A Candle in the Storm - An Islamic Sicily AAR

[jackelgull]

All updates compiled in one place:
1066-1071: Consolidation
1071-1078: Preparations
1078-1082: Jihad
1082-1086: Murder
1086-1094: Sultanate



A note on historical accuracy: Some of the details I mention like the rivalry between my main character and the sheikh of Syracuse are not part of CK3 proper, but gleaned from this wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cerami. and other wikipedia articles about Muslim Sicily in this time period (yeah I know Wikipedia isn't the best source but this is an AAR not academia) I don't think CK3 is very accurate to what the actual situation was like in Muslim Sicily in 1066 which fair enough, they'd be conquered by the Normans in 30 years anyways and I think I might be the only one who cares about them vs everybody who cares about Robert the Fox.

I noticed there's a dearth of AARs with Islamic rulers/ dynasties, so I figured I'd do one.

The year is 1066, and things are not going well for the Muslims of Sicily. The island had been rife with factional conflict since 1010's between various pro-Zirid and pro-Byzantine factions, with the Kalbid and thus Fatimid hold on the island slipping away almost entirely. By the time the final Kalbid governor died in 1053, the island was hopelessly divided with the Zirids holding sway in the traditional capital of Balarm but not much else outside of it. 5 years prior, the Normans took Messina, heralded by the traitorous Greek Orthodox as liberators and had frustrated efforts to dislodge them by winning a stunning victory at the battle of Cerami in 1063 over a combined Zirid-Sicilian force (predominantly made of soldiers from Balarm but the ruler of the stronghold of Enna and some other figures from central Sicily were also cooperating) which spelled the end of any hope of the Zirids managing to control much more than Balarm as the native Sicilian blamed and resented them for the loss, and ended any hopes the Normans could rapidly be expelled from Messina. The Normans had been prevented on following up on that victory only by an outbreak of rebellion in Roger's Calabrian holdings, but it was only a matter of time before the Normans came to take the rest of Sicily, promised to them by the Pope. If Muslim Sicily had any hope of surviving, it needed a miracle. Instead what it got was Najib ibn Hamid, a brilliant strategist, an average steward and learned man and a terrible diplomat and schemer.
A profoundly lazy man, he would have preferred it if someone else could do the work of uniting Sicily, however, Syracuse was ruled by his rival who had entreated the Normans for aid and promised to recognize their claim over Sicily to destroy his uncle's aim of uniting the island, and the emir in Balarm was nothing more than a puppet of the Zirids, whose incompetence and cowardice was on full display at Cerami where they abandoned the brave men of Balarm to the enemy. No, it would have to be him.

Recognizing the futility of attempting sieges of any kind without siege equipment, he immediately set out to building onagers. However, uniting Sicily alone would not be enough, with larger hostile christian powers right on the doorstep, ties with the Fatimids or another Islamic power needed to be reestablished, the first step towards which was the offer of betrothal Najib made with the daughter of the Yousofid Emir. The Fatimids were a Shia Caliphate, and Ibn Hamid was Sunni, however such differences were more flexible than they seemed when the situation was desperate enough. Najib ordered the masjids to proclaim the Caliph al-Mustansir’s name during the Friday kutbah, which signalled his allegiance to the Fatimid caliph. A powerful lord who could boast over 2000 men, such an alliance would give Najib room to manuever as he took over the island, and legitimize him in the eyes of the Muslims of Sicily.

In November 24, 1066, Najib ibn Hamid marched against his hated rival, Sheikh Ali III, declaring him a traitor to the faith, and enforcing a claim to Syracuse as governor of Sicily restoring order and punishing traitors to the Caliph and the umma. This was a bold claim to make, the Fatimid Caliph had at this point not even acknowledged him and Sicily had traditionally been ruled by the Kalbids from Palermo, not from Qasriyana which was simply where the strongest garrison was. However, the shakiness of this claim belied a simple fact - the military had historically been one of the most important political players in the island, and the bulk of it, especially those situated in the fortress of Enna which dominated the center of the island, wanted Hamid to govern the island. He was a respected commander who had participated in many battles against the Normans and proved his capabilities and they would follow him to hell. In 1066, Najib had 818 men while his rivals in Syracuse and Palermo together could only command 975. Further his uncle had briefly controlled Syracuse from 1060-1062 (hence the need for Ali III to go running to Robert, Nijab's uncle was close to uniting Sicily)

As he marched on Syracuse, Najib received terrible news - the Zirids had allied his rival! The snake, not content with inviting the Normans in to deal with him had pledged himself to the Zirids as well and even married his daughter to the Amir. Najib was not impressed however, the Zirids had proven themselves incapable at Cerami, he was confident he could take them. But it was even more likely that the war would be over before the Zirids could meaningfully be involved

In October 21, 1066, Najib ibn Hamid’s forces met Ali III on the plains of Lentini. The battle was a slaughter for Ali’s forces, half of them were wiped out. The victory wasn’t totally without pain for Najib however, his spymaster and the mayor of Girgenti had died on the battlefield, his retinue wiped out to the last man. A calming influence on his liege he will be missed. Sheikh Ali was captured in the battle, but ransomed back for 50 gold, along with the mayor of Caltagirone (who was ransomed back for 28, not having the customary 30).

The Zirids came, and were slaughtered as they landed, the siege of Sarqusa continues, and a few minor battles later, (and one more ransom of Ali for gold), Sarqusa was captured and on January 18, 1068, Najib officially became recognized as sheikh of Syracuse. Ibn Hamid quickly secured oaths of loyalty from Sarqusa’s inhabitants and defenders, when another disaster struck. The Byzantines were making their move.

Seeing opportunity in the fighting, the strategos of Athens had declared war on Ali for Syracuse, and saw no need to change plans now that Ibn Hamid had been recognized as the ruler. The council was quickly reorganized to plug any holes that had formed during the war, Aaron the chancellor became the marshall and was quickly put to work organizing affairs in Syracuse. The mayor of the city of Calgirone was made chancellor to integrate Saraqusa into ibn Hamid's government, while the new mayor of Girgenti went to work as a steward.
Using the money earned from ransoming Ali, Najib ordered 100 Mubarizum and 100 light footmen raised for the war with the Byzantines. Now all that was left was to wait for them to come to him.

Najib’s policy towards the shaikh of Malta was much less hostile and confrontational than his towards the other rulers of Sicily. Unlike Balarm who was a puppet to the incompetent and cowardly Zirids, and unlike Ali who he hated on a personal level, he admired Sheikh Ramadan, and sought to impress upon him his qualifications for governorship. Whether Ramadan would be prepared to listen was another story. It must also be noted that a naval invasion of Malta would be a tall order for Najib, even with his increased resources. On November 1, 1068 Najib calls his allies to war, and they agree to honor the call. The strategos of Athens may not have many troops, but rumors abound they have hired a mercenary company, and Najib is slightly in debt.

The desperate state of the finances lead to some arguments breaking out between the spymaster and the steward. Najib had them whipped for delinquency, too lazy to put anymore thought into the matter. This incident gives us some insight how Nijab's court functioned. His council largely ran the country for him in their domain of expertise, hence when the spymaster had a problem with how the finances were being handled he didn't bother going to Nijab, he argued with the steward, and Nijab only interfered when it interfered with the morale of the military campaign

On February 12 1069, Najib heard word of 1500 men landing on the shore of Sarqusa, and unlike with the Zirids he doubted his ability to halt them. He made the decision to abandon Syracuse and wait for his Yousoufid allies to show up. In order to prevent Sarqusa from falling too early, Najib adopted an “army in being” strategy, where he would wait in his fortress in Qasriyana, then move to Caltigarone and threaten to march on Sarqusa as the Byzantines sieged it. Threatened with being pincered between Najib’s forces and the garrison of Sarqusa the Byzantines had no choice but to respond, lifting the siege, then Najib could flee to his fortress in the mountains of Qasriyana, his work done. He hoped to keep this up long enough for his allies to reinforce him. However, unbeknownst to him his allies were dealing with a rebellion in their lands and would take months to come, could Najib ibn Hamid hold on that long?

