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Sinan played the first reign. He posted many gloriously screenshots, the links for most unfortunately are now broken. The ones that remain give you a taste of the grandeur of the set.
Al Hijri 506.
The court of Khalipha Yusuf I is assembled to lead the Al Muwahhidun Khaliphate.
The age of Islam is high, the new religion has charged forth from the sands of Arabia and is taking the world by storm. The warriors of the new faith fear only the wrath of their Lord. The children of the Faith charged with religious zeal have formed Islamic societies unrivalled to what the Romans called the barbarians of the north. Christendom is slow to awake to the emerging power of the world of Islam. Gradually the Christian societies are building up their people to wage war on Islam. The Islamic world has excelled on the social, economic and scientific fields. There is no society in the Mediteranean and in Europe which is as culturally blessed as the country of the Muwahhidun. Scholars from across the world travel to the states of Cordoba and Granada to study at the universities, to educate themselves in earthly disciplines. Many of these never return as they see a dark age in comparison in their own northern european lands. Many of these never return and themselves become followers of the Faith.
These people feel that there is in Islam no concept identical to theirs of religion. Islam is a comprehensive cultural system cast as a seamless unity, which compasses the great questions that treat of eternity to the minutiae of daily life, and is defined in part by the binding and changeless word of God, revealed to the Messengers, and in part by those words and actions of the Messenger that were inspired by God. This definition is contained in the Shariah (Path to life-giving water), a body of law that is constituted of the Qur'an (Recitation), or Koran, which records the revealed words of God; the Sunnah (Tradition), which consists of the Messenger's sayings (Qawli), deeds (Faili) and tacit approvals (Taqriri) that were inspired by God; Ijma (Consensus), which records opinions representing the consensus of the Companions of the Messenger; and the Qiyas (Analogy), a method of analogical reasoning. Nothing remotely comparable to this is found anywhere in the recorded history of the world; an entire way of life presented in, essentially, abstract form, as a coherent body of law, by one man, realized through his force of personality and qualities of military, political and spiritual leadership, and set by him on a course that carried it to world ascendancy.
With the Berber conquest of central Hispania, a civilization was born which cradled Christian, Jewish and Islamic peoples. While Christians moved north to speed away from the tide, others moved into the Khalipahte and onto the Middle East where they found a new life unheard and unseen in their own lands. In the Khaliphate the three great rivals of the house of God, the Christian, the Jew, the Muslim share the same streets and neighbourhoods. They enjoy the same high standards of living, stroll in the same magnificent parks and gardens. Study in the same great universities and enjoy the same blossoming of civillization.
This is the aspect of convivencia, that living together well that has been the emblem of Muwahhid Spain. How will the future judge our civillisation ? If we read the prose, and the poetry, it produces, listen to the music, watch the dance, admire the architecture, it is truly a golden age, men and women of the three great faiths combined and mingle their talents and sensibilities to create something unique in European culture.
Alas. The peace shall not last long, as the fire of war brews ever closer. The Pope has asked for the people of Christendom to rise against the Muslim world. The Khalipha and his council are holding a war meeting. The Muwahiddun wish for peace but recognise that Christendom has vast arrays of weaponry and manpower ready to help the Aragonese and Spanish Kings conquer this land of ours. The council stands united. We must be the first to wage war, we must be the first to strike before the balance of military might shifty from our favor. The Khalipha signs letters to tribal and military chiefs, and to civil administrators. The gates of Cordoba open to a fury of horsemen as messengers burst through the gatesm carrying the message of war throughout the land. The tribes of North Africa are assembled and move toewards the battlefield of Iberia. The Khalipha shall be know in history as Yusuf I Al Muntasir El Hispania, the Liberator/Protector of Spain.
The Khalipha also lays out his plans for reuniting the Muslim world. The Miuslim world must be united.
As the Khalipha is the successor to the Prophetm there can be only one.
At the council, Amirs are appointed as heads of each region.
1088: The borders are closed and troop training and recruitment begins.
1089: An Heir matures Prince Yusuf II.
1090: An Heir matures Prince Ali I.
1092: A mosque is built in Codoba, marking the status of the province as the capitol the the Muwahhidun Khaliphate.
1093: Final battle preparations are underway. The war is hours near. Two main strike forces are assembled. One led by the Khalifa himslef, the other led by Prince Yusuf II. The plan of attack is to strike both the main Spanish provinces simultaneously. This is to maximise the inital impact of the attack, and thrives on the element of surprise. The two strike armies are know as Teer (Arrow displyed by the green) and Khanjar (Dagger, displayed by red), led by the Khalipha and Prince Yusuf respectively. Prince Ali's standard can be seen amidst the Khanjar.
