The Kuzari or the Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion [Alt-History Steppe AAR]

[Killcrazy13]

Khagan Hemat

Khagan Hemat was already an old man when he took control of the Khaganate. He had spent most of his adulthood ruling Bulgaria from his seat at Tarnograd and is ironically named the ‘the Young’ for his long wait to ascend the throne.

As mentioned previously, the Osmanii Turks or Ottomans had secured territory in Anatolia at the Nicaean’s expanse. There would be two major wars with them during Hemat’s reign. The first was a humiliating defeat for the Khaganate when they pressed their claims on the Aegean Isles. Hemat was hoping for a great victory to legitimize his rule but he ended up paying a large restitution. The Sultan Osman’s Greek and Turkish mercenaries outflanked the Azovian forces and smashed them at Pagaea.

The second war was the inevitable counter attack from Sultan Osman as he tried to claim all of Thessalonika. Still severely weakened, Khagan Hemat called upon his vassals to defend the realm. At the Battle of Nicomedia, 25,000 Azovians turned back 28,000 Ottomans to the conclude the war. While the victory had swung the war in the Khaganate’s favour, Hemat himself had picked up a grievous wound in the fighting, and his councillors put forth an offer of white peace to the Sultan, which was duly accepted.

The Khagan’s health continued to deteriorate and in November 1275, he passed on, acclaiming his son Ljubomir as the new Khagan. Hemat the Young had ruled the Khaganate for two years.

 

[wurmbo]

could you post culture + more recent religion maps?

 

[Killcrazy13]

could you post culture + more recent religion maps?

I don't have one reflecting the time we're in now as the current save is at 1402AD.

Here's one from an old save at 1241AD.

Religious Map

Culture Map 1241

I was planning for the next recap of the world at 1362AD so can give you a clearer picture of what's happening then.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Khagan Ljubomir

Ljubomir came to the throne at 29. He would be the first Khagan with no memory of Kiev and the steppes, having spent his childhood in Moesia and Constantinople, split between his father’s and grandmother’s court.

A regular heartbreaker, Ljubomir’s had many affairs during his princedom and many worried that the scandals would continue with his elevation to the throne of the Khaganate. Luckily, he tamed his baser instincts and was mostly loyal to his wife, Princess Geira of Bohemia.

Some state that that this change in character was due to a religious revelation on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem and he told his war council to prepare plans for the conquest of the Holy Lands from the Fatimid Shi’ites, but first he had to deal with Ottomans on his doorstep.

Just like his father, he attempted the reconquest of the Aegean Isle but the Orhan, the son of Sultan Osman proved to be as skilled a general as his father. Once again, the Khaganate was humiliated and made to pay war reparations. It seemed the situation would continue in a détente as the Ottomans took the rest of Anatolia. Ljubomir mobilized what forces he could to seize what he could from the faltering Greeks, adding the Kingdom of Trebizonds to the territory of the empire but he could never rest easy, knowing that enemies lay just across the other side of the Bosphorus from Constantinople.

The other ambitions of his empire – recapturing the old steppe territories of Azov and reaching the Baltic coast were put on hold as he kept his armies close to him. This would all change in 1299AD. Orhan would pass on in 1294 but his son, Erdem, commanded enough power to discourage any attacks from the Khaganate but he was injured in a raid in 1299 and would soon die from his wounds. His young son, Kaikaus, a boy of three, was the new Sultan, and Ljubomir saw his chance. He launched an invasion of Anatolian, intent on claiming everything along the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. While the Ottomans could still call upon large numbers of troops, they lacked the battle command that Osman and Orhan had offered and in a series of epic battles, the Khaganate would capture the Kingdom of Nicaea and break Ottoman power for good.

