Part 123: The Fate of the Taifas of Al Andalus, 1914

I wrote this stuff up a while ago and initially wasn't going to post it, since it seems very extra, but I figured that with the Sheikhs and Emirs of the Majlis being murdered and executed after over 700 years of dominance and authority in Al Andalus, this was as good a time as any to give them a bit of depth.

It needs a lot of polishing, and I need to add a few characters that I'd forgotten, but this is a short history of the taifas of Al Andalus.

Taifas of Al Andalus



Farihids

Despite being one of the younger names in the Majlis al-Shura, the Farihids number amongst the loudest, richest and most influential families in Al Andalus. They were strong supporters of Sultan Al-Muhsin during the Fitna of Al Andalus, and for that they were rewarded with historic and highly-prized (but otherwise poor) estates in Algeziras, along with a seat in the Majlis. Their support of the royal dynasty flailed in successive centuries, however, with the family eventually becoming bitter enemies to the crown and Sultan.

And this is when Sheikh Al-Farih came into the picture, late into the 1700s, forging alliances with other nobles in the Majlis, sparking the Majlisi Revolt and orchestrating the overthrow of the Jizrunids. Once an oligarchic republic was established in Qadis, Sheikh Al-Farih made his play for power and attempted to declare himself Grand Vizier, but he found his support amongst the other viziers sorely lacking. The ensuing power struggle saw Al-Farih murdered in his own estates, and though his grandsons would be restored to his lands in Algeziras, they would continue to harbour a bitter distrust of the Grand Viziers who followed.

Another member of this family rose to prominence several decades later, with Sheikh Fadhil al-Farihi leading the Majlisi Guard in the historic invasion of Morocco, at the height of the Tirruni Wars. Under his leadership, the Andalusi wreaked havoc across north Africa for almost three years before marching on, besieging and sacking Marrakesh — the Isolated City. For this, Sheikh Fadhil would stand amongst the greatest generals in world history (according to Andalusi reckoning, at least). And all that glory and fame was well-earned, but it was also very short-lived, with the Berbers regrouping and annihilating Sheikh Fadhil’s army just weeks later, quickly retaking Marrakesh. Fadhil desperately surrendered to his opposing commanders as the battle turned against him, but they would never forgive the man who sacked their capital and ravaged their lands, and Sheikh Fadhil Al-Farihi would meet his infamous death at their hands. Tortured, desecrated and mutilated, his body would never be lain to rest.

The Farihids would never match or outlive this era of glory and infamy, gradually sliding into decadence and degeneracy over the course of the next century. This blissful era of luxurious hedonism and self-indulgence would come to and sudden end in 1914, however, with the outbreak of the Iberian Revolution prompting the last of the Farihids to flee across the straits and into exile in Morocco.


Hakami

The Hakami are an interesting family, not because they possess any great lands or riches, not because of any noteworthy progeny, and not because of any boast-worthy deeds or accomplishments. The Hakami are interesting because, for all intents and purposes, they’re Jizrunids.

They are descended from Hakam, the second son of Sultan Hakam the Reformer, having inherited his father’s poor and disparate estates in Marbal-la, located a few miles north of Algeziras. The modern sheikhs of Marbal-la trace their lineage all the way back to Hakam, surviving long after their royal cousins had been driven from Iberia.

They've remained very quiet in political matters, with the Sheikhs of Marbal-la rarely taking up their seat in the Majlis, even in times of great crisis. Instead, they've ingratiated themselves into the local life and wellbeing of their little city, devoting their time and energy and money into the prosperity of Marbal-la. And it was that which made them so enduring and long-lived, with the Hakami even maintaining their neutrality when their cousins in Qadis were overthrown and ousted. This era of splendid isolation could not last forever, and upon the eruption of the Iberian Revolution, large numbers of the Hakami fled to their distant cousins in Malta - but many would also remain in their historical seat of power, determined to weather through the storm. And as expected, they were almost entirely garrotted on the order of the Supreme Leader, with only a few Hakami surviving as obscure shopkeepers or accountants or doctors.


Hammudids

An old family that proudly traces their ancestry through the years and to the earliest days of Islam, long before Cádiz was anything but a small fishing-town. The Hammudids are direct descendents of the Idrisid dynasty, which ruled Morocco for two hundred years between 800 to 1000, but they were forced to flee into Iberia when the Almoravids came to power.

