Almohad Kaliphate (V.I. version)

[Alrowan]

thats it for tonight, enjoy http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

the first 4 years have been filled with victories, and i only have a decade till the mongol hordes.... can i complete it?

[KukriKhan]

Moving to the new PlayByMail sub-forum of the new Story Forum.

[Mount Suribachi]

DOH I wrote this a couple of days ago, just remembered it (I've been basking in the 35 degree heat enjoying a barbie http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif )


1178 was a year of continued success for Ismael. The independent princedom of Friesland had refused Ismaels offer of vassalship and had instead chosen their independence - a choice that meant certain death. The 120 men defending Groningen castle managed to kill 150 of the attacking Almohad warriors, but the result of the battle was a foregone conclusion before it even began - victory for the Muslims.

Further south, the Holy Roman Empire continued its terminal decline as they paid for their pre-emptive attack of 2 years earlier with the loss of the forts at Dijon and Marseille, handing control of Provence and Burgandy to the Almohads. This enabled Ismael to achieve his long hoped for land link between his empires holdings in Northern Italy and Southern France. In the 2 assaults, the Germans lost over 600 men, the Almohads less than 200.

To the northwest, a famous battle was fought that year. The legendary Amir Rahman led an army of over 800 men into Brittany to do battle with 1000 Frenchmen led by King Louis VI himself. Whilst the conquest of the northwest tip of France was regarded as important, the opportunity to kill or capture the King of (what was left) of France made Rahmans eyes bulge in anticipation. As so often in this war, the battle was a disaster for the French. As their army became fragmented amongst the rolling wooded hills they were cut to ribbons by the Almohad Urban Militia and those who fled were rode down by the swift Saharan Cavalry. Amir Rahman was, as ever, sat on his speedy Spanish bred horse, javelins by his side ready to throw at any enemy who was foolish enough to try and close with him. And, as ever, he had no personal bodyguard. Speed was his best form of defence, and he used his speed to keep in touch with his units as they fought the scattered French troops. As the French army began to crumble, he noticed a single French cavalryman, trying to disengage from the Almohad lines, and then ride away down the hill. Could it be... thought Raman - and it was. King Louis himself, his bodyguards all dead, fleeing to the south. Rahman turned to order the nearest cavalry to ride him down, but they were all far away, chasing the routing French army. There was only one thing for it. Rahman spurred his horse and charged down the hill after King Louis.

https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/Louis6run.jpg
The flight of King Louis VI by Abbu Zayyan al-Mansur
The French Monarch had a good head start on Rahman and it took him a while to catch up. When he did, Rahman rained blow after blow down on Louis. But the Kings finely crafted armour resisted time after time. Rahman called on Louis to surrender, but King Louis just spurred his horse on to ride even faster. As the chase unfolded Rahman realised that he was becoming more and more separated from his army - in hostile territory chasing a heavily armoured French King...He reigned his horse in and let King Louis go. Though neither of them knew it at the, the French Kings flight would be a historic and pivotal moment in this war.

[Nowake]

MS, this is a very good description. Really.

[Demon of Light]

Well done, Mount Suribachi

[Mount Suribachi]

Thankyou for your kind words.

And now for some more history http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Only another 16 years to go http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

King Louis VI madness was just one of the character flaws that led to his downfall. The war that his father had started with the Almohads had now lasted more than 10 years. 10 long years filled with one disastrous defeat after another. France was now a tiny, shrinking kingdom, its people terrified by the seemingly unstoppable Muslim onslaught. Led by a King incompetent as well as mad, Louis' flight from the battlefield pursued by the legendary Rahman was one humiliation too much for the French. Upon his return to safe territory he was murdered and a new King crowned - King Stephen I.

But even the coronation of a new King was a humiliation. For instead of being crowned in the French capital of Paris, he had to be crowned in Southern England - Paris fell in 1179 to the Almohads.

https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/ParisFall.jpg
The Fall of Paris Castle by Abu Zayyan al-Mansur

After his mercenary army was slaughtered assaulting Paris castle in 1177, Ismael had ordered the surviving mercenaries and some low quality troops to lay siege to Paris, he cared not if these troops died of cold, hunger and disease, though he would never waste his Urban Militia in starving a garrison to death. He regarded his Almohad Urban Militia as the backbone both of his army and his empire. Nor did he care for the French citizens starving inside the castle. No doubt they would rejoice at the sacking of Granada or Cordoba if the tables were turned. To the northwest Amir Rahman took Nantes castle in another bloody assault of the type Ismael was growing to increasingly dislike, the 130 defenders inflicting 160 Almohad casualties - the armies of Ismael I were not used to suffering more dead than the enemy.

As Stephen was crowned in London - an event that should have been a glorious symbol of French supremacy over their long time enemies the English - the remainder of the French Empire crumbled as several provinces declared their independence. Some did so out of the shortsighted desires of their rulers for power, some because they thought it offered them a chance to avoid the Islamic tide. They were wrong on both counts. Meanwhile, Stephen was a King of France without any lands in France, only Wessex and Sicily declaring their loyalty to the new King. Stephens only hope lay in the huge French armies, several thousand strong, on Sicily. But this army was trapped there without any transport, the French fleet lying at the bottom of the Mediterranean, sent there by Almohad warships.

[Alrowan]

sorry for the lack of updates, been busy

[Mount Suribachi]

Wars are expensive business, and like any ruler, Ismael needed money to fund his large armies and to pay for the reconstruction of the cities they conquered. The small navy Ismael had inherited was now a powerful fleet, matched only by the vast Byzantine navy. Ismaels trading ships found it expensive to operate on long trade routes far from home, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. It was with this in mind that Ismael launched an army to conquer the island of Rhodes. Small and with no great potential for farming or trade this former Byzantine stronghold was nevertheless an ideal base from which to support the operations of Almohad ships. The 200 men under Amir Ibn Ishaq conquered the independent island with little difficulty in 1180, the 40 prisoners who survived the battle being released. They had fought to defend their country and Ismael always tried to be merciful to those who he would conquer - but woe betide them if they were to subsequently rebel against him…

1181 was the year Ismael intended to once and for all finish off the French. Amir Ibn Ma'mun, a promising young general was sent to invade Wessex with one overriding goal - to kill King Stephen I of France. Ma'mun led 500 men including many mercenaries against nearly 800 French soldiers. But King Stephen survived and the Almohads fought like cowards and ran. Although 500 Frenchmen were killed that day, of the 500 Almohad warriors, 400 were killed or taken prisoner. The news of the defeat sent Ismael into a fury at the cowardice of his own troops. Luckily for Amir Ibn Ma'mun, he was killed in the battle and when Ismael received a message from the cash starved French asking for a ransom for the 200 Almohad POWs it was refused. Ismael was quite prepared to pay the ransom for troops who fought for as long as they could - he did not expect his soldiers to sacrifice themselves in battles that were already lost. But fleeing from an enemy without showing any backbone or stomach for a fight he could not forgive. How the prisoners died in the Tower of London is not known, but that they met their fate there is certain.

1181 was a bad year all round for Ismael. His attempts to induce the independent princedom of Champagne to join his empire failed - the Duke of Champagne being immune to the substantial financial rewards such a union would bring him personally. To top it all off came the news of rebellion in Swabia. When the news of the defeat of the Almohad army by the French spread, it emboldened subjugated people across Europe to throw off their Muslim yokes. Ismaels armies were not invincible people thought - he can be beaten In Swabia this new found courage found a physical expression - 1000 men (including 600 well armed and armoured Feudal Sergeants) rebelled and formed an army declaring their allegiance to Emperor Ludwig V and the Holy Roman Empire.

https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/SwabiaRebel.jpg
The Swabian Rebellion by Abu Zayyan al-Mansur

This rebellion was dangerous and with the French isolated on Britain and Sicily, Ismael was able to ignore them for now and concentrate on driving the Germans back. So in 1182 a 2 pronged attack was launched - a spoiling attack into Franconia designed to tie down German troops there and the attack on Swabia itself. The spoiling attack was only partially successful. It did not prevent Ludwig from moving nearly 300 men to support the rebellion in Swabia, however it did massacre the 250 troops left there. Only a few of those soldiers survived and one of them was the Holy Roman Emperor himself. At one point he appeared surrounded and certain to fall, but with great courage and skill managed to fight his way out and flee from the battlefield.

