Aq Qoyunlu

Primary culture

Turkish (Levantine)

Capital province

Diyarbakir (418)

Government

Tribal Federation

State religion

Sunni

Technology group

Muslim

Aq Qoyunlu ideas

Traditions:

+10% Morale of armies

+20% Cavalry combat ability

The White Sheep

+1 Land leader shock

Unite the Clans

−20% Cavalry cost

+1 Yearly tribal allegiance

Turko-Iranian Bureaucracy

−20% Core-creation cost

Dynastic Appanages

+25% National manpower modifier

Expansive Diplomacy

+1 Diplomat

Religious Pragmatism

−10% Stability cost modifier

Qanun-nama-ye Hasan

+10% Goods produced modifier

Ambition:

−5% Land maintenance modifier

Tracing their lineage to Bayandor Khan, the leader of one of the twenty four Oghuz tribes and the grandson of Oghuz Khagan himself, the Aq Qoyunlu, or White Sheep, have a great legacy to uphold. When Timur laid waste to the region decades ago he granted the fortress of Amid, or Diyarbakir to the White Sheep, while displacing their old rivals, the

Qara Qoyunlu, the Black Sheep.

Following the death of Timur in 1405 the White Sheep have carved out a domain in the Kurdish mountains around Diyarbakir and extended their rule from Erzurum in the north to Rakka in Upper Mesopotamia, in the south. A number of Aq Qoyunlu princes currently compete for the overlordship of the federation, while the Qara Qoyunlu, united under Jahan Shah have managed to lay claim to most of Timur's legacy from Iraq to Azerbaijan.

Unless the Aq Qoyunlu unite again under a strong leader they may well soon find themselves a client of the growing Qara Qoyunlu empire, invaded by the Mamluk Sultanate of Syria and Egypt, or attacked by the resurgent Ottoman Empire.

Unifying and expand the Aq Qoyunlu will take someone of both great ambition and ability, someone, perhaps, like the young prince Uzun Hasan.

Aq Qoyunlu is a sultanate (tribal federation) in Anatolia in the Near East. They follow the Hanafi school of Islam. At the start of the game, Aq Quyunlu is in a precarious situation, being next to large powers such as the Ottomans. Historically, under the leadership of Uzun Hasan, the Aq Qoyunlu (also called the Whitesheep Turkomen), defeated the Qara Qoyunlu in 1468, taking control of Iraq and western Persia. The Safavids, known as Ardabil in game, soon began to undermine their allegiance to the sultanate, and thus defeated Aq Qoyunlu in 1501.

Missions[edit]

Main article: Aq Qoyunlu missions

Aq Qoyunlu's missions are oriented around conquering Qara Qoyunlu and invading the Caucasus and Persian regions.

Decisions[edit]

id

Form Persian Nation

At the mere age of 15, monarch has taken his father's position as head of the Shiite Turkmen tribe. He has quickly established a base of power in the northwest and proclaimed himself Shah of Iran. Several of the neighboring regions have been conquered and the possibility of a resurrected Iranian nation doesn't seem so absent anymore.

Potential requirements Playing with normal or historical nations Was never an end-game tag Has not yet enacted this decision Is not the Mughals, the Timurids, Persia, the Holy Roman Empire, the Roman Empire, the Papal State the Ottomans, Byzantium, or Arabia Primary culture is in the Iranian culture group, or country is Aq Qoyunlu Is not a colonial nation If the country is AI-controlled: Is not a former colonial nation Is not a custom nation	Allow is not a subject nation other than a tributary state. Is not a nomad nation Is at peace Does not have a tribal government Persia does not exist Owns the following core provinces: Hamadan (414), Isfahan (429), Yazd (433), Qom (2213) and Qazvin (2215) either Amol (426) or Shiraz (2218) either Tabriz (416), Kerman (432), or Mashhad (2221)

Effects Change country to Persia Gain new missions Leaves the Holy Roman Empire, unless an elector or the emperor Change government to Feudal Theocracy and rank to Empire Gain a permanent claim on every non-core province of the Persia region that it does not own Gain country modifier “Increased Centralization” for 20 years, with the following effects: −0.05 Monthly autonomy change +1 National unrest Gain 25 prestige Change primary culture to Persian Trigger event event “New Traditions & Ambitions” Set country flag `formed_persia_flag`

id

Restore the Sultanate of Rûm

Once, the Sultanate of Rûm united all the Turkish Beys and Emirs of Anatolia, but it was brought down by jealous and deceitful enemies from afar. By tearing down the empires that defile the memory of the Seljuk dynasty we can restore the Sultanate that once was. Let us unite the Beys under our banner and bring destruction upon those that would dream themselves our overlords!

Potential requirements

Rûm does not exist.

The country:

was never an end-game tag.
is not Prussia or England.
is not the Emperor of China.
has Turkish as primary culture.
is not a colonial nation.
has not yet enacted this decision.

If the country is AI-controlled then it

can not be a custom nation.
can not be a former colonial nation.

Allow

The Ottomans and Byzantium do not exist.

The country:

is Muslim.
is not a subject nation.^[1]
is not a nomad nation.
is not at war.
owns its core provinces:
- Constantinople (151), Kocaeli (316), Konya (323), Ankara (326), Sivas (329), Erzurum (331), Kayseri (2301) and Sultanönü (4312).

Effects

The country:

changes to Rûm.
gains 25 prestige.
gets permanent claims on all provinces of Anatolia that it does not already own.
gets the modifier ‘Increased Centralization’ for 20 years with the following effects:
- −0.05 monthly autonomy change,
- +1 national unrest.

If Rûm:

is not a monarchy and not revolutionary
- then it becomes a monarchy and enacts the ‘Ottoman Government’ government reform.
is a member of the Holy Roman Empire but not the emperor or an elector,
- then all its provinces are removed from the HRE.
is a duchy,
- then it becomes a kingdom.
does not have custom ideas,
- then it gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’.

Strategy[edit]

The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Aq Qoyunlu. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.

Aq Quyunlu is a country in between powerhouses, such as the Ottomans, Mamluks, and its main rival, Qara Qoyunlu. To succeed, befriending one of these powers is crucial for survival.

At the start of the game, check to see if the Ottomans or Mamluks are friendly. If both countries have a neutral attitude, improve relations with one or the other, and forge an alliance. Or, restart until one of the two has a friendly attitude. Since Aq Quyunlu is Turkish, it is a candidate to form Rûm, should the player chooses to do so. If that is the end goal, then an alliance with the Mamluks will be much more beneficial. Once an alliance has been secured, removing Hisn Kayfa should be the next step. Afterwards, the Caucasian minor nations of Trebizond and Georgia for example, should be taken next, as these Christian countries have few allies in this region, making them easy targets. After these steps, the player should be a medium-sized power.

From here, the player can expand in any direction. Qara Qoyunlu will be a rival, thus eliminating them with the help of the Ottomans or Mamluks should be done as soon as possible.

If the player is allied to the Mamluks, then targeting the Ottomans should be the main priority. Oftentimes, the Ottomans will get called into wars in Europe, against Serbia, Hungary, or Venice for example. If that is the case, then the player should attack, and focus on taking Ankara, due to it being one of the few forts in Anatolia. Gradually chip away at the against the mighty Turk, and expand in other directions such as against Circassia or the various Arabian tribes, should the opportunity arises.