan, the Holy See for the Christian Peoples of the City of Rum [OPEN]
  
• Other minorly powerful states can be argued for in apps, if I feel it is justified I will add them here.

[The V O I D]

-RESERVED-

Open for business.

[Pentapolitan Kyrene]

Very interesting. As far as the caliphal claimants are concerned I do have a few questions; what has happened to the Abbasid caliphs, if there's anything preset, and what's the connection between the Sultanate of Rum and the Fatimid caliphate? Do the Fatimids still rule in Egypt, or is the caliph of that line under the control of the Sultan of Rum?

[The V O I D]

Very interesting. As far as the caliphal claimants are concerned I do have a few questions; what has happened to the Abbasid caliphs, if there's anything preset, and what's the connection between the Sultanate of Rum and the Fatimid caliphate? Do the Fatimids still rule in Egypt, or is the caliph of that line under the control of the Sultan of Rum?

First: the Abbasids were unable to really assert themselves above the Karamanids, who became dominant in Anatolia/Egypt/the Levant (hence the Ottomans/Turks mainly ruling Rumelia).

Second: The Fatimids owned Ifriqiya at one time and were based there alongside owning Rum as the Sultanate of Rum, despite not having the capital in Rum, until Qurtuba pushed them out of Ifriqiya. The Fatimids rule as Sultan and Caliph of Rum, and al-Fatikan / the Vatican is ostensibly still the “official” Catholic Christian authority in Muslim-ruled areas, though truly this only applies in Rum/the Italian peninsula. Think this answers all the Fatimid-related questions.

Minor Edit: Discord Server should launch officially tomorrow, and I plan to have a map of premade European states more or less complete by Saturday, with unclaimed areas in Europe open as well. I'd prefer Eurocentric apps for the moment, esp for premade nations, until such a time as most of the positions are filled; secondary nations/apps, as long as they remain secondary, might be permitted beyond that if we want to focus on other parts of the world.

[Pentapolitan Kyrene]

Excellent - I'd like to reserve the Caliphate of Rum, then. Thinking of a state built on the alliance between tolerant Shi'ite Fatimids willing to accomodate loyal nonbelievers (as they had in Egypt with the Copts) and the various Christian and Jewish communities of Italy who have worse to fear from regimes less reliant on winning their support through cultural toleration.

[The V O I D]

Excellent - I'd like to reserve the Caliphate of Rum, then. Thinking of a state built on the alliance between tolerant Shi'ite Fatimids willing to accomodate loyal nonbelievers (as they had in Egypt with the Copts) and the various Christian and Jewish communities of Italy who have worse to fear from regimes less reliant on winning their support through cultural toleration.

Reservation for the Sultanate of Rum/Fatimid Caliphate noted.

[Hypron]

Can I reserve the Norman Kingdom of England? (Also, as a weird question, why is it specifically the Norman Kingdom of England?

[The V O I D]

Can I reserve the Norman Kingdom of England? (Also, as a weird question, why is it specifically the Norman Kingdom of England?

Reservation noted. As for why it's the Norman Kingdom of England: it's because the Normans were chased out of Normandy before the Duchy could properly form, into Brittany (which managed to preserve itself, ala the Christian states in Iberia OTL) and England (putting some sea between them). Plus how long the actual general conquest of Al-Faransa took.

[Dragos Bee]

When exactly did Byzantium fall in this timeline?

Also, can I be Al-Qurtuba?

Edit: Wait, that's claimed.

Edit 2: Can I be a Welsh expedition to America?

[Pentapolitan Kyrene]

Just a work in progress for now, but putting my app here.

NATION APPLICATION - MARTYRS, TRIUMPHANT

[img]Flag%20Goes%20Here[/img]

خلافة روما - Khilafat Ruma - The Caliphate of Rome
دولة القياصرة - Halat Al-Qayasira - The State of the Caesars, or simply روما - Rum

Government Type: The Caliphs of Rome rule through a complex system. Italiya is a vast and populous land, inhabited by Romans, Latins, Normans, Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews and Albanians, alongside denizens of dozens of city-states and all the myriad peoples of Al Mutawasita. The Sultan rules through two titles - he is the anointed Shi’ite Caliph and heir of Ali, and Qaysar, Caesar, by the acclaim of the captive Pope.

The country is managed by a body of bureaucrats organised into chanceries, with military governors in the borderlands. The major cities maintain some autonomy, though garrison commanders and local ethnarchs keep order in Muslim and non-Muslim communities respectively, and ensure taxation and conscription continue at a pace.

