Tanuzhakid Empire

The Tanuzhakid Empire, also called the Khadrami Empire, was a medieval empire in southwest Jimmada in what is now Alero. For nearly a millennium, the empire stretched from Jimmada in the north, Kasare in the south, the Golati mountains in the east, and the Ajo Sea in the west. The empire was founded by Jarader conquerors from what is now Agarad. These zealous conquerors swept south, using superior strategy and cavalry to defeat the native kingdoms, city states, and tribes sometime in the second century. The Tanuzhakid imperial structure as it is remembered, however, is sometimes dated to the sixth century, starting in the rule of Emperor Idam ha-Nundahr Ha-Khadrami. This imperial structure lasted in some form until the 1100s, until shortly after the death of the last major emperor, Arshan ha-Saddahr Ha-Khadrami. It was during Arshan's reign that the empire achieved its maximum wealth and geographical extent. Reduced subsequently by the Bindu peoples and their Great Migration, the empire was formally supplanted by the Empire of Kakere in the 12th century.

Although the Tanuzhakid Empire was created and sustained by warfare, it came to rule by establishing new administrative practices and incorporating diverse ruling elites, leading to more efficient, centralized, and standardized rule. The base of the empire's collective wealth was taxation on regional trade. These taxes, along with revenues from mineral wealth and some coastal agriculture, were paid in the well-regulated silver currency. This allowed traders and artisans to enter larger, neighboring markets. The peace maintained by the empire in its eight centuries of rule was a major factor in the economic development and expansion of what would become Alero. Burgeoning foreign presence in the Ajo sea and the demand for trade goods originating from within the empire created still greater wealth in Tanuzhakid courts. There was a great deal of conspicuous consumption among the Tanuzhakid elite, resulting in an explosion in patronage for painting, literary forms, textiles, and architecture.

Name
Contemporaries referred to the empire founded by firstguy at the Tanuzhakid empire, a name coming from the Manuak tanu, meaning "great; strong" and ujak, meaning "wolf." This is because firstguy was known as "The Great Wolf" among his many titles. His descendants carried on this mantle as a badge of authority over the empire.

The designation used for the empire by its neighbors was often simply "Khadrami," the name of the Jarader peoples who had swept south and conquered the land that became the empire. It is this name that was mostly widely used outside Alero's borders for most of history, and Tanuzhakid did not gain primacy in academic circles until the second half of the twentieth century.

Symbols of the state
The main symbols used by the Early Tanuzhakids were winged creatures of myth, brought from their homelands to the north. These included harpies and griffons; the latter was a predominant symbol of the Nundahr Dynasty, the first of the Three Great Dynasties to rule the empire. Griffons decorated many seals used by the Tanuzhakid court, and ambassadors from as far away as Ventora returned home with coins bearing griffons' heads.

Even after the fall of the House of Nundahr, symbols such as winged disks (representing the sun, or the oneness of Arrak) were commonly used as shorthand for the authority of the state. Standards with a winged gold disk are mentioned in various historical sources. Some miniatures depict the red banners of the emperor's elite guards. During a campaign southward century, a black banner with a winged silver disk was used by Emperor Idam ha-Nundahr Ha-Khadrami.

Often images on coins were accompanied by the expression, "in submission lies salvation," a common phrase used by Jarader groups at the time. The same expression was used on banners at the time as well.

Nundahr Dynasty (170-425CE)
The Tanuzhakid Empire was founded by firstguy (reigned 126-130 CE), a Jarader ruler who was a product of the blistering deserts of what is now Agarad. Ousted from his ancestral domains, firstguy and his following turned southward to satisfy his ambitions. He established himself at the foothills of the Golati mountains and then pushed steadily southward into what is now Alero and Ukuta. Ruling Alero at this time was a loosely-connected union of coastal city states. In the battle of Iròiyè, it is said that Emperor firstguy defeated Queen Ekpedure after fasting for twenty-two days, dedicating his victory to Arrak and claiming that the land had been set aside for he and his people. However, by this time, Ekpedure's realm was already crumbling, and it was actually the Queendom of Tetmosi which was the strongest power in the region, under the capable rule of Queen Ereuwa. In a decisive battle fought right outside Tetmosi's walls, Tanuzhakid forces under firstguy defeated the mercenary army of Tetmosi, who had been chained to one another to prevent their retreat. The battle was a resounding victory for the invading Tanuzhakids, and sealed the region's fate for the next two centuries.

