Middle East

Kingdom of Jerusalem

The Crusader States, or Outremer, are in theory ruled by the King of Jerusalem. However, the Principality of Antioch, and the counties of Edessa and Tripoli are in practice independent states. Even the feudal lords within the Kingdom of Jerusalem itself have very loose ties to the King. As the Crusader Lords remaining in Palestine are the most ambitious and ruthless of the lot, the pious having returned home after the Holy Land was liberated, Outremer has become a land of intrigue. The lords have their private armies and would have turned against each other many times already without the external threat of the Saracens.

The King of Jerusalem, Baldwin of Boulogne, has to keep the peace at all costs. So far the surrounding Muslim states have not been able to set aside their own disagreements to unite against the christians. Baldwin wants to make sure they never get the excuse to do so, since with the amount of troops they could raise, they would easily overrun the entire Palestine. Muslims have the right to do business in Outremer, and even practice their religion everywhee else but in the city of Jerusalem. The same is true of the local jews. Not all stricter christians like to see infidels being allowed to do as they please, but as these two groups run most of the local businesses they are a critical source of taxes for Baldwin.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem has also been the birthplace of three religious orders of knights: the Templars, the Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights. The orders are still small in numbers but very well funded, trained, and equipped. The influence of these orders is slowly extending to the home countries of the knights, as well as the areas neigboring Outremer.

Emirate of Syria

Part of a former large Seljuk Turkish state, conquered by Malik Shah. The sultanate disintegrated in the hands of Malik's sons into the Emirate of Syria, the Sultanate of Rum in Anatolia, and the Sultanates of Baghdad and Khorasan in Persia.

Syria is now ruled by the Emir of Aleppo, Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan, who wrested control of Damascus from his weak nephew after the death of his brother Duqaq, ending a long civil war. Radwan is constantly fighting Tancred of Taranto, the Prince of Antioch, who threatens the city of Aleppo. Fortunately for Tancred, Radwan is not on very good terms with his Muslim neighbors who have thus far refused to help him due to his open support of the Hashishin sect.

Sultanate of Rûm

A "Rome in Asia", the sultanate of Rûm consists of former Byzantine provinces in Anatolia, conquered by the Great Seljur Malik Shah. It rebelled against Malik under Suleyman Ibn Kutalmish, but after the death of the latter fell back to Malik Shah's hands. When Malik died, Suleyman's son Dawud Ibn Suleyman overthrew the governor at Nicaea and became the Sultan Kilij Arslan or "Sword Lion".

Losing Nicaea to the Byzantines in the Crusade - with his family taken hostage - Arslan attacked the crusaders at Dorylaeum and lost again. Now he concentrates his war efforts towards his fellow Seljuks in Syria, and has even recently signed a peace treaty with Alexios Komnenos.

Armenian Principality of Cilicia

A small state formed by Armenian exiles, driven from their homelands in the north-east by the Turks. Lesser Armenia, as it is sometimes called, gained independence from the Byzantine Empire, who could not defend all its lands in the Asia Minor against the onslaught of the Turks. A former ally of the Byzantines, the eastern orthodox christian state has shifted its loyalty towards the closer and more powerful Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The Prince of Armenia, Thoros, has just recently defeated the Seljuk Turks with the help of Crusader Lords. However, the relations with the Byzantine Greeks are quickly deteriorating and a conflict is imminent.