The other major story of Ljubomir’s reign was his development of the steppe. Ever since the founding of the imperial capital of Kiev, the Tsars and Khagans had been content to leave the Eastern steppe lands as is – a source of tough and resilient manpower and a hinterland to soak up Eastern invaders. After the devastation of the Mongol Wars, many of these territories were still recovering, nearly a century later. The wars with the Ottomans made the Khan aware that while his territories were vast, he was often outnumbered by the Ottomans, the Sunni Caliphate of the Bardunids, the Shi’ite Fatimids and the Mu’tazili of Sicily. Aware that his plan to capture the holy land would trigger hostilities with these great Muslim powers, he invested much of the treasury into funding new cities, synagogues and settlements in his Eastern steppe lands and encouraged immigration from Kuzarites and Hasidics in the North and East. This great immigration would prove a long-term boon to the strength of the empire but it also opened the door to a foe that the Khaganate could not fight.

The Black Death or Bubonic Plague first arrived in 1307AD in the holy city of Itil. From there, pilgrims would take it back to their home cities and the infection would spread. In 1310, it reached Constantinople and the Khagan’s court. The dead would end up littering the streets and the jewel of the Khaganate saw a city of nearly 400,000 people reduced by a quarter. The plague would revisit the empire continuously over the next century, decimating farmlands and emptying cities. It’s estimated that the Khaganate lost twenty years of progress thanks to the plague of 1307.

The war efforts were put on hold. The Khagan was intent on completing his vow to the Lord to capture Jerusalem, especially after smashing the Fatimids in 1310 and capturing the port city of Acre. He was so close but all further efforts were focused on fighting the plague and holding off invaders hoping to capitalize on the Khaganate’s moribund state. This would be the case for the rest of his reign and the Khagan would pass on in 1212 with his son Marko tasked with completing his father’s sacred vow.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Khagan Marko

The new Khagan’s rule would prove to be a short one, sitting on the throne for two short years before the Black Death took him and much of his family. He intended to complete the capture of Jerusalem for his father but first intended to remove the remaining Ottoman resistance in Anatolia.

Thus, while marching for Kayseri, the plague would afflict the army and lay the Khagan low. Alongside an outbreak in Constantinople, the ruling line of House Yaros was nearly wiped out. The next in line was the young Prince Ognen, all of three years old, but he would have to wait to claim his birthright.

Marko’s lead general, Ioakim Kozar had control of the Khaganate’s armies and established a regency for the young heir until he came of age.

 

[wurmbo]

seeing as you've already tampered around with the rest of the world (unless those large pagan religious reformations developed on their own) itd be cool to see a hindu and/or buddhist persia and central asia as a counterweight to both the kuzaris and islam and a manichaean nation in india, though i assume you dont take suggestions and would like to keep this playthrough as focused on the kuzaris as possible. i just really like the idea of faiths dominating areas they didn't historically (jewish russians and hindu steppe hordes) and id like to see more of it, even with the otemics surviving in some places. this timeline and its implications are very cool in general, considering mu'tazalism is a rationalist sect a renaissance-like might still happen in italy, the papacy being controlled by muslims might have some interesting consequences for catholicism as a whole, and judaism might completely fracture into two distinct things considering the hostility khazar judaism has towards non khazars, all of which are things you could expand upon. in general very interested to see where this goes!

 

[Killcrazy13]

seeing as you've already tampered around with the rest of the world (unless those large pagan religious reformations developed on their own) itd be cool to see a hindu and/or buddhist persia and central asia as a counterweight to both the kuzaris and islam and a manichaean nation in india, though i assume you dont take suggestions and would like to keep this playthrough as focused on the kuzaris as possible. i just really like the idea of faiths dominating areas they didn't historically (jewish russians and hindu steppe hordes) and id like to see more of it, even with the otemics surviving in some places. this timeline and its implications are very cool in general, considering mu'tazalism is a rationalist sect a renaissance-like might still happen in italy, the papacy being controlled by muslims might have some interesting consequences for catholicism as a whole, and judaism might completely fracture into two distinct things considering the hostility khazar judaism has towards non khazars, all of which are things you could expand upon. in general very interested to see where this goes!

Thanks for the comment Wumbo. I've not tampered with the religions outside of Kuzarism. What helped these religions reform was using the More Game Rule mod to only require 2 holy sites instead of 3 for reformation. Makes the world a little more interesting and gives the pagans a fighting chance against the Abrahamic religions.

I really liked what happened in Italy with the Mu'tazils as it feels very logical for it to take root there and in Epirus with the influence Hellenic thought played into the sect.