The timing is crucial as the Spanish King is reported on campaign against the Navarre rebels. As such he should not be able to intervene in the initial battles personally. An Emissary (blue arrow) is dispatched to Navarre to ensure that the Spanish King is indeed in Navarre with a large force as spies indicate.
The Spainish provinces must be attacked simultaneoously also becuase of the rebel threat from east and west. The independence minded Portuguese may take advantage of the war to invade Cordoba from the west. While El Cid, the legendary commander may intervene from Valencia.
The Khalipha surveys the troops, closely and issues final instructions. The men and the nation realise that the Muwahhidun must be treacherous and merciless, faced with a willing foe. The Khalipha addresses the troops arrayed outside the city of Cordoba.
Our very existence is threatened, our way of life, our society are the targets of the enemy. Our principles and all that we have worked for lie at the mercy of the enemy. God has instructed us in the Recitation, we must defend our nation and our society. We must destroy those who wish to destroy us, and slay them where they stand. We shall not fail and we shall not waiver from the task before us. March brave warriors, show the enemy no mercy, take no prisoners. May God be with you.
With this closing sentence the fields echoed with the sound of swords being unsheathed, and with war cries of God is Great. The women and children atop the city walls cheered as their husbands, fathers, brothers marched to meet the enemy. Many of the families do not expect to see their loved ones return.
It is my belief that the Khalipha did not wish to issue an order to kill all prisoners. However I believe he understands the necessity of annihiliating our enemy as an example. Our forces are outnumbered and under supplied we must not allow any enemy soldiers to return to face us on the field a second time. Victory must be swift and decisive.
The First Battle for Leon
The Kahlipha's army crosses the border under the bright rays of the Iberian sun. The army is composed largely of North African tribals. Squadrons of Berber, camel mounted tribesmen flank the Khalipha's Ghulams. The Spanish force consists largely of light cavalry. The Muslim army takes a defensive position deploying 5 battalions of Cabiyle archers. The men grow impetous. The Spaniards take the bait, thinking to destroy the desert archers, and advance from all sides upon the steadfast Muwahid. On the command of the Khalipha a messenger sounds the horn. The battlefield awakens to the shouts of the battalion commanders: Make ready Take Aim Lead to target Fire Fire Fire In one volley half the advancing light cavalry is decimated. The Berbers move forward to charge the remaining cavalry. The Spanish withdraw up a hill and await the inevitable camel charge. Once the Berber Camel squadrons arrive at the hill, led by the Khaliph, the Spainish light cavalry breaks and routs retreating into Leon Fort.
The Battle for Castille
Prince Yusuf marches into Castille. The Spanish do not have as many light cavalrymen, since most of these forces were eliminated in Leon. The Muwahid are outnumbered 4 to 1. The Spaniards do have 2-3 squadrons of light cavalry. Prince Ali senses the danger that the enemy may use numerical superiority to attack. He orders the army to march on a small hill. The Muwahiddun take up a defensive position and Prince Ali marches forward, bravely inciting the enemy to chase him. As the enemy light cavalry approches the Prince they are destroyed by a hail of arrows. Prince Yusuf charges out from behind the archers and the 2 Princes with 20 Ghulam engage the Spanish Javelinmen, routing the enemy. The enemy general springs an ambush from a forest at the foot of the hill. The two Princes continue to harass the enemy further away while Almohad Urban Militia engage the ambush force. The Spanish spearmen and urban militia prove no match for the Muwahid. The army regroups and rests before mounting a final assualt on the main enemy force. As the army approaches the enemy charge down to engage but to no avail. They stand no chance and withdraw with whatever men they have left. Castille is taken, the enemy remain besieged in their forts.
1094:
Rebellion in Navarre
Meanwhile in Navarre the people of the province rebel against their Spanish masters. The Spanish King is now engaged in suppressing an insurrection.
Assault on Leon Fort
The peasants break open the gate, and destroy portions of the fort's walls. The rest of the army forms outside the gates. Once again the archers devastate the enemy cavalry. The attack is launched through a breach in the east wall. The Khalipha charges through the main gate. While another attack is launched from a breach in the west wall. The Khalipha's bodyguards attack and kill the enemy general. Leon is secured.
