Tyranny of Steel

Salan scratched his bearded chin intently as he tried to think of a resolution to the current disputes between his people and the Christian world. He had to admit he completely underestimated Berengar and his aggressive nature during negotiations. The German Emperor held a position of complete control. After all, it was exactly as the man had said. He and his allies combined could take on the entire Muslim world without much difficulty.

It was this confidence that had led the negotiations to be so troublesome until this point. Berengar was unwilling to concede on the Jizya, and Salan was in a precarious position. Personally, he did not care about Muslims being taxed in Byzantium. If he were alone, he would surely not even have mentioned such a thing.

However, his allies in the Mamluk and Jalayirid Sultanate were not so easygoing, and demanded that such taxes be lifted. The problem lied with Berengar, who was absolutely unwilling to concede on the issue. The only way he would convince Vetranis to drop the taxes was if the Muslims reciprocated.

Considering the fact that the Jizya was a legal tenant of the Muslim faith, it was impossible for Salan to get rid of it without some form of rebellion within the Arab world. So there were only two paths forward: concede to Berengar ’s demands, and risk revolution, or drop the issue and focus on more important matters. Thus, with a heavy sigh, the Timurid Sultan made his decision.

”Very well, since we can ’t come to terms with this aspect of the treaty, we will leave it as it currently stands. ”

The moment he said this, the Mamluk Sultan jumped out of his chair in protest.

”Absolutely not. I will not accept any form of peace unless the Byzantine Empire and their allies cease the religious taxes on the Muslim faith. There is no valid reasoning for such a tax by these kafirs! ”