Judaism has been pretty much wiped out everywhere else outside of the steppes and Azov so no real chance for orthodox Judaism against Might be an interesting playthrough for another time to have Nestorianism return in either the steppes or India and slowly come back to the middle east.

I have 2 more rulers to go through before wrapping this AAR up so stay tuned to see where the world ends up in the 15th century.

 

[wurmbo]

Thanks for the comment Wumbo. I've not tampered with the religions outside of Kuzarism. What helped these religions reform was using the More Game Rule mod to only require 2 holy sites instead of 3 for reformation. Makes the world a little more interesting and gives the pagans a fighting chance against the Abrahamic religions.

I really liked what happened in Italy with the Mu'tazils as it feels very logical for it to take root there and in Epirus with the influence Hellenic thought played into the sect.

Judaism has been pretty much wiped out everywhere else outside of the steppes and Azov so no real chance for orthodox Judaism against Might be an interesting playthrough for another time to have Nestorianism return in either the steppes or India and slowly come back to the middle east.

I have 2 more rulers to go through before wrapping this AAR up so stay tuned to see where the world ends up in the 15th century.

awesome, thank you! if i can suggest something for next AAR (if there is one, although ive really enjoyed this one so do consider), could you play with the rajas of asia mod (and RICE)? even if you dont play in asia it makes for a significantly more cohesive world (the minority mod framework was made for it which would make AARs more interesting), while the RICE mod's flavor adds a lot of gameplay avenues to pretty underrated areas.

 

[Killcrazy13]

I do use the RICE and Cultural and Religious Minorities mods. One of my favourite playthroughs was playing as the last Zunist and bringing it to prominence. All the RICE stuff made it so much richer.

I'll give Rajas of Asia a try but I am concerned about performance. Will see how much it hurts my machine. The other issue is that Dynamic Trade Routes and Sinews of War are not compatible with Rajas and I like running with one or the other. I am in Southeast Asia so there is a certain draw to do something there though. How rich is the content for it? Like interesting decisions and unique cultural traditions?

I am glad you are enjoying this AAR and it definitely motivates me to keep going.

 

[wurmbo]

I do use the RICE and Cultural and Religious Minorities mods. One of my favourite playthroughs was playing as the last Zunist and bringing it to prominence. All the RICE stuff made it so much richer.

I'll give Rajas of Asia a try but I am concerned about performance. Will see how much it hurts my machine. The other issue is that Dynamic Trade Routes and Sinews of War are not compatible with Rajas and I like running with one or the other. I am in Southeast Asia so there is a certain draw to do something there though. How rich is the content for it? Like interesting decisions and unique cultural traditions?

I am glad you are enjoying this AAR and it definitely motivates me to keep going.

in my experience it runs fine, although i recommend not running tabs outside of it, though this may just be bc i run a pretty shitty laptop that cant handle that much. content wise, its pretty alright, not anything outstanding or to rice's level but still acceptable enough for a playthrough, and significantly richer in areas like indochina or indonesia than its rival asia expanded (though lacking japan and korea). they're currently working on a china rework with a steppe rework/dynamic genghis khan struggle coming after, though im not sure how long that will take

 

[HistoryDude]

Byzantium got hit with the Fourth Crusade event chain?

Both Azov and Byzantium are dead. What great empire will rise to oppose the Empire of the Black Sea?

Did the Ottomans inherit Nicaea or conquer it? Is there anything left of Byzantine Nicaea or, for that matter, a Byzantine remnant in Greece?

 

[Killcrazy13]

Byzantium got hit with the Fourth Crusade event chain?

Both Azov and Byzantium are dead. What great empire will rise to oppose the Empire of the Black Sea?

Did the Ottomans inherit Nicaea or conquer it? Is there anything left of Byzantine Nicaea or, for that matter, a Byzantine remnant in Greece?

Yes, the mod Historic Invasions has the 4th Crusade event chain. Well timed actually because I think the Byzantines might have survived if they weren't crippled by the war with the Khaganate, so alt-history follows real history. The Ottomans started in Rhodes and it became a race to see if they or the Khaganate would rule in Nicaea and Anatolia and put the "Sick Man of Europe" out of their misery. The Ottomans grabbed most of Nicaea, Anatolia and the Mediterranean coast while the Khaganate seized Pontus and the Black Sea.