1096: The Aragonese send an emissary with a treacherous offer of alliance. The Khalipha rejects the offer outright. The Emissary is given a message to take to his King: war is immiment and cannot be averted, by any means other than a complete non aggression pact signed by the Crusading nations. Followed by free trade and traffic rights between the Crusading nations and the Khaliphate.
Loyalist Rebellion in Castille
The population remains defiant in this province and rebels. The loyalists are supported by Spanish forces moving in from Navarre. The Khalipha issues orders to prepare for an assualt on the mountainous region of Navarre.
The desert archers form closely to darken the sky with arrows. The enemy take heavy casualties from missile fire. Almohad Urban Militia start a flanking maneuver from the east, while Militia Sargents begin flanking from the west. A squadron of Saharan Cavalry rushes past the flankers and beings a wide encirclement. The first company of Militia Sargents clashed with enemy attackers. While Almohad Urban Militia cut through the enemy spearmen. Lastly, the Berbers and Ghulams are called into action. The Khalipha himself leads the Ghulams.
The enemy army is doomed. Some of our soldiers pity them but remind themselves that their enemy does not want peace, but the riches of their lands, and the subjugation of their families. The unit leaders instruct the buglers to sound the final assualt. As the horns blow the unit commanders reissue orders to execute any enemy soldiers still alive on the field or those who attempt to surrender. In my heart I chant a silent prayer for them, for their salvation, may God grant us His mercy. The enemy has nowhere to run as our cavalry close in from the rear.
I sit beneath an olive tree, surveying the field below us, thinking how this battle and this war is changing us. My thoughts are interupted as I see a lone horseman riding towards our camp at full gallop. Before I can stand to my feet a platoon of Saharan Cavalrymen canter past me and towards the approaching horseman. Peering through the telescope at a nearby position, I distinguish him as a Nubian, from his strong composure and magnificent build. These men are chosen as long distance riders for their physical strength and endurance. He is escorted through the field by our men. I rush to the Khalipha's tent to hear of the news. The Nubian reads out a message from the commander of Cyrenacia Fort: The Egyptians have been spotted massing in the desert in what are clear preparations for an invasion. The Khalipha is presented with a scroll detailing the situation in the Eastern Sahara.
The Khalifa studies the map carefully, and writes a reply to the desert commander with his own hand. Prepare the tribes for battle. Send your most trusted diplomat to negociate a peace. Await no further instructions, maintain the peace if possible. Should the Egyptians threaten you further, your objective is Al-Cairah (Cairo). March to their capitol and once seized, set up a defence in the Sinai. Your forces will be reinforced as soon as our armies reach the borders of the French. The Nubian bows and with a change of horse, gallops away to his destination.
1098: The legendary El Cid joins our forces.
The council of war meets to discuss the progress of the campaign. So far our attack has met some resisitance, but the Spanish have failed to hold any ground and are essentially finished. The final plans are laid out for the attack on Navarre and Aragon. Our trusted Emissary is dispatched to Portugal in order to convince the Portuguese leader to join us.
Castille becomes the headquarters and supply base. Valancia will be reinforced, our forces prepare to move into Navarre & Aragon. We have entered the final stage of the Iberian Campaign.
The Battle for Valencia
Our forces move into Valencia to support El Cid. King Sancho of the Aragonese sends a force in an attempt to stop us.
The enemy sets up a small defence ahead of the bridge. The main enemy force stays further behind in case the bridge falls. Our troops under El Cid march to meet the enemy at the bridge.
A unit of enemy Royal Knights guards the bridge. Although I cannot see from this distance whose banner the unit flies, I am certain that this unit is led by an Aragonese Prince. The Royal Knights are a formidable opponent and must never be underestimated. I can distinguish from here, various battle colors, indicating that this is a veteran elite unit which has fought battles before.
However fierce the enemy knights may be in hand to hand combat. They will stand no chance once our archers open fire. The brave knights stand fast as they begun to get cut down by a hail of arrows. One of our Berber squadrons ventures to close to the bridge and suffers casualties from the enemy archers, before pulling back to safety. Meanwhile our men watch in amazememt. The last of the enemy knights falls. It appears they decided to stand under fire and die defending the bridge. May God grant them peace.
Our archers now train their fire on enemy militiamen, destroying an entire unit before El Cid leads the charge across the bridge. His squadron suffers some casualties to the enemy before crossing. El Cid is the first to engage an enemy soldier. The rest of our men surge forward to cross the bridge, encouraged by the general's spirit.The enemy King realises the futility of the fight and withdraws from battle. Our light cavalry dash to intercept whatever stragllers of the enemy may be left behind. The battle is over. One of our Berber sqaudron lost many men. Valencia is ours.