A consultative assembly (The Majilis) of landowners, ethnarchs, military governors and clergy/ulema meet when requested in Pavia to advise the Caliph, and a council of ministers manage the bureaucracy, army and navy of the faithful. The military is organised centrally around the recruitment of the sons of the Caliphate’s ‘Younger Brothers’, those ethnic groups and communities assigned to provide conscripts rather than taxes, including the Germans, Swiss, Albanians, Berbers, Normans and many poorer Italian communities. The majority of the Italians, the Catholic Greeks, all Persians and the Jews are, of tradition, ‘Elder Brothers’ who pay the land and poll taxes, while the culturally Arabic population are ‘Fathers’, exempt from all taxes except those granted the Caliph by the Majilis.

Head of State/Government:The Caliph, Imam and Caesar, Abu Ali Nizar al-Hākim bi-Amr Allāh (a regnal name, which translates to “The Ruler by the Order of God”).
Capital City: Officially the capital is Rome, but the Sultans have often found it useful to seat their government in Al Madhkhal, a fortress city built early in the Northern conquest near the site of Mantua, which it has largely superseded, or in Naples/Nabuli.
Population: 9,500,000
Military Population: 250,000
Territory: Italy, Sicily, Malta, Crete, Sardinia and Corsica, the island of Djerba,[some territory in Tripoli?] much of Coastal Dalmatia up to Ragusa, Al-Faransa east of the Rhone and South of Lyon, and lands as far as, but not including, Geneva. Territory in Switzerland, Austria and Carniola up to Lucerne, Innsbruck Villach, Cilli and Zagreb.
Power Status: Major
History:

The Fatimid Caliphate, only caliphate of the Shi’a Ismailis, was born at the turn of the 10th century. A revolt in Ifriqiya against the sitting Aghlabid dynasty lead by the 10th, 11th and 12th Imams swept the country over several years of fighting, as local Berbers and other tribes threw off the chains of the Banu Aghlab. The victory at the Way of the Martyrs and the ascendancy of the Umayyad Caliphs, ironically, allowed space for the Fatimids to grow and thrive - the Mediterranean was so dominated by the Faithful that naval expeditions to Sicily and Italy could be undertaken with much greater ease.

Sicily, in fact, had been conquered from the Romans by the Aghlabids in the 9th century. By the time the Fatimid -lead revolt expelled the Aghlabids from Kairouan and all Ifriqiya, North African adventurers and pirates had already established themselves at Bari, and won an early victory in the capture of Amalfi. With the Romans too distracted by their own woes in the East, their Italian possessions fell quickly to a dedicated Fatimid push, based around the establishment of naval dominance.

A major expedition under Al Qaim, the second Fatimid Caliph and 12th Imam, landed in Apulia in 920/314 AH. The towns and cities of the region hired exiled mercenaries from Al Faransa to defend themselves, and the war was a slow and hard one. Without anyone to challenge them at sea, though, eventual Fatimid victory was inevitable - their stranglehold over the coastal towns forced the Latins into the hills and mountains, from whence most were eventually simply bought - hired as mercenaries in turn or settled on Sicily once it was clear there would be no more pay from their Italian masters.

The next decades saw nearly constant expansion further into Italy. In 955 Sardinia and Corsica were taken in two naval expeditions under the order of Caliph Al Hakim, cementing Fatimid dominance in the Tyrhennian Sea. With the islands taken, Rome was surrounded by every route except land - feasts in Kairouan celebrated the Caging of the Fatikan. After a pause to suppress Berber and Norman revolts, expansion continued further, culminating in 967 with the Siege of Nabuli (Naples). Having had to suppress two Italian mutinies while maintaining the siege of the coastal city, the Caliph Al-Mutansir summoned leaders from across his Italian possessions to meet at Palermo.

At this meeting the Caliph and his ministers outlined the system they hoped to build, and either compelled or bought compliance from the Italians, Normans and Greeks they had conquered. In this system the Normans and Italians would be the first Younger Brothers, and the Greeks the first Elder - the first would serve as soldiers and provide their sons as conscripts and mamluks while the latter would submit to running the local administration. This agreement, The First Concordat, codified some religious toleration, and the right of non-Muslims to be subject to their own systems of law and justice.

This apparent concession and denial of the Sharia prompted uprisings in Ifriqiya, but, true to their word, the Caliph’s Italian subjects remained loyal, and provided significant military forces to suppress the revolts. As the decades passed many would convert for the political and economic advantages it brought - and because conversion made one eligible to be granted land taken from the Caliph’s newest frontier - the Papal State. It was said by Al-Nabuli, a falasifa of the time, that the Italian fathers converted through their faces, but their sons converted in their hearts.