The key battle that year was to the south in Swabia. Amir Yucub, a fine general led 620 Almohads against 1300 Germans. Though badly outnumbered, the Almohad armies had regularly fought against such superior numbers and prevailed and the battle hardened Muslim soldiers were confident that victory would be theirs once more this day. Indeed the Almohad Urban Militia and Desert Archers inflicted heavy casualties on the German troops in the opening stages of the battle. But then something happened that no one had foreseen. 60 Swabians, heavily armoured and carrying a giant 2-handed sword began to carve a path through the Almohad infantry.

https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/SwabSworM.jpg
Swabian Swordsman by Abu Zayyan al-Mansur

Many Almohads were quickly wiped out or running for their lives in fear. Into the gap in the Almohad line the HRE infantry and cavalry poured, charging into the archers positioned behind the infantry. Nevertheless the Almohad nerve held, but the Swabian Swordsmen swung round and drove towards Amir Yacub. He was cut down so fast that the army could not believe it - the shock of their generals death at the hands of these seemingly unstoppable killing machines sent the army into a panic and they fled. A few units courage held however, maybe 200 men total. They regrouped and positioned themselves on a ridge. They fought bravely and drove off 2 German attacks - luckily for them the Swabians were on the other side of the battlefield. However they were powerless when the HRE general brought up his archers and began peppering them with arrows. Without any cavalry to drive the archers off and with the fearsome Swabian Swordsmen visible in the distance marching towards them, the survivors decided that they should retreat with their honour intact rather than die the futile death of a pincushion.

The battle of Filderstadt was a curious one. The HRE suffered 750 dead, the Almohads only 260. Yet the Germans held the day thanks to the fearsome killing power of just 60 men and the untimely death of one general. The news of this defeat came as a shock to the Almohad people and immediately upon this news, the ever fervent people of Tunisia launched a Jihad to win back Swabia for Islam

https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/SwabiaJihad.jpg
The Jihad for Swabia by Abu Zayyan al-Mansur

If the news from the north was mixed, that in the south was decisive. Ismaels long battle against the Catholic nations was coming to its climax and now his objective was the source of his desire to exterminate Roman Catholicism -the Papacy itself. For 20 years or more Popes had been calling for Crusades against the Almohads, promising forgiveness of sins for those who took up arms against them. But if there was no Pope to bless the Crusades then there would be no crusades. The Papacy controlled the Italian peninsula and Ismaels plan was to launch a simultaneous 3-pronged attack to wipe them out. Ismael himself would lead an army in to the Papal States of northeast Italy - but the Papist army there fled south in terror at the advancing Islamic hordes, as did the army defending the holy city of Rome.

Only in Naples did the Papist armies stand and fight. Price Ali had landed 600 men by ship there and they were outnumbered 2 to 1 by the Catholic army - perhaps the reason the Catholics felt confident enough to make a stand. Holding a high ridgeline, the Almohads were forced to march uphill into the Papist infantry. The Islamic infantry steadfastly held their line long enough for their cavalry to sweep round to the rear and envelop the enemy. The result was one sided. For the loss of just 200 men, the Almohads had killed 500 and captured another 600. All of Italy now belonged to Ismael.

Pope Giovanni who had fled south from Rome hoping to find safety in Naples was quickly captured and under the strict orders of Ismael, brought before the Kalipha. On his knees before Ismael, the terrified Giovanni begged for mercy. Ismael spoke just one sentence to him, then with a nod of his head , signalled to a guard who ran the Pope through with his sword. Giovannis' naked body was displayed on a pole outside the gates of Rome, a sign hung round his neck bearing the words that Ismael had spoken to him.

Who but God alone has the power to forgive sins?

[Alrowan]

well Ismael II lies dead
Ibrahim is ready for the task ahead
the year is 1239

since th fall of constantinople, the empire went through a period of strife, and as ibrahim ascends the throne, the northern lands are secure once again, yet in the south and east the mongol horde marches across anatolia, unchecked. With a muslim stronghold ay constantinople ready to return and slay the horde

[Mount Suribachi]

With the Papacy eliminated, Ismael was able to concentrate once more on finishing off the French. To lead the assault on Wessex, Ismael chose Prince Muhammed, his eldest son. Muhammed was fast maturing into the finest general in the entire Almohad army, and when he became Kalipha would lead the Almohads to even greater glory, though no one knew that then. Muhammed led 500 men across the channel into England - not mercenaries of doubtful courage like the army that had fled the fields of southern England 2 years previously, but a strong balanced army of the type that had brought his father so much success the last 20 years. Against them King Stephen I of France could only field 300 tired, demoralised, worn out men. Despite the heroic efforts of Stephen who fought like a demon, once again the French lost, with only a handful of men led by King Stephen, escaping back to their castle, though they did manage to inflict 200 deaths on their Almohad enemies.

Elsewhere that year the castles at Nancy and Perrugia fell to Amir Rahman and Kalipha Ismael respectively, both for minimal losses as Ismaels grip on Western Europe choked Catholicism tighter and tighter.

In the south however the French army on Sicily which had festered and stewed without a navy to transport it back to defend their homelands finally got their chance to kill the Infidel that was so humiliatingly taking over their lands. With the conquest of Naples it meant that the only thing that separated Almohad territory from 2000 French soldiers desperate for battle was the Straight of Sicily. Lord de Coligny, Duke of Sicily ordered that every boat on the Island be requisitioned to transport his army across the straight. Leaving behind 500 men to protect the Island from a possible Almohad seaborne invasion he led 1400 men across to Naples in a flotilla of small boats.

Against this large army, Prince Ali was able to muster just under 500 men. The 2 armies met on the rolling plains outside of Naples. Outnumbered 3 to 1, Prince Ali set most of his army up on a small ridge, except for his 2 regiments of Berber Camels. The thing that worried Price Ali the most was not the numbers of French soldiers, but the 40 Knights Templar that formed part of the French army. These heavily armoured mounted Knights possessed a religious fervour that made them dangerous opponents. Lord de Coligny kept the Templars in reserve at the rear of his army as it marched towards the Almohad lines, waiting for the right moment to engage them. Ali saw this and sent his camels out round the flanks of the French army, which ignored them as a minor nuisance and carried on closing with the main Almohad lines. Once round the rear, the Berbers used their bows to shoot at the Templars, forcing them to give chase to the Camels. The Berbers retreated up a hillside, then at the right moment, turned about and charged down into the Knights. The carnage was great, and only a handful of camel riders survived, but even fewer Knights Templar were still alive. The Knights had fought bravely skillfully, but in the end, fighting uphill, weighed down in the stifling heat by their armour, with their horses panicking at the smell of the camels, the Templars ceased to exist as a fighting order.

For Prince Ali, killing 40 Knights Templar for the loss of 80 Berber Camel warriors was an acceptable price to pay. Especially when the rest of the battle went so well with the French being driven from the field of battle - for the last time as it turned out. 170 Almohads and 470 Frenchmen were dead, with another 730 prisoner. Simply in order to serve a final notice of humiliation on the French who after all had started this war more then 20 years ago, Prince Ali sent his nephew Muhammed a list of the French prisoners in order that Muhammed might ask the besieged King Stephen for a ransom for their release. Not surprisingly, no ransom was forthcoming and the prisoners troubled Prince Ali no more...

The end was now in sight for the French Empire. Once a mighty Kingdom, now it was reduced to a handful of besieged men, trapped like the prisoners they were in the Tower of London. It was Prince Muhammed, heir to the mighty Almohad Kaliphate who led the army that finally finished the French. It is not known who delivered the blow that killed King Stephen I, last king of France, only that his body was found after the fighting was over, next to the bodies of a handful of faithful bodyguards. The war that was started by his grandfather King Phillipe III in 1169, 15 long years ago had resulted in the deaths of over 9000 French soldiers on the battlefield. The number of civilians killed in sieges, starved to death, or deprived of their lands is unknown and one cannot help but feel for the people of Toulouse whose land became an annual battlefield for nearly 10 years. King Phillipe III had sown the wind, and his people reaped the whirlwind. The French had ceased to exist.

On Sicily, the news of the demise of the French Royal family produced a revolution of sorts. Before it had been conquered by the French, Sicily had been ruled by the Normans - French descendents of the Vikings. Now, the large army still there (the survivors of the battle of Naples and those lucky enough not to be sent) were unsure of who they were and who should rule them. That all changed when a distant relative of King Adam II, the last Norman king of Sicily was found. Crowned as King Adam III, the French army rallied to him, as did the local population of Sicily - both regarded him as one of them - his mother being a Sicilian, his father a Norman. 2500 Sicilians, joyous at the demise of their French overlords and terrified of the unstoppable Islamic armies a few miles away across the straits, rallied to his banner. Where King Adam found the swords, armour, shields and spears to arm all these Feudal Sergeants and Men at Arms is one of the great mysteries of history. News of this new Sicilian army reached Prince Ali as he was finishing off the last catholic resistance in Naples. Plans for a quick conquest of Sicily would have to be shelved till troops could be diverted from other fronts.

