Will young make a comeback? How much glory can he restore? Thank you for the update.
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We already know a remnant will persist into CKIII. And so long as the Achaemenid line persists, it will have the chance to rise again.
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Some justice at least. But it's not very helpful.
Instead of Caesar crossing the Rubicon, we have Aspastes crossing the Bosporus.
Which Achaemenia will win the day? It looks like you're in for a long and bloody struggle.
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That era was a disaster. Things could've been much worse, though. At least Aspastes managed to restore some semblance of stability.
On the map, Aspastes rules Side, and Darius rules the Achaemenid Empire, right? What's up with Synaeus?
On the map, Aspastes rules Side, and Darius rules the Achaemenid Empire, right? What's up with Synaeus?
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Darius would pull the empire back from collapse but the empire still has many tribulations to face before it enters the medieval era in a new form.
Oh, can't believe I missed using that phrase!
This civil war was not as bloody as I expected. The next one though will prove to be a real kicker.
Synaeus was another breakaway state based out of Pergamum which refused to recognise either Shahanshah's authority.
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The Reign of Darius, Restorer of the World (270 AD – 324 AD)
The Reign of Darius, Restorer of the World (270 AD – 324 AD)
Darius is considered one of the most important rulers in history, not just for his wars but for the impactful economic, religious and administrative policies he drafted for the Achaemenid Empire. He lived long enough to see them enacted fully. He technically reigned for 64 years, the longest since Orodes II, the great Shahanshah who claimed back the Persian Empire, but historians prefer to split his reign into two periods – the regency council and his own reign as an adult starting in Alexandria. We know much about his reign thanks to the writings of Barsaintes, the royal physician and unofficial historian of his life.
The Time of Two Kings
With the empire split in two and two different Shahanshahs claiming the right to rule, loyalty was divided across the territories. Many of the core territories in Thrace and Anatolia sided with Aspastes seated on the throne in Achaemeniyya. Armenia, Mesopotamia and Arabia pledged allegiance to Aspastes. They had suffered the worse under the tyranny of the later Zoroastrian rulers and the regency council, losing citizenship rights and forced to pay ever increasing taxes to meet the throne’s expenditures. Aspastes promised lenient taxation and a return of certain rights regarding land ownership and trade to get the Babylonian and Armenians on his side. It still didn’t solve the crown’s budgetary shortfall and Aspastes resorted to sacking his own cities to raise funds. Many cities had been depopulated by the 2nd plague and many forums, temples and civic centres had been left derelict as imperial largesse had diminished in the last century. Aspastes had the buildings’ lead roofing stripped, melted down many statues to create bronze coinage to pay for his soldiers and requisitioned the treasures of the remaining pagan temples. Even Achaemeniyya was not spared and the great city lost much of the lustre the previous centuries had deposited within its walls.
Aspastes’ grandfather had been adopted into the Achaemenid family, marrying into a minor line of the family and this lack of legitimacy was to prove a grave weakness in his seizure of power. The Persian East stayed loyal to Darius in exile in Egypt and the Greeks supported the true line who could claim descent from Ptolemy, Antigonid, Lysimachus and Seleukid, luminaries of the time of Alexander. Past Achaemenid rulers had been fastidious in taking brides from these lands after their conquests to enhance their legitimacy over the conquered and this proved a boon by the time of Darius.
Darius himself now an adult, hitherto a non-entity, took control on his arrival in Alexandria. He was forced to grow up fast during his escape and first exposure to the world beyond the walls of the palace. Barsaintes had ensured he was educated in the key domains of warfare, administrations and diplomacy and Darius had been an able student. However, it was one thing having knowledge and it was another thing putting it into practice. During the long voyage from Thrace to Egypt, he had long conversations with old Zariadres, the admiral, and grew to realise the grave situation of the empire and the civil war tearing it apart. On their arrival in Alexandria, a new royal council was convened with members chosen by Darius supported by Zariadres and others Darius believed to be both loyal and capable. With the defection of the legions, the Achaemenid cause could only call upon regional levies, still recovering the effects of plague. However, the province of Egypt was relatively unscathed by the plague and as the breadbasket of the empire (alongside Mesopotamia), he could meet the basic needs of his levies. The fleets also stayed loyal to Darius. The four admirals of Nava Leontophoros, Aegytum, India and Ionium had sailed to the government in exile and pledged their allegiance. This ensured that Darius controlled the sea and if Aspastes wanted to take out Darius, he would have to march from Achaemeniyya to Alexandria on foot.
The betrayal of the Immortals and the professional soldiers who had sworn loyalty to the Achaemenids stung Darius deeply and in his lifetime and his successor, the empire would rely on paid mercenaries instead of a professional army corp. “Better the surety of silver over the paucity of promised loyalty.” The fleet would sail with 50,000 soldiers to Greece to link up with local levies. Darius himself would lead a separate army into Mesopotamia and link up with loyalist troops in Persia with the goal to create a pincer action that linked up at Achaemeniyya. Ardanes Vivanid was the ranking Spahbed in the Greek theatre of battle and his troops pushed deep into Thrace from Macedonia. It seemed that Aspastes was focused on capturing Darius and ending the civil war in one fell swoop – most of his troops were in Anatolia and marching east.