By this time the Pope was well aware of the oncoming storm. The centre of Italy had been bracing for many years, unguarded by Normans and abandoned by Franks. The Pope could only call upon the Germans and Northern Italians for aid, and the fractious politics of the North often prevented even that aid from reaching Rome. The war took place over much of the first half of the 11th century, even still - all those with the fortitude to face the Caliph came to Rome’s aid, and the waves of Christ’s soldiers took many years to break.

Urbino was captured before Rome, and the Caliph Al Mahdi began a daring encirclement of the Eternal City. Through three years of hard campaigning the Pope was cut off in Rome and its hinterlands, and was forced to prepare for a siege. Fatimid sources claim to this day that Pope Honorius VI, seeing that no support would come from a German emperor who refused to accept the Pope’s supremacy over the church, did what he could to soften the city’s defenses, and invite the Caliph in. Latin sources claim the Pope was driven mad with grief, and that a long battle was fought before the city fell. Either way, the Caliphal army entered the Mother of Cities in the year 1058, 450 AH, and took the Pope into their custody. Preferring to be supreme over Catholics and submit to the Caliph than to be subordinate to the Emperor.

Latin sources claim the Papal Conclave called in 1060 was illegitimate, and that the true line of Apostolic Succession runs through the exiled papacy in Mainz. In Rome, though, a new Pope was elected under Caliphal auspices. Signed between Al Mahdi and Pope Gregory IX, the Second Concordat granted full toleration to the Christian faithful, allowing them to worship in their own churches and keep their own festivals, and granted the Pope the right to appoint all clergy in Fatimid lands - all Christians under the Caliph would pray according to the Papal rite - even the Romans. In exchange, the Pope submitted himself to Caliphal rule, and commanded his clergy and all loyal Catholics to do the same. The Papacy would provide a part of all church tithes to the state, and would ensure no priest folmented rebellion or disloyalty in the State of the Caesars. To complete the deal, Al Mahdi was accorded the rank of Caesar. Fatefully, though, he did not permit the Pope to crown him, but instead took the crown from his hands, held it aloft, and crowned himself - “so that all men might know who God Almighty gives the right to all the earth”.

[TBD]

Slow conquest of the North, expulsion from Ifriqiya and the move of the Caliph and Sultan to Rome.
The Death of Emperors (Black Death), the Serene Siege of Venice and the sack of Genoa.
The War of the Three Nizars
The Third Jihad - breaking of Milan, capture of the alps and explosion into Al Faransa with the establishment of new military communes of Albanians, Greeks and Normans.
The Years of Earthly Delight (1390-1470)
The Jihad al-Qaysari, expansion beyond the Alps, signing of the Third Concordat in Geneva integrates the Germans/Swiss into the commune system after peasant revolts in Switzerland.

RP Example: [At LEAST 1; 2 if playing a Major Power]
Rules Read Indicator: [Place the indication that you've read the rules, here.]

#MARTYRTRIUMPH - do not remove, for finding apps

[Strala]

This seems interesting. Tagged

[The V O I D]

When exactly did Byzantium fall in this timeline?

Also, can I be Al-Qurtuba?

Edit: Wait, that's claimed.

Edit 2: Can I be a Welsh expedition to America?

In order: the Eastern Roman Empire fell after the Battle of Akroinon, a Byzantine victory IRL/in OTL, was a victory for the Umayyads (as this was 740 AD, 8 years after their victory at the Highway of the Martyrs/Tours) and they were reinvigorated from such a victory; such a victory also distracted the Byzantines, due to concerns for how Christendom in Europe would fair with al-Faransa in Umayyad hands. Umayyad control got into Rumelia despite stiff opposition by the Byzantines, before the Umayyads collapsed around 800 (50 more years than OTL); resulting in the four Caliphate claims eventually coming to prominence over the following centuries and fighting to prove to be the one true Caliphate.

As for the Welsh expedition to the Americas, I'd rather you app'd a nation primarily set in Europe that maybe has secondary concerns in the Americas once American colonization begins.

[Dragos Bee]

When exactly did Byzantium fall in this timeline?

Also, can I be Al-Qurtuba?

Edit: Wait, that's claimed.

Edit 2: Can I be a Welsh expedition to America?

In order: the Eastern Roman Empire fell after the Battle of Akroinon, a Byzantine victory IRL/in OTL, was a victory for the Umayyads (as this was 740 AD, 8 years after their victory at the Highway of the Martyrs/Tours) and they were reinvigorated from such a victory; such a victory also distracted the Byzantines, due to concerns for how Christendom in Europe would fair with al-Faransa in Umayyad hands. Umayyad control got into Rumelia despite stiff opposition by the Byzantines, before the Umayyads collapsed around 800 (50 more years than OTL); resulting in the four Caliphate claims eventually coming to prominence over the following centuries and fighting to prove to be the one true Caliphate.

