Assim Asteris
Assim Asteris | |
|---|---|
 Posthumous portrait by Jean-Philippe Donnet, 1848 | |
| Born | Hashim ibn Ashtar 11 August 1447 |
| Died | 19 June 1511 (aged 64) |
| Other names | Hashim ibn Ashtar Sir Assim of Vehemens |
| Occupation | Maritime explorer, merchant |
| Known for | Discovering Asteria Superior and Asteria Inferior for Eucleans, opening the continents up for colonisation. |
Assim Asteris (Rahelian: هاشم ابن عشتر, tr. Hashim ibn Ashtar; 11 August 1447 – 19 June 1511) was a Rahelian[a] explorer, navigator and merchant who completed three legendary voyages across the Vehemens Ocean to the Asterias in the service of the Crown of Caldia, bringing the continent to the attention of Euclea and opening it up for widespread Euclean exploration and colonisation. He is the first documented person in service of a Euclean power to make confirmed contact with the Asterias.[b]
He was born in Karwat, in the realm of the Sabrids, in modern-day northern Tsabara. The early life of Asteris is poorly documented, though it is attested that he began his adult life as a merchant in the bazaars of Karwat. He also became a proficient sailor and navigator in this time. In 1476, Assim Asteris left Rahelia, and went on to travel across Euclea, first spending time in the city-states of Florena.
Asteris found it difficult to find work in the continent, and made his way north with each rejection, eventually arriving in Caldia. Asteris was impressed with the Amendist Church of Caldia, and noted that both it and his own Irfanic faith shared a rejection of idolatry. He offered his services to the Ghaillish monarchs. He promised to chart the unknown seas to the east for them, bringing them riches and fame. The King, impressed by his vivacity and beholden to his charisma, funded Assim's expedition in 1488.
Later that same year, Assim would navigate three ships - the Reverence, the Duty and the Mary Ellen - across the Vehemens Ocean, landing in the Barrier Islands, and claiming them in the name of the Crown of Caldia. He would later go on to chart the coast of northwestern Asteria Superior. After charting the coast of Sheah, Asteris returned to Caldia for the last time, was made a citizen by royal decree, knighted, and retired to a manse in Spálgleann. He would pass in his sleep in 1511.
Assim's legacy was to initiate a period of exploration and colonization, which helped to elevate Euclea in geopolitics for the next few centuries. Celebrated in the centuries following his death, his legacy was downplayed by many early modern Euclean philosophers, who argued that his role in Euclea's rise was minimal. In the modern era, criticisms are levied at his role in unleashing colonialism.
Notes
- ↑ Asteris predated the existence of a pan-Rahelian identity, but the term is still considered accurate given his disputed citizenship prior to entering the service of the Caldish monarchy. It is believed by most scholars that he was born in the Sultanate of Madinat in modern-day Nise.
- ↑ There remains speculation that the Marauder explorer and missionary Saint Bréanainn reached the continent almost four hundred years earlier, but there is no known archaeological evidence to support this claim.