Ardanes Vivanid reached Achaemeniyya a year earlier than expected and laid siege to the great city for eight months before the defenders surrendered after famine forced the locals to fight the garrison and open the gates in the hope of leniency. Ardanes gave free rein to his troops to reward them, and the levies and mercenaries took their fill of plunder from the nobles and merchants of the city. Four hundred years the Walls of Orodes had stood unbreached but it and the city was finally sacked by its people in 272 AD. During the siege, the besiegers had cut off the aqueducts that supplied the city and four of the fifteen aqueducts proved beyond repair after the capital had been repair. The civil war ensured that the city would never be able to support the population like it had during its glory days of the 1st century AD. The sacking also saw the lost of many wonders of the ancient world including the Anthologia Philosophike, the collection of books containing the combined wisdom of the greatest ancient thinkers, the Phillippeion Statues, a set of chryselephantine statues by Leochares depicting the family of Philip II and the Great Lammasu, guardians from the Gate of All Nations in Persepolis.
In the East, Darius captured Babylon and Seleukos, the greatest cities in Mesopotamia and was marching north into Assyria, now supported by the Eastern Persian troops. In the plains 50 miles east of Antochiea (Antioch), he would face the core of Aspastes’ army – the traitor legions – and win a decisive victory. Aspastes escaped but died of his wounds in their retreat, succeeded by his son, Phaedmyes. The new pretender refused to relinquish his claim and fighting carried on for the next three years throughout southern Anatolia, including the annexation of the breakaway state of Synnaeus based around Pergamum. By the end, the pretenders were forced off the mainland and retreated to Cyprus, never relinquishing their claim but no longer able to continue the war effort. A tacit truce was agreed as Darius took stock of his shattered empire.
In the intervening years, Shachkra in the Central Asian steppe had fully broken off its allegiance along with Sumpa in Tibet and Sthanishvara along the Ganges river. The cities of Anatolia and the Levant had been impoverished and devastated by war, and the empire had seen a significant drop in population losing a third of its population after plague and war had done their work. The currency had lost all value and unrest seethed throughout the provinces. The superpower of the classical world was now a hollowed-out husk.
Reforming the Economy
With the empire now unified, Darius set out on the next most pressing issue – the coinage. The Shahanshah sought to restore confidence in the imperial monetary system. The silver Drachm coin was massively debased during the third century. Under Orodes II, the coin contained 98% silver, but by the time Darius restored the empire, the coin contained a mere 1.5%. To fight rampant inflation, Darius aimed to mint the coin with 10% guaranteed silver. He also arranged a mass confiscation and replacement of coinage. Officials went door-to-door, especially targeting nobles and rich merchants, to effect the change. He sought to remove ‘bad coinage’ and used older ‘good coinage’ to support his minting efforts. Zosimus evokes the introduction of the ‘new silver currency’ by Darius in a sentence: “At that time he [ Darius ] distributed to the public a new piece of silver, preparing the official recall of the debased coinage; in doing so, he removed all confusion in transactions.” He also issued a new gold coin, the Daric (golden in Persian) with his visage to build prestige and credibility in the restored dynasty. This was minted at a 90% purity. While precious metal shortages limited the amount of new coins that could be produced, the fact that the new coins were backed by the empire and guaranteed purity restored some faith in the coinage.
Darius relocated the mints, seeking to break away from the cycle of corruption endemic to the current moneyers and moved them to strategic sites where imperial authority could exert full oversight on the production. He also fixed prices for many essential goods. We’re unsure how his fiat commandment affected inflation beyond the capital but we presume it had some positive results as the rumblings from the provinces quietened down during the later years of his reign.
Lastly, to spur the economy and to put the many soldiers left over from the civil war to work, he began a series of public works and building programs across the wrecked remains of Anatolia. The old Walls of Orodes in Achaemeniyya were repaired and a new set of defences were built further out from the city. The Darian Walls are the famous triple-layered defences we are familiar with.
The 7th Roman War and the Sign of the Cross
Amidst the rebuilding, old enemies were not content to let the opportunity pass. The Romans declared war again, seeking to claim Illyria and put an end to piracy by Illyrian raiders in the Adriatic. Caught by surprise, they made swift progress, capturing the undermanned fortresses of the border and plunging deep into Achaemenid territory. Darius pulled his armies together, supported by a large mercenary core. 7th Roman War saw horrendous casualties suffered by both sides due to a mixture of disease, attrition and brutal battles but the Persians were steadily being pushed back.
The day before the battle of Philippossis, a key strategic point that gave the victor free access to the Thracian plain, Darius saw a vision in the sky. We have the account of Barsaintes telling us of the events of the day:
“One day, while he was in front of his tent with his officers and troops around him, he had a vision of an enormous cross of fire in the heavens. On one side of the cross were the words, in the Greek language: “By this, conquer.”
Darius was astonished at the wonderful vision, and he gazed at it until it faded away. He could not understand what it meant and was greatly troubled. He spoke to us, his wisest councillors but no one could offer guidance, not even the Mobadan of the Magi who seemed greatly troubled. But that night he dreamed that Christ appeared to him in robes of dazzling white, bearing a cross in his hands and that he promised our king victory over his enemies if he would make the cross his standard.
Darius now declared himself a Christian and had a standard made in the form of a cross with the Royal Achaemenid flag attached to it. This banner, our new Deravsh led us to victory over the hated Romans.”
We pushed the Romans back into their own lands in Italy. The Romans unable to explain the resurgence of Persian strength grew demoralised and dispirited. When we arrived at their great city of Rome, they surrendered to us and gave us the keys to the city, telling us “Take what you will. We see the Highest God is on your side.”
Now the account of Barsaintes needs to be taken with a pinch of salt but we do know the Persians sacked Rome and the plunder of the city was immensely helpful in the rebuilding of Achaemeniyya and the economic reforms of Darius.