The Byzantine legacy is split between Sicily, the Khaganate and the Ottomans as Sicily grabbed Athens and the Peloponnese alongside their holdings in Dyrrachion. Christendom looks to be in decline as they're unable to unify like the East has done. We'll take a look at the world in 1362AD when we come to the end of Ioakim's long regency.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Regent Ioakim

Ioakim’s reign is known as the long peace. While he claimed power based on military might, he would rarely exercise that power throughout his reins. Instead, the Regent focused on consolidation. After wiping out the last remnants of Ottoman resistance, Anatolia was fully under the banner of the Black Sea and he maintained good relations with the Sunni Caliph in Baghdad and the Mu’tazils of Sicily, to ensure his Eastern and Western borders were safe.

The Greeks, or Romans as they saw themselves, were subject people for the first time ever and they chafed under the rule of these Jewish barbarians. While the Bulgarification of the Azovian ruling class had brought many Roman traditions into court practice, the regular citizenry were left alienated by the ruling elite. Combined with continual outbreaks of plague, the steady migration of steppe people into the Anatolian heartlands, and the Radhanite takeover of Byzantine trade, tensions were rising.

Artist depiction of the Great Riot of Constantinople, Oil on Canvas, 1867

Constantinople itself was a microcosm of the issues. The city had been devastated by war, plague and the migration of Christians. The city was still under the control of the ruling line of House Yaros and the child heir, Ognen but Ioakim used it as his base for controlling the empire. He saw the need to Steppe-ify it in order to establish the legitimacy of the conquerors. The Hagia Sophia was converted into a synagogue and the many Christian icons were taken down. He allowed the migrating Christians to take the icons with them but those who remained were made to disavow Jesus as their savior. In 1314, the great riot of Constantinople would erupt and when the Druzhina were sent in to enforce order, a fire started at the square of Constantine and spread to many parts of the city, Nearly half of the buildings were gutted and thousands dead before the riot was put down.

Ioakim looked for a way forward as he saw the potential for such uprisings across the formerly Greek lands and vicious reprisals creating an endless cycle of violence. He began a great Tanzimat or reorganization of the empire.

First, the Pravda Azovskaya would be applied to all subjects of the Khaganate, not just the Jews or native steppe people. Thus, all Christians would enjoy the protection of the law. The domains of the Khans were enlarged to manage the lesser Dukes and Counts and free-er reign to manage their vassals and lands, in accordance with the will of the Khagan and the laws of the Pravda. Coinage and taxation were standardized though Christians in hard times could pledge their young sons as tribute in place of taxes, to be trained as soldiers and government officials. With the plague rampant, the devshirme or blood tax ensured the Khaganate’s armies could still take to the field. The Radhanite’s monopoly on trade was broken, and the old Byzantine guilds were allowed to practice their crafts.

The Khaganate would also stretch its finances to continue the development of the steppe Khagan Ljubomir had started thirty years ago. As the worse of the plague abated, prosperity slowly returned to the realm and migratory tribes from the Kuzari lands of the East filled the steppes while the old Azovians moved to Anatolia to take over abandoned Christian farms and pasturelands.

While many of Ioakim’s reorganizations would only be felt during the reign of the next Khagan, a new cultural identity was slowly being established in the former Byzantine Empire. It would not be without hiccups but the Khaganate was cementing its status as the successor of the Romans and that they were here to stay.

During the Khaganate, the Rus lands had become the forgotten frontier as successive Khagans focused on Anatolia and the steppes. The Norse raids had abated, hurt by plague and a growing realization that trade was more profitable than conquest, and the Khans developed stone forts and settlements to tame this wild land of forests and swamps. The Khaganate did not continue the Herem Wars of Azovia and so never reached the Baltic but the Otemic kingdom of Novgorod was still standing and the Khan of White Rus defended this Northern border for the Khagan against Asatru and Christian raiders.

Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas as depicted in the Sapieha Genealogy in Kodeń, 1709

In 1320, Grand Duke Gediminas arose in Lithuania and united the crusader state of Livonia and the Teutonic Order, forging his Baltic Empire. This late Christian resurgence was buoyed by many Western Catholic knights joining the cause and it initially met with success, breaking the armies of White Rus. Regent Ioakim was slow to martial his armies, garrisoned in Anatolia, weakened as they were by plague and the strained finances of the treasury. By the time they reached Minsk, it had already fallen and Gediminas laid an ambush for the Regent’s army. The Lithuanian win sealed the victory and the Regent was forced to cede all of White Rus to the Catholics but he swore they would not get another inch of Black Sea territory.

With spurious claims of Ruthenia as a Christian domain based on the Rurikids’ conversion back in the 10th century, Gediminas launched his armies again in 1330. This time, the Khaganate was ready. The armies had been rebuilt with the devshirme using a new model incorporating Byzantine tactics with Khaganate horsemanship. The new Janissaries would be the anvil to the Sipahis’ hammer and all of the Khaganate rose to protect Ruthenia and their ancient and ancestral capital of Kiev. The battles were hard fought but Ognen, the rightful heir, now a man grown, proved his mettle and cemented his reputation to lead. Gediminas was forced into a humiliating surrender and Lithuanian power was broken for good.

The rest of Ioakim’s long regency would see the peaceful rebuilding of Anatolia and recovery from the plague in the steppes. In 1362, he would pass on peacefully, finally allowing Ognen to claim his birthright as the Khagan of the Black Sea after 48 years of regency rule.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Interlude – The World in 1362

Let us pause our narrative to take stock of the world before we explore the changes that remade the world during Khagan Ognen’s reign.

History is often said to work in cycles. Just like the 13th century saw the collapse of empires, the 14th century would see the consolidation of power. Regent Ioakim’s reign was relatively peaceful with many nations choosing peace amid the repeated outbreaks of bubonic plague in the great cities of the Mediterranean and Asia.

In Syria and Persia, the Bardunid dynasty would lay claim to the Sunni Caliphate and unite the Muslims of the East from Tyre to Bengal. Immensely rich from its trade with India, this new Persian Empire boasted the greatest cities in the world – Baghdad, Antioch and Isfahan were renowned centres of learning, commerce and architecture. There was also trade and an exchange of ideas between the Black Sea and Persia as both entities were far more tolerant than previous regimes but the Bardunids always looked presumed they were the senior partner in any interaction.

In Egypt and Arabia, Shi’a Islam was still the predominant faith but the lands were split between the main Fatimid line and Hawwara, a cadet branch.

Hungary was ruled by the Igorid dynasty and staunchly Kuzarite in its beliefs though it tended to look towards the Khagan for aid whenever the Sicilians rattled their sabres too strongly. In Central Europe, the Mu’tazils had expanded past the Alps, after dominating the Western Mediterranean. Their trade ships were ubiquitous in all the major ports and Christian shipping lived in terror of Italian pirates looking for plunder and slaves, and now their armies marched inland as they sought to create their own Holy Islamic Empire.

The Umayyads of Al-Andalus had consolidated their control of Hispania and the Maghreb and talk began of avenging the Battle of Tours as avenues of conquest in other directions dried up.

In the Baltics and Rus, Kuzarism and Hasidism would re-establish itself after the short-lived Grand Duchy of Lithuania collapsed while Novgorod would continue its role as the beacon of Otemic Judaism, even after the Kozari line was usurped by Swedes.

The Christian world was under siege as Popes, now residing in whichever German court would host them, drew parallels with early Christian life under Roman persecution. An apocalyptic belief that the end times were near had taken root among the faithful, drove them to commit to now a dozen failed crusades. The primary issue was the lack of Christian unity, even in Lotharingia, the king’s power was limited as many dukes and counts controlled domains as large as his. What exacerbated the issue was the king was Orthodox while his vassals were Catholic. England was the lone state that was relatively trouble free. After divesting itself of its holdings in France and Rus, more than a century ago, the Hvitserk dynasty was content to leave the continent to its troubles, content that nothing would challenge Catholicism on their island fortress.

