History of The Lightning Star
The history of Neo Carthage and Old Carthage stretches back thousands of years. In approximately 814 BCE, Carthage was founded by Phoenician settlers from the city of Tyre, bringing with them the city-god Melqart. Traditionally, the city was founded by Dido, and a number of foundation myths have survived through Greek and Roman literature.
Carthage's early years were defined by a long rivalry between the landholding and maritime families. In general, due to the city's dependence on maritime trade, the maritime faction controlled the government, and during the 6th century BC, Carthage began to acquire dominance over the Western Mediterranean. Merchants and explorers established a vast network of trade, bringing wealth and power to the city-state. In the early 6th century BC, Hanno the Navigator is supposed to have sailed down the African coast, perhaps as far as Sierra Leone. Meanwhile, under a leader named Malchus, the city began a systematic conquest of both the African interior and the coastal regions.
By the beginning of the 5th century BC, Carthage was the commercial center of the region, a position it would retain until overthrown by the Roman Republic. The city had conquered the territory of the old Phoenician colonies, such as Hadrumetum, Utica and Kerkouane, and the Libyan tribes, spreading its control along the North African coast from modern Morocco to the borders of Egypt. Its influence had also spread into the Mediterranean, with control over Sardinia, Malta, the Balearic Islands and the western half of Sicily. Colonies had also been established in Iberia. In 327 B.C.E, Mago the Explorer sailed around the southern tip of Africa to find new land. In 314, his ship returned, accompanied by three more ships filled with Indian sailors. Mago told the leaders of Carthage that he had found a sea-route to India, and he showed them a map of his journey.
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The Early Years
In the year 307 B.C., Carthage was the master of the Mediterranean. Sailor's from Carthage went to every corner of the sea, and down the African coasts, and even around Africa. Trader's traded with Germanic Warlords, British Druids, Gaulic Fishermen, Iberian Hunters, Egyptian Priests, Greek Philosophers, Nubian Nomads, African Natives, and even Roman Farmers. Carthaginians sold their newest invention, clear glass, to everyone who could afford it. Anyone nation that challanged the Republic soon had it's fleet destroyed(if it had one) and thousands of infantry at their gates with fearsome war-elephants in front of them. Nation's fell before the might of Carthage, and the knowledge gained from these people's greatly helped in the ability to travel and conquer. In the year 307 B.C., the leaders of Carthage decided to send 20 ships around Africa to colonize the new land. The colonists finally reached their destination in spring 294, and established the colony of New Carthage in what is modern day Karachi. From the original 700 colonists, the colony grew to a population of 120,000 by 260 B.C. The leader of the colonists, a man be the name of Balmicar, lead to the people to triumph after triumph against the native peoples.
However, not all was going well for the homeland. Although Carthage was all mighty, they had been attacked by the traitorous Roman's. Although the war was going well until 249, the tide had turned and by 245 the Carthaginians were on the verge of losing. To help, 3,000 soldiers had been sent by boat to Carthage. However, by the time they reached there, 242, all was almost lost. The 60 ships helped to defend Carthage from an attack by Roman's, but by the end of the next year all was lost. Fearing that the Roman's might try to take away their colony, the Colonists were quick to leave before the Roman's discovered the existence of New Carthage.
For the next 80 years the Colony of New Carthage Flourished. The armies of Carthage conquered all of what are the modern-day Pakistani Provinces of Sindh, and Baluchistan, as well as the Modern-day Indian Provinces of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab(as well as Pakistani Punjab), and Haryana. The population of the colony exploded to over 1 million. The Great Mediterranean War saw the conquest of Carthage, but the leaders of Carthage assured that it would live on by destroying all records of New Carthage before the Romans stormed the city. That ensured that Carthage would live on in part in New Carthage.
New Carthage
For the next 900 years(until 940 A.D.), New Carthage expanded to control all of Modern-day Pakistan, the Modern-day Indian Provinces of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madyha Pradesh, and Maharashtra. From it's new Capital of Lahore, New Carthage was the dominant force in South Asia. With over 20 million inhabitants, a large farming industry, a large trade industry, an army of over 250,000 , and a series of strong leaders, New Carthage was a force to be reckoned with. In the year 940, an army of Muslims crossed the Kyhber pass and swarmed into what is the modern day North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. They controlled all of that province, as well as all of Baluchistan north of Quetta and all of Punjab west of the Indus. in 997 A.D., a Muslim Army besieged Lahore and nearly captured it.However, right as the attackers were about to break in, an army from Karachi surrounded and crushed them. From there the army pushed back until in 1024 A.D., the Muslim state was finally crushed.