On February 18 1070 AD, the Yousifids arrive in force, all 2000 men. It is everything Najib could have hoped for. He immediately links up with his allies and makes plans to march on the Byzantines sieging Sarqusa

The battle of Sarqusa begins on March 10,1070 and it ends with a victory, mashallah! Sicily is saved. It can hardly be called an overwhelming victory but Najib can sue for white peace if he wanted to, but with his coffers empty and his soldiers grumbling, he knows he needs a more overwhelming peace deal if he wants to keep his soldier’s faith in him and his ability to unify Sicily intact. And with the Yousifids here, why should he make peace?

Not just in the battlefield of war, but in love too is the sheikh winning, being pursued by a desirable woman such as Amunet! Flattered he encourages her advances.

The Byzantine forces are caught as they attempt a landing through Cefalu, given tacit permission by the Normans, by Allah, all the enemies of Islam conspire against Sicily! It is no matter though, Najib crush them handily with his allies.

The strategos of Athens is forced to sign a humiliating peace that refills Najib’s coffers on October 19, 1070

The former court chaplain, a bumbling fool of poor learning, died in the battle of Cefalu, letting us grant that position to our son and heir, strengthening our religious authority within the realm.

With the Byzantines no longer breathing down the back, Najib finally has time to take care of his last bit of unfinished business - ejecting Sheikh Yusuf II ibn Abdallah, the Zirid puppet in Balarm. He sends a letter demanding the sheikh submits to him as the rightful governor of Sicily, and when Yusuf II refuses, there is war. Yusuf’s Zirid masters turn tail and abandon him before Najib ever sets foot out of Qasriyana, having learned their lesson in Sarqusa. They flee in boats back to Ifriqiya.

After a brief skirmish at Balarm, Sheikh Yusuf’s army is broken and flees the city allowing Najib to besiege it without worry. For the entire time, the remains of Yusuf II’s army stands in Mazara, too dispirited and disorganized to mount any kind of response. All that’s left is for the city to surrender

While Balarm is being sieged, another battle is being waged, one inside Najib’ heart. Torn between his sense of justice, shaped by Islamic teachings on what men owe their wives (fidelity, honesty, modesty) and his sense of gratitude towards Amuneth. In the end he cannot say he is her soulmate, but he can say he cares for her. Perhaps this conflict is why he tells his second son to be honest with the people in his life, as his father could not within his marriage.

May 18, 1071, Najib’s third son Matta is born

On July 4, 1071 after Balarm surrenders and after all prisoners have been ransomed, Najib officially makes peace, seizing Balarm for his burgeoning domain. Now he can truly call himself governor of Muslim Sicily having unified the most important parts of the island

It is October 1, 1071. Nearly five years of constant fighting have passed, but finally the two decades of strife and civil war that have dogged Islamic Sicily are at an end. Through sheer nerve, tactical brilliance and allies, the unfit dogs of Saraqusa and Balarm were forced to submit and the Byzantines were fended off and Najib can relax and take stock of the wider situation. First a look at his most fearsome enemies - the Normans and the Byzantines. The Normans have been defending their right to hold Lanciano against Matilda’s claim on it as de jure part of the duchy of Spoleto. They are slowly but surely losing this war. So are the Byzantines, who are being rocked by an invasion of Armenia by the Seljuks. However Najib knows that its only a matter of time before some strategos or the Normans decide to press their luck again, and he can’t say he’s prepared to meet them. He needs protection and he needs it now. And so he turns to the Fatimid Emperor, hoping to strike some deal. He wishes to be recognized as the emir of Sicily and formally enter the Fatimid's protection, completely willing to submit to Shia Islam if need be, however the Caliph refuses his offer, possibly worried about the logistics of offering protection now that Ifriqiya has slipped from the Fatimid grasp.

Can Najib unite the squabbling Muslim factions just on his personal prestige and skill at arms alone? Or is Sicily doomed until it can unify all of its people into one Siqilyan identity?

Note: Historically by this point, the Normans have inflicted a second devastating defeat on the forces of Palermo in 1068 which convinces the Zirids that Sicily is a lost cause and they flee back to Africa abandoning their puppet ruler, and the Norman forces begin a siege of Palermo in 1071 that ends with them entering the city in 1072, which culiminates in a two decade long campaign to break the resistance of the island to Norman rule. So I think I'm doing pretty good.

 

[Nikolai]

Ah, great! A mirror AAR to mine! Good luck uniting the island and beyond!

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

Oh fun! The Christians have been doing entirely too well in Sicily in the other AARs, I'm glad to see Najib here to even the scale a bit. (I think Muslim Italy is a more fun campaign than Norman Italy too, personally.)

 

[dmurgell]

If Muslim Sicily had any hope of surviving, it needed a miracle. Instead what it got was Najib ibn Hamid, a brilliant strategist, an average steward and learned man and a terrible diplomat and schemer.
A profoundly lazy man, he would have preferred it if someone else could do the work of uniting Sicily...

That's the kind of start I Iove most.

Not just in the battlefield of war, but in love too is the sheikh winning, being pursued by a desirable woman such as Amunet! Flattered he encourages her advances.

Did he carefuly check for her not being a Byzantine agent?

I think Muslim Italy is a more fun campaign than Norman Italy too, personally.

Giorgia Meloni strongly disagrees.

 

[The Number 9]

I really loved playing in this area but I've never tried with the Muslim faith. Nice to see how you'll manage this.

 

[jackelgull]

Did he carefuly check for her not being a Byzantine agent?

He has an intrigue skill of 1, so no I don't think he's even considered that a possibility

Oh fun! The Christians have been doing entirely too well in Sicily in the other AARs, I'm glad to see Najib here to even the scale a bit. (I think Muslim Italy is a more fun campaign than Norman Italy too, personally.)

Oh you're the Muslim Kievan Rus author, I love your AAR, it was a bit of an inspiration for me (although I don't think I can write characters as well as you do, I love how you frame each one of your rulers politically and personality wise and how the one informs the other)

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

Giorgia Meloni strongly disagrees.

Yeah, I suspect the two of us wouldn't find much to agree about.

 

[jackelgull]

The betrothal of Najib’s second son, Abd-al Salam with the daughter of Sheikh Ramadan of Malta goes through, welding the two remaining Muslim lords of Sicily closer together. While it is possible Najib can take the island by force, in this matter he would prefer not to gamble on whether his advantage in men can overcome the difficulties of landing an invasion force on Malta, and he has high hopes that Sheikh Ramadan will eventually see the wisdom in submitting himself to Nijab’s rule.

Now feeling more secure in his claims of being governor of Sicily both in proclamation and in fact, Najib moves to enforce what he views as his natural rights as governor by stripping land away from some close allies of the previous sheikhs of Sarqusa and Balarm and dividing it among his supporters. The most significant exercise of this newfound authority is placing the masjid of Mazara directly under his control on February 4, 1072. He viewed Wali Jerjer, a man many liked and respected, as a dangerous threat. He was zealous and any criticisms he made would have much sway among the ulema. Najib had not educated his son in yhe Sunnah of the Prophet and fiqh and made him court Imam to let some nobody challenge him! Hopefully this move tamps down on factional conflict by reminding everyone they only enjoy their possessions by the sufferance of Najib.

August 23, 1072, Nijab marries Sitara, a physician known for her sadistic nature. They were introduced to one another by the Emir Hisan al-Dawla who mentioned Sitara to Nijab which lead to an exchange of letters that became a courtship. It is not precisely a love match, but Nijab’s just and chivalrous nature means the women in his life are generally happy with him and Nijab is very happy to have a competent physician in his life. Sitara serves as his personal physician.