 

[HistoryDude]

This Baltic Empire and the Christian resistance look bad for the Black Sea Empire...

That massive Muslim empire also looks like a threat. Doesn't the Koran say that the Muslims will take Constantinople?

 

[Killcrazy13]

This Baltic Empire and the Christian resistance look bad for the Black Sea Empire...

That massive Muslim empire also looks like a threat. Doesn't the Koran say that the Muslims will take Constantinople?

I think Christianity is a spent force with the Lithuanian crusade being their last hurrah. The Muslims are the biggest threat but luckily they're split between different sects - the Shi'as of Egypt and Arabia, the Sunnis of Persia and the Mu'tazils of Sicily. The Jews would be in a very bad place if they were united like the Rashidun or early Abassid Caliphates.

It's actually a hadith from the prophet with some dispute on the veracity - “Verily, you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful army will that army be, and what a wonderful commander will that conqueror be.”

Khagan Ognen is not going to wait for the Muslims to turn their greedy eyes to Anatolia and Constantinople. He has his own vows to complete on behalf of his grandfather and his people - Israel and the Third Temple.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Khagan Ognen ‘He Who Remade the World’

Khagan Ognen waited 48 years to receive his birthright. He had the support of the other Khans, a well trained army and the wealth of Constantinople at his disposal. By all accords, he could have claimed the Khaganate at any point upon his Bar Mitzvah. We can only speculate on why he choose not to.

In his youth, he was fascinated by alchemical and kabbalistic practices and even considered giving up the material world to become part of the Hasidic Sanhedrin. It always seemed that Ognen was more interested in his pastimes than the idea of ruling. However, he fulfilled his duties as Khan of old Azovia perfectly well, putting royal resources into developing the lands of his vassals in Yedisan, Crimea and Levedia, as directed by the Regent Ioakim. During the first half of his life, he rejuvenated Constantinople after the riots of 1314, greatly expanding the harbor of the Golden Horn, building the great Blue Synagogue directly across from the Hagia Sophia and holding court in the refurbished Blachernae Palace, letting Khagan Ioakim use the Byzantine Great Palace for imperial purposes. As Khan, he was a model of perfect rulership, diligent, just and always had a ear for anyone that needed it.

By the time he took the Khaganate throne, he was already 52 and many expected his reign to be relatively short before his son, Isaac took over. Ognen would rule for 55 years, the longest of any Khagan or Tsar and he would spend that time expanding the Khaganate and establishing a new world order.

His first goal was the conquest of Jerusalem. 60,000 men would set forth for the Holy Land and throw off Muslim control of that most important of cities. The Fatimids morale broke at the sight of the great host and the Shi’a Caliph sued for peace after the capture of Jerusalem and Gaza. The Khagan would proclaim the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel in 1365 and the Sanhedrin convened for the first time in Jerusalem to celebrate the great restoration. Construction work on the Third Temple began immediately on the site of the Dome of the Rock.

The Sunni Caliphate was outraged at the destruction of their second most holy site and immediately launched a war to reclaim the Holy City for the Faithful. The armies that marched forth were even larger, in numbers not seen since the first Muslim siege of Constantinople. The fighting was hard but the Hasidics would hold on to Israel. Aware that the Bardunids would return for vengeance, the Khaganate generals set up a plan to dismantle Sunni power forever. The Sanhedrin supported the goal with the hope that the other holy lands of Sinai and Samarkand could be brought back into the fold. This new Herem Crusade would last decades but eventually the Bardunids would be pushed back to the Indus, losing city after city in the Levant and Persia. Many Muslims recanted their faith and pledged allegiance to the Khagan to keep hold of their wealth. While Ognen would accept these conversions at face value, ultimate power would be held by loyal Hasidics of the Beni Kozar. Thus, new Khanates were established in Jazira, Armenia, Syria, Persia, Mesopotamia, Bahrain, Khorasan and Transoxiana.

