Religious Orders and Primacies

General Notes: Each Order and Primacy has a set of goals that determine its course of action. If the Order or Primacy is an NPN it will act according to these goals. Player run Orders or Primacies will be free to pursue their own goals but may find that if their actions are at odds with their goals schisms may occur. A goal can be changed by any nation with influence in the Order or Primacy by running the Request Aid From X action. The relative strength of a goal is shown after its description, the lower the strength, the easier it is to change.

Order	Religion	Region	Status
Grand Order of St Denis	Roman Catholic	West	Player
Le Marteau de Dieu	Roman Catholic	West	NPN
Knights of Malta	Roman Catholic	West	NPN
Amir Al-Bahri	Sunni Islam	West	NPN
Order of St Vladimir	Eastern Orthodox	West	NPN
Order of the Dagger	Hindu	East	NPN
Clan Kiyowara	Shinto	East	NPN
Wudan Masters	Buddhist	East	Player
Shadow of God	Sunni Islam	East	NPN
Hanafi Madhhab of Bithnia	Sunni Islam	West	NPN
Guardians of Anuradhapura	Buddhist	East	NPN
Maliki Madhhab of Granada	Sunni Islam	West	NPN

Primacy	Religion	Region	Status
Al-Khulafa'ur Rashidun	Sunni Islam	West	NPN
The Papal States	Roman Catholic	West	Player
Nihon-no-Tenno	Shinto	East	Player
Greater Wheel	Buddhist	East	NPN
Glory of Unkulunkulu	Unkulunkulu	West	NPN
Coptic Church	Coptic Chirstian	West	NPN

The Grand Order of St Denis

HISTORY: Founded when Anacletus broke away from Rome over the Pope’s opposition to simony. This started the schism between Paris and Rome. The schism was finally healed but antipathy towards Rome still exists. Recently begun to expand out of France into England, Germany and Spain. In 1241 launched attacks on the Umayyad possessions in Spain, capturing Catalonia and Santa Maria. Efforts by recent Grandmasters has seen the antipathy towards Rome reduce dramatically. To further heal the rift the Order was renamed to The Grand Order of St Denis from its original name of The Anacletan Order.

GOALS:

1. Defence of Norman France and its Christian neighbours (6)

2. Expansion of Christianity with France at centre (4)

3. Opposition to Papal expansion within France and its neighbours, although hostility towards Rome has been decreasing during the thirteenth century (1)

Le Marteau de Dieu (the Hammer of God)

HISTORY: Founded when elements within The Anacletan Order became more sympathetic towards Rome. Look’s towards expanding its influence throughout the Norse and Celtic regions but until the arrival of the Orkneymen in 1206 was too poor to act.

GOALS:

1. Expansion of Order into Northern Europe, especially Celtic and Norse regions (8)

2. Support of Rome (5)

The Knights of Malta

HISTORY: Founded when German Knights under their Grand Master Stephan built the port of Valletta in Malta. Initially, they had the support of Christian nations, especially Germany, but recently have been struggling with financial difficulties.

GOALS:

1. A Muslim free Mediterranean (8)

2. Protection of Christian activities (trade etc) in the Mediterranean (5)

Amir al-Bahri

HISTORY: Founded from the Cypriot Pirates. Became a religious order when their Grand Master became an ardent student of Islam. Has recently been supporting the Ayyubids in their attempts to regain Sicily. In 1220, Shiraj of the Al-Khulafa'ur Rashidun convinces the order to protect the Western Uighur Khanate from Christian retaliation. The order moves it forces to defend Heraclea and the surrounding Uighur lands.

GOALS:

1. A Christian free Mediterranean (5)

2. Protection of Moslem activities (trade etc) in the Mediterranean and beyond (5)

3. Protection of the Western Uighur Khanate (3)

The Hanafi Madhhab of Lydia

HISTORY: Founded by the Al-Khulafa'ur Rashidun in 1226 to aid the conversion of Greece and Turkey to Sunni Islam. Qadir Al Shiraj was appointed as the head of the Order and an Order Fortress raised in Bithnia. Qadir died while attacking the Rum Khanate.

GOALS:

1. Conversion of Turkey and Greece to Sunni Islam (5)

The Maliki Madhhab of Granada

HISTORY: Founded by the Al-Khulafa'ur Rashidun in 1230 to protect Sunni interests in Iberia and North Africa. Annass Safawan was appointed as the head of the Order and an Order Fortress raised in Granada.

GOALS:

1. Protection of Sunni Interests in Iberia and North Africa (5)

The Shadow of God

HISTORY: Founded to protect the eastern Sunni nations of Khwarzim and Ilig from Pagan hordes.

The Order of Saint Vladimir

HISTORY: Founded to protect the Orthodox nations, especially Kiev and Hungary from the Magyars.

The Guardians of Anuradhapura

HISTORY: Founded to protect the southern Buddhists from Hindu expansion. Concentrating on taking control of Sri Lanka.

The Wudan Masters

HISTORY: Founded to protect the Chinese Buddhists from Pagan horde attacks. Was severely reduced by Mongol invasions of 1231-1245 but managed to take control of Pienching and is starting to rebuild its Order.