Impressed by Ridwan, a guest at Nijab’s court looking to become a Faris, Abd al-Salam has taken the man’s words about hard work to heart, and is now repulsed by his father’s laziness. Nijab for his part feels very conflicted by this. On one hand it is good his sons are learning the diligence that was not instilled in him, on the other it made him profoundly uncomfortable to see his son taking cues from another man. Nijab resolved that Ridwan would never get a position at his court. He could stay however long he liked as a guest, but he would never serve him.

March 8, 1073 Najib’s son and heir marries into the powerful Riyadid family who practically controls the sultanate of Africa no matter what the Zirids may try to claim. With this alliance secured, the space to manuever has expanded considerably and the need for protection from the Fatimids looks less and less necessary everyday.

Allahuakbar, Najib ibn Hamid’s greatest enemies are at war with one another. Robert the Fox, constantly worried about a potential Byzantine effort to reconquer southern Italy has launched an attack on Dyrrachion in order to prevent the Byzantines from using it as a port to launch naval expeditions from. Almost 3000 Norman knights have flocked to his banner. Inshallah this war will destroy him, because if not, he and his enlarged host might destroy us.

In April 26, 1074 Najib ibn Hamid throws a massive coronation ceremony, the most expensive endeavor he’s ever attempted and invites sheikhs and emirs from across the Muslim world. At the ceremony, a representative from the Caliph in Baghdad arrives and deliver a message from his master - the Caliph formally recognizes Najib as the rightful and hereditary lord of Sicily. This is more or less just a small formality, the power and prestige of a Caliphal endorsement has severely decreased with the subjugation of the Caliphate to the Seljuks, but it still indicated to the wider Muslim world that he was a man to be respected. The more important endorsement of Najib’s new found claims are the Riyadids - a noteworthy name in North Africa, them accepting Nijab as an equal to them through their marriage alliance marks him as an emir worthy of the title, both internally and externally

The newfound title and the recognition that comes with it has already started to pay dividends. With his legitimacy confirmed, Sheikh Ramadan is willing to bow in submission to Emir Najib, despite his ambitious nature, perhaps fearing incursions from the larger Berber and Arab rulers to the South, and feeling confident his autonomy would be protected through the marriage alliance established with his now liege.

Naqib moved the realm capital to the traditional Balarm in the wake of his coronation ceremony, and turned to Abd al-Aziz to be his right hand man and seneschal to bring order to the capital. It was still in a state of disarray after having been conquered, which had been part of the reason Qasriyana remained the capital until now. However Balarm was the beating heart and soul of Musim Sicily and had been since the Aghlabids had conquered it in 867, so Nijab felt like was more or less mandatory if he was to claim continuity with the old emirate of Sicily to rule from there.

On September 28, 1074, Byzantium ceded Dyrrachion and with it the most important base for any expedition against Norman Sicily to restore its rule over southern Italy. Most of the Norman knights seem to have dispersed with that victory either settling down into the conquered territories garrisons or moving elsewhere to find more opportunities for booty. Robert the Fox is old and infirm now. It is only a matter of time before he dies and splits his realm.

Ridwan is the ra’is of Girgenti, one of the most important positions in Nijab’s domain, almost half of all the tax he received from his vassals came from Girgenti and yet its ra’is was incapable of fulfilling even the most basic of martial duties! Such a thing offended Nijab’ sense of chivalry and he attempted to teach his vassal the basics of soldier discipline. Luckily this lesson geled well with Ridwan’s sadistic nature and his calm nature meant he didn’t bristle with wounded ego at Nijab’s meddling

On March 13, 1077 Najib ibn Hamid went on Hajj. To understand why, one must understand several things about Najib, both as a person and as a leader. Everything about his political outlook had been shaped by the Muslim defeat at Cerami which he had participated in with his uncle. His uncle had died on the battlefield and Nijab was left to come home and take up his uncle’s position at the fortress of Qasriyana. He saw how the dysfunctional politics of the island had lead to a collaborator bringing the Normans in out of shortsighted self interest, and how the Zirid allies who the people of Balarm placed all of their hopes in fled the minute it was convenient and came to two conclusions - Sicily would need to be unified and its capability to see to its own defense established. This is why Nijab had worked so hard to establish personal rule over Sicily, insisting on his right to revoke titles and revoking the masjid of Mazara. However paradoxically, in order to unify the squabbling factions within his forces, he had to rely on external alliances. This is because there is a fundamental dynamic at play within Sicily, which is the tension between native Sicilians and the Maghrebi Berber settlers who keep coming to the island (just to be clear Maghrebi settlers from older periods count as Sicilian islanders, eventually Berbers get absorbed into the natives). The recent immigrants bring some of their old outlook and allegiences with them, and thus the Zirids or the Riyadids vouching for a ruler on the island goes along way to settle those tensions. Furthermore and even more critically, Najib’s personal forces couldn’t be said to be entirely native, his lightfootmen which make up the bulk of his personal retinue were, but the Mubarizun are largely drawn from Tunisians and Mashriqis from Palestine and the onagers are staffed by Egyptians, and as they are the basis of his personal power he needs to tread carefully. Sicily is still and has been since the time of the Aghlabids, been politically dominated by North Africa.
It was these fundamental tensions that precipitated an ongoing issue - the continuing primacy of Asenath among the emir’s wives. The daughter of a landowning family in central Sicily, she had been a fine choice when the sheikh was simply a sheikh, but he was an emir now and many in his court felt he should have a wife of similar status to match, to which everyone looked to Emira Gulnar, daughter of Yousofid emir as the natural choice. She was not uncontroversial either however, a Shia, denounced by her own family, and sadistic. But her lack of connection with her family could be argued away as a willingness to break with the Shia faith, indeed she’d expressed a willingness to convert several times, and she was brave and diligent, a fact that endeared her to many who were tired of the emir’s laziness and felt she would balance him. For Najib, this was simply a non-starter, he did not want to invite even more foreign interference into his court through his wife, and Asenath had given him three sons including his heir and Gulnar had not yet born him any children, it would be inconceivable to his honor to abandon her. However he could not simply ignore the voices at court either because they included his own council who he leaned on heavily to do much of the work of governing. Ra’isa Sarah, his chancellor and Aaron his marshal were among the pro-Gulnar faction. Sarah who was very diplomacy focused and diligent by nature felt Gulnar would balance the emir and saw her as someone who would be a natural ally, because the city of Caltigirone which Sarah spoke for was oriented towards trade with the Fatimids and the eastern Mediterranean. Aaron’s motives are a little harder to glean and he never seemed as firmly attached to the pro-Gulnar faction as Sarah, but his lustful nature might provide a clue. Gulnar was 19, Aaron was 28 and Asenath was 40 and this may have just been a case of supporting the younger prettier women in hopes she would favor him. Furthermore it is possible that as Nijab’s marshall he had been critical to restoring control in both Balarm and Saraqusa and felt resentful he had not been given a land grant, and hoped that backing Gulnar would lead to some sort of pay off. There are rumor floating about that he had hoped for the mosque of Mazara to be his.
On the pro-Asenath side was her son and court imam, who outside of the obvious reasons, also had formed a rivalry with Gulnar over an incident that happened on April 20, 1075 when he defended Abd al-Aziz the seneschal from Gulnar’s criticisms of his compassion, calling her sadistic nature “unwomanly”. Also in the camp was the steward the ra’is of Girgenti, Ridwan. A zealous vassal he could not stomach a Shia becoming the primary wife, even if she converted as she sometimes bargained to do, and the family Asenath is from plays an influential role in Girgenti, further binding their interests together.
Now it must be said, looking at it soberly, this factional conflict was very petty, limited to mainly campaigns of persuasion to the emir and the occasional veiled comment, however, it must be understood that Naqib represented the first stable Islamic government in Sicily since nearly the start of the century, and from that point of view any factional conflict must seem like the seeds of anarchy returning in the eyes of Naqib. He needed some way to forestall it and instill a sense of unity of purpose among his court. And so in March of 1077, he told all of the masjids in his domain to proclaim that the emir will go on Hajj to seek Allah the most merciful’s favor for jihad against the Normans. This naturally prompts the question - why go on Hajj at all? Why did Sicily not simply declare jihad? However, Sicily’s military weakness meant that any jihad would be dependent on foreign allies and Muslims from across North Africa flocking to his banner, and they would be highly unlike to do so if Najib did not establish some reputation for piety, which going on Hajj certainly would do. Another reason is that stalling and leaving the emirate in the hands of his heir while he goes on Hajj gives his son the perfect excuse to punish the pro-Gulnar side under the guise of raising money for jihad without Najib receiving the resentment for those decisions. That his son fails to do this due to his own bungling does not change the fact this was attempted. However, one must not imagine this Hajj to be completely cynical - unlike his son and heir, Najib does have a sincere belief in his faith, and might legitimately believe he needs to seek Allah’s blessing for this venture. Imagine what it must have seemed like, to have been there at the battle of Cerami and watched a numerically inferior force of Norman knights ravage the combined Zirid-Balarm forces, imagine the fear of Normans that would seep into one’s bones! Naqib had since then won victories of his own, smashed the decrepit rump states in Saraqusa and Balarm and even shown tactical brilliance in the defense of Saraqusa against the Byzantines, but he had never won against the Normans. That he was willing to even consider a massive campaign against them speaks to his own bravery but it is no wonder he sought the guidance and intercession of a higher power in the matter.
And so on March 13 he set out with a humble procession, devoid of any fanfare. May Allah guide him.