To the North Amir Rahman led 300 men into Champagne. Islamic agents had managed to bribe the garrison of the castle there to join the Almohad side. Without a castle to retreat to the 250 men protecting the small princedom were forced into the open battlefield were Rahman once more displayed his legendary generalship, dispatching their army with few losses. It was the last battle the old general ever fought. Known for his legendary appetite (some would go so far as to call him gluttonous) he choked to death on a chicken at a feast to celebrate his victory. Though he and Ismael had not spent enough time together for a bond to grow between them - they had both spent much of the last 25 years in the saddle on campaign throughout Western Europe - Ismael knew that his stature and his empires greatness owed much to the battlefield genius of Abu sa'id Rahman. A week of mourning was declared thoughout the empire, and the people mourned their general long and hard.

But the death of 1 general, no matter how legendary, could not stop the seemingly endless bloodletting of Ismaels reign. That same year Amir Mardanish led 900 men back into Swabia, 3 years after the Almohads had been defeated there by the ferocity of the Swabain Swordsmen. Against them, Emperor Ludwig V himself led 600 men. Once more the 2-handed swordsmen of Swabia ripped through the Almohad infantry, but they were defenseless against the waves of arrows launched by the hundreds of Almohad archers. The battle became very fragmented, but the Islamic archers held firm and after decimating the ranks of Swabian Swordsmen, directed their fire at the Emperor Ludwig. Though he was engaged in a melee with their own infantry, friendly fire was considered an acceptable risk in order to kill the Holy Roman Emperor. He and his bodyguards fell under the weight of hundreds and hundreds of arrows as Almohad Cavalry chased the rest of his army from the field. There were no more lands to call an Empire, Rome now belonged to Islam and there was no Pope to bestow a Holy blessing upon an Emperor. With Ludwig's death, the Holy Roman Empire was no more.

[Demon of Light]

albertmaldonado@yahoo.com (for the game)

[Mount Suribachi]

IT IS FINISHED

Sorry, but I just had to let everyone know that I just finally finished my write-up of Imaels reign.

Now all I gotta do is spell check it and proof read it.

Oh and go through all my screenies, edit them, upload them and post them...

So expect the final post around Sunday

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (Mount Suribachi @ Aug. 29 2003,22:41)]IT IS FINISHED

Sorry, but I just had to let everyone know that I just finally finished my write-up of Imaels reign.

Now all I gotta do is spell check it and proof read it.

Oh and go through all my screenies, edit them, upload them and post them...

So expect the final post around Sunday
Total Domination has been achieved?

[Mount Suribachi]

No, my write up of Ismael I (before Alrowan and Simon Appleton&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif. We've not heard from Alrowan for 2 weeks tho...

Anyways, my full history (most already posted in fits and spurts througout this thread) totals a 24 page Word document of 15,600 words... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/shock.gif

[Mount Suribachi]

This is the final installment of my history of Ismael, I gotta go to work now, so I will try and do my screenies tomorrow morning, so be sure to check again then http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Following the eradication of the Holy Roman Empire, Ismael was Kalipha of a vast Almohad Empire. He was creating one of the greatest empires of all time, an Empire that was coming to rival any other in history - a fact that Ismael was well aware of. His reign of war and bloodshed had begun in order to free his people from the threat of the crusading Roman Catholic nations, now Roman Catholicism was on the verge of extinction, the Christian faith being kept alive by the Orthodox Byzantine Empire to the east. Just as the map of western Europe was coloured Almohad orange, so the map of Eastern Europe was coloured in the purple of the Roman Empire. The Byzantines had managed to defeat the Turks who had caused them so much trouble, and fought a bitter 10 year border war with Egypt where little ground changed hands but men of both sides died in their tens of thousands. Yet despite this, the Empire had regained its former glory and now owned vast tracts of the East, from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The latest people to be driven back by the Roman onslaught were the Hungarians, driven back up the Dalmatian coast till finally the 2 great empires of the age, Roman and Moorish, shared a land border in northeastern Italy.

The 2 empires, Ismael knew, needed each other. Both had vast fleets of trading ships that plied the oceans between each other’s ports, swelling the coffers of each other. These vast trade revenues allowed them to pay for the giant armies with which they smote their enemies and for the vast building projects that they undertook within their empires. A war would be disastrous for them both. War would bring an end to the trade, to the prosperity. Both could easily beat any enemy they chose to fight - except each other. Ismael knew that maybe he would win a war with Rome, but the cost would be high...unbearably high, a price he was not willing to pay. But did the Emperors in Constantinople think the same way? Ismael knew the Roman Emperors to be proud, vain and arrogant, they regarded themselves as Gods Vice-regent on Earth What if they thought they could sweep away the Almohads as they had swept others away? Or what if they thought that they were next on Israelis hit list? Ismael was not prepared to take that chance. He must make peace with Byzantium. He knew that one day war would inevitably come between their 2 great empires, history taught him so - never in human history had great empires managed to peacefully co-exist...Assyria and Babylon...Babylon and Persia...Persia and Byzantium...always they had come to blows. Nevertheless, Ismael resolved to make every effort to bring about a peace treaty between the 2 great nations.

Emissaries were dispatched to Constantinople asking for an alliance. It was rejected. We do not wish war read the reply Constantine XI sent to Ismael but we require further proof of your good intentions. Perhaps a reduction of your strength along our borders would show this. Ismael, desperate for peace, ordered that the garrison in Venice be reduced from 500 to just 100 men. This reduction in strength would have consequences for the Almohad Empire, but that was in the future, after Israelis death - consequences that his son Muhammed would have to bear. But still the Byzantines rejected the Almohad overtures. So Ismael declared war on the Hungarians, now reduced to just Bohemia and Bavaria, in order to try and convince the Byzantines he was on their side (and grab some land for himself before the Byzantines got it), but still an alliance was refused. Dejected, Ismael began to lose hope of ever securing a peace treaty, though that did not stop him trying the rest of his life to secure one.

These attempts at securing a treaty with Byzantium was one of the 2 major issues that dominated Israelis thinking during the interregnum of peace from 1186 to 1188. The other was what to do about the English. They had been valuable allies against the French and whilst not inflicting defeat on the French on the field of battle, had kept large numbers of French troops tied down in Wessex. However, when the HRE had launched their surprise attack on the Almohads, the English had cancelled their alliance with Ismael to side with the Germans. And irritating a man who bore grudges as Ismael so famously did was never a wise idea. Now the debate raging in Israelis court was centred around whether to attack the English or not. Those in favour of aggression argued that they were a Roman Catholic nation and ultimately untrustable and treacherous. The Imams argued that they were infidels who needed to be converted or killed. Those against pointed out their weakness, the lack of credible threat they posed, the fact that the troops required for a campaign were needed elsewhere - in central Europe to help with the mopping up operations and on Sicily to defeat the large army there. Not invading the English would also allow the rapidly growing Almohad merchant class to carry on selling their wares to them, depleting the English coffers and swelling the Almohad ones. But in the end Ismael never forgot how the English had let him down by siding with the HRE, and he reasoned that sooner or later, he or his successors would have to fight the English. Better to do it now he thought, whilst we are strong and they are weak.

So it was that in 1188 Israelis son and heir, Prince Muhammed led an army north into Mercia. Outnumbered and outclassed the English abandoned the battlefield and retreated to their castle at Lincoln. The following year as Prince Muhammed was making preparations to assault the castle when the English King, John I, led an army of 650 men south from Northumbria to relieve the siege. Muhammed gathered 800 men and the 2 armies met outside Louth, north of Lincoln. The battle was long and bloody and for a long while the English held the upper hand. King John had gathered many nobles & royals to his army and their large numbers of heavily armoured knights caused the Almohads many problems. The Nubian Spearmen recruited from Cyrenacia and Muwahid foot soldiers were too lightly armoured to stand against these heavy cavalry charges. The day was won only because of Prince Muhammeds superior leadership. His men were well trained and very disciplined. They stood their ground despite their heavy losses enabling the Ghazis, fanatical Islamic warriors to use their speed to surround the engaged English cavalry. The knight’s armour was little use against the powerful axes carried by the Ghazis and they ended up suffering terrible losses. Only a handful of English soldiers survived to flee from the field of battle, 450 of their comrades lying dead in the Lincolnshire hills, alongside 300 Almohads. 180 Englishmen surrendered, but unfortunately for them, King John I was amongst the dead and there was no ransom money to pay for their release…

With the death of his father, the 16 year old Henry became King Henry II of England. Around the time he was being crowned King, Lincoln Castle was falling to Prince Muhammed. The final blow came in 1191 when a simultaneous 3 pronged attack was launched by sea and by land upon the remaining English held provinces of Wales, Northumbria and Scotland. Scotland and Northumbria fell with barely a whimper, but in Wales the remaining English nobility made a heroic last stand. Preferring a glorious death to life under Islamic rule they positioned themselves upon a hill and charged their horses down into the advancing Almohad army. These few Knights took many souls with them, but outnumbered, and with not enough quality infantry, English defeat was inevitable. Nearly 400 dead, split equally between both sides lay dead on the valley floor. King Henry was captured trying to flee north towards Scotland, unaware of the Almohad army that had landed there. He was captured and executed along with every other member of the English royal family. Britain belonged to the Almohad Empire.

