The most interesting characters after the Asian map expansion - all starting dates - Chapter IV

[Tom The Viking YT]

Hello everyone!

As we all know with the new Chapter IV expansion there are going to be many more interesting rulers, historical characters to play as, some of them might end up as adventurers or at some rulers court. As my knowledge is limited, I would like to ask you all for help in gathering the most interesting characters from the Korean, Japanese, Malayan and the whole South Asian region. I bet you'd ask yourself "why I didn't mention China?", it's because I was able to find this thread (couldn't add link) where yaoxinbingkuang shares his deep knowledge of the famous and historical characters from the Chinese history, if you have any Chinese characters to share, feel free to share them in the linked thread, I will definitely check it out.

I will start with the most important person in the Japan in 867 start date - the Emperor Seiwa who ruled between 858-876 and was the 56th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. In 867 he would start as a 17 years old ruler with whole life in front of him (plenty of things to achieve), but in our world his life was cut short at the age of 30.

Second noteworthy character would be Emperor Uda which in 867 start date would be 1 year old. He ascended to the throne in 887 becoming the 59th emperor of Japan and ruled over the it for 10 years till 897 when he abdicated in favor of his eldest son, who would later become emperor himself.

 

[TL_]

Since you brought up Japan, here are some basic interesting notes about the period that I was able to find with very light searching

• 867 start: There should be ongoing Smallpox epidemics. These hit Japanese society repeatedly in the mid to late 800s. In the 1066 start, smallpox is endemic.
• 867 start: Fujiwara no Yoshifusa is regent over Emperor Seiwa probably as a heavily entrenched regent. Although Seiwa is 17 now, Yoshifusa is his grandfather and has been his regent (Sessho) since he was 8 years old. A powerful statesman and the head of the powerful Clan Fujiwara, Seiwa should wrestle him for control. The growing influence of the Fujiwara Clan will result in the Ako Controversy under the next emperor, when the Kampaku system (adult regent) is started. The Kampaku will ultimately result in
• 1066 start: The insei (monastery administration) that would be relevant by Emperor Shirakawa's time in 1086. Emperors abdicate nominally but retain significant political power.
• 1178 start: We are on the precipice of the creation of the Kamakura Shogunate starting in 1192. The Genpei War (1180-1185) marked a major civil war that placed samurai and the shogun on top of Japanese society.

Given the unique relationship of abdicated emperors who have political power (insei), influential regents (sessho and kampaku - and later the shikken regents to shoguns), warrior rule (bakufu and shogun) I am interested to see how Paradox plans to model the Japanese government. It's very complicated because each start date happens RIGHT BEFORE a massive shift in how Japan was ruled (creation of kampaku, creation of insei, creation of shogun). In some cases, Paradox has "moved things up" like playing with the dates in the life of El Cid to simplify things (he starts as an adventurer instead of being a courtier for the first few years). It may need to be this way for Japanese government.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Since you brought up Japan, here are some basic interesting notes about the period that I was able to find with very light searching

• 867 start: There should be ongoing Smallpox epidemics. These hit Japanese society repeatedly in the mid to late 800s. In the 1066 start, smallpox is endemic.
• 867 start: Fujiwara no Yoshifusa is regent over Emperor Seiwa probably as a heavily entrenched regent. Although Seiwa is 17 now, Yoshifusa is his grandfather and has been his regent (Sessho) since he was 8 years old. A powerful statesman and the head of the powerful Clan Fujiwara, Seiwa should wrestle him for control. The growing influence of the Fujiwara Clan will result in the Ako Controversy under the next emperor, when the Kampaku system (adult regent) is started. The Kampaku will ultimately result in
• 1066 start: The insei (monastery administration) that would be relevant by Emperor Shirakawa's time in 1086. Emperors abdicate nominally but retain significant political power.
• 1178 start: We are on the precipice of the creation of the Kamakura Shogunate starting in 1192. The Genpei War (1180-1185) marked a major civil war that placed samurai and the shogun on top of Japanese society.