Following the battle, the center of Tanuzhakid power became Tetmosi in the south instead of Iròiyè in the north. From this new capital, firstguy conducted countless raids and campaigns on conquest against surrounding peoples to the south and southeast. His preoccupation with wars and campaigns, however, did not permit him to consolidate the gains he had already made. The instability of the new empire became evident under his son, secondguy (reigned 130-156 CE), who was temporarily forced to flee northward by rebels. However, he returned soon after with an army of loyal cavalry, and reinstated Tanuzhakid rule in the region. Following his restoration, secondguy proved to be equal parts magnanimous and practical when he pardoned all rebel leaders who remained. He spent the rest of his reign building imperial power in the region through a network of loyal agents and officers. He also married Inoritseghbo, the daughter of one of the great merchant families of Tetmosi, to cement his legitimacy. Secondguy became known as secondguy the Lawgiver for his fair, unimpassioned administration of justice throughout the empire. It was during his reign that Alero began to return to its status as a hub of trade in the region, and his fair policies and protection encouraged merchants to once again do commerce in the region's coastal cities.

For the next two centuries, the Nundahr dynasty proved to be able and resolute wardens of the empire. However, by the time of the 5th Century CE, a string of incompetent, incapable, or weak emperors. This was worsened by the ascent of crazyguy the Mad, an unstable ruler who grew obsessed with the idea that his family was plotting to overthrow him. In a fit of paranoia, he ordered that all of his immediate family be executed, and that favoriteguy, his favorite son, be permitted to endure exile in the Empire of Haksarad. Favoriteguy's exile in Haksarad established diplomatic ties between the two empires' courts, and led to increasing Haksar cultural and political influence on the empire. Crazyguy died alone in his private locked chambers, having apparently choked on a piece of his dinner. Favoriteguy's return from Haksarad in 423 CE allowed for a minor restoration in terms of culture in some parts of the empire, but he succumbed to disease two years later. This brought an official end fo the Nundahr dynasty, and raised the question of who would rule next.

Magir Dynasty (425-843CE)
Following the death of Favoriteguy, it was determined by the Hadrimat ruling class of Alero that Idam ha-Nundahr Ha-Khadrami, an infant, distant cousin to the deceased crazyguy, should be declared Emperor. Idam hailed from house Magir, a relatively minor house with moderate wealth and status. However, Idam would be represented by a Council of Regents until he came of age. It was in this council where power lay in Alero for many years. He was declared to have reached the age of majority at seventeen, upon which he assumed personal control of the reins of government. In a move shocking many, he astonished his court by declining that he would not be appointing an Advisory Council, a collection of heads of various rich families to advise him. "You," he said, "will assist me with your counsel when I ask for it. I order that you seal no orders except by my command.  Do not sign anything, even a simple edict, without my command.  Render account to me personally every day and favor noone." Idam was able to capitalize on the widespread public yearning for centralized public order following the years of uncertainty under the Council of Regents, allowing him to consolidate central political authority and reform with the backing of other noble families and the region's various Abuda merchant clans.

Through a combination of warfare and diplomacy, Idam was able to secure the empire's borders and even expand them in parts. Through his civic reforms, he was able to create a new ruling elite loyal only to him, implemented a modern administration, and encouraged cultural development within the empire. He increased trade with surrounding peoples, allowing the empire to develop a stronger and more stable economy. He was also the first emperor to relax requirements that civil servants follow h'Ejrad, increasing religious tolerance within the empire's borders. He even built "houses of worship" in the empire's greatest cities, libraries where scholars were encouraged to come and debate with one another various issues of theology, philosophy, and culture. His death in 497 CE brought an end to his 72-year reign, the longest that any one emperor would ever rule over the empire.

Following Idam's death, his son, songuy, continued many of his reforms. He also instituted a standardized, silver-backed currency to be used for the purpose of collecting taxes in the empire, a move which allowed Tanuzhakid merchants and traders to enter larger markets and be more competitive doing so. Unlike his father, he was staunchly pro-h'Ejrad, and reversed some of his edicts regarding freedom of religion in court/civil service. Songuy identified closely with Haksarad and sent enjoys laden with various treasures to promote relations between the two empires. Songuy generously supported the royal court of the empire and those who worked under him. He allowed literature to flourish by establishing special legal protections for writers, many of whose works remain influential today. He also patroned the visual arts by funding and commissioning artists whose works became famous throughout the world. Artists in the form of the Olore brought new, avante-garde forms of art and music across the empire and beyond, influencing the tastes of all peoples with whom they came into contact.