As for the Welsh expedition to the Americas, I'd rather you app'd a nation primarily set in Europe that maybe has secondary concerns in the Americas once American colonization begins.

Ah, that might be a problem, yes.

Sorry about that.

[The V O I D]

Discord launch tonight/early tomorrow, map to follow that sometime tomorrow. IC launch next weekend, as long as we get the reserved players' apps and a couple more besides.

[Jade Confederacy]

Im applying for the Papacy but I'm moving the capital to Cologne. It is larger, richer, and has better walls than Mainz.

NATION APPLICATION - MARTYRS, TRIUMPHANT



Status Ecclesiasticus [State of the Church]
The Ecclesiarchy, The Papacy (of Cologne), or simply The Church

Government Type: Feudal theocratic elective absolute monarchy
Head of State/Government: Pope Leo X
Capital City: Cologne
Population:50,000 Urban Cologne[/url]
Military Population: 1200 Swiss guard. Various sanctioned military holy orders and other mercenaries.
Territory: Direct control over the city of Cologne and surrounding environs. A high degree of influence over churches within the HRE but the other prince-bishoprics remain semi-autonomous.
Power Status: Major
History: After its expulsion from the Italian peninsula the Catholic Church nearly disintegrated in the ensuing power struggle over ecclesiarch leadership. With the loss of all five pentarchies to Muslim conquest, Christianity as a whole lost a great deal of legitimacy. The loss of Rome removed the Catholic Church's primacy over the other branches of the faith which continued to fracture in the centuries after the defeat at Tours. The Church continues to openly contest stewardship over the entire Christian faith with the pretender Popes in occupied Rome as well as the Patriarch of occupied Constantinople. In order to survive, the Church deeply integrated itself into the HRE at the cost of influence outside of the Empire's borders. All subsequent Popes after the 1230s were German which while helping with its power consolidation within the Empire, further reduced its legitimacy with the Christian population in the occupied lands.

The Church has also become far more militant in the centuries of its exile. It has founded multiple military holy orders for various reasons. At first, the orders were established in the aid of defending pilgrims to the Holy Land and other Catholic holy sites, but in more recent centuries they focused on the conflict with the heathens to the north/east and most importantly against the Saracens. These holy orders have become very prominent and powerful after years of growth to the point where the larger ones are effectively autonomous. The largest and most influential of the orders is the Holy Order of Christ Unyielding, more commonly known as the Knights of the Thorn or the Thron Knights who control many citadels along the banks of the Rhine and launch raids against Islamic France. The Church has also traditionally applied pressure on all potential Emperor applicants to take up the sword against the Muslims and reconquer the lost Christian lands. Emperors who do not sware the customary oath to combat the Muslims in holy war do not obtain the Church's support or its votes, making their election nearly impossible. The Church has minimal direct military power but has accumulated great wealth over the centuries. It keeps a large portion of this wealth in trust for the time of the Great Crusade when all righteous Christians are to take to the sword and drive the Saracens back into the sea.

RP Example:
Example1
Example2
Rules Read Indicator: IX

#MARTYRTRIUMPH - do not remove, for finding apps

[Ovstylap]

May I reserve The Norman Kingdom of Brittany, the Last of Christendom in al-Faransa for myself please?

I definitely find this a fascinating RP concept, I could definitely see it being a fantastic alt-history setting in other centuries as well, whether 11th, 12th, or 13th etc (perhaps such would even be my preference), looking forward to building an app! I think a minor power in the Low Countries could also be a possibility for people, another part of Christendom on the frontier.

I am curious if others would want to even have another RP set in one of these previous centuries for a different tech level etc?

Now actually I am divided about going for a Kingdom of Flanders sort of thing, will have to decide and listen to any preferences from you OP!

[The V O I D]

May I reserve The Norman Kingdom of Brittany, the Last of Christendom in al-Faransa for myself please?

I definitely find this a fascinating RP concept, I could definitely see it being a fantastic alt-history setting in other centuries as well, whether 11th, 12th, or 13th etc (perhaps such would even be my preference), looking forward to building an app! I think a minor power in the Low Countries could also be a possibility for people, another part of Christendom on the frontier.

I am curious if others would want to even have another RP set in one of these previous centuries for a different tech level etc?

Now actually I am divided about going for a Kingdom of Flanders sort of thing, will have to decide and listen to any preferences from you OP!

