Mecca Confederacy

### Capital cities

Mecca (federal), Alexandria, Tripoli, Algiers, Marrakesh, Masqat, Palermo, Jabaltar (local)

### Languages

Arabic (federal), Medieval Italian, Medieval Castilian, Occitan, Greek (local). Some republics did not have an official language

### Years Active

1348-1472

The Mecca Confederacy was a state in western Asia, northern Africa and southern Europe that played a key role in helping Europe survive the Dark Age. It lasted from 1348 to 1472.

## History

By 1155, Arabia was recovering from a long state of steady decline. They recovered some lost territory when the Seljuk Empire was beginning to collapse, which sparked some rejuvenation in hope, but not much came of it initially until more trade opportunities were opened with India and other Asian regions. The Arabian economy and quality of life began to improve, as well as education in the fields of mathematics and science. This education proved to be critical when the Red Plague came; the Arabs were the first to theorize that the disease was spread through contact (while much of Europe believed it to be "bad air" according to the miasma theory).

Arabia remained in a largely prosperous state until the Two Hundred Years War began to affect them; the Mongols took most of the Levant but otherwise spared the Arabs. This caused a severe disruption in trade, causing the economy to crash once more.

Struggling, Arabia looked towards the west for help; Egypt had been their ally for a long time but was not very useful until now, as they experienced a similar 'golden age' recently and have a great economy. This strengthened their bonds even more, and later the Berber Kingdoms joined this economic alliance.

The Red Plague began its rampage in 1313. It affected the Byzantines first, then the Egyptians that traded with them, causing all members of the alliance to experience the disease. Thanks to a basic understanding of diseases, coordinated control over trade routes, and as many put it "the incredible grace of God", the Red Death did not impact Arabia, Egypt and the Berbers nearly as badly as it did Europe.

In 1348, it was thought that a formal alliance should be forged between the three allies. As trade with Europe and Asia was becoming near impossible, this was seen as a good idea in order to manage resources as efficiently as possible, and the Mecca Confederacy was officially formed.

Due to the dire situation in Europe, any nations that wished to join would be allowed to. In 1349, Sicily accepted this offer and joined, though this move was not recognized by Byzantium (the previous controller of Sicily) and war was sparked between Mecca and Byzantium.

The war went in Mecca's favor for the most part, but it was not a traditional war by any means. When Mecca invaded Morea, they were in such awe by the architecture that they did not destroy any of it, and were largely respectful to the locals. A similar phenomenon occurred in Italy. Ultimately the war ended within a year, as Mecca refused to keep the land and Byzantium did not have the resources to fight anyways.

Most of Italy was in favor of joining the Confederacy, so they did as part of the Treaty of the Adriatic Sea (held in a ship to avoid spreading the Red Plague to any major cities). Otherwise Mecca did not take any land, and instead wished to ally with the Byzantines. With no other real choice, the Byzantines accepted.

In 1354, the persecuted Muslims in southern Spain and Aragon wished to join the Confederacy (Portugal did not have this problem as they were relatively tolerant to Muslims). This sparked an uprising that lasted from 1354 to 1399 (essentially a reverse Reconquista) and resulted in all of Aragon and most of Spain joining.

Burgundy had just joined the Holy Roman Empire in 1355, but faced an uprising 20 years later that caused it to join the Confederacy. This was short-lived however, and by 1400 Burgundy returned to France.

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## Legacy

The Mecca Confederacy had a lasting impact on European life, from advances in science and art to major changes in medieval governments. After the Confederacy collapsed, its successor states and allies sought to continue its legacy of advancement that helped Europe survive the Red Plague and Mongol invasion, resulting in the First Enlightenment that in turn ended the Dark Age and began the Exploration Age.