His first test on the journey came from a fellow pilgrim who spoke quite harshly against the Christians. Now it can’t be said Najib has any deep love for them, they did embrace the Hauteville’s with open arms, but he can’t approve of this hate either. The Christians are people of the book and Muhammed commanded the umma to be kind to them even in victory and make up an important part of Sicily’s fabric

Najib takes advantage of the calm weather to ponder questions of faith more deeply. His obvious concern is of course jihad - what the ramifications are whether he believes he can win it, as well as whether his motives are righteous and whether he is truly doing as Allah would want. But he ponders part of the faith too - whether he has allowed laziness to get in the way of what Allah asks, such as when he doesn’t get up for Fajr prayers, and he resolves to make an effort to push past his natural inclinations to properly venerate Allah. Some however might say this is self serving when he is deliberately avoiding the rigors of travel in an idyllic calm sea while thinking these things.

Abd al-Salam grows into a great diplomat while his father is on Hajj.

His resolve is strengthened even further under the stars while at sea. The smallness he feels here makes him more aware of the vastness of Allah, and more convinced. What is he doing this for? Because without Allah there is no hope for him, or anybody, that’s why!
Him, Sicily, the world, what are they but candles in a storm to the greatness of Allah?

Najib feels great shame when he loses the fox meant to be an omen from Allah. He hoped to find deeper insight into the matters troubling him and instead only become more aware about how his slovenly attitude failed him and made sure he fell too far behind the fox to follow it.

In the Shiekhdom of Yanbu, the sheikh’s own camel attacked Najib. A more cowardly (or more pragmatic) man would have just taken it, but Najib’s sense of justice boiled and he struck the camel back for the insult and told the owner to train his animals better, earning the animosity of the sheikh of Yanbu. However, to the eyes of many in the Muslim world, including those who had seen the proceedings, it was well within the emir’s rights and they respected him for not backing down on what was owed. Mercy was an element of Islam but so was enforcing the right conduct between believing men.

As the gates of Mecca come into view, Najib contemplates the empires and faiths of old. It is almost too painful and real to consider past empires, for he can see the doom of his own lands written in stone. Here lies the Emir of Sicily, his lands were conquered by the Normans after a failed jihad that lacked the blessing of Allah, the land he loved was destroyed, and all his descendents can do is weep in misery for what was. So he contemplates ancient faiths instead and becomes more open minded.

Najib starts out strong dedicating to the Ihram with utmost sincerity and praying before the black stone in sincere contemplation, but his own nature got the better of him when it came to completing the holy journey between Safa and Marwah, recreating the moment where Maryam was desperately looking for water for her children after Allah commanded her husband, the prophet Ibrahim, to abandon her here with her newborn son. It was so desperately hot and uncomfortable Najib found himself lagging behind halfway through and then just decided, what if he just didn’t go through with it? Luckily for his reputation no one noticed, but he felt a deep sense of shame over this action. He had gone through this entire journey filled with resolve about sincerely submitting to Allah’s will only to fail at the slightest hurdle. This did not bode well for securing Allah’s permission to call for jihad. This one failure cast a pall over the rest of Najib’s time in Hajj and while he never again strayed, he felt he had already failed the most vital test.

A strange sight greet Najib in the markets of Al-Hawra - the serene Doge of Venice is in Arabia? While the Venetians often traded across the East Mediterranean, al Hawra was deep in Muslim territory and on the Red Sea besides, for what reason could the Venetians be here other than to undermine Islam? This line of thinking lead Najib to try and take advantage of the Christian ruler and squeeze him for cheap wares. The Doge was a craft fellow and appealed to Najb’s sense of justice - did Najib truly think what he was doing was fair? Would Allah be proud of him on the day of Judgement? Such words quickly embarrassed Najib who already felt deeply ashamed of his laziness in Mecca and he quickly overpaid for the wares he was trying to undervalue leading to a loss

As Najib comes within sight of Sicily he heard word of a plague that had originated in North Africa and crossed over to Saraqusa and Balarm, further confirming in his eyes Allah’s decidedly negative sentiments towards him.

On April 9, 1079 Najib came home from Hajj, more doubts and less answers than he started with. The pilgrimage wasn’t all bad, one thing Najib learned was that he learned the freedom of the road, although most would argue he only loves it because it gives him an excuse to run away from his responsibilities and work.

Since his return from Hajj following his announcement of seeking jihad against the Normans Sicily had been subjected to a deluge of freebooters, mercenaries and blades for hire hopeful for a chance to win land and glory. Najib accepts one of them, Mikael Marinid a Maghrebi fleeing Northern Sicily, as a Faris.

As desperately as Najib would like to take back his words about seeking jihad against the Normans, he said them for everyone to hear, and not just Sicilians took notice of them. His chancellor Sarah informs him that she’s arranged a marriage alliance between Sicily and the Almoravids through prince Matta (our youngest son) and princess Taninna, the eldest daughter of the Amir al Umara, and furthermore that the Amir al Umara himself Abu Bakr ibn Umar has taken a geat interest in our jihad and will gladly pledge his forces to the cause. Everyday more warriors from North Africa descend on Sicilian shores, the men in the levies whisper excitedly about opportunities for loot and the emir’s own retinues boasts excitedly about sending the head of Robert the Fox back to the Pope in a box. In a great twist of irony, the war Najib had promised to forestall a minor political crisis that had no chance to become a significant issue for him had ballooned into the war Najib could not back away from without creating a crisis that would tear apart the state and shred all of his painfully built diplomatic credibility in North Africa. In a grand absurdity of fate, everyone except the man who promised the jihad believed in it. May Allah protect the Muslims! May Sicily be more than a candle in the storm!

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

Impressed by Ridwan, a guest at Nijab’s court looking to become a Faris, Abd al-Salam has taken the man’s words about hard work to heart, and is now repulsed by his father’s laziness. Nijab for his part feels very conflicted by this. On one hand it is good his sons are learning the diligence that was not instilled in him, on the other it made him profoundly uncomfortable to see his son taking cues from another man. Nijab resolved that Ridwan would never get a position at his court. He could stay however long he liked as a guest, but he would never serve him.