I can reserve Brittany for you, but I would prefer the preset states get filled before we introduce new ones. As for why I chose 1500, I felt like it'd be interesting to explore the world once things have kind of settled to a degree, and expand into how things might go in the future.

Will review Apps if they're complete later tonight. I also plan to release the Discord and Map ASAP.

[Ovstylap]

May I reserve The Norman Kingdom of Brittany, the Last of Christendom in al-Faransa for myself please?

I definitely find this a fascinating RP concept, I could definitely see it being a fantastic alt-history setting in other centuries as well, whether 11th, 12th, or 13th etc (perhaps such would even be my preference), looking forward to building an app! I think a minor power in the Low Countries could also be a possibility for people, another part of Christendom on the frontier.

I am curious if others would want to even have another RP set in one of these previous centuries for a different tech level etc?

Now actually I am divided about going for a Kingdom of Flanders sort of thing, will have to decide and listen to any preferences from you OP!

I can reserve Brittany for you, but I would prefer the preset states get filled before we introduce new ones. As for why I chose 1500, I felt like it'd be interesting to explore the world once things have kind of settled to a degree, and expand into how things might go in the future.

Will review Apps if they're complete later tonight. I also plan to release the Discord and Map ASAP.

Thank you, I can certainly understand the appeal of things having settled into a new status quo. Based on your response to this next post, I will choose what to reserve (bare in mind I haven't yet seen the map which is to come). I think that a Flanders/Low Country concept could work quite well as it would provide even more opportunity for player interaction than being in Brittany, and could in some small way be one of the unlisted feasible powers of the HRE. It would also border an Islamic France, provide for interaction with Cologne, as well as England, and other HRE powers.

If you'd prefer this Flanders HRE state to not be taken just yet then I'll have a ponder and let you know.
Many thanks,
Ovsti

[Hypron]

NATION APPLICATION - MARTYRS, TRIUMPHANT



Cynedom of Engleland, Royaume de Angleterre, Kingdom of England
Engleland, Angleterre, England

Government Type: The Kingdom of England is an Elective Monarchy. The King of England, usually of Houses Normandy or Westeaxe, must be elected from the Witan (‘wise men') or the King's Council. The Witan was composed of the kings of the Petty Kingdoms, their respective feudal lords, and the prominent Clergy. The witan's other roles were to advise on the administration and organization of the kingdom, dealing with issues such as taxation, jurisprudence, and internal and external security. The witan could only be called upon by the King of the English and Normans or when the monarch died and a new one needed to be elected.

Head of State/Government: William VI of the House of Normandy, Rex Anglorum et Nortmanni, Rex totius Franciae et Britanniae (King of the English and the Normans, King of all France and Brittany)
Capital City: Londres, England
Population: 2,750,000
Military Population: 75,000
Territory: Kingdom of England, the Lordship of Ireland, Principality of Wales, and the Pale of Calais.
Power Status: Minor
History:

While the 700s and 800s saw the Frankish retreat into the Duchy of Austrasia before the might of the Umayyad Caliphate and its successor, the Normans of old used the lands of Northern Francia as a hub to raid the Southern English coast and the Seine River, with the Anglo-Saxon lords having little power to stop them and the realms of the Franks in absolute chaos. However, when the Saracens finally advanced into Neustria, the Normans were forced out of their Frankish lands. Some fled west and conquered the Bretons, thus becoming the modern-day Kingdom of Brittany. However, this is the tale of the ones who went across the seas to the land of the Angles and the Saxons.

Compared to the Normans who went into the Breton homeland, the Normans who entered England were willing to cooperate within the Kingdom of Wessex, where most ended up settling. The Normans chose a leader in the form of Rollo, a Norman who took the city of Rouen before being pushed out by the advancing Caliphate forces. Notably, he met with the King of the Anglo-Saxons, Alfred the Great, and settled on a compromise that would benefit the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons. The Normans would, for the moment, be allowed to settle in Kent (which was also later expanded into East Anglia) so long as they swore fealty to the Anglo-Saxon King and converted to Christianity. The Normans, just wanting a new place to settle, accepted Alfred's offer, and a new status quo formed… at least, until England was finally to unite.

The chance for Æthelstan, King of the Anglo-Saxons, to secure Southern England from the Vikings came in 927, with the death of Sitric Cáech, King of Northumbria. When Sitrics brother attempted to take the crown of Northumbria, Æthelstan intervened and marched into Northumbria, driving him out and proclaiming himself King of Northumbria. Once this was over, however, the Norman settlers asked the Anglo-Saxon monarch to grant the title of King of Northumbria to Rollo and allow the place to become a permanent home for the Normans. Æthelstan accepted, and Rollo became one of the Heptarch Kings (Kings ruling over the smaller Kingdoms within England). The Kings of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms, alongside the only Norman Kingdom, were gathered in Wintanceaster to crown Æthelstan as the first Rex Anglorum et Nortmanni, or King of the English and the Normans.