Darius the Christian
When Darius returned from the Roman war, he did not immediately proclaim himself Christian but he did outlaw the persecution the religion and sponsored the building of a new church close to the Fire Temple of Achaemeniyya. This new structure, the Baha’igari Andro, shortened in modern days to Baha’i Andro or the Holies of St Andrew, was built to commemorate the apostle who would become the patron saint of the city alongside Mariam, the Mother of Christ.
The later half of Darius’ reign would further consolidation of power and recovery. The levy system recovered as most imperial military needs were serviced by mercenaries camped far away from Achaemeniyya. Darius would also reorganise the administration of the empire, splitting the empire in half to have a more responsive government to service the loyal subjects in Persia. Based in Persepolis, he placed his son Arthanthes as junior co-king to administer the east while he oversaw the potentially richer but more unruly west as his dominion. This division had momentous consequences for the empire. No longer did all power come from Achaemeniyya and the border satraps of the two halves would begin a game of favour trading between the two capitals after the time of Darius, leading to friction.
The Eastern Empire (Parsa) ruled from Persepolis with tributaries of Shunga and Ouarana Gandaris
The Western Empire ruled from Achaemeniyya. Note the splinter states in Armenia and Asyrria that owed nominal allegiance to the Achaemenids but enjoyed pseudo-independence since the Side rebellion. Arabia had also become independent, breaking up into several tribal confederations, never to be recovered by the Achaemenids.
By the time Darius was in his 50s, Christianity had blossomed across the West while Arthanthes, nominally a Zoroastrian and seated deep in the heartlands of Zoroastrian worship suppressed the religion as much as he could while abiding by his father’s prohibition on persecution. In 320 AD, Darius would proclaim the Edict of Evangelisation, making Christianity the state religion. He co-opted the Mobadan Mobed of Achaemeniyya to state that the coming of Christ had been foretold by Zoroaster. With the power of imperial approval, the oppressed were now the oppressors.
Darius would not live long enough to see the full ramifications of his decisions. In 324 AD, four years after the Edict of Evangelisation, he would die peacefully. On his deathbed, he asked the bishop of the Baha’i Andro to baptise him, ascending to heaven for his final reward.
Darius is considered one of the most important rulers in history, not just for his wars but for the impactful economic, religious and administrative policies he drafted for the Achaemenid Empire. He lived long enough to see them enacted fully. He technically reigned for 64 years, the longest since Orodes II, the great Shahanshah who claimed back the Persian Empire, but historians prefer to split his reign into two periods – the regency council and his own reign as an adult starting in Alexandria. We know much about his reign thanks to the writings of Barsaintes, the royal physician and unofficial historian of his life.
The Time of Two Kings
With the empire split in two and two different Shahanshahs claiming the right to rule, loyalty was divided across the territories. Many of the core territories in Thrace and Anatolia sided with Aspastes seated on the throne in Achaemeniyya. Armenia, Mesopotamia and Arabia pledged allegiance to Aspastes. They had suffered the worse under the tyranny of the later Zoroastrian rulers and the regency council, losing citizenship rights and forced to pay ever increasing taxes to meet the throne’s expenditures. Aspastes promised lenient taxation and a return of certain rights regarding land ownership and trade to get the Babylonian and Armenians on his side. It still didn’t solve the crown’s budgetary shortfall and Aspastes resorted to sacking his own cities to raise funds. Many cities had been depopulated by the 2nd plague and many forums, temples and civic centres had been left derelict as imperial largesse had diminished in the last century. Aspastes had the buildings’ lead roofing stripped, melted down many statues to create bronze coinage to pay for his soldiers and requisitioned the treasures of the remaining pagan temples. Even Achaemeniyya was not spared and the great city lost much of the lustre the previous centuries had deposited within its walls.
Aspastes’ grandfather had been adopted into the Achaemenid family, marrying into a minor line of the family and this lack of legitimacy was to prove a grave weakness in his seizure of power. The Persian East stayed loyal to Darius in exile in Egypt and the Greeks supported the true line who could claim descent from Ptolemy, Antigonid, Lysimachus and Seleukid, luminaries of the time of Alexander. Past Achaemenid rulers had been fastidious in taking brides from these lands after their conquests to enhance their legitimacy over the conquered and this proved a boon by the time of Darius.
Darius himself now an adult, hitherto a non-entity, took control on his arrival in Alexandria. He was forced to grow up fast during his escape and first exposure to the world beyond the walls of the palace. Barsaintes had ensured he was educated in the key domains of warfare, administrations and diplomacy and Darius had been an able student. However, it was one thing having knowledge and it was another thing putting it into practice. During the long voyage from Thrace to Egypt, he had long conversations with old Zariadres, the admiral, and grew to realise the grave situation of the empire and the civil war tearing it apart. On their arrival in Alexandria, a new royal council was convened with members chosen by Darius supported by Zariadres and others Darius believed to be both loyal and capable. With the defection of the legions, the Achaemenid cause could only call upon regional levies, still recovering the effects of plague. However, the province of Egypt was relatively unscathed by the plague and as the breadbasket of the empire (alongside Mesopotamia), he could meet the basic needs of his levies. The fleets also stayed loyal to Darius. The four admirals of Nava Leontophoros, Aegytum, India and Ionium had sailed to the government in exile and pledged their allegiance. This ensured that Darius controlled the sea and if Aspastes wanted to take out Darius, he would have to march from Achaemeniyya to Alexandria on foot.