This is such a funny reaction to me. How DARE you give my son good advice. Nijab is a very petty man.

In a grand absurdity of fate, everyone except the man who promised the jihad believed in it. May Allah protect the Muslims! May Sicily be more than a candle in the storm!

Surely the unfitness of Nijab as a man will just show the greatness of God when the Muslims win the war.

 

[jackelgull]

This is such a funny reaction to me. How DARE you give my son good advice. Nijab is a very petty man.

Yeah the childhood trait message mentioned a faris my son looked up to teaching him diligent so i checked to see if any of my faris were diligent and the closest was a guest I wasn't going to recruit because I was saving the money either for becoming emir or going on Hajj

Surely the unfitness of Nijab as a man will just show the greatness of God when the Muslims win the war.

The funny thing is I went on this pilgrimage to get the piety to declare a holy war for the kingdom of Sicily, but then the fox messenger from Allah thing happened and I wasn't able to follow the fox and I was like "oh the vibes are bad". And I just fitted that narrative onto the rest of the Hajj.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

The funny thing is I went on this pilgrimage to get the piety to declare a holy war for the kingdom of Sicily, but then the fox messenger from Allah thing happened and I wasn't able to follow the fox and I was like "oh the vibes are bad". And I just fitted that narrative onto the rest of the Hajj.

That's good AAR writing IMO.

 

[dmurgell]

This is such a funny reaction to me. How DARE you give my son good advice. Nijab is a very petty man.

Maybe Nijab saw something more in Ridwan... a conspirator trying to turn his son against him?

 

[jackelgull]

It takes a few months for Najib to properly start the war. In addition to the logistical questions that need to be answered - in the form of building a war chest, there are theological requirements to be satisfied, when the Aghlabids first conquered Sicily over two centuries ago, the invasion had to be justified by a Qadi and explanations given as to how this military actions fits within a Muslim conception of a just war. This was very simple in this case, the Normans had declared war first with the siege of Messina and had not at any point signed a peace treaty so there were no awkward questions to raise about respecting peace with the Christians. Najib sent a formality demanding Robert submit to Islam and Robert sent the messenger's corpse back to Balarm. Before raising his troops Najib made a brief prayer to Allah, “Ya Allah, please grant these hands victory, though they are not worthy of it”

Najib quickly called his allies in, indeed part of the delay had been communicating with them to ensure they were willing to join and in a position to reinforce him. Unbeknownst to him and perhaps disproving his thesis Allah did not smile kindly on this war, the delay allowed for a crucial development to occur that would greatly help the Muslims - in July of 1079 the Duke of Benevento pressed his claim to the county of Capua, a move which greatly strained relations between the Pope and Robert as Robert viewed Capua as naturally part of the domain granted to him by the pope. The pope disagreed and in fact grew worried that Robert’s ambitions would far outstretch what had been agreed upon between them. So when he heard of the jihad called on Robert he decided to stay out of the fighting to show Robert that the Pope was not a mere merchant who could be haggled into accepting unfair terms. It is also likely Robert became a victim of his own success the Pope likely could not conceive that the Sicilians Robert had smashed in 1063 could grievously threaten him now. In any case when Najib pulled together a host of 12,000 men to ravage southern Italy, Roger could only call upon 5000 in defense between his own men, his vassal’s levies and the king of Croatia’s forces

There was a lull in the first few months of the war, as both sides waited for their allies to gather, but in October, scouts reported the sight of Norman forces preparing to cross the straits and a defensive position was taken up in the mountain fortress of Qasriyana. The Sicilians were alone and Robert licked his lips at the thought of smashing the disorganized muslim forces piece meal and taking Najib prisoner, but Allah had other plans. As the Normans moved in and started skirmishing with the Sicilians, the emir of Kairoaun and emir of Riyadid forces converged on the battle, surrounding the Norman lines. Count Roger of Messina died to Hussayn, the personal physician of the Yousifid emir and Naqib’s marshall Aaron also died in the battle killed by a knight named William.

While Najib was laying siege to Messina, he heard word of heresy sweeping through North Africa, Ibadis this time and the power chief of Tripolitania had already converted. As his allies were Ashari, his entire war premised on an Ashari Sunni victory over the Christians and Najib having no strong feelings in particular over these doctrinal differences, he decided to ignore it.

Najib abandoned his siege to prevent Robert from threatening Caltigirone, however, he had gotten ahead of his spur a little bit and arrived at battle before his allies. He almost fell into disaster, but luckily his allies came to reinforce just in time, including the heretofore absent Almoravid grand emir. The battle was a slaughter for the Normans, almost half of their troops dying in the process. This was repeated again shortly with the Croats who were marching to reinforce but only arrived after the battle was over. They were cut to pieces as they arrived

The holy war for Sicily was going incredibly well, but Najib still felt a sense of unease. Had Allah really forgiven him? Then in late August he received the news his wife had lost their baby. He could feel the grip of mortality around his throat.

In October of 1080, Messina fell to siege, ending nearly two decades of Christian occupation.

Najib immediately heads out to relieve a siege of Malta spearheaded by Robert himself. The battle of Malta will be the final battle of this war, ending with Robert being wounded twice and his heir Guy being captured.

Unlike in his war with Sheikh Ali, Najib is in no mood to play around with ransoming Guy back and prolonging the war - no the jihad would end here, with the Norman forces devastated and a Sicilian state stretching from Malta to Foggia. On January 11, 1081, Robert the Fox announces his surrender for the return of his son from Muslim captivity. How must Najib have felt, becoming the first ruler to add lands to Dar al Islam since the 9th century, when the conquest of Sicily and Pakistan first occurred! How must his hands have shook as Robert signed the peace! To add to the legend, Muslim casualties ended up being shockingly light, with deaths in battle totaling less than 2000 across the entire campaign (in battle deaths only, attrition likely took as many if not more lives). No one had expected such an overwhelming victory, least of all Najib himself

The Hauteville’s promise to come back for their lands, but Robert is an old and broken man, and the myth of his invincibility long shattered. Najib is not worried anymore. Allah has obviously chosen him, despite his faults, as the instrument to depose the great Norman devils. In the end they were nothing more than another dynasty whose fortunes flicker in the storm.

The slain Aaron is replaced with the ra’is of Trapani, thus completing the integration of the old Muslim Sicily’s power structures into Najib’s council. All that’s left is for Sheikh Ramadan to receive his post, but Najib fears putting Ramadan in the role of spymaster due to his independent powerbase and lack of love for his liege.

Najib splits the spoils of war. For himself and his heir he keeps Messina, and then among his sons who are not heir he gives them Calabria and Apulia, while to the faris that wounded Robert he gives Foggia and Camarda to act as frontier marches against the Christian states to the North. One thing it is important to note is that while Najib had won these lands in theory and indeed forcing the Norman lords to leave is a big victory he had not conquered these lands in practice. Indeed most of the castles were still staffed with Christian soldiers and the only forces the new lords could call upon reliably were the North African berbers who had stayed after victory in order to receive promises of land, leading to a situation where the new lords were entirely dependent on their master to enforce their claims against the various christian garrisons that refused to surrender just because their master had. In this, the seeds of a new tragedy and bout of violence was brewing.

To celebrate the great Muslim victory (and perhaps in gratitude for Najib so quickly rushing to reinforce Malta when it was under siege) Sheikh Ramadan threw a hunt and invited the emir.

Najib departed in April of 1091 for a hunt that would begin in July with one simple goal in mind - to strengthen his relations with his brother in law Ramadan and make an enduring friend of him. Besides the political reasons for doing so, Ramadan was a man Najib liked, and he craved the respect and adoration of his underlings. This unfortunately caused Najib to be too self conscious and he talked about “how he would rather be doing something useful of course” hoping to appeal to Ramadan’s ambitious nature, failing to recognize how that sounded on a hunt Ramadan himself had organized. Nothing more really happened, Najib secured some wildflowers for his wife and personal physician and sailed home in disappointment. He came across some traders at sea offering a book on maritime trading which surely would be useful for a trade hub like Sicily however unfortunately Naqib was not a man interested in trade, those sorts of practical considerations had been the domain of his council and so he passed on the artifact. In the end Najib spent 131 days away from his domain for the hunt.