The Scandinavians, unsettled by this development, and the King of Norway, Harald I, gathered a large coalition of Vikings to invade England… and then he died before the invasion could begin in 932. Eric the Bloodaxe took over as King of Norway and, in 934, led what would be known as the ‘Second Great Heathen Army’ of 12,500 men to the port of Monkchester, where they marched on into Northumbria and began raiding throughout Yorkshire.

The lords of England gathered in a Witan in Lundenwic in mid-934, as the Great Heathen Army descended upon York. The witan quickly called for the mobilization of an army to march against the Scandinavians. The English gathered 15,000 men, 5,000 of them Norman veterans from the conquest of Northumbria, and marched on the Second Great Heathen Army, with King Æthelstan leading the army. They met on the hills of Leppington on September 13, 934, and the Viking Army was shattered, which ended the Danelaw in England.

With the end of the Danelaw, a semblance of peace flowed across the English realm. Most Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish settlers were forced out of Northumbria in exchange for Norman settlers, while King Æthelstan set about ensuring stability in the realm. Æthelstan marched to victory in the Battle of Brunanburh in 937, defeating an alliance of the Kingdom of Dublin, the Kingdom of Alba, and the Kingdom of Strathclyde. He set about centralizing the realm by codifying new laws, adding authority to the King and the King's Council, and increasing the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

From 939-1066, England saw relative stability compared to other Kingdoms on the British Isles. The stark differences between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in Wessex, Mercia, and East Anglia and the Norman Kingdom in Northumbria began to show over time. The administrative systems differed the further north you went, but they all supported the King of the English and the Normans. The crown held firm… until the death of Edward the Confessor.

Edward the Confessor's death saw two claimants for the Throne of England: Harold Godwinson, a prominent noble of the House of Godwin (which rose to prominence in a conflict between the Scots and the English, leading to the house gaining influence), and William II, the Petty King of Northumbria. While House Westeaxe, the ruling family till now, threw their weight behind the Norman claimant, Harold Godwinson was chosen by the Witan to be crowned the next King of the English and the Normans.

Harold II had a disdain for the Normans, mainly because they had a hand in him getting shipwrecked in al-Faransa in 1064. He began to upset the status quo within England, attempting to weaken the power of Northumbria and their supporters in Wessex by passing laws to strengthen the Kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia. He made his greatest mistake in 1075 when he tried to usurp the crown of Northumbria from the Normans without a casus belli. With the excuse they needed, The Kingdom of Northumbria and the Kingdom of Wessex raised their banners in revolt, beginning the Revolt of the Normans.

Harold II ordered the nobles in East Anglia and Mercia to gather armies in Lundenwic to march on the armies of the traitors. When this finished, his army numbered 10,000 Englishmen. However, this allowed for the armies of Northumbria and Wessex to gather in Northumbria, totaling 13,000 Anglo-Normans and Anglo-Saxons. William II, the proclaimed leader of the revolt, marched his army south to face Harold II. Both armies met at Cambridge. Harold II was very quickly forced from the field due to the military prowess of the Normans, losing 1,500 men to the Norman's 764.

Harold fled into Mercia, while the Anglo-Normans marched into Lundenwic and positioned themselves for an invasion of East Anglia. Instead of moving to East Anglia and risking a potential attack from William’s army, he remained in Mercia, looking for a defensive position. This was his second mistake, as William invaded and captured East Anglia and installed a new Petty King of the East Angles, who then aligned East Anglia with the rebels.

Winter came, and both campaigns halted. William II called a Witan among the nobles of Wessex, East Anglia, and Northumbria, which declared him the True King of the English and the Normans. Besides that, winter was for rest and preparation for the showdown in Spring.

1076 rolled in, and in March, William invaded the Kingdom of Mercia and came upon Harold II's fortified army in Birmingham. Instead of fighting Harold directly, he marched north, torching areas where either army could get food. This, unfortunately, forced Harold’s hand, and he marched to meet the Anglo-Norman army. This was his 3rd and final mistake, as at the Battle of Stafford, his army was routed and Harold II was captured. Mercia fell and had a new Petty King installed and most of its nobles were replaced. On May 27, 1076, William I was proclaimed ‘King of the English and the Normans’ by a Witan of all 4 kingdoms.