The betrayal of the Immortals and the professional soldiers who had sworn loyalty to the Achaemenids stung Darius deeply and in his lifetime and his successor, the empire would rely on paid mercenaries instead of a professional army corp. “Better the surety of silver over the paucity of promised loyalty.” The fleet would sail with 50,000 soldiers to Greece to link up with local levies. Darius himself would lead a separate army into Mesopotamia and link up with loyalist troops in Persia with the goal to create a pincer action that linked up at Achaemeniyya. Ardanes Vivanid was the ranking Spahbed in the Greek theatre of battle and his troops pushed deep into Thrace from Macedonia. It seemed that Aspastes was focused on capturing Darius and ending the civil war in one fell swoop – most of his troops were in Anatolia and marching east.
Ardanes Vivanid reached Achaemeniyya a year earlier than expected and laid siege to the great city for eight months before the defenders surrendered after famine forced the locals to fight the garrison and open the gates in the hope of leniency. Ardanes gave free rein to his troops to reward them, and the levies and mercenaries took their fill of plunder from the nobles and merchants of the city. Four hundred years the Walls of Orodes had stood unbreached but it and the city was finally sacked by its people in 272 AD. During the siege, the besiegers had cut off the aqueducts that supplied the city and four of the fifteen aqueducts proved beyond repair after the capital had been repair. The civil war ensured that the city would never be able to support the population like it had during its glory days of the 1st century AD. The sacking also saw the lost of many wonders of the ancient world including the Anthologia Philosophike, the collection of books containing the combined wisdom of the greatest ancient thinkers, the Phillippeion Statues, a set of chryselephantine statues by Leochares depicting the family of Philip II and the Great Lammasu, guardians from the Gate of All Nations in Persepolis.
In the East, Darius captured Babylon and Seleukos, the greatest cities in Mesopotamia and was marching north into Assyria, now supported by the Eastern Persian troops. In the plains 50 miles east of Antochiea (Antioch), he would face the core of Aspastes’ army – the traitor legions – and win a decisive victory. Aspastes escaped but died of his wounds in their retreat, succeeded by his son, Phaedmyes. The new pretender refused to relinquish his claim and fighting carried on for the next three years throughout southern Anatolia, including the annexation of the breakaway state of Synnaeus based around Pergamum. By the end, the pretenders were forced off the mainland and retreated to Cyprus, never relinquishing their claim but no longer able to continue the war effort. A tacit truce was agreed as Darius took stock of his shattered empire.
In the intervening years, Shachkra in the Central Asian steppe had fully broken off its allegiance along with Sumpa in Tibet and Sthanishvara along the Ganges river. The cities of Anatolia and the Levant had been impoverished and devastated by war, and the empire had seen a significant drop in population losing a third of its population after plague and war had done their work. The currency had lost all value and unrest seethed throughout the provinces. The superpower of the classical world was now a hollowed-out husk.
Reforming the Economy
With the empire now unified, Darius set out on the next most pressing issue – the coinage. The Shahanshah sought to restore confidence in the imperial monetary system. The silver Drachm coin was massively debased during the third century. Under Orodes II, the coin contained 98% silver, but by the time Darius restored the empire, the coin contained a mere 1.5%. To fight rampant inflation, Darius aimed to mint the coin with 10% guaranteed silver. He also arranged a mass confiscation and replacement of coinage. Officials went door-to-door, especially targeting nobles and rich merchants, to effect the change. He sought to remove ‘bad coinage’ and used older ‘good coinage’ to support his minting efforts. Zosimus evokes the introduction of the ‘new silver currency’ by Darius in a sentence: “At that time he [ Darius ] distributed to the public a new piece of silver, preparing the official recall of the debased coinage; in doing so, he removed all confusion in transactions.” He also issued a new gold coin, the Daric (golden in Persian) with his visage to build prestige and credibility in the restored dynasty. This was minted at a 90% purity. While precious metal shortages limited the amount of new coins that could be produced, the fact that the new coins were backed by the empire and guaranteed purity restored some faith in the coinage.
Lastly, to spur the economy and to put the many soldiers left over from the civil war to work, he began a series of public works and building programs across the wrecked remains of Anatolia. The old Walls of Orodes in Achaemeniyya were repaired and a new set of defences were built further out from the city. The Darian Walls are the famous triple-layered defences we are familiar with.
The 7th Roman War and the Sign of the Cross
Amidst the rebuilding, old enemies were not content to let the opportunity pass. The Romans declared war again, seeking to claim Illyria and put an end to piracy by Illyrian raiders in the Adriatic. Caught by surprise, they made swift progress, capturing the undermanned fortresses of the border and plunging deep into Achaemenid territory. Darius pulled his armies together, supported by a large mercenary core. 7th Roman War saw horrendous casualties suffered by both sides due to a mixture of disease, attrition and brutal battles but the Persians were steadily being pushed back.
The day before the battle of Philippossis, a key strategic point that gave the victor free access to the Thracian plain, Darius saw a vision in the sky. We have the account of Barsaintes telling us of the events of the day:
“One day, while he was in front of his tent with his officers and troops around him, he had a vision of an enormous cross of fire in the heavens. On one side of the cross were the words, in the Greek language: “By this, conquer.”
Darius was astonished at the wonderful vision, and he gazed at it until it faded away. He could not understand what it meant and was greatly troubled. He spoke to us, his wisest councillors but no one could offer guidance, not even the Mobadan of the Magi who seemed greatly troubled. But that night he dreamed that Christ appeared to him in robes of dazzling white, bearing a cross in his hands and that he promised our king victory over his enemies if he would make the cross his standard.