The Hammudids were granted holdings in Malaqa by the Umayyad Emir, but they would seize their independence soon afterwards, when the Umayyads collapsed and the First Taifa period began. This era of civil infighting would not last very long before the Jizrunids came to power, however, and the Hammudids quickly folded and swore fealty to the Sultan in Qadis, becoming one of the strongest supporters of the Jizrunid dynasty in the years and decades that followed.

The Hammudids are unique in that they are one of the few Andalusi dynasties who fully profess to Shia Islam, as their fathers and forefathers had before them. They were largely left to practice their faith in peace, but the Hammudids would also become increasingly supportive of their religious brethren, and became very influential in the movement that spread across southeastern Iberia in the 1500s and 1600s, when thousands of heretic peasants came to populate the cities of Granada, Almeria and Mursiya, transforming the region into a stronghold of Shia Islam to this very day.

The family’s wealth was squandered and lost during the Collapse of Al Andalus, but they remain rich in history and tradition, having contributed four Grand Viziers to Al Andalus - one during the reign of Sultan Utman II, and other three during the reign of Sultan Tariq.

The last of the Hammudid emirs was garrotted by his own people after a violent uprising in Malaqah, and since the Iberian Revolution was raging across the width of the peninsula, the rest of the dynasty fled to Qadis, then Tangier, then Imariz, where they would loudly call for the return of monarchy in Al Andalus.


Yahaffids

This dynasty is descended from the eponymous Yahaff, one of the lower-ranking lords who were rewarded with rich lands in the Grand Shura of 1274, with Yahaff in particular granted the emirate of Balansiyyah.

Despite this, however, the Yahaffids were enduring enemies to the Jizrunid Sultans over the course of the Middle Ages, gradually becoming the standard-bearers for Taifa autonomy, Majlis empowerment and curbed sultanic authority. They led many rebellions against Qadis, some successful and some not, but they were always too powerful to completely crush - and eventually, they achieved their ambitions, with the Majlis becoming a dominating force in Al Andalus and a constant check to the powers of the Sultan.

Unfortunately for them, however, this influence and power would make them a massive target once the Iberian Revolution erupted. Balansiyyah had always been a vast, fertile and rich taifa, and hundreds of Yahaffid nobles were shot and garrotted as the Red Army of the Iberian Revolution attempted to secure control of the province. The few survivors escaped into Almoravid Morocco, where they were granted esteemed positions at the right-hand side of the Sultan.


Zafirids

A relatively minor and inconsequential family, the Zafirids are best known for their talented commanders and generals, a consequence of their lands being on the frontier of Al Andalus for a good many years. Various sheikhs would serve as commanders in the Andalusi-Christians Wars of the Middle Ages, and the Andalusi-French Wars and the Andalusi-Moroccan Wars of the 1500s and 1600s, founding several impressive military academies in their seat of power - Turtushah. This family trait would become immensely valuable upon the outbreak of the Iberian Revolution, when Supreme Leader Maz Mazin granted amnesty to countless Zafirids, eager to use their military experience and expertise in the fast-approaching Great War.


Ghazzawi

Compared to many of the noble families in the Majlis al-Shura, the Ghazzawi are considered to be relatively new-blood, very young and inconsequential in national politics. They were generally used as pawns by the great houses of Iberia, forging temporary alliances and cutting one-sided deals with the Aftasids, Yahaffids, Tirruni and so on. And it would have remained that way for decades, had the Iron Vizier not burst onto the political scene of Al Andalus, utilising his intellect and charm to rapidly rise to the esteemed position of Grand Vizier.

The late 1800s were a turbulent time in Al Andalus, with tensions between socialists and reactionaries rising in the streets and alleyways of all the major cities and industrial centres of Iberia, uprisings and rebellions becoming a worryingly-common occurrence. This was when Shukri al-Ghazzawi was named the new Grand Vizier of Al Andalus. A staunch liberal, Shukri managed to unite the Imperialists, Moderates and Royalists of the Majlis al-Shura into a broad coalition, passing the first political and social reforms in Al Andalus for decades. And in addition to that, he massively expanded the Andalusi Navy, allowing her to challenge on the high seas for the first time in centuries, oversaw the reconstruction of Qadis, conquered Qattalun to reunify Iberia, expanded the colonial holdings in Africa, seized the Bengal and founded the Andalusi Raj — all in the space of five years.