However, this long occupation brought about a Islam to the Empire(for it was no longer a colony), and it quickly took the country by storm. Islam became the second largest religion in the empire by 1040, and it became the largest (and offical) religion by 1060. At this same time, however, muslims were also playing a role in old Carthage.
The Arabs
In 1062 an army of Muslim Arabs stormed the North African Coast. After battle after battle against the Roman Army, they finally conquered all of North Africa from Egypt to Libya. In 1072, they besieged and conquered Carthage from the Roman's, and esatblished a Muslim State. Unfortunatly, it soon lost all of it's land (save Carthage and most of what is Modern-day Tunisia), and by 1075 the armies of Rome were knocking at Carthage's doorstep. To make matters worse, the army had split in two: Everything North of Kassarine Pass belonged to the Islamic Republic of Greater Carthage (Capital: Carthage), and everything to the south belonged to the Lightning Star of Allah(Capital: Zarsis). To save what was left of their state(s), they offered to become protectorates of Rome. The Romans accepted, and until 1503 the Islamic Republic of Greater Carthage and The Lightning Star of Allah were nothing more than puppet-states of Rome.
However, the Colonies were not. In fact, since their re-conquest of their western area's, they had by 1307 established an Empire ranging from Baluchistan to Tamilnadu to Bihar. It was considered the Golden Age of New Carthage. The Empire one of the richest, largest, and most populated nation in the Hemisphere. However, by 1400 the Empire had encountered a problem. Although there had been some Initial Succes', Bengal had not fallen. The last of the Hindu Kingdom's had withstood, against all odd's, an invasion by Emperor Manno had been defeated at the Battle of Kolkatta, where over 40,000 New Carthaginian Troops had been slain, against an enemy force of only 7,000(they lost 6,000 men). To make matters worse, the southern provinces of Tamil Nadu and Kerala rebelled in 1426 and succeded in founding the Sultanate of Elephantum by 1463.
The Great Indian War
In 1499 traders from New Carthage land in the protectorate of the Islamic Republic of Greater Carthage, as well as The Lightning Star of Allah. By 1503 they have fueled the protectorates enough for them to rebel and join New Carthaginian Empire(which is then renamed the Islamic Carthaginian Empire of The Lightning Star). The Romans quickly invade and from 1503-'05 wages a campaign against the former protectorates and wins. Once conquering them, he sent one of his greatest generals to take over Bengal and lead an army from there.
The Prince of Bengal, Shonar, had been dealing with the Romans for the last hundred or so years. In fact, the Roman's were the main reason that the Bengalese survived the Carthaginian onslaught. The Romans trained, armed, and in some cases lead, the Prince's Army, and this had lead to a heavy Roman influence in the area. By 1505, the Romans already had a large base at Chittagong, and it was of no surprise that the Roman's would launch their Indian Campaign from there. Although the Roman's brought a few ten thousand soldiers with them, they could easily raise an army of 400,000 with the trained Bengalese forces already in the area, and in some area's still fighting Carthaginian border-guards.
The Beginning
In March, 1505, the Roman Army, as well as over 400,000 Royal Bengalese Soldiers, invaded Lightning Starian West Bengal and besieged Kolkatta. The City was guarded by 4,000 Arquebusiers(sp?), 10,000 Swordsmen, 500 cavalry and 50 cannon, but the sheer size of the Roman Army overwhelmed the defenders in 5 days. From there, the Roman Army moved ever deeper into Lightning Starian territory. Each step of the way they were confronted by Carthaginian soldiers, but the sheer size of the Roman Army just crushed all of it's enemies. By 1540, the Romans controlled everything East of Mumbai and Dehli. By 1560, they had pushed all the way to the now Pakistani border, and besieged Lahore. No matter how invincible the Roman Army seemed, it was fighting a war of attrition and it had lost more than 50% of it's men, even though they still recieved re-inforcements. By 1563, the Armies of Rome were about to knock down the walls of Lahore. All seemed grim for the Carthaginians.