Darius now declared himself a Christian and had a standard made in the form of a cross with the Royal Achaemenid flag attached to it. This banner, our new Deravsh led us to victory over the hated Romans.”
We pushed the Romans back into their own lands in Italy. The Romans unable to explain the resurgence of Persian strength grew demoralised and dispirited. When we arrived at their great city of Rome, they surrendered to us and gave us the keys to the city, telling us “Take what you will. We see the Highest God is on your side.”
Now the account of Barsaintes needs to be taken with a pinch of salt but we do know the Persians sacked Rome and the plunder of the city was immensely helpful in the rebuilding of Achaemeniyya and the economic reforms of Darius.
Darius the Christian
When Darius returned from the Roman war, he did not immediately proclaim himself Christian but he did outlaw the persecution the religion and sponsored the building of a new church close to the Fire Temple of Achaemeniyya. This new structure, the Baha’igari Andro, shortened in modern days to Baha’i Andro or the Holies of St Andrew, was built to commemorate the apostle who would become the patron saint of the city alongside Mariam, the Mother of Christ.
The later half of Darius’ reign would further consolidation of power and recovery. The levy system recovered as most imperial military needs were serviced by mercenaries camped far away from Achaemeniyya. Darius would also reorganise the administration of the empire, splitting the empire in half to have a more responsive government to service the loyal subjects in Persia. Based in Persepolis, he placed his son Arthanthes as junior co-king to administer the east while he oversaw the potentially richer but more unruly west as his dominion. This division had momentous consequences for the empire. No longer did all power come from Achaemeniyya and the border satraps of the two halves would begin a game of favour trading between the two capitals after the time of Darius, leading to friction.
The Eastern Empire (Parsa) ruled from Persepolis with tributaries of Shunga and Ouarana Gandaris
The Western Empire ruled from Achaemeniyya. Note the splinter states in Armenia and Asyrria that owed nominal allegiance to the Achaemenids but enjoyed pseudo-independence since the Side rebellion. Arabia had also become independent, breaking up into several tribal confederations, never to be recovered by the Achaemenids.
By the time Darius was in his 50s, Christianity had blossomed across the West while Arthanthes, nominally a Zoroastrian and seated deep in the heartlands of Zoroastrian worship suppressed the religion as much as he could while abiding by his father’s prohibition on persecution. In 320 AD, Darius would proclaim the Edict of Evangelisation, making Christianity the state religion. He co-opted the Mobadan Mobed of Achaemeniyya to state that the coming of Christ had been foretold by Zoroaster. With the power of imperial approval, the oppressed were now the oppressors.
Darius would not live long enough to see the full ramifications of his decisions. In 324 AD, four years after the Edict of Evangelisation, he would die peacefully. On his deathbed, he asked the bishop of the Baha’i Andro to baptise him, ascending to heaven for his final reward.
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Great Job Darius! Is there another child on the throne? Thank you for the update.
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Christ has risen to prominence in the Achaemid Empire! Who would've thought!
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Yes there is. Another messy succession with the infant Arsaces on the throne.
I intend to explore the growth of the new religion a little more in my next update. Technically the first Christian state in this timeline was a small Kushite kingdom in Eaat Africa. Achaemenids were the third to adopt the religion.
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Darius was a great king, but the empire still suffered from decentralization during his reign. If he had lived longer after making Christianity the official faith, maybe the succession wouldn't have been so messy. Using levies and mercs instead of professional soldiers is a very feudal idea.
Who was the second Christian country?
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Darius seems to be a combination of Aurelian (Restorer of the World), Diocletian (discount Tetrarchy), and Constantine (conversion to Christianity via vision).
Achaemenid Christianity is syncretized with Zoroastrianism, right? How do the other two Christian states feel about that?
Also, did Darius call an equivalent to the Council of Nicaea?
Great update!
Achaemenid Christianity is syncretized with Zoroastrianism, right? How do the other two Christian states feel about that?
Also, did Darius call an equivalent to the Council of Nicaea?
Great update!
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The second was Hadrametum, the Carthaginian successor state in Africa. Being an early adopter and breaking off from the Achaemenids, their version of Christianity will evolve down a different path.
There will be a few Ecumenical Councils to be elaborated on as the Shahanshahs attempt to control the new imperial faith while the converted mobads fight for influence in the new religion. More to share in the next update.
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The Rise of Christianity in the Time of Darius
The Rise of Christianity in the Time of Darius
Early Christianity
Christianity began in 1st century Judea with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. He was seen by his followers as the Messiah prophesied in Jewish scripture. His message of love, forgiveness, and salvation resonated with many, particularly those marginalized by Persian rule. There are other more detailed sources on the rise of Christianity in the 1st and 2nd century AD so this record won’t go deep into details until it becomes more pertinent to the history of the Achaemenid Empire.
The early Christian movement was led by Jesus' disciples, particularly Petros and Paulos. [1] They spread the message throughout Judea and beyond, focusing initially on Jewish communities. Paulos, in particular, played a crucial role in converting Gentiles (non-Jews) and adapting the message to a broader audience, eventually settling in Rome and becoming the first Bishop of Rome before his subsequent martyrdom. The movement quickly spread to Damascus and Antigoneia, capital of Achaemenid Syria and one of the most important cities in the empire. Early Christians referred to themselves as brethren, disciples or saints, but it was in Antioch, that they were first called Christians (Greek: Christianoi).