A dangerous rebellion is brewing. The Norman lords may have been forced to abandon their lands at swordpoint, but the Christians soldiers who made up their garrisons had not. As Naqib’s vassals carried out the process of Berberification of these garrisons, kicking out Christian soldiers and creating a large population of embittered military men. Into this smoldering fire was thrown the rumor the emir intended to expel all Christians from these lands. It was untrue of course, Najib intended to prosecute this conquest rigorously according to the example of the prophet and his companions and one of the tenets established was that the land of Christians who had peacefully surrendered was to be safe, which included most of the villages of Southern Italy who had surrendered without a fight when their lords abandoned them. However, it seemed true to the Christians at the time and a real possibility, especially since the Muslims were in the process of removing Christians from the fortifications they had conquered and were in the process of occupying and turning into seats of power. All this tinderbox needed was a match, and it came on November 11 of 1081

Gugghiemu is a figure more of myth than fact. Very little is known about him other than that he was Sicilian and Catholic, and even the former seems to be in dispute with some scholars arguing he may have actually been a Norman or even Robert’s illegitimate son. He seems to have spent nearly 8 months before the uprising travelling the length and breadth of Sicily connecting with the disgruntled soldiers in taverns and whipping them up into a frenzy against the Muslim invaders. He furiously wrote to all of the neighboring Christians hoping to raise support for foreign interference, his biggest diplomatic coup was when the Pope, alarmed at the scale and breadth of the disaster that had unfolded, wrote back to Gugghiemu declaring Robert was unfit to be king ever since he surrendered Sicily to the Muslims and if Gugghiemu could drive the invaders out, then obviously god had chosen him to rule. With Papal sanction, a promise of quiet support from the duchess of Tuscany and what little remained of Norman men at arms after Robert had surrendered (about 300 bowmen and 200 lightfootmen and a few knights who refused to leave with their lords) and nearly 6000 levies, he set out to drive the Muslims from christian Sicily.

The uprising didn’t come as a complete shock to Najib, who had heard word of it after he’d come back from the hunt and set up his forces to prepare for an uprising in Messina where he hoped to break the momentum early. He had slightly miscalculated though and the bulk of the uprising occurred near Foggia and Apulia. Najib destroyed the disorganized mobs in Messina and Reggio Calabria and marched north. It was at Camarda that his scouts and reports received detailed enough information to understand the forces currently besieging Apulia were no disorganized mobs but a well trained Christian army whose men at arms were more than a match for Najib’s own. He had no hope of dispersing the 4000 strong force on his own. With a heavy heart he sent a request for aid to his ally the high chieftain of Kairouan, and the high chieftain agreed to send reinforcements. Apulia fell in the meantime.
It might seem odd that Najib’s allies are so willing to help. It is clear what the benefit to Najib is but why are the most powerful lords of North Africa willing to sail across the sea to fight in Sicily? It must be understood that while Sicily has played a junior party role to North Africa this relationship is not a completely one way street. Its central location makes it the beneficiary of a ton of trade across the Mediterranean, generating alot of wealth for merchants. It being the site of struggle against Christians also allows the ruler of Maghreb and Kairouan to deflect criticisms from the ulema and justify their own border expansion against fellow Muslims by “paying it off” through jihad in Italy. Politically speaking, Sicily wasn’t the only Muslim state that suffered from factional infighting, and just as in Sicily, war was one way for the North African states to instill a unity of purpose. The waves of settlers from North Africa acted as a sort of binding glue between Sicily and North Africa, each wave of immigrants brought their loyalties which tied them to North Africa, but also tied North Africa to Sicily. After all, if someone’s brother immigrated to Sicily, then could their support in Tunis not be earned, or atleast their discontent be quieted, through military action in Sicily? Another important consideration was that the Muslim realms of North Africa for all of their factional problems were at the very least in stable enough shape to consider foreign expeditions. The Almoravids were split between ibn Tashfin in the north and Abu Bakr ibn Umar in the south, but there was a state of peace between them, which made jihad in Sicily possible and for Abu Bakr who had been clearly challenged in his authority by ibn Tashfin and forced to back down, to save some face and regain some standing. Furthermore the Banu Halils, from which the Riyadhid emir came from were recent migrants to North Africa, who had been sent there by the Fatimids on a mission to punish the Zirids and Hammadids for their insubordination, and had just finished establishing themselves as the dominant power in the region. They probably saw a link to Sicily as a way to forestall any attempts from their rivals getting a foothold. The Yousifids as well did not have any outstanding domestic crisis that sapped their attention, their problem was they were a no name dynasty locked in contest with the Palestinian branch of the Fatimid family, and needed a way to raise their standing, which is why they focused so heavily on Sicily, a cherished possession of the Fatimids. Notice however, in everyone of these family’s visions, Sicily was a junior partner? In Najib’s heart, he wished one day that Sicily would not merely be battered about by the political current emanating from the rest of the Islamic Mediterranean, but be at the center of them.

Najib pulled off the same trick he had used to great effect on the Byzantines over a decade ago and kept threatening to march on Bari and running away when the enemy tries to respond. This is extremely effective on the Christian forces which are more along the lines of a loose coalition bound only barely under the charismatic leadership of Gugghiemu and kept being split between the ordinary soldiers who are eager to avenge their humiliation in the war, and Gugghiemu who feels their strategic objectives are best served by siege. Najib for his part understands the extremely fragile state of the garrisons and the great possibility of surrender and handover by Christians living inside the strongholds being defended.

To add to Najib’s trouble he received word someone was trying to kill his aunt. While he had no proof, the only person he knew who had a reason to want her dead is her rival, ra’isa Nabila, the wife of Wali Jerjer who had become crawled his way back to relevance by being chosen as ra’is of Taranto, something that had been insisted on by Najib’s North African allies who felt his removal of his post in Mazara was unfair, and that Jerjer’s temperament made him suitable to winning the trust of the Christians and converting them to Islam. Not being in a position to gainsay them, and Taranto not being within Najib’s direct rule he gave in. But he never forgot this downside of being dependent on allies. Why is Wali-Jerjer's wife his aunt's rival? That is an answer Najib does not have. The only thing his aunt will tell him is "she knows what she said, while we were walking the streets of Balarm seven years ago"

Having linked up with the Riyadids, Najib rushes to meet the Christians in battle at Bari, but to his shock and horror his second son dies in the opening assault as the Sicilian lines march faster than the North African ones can accommodate and disaster strikes. Luckily the rest of the battle can be salvaged, but it is a deep and bitter blow. Allah gives with one hand and takes away with the other. The al-Hawasid dynasty flickers ever dimmer as there are now only 4 living members. Will this candle in the storm go out and meet the same fate as the Hautevilles - dead or dispossessed?