Given the unique relationship of abdicated emperors who have political power (insei), influential regents (sessho and kampaku - and later the shikken regents to shoguns), warrior rule (bakufu and shogun) I am interested to see how Paradox plans to model the Japanese government. It's very complicated because each start date happens RIGHT BEFORE a massive shift in how Japan was ruled (creation of kampaku, creation of insei, creation of shogun). In some cases, Paradox has "moved things up" like playing with the dates in the life of El Cid to simplify things (he starts as an adventurer instead of being a courtier for the first few years). It may need to be this way for Japanese government.

Japan is equally important to my heart as the Viking ages are, I am so happy with the official Paradox Asian expansion. It will be fun to lead an army of Varangian Veterans and Samurai warriors. We already had a new type of government introduced in at least one of the mods which expands Asian region, the Paradox team could use it and work with it as a base, then expand/tweak it to their liking.

 

[zeruosi]

In the year 1178, the famous poet in Chinese history, Xin Qiji, could be found within the territory of present-day Shandong Province. The origin of his name is related to Huo Qubing, a famous general in the Han Dynasty, which implies the expectations of the people in his family for him. Later, he participated in the uprising against the Jin Dynasty and defeated an army of 30,000 with only fifty men. He killed the commander-in-chief and fled.
However, the Southern Song Dynasty court was weak and rejected his suggestions. As a result, Xin Qiji was not given important positions since he arrived in the Southern Song Dynasty at the age of 25.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Few more interesting characters

• Balaputradewa - The 11th Emperor of Srivijaya who reigned between 860 and 900. Inheriting the throne after his mother shows us equal inheritance in place. He maintained really good relationships with one of the kings in India (Bengal region). Srivijaya Empire was the biggest land and especially naval power in the region.
• Aryyesvara or Çri Aryyeçwara - ruled over Kediri Kingdom between 1171 and 1181. There is not much known about this king, the only information which I was able to find is that he used Ganesha, the elephant-headed god as Lanchana of his kingdom. In 1178 the Kediri Kingdom was already well established in the region, could be a great start rivaling Srivijaya Empire.
• Lokapala or Śrī Mahārāja Rakai Kayuwangi Dyah Lokapāla Śrī Sajjanotsavatuṅga - he was the 7th king of Mataram Kingdom, ascended to the throne in 855, he would have been ruling for 12 years already on the start of the game (in our world he ruled for 30 long and prosperous years). Its during his rule the expansion of Mataram kingdom into East Java started, increasing agrarian productivity coupled with a decline in overseas trade.

 

[yezhanquan]

The important generals/founders of the 5 Dynasties and 10 Kingdoms (Wu Dai Shi Guo). Among them, Shi Jingtang's decision to hand over the You-Yun provinces to Liao screwed over the Song hard.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Few more interesting characters/things

• Mudzaffar Shah I of Kedah - starting in 1178, Kedah and the whole Malay Peninsula is going through a lot of religious changes. The Mudzaffar Shar I was a legendary king and was said to be the first Sultan of Kedah. He was the last Hindu King of Kedah, styled as Sri Paduka Maharaja Durbar Raja before his accession. After his conversion to Islam, he later became the founder of the Kedah Sultanate. I am not sure how old he was when he ascended to the throne in 1139, but ruled until he died in 1179, so he might start as an old man.
• Melayu Kingdom - was annexed by Srivijaya in 692, I wasn't able to find the ruler for the 867 start date, but whoever Paradox will put there it will be a good character to once again gain independence and fight off the Sailendra dynasty.
• Peureulak Sultanate or Perlak Sultanate - it is the earliest sultanate in Southeast Asia, believed to have converted to Islam as early as the 9th century. Could be fun playthrough, converting to Islam as early as possible (unless the ruler will be already of a Muslim faith), conquering the whole Sumatra and establishing the very first Caliphate of Perlak.

