Without Islam

In this timeline, the Prophet Muhammad died as a young boy in 580 AD and did not spread the doctrine of Islam. This timeline will show what the world will be like without Islam.

This has conditioned the dispersion, evolution and development of the religions and their cultural heritage. For more detailed information on this OTL see Religion.

622 - Second Sasanian War: Emperor Heraclius sails from Constantinople with an expeditionary force (probably 50,000 men) and starts a counter-offensive against the Sasanian Empire. Battle of Issus: Heraclius defeats the Persian forces under Khosrau II in Cappadocia. He recaptures Anatolia, but returns to Constantinople to deal with the threat pose to his Balkan domains by the Avars and puts the Roman army into winter quarters in Pontus. The Western Turks conquer the Oxus valley and cooperate with Heraclius against Persia, taking Chorasan.

623 - Second Sasanian War: Raising additional forces in Pontus, Heraclius strikes through the mountains of Armenia and the northern sub-Caucasian principalities. He plunders Media and avoids the Persian armies who attempt to trap him.

Western Europe: King Clothar II gives Austrasia to his son Dagobert I, age 20, effectively granting the kingdom semi-autonomy in repayment for the support of its nobles, most notably Pepin of Landen (Mayor of the Palace), and in recognition of calls from the Austrasians for a king of their own.

Tuyuhun invasion of China: Tang forces under Chai Shao defeat the Tuyuhun and prevent further incursions in Gansu (China).

624 - Second Sasanian War: Emperor Heraclius advances with an expeditionary force (40,000 men) along the Araxes River, destroying the fortress city of Dvin (Armenia). At Ganzak, Heraclius defeats the Persian army and destroys the famous fire temple at Adur Gushnasp, an important Mazdaist shrine. Shah Khosrau II, withdrawing most of his troops from Chalcedon, he assembles three armies to trap and destroy Heraclius' forces.

Western Europe: The Visigoths under king Suintila recapture the Roman territories of Spania (Andalusia) after 70 years of occupation. Only the Balearic Islands stay a part of the Roman Empire of Constantinople.

625 - Second Sasanian War: Emperor Heraclius marched with his forces west through the mountains of Corduene. In less than seven days, he bypasses Mount Ararat and captures along the Arsanias River the strategic fortresses Tigranakert and Martyropolis on the upper Tigris. The Persian army in northern Mesopotamia withdraw westward across the Euphrates. Heraclius pursues into Cilicia, accompanied by a great train of booty. Battle of Sarus: Heraclius is victorious in a Byzantine assault river crossing. The reinforced Persians are defeated along the Sarus River near Adana (Cilicia). He recaptures Cappadocia and Pontus, and returns to Trebizond to spend the winter. Shahrbaraz retreats in good order, and is able to continue his advance through Asia Minor towards Constantinople.

626 - Second Sasanian War: Siege of Constantinople: A horde of Avars about 80,000 men (including large contingents of Slavs, Bulgars, and other "barbarians") attack the walls of Constantinople. A small Persian army arrive on the Bosporus on the Asiatic side. The siege go on until two months, when the Persian fleet was destroyed in the while ferrying reinforcements. The Avars, having suffer terrible losses, running short of food and supplies, burn their siege engines. They abandon the siege and retreat to the Balkan Peninsula. The Romans achieve a decisive victory at Blachernae under the protection of the Church of the Virgin Mary.

Heraclius invites the Croats, to settle in Illyricum. They are given the land between the Drava River and the Adriatic Sea for ridding of Avars. The Serbs are allowed to move from their homeland north of the Carpathians to a territory east of the Croats. Heraclius asks Pope Honorius I to send missionaries to both groups.

Heraclius makes an alliance with Tong Yabghu Qaghan, khagan of the Western Turkic Khaganate, for a joint invasion of the Persian Empire the following spring.

627 - Second Sasanian War: Emperor Heraclius sweeps through southern Armenia with a 50,000 expeditionary force, recapturing most of the Roman fortresses lost to the Persians ten and fifteen years earlier. Battle of Nineveh: Heraclius efeats the Persian army (12,000 men) near the ruins of Nineveh. Heraclius plunders the city palace of Dastgird and gains tremendous riches. Khosrau II flees to the mountains of Susiana to rally support for the defense of the Persian capital Ctesiphon.

628 - End of the Second Sasanian War: Khosrau II is forced to return all the territories conquered during the war. The Persians must give up all of the trophies they have captured, including the relic of the True Cross. Evidently there is also a large financial indemnity. Having accepted a peace agreement on his own terms, Heraclius returns in triumph to Constantinople.

Third Perso-Turkic War: The Göktürks under their leader Tong Yabghu Qaghan are defeated near Tbilisi.

629 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Jerusalem is reconquered by the Romans (after 15 years of occupation) from the Persian Empire. Heraclius styles himself as Basileus, Greek word for "sovereign", and takes the ancient title of "King of Kings" after his victory over Persia.

Third Perso-Turkic War: the Sasanian army defeats the Western Turks. Persian victory and end of the war. Khosrau II reconquers Chorasan.