Social and professional networks played an important part in spreading the religion as members invited interested outsiders to secret Christian assemblies (Greek: ekklēsia) that met in private homes. Commerce and trade also played a role in Christianity's spread as Christian merchants travelled for business. Christianity appealed to marginalised groups such as women and slaves with its message that "in Christ there is neither Jew nor Persian, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free".
Christianity in the Achaemenid Empire
Over time, major centres of Christianity took root in the great cities of the empires – Antigoneia, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Carthage, Rome and Phillia, the second city of Europa behind Achaemeniyya [2]. The Achaemenids never developed a consistent approach to what they viewed as a new cult. The empire was tolerant of most religions to some degree as long as citizens acknowledged the primacy of Ahura Mazda. Many Hellenic deities were syncretised within the Zoroastrian ‘pantheon’ as Yazatas or aspects of the Spenta Mainyu, the seven divinities emanating from Ahura Mazda during Sisygambis’ religious revolution. As such, Christianity would enjoy periods of growth when the old order were content to leave them alone and periods of repression when a particularly zealous Shahanshah or Mobadan Mobad felt threatened by this exclusively monolithic faith.
Yellow are the territories where Christianity were the majority. Beyond these, they were a significant minority throughout the Eastern Mediterrenean, especially in Anatolia. In the South, faith brought by trade along the Arabian Gulf ensured Ethiopia and Numidia became strongholds for the latter day Miaphysites. Beyond the Euphrates, there were limited communities but Zoroastrianism.and the Vedic faiths were too firmly rooted to be supplanted in these lands.
By the time of Darius, Christian communities could be found in most major towns and population centres and had even become the majority in a few notable places such as Egypt and North Africa. One suspects that these areas had experienced major tribulations, causing a greater religious hysteria and hoped for succor. North Africa as they had seen the collapse of the Carthaginian empire then became a battleground between Rome and the Achaemenids during the second and third centuries. Egypt as it had suffered particularly badly by the first and second plagues, and having its grain crops redirected by the Shahanshahs to feed the cities of Asia Minor. Darius himself must have been exposed to some Christian thoughts during his exile in Alexandria and that might have fed into his conscious or sub-conscious decision-making when he legitimised the religion later in his reign.
After the Battle of Philippossis, Darius had built the Baha’i Andro as he believed Saint Andrew had personally blessed Achaemeniyya during his apostolic journey. The Acts of Andrew mentioned by Zorobius and Pharsus, important bishops during the time of Arsaces, highlight the miracles he performed including being placed amongst fierce animals, calms storms, and defeating armies simply by crossing himself and Darius took these as signs of divine protection for whoever venerated him. Over time, he became the patron saint of the city and the foremost of those venerated across the empire and his feast day was marked as 30 November, the day of the Battle of Philippossis.
Zoroastrianism and the Edict of Evangelisation
The crisis of the 3rd century had discredited the Zoroastrian priesthood. How could Ahura Mazda allow Druj to seethe through the righteous kingdom? More than one member of the magi had faced street justice or lynchings by freemen and the poor who looked on the full stomachs and rich adornments of the priesthood with hunger and envy. Complicating the situation further for the magi was their lack of support for Darius when Aspastes carried out his coup, ostensibly to restore order. The Mobadan Mobad, eager not to lose the power he cultivated in the regency, sided with who he thought was the victor and supported Aspastes during the civil war. When Darius arrived in Achaemeniyya, he had Mobadan Mobad Upadama burnt alive for his treasonous crimes, saying that if he was a true follower of Asha, Ahura Mazda would protect him from the divine fire. The god did not. Darius chose the new high priest, a man from Alexandria, who we now know to have been a secret Christian – Narsaki Imek [3].
The Council of Nicaea
Many years later, after the Edict of Evangelisation, Darius would call the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, summoning bishops from across the empire and beyond. The bishops of Rome and Carthage were invited too, the former accepted while the latter declined. Darius seemed to be striving to establish a universal church protected by the Achaemenids. This would offer him influence in lands beyond his empire through the control of the clergy and Great Power prestige as the foremost leader of Christians. Originally the agenda of the Council was to establish a uniform date for Easter, the proper method of consecrating bishops and the primacy of Achaemeniyya, Alexandria and Jerusalem over the other sees. Over 300 hundred bishops and their retinues attended the Council and Darius intended to awe them with the power of imperial splendour. Also in attendance was Narsaki and fifty selected members of the magi. Unfortunately, even the presence of the Shahanshah was not enough to get the Christian priesthood to agree to a consensus. Knives came out as bishops argued about minute theological details on the nature of Christ and god, seeking royal support for their position. Rivalries that had been seething for decades came to the fore, especially between the bishops of the East and the Alexandrian school of thought.
On the fourth day, Narsaki took the podium and told all in attendance that Ahura Mazda had foreseen the arrival of Christ and that he and his priesthood would now proclaim the faith. With one fell swoop, the see of Achaemeniyya, with the backing of the Shahanshah, had taken the pre-eminent position of influence. With the wealth and network of the magi, Narsaki would ensure the proselytization of the new faith. The other bishops fell in line, even Rome who could now look to Darius and Narsaki for support against persecution by the Roman Imperators. Finally, after six days of arguments and theological bargaining, all agreed to the Nicene Creed, a supposedly universal statement of faith that is the only ecumenical creed accepted as authoritative by the later era Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Apostolic and Coptic churches. It condemned the teachings of Donatus Magnus, the bishop of Carthage, whose absence gave him no defence to accusations of heresy. Their doctrine of rigour threatened other bishops who had hidden or surrendered in the face of harassment. Darius acknowledged the condemnation as it gave him a casus belli against the Punic nation of Hadrametum that had broken off from the empire.
