Provinces

[Rodion Romanovich]

Hm, depends. For areas that changed hands during the period it's not easy to know if using the original owner or the new owner is the best way to go. But if they didn't change hands until 100 years or more after 843 AD, then the old names are probably the best - which would be the case ofr Al-Andalus. Thanks for providing us with the names, it's been really hard for me to find names.

[Incongruous]

A ok, then the name that I posted would be of no use

[Nacheras]

Hi everybody.

About the name of spanish provinces and capitals:

Al-Andalus names

"Provinces in Spain (with Arabic names):
* Andalusia - Ishbiliya (Sevilla)
* Cordoba - Qurtubah (Cordoba)
* Granada - Gharnatah (Granada)
* Valencia - Balinsiyah (Valencia)
* Castile - Tolaitola (Toledo) (owned by Al Andalus)
* Aragon - Sarakusta (Zaragoza)"

Agree with the great abstract of Krusader, but with some objections.

Muslim (or moorish) provinces. Caliphat of Cordoba was divided in 26! provinces. Too much for game, I know

If you want a more suitable division, I think the Legio division is fine, but you can improve it. I put the name of every province in spanish and arab form. You can take the name of "emirate of (name of the capital) or put a more flavorous arab name for every province:

1) Emirate of Badajoz or Xenxir or Lower Border. Capital Badajoz (sorry I don´t know its arab name)
2) Emirate of Tolaitola or Axerrat or Medium Border. Capital Tolaitola (Toledo)- not Castila, but it is a cristian name.
3) Emirate of Sarakusta or Arth or Upper Border. Capital Sarakusta (Zaragoza)- not Aragon, friend krusader, but is a cristian name!

These are the "frontier" provinces. These were mainly militarizated due to their proximitiy to cristian kingdoms.
Inner provinces:

4) Emirate of Ishbiliya or Ixbila or Aljarfe. Capital Ishbiliya or Ixbila (Sevilla)
5) Country of Qurtubah (in 1033 republic of Qurtuba) or Kambania. Capital (and capital of emirate later caliphate) Qurtuba or Cordoba.
6) Emirate of Gharnata or Elvira. capital Gharnata (Granada)
7) Emirate of Mursiya or Petxina or Todmir. Capital could be Mursiya (Murcia) or Petxina (Almeria).
8) Emirate of Balansiyah or Amurbathr. Capital Balansiyah (Valencia).

With 8 provinces you have a good view of muslim Spain.

About cristian kingdoms, name in spanish and latin:

1) Galicia or Gallecia. I think more exactly if the capital is Compostela (Campus Stellae), named also Santiago de Compostela (St James of Compostela)
2) Asturias or Asturiae. Capital Oviedo (Ovietum). Strictly you must to create another province: Leon (interior, no port) or Legio, capital Leon (Legio), with the southern part of your Asturias. You can conserve one only province but putting the capital in Oviedo (was the capital at began of game) or Leon (was the capital at mainly of the game period). ALways the port at Gijon (Geigo).
3) Castilla or Castellum. Capital Burgos (Burgorum?)
4) Navarre or regnum navarrorum. capital Pamplona (Pompaelo)
5) Marca Hispanica or Hispaniarum marca. capital Barcelona (Barcino or Barcinona). Catalonia is a 10th century name, no exists at 843. Aragon was borned at 1035, so escapes the game time.

Agree with Archbaker in order to put the St James cathedral as a catholic wonder. Its importance for pilgrims during Dark Ages was comparable, or superior, to Jerusalem.
But I didn´t conserved St Mary of Covadonga as relic or wonder: it was a local sanctuary and, in fact, it importance improves in later centuries.

Thanks and keep up the good work.
Note that the provinces at the Legio map are correct, except Almeria, who "eats" at north a good part of Valencia province, and lose at south in favour of Granada.

[Meneldil]

That's the provincial division I made in the last version of the name (although I missed some arabian names)

[Forgus]

http://www.euratlas.com/big/big0900.htm#%20here

cxheck this out! It's cool!

[Ranika]

IRELAND AREA
* Midhe (Meath) - Teamhaidh (Tara) (rebels)
* Ulaid (Ulster) - Armagh (strong viking rebels)
* Laigin (Leinster) - Ferns (strong viking rebels)
* Muma (Munster) - Cashel (rebels)
* Connaught (Connacht) - Tuam (owned by Irish)
* Dubh Linn - Dubh Linn (viking rebels)

The Irish should probably start in Munster, not Connacht; it was the king of Munster who ended up in control of Ireland (and was followed by the king of Ulster). Armagh in Irish is Ard Macha; however, the main fortress in Ulster was still Eahmain Macha (modern Navan). While Ard Macha was an important cultural and religious center, Eahmain Macha was still the capitol of Ulster (even though the old palace/fortress was abandonned in favor of a {at the time} modern fortress with a stone ringwall, and a central stone tower and the king's palace within the walls). Cashel would be Casiel in the period's dialect of Munster-Irish, or, alternatively, Catheal, though that is the Ivernic name, and Ivernic fell out of use by the 800s. Teamhaidh should maybe use Teamhair (since that was the version of the name bastardized into 'Tara' by the vikings).

Any place with viking rebels should also have some Gaelic rebels; the vikings employed Irishmen pretty heavily; they made up the vast majority of their armies in Ireland, and even many of the Norsemen themselves were Gaelicized and dressed and fought like Gaels; it should probably be a collection of Irish units with Ostmen. However, if your start period is before 780, only Laigin and Dubh Linn should have any vikings in them (Ulster hadn't any major viking populations yet, though parts of it were under the control of viking princes).

[GoreBag]

I'm glad you addressed that, Ranika. Having Ulaid as a 'viking' province doesn't seem quite right to me.

[Csatadi]

Moldova - Baia ( center )

Sorry, it isn't. The age is only 843. I'm not sure about Wallachia but Moldova hadn't a Romanian province.

Forgus, the map is great!

What is now Transylvania in norther Romania, is called the Aewold, pronounced ey-aul-wuld.

Really? In which language and age?