Gugghiemu is caught after the battle of Bari and Najib reportedly takes great pleasure in preparing for his execution, lovingly lathering the wooden stake he will be burned on in oil, and putting the torch to his body personally. It is not justice, it is vengeance, and the emir’s courtiers speak of a strange air around the man afterward, an air of barely restrained violence. The fate of the Christian Sicilians is similarly dark - in the battles of Messina, Reggio Calabria and Bari, nearly 2000 Christians are killed, and Bari in particular suffered near total depopulation as the combined Kairouan-Sicilian forces round up as many Christians as possible and punish them as rebels, tying them to boulders and dropping them into the Adriatic Sea. Eventually this carnage of misplaced anger and grief ends, having sufficiently cowed and pacified the locals for a generation. But the true work of peace will not be accomplished at the end of the sword, but will be the domain of missionaries and settlers, mystics and lawgivers.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

It might seem odd that Najib’s allies are so willing to help. It is clear what the benefit to Najib is but why are the most powerful lords of North Africa willing to sail across the sea to fight in Sicily? It must be understood that while Sicily has played a junior party role to North Africa this relationship is not a completely one way street. Its central location makes it the beneficiary of a ton of trade across the Mediterranean, generating alot of wealth for merchants. It being the site of struggle against Christians also allows the ruler of Maghreb and Kairouan to deflect criticisms from the ulema and justify their own border expansion against fellow Muslims by “paying it off” through jihad in Italy. Politically speaking, Sicily wasn’t the only Muslim state that suffered from factional infighting, and just as in Sicily, war was one way for the North African states to instill a unity of purpose. The waves of settlers from North Africa acted as a sort of binding glue between Sicily and North Africa, each wave of immigrants brought their loyalties which tied them to North Africa, but also tied North Africa to Sicily. After all, if someone’s brother immigrated to Sicily, then could their support in Tunis not be earned, or atleast their discontent be quieted, through military action in Sicily? Another important consideration was that the Muslim realms of North Africa for all of their factional problems were at the very least in stable enough shape to consider foreign expeditions. The Almoravids were split between ibn Tashfin in the north and Abu Bakr ibn Umar in the south, but there was a state of peace between them, which made jihad in Sicily possible and for Abu Bakr who had been clearly challenged in his authority by ibn Tashfin and forced to back down, to save some face and regain some standing. Furthermore the Banu Halils, from which the Riyadhid emir came from were recent migrants to North Africa, who had been sent there by the Fatimids on a mission to punish the Zirids and Hammadids for their insubordination, and had just finished establishing themselves as the dominant power in the region. They probably saw a link to Sicily as a way to forestall any attempts from their rivals getting a foothold. The Yousifids as well did not have any outstanding domestic crisis that sapped their attention, their problem was they were a no name dynasty locked in contest with the Palestinian branch of the Fatimid family, and needed a way to raise their standing, which is why they focused so heavily on Sicily, a cherished possession of the Fatimids. Notice however, in everyone of these family’s visions, Sicily was a junior partner? In Najib’s heart, he wished one day that Sicily would not merely be battered about by the political current emanating from the rest of the Islamic Mediterranean, but be at the center of them.

This is great world building. I liked it a lot.

Also, and all apologies to Nikolai, I do like it when the Normans get theirs.

 

[dmurgell]

Great update, once more. Thanks for sharing.

Najib sent a formality demanding Robert submit to Islam and Robert sent the messenger's corpse back to Balarm.

Oh, please, don't kill the messenger. A minimum of decorum is expected on international exchange of letters.

Najib pulled off the same trick he had used to great effect on the Byzantines over a decade ago

If something works, why change it?

Allah gives with one hand and takes away with the other.

Luckily He is not a Hindu deity with more than eight arms.

I'm going to start collecting my updates into an easily accessibly post

I suggest editing your first post to add there the index.

 

[StrategyGameEnthusiast]

the Pope, alarmed at the scale and breadth of the disaster that had unfolded, wrote back to Gugghiemu declaring Robert was unfit to be king ever since he surrendered Sicily to the Muslims and if Gugghiemu could drive the invaders out, then obviously god had chosen him to rule.

The Pope controls part of the de jure kingdom, so Najib or a successor will have to come for that...

 

[jackelgull]

With Abd al-Salam dead, Najib marries Ramadan’s daughter to keep the alliance intact. This is in part necessary because of deep friction between Sahab and Ramadan over Sahab’s tax collection practices, which Ramadan criticizes as excessive and beyond the mandates of what Islam and the agreement Najib and Ramandan made allows for. If it were merely a squabble over whether some of the taxes were justified through sharia, it wouldn’t be the biggest deal, but in this matter Sahab’s lack of concern for piousness severely undermines his credibility when asking for taxes. Ramadan asks how can Sahab be trusted to collect taxes according to sharia when he is so flagrantly disrespectful of Allah. Najib privately agrees his son’s cynical nature is a problem, but after just losing his second son, he cannot find it in him to harshly rebuke his eldest child and only tells Ramadan that “I will keep your words in mind”.
It is important to situate this incident within its correct political context. In 1071 when Najib had instated his son as court imam, it had been enough that his son could read and write Arabic, the language of the Quran, and that he was well versed in the sunnah and the fiqh. However now Ibadism had emerged within the religious currents of North Africa, a reaction to the decadence and misrule of the Zirids and their Fatimid overlords. They argued against the need for Caliphs to rule the Muslim world, different Muslim communities could lead themselves under the guidance of an Imam, who must be learned in islamic jurisprudence a pious man, and capable of leading their community in battle to protect the faith. They are an old sect, a moderate breakaway from the Kharijites of the 7th century fitna, but they had found fertile in North Africa due to Fatimid cruelties and disenchantment with their proxies in the area. The Ibadis had found sympathetic ears in Sicily, Sahab’s lack of piety had real political costs for Najib. Indeed it is likely Ramadan himself had become influenced by these arguments, even if he remained loyal to the Ashari creed.

The strain of losing his son and succumbing to all of his worst impulses leads Najib further into sin, and he juggles a revolving door of mistresses seeking to drown out his sorrow in sex.

When Sabah came to Najib revealing a scheme to murder Gulnar, a chill ran down Najib’s spine. While his spymaster named no one, it was well known that Gulnar had an intense rivalry with both Sitara and his eldest son. If it did turn out to be either one of them, could he do as justice demanded and execute them? Especially his eldest son, one of two remaining living children?
He ordered Sabah to keep investigating, but secretly wondered if perhaps there were things it was better not to know. But let no one say that Najib was not brave. His faults and sins number as many as blades of grass on a hill, but his courage had always been the one thing to recommend him.

Najib sits by his son’s bed and asks him, “Why did you sneak into the armory my son?”
“I wanted to practice fighting so I can grow up to be a knight and fight with you against the Christians”
“Then why did you abandon your comrade when he got hurt?”
“Akli was just being a baby! He wasn’t that hurt plus I was going to stop to help in a little bit”
“On a battlefield, every moment matters. It just takes one to lose everything precious to you”
Najib’s mind wanders to particular moment not too long ago - Abd al-Aziz isolated behind enemy lines, being cut down by Christian soldiers.
“Next time, help immediately. Don’t wait or you might regret it”

Ra’is Ridwan of Girgenti was caught as part of the murder plot. Owing to his long years of service, and extremely minor role (he seemed to have only been tracking Gulnar’s movements, and had never even met the conspirator from what Najib could gather) and because Ridwan had confessed his role to Sabah himself, Najib allowed Ridwan to avoid jail, but it was a close decision. We had discussed Ridwan as part of the anti-Gulnar faction before but it is worth asking why this faction that had seemed so harmless before was moving to murder now? Because it could, is the answer. Nothing about their grievances with Gulnar had changed - that she was Shia, that she favored Mashriqi settlement over Maghrebi or Barani settlement, that she wanted to bring in more courtiers from her home to Sicily. What had changed was the political context. In 1075, Sicily was a struggling state whose existence was under immense threat from the Normans and the Yousifids were a necessary ally, and so they did nothing more than complain to the emir. In 1082, Sicily was establishing itself as a serious contender in the central Mediterranean, had just finished defeating its most existential threat and a rebellion quietly sponsored and supported by the Pope and HRE vassals in Italy and had largely outgrown the need for the Yousifids. Another factor was that the intensity of Ibadi fervor was pushing Ashari clergy and their flocks into demanding a harder line on religion. In this environment an alliance with a Shia lord, especially one that couldn’t be excused by necessity was frowned upon.

