But if you want to write a saga—if you want to see the Great Heathen Army break on the walls of a strengthened Wessex, or watch a Jewish Khazar merchant king rule over the Rus—then hit that 867 button.
The Mediterranean is no longer a Roman lake, but it isn't yet a European one. The is vast, but the map reveals its rot. Unlike the solid, terrifying block of the earlier start dates, the 867 map shows rebellion. The Shi'a uprising and independent breakaways signal the beginning of the end for centralized Arab hegemony, opening the door for the Fatimids and the shifting tides of religious dominance. ck3 map 867
Once a mighty unified empire, by 867 the Abbasids control only the heartlands, with their governors from Iberia to India acting as independent powers in all but name. This creates a fragmented political landscape in the Middle East, ripe for adventure. But if you want to write a saga—if