He was called the “Iron Vizier” by the press and commoners alike, and since he was still quite young, many predicted that he would rise to dominate continental politics within the decade. A bright future indeed, both for him and Al Andalus.

Only for Shukri to be brutally assassinated in the streets of the capital, in the middle of a thronging crowd in broad daylight. The assassin wasn’t apprehended, but modern scholars are convinced that it was an SGA agent would pulled the trigger, ending the Iron Vizier’s life and paving the road to internal divisions and civil war.


Wannaqo

A family that dates back to the Medieval Era, and one that has borne many gifted commanders and tacticians throughout the years. Especially famous is Ismail Wannaqo, who served as Supreme Commander of all Andalusi forces in the mid-1700s, notching a number of impressive victories against French and Moroccan armies, before resigning his post and going into voluntary exile in Corsica. According to legend, it was Ismail Wannaqo who tutored a very young, naive Sahim Tirruni in his earliest days, training him in the very same tactics and stratagem that Tirruni would one day use to conquer the continent and forge his empire.

The Wannaqo would fade into obscurity in the years that followed, however, their power and influence waning until they had become a puppet to the larger families in the Majlis. This was very humiliating to the once-prestigious family name, of course — until the Iberian Revolution erupted, and anyone with history or money was being garrotted by the masses. The Wannaqo managed to retain their few remaining estates by quickly declaring their support for the Supreme Leader, who used their money and conscripts to seize Qadis in the months that followed.


Banu Rodh

The Banu Rodh are a noble family that can only trace their lineage to the early modern era, when their founding father was granted estates and a seat on the Majlis by Sultan Al-Muhsin, in return for his support during the ruinous Fitna of Al Andalus. The dynasty has contributed several prominent viziers and advisors in the years that followed, including Abi Rod, who was an instrumental figure in the Majlisi Revolt and Collapse of Al Andalus, but most famous is likely to be Batal Rodyllah - the ruling Grand Vizier of Al Andalus between 1895 and 1900, only to be assassinated whilst delivering a heated speech to the swarming masses of Batalyaws.

The dynasty was still a powerful force in Andalusi politics when the Iberian Revolution broke out, and unfortunately for them, their estates in Al-Mansha would become one of the sites of the largest battle in the civil war — the battle of Qunturah. Their cities were shelled until only craters remained, their towns were ravaged and pillaged for supplies and food, their villages were seized and torched on a daily basis, and the Banu Rodh themselves would be one of the many noble families to perish during the Revolution, rounded up and executed during the destructive struggle for Qunturah.


Ghizvanni

The Ghizvanni are descended from a 15th century merchant by the name of Ali Ghizvanni, a mere commoner who became the richest man in Europe and North Africa through his monopoly of the trade routes from the East. Ali Ghizvanni quickly became a magnate in the upper echelons of Andalusi society, earning the friendship of the Jizrunids through his many gifts and interest-free loans to the royal coffers, giving him untold political influence.

This political influence was quickly put to use upon the death of Sultan Ma’n, widely revered as Sayfullah, with Ali Ghizvanni sweeping into power, taking the new Sultan into his custody, and declaring himself the Grand Vizier Al Andalus. He would dominate the Sultanate for the next twenty years, fighting successful wars against Christian Iberia and France, reforming the economic and monetary systems of Al Andalus, and most importantly, granting his sons vast estates and seats in the Majlis al-Shura. His last and most important victory would be against Christian Iberia, with the united kingdoms descending into civil war and fracturing into successor states soon afterwards, thus ending the last threat to the survival of Al Andalus in the Middle Ages.

Ali Ghizvanni remains the most famous of his name, but his descendents have cropped up over the centuries, with several serving as notable viziers in the Majlis and commanders in the army. By the 1900s, however, their prestige and riches had dwindled until they were nothing but a distant memory. The last of the Ghizvanni and sheikh of Abila was garrotted in the early days of the Iberian Revolution, when his seat of power was seized by revolutions and purged of any traces of aristocracy and capitalism.


Aftasids

A particularly proud and prickly family, the Aftasids once ruled as Sultans in Iberia, an honour that they’ve remembered through their highs and lows. They lost their kingdom in the Iberian Crusades, and were forced to flee south en masse, escaping into the Jizrunid Emirate. Despite the loss of their lands, the Aftasids continued to be a very prominent and influential family, and were eventually granted lands around Batalyaws, Salamanqa and Al-Gharb. The chaos over the next few centuries - the Fitna, the Collapse, the New Taifa period - saw their lands and influence shrink, however, so they now control only the city and environs of Batalyaws.