The ramifications of the First Ecumenical Council were not clear to all immediately but it established the idea that Christian theology could only be decided by a council of church leaders within the empire, that the Shahanshah was both the protector and sponsor of the Church and that the bishop of Rome would become the foremost leader of the Church in the Roman Empire and Western Europe. In the long term, it would see the slow split between Rome and Achameniyya and cemented the practice of weaponizing faith and doctrine to eliminate enemies – something that would eventually even threaten the Shahanshahs.
[1] The influence of Greek on the Achaemenid Empire is evident here with the names of the two apostles. Greek had became interchangeable with Middle Persian in high court settings with many professing a passion for the Greek classics and philosophical thought. Over time, the cultural cachet of Greek would supplant Middle Persian as the primary language of the Achaemenids in the 5th century and another reason for the antipathy with the Eastern Persians of Persis and Media.
[2] Philia was situated about 100 miles from Achaemeniyya on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It had acted as the residence of choice for dissenters of imperial rule, being close enough to react and engage in the politics of the City. The population was even more varied than Achaemeniyya with a Roman majority (mostly slaves) that ensured it had a different character to other Persian cities. Even today, the baths and forum ruins help maintain its nickname of “Little Rome”.
[3] It’s doubtful that Darius knew of Narsaki’s secret faith but it is fortuitous that the man he chose would end up being the right man to lead a crusade against the Zoroastrian priesthood. He played a key role in pulling in magi support during the first Ecumenical Council and was later canonised. His shrine can be found at the Patras Cathedral in Achaea.
Early Christianity
Christianity began in 1st century Judea with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. He was seen by his followers as the Messiah prophesied in Jewish scripture. His message of love, forgiveness, and salvation resonated with many, particularly those marginalized by Persian rule. There are other more detailed sources on the rise of Christianity in the 1st and 2nd century AD so this record won’t go deep into details until it becomes more pertinent to the history of the Achaemenid Empire.
The early Christian movement was led by Jesus' disciples, particularly Petros and Paulos. [1] They spread the message throughout Judea and beyond, focusing initially on Jewish communities. Paulos, in particular, played a crucial role in converting Gentiles (non-Jews) and adapting the message to a broader audience, eventually settling in Rome and becoming the first Bishop of Rome before his subsequent martyrdom. The movement quickly spread to Damascus and Antigoneia, capital of Achaemenid Syria and one of the most important cities in the empire. Early Christians referred to themselves as brethren, disciples or saints, but it was in Antioch, that they were first called Christians (Greek: Christianoi).
Social and professional networks played an important part in spreading the religion as members invited interested outsiders to secret Christian assemblies (Greek: ekklēsia) that met in private homes. Commerce and trade also played a role in Christianity's spread as Christian merchants travelled for business. Christianity appealed to marginalised groups such as women and slaves with its message that "in Christ there is neither Jew nor Persian, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free".
Christianity in the Achaemenid Empire
Over time, major centres of Christianity took root in the great cities of the empires – Antigoneia, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Carthage, Rome and Phillia, the second city of Europa behind Achaemeniyya [2]. The Achaemenids never developed a consistent approach to what they viewed as a new cult. The empire was tolerant of most religions to some degree as long as citizens acknowledged the primacy of Ahura Mazda. Many Hellenic deities were syncretised within the Zoroastrian ‘pantheon’ as Yazatas or aspects of the Spenta Mainyu, the seven divinities emanating from Ahura Mazda during Sisygambis’ religious revolution. As such, Christianity would enjoy periods of growth when the old order were content to leave them alone and periods of repression when a particularly zealous Shahanshah or Mobadan Mobad felt threatened by this exclusively monolithic faith.
Yellow are the territories where Christianity were the majority. Beyond these, they were a significant minority throughout the Eastern Mediterrenean, especially in Anatolia. In the South, faith brought by trade along the Arabian Gulf ensured Ethiopia and Numidia became strongholds for the latter day Miaphysites. Beyond the Euphrates, there were limited communities but Zoroastrianism.and the Vedic faiths were too firmly rooted to be supplanted in these lands.
By the time of Darius, Christian communities could be found in most major towns and population centres and had even become the majority in a few notable places such as Egypt and North Africa. One suspects that these areas had experienced major tribulations, causing a greater religious hysteria and hoped for succor. North Africa as they had seen the collapse of the Carthaginian empire then became a battleground between Rome and the Achaemenids during the second and third centuries. Egypt as it had suffered particularly badly by the first and second plagues, and having its grain crops redirected by the Shahanshahs to feed the cities of Asia Minor. Darius himself must have been exposed to some Christian thoughts during his exile in Alexandria and that might have fed into his conscious or sub-conscious decision-making when he legitimised the religion later in his reign.
After the Battle of Philippossis, Darius had built the Baha’i Andro as he believed Saint Andrew had personally blessed Achaemeniyya during his apostolic journey. The Acts of Andrew mentioned by Zorobius and Pharsus, important bishops during the time of Arsaces, highlight the miracles he performed including being placed amongst fierce animals, calms storms, and defeating armies simply by crossing himself and Darius took these as signs of divine protection for whoever venerated him. Over time, he became the patron saint of the city and the foremost of those venerated across the empire and his feast day was marked as 30 November, the day of the Battle of Philippossis.
