Islamic World 1907

A fairly random map, vaguely inspired by this: [link]

It’s 1907, and war is threatening. The Caliphate of Toledo (it used to be Cordoba, but there’s been quite a bit of History since then) has ambitions of restoring their early medieval rule over al-Firanj now that that country is a state of internal turmoil. This is opposed by the Empire of Albion, the last Christian power, which has followed a policy of keeping the Continent politically divided since the collapse of the Rhine-Vistula Khanate in the 15th century: they’ve been invaded on several occasions when a single strong Islamic power dominated the mainland, and only the leadership of James IV, the “Scottish Alexander”, kept the south of England from falling permanently under Islamic rule last time.

People are worried: this will be more than just a Toledan-Albionese matchup. The Caliphate has kissed and made up with the Sultanate of Mezico, which has long-standing quarrels with the Albionese in North America. On the other side of the ledger, the Turkish dynasty that rules a vast if somewhat rickety empire from what was once Constantinople has disputed the title of Caliph with the Iberians since they re-adopted the title in the 1700’s, and have no interest in seeing their rivals grow stronger in Europe. And who knows what the Bengalis, the Afghan dynasty presently ruling from the Punjab, heathen Nippon – which has been modernizing since the botched Zungarian invasion of the 1820’s - or the backward but numerous Slavs and Tatars may do?

(The other great Islamic power, the Zungarian Khanate, is finding it’s recent conquest of still-Confucianist south China rather indigestible, and is likely to remain neutral in any major conflict).

The Albionese aren’t exactly British: they’ve been a destination of Christian refugees from the continent for some centuries now, as tolerance for and social status of Christians has slipped in the face of an increasing Islamic majority. They’re also rather undemocratic: think 18th century Prussia, a near garrison state with added obnoxious religiosity. They are, however, a fairly rich state by this TLs standards: a larger, richer and more intellectually open Islamic world than OTL has had a slow-motion industrial revolution of sorts, and thanks to abundant industrial materials, the Albionese have been at the forefront of the move to turn steam and coal into money and military power.

(Technology is a bit more backward than OTL 1907: they have steamships and locomotives and hot air balloons and a sort of gatling gun, basic industrial chemistry and gas lights and nitrate explosives. OTOH, the transmission of electricity is something still being experimented with by philosophers in Toledo and Lahore, there’s no heavier-than-air flight, and evolutionary theories as to the origins of life are limited to fringe heretics not beloved of God or Allah).

The Japanese are fairly friendly with the Albionese, as the one other major non-Muslim power, and have found them a useful source of technology and investment. This world’s Japan never closed off as thoroughly as that of our world, and never gave up the gun: Samurai, rather than professional gunpowder armies, are a memory of long ago. Still, the Shogunate is somewhat less well organized than the Tokugawa regime of OTL, much less the Meji regime: although they have considered strengthened their position, and have taken over a number of Pacific islands largely beyond the purview of the major Islamic powers, they are not, as yet, ready to make a major step into the world, although a big enough war may open some possibilities.