 

[Caspian Mortis]

In 1177 the Khmer capital of Yasodharapura (modern Angkor) had been sacked by the invading Champa Kingdom. The Khmer usurper king Tribhuvanadityavarman was executed and the empire would have collapsed if Jayavarman had not defeated the invaders.

So in 1178, Jayavarman VII will most likely be the ruler of the Khmer Empire, even though he was only officially crowned king in 1181, he was functionally already leading the Khmer against the invasion.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Another interesting character

• Taira no Kiyomori - born in 1118 as the first son of Taira no Tadamori. In 1153 after the death of his father, Taira no Kiyomori became the head of Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm, in which he had previously only held a minor post, but before that happened he and head of Minamoto clan (which shows that both clans were friendly/allies) fought against rebels in Hōgen Rebellion. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Another interesting character

• Jayavarnam III or Vishnuloka - was the second ruler of Angkor (Khmer Kingdom), the first was was his father Jayavarnam II. In the 867 start date he should be in his adult years already, but still should have plenty of time to change the history and expand Khmer Kingdom into an empire. He died chasing a wild elephant, so it would be nice to see it included in the house logo.

 

[yezhanquan]

Another interesting character

• Taira no Kiyomori - born in 1118 as the first son of Taira no Tadamori. In 1153 after the death of his father, Taira no Kiyomori became the head of Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm, in which he had previously only held a minor post, but before that happened he and head of Minamoto clan (which shows that both clans were friendly/allies) fought against rebels in Hōgen Rebellion. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.

For the uninitiated, his house was one of the two involved in the legendary Genpei War.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Another interesting character

• Jayadewa or Jayadeva - apparently he was the very first ruler of Tondo (today's Manila, Philippines) ~900AD. I believe in 867 start date he could be the owner of the Tondo Duchy, if not then Tondo county. Beautiful, pre-colonial times in the Philippines when today's country was divided into small tribes/villages/counties, great chance to make Tagalog language/culture spread across the world with addition of Tagalism religion, I hope Paradox will add it as a new religion to the game as historically it would be accurate.

 

[TL_]

Since the last post I made keeps getting a bunch of likes sent to my inbox, I thought I would explore some non-rulers. Here are some potential adventurers instead for 867.

• China/Scholar: Caoshan Benji was also alive at this time (and some of the works attributed to Hanshan may have been from Caoshan). Along with his mentor Dongshan, he founded one of the major branches of Chan Buddhism in China. Caoshan should definitely be alive at this time. Dongshan (his teacher) will die 2 years later in 869, but this could be a story event to kick off his adventures.
• China/Sellsword: Huang Chao (born 835) is a wealthy salt trader, but he has been building connections. In a few years, Chao will launch the Huang Rebellion of 874 and capture the capital of Chang'an away from the Tang Dynasty, establishing the Kingdom of Qi - but he would lose his kingdom four years later. Can you replicate his success? Can you hold his throne?
• Japan/Scholar: Konryū Daishi Sōō is a perfect wandering scholar. An important figure in Tendai Buddhism, he contributed to the ideas of ascetic living in remote places and the practice of kaihōgyō - "circling the mountain".

 

[Willy Waggler]

defeated an army of 30,000 with only fifty men

Fifty Good Men?

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Fifty Good Men?

Must have been better than 300 spartans.

 

[zeruosi]

Fifty Good Men?