1100: The Portuguese join us.
The Khalifa leads an attack into Navarre to finish the Spanish, while El Cid crosses the border into Aragon. The Portuguese are reinforced from Leon.
An Italian fleet is sighted off the coast in the Gulf of Valencia. This is not a merchant fleet and adequate resources are left behind in Valencia to ensure that any enemy raid can be effectively repulsed.
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The Battle for Navarre
As we go into battle we realise that this is the last hold of the Spanish in Iberia, this brutal war shall soon be over. We shall soon be able to return home to our families. In this battle like in all the rest against the Spaniards we shall be relying on our archers defeating the agile enemy light cavalrymen from a distance.
We encounter the enemy at the entry to a pass into Navarre. The Spanish Jinette squadrons fan out. We are severly disadvantaged in mobility. The Khalipha orders a retreat, and we set up a defensive position. Before our men have finished assembly, we face the first Spanish strike. A furious fight begins as our militiamen attempt to hold off the enemy cavalry. Our Ghulams begin a flanking maneuver while our archers pin down enemy reinforcements.
Our Ghulams complete the flanking maneuver.The enemy horsemen are surrounded on three sides, but fight bravely to the death. The first enemy attack is defeated. Our forces reform to face another squadron of Jinettes. Archers let loose. The Spanish King dispatches a Prince to intervene, in vain. Before the Prince arrives with reinforcements our archers devastate the enemy horsemen.
We reform to face the enemy reinforcements. The Spanish Prince charges into battle valiantly. Our militaimen hold down the Prince and his knights. The Spanish King leads a 3rd wave in order to save his son. It is an effort too late, once again our Ghulams race to outflank the incoming enemy formation. Our archers open fire on the furthest enemy troops to minimise our own losses to friendly fire.
The Spanish army breaks. The Prince is killed, the Spanish King flees from the battlefield along with the remnants of his army. We reform once again and march trough the pass, confidently towards the Navarre capitol. The Spaniards are crushed and no longer pose any significant threat.
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The Battle for Aragon
This was by far the most difficult and tiring battle of the Iberian campaign. the Aragonese King displayed a sound knowledge of the tactics of deception. El Cid himself was caught off guard and had to fight for his life. 2 squadrons of Berber sacrificed themselves this day to save their general's life.
We met the enemy on a river with two bridges. The enemy deployed 2 units of archers on the west bridge. While his main force straddled the east bridge.
Enemy forces on the west bridge used as bait. Our mounted units led by El Cid divert to the west bridge. While our main force of militiamen marches for the east bridge.
El Cid leads the charge across the west bridge, with 2 squadrons of Spanish Jinettes. The enemy King now redirects most of his main force to the west bridge, in a cunning move to trap our commander.
El Cid is forced to beat a hurried retreat over the bridge. The Berbers show their true valor by charging across the bridge to hold the enemy while their esteemed general evades the enemy attack. The green arrows show the movement of allied troops, while the red show those of the enemy (in this screenshot).
Meanwhile our forces launch an all out assault on the east bridge. An enemy Prince leads the counterattck on the east bridge.He is quickly overwhelmed by our militia. Once the Prince is killed the remaining enemy force withdraw westward, chased by our militiamen.
On the west bridge, the battle has been reduced to a personal combat between King Sancho of the Aragonese, and El Cid. 2 Berber tribesmen support El Cid as he fights the enemy King in hand to hand combat. King Sancho falls under El Cid's lance, to the resounding cheers of our men. An enemy militia unit which was attempting to save King Sancho is trapped by a militia of our own. El Cid, though fatigued from the long combat and the sole survivor of his unit, charges into battle once again.
The enemy army is completely destroyed as it attempts to escape from the battlefield. The Aragonese Kingdom is eliminated and the Iberian campaign is complete. We all breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to returning home.
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1101-->1112
The campaign for the Iberiand peninsula thus ends in victory. We return to our capital amongst cheers of joy welcomed as heroes by our people. The Khalipha is revered by the people, even the Christians and the Jews. As he has brought an end to the division of Hispania. The people call him Yusuf I Al Muntasir El Hispania.
