Zemani Empire
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Zemani Empire | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1706–18XX | |||||||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||||||
 Zemani Empire at its height in 1800 (Light Orange representing the vassal state of Pinjar) | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Dostak | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Mershi | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Irfan | ||||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Zemani | ||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
| Shah | |||||||||||||
• (1706-1739) | Sak | ||||||||||||
• (1830-18XX) | Abdul | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
• Zemani Uprising | 1706 | ||||||||||||
• Colonization | 18XX | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Today part of |  Rajyaghar Gulbistan Zorasan | ||||||||||||
The Zemani Empire (Mershi: Da Zemāni Tolwakmani), also known as the Gulbistani Empire (Mershi: Da Gulbistān Tolwakmani) or the Mershi Empire (Mershi: Da Mershi Tolwakmani) was a powerful Mershi nation that existed from 1706 to 18XX and ruled across the entirity of modern-day Gulbistan as well as areas of modern-day Rajyaghar and Zorasan. It was ruled by the Zemani Tribe, a powerful Mershi tribe originating from Dostak, and would be under their rule for the entirity of its existence until its eventual fall to Etruria. It ruled as a powerful military force, and is known for beginning Gulbistani modernization as well as forming the modern Gulbistani identity.
Etymology
History
Early Empire
The Zemani Clan have long been one of Dostak's most powerful families and once were one of the most powerful groups within the Khandaffid Sultanate. However, after the Togoti Invasions, many of the most powerful Zemani leaders would be killed. During Togoti rule, the lesser Zemani families would turn to becoming merchants and many became friends with Euclean and Satrian tradesmen. After the split of the Togoti, the Khardarids would be in control of Gulbistan and many Mershi tribes began seeking to take control of the chaos. Sak Zemani, along with other tribal leaders, would amass a large rebellion and successfully would overthrow the Khardarid rulers in Dostak and Thyropinia and push them across the mountains into the Steppe in 1706. Sak Zemani would declare himself Shah-Khan of Gulbistan and conquer the other tribes of the mountains and steppe. These initial gains began to slow due to technological disadvantages, and he would fail to defeat Karim Akezai and his largely Togoti forces in Juhazar and the steppe. The Zemani would take this time to form a well-established nation and government in the regions under their control, and did this through mostly force. In 1742 the Zemani under Abdul Hamid Shah would launch its final invasion of the Akezai along with the newly independent Satrian state of Pujasapur. This war would take much of the resources of the Zemani, but they would utilize their relationships with the Euclean powers to supply themselves with weaponry their enemies has no access to. A second war would also occur between the Zemani and a small Mershi nation the Tugji Kingdom, who gained independence in the same way as the Zemani and the Akezai. After this victory Gulbistan would be united as one.
In 1747, the war would end and the Zemani Empire would conquer all of Gulbistan. However, the war came at a cost and the Zemani owed a massive debt to Euclean powers, namely Paretia. The Zemani would sell Thyropinia to Paretia in return for exclusive trade rights and military and economic support. This began a mutual relationship between the two nations that would allow the Gulbistanis to expand their empire and establish themselves as a new power in the region. The Pujasapuri and Asepistanis would be turned into vassal states to the Zemani and serve as buffers with Ajahadya and the Gorsanids. Between 1755 and 1776 the Zemani state would reinforce its current holdings while building stronger relationships with Euclean nations. In 1776, the Zemani Empire decided to reestablish itself as the "guardian of Irfan" within Satria and launched an invasion of Zulmat and the weakened Naratha Confederacy and reconquer Hamtash from them. This victory would be considered the beginning of the High Period, an era where the Zemani would maintain their power and expand outside the borders of conventional Gulbistan.
Abdul Hamid Shah would also instate what would be known as "Edgam", an government effort to "Mershify" the other smaller peoples and modernize the Zemani Empire. These attempts would first be met with strong resistance. To avoid rebellion, the shah would hold a loya jirga in 1764 between the Mershi tribes. The jirga ended with agreement of modernizing the Shah's army and infrastructure while keeping the tribes informed on exactly what the Shah plans. Mershiwali, the tribal code of the Mershi people, was to change in the modernization. With the refusal to disengage in tribal lifestyle, the tribal khans and the Shah would agree to modernize the code Mershiwali for the modern era. The code would be used less and less during the rapid growth of the Northern Lowlands, where cities like Hamtash and Dostak would abandon its usage and the population become "non-tribal".
High Period
After the defeat of the Naratha, the Zemani would put its military focus onto their western border. This invasion unintentionally had the adverse effect of uniting the divided Confederacy and stronger than before. After the death of Abdul Hamid, Hewandand Shah Zemani would take over. As heir, Hewandand would be popular for his role in the Zulmat War. Hewandand would attempt to continue this by launching a second invasion in 178X, this time focused on Pinjar?. He would also utilize Pujasapur in this war as a useful ally. This war would end with only miniscule territorial gains in Pinjar, but it also saw the establishment and subsequent vassalization of the Pinjar Sultanate. However, it also came at the loss of many northern territories in Zulmat. Hewandand would continue maintaining other expansion efforts in the east until his death. He would be succeeded by Zutemar Shah Zemani, a Mershi-Togoti. Zutemar, named after Tsutsemori, would shift his focus on consolidating the holds of the empire. He would build a major road across the eastern Gulbistani steppe to link Juhazar, Shefed, and other southeastern holdings to the northern coast in Khandaffi. He would also establish defenses in Zulmat and Hamsha. Zutemar would send tribesmen armed with rifles south into Ajahadya in raids in early 1799 in an attempt to soften up Togotstan, but he would die of disease within a few months before he could begin any invasion.
Zutemar would be succeeded by Gahez Shah. Gahez's rule saw the height of the Zemani Empire, life expectancy, wealth, and trade boomed during this period. This would last until 1809, when the Gorsanids would reconquer many territories in the east. Rebellions in the east also arose, mainly among the Pardarian and Asepistani populations. The city of Juhazar was put under military occupation due to threats of rebellion from local non-Mershi peoples In 1812, the Pinjar Sultanate would collapse, dropping the status of the empire significantly. Paretia, who the Zemani were highly dependent on for trade and weaponry, had lost much of its power in Satria. These changes allowed for rampant rebellion in Delar Bewar, which the Zemani had very little power to stop. Gahez would die in 1815 in a shipwreck, leading to the succession of Sardar Shah.
Decline of the Empire
Sardar's rule is seen by historians as the begin of the end of the Zemani Empire.