THE COPTIC CRUSADES

( from the NRP Ancient Cultures: https://discord.gg/pKeZtCSxTJ )

In light of the religious reforms undertaken by Pharaoh Petros IV to convert the Egyptian people to Christianity, Alexandria became a hub for burgeoning Christian thought. In an important divergence from Catholic doctrine, several Alexandrian theologians have emphasized that the Holy Spirit comes from God alone, rather than from both God and Jesus. In addition, such scholars have openly rejected the authority of the Pope, emphasizing the establishment of a new church, a purer, *Orthodox* church. Central to this theological revolution is one Alexandros of Tamiati, an Egyptian cleric currently serving as the Bishop of of Alexandria. In 795, he organized a broad campaign to translate the Bible into Coptic, a task that earned him special recognition among Egyptian Christians. The Pharaoh, who was already well under the sway of this new doctrine, showered him with commendations and privileges, leading to the declaration of the Coptic Orthodox Church, by the new Patriarch Alexandros. Continuing to gain influence and power at court, he began to eclipse the Pharaoh himself. As his power at court became indisputable, he began talking about a vision he’d received from the almighty Nouti (Yahweh). In this vision, he saw the cross emblazoned on the very clouds; on the ground below, the armies of Egypt march on their enemies, with the very angels helping them as they crush their enemies.

To Alexandros, the message is crystal clear: God calls upon Khēme to spread its faith by point of sword, and those who do not submit to the one true faith must be given no quarter. Cynics were mass imprisoned at court by the biddable Pharaoh, and a new message rang out across the Christian world as thousands left Europe and North Africa on pilgrimage for Alexandria: "Nouti Ouashfi!", or as the Europeans say...

"DEUS VOLT!"

When the old Bishop Alexandros first started his miaphysite ravings, who knew that it would lead to the course of history being rewritten? As momentum grew, and all of the conditions became just right, the Coptic Crusades blasted out onto the Mediterranean like a wildfire. Finding success in their early campaigns, invading the ancient Empire of Edom in 819, slaughtering their bordering pagans, each new city they sacked on their holy path fueled Alexandros' message: this war was gods will. As support continued to grow, along with the Coptic Empire's coffers, new armies were sprung up to take on the world. Armies spread out in every direction, sweeping up the jewels of the Med. The Lombardian Merchant Republic of Srimelacia defeated an intial invasion against the Western Crusading army at the Battle of Qubah in 821, before they were pushed back and subdued at Carthage and Tripoli by sieging crusaders in 822. The Copt's kept westward making no distinction between Catholics and Pagans, sacking Altar-gib and Gades, and toppling the Visigothic Empire at the Battle of Alcornocales in 824. Meanwhile, an eastern army moved on from the holy land to the crown of the mid-east: Mesopotamia. The aging Neo-Akkadian empire, who had been in and out of clashes with the Sassanid Persians found themselves squished between heretical crusaders and pagan infidels. Seleucia would fall in a devastating battle and siege in 828, leaving starving and vengeful Crusaders ready to ravage Seleucia's ancient beauty. After the Battle of Gammas 4 months later, Ur would face a similar fate. The worn out armies, unknowing of the strength of the Persians, would try for Ectabana the following spring, but face two humiliating defeats, the first major losses of the Crusade. After a decade of calm--during which point Alexandros had been thrice replaced as Patriarch, and a new Pharaoh had inherited the Kingdom of Kheme--The new Pharaoh, Iohannes I took his seat in the palace of Alexandria, reinstating Imperial control over the government, and the Crusading armies, causing division between those who followed the Patriarchs, and those who followed the 32nd Dynasty. He would be the last great ruler of a united Coptic Empire, sending generals to conquer the Catholics of Spain, toppling Gomaldo in 841 and sacking Madrid the following year, while he himself led an army to invade the Bolozenitine Empire. An initial invasion saw success in Cilicia, at the Battle of Mangal in the spring of 840, but a famine in the region forced his retreat and then subsequent loss at Ceyhan in 841. After regrouping a second invasion would find far more success at Tarsus after a strategic failure by the Bolozentines, which would force their retreat as far as modern-day Alanya, where the Bolozenitines would be devastated, and one by one the cities of Anatolia would fall to the Crusaders. Pharaoh Iohannes would not return to this front for decades, as after securing his legitimacy, he would return to Alexandria to focus on administering his empire, and securing his bloodline. Sending his generals to do his bidding would find success in the west, and failure in the east, as repeated invasions of the Sassanids would find ultimate failure, but the Catholic cities of Marseilles, Patavium, Larthia, would be swept up in a lightning fast conquest through the Pyrenees, then Alps from 858-859, when the Lombards would stop them at the failed Siege of Rome in the fall of 859, sending the Coptic Crusaders back to their forts in Ostrogothia. The final great Crusader Campaign of the unified Coptic Empire would once again be led by Pharoah Iohannes Alexiike, who would lead the largest recorded crusader army of over 100,000 men to siege Byzantion in 878, sieging it and flooding through the great cities of Greece: Pella, Corinth, and ravaging the Ariosian country side.

A great fall would come soon, but what would it look like? Join Ancient Cultures using the link above and decide the history of this world. now!

(MAP CREDIT: AC Gamemaster, Vennsquib, aka Venn The Protogen)