The Holy Roman Emperor sends an emissary with a proposal of alliance which is accepted by the Khalipha. The Germans are also a Crusading nation and their swords shall certainly turn against us in the future. I believe that the Khalipha senses the end of his reign and wishes to pass a secure and stable kingdom for the young and valiant Yusuf II. The English King also sends a proposal of alliance, which out leader accepts as well. The English are a Crusader nation, as such we must accept that we shall have to eventually deal them the same fate as the other Crusaders. We cannot be at peace with an enemy who plots under the guise of an alliance. Nevertheless in the interests of rebuilding the country and providing some rest to our troops we preserve the peace.
We have no navy as yet. Algeria & Tunisia have been marked for naval production. The infrastructure is already being built to produce a navy capable of controlling the Mediterranean. In the sea the Byzantines, Italians and Sicilians have much power. The Italians have raided our territories 3 times. Twice they failed but on one occasion we were unable to repulse their raid, and Valencia was briefly lost to the enemy. The Khalipha organised a successful counter attack.
Another Prince came of age before the Khalipha's passing. Prince Ibrahim.
The strength of the Italians meant that they could even raid as far south as Morrocco. Naturally their attempts were in vain and the Berbers chased them back into the sea.
Today Yusuf I has past away, and I write this final paragraph before I take my leave from court. His reign has been glorious. Though there has been terrible bloodshed, we are now feared by the Crusader nations. The entire nation is in mourning of the Khalipha's passing. Khalipha Yusuf the Second has ascended the throne. He is a great man and much respected by his friends and foes alike. He has a huge burden of responsibility as he must ensure that the Muwahhidun Khaliphate continues to grow as the most cultured and civillised society in the Western world. There are many threats to the nation. Internally the church continues to gain an uneasy influence amongst it's followers. Although most Christians are very happy under the rule of the Muwahhidun, there are some extremists who wish to overthrow the state and wage war gainst the Muslims, much like their Crusader counterparts further north and across the Gulf of Valencia. The Muslims too are becoming more extreme, in a resposne to the Crusader threat fanatical sects are forming to launch Jihad against the Crusaders.
The Egyptians have been kept in check by a massing of popular support against them by the people of the Eastern Sahara. There are reports that up to 20 squadrons of Saharan tribesmen can be raised at a moments notice to repulse any Egyptian endeavor.
As for myslef I will leave the court as my master is gone. Yusuf the Second has been like my own child and I have sought to help him wherever I can. I have sought to impart on him all the knowledge of this life that I posses. I trust in him and believe that he will take the necessary actions to preserve our blossoming civilisation. I am increasingly drawn to a branch of Islam, that I know little of but have heard much about.
The history of the origin of Sufism records that during the lifetime of the Prophet Mohammed, centuries ago, there was a group of pious individuals from different nations who, guided by the Laws of Islam, sought for the direct experience of the Divine. Companions of the Prophet, they were people of principles practicing certain disciplines and meditations for the sake of purification, the realization of Divine love, and the understanding of reality. They were the Lovers of God who sought union with Him through losing the limited self in His Divinity (fana), and remaining alive in that Reality (bagha).
These individuals met on the platform, or suffe, of the mosque where Prophet Mohammed used to pray in Medina, Arabia. They would meet there almost everyday to discuss the ways to inner knowledge, the truths of revelation, and the meanings of the verses of the Koran. Thus the platform of that mosque in Medina became the first gathering place of one of the most influential groups in the history of mankind's spiritual civilization. They were called ahle suffe, the People of the Platform.
These individuals cultivated the seed of a school of spiritual practice based on knowledge of the self, and thus free of the trappings of tradition and superstition, a knowledge of the inner heart apart from the customary beliefs of their contemporary society as well as those of future civilizations. It is from this group that all the schools of Sufism that have ever existed owe their origin, for by pursuing the path of unsullied inner knowledge they were the founders of Sufism, and the binding link between its subsequent developments.
I will be leaving for Jebel Al Tareq (Gibraltar) with some of our warriors who like me wish to further our education and give thanks to our Lord for our success in battle. At dusk our dhow shall sail to the Seljuk state. There we will visit Konya to study at the school of the Dervish. Thereafter I Intend to travel to Baghdad (Gift of God), to visit this ancient city and learn from her people. From there I shall cross the desert alone to Damashq (Damascus). After praying at the Al Quds and the tomb of Jesus in Palestine I shall turn east once again through the sands of Arabia towards the trader's city on the Persian Gulf. From there I shall return to India from where my ancestors came. Should life permit I shall return to the service of my home in Iberia.
Allah-e-Imanet (I go as I came, a possesion in the hands of God).
I'm just one more daddy trying to pass on what he (thinks he) knows.
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