The Confined Crescent

The Confined Crescent:

In this world Phocas does not send Bonosus to deal with the unrest in Egypt. Whilst more time is devoted to quelling the rebellion, which later leads to clashes with the resurgent Sassanids, he instead keeps his general close. Heraclius of Africa revolts, the brutal general is sent to deal with him and, with more of the army and empire loyal to him, Bonosus wins.

With a more stable and prepared Byzantine Empire in place, the sudden Muslim invasion is not successful and the Arabs are forced back into Mesopotamia. Islam does have more success in Persia but their previous defeats sap morale and they are only able to conquer the western portion of the Iranian Plateau. Whilst later conquests do manage to take the rest, a somewhat strong rump Sassanid state is able to coalesce in the eastern territories, preventing the Muslims from expanding further east.

Despite having a new threat on their eastern frontier, the weak nature of the Caliphate allows the Byzantines to experience an eventual resurgence of power. Under a series of talented leaders they are able to reconquer much of the Mediterranean, overthrowing the Italian kingdoms and even taking over much of the Iberian Peninsula, crippling the Visigoths.

A Frankish Empire still ended up forming and even contested Italy with the Byzantines. The Magyars were diverted away from the Danube and back into Ukraine whilst the Khazar Empire rose to power. Still confined to the Arabian Peninsula, the Caliphate eventually fell apart. Several of the Muslim emirates that emerged began to spread their influence into the Indian Ocean and East Africa through trade. Christianity in one form or another also spread east out of Europe with missionaries and preachers moving into the Turkic and Slavic tribes to try to convert them and their leaders.

Zoroastrianism made a popular resurgence in the Persian rump state and managed to cling on in Persia itself even while under Muslim rule.

Arab rule in Persia collapsed shortly before the Turks bulldozed their way into the Middle East. The western Turkish tribes ended up converting to Islam and even ended up contesting Syria and the Levant with the Byzantines. Their extensive commitments to fighting in both the east and the west led to the decline of the Eastern Roman Empire.

The wars between the Byzantine Empire and the various nations of Western Europe (and the rebellions in Iberia and parts of Italy) lead to the creation of splinter churches separate from the united 'Catholic' faith of the Byzantines. Eventually a rival papacy forms in northern Iberia and manages to convert the majority of western and northern Europe whilst the Roman Catholic Church spreads into Africa and Eastern Europe.

The Roman Empire has risen and fallen several times and even had different states warring for their title. Currently the strongest contender is the Ruskyoi Imperium.

The Ruskyoi are primarily Slavic though a lot of Tartar and Turkic is mixed in as well. They are a staunchly Catholic state and their emperor claims the title of Roman Emperor. They are still an absolute monarchy but much of the power has been leaking down into the bureaucracy and the aristocracy due to the inept leadership of several recent emperors. The current emperor has managed to be smart enough and charismatic enough to convince most of his government to push through several administrative reforms that should hopefully counteract the inefficiency and slow corruption of their current governmental system.

The Ruskyoi have been rapidly industrialising for the past half century or so. Despite winning their last round of wars with Persia, their generally poor military performance (they largely won through sheer numbers) prompted them to go through a sudden process of modernisation.

Ruskyoi society is still going through the social upheaval of industrialisation. Urbanisation is under-way with the urban population rapidly outgrowing the rural one. The upper classes are still firmly in control with the old aristocracy taking control of the expanding industries. People who are managing to climb the social ladder and attaining high status are forced to accept titles of nobility and encouraged to accept the manners and attitudes of the existing upper class. The lower classes are subjected to propaganda through the new media industries. Thanks to the Catholic Church, education and literacy for children are compulsory which has allowed newspapers to become a large and successful industry of their own.

The Imperium is rather decentralised, largely to placate the other nations they have conquered or annexed over the last few centuries. They even have their own rulers but are expected to follow some form of accepted Christianity and accept the emperor as their supreme ruler.

The Kingdom of Italia is a Latin state that claims to be the centre of the Catholic faith. They don't have any real authority over the patriarchs of the other Catholic states but the prestige of holding Rome as their capital does lend them some clout amongst other Catholic nations. Rome is often used as the official meeting place for Catholic patriarchs where they may discuss and decide dogma. There is no papal infallibility and the patriarchs are subjected to the whims of secular rulers but most rulers prefer to listen to Rome's decrees when it comes to ecclesiastical matters.

The Empire of Francia is the home of the most popular non-Catholic denomination in Europe. The Francian Unitary Church managed to form its own opposing hierarchy that then went on to successfully convert many other European states and enforce a new doctrine. Even their power is informal at best, the arch-cardinal of Lutece does hold a lot of sway in other Unitary nations. Still their version of Unitary Christianity has spread through much of Central Europe.

One the more powerful non-Catholic states is the Empire of Himui. Founded by the Kingdom of Espanya, the Hesperide (American) nation has grown to power, eclipsing their homeland long ago.

Despite their Espanyan heritage, there is still a lot of native culture in Himui. Their local version of Christianity is influenced heavily by Quechan religion (mostly in the way of festivals and little folk-spirituality mind you) and the local dialect is also influenced by indigenous languages. The monarchy is an absolutist institution that is still heavily involved in government. The idea of an 'analytical despotism' which focuses the monarchical system around a form of rationalism (an arguable variation). This has handed a lot of power over to the bureaucracy and the more meritocratic civil services. The old agrarian aristocracy are still rather relevant but the industrialisation of the nation has reduced their importance.

