The Second Mahdist War

Timeframe: Early to mid-1820s, contemporary with the War of the French Succession
Belligerents: The Crown of All Spains vs. al-Mahdi and his supporters
Consequences: The death of al-Mahdi; collapse of Mahdism as a unified force; Legitimist withdrawal from France; rise of Saxon-aligned Malta as a Mediterranean force

In 1786, Umayyad Seville knew its last year of peace and sovereignty. Seven years later, the Civil War had run its course, and the newly-united Spanish Crown was busily annexing what was left of Moorish Spain. Hisham V [who?], the last Caliph of Seville, was dead. The caliphate was contested by three squabbling, doomed brothers, and his four-year-old son had been smuggled into safety and irrelevance across the Straits of Gibraltar.

During those dark days, his supporters gave him a regnal name of his own: al-Mahdi. And in 1821, with the House of Guise crumbling and a civil war in France, al-Mahdi made his move and crossed the Straits of Gibraltar again.

Background to the Second Mahdist War

The last fifty years had been a very good time to be a Christian monarch in eastern Iberia. Inside of a few decades they had, against all expectations, suddenly pushed south to Gibraltar, a wishful fantasy they'd stopped seriously trying to achieve centuries ago. On top of that, they'd also managed to consolidate the other kingdoms of Iberia into a dynastic union, topped off with the optimistic title "the Crown of All Spains."

And then, a few years prior to that, the other unthinkable, wishful dream of Léon-Castilla-Navarra had happened: the direct-line Guise succession had gone to pieces. For the first time since the Wars of Religion two centuries back, the king of Léon (now of Spain in general) was being floated as a viable option to warm the throne - especially because a cadet branch of the Guisards was trying to carve out a bastion in the north. The era was such a Spain-wank already, the Monarchy decided to go for the gold and make their full title - "the Crown of All Spains and France" - a meaningful one.

• Obviously, this proved harder than it appeared. Spain was plausibly able to live off the land in Iberia, but their supply lines in France were channeled through a few routes: the Pyrenees, the Bay of Biscay, and the Mediterranean, where they were fiercely being fought.
• The War of the French Succession was the first war economy of united Spain, and they weren't entirely prepared for it either. In particular, the bloody capture of Marseilles [details?] hit them fairly hard, and the war effort triggered a lot of profiteering as food prices spiraled ever higher.

The Mahdi makes his move

It was at precisely this moment that al-Mahdi, under cover of night, came ashore in Portugal, just east of Tavira. The Spanish fleet, dedicated to keeping a watchful eye on his movements, was anchored in the French Riviera instead. Portugal could've intercepted him easily, had their fleet not been lost in Cabralia or preoccupied on the other side of the planet. As it was, by the time Portugal realized that al-Mahdi had reached their shore he'd already escaped towards Huelva.

• The capture of Seville: Seville fell to them fairly quickly.
• The First Siege of Toleto: The Mahdi's fatal mistake came with a push for Toleto, which he actually captured. At this point, Spanish scorched-earth tactics came into play: the city was ordered to hold out for the most desolate point in the winter, at which point it surrendered and al-Mahdi was let in.
• The Second Siege of Toleto: ...which turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory. That winter saw the Spanish withdrawal from France - which overwhelmingly landed in Valencia and began a hard drive west, taking Toleto from the south. Once again, remarkably, al-Mahdi managed to escape his pursuers.
• The Ten Weeks' War: Remarkably enough, al-Mahdi survived almost a year of pursuit, and resurfaced again in Almeria. This time, a breakout failed; late in the evening on April 5th, al-Mahdi was killed in the fighting.

Thus ended the Second Mahdist War.

Consequences of the Second Mahdist War

The Second Mahdist War doomed Mahdism as a cause.

• Simultaneously, by attacking at just the right time, al-Mahdi had forced Spain to withdraw from France. Granted, Legitimist forces were already the long-shot contenders, but things could well have gone different without his involvement.
• The Second Mahdist War drew most of its naval battles from various Mahdi-aligned Barbary pirate forces. His fall more or less guaranteed their doom, but only after they'd done enough damage to clear the seas for Saxony as a Mediterranean contender.

Not for the first time, the UCNA gave the Mahdists vaguely-worded platitudes and sympathies instead of any official concrete support. (Had they officially supported the Mahdists, the Second Mahdist War would probably have crossed the Atlantic with a front in Caribby.) Postwar, the UCNA could point to the fact that it never sanctioned or supported al-Mahdi at the bargaining table with Spain; it was cold comfort.

This is a stub. It will be expanded upon.