Chapter 24.5

Intermission - 1255: Half-Time

January 7th, 1255...

BORDERS

-Britannia-
The British Isles are split between England in the south and Scotland in the north. The northern coastal islands (Orkney) and the islands that lie far north of Scotland (Hjaltland and Færeyar) belong to the Kingdom of Norge and have for centuries now.

-Western Europe-
Brittany continues to be divided between the Kingdom of Brittany and the Kindom of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, having lost all of its holdings in the Middle East, is now exclusively located in Brittany. The Kingdom of Brittany is ruled by the Jerusalem King's cousin, and they remain allied. A small portion of the Holy Land is still controlled by Brittany. France and Aquitaine's borders remain in shambles. Paris is owned by Aquitaine, and several counties inside of Aquitaine are owned by France. The queen of Aquitaine happens to be Princess ZZZ of England, half-sister of King Æthelstan IV.

-Iberia-
Iberian Christianity is in danger of being eradicated from the peninsula. The only remaining enclave of Catholicism is in the north east of the peninsula. Most of Iberia is ruled by the Aftasid Dynasty, which has conquered up to the border of Aquitaine. At this time, Galicia is defending itself from a jihad led by the Fatimid Sultanate, and the war is not going well for Galicia. It seems likely that the rest of the Christian kingdoms will fall in the next 2 centuries. The rest of Christian Iberia is split between Leon, Castille, and Navarra, while a single county in central Iberia is still controlled by Brittany. The very south of Iberia is controlled by the Abadid Sultanate, which is currently winning a war of conquest against the Aftasid Sultanate.

-Central Europe-
Central Europe is dominated, as for the last 2 centuries, by the Holy Roman Empire. Since 1252, when Emperor Ludolf of the HRE conquered it as a claimant, the HRE and the Byzantine Empire have been united into one realm. Amazingly, Ludolf 'the Just' is an extraordinarily supported and liked emperor of both empires, with next to no dissenters among his vassals. Both empires also have Primogeniture inheritance, so, as long as the empires together remain stable, it appears they will stay as one entity. There are small parts of Europe owned by Sunni and Shia Muslims. Sicily is controlled by the (Sunni) Bektashi Order, which is the Muslim's equivalent of the Teutonic Order. Croatia is controlled by the expansive (Shia) Fatimid Sultanate. The Kingdom of Croatia, meanwhile, was pushed back to inland Europe, based in Slavonia and Hungary. Pomerania in the north, split on either side of Poland, has long ago converted to Orthodox Christianity.

-Scandinavia-
In 1246, the last Germanic county fell to Norge. Now, Scandinavia is divided between the Catholic Kingdoms of Sweden, Norge, and Danmark, and the Suomenusko chiefdoms. Sweden is currently in its 2nd war with Norge over the county of Vermland.

-Eastern Europe-
Eastern Europe is ruled by mainly kings of small realms, with the exception of Rus, Poland, Hungary, and the Mongol Empire. Nomadic Cumania, which recently converted to Christianity, rules much of Wallachia. Crimea is controlled by the HRE.

-Central Asia-
The Suomenusko chiefdoms of Yugra, Ugra, and Bjarmia still control much of northern Central Asia, but the Mongol Empire still dominates the lands not owned by Seljuk. Interestingly, Khagan Jochi, leader of the Mongol Empire, converted to Hinduism since taking over from his father Temujin. Hindu is no longer exclusive to the Indian Subcontinent. Next to the Mongol Empire is the Christian Kingdom of Cumania. To the very east is the Khaganate of Udur, which also converted to Christianity in the 13th century.

-Middle East-
As ever, the Middle East is dominated by the Seljuks and the Fatimids. The Seljuks have expanded from the very tip of the Arabian Peninsula and Anatolia to west India and Central Asia. They currently control Jerusalem. The Fatimids have, over the last few decades, finished conquering the Monophysitic lands of Abyssinia. The Knights Hospitaller has also emerged, taking the county of Jaffa, and, curiously, it is now led by King Æthelstan IV's younger brother Leofheah, who left England to become a knight in the 1240's.

RELIGION

-Christianity-
Christianity, which has done surprisingly well in Asia, what with the conversion of Cumania and Udur, is struggling in Iberia and Anatolia. There is no religious strife currently in play, other than the sudden Catholic takeover of Orthodox Byzantium.

-Islam-
Despite a serious rift down the middle of the Islamic world between the Shias and the Sunnis, Islam has spread far and wide, encompassing most of Iberia and large tracts of Asia (though here it is challenged by Catholicism and Hinduism).

-Hinduism-
While Hinduism was generally never practiced on large scales outside of India, the conversion of the Mongols to the religion has helped introduce it in Asia and Eastern Europe. For now, it poses a threat to the already present religions in the area.