China: Emperor Tai Zong of the Tang Dynasty launches an campaign against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.

630 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Emperor Heraclius returns the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem. Heraclius issues in a decree that all Jews must become Christian; a massacre follows around Jerusalem and in Galilee.

Turkey: the Khazar leader Chorpan Tarkhan defeated the Gökturks and proclaimed him as khagan of the Khazars.

China: Illig Qaghan, Khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, is captured by Li Jing during the Emperor Taizong's campaign against Eastern Tujue.

631 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Emperor Heraclius appoints Cyrus, patriarch of Alexandria, with power to act as viceroy (dioikesis) of Egypt. He begins a ten-year persecution against the Coptic Christians.

632 - Sasanian Empire: Shah Khosrau II, age 62, dies at Ctesiphon after a 41-year reign. His son succeed him as Kavadh II (632-634).

Eastern Europe: Kubrat establishes the confederation of Great Bulgaria. He takes power over the Bulgars and expels the Avars from his lands. Kubrat's rule stretches from the Danube Delta to the Volga River.

633 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Monophysite uprising in Syria and Egypt. These religious conflicts are to be understood not only as such, but as national and democratic religious movements very influential on the poor masses and opposed to the authority of the Roman emperor and Hellenized upper classes. Thus, Persian domain of Syria and Egypt in the next centuries was possible due to this aversion to Constantinople and its interests.

634 - Sasanian Empire: Kavadh II mysteriously die. His son and successor, Ardashir III (632-641), was a puppet of the general Shahrvaraz (who really rules in the Empire).

Third Sasasnian War: Shahrvaraz reports the treaty of peace with Constantinople and invades Syria. Battle of Firuz: The Sasanian army defeat the combined forces of the Roman Empire of Constantinople and the Ghassanid kingdom near the Euphrates.

635 - Third Sassanian War: The Sassanian army under Shahrvaraz defeat the Roman forces led by Theodore Trithyrius at Pella in the Jordan Valley.

636 - Third Sasanian War: Emperor Heraclius assembles a large army (100,000 men) consisting of contingents of Romans, Arabs, Slavs, Franks, Caucasians and Armenians. He establishes a base at Gadara, close to the edge of the Golan Heights, protecting the vital main road from Egypt to Damascus. Battle of Hieromices: Persian forces decisively defeat the armies of the Roman Empire, effectively completing the Persian conquest of Syria. It will be regarded as one of the most decisive battles in military history.

637 - Third Sasanian War: April – Siege of Jerusalem: The Sasanian army (20,000 men) conquer Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Battle of Chalcis: Sasanians defeat the Roman army in Chalcis (Northern Syria). The cities of Beirut and Tyre are captured after a short siege. October – Siege of Aleppo: Sasanian army led by Farrukhzad conquer the Roman stronghold Aleppo, the large walled city surrender after a four-month siege. Battle of the Iron Bridge: Persian forces defeat the Roman army and Arabs near Antioch at the Orontes River. It marks the complete annexation of Syria into the Sassanian Empire.

638 - Third Sasanian War: Emperor Heraclius creates a buffer zone or no man's land in the heartland of Asia Minor. In the mountainous terrain of Anatolia, the Roman forces develop a system of defensive guerrilla warfare. The strategy is known as ‘shadowing warfare’, as it avoid battle with major Persian invasions and instead attacking raiding parties on their return when they are laden with booty, captured livestock or prisoners. The invading Persian army move into Anatolia conquering without strong Roman resistance, the cities Germanicia, Caesarea, Sebastia and Melitene (west of the Taurus Mountains). Persian forces march into Roman Armenia where they capture the cities Edessa and Amida up to the Armenian plain.

639 - Third Sasanian War: The Sasanian army under command of Shahrvaraz invade Egypt. They capture the strategic town of Pelusium (Nile Delta) after a two-month siege.

640 - Third Sasanian War: The Persian army under Shahrvaraz defeat the Roman forces near Heliopolis (Egypt). Persian army capture Babylon fortress after a seven-month siege, during a night assault Persian warriors open the city gates. The Upper Egypt is annexed by the Sasanian Empire.

China: Emperor Tai Zong of the Tang Dynasty begins a campaign against the Xiyu states (Western Regions) in the Tarim Basin. General Hou Junji captures the kingdom of Gaochang to solidify Chinese rule in Central Asia. Nestorian missionaries built the Daqin Pagoda in Chang'an.

641 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: February 11 – Emperor Heraclius, age 65, dies of dropsy at Constantinople after a 31-year reign. He has reorganized the imperial administration but lost Armenia, Egypt, Palestine, Syria and much of Mesopotamia to the Sasanians. Heraclius is succeeded by his sons Constantine III and Heraclonas.

May – Constantine III, age 29, dies of tuberculosis after a four-month reign, leaving his half-brother Heraclonas sole emperor. Rumors spread that Constantine has been poisoned by Heraclius's second wife (and niece) Martina.