The Aftasids played an important role in the rising and falling fortunes of Al Andalus, especially when Marzuq Aftasid was named Grand Vizier by the Mad Hunchback in the 1750s, only for him to betray the Sultan and spearhead the overthrow of the Jizrunid dynasty. With significant support from his noble allies, he established an oligarchic republic to rule from Qadis instead, sparking the fragmentation and Collapse of Al Andalus - which wouldn’t be reunited for almost another century.

This prestigious family would fall under the radar in the years that followed, but remarkably, they rose to prominence once again in the midst of the Iberian Revolution. It was the Aftasids who launched the Counter Coup, toppling the Autocrat and restoring the Sultan to power (though it was they who ruled, in truth). The Aftasid Emir then began implementing a series of drastic measures to drive back the revolutionaries, but this only incited another uprising, one that wouldn’t be crushed so easily — the Million Man Riot. One million workers, labourers, shopkeepers and fishermen and farmers marched against the Royal Palace and Majlis Assembly in the height of the summer of 1916, quickly overwhelming their sparse opposition, dragging thousands of nobles and viziers into the streets of Qadis, and garrotting them in full view of the masses. This was the fate of the last Aftasid Emir, though his sons managed to escape the massacre and flee across the Atlantic Ocean, exiling themselves in the Berber Union.


Banu Musa

The Banu Musa are named for their founder and forebear, Musa, a man who had served as regent of Al Andalus during the Middle Ages. He was born to a lowborn trader and rose to prominence as a commander to one of the early Jizrunid Sultans, but he won everlasting fame when engaged and slaughtered the combined forces of Portugal, León, Castille, Navarre and France in the battle of Caceres - for which he would forever be known as the Bull of Caceres.

For his great victory, he was rewarded with a stretch of land between Batalyaws and Ishbiliya - poor, undeveloped land, but within ten years, Musa had transformed it. Building the stronghold of Safra, he soon attracted local commerce to his holdings, gradually turning his castle into a centre of trade routes. After another ten years, a small village would cling to edges of Safra, and by the end of the century, the once-bare stretch of sand had been transformed into a thriving city.

Musa served as Grand Vizier and Lord Protector of Al Andalus during Abdul-Hasan’s minority, but when the young Sultan fell in battle, he lost the favour of the Jizrunids and withdrew to his stronghold. He died a few years later, but his descendents lived and ruled in Safra ever since, known as the Banu Musa. None of Musa’s descendents would ever rise to the same heights as their forebear, but they did occasionally earn fame and prominence for their feats as commanders and admirals, with one of the Banu Musa even leading a virgin expedition across the Atlantic Ocean and landing in the yet-undiscovered continents of Gharbia.

Like many of the ancient names of Al Andalus, however, they would not survive the Iberian Revolution of 1914. The leading members of the family attempted to escape to Lishbuna, where they might board a ship heading westward, but they were intercepted by revolutionaries and promptly garrotted, with their bodies not even identified until weeks later.


Cyrahids

The brood of the infamous Cyrah ibn Cyrah, this family has belched forth an astonishing number of rabble-rousers over the past few decades. Their origins are murky and mysterious, but legend says that Cyrah managed to win possession of a small castle in whilst gambling with high lords, small and ruined and decaying. Cyrah immediately left to take command of his winnings, however, and quickly renovated and refurbished the castle, rebuilding its collapsing walls and reconstructing the neglected citadel. And just as well, because the Fitna of Al Andalus erupted a few years later, with the civil war raging across the width of the peninsula.

Remarkably, however, Cyrah managed to come out of it the better, seizing control of a string of towns and villages surrounding his castle. And when he saw which way the wind was turning, he declared for the winning side, and was rewarded with the title “Sheikh of Niebla” once the Fitna came to an end. Historians don’t place very much stock in this story, but it’s the only one we have.

Since then, every male in the family has been named Cyrah, making it very difficult to distinguish between them. We do know that a particularly famous Cyrahid - called Ibn Cyrah by historians - came to power in the 1760s. Ibn Cyrah used his ravishing looks and charming demeanour to carefully forge alliances with several other nobles in the realm, and when tensions and unrest bubbled into open rebellion, he helped lead the Majlisi Revolt and depose the Jizrunid Sultans. In the years that followed, he eliminated his rivals, cemented his power and declared himself the Grand Vizier of Al Andalus, enacting a series of far-reaching reforms over the course of his tenure, but his most famous moment came in his last days - when he attempted to establish a dynasty, an attempt that ended in failure as he was poisoned and his son was gruesomely murdered by a republican clique in the Majlis, with his rotting head paraded through the streets of Qadis for three days and three nights before being thrown to the hounds.