It took me a while to understand what you meant by "a good man". I didn't expect the translation of *Outlaws of the Marsh* to be so straightforward. Lmao.
Actually, it's not the case. He led 50 cavalrymen lent to him by a Southern Song general.
At that time, the peasant uprising army he was in, the Tianping Army, opposed the Jin Dynasty established by the Jurchens and identified with the Southern Song Dynasty. Then, the then leader of the uprising army, Geng Jing, sent Xin Qiji to the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty to report the situation to the emperor. After he requested and obtained the nominal support of the Southern Song Dynasty and returned to Shandong Province, he found that the uprising army had almost disintegrated because the leader of the uprising army was betrayed and killed by Zhang Anguo, an important subordinate he trusted, who surrendered to the Jin Dynasty for benefits. As a result, the 200,000-strong Tianping Army dispersed on the spot.
So Xin Qiji borrowed 50 cavalrymen from the garrison of Haizhou at that time, launched a surprise attack over hundreds of miles, rushed straight into the camp of the 30,000-strong Jin Dynasty army, captured Zhang Anguo and beheaded the Jin Dynasty general. Later, he killed Zhang Anguo in front of Geng Jing's tomb.

 

[zeruosi]

It took me a while to understand what you meant by "a good man". I didn't expect the translation of *Outlaws of the Marsh* to be so straightforward. Lmao.
Actually, it's not the case. He led 50 cavalrymen lent to him by a Southern Song general.
At that time, the peasant uprising army he was in, the Tianping Army, opposed the Jin Dynasty established by the Jurchens and identified with the Southern Song Dynasty. Then, the then leader of the uprising army, Geng Jing, sent Xin Qiji to the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty to report the situation to the emperor. After he requested and obtained the nominal support of the Southern Song Dynasty and returned to Shandong Province, he found that the uprising army had almost disintegrated because the leader of the uprising army was betrayed and killed by Zhang Anguo, an important subordinate he trusted, who surrendered to the Jin Dynasty for benefits. As a result, the 200,000-strong Tianping Army dispersed on the spot.
So Xin Qiji borrowed 50 cavalrymen from the garrison of Haizhou at that time, launched a surprise attack over hundreds of miles, rushed straight into the camp of the 30,000-strong Jin Dynasty army, captured Zhang Anguo and beheaded the Jin Dynasty general. Later, he killed Zhang Anguo in front of Geng Jing's tomb.

Share a music video with Chinese fill-in-the-blank lyrics. It uses a lot of Xin Qiji's poems. Even if you don't understand their meanings, the appreciation of music should be universal among humans.
An interesting point is that Xin Qiji once predicted that the Jin Dynasty would not last more than 70 years. And then the Jin Dynasty was destroyed by the Mongols 68 years later.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

Another interesting character (I know the below character is not from Asia, but he might be added with the Asian expansion as the African map is being expanded a bit to the south as well)

• Al-Hassan ibn Sulaiman ibn Yarik or Sulaiman Hassan - he was the 12th ruler of Kilwa Sultanate and ruled between 1178-1195. At the 1178 start of the game he would rule over an economically strong sultanate of Suahili city-states. The main county during his reign was called Sofala (it should be the capitol county within the Kilwa Sultanate in the game), it was a great trading center, known for its gold and ivory trade.

 

[BoomKidneyShot]

Another interesting character (I know the below character is not from Asia, but he might be added with the Asian expansion as the African map is being expanded a bit to the south as well)

• Al-Hassan ibn Sulaiman ibn Yarik or Sulaiman Hassan - he was the 12th ruler of Kilwa Sultanate and ruled between 1178-1195. At the 1178 start of the game he would rule over an economically strong sultanate of Suahili city-states. The main county during his reign was called Sofala (it should be the capitol county within the Kilwa Sultanate in the game), it was a great trading center, known for its gold and ivory trade.

IIRC, the expanded part of East Africa only goes as far south as Zanzibar. All of Kilwa below that (as well as Madagascar) wouldn't be included if that was the case.

 

[Tom The Viking YT]

IIRC, the expanded part of East Africa only goes as far south as Zanzibar. All of Kilwa below that (as well as Madagascar) wouldn't be included if that was the case.

I heard about it, still the character itself might be included as the ruler of Kilwa in 1178 start date, just his capitol county would be different.