September – The Senate of Constantinople turn against Martina and her son Heraclonas, who are both multilated and exiled to Rhodes. Supported by general Valentinus, Constantine's son Constans II, age 10, succeeds to the throne.

November – End of the Third Sasanian War. Persians under Shahrvaraz capture Alexandria after a fourteen-month siege. Roamn officials formally capitulate turning the city over to Persian hands. Constans II signs a peace with the Persian and establishes a new civil-military defensive organisation based upon geographical military district. Roman forces maintain the frontier along the line of the Taurus Mountains.

Sasanian Empire: October – Due to the immense power accumulated by Shahrvaraz and leveraging his absence, the feudal aristocracy removes Ardashir III and proclaimed Hormizd V (641-642) as King of Kings in Ctesiphon. Shahrvaraz does not recognize Khosrau III accusing him of not beig the first in line of succession (he was a doubtful grandson of Khosrau II). This event marks the beginning of the Seven Great Houses War (641-650) and forced to Shahvaraz to sign a peace with the Romans.

Seven Great Houses War was not only a Persian civil war, but also a struggle between the feudal aristocracy and the establishment of a centralized and absolute monarchy as representing the rise of the Pahlavian Empire.

642 - Seven Great Houses War: Shahrvaraz captures Ctesiphon at a brief siege and deposes Hormizd V. Khosrau III (642), nephew of Khosrau II, is proclaimed King of Kings by Shahrvaraz support. Yazdegerd III (642-651), supposed grandson of Khosrau II, is proclaimed King of Kings by feudal aristocracy. Battle of Nahāvand: Shahrvaraz defeats Yazdegerd III (who fled to Isfahan). Khosrau III mysteriously dies in Ctseiphon, what is exploited by Shahrvaraz for purge the aristocracy and proclaimed him as the regent of the Empire and leaving unoccupied the throne.

643 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Maurice names himself dux of Rome and revolts against exarch Isaac (Exarchate of Ravenna). He declares Rome's independence from the Exarchate and from the Roman Empire.

644 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Valentinus, Roman general, attempts to usurp the throne of his son-in-law Constans II. He appears at the gates of Constantinople with a contingent of Roman troops and demands to be crowned emperor. His claim is rejected and Valentinus is lynched by the populace.

Gregory the Patrician, Roman exarch of Africa, begins a rebellion against Constans II and proclaims himself emperor. The revolt has found broad support among the populace.

Seven Great Houses War: Battle of Estakhr: Shahrvaraz defeats Yazdegerd III who only maintains the territories of Hyrcania, Chorasan, Margiana and Sogdiana.

China: Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty sends a Chinese expeditionary force to invade and annex the Tarim Basin kingdom of Karasahr in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate. The oasis state is conquered and Western Turks to assist Karasahr are defeated by the Tang forces.

645 - Sasanian Empire: Greek revolts in Alexandria from Persian rule.

Roman Empire: Plato, exarch of Ravenna, invades the southern Po Valley. The Lombards under king Rothari defeat him on the banks of the Panaro River (near Modena); 8000 imperial troops are killed.

646 - Sassanian Empire: Alexandria is recaptured by the Persians.

647 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Self-proclaimed emperor Gregory the Patrician is killed during the Moor invasion at Africa. Moor-Roman treaty: Exarchate of Africa returns to imperial allegiance, but the western territories are annexed by Zenagan Empire (except Septum).

Seven Great Houses War: Shahrvaraz snatchs Hyrcania to Yazdegerd III.

China: Taizong establishes a Chinese military government to pacify the former territory of Xueyantuo, which extends to the Altai Mountains in the west.

648 - Roman Empire of Constantinople: Emperor Constans II, to quiet the intense controversy caused by the Monothelete doctrine, issues an imperial edict forbidding the subject to be discussed.

China: Tang general Ashina She'er re-established Tang control of Karasahr and leads a military campaign against the Tarim Basin kingdom of Kucha in Xinjiang, a vassal of the Western Turkic Khaganate.

649 - Roman Empire: Constans II orders Olympius, exarch of the Exarchate of Ravenna, to arrest pope Martin I on the grounds that he has condemned Monothelitism. Olympius attempts to gain support of the citizens of Rome and the bishops ordering the assassination of Martin.

650 - Sassanian Empire: Shahrvaraz directs a last offensive against Yazdegerd III setting battle near the city of Merv. Yazdegerd III is defeated and captured by Shahrvaraz. End of the Seven Great Houses War. Shahrvaraz go back triumphantly to Ctesiphon and assumes the title of Shahriyar (protector of the Kingdom). This marks the end of the Sasanian Empire, being replaced by the Pahlavian Empire. The Pahlavian period is characterized by a cultural renaissance and the restoration of Darius' empire: a strong centralized power divided in large satrapies whose satraps were named directly by the Shahriyar.

Worldmap at 650 AD

651 - Yazegerd III dies mysteriously in Ctesiphon. It is suspected that he was murdered on the orders of Shahrvaraz to avoid a possible revolt using his figure.