Meanwhile in Central Europe the mopping up of the former Electorates of the Holy Roman Empire continued as Stuttgart castle finally fell to the soldiers of the Jihad who had come to win in back for Allah in 1188. To the north, Saxony fell in 1192 when Amir ibn Badis defeated Sigismund von Osterreich. Both armies were 800 strong and both suffered nearly 400 dead, but the superior morale of the Almohad armies were the difference as another 400 Germans were taken prisoner. Nevertheless, when news of the victory came to Ismael he was deeply concerned about the heavy casualties his army his suffered as once again they struggled to cope with heavily armoured knights.


For many years Ismael had watched the conflict between the Hungarians and Byzantines with interest. The Hungarians had been the land buffer between Ismael and the powerful Byzantine Empire for all of Israelis reign, but now they were on the verge of defeat as they had been driven back and back by the purple tide. Now, with their Kingdom reduced to just Bavaria and Bohemia, Ismael took advantage of the outbreak of a civil war in Hungary to attack. By doing so he hoped to firstly win some brownie points with Emperor Constantine XI, and secondly to grab what was left of Hungarian lands before the Byzantines did. In 1188 he ordered Amir Ibn Khalid with 250 men to move southwards and attack Bavaria.

Against them was Sir Andreas Andreas with just 120 men. However he cleverly stayed one step ahead of the Almohads and made a stand upon the River Danube near to the town of Burgheim. Half of his army consisted of Royal Knights and as the Almohad army tried to cross the bridge they charged and drove them off. Amir Khalid tried to rally his men on the bridge but fell under a hail of Hungarian arrows as he did so. 3 times the Almohads tried to take the bridge; 3 times they were driven back by the concentrated archer fire and the Hungarian heavy cavalry. For the loss of just 30 men the Hungarians had managed to inflict 150 casualties on the seemingly invincible Almohad army. However squeezed as they were between the 2 great empires of the age, it was to be merely a stay of execution.

In the New Year the Almohads were back, this time attacking from the west so as to avoid having to try and fight their way across the River Danube again. Abdullah al Hajj was at the head of 500 men, but the Hungarians, anticipating another Almohad attack sent reinforcements, led by the Kings brother, Prince Samuel. All together the Hungarians managed to muster nearly 900 men to defend Bavaria. To add to Abdullahs woes, that spring was a particularly cold one and snow was still falling well into April. When the 2 armies met near Furstenfeldbruck, the ground was covered in snow, the Hungarians occupied a forest at the top of a ridge and the Almohads were outnumbered nearly 2 to 1. Abdullah al Hajj knew that the correct decision was to withdraw; yet he didn’t. He had fought at the disastrous Battle of Burgheim Bridge the previous summer where he was Amir ibn Khalid’s deputy. The shame of that rout still burned fiercely within him, moreover, he was a young and promising general, and this was his chance for glory He knew of the many famous victories the Almohad armies had won during the glorious reign of Kaliph Ismael I – those victories were justly famous because so often they had been won against the odds. To withdraw now would mean being a coward. His behaviour in private had long caused many to suspect he was unbalanced, even crack-brained. His decision to attack against all the odds is perhaps further proof that he truly was an unhinged loon. And so the order was given to advance.

The Almohad army fought bravely, struggling through the deep snow towards the Hungarian positions on high, under fire from catapults and ballistas all the way. Several waves of Slav warriors, naked from the waste up despite the bitter cold, were repelled and still Abdullahs men continued to struggle their way struggle uphill. Tired, cold and outnumbered, his army unbalanced by too many archers and not enough infantry, they were unable to withstand the Hungarian cavalry charge that swept them from the snowy slopes with the ferocity of an avalanche. The casualties are unknown, only that they were high and that 79 men were taken prisoner by the Hungarians. Ismael, true to his belief that men who have fought bravely before surrendering deserve to be ransomed, paid the gold to King Jo I of Hungary to secure their release.

The defeat was so complete that it was 2 years before Ismael was able to muster enough troops in central Europe to try for a 3rd time to take Bavaria. To lead his army on an attack where a 3rd failure was unthinkable, Ismael chose Phillip von der Kniprode, a German who had not yet converted to Islam, indeed he had even fought against the Almohads as part of the Emperor Ludwigs army, but now had a new master. Once more the winter snow lingered in the foothills of Bavaria but this time it was the Almohads who had the numerical advantage, 777 (which the Christian von der Kniprode regarded as a sign of Gods blessing) against around 400 Hungarians led by King Jo I himself. For this 3rd attack the Almohads had chosen the northern invasion route again enabling the Hungarians to try and defend the Danube once more. The German general wisely chose his crossing point however, trying to force his way across the double bridges at Ingolstadt. Outnumbered and with 2 bridges to try and defend, the Hungarians were defeated, though they put up a brave fight, killing 220 Almohads but losing 280 of their own, as well as another 60 prisoners. King Jo and his brother Prince Samuel were both killed when they were trapped on one of the bridges and surrounded with no way forwards or back they fell. Bohemia had fallen the previous year to the Byzantines and with their deaths, Bavaria became part of the Almohad Empire and the Hungarian Empire was wiped out.

In the Mediterranean, the Almohadic expansion continued as elsewhere. Throughout the 1180’s the Byzantine Island of Crete had undergone a succession of revolts and rebellions as its people strove for independence from Constantinople. Finally in 1186 they succeeded and with their armies needed more elsewhere in their vast empire, the Byzantines were forced to abandon the island. For years Ismael had been looking for an opportunity to expand into the Eastern Mediterranean, mainly to provide a secure naval base from which his fleet could operate from. Crete was otherwise unimportant with no profitable trade goods or fertile land upon it - its port was its everything. In 1188 a small force was sent to secure the Island which they did with little difficulty, adding this strategically valuable island to the Empire.

Much bloodier was the fight to take Sicily. With 3000 well trained well equipped soldiers, the Sicilian army was clearly going to be no pushover. It was 4 years before an army of 2200 Islamic warriors was gathered and deemed ready to invade Sicily and at their head was Kalipha Ismael I himself accompanied by Prince Abdullah. Landing on the northern shore of the island near Cefalu, they sat and waited for the arrival of the King Adam II and his army. When he arrived the battle though tough was far easier than Ismael predicted it would be. Though he lost 650 men, he barely touched his reserves and after wave upon wave of Sicilians had crashed against his army, they had lost 1150 men and another 800 had been taken prisoner. Amongst the dead was King Adam though his son survived the retreat to the castle at Palermo where he was crowned King Adam III of Sicily.

Ismael had landed without any siege equipment, most of which was in Germany to be used against the last few independent Germanic states who would not submit voluntarily to the Almohad Empire and loath to recall them, Ismael left a sufficiently large army behind to maintain the siege of Palermo and returned to the mainland. With Palermo castle packed with hundreds and hundreds of Sicilian soldiers starvation and disease was rife and the castle fell without a fight 2 years later when the young King Adam III died of a fever. Sicily an Island ruled by so many different nations through the centuries was now back in Islamic hands (Israelis scholars reckoned that the Almohads were the 6th different Muslim people to rule Sicily).

The year of 1192 dawned with a promise of long lasting peace and prosperity for the Almohad Empire and an end to 30 years of unrelenting, unceasing, total war and brutal conquest. Quite simply there were no more enemies for Ismael to conquer. One by one he had crushed the Catholic nations threatening him– The union of Italian City states, France, Germany, England, Hungary, Sicily, even the Papal States themselves had all been subjugated. The only Catholic nations left were Poland and Denmark, but they were small and weak and posed little military threat. Without a Pope in Rome and with learned Almohad Imams residing in all their towns and cities they posed little religious threat either. Ismael could have conquered them, but he saw no point - he was tired of war. It was time to draw a line in the sand, strengthen his frontiers and build the improvements that his war weary people deserved. There would still be plenty of opportunity for conquest for his son Muhammed when he came to the throne, Ismael was sure of that, and Ismael was also sure that Muhammed would be Kalipha sooner rather than later.

