Oduniyyad Caliphate: Difference between revisions

The '''Oduniyyad Caliphate''' (ٱلْخِلافَةُ ٱلأُدوِنَيَّة ''al-Khilāfatu al-'Oduniyyah'') was the first Islamic empire, established by {{wpl|Muhammad}} in [[624]] CE on the continent of [[Audonia]] (''al-Oduniye'') and greatly expanded over the next half-millennium to become one of the largest empires in history. The Caliphate had always been religiously and ethnically diverse which created tension within the realm. In [[1031]], followers of the Shia sect who believed that Ali ibn Ali should have succeeded {{wpl|Muhammad}} rather than Caliph {{wpl|Abu Bakr}} seceded from the Caliphate, forming a [[Khandharan Empire|rival empire]] in the conquered territory in [[Alshar]]. This was followed shortly by the [[Crusades]], a series of religious wars waged by Christians to reclaim the southern lands of [[Sarpedon]] which had been under Muslim rule for centuries. Portions of the empire fractured gradually over subsequent centuries until the Caliphate eventually fell to infighting in [[1517]] CE.

Across the sea to the east, the continent of [[Punth]] was home to many different states, cultures, and religious beliefs. According to Islamic tradition, invasions of [[Alshar]] were motivated by the heretical and allegedly polytheistic faiths practised by early {{wpl|Vedas|Vedic}} worshippers. This prompted cries of jihad in the 9th century, leading to the withdrawal of major military forces from Sarpedon and the large-scale invasion of [[Punth]]. Originally landing in what is modern-day [[Umardwal]], the invasion force steadily conquered the disparate states of [[Alshar]], reaching as far as the borders of Canpei and Wonjin before their forces became spread too thin. An alliance between the nascent kingdoms of [[Tapakdore]] and [[Pursat]] with the Asiatic nations to the east successfully stymied attempts to penetrate further into the region and regained ground in [[Khyarvi]] and [[Kulaparkar]] which was restored to its original rulers. Several more incursions by Caliphate jihadis were attempted, but little ground changed hands over the subsequent centuries.

The conquest of most of [[Alshar]] endowed the Oduniyyad Caliphate with significant riches and resources. The Caliphate exploited their near-exclusive access to the production spices and silks from the East to trade with the West. Islamic laws regulated aspects of trade and commerce, offering superior exchanges with fellow Muslims. This created an impetus for peaceful conversion within trade centres of southern Sarpedon which combined with an influx of wealthy merchant-class Muslim immigrants instigated Islamic cultural dominance in the region from the 10th to 15th centuries. Several Muslim states emerged eternally from the Caliphate in southern Sarpedon during this period, independently ruled, but de facto subject to the authority of the Caliphate. These independent states often threatened and quarrelled with Christian states to the north as well as with Christian subjects within their territories. Due to the vast wealth of the Muslim states accumulated through trade and virtual monopoly over luxury goods, Muslim lords often employed foreign and/or pagan soldiers as mercenaries to consolidate control of trade overland as well as on the seas, engaging in trade wars with Christian neighbours. Despite the plausible deniability conferred by the use of mercenaries and privateers, Muslim lords earned the enmity of their Christian neighbours and this along with the inequitable treatment of Christian subjects would provoke conflict in the near future.