William I began a gradual effort to restructure the English aristocracy along Norman lines. He replaced the thegns and every rank lower with Norman titles, such as Baron, Earl, and Marquess. He stripped the titles of the revolters and replaced them with Normans (Mercia) and Anglo-Saxons (East Anglia) loyal to the King. This began the effect of forming a new status quo, with the Normans dominating Northern England and the Anglo-Saxons dominating the south. He centralized the government into one city, Lundenwic, which was renamed Londres in honor of their Frankish ancestry.

However, the biggest changes made were to the Army of the Kingdom of England. He did away with the Housecarls and fyrd, citing their ineffectiveness at producing a powerful and coherent army unless fighting a group of farmers in Essex. He based it on his Norman Army, starting with the familia, the King’s Household troops. They were extremely loyal to the King, supplied their equipment, and made up the professional core. These familia were supported by infantry, known as pedites, and cavalry, the milites. He replaced the Anglo-Saxon equipment with Norman equipment, well-regarded as some of the best made in Europe.

For the next 500 years, the only monarchs of the Kingdom of England would be of the Houses of Normandy and Westeaxe, with the royal houses in Mercia and East Anglia overthrown in the Revolt of the Normans. Even then, the House of Normandy has had a dominant hold on the crown since 1076, with the Westeaxes only holding the crown six times after.

With the ascension of the House of Normandy to the heads of the Kingdom of England, Norman's hatred of the Saracens controlling Francia became apparent. Ever since kicking them out of Normandy, the Normans have despised the Saracens of Northern Francia. As such, in 1099, William I successor, William II, began preparations for a grand campaign into Northern al-Faransa… and died a year after. Henry I was forced to cancel these preparations when the Nobles of the Kingdom complained about high spending. However, he did use these assembled troops to subjugate Wales before disbanding them.

About 100 years would pass before the Kingdom of England would consider another attempt at al-Faransa. In 1194, King Richard I (appointed as King by the Witan in 1189 upon the death of Henry II, son of William III of Normandy) managed to assemble a large fleet, an army of some 35,000 men (the largest assembled by a lone English monarch), and the treasury to fund this. He sent a request to the Papacy in Cologne, asking for permission to enter Francia and reclaim it for Christendom. The Pope responded as such:

VICTOR, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his most dearly beloved son in Christ, the illustrious king of the English, greeting and apostolical blessing.

...You have signified to us, our well-beloved son in Christ, that you propose to enter the land of Francia in order to subdue the people and make them obedient to laws, and to root out from among them the weeds of sin; and that you are willing to yield and pay yearly from every house the pension of one penny to St Peter, and to keep and preserve the rights of the churches in that land whole and inviolate.

We, therefore, regarding your pious and laudable design with due favour, and graciously assenting to your petition, do hereby declare our will and pleasure, that, for the purpose of enlarging the borders of the Church, setting bounds to the progress of wickedness, reforming evil manners, planting virtue, and increasing the Christian religion, you do enter and take possession of that land, and execute therein whatsoever shall be for God's honour and the welfare of the same.

And, further, we do also strictly charge and require that the people of that land shall accept you with all honour, and dutifully obey you, as their liege lord, saving only the rights of the churches, which we will have inviolably preserved; and reserving to St Peter and the holy Roman Church the yearly pension of one penny from each house. If, therefore, you bring your purpose to good effect, let it be your study to improve the habits of that people, and take such orders by yourself, or by others whom you shall think fitting, for their lives, manners and conversation, that the Church there may be adorned by them, the Christian faith be planted and increased, and all that concerns the honour of God and the salvation of souls be ordered by you in like manner; so that you may receive at God's hands the blessed reward of everlasting life, and may obtain on earth a glorious name in ages to come.

In May 1195, the English made landfall on the European Continent for the first time in hundreds of years, landing near the town of Calais and quickly laying siege. The Saracens of Northern Francia were quite surprised at the arrival of an army of 35,000 when English armies typically numbered 10 to 15,000, gathered a large force of 30,000 men, and marched on the English host.

The Battle of Calais would be Richard I's first trial against the Saracens. And he would fare very well. The Saracen right shattered after a charge by Norman cavalry. As such, The Saracens would withdraw from the battlefield. However, due to the early retreat of the Saracens, they only lost 2,400 men, with the English losing 1,150 men.

Calais, with its reinforcements defeated, surrendered in October 1195. The English host spread out among the Frankish countryside for the winter, while the Saracens prepared by gathering more men from across their Frankish territories, strengthening their force to 50,000 total. However, when Spring 1196 came, the Saracen lords split their army into two armies, one of 30,000 to fight the English and 20,000 men held in reserve to guard Paris.