For many years now, as he got older and older, Ismael had brooded about his own death. He was obsessed with the deaths of his forefathers - Yusuf I, Yusuf II and Umar had all died of illness at the age of 56. Ismael, unbelieving as he was, became convinced that this was a sign from Allah that he too would die in his bed aged 56– if he did not die on the battlefield first. He kept quoting the Jewish King, Solomon the Wise it is appointed unto man once to die. He was convinced that it was his destiny, no The will of Allah, that he should die a glorious death on the field of battle. All through the 1180s as his enemies were finished off one by one, Ismael began thinking about where it should be that he would meet his end – Ireland. Scene of a humiliating, shameful, cowardly defeat in the first years of his reign, the deep anguish and bitterness of that defeat burned like a furnace in his heart for 30 years. Now, as his last act on Earth, he planned to lead his brave warriors to a glorious victory there and die in the process of claiming the last piece of Catholic land in Western Europe for Islam.

As 1192 came, he was in no hurry. His armies were depleted and under strength, their equipment was worn out or obsolete. He ordered all regiments that were below 50% strength to be returned to their home provinces so that new recruits might replenish the ranks of his battle hardened veterans and that they might receive strong, new armour and bright swords with sharp edges to replace the dull, blunt and notched ones they now wielded. Throughout his empire he was constructing mosques and trading posts and generally improving the infrastructure of his towns and cities. His people knew it too, even in the conquered catholic provinces they were the recipients of a previously unknown prosperity and his people were loyal to him, acknowledging him as a magnificent builder.

He also took a bold, some would say foolhardy decision. For centuries Granada had been the Moorish capital in Spain, now Ismael decided to transfer to a new capital. Just as Constantine the Great had relocated the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium, so Ismael now moved his capital from Granada to Rome.

He had 3 main reasons for doing this. The first was logistical convenience. His vast Empire spread from Scotland in the north to Morocco in the south, from Portugal in the west to Venice in the east, from the Welsh valleys to the Saharan sands. Quite simply, Granada was too far from everywhere, too removed from the action. Rome whilst not the geographical centre of his empire was closer to it than Granada, but was also closer to his land borders with Egypt, Byzantium, Poland and Denmark.

The 2nd was to show supremacy over Roman Catholicism. For 1000 years the Bishop of Rome had been the head of the Earthly Christian church (though the Patriarch of Constantinople might dispute that fact). Now Rome belonged to Islam and Ismael wanted the world to know it - The Bishopric of Rome had been disbanded.

Finally there was Rome itself. Pope Giovanni had fled in such haste with his army to try and escape when Ismael invaded the Papal lands, that Rome had been left defenceless, its people throwing open the city gates and throwing themselves upon Israelis mercy. And he was merciful; the city was not sacked, or plundered or pillaged. Rome was perhaps the greatest city on Earth at that time, its monuments and galleries and especially its palaces awakening a desire in Ismael to reside there. And so he moved his court to Rome and its many palaces were given as rewards to his most faithful and successful generals and administrators such as Amir al Mansur, Count of Flanders who he appointed Grand Vizier, giving him the Chancellors palace. Settling into his new capital, ruler of a vast empire, Ismael began to relax and catch up with the 30 years of paperwork that his perpetual life campaigning had left behind.

But his plans for a peaceful few years and then a glorious death in Ireland were suddenly interrupted. Without Ismael or his spies having any prior knowledge, surviving Catholic Bishops (though Ismael had disbanded their Bishoprics) had elected a new Pope, who took the name Urban III. From all over Europe faithful Catholics had flocked to Italy to join his army and eject the heathen Muslim Kalipha from the Holy City of God. Totally out of the blue Ismael received reports of huge Papal armies marching on Rome (3800 strong) and Naples (1800 strong). The post conquest honeymoon was over. Orders where urgently sent throughout the Empire – all leave was cancelled, troops sent for retraining and re-equipping were recalled, understrength units were merged, fresh troops were raised wherever possible, mercenaries were hired. In short the entirety of Israelis realm was scoured for troops.

So it was that in 1194, Kaliph Ismael I and Pope Urban III drew up their armies outside Rome. Ismael had managed to muster 1200 troops, but he was facing 3800 devout, pious, motivated Catholics who were prepared to die for their Holy Father and his city. Nevertheless, Ismael was confident as were his men – he had faced these odds before and prevailed. Seeing that the Papal 1st wave consisted of mainly men at arms Ismael ordered his cavalry to his front line, holding his infantry in reserve. As the Papal army closed Ismael sent his cavalry charging down the hill and they smashed into the Catholic centre. But as they tried to disengage and charge again, his cavalry found themselves outnumbered. Suddenly they were being pulled from their horses…what had turned into a powerful cavalry charge turned into a static, bloody carnage with the Almohads doing most of the dying. Ismael sent his trusty Almohad Urban Militia into battle, but they were too few. Outnumbered, they couldn't engage all the Papal regiments, some of whom were now closing on his exposed archers. Ismael frantically tried to call up his reserves, but the game was up, they would not get there in time. A feeling of helplessness and failure overwhelmed Ismael as he ordered a withdrawal. Scrambling up the hillside he could see his men below him, some surrounded and fighting and falling, some running and being cut down, others surrendering and who could blame them? He, Ismael, had let them down by his overconfidence - by his poor generalship and now 400 of his finest warriors were dead. They had taken a similar number of Catholics with them, but to win this battle that was not good enough – 4 Catholics needed to die for every Muslim. He hurried with the remnants of his army back to Rome and the protection of its city walls.

To the south, Don Fieschie led 2000 men against Prince Umar and his 1100 strong army. When news of this battle was smuggled into Rome, Ismael rejoiced. Prince Umar had won a famous victory, killing 400 Catholics and taking another 1200 prisoner, every single last one of whom was executed as a warning to others would be rebels, as a punishment for their rebellion and to prevent them ever getting the chance to face the Almohads in battle again. Prince Umar now lives in history as a butcher with scant mercy, but that was a price that had to be paid for protecting the Empire from these wicked papists as far as he (and Ismael) were concerned.

Despite the shattering defeat in Naples, Pope Urban III and Catholics throughout Europe were full of joy at having defeated Ismael on the battlefield - surely they thought, it was only a matter of time before Rome was back in the hands of the one true church. Buoyed by his victory, Urban called on the faithful throughout Christendom to crusade against the Almohads promising forgiveness of sins for whoever took up the cross against them. His message had added impact with Ismael trapped within the city walls of Rome. Throughout the empire the news of his besieged status was greeted with dismay. Out of contact with the rest of his empire there was chaos, with many cities having to call out the militia to suppress revolt. But that wasn't always enough as full scale revolts broke out in Portugal, Granada, Morocco and Northumbria all of whom had their own different grievances. Even worse were the Christian rebellions against Muslim rule in Rhodes, Crete, Mercia and Scotland. But Ismael, trapped inside the Eternal City knew little of this. He just waited for the arrival of the relief force that was surely coming and then he would sally forth and defeat the Papists

What was more, his 56th birthday had just passed. Ismael had a permanent smile on his face those months under siege in Rome. He knew now that his destiny was not to die conquering Ireland. He knew now that it was Allah’s will that he should die inflicting a final and decisive defeat on the infidel Papists, who he had spent his life battling. And the thought made him smile inside.

1195 was the year Urban planned to unite Italy under Catholic rule once more. To the north he sent a small force of just 250 men to take the former Papal States from the small Almohad garrison of 180. But the 180 fought like lions, the tough Almohad Urban Militia engaging the Papal army while the speedy Murabatin Infantry ran round to the rear before unleashing volley after volley of javelins into the backs of the Catholic soldiers, 190 of whom fell for the loss of just 60 Muslims. Round 1 to the Almohads.

In Rome, word reached Ismael that relieving troops had landed at Ladispoli. As the Papal armies broke the siege to meet this new threat he and his 750 tired and hungry men marched out to rendezvous with their relief. Ismael was horrified when only 250 men met up with him Where were the rest of the troops he was expecting? No one knew. Luckily for him, half the besieging Papal army, including Pope Urban had marched south to try again and take Naples so that instead of facing 3000 men, his army 1000 strong was facing only 1600 Catholics. The violent thunderstorm that roared above the Battle of Veio was a fitting backdrop to the last battle of Kalipha Ismael I. Through the pouring rain he drove his men on and on and on. This battle was no classical tactical battle, it was a bloody slog pure and simple as men fought in the mud and the cold and the wet up and down hills and through woods and over the bodies of the fallen. And at the end 40% of Israelis men were dead – over 400 men. But so were 660 Papists and another 350 had surrendered. Round 2 to the Almohads.

