Umayyad Caliphate in New Andalusia

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One of the Powers and Principalities
The Old Order: England-Scotland | France | Italy | Poland-Ruthenia | Russia
Rising Stars: Great Russia | Japanese Empire | Saxony | Taiping China | the UCNA

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Note: The topic of this article has an entire book dedicated to it. Check it out.

The Umayyad Caliphate in New Andalusia (Moorish Calífa de Umaya en Nueva Andalucia) - usually abbreviated as the UCNA in writing, and called either the Caliphate or New Andalusia - is a constitutional monarchy located in Alaxia. It shares its southern border with Axamalla and Mexico, and its northern border with both the English and Scottish Empires.

At the end of the Moorish Fitna, New Andalusia was widely perceived as a cold, anarchic wasteland inhabited by hostile natives and French Catholics. In the absence of a recognized ruler, local factions frequently resolved issues with civil wars. Having no political connections in Cuba, Musa entrusted his son Yusuf to the mainland as a diplomatic hostage to secure the loyalties of the Caliphal Guard.

Etymology

Except in official correspondence, the UCNA is rarely called by its full name.

• At the time of its founding, several other factions in the Moorish New World identified themselves as caliphates. "Umayyad" allowed Yusuf to distinguish his caliphate from them (and assert his historic legitimacy against them.)
• Since Yusuf I, the House of Umayya regards itself as having supranational authority and jurisdiction, including a number of overseas territories currently controlled by other powers. The UCNA is an Umayyad caliphate in New Andalusia, not of it.
• In 1825 a reconquest of Spain seemed possible; identifying as of New Andalusia could be interpreted as a renunciation of its territorial claims.
• "New Andalusia" was a neologism created by Yusuf I, partly to justify his self-declared title "Wali of the Two Andalusias."

History

Note: The article has its own timeline. Check it out.

The UCNA has been governed by five caliphs to date, whose reigns are summarized here.

• Yusuf I (1825-1873): Nation-building. Many cities were raised during the reign of Yusuf I, including Babaxarque, San Ysidro, and Toleto, and the construction of the Transcordillera connected Medina Almogran to the Pacific Ocean and made it a transportation hub. Yusuf I's reign ended with an upstart victory in the Anglo-Moorish War.
• Abd.Rahman VI (1873-1888): The reign of Abd.Rahman VI was defined by three events: the abolition of slavery, the UCNA's only civil war to date (the Naval Mutiny), and the post-Mutiny annexation of Cuba.
• Yusuf II (1889-1911): A gilded age. As the historic abolitionist coalition crumbled,
• Basil (1912-1923): The reign of Caliph Basil was an endless struggle for peace. On the international front, Basil kept the UCNA out of the Old World wars by maintaining strict neutrality and backing down from naval expansionism. Domestically, this marked the Acuerdo's rise to prominence as a coalition.
• Yusuf III (1923-present): Although Yusuf III is widely regarded as a weak caliph, for reasons beyond his control his reign will almost certainly be one of global involvement.

Government

The UCNA is a constitutional monarchy, but it isn't much of a constitution by OTL standards. While the 5 April Constitution specified the general form of government but relatively few of the specifics, making it fairly easy to reform.

The Caliphate: The Caliph in New Andalusia is head of nation and of state. Since 1923, Yusuf III has been Caliph in New Andalusia.

• The House of Umayya: The House is responsible for managing the Caliphal succession.
• Caliphal consorts: A caliph's wife has no official titles or responsibilities, and their social role has changed significantly over the years. As a general rule, the title "caliphal consort" is applied to a caliph's politically prominent wives, especially if they live in the Alcazar.

The executive branch: The caliph is also head of the UCNA's executive branch, and responsible for appointing the Secretariat.

• The Secretariat: The UCNA's cabinet is called the Secretariat. While the Secretaries are appointed by the caliph, the Xura has the right to depose them.

The Xura: The UCNA has a bicameral legislature. The Maxaca (cf. مشيخة "sheikhdom; senate") is the senior house, while the Majlis has always been elected.

• "Moorish Democracy": Ballots in the UCNA use a unique counting method.
• The six-party system: The three current coalitions are La Cidrerie, the Acuerdo, and the Believers.

Culture and Society

Language

The 1825 Constitution established Moorish as the official language of the state.

• Karibi Arabic is co-official with Moorish in Cuba.
• LSM is the official sign language of the UCNA.

Religion

• Islam: Like the rest of the Moorish world, Islam in the UCNA follows Malik in fiqh and Warsh in tajwid.
• Christianity: When Yusuf I was acclaimed caliph in 1807, his empire was a majority-Catholic country.
• Judaism: Like the Moorish world in general, Judaism in the UCNA is predominantly Sephardi.

Education

Public Agenda

Like most things associated with the Umayyads, the UCNA's primary purpose is to keep Umayyads in power, and ideally in palaces. Most of its hundred million subjects (and countless supporters in the broader umma) expect more of it than that, however - and the might of nations wants to be used. As the world's most economically and technologically developed Muslim country, however, everyone outside the House of Umayya expects it to do more than that. Some of its alleged goals include the following:

• Become a naval power: Some of the numbers that have been floated ("tonnage equivalent to the Japanese Empire's") are ludicrous, and any respectable one would dangerously shift the global balance of naval power - but the alternative is an Umayyad Fleet with no limits.
• Jihad against Mexico: Refighting the Moorish Fitna is off the table and out of the question. It wouldn't bring the mosques or Muslims back; it would bring an Anglo-Scottish retaliation from the north, forcing the UCNA to defend a very long home front.
• Jihad against Seville: Off the table, but not out of the question. The UCNA doesn't need expeditionary capability for a shadow war, and there's a lot of calls to Do Something about the increasingly ugly situation in Spain. It'd take a much bigger navy (and the mother of all wars) for the UCNA to land troops on the Costa del Sol, however.
• Win over the Muslim world: With the Turks thoroughly out of the running, the UCNA is currently the most powerful and technically advanced Muslim country in the world. Being recognized as such, especially by the Muslim world, would serve the UCNA's interests nicely, but the UCNA would have handle this delicately. For one thing, in large parts of the world the Umayyads are best known for being hated...

Assets

• The Caliphal Guard: The Caliphate's oldest military service. As our story begins, it's primarily a gendarmerie.
• Armed Forces of New Andalusia (FANA)
• The Umayyad Fleet: Currently, the Fleet's assets include three modern super-herculean battleships; two aircraft carriers; a number of obsolete pre-herculeans, engaged in the Umayyad Fleet's first flag-showing world cruise; and no capability to invade Europe. Currently.

The khilafa of Umayya endures as long as the dunya itself, and if any man would tear us down, tell him that Allah is our Restorer.

— Yusuf I

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Demonym

Andaluseño/-a (Moorish)

Subsidiary Organizations

• FANA

Location

Alaxia

Controlled Territories

• Cuba
• Medina Almogran
• New Andalusia
• Toleto

Capital

Medina Almogran

Currency

Umayyad dinar

Official language

Moorish, LSM

Measuring system

Decimal

Prime meridian

Lisbon

Drives on the

right

Rail gauges

1575mm
1000mm

Author's Notes

Before anyone calls the UCNA a Suetopia, its OTL inspiration was the Empire of Brazil.