Zoroastrianism and the Edict of Evangelisation
The crisis of the 3rd century had discredited the Zoroastrian priesthood. How could Ahura Mazda allow Druj to seethe through the righteous kingdom? More than one member of the magi had faced street justice or lynchings by freemen and the poor who looked on the full stomachs and rich adornments of the priesthood with hunger and envy. Complicating the situation further for the magi was their lack of support for Darius when Aspastes carried out his coup, ostensibly to restore order. The Mobadan Mobad, eager not to lose the power he cultivated in the regency, sided with who he thought was the victor and supported Aspastes during the civil war. When Darius arrived in Achaemeniyya, he had Mobadan Mobad Upadama burnt alive for his treasonous crimes, saying that if he was a true follower of Asha, Ahura Mazda would protect him from the divine fire. The god did not. Darius chose the new high priest, a man from Alexandria, who we now know to have been a secret Christian – Narsaki Imek [3].
The Council of Nicaea
Many years later, after the Edict of Evangelisation, Darius would call the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, summoning bishops from across the empire and beyond. The bishops of Rome and Carthage were invited too, the former accepted while the latter declined. Darius seemed to be striving to establish a universal church protected by the Achaemenids. This would offer him influence in lands beyond his empire through the control of the clergy and Great Power prestige as the foremost leader of Christians. Originally the agenda of the Council was to establish a uniform date for Easter, the proper method of consecrating bishops and the primacy of Achaemeniyya, Alexandria and Jerusalem over the other sees. Over 300 hundred bishops and their retinues attended the Council and Darius intended to awe them with the power of imperial splendour. Also in attendance was Narsaki and fifty selected members of the magi. Unfortunately, even the presence of the Shahanshah was not enough to get the Christian priesthood to agree to a consensus. Knives came out as bishops argued about minute theological details on the nature of Christ and god, seeking royal support for their position. Rivalries that had been seething for decades came to the fore, especially between the bishops of the East and the Alexandrian school of thought.
On the fourth day, Narsaki took the podium and told all in attendance that Ahura Mazda had foreseen the arrival of Christ and that he and his priesthood would now proclaim the faith. With one fell swoop, the see of Achaemeniyya, with the backing of the Shahanshah, had taken the pre-eminent position of influence. With the wealth and network of the magi, Narsaki would ensure the proselytization of the new faith. The other bishops fell in line, even Rome who could now look to Darius and Narsaki for support against persecution by the Roman Imperators. Finally, after six days of arguments and theological bargaining, all agreed to the Nicene Creed, a supposedly universal statement of faith that is the only ecumenical creed accepted as authoritative by the later era Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Apostolic and Coptic churches. It condemned the teachings of Donatus Magnus, the bishop of Carthage, whose absence gave him no defence to accusations of heresy. Their doctrine of rigour threatened other bishops who had hidden or surrendered in the face of harassment. Darius acknowledged the condemnation as it gave him a casus belli against the Punic nation of Hadrametum that had broken off from the empire.
The ramifications of the First Ecumenical Council were not clear to all immediately but it established the idea that Christian theology could only be decided by a council of church leaders within the empire, that the Shahanshah was both the protector and sponsor of the Church and that the bishop of Rome would become the foremost leader of the Church in the Roman Empire and Western Europe. In the long term, it would see the slow split between Rome and Achameniyya and cemented the practice of weaponizing faith and doctrine to eliminate enemies – something that would eventually even threaten the Shahanshahs.
[1] The influence of Greek on the Achaemenid Empire is evident here with the names of the two apostles. Greek had became interchangeable with Middle Persian in high court settings with many professing a passion for the Greek classics and philosophical thought. Over time, the cultural cachet of Greek would supplant Middle Persian as the primary language of the Achaemenids in the 5th century and another reason for the antipathy with the Eastern Persians of Persis and Media.
[2] Philia was situated about 100 miles from Achaemeniyya on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It had acted as the residence of choice for dissenters of imperial rule, being close enough to react and engage in the politics of the City. The population was even more varied than Achaemeniyya with a Roman majority (mostly slaves) that ensured it had a different character to other Persian cities. Even today, the baths and forum ruins help maintain its nickname of “Little Rome”.
[3] It’s doubtful that Darius knew of Narsaki’s secret faith but it is fortuitous that the man he chose would end up being the right man to lead a crusade against the Zoroastrian priesthood. He played a key role in pulling in magi support during the first Ecumenical Council and was later canonised. His shrine can be found at the Patras Cathedral in Achaea.
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The religious CB has been born. Will Holy Orders be far behind? Thank you for the update.
There's an event for the speaking in tongues thing from Acts in one of the mods you're playing with? That's actually awesome. Which mod is that from?
Does the end of that update imply that there will be further ecumenical councils? Will those lead to schisms (like OTL's Ephesus and Chalcedon)?
Does the end of that update imply that there will be further ecumenical councils? Will those lead to schisms (like OTL's Ephesus and Chalcedon)?
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Its from Timeline Extender and basically plays out the rise of Christianity from 1 AD to the end of the western roman empire in 497 AD (which is where I:R portion of this mega campaign ends). You get thematic events that emulate the adoption of the religion. For the Achaemenids, adopting St Andrew was particularly vital for thr +10 stability omen effect. The empire's stability was circling the drain during the early part of Darius' reign.
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I like the slight changes to RL history in regards to Christianity, well done!
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How freely was Christianity able to spread in Rome? Were the Romans more or less tolerant of this new religion?
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@Killcrazy13, your AAR has been chosen for the Weekly AAR Showcase. Well deserved, BTW.