To the south, following his butchery of the previous year, Prince Umar was confronted with 2000 Catholic troops led by a confident Pope Urban III. The day got off to a good start for Umar as 250 troops, meant for the relief of Rome, had landed in Southern Italy by mistake and so were absorbed into Umars army, swelling its numbers to 1260. The Battle of Capua Vetere was a violent, savage affair that swung one way, then the other. Seeing the fortunes of each side ebb and flow Umar ordered that all Papal prisoners be executed whenever there was a pause in the battle. This was a battle of survival between 2 cultures, 2 religions, it was not a place for chivalry. Chivalry would get you killed and your people and your faith exterminated. Eventually the Almohads managed to break the Catholic armies morale and began to chase them from the field. Though totally exhausted, the surviving Muslim warriors pursued their fleeing foes, the elation of victory, the joy of *survival* giving them the energy they needed.

But up ahead on a hillside there loomed 4 regiments of Mounted Sergeants at full strength, calmly sitting on their horses. As they approached them, a feeling of unease began to spread through the Almohad ranks. Why weren't these horsemen fleeing? Why were they waiting there? Then they knew. The Papal light cavalry charged the shattered, scattered Almohads, inflicting heavy casualties on men who moments before were rejoicing at still being alive. Now it was the Muslims turn to flee and be run down. Back at the original scene of battle a handful of men witnessed the turnaround in fortunes. These men were reinforcements who had been held back due to their poor quality or lack of numbers or both. Many were survivors of previous battles where they had seen most of their comrades fall around them. They had been good enough or lucky enough to escape deaths clutches then and now here they were, watching an approaching foe cutting down their fleeing brothers in arms. Seeing how flight resulted only in death strengthened their resolve. If we do not stand now, we will not stand at all shouted a lone Ghazi, clearly a veteran of many battles, as he walked up and down the thin ranks of troops – men who had not expected to see battle this day except as a last resort. And now the battle depended upon them, they were the last resort.

The first fleeing survivors approached their ranks. Stand and fight brothers Stand and fight shouted the lone Ghazi at them, but terror had control of their hearts and minds and they wildly stumbled past the few Almohads preparing to make a last stand. Then they were gone and the Papal cavalry came up the slope. The lone Ghazi became more and more frenzied as they got nearer, banging his shield, shouting oaths to Allah and exhortations to the men around him to fight or die. And then he was off, charging towards the oncoming cavalry. The dregs of the Almohad army followed him knowing if they fled they would surely die, but if they fought, they might, just might live. Now the tables were turned, it was the mounted sergeants who were overconfident and tired from chasing routing troops across the battlefield. They had not expected to meet any resistance and now here they were fighting and dying at the hands of a handful of Urban Militia, some Bulgarian Brigands and a lone, crazy Ghazi swinging his axe like a madman. And suddenly it was over, the surviving Papal cavalry was fleeing and there was no one else left to fight. The survivors collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and sorrow and pain. Tears of joy and grief and utter exhaustion ran down their dirty, sweaty, bloodied faces.

Only 300 Almohads survived the Battle of Capua Vetere out of a force of 1200 and only 20 of them were on the battlefield at the end, the others having been withdrawn earlier or having fled to save their lives. In a battle that was the closest run thing the difference was the 250 troops who as a result of a mistake by an Admiral had landed too far south and so joined Umars army rather than Ismaels. Among the dead was Prince Umar, he had fallen earlier in the battle leading a cavalry charge. His body was found under a tangled, twisted heap of horses and men, Muslim and Catholic. The lone Ghazi was also amongst the dead. No one knew his name and it was impossible to recover his body from amongst the piles of mangled and mutilated bodies - they were too great to identify. But it was his courage and leadership that inspired the ragtag remnants of the dead Prince Umars army to make one last stand. As his body was never found and no-one knew who he was the rumour quickly spread amongst the survivors that he was actually an angel sent by Allah to secure victory for his people.

The toll of Catholic dead was horrific. Papal documents showed the army that morning had a strength of 1971 men. The next day the Almohad army buried 1909 of them in the bloodstained earth of XXXX. Round 3 to the Almohads.

But what of Pope Urban III? Survivors recall seeing his flag at the start of the battle, but after that his actions are unknown, no eyewitness could recall seeing him at any point during the battle. He was later captured trying to flee to the north and executed on the spot. The Papal rebellion was over.

And what of Kalipha Ismael I? He had not met the death at the Battle of Veio that he so hoped for. He was wounded however whilst chasing fleeing Catholics through some woods when he cut his arm on branch. Whilst sounding innocuous, the wound quickly turned septic and fever set in. As he lay dying news reached him of the costly victory at Capua Vetere and he knew that his life’s work, the defeat of the Roman Catholic threat was complete. He never knew of the troubled kingdom that his son Muhammed would inherit or of the vastly depleted army with which he would have to deal with it (the brief Papal rebellion had taken the lives of some 2000 Almohad soldiers). Word of the rebellions which had broken out throughout his realm as a result of his being besieged in Rome had not reached him yet. Nor had even graver news. A huge Italian army, inspired and supported by the Papal rebellion had landed in Algeria. The Italians did not know of the Popes defeat, it occurring while they were at sea, nor did they expect it, the plan being to take advantage of Almohad weakness and strike into their heartland. But that was for another Kaliph to deal with, for Ismael passed the veil of death that year, leaving but 2 requests for his son Muhammed – to conquer Ireland and wipe away the shame of defeat there, and to maintain peace with Byzantium at all costs.

He had reigned for 35 years and his empire had expanded beyond his wildest dreams. All of Western Europe and North Africa was his. From a tiny treasury where tough choices had to be made every year as to where the money should be spent, at his death over 100,000 florins were in the treasury and money was no object to any project, no matter how vast. A great fleet patrolled the seas all around the known world and a veteran army protected the Empires vast borders. Whenever his enemies saw his banner on the field of battle they knew fear. And so the reign of Kaliph Ismael I, the Scourge of the Catholics, ended. His lifetime in the saddle bathed the blood of war and conquest was to be repeated by his 34-year-old son, the new Kalipha Muhammed I, recalled from England for his coronation. But that is another story and it is for another to tell it.

[econ21]

Just wondering where this campaign has got to - from the posts, Alrowan finished his reign and Demon of Light posted his EM address. Has the game been forwarded?

[Alrowan]

*hides*
it is done, well ive done my bit, i still need to send it off, had some busy weeks just now, lots of things drawing me away from the net (probably a good thing) ill send the email off soon

[Alrowan]

sent

[Demon of Light]

Ibrahim II has begun his reign. I sure hope (HINT HINT) that Alrowan chronicles the state of the empire. I'll give y'all a hint... I won't be the last to rule the Almohads.

[Demon of Light]

Ok children, what can you tell me about Khalifah Ibrahim II? This query sounded in a classroom full of attentive children at Ismael al-Mu'tamid Junior High School. Silence prevailed. Did anyone read the chapter you were assigned? More silence. The ever learned Salim abu Omar was not to be be deterred, however. Why don't you read for us, Abdur

Haltingly, the child began reciting the chapter. Khalifah Ibrahim II came to power during a time of great turmoil. The recent defeat at Lesser Armenia had left its stamp on the morale of the army and corruption was rampant among the ranks of his amirs. Salim abu Omar interrupted the child at this point.

Children, I can save you the trouble. Ibrahim was not a terribly interesting monarch and neither was he a good one. He reigned but 3 years, lost Moldavia and Carpathia to the Golden Horde in a series of horribly botched battles, and proved that he himself was no great general. Although he lifted the siege at Lesser Armenia, he subsequently developed an obsession with a Jihad that had been launched to take Anatolia. Despite twice meeting the enemy with superior numbers, he lost both encounters and died on the field the second time. The only thing that is to his credit is that he slew the enemy general in single combat. In times of peace, he would have made a good leader. He did initiate an extensive building program during his reign. In the times of war he ascended the throne in, however, he was a dismal failure. abu Omar said the last with a note of disappointment.

Abdur, would you please begin to read the chapter on Ibrahim's successor. It promises to be much more interesting.

[Mount Suribachi]

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

lol, great account of your reign DoL

[Shahed]

LOL

Well this is one hell of a thread, just re-read (almost)everything (looking for inspiration :P ). http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/dizzy.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wacko.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/dizzy.gif

Great job everyone http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Demon of Light]

I'll just clarify a few things that will show ho things went during my short reign. Foremost, our armies sucked. At least whenever they fought the Mongols. No unit could stand against the heavy cavalry. Units would break and run after losing a fourth of their strength (they'd lose the rest after breaking). I was charging rears and flanks to no avail. When I lost, I lost badly. Without a son of his own, my Khalifah really will be a historical footnote. The good news for my successor is that I left him with a long build queau in many provinces and that the empire is fiscally sound. We are far too big to lose but winning won't be easy.