To the Brink
In March, 1505, the Roman Army, as well as over 400,000 Royal Bengalese Soldiers, invaded Lightning Starian West Bengal and besieged Kolkatta. The City was guarded by 4,000 Arquebusiers(sp?), 10,000 Swordsmen, 500 cavalry and 50 cannon, but the sheer size of the Roman Army overwhelmed the defenders in 5 days. From there, the Roman Army moved ever deeper into Lightning Starian territory. Each step of the way they were confronted by Carthaginian soldiers, but the sheer size of the Roman Army just crushed all of it's enemies. By 1540, the Romans controlled everything East of Mumbai and Dehli. By 1560, they had pushed all the way to the now Pakistani border, and besieged Lahore. No matter how invincible the Roman Army seemed, it was fighting a war of attrition and it had lost more than 50% of it's men, even though they still recieved re-inforcements. By 1563, the Armies of Rome were about to knock down the walls of Lahore. All seemed grim for the Carthaginians.
The Turning Point
However, all was not lost for the Carthaginians. To the south, an Army was amassing to take back Lahore from the Roman Army. An army 300,000 men strong left Karachi and marched north, and on November 1st, they were in battle with the Romans. Seeing how they had obliterated the city's Defences, the Romans had little protection from the hordes of Carthaginian Archers. The two armies met in a fierce battle. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides clashed, and after 17 hours of brutal fighting the Roman forces pulled back. The Romans and their supporters had lost 170,000 men, and the Carthaginians, 220,000. It was one of the bloodiest battles in the Empires history.
From there the Carthaginians began to push back. Their ranks grew tremendously due to the fact that throngs of oppressed peoples had joined under their banner. Over the next 100 years, the armies of Carthage had pushed their enemies back. In 1604, they pushed back the borders of Elephantum to where they lay today, and the Romans to West Bengal. After years of fierce fighting, the Carthaginian Army(numbering 400,000) assaulted the Bengal Capital of Dacca(defended by 20,000 Romans and 40,000 Bengalis). Although it was a fierce 7 year siege, the city finally fell. The population of the city was reduced to one tenth of its former size, and all of the defenders slain. The Romans would meddle no more in South Asia.
The Aftermath
Even though they had secured their nation, the Carthaginians had paid a heavy price. More than 1,000,000 casualties on both sides made it one of the(if not the) bloodiest wars that occured before the 20th century. Even though they thought they were safe, however, to the west an even greater threat loomed. The Persian Empire, hungry for land, had begun to bully around the weakened Carthaginian state. Although the Carthaginians tried apeasement, the Persians eventually crossed the border with the assitance of the now-gone Borman and Generic Empires in 1734. Although they put up a valiant fight, all of West Pakistan(excluding the city of Karachi and it's surrounding areas) had fallen to the Parthains. In India, the weakened central state lead to an uprising by the puppet king Maghda, who quickly conquered all of India and Bengal. All that was left was Eastern Pakistan. These were dark times indeed.
The Re-Birth of the Empire
Over the course of the next 231 years, Carthage was in a state of serious weakness. Governments came and went, and during a single year, 1891, more than 17 governments took power. However, this all changed when the Carthaginian Emperor Hasdrubal VIII took power in 1965. In the area controlled by Magdha(which was officially claimed by Carthage, thus meaning that the Magdha rulers were considered "rebels"), the "rebel" government had collapsed. Seizing the oportunity, the Emperor invaded Magdha and reclaimed it all by 1978. He then began a series of economic and social reforms that launched Carthage back onto the world stage.
Modern Times
Carthage was once again a powerful mediterranean city. It was the capital of a giant empire, and it was respected throughout the world. However, when the Caliph Mahmoud Al-Zimmar took power, the country quickly decended into brutal civil war. For three years (1995-1998), Technocratic Forces and the followers of the Caliph fought for control of the country. The cities of Hannibalia, Delhi, Kolkata, Zarzis, and even Carthage were layed waste. Over 17 million people died.
After the war, the then Grand Duke of Carthage, Alphonse of Zarzis, brought peace back to the nation. After a multi-trillion dollar reconstruction effort, Carthage had been restored to it's former glory-- And beyond. Unfortunatly, the fragile peace he had created was too fragile. Within 7 years another civil war has broken out, with the forces of the Technate knocking the Caliphate mostly out of the war,and the forces of the Empire defeating the Republic in North Africa. Already, more than 20 million people have died, including the many millions who died when Makkah was wiped off the map by the Technate.