The Cyrahids were a large and fertile house, however, and gushed forth a multitude of agitators and firebrands opposed to the succeeding Grand Viziers. This flood would come to a sudden end with the declaration of the Iberian Union, however, with the civil war that followed wreaking havoc upon the Cyrahids in particular. Dozens of notable members of this family served in the Andalusi army and navy during the civil war, becoming famous for their ruthlessness with the revolutionaries, and for this they were repaid with the complete shearing of their house — root and stem. Dozens of Cyrahids were garrotted over the course of the revolution, with those that somehow survived fleeing to safety across the straits. From there, they would continue pouring money and men into monarchist groups and resistance bands, determined to one day reclaim their lands in Niebla.

Houdi

Another family that earned their estates during the ruinous years of the Fitna of Al Andalus, the Houdi were a small and inconspicuous house until the rise of Uthman al-Houd, one of the leading commanders of the Majlisi Guard during the Tirruni Wars. Many had even tipped the elderly commander to become Grand Vizier eventually, but a series of battlefield losses would cost him his career, with the commander being supplanted by a certain Raed Zulfiqar in the months and years that followed.

Despite this, Uthman was a wealthy man, and stayed involved in the politics of Al Andalus. When Raed Zulfiqar was crowned the new Sultan of Al Andalus, the Majlis al-Shura elected Uthman to become his first Grand Vizier. Uthman’s years in power wouldn’t be showered in glory, however, as the Grand Vizier was forced to tackle rising liberal sentiments and international crises in the years that followed, the most prominent being the Declaration of the Dual Monarchy. Nonetheless, he oversaw a period of rapid industrial expansion and economic growth, earning him the favour and approval of later scholars and historians.

The descendents of Uthman al-Houd would continue to dabble in politics, with the vast wealth hoarded by their dynasty giving them an enduring voice in the Majlis al-Shura. And this voice would only grow louder upon the outbreak of the Iberian Revolution, with the Houdi being one of the few dynasties who refused to simply surrender their lands to the revolutionaries. A few of them did escape into exile, it can’t be denied, but the vast majority served in the Andalusi Army instead, desperately fighting the revolutionaries until, one by one, they were all captured, chained and garrotted at the stake.

Mazighids

This family has an interesting origin, because they’re descended from the bitter enemies and arch-rivals of Al Andalus - the Almoravids of Morocco.

Of course, Morocco wasn’t always an enemy to Al Andalus, the Almoravids and Jizrunids had once been close allies. Their dynasties regularly inter-married throughout the Middle Ages, and in once of these couplings, the daughter of a Jizrunid Sultan was married to the thirdborn son of an Almoravid sultan - Mazigh. As dowry, Mazigh was given rich lands around the Wadiana river, where he and his descendents ruled right up until the 1910s. In the many wars and conflicts to rage between Al Andalus and Morocco since the founding of the Mazighid dynasty, they’ve always remained true to the former, though several prominent sheikhs of the family are noted to have served as intermediaries between the two powers.

As for their fate post-revolution, the Mazighids were one of the few dynasties to actually be invited to Morocco when the Red Army stormed across southern Iberia, an offer they gratefully accepted, with the noble family granted vast estates in Algeria for their blood ties to the ruling family.


Bilalids

This dynasty can also trace their lineage back to the Middle Ages, though they were always smaller and less consequential than the other great houses of Al Andalus. Largely surviving through clever alliances and marriage pacts, the most famous of the Bilalids has to be Tahir Hazm - the Grand Vizier of Al Andalus between 1730 and 1755, guiding the nation through devastating wars against Morocco and France, only to be imprisoned and executed by Sultan Ali III, more commonly known as the Mad Hunchback. For this, the Bilalids became bitter enemies to the ruling Jizrunid dynasty, and were instrumental in their eventual overthrow and ruin during the Collapse of Al Andalus.