In Europe, the Mu’tazils had expanded into Central Europe and were now force converting Kuzarites in Polabia and Poland. An urgent mission from the Kuzarite Nasi revealed their desperation and the Khagan would send his armies to the defence of the Jews of Europe. His sons would be the new Khans of Poland and Moravia, tasked with defending the Western borders of the Khaganate from Islam.

In all directions, the Khaganate would expand and the Khagan raised new Khans like other Kings granted Dukedoms. The profits of war would enrich Constantinople and raise it to a grandeur beyond any Roman Emperor had ever achieved and the people of the steppe heartlands enjoyed prosperity their ancestors could only dream off.

The last of the great Mongol conquerors arose on the Eastern edge of the empire. Timur would attempt to break Hasidic hegemony but at the Battle of Marghinan, he would find it no easy task. Led by Prince Braslav of Caspia, the Black Sea forces crushed the Timurid horde and ensured Timur would never venture beyond Syr Darya.

Border wars would continue at the edges of the empire but there would not be any existential threats to the Khaganate with the Sunni Caliphate decimated for the rest of Ognen’s reign. In his final years, he would commission a grand epic of the Kozar Dynasty and the zenith it reached during his reign. The Kometoupolosikron is our primary text for the history of House Kozar during the medieval era and the historical record of each Tsar and Khagan. While the saga is a propaganda tool, much of it is corroborated by the archaeological record and other chronicles of that era – Khagan Ognen conquered more territory than Alexander or Charlemagne, creating a pax Azovia from the Baltic to the Tarim Basin.

Finally, in 1417, Khagan Ognen would pass on. He had already outlived most of his children and the throne would pass to his grandson, Mihail. The new Khagan would find it challenging to hold this massive empire together. He would return the imperial capital to historic Kiev to focus on the steppe territories of his people and grant more freedoms to the Great Khans of the Ilkhanate, West Slavia and Jerusalem and have them act as the Wardens of the of the East, West and South respectively.

We’ve come to the end of this record as the later histories of the Khaganate would be better contextualized in terms of the renaissance and early modern history.

 

[Killcrazy13]

I think we can consider this AAR officially finished. Ognen managed to complete most campaign goals:
1) Create a thriving steppe empire (Itil is at 17 development, despite sacks and plagues)
2) Capture Jerusalem and form Israel
3) Establish Hasidism and the Khaganate as the eminent power (The Deccan Empire's ruler is in a patrilineal marriage with one of Ognen's grandsons so the Bardunids are really between a rock and a hard place)

There's not really anything left to do so I won't bother playing to 1453. I hoped you enjoyed reading the journey as much as I enjoyed playing it. If there's anything you want to ask about the campaign and state of the world at the end, do let me know.

 

[wurmbo]

could you let ai take care of it? i honestly want to see things collapse

 

[Killcrazy13]

The post-Ognen era would see the empire divided into 4 different fiefdoms as laid out by the Great Khagan on his deathbed.

His son Khagan Mikica would take over the Western marches as Khagan of West Slavia and defence against Sicily
His son, Sermon the Bear of Fajahird, would guard the Eastern territories against the Sunnis of Punjab
Prijezda of House Yaros would command the Levant and Anatolia against the Fatimids of Egypt.
Mihail, grandson of Ognen would hold the Khaganate of the Black Sea and act as guarantor of the other Khaganates and guardian of the steppes.

The expectation was that each would be content with their domains and protect the Hasidic faithful against Muslim expansionism. Sadly, men are greedy and the Khagans would war for claims and territories. The next 30 years saw much devastation in the border territories and opportunities for the Sunnis to nearly recapture Persia but another outbreak of plague would hamper war efforts and the borders would be maintained pretty much as is at the end of Ognen's reign.

What these distractions allowed was the fall of the Kuzarite kingdom of Hungary to the Sicilians. Malik Al-Muazzam Guglielmo would strike while the armies of the Hasidics were far in the East.

The other noteworthy event was the end of the Otemics in the North. Novgorod was Otemic in faith but had been usurped by Rus adventurers not of the Beni Kozar and the long tolerance of this heresy ended when Khan Aleksii of Ruthenia marched northwards.

The later histories would move the theatre of history Westwards but our own accounts will end here.

Kingdoms at the start of 1453

Religions in 1453