Many historians regard the rule of the Magir dynasty as the Golden Age of the Tanuzhakid Empire, primarily due to the flourishing of the arts, culture, and trade during said period. Over the course of several building campaigns, Idam and his successors designed and oversaw the construction of numerous palaces, temples, libraries, gardens, aqueducts, and other such structures. Several Fenuko from ages previous were repaired, with new ones being built as well to promote agriculture. One of songuy's crowning achievements in terms of public works projects was the Uwa Dam. The Uwa dam was fourteen meters high, with extensive waterworks at both northern and southern ends, five spillway channels, two masonry-reinforced sluices, a settling pond, and a 1,000-meter canal to a distribution tank. These extensive works allowed for the irrigation of upwards of 100 km2.

Saddahr Dynasty (843-1034CE)
The end of Magir rule in the Tanuzhakid empire came about in 843 CE, when lastmagirguy's death triggered a succession crisis within the empire. The two primary candidates for the succession were the Tadmekka and Saddhar houses, both great and wealthy in their own right. With the Tadmekka in the north and the Saddhar in the south, the Tanuzhakid War of Succession broke out in 843 CCE. The conflict originally began as a naval war, but inland skirmishes soon followed. Five bloody years later, the Tadmekka surrendered to the Saddhar, on the condition that they be permitted to retreat to Agarad and live in exile there. In a move that shocked many, cruelguy refused, and executed the Tadmekka leadership before dissolving their house and name. Typically, nobility was permitted to ransom themselves before going off to exile; there would be no such mercy here. The ascension of the Saddhar would mark the restart of the Tanuzhakid's ambitious military campaigns. With new riches came new possibilities, and builderguy was perhaps the most emblematic of late-imperial builder emperors. Married to a daughter of the native Durodemi house, it was during the reign of builderguy that the splendor of the Tanuzhakid court reached its peak. This was exemplified in the extravagant temples, palaces, and forts erected during his rule.

The cost of maintaining the court however, began to exceed the revenue coming in. Builderguy's eldest son, the liberal liberalguy, became regent as a result of his father's illness. Liberalguy championed a syncretistic faith that combined h'Ehjrad and native Abuda beliefs like Emperor Idam before him. With the support of the Jarader orthodoxy, however, his younger brother Arshan ha-Saddahr Ha-Khadrami seized the throne. Arshan defeated liberalguy and had him executed, citing his numerous "heresies." Although builderguy fully recovered from his illness, Arshan kept him imprisoned until his death. Arshan oversaw an increase in the Jaraderization of the Tanuzhakid state. He encouraged conversion, levied taxes on nonbelievers, and compiled a code of Jarader law to be implemented throughout the empire. From the imperial perspective, conversion integrated local elites to the emperor's vision of a network of shared identity, which would join disparate groups throughout the empire in obedience to the emperor. He expanded the empire further south and east, but at his death, "many parts of the empire were occupied or in open revolt." Arshan is considered to be the Tanuzhakid empire's most controversial emperor, with some historians arguing that his religious conservatism and intolerance undermined the stability of the empire.

Decline and collapse
Following the reign of emperor Arshan ha-Saddahr Ha-Khadrami, the empire began to break up. This was triggered by the Great Migration of Bindu peoples from what is now Nzandi. Vast tracts of the empire came under the rule of local warband leaders, before they found common cause under the leader Obaguala. Obaguala's leadership led to a crushing series of defeats for the Tanuzhakids, culminating in the Sack of Tetmosi. The loss of the city shattered the remnants of Tanuzhakid power and prestige. Many of the empire's elites broke away in the attempt to form their own kingdoms, or to curry favor with the rising star of what would become the Kingdom of Kakere. However, once order was restored under the Kakere, Obaguala largely continued many of the policies that allowed the Tanuzhakids to rein so effectively. Although the Khadrami noble class lost much in the way of influence, they did not disappear, instead simply becoming one of the many interest classes found in the region.

Capitals
The Tanuzhakids had multiple imperial capitals, established over the several centuries of their rule. These cities included Iròiyè, Tetmosi, Tano, and others. Power often shifted back and forth between these capitals. Sometimes this was necessitated by political and military demands, but shifts also occurred for ideological reasons. For example, after the conquest of Tetmosi, the Tanuzhakids moved their capital there from Iròiyè to cement their status as the undisputed rulers of the region. Furthermore, Emperor Idam ha-Nundahr Ha-Khadrami famously moved the capital between Tano and Tetmosi, in order to promote intellectual growth in the later and shift centralized power away from the former. Situations where there existed two simultaneous capitals happened multiple times in Tanuzhakid history.

The imperial camp, used for raids, military expeditions, and later royal tours, also served as a kind of mobile, de-facto administrative capital. From the time of Idam ha-Nundahr Ha-Khadrami, imperial camps became huge in scale, accompanied by numerous groups associated with the imperial court, as well as soldiers and laborers. All administration and governance was carried out within them; Idam began the tradition during his time commuting between the two de jure capitals of Tetmosi and Tano.