The Norman Campaign, as it became known, resulted in a series of defeats for the Saracens at the cost of around 10,750 Englishmen. However, the English failed to destroy the Saracen Army. However, it did force them out of Pas-De-Calais and Normandy, securing Northern Francia for the English. The Norman Campaign would give Richard I the title of The Lionheart and shock all of Christendom, showing that the Saracens were not indeed invincible.

However, the English were growing tired of this as well, and this showed in 1197 when the English army was defeated in the Battle of Rouen, although it remained an active fighting force. With this, the King of the English and the Normans met with the Caliph of the North Frankish Saracens and concluded the Treaty of Calais. The Pale of Calais, consisting of the town of Calais and a few towns surrounding it, was surrendered to the English, and the Caliph would pay ten years of tribute to the English crown.

The English being the first Christians to gain lands within Francia since the Battle of Tours emboldened the English kings. On November 17, 1197, Richard I proclaimed himself Rex Anglorum et Nortmanni, Rex totius Franciae et Britanniae, or King of the English and the Normans, King of All France and Brittany, the title used by the English Kings to this day.

The 1200s roll around, and we arrive at the time of King Alfred II of the House of Westeaxe. In 1247, Norse-Gaels from Dublin raided the Welsh coastline, and the lords of Wales asked for help from the English crown. The following year, an army of 7,500 Englishmen arrived in Dublin and routed the Vikings from the city, seizing it for the Kingdom of England. On September 3, 1250, the English created the Lordship of Ireland from Dublin, giving them an excuse to begin their conquest.

First were the remaining Norse-Gael cities of Ireland. These fell within five years as the English used their war fleet to ferry their armies around the Norse-Gaelic cities. However, English ambitions began to expand over the entire Emerald Isle, much to the chagrin of the High King of Ireland. Over the next 200 years, English armies began conquering vast swathes of the Emerald Isle, ensuring that the dominant power in the land was the Kingdom of England and its puppet in the Lordship of Ireland.

The High King of Ireland has not been sitting idle. His remaining supporters are scattered, but he still has allies among Irish lords. And with England stretching itself thin, the High King of the Irish will soon have his time to strike.

England has been through periods of instability since, mainly due to invasions from the Scots. However, internally, England has been more stable than most kingdoms on the mainland. The Witan (for the most part) prevents succession crises as the monarch is chosen from the Royal Houses of England, those being the House of Westeaxe and the House of Normandy. The King’s authority remains checked by his council of nobles, while the nobles provide their taxes and soldiers on the order of the sovereign. And the English are the most powerful kingdom on the isles. Panic arose within English leadership when new lands were discovered to the west in the late 1400s, however.

King Æthelstan III of House Westeaxe, the last king before Henry VII, was a notable proponent of English exploration of the New World. In 1497, he commissioned an explorer to explore the new world to find an outpost for English colonization. His successor, however, has another ambitious goal.

Henry VII has been planning a grand campaign into al-Faransa since he was 18. England is much stronger than the time of King Richard the Lionheart, and he can mobilize a much larger force. In addition, the English monarchy has many more potential allies than in 1195. The fate of Francia was decided in 734. The fate of al-Faransa will soon be decided as well.

Claps hands together once So, this is the result of me not having a completely clear idea of when the Normans were forced out of Normandy (or if they were even there in the first place), mainly because of an lack of an idea when the Umayyad (or their Northern successor) advanced into Neustria. As well, I also have no idea how much territory England controls, so I went with England's 1500 territories and explained how those came about in this mess. As such, this is all extremely subject to change depending on whether the OP asks me to change it. However, I do hope you enjoyed the read.

RP Example:

https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=520587&p=39968954#p39968954

Rules Read Indicator: IX

#MARTYRTRIUMPH - do not remove, for finding apps

[Ovstylap]

I thought that was a fantastic app, and based on that, and my own thoughts, I will be reserving Brittany. I very much enjoyed reading it!

[Tracian Empire]

An interesting concept, even if most of the stuff I'm normally interested in does not exist.

Who is currently the Holy Roman Emperor, and are there any specifics about the Archduchy of Austria? It's a little difficult to imagine things without a map.

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

Reserving Austria.

[Tracian Empire]

Reserving Austria.

Hilarious.

But yeah in that case, I am withdrawing my interest.

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

Reserving Austria.

Hilarious.

But yeah in that case, I am withdrawing my interest.

I mean If you have to play Austria I could do bohemia.

[Tracian Empire]

Hilarious.

But yeah in that case, I am withdrawing my interest.

I mean If you have to play Austria I could do bohemia.

I don't have to play anything. But if I was inquiring about Austria, you reserving it in the immediately next post, while fair from the perspective of the rules, is not exactly nice.

Still, up to you, have fun with Austria.