Himui was one of the earlier nations to industrialise. The basic mechanisation of farming has allowed them to increase their population as food production grows as a result. Other industries have also industrialised which has allowed the empire to grow in power. However whilst their industrial output is comparatively high when compared to their resources, they are still dependent on resource imports from elsewhere. Their expansion overseas a few decades ago was in an attempt to secure more resources to support their nation.

The Himui Occidental Church is a Christian church but it also borrows from some of the local beliefs and many argue whether it truly qualifies as a Christian church anymore. The monarchy is supposedly descended from some kind of heavenly entity (usually an angel or something like that) which justifies their position as the official head of the church. Thanks to an earlier and slower arrival by Europeans the indigenous populations were able to recover a little bit more before they were conquered and assimilated.

The Imperium of Brasil is another non-Catholic state. Originally a British colony, the Brasilians went on to become an independent nation after their homeland fell to the Francians in the 18^th Century.

Unlike the Himui, the Brasilians are a much weaker state. Their decentralisation has prevented them from bringing their considerable power to bear. The government is monarchical but the aristocracy and other social elite have most of the power. The central government is very weak but it can set taxes (so long as the accountancy is open to the elites of every subdivision), direct foreign policy, command the armed forces and host the parliament. The franchise in Brasil is dependent on property qualifications but is open to people of all races as well as women.

English is the primary language of the Imperium but many local states do still retain local dialects and hybridised or indigenous languages. English is taught in schools throughout Brasil as a secondary or tertiary language as necessary and is the language of law, politics and business.

The Brasilians are rather cosmopolitan. Though there is a general standard on a spectrum varying between European and Amerindian, Brasilian society has a wide variety of subcultures within the Imperium. The Lakota and Sioux state of the Hesperide interior are some of the most distinct Amerindian states in Brasil but other more developed cultures have also survived. There is generally a national standard of law, despite the retention of many cultural traditions, that are strictly enforced. The Britannian Unitary Church is the state faith and the emperor is the head of the Church. This faith is what was responsible for the foundation of the national legal constitution.

Drakia (yes they're a thing), the other British successor state, is nominally connected to the Brasilians. They too are a Britannian Unitary state and their royal family have married into Brasil's but aside from that they are essentially an independent kingdom. They are starting to penetrate the interior now that engineering and medical technology allow them to more easily navigate the lands of Africa. They have no problem assimilating their African majority (though they will keep a very thick glass ceiling in place) but they expect them to be completely assimilated culturally, linguistically and religiously.

The Chinese Empire, which collapsed several centuries ago into several feuding states that continue to fight with one another, has produced several states that straddle the line between great power and moderate power.

The Empire of the Latter Wei dominated northern China after the split of the united empire and went on to expand north at the expense of the indigenous cultures after the south consolidated itself. The Wei are a more traditional monarchy despite the influx of Mongol, Tartar and Manchu people and have gone to great lengths to colonise areas like Manchuria in order to build up strength. With the encroachment of the Ruskyoi, they have begun to assimilate modern technology but their modernisation is slow due to resistance from the aristocracy.

The Shun lost a lot to the Niphonese but were able to rally in the interior. Still having a tentative connection to the coast, the military government (don't worry we'll give power back to the Shun Dynasty soon enough) have been importing as much foreign technology as they can afford. Their new modern army is becoming increasingly formidable and has proven itself against internal rebellions. It will be ready to take on Niphon as soon as the new rail-roads are laid down.

The Empire of Niphon is a multi-religious state. Shintoism, Buddhism and Unitary Christianity are all common faiths and the government doesn't particularly discriminate between them. Hinduism is also very common in their more recent colonial acquisitions. They have recently undergone a massive wave of expansion recently, forcing the Espanyans out of much of South Asia and crippling the Shun, stealing away most of their southern and eastern lands. They did try to conquer Korea from the Wei but failed against their numbers at the time. They have been rapidly industrialising again and their armed forces are increasingly being modernised, especially the navy which is experimenting with larger ironclads.

The Ayyumid Caliphate,a state based in Oman, is the premier Islamic state. Despite being unable to gain reaction in North Africa or Asia, the Muslim faith was able to spread into East Africa via the Indian Ocean trade network. Now the Ayyumids control a substantial empire in East Africa thanks to the conventional trades and the slave trade in the region. They have been challenged for their position of eminence by the Espanyans, British and Francians and are dependent on coal imports for their modernisation but they are still a powerful and wealthy nation.

Technologically this world is at about the same level as the OTL late 19^th Century. An industrial revolution is under-way and has been for decades with major nations around the world modernising themselves with new technology. Steamships and rail-roads are spreading now that steam engines have become powerful and efficient enough to move large objects. Telegraphs have just been invented and lines are being built in the more advanced nations.

Socially this world is still very imperialistic and conservative. Religion and monarchism are still widespread and the norm. A different approach to colonialism, thanks to the slower incursions into the Americas, means that imperialism is focused more around hegemony and the slow assimilation of other cultures into the metropole. Now that modern technology allows people to penetrate the interior of arid or tropical environments, the empires are tightening their grip on the last 'wild' portions of the globe.