The circumstances of my Khalifah's death are as follows: I lifted the seige in Lesser Armenia and got my fourth star from it. I found a Jihad primed and ready in Algeria and thought I'd use it to improve my influence. I attacked Anatolia with superior numbers and lost hideously. I was caught midmarch up a hill as I was moving into position. Everyone ran right when I was regaining control of the battle. The Khalifah dropped back down to three stars and I tried to take Anatolia the next year. I attacked and found that my units were just outclassed. They broke wholesale. The Khalifah managed to get into a one on one fight with the enemy general and killed him. I had 34 AUM coming up to support him (he was alone) against Mongol Horse Archers. They fought for 2 seconds before they bolted and left Ibrahim II to die.

I don't know where to send the game from here.

[econ21]

Um - Almohad armies are a mixed bag. They seem to stomp some (early infantry heavy) armies and have big trouble against others (esp. heavy cavalry). I would have thought arbalesters could trash horse archers and even heavy cav, but I confess I have never had the pleasure of fighting the horde.

According to one post by Kurkikhan, the list after Demon of Light was:
ChaosLord
The_Emporer
DrHaphazard

Not sure about ChaosLord but I know the Emporer is still very active in this forum. I would hate to see this campaign die - it's one of the best going.

[Mount Suribachi]

I just checked, ChaosLord hasn't posted for 8 days (Sept 12). I've sent him a PM to let him know. I guess its up to KukriKahn how long to give him.

And you and seljuksinan are right, this has been an excellent thread.

[Demon of Light]

Its been over a week and Kukri shows no sign of appearing. If the Emperor posts here, I'll send him the game. Otherwise, I'll contact DrHaphazard.

[The_Emperor]

Ok here I am... I got your message Demon. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

Been rather busy of late so I haven't checked this thread out. You can send me the Savegame I am ready to run the Vast Almohad Empire http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Demon of Light]

Ok. Good luck and have fun. Watch out for the cowardice of your troops.

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (Demon of Light @ Oct. 06 2003,23:09)]Ok. Good luck and have fun. Watch out for the cowardice of your troops.
Cowardice? Do we have a number of Good Runners in the army?

[Demon of Light]

Your armies are comprised of spineless men. Or at least that is how the spirit of Ibrahim II sees it. I fought maybe 6 battles and found that morale issues were rampant each time. You have a few good generals at your disposal. You'll want to use them. (They are mostly in Pomerania I think)

P.S: I must apologize but I can't send the game right now. The computer the game is on having issues with reliability. Should be soon though.

[The_Emperor]

Demon, I hope the technical issues are not giving you too much trouble.

If you could send me the file for this weekend that would be great, I am taking next week off work so I will probably have the time to really go at it.

Should technical issues get the better of you, perhaps the last guy should send the game on to me...

My email address is in this thread (or in the others).

Thanks

[Casca]

Demon of Light:

Message received. The computer is still acting quirky but I hope to send the game now. Stand by...

[The_Emperor]

Game file recieved and extracted.

Thanks Casca http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif

Ok looking at the Kaliphate i see we are at war with everyone and the Golden Horde are the Dominant power standing in our way.

I'll get started on this as soon as I can. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

[The_Emperor]

The New Leader

In 1243 the new Kalifah, Muhammad II held a great war council of his greatest advisors and generals.

Travellers from all across our lands, near and far I bring you here today to discuss the threat of the Golden Horde

The Kalifah rolled out a large map across the vast table for all to see.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/1243.jpg

Explain to me our position.

The Kalifah saw great fear in the eyes of his men, the war had gone badly for the past few years. He could see despair in their eyes. A senior general stood up to deliver the crushing news.

The Mongols have overwhelmed us and threaten to advance towards, Bulgaria or Hungary... On the other side of the black sea the Mongols have advanced through Georgia, Rum, Trebizond, Armenia and even as far South as Syria. Our troops are comprised of hastily levied Militia but against the Mongol cavalry they cannot match them, our borders are in danger of collapse... its useless

The Kalifah stood up and looked into the man's eyes. It is not useless, these Mongol Horsemen can be beaten back... I will have no more talk of defeat, we will defeat this enemy in the Name of Allah and prove ourselves to him

I want orders to be sent forth for a massive callup for a vast army. No provice is allowed to refuse, Militia will be accepted but in fewer numbers... We need the spirit of the Ghazi warriors to strengthen our men, their axes and their courage will show our resolve back them up with Arab infantry, train more archers to use the Arbalast heavy crossbow, we need it to make a decisive impact on the field

I want lots of Cavalry to be trained, Ghulams, Faris and Saharan Cavalry. Gain the support of the Bedouin and Berber Tribesmen, I need them to help come to the greater defence of Islam

Another aide rushed in, Forgive me my Kalifah, I bring news that the warriors of the Jihad for Anatolia are still alive but their numbers are dwindling... Their amy is in Tunisia they require new recruits if they are to have any hope of victory in their struggle for the faith

Very well, I want fresh troops to be sent to join with our brothers in arms, bring in whatever troops you can manage, I want them to set sail for Anatolia as soon as possible

The Jihad went underway, the capture of Anatolia would hail the start of the great offensive... One that would mark the beginning of the end of the Golden Horde.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/jihad.jpg

[econ21]

That's the spirit, Emperor - fighting talk. How old is the new Kalipha? (I guess you are playing post-patch, so it may be a little less important now.) After the Spanish PBM, can I suggest using the cheat command to get an heir if it looks like being an issue?

[The_Emperor]

He is now 35, and the Mongols are in bad shape... Squished as they are between the our forces and the Byzantines who hold the North (even though we are stil enemies with the Byz).

I might be tempted to use the .unfreeze. near 40 if things get bad, but I am pretty sure an heir is waiting in the line. And yes I am playing post-patch.

here's the current map.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/1257.jpg

[econ21]

Great stuff, Emperor Given your king's age and that map you jus posted, I believe you may be able to end this campaign and retire in style. Go for it

[The_Emperor]

The Mongol War

The early years of Kalifah Muhammad's reign were mixed with both victory and defeat, and from both the young Kalifah soon discovered the limitations of his own forces, against the strengths of the enemy...

Kalifah Muhammed arrived in Constantinople, his seat of command for the eastern war.

The Kaifah approached the palace where the regent was standing. Whats the latest from the northern front?

The Regent bowed.

Grim News Lord, Armies were sent to releive the besieged garissons in Carpathia and Moldavia, however they were unable to break through the Mongol defences Carpathia fell to a Mongol assault. Moldavia held out for longer but soon they were lost as well

Many good men have been lost, but I will not allow them to die in vain... How fares the southern front?

Better, our warriors have recaptured Anatolia and advanced on Trebizond, the Bedouin and Berber tribesmen are fighting bravely in Syria with hit and run attacks, the battle is slowly going our way, with luck we may be able to encircle the Mongols in Rum.

A rider approached, My Lord, our agents report that the Byzantine enemy is assaulting the Mongols to the Northeast, most of the Mongol forces have turned south to face us, leaving their northern flank exposed Khazar has been captured by the Byzantines, they may not be able to hold it but their presence is cutting off the Southern Mongol army from reinforcement

The Kalifah smelt a great opportunity, Ride out and send our Faris along the Northern front, I need them to hit the enemy and withdraw when threatened... Open combat should best be avoided until our numbers are superior

Reinforcements are due any day, contributions from all of our territories, soon we will move to secure the North once and for all

http://home.clara.net/ralphwolf/Turk/victory.jpg

[The_Emperor]

The Expanding war

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/leader.jpg

Account of the later war years of Kalipha Muhammad II, source unknown.

By 1257AD the Mongol Horde was in crisis, the Kalifah led his army north and successfully retook the Captured territories.

Victory came swift in the South, Mongol armies were surrounded in Rum there they were eliminated.

A large Mongol army retook Khazar from the Byzantines but soon the Kalifah sent an emissary to see the general, a large sum of money from the vast Almohad treasury was offered. Soon afterwards the General announced his conversion to Islam, and defected with his men. A large army containing the fearsome Mongol Heavy Cavalry, was now under the Kalifah's command.

Following on from the Capture of Khazar the victrious Caliphate forces in the South sailed across the black sea, Armies landed in Kiev, the Crimea... Ogdai Khan was besieged in the Crimea, there he was recieved by a Byzantine Emissary who sued for peace with the Horde.