On February 8, 1083 High Chieftain Munis ibn Yahya died of gout from food poisoning and neither of his sons confirmed their father’s alliance with Najib. It was not an outright breakage, both sons didn’t with to dishonor their father’s wishes and the engagement between Najib’s eldest son and their sister continued, but their response to whether they considered themselves allied to their future brother in law was much more noncommittal. With the death of their father their political positions were much less secure as they had one another to contend with as well as the fractious nature of tribal politics where loyalty to a chieftain didn’t necessarily translate to their sons and they would need to prove themselves to quiet the fiercely independent nature of the Banu Hilal. Now theoretically Sicily could help with that, but in 1082, fresh off a massive Christian rebellion, his sons could be forgiven for fearing that Sicily would simply be a massive resource and manpower sink. Najib didn’t break the betrothal, confident they would come around, and needing to be connected to a North African princess anyways for domestic legitimacy among the many Tunisians who had come to settle Southern Italy since the jihad.

Allah be praised, one of the accursed Hautevilles bit the dust on August 12, 1083, from wounds sustained on the field of battle!

With the Normans vanquished the next big threat is the Holy Roman Emperor mounting an expedition against our fledgling state. Therefore Najib has started learning High German with the aim of establishing diplomatic relations of some kind with the HRE. At the very least knowing the language will help us deal with the emperor better.

As if to mock us, the Christians of Messina seem to be whispering about the Pope as the protector of the Catholic Holy Sites. There’s an almost messianic faith that he will save them. Najib fears a repeat of the Catholic rebellion from two years ago and orders the tongue cut of anyone caught spreading such vile propaganda.

In May of 1084, Najib becomes obsessed with the acquisition of wealth and introduces a slew of new taxes, including a special tax on the grain trade that boosted the income from his personal demense. Many will grumble at this display of greed, but Najib was spooked by the mention of the Pope in Messina, reminded that ultimately Sicily was a nascent state on the frontier of Christianity and Islam and needed alot of cash and material if it wished to retain its independence as an Islamic state while on the Pope’s doorstep.

The integration of the old power structure of Sicily is completed when Ramadan is chosen to be the spymaster after Sabah’s death. Unfortunately he is just not a very capable spymaster, which is … not ideal when there is clearly a plot afoot. The main conspirator to kill Gulnar has not yet been discovered

Najib orders his vassals in Southern Italy to convert the local populace to Islamic ways to fortify the country from Christian unrest.

“The roe was wounded and yet you couldn’t even fell it yourself? Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you Matta, you have great potential, but I never see you apply yourself!” says Najib to his son, without a hint of irony

As if to ease his disappointment with his son, Allah strikes down another Hauteville

Najib’s wife Amunet loses her child prematurely, Najib is beginning to wonder if the ibn Hawasid dynasty is not cursed in some way.

By August of 1085 the backs of the Christians of Messina have been broken - through a policy of aggressive jizya taxation, sponsoring an extensive network of imams and converting churches to masjids, Messina now professes to follow an Ashari creed. How deep these changes actually go? Unclear, but its clear Sabah’s theological and spiritual arguments are making some headway even if only on the “well the Muslims are here and the Christians are not” level.

One line of attack the anti-Gulnar faction had was to question her fidelity in the marriage bed, a line of attack that found its way in Najib’s head. Gulnar was a much younger woman in her prime, and also a stranger in a foreign land where many disliked her. It would not be strange for her to seek comfort with others. These suspicions kept Najib up at night and haunted him endlessly. He attempted to investigate himself, but if there was any evidence he was not the man to find it, and all he managed to do was antagonize his wife. Najib did not seem to consider the irony of being so bothered by his wife’s supposed infidelity, real or imagined, when his own rakish reputation is widely known.

Najib learned to speak High German in October of 1085.

In the Jerid Emirate, the Bedouin and Butr cultures hybridized to form a new Tunisian identity. The mass migration of the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym Bedouin tribes had at this point had a few decades to plant their seeds into the fertile North African soil and became a part of patchwork of peoples that called this land home.

The Byzantines slowly and methodically take back their lands in Dyrrachion from “King” Robert the Fox, one county at a time.

In the spirit of his new money minded philosophy, Najib focuses on finding new markets for Sicily’s grain, thus expanding the cash received from grain, plus some money finds it way into his hands from merchants grateful for his help lifting export duties.

“King” Guy is the last Hauteville lord after Robert drank himself to death on 21 February of 1085. The Byzantines will conquer Dyrrachion in April 24, 1086, ending over a decade of Norman rule.

Najib’s daughter was born on April 18, 1086, the first child he’s had in 15 years. Is Allah’s curse and punishment of the al-Hawasid dynasty finally over?

In April of 1086, Najib set out for another hunt in Malta. The recent joy in his life had caused him to forget there was still an active plot against wife Gulnar. Surely the perpetrator would abandon the plot now that the scheme had been discovered and one of the agents unmasked? Little did he realize the depth of psychosis he would discover on this trip. Truly Allah gives with one hand and takes away with the other!

In the hills of Calatafimi, Sitara makes her move, pushing Gulnar down a steep incline, her twisted bitter hatred gone too far. By all rights, they should have been friends, they had more in common than anyoen else at court. Both hailed from around the area of Palestine, both Mashriqi, but one was Sunni and the other Shia. However, perhaps there is something to be said about how one can never hate someone as much as when they are too like you. Both Gulnar and Sitara are sadistic, and when they butt heads over Sitara’s treatment of typhus fever in 1079-1080, Gulnar may have made some pointed comments about Sitara’s “lesser birth and advanced age” that created an eternal enemy. Either way, justice needed to be done, and so Najib ordered Sitara imprisoned. He almost canceled the hunt, but he knew if he abandoned the hunt he would need to deal with the fact one of his wives killed the other, and he didn’t know if he was in the right frame of mind to pass a fair judgement. Gulnar had not exactly been the great love of his life, but he had respected her skills as an administrator and ability to cow people, although he had struggled equally as hard to limit her influence and prevent her … unique brand of people skills from causing more problems then they solved. There was also the diplomatic fallout to consider which Najib very much did not want to, he wanted to go on a hunt and numb himself to the pain.
The way to the hunt passed with no other major incidents, and at the hunt Najib would release young falcons back into the wild, the flapping of their wings dissipating all of his anger with it. That day he gained a real appreciation for hunting, the skills it demanded and the calming mindset it encouraged him to be in.
Sitara would remain in prison for two years as Najib attempts to get any other names from the conspiracy out of her, but she remains stubbornly silent, until finally, Najib is forced to order her execution to assuage the anger of the Yousifid emir. The great alliance that had helped forge the Sicilian state was dead and buried with Gulnar, but atleast Hisn al-Dawla would not bad mouth them in the Fatimid court. This incident would shake Najib to his core and he would always wonder if Sitara had come to this idea on her own or if his son Sabah had been involved in some way, planting the idea in her hand, helping her pull it off in some way. Perhaps the real storm was the political landscape of Sicily itself, where everyone played for keeps because losing meant death and violence was as common a tool of politics as the axe was for the woodcutter, and Najib, his wives, his sons and his courtiers were all merely candles within it, desperately trying not to be snuffed out by the turbulent winds.

 

[StrategyGameEnthusiast]

“King” Guy is the last Hauteville lord after Robert drank himself to death on 21 February of 1085. The Byzantines will conquer Dyrrachion in April 24, 1086, ending over a decade of Norman rule.

Bye bye Hautevilles! (hopefully for Sicily's sake they are never heard from again)

 

[dmurgell]

... Christians of Messina (..) messianic faith ...

So, it would be a Messinaic faith, actually

Najib learned to speak High German in October of 1085.

Allah ist wunderbar !

 

[Nikolai]

This is great world building. I liked it a lot.

Also, and all apologies to Nikolai, I do like it when the Normans get theirs.

Hey! Totally unacceptable sentiment!