Abbadids

Another family that loudly boasts of their heritage, the Abbadids are a line that stretches back to before the founding of Al Andalus, having ruled as the independent Emirs of Ishbiliya when Qadis was still a minor fishing village. They were one of many emirates to collapse before the Christian onslaught during the Iberian Crusades, however, and escaped into Qadis at the invitation of the Jizrunid Sultans.

The Abbadids would serve loyally as commanders and viziers for several generations, determinedly exacting vengeance on the crusaders for the massacre of their family and sacking of their holdings, and for this, Sultan Hakam Jizrunid eventually rewarded them with rich estates around Lishbuna.

The Abbadids would crop up in various forms throughout the centuries — commanders, admirals, viziers, advisors, regents and so on — until the Iberian Revolution broke out in the north, and the revolutionaries stormed across the width of the peninsula, seizing cities and garrotting nobles. A few Abbadids were caught in the fray, brutally executed on the streets of Tulaytullah and Qunturah in the infamous "Garrotting of the Taifas", but the vast majority fled before the onslaught of the Red Army, choosing to exile themselves in the United Isles of Al-Qarbiya instead.


Marwanids

This family is named for Al-Marwan, the man who single-handedly reconquered large stretches of Portugal and Galicia after the Collapse of Al Andalus. Al-Marwan would rise to influence as the instrument of the Majlis al-Shura, leading the Majlisi Guard on several successful campaigns against Qurtubah, Granada, Castille, Qattalun and France, and for his years of service he was granted a few acres of land around Madinat Zaytuna, where he would live out the rest of his days in comfort.

Al-Marwan’s descends would quickly ingratiate themselves into local custom and culture, becoming the very embodiment of Portuguese nationalism in the century that followed, and earning themselves a seat in the Majlis al-Shura as a consequence. And they served in that capacity with loyalty, until a certain Maz Mazin began causing trouble in the north, giving speeches that demanded the abolition of monarchy and authoring pamphlets that called for class warfare.

The Marwanids, famous for being one of the paragons of "Reformed Socialism" in Al Andalus, would eventually declare for Maz Mazin when he their allies were massacred by Grand Vizier Surayj al-Shujae, also called the Black Vizier and the Autocrat. They would become central figures in his government in the years that followed, leading several revolutionary armies, advising him on his military campaigns, and most importantly, escaping the massacres and garrottings that was the fate of countless other nobles. Their survival was not assured, however, not by a long-shot.

It became doubtful when Maz Mazin emerged victorious from the civil war, and impossible when he finally launched the Great Levelling. Needless to say, their demise was not going to be pleasant.


Banu Timu

The descendents of Ibn Timu, one of the many soldiers to have served with absolute authority as the Grand Vizier of Al Andalus. He was not a particularly clever or competent man, and his tenure as Grand Vizier saw tensions between him and the Majlis erupt into blood and chaos several times. He is best known for his string victories during the Second Coalition War, in which the monarchies of Europe united in opposition to the Bavarian Republic, prompting the largest and bloodiest wars the continent had yet seen. Ibn Timu allied the nascent Majlisi Republic of Al Andalus with the revolutionaries, a decision he would soon come to rue as the tides of fortune turned against them, but the Grand Vizier would still make his mark by crushing several monarchist armies in the battles of Cahors, a series of engagements that amounted to a grand total of 100,000 casualties.

Ibn Timu was eventually defeated, however, and forced to retreat back to Iberia with his head bowed. For his autocratic rule, the Majlis took the opportunity to strip him of his titles and authority, but Ibn Timu didn't seem to care much. He still had the army behind him, and would seize Qadis and execute every member of the Majlis if he had to, so what was the rush? The commander-vizier took his time on the march back to Qadis, drinking and feasting at near every castle and city he stopped at, only to collapse onto the stone floors of Fortress Zaytuna after drowning a glass of wine. Few voiced their thoughts, but there were very few doubts that he had been poisoned by one of the many Majlisi assassins to operate in that era.

Ibn Timu’s descendents would continue to rule considerable estates around Shant Yakub, though they generally remained withdrawn from other noble families, both due to their distant holdings and bloody history. Unfortunately for them, Shant Yakub would be the first of many cities targeted by the Red Army, when the Iberian Revolution finally erupted in 1914. And in an atrocity that made international headlines, but would quickly become conventional and widespread, the entire dynasty of Banu Timu was eradicated over a series of mass executions, with not even a single male heir left to carry the lineage.


And it is on those bloody foundations that the Iberian Union begins its rule.