It would all be too little too late, for the Golden Horde was trapped and broken. Ogdai's heir became Khan in the remaining Golden Horde province southwest of Muscovy, but he was in no position to stand against the armies of the Kaliphate.

Khan Batu soon found himself attacked by overwhelming numbers, besieged with no hope of escape the last Khan fell to the Almohads. The Golden Horde was defeated.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/mongolend.jpg

The Polish forces in Volhynia repulsed an attempted Kaliphate invasion the following year, so for the next two years the Kalifah ordered Faris raids into their territory to wear down Polish numbers, by the time the final attack came the enemy was in no place to resist.

The Emperor of Byzantium's armies were exhausted after years of fighting the Mongols, and soon Prince Yusuf was advancing north into Byzantine Territory, with more and more Kaliphate reinforcements arriving at every moment.

In 1261AD unrest engulfed Muscovy... making matters worse for the Byzantines, the rebels successfully captured the province.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/unrest.jpg

The Byzantine Empire would fall the following year. The Pope called for Crusades in response, but it would be all for nothing and he would face an Assassins blade for opening his Mouth in opposition of the mighty Kaliphate

The Kaliphate had eliminated its enemies, only the neutral Kingdoms of Novgorod, Sicily and the troublesome Papacy remained...

[The_Emperor]

The man was nearing the very end of the history book, the rise of the Great Almohad Empire had come about and now on the last few pages the accounts of the final victories of Islam were listed.

The Grasp of Destiny

1273AD Kalifah Muhammad II sent proclamations to the few remaining free Kingdoms of Europe.

I Kalifah Muhammad II, defeater of the Horde, Ruler of Europe, Demand that the kingdoms of Novgorod and Sicily forsake the failing Christian Religion and unite with the Greater Kaliphate and embrace the wisdom of Islam in all its teachings. We have defeated vast empires and now the time has come for you to join with us to form the greatest empire the world has ever seen.

I would hope that you surrender freely, know that our armies will arrive at your borders within the year, fight if you choose to fight, but you know the power of the armies of the Kaliphate... You have no hope of victory. Surrender and your people will be shown Mercy

The vast Armies of the Kaliphate were despatched to the Island of Malta, and to Novgorod in the north.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/matla.jpg

Malta fell immediately, the Sicillian king promptly decided the battle was hopeless and surrendered to the armies of the Islamic superpower, the King was executed to prevent any heirs from claiming the throne... As promised the Kaliph showed mercy to the people and spared their lives.

The Kings and princes of Novgorod for their part retreated to their castles to conduct small scale attacks on the vast army rallied against them... The Kalifah ordered them to be starved out.

The New Weaponry

By the time the kingdom of sicily fell, the superior culture and learning of the Kaliphate were shown on the battlefield for all to see.

Guns had made their way onto the battlefield, the first units of Handgunners and Mortars were produced in Iberia. At the Kalifah's orders they converged on Cordoba awaiting his arrival, soon a Jihad would march off to defeat Pope Giovanni III, and bring final victory to the armies of Islam.

The Last Jihad
http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/jihadlaunch.jpg

Kalifah Muhammad II, appeared before the teeming masses in 1275AD.

Our armies have overcome vast Kingdoms and now thanks to the efforts of our forefathers, we are at the end of our struggle.

The time has come for the armies of the Kaliphate to march upon the Papacy for the final victory of Islam and the security of our people Today I will lead you in a Jihad, the final struggle for the faith to finish off the Catholic Crusaders forever

After the Kalifah had finished speaking, he turned the entire army to face Mecca and led them all in prayer.
The Almohad fleet sailed later in the year for the papal States... the last outpost of Christianity.

[The_Emperor]

The Pope and the Kaliph

Early in 1276AD the Jihad army arrived in the Papal States, By all accounts Pope Giovanni III was defiant to the last. He was determined to go down fighting, to be worthy of rememberence. The Pope prayed long and hard for a miracle from the Lord hoping that the almighty would stretch out his hand and smite the infidel armies from the world... But God had forsaken Christendom, the Pope stood with a small force watching as thousands of men advanced over the horizon.

Battle would be joined.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/papalstates.jpg

It is known that Pope Giovanni chose the high ground and that Kalifah Muhammad took the unusual move of attacking uphill. Charging ahead of his Men, the Kalifah personally mowed down the small groups of enemy infantry as they ran.
Behind him came the Gunners, ready to give a first hand demonstration of Islamic learning to the Pope.

The Guns let loose their volleys at the Pope and his bodyguards. His men fell without any indication that they had been struck, for now arrow could be seen flying through the air.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/papalstates4.jpg

The Pope's ragtag remnanats could not stand the barrage of lead and retreated back to the fort of Perugia but it would offer no protection against the Almohad Horde rapidly closing ground. He fled the field.

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/papalstates5.jpg

The retreat of Pope Giovanni to Fort Perugia would bring about no change to the outcome, trapped with only 13 survivors & the Papal leadership with no hope of escape. They could only hope that the end would come quickly, and it would.

Kalifah Muhammad brought up his siege engines, A Ballista a Trebouchet, and the latest in gunpowder artillery The Mortar Cannon The barrage was devestating, the wooden fort wall was quickly breached and the fort tower itself destroyed.

Gunners advanced onwards through the breach unloading more of their fearsome death into the enemy infantry, Pope Giovanni charged into their flank killing many. Behind him a fearsom battle cry was let loose as the Kalifah personally came storming in to claim the head of his enemy

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/assault.jpg

The Pope fell to the Kalifah's blade, his body was hung up upon the tattered remains of Fort Perugia where it would remain as a remainder to the ultimate failiures of Christianity.

1277AD The Kallifah was now 55, but his empire stretched from North Africa and Spain to the far reaches of Russia, Britain and Arabia.

All were united under a single banner, the banner of the Mighty Kalifah

http://www.ralphwolf.clara.net/almohad/totalvictory.jpg

Closing the last page the man saw a small phrase the summed up the enormity of the victory of all the Kalifahs... And the greatness they they had brought to the world


Quote[/b] ]On the Wstern fringes of Islam a mighty Empire was born, its armies swept across the world taking many lands, yet greatness is measured in more than just armies and wealth. In an age of fear and bigotry the new rulers brought a spirit of tolerance extending to each man the freedom to worship as he will, asking in return only obedience to God.

All Tremble before the power of the Kalifah's armies, yet they also marvel at the glories of his realm. Its Architecture, Gardens and above all its Science and Learning.

The Kalifah has brought a taste of Paradise to those on earth...

[econ21]

Bravo, Emperor - a great performance and fitting finale to the campaign All completed by age 55 - you did not need the patch. I especially liked the use of the new fangled gunners to mark the final victory and dawn of a new age.

[Mount Suribachi]

Great finish and great write up The Emperor. A fitting finish to what has been a high quality PBEM from start to finish IMO, both in terms of play and write ups. Bravo to all http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

btw, look at the portrait for Giovanni III in the pre-battle screen. Anyone else think he looks nervous? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[The_Emperor]

Thanks guys, well played by all who took part.


Quote[/b] ]btw, look at the portrait for Giovanni III in the pre-battle screen. Anyone else think he looks nervous? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Yes very fitting that he had that portrait at the end... but I think you'd be nervous too if you had to face off against a fearsome 2,000 strong army of fanatics


Quote[/b] ]I especially liked the use of the new fangled gunners to mark the final victory and dawn of a new age.

Yep the Gunners were ready just in time, I figured they would be useful in the wars that were raging in the Steppes, but it all ended too quickly. After putting all the effort into them, I had to use them http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[sprucemoose]

Well done Emperor,you are truely a great general.

[All_the_Sultan's_horses]

hey emperor, out of curiosity, how useful were those gunners? did they really do any good, or was it just for the sake of narrative? cos whenever i've used gunpowder troops, i've found them to be worse than useless. a liability even.

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (All_the_Sultan's_horses @ Dec. 21 2003,06:43)]hey emperor, out of curiosity, how useful were those gunners? did they really do any good, or was it just for the sake of narrative? cos whenever i've used gunpowder troops, i've found them to be worse than useless. a liability even.
Well I did find them useful, Gunpowder inspires fear more than anything with the heavy Morale penalty... They make for a good early shock before the lines clash, but I do not rely on them.

I had so many troops it mattered not what I used in the end, but I had invested a lot of time and effort into getting the Guns on the field, and I just had to use them.

Guns may not be the ultra-hard units we wish them to be but the morale penalty they inflict is enough to encourage the enemy to rout a bit sooner... And in a game like MTW where Morale is everything, that is handy.

Besides using Gunpowder was a real cool way of finishing off the campaign and making the battle unique... I just like to finish my Campaigns in style http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif