Pics & History of your Empire [Archive] - Page 4

BrSpiritus

11-23-2006, 00:05

I'm playing the Byz / early / normal. The year is 1207 and the Byzantine empire in all it's glory streches from Tuscany to Georgia, from Morocco to Serbia... indeed the entire Eastern Med is under the command of Emperorer Alexius III vast hand. Peace has been maintained for 25 years of his rule and all ideas of expansion were put off in order to maintain the trade that had helped the empire flourish and put an overage of 30,000 flourins a year into the imperial coffers. Then the unthinkable happened, the Emperor died and his 20 year old son was crowned Emperor John II. He was young, hot headed and had an inflated idea of his own command abilities. The desire to finish rebuilding the great and glorious Roman Empire burned hot in his soul and so plans were made to invade some rebel provinces in what had been France. He assured his generals that England might get involved but they do not have the forces to stop us... and Genoa have been our allies for 100 years they wouldn't break the alliance. Still the generals had reservations as did the admirals. The Army had been neglected in favour of building projects and the navy was centered on the eastern med with only token forces holding down the trade routes. All questions were pushed aside and a grand army was mobilized for the expedition.

D-Day: The force of 7,000 men was landed with no problems on the shores of flanders. This force represented 60% of the standing army and mobile reserves available. The rebel force was pushed aside quickly and the remnants ran for the castle. Quickly the force left the reservists to hold the siege while the frontline troops spread out into Ile-de-France and the Champagne. Everything was going according to plan. As an even brighter spot the new neighbor Bohemia asked for an alliance.

Deception, Treachery and Rebellion: Emperor John met with his advisors and generals and was smug in his victory when the sound of fast footfalls was heard running towards the council chambers. A messenger ran in with the news that the army in Ile-de-France was being attacked. "By the rebels?" "No my Emperor, by England!" The English had scraped together a force and it was being led by King John himself. Outnumbered though they were the Byzantine general was a master strategist and send King John packing with over 2000 casualties. The English in Frisieland also attacked flanders but were defeated. The English lifeline to the continent was cut by a naval battle in the channel and everything seemed like it would be fine. In response to the English attack General Commena in Ile-de-France was reinforced from the Champagne and asked to attack Anjou. Meanwhile Forces were combed from Morocco and Algeria and used to attack Toulouse. Toulouse was quickly subdued. The English force in Anjou put up a good defense but was no match for the Byzantine force. King John was captured in battle but his ransom was refused and he was thrown into Paris dungeon never to be heard from again. But all this was a minor victory as Genoa decided to come to England's aid. An all out naval attack was ordered and one by one the Byzantine ships were hunted down and destroyed. In all, every naval unit west of Italy was lost to the Geonese fleet. If that was not enough, the Geonese supported a rebellion in Sicily that restored the Sicillians to the throne and quietly landed a large force on the shores of Rome... after 76 years the Pope was back on Italian soil.

Defeat, Heroisim and Assassination: Emperor John sat silently in his quarters in the Royal Palace at Constantinople. Everything had gone wrong, the Army in France was now cut off, the navy half-wrecked, the Pope leading a rebellion in Rome and the Sicillians leading a rebellion in Sicily. How could this have happened? It was all supposed to be so easy, just a simple expansion into rebel held lands. Now the Empire was faced with a war on 2 fronts, one it was not prepared to wage. Still he could not afford to brood on the situation. His Empire needed him, it was his mess and he was going to fix it. First to consider was the monetary situation. A 30,000 flourin yearly surplus had shrunk to 2,000, yet it was still a surplus. All building projects currently in progress would be finished but nothing new would be started... that would save some some money. The units were available for 2 new armies but it would be 2 years before the provinces could start cranking out new armies. There was also the intrigue factor. Syria had 3, 3 man assassin teams ready for a mission. All these assassins were 5 stars and knew their business well. Plus there was the enigmatic Bulgaricus... a 7 star assassin that had survived for longer than anyone could remember. Also the shipyards of the empire were already at maximum output with the newest design... the Firegalley. Every resource of the Empire would have to be martialed to survive. But that would take time.

Genoa invaded Morocco and Algeria in a preplanned attack with a small but extremely mobile force. The Reserve units in the provinces had no choice but to fall back to the castles and await the inevitable. In Rome the armies once again had no choice but to fall back to the castle, but there was hope for quick relief of the siege. Meanwhile in the French provinces Anjou was attacked by English troops from Brittany but once again the English went down in defeat. The one bright spot, if it can be called that, was a brilliant extrication of the troops in Sicily by the Byzantine Navy. It abandoned the province but saved 850 seasoned veterans for the campaigns to come. The Empire had lost 4 valuable provinces in one year and it's armies had suffered defeat. In the early hours of late December morning 2 armies crossed the border into Algeria... the tide was about to turn.

Revenge is best served cold...: A scream echoed through the halls of the Consuls Palace in Genoa... in the dark cold of night the assassins hand had struck down the consul of Genoa, the price paid for treachery to an ally. The next in line to the throne took command of the country and an intense search was started to locate the assassin. A few culprits were caught over the next few years but from that time on no Consul would rule longer than a year... all victims of the infamous Bulgaricus. In Rome the Papal armies rode out to meet the force arrayed against them. The Byzantine force facing them couldn't be more than half their number so they were smug in their assured victory. These were no ordinary Byzantine armies though... they were the new model armies, ones designed to be hard hitting and mobile. There was more cavalry and gone were the spearmen. Instead of the hordes of trebizond archers there was now a balance between them and the new arbalesters. Still present were the Byzantine Infantry and some Varanagian guard, but these were ones with better armour and arms than before and high morale at being led by a 9 star general. The battle was swift, the Byzantines elusive, cunning and destructive... in the end they only suffered 35 casualties but inflicted 3,700 on the papal armies and captured the rest. The Pope was once again defeated and sent into exile. In North Africa the Geonese armies were sent reeling by the Byzantine onslaught and retreated to southern spain. All territories except Sicily had been recaptured. The war on the high seas continued to be a draw with one side not getting the advantage over the other until a fleet of the new firegalleys defeated a combined of Geonese ships at Malta.

5 years later...: Emperor John II sat with his advisors and listened to the reports. The last Geonese heir had fallen to the assassins blade and the once mighty kingdom had fallen into warring rebel factions. Italy had been secured and all damage from the Papal uprising fixed. The trade routes were still in some dissarray but they were once again slowly streaching out their hand towards foreign lands. All of France was now under Byzantine control and plans were being made to gain control of all the rebel lands in Spain and Northwest Italy. The new model armies had proven themselves on the battlefield and the older armies were being phased out in preference to the new armies. Emperor John II was now 32 years old and in control of an empire that almost encompassed all the lands of the Old Roman Empire. The war with England had petered out of it's own accord and they were dealing with rebellion in Scotland. It had been a glorious gamble that had almost gone terribly wrong, but had shown the world the might of Byzantine arms.

bamff

11-23-2006, 01:12

That would be the Genoese. ~:)

Sigh! I really have to get myself either the BKB or XL mod!

Thanks Martok.

bamff

11-23-2006, 03:15

Lovely stuff BrSpiritus! A well managed campaign and a great write up!:2thumbsup:

:idea2: Could I be so bold as to suggest that our mods might move this tale of Byzantium to the "Pics & History of your empire" thread?

I look forward to reading the next instalment to see how john salvages his Empire!

Mooks

11-23-2006, 05:02

caravel

11-23-2006, 15:42

Superb campaign and write up. :2thumbsup:

I don't play XL myself but a good Byzantine campaign to try is the vanilla high period one. By that time your forces are getting seriously outdated and you have to adapt or be wiped out. You start the campaign with only Nicaea, Rhodes, Georgia and Lesser Armenia. As some of you know I have modded the MTW campaigns, and removed the Georgia and Lesser Armenia from Byzantine control for all periods. This leaves the Byzantine with only Nicaea and Rhodes, more accurately representing the Empire of Nicaea which is what the Byzantine empire had become at that stage after the establishment of the Latin Empire after the fourth crusade. It is a struggle, and very satisfying in you can rebuild the Empire.

r johnson

11-23-2006, 16:24

An interesting read BrSpiritus. Seeing how you destroyed the popes army overwhelmingly, going after the Sicilians should be no problem. :2thumbsup:

BrSpiritus

11-24-2006, 04:51

An interesting read BrSpiritus. Seeing how you destroyed the popes army overwhelmingly, going after the Sicilians should be no problem. :2thumbsup:

I was going to trounce the Sicilians but then I thought it would be more fun to drop all my 5 star assassins on the island and just start picking off the armies...one by one Muwahahahaha!! The income on Sicily is good, but honestly I don't need it. I'm starting the buildup now to counter the Golden Horde when they pop up. John II will not be around when that happens but his heirs will inherit an efficient fighting force. Also I'm down to just a few powers left... Kiev (huge empire), England (in disarray after the war but making an attempt to rebuild), Danes ( same 4 provinces for 200 years), Venice ( a few Northern Italy provinces but I own the province of Venice itself), Sicily (my new plaything..."Klytus I'm bored! What new plaything do you have to offer me today?"), Bohemia (Strong in Germany and someone who bears watching), Cumans (2 non-joining provinces. About to get trounced by the Kievens) and the Serbs ( 1 province no hope of expansion as they're caught between kiev and Byzantine lands). Oh yeah and I almost forgot... there's the Irish who are still around and have been my ally since the start of the game.

~BrSpiritus

BrSpiritus

11-24-2006, 05:13

Very very nice. I too hate it when my armies get cut off from reinforcements, making you scramble to hire expensive mercenaries. I like your strategy with "New model" armies, In my view that reflects on your organization skills, organizing your armies takes loads of time and planning (Not to mention money).

Bulgaricus...I KNOW that I have seen a assasin of that name. Maybe a book, or in the game, but iv seen it somewhere.

This kind of makes me want to play a XL byz game right now.

Getting cut off makes for an interesting game though... I never hire mercs in my games even though I build inns in all my provinces. I was just lucky that the expeditionary force was made up of crack troops... even so those armies are shattered just the same from hard fighting. I was able to join them together into 2 stacks of basically Byzanine stormtroopers... they can take on anyone now and will come in handy for the inevitable showdown with Kiev.

I always have an "assembly line" system of building armies where 1 province makes this unit another province makes this one... it allows me to make the best use of each provices special unit ability if it has one.

I don't know if there was a real Bulgaricus, but in the game it's Constantine Bulgaricus. He was a member of the first 3 man unit I created and just was a stubborn bastard who accomplished every mission I threw at him while the others were caught. He's now a nine star assassin thanks to the Genoa affair and he's unstoppable. Just for a joke I hovered him over the Prince of Kiev, a well respected leader with high inluence and 9 star command... Bulgaricus had an 89% chance of success in killing him. I've never seen anything like it in all my games, but to be honest I never made such wide use of assassins before.

~BrSpiritus

Cowhead418

11-28-2006, 06:26

Volga Bulgars: 1087-1110 A.D. (Early, Expert)

THE FIRST CLASH

Khan Subudai I surveyed his holdings. His people had only recently came onto the scene, and his Muslim followers felt isolated from the seemingly hostile surrounding Christian populations. However, the Khan's lone province of Volga-Bulgaria had only rebel neighbors, and the time was ripe for expansion. Subudai, an authoritative leader who would not tolerate disobedience, knew that he could not live off the meager and undeveloped farmlands for long, and that expansion was necessary for growth.

After a few years of building infrastructure and training troops, the Khan himself led an invasion force into Muscovy. The rabble of rebels quickly retreated to the fort and was besieged. A short two years later and the Subudai had more than doubled the size of his kingdom. By now the Khan's first-born son had come off age, Prince Subudai II. The heir to the Volga-Bulgarian throne would form his own invasion force and march westward into Ryazan. The rebel force of horse archers and spearmen initially decided to give battle, but once Subudai II started to advance on their position with his archers, they turned and fled into the fort.

Subudai II was an impatient man and he immediately made preparations for assault. The horse archers fought valiently but were no match for Bulgarian Royal Cavalry. Good times were on the horizon as the economy and size of the Volga-Bulgarian empire increased once more. Over the next few years a second son, Prince Temudur, would come of age and alliances would be concluded with several nations including Novgorad, Lithuania, Sweden, the HRE, Aragon, the Cumans, and the Venetians. While Prince Subudai was off fighting in Chernigov, his brother Temudur took command of the garrison in Ryazan. Once again the rebels would retreat to the fort and were assaulted, though the spearmen proved worthy adversaries and dealt the VB a fair amount of casualties.

For now the empire was set, the rebel garrison in Khazar was too strong and the depleted treasury meant bribery was not an option. The Khan now poured all his effort into strengthening the poor economy. Farmlands were built, forests cleared, and trading posts erected. Alims were trained and spread to all corners of the empire to spread the Muslim faith. Meanwhile, Novgorad and Sweden had declared war on Lithuania. Subudai decided to side with the Lithuanians, and this meant that alliances with Sweden, Novgorad, Aragon, and the Venetians were now void. While the foreign powers bashed on each other, the Khan saw a golden opportunity when he noticed that Novgorad had left their capital relatively unguarded. Subudai quickly formed an invasion force and let his new son Prince Ordhun lead the way into Novgorad.

The Prince of Novgorad formed up his troops in a defensive position but soon withdrew from battle and crossed the border into Finland (but not before losing a half unit of Druzhinas and one unit of Vikings). The rich province was conquered with little bloodshed. However, Ordhun was not naive and knew that he needed to fortify the new holdings. A unit of Steppe Cavalry was soon trained and added to the army of two units of archers, one unit of kursybays (like armoured spearmen but with more morale), two units of bashkorts (javelin units), one unit of horse archers, one unit of Cherne Klobuki (cavalry), one unit of slav warriors and the general.

As expected, the Prince of Novgorad came roaring back with four units of vikings, his heir Prince David, a half unit of Druzhina Cavalry, a unit of woodsmen and his own bodyguards. The Volga-Bulgarians outnumbered their opponents by about 500 to 350, but Ordhun knew he was in for a tough fight. He formed his defensive line on a slightly elevated hill and waited for the enemy. The Horse Archers managed to get out in front and harass the woodsmen for a few volleys before retreating off to the right. As the archers dueled with the Boyars, the woodsmen, Druzhinas, and a unit of vikings charged straight at the Kursybays. The Cherne Klobuki moved off to the side in a flanking manuever while the Bashkorts unleashed their javelins into the vikings. As the three units smashed into the spearmen, the Kursybays quickly began to falter. The Cherne Klobuki charged into the Druzhinas rear and managed to rout them.

Unfortunately, Prince David saw this and broke off his range dual to flank the Klobuki. Panicking, the Bashkorts switched their targets to the Boyars and managed to take down many. However, the CK were routed as well as the Kursybays. The Bashkorts then charged into melee with the vikings. They fought well, but the combined Boyars and Viking threat routed them too. The right line had completely collapsed and the archers were now vulnerable. Meanwhile, on the left flank a unit of vikings had somehow managed to trap a unit of skirmishing archers and were cutting them up. The Slav Warriors attempted a flanking attack but were hit in the rear by the Woodsmen and were quickly defeated. The other unit of bashkorts did what they could to help but it was of no use. Soon nearly every unit was routing. It looked like the day was lost but Ordhun and the Steppe Cavalry had managed to surround and destroy a unit of vikings. They then sped off to help the bashkorts and routed another viking unit and then obliterated the remaining woodsmen. Prince David was too busy slicing up archers to realize he was being charged. He was soon knocked from his horse and trampled to death. The last unit of vikings was easily surrounded and routed and by now the Prince of Novgorad had given up and withdrew. Victory had been pulled from the jaws of defeat. Nearly 350 Volga-Bulgarian warriors lay dead on the battlefield afterwards. Novgorad had been held.

But Subudai would not have much time to celebrate the great victory. He spent his final hours just weeks after the battle's end. His accomplishments, however, did not perish with him. Subudai had managed to increase the size of his kingdom more than five times its original size, had significantly improved the economy, and had proved to the world that Volga-Bulgaria was a force to be reckoned with.

https://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1377/11252006134440cf9.th.png (https://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11252006134440cf9.png)

https://img293.imageshack.us/img293/685/11252006134655wm7.th.png (https://img293.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11252006134655wm7.png)

https://img242.imageshack.us/img242/826/11252006134827mm3.th.png (https://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11252006134827mm3.png)

https://img169.imageshack.us/img169/7632/11252006135746cv9.th.png (https://img169.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11252006135746cv9.png)

https://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8402/11272006215050de0.th.png (https://img96.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11272006215050de0.png)

Note: It really looked like I was going to lose this battle, but the Steppe Cavalry helped me to a victory with some well-timed charges. This was the first battle I really realized how useful they are. Before I thought they were an extremely weak but fast cavalry unit. After the victory my army in Novgorad was nearly destroyed but strangely the Novgoradians did not attack me again. They had nearly a full stack of vikings in Livonia but just sat there while I rushed in reinforcements. Novgorad is now fortified.

Also, take a careful look at the last picture. I just recently noticed that two of my underage heirs are the same age - making them twins! How this happened I have no idea but I think it is pretty cool.:2thumbsup:

Martok

11-28-2006, 08:02

Simply awesome, BrSpiritus! I haven't seen an AAR on a Byz campaign in a while now, so I found this to be a particularly enjoyable read. (In addition, it was also an excellent write-up in its own right.) Nice campaign, and good work! ~:cheers:

Could I be so bold as to suggest that our mods might move this tale of Byzantium to the "Pics & History of your empire" thread?
Good idea; done. ~:)

Kavhan Isbul

11-28-2006, 23:07

Cowhead, I am so glad somebody else enjous playing with my favorite faction - the Volga Bulgars in XL. They provide a great challenge because of the Horde arrival. By this time, since you are Muslim, you are also likely to attract plenty of Crusades. Achieving a good defensive position is critical. I usually go for Georgia to the south and a line of Levidia, Kiev and Lithuania to the west, which can be expanded to Prussia, Volhynia and Moldova.
Another challenge to the Volga Bulgars is the lack of sword/axe infantry and good missile infantry. You know you can produce Variangian swordsmen in Novogord and Kiev, right? They come in handy, even if a bit expensive, and of course if you conquer the Scandinavian provinces you can get housecarls. Limited to Early only but they still do a great job and have a huge impact on the game. The only solution to the archers problem I have found out to be taking Bulgaria for Bulgarian brigands, but it is hard to hold on to as you will have to fight off a combination of Hungarians and Byzantines, or Egyptians (if the latter take out the Byzantines). Not to mention that you need a citadel with a master bowyer. You can also get Sherwood Foresters in High in Mercia I believe and Welsh Longbowmen from Wales in late. The Heavy Steppe Cavalry has armor piercing bonus, but they are small unit sizes and run out of arrows too quickly. I do not remember if you could get desert archers, but I believe not and it is quite hard for the Volga Bulgars to expand that far south anyway.
I will love to see how your campaign develops.

Don Corleone

11-28-2006, 23:42

Bad news guys. ~:mecry: First, I was gone all last week for the Thanksgiving holiday. When I returned home, my power supply smoked. Translation: my French campaign is at a very premature end. I'm picking up a new power supply tonight, but after two weeks away from it, I'm going to have to start from scractch. I get the most enjoyment from the role-playing aspect of it, and I can't stay 'connected' once I've lost that much time in a game. I promise though, once I get my PC up and running, I'll have an HRE game going to remember. Even better on the stories.

Martok

11-29-2006, 00:47

Nice write-up, Cowhead! I think you're the first to post a V-B campaign on this thread, so I congratulate you for being a pioneer. ~:cheers: I particularly enjoyed the battle to defend Novgorod; last-second heroics are always fun to read about!

@Don Corleone: Uff da; sorry to hear about your power supply man. And the French were doing so well, too! :sad: Good luck on getting your PC back in order. When you're ready, we look forward to hearing the exploits of Emperor Conrad. :yes:

As for myself, I hope I'll finally get to start a new campaign tomorrow. I've been too tied up with RL distractions this last week to really play at all--I ended up stuck in my hometown all of last weekend with car problems (and thus was far away from my computer and MTW for the better part of 4 days). :thumbsdown:

I'm still unsure which faction I'm going with, although I'm leaning slightly towards the Fatamids (Egyptians) at the moment. I'm also considering the HRE....but I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to get wolfpacked--I suspect that will depend on how masochistic I'm feeling tomorrow night. :wink:

bamff

12-01-2006, 09:18

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 5 – The reign of King Stephen II continues (1196 – 1220)

In a most curious development, word has reached the court of King Stephen in 1196 that Doge Lorenzo I has reclaimed the Italian crown. It had long been thought that all members of the Italian royal family had perished, but Lorenzo has convinced enough of his people that he is indeed the rightful heir to throne. He has quickly amassed a large following, and he and his followers have seized Milan and Tyrolia from the Holy Roman Empire. Provided that this newly reformed nation were able to survive its formative years, it could prove a valuable ally. King Stephen despatched an emissary to the court of the new Doge to congratulate him upon reclaiming the throne.

King Stephen had by now reached the age of some 32 years. His influence throughout greater Europe is but a shadow of that enjoyed by his legendary father at a comparable age, and the English monarch grows ever more anxious to rectify this situation. It is said that his fears of being less favourably remembered by his people than his noble father now trouble him so much as to prevent his slumber of an evening. His advisors counsel him that there is no better way to increase his fame, notoriety, and influence, than through conquest….and there is a need to secure our European borders as well, with the Holy Roman Empire and Spain both steadily building their forces.

Lord Martok of the Duchy of Theguild has strongly advocated the securing of our Kingdom’s breadbasket of Flanders by annexing the neighbouring provinces of Friesland and Lorraine from the Fresians and Germans respectively. King Stephen reacts most favourably to this advice. Surely the boldness of such a move, if properly executed, would lift his popularity and influence to the levels formerly enjoyed by his late father, Richard I.

One obstacle remains, however – the threat of Papal interference. Stephen dares not risk excommunication, and draws up a most cunning plan to achieve his ends. Sir Ralph Fitzalan is ordered to invade the Polish province of Pomerania. His forces wade ashore in 1197, and immediately march on Mikilenborg Castle. The small Polish provincial force flees before them, and despatches a messenger to Rome to beg the Pope to intercede on their behalf.

At the same time as Fitzalan’s men are drawing up their encampment at Mikilinborg, Sir Edmund Plantagent follows his ruler’s orders and crosses the border into Friesland. The Fresians, under the command of Heinrich Plittersdorf steel themselves for a spirited defence of their homeland. Their bravery on the field is laudable, but it is to no avail, as Plantagenet’s more disciplined and seasoned troops make short work of the Fresian army. Plittersdorf himself falls early in the battle, with several English arrows finding chinks in his armour.

With the attention of Pope Giovanni drawn to Pomerania, a papal decree arrives at court, instructing King Stephen to withdraw his forces forthwith. The King acquiesces, but even as Fitzalan’s men board their barques to leave Pomeranian shores, Lord Marshall, Count of Champagne leads our armies into Lorraine. Emperor Conrad IV is taken completely by surprise, and has little stomach for a fight. He withdraws hastily, leaving a substantial body of men under siege in Nancy Castle. With rations short, these beleagured defenders cannot hope to hold our forces at bay for long.

1198 is proving to be a watershed year for King Stephen II of England. News has just arrived that Jerusalem has fallen, and that Palestine is in English hands. The German garrison at Nancy also succumb. Weakened by disease and starvation, the once proud army surrender meekly to Marshall’s men.

As the New Year dawns, the bulk of the German army is trapped in Burgundy. King Stephen orders Lord Fitzwalter to lead the invasion, urging his General to crush the German forces as the local Burgundians would crush grapes…..then immediately reproaches himself mentally for the use of so clichéd a metaphor. English historians of the time share their King’s weakness for a cliché, recording that “it would appear that the German forces have more taste for the local wine than they do for battle”, as most of the German force fall back to Switzerland.

The losses suffered in Lorraine and Burgundy have severely weakened Emperor Conrad’s forces, and he stands in impotent fury within the shrunken borders of his Empire. He is also sorely pressed in the East by the Poles and Hungarians, and the Italians now strike at Austria and Venice.

Word arrives in 1199 that both Pope Giovanni and Doge Lorenzo I have accepted our offers of alliance. Indeed, Lorenzo is so set upon cementing our new alliance that he offers the hand of his daughter Brunilde to our Prince Henry. King Stephen graciously accepts on behalf of his son. If nothing else, it may help to dispel certain unpleasant rumours that have recently emerged about the young Prince’s preference for the company of young gentlemen….

Our new allies the Italians join forces with us in 1200 to subdue the rebel faction in Provence. A winter campaign is not to all tastes, but the decision of Sir William Stuart to attack at this time proves to be a masterstroke. The Italian and English troops acquit themselves admirably, despite the bitter cold and driving snow. At the end of the day, victory is ours, and the stark white snow of Provence is stained crimson where once the rebel army stood. The Italians cede control of Provence to the English, as our forces involved in the action were the greater.

King Stephen’s appetite for conquest is still far from satiated, and in 1203, he orders Sir Simon Montfort the Elder to lead our forces south to obliterate the recalcitrant King Alfonso and his followers.

The following year, the last vestiges of resistance in Aragon are crushed. A short peace ensues, but once his supplies are replenished and his army is reinforced, Sir William Stuart drives eastward to capture Genoa in 1207.

With the English armies rampaging across Europe, Stephen’s influence is at an all time high. In deference to this fact, the Egyptian Sultan proposes a ceasefire in 1210. King Stephen duly accepts – his ambitions lie elsewhere at present, and it is useful to secure Palestine and Tripoli….Egypt can wait – for now.

Both Switzerland and Franconia fall into our hands in 1216. Stephen is euphoric! Never has an English king ruled such an extensive kingdom! In a drunken celebration, he proclaims himself to be greater than God….and in 1219 is excommunicated when word of this heresy reaches Rome. This penalty is not suffered for long….as the shadowy Guy of Gisbourne’s blade cuts short both Pope Giovanni’s breakfast and the pontiff’s life itself.

Perhaps it is divine retribution or maybe just one of those peculiarly ironic twists of fate. Soon after word reaches Wessex of the demise of Pope Giovanni, and the consequent welcoming back to the bosom of the church of King Stephen, the English Monarch falls from his horse whilst enjoying an early morning ride. He never wakes, and some days later is pronounced dead by the court physicians. At 26 years of age, King Edward III is crowned in a memorable ceremony at Wessex. The king is dead – long live the king!

Martok

12-02-2006, 06:02

Excellent chronicle, bamff! Way to show the HRE and Aragonese what for. ~:cheers:

Lord Martok of the Duchy of Theguild has strongly advocated the securing of our Kingdom’s breadbasket of Flanders by annexing the neighbouring provinces of Friesland and Lorraine from the Fresians and Germans respectively. King Stephen reacts most favourably to this advice. Surely the boldness of such a move, if properly executed, would lift his popularity and influence to the levels formerly enjoyed by his late father, Richard I.
Obviously my favorite part. ~D Seriously, though, I'm glad that worked out. It never hurts to give yourself a buffer zone on your eastern borders (when playing as the French), particularly when your neighbor is the HRE! Personally, I'm never very comfortable when Flanders directly borders another faction--it's just too valuable, and therefore too tempting of a target. :yes:

As the New Year dawns, the bulk of the German army is trapped in Burgundy. King Stephen orders Lord Fitzwalter to lead the invasion, urging his General to crush the German forces as the local Burgundians would crush grapes…..then immediately reproaches himself mentally for the use of so clichéd a metaphor. English historians of the time share their King’s weakness for a cliché, recording that “it would appear that the German forces have more taste for the local wine than they do for battle”, as most of the German force fall back to Switzerland.
This was actually my favorite passage. It's not often that a campaign AAR makes me laugh out loud, but this one definitely did! :laugh4: :laugh4:

Well done, bamff. Can't wait to hear how the English fair against the Spanish--assuming they're your next target, of course. Or will you be tackling the Holy Land & the Egyptians instead?

Innocentius

12-03-2006, 20:59

I've decided to end my Burgundian campaign as things weren't going all too well. First, I just couldn't find a target to attack, then I finally went for the province that had the smalles army, which turned out to be Swabia. I was outnumbered with about 2:1, but managed to pull off a draw, although I lost the battle. The casualties were pretty much exactly 400 on each side. Then I had to ransom about 80 of my own troops (I just couldn't afford losing any), though this set my treasury to -400.
The next year, the frenchies invaded Provence, but were slaughtered, as I had a bridge to rely on (I believe the casualties was about 700 on their side and 70 on mine). Although the same year, a Spanish crusade arrived in Burgundy, stealing about 10-20% of my troops there:furious3: This crusade was followed by a Portugese one the next year.
Although I had like 10 allies (including the Pope and Spain) I couldn't do much. I tried to take Toulouse, but facing a bridge and again outnumbered by more than 2:1 i retreated, although the French siezed the opportunity and took Provence by sea (I had lost a couple of sea battles the year before) without having to fight for it.
Then the French invaded Burgundy a couple of years later, without a bridge and outnumbered with what...4:1? (I don't recall exactly) there wasn't much I could do. With Burgundy lost and only Switzerland and Savoy left, an anual income of about 30 and puny armies, I decided that it was a situation that was so messed up there really wasnt any point in trying any more.

So that's that. I guess I have myself to blame for not attacking them Frenchies earlier. I'll probably start a new campaign soon, preferably in Eary for a change.

bamff

12-04-2006, 07:59

Thanks for your kind words Martok....I did have a bit of fun writing that last chapter (probably had more time because the battles all seemed very short!).

I suspect it will not be long before either the Spanish or the Byzantines decide that the English are worthy of attention...but we shall see....if not for the liklihood of excommunication, I would set the Iberian peninsula as my target (simply because Spain is more of a rival than tiny, fragmented Egypt).

Innocentius! What a shame to see the fall of Burgundy - I was looking forward to following your advance through French territory. It is devastating when it all turns so quickly - I am the first to concede that I have been incredibly lucky in this current campaign. Fngers crossed that my luck holds!

andrewmuir

12-04-2006, 15:19

Wjhat am I missing since I see no pics - just red multiplication signs?:help:

Andrew

caravel

12-04-2006, 15:25

Relating to which post number? Try clearing your browser cache and trying again. If it still doesn't work you may be unable to reach the host for some reason.

Innocentius

12-04-2006, 17:57

Innocentius! What a shame to see the fall of Burgundy - I was looking forward to following your advance through French territory. It is devastating when it all turns so quickly - I am the first to concede that I have been incredibly lucky in this current campaign. Fngers crossed that my luck holds!

Yeah, it's really a lot more common to fail than to succeed (at least to me), even more so when playing as a minor faction. Thinking of it, there is a way I could've solved the problem. I could've just attacked the French, retreated, and then waited for them to attack me. Since it's a lot easier to defend, I could have depleted their troops and then invade them when and where they were at their weakest. Anyway, I don't want to reload the game as it feels like cheating. I'm thinking of starting a Bohemian campaign, Early XL. I've only tried them once and had a pretty good go, although I was unable to play for long enough to really make myself an opinion.

Vladimir

12-04-2006, 20:38

The main problem with Burgundy is that it's a crusade highway. The beauty of it though is that you're right next to Swiss lands and you can build a nice gun/pike/halberd army once you're able to afford it. Northern Italy is quite wealthy and it's close too.

Martok

12-04-2006, 23:16

I suspect it will not be long before either the Spanish or the Byzantines decide that the English are worthy of attention...but we shall see....if not for the liklihood of excommunication, I would set the Iberian peninsula as my target (simply because Spain is more of a rival than tiny, fragmented Egypt).
Well you could always attack another Catholic faction to avoid the Papal warning with Spain--the HRE are a good target if they're not already excommed. Otherwise Italy is often a good target for diversionary attacks. Either way, though, I wouldn't dilly-dally in preparing for war along your southern border; as it probably won't be terribly long before the Spanish look north across the Pyrnees and decide that the "grass is greener" on the other side. ~D Even if you decide to not take any offensive actions against the Iberians, it's always best to at least be ready for them!

Innocentius! What a shame to see the fall of Burgundy - I was looking forward to following your advance through French territory.
As was I. Sorry to hear about your campaign, Innocentius. :sad: I was really looking forward to seeing the David-Goliath matchup as you moved against the Franks! It just goes to show that one ignores the French at their peril--a mistake I myself made a few too many times when I first picked up VI. ~:rolleyes:

King Kurt

12-05-2006, 18:34

As I finally got bored with my Sicilian campaign - I had got to a size where total victory was probably inevitable, so I lost interest - so time for pastures new.
So I have started a hard, GA, High Almohad campaign. My first go with these boys and they are quite interesting.
Nice start position - quite good borders and nicely developed provinces. Only disadvantage - only Portugal available for quick expansion.
So I start building, gather a bit of an army and take Portugal - like those AUMs, even in High - very nice. The Spanish seem fairly non aggressive, so a bit of building then hit the Spanish big time. I throw them out of Leon and Castile and they are left as a weak force in Navarre. I then tried to make an alliance with Aragon - who kept turning me down - so I invaded after I had consolodated my Spanish provinces. They fell quite easily so the question now is - what next. I have a nice army and trade/ money is going nice so who do I attack next? Egypt, mainland france - held by England and HRE or Sicily then Italy - any ideas??:2thumbsup:

Martok

12-05-2006, 22:57

Hey King Kurt! Good to see you again. ~:wave:

Given your current position & situation, I would probably take out the Sicilians next. Doing so of course removes one the game's more annoying naval threats, not to mention it would help you maintain control of the Mediterranean.

After that I would move against the Eggies, before they get too big. :yes:

Speaking of the Egyptians, I just started a campaign as the Fatamids last night. Nothing to report just yet--I'm building up my armies a bit before I take on the Seljuks. Wish me luck! :egypt:

Loucipher

12-06-2006, 09:40

Martok

12-06-2006, 21:24

Certainly, Martok, luck is something you'll definitely need, so best wishes from me :smile:

For some reason, I am never able to carry them Eggies any further than the early 1100's anytime I start a campaign with them :wall: Must be my ineptitude with handling Muslim troops, as my posterior gets royally spanked in every other battle :whip: I guess I've grown much too used to the Western knightly armies :knight:

Anyway, you incited my appetite. Maybe I should start a Fatimid campaign too? Even a GA one, so that I get to build that Grand Mosque in Egypt? ~:idea:
That's precisely what I'm doing. ~:) In fact, I actually had to restart my campaign last night, as I realized I'd accidentally started the game in Domination mode the evening before. :oops:

I also set the level to Hard this time, which is fairly unusual for me. (I have a general tendency to play on Normal, as I'm only a fair commander against the AI. :blush:) I usually do so well with the Eggies, though, that I decided I should really up the difficulty a bit for when playing them. So we'll so see how things go.... [crosses fingers] :sweatdrop:

UltraWar

12-06-2006, 21:29

Currently suffering from MTW problems so I can't start a campaign yet. :inquisitive:

King Kurt

12-07-2006, 11:42

King Kurt's Almohad campaign continues!
Following the advice of Grand Visier Martok, I decided to sort out the Sicilians next - a faction I know well as I have just finished a campaign with them in the same period. I stabilised my northern border of Aragon and Castile - I have left the Spanish as a weak force in Navarre as a barrier and to prevent reemergances and put a resonable defence force in both. At the same time I gathered the Invasion force in Valencia - about 3 stacks under a 4 star prince - mainly AUM, plenty of missles including a merc unit of longbow, gulam and gulam bodyguard. I like mercs to give me some units which I can't raise myself - and always use it for seige artillery etc. Well the Spanish tried a last hurrah - attacking castile again. They were seen off and next turn I invaded Sicily - no sign of Sicilian boats, most strange, but they are at war with the Italians, so maybe they had sunk them?? - despite the presence of their 8 star King and a resonable force they scuttled off to naples. Same turn, a storm sunk the dhow in Striats of Sicily so we were temporaryily cut off. That was sorted next turn, but the Sicilian King came back with his friends. So, outnumbered, but not too bad, we slugged it out. I deployed a solid line of 6 AUM - valoured up a bit and silver shields - and a merc chiv sargents backed by 1 longbow, 2 arbs and a pavaise xbow. Add some murabtin javs, some gulam cav and a mtd xbow and you have it - all deployed on a hill with a load of reserves, cav first, to come on. The AI tried its normal trick of a outflank, but I sent my mounted xbow to the heart of their army to skirmish and pulled them on to my position. They had a lot of good cav with spears, militia etc - but no missles. My missles targeted the cav, wearing it down before contact, then it was down to a mass melee in around my position. A long slog, but they cracked when the King died - not long after the army fled. I suffered a bit - about 300 casualties - but the Sicilian army is broken - so it is off to Naples next turn.
My first big battle with the Almos - those AUM are good - they just grind out a result everytime. I needed some Saharan cavalry for pursuit but otherwise the mix seems right. I'm tempted to have a pop at the Pope, but don't want to mess up my trade, so I will let them be I think.:2thumbsup:

Loucipher

12-07-2006, 13:00

That's precisely what I'm doing. ~:) In fact, I actually had to restart my campaign last night, as I realized I'd accidentally started the game in Domination mode the evening before. :oops:

I also set the level to Hard this time, which is fairly unusual for me. (I have a general tendency to play on Normal, as I'm only a fair commander against the AI. :blush:) I usually do so well with the Eggies, though, that I decided I should really up the difficulty a bit for when playing them. So we'll so see how things go.... [crosses fingers] :sweatdrop:

:laugh4: :laugh4:

Name the devil and appear he will ~:)

I had a strong resolution to get some sleep last night. It failed. Eternal damnation on thee, Martok, for what ye hath done to me ~;) I succumbed to the temptation you so trickily incited, and played my newly started Fatimid GA campaign until 4 a.m. :dozey: :sleepy:
Anyway, here's how it went.

I have immediately noticed that the Fatimids in XL are in much more favourable position than in the vanilla version. So, I built on that advantage right away ~:) Egypt started churning out troops immediately, while all provinces began teching up.
After just four turns, I had Border Forts and Inn in every province, so with lots of gold I could think of flooding my enemies with mercenary armies. It took me just a few more years before my newly formed army ramshackled into Lesser Armenia (OK, I gave that bastid Reuben guy one chance to avoid destruction, but he kicked my emissary out through the front door:furious2: )
Well, destroying the Armenians actually took some pains. Those Nixarars are really just Katatanks by different callsign, and equally adept at dishing out massive beating to boot. Took me three attempts (which revealed my ineptitude as a Egyptian troops commander to the fullest extent) to root them out, and finally, I have overwhelmed them with sheer numbers. Well, when fielding mercenaries, one gets that warm fuzzy feeling that every casualty makes it a bit easier on your coffers, aye? :wink:
Anyway, by 1097, the Armenians were history. What's more important, the example they were made of served very well to induce the Seljuks into signing an alliance with me. I was really content to hear my emissary report being welcomed with honours at the Sultan's court.
With the heart-warming presence of a co-religionist ally on my back, I chose to expand towards the North African coast (and the rich mines there I planned to add to my powerful realm. A quick raid along the coast led me as far as Algeria, but then the disastrous news came: the Seljuk Sultan chose them Almoravid dogs over me! :furious2: Well, I have had armies at the ready should Turks try to play coy with me (in past games in vanilla, they've had a long history of backstabbing me), so it came only as a moderate discomfort. In the meantime, I continued to roll east, eventually reaching all the way to Morocco.
Then, the Seljuks went predictable. Their detachment invaded Arabia (one would think there are tastier targets around, but let them be my guests :wink: ), initiating hostilities against my kingdom and beginning their slip down the road to nowhere. I retreated my garrison to the fort. I already had one Jihad marker, so immediately, a standing Jihad army set forth to reclaim what was lost. Before it reached the destination, another one followed, as another Jihad marker appeared. In the meantime, I have hit all three Seljuk provinces I could reasonably afford to hit (Rum, Edessa and Syria) with everything but the kitchen sink - only left the garrisons in place to prevent rear area rebellions. My Jihad armies eventually reclaimed Arabia, and then went north through Mesopotamia, Edessa and Armenia. In the meantime, Lesser Armenia was churning out Saracen Infantry and Armenian Heavy Cavalry (at last, some troops I'm more adept at using ~:idea: ) which carried the brunt of the constant back-and-forth raiding of Rum and Anatolia. In the space of ten years, Seljuks were down to Georgia only, with my troops overwatching my new border with the Byzantines. A year after, a successful assault put an end to the Seljuk line :skull:
Having suffered some minor setback with Almoravids, I sent one Jihad to help them out, with the net result of restoring status quo ante (i.e. my troops occupying Morocco). In the meantime, I have decided to make the mercs pay for their exorbitant wages and threw them at the Byzantines, together with some royalist slavedriv... err.. companions behind ~:) Trebizond and Nicaea fell one after another, and soon after, I have entered the walls of the Big C for the first time. For the next ten years or so, the Byzantines were trading blows with me, eventually losing Greece also, and only thriving in Bulgaria. In the meantime, my Khalifah has assembled a strong army to relieve the siege in Georgia, which was attacked by the Volgo-Bulghars. Having just their regular rabble of Slav Warriors and some light Steppe Cavalry (they wither really fast when confronted by AHCs/Murabitin Horsemen), they suffered sound defeat, and my Khalifah cashed in on the success, immediately pushing into Khazar as well. This brings me in the way of the Golden Horde later on, but with my sound strategic position, I almost feel like taking them on in the long run :duel: I'll see just how their supercharged MHCs will melt like snow when pelted by my new Arab Infantrymen (armour piercing short range fire is deadly - what would you say to half unit of Bedouin Camels annihilated with just one throw?:jawdrop: ) safely tucked behind impenetrable walls of Saracen Infantry. Whoever survives, will be swept away with AHC coupled by Murabitin Horsemen (a real killers for being fast cavalry! :2thumbsup: ).
In sum, I feel like I have finally grasped the Egyptians. Maybe I don't play them very historically (they'd probably use a lot of Saharan Cavalry, Arab Infantry, Desert Archers and those amusing Berber Camels/Bedouin Camel Warriors, while I tend to mimic the Western armies of shooters, spearmen, heavy cavalry and light cavalry), but at least, after a somewhat shameful early period :shame: I am beginning to kick asses and chew bubblegum :whip: - the problem being that I'm running all out of gum ~D

Martok

12-08-2006, 00:54

@UltraWar: Sorry to hear about your difficulties man. :sad: Hope you get them sorted out soon!

@King Kurt: Glad you're learning to love the AUM's; personally, they're my favorite part of playing the Almos. ~;p They're pretty uber--and as you've already discovered--fairly well-suited to dealing with the Normans/Sicilians. :thumbsup:

I had a strong resolution to get some sleep last night. It failed. Eternal damnation on thee, Martok, for what ye hath done to me I succumbed to the temptation you so trickily incited, and played my newly started Fatimid GA campaign until 4 a.m. :dozey: :sleepy:
Happy to be of service. :bow: ~;p I'm glad you feel more comfortable with them now, though! It really does just take a little practice to get used to the Fatamids' unit roster.

Truth be told, your Fatamid campaign is already leaving mine in the dust--my campaign looks positively boring in comparison. :embarassed: All I've really done so far is take Syria & Mesopotamia. I also repelled the Seljuks' retaliatory invasion of Antioch, but just barely! ~:eek: The battle was looking pretty grim for a while, until finally the Caliph's oldest son was able flank the main Turkish line and kill their general. It was a close one, let me tell you! :sweatdrop: (By the way, Loucipher, I agree that Murabitin Horsemen are a marvellous little unit, especially for light cav. :yes:)

I think my main problem was that I'd been focusing more on ramping up my infrastructure and navy--too much, as it turned out! I hadn't really trained enough troops when war broke out between me and the Seljuks; and as a result, it was touch-and-go for a while. I think I'm finally getting things back under control now, however. I've finally got all provinces pumping out troops (except for Tripoli, which I've designated as my shipbuilder for the time being), and should soon have my armies up to acceptable strength levels. Also, I will have coming soon to a battlefield near you....Gazi Infantry! Man, I just love those guys.... :evil:

Loucipher

12-08-2006, 11:51

Well, to become comfortable with them to the degree I'd call vaguely satisfying, I had to reread frogbeastegg's Unit Guide quite a few times, and play several quick random battles testing out various battle tactics ~:) In the end, though, it all paid off quite handsomely ~:)
I'm pretty sure you'll catch up with me allright real soon, for once you render the Seljuks harmless, it's all really easy going: vs the Almohads you just have one-province border at all times, and vs the Byzantines you can work it out to have no more than two provinces to guard. With the massive wealth brought in by your own lands (the Fatimids' provinces include some real cash cows, bringing me well over 1000 florins each), you almost don't need trade. As my armies are kicking down Byzantine sandcastles and showing themselves up in the Eastern Europe already, I now have a proliferation of alliance pleas, and not a year passes by without some Emissary knocking at my mansion's main gate. I have just recently taken the fancy of accepting those guys' proposals - one would say I've just grown mellow, but personally, I prefer letting the traders step in after a period of bloody savagery. Then again, when the coffers of nations grow so big that the gold starts actually pouring out from them, the dogs of war shall be let loose again, and much of this wealth will disappear, while the rest shall change possession - preferably towards Fatimid treasury, hehehehe :beam:

Right now, the way I see it, building your empire should be an important priority, but then again, not every province is worth investing your money into - at least not to begin with. I'd say taking Lesser Armenia (so you get the AHC early on, and quite a teched up province to boot), and then taking Rum and Armenia too would provide a serious kickstart towards your man-building ability, which is initially quite reduced, much like that of the Byzantines. And one thing that I now see as a must - get the Ribat in Egypt ASAP, and start punching out Jihad marks. And then, Seljuks can attack you all the way they like. They attack, you retreat to the fort, and hit the province with two Jihad markers at a moment's notice. The end result: you lose two or three yars worth of income, but gain a crapload of good troops - Desert Archers, Arab Infantry, and especially Murabitin Horsemen are nothing to scorn at, especially against Seljuks, who field insane amounts of Horse Archers (just let your Desert Archers get them) and basically not much worthwhile other than that. For 1000 florins, you get quite a decent army, capable of wiping the desert down to dry sand (literally) with anyone stupid enough to attack.

And yes... Ghazi Infantry are almost a liability ~:eek: Boy, they really gave them Katatanks a wallop ~:) Right now, the Byzantines just sit tight in Bulgaria, with their Kata units reduced to single men (only the Emperor's unit is back at full 41, thanks to its regenerating ability). They are now accompanied by some rabble units, and a detachment each of their triangular-shield-toting swordsmen and their compound-bowmen from Trebizond. And guess what... I'm sending them some more Ghazis for carnage ~:)

Spectators welcome for the show ~:) Tickets are sold at the front desk, 5 florins per noble, 1 florin per commoner. One servant/slave per noble allowed at no charge. Single file please :beam:

Innocentius

12-08-2006, 16:22

I know I have a tendancy to end campaigns when I'm doing real bad, but for this one, I'm determined to play it to the bitter end. No matter what embarrasing losses I take. With that said, ehere i go:

The Bohemians - Early XL - Normal

In 1087, Bohemia is a minor kingdom surrounded by the great countries of Poland, Hungary and The Holy Roman Empire. The little kingdom is only independant to that degree where it does not anger any of its neighbours, and its kings have to obey their superiour "brothers". That was all about to change though, under the rule of King Vratislav II.
King Vratislav II of Bohemia was already at the age 28 in 1087, and was well-known for being a natural leader, a man who had the full support from his subjects. In 1087, Vratislav commenced his reign by quickly developing Bohemias defencive capabilites. Wath towers were constructed all across the borders, and archers as well as spearmen were recruited.

Of all his potential enemies, Vratislav deemed the Holy Roman Empire as the most urgent target to neutralize. At the moment, they were weakened by their everlasting conflicts with the pope, and their inland provinces were only sparsely defended. In 1088, King Vratislav II invaded the German province of Franconia, the Germans fled without a fight, facing numerical superiority. Franconia with its fertile lands was a much welcome boost the economy of Bohemia.
For a few years, the Bohemians sat back, establishing their foothold in Franconia before moving on to the next target. In 1091, Bavaria was invaded and fell without a fight. That way, King Vratislav had more than doubled the size of his kingdoms. The borders were now a lot more secure, the economy was flourishing and the Bohemians had carved themselves a new kingdom at the expence of The Holy Roman Empire.

Peace came, although war still officially declared between the Bohemians and the Germans. King Vradislav kept asking for a truce with the Holy Roman Emperor down in Austria, but kept failing in convincing him. Not even offering him the hand of his daughter was accepted. Despite the hard-headedness of the Emperor, no actions were taken for a while.

In 1094, the Germans finally made their counter attack, Franconia was attacked. The Bohemians faced numerical superiority, with the Germans outnumbering them more than 3:2. Nonetheless, the Bohemians took their stand, and glouriously defeated the invaders, despite their numerical superiority and better quality of troops.
https://img468.imageshack.us/img468/1286/00000010rg1.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
The Bohemians took their stand on a slight elevations (the best they could find) while King Vratislav himself rode around the enemy, drawing a full company of spearman away from the main army. The knights quickly out-manouvered the spearmen, charged the from uphill and killed them all. Once they were disperced, the King attacked the main body of the enemy from the rear, killing and capturing many.

After this battle, many years of peace followed. Sons and daughters to King Vratislav II were born in the plenty, and several alliances were concluded, most notably the one with France, a powerful ally against the Germans.

However, the Kingdom of Bohemia lacked a coastline, Vratislav new the importance and possible profit of trading, and thus aimed to provide himself with some coastal provinces. In 1102, Saxony was invaded. As they usually did, the cowardly Germans ran away. This time however, they had a fort to retreat to. This did not last for long anyway, and it fell in 1104. In the same year, a ceasefire wis finally signed with the Holy Roman Emperor. After many years of declared war (although only a few years of actual fighting) peace finally returned to the Bohemians.

A long period of peace followed, and alliances were sealed with many countries, many of them distant and even unheard of to most Bohemians. The slow process of constructing a fleet in Saxony was commenced, but it was to take years before the Bohemians had a fleet to be reckoned.

As he grew older, King Vratislav II started looking for a few last chanses of noble deeds, for which he would be remembered. The rebel province of Friesland was deemed to strong, so instead, King Vratislav himself commanded and army attacking Brandenburg in 1111, once again breaking the peace with the Holy Roman Empire.
This time, the Bohemians had the upper hand, and except for a few unfortuneate casualties caused by a few crude decisions on the battlefield, the battle went as predicted:
https://img179.imageshack.us/img179/8812/00000017ki6.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
All of the prisoners were ransomed by the Emperor.

Thus we leave the Bohemians and King Vratislav II for a while. The year is now 1112 and the Kingdom of Bohemia is now far stronger and bigger than it was initially, and King Vratislav has made himself famous all across Europe. He is now 53 years old, and hopefully has at least a few years yet to live. The line of heritaged is properly secured by his numerous sons, all of them being good warriors like their father.

The Kingdom of Bohemia as of 1112:
https://img170.imageshack.us/img170/5641/00000019bw4.png (https://imageshack.us)

UltraWar

12-08-2006, 16:33

I've just fixed all my MTW problems and now ready for a campaign.
Italian/Late/Expert sounds nice :2thumbsup:

Kavhan Isbul

12-08-2006, 19:51

Innocentius

12-08-2006, 23:59

Interesting campaign, Innocentius. One progblem I have when playing with the Czechs in XL is that after destroying the HRE (the Germans usually get attacked from all sides), I find myself in their shoes - large borders and smaller, hostile Catholic neighbors. A further problem is that even if you deal with some of your immediate neighbors such as the Danes, the French, the Poles and the Hungarians, you usually find yourself in the same hard to defend position, but only facing more powerful enemies, as superpowers tend to develop in the corners of the map - in the East it is usually the Novgorodians or the Kievans with their superior boyars, Rus spearmen, plenty of cavalry and a decent navy of longboats; in the Balkans it is the Fatimids, who will have the best lands and the highest income; and in the west it will be the Spanish or the Almohads. It makes for a pretty tough camapign early, before you can get halberdiers and arbalesters.

No worries, Kavhan, I'll handle it all in my slow-moving, somewhat cowardly way:yes: My short term goal is taking Friesland, Pomerania and any random province I can grab. I'll stay away from most German provinces though as I, like you said, don't want to end up like a second HRE. The Hungarians are my allies who act as a shield towards the Cumans, so I'm not too worried about them. The Poles might be a problem though, and I'm thinking of conquering Silesia sometime (not too soon) to secure my borders with them.
Also, I love the Bohemian roster. It ain't very special, except from the Bohemian Bowmen who totally rock the vanilla archers used by all other Catholic factions. Shame it's so tough to get my hands on cavalry though, I can't even recruit Mounted Sergeants yet...I need to add some mobile and router-chasing/archer-smiting units to my roster.

naut

12-11-2006, 04:14

Innocentius, nice campaign. Personally when I am the Bohemians I prefer striking south before going elsewhere.

Kavhan Isbul

12-11-2006, 18:13

I started a campaign as the Bohemians in XL, early, expert, this weekend and I am doing OK. I will post some screenies later, but I did exactly what Rythmic mentions - went south instead of north. I had a rough start, with me being the only faction to fight the HRE, at least successfully. Somehow the Germans were able to take out the Venetians, which predetermined the direction of my expansion. Finally everyone joined the fray and the HRE were destroyed with me ending up allied to all my neighbors and having Bohemia, Bavaria, Austria, Tyrolia and Venice. With all these borders requiring at least a stack, Venice and some income from trade proved to be vital. I do not believe you can get the same income from getting to the Baltic and the Northern Sea.
In the meantime, the Serbs and the Cumans destroyed the Hungarians and the Danes and the French started a war next door. When the Serbs made an ill advised attack on one of my ships in the Adriatic I took Croatia and Hungary from them, and the Byzantines finished them off, and I tried to keep the war between the Danes and the French balanced, eliminating all of the high ranking French generals with inquisitors. At one point the Genoese had a civil war and I took Tuscany from the rebels.
By that time the Fatimids became a superpower and started to give the Byzantines a hard time, kicking them out of Asia Minor and taking their islands one by one, while marching several stacks in the direction of Constantinople. Needless to say, it made me a bit nervous. I was fighting the Cumans as I wanted to take Carpathia, and ended up taking it together with Moldova and Wallachia, which of course cased me to be a bit overstretched. The only thing I could do to the Fatimids was to sink their ships and take Crete. Fortunately enough, the Spanish who became rather powerful in the west sent a crusade to Tripoli, which succeeded, as the Fatimid sultan was stranded on Cyprus. The result was a civil war and the reemergence of the Seljuks (in Egypt, out of all places), and then another civil war. The Byzantines recovered and I was happy to see the situation in the Middle east stable with no faction a huge threat.
The Sicilians lost all their heirs attacking the Pope, and at the end simply disintegrated, so I took full advantage seizing Sicily and Malta. Sicily was especially nice in terms of added income. It was close to 1204 and I was building up in order to get arbalests and halberdiers out as quickly as possible, and I was content to lead a peaceful campaign, allying myself with almost everyone. The Spanish became a problem though, as they started ravaging through Western Europe, rolling over everyone, getting all the way to the Scandinavian peninsula and soon I was staring at a dozen stacks in a few provicnes accross my border. They even managed to successfully launch a crusade to Palestine. My inquisitors took care of their princes and by 1210 there were rebels all over the map, and I started breathing easier, taking Lesser Poland and then getting a ceasefire from the Poles. The Germans reemerged and allied themselves to me.
Now I made my first mistake - I took Franconia from the Danes. It coincided with my first weak ruler - he was born a 6 star commander all right, but developped Very Lazy and Often Drunk pretty quickly and by the time he ascended to the throne he had puny 2 command stars and 2 or 3 plumes, no piety. When I attacked the Danes, I lost half my allies, including the Byzantines. The latter did not waste any time in attacking me in Hungary and won a close battle, due to the invincibility of the katanks - I had 6 units of arbalests shooting at two units of katanks and at the end 10 katanks still managed to break through my wall of chivalric sergeants. Anyway, I retook Hungary the next turn, destroyed the Byzantine fleet except for one dromon and took Rhodes, and here is where I stand now, 1217. I should be in a good position to win the game - the Byzantines have only one or two battles left in them, there is no power in the west and so far noone has been able to take advantage of the power vacuum left by the demise of the Spanish. Even if someone manages to become a threat through a reemergence, I have my inquisitors to take care of any catholic faction. No big bully managed to develop in the Middle East, and the Horde should take care of the Kievans (who so far have not been able to even take Volhynia from the Polish).
To sum it all up - I think that the only viable long term strategy for the Bohemians is to get to the Mediterranean as quickly as possible - otherwise there will be huge cash problems. Also, failing to go south soon enough will render the Bohemians unable to do anything against the superpowers which tend to emerge there. Being catholics, they can use inquisitors to egt rid of any catholic threads, but if the fatimids get to Constantinople and conquer the Balkans, it will be very tough to push them out, as the Bohemians cannot crusade. Not impossible with high tech troops, but certainly difficult. Taking steps against them as soon as they start to become a threat is therefore important.

bamff

12-11-2006, 22:37

Apologies all - this one is rather long.....a fair bit happened in this 32 year chunk!

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 6 – The Reign of King Edward III Begins (1201 – 1233)

The English chronicles fall strangely silent for the first five years of Edward III’s reign. Historians have long since argued whether this was because Edward had some dark secret that he was determined to keep silent, or whether it was because nothing much actually transpired during this time. A far more likely explanation is that Bamff of Brisbane, the chief scribe responsible for noting the achievements of the empire, simply lost his frantically scribbled campaign notes.

Whatever the reason, the next recorded entries in the chronicles are dated 1225. It would appear that Edward III had concentrated in consolidating his kingdom during this period, and in building his forces in Navarre and Aragon in readiness for the ever more likely outbreak of hostilities with the burgeoning kingdom of Spain.

For some years now, Lord Martok of the Duchy of Theguild has warned Edward that it would only be a matter of time before Enrique II’s covetous eyes would sooner or later lead to a full scale Spanish invasion north across the Pyrenees. Martok was a trusted advisor, who had served Edward’s father well, and Edward had wasted no time in following his advice on this matter. It was important to seize the initiative in this coming war – but Spain was a Catholic kingdom, and as such any initial strike would not be looked upon favourably by Rome. A diversion was required – and Edward had a perfect plan. He called a meeting with his generals, Sir Richard Plantagenet, commander of the English garrison of Navarre, and Lord Howard of the English army in Aragon.

Charles Greystoke, Bishop of Wessex, recorded the following conversation:

Lord Howard implored King Edward “My Lord, the Spaniards ready themselves to strike. Their armies in Castille and Valencia grow ever stronger. Our troops are ready. Let us strike the first blow now.”

Edward calmly responded “The time is not yet right, Howard. We will strike at Prussia and Pomerania first.”

Sir Richard Plantagenet reacted incredulously “My Lord, those lands belong to the kingdom of Poland, not Spain. I would not presume to question your judgement, your majesty, but…”

“And yet you do so. No matter Richard, old friend. I thank you for your counsel, gentlemen – and believe me I do value your services. I would have no others to lead my armies in Navarre and Aragon, nor would I wish any other to stand at my shoulder on the field of battle. My dear father, may he rest in peace, was an average field commander, it is true. It was his skills as a strategist and diplomat that saw our kingdom grow under his rule. We must tread warily around Pope Giovanni. Invading the Poles is a diversionary tactic, designed to occupy Rome. Giovanni will issue a Papal decree on Poland’s behalf. As only one such decree may be in force at any one time, it will free our hand to strike at Spain. Go, my generals – return to your garrisons and await my orders, for I assure you, war with Spain is indeed imminent.”

While there is some uncertainty as to the accuracy of Greystoke’s recording of this conversation, little doubt remains that the bishop had a taste for the melodramatic. It is also possibly indicative that Greystoke’s descendants many years hence would enjoy careers as script writers of B grade medieval films.

Edward’s invasion of the northernmost Polish provinces proceeded forthwith. Sir Charles Curthose and his men land in Prussia, and meeting no resistance, march immediately on Konigsberg Castle. Sir John Eadwulf leads the force invading Pomerania. Again the Poles withdraw to the safety of their castle.
Pope Giovanni II does not disappoint King Edward. In January 1226, an emissary arrives from Rome carrying the Papal decree that all English forces must withdraw from Polish territory forthwith. Edward orders Curthose and Eadwulf to withdraw to Sweden, and at the same time sends word to his fleet commanders that all Spanish shipping is to be sunk on sight.

Lord Wojno of Bohemia is determined to exact revenge for the English invasion. He leads a large army into Franconia. Sir George Herbert is our provincial commander. Whilst the Polish invasion takes all somewhat by surprise, he immediately sets about readying his defences to meet the invader. It will be a monumental task. His forces number only some 977 men, and the Polish army is some 2,168 strong. Herbert sets his defences on a hillside, and prepares to stand or die. Wave after wave of Poles crash upon the English line, but Herbert’s men stand firm. As the dust of battle clears, 704 Poles are dead, including Lord Wojno himself. 921 Poles surrender to Herbert’s men, and 543 flee back across the border to Bohemia in complete disarray. Herbert has carried the day, but at a frightening cost – 618 Englishmen have fallen – almost 2/3 of his total force.

Reinforcements are despatched immediately to bolster the depleted garrison of Franconia.

Edward prepares to unleash his forces in Navarre and Aragon, but events have overtaken him. In 1227, it is the Spanish who strike first. Don Ramon de Bonifaz leads a massive army of 3,268 men into Aragon to take on Howard’s force of 1,933. Howard is a skilled defender, however, and redresses this numerical imbalance by choosing to face the Spanish force at the Puente de Santiago, on the Ebro River. The northern end of this bridge is where Howard sets his men, with his arbalests lined up the hill that rises from the river’s bank, and billmen standing at the bridge itself.

The battle is joined. Of the first wave of 240 Spanish militia sergeants that charge the bridge, not a one crosses to the English side. Some 195 have succeeded in crossing to the kingdom of heaven, however, with but 45 men surviving the hail of arbalest bolts and longbow arrows to flee in terror.

Don Ramon de Bonifaz himself leads the second wave. He somehow rallies 26 of the panicked survivors of the first assault to join him in this second assault. With his men falling like flies all around him, de Bonifaz stoically pushes forward until his remaining troops break and run. Once again he steadies the nerves of the survivors, and with but 85 men he again leads his troops toward the blood soaked bridge.

Lord Howard is impressed with his Spanish counterpart’s ability to rally his troops, and is heard to comment to an aide “Say what you will of de Bonifaz – he is indeed a leader of men.”

The third assault proves as disastrous for the Spanish as had the first two. The air is rent with the screams of the Spaniards as a hail of arbalest bolts and arrows strike home. The Spanish general grimly presses on, even though only 34 men remain at his side as he steps onto the bridge. Only 3 survive the next hail of bolts, de Bonifaz is not among them.

Lord Howard is visibly moved by the heroism of de Bonifaz, commenting “And so dies a hero. A bloody fool, perhaps, to march so willingly into the face of that reception, but a brave man and a bold leader nonetheless.”

With Spanish morale flagging after the death of their beloved general, Prince Felipe attempts to inspire his men. The “charge of the Prince’s Guard” is perhaps one of the saddest chapters of this battle for the Spanish. Of the 21 knights that charge the bridge, there is but a sole survivor. Prince Felipe is amongst the first to die. 2 of these brave knights share the distinction of being the first and only Spaniards to cross the bridge, but any elation they may have felt was short-lived, as they were summarily hacked down by the English billmen.

Further Spanish assaults are also repulsed, with heavy casualties inflicted. Late in the day, the English suffer their first and only losses of the battle, as 3 billmen fall to Spanish arrows, before a hail of bolts cause the Spanish archers to flee.

The Spanish troops withdraw, having suffered a humiliating defeat. 867 Spanish corpses litter the field. Not a single prisoner is taken.

In 1228, the Poles accept our offer of a ceasefire, and an uneasy peace is restored to our eastern borders. The Holy Roman Empire remains an enemy, but her forces are too weak to offer a credible threat.

Lord d’Anghiera is chosen by King Enrique to lead the next Spanish assault on Aragon. Yet again, Lord Howard finds himself facing a Spanish force in excess of 3,000 men. Again he picks his field most skilfully, choosing a hilltop with commanding views of the valleys on all sides. The Spaniards are forced to march uphill into a hail of arrows and arbalest bolts. The Spanish spearmen and cavalry flee as the archers hold their ground. Howard’s hobilars and two squadrons of royal knights led by Sir Aelfgar Mortimer and Sir Nigel Howard charge down the hillside and make short work of the stranded archers, then withdraw back into position to await the next wave. Wave after wave of Spaniards are repulsed, with heavy casualties. As the Spaniards withdraw, 1,008 of their men lie dead on the valley floor. 367 Spanish prisoners are taken. Lord Howard’s cunning leadership has resulted in the loss of only 32 English lives.

In 1229, King Edward is satisfied that he has his troops in position to execute his planned annihilation of the Spanish armies. Sir Edmund Stuart leads the invasion of Algeria. The garrison are taken completely by surprise, and flee to the sanctuary of Algiers castle. At the same time, Prince John and a further English army have landed in Morocco. The Spanish defenders once more take flight.

1230 brings a double helping of welcome news to King Edward. First comes the news that Don Pero de Oliveres, the leading Spanish commander in Cordoba has mysteriously perished at a banquet in honour of King Enrique. It is no mystery to those members of the English court who are aware that Guy of Gisbourne had recently departed for Cordoba. A general too fond of his wine is all too easy a target for a man so skilled in the use of poisons.

Further good news comes from Portugal. The extremely pious Don Lope Vermúndez has had enough of the excesses of King Enrique and his son Alfonso, and has sent word that he wishes to swear allegiance to Edward and the English crown. Edward despatches his own emissary forthwith, to accept this offer, and to provide Vermúndez with 3,000 florins with which to raise a local army.

“The cards are indeed falling favourably…” muses a very content King Edward.
The following year, our spies in the east send news of the emergence of an incredibly strong force of soldiers. This army is said to number in the tens of thousands, and each and every one of them is reputed to be a fierce and capable warrior. They call themselves the “Golden Horde”, and have already over-run the Byzantine provinces of Khazar and Volga-Bulgaria. It appears that they intend to sweep westwards.

With Sir Edmund Stuart struck down by a mysterious disease in Algeria, Sir Thomas Scrope has assumed command in that province, and embarks immediately on the assault of Algiers castle. It is a well protected fortress indeed, and whilst Scrope succeeds in his aim, it proves a pyrrhic victory, with his forces all but wiped out in the battle. Reinforces are despatched from Morrocco to shore up this garrison’s strength.

As Scrope’s forces raise the English flag in Algiers, King Edward finally unleashes his attack on Spain. Lord Gascoigne leads a strong force into Valencia, Sir Richard Plantagenet’s men march south into Castille from Navarre, and King Edward himself lands in Leon with a strong invasion force.
The Spanish in Leon flee without a thought of their own dignity. The enormous Spanish armies in Castille are ripped to shreds by Plantagenet’s force, with over 1,600 Spaniards killed or captured. English casualties are 580. It is a similar story in Valencia, and again the Spanish are forced to withdraw.

This series of humiliating defeats would appear to be more than the Spanish people can bear. Rebellions break out in Cordoba, Granada, and Tunisia as 1231 draws to a close. It is an interesting historical sidenote that the rebel forces in Cordoba are lead by none other than King Enrique’s own son, Alfonso.

The pain of the Spanish King intensifies in 1232. Whilst he may have seen off the rebel forces in Cordoba, his son Alfonso has died leading the rebels, and our inquisitors have made Cordoba a place of fear, terror, and mistrust, as they burn in excess of 14,480 “heretics” throughout the province.
Meanwhile in the East, the Golden Horde seize Kiev from the Poles, and Crimea from Byzantium.

King Edward leads the invasion of the rebel province of Granada in 1233. The rebel forces are crushed, with the few survivors fleeing the field to take refuge within the walls of their stronghold. The noose is tightening around Enrique’s neck – soon all of the Iberian peninsula will be in English hands....

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/Edward3svictoryinGranada.jpg

bamff

12-11-2006, 22:43

A couple of quick queries (assuming you didn't doze off sometime during my last post!) - firstly one about inquisitions - has anyone else ever seen so many victims burned up in one go as I had in Cordoba? 14,480! I hadn't managed my inquisitors all that closely, and all 6 wound up in the same province, but still....

Second - is there anywhere that lists out the "new" units and factions available in either the XL or BKB mods? I'm loving the write-ups, but struggling a little with some of he unit descriptions (just because I have no idea what they are and what they do)?

Innocentius

12-11-2006, 23:25

Second - is there anywhere that lists out the "new" units and factions available in either the XL or BKB mods? I'm loving the write-ups, but struggling a little with some of he unit descriptions (just because I have no idea what they are and what they do)?

I don't know about the Muslim units mentioned on this page, but if you mean/include Bohemian Bowmen, they're just simply better archers than vanilla archers (haven't seen any stats for them though) and are a lot better at melee.

Martok

12-11-2006, 23:30

Nice Bohemian campaigns, guys--looking forward to hearing more. :thumbsup:

Well I was finally able to play my Fatamid campaign a bit this weekend. I was finally able to push the Seljuks out of Edessa after a bloody battle (I really do hate their HA's!). I immediately moved to reinforce my position there and shore up my nothern border.

Unfortunately, the Armenians took advantage of my attention being directed against the Seljuks, and launched a surprise invasion of Antioch. My garrison there was seriously undermanned--I only had a few Nubian spearmen, desert archers, and Prince Assad along with his GB--so after engaging in a brief battle in which I did as much damage as I could, my surviving forces retreated back to the city. The Armenians quickly surrounded it and laid siege.

Days afterward, Lord Adir--by grace of Allah, amir of Egypt and the Caliph's chief minister--learned of these events from ships's crews that had fled Antioch's port prior to it being overrun. He immediately sent messengers to both Edessa (where the Caliph was overseeing the province's formal annexation into his kingdom) and to his close friend Lord Hassan, King of Jerusalem.

Adir and Hassan quickly set sail with a large number of troops, and days later landed on the shores of Antioch just several miles south of the city. After their men were fully disembarked, Adir & Hassan rendezvoused with the Caliph, who had brought part of his army from Edessa to deal with the Armenians. Together, they marched to their position to relieve their beleagured brethren.

All expected a hard fight for Antioch, but it never occurred. The Armenians--clearly not expecting the Caliph to arrive so soon, or at least not with as many men as he did--chose instead to abandon the siege entirely, and withdrew northward back to their capital. Prince Assad rode out from the city, glad to see his father again. The Caliph thanked his followers Adir and Hassan for riding to his aid, and they returned to their respective governorships.

Until this incident, the Caliph had been intent on driving the Seljuks out of Asia Minor. Since the Armenians had had the audacity to attack one of his great cities, however, they had now incurred his wrath. He would now not rest until he had brought them beneath his heel. He henceforth began gathering together a mighty army, so as to fell a great stroke against them....

[Author's note: The Armenians invading Antioch really took me by surprise. I've never before seen them make an aggressive move against me so early in the game, and had to scramble like mad to counter them. It was fortunate that I happened to have a decent-size stack of units in both Egypt and Palestine, otherwise I would've been in real trouble!]

Martok

12-12-2006, 00:30

Wow bamff, that was a great write-up. :2thumbsup: Definitely one of the more humorous ones I've read in a while (at least compared to my own)! The following passages were the ones that caused me to chuckle and/or laugh the most:

The English chronicles fall strangely silent for the first five years of Edward III’s reign. Historians have long since argued whether this was because Edward had some dark secret that he was determined to keep silent, or whether it was because nothing much actually transpired during this time. A far more likely explanation is that Bamff of Brisbane, the chief scribe responsible for noting the achievements of the empire, simply lost his frantically scribbled campaign notes.

While there is some uncertainty as to the accuracy of Greystoke’s recording of this conversation, little doubt remains that the bishop had a taste for the melodramatic. It is also possibly indicative that Greystoke’s descendants many years hence would enjoy careers as script writers of B grade medieval films.

1230 brings a double helping of welcome news to King Edward. First comes the news that Don Pero de Oliveres, the leading Spanish commander in Cordoba has mysteriously perished at a banquet in honour of King Enrique. It is no mystery to those members of the English court who are aware that Guy of Gisbourne had recently departed for Cordoba. A general too fond of his wine is all too easy a target for a man so skilled in the use of poisons.

:laugh4: :laugh4:

Great job, man. Seriously. :bow:

bamff

12-12-2006, 01:52

My Lord Martok, you do favour us with your kind words....

Seriously though - thanks, it's nice to know that I managed to entertain. I will confess I had some fun writing that one!

bamff

12-12-2006, 02:03

As a further note, it is great to see so many and so varied histories being reported....and reading behind the lines, it is intrigueing to see the differing strategies employed...I must confess I am feeling a little less adventurous than most, having chosen the English as my faction....I'm thinking Aragon will be next for me, but I still have a long way to go as England yet...wouldn't mind trying Turkey either, but I have never really succeeded as a muslim faction...

Great work all!

Martok

12-12-2006, 02:04

I will confess I had some fun writing that one!
.....And it showed--which is probably why it was such an enjoyable read. ~:)

King Kurt

12-14-2006, 14:46

Episode 3 of King Kurt's Almo adventure!!
The Empire looked nice and steady - secure borders, good income, leading on GA points - time for some expansion!! Surveying the scene, I decided to attack up the west coast of france as that impacted least on my trade. I marched into Aqutaine just after the French had kicked out the English. I also started the naval war against the French. Some how in the naval exchanges, I managed to start a war against the Italians - I don't think I attacked one by mistake, but all of a sudden I was in a war with Italy and France.
Aquataine fell and then it was Britany and Anjou. The French counterattacked, so I withdrew from both provinces. So, 2 lost provinces - I make that Jihad time!! 2 for Britany, 1 for Anjou. These forces with the existing forces enable me to retake Britany and Anjou before moving on to Normandy, Flanders, Ile de france and Burgandy.
At the same time Italy dived into Aragon with my forces occupied up north. Thanks to another Jihad and what I could gather from around Spain, I was able to retake Aragon - and have the Doge to ransom to boot. This was vital as money was getting low as trade was wrecked by the naval war with France and Italy. I also had a Balkan adventure, attacking Serbia and Greece from Naples, but got beaten back. Then the Pope attacked me in Naples twice. He was sent packing and is now extremely weak and ripe for the plucking. The French dived into Morroco and Granada, but were beaten back, killing the French King in the process.
So, after some scary moments, things look OK. Fighting France and Italy was nearly a costly mistake. I have weathered the storm, my money is back looking healthy and the French look a spent force. After a regroup, I anticipate driving through central France into northen Italy - but that will be in the next exciting episode.:2thumbsup:

Kavhan Isbul

12-14-2006, 20:03

I am afraid I lost interest in my Bohemian campaign - the Byzantines never attacked me again, and just turtled in Serbia and Bulgaria. They only left a small garrison in Constantinople of an archer and a urban militia, and I invaded with 4 mounted crossbowmen. The idiotic AI withdrew, which was smart as it would have lost, but it abandoned its capital to me withought a fight. I reinforced Constantinople expecting a desprate attack, but the Greeks never attempted to regain it despite the fact that they had plenty of units in Bulgaria and Greece, and a few large stacks in Anatolia, which they could transport to their capital in two turns. Then I used mounted crossbows to chip away at an all-katank army in Greece (and these had silver armor upgrade plus an 8 star general). After two battles the katanks were wiped out except for three of them, who managed to escape to a castle. I abandoned the province and the next turn invaded again with 4 or 5 units of mounted crossbows, and invaded Serbia and Bulgaria with massive armies, expecting two tough battles with plenty of casualties on my side. No such thing - the imbeciles abandoned Bulgaria without a fight as they did not want to risk the Emperor being trapped in the fortress and besieged, then they also retreated from Serbia (this time leaving a large garrison in the castle to starve in two turns), but they accepted the battle in Greece - 3 katanks against 200 mounted crossbowmen! Those three valiant fools were shot down in a battle taking a little less than a minute, most of which was moving my units within shooting distance. The end result of the whole thing was that the Balkans were conquered with only a few skirmishes and no major fight, a few nice Byzantine stacks were wiped out without entering a battle, and on top of all that I gained 30k in ransom.
Such completely stupid moves by the AI just ruined it for me :thumbsdown: . Now the campaign is pretty much won - the Horde is yet to present itself, but they will run out of gas before they reach me, and even if they manage to establish a foothold in the steppes, I doubt they will ever be able to expand to a degree in which they can become a serious threat. All other threats have been reduced to minor powers struggling to survive and waging petty wars against each other. I do not see any point to continue the campaign, as it will be boring as hell, conquering the map at a slow pace and perhaps only a battle or two worth mentioning with the Mongols.

I started a new campaign with the Teutonic order in High on expert, GAs, and so far it has been fun and a good challenge, as all my neighbors seem to hate me, and the Horde will be making its way towards my lands very soon. I will try to play this campaign with a self-imposed rule of attacking only non-Catholics (and this will include rebels) and try to win on GA points. The Pope approves, and I also have the Holy Father's word that in this case backstabbing an ally is OK, because a word gived to a heretic or a heathen is not the same as one given to one's Catholic brethern, and therefore a sneak-attack on any enemy of the faith does not really constitute a betrayal.

bamff

12-15-2006, 02:17

Nice work King Kurt - looks like you are really on a roll now!

And Kavhan - I know where you are coming from, once you get to a pretty dominant point it is hard to maintain enough enthusiasm to keep going, especially when the AI won't put up a fight. Sorry to ask (again! No wonder I got the title "Crack brained") but are you playing the XL mod? Just wondering on the basis of the faction names.....

This next instalment of my English campaign is much shorter than the last (and you would hope so - it only covers 5 years!), so no need to be reaching for the "no doze" this time!

Here goes:

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 7 –King Edward III (1233 – 1237)

In the year of our Lord 1233. The kingdom of Edward III of England stretches from Ireland across the western parts of the European mainland. The eastern borders of his kingdom are Franconia in the north, stretching southwards through Switzerland to Genoa. Its northernmost provinces include the Scandinavian states of Norway and Sweden. Even the northern parts of the African continent fall under English rule, with Morocco and Algiers both part of Edward’s realm. One obstacle stands between Edward and the complete domination of Western Europe. King Enrique II of Spain continues to cling to the province of Cordoba. Edward has decreed that it is high time for this situation to be “corrected”. Sir Richard Plantagenet, renowned as a “skilled attacker” leads the English armies into Cordoba. King Enrique of Spain is not known as a brave leader of men, but he has no avenue of escape. The English naval blockade has ensured that no Spanish forces may either leave Cordoba, or enter it to reinforce the beleagured garrison. Enrique has no option but to stand his ground and fight.
The gently rolling hills of Cordoba do not provide ideal ground for an attacking army, but such is Plantagenet’s skill that he soon manouvres his forces into positions atop two small hillocks. The Spaniards stand on the other side of the shallow valley, forced to pull back from their original encampment along the valley floor.
In their haste to reposition themselves, the Spaniards have left their catapult and ballista crews in the middle of the valley that separates the two armies. These men bravely stand at their posts, and commence firing upon the English.
Sir Charles Langton’s knights bravely charge along the valley, ignoring the fire from Spanish archers and the ballista crews. The Spanish artillery are massacred; their weapons destroyed. The Spanish king sends an entire regiment of Spearmen to aid the artillery units, but it is all too late. The spearmen have orders to extract some revenge for Spain, and as the 9 surviving knights withdraw, they are pursued by the Spanish spears. Langton knows that he cannot stand and fight – 9 knights against 100 fresh spearmen in good order would be suicide. Withdraw he must – but he is a savvy enough commander that a withdrawal is not necessarily a defeat – indeed it can be a victory. He marches his knights in good order along the valley floor, slowly enough to encourage his Spanish pusuers. The Spaniards take the bait, and are soon pursuing Langton’s men along the front of the main English line. It is a tactical mistake that few will live to regret. The Spaniards have unwittingly marched right into the teeth of the beast, and it now bites hard. 177 arbalests and 180 longbowmen make short work of the Spanish spearmen, with Langton’s men turning to provide the coup de gras by riding down several of the routing survivors before withdrawing.
Enrique is furious, and his rage overwhelms his powers of reason. He orders a skirmish line of two units of javelinmen forward to strike back at the English. A javelin has but a fraction of the range of an arbalest or longbow, and none survive to reach a range from which they may do any damage.
Next it is the turn of the jinetes to take the fight to the invader, and at the same time Don Alfonso de Luna’s royal knights charge the English left flank. Two volleys reduce the knights numbers to 10 men. One final volley leaves two wounded knights riding quickly from the field. Meanwile, the jinetes have achieved nought but an increase in the Spanish death toll.
While this carnage had been unfolding, Sir Richard had sent one unit of billmen and an accompanying squadron of royal knights forward on both flanks. These units now wheel inwards, as the English chivalric sergeants, billmen, chivalric men at arms, and fyrdmen steadily advance in a line at the Spanish centre. Enrique is trapped! Surrounded by the English, he panics, and leaving his own royal guard stranded, he flees. His men fight to the last, all 20 dying for their ignoble king. They are by no means alone in that regard – as the dust of battles settles, 807 Spaniards lie dead or dying on the field. 205 surrender to the English. A mere 53 Englishmen have died for their kingdom.
News arrives from the east that the Golden Horde have taken Volhynia. Apparently their fearsome reputation is now such that the Polish garrison simply fled as soon as word had arrived that the horde had crossed the border. These new arrivals in Europe do indeed appear formidable, and King Edward instructs his agents in the region to watch their movements closely.
The following year, the Horde are pressing the Byzantines hard across all provincial borders. So much so that Byzantine agents offer King Edward an alliance. The desperation of Byzantium is clear, and Edward uses this to his advantage, negotiating very favourable terms for the alliance, which he then accepts graciously.
King Edward is indeed an astute ruler, and his skills and acumen extend far beyond the diplomatic arena. He has noted that the local populace of the recently acquired province of Switzerland appear to be unusually skilled with the halberd – far more so than is the case elsewhere in Europe. King Edward decides that this is something that will indeed be useful in securing our eastern borders, and decrees that several regiments of Swiss Halberdiers shall be trained forthwith.
In 1237, the few remaining defenders of Cordoba Castle raise a tattered white rag, and the commanding general offers his sword to Sir Richard Plantagenet to formalise the surrender. King Enrique was one of many who did not survive the siege, though in his case it would appear that it was not starvation or disease that brought about his demise. When viewing the body, Sir Richard notes a number of odd wounds. He surmises that one or more of Enrique’s subjects may have tired of their king’s ineffectual rule….
With King Enrique’s demise, the remaining Spanish held provinces of Tunisia and Cyrenaica rebel. The kingdom of Spain has been consigned to the footnotes of history books. Lord Scrope marches immediately on Cyrenaica, taking the province without a struggle.
Prince John leads our forces from Algeria into Tunisia, and is joined by forces from our new allies, the Byzantines. He positions his arbalests and longbowmen high on a hill on the rebel flank. The unimaginative Byzantine general marches his men straight at the rebel force. This does not bother Prince John – these troops are expendable in his opinion, as they have not cost a single English florin to train, equip, and maintain. The English archers wreak a terrible toll on the charging rebels (and, it must be said, on our Byzantine allies, with a number of lancers and infantry falling to "friendly fire" in the midst of the melee). Once battle is joined, and the rebels are pinned against the Byzantine line, Prince John orders his cavalry to hit the rebel forces from behind. They are routed. Tunisia is now also in English hands....and King Edward muses to himself that now at last, Egypt's "long wait" may be at an end....

Footnote: originally I had no intention of taking Tunisia and Cyrenaica - but weak rebel garrisons just were too tempting....and now I find King Edward reminding me that Martok had suggested taking out the Eggies a while back and now they are all that separates Cyrenaica and Palestine....

Cowhead418

12-15-2006, 06:59

I know I'm a bit late on this update (compared to others), but I can only find time to play on the weekends and sometimes do not get to playing it at all.

The Volga Bulgars: 1110-1139

RAPID EXPANSION

Khan Subudai II was much like his father. Authoritarian in nature, he had a terrible loathing for disobedience. Though he was accused many times of being an iron-fisted dictator, he was a benevolent ruler that deeply cared for the progress of his nation and the prosperity of his people. Subudai had much to live up to, as bards were already singing the praises of his accomplished father and cementing his name into legend. He knew that in order to gain the fame he craved that expansion was necessary, and he eagerly yearned for control of the neighboring lands. However, opportunities for expansion were limited due to allied control of these territories. Subudai was a man of honor and refused to entertain any suggestion of betrayal.

On the western frontier, Novgorad was secured, but hostile, vicious viking hordes still threatened Volga-Bulgarian security. Seizing the moment, Subudai sent a sizable force into Finland in an attempt to capture his enemy the Prince of Novgorad. The general, Prince Mongke, split his forces in half in an attempt to encircle the opposing army. However, the enemy Prince wasted no time in fleeing to safety across the Baltic Sea. Finland had been taken without bloodshed. His lust unsatiated by this new acquisition, Khan Subudai II ordered the immediate construction of a fleet. He knew that economic and expansive opportunities lay across the open waters, and he wanted his nation to establish a naval presence.

By now, a second Muslim force had made its way into the wide expanses of the steppes. The Seljuks had seized control of Khazar, and already thousands of barbaric Turkish troops were pouring into the north, threatening to expand even further. To the Volga-Bulgarian people, the Seljuks were fellow Muslims, and the population opened their arms in proposed religious brotherhood. Subudai, however, had starkly different thoughts on his mind. The Seljuk Sultan had already dismissed his offer of partnership multiple times, and he eyed with suspicion the build-up of Turkish armies along his borders. Rejecting the advice of his military advisors, Subudai declared war on the Turks and sent an invasion force into Khazar, where the enemy garrison quickly retreated to the fort.

The impact was immediate. There was widespread protestion to Subudai's brash decision, and several allies cancelled their former treaties, including the Lithuanians. In a decisive move, the Fatamids remained firm in their friendship, and offered to apply pressure from the south. Surprisingly, the Turkish people were among the most vocal protestors to the war, and several groups openly called for secession amidst the heightened political pressure.

The very next year, an army of nearly 2000 Turks sought to regain Khazar, and the Lithuanians showed their support by invading Muscovy, which they took without a fight. The Volga-Bulgar army charged with defending Khazar was led by the Khan himself, followed by the heir to the throne Prince Ogadai and the Prideful Prince Khogibag. Subudai chose to stand his ground, despite being outnumbered more than 2 to 1. He gave a riveting pre-battle speech, and prepared his men for battle. His force was composed of mostly cavalry and archers, with some armored spearmen and Bashkorts mixed in. When the first wave of Turks came forward, it was made up of mostly horse archers. A long missle duel soon commenced, and when the battle started to turn against the Turks they conducted a massive cavalry charge. It was a hard-fought battle, but the superior Bulgarian Royal Cavalry with javelin and archer support won the day, and much of the Turkish army was captured, including a notoriously talented general. After the first wave was defeated, the rest of the Turkish force was summarily routed. Nearly half of the Turkish army was captured, and Subudai for the first time showed his brutality by ordering the execution of almost 1000 Turks.

Though the battle was the first, it was to be the last. The crushing defeat caused the Turkish empire to descend into chaos, with several thousand troops in open revolt. Their entire presence in the steppes was destroyed in one fell swoop, and the Turkish sultan wisely sued for peace. The following year, VB armies descended on Muscovy and Smolensk, adding a new territory to the mix. A few years later Lesser Khazar was conquered, and the size of the empire had nearly doubled.

Over the next several years, Subudai fortified his borders and fostered extensive plans in order to bring down what he called "those traitorous scoundrels." His hatred for the Lithunanians went so deep that his health dramatically declined. In the year of our Lord 1139 A.D., the beloved Volga-Bulgarian ruler died of sudden heart failure, caused by an overload of stress and emotion. Subudai's biggest fear was that he would be overshadowed by his father, but his accomplishments proved to be remarkable. The size of the empire had nearly doubled, and the economy was now flourishing. A fleet had been constructed, and the reach of the VB navy went as far as Ireland. Vast improvements were being made in agriculture, and infrastructure was expanding rapidly. Most importantly, Subudai had made a determined statement to the world that the Volga-Bulgars were not to be taken lightly. The Seljuks had been a rising world power, but now their empire lay nearly in utter chaos.

Despite this, the coronation of the new Khan was a depressing moment in VB history. Ogadai I was neither a capable nor a powerful monarch, and he was not trusted by his fellow blood relatives. The transition of power was a bloody struggle, and several old Princes talked of rebellion. Ogadai will have to act fast to avoid Civil War...

Western Front:
https://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8499/12132006181730yv5.th.png (https://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006181730yv5.png)

Southern Front:
https://img246.imageshack.us/img246/3346/12132006181943tb2.th.png (https://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006181943tb2.png)

Rest of the Empire:
https://img96.imageshack.us/img96/371/12132006182124km7.th.png (https://img96.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006182124km7.png)

Khan Ogadai I:
https://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6486/12132006183437wv8.th.png (https://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006183437wv8.png)

Royal Line:
https://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6200/12132006183751ki3.th.png (https://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006183751ki3.png)

Diplomacy:
https://img184.imageshack.us/img184/7237/12132006184044am3.th.png (https://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006184044am3.png)

Alleged Traitor:
https://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6681/12132006185151tn8.th.png (https://img81.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006185151tn8.png)

Glorious Achievements:
https://img185.imageshack.us/img185/3703/12132006185423tl9.th.png (https://img185.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12132006185423tl9.png)

bamff

12-15-2006, 07:33

Great write up Cowhead! :2thumbsup:

Pardon the ignorance I am about to demonstrate with these queries, but I am allegedly "crack brained" after all, so please make some allowance for this....:dizzy2:

Which mod is it that you are playing?

Secondly, a "bashkort" is a unit type that I am not familiar with (having thus far only played vanilla MTW and MTW:VI). What is it exactly?

r johnson

12-15-2006, 10:43

An enjoyable read Bamff, you've got skill in writing as your have in battles. :2thumbsup:

caravel

12-15-2006, 10:50

Secondly, a "bashkort" is a unit type that I am not familiar with (having thus far only played vanilla MTW and MTW:VI). What is it exactly?

A people from around the Ural region. In the XL mod they are represented as either spearmen, javelinmen or a spear/javelin hybrid, can't remember which now.

Geezer57

12-15-2006, 17:56

They're a spear/javelin hybrid, as you thought. They have four javelins, and have 5/1/2/1/4 for stats (charge, attack, defense, armor, & morale). The numbers come from the MTW_XL_EARLY_UNIT_PROD11.TXT file, so might vary in later periods.

Kavhan Isbul

12-15-2006, 17:58

Bamff: I am playing the XL mod, and so is Cowhead. The bashkorts are a really nice hybrid between spearmen and javelinmen, and I personally find them to be the best javelin infantry in the XL mod. True, almughavars and armored almughavars are even better, but the Bashkorts are cheaper and have a far greater impact, especially for the two factions that can use them - the Volga Bulgars and the Cumans. The Volga Bulgars lack any missile units other than vanilla archers (unless they get to certain provinces and build them up quite a bit), and the Bashkorts provide some very effective range attack, when used properly, especially in defensive battles. The cumans lack any spearmen other than vanilla spearmen, and the bashkorts can act as a high morale spear unit if necessary - they will not do wonders, but a unit of them can hold a MHC long enough to allow another unit of Bashkorts to pepper the enemy with armor piercing javelins. The bashkorts also have a low upkeep and require only a spearmaker's workshop and nothing else, and the Cumans and Volga Bulgars can build them everywhere they go. The only downsides are that they are available only in early and high, and their lack of armor.

bamff

12-16-2006, 05:53

An enjoyable read Bamff, you've got skill in writing as your have in battles. :2thumbsup:

Thanks for the vote of approval! I will endeavour to keep the write ups coming!

As for the battles - I have had my share of absolute disasters, don't you worry. While it is true I have been extraordinarily lucky in this English campaign, had I written up my preceding Sicilian and Saxon campaigns, you would certainly have seen some differing results!

bamff

12-16-2006, 05:56

Thanks for the info, Geezer57 and Kavhan Isbul....

I am trying to resist the temptation of downloading and installing a mod until after I have tried my hand as Aragon and Turkey....but I will confess I am weakening!

bamff

12-16-2006, 05:57

Whoops! Double post - sorry guys!

bamff

12-16-2006, 05:57

Gee a TRIPLE post - I really must be crack brained!:dizzy2:

r johnson

12-16-2006, 16:13

I started a new campaign with the Teutonic order in High on expert, GAs, and so far it has been fun and a good challenge, as all my neighbors seem to hate me, and the Horde will be making its way towards my lands very soon. I will try to play this campaign with a self-imposed rule of attacking only non-Catholics (and this will include rebels) and try to win on GA points. The Pope approves, and I also have the Holy Father's word that in this case backstabbing an ally is OK, because a word gived to a heretic or a heathen is not the same as one given to one's Catholic brethern, and therefore a sneak-attack on any enemy of the faith does not really constitute a betrayal.

I like it.:laugh4: The Teutons ae a fun factions to play, good luck.

Innocentius

12-17-2006, 00:50

A shortish update on

The Kingdom of Bohemia: 1112 - 1120 A.D.

Before King Vratislav could settle with his army in Brandenburg, and even before news of the conquest had reached all corners of the now vast kingdom, the Holy Roman Empire sought to take revenge on the Bohemians by attacking Bohemia itself. Prince Spytihnev, the provincial ruler of Bohemia at the time, was so shocked by the news that he spat his entire moithful of beer all over his keyb...dining table.
King Vratislav had lately been so busy with his conquest to the north that he had foolishly disregarded the defences of his own homeland, thus an outnumbered force under the comman of Prince Spytihev marched to meet the Imperial invaders in the summer of 1112. The situation looked grim at start, the Bohemians were outnumbered by 2:1 and were unable to find a fully suitable spot to defend. However, as the day revealed, the German army lacked any real substance, and its cowardly troops were no match for the Bohemians.
The Germans first advanced their archers in three groups, on in the centre and one on each flank. Their right flank was completely wiped-out by Prince Spytihev and his knights, stationed on the Bohemian left flank, while the rest of the German archers were beaten by the superior Bohemian bowmen.
After this failure, the German commander ordered a head on charge and the Bohemians, now out of arrows, chose to attack them and bravely meet them on the field. It wasn't long before the Germans broke ranks and fled, and their general, a prince of the Empire, was captured and executed along with his entire bodyguard.
https://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6528/00000005ze1.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
All the prisoners were quickly ransomed by the Holy Roman Emperor for a decent amount of money.

After this disastrous defeat, the Holy Roman Empire did not have the power, funds or will needed to continue fighting the Bohemians, but nonetheless it remained at war with them, in its traditional, stubborn manner.

Shortly after this, in the year of 1114, Bohemian troops under Prince Vratislav attacked the rebel province of Friesland, and duly slaughtered the undisciplined rebels:
https://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4241/00000009nk1.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
This time, not a single prisoner was spared.

Another important event of this year was an alliance with the neighbouring Poles. However, this alliance was probably only caused by several disastrous defeats suffered by the Poles against the pagan Lithuanians lately.

In Friesland, the fighting raged on. The backbone of the rebels had been crushed in the battle of 1114, but many rebels still remained and hid themselves in a great many forts all across the province. The last one wasn't to fall untill 1120. King Vratislav II however, never lived to see this day. He died out of old age in 1119, and was mourned by all the kingdom. He had been a great man indeed, and had lead his people to greatness, success and prospering.
His oldest son, Vratislav ascended the throne at the age of 45, becoming king under the name King Vratislav III of Bohemia. King Vratislav III was already a seasoned warrior and a great man indeed. He was known for his hot-heatedness and sometimes cruelty, not hesitating to execute all the prisoners he took, yet he was also know for being a great builder and a man who cared a lot for agricultural issues. He was also said to be very honest, thus earning the respect of his subjects.

The success of the Bohemians and the greatness of King Vratislav III became obvious in 1120. Not only did Friesland finally succumb totally, but the King also recieved a 1000 florins from the Pope. An indication to that the awareness of the increasingly powerful Bohemians had finally reached even the Pope.

Forgot to take a pic of the minimap, sorry, but it's the same as last time really, just with Friesland added.

bamff

12-18-2006, 03:08

Back again....apologies in advance to Rowan Atkinson fans, but I couldn't resist paying homage when I found out that my new king was Prince Edmund...I just hope he proves moew worthy of the crown than his "series 1" namesake!

You may recall also, my query about inquisition "fry up" numbers...check out what happened in sicily late in the pice on this one - with only 1 GI and 2 I's in attendance! What governs these numbers?

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 8 –King Edward III is dead, All Hail King Edmund III! (1237 – 1262)

The next matter of note to be recorded in Bamff’s Chronicles takes place in the year 1239. Word from our emissary in Rome brings great rejoicing at Wessex, and throughout the kingdom at large. Pope Giovanni II has accepted our offer of an alliance. King Edward is indeed pleased with himself – with Spain destroyed, and the Vatican now supporting him, he felt himself unstoppable.
Further news arrives at court. In Tyrolia, the local populace have tired of their Italian overlords, and have rebelled. A truly massive rebel army has seized control of the province from Italy.
Lord Scrope grows tired of waiting for his enemies to surrender in Cyrenaica. Tripoli castle is too well supplied to fall quickly, and Scrope is forced to take matters into his own hands. He commences the assault on the castle. It is a bloody battle indeed, with heavy casualties on both sides. Superior numbers carry the day however, and as the final trumpets sound across the field it is Scrope’s men that are raising their national flag over the smouldering remains of the castle.

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/SiegeofTripoli1.jpg

In 1243, Prince John leads the attack on Tunis castle. He is successful, and thereby brings all of Tunisia to heel.
A period of peace ensues for the next 3 years. Well, peace for the English, at any rate – The Golden Horde and Byzantium continue their now long-running war. The Byzantines are coming off decidedly the worse for wear throughout these exchanges, with the provinces of Pereslavyl, Chernigov, and Lithuania all falling to the invading Golden Horde.
Whilst it is true that at this time we are many years away from facing the scourge of “political correctness”, the Horde are quite happy to demonstrate that they are an “equal opportunity invader” – prepared to take lands from any nation or ethnic group, and in 1245 they complete the conquest of Prussia.
The following year, the also take Poland from the Poles, with the young Polish king, Konrad I forced to relocate his throne to Silesia. To his great credit, the young Polish king refuses to accept the loss of such a key part of his homelands, and raises an enormous army, which reclaims the province in 1248.
Our spy in Milan, John Bolingbroke, sends word in 1250 that our allies the Italians are mobilising their forces in preparation for an invasion of the German held province of Austria. The invasion is apparently scheduled for 1252.
King Edward receives the news with some scepticism. “The Doge has long been our good friend and ally,” muses the English monarch, “I wonder that he should consider such a move without first discussing his intent.”
1252 arrives, with no sign of any move from the Italians. The Golden Horde are not so inactive, however. They continue their drive westward, taking Pomerania. This is a bitter blow indeed for Poland. King Konrad now finds himself with no access to seaborne trade. The impact on his treasury could be devastating. King Edward, still encamped in Granada following his successful invasion, has fallen ill with fever. Court physicians are most concerned with his condition.
King Konrad strikes back at the Horde in 1253, recapturing Pomerania. Poland is one of few kingdoms with anything to rejoice in 1253. The kings of both Sicily and Hungary succumb to old age and illness respectively. Our own sweet king, Edward III breathes his last. Whilst able to hold his own on the battlefield, he cannot fight a foe that he cannot see, and the mysterious fever claims victory. If this were not enough of a blow to the kingdom, Tripoli is wracked by famine, and Lorraine deluged by floodwaters.
England desperately needed good news at this dark hour, and this came in the shape of the coronation of the new king. Young Prince Edmund, who had previously been known by the sobriquet of “The Black Adder” claims the throne at the tender age of 20 years. The young king is popular throughout the kingdom, and all rejoice as he takes the title King Edmund III.

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/TheBlackAdder-1.jpg

Edmund is acutely aware that the recent conquests made by his father have placed a strain on the treasury, and have somewhat depleted the English military strength. He sets about rebuilding and restructuring during the first phase of his rule.
In 1259, John Bolingbroke again reports from Milan that the Italian army is mobilising in preparation for an invasion of Austria. Edmund believes that the time is right to support his Italian ally, and orders the invasion of Bavaria by Lord Howard in 1260. The German forces offer no resistance, with the bulk of their number retiring with indecent haste to Munich Castle. Howard wastes no time in laying siege to this fortification. By 1261 it has fallen. An appalling 269 English troops have paid the ultimate price during this attack, but a famous victory is secured.
At the same time as Munich Castle falls, Sir Richard Plantagenet leads his army into the rebel province of Tyrolia. King Edmund is of the opinion that his allies the Italians have now had many years in which to launch a counter-attack on the rebels. Clearly they do not want these lands, so he has no hesitation in ordering this invasion.
The rebel forces occupy a commanding position high atop a steep mountain. Plantagenet is a wily tactician. He is well aware that if the enemy possess any archers, his men will suffer horrendous casualties if they attempt to march straight up the steep slope. Instead, he orders one force comprising a regiment of arbalests, one of billmen, and one of royal knights to wheel around to the enemy’s right flank. The movement of this force will be masked to some degree by the forest in which most of the enemy units are positioned. At the same time another force of knights rides to the enemy’s left flank.
The former of these two diversionary forces is able to position itself on the mountain top by the time the enemy force realise it’s presence. A force of rebel feudal men at arms charge from the forest. A dozen fall to the first volley from the English arbalests. The charge wavers as the second volley strikes home, and they melt back into the forest. The enemy commander has taken Plantagenet’s bait – unbelievably, the rebel force splits in two to meet the “threat” on both flanks. Plantagenet is able to move his main force up the slope to take position between two hilltop forests, where the enemy once stood.
The enemy general now commits a second grave error. He has decided (belatedly) to move all of his forces to the higher peak on his left. The majority of his force now march across the English front to reach their new positions. The English arbalests and longbowmen have a field day. The surviving rebels take position, but find themselves attacked in the rear by Plantagent’s second “diversionary force” at the same time as the main force smashes into their front. They are routed. 526 perish, and 173 surrender. English casualties on the day are a mere 62. The English are but a siege away from securing another valuable province for the realm.
Our inquisitors in Sicily send news that heresy is indeed rife in that province – 17,000 have burned so far in their attempts to “cleanse” the souls of the populace.
It is noted at Wessex that Bolingbroke appears to have again cried wolf as far as Italian invaion plans are concerned....King Edmund will regard the next piece of "intelligence" from Milan far more warily....

Martok

12-18-2006, 09:32

Wow; some truly excellent campaigns, guys! ~:cheers:

My apologies that I haven't been able to post anything myself, by the way. Real life issues have been conspiring to keep me away from MTW as of late, and I doubt I'll get a chance to really get back into my Fatamid campaign until after Christmas weekend. ~:mecry: The good news is that I have the entire week off between Christmas and New Year's, so I should be able to at least some playing time in (finally!).

Innocentius

12-18-2006, 17:34

Real nice campaign you've got going there bamff:yes: Could you post a pic of the map at present? Despite thorough reading I find myself a bit confused, just how big is the English Empire by now?

Innocentius

12-18-2006, 22:45

The Bohemians: 1120 - 1150 A.D.

At the beginning of King Vartislav III's rule, the Kingdom of Bohemia was stabile, yet dark clouds were gathering at the horizon. The Poles were fighting their unsuccesful wars against the pagan Lithuanians and Cumans from the east. Yet, the Bohemians really lacked the money and manpower to help their allies. Some good news for Christianity was the alliance betweeen the Bohemians and the Pope in 1122 though.

In 1126, all Christianty mourned, as the last king of Poland was slain in battle, and his kingdom was ended. Now, the Bohemians had become the leading Christian kingdom in the wars against the pagans of the east along with the weakened Hungarians. Bohemia and King Vratislav III would, however, prove to be only a little too much for the pathetic Lithuanians to handle.

In the year 1129 of our Lord, Bohemian troops invaded the pagan province of Silesia. The Lithuanians dared not fight and fled back to Greater Poland. This was a great success, and an easily achieved one as well, but a severe lack of funds prevented the Bohemians from advancing further east. The desperate state of the royal treasury was somewhat helped by a donation of a 1000 Florins from the Pope in 1131, the same year in which the last fort in Silesia fell.

The money from the Pope could not entirely help the Bohemians however, and in 1132, it was the Lithuanians who invaded Brandenburg. King Vratislav, who recided in the region at the time, decided that his force was too small, and retreated to the fort. The success for the Lithuanians was short-lived anyway, as massive reinforcements arrived the very next year, causing the invaders to withdraw without putting up a fight.

A few years of relative peace now followed, and no further actions other than small border raids were taken.
King Vratislav was now worried about the situation. He lacked the forces to attack the Lithuanians, and the pagan tribe called the Cumans were expanding at the expence of the Hungarians. An attack eastwards would be difficult to pull off successfully, and every month that went by, the Lithuanian s grew stronger in Greater Poland. Eventually, they would become so great that their lands could not feed them, and then they would come pouring eastwards, like the Huns ages before them.
Exactly the same thing happened in 1137, but this proved to be a fatal mistake for the Lithuanians that ultimately led to their downfall.

A massive Lithuanian army invaded Bohemia itself in 1137, and the Bohemians took their stand despite being outnumbered by 2:1 as usual. The day was long and bloody, but in the end, it was the Lithuanians who fled like dogs. And although casualties were high on both sides, the Bohemians had reserves in other provinces, something that the Lithuanians lacked. The few prisoners taken were ransomed by the Duke of Lithuania himself under humiliating circumstances.
https://img237.imageshack.us/img237/9712/00000022sx4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

King Vratislav III was not satisfied with merely this though, and while the battered troops in Bohemia recovered and recruited new men to fill the gaps, he himself led his massive army in Brandenburg and invaded Greater Poland in 1138. A small force of Orthodox allies from Russia also joined the battle. For once, the Bohemians experienced numerical superiority. That day, the few remnants of the Lithuanian army were slaughtered, the Duke himself only barely escaping to the "safety" of his fort.
https://img367.imageshack.us/img367/2979/00000025xe9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

However, almost directly after the battle, King Vratislav III died of a fever caused by a minor wound that had become infected. The commander of the Bohemian army didn't want his now demoralized troops to commence a long siege against the Duke of Lithuania, and thus stormed the little wooden fort. It fell easily, and although there are no exact sources regarding the amount of casualties, it's reasonable to assume they were low on both sides. In any case; the Duke of Lithuania was captured and executed, and his kingdom forfeit. The Lithuanians were no more.

Back in Bohemia, the deceased king's only son, Jaromir was crowned King of Bohemia as King Jaromir I. Jaromir was but 19 years of age, and was in all honesty a weak ruler when compared to his father and grandfather. Nonetheless, the kingdom of Bohemia was now powerful and he had many talented generals that he could rely on. He still had many years to live, and he would not likely end his days as a weak king.

Victory against the pagans finally started to seem achievable, and in 1143, a Spanish crusade on its way to Lesser Poland entered Franconia. It quickly passed through Bohemia and took Lesser Poland without a fight in 1145. The Lithuanians were now eliminated, and the Cumans were on the decline.

But just as the situation was again looking bright for Christianity, war broke out between the Christians themselves. England and France recommenced their disputes, and ther Germans of the Holy Roman Empire invaded Bohemia in 1147. Although cowardly and unfairly done, it must be said about the Germans that they chose the perfect time to attack. Bohemia lacked a talented general at the moment, and the king was occupied in Franconia. Adding to that, the army in Bohemia had still not fully recovered from the Lithuanian attack in 1137 and the Crusade just a few years ago. The outnumbered Bohemians thus retreated. Cowardly, yes, but it was their only choice.
Also Friesland was invaded, but here it was the Germans who fled, as they had clearly underestimated the strenght of the Bohemian army.

King Jaromir reacted quickly, and himself led an army to retake Bohemia in 1148. This was done with ease, and the Germans fled, seeing that they were outnumbered. A diversion was launched against Swabia at the same time. A minor force invaded, and a small German army took its stand, but was quickly outmanouvered by the Bohemians, and retreated to their keep instead. This provided the Bohemians with a nice loot, without having to do anything for it.
https://img164.imageshack.us/img164/4339/00000029yc8.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Ther Germans were swift in their vengeance though, and a massive German army entered Swabia in 1149 to break the siege. The Bohemians, happy with their loot, and being outnumbered by more than 7:1 decided to withdraw, in a most irritable fashion.
The Holy Roman Emperor's war against the Bohemians had this far been a great failure, and on top of that, he was excommunicated by the Pope for his agressive acts against his fellow Christians in 1149.

Here we leave the Bohemians for now. The Kingdom of Bohemia has now become a power to be accounted for, and has now incorporated much of what was once Polish lands. The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1150:
https://img173.imageshack.us/img173/6372/00000032zj3.png (https://imageshack.us)
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I quit the game at a very busy time. I think that my war with the Germans will not be over so quickly, but I'm positive about it. They're both excommunicated and at war with the successful Venetians, so I think their end might be near, even though they have massive stacks in some provinces. Another good thing is the conquest of Greater Poland, this means that I finally have at least ONE non-border province: Silesia, and this saves me a huge amount of money.
Anyway, we'll see what happens next, I still have Pomerania to conquer, but my units are not yet teched up enough to fight like 5 units or Royal Knights and 11 units of Viking Carls.

bamff

12-19-2006, 00:41

Real nice campaign you've got going there bamff:yes: Could you post a pic of the map at present? Despite thorough reading I find myself a bit confused, just how big is the English Empire by now?

Apologies Innocentius, keep forgetting to upload pics....

Hope this helps - it is the state of play at the time of the coronation of King Edmund III in 1253...I have now managed to have an emissary or bishop in almost all provinces that are not visible from my own provinces, the two "unknown" areas down in the South East corner are in Byzantine hands.

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/TheBlackAdder-2.jpg

naut

12-19-2006, 04:01

Nice work there bamff.

Kavhan Isbul

12-19-2006, 05:34

I like the talent of bamff, and any energy to attempt any write-up, so here is a summary of my Teutonic Order campaign - I will let the screenshots paint the picture.

https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheOrder1232.jpg?t=1166501321

Initially I raced to take Prussia, then took advantage of a war between the Lithuanians and the Polish (the Polish were getting badly beaten), allied myself with the Polish (historically accurate, my order was invited by the Polish king and this is still early) and took Lithuania, while relieving a siege in Greater Poland. The Lithuanians abandoned province and never fought back. A few years later I took Volhynia (simply to hurt the Lithuanians) - they abandoned the province again. Had some money problems as my ports have not been built up, only had 2 caravels in the Baltic (more expensive than barques but cheaper upkeep and better ships), and ended up relying on cheap (in terms of upkeep) units such as arbalests and militia sergeants, plus any plunder I could get. Then the Novgorodians finally invaded Lithuania, a withdrew to the castle, and then forfeited Volhynia to the Cumans - I judged correcgtly that the latter will not go any further. Then took Novogorod and defended it successfully thanks to the excellent teutonic knights and allied myself to the Kievans (also fighting the Novgorodians).

https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheOrder1244.jpg?t=1166501714

In the next stage, I finally had the income to get crusades going - one at a time and none being built before the current one is over. Retook Volhynia, and then decided to take advantage of a new alliance with the Horde. The Mongols were way overstretched and I was more worried about the Russians. Invading Kiev was a bit tough and I lost the first battle (I actually won the battle but two boyars managed to hide and I ran out of time before I discovered and destroyed them - a minute or so more and I would have won). It worked out well however because I killed everyone in the second battle and avoided the siege on the fortress. I wanted Kiev as it provides a nice defensive position against anyone coming from the East.

https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheOrder1266.jpg?t=1166502084

It started to become obvious that the Horde needed to be eliminated if the Order was to prosper (and the same is I guess what the Mongols thought aboyt my faction - an obstacle to their expansion). I first had a successful crusade to Moldova, which pretty much finished off the Cumans, and then blitzed the Mongols out of Moscow, Chernigov and Levidia. They only counter-attacked in Moscow (where I sent a crusade) only to be repeatedly beaten a few times in a row. The good thing was that they weren't coming from Volga-Bulgaria, so there was no bridge battle, which made things almost interesting (but not quite). Soon they lost too many troops, and I took the rest of their holdings easily. Now they are gone for all practical purposes, with some rebels about to be dealt with in the Crimea. In the meantime, the Danes destroyed the Swedish and I bribed some rebels in Norway - I do not know why really.

Throughout the campaign I never attacked catholics, even rebels. I considered briberies fair though - they decided to join the Order and were rewarded for it. I only have one Grand Inquisitor and had two inquisitors, but one was assassinated. I will not replace him - I hame my 4 star GI. I am not sure what I want to do next - turtle down and win by GA points (burning a few royal lines in the process) or wage a war against the Heretic Armenians and take Asia Minor to connect my order to my brothers in arms in the Middle East (who are doing well themselves). I am afraid that other then the Byzantines and the Armenians none other muslims or pagans remain. The Pope should be pleased.

bamff

12-19-2006, 06:43

Great work Innocentius and Kavhan Isbul!

Looking forward to reading more of the both the Bohemians and the Teutonic Order.

You are both right - the illustrations certainly add to the narrative. I will endeavour to ensure that I include some on future instalments. I have actually gone back and added a couple of relevant ones to recent chapters (who says you can't rewrite history? Hahaha!)

Thanks also Rythmic - I appreciate your kind words, and will endeavour to keep you entertained with the next instalment.

naut

12-19-2006, 11:52

Its been glorious times for the Vikings, pillaging and ravaging the Britain. Preperations for the invasion of Connachta were well under way. When Wessex decided to conquer the buffer of Northumbria. A vast array of Saxons stand ready to push the Vikings out of the Isles; all effort is placed in the crushing of Wessex.

https://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6734/gahye7.png
Wessex: 13 Stacks - Vikings: 6 Stacks

So I was playing (more like testing my new icons and units), and I discovered a few things. I need to increase unit support costs and cut revenues. Pillaging is amazing, I had close to 200,000 Florins from pillaging everything. It helped me capture the North, but it made Wessex unequalled as I couldn't pillage their central provinces.

King Kurt

12-19-2006, 16:27

Before the next episode of King Kurt's Almo adventure - Rythmic - how do you get such high valour units at full strength?? That 9 star Huscarl with gold armour, weapon up grade and 7 valour could probably conquer the map by himself!!!
Anyway - back to the Story:
JIHAD - THE STRUGGLE FOR FRANCE

The Caliph decided for a short period of regrouping. He gathered more forces in Flanders, his jewel of the north - these were good Muslim stock, proud urban militia. Standing by thier side were many mercanaries - men whose only god was money. Soon the storm broke on our bastion of the north - the French King had raised a Crusade for the taking of Flanders - repeatedly they crossed the Channel only to cower at the serried ranks of the Caliph's army. Even now they cower in the fields of Kent, attempting to pluck up courage to face their God and destiny.
Elsewhere, the front line is Ile de France and Burgandy - no sign of French aggression here, so after a regrouping of forces, the Caliph's men take Switzerland, Champagne and Lorriane. The occasional revolt needs putting down, but slowly the will of the Caliph is impossed. Small revolts in Normandy and Brittany need to feel the wrath of the Caliph. Currently the wayward province of Normandy is in French hands, but a Jihad is on its way to crush these upstarts. In it's ranks are the new secret weapons of the Caliph, 5 massive mortars which will render any castle wall into dust - all will quail in its path.
In Italy, our troops can take the pinpricks of the Pope no more. Our troops smash his army in the Papal States, leaving the Pontiff cowering in his palace in Rome. Our troops pour over the mountains to take Tuscany from the Italians - a conquest made more sweeter by the sight of the Doge running and screaming into Genoa - where he now stands trapped between our German allies and us. Our troops sense our big ransom pay day in the near future.

Reflection
This current campaign is developing very nicely. It has the feel of a titanic struggle between Islam and Christianity. In the last 10 - 15 years both the Almos and the French have had the "You are the biggest army" announcement, so it really is the 2 big guys slugging it out. The Spanish Peninsula is the arsenal of Islam with all those nice provinces with the iron pumping out troops to journey north to the holy war waging across France. In the past, often a faction has dissolved after a few years of sustained pressure. In this instance, the French have suffered, but have not wilted. The AI has been quite aggressive and has shown some quite nice touches - using their naval superority to attack me where I am weak. That coupled with the use of the Crusade against Flanders makes it feel like playing another human rather than the PC. The other nice touch was the Jihad currently heading to Normandy - getting 5 mortars, with silver shields, was a nice bonus - especially as I can't build them anywhere else currently!!

Postscript

The Caliph pondered his maps and manuscripts. The Holy war against the French and Italians went well. There was still much to be done, but he felt confident with his achievments to date. His chief Alim entered the room. "Sire, the Christmas celebrations are about to begin, will you be joining us?"
"Of course - and send word to all my troops - we do not fight for the period of the festivities. Come the New Year, we will take up arms against the Christians, but for the next few days, let peace reign"
The Alim nodded in agrement and left to spread the good word.
Outside he bumped into Grand Visier Martok - "Looks like no posts until January now, sire"
The Grand Visier smiled - " I am sure it will be worth the wait" he replied:2thumbsup:

Martok

12-19-2006, 21:28

Great stories, guys! :thumbsup: Innocentius, your AAR almost makes me want to abandon my Fatamid campaign and try my hand at the Bohemians again....almost. :wink:

Outside he bumped into Grand Visier Martok - "Looks like no posts until January now, sire"
The Grand Visier smiled - " I am sure it will be worth the wait" he replied:2thumbsup:
Glad you're enjoying your Almo campaign, Kurt! They're a pretty fun faction to play, especially (as you've discovered) when going up against the French/English, who often end up as the Catholic bulwark(s) of the West. Nothing like a good religious/ideology war to make the game interesting! I hope the Caliph has fun on his holiday break, and we look forward to reading more of his exploits come next month. :yes:

bamff

12-19-2006, 23:54

Great work Rythmic & King Kurt!

Rythmic - I'll echo King Kurt's query about that uber-Huscarl - that unit would be truly terrifying to face! I note another stack with a similar number of *'s - so even though you are way outnumbered by the Saxons to the north, things may not be as bad as they might first seem....

King Kurt - the Almo's are a faction I had never really considered trying on....but as the Grand Visier Martok (I wonder if he is any relative of "Lord Martok of the Duchy of Theguild"?!) says, it does have one thinking about giving it a go...you do seem to be having some fun there!

naut

12-20-2006, 02:07

Rythmic - how do you get such high valour units at full strength?? That 9 star Huscarl with gold armour, weapon up grade and 7 valour could probably conquer the map by himself!!!
I made an effort to retrain all my under-strength units before trying to take Ireland, because Connachta have about 7 Stacks roaming around. High valour due to King's Hearth +2 Valour and the General adds valour. Oh, and that's copper armour and weapon upgrades, I've removed gold and silver upgrades.

bamff, the other General has 7 stars, and because I am adding units in the alphabetical order of Factions, so the Vikings still do have uber units. :laugh4:

https://img184.imageshack.us/img184/4222/gah2wc3.png

I didn't have the time or commitment to fight this so...

https://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9578/gah3tm1.png

King Kurt, nice Almohad campaign, I could never get very far with them as I tend to turtle along.

bamff

12-20-2006, 05:20

Way to go Rythmic!

Surely the Saxons will be dead ducks after sustaining such heavy losses - onwards to victory!

Martok

12-20-2006, 05:50

Wow, Rythmic, that's a lot of dead men.... :dizzy2:

So was that the bulk of Wessex's army then? Or do you still have a ways to go to beat them down?

bamff

12-20-2006, 07:15

A further point worth noting (well I thought so anyway...) - check the valor on the Saxon Huscarles of the losing side (3,6, and 5) - one would have expected those guys to put up a fight....I'm guessing that these guys may have been a major contributor to the relatively few losses suffered by the viking invaders....

Kavhan Isbul

12-21-2006, 01:07

I guess after playing MTW a while, and trying out all possible factions in all possible periods in all possible mods, one tends to lose interest in a campaign once it seems victory is pretty much secured. This is what happened to me at least, after trying two campaigns, one with the Bohemians and another one with the Teutonic Order, both in the XL mod. In the first one victory is inevitable (the AI did not really put up a fight), and in the second one I ran out of non-Christians to fight (which was not a problem for the Order in real history, but ruined my game for me).
I decided to start a campaign with the Bulgarians, hoping that playing with my ancestors will keep my interest in the campaign long enough for a completion. I started a campaign in the XL mod, high, expert, Glorious Achievements with the following self-imposed rules - no arbalesters until late (I am debating if I should apply the same rule to the crossbowmen, as the crossbow, while known and existant, was not extremely popular in Medieval Bulgaria); homelands limited to Bulgaria, Thrace, Greece, Serbia, Wallachia, Moldova, Carpathia, Hungary and Croatia; only regional troops in other provinces - Slav Warriors and Javelinmen in Poland and Bohemia for example (if I ever get there), horse archers and Bulgarian Cavalry in Asia Minor and the steppes, Dejma on the islands of the Mediterranean, etc., but nothing else; no merceneraies from far away lands, such as Vikings, Jinettes, Longbowmen, etc. So far so good, and here is Part I of my Bulgarian campaign, "The Rule of Kaloyan I".

In 1204, Tsar Kaloyan was facing a difficult situation - for the first seven years of his rule he had been able to gain the support of the Boyars, and once the Bulgarian Tsardom was unified, he managed to renew the war with the Roman Empire, started by his brothers' successfull rebellion in 1185, but things were changing in the Balkans and now a new, stronger enemy was present. The Latin Crusaders did the unthinkable and captured Constantine's city in April and crushed the Romans, splitting their Empire in a few Greek kingdoms, the most notable of which now existed in Nicaea. These newcomers were looking to expand their Empire and were setting their sights on Bulgaria from the South, and their Catholic allies, the mighty Hungarian Kingdom was looming from the North-West.
Faced with a possible war on two fronts against stronger enemies, Kaloyan allied himself with his Serb neighbors, who had just as much reason as him to fear the Hungarians and the Latins. The same year, an emissary from the Nicaean Emperor arrived at Turnovo to offer an alliance. Kaloyan had spent his youth in Constantinople, and this perhaps influenced his decision to accept the proposal from the old enemy, especially since the Latins seemed the greater danger at the time.
Not only did the Greeks seek an alliance with Kaloyan, but some of them sought his defense against the Latins and agreed to become vassal to Bulgaria in exchange for protection. The Despot Sgouros, who controlled most of Greece, was among them, and Kaloyan accepted him with open arms, granting him gifts and land worth over 3000 florints, and promised him to make him the Governor of Constantinople and even Patriarch of Turnovo once the heretic menace was purged.
Accomplishing this, and believing that his Northern border was secure due to his marriage with a Cuman princess long time ago, Kaloyan gathered his army and marched against those, carrying the false crosses. The Bulgarian ruler sent Lord Sgouros in Turnovo to protect the capital, and apart from leaving small garrisons to watch out for bandits, he gathered all his forces and marched in the direction of Constantinople. He had used the few years after the Crusaders arrived to prepare well - his armies included his retinue of Boyars, trained from childhood in the art of fighting and shooting a composite bow, and equipped with the best available armor, some spearmen also clad in armor, peasant archers and javelnimen, a unit of Bulgarian Brigands, hardy men from the mountains expert with both bow and sword, and some Greek infantrymen Lord Sgouros had provided under his obligation to his new sovereign.
The battle was quick and bloody. Emperor Boduen and his knights recklessly charged at the Bulgarian lines, without waiting for the support of their crossbowmen and Genoese Sailors, only to meat with a shield and spear wall and be cut down by the Bulgarian archers and javelinmen. Kaloyan himself with his cavalry outflanked the enemy, appearing in their rear, which caused a great confusion among the Latins and seeing the knights being slaughtered, the rest of their men simply broke and ran for their lives. However, none escaped on that day. The captured prisoners Kaloyan decided to release - he did not desire the blood of ordinary soldiers, and he feared that executing the nobles will infuriate the Catholic World, and the last thing he wanted was another Crusade. This deed earned him the respect of both enemies and friends alike. The people of Constantinople opened the gates of their city, and welcomed him as a liberator, and the Patriarch crowned him as the new Emperor (Tsar) - God's deputy on Earth. Lord Sgouros was made governor of the great city as promised, and festivities were held in honor of the Tsar, the greatest ruler on the Balkans.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheDemiseoftheLatins.jpg?t=1166673964
Many foreign kings sent their emissaries to Kaloyan asking for alliance. The Tsar accepted almost all, as he wanted to encourage trade with far away lands. His plans were to build a large fleet with which to protect the seas and purge them from pirates. Unfortunately, his former allies, the pagan Cumans were looking upon the fledgling Bulgarian Empire with envy and distrust. Kaloyan tried to solve this problem with diplomacy, and made an attempt to secure the loyalty of the Cuman tarkhan in Wallachia. Despite the lavish gifts offered, no agreement could be reached, and suspecting a meddling into his inner affairs, the Cuman Khan ordered an invasion on Bulgaria. The Cuman hordes outnumbered the Bulgarian army at least 2 to 1, but Kaloyan showed once again that his time spent in Constantinople had taught him valuable lessons in the art of war. He rushed to the Danube to meet the invaders before they had even crossed, and the heathens were caught unprepared, in the act of crossing the river. None of them was able to set foot on Bulgarian soil, most of them falling to the arrows or javelin of the Bulgarians, and those who made it to the shallows were cut down with poleaxes and stabbed with spears (I used 1 unit ot mercenary pavise arbalesters - using mercenary arbalesters is OK from a historical point of view). It was a famous victory for the Bulgarian Tsar, after which he became renowned all accross Europe as a skilled defender.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheCumansStopped.jpg?t=1166674036
With the Cuman army suffering a himiliating defeat, Kaloyan could cross the Danube and reclaim Wallachia from the pagans, who afraid of his strength and reputation of an excellent military commander fled to their wooden fort instead of meeting him on the field of battle. They were besieged and soon ran out of supplies, and had to surrender to the Tsar, who once again emerged victorious. A champion of Orthodox Christianty, Kaloyan did not stop there, but regroupped his tired men, reinforced them with some mercenaries, who were flocking to his Empire attracted by its wealth and his glory of winning all battles he fought, and then marched on Moldova. The Cumans once again preferred to flee to Iasi. Rumors of a large force of fierce horsemen from the East made the Bulgarian ruler anxious to end the siege as quickly as possible, and Iasi was stormed and taken without a siege.
Unfortunately, some Black Sea pirates managed to sink the Bulgarian dromons in the Black Sea and after being well paid by the Cumans, transported their khan and plenty of Cuman cavalry - light abnd heavy, to Thrace, wehere they embarked and besieged Constantinople. The city was defended by the heir, prince Kaloyan. Seeing his plight, Lord Sgouros gathered his forces of armoured spearmen in Greece, met with some reinforcements from Turnovo and attacked the Cumans in an attempt to lift the siege. A long and hard battle was fought, in which many Bulgarians fell against the Cuman cavalrymen, who were feeling at home in the Thracian valleys and hills where there are few forests. At the end however, the Bulgarians held victory and the Cuman khan attempted to flee but was captured.
Meanshile, in Levidia, Kaloyan sent an invasion force entirely consisting of mercenaries in an attemot to seize the Cumans capital and force a peace treaty on the enemy. A certain Mongke, a heir to the Cuman throne emerged, however, and managed to defeat the Bulgarian army and usurp the throne, taking advantage of the absence of his khan, who was campaigning in Thrace. The new Cuman ruler denied ransom for his own father, and the old khan was blinded and thrown into the Turnovo dungeon, where he perished soon after. The Cuman invasion in Constantinople had another major consequence - the Cathedral in the city along with some palaces was destroyed on the siege, and Kaloyan ordered a new one to be built, but in Turnovo instead, and thus the Turnovo Patriarchy was reinstalled, and it was now the Turnovo patriarch who lead the Orthodox Christians all over the world.
Kaloyan then pleaded to the Nicaean Emperor, his ally, to come to his help with his fleet. This he did, only to lose it to the same pirates that were responsible for the sinking of the Bulgarian Black Sea fleet. The Poles, who also suffered from Cuman raids, accepted Kaloyan's alliance. facing a war against multiple enemies, on all fronts, Mongke realised the difficulty of his position, and had no choice but to accept Kaloyan's peace offer. It is possible that stories of a Great Khan, coming from the East with many thousands of men, might have also influenced his decision to agree to an end to the war.
The war with the Cumans had only finished, when another one started. The Sicilians and the Serbs, long-term Bulgarian allies, hoping that the Bulgarian troops will stay in the East to fight the Cumans and the newly emergent Mongol threat, betrayed Kaloyan and invaded Greece. The Serbs came by land the Sicilians by sea. Being vastly outnumbered by the enemy, Lord Sgouros retreated to Thrace, and the Sicilian Normans took most of Greece. However, they were unaware that a large Bulagrian army with prince Ivan, known as a great commander, was being raised in Bulgaria. Tsar Kaloyan wanted to be prepared for the Mongols, should they be able to defeat the Cumans and invade the Balkans. This army and Lord Sgouros's forces in Constantinople were reinforced with some newly trained troops and some mercenaries - a Bulgarian princess was married to the Armenian heir and impressed by the abilities of Armenian infantrymen, she helped her father and brothers recruit some of them. The Normans offered cease-fire, but Kaloyan could not accept it - he had not driven the Latins away from the Balkans only to lose land to the Sicilians at an old age. The Orhodox population was relying on his help, and it came. Prince Ivan remained with s significant force in Bulgaria ready to repel any Serbian attack, while Lord Sgouros led the rest of the army into Greece and dealt them a crushing defeat, while the new Bulagrian dromons sank a Sicilian galley fleet in the Aegean. The Sicilians had to pay a ransom to save the prisoners the Bulgarians took, and agreed to a cease-fire. Then Lord Sgouros and Prince Ivan marched on Serbia to punish the unloyal ally. The Serbs fought bravely, but where overwhelmed and forced to retreat behind the walls of Belgrade.
Tsar Kaloyan had made his dream a reality- he had finally managed to unite all Orthodox Christians on the Balkans under the Bulgarian crown. He had forged a new, vigorous Bulgarian Empire, and had defended it from all sorts of foreign invaders - Latin Crusaders, Normans, Serbs and Pagan Cumans. He had also reinstated the Turnovo Patriarchy (the magnificent Turnovo cathedral would not be completed during his lifetime), started the building of a fleet, earned allies and influence, and greatly increased Bulgaria's coffers and tax revenue. Satisfied with his life and accomplishments, Kaloyan who had always been known as a good and charitable Christian stepped down from the throne in favor of his odlest son, and spent the rest of his life in a small monastery somwhere in the mountains of his Balkan Empire.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/KaloyantheGreatsStats.jpg?t=1166674093
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/KaloyantheGreatsVirtues.jpg?t=1166674149
Screenshots to follow.

bamff

12-21-2006, 04:30

Oh Kavhan - you have indeed raised the bar....

Wonderfully managed campaign and incredible write up!

Well done indeed sir!

Kavhan Isbul

12-21-2006, 05:12

Oh Kavhan - you have indeed raised the bar....

Wonderfully managed campaign and incredible write up!

Well done indeed sir!

Thanks bamff, but I have a long way to go until I reach your level. But you know what they say - imitation is the highest degee of flattery.

caravel

12-21-2006, 11:08

naut

12-21-2006, 13:23

Kavhan Isbul, whoa! I had other plans, but they got pushed aside to read that.

:2thumbsup:

Bulgaria is a faction I've had the most fun with.

Innocentius

12-21-2006, 16:59

That's one nice campaign, Kavhan Isbul:2thumbsup: I always enjoyed the Bulgarian roster, although I've never played them in expert (nor GA). That's some interesting personal rules you put up.

Caravel: I personally take notes. Lots of them. I tend to note every heir born/matured, every battle/invasion/conflict, and every significant event (famines etc). Doesn't really take a lot of time if you just keep it short, for example:
'11(giving that you know which century it is): F. in IdF, Inv. of Nav (V, pr exe), Pr. Louis.

That's what my notes look like (except that they're written in Swedish). All of that simply means that I had a flood in Ile de France, I invaded Navarre and won and executed the prisoners, and that Prince Louis became of age in the year of (for example) 1111. If you only take screenies of the battles it's quite easy to recall how they were fought once you're writing.

I'll be off for christmas (unfortuneately) so I won't be able to play on my Bohemian campaign for a few days, but then I'll have plenty of (or too much) time.

Kavhan Isbul

12-21-2006, 17:46

Having never written a battle write up, let alone a campaign one, tell me, how do you memorise all of the events, names and dates? I could never hope to produce such a report, because I would have to sit there taking notes along the way, which would be almost impossible for me do. :dizzy2:

:help:

Well, I personally do not take notes, although I can see how they can be very helpful, but I take a screenshot every now and then. Therefore I most certainly do not remember any single event, such as when a flood occured in Moldova, when the Scottish king died of old age, or when a border fort was built. I only remember the most important events, such as battles, invasions, key alliances and marriages, plus the names of my heirs, one or two best generals and any noteworthy enemy general or ruler. For some reason I tend to remembers battles I fought myself extremely well, including the armies' composition. Overall, it is much easier to remember a campaign you really enjoy than to remember events from a campaign that you do not have a lot of fun with.

Martok

12-21-2006, 23:31

Excellent write-up Kavhan; that's a great way to kick off your campaign! ~:cheers: Are you intending to fortify your borders now, or do you have plans for further expansion in the near future?

Kavhan Isbul

12-22-2006, 01:19

Excellent write-up Kavhan; that's a great way to kick off your campaign! ~:cheers: Are you intending to fortify your borders now, or do you have plans for further expansion in the near future?

I'd rather leave this for the next installment of the campaign. But until then here is a hint of what to expect:
In the last year of Kaloyan's rule refugees from Bolgar, the Volga Bulgar capital came to the Bulgarian border seeking shelter from what they described as the most horrible horde to ever appear on the face of the Earth. The Mongols knew no mercy and burnt whole cities down, slaughtering the population, knowing no limit to cruelty. Their numbers seemed endless, and their heavy horsemen invincible. These refugees were among the few that managed to escape before the Volga Bulgar Khan was trapped in his last fortress together with all of his heirs and most of the aristocracy, except for a few nobles, who managed to escape. They assumed leadership over the fleeing Bulgars, and wanted to get as far away as possible from the Mongols. They had been hearing stories of the strong Bulgarian Empire in the Balkans and its great ruler. It was many centuries ago when the Bulgars split in several different directions under the pressure of the Khazars, but having nowhere else to go, these people placed on their hopes on their brothers on the river Danube.
Kaloyan was impressed by the equestrian skills of these survivors, and he decided to give them lands in newly conquered Serbia, as he knew that if they settle there, they would make a loyal population and act as a precaution against any Serbian rebellion. He only insisted that they convert to Christianity, and the grateful Volga Bulgars crowned him khan of Volga Bulgaria. A Lithuanian emissary was present at the Turnovo Palace at this time, trying in vain to make the Bulgarian ruler betray his Polish allies. His next mission - to obtain an alliance with the Mongols, had much greater success. It remains a mysteey what caused the Mongol Khan to accept an alliance with a small power as the Lithuanians, but it is believed that the Lithuanian emissary impressed Khogadai with some very interesting and disturbing information about events in Turnovo and an old but powerful ruler, whose sons may have claims to the Volga Bulgarian throne and lands...

Laconic

12-22-2006, 08:00

Short campaign. English, Early period. Started war-like; bribed the Longbowmen and within a few turns was blitzing France (getting excommunicated in the process). Set-piece battle opened the war, I stupidly took an army of spears, bows, and merc ligh cavalry commanded by William II and his two of-age heirs as heavy cav into battle against a similar army commanded by Jean and his heirs for control of Flanders.

I crushed him, but I lost both (!) heirs flanking his engaged royal units (one of my princeling units had something like three casualties, and one was the prince). He counter-attacked a relatively lightly-held Aquitaine, won a Phyrric victory. I destroyed the rest of that army before the garrison fell. The rest was mopping up. Several new heirs were on the way and I was developing the farms of the provinces I held to regroup the economy. I finished off France in 1103, killing Jean in Brittany. Things looked good, I had marriage alliances with HRE and Spain, enough capital to begin developing an economy (had captured Jean earlier and ransomed him back for a pretty penny), but then stupid William Rufus goes and gets himself killed in a hunting "accident" in 1105 before any of his new heirs matured.

Game over, lesson learned: Play as the Byzantines with a gabillion heirs.

Martok

12-22-2006, 20:18

Game over, lesson learned: Play as the Byzantines with a gabillion heirs.
LOL! :laugh4: Yeah, this game really teaches you to be careful with your family members, especially in the beginning. The Spanish are a good choice as well--Alfonso usually gets a decent number of sons who come of age before he dies, and the majority of them have around 4 stars or better (which definitely helps their survivability). Still, it's a pity your game ended like that; I feel for you. :sad:

Oh, and welcome to the Org, Laconic! ~:cheers:

Kavhan Isbul

12-25-2006, 02:11

Here comes the next part of my Bulgarian campaign.

Part II: Kaloyan's sons

Tsar Kaloyan was blessed with 6 sons from his marriage to a Cuman princess: Kaloyan, Mihail, Ivan, Kurt, or Vulo in Slavic, known as Ivaylo, Aleksandar and Todor. It fell to these brothers to defend and expand their father's Empire. The oldest of them, Kaloyan, when a small child once happened to stumble upon a group of Bogomils, led by an old Bogomil priest, who was telling an apocrypha, according to which the Cumans were the third part of the Bulgarians - the first being the Danube Bulgarians, and the second the Volga Bulgarians (note: such an apocrypha exists in reality). Half a Cuman himself, the young prince wanted to learn more about the history of his people, and he spent hours in the libraries in Turnovo, and then in Constantinople. He read how the Bulgars came with their horses to the Balkans, and carved out a country at the expense of the mighty Eastern Roman Empire. He was fascinated by Khan Krum the Fearsome, who managed to defeat the Romans when everything seemed lost, and then took advantage of the demise of the Avars at the hands of the Franks to take Carpathia and the Hungarian plane for Bulgaria. These lands were not only rich in iron and other resources, but also allowed Bulgaria to stand between Constantinople and the West, thus all trade passing through Bulgaria. All this income allowed Bulgaria to become an Empire, reaching its peak at the time of Simeon the Great, the first Tsar. Unfortunately the same route the Bulgars took to arrive at their lands was used by other firece tribes from the steppes, among them the Magyars, who invaded, followed by the Rus. Quickly most Bulgarian lands north of the Danube were lost, and soon Bulgaria was subdued by the Roman Empire for almost two centuries, until his uncles Asen and Petar liberated the country.
The young Kaloyan dreamed of retaking all lands that the great khans and tsars of the past once ruled, while fortifying his steppe frontier and not allowing another invaders from the East bring chaos and destruction to Bulgaria. His father had managed to unite almost all of the Balkans, but when Kaloyan II was crowned the new Tsar of Bulgaria, there were still former Bulgarian lands outside of his realm, and many enemies to deal with, both internal and external. To the South, the Niceans were allies, but their Emperor was constantly looking at Constantinople, the great city which the Greeks believed to belong to them. The Bulgarians had never been a people of seafarers and their small fleet was far from sufficient to guard the seas - a fact that was all too well demonstrated when the Normans from Sicily invaded Greece ony a few years ago. They were now gone and peace was restored, but who knew when they might decide to come back. The war with the Serbs was nearing its end, but still traces of them remained. From the North, the Hungarians were amassing large armies, and their bishops were roaming freely in Bulgaria, spreding the teachings of the heretic in Rome. To the East, the Cumans had accepted a cease-fire, but a far greater danger was approaching from the East.
There was much dissent among the Bulgarian aristocracy, which seemed divided in two main parties - those who wanted peace and claimed that Kaloyan The First's wars had exhausted the country, and those who wanted war, claiming that offense is the best defense. Kaloyan II chose to follow the advice of the former - after Belgrade fell and Bulgaria was at peace, he sent out emissaries to obtain an alliance with his neighbors. The Hungarians and the Sicilians all saw reason and accepted. Prince Ivan was sent with a large army in Greece in case the Sicilians decided to break the alliance again, and Lord Sgouros was sent in Serbia to guard against any rebellion or Hungarian attack. Prince Aleksandar was sent to guard Wallachia, and prince Ivaylo, who knew well the terrain in Moldova where he spent most of his youth, campaigning together with his father against the Cumans, was sent with a large army, containing the best mercenary crossbowmen from Italy and some heavy steppe cavalrymen mercenaries to protect the most feasible border to the North-East. Kaloyan II himself remained with a large garrison in Constantinople.
With all borders secured, the next years were spent in peace. The navy grew, income from trade increased and rulers from far came to offer alliance. In Constantinople, where the Latins once had their capital, there were still traces of them and Kaloyan, admitting their military prowess started hiring some as auxiliaries. Then many more came, attracted by the generous pay he offered, and these auxiliaries, expert with the spear, started to become a part of every Bulgarian army. One day, emissaries from the Russian princes of Kiev and Novgorod came, acknowledging Bulgaria's place at the top of the Orthodox world and asking for an alliance as they suffered greatly from the Mongol Hordes. Kaloyan accepted, and sent a priest as an emissary to Khogadai, hoping to convert him to Christianity and offering peace. He offered him a treaty, according to which the Mongols shall rule in the steppes, and the Bulgarians shall rule in the Balkans. Khogadai, whose armies were undefeated, was too proud to accept such an offer. "Who is this fool, who thinks he can divide the world with me?" he answered. War was inevitable, and after a brief campaign against the Cumans, during which the Mongols did not face any serious opposition, their hordes reched the Bulgarian lands and invaded Moldova.
Prince Ivaylo was outnumbered, and he knew that facing the enemy in the open steppe would spell disaster, as the fearsome Mongol heavy horsemen had no match in the known world. Therefore he chose to set up his forces on the top of small forested hill, from where his mercenary crossbowmen could keep the Mongols at bay. Only a small part of his army had poleaxes, proven so efficient against armored cavalry in the wars with the Cumans, and Ivaylo developed a risky plan - he hid those in the forest, leaving his left wing weaker on purpose, guarded only by some peasant spearmen with no armor and some Bulgarians Brigands. The Mongols fell into the trap, and sent their first wave into this flank. They had little problems routing the spearmen and causing the Brigands to retreat, but then were ambushed by the halberdiers, who hacked them to pieces in the forest. The rest of the Mongols, who did not know of what was happening, thinking that the Bulgarian lines were breached, also blundered into the trees only to meet their death. Another part of the Heathens wanted the glory for themselves and charged head on into the center of the Bulgarians, but the center stood fast and allowed enough time to the Slav javelinmen behind the spear wall to decimate the attackers. Expecting an easy victory, the disbelief of the Mongols turned into frustration, and they attemmpted a feign retreat, but Ivaylo did not abandon his position and simply waited for their horse archers to return and shot them down with his Brigands and mercenary crossbowmen. With the casualties mounting, the pagans lost all courage and ran for their lives. Ivaylo gave chase with his boyars and managed to kill the enemy leader, at which all the Mongols completely lost hope and retreated back East, to where they came from.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheMongolsRepelled.jpg?t=1167008933
This was the first time that the Mongol armies, who had little trouble conquering from Moscow to Armenia, experienced defeat. Songs were written in Europe for Ivaylo, the hero who saved Europe. The Mongols were far from being done, their armies still countless and fearsome, but they were stopped for now and in the next years they preferred to wage their wars against the Russians and in Asia Minor, avoiding another battle with Bulgaria. While Khogadai never accepted a cease-fire, the situation on the North-Eastern frontier seemed under control.
Now Kaloyan II prepared a plan, which would make his childhood dream a reality. The Hungarians started attacking the Cumans and pushing them out of the lands of the Poles, which the Cumans had conquered as they were forced West by the hordes of Mongols. Kaloyan, half a Cuman himself, allied with his cousins and warned the Hungarians to stop their attacks on his good friends, the Cumans. The Hunagrians paid no heed to him, and moved more armies into Lesser Poland. This is exactly what the Bulgarian Tsar wanted and he declared war on his Northern neighbors - one army with Lord Angelos, Lord Sgouros's son, invaded Croatia, another army with Prince Ivaylo attacked Carpathia, and Kaloyan II himself led the final army into Hunagry. Lord Angelos and Prince Ivaylo met with little opposition and besieged the Hungarian forces in their strongholds, but in Hungary the Hungarian king himself led a large army in defense of his capital. Kaloyan II was not a general of his father's ability and the battle was a complete disaster to the Bulgarians, who were routed and gave many casualties, causing few on the Hungarians. Kaloyan managed to escape, and went back to Constantinople, leaving the rest of the war to his Lord Angelos and his brothers.
They did not fail him. Lord Angelos was able to take Hungary while Prince Ivaylo managed to defend Carpathia twice against forces led by the Hungarian king. At the end the Hungarians had to accept defeat and a treaty was signed, granting Croatia, Hungary and Carpathia to Bulgaria. Kaloyan had been finally able to accomplish what he dreamed of - the largest Bulgarian Empire of all times! At the same year, the Cathedral in Turnovo was completed, confirming Bulgaria's place at the head of Orthodox Christianity.
By then, the Mongols finally managed to gather enough courage to invade again. This time it fell to Prince Alexandar to defend Moldova. He met them on the plain, but the past experiences had convinced the Bulgarians of the usefulness of halberdiers, and now he had more of them among his men, while the Mongols had less heavy cavalrymen, as the last defeat a decade ago has caused them to abandon the armor of their fallen as a trophy to the winners. Once again, the Mongols could not breach the resolute resistance of the Bulgarians, and the devastating accuracy of the Bulgarian bowmen ensured that the Mongols lost another major battle.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheSecondDefenseofMoldova.jpg?t=1167008883
They returned the next year for a skirmish, which showed the need of a swift cavalry to counter and chase the pasky Mongol horse archers. Such was provided from Wallachia - a land famous for its light horsemen, and assured of success, Prince Alexander pushed into Levidia, where he earned himself another victory and for the first time the Mongols saw themselves losing territory.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/TheconquestofLevidia.jpg?t=1167008813
A year later, Kaloyan II succumbed to fever, without leaving an heir. He left to his brothers an Empire with all resources and confidence needed for Bulgaria to rise from regional power to a world one. He gathered the five of them around his deathbed and told them: "I have been able to realize my dream - to unite all the lands of the old Bulgarian Empire. It is up to you to continue the deed of our father. Now swear to me that you will never fight among yourselves, and that you will spread Orthodox Christianity to the rest of Europe." They all made an oath on the Bible to stay together and to do all they can to bring Christianity to all heathens, heretics and unbelievers, and the old Tsar passed away, having taken care of all his Earthly deeds.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/KaloyanIIStats.jpg?t=1167005046
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/kavhan/KaloyanIIVirtues.jpg?t=1167008762

bamff

12-28-2006, 03:27

Great write up, and well played Kavhan! I'm looking forward to reading your next instalment...in the meantime, here is the latest chapter of my English campaign. I am now at that awkward point I believe where the will to continue needs to be strong...Byzantium and the Horde shape as the two factions most likely to cause trouble (though I suppose it is also sensible to keep a "weather eye" on Poland...

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 9
King Edmund III the Reign of the “Black Adder” (1263 – 1285)

The year of our Lord 1263 is indeed a mixed one for the English realm. The Kingdom rejoices in the news that Lord Roos is to wed Princess Bianca, thereby strengthening the ties of this great general and governor to the kingdom. This wonderful news is offset by word of the outbreak of St. Vitus Dance in Portugal. Further bad news arrives as the court hears of the death of Sir Richard Plantagenet. For many years, one of the ablest of England’s generals, it is something of a surprise that this old warrior has died at home in his bed rather than astride his steed on the field of battle. The combination of old age and an assortment of old war wounds have contrived to do what many a foe failed to, and King Edmund himself mourns the loss of a faithful servant.
King Edmund’s woes are further deepened in 1264, with Bavaria awash in floodwater. The unseasonal rains caught many by surprise, and the Town Watch is destroyed.
The Sicilian King, continues to refuse our repeated offers of alliance. Odd behaviour indeed, muses King Edmund, given the respective strengths of our two kingdoms.
As if things were not bad enough, the continued build up of Byzantine forces in Saxony weighs heavily on the King’s thoughts, as does the isolation, and consequent vulnerability of the English garrisons in Tripoli and Palestine.
King Edmund decides that firm action is required to shake the kingdom from its growing malaise, and to this end he decrees that, at long last it is “Egypt’s time”. Long has he planned this action with his most trusted generals, and now he has received the blessing of His Holiness, Pope Innocent II to launch a crusade on the Sinai. The Holy Army will be led by the extremely pious general Sir Roger Cromwell.
Innsbruck Castle in Tyrolia falls in 1266. The emaciated and exhausted inhabitants swear allegiance to King Edmund as the culmination to a grand ceremony in which Sir George Hubert and his army march triumphantly through the gates of the castle. Another province is claimed in the name of King Edmund!
At the same time, England’s Grand Inquisitor has been busily at work in Sicily, seeking out heretics. It would appear that he has found some, too. 18,000 Sicilians perish in the flames in 1266, and the confidence of the local populace in the Sicilian King is so shaken that they rebel, overthrowing their rulers. Seizing the opportunity, King Edmund orders Lord Fitzwalter, Duke of Aragon, to take an army to Sicily forthwith, and make the local ruler “an offer he can’t refuse”. While confused as to why he thought of saying such a thing, the king notes to himself that for whatever reason, it did seem somewhat amusing.
Fitzwalter’s army faces the Sicilians in 1267, amidst the gently rolling hills adjacent to the Gulf di Catania. The pleasant seaside setting is a curious backdrop indeed for the carnage that is about to unfold.
The locals have attempted to conceal their location and numbers by positioning the bulk of their forces at the base of a gentle gully. In reality this achieves little more than to indicate to Fitzwalter that his opposing general does not share his own level of combat experience and expertise.
This appraisal is confirmed but moments later as the Sicilian general, Garibaldi, leads his knights in a charge against what he perceived to be the exposed English left flank. The English left flank it is – exposed it is not. The English arbalests and longbowmen step forward from their forest cover, take aim and fire. Three volleys exact a heavy toll. 15 Sicilian knights, their general amongst them, have died in vain – they did not even reach the English forces that they had charged against. Worse news still for the 5 survivors is that whilst they were riding across the plain on their ill advised attack, Sir Charles Curthose had positioned his troop of Royal Knights behind them. He now charged from their flank, to complete the destruction of the regiment.
Curthose regathers his men, and having suffered not a single casualty, they proceed to a position in the rear of the right flank of the main Sicilian force. They hold their charge to strike simultaneously with Sir Edward Despenser’s huscarles. The Sicilians rally to the defence of their flank, allowing the English arbalests and longbowmen to exact a fearful toll from their newly acquired positions along the high ground overlooking the gully.
Curthose and Despenser’s men suffer terrible casualties, but their sacrifice has not been in vain. They have occupied the Sicilians, pinning their forces to present them as no more than practice targets for the English archers, and now the English billmen march steadily down the slope, carving a swathe through the Sicilian ranks. Sir Aelfgar Percy’s knights charge in from the left Sicilian flank and the locals rout, with the survivors being ridden down mercilessly by the knights of Sir Geoffrey Beckett and Lord Fitzwalter’s hobilars. As the Sicilians flee the field, they leave 398 of their number littering the field. A further 375 surrender. 76 Englishmen have perished in the action – almost exclusively men from Curthose’s knights and Despenser’s huscarles.
Cromwell’s crusading army has suffered even fewer casualties in the Sinai. The mere sight of this impressive force was sufficient to send the Egyptian defenders scurrying for the sanctuary of their castle. They are poorly provisioned for such a large garrison, and very soon the castle surrenders to Cromwell.
News from the Treasury that the English Coffers have now burgeoned to in excess of 1,000,000 florins caps a memorable year for King Edmund. True, he had lost the alliances of Italy and Byzantium by waging war on Egypt, but it was worth it, reflects the English monarch. A smile crept across his bearded face as he mused to himself “Edmund the Rebuilder – a fitting title for a king who could turn the fortunes of his kingdom so completely.”
Almost giddy with his own recent successes, Edmund wasted little time in launching his next Crusade. This time, his target was Egypt itself.
News arrives from an ageing John Bolingbroke in Milan that the Italians are mobilising a force to strike at the Germans “the year after next”. King Edmund sighs “This is a song I have heard before. What news will Bolingbroke send next – perhaps that the Earth is not flat!” This comment brings much laughter at court.
As the Crusade makes its way across Europe, Prince Edward leads the invasion of Arabia in 1272. Sultan Muhammed I himself commands the Egyptian forces in that province. The province is cut off from the rest of the Egyptian empire. To the north, Byzantium holds Syria. To the west, Tripoli, Palestine, and Sinai are all in English hands. The Egyptian ruler, having no place to run, knows that he must stand and fight.
Princes Ali, al Mustali, and al Adil all stand at their father’s shoulder, as the two armies face each other across the desert sand at Wadi el Hasa, a short distance from Karak Castle.
The battle is a disaster for he Egyptian forces. First their cavalry units (mostly Ghulam cavalry and Ghulam bodyguards, with a small number of Saharan cavalry and Bedouin Camel Warriors thrown in) are goaded into charging uphill through the sand to reach the “unprotected” English arbalests, archers, and longbowmen. They are cut down in droves. Those Egyptians that do reach the English line are surprised by two regiments of Order foot soldiers, who march in good order through the line of archers to meet the Egyptian assault.
In the meantime, The English knights and hobilars have worked their way around the Egyptian flanks and they now charge into the rear of the desert archers, peasants and nubian spearmen that have been left with no cavalry protection. With the Sultan already dead, the Egyptian forces break and run. At the completion of the battle, Prince al Mustali is the sole survivor of the royal line. He is ransomed back to his people, and is crowned Sultan al Mustali III. His poor performance in battle and capture has cost him more than the gold that was required to secure his release. He is now known as “al Mustali the fleet of foot” – a “good runner” indeed!
The following year, the English crusaders arrive in Egypt. The Egyptian forces are crushed, with 1,068 dead, and several hundred prisoners taken, for 374 crusader casualties.
This savage defeat, so close to the Egyptian defeat at Wadi el Hasa, is more than some of the Egyptian generals can bear. Sultan al Mustali III is not so fleet of foot as to avoid a rebellion, and the province of Anatolia rises against him in 1274. Once again, al Mustali demonstrates his impressive speed, withdrawing his few loyal forces immediately rather than giving battle. His kingdom is now but a mere shadow of what it once was, with only the provinces of Lesser Armenia and Rum now under Egyptian rule.
Cairo Castle falls in 1275, delivering the province of Egypt, and completing the Crusade.
The remnants of the Egyptian forces defeated at Wadi el Hasa continue to hold out in Karak Castle until 1277. Arabia has now also been brought to heel.
In 1278, Byzantium takes advantage of the rebellion in Anatolia, with a large army seizing the province from the rebel forces after a short but fierce battle. Sultan al Mustali is indeed in an awkward position now – completely land locked, and surrounded on all sides by the Byzantine empire. Byzantium itself is a fragmented kingdom. Large tracts of land around the Mediterranean continue to be held by this faction, together with a number of provinces in the North East – although these lands are separated from the rest of the Byzantine Empire by lands held by the fearsome Golden Horde. In the west, Saxony remains a protectorate of the Byzantines, and the garrison in this far flung outpost continues to grow alarmingly.
Once again in 1281, word comes from our spy in Milan that Italy will strike the Germans in Austria “the year after next”. Once again in 1283, this “intelligence” proves to be well wide of the truth.
The reign of the “Black Adder”, King Edmund III, comes to and end in 1285. His 27 years on the throne had seen the kingdom of England expand, and his people prosper. He loss is mourned by all of England. King Henry I ascends to the throne.

r johnson

12-28-2006, 16:44

An interesting read bamff, sounds as if your intelligence is a little American.

Happy New Year everyone.

marcusbrutus

12-28-2006, 17:13

An interesting read bamff, sounds as if your intelligence is a little American.

Seconded, although I did hear that the Papacy was stockpiling Weapons of Mass Distraction.

There are a lot of good reads in this thread. Always wanted to have a go myself but my knowledge of history isn't great and it seems like a lot of time and effort went into some of these.

Sensei Warrior

12-29-2006, 02:57

There are a lot of good reads in this thread. Always wanted to have a go myself but my knowledge of history isn't great and it seems like a lot of time and effort went into some of these.

I agree I always like reading the accounts posted in here. The amount of time it takes must be staggering. The notes and then actually typing it all up. Heck it takes me an age to type up an account of one battle, I can't imagine recording a whole game.

bamff

01-02-2007, 02:30

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 10 –King Henry I (1285 - 1310)
Word is received at Wessex in 1286 that Milan is revolting. The young king notes somewhat flippantly that it was not so when had visited last summer – indeed he had found the place to be “most agreeable”. He dismissively silences the anticipated sycophantic giggling that follows his poor jest with a wave of his hand, and then notes in a somewhat darker tone “Finally something IS indeed afoot in Milan….and yet on this occasion our agent is silent. Is this fellow a complete buffoon? Or perhaps it is I who is the buffoon – after all, is it not my purse from whence his payment comes?”
King Henry is no longer in a jocular mood in relation to the competence of his agent in that province. He reflects on the stream of false intelligence, and the absence of word when events have indeed unfolded in that province. Could it be that the English agent is in fact in the pay of another kingdom? No matter whether it is incompetence or treachery, muses the king, noting that either way, there is no use for such a man on the royal payroll. The king draws aside a trusted aide, and following a brief whispered conversation, this man rides through the night to reach a notorious alehouse to pass on the king’s bidding….
The rebellion is crushed ruthlessly by the Italians in 1287, and a new English spy arrives in that province. Apparently his predecessor had met with an unfortunate accident whilst enjoying a ride in the Milanese countryside…..
All remains quiet across Europe for a number of years. King Henry has devoted a great deal of time and energy into maintaining trade routes, and this is paying handsome dividends indeed. Thousands of florins flow into the royal treasury with each passing year.
The new English agent in Milan has wasted little time. His efforts at sowing discord are rewarded in 1294, as another rebellion rises in Milan. The Italians again crush the rebel army in 1295.
That same year, Ettore Fieschi is encouraged to lead a further uprising of the Milanese. “Fieschi’s Fiasco” is doomed before it begins, and soon the unfortunate firebrand’s body is on display at the gates of Milan Castle. Italy retains control of the troubled province.
Word arrives in 1296 that the Sicilians have invaded Sicily. It is but a half-hearted attempt by the Sicilians to retake their homeland, with the entire force withdrawing to Naples with nary an arrow loosed in anger. The English agent in Milan has indeed been busy. He has encouraged one Uberto Sismondi to take up where young Fieschi left off, and Sismondi’s rebel army meets the Italians outside Turin in 1297. Sismondi fares little better than did Fieschi, and soon his corpse is also strung up alongside Fieschi’s at the gates of Milan Castle.
All of Europe is shaken in 1298 at the news that King Adam IV of Sicily has been burned at the stake as a heretic by English Grand Inquisitor, Anthony Greystoke. There had been suspicions for some time that the Sicilian monarch was not a true believer, but the confirmation of this news still rocks the continent.
With the encouragement of the English agent in Milan, Guido Piccolomini raises another rebel army to fight the “Italian oppressor”. Again the Doge’s forces triumph, and Piccolomini’s broken body is added to the gruesome display on “traitor’s gate”.
This does not dissuade Lorenzo Prignano from raising another army of Milanese rebels in 1299. As Prignano’s body joins those of previous rebel leaders, King Henry notes “The Italians will soon need to extend that castle wall – there seems to be no further room for display.”
As it transpires, the Italians do not need to extend the wall, for in 1301, Conrado Boniaiuti succeeds where all previous rebel leaders have failed in Milan. He drives the Italians out of the province. A handful of Italian troops cling doggedly to Milan Castle.
Not satisfied with having fed one Sicilian monarch to the flames, Grand Inquisitor Anthony Greystoke adds another in 1302. King Aed II perishes as his father had before him. “Perhaps this will make those Sicilian fools more amenable to a peace treaty.” Comments King Henry, before adding with a wicked smile “After all, clearly it is God’s punishment upon them for their aggression against our sovereignty over Sicily.”
Doge Pietro XI of Italy leads a large Italian army to retake Milan in 1302. Sadly for the Italians, the Germans seize this opportunity with both hands. With the bulk of the Italian army engaged in Milan, there are few men left to defend Venice, and the Holy Roman Emperor Otto VI sweeps south from Austria to conquer the port province.
King Henry’s hopes of a ceasefire with Sicily are dashed in 1303. An army led by Prince Allan (the chronicles note that this would appear to be not the most classically Sicilian of names, but that nonetheless this was apparently the Prince’s name) crosses from Naples. Prince Allan’s army is some 528 men strong, and includes no less than 160 Royal Knights. Lord Roos gathers his forces together for the defence of the island of Sicily. Whilst it is true that on parchment the English have the weight of numbers on their side with 729 men at Roos’ disposal, it is the comparative quality of the available troops that gives the English some cause for concern – Roos has only 40 knights in his army, and 40 hobilars. Most of his men are arbalesters, and his forces include no spearmen.
The two armies meet south west of the township of Messina. Roos has positioned his force atop a small hill. One squadron of English knights has moved around the Sicilian left flank, and this draws the attention of two squadrons of Sicilian knights and one regiment of urban militia. With the Sicilian forces split, Roos has nullified some of the potential impact of a massed charge of Sicilian knights. As the other Sicilian forces move uphill towards the English position, the arbalesters reap a grim harvest. Just one regiment of billmen and one of huscarles stand between the Sicilian knights and the arbalesters. These forces stand firm, holding the knights for long enough for the second squadron of English knights to charge them from the rear.
Prince Allan orders his spearmen and feudal sergeants to wheel in on the English knights. As these units expose their flank, they find themselves charged by English chivalric men-at-arms and gallowglasses respectively. The resulting carnage, coupled with the death of Prince Allan himself, and the charge from the Sicilian rear of the English knights sees the Sicilian forces flee in confusion and disarray. Roos’ own hobilars exact a heavy toll of the fleeing Sicilians. As dusk draws near, the heralds record 339 Sicilians slain, and 114 captured. English losses are but 69 men.
Even this defeat brings no sense to the Sicilian court, and Greystoke’s grim work continues in Naples, with the encouragement of King Henry. Alexander I of Sicily is burned at the stake in 1305. Europe is no longer shocked –with so many ‘heretics’ already ‘exposed’ in one family, one more is no surprise.
Lord Roos’ younger brother, Sir Alfred Roos, leads an English army into Venice in 1305. King Henry reasons that if the Italians do not care enough for this wealthy province to keep it for themselves, then there is no reason to allow it to fall into the hands of the Holy Roman Emperor, a long time enemy of England. The German forces do not even give battle; instead they flee north into Austria as fast as their steeds can carry them.
The following year is a tumultuous one in this part of the Mediterranean. King Angus II of Sicily joins an ever growing list of his forbears in being burned alive at the stake by Grand Inquisitor Anthony Greystoke. It is the end of the Sicilian royal line, and Naples dissolves into rebellion upon Angus’ untimely death. King Henry notes at court that the world is better off without these vile perverts and heretics on the throne of Sicily. Clearly there had long been signs that the devil’s work was afoot in that nation, what with all recorded kings of Sicily bearing names beginning with only the letter “A”. Henry reflects to himself before continuing his tirade – he is also unsure why the fact that every Sicilian King’s name started with an “A” was a sign of Lucifer’s hand, but by goodness it sounded sinister when he said it!
Gathering his thoughts, he also points out to his military advisors that the names of these so-called Sicilian monarchs were also clearly Scottish rather than Sicilian in origin, and that consequently it would be worthwhile to ensure that Scotland remains subdued – at least until 1325. The attainment of such a goal would indeed be a Glorious Achievement!
[Author's note: Apologies - couldn't help myself. Funnily enough I note another thread about these Sicilian names!]
Henry has other goals in his sights, and late in 1305, he had sailed for Provence, there to meet an army already assembling in that province.
Having joined his men in the field, King Henry himself leads the English invasion of Milan in 1306. Doge Pietro XI stands ready to defend Milan against the English invader. The Doge is an impatient commander, and Henry knows this. He positions his arbalesters atop two steep sided hills, and sends forth a unit of longbowmen to the valley floor to act as live bait. They sting the nearest Italian units into action, with two regiments of feudal men at arms charging down hill from their position in the forest. The longbowmen retreat under the cover of arbalest fire, and then the men at arms find a squadron of royal knights charging from their flank....
The bait is taken! Rather than letting the English come to him (as a more prudent commander might), the Doge charges to the aid of his men at arms. Arbalest bolts rain down from all sides, decimating the ranks of the Italian knights. With the Italian forces now stranded half way up the slope towards the English line, King Henry orders his billmen to advance. They approach the Italians from two sides. The English knights charge from the Italian right flank. All too late, the Doge notes that he is surrounded, as a second unit of English knights rides through the Italian archers from the rear and smashes into the main Italian force. Of 499 Italian troops that originally took the field, only 39 escape to take refuge in Milan Castle. 95 prisoners are taken. 364 Italian corpses line the valley floor. English casualties number 110.
The following year, Henry finishes what he has started, as Milan Castle falls to his besieging army. The use of a potent new siege weapon, the “Demi Culverin”, reduces the castles walls and saves countless English lives.

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/KingHenry-1310.jpg
Above: The state of Europe, 1310.

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/SeigeofMilan.jpg
Above: The seige of Milan Castle (author's note: Just love watching those walls come down! Also managed to catch one of the Demi Culverins actually firing in this screen shot)

bamff

01-02-2007, 02:34

An interesting read bamff, sounds as if your intelligence is a little American.

Hahaha! Isn't it just? In my most recent update too, notice how many times my spy sets up a revolution without providing just enough support....poor old Milanese revolutionaries really copped it for listening to my guys promises....

naut

01-02-2007, 05:47

A good read as always bamff.

bamff

01-02-2007, 06:16

A good read as always bamff.

Thanks for the vote of approval Rythmic! Your kind words are appreciated.

Sensei Warrior

01-02-2007, 07:55

Another great post bamff. I hope you don't mind, but I took some notes, I'm having similar problems with the Spanish.

Specialist290

01-02-2007, 23:14

Very nifty story, bamff. I particularly liked the bit about using the fact that all Sicillian King's names started with "A" as a sign that they were marked by Satan, especially as recently I've been reading The Scarlet Letter for literature in school. You didn't check their traits to see if any of them were adulterers, did you? ~D

bamff

01-02-2007, 23:48

Thanks Sensei Warrior and Specialist290!

I'm afraid I didn't check the Sicilian-Scots V & V's prior to letting loose my "little toastmaster"....but yes, I am afraid I am guilty as charged of including all manner of weird oblique references in my ramblings....

Kavhan Isbul

01-03-2007, 00:08

Bamff - another excellent post as usual, and I personally admire your patience in finishing this campaign, and doing so at a relatively slow pace.

Martok

01-03-2007, 03:29

Bamff - another excellent post as usual, and I personally admire your patience in finishing this campaign, and doing so at a relatively slow pace.
I'll second that. :bow:

bamff

01-03-2007, 06:55

Thanks guys :bow: - I set myself a target of a 10 or 15 year stretch when I sit down...sometimes the AI helps slow the pace a little by throwing you a battle that takes hours to resolve (more so when you are also trying to note down what is going on).
I am determined to see it through - even though as I said a couple of posts back that Byzantium and the Horde look to be the only possible obstacles in my path....and I am growing ever more impatient to try my hand at the Aragonese.....and then there's those nagging thoughts about XL (which nag ever louder each time Kavhan posts an update on his campaign!)

Innocentius

01-05-2007, 15:02

Gaaah! My Bohemian campaign has ended:furious3: Here's why:

Things were going really well. The Ventians and Germans got engaged in a war, with the Venetians being rather successful. Soon enough, the Germans emptied Austria to invade Venice. I quickly seazed the opportunity and removed myself a border with the Germans without fighting for it (the Germans in Venice were destroyed pretty quickly by the Genoese).
I then fended off three invasions of Friesland pretty easily, and then concluded a ceasefire with the HRE.
Anyway, things on the Eastern front were doing pretty badly at first, the Spaniards were kicked out of Lesser Poland by the Cumans but managed to survive in Volhynia. The tide turned when the Huns defeated the Cumans in Carpathia. I again siezed the opportunity and took the nearly empty Lesser Poland.
Just the next year though, the garrison sallied with reinforcements (including the Khan) from Moldavia. This was one of the best battles I've ever had. The numbers were almost equal (I had slightly more men), but I had an infantry-heavy army with plenty of Bohemian Bowmen. I took my stand atop a mountaintop, deployed all my troops so that I COULDN'T be outflanked (the ground on my flanks was impassable ground) and just let the enemy attack me. I had morale bonus thanks to the hill, and all my troops were close enough to the general to get a morale bonus. The Cumans foolishly charged while I rained arrows upon them. The battle was pretty one-sided, and went on for about 15 mins and then...complete freeze. Nothing to do, all I could do was to restart my computer:furious3: And the battle was going so well. The bar was entirely green, I hadn't had a single casualty while the poor Cumans laid dead in their hundreds.

Having to replay the last 5-10 years (I don't recall when the last Autosave was made) and hoping for such a nice battle again...well...:thumbsdown:

Anyway, inspired by Kavhan Isbul's Bulgarian campaign, I've decided to try a Swedish campaign. Playing as a faction you know a lot about historically really helps in your writing.

marcusbrutus

01-05-2007, 15:17

Unlucky Innocentius, it's so frustrating when that happens.

Anyway, inspired by Kavhan Isbul's Bulgarian campaign, I've decided to try a Swedish campaign. Playing as a faction you know a lot about historically really helps in your writing.

I'm looking forward to the write up - I was thinking about playing as Sweeden in my next game.

Martok

01-05-2007, 19:26

Sorry to hear about your Bohemia campaign, Innocentius. You have my sympathy. :sad:

Well apparently I'm a glutton for punishment, because I started up another Portuguese campaign last night. ~:rolleyes: I'm taking a different tack this time around. Given that historically, there was a certain amount of animosity between the two kingdoms, I've attacked Castille-Leon as my first move. I've also bribed the Cid, and Valencia has now been added to my lands. I've determined that--one way or the other--I will unite the Catholics of northern Iberian before taking on the mighty Almoravid dynasty....

r johnson

01-05-2007, 20:04

Sorry to hear about your Bohemian campaign Innocentius I hate it when the game or my computer doesn't work for whatever reason:furious3:.

naut

01-09-2007, 15:07

Innocentius, that is very unfortunate. When something such as that happens I usually give up and start again because I'm too impatient.

Good Luck Martok. Make sure that you don't leave yourself vulnerable as the Moors will seize any target.

marcusbrutus Sweden is hard, but none the less a worthy challenge. My advice attempt to rush Norway relatively early on. It may be poor, but it is more than nothing.

Odin

01-09-2007, 15:18

Thought I would give a tip of the hat to the participants of this thread. Like most of you I have been playing MTW of and on for years. this thread helped bring me back from a 4 month hiatus. So while i havent posted to the thread, thought I would say hey and tip my hat to all of you, as I have read just about all the posts.

Odin

01-09-2007, 15:22

Anyway, inspired by Kavhan Isbul's Bulgarian campaign, I've decided to try a Swedish campaign. Playing as a faction you know a lot about historically really helps in your writing.

i particularly wanted to comment to you because I enjoyed your bohemian campaign. I have played them a lot, and the Boheimain bowmens are a fine unit, been pulled out of a few scrapes with thier ability to not crumble at every melee.

Sweden is a great game, its one of the better provinces in Northern europe because of the steel, and you start with a long boat in the Baltic(or is that the danes?) with very good rebel provinces to grab that are income producers.

Martok

01-10-2007, 00:42

@Rythmic: Thanks for the well-wishes, bud. Unfortunately I've been dealing with an epic-level migraine the last few days, so I haven't gotten any playing time in since last week. I have made progress since I started the Portuguese campaign, but I just haven't had time to compose it into a proper story yet. And I'll be gone this weekend too.... ~:mecry:

Thought I would give a tip of the hat to the participants of this thread. Like most of you I have been playing MTW of and on for years. this thread helped bring me back from a 4 month hiatus. So while i havent posted to the thread, thought I would say hey and tip my hat to all of you, as I have read just about all the posts.
You should post some of your own, man! It doesn't have to be fancy or anything -- just tell us what happened. We love AAR's here. :yes:

Kaidonni

01-10-2007, 11:59

I might start posting here. I tried Bohemia, but...got bored quickly. Something about being indecisive, and the only thing knowing to do is to build an army, buildings, and get Catholic Bishops, etc. LOL! I.e., to develop Bohemia. I was...timid.

Decided that Lithuania is for me. Rebels in the area, so it gives me room to expand, and then I can build up and decide who to attack. Only just started the other day, haven't actually done anything yet...

naut

01-10-2007, 12:37

Unfortunately I've been dealing with an epic-level migraine the last few days, so I haven't gotten any playing time in since last week.
Sorry to hear that.

My playing time has been entirely gobbled up by the Lady Frog's gripping tale The Machiavellian Adventures of Princess Eleanor (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=34044). [Warning only read if you have at least a weeks free time].

Odin

01-10-2007, 16:48

You should post some of your own, man! It doesn't have to be fancy or anything -- just tell us what happened. We love AAR's here. :yes:

My rig at home is pretty old and is stripped down to essentials (one being MTW, that and HOI are the only games on there), so I cant view pics i take. I dont have a program on my home PC but it shouldnt be to hard to email to work and see how it looks.

i'll give it a shot.

Martok

01-11-2007, 21:38

My playing time has been entirely gobbled up by the Lady Frog's gripping tale The Machiavellian Adventures of Princess Eleanor (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=34044). [Warning only read if you have at least a weeks free time].
Yeah, I've heard it's good -- but then, I wouldn't expect anything less from our Lady Frog. :yes: Reading it has been on my "to do" list for a while now, but I still have yet to get around to it. One of these days....! :book:

Unfortunately, I had to abort my Portuguese campaign (yes, already!) due to "technical difficulties". (Read: I messed up when trying to install the Samurai Wars mod, and now my game won't run.) :sad: I got MTW up and running again this morning, but I haven't installed XL yet. I'm going to try and get back to where I was at before (conquer northern Spain and unite the Catholics of Iberia) ASAP, but I probably won't have much of a chance to play until tomorrow night at earliest. (Grrr.... :furious3:)

My rig at home is pretty old and is stripped down to essentials (one being MTW, that and HOI are the only games on there), so I cant view pics i take. I dont have a program on my home PC but it shouldnt be to hard to email to work and see how it looks.

i'll give it a shot.
Hey, whatever you can do, Odin! I have yet to even figure out how to post screenshots with my AAR's, so no worries there. ~:)

Kaidonni

01-12-2007, 22:15

Great news! :horn: I started a Venice/Hard/Early/GA/XL campaign!

I've been keeping a record of my actions - buildings, recruitment, alliances...and it really adds to the feel of the game. It feels like everything is of concern, has value. It's not just a unit of Archers being trained...they'll complete their training in 1092, at a cost of 225 Florins to the State. It's not just an alliance being rejected out of hand...it's a nudge to attack the non-Catholic infidels to prove Venice's sincerity! :coffeenews:

I have personal rules like no uber armies. Only Catholic allies. No uber-expansion. And I make up stories if I want to start a war. Right now, I'm settling to...pick off Tuscany from the Genoese. The story goes that they have increased border activity, and this has been seen as an aggressive action. I can't recall now, but I believe they also have a non-Catholic ally...maybe the Genoese are also a threat to the Papacy and the Italian Catholic population, as well as Venetian sovereignty? A clear message must be sent out. :knight: :charge: :duel:

I'm building a Town Watch in Venice to get Militia Seargants (adds to the feudal atmosphere), and an Inn in Milan to get some quick troops from the surrounding area. I plan to, before 1100AD, attack Tuscany and reclaim Venetian independency, and to protect the Pope. My main provinces can then replace the mercenaries as I disband them over a short period. Only one attempt may be made by the Venetians to call a ceasefire. Perhaps after a period of 5 or so years minimum, it can be attempted again. But primarily, the idea is that the rarity of Venice offering a ceasefire will symbolise Venice offering a chance for Genoese to reconcile with Venice and 'apologise' ~:grouphug: ...other than that, the Genoese must capitulate themselves and realise how wrong they were. :surrender:

Might write it up properly another time.

Innocentius

01-13-2007, 00:15

Good luck with your Venetian campaign Kaidonni:2thumbsup: The splitting of the "Italians" is indeed one of the best features of the XL Mod.

I've tried to start a Swedish campaign twice now, but I always suffer a freeze during the first battle against the norwegians (who seem to be unbribable). My computer has seen its best days. I'm serious here: there really must be some slow self-destruct device in all computers (and cell phones) so that we'll be forced to buy new ones within a few years. Just a few month ago, my MTW was working flawlessly.
Anyway, will have another go during this weekend.

Sensei Warrior

01-13-2007, 02:46

Well, it seems like their has been a slight lull in the action, so I thought I'd pose a quick question to the masses.

I've been toying with the idea of starting a game and posting it up in here ever since the thread started. I got up enough nerve and started an English game right around the time that bamff did, and bamff beat me to the first post. So I figured I'd hold off for a bit, not to mention bamff's story has been an excellent read :2thumbsup: .

Would anybody be interested in reading about an VI Early Expert Danish Campaign? I haven't worked out all the rules, but the hook is I'm going to try to obtain a total domination by High (1205). I figured if anyone else is interested than I'd post it up in here, if not then I get to try it on my own.

Martok

01-13-2007, 07:49

Awesome, Kaidonni. I don't think anyone's done a write-up for the Venetians before, so you'll be charting virgin territory for all of us. :yes: Good luck!

I've tried to start a Swedish campaign twice now, but I always suffer a freeze during the first battle against the norwegians (who seem to be unbribable). My computer has seen its best days. I'm serious here: there really must be some slow self-destruct device in all computers (and cell phones) so that we'll be forced to buy new ones within a few years. Just a few month ago, my MTW was working flawlessly.
Anyway, will have another go during this weekend.
Sorry to hear about your computer, man; I can definitely sympathize. :sweatdrop: What's with the line about the Norwegians being unbribable, btw? Did you mean in terms of securing an alliance/ceasefire with them? :inquisitive:

Sensei Warrior: I can state unequivocally that a Danish campaign would be awesome. :2thumbsup:

naut

01-13-2007, 12:21

Sensei Warrior I will be reading if you do.

Kaidonni

01-13-2007, 12:26

Last time I checked, the Genoese weren't allied to any non-Catholics. Oh well...I'll go with the line:

'The Genoese have been increasing border activity, and our contacts tell us they intend to subvert, at least to an extent, Venetian sovereignty.' :furious3:

I'll play some more today, then post a proper write-up, right from the start. Does anyone remember which year the True Cross was found in MTW? I didn't note that event...

Innocentius

01-13-2007, 16:06

Sorry to hear about your computer, man; I can definitely sympathize. :sweatdrop: What's with the line about the Norwegians being unbribable, btw? Did you mean in terms of securing an alliance/ceasefire with them? :inquisitive:

In High the Norwegians are removed and the Teutonic Knights have taken over their map colour. "The Norse" however are only represented as rebels, which is OK, when one considers that this makes the more important TKs playable. I have decided never to refer to rebels as "rebels" in my campaigns anymore, I'll refer to them as the minor kingdoms they are.

Kaidonni

01-13-2007, 22:15

Er...question: Often Drunk (-1 command, -1 acumen)...how bad is it? Prince Vitale...the top heir to the throne, the one most likely to take it...he has it. It has taken him down to 1 acumen, while King Vitale I has...5 acumen. :wall:

Does anyone think that Prince Vitale should...you know...drink a little too much before battle and have an accident when I fight the Genoese? As in...galloping into battle and getting himself impaled? :smash: :skull: He won't be leading the army...

It'd be tragic, yes... :laugh4:

Or am I just over-exagerating? I mean...5 acumen from my last king to 1 for the next king would spell doom for my economy, right? Prince Orso only has 2 acumen...maybe I'm being silly?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I never use Kings (unless they have lots of command) for battles, so if I keep him, I'm fine there. Lord de Tankerville is the best guy I have, at 5 command.

EDIT: Probably won't matter much. Unless I get an heir with, you know, 4-5 acumen...I'll start the main posts of my campaign once I've fought the Genoese in Tuscany.

Innocentius

01-14-2007, 17:13

I really think you should use your kings for battles, that's the only way to intentionally give them vices, increase their command and their influence.

Innocentius

01-14-2007, 19:43

So, finally, I've got my Swedish campaign up and going. Some of you might wonder why I chose to play in High instead of Early, well there are two main reasons for this:
1. Sweden is damn near impossible in Early. You can't take Norway early on, and they'll come for you sooner or later. The same with the Danes except they're alot stronger than the Norwegians. Finland is a rather easy picking, but it is likely that Novgorod will take it sooner or later. It's not a very fertile province anyway.
2. Sweden as a kingdom did not exist in 1087. To be picky, a centralized kingdom under the name Sweden did not appear untill the mid 13th century, but in Late, the Swedish troops are hopelessly outdated and you only have some 130 years to play. Thus, I chose High.

I can already now say with all certainty that this is not a campaign where I'll win thanks to the 100% dominance goal. I will probably never even reach the 60% goal. Instead of aiming for impossible goals, I will just play for fun and leave the campaign when i feel I have a decent sized kingdom and my borders are stabile and my economy is prospering.
Only three more notes before I finally get on with it:
1. This campaign is played in Normal
2. I will not refer to rebels as rebels
3. I will make up stories for waging war against other catholic factions. The Danish issue is a rather obvious one.

The Kingdom of Sweden - The Unification of Scandinavia and the rule of King Erik I

In the year 1204 A.D, King Erik was elected king at The Stones of Mora, and was crowned the next year in Uppsala by the archbishop himself. The crown had not come to him easily.
He was already 31 years of age in 1205, and had spent his youth in Paris, studying mathematics and philosofy as was fit for a member of a royal family. His family had no real kingdom to rule however. For decades Sweden had been torn apart by the wars of small noble houses, struggling for the power. Mostly, the ones who were able to gain the support of the mighty Danes were the ones who were victorious. Erik, However, had surprisingily turned tables on the Danes and his rivals, siezing the crown from Sverker II in 1203, and defeating the Danes at the Battle of Lena the next year [in reality fought in 1208].
Now in 1205 he ruled a rather weak kingdom, with the lands of Finland only recently being incorporated into the kingdom. Many pagans still dwelled in these lands, and later on, it would be an important matter to spread Christianty across the Baltic Sea. But now, war with the Danes was unevitable. He had recently won a great victory, and not risking to lose his momentum, King Erik I led his entire army to invade Scania in the year 1206 of our Lord.
The weakened Danes fled the field, seeing that they were outnumbered. Over in Copenhagen, king Valdemar must have been furious with this sudden turn of events. He had clearly not expected the Swedes to take the offensive on him.

1207 was a busy year. King Erik travelled with his army back and forth in Scania, forcing castle by castle to surrender to him, untill only Lund castle remained in Danish hands. An important event of the year was the alliance between the Swedes and the people of Novogord. Princess Natalya, daughter of Prinve Mstislav V offered the alliance herself.
In January 1208, Lund castle finally fell, providing King Erik with a great treasure that had been protected and hidden within the castle.

King Erik was now busy with buildning up his forces for a final assault on Denmark itself, not risking that the Danes could recover from their defeats. In 1210, an important alliance with the mighty Holy Roman Empire was concluded. Having one of Christianty's most powerful nations on their side in the conflict against Denmark was indeed an important moral boost to the Swedes and their king.
Internal matters were dealt with as well. Gregers Kettilmundsson, Lagman of Finland was stripped from office after rumours had begun spreading of his obesity and greediness. Also, his love for food had lately distracted him from his paper work, which had put the finances of Finland in a terrible state.

In the year 1213 A.D, the final strike against Denmark came as King Erik I himself led his army across Kattegat in a great fleet, while a smaller fleet under Prince Magnus crossed Öresund. Copenhagen, Aarhus and Roskilde were besieged, and all fell before the end of the year. Denmark had been subdued.
All operations were not successful in 1213 though. A Danish fleet had entered the Baltic sea in late 1212, seriously harming Swedish trade, plundering and pillaging the coasts and Öland and Gotland in particular. The Swedish fleet attempted to stop the Danes, but was defeated in a sea battle just outside Gotland.

Now came a peaceful time. A ceasefire was quickly sealed with the Danes, who were now isolated in Pomerania, and King Erik ordered the reconstruction of the Swedish fleet. And soon money came flowing into the national treasury again thanks to the excessive trade with the increasingly powerful Hanseatic League as well as with the People of Novogorod.

In 1218, yet another Lagman of Finland was stripped from his office due to his lack of mathematic skills, and Lord Valdemarsson was granted the title of Jarl of Denmark, increasing his fame all across Northern Europe. Also, the final step towards a united Scandinavia was taken, as King Erik sailed with his army for Norway.
Knud Jarl, ruler of Norway, had never been very friendly with neither Swedes nor Danes. He had earlier in Eric's career refused to join the Swedes despite being offered a respectable sum of florins. Lately, his malice towards the powerful Swedes had grown. Not only had he made insulting comments on the Swedish royal line, his troops had also been spotted disturbingly close to Lödöse. Deciding that offence was the best defence, and not risking that Lödöse be burnt or conquered by Norwegian troops, King Erik thus set sail from Denmark where he had been living all since he had conquered it, leaving the rule of Sweden to his sons.

The Norse under Knud Jarl decided to meet the Swedes in open battle, but were easily beaten. The superior swedish troops, experienced from the long war with Denmark routed them easily. When Knud Jarl died, impaled on a Swedish halberd, the rest of the Norse broke ranks and fled. Many prisoners were take that day, and none were spared.

Thus, with Norway defeated and secured, King Erik I had by 1220 turned his little, squabbling kingdom into a mighty Northern European state. It was in these years, when Sweden first tasted power, that idea of turning the Baltic Sea into a Swedish Mare Nostrum was born. But that is a story to be told later.

The Kingdom of Sweden and Europe in 1220:
https://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8422/00000005ei1.png (https://imageshack.us)

King Erik I in 1220:
https://img408.imageshack.us/img408/3899/00000006xk0.th.png (https://img408.imageshack.us/my.php?image=00000006xk0.png)

Kaidonni

01-14-2007, 23:24

I don't use my king for battles unless he has the best command. Right now, he has 2. Lord de Tankerville has 5. I'm pressing the advantage. Each to their own, of course. Just the way I work.

caravel

01-14-2007, 23:46

I don't use my king for battles unless he has the best command. Right now, he has 2. Lord de Tankerville has 5. I'm pressing the advantage. Each to their own, of course. Just the way I work.

Of course if you have a better general then you should use him instead of the king. Though if the king and his heirs see little action they'll soon become useless. I have a strategy of saving my best generals for defensive roles, and sending my 2 and 3 star generals out to earn their pay, and increase their rank. The king is no excpetion. If you have some good available heirs and the king is still young, risk him. If he's past his sell by date, it should be his heir that you are testing in battle. The king/heir should only engage broken or routing troops, or be deployed in a flanking role. Getting him into those risky battles or sending him into the woods to chase some Janissary Heavy Infantry is not a good idea. Engaging the general at the right moment can turn the tide of a battle. Sending him in too early, or too late, will lumber you with another good runner and a lot of demoralised troops. Those 20 man bodyguard units are very vulneralbe to missile fire, especially horse archers or crossbows. You need to be aware of when these units are under fire and get them to safety without distancing them too much from the army they're supposed to be leading. Often the King/heir unit can do well to flank and destroy some of the enemies archers, in quick hit and run attacks.

Martok

01-15-2007, 09:04

Excellent, Innocentius! Looks like Erik is well on his way to leading the Swedish to glory. :thumbsup:

Since I finally got the Pocket Mod up and running, I've gone and started a Fatamid campaign. I've been taking notes, and will hopefully have the first installment up tomorrow! [keeps fingers crossed]

King Kurt

01-15-2007, 15:04

The long awaited 5th episode of King Kurt's Almo adventure!!

JIHAD - THE RECKONING

The Caliph stretched his old bones as he stood in the window surveying the view to the sea. A dhow was pulling into the harbour, its white sail shone in the early morning sunshine. No doubt it would bring more news from the north - he trusted that the news would remain good.
The war against the infidel French went well. Even now a mighty Jihad was travelling through Spain and France to return Normandy to the cause of Islam. In Britany, his eldest son, fresh from surpressing a local revolt, would join the serried ranks of the Jihad for it's final push into Normandy. The arsenals of the Caliph's Iberian domains had added handsomely to the Jihad and it boasted many well armoured and armed Urban Militia in its ranks as well as magnificant Faris and fine Saharan cavalry. He also was keen to hear how the new terrible weapons of fire and destruction, the seige mortars, had fared.
Later that morning the Caliph and his advisers heard the report from the military attache. He brought a mixture of good and bad news. His army in Flanders continued to repulse the French Crusade from Wessex. The jihad with his son at the head had routed the French army in Normandy and now stood poised to storm the remnants who cowered in the fort outside Caen.
Furthur east, his forces pushed the French ever eastwards and his forces had occupied the Tyrol with their eyes on the prize of Venice. His armies in Italy had routed the Doge and had captured Genoa. Sadly the Doge had avoided all attempts to capture him
However, the French King and the Doge had gathered a joint army and invaded Valencia. The standing army of Iberia had rushed to the province, but, although outnumbered, the skillful French King had defeated the poorly led army and now stood victorious on the plains of Valencia. Moreover that Catholic cur, the Pope had invaded Naples and had stormed the castle, splitting the Caliph's Italian kingdom in two.
The Caliph knew this was not the time to hesitate. He ordered his Iberian generals to gather all their forces to invade Valencia. He specifically called for them to be led by one of his more skillful generals. To his Italian generals he told them to stabilise the north and to create the naval bridge to move troops from North Africa to Sicily to reinforce Sicily to eventually retake Naples. He instructed his son to swiftly end the seige of Caen then push on to Flanders to continue the expansion into England and North West Europe. The messengers bowed and sped into the night to carry their instructions to the 4 corners of the empire.
The sun was setting blood red, painting the Normandy countryside with a crimson hue. Prince Jusef caught the acrid smell of burnt gunpowder in the air as he watched the assault troops pour through the wreckage of the fort gates. The new weapons had worked well and his army faced little resistance as they swept into the town of Caen. Behind him the Alims were calling the remaining troops to prayer to celibrate the sucess of the Jihad. Suddenly the royal bodyguard parted as a messenger, clad in the purple of the royal household, spurred his horse up the hill to where Prince Jusef stood. The messenger's horse was flecked with sweat and a trickle of blood ran down its flank, testement to a zealous use of the whip. The courier, looking as dishevelled as his horse, threw himself at the feet of the prince - "Sire, I bring sad news. Your father, the Caliph is dead." The furore drowned out the end of the message. The courier reached inside his tunic and removed a small pouch. Inside was the Ring of the Desert, the ring which all Caliphs had worn for many centuries. Jusef slipped it on to his finger and turned to face his retinue. "Continue our work in the north, I have business in Algeria. God is great."
On his return to Tangers, Jusef took over the reins of power without a hitch.
Soon word came of the liberation of Valencia. In Italy, Venice had fallen and his troops were firmly in command of Northen Italy. In Central Europe his armies pressed the French back on all fronts. Friesland had fallen to his troops, but an upstart claimant to the long defunct Danish throne had suddenly appeared causing his troops to withdraw to Flanders. His troops, including many of his comrades from the Jihad to Normandy, had invaded Wessex and had the remnants of the shattered French crusade cooped up in the castle in London. Jusef smiled, all was well in his kingdom, soon the Pope would feel the force of his armies. His moment of thought was broken by the entrance of a courier into his room. He turned and smiled as he recognised the courier who had brought him the news of his father's death. Already the story of his journey from North Africa to Normandy had passed into legend and was the talk of the Souk.
"Welcome, good sir. Do you bring me more bitter sweet news?"
"No sire, only good this time. Your French foes are rent asunder. The whole rotten, corrupt ediface has collasped. Even now, rebels gather across their provinces as civil war rips through the land"
Jusef laughed as he called for his military attaches. "Good news indeed. Allah be praised. The time has come to finish this matter once and for all. Soon my kingdom will stretch from Scotland to Egypt, from Portugal to Franconia. Then all of Christendom will cower at my feet."

Reflection

Another roller coaster ride, care of the Almos. Things looked a bit dicey for a while - I even went into deficeit despite having the largest income - I have been working towards the French Civil War for some time and had the defeat of the crusade targeted as the likely straw to break the camel's back. The French King had died not that long ago and a new King is always fair game to drive into civil war - take a few provinces, defeat a crusade etc. the Danes coming back was a pain as Freisland had been lightly held by the French and had been an easy picking. Two years later, up pops the Danes with a 4 stack army, so time for a tactical retreat.
The Valencia episode was interesting. Once again the AI had done a good move dropping a reasonable army - French and Italian - into Spain with most of my troops in the north. This time I was prepared, having kept an army based in Castile to defend the Iberian peninsula. I dutifully attacked, casually pressing the auto resolve button as I outnumbered them quite comfortably. However, I had overlooked that my best general was a 1 star guy, while the French Kingwas a 5 star leader - result, a resounding defeat. However the French/Italian army had taken heavy losses as well, so I was able to round up enough troops under a 3 star man from Aragon to get rid of them. Must be a little more careful in the future!!
Next on the agenda - press home the advantage that the French civil war gives me, duff up the Pope and rebuild my navy.:2thumbsup:

Kaidonni

01-15-2007, 16:45

Okies, got to 1099AD...will start writing up the campaign. I think I should also put in 1100AD (which I haven't played yet...only just ended 1098). Basically, it would be the final year of the 11th century AD (1101 being the beginning of the 12th century, mathematically).

I tell you, I have some nice notes here to turn into a beautiful AAR. I basically role-play now.

Just a sneak peek of what I have in store for y'all (not put into a story context yet, more informal):

'In 1099, the Venetian-Genoan Treaty of Sovereignty and Independence was successfully negotiated between Doge Vitale II of Venice and Consul Gregorio II of Genoa. They both signed a document officially recognising each other's nation's sovereignty and independence, and stating that neither king shall lawfully subvert the other nation's identity ever again. The treaty was to be ratified by Pope Urban II himself, forging a new era of peace and respect between the Venetians and Genoans.'

I'm considering an alliance with the Genoese (as much as I'd like to wipe them out and get lots more land - but then, that wouldn't be very realistic nor would it be very Christian of Doge Vitale II...LOL!).

One reason why I state that the treaty was to be ratified by the Pope is role-playing. The other is that both Venice and Genoa stand at 3 provinces each. Any aggressive action by either towards the other, and conquest of land, means that one will stand at twice the size of the other, risking the Pope's wrath.

So, we are now awaiting the first installment of Venice.

Innocentius

01-21-2007, 18:08

Ok, so here's part two of my Swedish campaign. I was going to bring this up in the first post but I forgot so I'll squeeze it in here instead. I have a few personal rules for this campaign, I first intended to make them as realistic as Kavhan Isbul's rules for his Bulgarian campaign, but in the end decided I'm not skilled enough to play that level:no: Anyway, I will:
- Not use Pavise Crossbows or Arbalests (though I will use Arbalests, despite it being inaccurate).
- Use only a minimum of mounted units (my only HC at the moment are my Royal Knights, I can't even produce CK yet) as Swedish armies were pretty infantry heavy.
- Try to wage reasonable and explainable wars against Catholics (i.e. not attacking just for conquest).
- Keep my borders within reasonable limits.

That's that. Now, onto:

The Kingdom of Sweden - 1220 to 1260 A.D.

With Scandinavia united into one, big kingdom, King Erik's first goal was to improve the economy, expand the trade routes and make the small army he had capable of defending his borders. To better be able to overlook the developments, King Erik travelled by land to Sweden from Norway, leaving his men to maintain loyalty from the recently subdued locals. He also ordered watch towers as well as forts to be constructed in order to be able to defend.
In 1223, Gotlandic merchants arriving in Stockholm brought with them disturbing words of the situation in the east. The pagan Lithuanians had invaded Livonia, seat of the Teutonic Order, and had defeated the Order in a great battle, in which the Grand Master of the Order was slain. The order brethren, now without a force able to defeat the Lithuanians, retreated to their castles, forts and citadels. In 1226, the same year that Lord Bonde was granted the title Earl of Scania, news reached King Erik, who at that time recided in Kalmar overlooking the contruction of the new castle there, that the Teutonic Order had been destroyed. Their last stronghold, Riga, had fallen to the pagans and the Grand Mater slain. King Erik now mourned that he had not earlier realised the seriousness of this matter, and that he had not sailed to the aide of his Catholic brothers. With this, he swore that he would reclaim Livonia from the pagans, and that he would not have peace untill the pagans were utterly defeated. To achieve this goal, he allied with his former enemies the Danes, who had recently taken Prussia from the Lithuanians.
King Erik now summoned all his sons and fine generals to a council in Kalmar, and instructed them to raise an army able to reclaim Livonia and, if possible,
all Baltic coast from the Lithuanians.
King Erik I's efforts of driving the pagans out was hampered however by a weakened treasury, and before he could see to that his enemies were destroyed, he needed to establish a profitable trading organisation, and thus granted the ships of the Hanseatic League with privileges in Swedish harbours. In combination with his strenghthened fleet, this lead to a steady flow of Florins into the Swedish treasury.
In 1230, odd news reached Sweden. There were the news of a pagan tribe from the far east, arriving in the lands of the Cumans and Turks. To many other Catholic kingdoms, these news slipped by unnoticed, but Scandinavians had a strong tradition with the east. A long time ago, in the pagan days, King Erik's ancestors had been close friends with the Kievan Rus, and many had travelled to the golden city of Constantinople where they had served as the bodyguard of the mighty emperor himself. Others had reached as far as the Caspian Ocean.
Although these news caught the attention of the nobility and the royal family of Sweden, it didn't really concern them. These events took place so far to the east that they could not possibly bother them, at least not for a long time.
In 1234, King Erik's plans were finally realised. Birger Magnusson, the first and foremost knight of Sweden, sailed with an impressive army across the Baltic Sea landing just outside Riga. The Lithuanians who had recently been weakened by a failed attempt to reclaim Prussia retreated in fear when the saw the Swedish army, not even standing to hold their castles. Livonia was again in Catholic hands. The pagans were then defeated in a battle against the people of Novgorod the next year.
As if this wasn't enough, an English Crusade that has passed through Denmark in 1236 pillaged its way through Lithuania itself in 1237. In spite of all this, the Duke of Lithuania managed to keep his people loyal to him and his realm remained, although weakened. King Erik took no further actions against the Lithuanians however. War was costly, and he did not wish to risk another economical crisis. Besides, other foreign politics caught his attention. Erik Birgersson, royal emissary of King Erik I, had been assasinated during his stay in Brandenburg. King Erik sent men to investigate the matter, and urged that the Holy Roman Emperor did the same, but despite of the common effort, nothing was clarified, and the murderer remained unknown.
With the conquest of Livonia also came a slight change to the Swedish armies. The clever Birger Magnusson saw potent in the Lithuanian turcopoles, who fired their bows from the horseback. This concept was unknown to Swedish armies, but Birger decided to recruit a couple of regiments of horse archers to serve him, seeing their value as a mobile force in the otherwise very slow Swedish armies.
Although an old man, King Erik was always vigorous and enjoyed spending his time outside. In December 1238, he had been out hunting with some of his sons when the ice on the lake on which he rode suddenly burst under his horse. The horse drowned in the freezingly cold water, but the King was rescued. As a result of this, he caught a fever that claimed his life in early January 1239. Upon his deathbed, he urged his sons to continue the struggle that he had started, and that they should always strive to make the Baltic Sea into a Swedish Mare Nostrum and that they should always fight the pagans. With these words, he drew his last breath. King Erik I of Sweden was dead.

The rule of King Erik II

King Erik I was mourned by an entire kingdom and by his sons in particular. The throne now passed to the deceased king's oldest son, also named Erik. Erik was crowned King of all Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Livonia [Finland was considered a natural part of Sweden during this period] by the archbishop in Uppsala. This was an important change that his father had made. In the old days, Uppsala had been the seat of the Swedish archbishop while the Danish archbishop resided in Lund. As Lund was now a part of the Swedish kingdom, there was no longer any archbishop of Lund, although he had held superiority to the archbishop of Uppsala and the two archdioceses had been merged into one. King Erik II married the daughter of a leading aristocrat the next year.
The project of converting the pagans of the Baltic to Catholics was the first matter that King Erik II dealt with. In 1245, Filip Engelbrektsson was determined the first individual bishop of Finland, giving Finland its own diocese with Turku as its centre. The church in Turku wasn't finished untill 1248 though. In 1246, Halstan Björnsson was determined bishop of Livonia. In the same year, Prince Joar (from King Erik's previous marriage) who had just reached the age of 17 married with Princess Jarol, daughter of András III of Hungary.
The years past, and the Swedes and King Erik were content. Their kingdom had reasonable borders and the pagan threat had been neutralized. The Mongols from the far east had been stopped early in their tracks by the combined force of the Prince of Novgorod and the Turkish Sultan. Although they remained a potent power, they did not threaten Sweden.
The Lithuanians on the other hand had grown in power and had recovered, but they yet lacked the time to strike against Sweden, although that time was perhaps drawing near. King Erik did not fear anyway, he had all confidence in Birger Magnusson in Riga. The peace was not to remain however.
In 1251, the Holy Roman Empire got engaged in a war with the Ventians, both long-term allies of the Swedish. When forced to choose his allies, King Erik II chose the Venetians, as their power as a trading nation had much greater impact on the Swedish economy than the nearly landlocked Holy Roman Empire had. When these news reached the Holy Roman Emperor, he was severly angered, and sent an insulting letter to King Erik. King Erik, being a very proud (perhaps a bit too proud) and argumentative man sent an equally insulting letter back to the Emperor. This resulted in the assasination of several Swedish emissaries throughout Germany. That was too much for Erik to handle, and in spite of his age, he set sail for Saxony and invaded it in the summer of 1252. Too late did the Emperor realise his mistake, as his forces to the north were not fit to defend against the well equipped and well trained Swedish armies and his troops duly fled from Saxony without putting up a fight. The Swedish nobility, not wishing war, now urged King Erik to end the conflict with the Emperor, and they succeeded in settling his mind for a few years, but in 1256, King Erik once again commanded an army invading Brandenburg. The Germans fled. Although war was not wished, none could argue that the copper mines of Brandenburg was not a welcome boost to the Swedish economy.
This was the last action taken by King Erik II anyway, and he passed away out of age in 1259, still situated in Brandenburg which he had hardly left since he conquered it. His only son, Joar, now ascended the throne as King Joar I. King Joar was at this time already 30 years old, and had participated in his fathers' campaigns in northern Germany. King Erik II was not remembered as a very great king. Although his campaigns had gained the kingdom vast areas of land, his personal abilities had been lacking in quality. He had also ignored the task which his father had laid upon him and had not fought the pagans during his entire reign. He was however praised by the Pope for the foundation of the dioceses of Turku and Riga.

King Joar I:
https://img250.imageshack.us/img250/8974/000000007wz.th.png (https://img250.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000007wz.png)

Birger Magnusson:
https://img258.imageshack.us/img258/1864/000000082xf.th.png (https://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000082xf.png)

The Kingdom of Sweden in 1260:
https://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7937/000000104ng.png (https://imageshack.us)

I am surprised to see how few battles I've fought in this campaign (only one!). My enemies tend to flee and I'm not very agressive. This means my generals and princes generally s*ck, which is sad. Anyway, I hope things will stir up a bit to the east and that something will happen that'll give me the chance to wipe out the Danes and take Pomerania and Prussia.
I blame this on my frequent use of CS. I normally don't use them and prefer Halbs instead, but decided to give them a try. The 100 men units makes my armies much larger which I believe is why my enemies flee. I am also working to reach CK in Livonia, which would indeed be welcome.

King Kurt

01-26-2007, 14:01

Episode 6 of king Kurts Almo adventure

REFLECTION

The sun glinted of the mirror surface of the oasis. Jusef sat crosslegged on the rug of his forefathers, the canvas of the tent gently rippling above him. He was alone, save for his personal retainers who quietly lounged around the oasis at the bottom of the dune. There were times when one had to think and reflect. This was one of them.
He had been Caliph for some years now. Initially, things went well. The accursed French had fallen into civil war and had been easy pickings. Their Kingdom now consisted of scattered provinces across Europe - small holdings in Wales, Austria and Scandanavia. Soon they would be vanquished and the slight against his family avenged. There had been the wholesale conquest of Italy, sending the Pope into exile. And there had been the sad case of the Germans. They had been allies of Jusef and his family for over 50 years, but suddenly had decided to betray that trust by attacking the province of Aquataine. What fools - in their enclave of Southern france and Northen Italy, how could they stand against the might of his armies - in 3 short years armies fron Spain and France has crushed all resistance and now not a trace remained of this foolish monarch and his misguided ambitions. Moreover the fortress of Milan was in their hands, a bastion with the fortress of venice against all who stood against him.
Then, when all seemed well, the accursed Pope reared his head again. Miraculously he appeared with 3 massive armies within his midst across Italy. His out numbered troops had defended gallantly, but had been driven out of their their newly conquered provinces and their Southern Italian lands as well. To the north the fortresses of Venice and Milan stood as sentinels on this upstart priest, but the loss of Naples and Sicily weighed heavily on him.
So, what to do? As his family had done before him, he had travelled into the desert to get clarity of thought. The palms of the oasis rustled as his weighed the options in his mind. His empire was the mightiest it had ever been. His armies were large and his treasury healthy. He could strike in any direction - but which way to choose. He felt he must stay true to the principles of his family - so no action against a fellow Muslim. It saddened him that the other 2 nations of Islam were even now waging war against each other and had been for many years. No the Jihad against the infedel must continue. The gallant defenders of Italy must be avenged. He would bide his time, gather a massive force and crush this Pope into dust. The last French outposts would prove a useful training ground for his forces and the Italian empire in the Balkans looked ripe for plucking - for too long had those accursed sons of Genoa hindered his shipping. With cool clarity, his mind was made up. He stood and stretched his arms and legs, the warm wind of the desert hot against his cheek.
"Call my generals and Alims. We have a reattribution to plan"

The campaign goes well - until the Pope decides to reappear in 3 provinces with 4 mega stacks in each!! - despite a determined resistance, I was driven out of central and southern Italy, including Sicily. My northen defences should hold and I should reconquer when I have gathered a sufficent force. The HRE were strange - we had been allies for ages - almost since the game began. All he owned was Milian, Provence and Toulouse. He then decides to attack me in Aquataine, despite me having considerable forces all around. Suffice to say, he did not last long. I am close to being in that unassailable postion - I am now consistantly getting the you have the biggest army, biggest income messages, as well as leading in the GA points as well, so it should soon be time to say adieu to the Almos - once I have stuffed the Pope again!!

Martok

01-26-2007, 23:20

Gah! I just realized I hadn't checked out this thread in the last few days. ~:doh:

@Kaidonni: Have you made any progress on your Venetian campaign yet? While I won't claim to speak for everyone else, I confess I've been looking forward to reading about it for a little while now.

@Innocentius: Very nice! :2thumbsup: Have you destroyed the Danes yet?

@King Kurt: Awesome, man. It's fun to read an AAR where the author so clearly relishes the campaign they're playing. :yes: What year is it in your game, by the way? Sounds like you own around 1/3 of the map or therabouts, and I'm curious as to how rapid your expansion has been.

UltraWar

01-26-2007, 23:52

Danish Campaign: ZXMod
Difficulty: Normal

https://img409.imageshack.us/img409/7236/danes1169zxmoduc4.png

Innocentius

01-27-2007, 00:14

@Innocentius: Very nice! :2thumbsup: Have you destroyed the Danes yet?

Not yet, but that's because I haven't played since I last posted:clown: For some reason, I work in short bursts of activity, and then play around with the game playing other serious campaigns/less serious campaigns and custom battles. I tend to play through a few years, then go directly to writing before I lose the mood. Then I let the campaign rest untill next time.

bamff

01-28-2007, 02:42

Hi all - have been away for a while, but am now back on deck.

Apologies in advance - this instalment is quite long-winded (a combination of having been away from it for so long and wanting my 200th post to be something worthy of the double century - and I figured if I couldn't make it worthy in terms of quality, I would instead go for quantity!)

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 11 – King Alfred III (1310 - 1350)
The year is 1310. The past 225 years has seen the English kingdom expand eastwards across mainland Europe, to the point that the eastern border is comprised the provinces of Friesland, Franconia, Bavaria, Tyrolia, and Venice. The bulk of Scandinavia now rests in English hands, with both Norway and Sweden protectorates of the English crown. All of the Iberian peninsula, and the entire northern coastline of Africa, from Morocco to Tripoli are part of the kingdom, as is the island of Sicily.
Whilst England has flourished, other kingdoms have crumbled and fallen, with many now nothing more than memories or footnotes in the chronicles of history. The Almohads and Turks are no more. The French, Spanish, Italian, and Sicilian kingdoms have all ceased to be a part of medieval Europe. Indeed, the English themselves had brought about the downfall of each of these latter four nations.
King Henry I is the monarch who now rules over this burgeoning kingdom, a nation forged in steel and blood. True enough, these past few years, he has left the management of his kingdom largely to his trusted advisors in Wessex whilst he pursued glory on the battlefields of Milan. His forebears had long since established the concept of the English warrior king, and Henry felt it necessary to prove himself on the field to ensure his place in the hearts of his loyal subjects. This he had done most admirably, with a series of victories resulting in church bells across his kingdom loudly tolling his triumph for all to rejoice in. This is not to say that Henry took no interest in the continued economic growth of his kingdom. His overhaul of the system of taxation during the early years of his reign had laid the groundwork for the dramatic increases in the English treasury in recent times.
England’s only remaining enemies, the Holy Roman Empire and Egypt, had both been battered into mere shadows of their former glory. Neither represented any real threat to the might of England….and yet, Henry was uneasy about what the future had in store for himself, and this mighty empire that he and his forefathers had constructed. Henry was a more than capable tactician, but he always took a keener interest in the strategic overview of any given situation, and a number of issues conspired to concern him greatly.
Byzantium remained one of his largest and most dangerous potential rivals. This eastern empire had a naval force as large as the English navy. The Byzantines also currently held the northern province of Saxony, and continued to reinforce this garrison. The Byzantine army encamped in this province was already far in excess of what was required to police and defend these territories, reasoned the English king…and yet more troops were despatched by Constantinople with each passing year. The Byzantine garrison of Syria also appeared unusually large, and with the rich English held province of Tripoli just across the border, this too, was a source of some concern for the English monarch.
The Golden Horde shaped as a further possible rival – although with no naval presence, and no lands bordering upon English soil, this empire was something of a lesser threat.
The Poles had in the past attempted to wrest the possession of certain provinces from English hands, albeit unsuccessfully. Henry viewed them somewhat warily as well, although they were currently hard pressed in the east by the Golden Horde, and it was unlikely that they would be able to let their guard down for long enough to strike any blow at the English lands to their west.
“Sure enough, a storm is coming….”, the King mused to himself “But from which direction will the clouds roll in?”
As it transpired, King Henry would not live to see the arrival of the coming storm. In the year 1312, the English mourn the loss of their beloved monarch. His son, Alfred, succeeds him, and is crowned Alfred III at the tender age of 19 years.
Europe remains peaceful for the ensuing five year period, allowing the young king time to re-structure the extensive empire that the kingdom of England has now become. There is much to do – Alfred ascribes to the theories of his father, and he is anxious to be prepared.
In 1317, word reaches the king that Byzantine forces have invaded the rebel province of Naples. In King Alfred’s mind, this actions cements Byzantium as the kingdom most likely to emerge as a thorn in the side of the English lion.
The following year, Prince Chort of Novgorod attacks the rebels in Finland, seizing that province after a series of small battles. Chort’s joy proves to be short lived, as the Finns re-assert their independence in 1320, driving the Novgorod armies from Finnish soil.
Alfred uses this series of events in far off lands to support his desire to extend the English trade networks rather than increasing spending on military forces. He addresses his court, stating that “The Way to prosperity is through trade, not through the sword and the lance. Our kingdom produces the finest woollen goods in all of Christendom, this is well known, and widely acknowledged. England must seek to dominate the wool trade.”
The young king further decrees that taking control of no less than 2/3 of the wool trade would indeed be a glorious achievement.
In 1322, the long awaited storm breaks in dramatic fashion. The Byzantine forces that had long been amassing in Saxony sweep south into the English held province of Franconia. At the same time, a large Byzantine force strikes Tripoli. Both battles prove to be bloody affairs, with massive casualties on both sides. Notwithstanding that both result in English victories, the horrendous loss of life prompts Alfred to resolve to never to auto-calc again. The use of such odd terminology sparks rumours at court about the king’s sanity. Having already weathered numerous rumours of “secret perversions”, Alfred is not largely concerned.
The enormity of the Byzantine losses have left their garrisons in both Saxony and Syria sorely depleted. This is particularly so in Syria, and Sir Michael Audley, recognising this fact, launches an assault on that province immediately. The Byzantines are severely outnumbered, and flee northwards rather than face Audley’s army.
The following year, Sir William Plantagenet leads the invasion of Rhodes. Stephen Calaphates’ beleagured troops prepare grimly for the onslaught. The have no hope of either escape or reinforcement – the English naval blockade has seen to that. Calaphates and his men are stubbornly brave, but they are hopelessly outnumbered. Rhodes becomes part of the English kingdom.
In 1326, Antioch and Edessa are now cut off from the rest of the Byzantine empire. To the east is the English province of Syria. To the south, England holds Tripoli. The lands to the north are all that remains of the once proud Egyptian empire. The seas to the west contain nothing but English ships. Alfred realises that never will England have a better chance to strike at these rich provinces. With the complicity of his long time allies in Rome, a crusade is declared against Antioch.
Sir Richard Burnell leads the crusaders. His Byzantine adversary is the wily Lord Lascaris. Lascaris’ men fight admirably, but just when it appears that the Byzantine general is about to carry the day for the defenders, a series of arbalest bolts strike home, bringing down both horse and rider. News of Lascaris’ death spread like wildfire across the field, inspiring the English crusaders and sapping the morale of the Byzantines. The defenders wither before the crusaders, and Antioch falls.
As if the defeats in Franconia and Tripoli, the loss of Syria, Rhodes, and Antioch, and the growing number of naval battles lost were not bad news enough for Emperor Michael IX of Byzantium, in 1327, the province of Corsica rebels, and succeeds in throwing of the shackles of Copnstantinople.
Sir Richard Giffard’s crusaders arrive in Edessa in 1335. Lord Botanciates meets them. Botanciates’ men sell their lives dearly, but their heroically suicidal stand is in vain. As it transpires, this battle proves not only to be Botanciates’ last stand, but the last stand of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Michael is a broken man. The events of the past 10 years have caused him to sink into an ever-deepening depression. Having already reached an almost catatonic state in which he neither eats nor drinks, the news of the fall of Edessa is the final straw. The morning after the news is brought to Constantinople, the emperor is found dead, leaving no heir to take his place on the throne. Constantinople dissolves into a series of independent provinces, with each governor squabbling with the others over his right to rule all of Byzantium.
As the sun sets on the Byzantine Empire, it rises further west across the Mediterranean. A new day dawns for Sicily, it would appear. The peoples of Naples and Malta rally under the banner of King Aed III.
The following year, the kingdom of Italy is similarly reborn, with Corsica and Sardinia pledging their allegiance to Doge Vitale IV.
Meanwhile in eastern Europe, the Golden Horde have taken advantage of the crumbling of the Byzantine Empire. A series of small independent state are far more tempting targets than one large monolithic empire. With the Horde once again on the march, Sir Nicephorus Cerlularius decides that it would be preferable to join the kingdom of England rather than attempting to stand alone. Once one of Byzantium’s leading generals, this man is both a skilled commander and an able administrator, and Alfred welcomes him to the English cause.
The Khan of the Golden Horde realises all too late that his tactics in relation to the former Byzantine provinces are all wrong. In 1346, these states have had enough of the continued attacks of the Horde, and the Byzantine Empire is once more. Cyprus, Anatolia, Armenia, Trebizond, Georgia, Nicea, Constantinople, Bulgaria, Moldavia, Serbia, Saxony, Livonia, Smolensk, and Ryazan all answer the call that originates in Musvcovy.
In 1348, the reign of King Alfred III draws to a close, as the English king dies peacefully in his sleep. His son King Henry II steps forward to claim the throne of what is now undisputedly the greatest kingdom in all of Europe.

Martok

01-28-2007, 08:33

Another terrific write-up, bamff! ~:cheers: I had to laugh at this passage, though:
Both battles prove to be bloody affairs, with massive casualties on both sides. Notwithstanding that both result in English victories, the horrendous loss of life prompts Alfred to resolve to never to auto-calc again. The use of such odd terminology sparks rumours at court about the king’s sanity. Having already weathered numerous rumours of “secret perversions”, Alfred is not largely concerned.
That was great! Totally had me rolling. :laugh4:

In regards to the Byzantines: Did they really re-emerge in all those provinces? If so, that's gotta be the unofficial record for this game. ~:eek:

Anyway, looking forward to the next installment; can't wait to see what Henry II does! :thumbsup:

Innocentius

01-28-2007, 22:50

Good to hear from your English campaign bamff. Things seem to be going rather well (except for that huge re-emergance:sweatdrop:).

The reign of King Joar The Great: 1259 - 1288 A.D.

Were Erik II had dissapointed many in terms of personal qualities and abilities, his son Joar I made up for them all. When Joar first became king he was mostly known as a man of numbers and the kingdom greeted a time of stabile finances and prosperity. And although Joar was to live up to all of these expectations, he is best remembered as a warrior king.
The first few years of his rule was a peaceful time, which the nobility of Sweden appreciated after the undesired wars in northern Germany under his father King Erik II. That was all to change in 1262 however, as the Lithuanians invaded Swedens long-term allies the people of Novogorod. The Prince of Novgorod was defeated in a great battle against the pagans. The Prince himself and a handful of his men retreated to Novgorod itself where they were besieged, while the other remnants of the army made it for the lands of their allies in Livonia. Here Birger Magnusson, Duke of Livonia and one of Sweden's greates military commanders, welcomed them but was severly upset when he heard about what had happened in the east. Birger was infamous for his temper and it is said that he without hesitation summoned his army and marched for Novgorod to releave his allies without even waiting for the permission to do so from his king. So frightening was the sight of an approaching Swedish army with Lord Magnusson of Livonia as its commander that the Lithuanian army fled at once, even though it greatly outnumbered both the Swedish and the People of Novgorod's together and was under personal command of the Duke of Lithuania himself. Novgorod had been saved.
The very next year, 1264 of our Lord, King Joar I set in motion the great operation he had planned for many years now. Small armies had been raised all across Sweden, and had within a few months traveled by sea to Saxony, where they joined King Joar who had been reciding there for several years, planning this operation. This was to be the beginning of the end for the Danes.
No exact reasons for this attack can be given actually, and the common opinion is that this war was triggered by King Joar's hatred toward the Danes alone. Joar had studied history in his youth, and had learnt of the long conflicts between Sweden and Denmark, in which the Danes were successful for the most part unfortunatley. His father had left the Danes alone in their provinces of Pomerania and Prussia as they meant no harm. They were a broken people, robbed of their homelands and ultimatley defeated by their old enemies the Swedish, but King Joar would not settle with this. He wanted the Danes eradicated. War was declared in the summer of 1264 as King Joar I and his army crossed the Danish border. The Danes were indeed taken by surprice, and having nothing but bad memories of warfare against the Swedes they retreated, leaving Pomerania to the Swedish.
Such an act did not pass unnoticed however, and soon enough a warning from the Pope reached King Joar in which he was told to sease these hostilities with the Danes his fellow Christians. Facing excommunicatin, King Joar reluctantly abandoned his plans, for a while at least. Nonetheless, this short war had added the wealthy lands of Pomerania to Sweden. As a reward for his loyal and faithful service during the campaign, Lord Sverkersson was granted the tile Duke of Pomerania. After this, King Joar sailed back to Stockholm, where he would remain for many years.
The war with the Danes was far from over though. The King of Denmark had a great fleet at his disposal, and he now attempted to turn tables on the Swedish by defeating them at sea, enabling his troops in Prussia to raid whichever Swedish coast they wished. This was to fail though: in 1265 the Swedish fleets in both Skagerrak and the Baltic Sea defeated their Danish counterparts. In 1266 the Swedish fleet in the Norwegian Sea won yet another battle, and the war on the seas ended in 1268 as Olof Valdemarsson, the now famous captain who defeated the danes in a similar battle three years earlier, completely destroyed the remnants of the Danish fleet in Skagerrak. In the same year, Sweden did not only conclude as ceasefire with the Holy Roman Empire, but an alliance was forged as well.
But even in these years, the years of great military success and great economic prospering there were bad news. In 1267, it was reported from Livonia that the famous Birger Magnusson had passed away out of old age. He was mourned and missed by many, his subjects in Livonia and King Joar in particular as they had learnt to appreciate this man's hot temper and skills with both the pen as well as the sword. In 1270, further bad news hit Livonia as a cholera epidemic spread throughout the lands, killing thousands and thousands of people. Many considered this to be the punishment for King Joar's war against the Danes, but the King would have none of it.

An interesting side story that took place in these days is The story of Johan Birgersson, a both sad yet at the same time somewhat amusing - although in a morbid way - story.
Johan Birgersson was a nobleman from Scania, born sometime durin the 1230ies and was well known for his silver tounge, and his way with words. These abilities, along with his lack of interest for the use of weapons made him become an emissary of King Joar I in 1260. The very next year, he was sent to Prussia to spy on the Danes. As war broke out, he could no longer be seen in public, and had to hide, travelling back and forth through Prussia, avoiding detection while at the same time reporting to King Joar in Pomerania or later on Sweden.
In 1267, when the conflict had settled somewhat, he began to act as royal ambassador of Sweden again, and tried to conclude a ceasefire with the Danish king, but failed thanks to the King's stubborn mind.
Johan remained in Prussia despite this, now being able to reside in relative safety, and although not exactly welcome, it was prohibited to lay hands on him by orders from the King of the Danes himself. Johan was still not safe though, and many tried to claim his life. In 1271, 1273, 1274, 1276 and 1277 there were attempted assasinations of him, but he somehow managed to survive them all. In 1278, he had finally had it. Prussia was in Swedish hands by this time (see below), but there were still people who wanted to see him dead. Now growing old, he decided to leave for Scania and spend the end of his days there but was found dead, stabbed in the chest, the morning on which he was about to depart for home.

The first Battle of Prussia

In 1275, King Joar I of Sweden had finally had it. The repeated rejects of his offering of truces and the many attempted assasinations of Johan Birgersson was simply too much for him, and hot-headed as he was, he commanded the invasion of Prussia. He himself lead the army.
Sometime during the middle of July, the armies met. The Danes positioned their troops - most of them fairly outdated by this time, however outnumbering the Swedes - in a rather traditional manner of a single line. Their flanks were left rather unprotected, but the shere size of their army and the shape of the battlefield made an out-flanking difficult and besides, Joar was never a man of great finesse when it came to warfare.
Thus, Joar positioned his men in a rather similar manner, although with his arbalests on his left flank and his Lithuanian Turcopoles - an interesting touch to the otherwise infatry based Swedish army - on the right. Himself and his knights waited just behind the main body of the army, consisting of halberdiers.
The arbalests and the turcopoles began to approach the Danes, while the reast of the army waited. The Danish chivalric - although foolish - sergeants on their left flank took the bait of the turcopoles and charged strait ahead towards them. Within minutes they were separated from the rest of the army, surrounded by the mobile horse archers, hauling volley after volley of deadly arrows into their ranks from behind and from the flank simultaneously. Some axe-wielding woodsmen from the area who tried to aide them were shot down in the same way.
The Swedish arbalests on the left flank moved up, loosed a few volleys at the Danish spearmen but then quickly retreated as this caused the entire Danish army to attack. Outnumbering the enemy, the Danes did not see why they shouldn't attack their foes. Their King strictly ordered them not to, but after but a few minutes of being exposed to enemy fire, they charged straight ahead. The Danish king, desperatly trying to make the best out of the situation joined the charge. He was the first to reach the Swedish ranks, and also the first of many to end his life sliced and skewered by a Swedish halberd.
Now, within minutes, the Danes broke ranks and fled as their attack was stopped dead once they reached the wall of halberds. Once the enemy ran, King Joar and his knights charged them, pursuing them to their bitter end. Few Danes escaped that day. The Danish King and all his sons were either killed or captured, and the Kingdom of Denmark forfeit. Prussia was in Swedish hands and the Danes were no more.
https://img165.imageshack.us/img165/1572/battle1tc0.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The war against Novgorod

In 1284, the citizens of Stockholm celebrated as the great citadel that their king had ordered to be constructed many years ago was finally finished. In the same year, a man named Torgils Knutsson had sprung to great fame over in Livonia as he had proved to be both a great mathematician as well as tactician [Note:This is a hero that I've added myself, he is not a "regular" hero for Sweden].
All seemed now to be as good as it could be. Sweden was the supreme power of the Baltic Sea, and was at peace with its neighbours. The economy was flourishing and the treasuries of Sweden seemed endless to many. Everything was not what it seemed though.
Unlike his predecessors King Joar had never shown any great love towards the People of Novogorod, and the aide the Swedes had given the Novgorods in 1263 wasn't a campaign that Joar had liked, although he had been quiet about it since he had been very fond of Birger Magnusson. What Joar disliked the most about the Novgorods was their wish to always be aware of what their neighbours were up to. Many spies and assassins said to have been sent from Novogorod had been caught and executed throughout the years, and when a Swedish bishop - who's name can't be found in any record of this time - was murdered in Estonia in 1285 it was more than enough for the hot-headed King Joar. He ordered his green, yet seemingly talented general Torgils Knutsson to invade Estonia in 1285, and this was done with great success. The outnumbered Novgorods retreated to their keeps and castles and Torgils patiently waited for them starve.
Prince Vsevolod II of Novgorod was both shocked and angered when he heard of this, and ordered an invasion of Prussia, where King Joar waited with his army. This invasion was ill-planned though, and the Novgorods retreated as they realised they were greatly outnumbered. Vsevolod himself led a better organised army the next year, only to be defeated by King Joar and killed in The Second Battle of Prussia.
https://img236.imageshack.us/img236/941/battle2kv7.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
The castle in Reval, the last of the castles to withstand Torgils Knutsson and his men fell in the same year.

King Joar I was not enjoy these triumphs for long however, as he passed away in an unknown fever illness in early 1288. Some say this was a punishment from God for his many unnecessary wars against his fellow Christians, no matter if they were following the Pope or the Pathriarch. Others claimed that his hot temper and great personality finally made his body burn from the inside while others still just claimed that old age and spending much time in the field and on the battlefield had caused the king's death. No matter what, King Joar would forever be remembered as King Joar the Great, Hammer of the Danes.
He was succeeded by his only grown up son, Karl, who became king as King Karl I of Sweden.

King Karl I:
https://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1518/kkarl1su2.th.png (https://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kkarl1su2.png)

The Kingdom of Sweden in 1288:
https://img184.imageshack.us/img184/7361/campmapcl1.png (https://imageshack.us)

Torgils Knutsson:
https://img184.imageshack.us/img184/8179/torgils1gy6.th.png (https://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=torgils1gy6.png)

bamff

01-29-2007, 03:05

In regards to the Byzantines: Did they really re-emerge in all those provinces? If so, that's gotta be the unofficial record for this game. ~:eek:

Sure did....it had me scratching my head too, I'll tell you. First off, I would have thought that the fact that some of these provinces were so far away and completely isolated from Muscovy (where the new Emperor appeared) that there was no way known that they would jump on the bandwagon.....but there you go....

Actually while on the subject of "strange portents and happenings", here's another one for you....My crusade on Edessa was launched in Palestine, travelled through Syria to reach Edessa. My troops in Syria were all "home grown" English units (by that I mean types that I could make as England)...imagine my surprise when I found a unit of 35 Szekely's among my crusaders! Even weirder is that I do not recall seeing them when assembling my troops prior to the battle. How did they get there? :inquisitive: Clearly those Hungarians are sneakier than I gave them credit for!

Innocentius - what a write up! Fantastic stuff!

naut

01-29-2007, 04:44

Ok I'll get to reading.

Martok

01-29-2007, 07:54

Sure did....it had me scratching my head too, I'll tell you. First off, I would have thought that the fact that some of these provinces were so far away and completely isolated from Muscovy (where the new Emperor appeared) that there was no way known that they would jump on the bandwagon.....but there you go....
Yeah, that really is unusual. :dizzy2: I personally have never seen a faction re-emerge in more than 5-6 provinces at most, so I wonder why this one was so huge. Perhaps it's different because the Byz died out from their royal line ending, and not because they were conquered? :shrug: I suppose it's possible, but I've simply never heard of anything like it before.

Actually while on the subject of "strange portents and happenings", here's another one for you....My crusade on Edessa was launched in Palestine, travelled through Syria to reach Edessa. My troops in Syria were all "home grown" English units (by that I mean types that I could make as England)...imagine my surprise when I found a unit of 35 Szekely's among my crusaders! Even weirder is that I do not recall seeing them when assembling my troops prior to the battle. How did they get there? :inquisitive: Clearly those Hungarians are sneakier than I gave them credit for!
Indeed! :laugh4:

I don't know, bamff. I would say that it must be a bug of some sort, except that I don't care for such a simplistic explanation. I wonder if maybe they were mercenaries who just happened to be in Syria at the time. I've personally not seen mercs voluntarily join a Crusade without being paid to do so, but that certainly doesn't mean it's not still possible.

Innocentius - what a write up! Fantastic stuff!
I definitely second that. Loved the sub-story on Johan Birgersson; that was a hoot! :beam:

So do you think Karl will press the war against Novgorod, or will you leave him be?

Innocentius

01-29-2007, 17:36

Thanks for your kind words everyone:bow:

So do you think Karl will press the war against Novgorod, or will you leave him be?

Most likely, yes. Invading Estonia wasn't really an economic benefit, it just adds me another border with the Novgorods and it's a pretty poor province. I invaded out of pretty sneaky reasons; since it was so lightly defended, I was pretty sure the enemy would run and then try to counter me elsewhere as their strongest armies were down in Lithuania. This worked, and hopefully they'll attack again. When fighting defensive battles my armies are at their best, static armies that can both take and deal out a lot of damage. Their obvious downside is that they're pretty immobile. This will hopefully change a bit once I get CKs in Livonia though.

Kingtotalwar

01-29-2007, 18:00

what mods r u guys using

UltraWar

01-29-2007, 18:24

what mods r u guys using
That would be VikingHorde's Medieval:XL Mod

caravel

01-29-2007, 23:15

A Byzantine Campaign

1153, Nicopherus IV has sat on the Byzantine throne some 20 years. He has managed to hold together the Empire that his father had rebuilt thus far. In the North the Italians and Hungarians grow restless. The Hungarian peasants grow lean from the famine that is sweeping the lands of Hun and Pole alike. Their king gazes with envy at the Byzantine lands south of the border, but has not the strength of arms to move against Nicopherus' forces in Bulgaria and Serbia.

In the East the army are resting after a long campaign against the Seljuks. Those vile dogs have now been driven back to Mesopotamia and Persia where they belong. Further south the Saracens remain like the proverbial thorn in the side of the empire. Only two years past, Nicopherus and many brave men including Micheal Commenus and Andronicus Branas invaded and sacked Tripoli, a Saracen strongpoint that had seen the end of many a good Roman and filled Constantinople with the wails of it's widows. Now Tripoli is back under Imperial control. Palestine was taken the following year in a quick victory.

Further north, beyond the caucasus the recently acquired lands of the Steppes are free from war. The priests and holy men have made it their business to bring the word of our lord to the nomadic barbarians that live there. The Emperor has never travelled to those parts is purportedly planning an excursion soon. Old age has now crept up on his highness, and at the grand old age of 57, the Emperor feels that his time draws near. The year before, the Emperor had pulled his most daring stroke yet. In response to a Frankish crusade allowed against our land of Palestine by the Pope of the Catholics, Nicopherus ordered that four stout galleys be readied and that this pretender be taught a sharp lesson. Three months later, after many delays, battling high winds and stormy seas, the fleet set sail. The force landed in Rome, and took the enemy by surprise. His men were defeated and driven off with great slaughter, and the pretender himself fled to a neighbouring province where he is now holed up shaking and quivering. This move was poorly received by the empire's former allies among the catholics. Many critics have regarded this as Nicopherus' last shot at infamy before his death... some of those critics are still alive. Palestine was also lost as a result of the Emperor diverting forces to the conquest of Rome. There is no word of the Frankish crusade, it is believed by some to be lost in the Sahara, and by others to be lost at sea.

The recent posting of the Varangian Guard to Serbia and Croatia have sparked many rumours that Nicopherus' next target will be Venice! General Romanus Commenus, of the Emperor's family, and arguably the best general in the army, leads the army in Croatia, this has caused yet more speculation. There are many that would say that we should not be meddling in the affairs of the westerners but instead securing our own lands from the Saracens.

1154 And the wearied Franks have appeared in Cyrenacia and have besieged the Moors! They will have to fight their way through the Saracen lands in order to reach Palestine. The Emperor has announced his intention to wait for them. Many including Lord Vatatzes of the Syrian army had urged the Emperor to move immediately against the Saracens and establish a defensive strongpoint in the Sinai. After careful consideration Nicopherus had decided that he simply didn't have enough men at his disposal and needed to keep his troops fresh for the inevitable desert battles to come. It is possible that Nicopherus had had some belief that the Christians would see their error and join with the Byzantine Forces to finally crush the Saracens once and for all.

1155 The Frankish army have conquered Egypt. An insolent Frankish emissary has requested a ceasefire! He was lucky to leave with his head still attached! The Franks number at around 500 men, there are some cavalry, few nobles but mostly peasants. They have brought along siege equipment as if anticipating an assault on Jerusalem! A Moorish emissary also requested an audience but the Emperor has little time for their oiled words and quite rightly so!

A Saracen Prince has fallen to the blade of an assassin. The Saracen Sultan is apparently weeping at this loss. The Emperor is not a man without heart, and has condemned those from his own court that have made a mockery of the enemy's misfortune. There have been other rumours that the Emperor himself ordered the assassination to assist the Franks in an easy victory against Palestine.... mere rumours of course and nothing more...

1156 And treachery and perfidy are in abundance. The Franks of the so called "Holy Roman Empire" invaded Croatia in this year and were utterly defeated by the army of Romanus Commanus. Four hundred of these fools were slaughtered needlessly, and another one thousand taken prisoner and ransomed to the enemy. The crusading Franks have advanced into the Sinai looting Egypt and leaving it to it's fate! After hearing word some months later of the attempted invasion of Croatia, the Emperor, so incensed by these miscreants, has accepted a ceasefire from the King of the Saracens! It may be that the 60 year old Emperor is so overjoyed by the coming of age of his son Constantine, guaranteeing that his line will live on, that having Saracens prowling along your frontier is not such a bad thing!

1157 The Franks in the Sinai have surrendered and been ransomed back by the Saracens! And now comes word of civil war in the lands of the Franks!

There is an uneasy peace along the frontier of Syria and Tripoli. The Emperor has left Tripoli in the capable hands of the rather nervous Prince Constantine and made his way to Syria, to the aid of an army General now beset by the scandal of an adultery. Any weakness in the fragile desert frontier could see the Saracens flooding in at any moment...

To be continued...

bamff

01-30-2007, 04:31

Nice write up Caravel!

Martok

01-30-2007, 23:19

Awesome, Caravel! Good to see you finally put up a story here. :thumbsup:

So you border the HRE already? I confess surprise that they're even still alive! :dizzy2:

caravel

01-30-2007, 23:47

They've had a bad time to be honest. The crusade bound for palestine was actually declared while the egyptians were still in ownership so it wasn't really their fault that they came to blows with the Byz. The problem was their disastrous invasion of Croatia. That was sad to watch. The main strategy there was conserving my troops and not throwing them away needlessly. The rest was really a foregone conclusion. After this they had, I think, about two civil wars, though I can't be sure, the second was on account of their crusade failing anyway.

Innocentius

01-31-2007, 17:29

Nice campaign, Caravel:yes: It's been a while since I saw a Byz-campaign in here.

UltraWar

02-02-2007, 21:51

The Teutonic Order / High / Easy / XL Mod

https://img478.imageshack.us/img478/3556/teutonicorderhu4.png

Martok

02-02-2007, 23:48

Nice, UltraWar. Looks like you've already largely achieved the Order's original goals. :2thumbsup: Will you move against the Orthodox Rus now?

ChaosLord

02-03-2007, 01:43

Well after getting faced with an inability to lose in M2TW I decided to reinstall MTW with the MedMod 3.14. I started up a game as the Almohads in the Late campaign. After organizing my forces I spent a decade building up an army and teching up my regions some. Then with my heir leading this army I invaded Cordoba. After a decent battle (200 some odd killed, 300 some odd captured, and about 200 lost). After attacking and taking the castle I set about rebuilding my army and teching up some more.

Whil I was doing this the English apparently gobbled up the Aragonese and Portugal rebelled against Spain with a buff stack, leaving me with a very divided Spain to conquer. Sadly my dreams of am Almohad-ruled spain was not to be. In 1328 the Egyptians invaded Tunisia after sinking one of my ships. Then in 1329 my Khalifh died sparking a civil war with my heirs ungrateful brothers. In just two turns I was left with only the army under my new Khalifhs control. I tried to salvage the situation and rescued Morocco from the rebels seiging it, leaving Algiers and Tunisia to their fate.

Of course Spain took that chance to attack Cordoba. I tried to save it but was crushed on the field mainly by their heavy cavalry, my Khalifh was forced into Cordoba's castle to face a siege and death. So my dreams were crushed quite quickly, and in under thirty years of my inept rule.

Innocentius

02-04-2007, 18:32

The reign of King Karl I: 1288 - 1310 A.D.

King Karl became king of Sweden in 1288 at the age of 34, already a seasoned warrior from the campaigns against the Danes and the people of Novgorod under his father's rule. Just like his father, Karl was a hot-headed man and with an irritable manner. Karl intended to continue where his father had left; the people of Novgorod under Prince Mstislav VII had yet to be dealt with before the struggle for the Baltic Sea was finally over with. His plans were somewhat hindered by the great famine in Estonia of 1289 though, and all actions were postponed until 1290, when Novgorod itself was invaded.
The matter was executed in the most professional way. King Karl sailed from Sweden with but a minimal army, landing in Vyborg which had already been captured by the combined armies of Torgils Knutsson from Estonia and Lord Bonde from Finland. The three forces now united and together formed the greatest army Sweden had ever fielded. They now marched for Novgorod itself, and King Karl ordered all land that was passed to be thoroughly stripped. Nowhere did they face any opposition, and the terrified peasants fled to alert their Prince in Novgorod of what was happening. It was no more than 30 years since last time a Swedish army marched towards Novgorod, but that time it had been to help the people of Novgorod in their hour of need, now it was to claim their lands. Prince Mstislav VII, terrified by the news brought to him, immediately ordered his army to gather and to retreat with all haste. This was done, and when King Karl finally reached the walls of Novgorod in the late summer of 1290, there was not a soul left to defend them. Novgorod had fallen. Without losing more than a handful of men to starvation and ocsasional accidents, King Karl had not only taken the important harbour of Vyborg, but also Novgorod itself and all lands that answered to it.
King Karl, who saw no need to hurry, now let the war rest and took no further actions against Prince Mstislav VII for many years. In 1291, he travelled back to Sweden to celebrate the 16th birthday of his oldest son, Inge, a boy who in many ways was similar to both his father and grandfather.
Karl also saw to domestic matters. In 1292 there was a great flood in Finland, that seriously affected the harvest that year, and destroyed many houses and other constructions. Karl was quick to travel there, and to have Bishop Filip Engelbrektsson preach to the people of Turku in order to comfort them. He could not stay for long in Finland however, as he travelled to Scania the next year to personally dismiss the Earl of Scania, Birger Björnsson, who had become both lazy, greedy and fat from sitting on his arse for too long. No new Earl of Scania was appointed.
In 1297, Karl finally considered himself ready to resume the war with Prince Mstislav of Novgorod, who was now limited to the lands of Lithuania and Smolensk where he dwelled with the last remnants of his once so glorious armies. These the remains of a once victorious and powerful state were no match for the relative newcomers of Sweden though, and the massive army that King Karl himself commanded along with Lord Eriksson, Duke of Livonia, was more than enough to frighten the Novgorods off. Prince Mstislav fled to Smolensk, where he immediately started planning his revenge. This vengeance came quickly, but all too quickly for the unfortunate people of Novgorod. The very year after he had lost Lithuania, Prince Mstislav VII gathered his entire army, and marched for Novgorod in a desperate attempt to reclaim what had once been his.

The Battle of Novgorod

At that time, no less than Prince Burislev himself was commander of Novgorod, and although still green and untested he was considered by many to be a highly capable commander. Prince Burislev quickly decided that he could not be besieged, and would thus rather risk an open battle against the numerical superiority of Prince Mstislav. Being outnumbered by 3:2 and facing the more experienced Mstislav, his odds were not the best, but he deemed his own troops to be of higher quality than the ones of Mstislav.
The 28th of May, the two armies met on a heavily wooded plain not all that far from Novgorod itself. Seeing that there were no hills or ridges that he could use for defence, Burislev decided to use a somewhat unusual - but in the end highly effective - tactic. He placed his arbalests in two groups with their backs towards two separate forests. These two forests sloped and only left a small gap between them. In this tight little gap, Burislev positioned some fine and hardy spearmen with two companies of swordsmen as backup. Behind them he placed a unit of turcopoles from Livonia, and behind all this he and his personal bodyguard waited. Thus he created a blunt V formation with himself and his peak infantry at the bottom. The enemy forces would have to pass through a rain of fire from his arbalests before they could reach him and - what seemed to be - the main body of his army. It was not, however, as Burislev had hidden the better part of his infantry, reliable halberdiers, in the woods behind these arbalesters. Thus the arbalesters would seem unprotected by the enemy, but in reality, they were all a bait. Finally, he situated another company of turcopoles in the forest on his right flank, ready to chase down whatever enemy units would attempt to escape that day. Prince Mstislav had not made equally good preparations, and his entire cavalry force arrived in a big lump long before his infantry had reached the battlefied. Seeing that he outnumbered his enemy - and not aware of the halberdiers hidden in the woods - Mstislav made a foolish decision not to wait for his infantry to arrive, and commenced the attack without them. Thus, the battle begun.

Mstislav's own turcopoles and his elite boyars rode up and started a ranged duel with the arbalests of Burislev. This proved to be foolish, as the arbalesters could easily outrange his own mounted troops. Soon many of his companies and regiments broke ranks and fled. Angered by this, and having spotted Prince Burislev himself through the crowd, Mstislav took his own unit of highly able boyars and charged straight for the center of the Swedish army. The arbalesters however saw this, and concentrated their fire to Mstislav's boyars. As several volleys hit them at once, the boyars begun to waver and when Mstislav himself suddenly fell, said to have been struck down by no less than thirteen bolts, they panicked and fled. So died the last Prince of Novgorod.
When the rest of of the Novgorod army saw that the Prince's bodyguard fled, they too started wavering. Some of them panicked and fled immediately, but others tried to save the day by finally engaging the seemingly unprotected arbalesters in melee. This was the final and last mistake ever to be done by Novgorod army. The arbalesters quickly retreated as the enemy cavalry approached. Blinded by their desperation and anger, the cavalry followed them into the woods were they were all slain by the still fresh Swedish halberdiers.
At last, the late Mstislav's infantry arrived. They did not arrive to a welcoming sight though. The Novgorod cavalry fled like whipped dogs and some infantry regiments actually turned and fled at once, not even staying to cover the retreat of their friends. Only two full regiments, one of druzhina infantry and the other of armoured spearmen, stayed to fight. These were easily shot to pieces before finally engaged by the entire Swedish infantry and Prince Burislev and his knights as well. As they tried to flee, the turcopoles hidden in the woods pursued them, capturing many. The battle of Novgorod was over.

Despite not even half of the Novgorod army being killed or captured, it was dissolved immediately after the battle. Prince Mstislav had died without an heir, and the people of Novgorod were no more.
https://img251.imageshack.us/img251/6278/battle1at2.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The years of peace

After the battle of Novgorod, King Karl was now able to rule in peace for the entire remain of his reign. These peaceful years saw many good happenings as well as a few bad. Bishop Filip Engelbrektsson was murdered in Turku in 1299, and the culprit was never found. In 1302, the entire Kingdom of Sweden suffered as a year with no summer passed, and the people starved and froze to death. But of course there were good times as well.
In 1298 Mats Kettilmundsson rose to fame as one of Sweden's finest generals, he was also the first to command a full unit of knights. Knights were common in much of Europe already, and it had taken them a long time to finally appear in Sweden. Prince Inge married Princess Ángela of Scotland in 1303, and Prince Burislev married another Ángela, but from Sicily this time, in 1307.
In 1304 King Karl I was given 1000 Florins from Pope Romano I, probably an attempt to bribe Karl to fight the excommunicated French. Karl did not however, as the French brought to him a great and steady trading income that assured the prosperity of his people.

In 1310, King Karl I of Sweden passed away in an illness. Although Karl had been a great king, he would always appear weak in the shadow of his ferocious father. But if his father had been remembered as "the Great", Karl would certainly be remembered as "the Good". Under his reign, Sweden had not only finally made itself master of the Baltic Sea but he had also lead it to a unheard of level of technological advancement and prosperity. Karl was succeeded by his son Inge, who became king as Inge III.

The Kingdom of Sweden in 1310:
https://img174.imageshack.us/img174/2078/campmapii1.png (https://imageshack.us)

King Inge III:
https://img174.imageshack.us/img174/2434/kinge1ca9.th.png (https://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kinge1ca9.png)

Deus ret.

02-04-2007, 21:26

caravel

02-04-2007, 21:51

A Byzantine Campaign - Part II

1158 and in a surprising move, Romanus Commanus has invaded and besieged Venice! The army in Rome under Tarkhan Barjik, a Khazar, has also ventured into Tuscany and captured Florence! At sea many victories have been won against the Italian fleets that were taken entirely by surprise! The catholic world is in turmoil!

1159 Venice has fallen in a bloody assault. Lord Commenus, as he is now known after being granted the governorship of Tuscany, is soon to make his way there to ensure that it holds. Prince Constantine and the Varangian Guard will relieve him in Venice. The newly come of age Prince Alexius will now join his father on the eastern frontier with the Saracens. Like his brother he is showing a great aptitude for military matters. Lord Vatatzes and Manuel Commenus have been reassigned to the western front alone to assist operations there.

In an offer of appeasement, the Hungarian Monarch has offered his daughter, Princess Sara's, hand in Marriage to the Prince Constantine. The Emperor was set firmly against this, but the Prince had insisted that he would marry with no other. The marriage is to take place the next year.

1160 As suspected the treacherous Hungarians have abandoned their alliance and have thrown in their lot with the Italians. Their armies marched into Wallachia in the spring bringing them closer still to Byzantine lands. Our spies will be watching the borders much more carefully from this day forth.

The Pope of the Catholics has surprisedly accepted a ceasefire, and the worthy king of the Danes has offered his daughters hand to Prince Alexius!.

In the east the Saracen Caliph has passed away, and has been succeeded by a lesser man. Word comes from the Sinai of a revolt, though it's nature is unknown. Many close the the Emperor are urging him to strike now, though the Emperor, being a man of honour, is reluctant to attack an "ally"...

1161 and that foolish and gluttonous coward, Lord Monomachus is besieged in Naples!! The dastardly Pope of the Catholics having launched a surprise attack! The King of the Danes has made the unwise choice to throw away his alliance with us. It is obvious that this puppet has received threat from the Germans or Italians. Prince Constantine, has departed from Tripoli and will be replaced there by the newly come of age Prince Andronicus. Constantine will rendevous with a contingent of the Varangian Guard in Constantinople and a small but capable force from the provinces. God willing, they will teach this beggar a lesson he won't forget...

1162 Constantine's force encountered no resistance. Naples is returned to Imperial control. Constantine will attack the next year and teach this pretender a lesson or two.

1163 Constantine's Army entered the lands known as the Papal States, the next spring, and there fought with the forces of the Pope until he was slain in the woods. It had not been Constantine's intention to kill him, only to chastise him somewhat, but he and his men had put up such a resistance that Constantine had no other choice. Constantine had wept when he had seen the great man fallen, his armour rent, and his sword broken. The Pope of the catholics was no more, and whom would the people now look to for guidance in these parts? The Castle at Perugia remains under siege. Constantine had appealed to these men to come out but they had refused preferring to die like, as they put it, "true christians". Lord Monomachus meanwhile had been packed off to Iconium, where he is now apparently boasting of his great deeds during the breaking of the siege of Perugia!? Constantine had viewed his presence as somewhat of a liability and though it wise to get him out of the way. The Italian peninsula is now fully under Imperial control.

Two small armies have been deployed to Sardinia and Corsica to wrest these islands from the Italians.

1164 Sardinia and Corsica fell easily. The Siege at Perugia was ended quickly by night. The Italians have not yet retaliated. In the east the ageing Emperor sits looking southward at the desert frontier. "Will they come before my time in this world is done, and if they come not, how will my successor fare against them...?".

To be continued...

Innocentius

02-04-2007, 23:25

nice write-up, Innocentius. I happened to read through the story ...erm I mean the glorious expansion of the Swedish kongdom only recently but I must say it's a really cool one. seems like France dominates the S/W part of the map, let's see when the eventual AI gang-up on them begins :smash:

Oh yes, the French...They always manage to capture half the map thanks to their ridiculously big armies made consisting of spearmen, feudal sergeants and militia sergeants. They must have "scared" all their enemies (i.e. forced them to retreat) into submission, because their armies wouldn't stand a chance if put to the test. I'm not really worried about them, if I beat them in a few battles in a row - which I can easily do now that I have almost 60000 florins, make 4000 florins each year and can produce +2 armour or better troops in Denmark, Sweden, Livonia, Novgorod and Lithuania and decent troops in Brandenburg and Pomerania + that I can easily outproduce their fleet and have quite a few good generals - they will probably have a civil war, and some re-emergances will occur. They are on their way to over-expanding themselves anyway, so this will probably happen even without my interference. I'm quite content with my borders however, and I have no urgent wish to expand ATM.

Good work Caravel!~:thumb: Seems like your allies aren't very trustworthy though...

Martok

02-05-2007, 02:24

Very nice, guys. :2thumbsup: @Caravel: So where exactly are you on the map now? Do you have the original Byz lands along with Italy?

bamff

02-05-2007, 04:42

Nice work, Caravel and Innocentius!

I'm looking forward to the next instalments of both campaigns...

In the meantime, my good sirs, I will offer my own latest chapter in the ongoing saga of my English campaign...apologies in advance - it is a little wordy (yet again)...I may have to change my name to "Bamff the Loquacious"

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 12 – King Henry II (1350 - 1365)
Having ascended to the throne in 1348 upon the death of his beloved father Alfred, King Henry II was most anxious to make his own mark on the world. He had taken advantage of the peace that blessed his kingdom in the early part of his reign to continue the military and economic build up of his kingdom. Whilst it was true that England was still technically at war with Egypt and the Holy Roman Empire, neither of these factions held enough lands, nor possessed enough troops to pose any threat to a leviathan such as England had become, and the rulers of both nations were astute enough to know that maintaining a low profile was their best hope of survival.
For his own part, King Henry regarded Byzantium as the greatest potential thorn in the side of the English Lion. True, the Byzantines had only recently succeeded in the reunification of their empire. True, their empire was still somewhat scattered across the European map, with several provinces so isolated as to make communication within the empire problematic at best. Henry was acutely aware, however, that Byzantium had been at war with England just prior to the collapse of the eastern kingdom. He was also aware that since the Byzantine collapse, England had occupied a number of territories that the Byzantines regarded as their own.
With this potential threat ever present in his thinking, Henry set about presenting a smiling and friendly public face to the Byzantines, whilst secretly transferring troops to regions that may soon come under attack from this burgeoning nation.
Sure enough, in the year 1355, the Byzantines broke the uneasy truce, with Romanus Prvovencani leading an impressively large army south into the now English province of Greece. It is time for Sir Nicephorus Cerlularius to prove his worth to his adopted nation. His defending force are outnumbered, but Henry remains confident – his father was an astute judge of tactical ability, and he spoke most highly of Cerularius’ skill in that regard.
The Byzantines enjoy a significant advantage in terms of numbers, however it is their technical advantage that Prvovencani believes will win the day. Included in his forces are significant numbers of arquebusiers and hand gunners. These weapons are known to induce terror in the ranks of enemy troops. Sadly for Prvovencani, he has neglected to note that neither of his wonder weapons is nearly so long ranged as a longbow or an arbalest; nor do these gunpowder units fare particularly well against cavalry charges. A great many of his gunners, together with many of his cavalry and other troops lie dead before they even come close to the English line. As a Byzantine himself, Cerularius is well versed in the use of mounted archers, and two regiments of Turcopoles add considerably to the mayhem of the enemy lines. Too late, Prvovencani realises that all is lost, and attempts to flee the field – but by this time, what is left of his army is not only facing annhiliation from billmen, varangian guards, and Cerularius’ kataphraktoi to their front, but they are also under attack in the rear from English knights, gallowglasses, and highland clansmen that have now encircled them.
Prvovencani is not fleet enough to escape capture. Greece is saved, and Sir Nicephorus Cerlularius is celebrated throughout England. As it happens, both victor and vanquished are destined to perish in the following year. Cerularius succumbed to a serious infection to wounds suffered in the battle for Greece. His experience had served him well against the Byzantines, but this experience had been bought over many years, and his advancing years did not serve him well in his fight against fever. Prvovencani was to perish in the English dungeons in Athens. With no ransom money forthcoming, this follower of the false cross was summarily garrotted. The parallels of the demise of these two men perhaps underlines the old adage that nobody wins a war.
With the Byzantines tipping their hand by declaring war, Henry now springs to action. England’s long time ally, the Pope, offers his blessing of Henry’s proposed crusade against the Byzantines in Saxony. The English army duly sails from Palestine to Naples.
By 1360, the crusaders have travelled as far north as Bohemia, passing through Venice and Austria after leaving Naples. The force has now mushroomed to almost 3,000 men strong. King Henry is all too aware that the Sicilians, the Germans, and the Poles were not pleased to welcome the crusaders to their lands (Naples, Austria, and Bohemia respectively), however none of these nations dares challenge the passage of this holy army. Henry also notes, somewhat wryly, that all three of these nations have added many troops to the crusade, in a feeble attempt to extract some measure of glory of their own from Henry’s bold venture.
Indeed, so many Sicilian troops joined the crusade against Saxony, that the garrison of Naples finds itself severely depleted – so much so, that this province became all too tempting a target for Doge Vitale IV of Italy. The Italian forces land in Naples in 1361. King Alexander of Sicily (known throughout England as “the Stuart pretender to the Sicilian crown”) is sorely outnumbered, and flees o’er the sea to Malta, after briefly considering Skye.
Don William Sismondi is left to defend Naples castle. The Don and his men cannot hope to hold off the Italians for long – they are cruelly short on supplies, and have no hope of the siege being relieved by their Sicilian countrymen. The castle duly falls to the Italians in 1362.
1362 is also the year in which the English crusade finally reaches its target province. The Byzantine commander in Saxony is Lord Prvovencani. Long has this man harboured a deep hatred of the English, and those fires were lent extra fuel with the defeat and subsequent execution of his brother Romanus in Greece. He is anxious to restore the name of Prvovencani, and to strike a blow against the English at the same time. Sir Richard Burnell leads the English force. Whilst not so skilled a general as Prvovencani, Burnell draws solace from the numerical superiority of his troops – he believes that with almost 4,500 men, he has enough to secure a resounding victory.
As the battle unfolds, it is Prvovencani’s inspired use of the terrain, and Burnell’s impetuous nature that prove the decisive factors. With his men forced to march a great distance before joining battle, they are already exhausted when the breakthrough is achieved. Ignoring this, Burnell urges them to pursue the Byzantine units – and the utterly exhausted Englishmen charge headlong into a second Byzantine force advancing to reinforce Prvovencani. With his men too tired to offer any resistance to this onslaught, Burnell watches in impotent fury as unit after unit breaks and flees from his side. What little resistance remains dissipates immediately as Burnell is thrown from his steed and is summarily hacked to pieces by Varangian guardsmen.
Prvovencani has secured a victory – although it is somewhat pyrrhic. Over 2,000 of his men perished (some 300 odd were prisoners executed by the English when the battle turned). English losses on the day were only 1,018….and the neighbouring English held provinces of Friesland and Franconia would more than make good these losses. As such, Henry is unperturbed by news of the defeat. He is confident that ultimately victory will be his. This indeed proves to be the case in 1363, as the crusaders once again cross into Saxony. This time Prvovencani does not have suffient forces to mount a credible defence. Nonetheless, the proud Byzantine general doggedly vows to fight to the death if need be. The crusaders duly oblige him, and Byzantium mourns the loss of a great general. Byzantium has also lost the province of Saxony. While it is true that some defenders remain under siege, the Emperor is well aware that he does not have any means of relieving the English siege.
Inspired by the English defeat in Saxony, Doge Vitale IV orders Don Anselmo Salviati to take an Italian force south to invade Sicily. Salviati has gathered a very large army indeed, and all are seasoned veterans of the Neapolitan campaign. Lord Langton’s defending army are outnumbered almost 2 to 1, but Langton is a skilled defender.
The English make great use of the mountainous terrain in northern Sicily, positioning themselves atop a reasonably steep sided hillock. Langton positions his Turcopoles on a nearby hill, away from his main force. The Italians will be faced with the option of a steep climb to go over this secondary hill, or to travel through the valley below to reach the English main force.
Don Anselmo Salviati chooses the low road for his troops. As the near the valley, the first volley of arrows loosed by the Turcopoles rains down on them. Several more volleys follow in quick succession. Two regiments of chivalric sergeants break from the main Italian force to charge uphill to the Turcopoles’ position. Their heavy armour and the steepness of the slope make this assault hard going indeed. As they make their way up the slope, the Turcopoles offer no respite, and by the time these two regiments are only half way to their target, one regiment has been reduced to 81 men, and the other to 79.
Meanwhile, Salviati’s main force has come within range of the English archers in Langton’s main force. These Italians soon find themselves not only having to climb a steep slope, as the fast mounting casualties soon force them to clamber over their own fallen comrades. Those Italians that survive to reach the summit find themselves facing fresh units of billmen and chivalric footknights, and these Englishmen make short work of their tired counterparts. Sir Charles Greystoke and his footknights cut a veritable swathe through the Italian ranks. Salviati flees the field, followed by those of his men that survive. 774 Italians have perished and 76 have fallen into captivity. English losses number only 86.
Notwithstanding Langton’s minimal losses, King Henry quickly despatches reinforcements to bolster his general’s victorious army. Henry does not believe that the Italians will be so easily dissuaded by this initial setback.
Henry is ultimately proven right in 1364, as once again Don Anselmo Salviati sweeps south at the head of a large Italian army. As was the case with the preceding conflict, Langton chooses a hilltop from which to meet his numerically superior adversary. Salviati again doggedly persists with a clumsy frontal assault, succeeding in little more than providing archery practice for the English. On this occasion, however, the Italian general is not so fortunate as he had been in 1363, and like most of his men, the Sicilian countryside is to be his final resting place. As the dust of battle clears, it is immediately apparent that the English were in greater danger of running out of arrows than they were of defeat. 1,452 Italian corpses are strewn across the field. 38 shocked and broken men are prisoners. The small number of prisoners speak volumes for how few Italians actually joined combat with the English, as do the English losses of only 121 men.
In the very same year as this battle unfolded in Sicily, trouble arrives from an unexpected quarter, as King Wladyslaw III of Poland leads an impressively large army west into Franconia. Lord Fitzalan is outnumbered, but nonetheless confident of victory. The English front line is provided by the pikemen of Sir Walter Curthose, Sir Jasper Swynford, and Sir Hubert Langton. These units were raised in the Tyrol regions, and while none of them has yet seen battle, they are superbly disciplined troops.
Fitzalan surveyed the battlefield. Wladyslaw had indeed picked a miserable day on which to meet. A light rain had been falling for some time now, and showed little sign of abating.
“No doubt he hopes for some respite from our archers.”, he noted to Swynford.
His smile broadened as he jabbed a thumb over his right shoulder in the direction of 4 units of arbalests that had assumed their position further up the slope “Little does he realise that the weather won’t affect these lads!”
Wladyslaw’s first wave consisted predominantly of javelinmen. Whilst able to pierce armour, the javelinmen are hopelessly outranged by the arbalests, and suffer dreadful casualties. It is not long before they break and withdraw. Their place is soon filled by rank after rank of armoured spearmen. These troops also provide good target practice for the arbalests. Doggedly the Poles continue up the slope. By this time, both men and horses were struggling to maintain their feet in the treacherously slippery conditions. Two units of knights finally arrived at the English line, and charged. The pikemen stood ready, and the front ranks of knights were duly impaled. Whilst the billmen dealt with the Polish armoured spearmen, the English halberdiers outflanked the surviving Polish knights. Trapped between the pikes on one side, and halberds on the other, the knights were doomed. With only 2 other knights still astride their steeds, Wladyslaw panics and flees with the grace of a spavined nag. While he reaches the valley floor in safety, his companions are not so fortunate. The arbalests had simply been waiting for the knights to move clear of the English forces, and they did not waste their opportunity for a clear shot.
Wladyslaw’s flight soon spread panic through the depleted ranks of the survivors, and those that could scrambled back down the slope as quickly as they were able. A rain of arbalest bolts followed every step of their flight, allowing precious few to flee the field.
As the English reformed their line, the rain grew heavier, as if mother nature herself was seeking to cleanse the mountainside of the blood and detritus of battle. A second wave of Polish troops materialised out of the gloom, and stoically headed towards the English line. Several well aimed arbalest volleys proved a real test of the mettle of these troops. It was a test that they failed miserably. As lightning flashed overhead, the Poles wheeled as one and fled the field.
The battle for Franconia had proved a dreadful miscalculation for Wladyslaw. 1,874 of his men lay dead. 218 had been taken prisoner, and he had not the gold with which to secure their release. The pride of his armies in the west had been cruelly snuffed out, and all for the loss of a paltry 196 Englishmen.
It would be a long time indeed, before Poland could again hope to threaten England….and more of a concern for Wladyslaw was that his armies in the west were now so severely depleted, that he was now almost completely at the mercy of the English.
In early 1365, word arrives at court that the Italian Doge has succumbed to a fever. Henry had already received word from his agents in Sardinia that the Doge had fallen into a deep depression after suffering two successive defeats in Sicily, and had taken his own life rather than face a revolt from his own generals. Whatever the true cause of death, the Doge perished without leaving an heir. With no rightful claimant to the Italian throne, the Italian kingdom disappears once more into the pages of history.

caravel

02-05-2007, 11:47

@Caravel: So where exactly are you on the map now? Do you have the original Byz lands along with Italy?
I have all of Italy except Milan and Genoa, all of the Byzantine, Turks' and Egyptians' lands except for Arabia, Sinai and Egypt. And also Khazar, Sardinia and Corsica. All of these provinces are well developed. I am planning to hold out for a few years once I've wiped the Sicilians and Italians and Fatimids from the map. I want to fight both a Papal re-emergence and the Mongols of course. I've restricted myself to only four units of Varangian Guards, which I'm trying to valour up through battle. Screenshot coming up soon. :2thumbsup:

naut

02-05-2007, 12:48

Excellent campaigns guys, I have to get back to MTW when I have time.

King Kurt

02-05-2007, 14:55

@King Kurt: Awesome, man. It's fun to read an AAR where the author so clearly relishes the campaign they're playing. :yes: What year is it in your game, by the way? Sounds like you own around 1/3 of the map or therabouts, and I'm curious as to how rapid your expansion has been.
Martok

Sorry about the delay in replying - all my family including myself decided to get flu last week, so I haven't been near a computer until today!!

It is currently 1308 and I started in 1205 ( I am playing a High campaign)

My empire stetches from Cyrenacia through to Wales and Mercia in the north, round to Denmark, then down to Venice via Bavaria. The only other part of Italy I own is Milan - I had owned all of Italy until the Pope cameback in 3 provinces big time. He now owns all of Italy and Sicily - but not for long!! I am gathering large forces in Venice and Milan with a view to sweep him down the peninsula and bottle him up in Sicily. I even have a Jihad from Switzerland coming to help out!! As for the rest of Western Europe, the only bit I don't own is Navarre where the remnants of Spain have been sitting for about 80 years. This prevents reemergancies and makes the region a hot bed of diplomatic activity with hordes of princesses etc all scurrying about doing nothing.
In many ways, I am sure a lot of my sucess has been due to the fact that the Eggies have left me alone. I have kept a resonable garrison in numbers, but not quality - peasants and saharian cav - in Cyrenacia and this has kept them at bay. They seem to have been at war with the Turks for a long time and I am sure both have had civil wars as there seems to be a lot of rebels about in the middle east. The Turks are a long term ally, but of no use. Mind you, I haven't helped them either.
I will sort out the Pope, tidy up the edges and call it a day I think - I have XL ready to load and want to give it a go - but it has been a lot of fun. My campaigns take ages to play as I do not get a lot of time to actually play - normally about 2 hours a week - but this does mean that I get a lot of time to think and plan - and ask questions on this board!! - all of which helps my campaigns to turn out well.
Finally, when I get to have a go with XL, any recomended factions to try??:2thumbsup:

Innocentius

02-05-2007, 18:49

Finally, when I get to have a go with XL, any recomended factions to try??:2thumbsup:

Try the smaller factions. Serbia, Bulgaria, Scotland, Ireland etc etc.

I actually inherited my first lands ever today! When my king died I gained both Franconia and Swabia for some reason:2thumbsup: I'll give you the write up tomorrow I think, I've made som serious progress anyhow.

Martok

02-06-2007, 00:11

Awesome as usual, bamff. ~:cheers:

@Caravel: Only four units of VG's? Wow, you're a lot braver/more confident than I am then! Overpowered they may be, but I still generally employ more of them than that. I actually try and match up Varangian units 1-on-1 with royals. So if I have the Emperor, 3 princes, and 2 royal uncles, I'll have a total of 6 regiments of Guards on active duty, etc. When a royal dies, I'll station the "extra" VG unit in Constantinople until another royal comes of age.

Sorry about the delay in replying - all my family including myself decided to get flu last week, so I haven't been near a computer until today!!
Ugh. You have my sympathies, bud. I *hate* being sick! :no:

In many ways, I am sure a lot of my sucess has been due to the fact that the Eggies have left me alone.
The success of the Almos and Eggies often seems to depend on what the other does. Neither faction ever seems to make nice with the other, yet they generally don't backstab each other either. Most likely this is because they have enemies enough on their other front(s) - the Spanish/Aragonese and Byz/Turks, respectively - to bother tangling with each other. Still, when those two factions *do* go to war, it's always interesting when it happens!

Finally, when I get to have a go with XL, any recomended factions to try??:2thumbsup:
I, like Innocentius, also urge you to try the smaller factions. The Bohemians, Portuguese, and Scots are my particular favorites, and the Scandanavian factions are always enjoyable as well. If you want a major challenge, then play as the Armenians or Irish -- the success of those guys seem to depend on luck as much as anything else! :sweatdrop:

Innocentius

02-06-2007, 18:54

First I'd just like to correct myself, it was Franconia and Bavaria that I "inherited" (I'm still not quite sure how and when I recieved them, I was too busy with the eastern part of the map), not Swabia

The reign of King Inge III: 1310 - 1339 A.D.

Inge III of Sweden is indeed a great name in history, and name both feared and well-known during his lifetime. What drove him to the great deeds that he achieved is not known, but one thing is clear: Inge was a man who had great impact on all Europe during his lifetime.

King Inge had been preceded by two great kings; his grandfather Joar I, Hammer of the Danes and his father Karl I, who had been the one to finally complete the task laid upon the Swedish line of kings by its forefather Erik I, the king who had finally no only united Sweden, but defeated the Danes and united Scandinavia. Indeed, in the shadows of his great ancestors, it seemed like Inge would not be able to distinguish himself in the books of history. Just like had been the case when Joar I ascended on the throne, the people of Sweden greeted peace, but Inge was to prove them all wrong. Truly, Inge more than any other Swedish king before him (and perhaps after?) was to be remembered as a conqueror. In fact as the conqueror.
Being already 35 years of age as he ascended the throne, Inge was, like most Swedish kings when they were elected at the Stones of Mora, already a seasoned warrior. This was a tradition that each King of Sweden kept alive by allowing their sons to prove their valour and glory on the battlefield. Although indeed his brother Burislev had become better known as a great commander after his victory in Novgorod, Inge was indeed no newcomer to the art of warfare.
The conquest of Novgorod in 1290 had added the borders of Muscovy to the Swedish kingdom. At first, this had been were the pagan Lithuanians had dwelled, but soon they were driven out by even worse pagans, the Muslim Turks from far south. Inge wished - for some yet unknown reason - war and there was no better reason for war than to drive the hedonists out of these once Christian lands. Desiring war rather sooner than later, King Inge III in 1311 ordered his brother Burislev in Novgorod to drive the hedonists out of Muscovy, as they were weak at the moment. Prince Burislev was perhaps not as eager as his brother, but indeed saw the need for this assault. He duly summoned his army and marched for Muscovy in the spring of 1311 and the surprised Turks ran off without putting up a fight. This was the furthest away from home a Swedish army had ever been, and the furthest away from home any Swede - except for a few emissaries and spies - had been since the viking days. Burislev ordered his men to be gentle with the locals, to avoid a local uprising. This resulted in a minimal loot and very small tax incomes the first few years, but secured the loyalty of the people to their new masters from a distant land.
The Turks however would not just accept this, and themselves invaded Muscovy in 1312 in an attempt to reclaim it. Burislev, familiar with defending against cavalry heavy armies on relatively flat ground easily defeated them in a battle during the summer. We don't know much about this battle except that Turkish casualties were high while the Swedish casualties were modest at worst.
While this happened in the far east, King Inge had made preparations for participating in the war against the Turks himself. He had arrived in Vyborg in May 1311, and had there waited as regiment after regiment of Swedish troops arrived to him. The Swedish supremacy over the Baltic Sea made transportations very easy. This supremacy was however threatened in 1312 as a Turkish fleet entered the Baltic Sea. What a Turkish fleet was doing this far from home noone could figure, and it was easily defeated in a sea battle against the superior Swedish fleet outside Öland. In 1313, King Inge had gathered himself an entire army of fresh troops from all of Sweden, and marched for Smolensk from Novgorod. The recent battle in Muscovy had seriously depleted the Turkish forces, and being outnumbered they all fled south into Chernigov. Some remained though, and outlasted long sieges in their keeps and castles. The last fortification in Smolensk was not to fall to Inge untill 1315.
Meanwhile, in Saxony, the inquisitor Don Giacinto Piccolomini arrived from the Papal States. His name was soon to be hated as he brought with him religious fanatiscism and burned many innocents. He left soon enough, but was to return many times over the years, and his name would forever be remembered and hated by the people of Saxony. 1315 saw further happenings, as the Swedish emissary Inge Henriksson fell to the blade of an unknown assassin in Volhynia, were he recided all since he had signed an alliance with the Poles in 1299. Also, the Golden Horde returned from the east, again arriving in Khazar. Having been kicked out of Europe many years ago, they were now back to try their luck yet again.
Almost immediately after the fall of Smolensk in 1315, King Inge set out to continue his war. Reinforcements from Novgorod arrived in Smolensk to maintain the loyalty of the people, who were not pleased with the many wars and short-lived lords who had "ruled" their land since the downfall of Novgorod in 1298. Inge and his army marched for Chernigov, now isolated from the rest of the Turkish realm (itself being threatened by French crusaders by now). Prince Magnus, Inge's oldest son was left in charge of the reinforcements in Smolensk.
The last Turks set up their desperate defence as there was no retreat for them, the Mongols had cut off their contact with their homeland. Shot down by the Swedish arbalests and when they finally charged the Swedes to rid themselves of the pain of being under fire whilst not able to help it, the Turks were all slain. In a way, Inge here deployed very much the same tactic as his grandfather had in the Battle of Prussia. The Turkish army was destroyed, and Inge showed his seldomly seen kind side, and allowed the prisoners to walk free, only demaning from them an oath never to return to these lands (and of course a neat amount of money from their Sultan). Not long after this, the French invaded, defeated and killed the last Turkish Sultan in Armenia. Another ancient people had met their end.

The Battle of Chernigov
https://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6995/battle2qs9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Back home, the people of Pomerania starved badly in 1317, but otherwise the economy was doing well, and the money raised from raiding in the east had added seemingly endless amounts of both gold and silver to the Swedish treasury.
Inge was not yet finished with his already impressive conquests to the east however, as the conquest of Muscovy and Smolensk had brought him borders with another Muslim people, the Volga Bulgars. These stout steppe warriors had carved themselves a good kingdom here around the Volga, and they had - different from most other steppe people - successfully lived through the Mongol invasion from the east now so many years ago. Inge however paid no heed or respect to these stout warriors, and whatever that drove him, he declared war upon these horsemen as well and personally invaded their lands in Ryazan in 1321.

The Battle of Ryazan

The Battle of Ryazan is notable in two ways: first since it was the last battle in which King Inge participated, and secondly since this was the first time the Swedish knights were the key to victory. Their part in previous battles had always been minor.
The Volga-Bulgarian army, being the most cavalry heavy army the Swedes had ever faced proved more of a challenge to them then they perhaps had expected. In his usual manner, King Inge ordered his arbalests to move up to fire at the enemy untill they eventually broke or were forced to attack. He also sent his two regiments of Lithuanian turcopoles to flank the enemy. This proved to be a mistake however, as the turcopoles did not fire many arrows before the deadly steppe cavalry charged at them, out-paced them and engaged them in a melee which the badly armoured turcopoles could not win. They were decimated and chased off the battlefield.
The Swedish arbalesters however were more successful, and their tactic worked very well. Whenever the Bulgarian cavalry had had enough, they charged at the arbalesters who then retreated while the halberdiers behind them charged ahead and drove the horsemen away. This was repeated time after time untill Inge considered the enemy to be tired, weakened and disorganised enough. He then personally led his knights at full speed right into the lines of the Bulgarians who must have been surprised to find themselves beaten in their own game.
Disheartened by the death of their general the Bulgarians soon fled and were chased down in the lot. King Inge showed no mercy towards the captured and ordered them all to be executed on site.

https://img64.imageshack.us/img64/4894/battle3nh1.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The Volga-Bulgars were not entirely defeaten in Ryazan, and oppostion remained untill 1323, when the last to oppose Inge III finally met their end. After this, Inge now decided that he had seen enough war. He had won many great battles and had conquered vast areas and now he felt was the time to leave things to his sons, and he travelled home for Sweden and then onto Scania and Ystad where he spent the entire rest of his life. His brother Burislev and his sons Magnus and Erik were left as high commanders of the Swedish army to the east.
A short peace now followed, and the conquered lands were truly incorporated into the Swedish kingdom. Titles were given to able local nobles who could run the economy of these lands, and many buildings were erected to gain the popularity of the people in these lands.
Peace was fragile however, and fearing that the Volga-Bulgarians might regain enough strength to counterattack Prince Magnus planned to whipe out his enemies entirely. In 1327 he realised his plans.
As his own army marched into Volga-Bulgaria itself from the west in the summer of 1327, his uncle marched from the north with another great army. The both armies joined but it was decided that Magnus should lead the army, despite his uncle being more experienced than him.
Khan Ogadai III, a cruel man who just like his sworn enemy King Inge was known for not having much sympathy with prisoners captured in battle worried greatly as he realised an army twixe the size of his had entered his homelands, but he and his brave people decided to fight, despite their previous defeat.
Prince Magnus pretty much repeated the tactics used by his father in the Battle of Ryazan, but perhaps came a bit too confident in his numbers, for which many Swedes paid with their lives that day. Although suffering uneccessarily high losses, the Swedes won the day. The Volga-Bulgarians fought bravely and with such skill that Prince Burislev himself, always known as a skilled swordsman, was deeply impressed by their feriocity in battle. Nonetheless, there was nothing that could have saved the Bulgarians that day, and Khan Ogadai and the few remnants of his army retreated to their castle. Both Prince Magnus and Prince Burislev left Volga-Bulgaria soon after the battle though, and left the assault on the castle in which Ogadai hid to a yet untested general, Engelbrekt Björnsson. Engelbrekt succeeded in taking the castle, and Khan Ogadai and his last warriors with him. The Volga-Bulgarians were no more. For this victory, Engelbrekt Björnsson became noted as a decent commander and was granted the title Duke of Volga-Bulgaria for his efforts.

The Battle of Volga-Bulgaria
https://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7699/battle4qh3.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Many years of peace now came, welcome to the weary - but far from exhausted - Swedish kingdom, and King Inge was able to keep peace throughout the rest of his reign. What had lead him to his sudden change of mind remains unknown as well, but after the Battle of Ryazan in 1321 Inge himself took part in no wars. In 1333 Sune Magnusson, Duke of Livonia died out of age, and was missed by all the kingdom.
News reached King Inge in Ystad in 1334, that the King of France had been excommunicated by the Pope for his hostile actions towards his Catholic brethren in England. This caused mass rebellion and the French Empire, as it was now known, began to crack and crumble. It survived, but its glory days seemed to be over, and with the rebellions during the following years it looked like France would perhaps sease to be the dominant power of Europe.
A few other notable happenings during these last years or King Inge's rule are the famine in Ryazan of 1336 and the completion of a great fortress in Livonia the same year.
In 1338, Prince Knut married Princess Eleonore, daughter of Tancred I of the Holy Roman Empire. This lead to Sweden's easiest "conquest". Emperor Tancred died the very next year, and this caused a civil war in the Holy Roman Empire. Thanks to his marriage, Prince Knut was able to claim the lands of Franconia and Bavaria, who were incorporated into Sweden. But in 1339, King Inge III passed away as well.

Inge, a great man in life, although perhaps mad would indeed be remembered and all Swedish kings after him would proudly think of their ancestor just as he had done with Joar I. Inge was succeeded by his son Magnus, crowned king in Uppsala as King Magnus I, King of all Sweden.

King Magnus I:
https://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3404/magnusth7.th.png (https://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=magnusth7.png)

The Kingdom of Sweden in 1339:
https://img119.imageshack.us/img119/6892/campmapmf8.png (https://imageshack.us)

I know it doesn't look like it, but the French are very weak right now. Many of their greatest stacks turned rebel in the civil war, and they have lost a great deal of troops. They lost all of North Africa, and barely managed to reclaim it, and now the Elmos have reappeared in Marocco with four full stacks. Also I hope some faction will reappear in the Anatolian provinces, otherwise the English, Mongols, Eggies and Venetians are going to have to share. Castille-Léon is also coming back, and will hopefully drive the French out of Iberia.
Finally, there are English loyalists in Wales and Wessex with some two or three full stacks in each.

Martok

02-06-2007, 21:11

Excellent as usual, Innocentius! Truly, Inge was a great man. ~:cheers:

Innocentius

02-06-2007, 21:46

Excellent as usual, Innocentius! Truly, Inge was a great man. ~:cheers:

Thanks, Martok:bow: I tend to overrate my kings in the write-ups actually to give the text a more storylike touch (like if it was written during the national romatic era). Really, all my recent kings and princes have had terribly low acumen, something the Swedish scholars seem to have forgotten:juggle2:

My current plan is to make Georgia my southern border and settle there and make Volhynia and Levidia my southwestern borders, but as I suddenly gained Franconia and Bavaria I might "have" to change that and take all of eastern Europe instead. The only real opposition are the Russians, but once you get big enough you start acting like a steamroller so they shouldn't be a problem. When you're down to one province, you can afford one army. When you have 20 provinces but only 6 borders, you can afford 20 armies spread across 6 provinces...

bamff

02-07-2007, 00:20

I'll echo Martok's sentiments, Innocentius - great write up as usual!

Looking forward to the next chapter!

ChaosLord

02-07-2007, 05:34

After getting humbled by my attempt at a late Almohad campaign I started another game on hard, this time early Sicily. With limited routes for expansion I decided i'd expand my holdings at sea first and try to control my area of the mediterannaen. I trained up an army of Sicilian cavalary and muslim mercenaries while building ships to amass a fleet. Finally with my army trained and my fleets ready to sail I attacked the Italians.

I had a few losses but managed to completely eliminate the Italian fleet. With the fleet gone by army invaded Sardinia, then Corisca afterwards securing both islands. At this point the Pope apparently had no problem with my killing of fellow Italians since he was busy excommunicating the English and HRE. I might have pushed forward onto Genoa or Tuscany, but the Italians had been busy while I amassed a fleet and army.

They had been pushing into the godless HRE and built themselves a land empire rather then a sea one. So after I secured the islands and rebuilt my army I negotiated peace with the Italians, marrying one of their Princesses to my heir and signing a ceasefire. I figure in addition to getting peace it also makes any claims I have to these islands legitimate now. During all of this the rest of the Europe was not quiet of course.

Aragon fail to the forces of both Spain and Almohad, then the two fell on each other in a war that still continues. Denmark invaded England and got a good foothold, but then lost Denmark and Norway when Sweden backstabbed them. Sweden and Kievan Rus divied up the steppes with Poland grabbing most of the Baltic area. The HRE of course is no more, swallowed up mostly by Italy and Poland, with France and Sweden taking some slices.

Interestingly in the middle-east Turkey is already gone, crushed by Byzantium. The Byzantines now wage war against the Kievan Rus, competing for control of the black sea. The Egyptians still sit idle, so who knows what they're plotting. This is only by 1135, so I expect some faction re-emergences and civil wars to alter the balance of power. As to where I shall lead the Sicilian kingdom next, i'm not sure. I'd like to control all the island in the mediteraenen but that would need an increase in my fleet and the Byzantines and Egyptians to become engaged in a massive war (Byzantium owns two of the remaining islands, and Egypt the third).

Here is the picture of the current map: https://img247.imageshack.us/img247/686/sicily1135po8.jpg

bamff

02-07-2007, 07:56

Rake in those florins, ChaosLord! The opportunity for expansion will soon come!

Odin

02-07-2007, 14:58

Aragon fail to the forces of both Spain and Almohad, then the two fell on each other in a war that still continues. Denmark invaded England and got a good foothold, but then lost Denmark and Norway when Sweden backstabbed them. Sweden and Kievan Rus divied up the steppes with Poland grabbing most of the Baltic area. The HRE of course is no more, swallowed up mostly by Italy and Poland, with France and Sweden taking some slices.

Interestingly in the middle-east Turkey is already gone, crushed by Byzantium. The Byzantines now wage war against the Kievan Rus, competing for control of the black sea. The Egyptians still sit idle, so who knows what they're plotting. This is only by 1135, so I expect some faction re-emergences and civil wars to alter the balance of power. As to where I shall lead the Sicilian kingdom next, i'm not sure. I'd like to control all the island in the mediteraenen but that would need an increase in my fleet and the Byzantines and Egyptians to become engaged in a massive war (Byzantium owns two of the remaining islands, and Egypt the third).

Here is the picture of the current map: https://img247.imageshack.us/img247/686/sicily1135po8.jpg

I found your game to be pretty intresting, have a look at sweden ! I havent seen them perfrom that well in a long time. Not only that but the Pole look like they may actually be able to push east as well.

Nice little game you have going here...

Martok

02-08-2007, 01:04

Nice, ChaosLord! :thumbsup: What mod are you playing, by the way? Is it one of your own creation?

caravel

02-08-2007, 10:22

It looks like medmod. Nice campaign. :bow:

King Kurt

02-08-2007, 17:02

The continuing saga of King Kurt's great Almo adventure!!

SILVERWING

The small group of horsemen trotted quietly down the winding road through the almond glades. Several had magnificent birds of prey on their arms, sitting, brooding with jeweled hoods over their heads. Slightly to the front of the group rode a single rider, tall, upright in the saddle. Caliph Yusef was deep in thought. It had been a magnificent day's hawking but his mind was troubled with a malaise. Something was bothering him. In truth something had been bothering him for some months, but he could not put his finger on it. From all appearances, all seemed well with the world. His empire now spread from Cyrenacia in the south to the misty realms of Scotland in the north. Scandanavia had recently been added in a brilliant campaign of diplomacy and war. More importantly, 2 mighty armies had gathered in Milian and Venice under the leadership of 2 of his sons - both skilled and brave generals. These armies had swept down the Italian peninsula, driving the Pope's armies before them so that now the Pope cowered on the island of Sicily, awaiting the inevitable end to his corrupt regieme. The royal coffers were full and the Alims of the Muslim world all aclaimed him as the Sword of Islam. But yet something knawed at the back of his mind. In his early 50's, he was in the prime of his life and at the pinnacle of his power - power which surpassed by a long way the achievments of his ancestors, but, somehow he felt incomplete.
The party turned the corner and the road to Algiers opened up before them. The yellow, orange light of the setting sun played on the turrets of the mighty citadel perched above the sprawling city. The smell of the souk, that labyrinth surrounding the castle walls, assaulted their nostrils, replacing the sweet smell of the almond trees. Yusef stirred in his saddle. His mind turned to a strange incident from the hunt. For the first time in a long time, Yusef had allowed Siverwing, his favourite hawk to be part of the hunt. Siverwing normaly lived in Yusef's appartment, a distraction from affairs of state for his master whenever they weighed heavy. Initially, during the hunt, Silverwing had not hunted well, his timing out, often missing the prey all together. From his retinue, the gentle mocking that his favourite hawk had gone soft with palace living had been quoshed with a withering stare from Yusef. Then a wild hawk had appeared from nowhere and a fierce mid air battle had ensued. First of all Silverwing appeared at a disadvantage, but a sudden cunning move had enabled him to pounce and a swift blow had smote the wild bird to the ground. Silverwing had returned to Yusef's arm, his beak flecked with blood and an urgent look in his eye. Come the next bird, Silverwing had lept from Yusef's arm and hunted down the unfortunate bird with a cool, cynical swiftness. For the rest of the hunt Silverwing was the star of the show, ending with the best score of all the birds, many of who were youger than him. Yusef was pleased, but it didn't cure his black mood.

Later that evening, Yusef is disturbed by a messenger while resting in his private chambers.
" My Lord, pardon my intrusion at such an hour, but we have just recieved word that the Spanish have invaded Castile"
Yusef could hardly belief his ears. The Spanish had been bottled up in Navarre for 80 years, weakened by years of inactivity and the smallness of their kingdom. Now they had the audacity to strike at the mightest military force the world had every seen.
"But surely the army of Iberia has dealt with this insect bite." stormed Yusef.
The courtier went deep red and averted his eyes. "Sire, the army of Iberia has been stripped of units for war in Italy. Only skeleton forces remain across the peninsula."
"Then call my generals, we must plan what to do. Have them join me in the Star Chamber within the hour. Now leave me. I must think"
The courtier scurried out the room. Yusef turned and walked to the window. The cool evening air rippled the hangings that kept the night insects at bay sending a chill across his brow. What to do - where would he find some troops to teach this Spanish upstart a lesson? Silverwing suddenly screeched behind him and beat his wings. It was if the scales fell from his eyes - his malaise lifted, the solution was obvious. He strode across the room and lifted his sword from its position of honour above the shrine to his family in the corner of his bed chamber.
An hour later the babel of voices from the gathered generals was shattered by their stunned silence as Yusef burst into the room. He was in full military armour, his helmet topped with a small circlet of gold, the symbol of the Caliph of all the Alomhads. His face shone with radiant energy, alive with expectation. He spoke with a crisp, clear authority.
"Summon my guard and any troops available to sail on the dawn. Tomorrow we sail for Valencia. For too long have I lead a life of pampered luxury here in the palace. It is time to feel the wind on my face, a horse beneath me and my enemies' blood on my blade. Yusef, the sword of Islam rides forth!!"

Reflection
As you will recall, I was getting to the point of wondering how to bring this campaign to an end. I was the biggest military power and have the biggest income which means that the end is inevitable. I had just intended to sort out the Pope and call it a day. I had been a bit frustrated as I had been autocalcing the battles for some time - virtually all were so in my favour that it didn't seem worth fighting. Then this Spanish attack presented me with an opportunity. I am short of forces in Spain as most went to Italy as part of the armies to crush the Pope. This whole area is well behind my front lines, so not much is near, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to use my leader with a scratch force to take on the small Spanish force and fight it out myself - a nice finish to an excellent campaign. So look out in a week or 2 for the final episode of King Kurt's Almo adventure!!

Martok

02-08-2007, 20:00

It looks like medmod. Nice campaign. :bow:
Doh! Yeah, that would makes sense. :dunce: Thanks, Caravel.

@King Kurt: I have to say, I thoroughly enjoy the third-person narrative style you've been using in your Almohad campaign; it really ups the immersion factor. :2thumbsup: It will indeed be bittersweet reading the final installment, following your campaign as long as we have. Still, I'm definitely looking forward to reading of Yusef's final glorious battle!

ChaosLord

02-08-2007, 23:40

Yes its the MedMod 3.14, I would use 4.07 but I don't feel like running into bugs/incomplete stuff. The Swedes suprised me as well, I thought they would die off after getting excommunicated but the Pope died only a couple years later saving them.

Anyway I resumed my game, waiting for a good opportunity to expand my empire again. The first chance would come with the Egyptian Sultan died without any heirs. I mobilized my army as fast as I could and took the now rebel-held island of Rhodes. With Rhodes secured I sailed back to Sicily and watched as the Byzantines descended on the lands of Egypt, taking a few provinces before the Turkish re-emerged.

Fortunately for the Byzantines they did it in rebel-held lands only, saving them from war. Turkey gobbled up the desert while the Byzantines took Egypt itself and other spots along the coast. During this time the Danish King also died without heirs after managing to hold off the Swedish hordes in Northern England. After that the Italians made what looks like will be their fatal mistake, they conquered the Papacy.

With the Pope gone and myself as their ally the Italians waged war in central Europe, nearly wiping out the Polish and keeping the Hungarians on the edge of defeat. While this was going on the Byzantines and Kievan Rus continued their never ending war, trading capitols and throwing large armies around. The Almohads also finally overwhelmed the Spanish, but stopped their advance out of the pennisula due to the presence of Italian and French armies on the border.

With the Pope in exile I considered it my duty as a faithful Catholic to preach the faith, so I passed the time by commisioning five Inquisitors and burning various Italian generals at the stake. After I managed to get two of the Inquisitors assasinated and two others up to three valour the Pope re-emerged in Rome. He led an army mainly consisting of dismounted Knights and the Italian armies in Italy were crushed.

They lost Rome, then the Papal States and Tuscany quickly, but the Papacys advance lost faltered when they tried for Venice. The Pope pulled back lick his wounds but the damage was already done. The Swedes and Almohads smelled blood and pushed into the Italian territory. Seeing my own chance I gathered my forces and struck before I had to worry about fighting either of them for control of Italy.

The Italians put on a brave show in Genoa, defending their castle there with only a single unit of Italian Light Infantry but managing to kill nearly five-hundred soldiers at the gates. Luckily half of them were mercs not all Sicilians. With Genoa held I advanced through to Milan where they choose to abandon the castle, then once more Venice itself. They abandoned it again and the Pope apparently decided he didn't like the idea of a Sicilian Italy.

He actually warned me to stop attacking the godless Italians he himself was at war with. Perhaps he simply disproves of the current King of Sicily, King Allan the I. A man known for his perversions yet oddly fervent practices, to make matters worse his bride is a Turkish Princess. With the Turks holding onto Palestine and the Holy City of Jerusalem the Pope must associate his dislike of them with the Sicilian ruler.

Aside from the other things I mentioned the French and English have also been at war, but neither can gain ground versus the other. This brings things up to date, at the current year of 1175. I think i'll leave the Italians alone for now, as they'll likely fall to the combined forces of Sweden, Poland, and Hungary anyway. My biggest threat at the moment is likely the Almohads now that I have a land border with them.

In a war i'd be looking at losing most or all of my trade income due to their massive fleet. I'm hoping they decide to attack France, or at least the Byzantines. Anything to spare my network i've built up. But in preparation for the event i'm increasing the size of my navy and making sure I don't rely too much on my trade income. If i'm lucky, the Spanish and Aragonese will re-emerge and ruin the Almohad empire for me.

Picture of the world as it is in 1175: https://img473.imageshack.us/img473/51/sicily1175ty5.jpg

The Unknown Guy

02-09-2007, 10:11

I´m currently faring poorly in my Al-Andalus campaign. Despite six consecutive huge victories against the egyptians in Cyrenaica, they finally brought around an army that put me down. Facing that loss, and lacking any border protection until reaching Morocco, I decided to put up a scortched earth campaign, and destroy the basic infrastructure in Sahara and Tunisia, which I thought to be on the verge of being overrun. Curiously enough, the egyptians are staying at Cyrenaica, despite the fact I´m not moving from Morocco and am receiving spy reports about mobilizations.

The ones who DID attack, however, were my castilian "allies", who made a foolhardy charge into Cordoba from VALENCIA (meaning a river battle). Thanks to four regular archer units, two crossbowmen, my muratibin foot soldiers, and some leftover artillery from a former jihad, I was able to deal catastrophical damage to their army. In fact, when they charged headlong into the bridge for some reason, I used the second one to slip up a division of ghulam bodyguards and crush their archers (pretty much at the same time a catapult killed the king and set their whole army routing. Note to self: I´m getting many of these "Monty Python" effects lately) I have launched my mostly intact army into a razia attack against Castile, and have burned Toledo to the ground (to the relief of my strained coffers)

Now I need to figure a way to wipe out the remnants of Castile in Spain (They didnt expand against me, they fared against the french and brittons, and with a lot of success. They are around Normandy or so), and wipe out Aragon while I´m at it (they´re crippled anyway, and would most likely attempt some kind of suicide but damaging attack against my lands). THEN I would start moving from my Morocco stronghold towards egypt.

Geezer57

02-09-2007, 15:58

Yes its the MedMod 3.14, I would use 4.07 but I don't feel like running into bugs/incomplete stuff.

Don't let the "beta" status hold you back - 4.07 is remarkably stable (I haven't had a single "quirk" show up in my current MedMod campaign - now 100+ years in) and a solid piece of work.

Heartily recommended. :2thumbsup:

Deus ret.

02-09-2007, 16:51

Don't let the "beta" status hold you back - 4.07 is remarkably stable (I haven't had a single "quirk" show up in my current MedMod campaign - now 100+ years in) and a solid piece of work.

Yep, I never had an 'unusual' crash with this mod (unusual in the sense that it definitely wouldn't have occured without MedMod). The only downside to 4.07 is that it lacks the High period....my favourite starting time ~:( but apart from that it's highly recommendable.

Martok

02-09-2007, 20:36

Well done, ChaosLord! I wish you luck and success against the Almos if it comes down to a fight. In the meantime, however, I too will cross my fingers that they decide to go after the French instead. There's nothing like getting the chance to "liberate" Catholic lands in the name of Christianity. ~D

@The Unknown Guy: Sorry your campaign isn't going so well at the moment. Perhaps when you're done taking over Iberia, it will be time for a Jihad against the Eggies! :charge:

Innocentius

02-11-2007, 01:14

Great campaigns everyone~:cheers:

The reign of King Magnus I the Bitter: 1339 - 1359 A.D.

As King Magnus ascended the throne he was already 42 years of age, and had spent his entire youth fighting in the east with his father and later on on his own. He was well-known as the great victor at the Battle of Volga-Bulgaria, but had immediately after said battle traveled home, never to return to the east. No one really knew what had heppened in the battle, but it had indeed changed Magnus forever, and he did never participate in battle afterwards. As he grew older he grew bitter, and by the end, his only joy was his many sons and daughters whom he often visited or had them visit him, when speaking of that, one must also consider that his many meetings with his children might have been caused by Magnus' inability to read and write, thus preventing him from corresponding with them. Indeed he was (or at least had been) a man of war, and not of great knowledge. His warlike mind which he had inherited from his ancestors passed on to his children, and it was often noted - and ridiculed - by the scholars of other countries that the fearful Swedes had a line of kings who were more than able on the battlefield and with sword in hand, but could hardly count to ten. Whatever caused Magnus' bitter behaviour and silent yet irritable manner, he was to continue the wars in the east started by his father.

Magnus' first action as King however was to administrate the dealing out of provincial and official titles in the lands recently conquered by Sweden. In the east, he continued his father's way of giving the titles to able-minded locals, to gain the support of the population and in the lands of Franconia and Bavaria, incorporated within Sweden thanks to the marriage of his younger brother Knut, titles were distributed in the same way.
In 1341, pleasant news reached Magnus in Stockholm as he was told that yet another mass-rebellion undermined the power of the French "Empire". The distant lands of Marocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Cyrenaica now fell to the muslim heathens known as the Almohads and in Iberia the Spanish and the Aragonese split the lands between themselves, driving the French out for good.
Then King Magnus sat back and watched as his main rival slowly was torn apart by civil wars and rebellions. Things on the eastern fron did not stir untill 1344, when massive actions were undertaken however. Prince Knut had been sent with orders from his brother the King, and as he arrived months later, he quickly instucted the other generals in these lands and sent messengers to Lord Sverkersson in Ryazan.
Almost a hundred years ago, when the Mongols of the Golden Horde first appeared on the plains of eastern Europe, it came as a schock to all the nearby kingdoms. These happenings had not bothered the Swedish however. Ultimately, the Golden Horde had failed in their attempt to conquer Europe, and had actually been driven back to where they came from, but had later returned and taken Khazar and Lesser Khazar. The Volga-Bulgarians, another stout steppe people had withstood both these invaisons, but had in the end been destroyed by other conquerors from distant lands, namely the Swedes. And now, the Swedes, striving to drive the pagans out for good finally attacked the Mongols.
Lord Sverkersson marched with his army into Lesser Khazar and Pirnce Knut into Khazar, where the Khan himself recided. In Lesser Khazar, the poor Mongols tried to fight the Lord Sverkersson, believing that the bridge that they held would stop their foes. They were wrong however, and they were slaughtered in the hundreds, while it is said that Swedish casualties could be counted on one hand. Hearing of the disastrous defeat in Lesser Khazar, the Khan in Khazar took his men and fled, and once again the Mongols had left Europe. Perhaps for good.
In Lesser Khazar, some steppe nomads who refused to submit to the Swedish continued the fight instead of their previous masters and covered in their pathetic wooden fortifications. Within less than a year after the battle, Lord Sverkersson and his men had stormed and burnt every fort there was. In Khazar however, the response to these new rulers of a different faith was much stronger, and a great young man named Tarkhan Barjik gathered his people and they mounted their horses and rode out as the great cavalry of the past Khwarezmian Empire. Little did this Tarkhan realise that his tactics were as dead as Khwarazm was and he was to meet his end in

The Battle of Khazar - 1345

At first Prince Knut was worried by the size of the uprising, and as he was badly outnumbered, he sent his quickest turcopoles to Volga-Bulgaria, urging Engelbrekt Björnsson to rush to his aide. Engelbrekt did this with great haste, and arrived in time to meet the enemy.
Prince Knut knew these lands were plains, and that finding fit ground would be tough. Instead, he remembered how he had read of the tactics used by Prince Burislev in the battle of Novgorod, now so long ago. As Burislev had done, Knut made good use of the scarse forests in these lands, and deployed his army between two small forests, with men hiding in the forests should the enemy try to outflank him.
When Tarkhan Barjik arrived with his force, he laughed. "Is this the force that scared the Khan off? He must have been a cowardly man!" he said, as he considered his cavalry more than capable of riding some infantry down. Had he studied the Swedish wars against Volga-Bulgaria he might have thought differently.
The deployment of troops:
https://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9849/wegwegcn2.png (https://imageshack.us)
The two armies facing each other:
https://img145.imageshack.us/img145/276/battle1jl8.th.jpg (https://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=battle1jl8.jpg)

Tarkhan's cavalry slowly moved up towards Knut's line and soon found themselves fired at by the Swedish arbalests in the centre. Impatient as he was, Tarkhan could not handle this fire for long, and quickly charged the Swedish arbalests in the centre. At first, he met success. Prince Knut underestimated the speed of this charge, and many arbalesters paid with their lives, but the tide soon turned.
As the arbalesters withdrew, the halberdiers behind them charged at the attacking cavalry while the halberdiers on the flanks formed a cemi-circular formation around the pagans. At the give signal, these men too charged into the flanks of the pagans who were already surprised to see their charge stopped dead by mere infantry. Now Prince Knut and his cavalry moved up on the Swedish left flank, and as the tired pagan infantry came running to the aid of their brothers who were trapped in a sea of pointy halberds, they charged. Realising all was lost, Tarkhan desperately fought himself out of the encirclement of enemies, only to be spotted and followed by Prince Knut himself. The rest of the battle was left by the two generals as one pursued the other. Finally, realising his tired horses could flee no longer, Tarkhan stopped and turned to face his adversary, only to be impaled by Knut's own lance. Knut and his bodyguard quickly slew the rest of Tarkhan's bodyguard and then returned to chase down even more of the fleeing pagans. No greater victory had the Swedish kingdom won before.
All the captured pagans were executed, and the few who escaped that day did never again have the courage to fight the Swedish.

https://img175.imageshack.us/img175/5551/battle2xl4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The celebration of this great victory lasted for weeks and spread throughout the entire Kingdom, but despite all the great deeds, despite all the wars fought against the pagans and heathens, God still sent his punishment to the world. During the years 1346 - 1350 a great plague swept across all of Europe killing men, women and children alike. This hampered the expansion of Sweden for several years as there were no one left to move the plough that fed them who survived this plague. Nonetheless, it was during these dark years that the princes Joar (named after his great ancestor) and Jon came of age (in 1348 and 1350 respectively).
In 1351, the Swedish expansion continued, but in a most unexpected direction. Georgia, the last lands held by the remnants of the French who had once held all of Anatolia was invade by Prince Knut from Khazar. The surprised Lord de Blois bravely faced the Swedes, but was killed and defeated in a swift battle, easily won by Prince Knut.

The Battle of Georgia
https://img250.imageshack.us/img250/5694/battle3kb2.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

No exact reason for this invasion is known, but it did indeed give the Swedish a very short and defendable border to the south, having only the thin strip of land between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to defend. Speaking of this, it was during this time that the first Swedish fleet ever - constructed in Lesser Khazar by the orders of Lord Sverkersson - entered the Black Sea. Sweden now controlled two seas.
The declaration of war against France lead to a lot of undesired trouble for King Magnus however. The French Kingdom had long since passed its heyday and had been in constand decline for decades now, but its fleet was yet unchallenged, and severly damaged the Swedish trading routes. Not that the Swedish coffers could not handle this, but it did decimate the income and a long naval war began that would not be finished within the lifespan of King Magnus. His position was further complicated by a warning from Pope Anselmo I in 1353. Facing excommunication, King Magnus could not take the offensive on the French, and was restricted to defensive warfare. Anyway, the French bit by bit lost their own homelands to the expansionist states of Castille-Léon and the Crown of Aragon.
Now two famines hit the Kingdom of Sweden. First in Bavaria in 1356 and then in Scania in 1357. Perhaps a punishment from God. Whatever it was, it hurt the Swedish economy even more and the people suffered greatly. During these relatively peaceful years (except from at sea) King Magnus I spent a lot of time in establishing dioceses and constructing churches in the once pagan lands to the east, and many bishops were appointed.

King Magnus was now an old man, having already "celebrated" his 60th birthday. He was more bitter than ever and was badly gout-ridden. This was not the time to deny him anything, something that the poor Prince Yuri II of the Kievans did not realise.
In 1358, King Magnus offered his daughter Ingegerd to the unmarried Yuri II who declined. Just the year after however, Yuri married a French princess. Aggrieved with the never ending naval wars with France, this was too much for King Magnus. The Kievans were now the only potentionally dangerous neighbour to Sweden, and when they so openly prefered the princesses of France, an enemy of Sweden, that was simply too much. In 1359, a massive full-frontal war against the Kievans began and the power of the Swedish armies showed off very well.
Pereyaslavl was invaded by Bo Jonsson Grip, a talented general who had recently become famous. Kiev was invaded by Lord Henriksson from Lithuania, Volhynia was invaded by Lord Knutsson from Prussia and Levidia was invaded by Lord Sverkersson from Lesser Khazar. In all these lands, the Kievans fled, retreating to their fortifications. Not even in Kiev itself where the most numerous army was positioned was there a battle.

King Magnus was never to witness the outcome of this war however, as he died in December that year. He died out of old age, peacefully in his bed. So ended the life of one of Sweden's strangest, yet indeed most powerful kings. King Magnus I was succeeded by his son who became king as King Joar II of Sweden.

The Kingdom of Sweden in 1359:
https://img175.imageshack.us/img175/21/campmapih0.png (https://imageshack.us)

King Joar II:
https://img175.imageshack.us/img175/2198/kjoar1ve0.th.png (https://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kjoar1ve0.png)

ChaosLord

02-11-2007, 08:08

Is it just the High campaign setting thats missing, not units and such for High? If thats all, I will give 4.07 a shot. Also, nice looking campaing Innocentius. Interesting to see the Venetians/Italians ruling most of Byzantium. I think maybe your perfromance has spurred the Swedes in my game on, they just keep going.

It turns out I wouldn't have to worry about the Almohads, only a few years later they erupted into a civil war and while it was quickly put down it sparked re-emergences. The HRE re-emerged in Toulouse and Provence, while the Spanish re-emerged in Aquitane, Navarre, and Castile. This sparked about a decade of fierce fighting on the Iberian pennisula, but it ended with the Spanish being forced back to Aquitane and the HRE sitting in Toulouse/Provence still.

Meanwhile they Almohads also engaged in a war with Byzantium over North Africa and the Middle-East. This war is probably what led to Byzantiums downfall with a slow but steady string of defeats taking a heavy toll on their emperor. I might have tested my armies against the Almohads in this time but I had other problems. The Hungarians and French decided to split Northern Italy among themselves.

I had a French army invade Milan and a Hungarian army invade Venice the same year. It was the first real test for my field armies and they perfomed well crushing both attacks and sending two foreign Kings scurrying home. I might have expanded after delivering this defeat, but the Swedes just kept piling up on my border. They defeated the Italians and started building up troops. Theres about six thousand troops(normal unit sizes) at least along the border I have with them.

Frances vendetta with my Sicilian King would allow England to gain ground in their war finally, dealing them crucial defeats. These defeats combined with another failed invasion of Milan in 1204 and the ransoming of their King sparked a civil war. The Swedes busied themselves launching invasions of Spain, losing a few battles before finally gaining a foothold in Portugal.

The Kievian Rus and Byzantines continued their dance in the east, but ultimately what brought the Byzantines down was the Almohads, civil war, and the mad Emperor Alexius the II. No not angry, the guy was nuts. Too many wars on too many fronts, he even invaded Rhodes at the end of his reign losing Sicily as his next to last ally.

But as most of their armed forces turned rebel, the invasion was weak and repelled by Prince Alexander, who in 1205 is landing an army at Cyprus. Its likely Byzantium will finally fall unless the Almohads and Kievian Rus face signifigant defeats. Turkey is also looking unstable after losing most of their armies fighting off a French crusade. But with the French holdings in the middle-east now engulfed in the civil war they might come back.

At this point the main thing stopping my expansion are the Swedes, since they could sweep through northern Italy if its left lightly defended so I can wage war elsewhere. But i've nearly finished building Citadel's in each of the provinces which should allow me some time and leeway. I've also started building war galleys to augment my fleet for the eventual encounter with the Almohads.

My goal now is to crush their navy and then take Crete and northwest Africa, both held by the Almohads. First though i've to secure an alliance with Russia, the soon-to-be-king Prince Alexander has a Russian bride and i've never attacked the Kievan Rus so it shouldn't be too hard. Then i'll position defensive armies in northern Italy and attack the Almohads.

The world in 1205: https://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7898/sicily1205hh1.jpg

Deus ret.

02-11-2007, 11:55

Impressive map! Looks like Sweden is deemed to grow even stronger since the Kievans will soon be severly weakened or will even get crushed by the already looming Horde. Be sure to put a check on those Scandinavians before it's too late, their army is also more dangerous than the Almos' whose troops will soon be out-dated.

and yes, 4.07 only lacks the choice to start in High (well technically you can but it will soon CTD), if you reach 1205 all units etc. will appear correctly.

Yay, 300th post! :cheerleader: Wouldn't have thought that I'd have so much to say.....

ChaosLord

02-14-2007, 06:23

Alright i'll give 4.07 a try after I finish this campaign.

As for my game, lots has happened. The Byzantines did fall to the Russians, most of their former provinces going to them. A few went to the Almohads, but I still managed to take Cyprus like I wanted. Only one mediterranen isle remains out of Sicilian control now.

The years that followed the fall of Byzantium were naturally full of turmoil. The Spanish and HRE continued their war against the Almohads, helped somewhat by the Swedish coastal invasions. Unfortunately for the Spanish those same Swedes decided they were an easier target and got wiped out. The HRE managed to survive, but lost Toulose to the Almohads.

With the Spanish wiped out the HRE cowering the Almohads continued fighting the Swedes over control of Spain going back and forth over the years. During this time a succesive string of defeats or perhaps just greedy Princes led to another civil war. Provence, Tunisia, as well as a few other provinces went rebel. I invaded Tunisia and bought the independant muslim Kingdom of Provence(hah!) for around twenty thousand florins.

The Almohads decided not to try and reclaim these lands once they recovered from their rebellion, focusing instead to repel the Swedes from Spain. I was considering advancing further into the Almohad lands, but then Sweden had to break our long period of peace and invade Venice with around 2500 men. I had only one of my Princes there with a defensive army

The Swedes had counted on their numbers winning the day and had only a minor noble leading the army whereas Prince Adam was Sicilian royalty trained in the art of war. The Swedish army lacked archers and elite troops able to deal with the famed Sicilian Light Infantry (Ok, really Italian but you know..). The battle was brutal, and the Swedes might have won the day had they heart to continue the fight after the first advance was crushed.

With Venice safe for another year I quickly mobilized my forces, reinforcing Venice and preparing to assault Tyrolia. After a few years of preparation I marched on Tyrolia and the Swedes not expecting an invasion retreated. Once Tyrolia was secured I marched north into Swedish Bavaria. This time they choose to fight, and although I won in the end the battle saw most of my shock infantry killed or wounded. (977 Swedes killed, 319 captured, and 876 Sicilians killed)

I won the battle and held Bavaria under seige but could not hope to hold it versus a counter-attack from the neighboring Swedish provinces. So I was forced to retreat and rebuild my armies. In Eastern Europe things were quite different however, the famed Mongolian hordes riding out of asia and into the formidbale Kievan Rus. Many years of war would follow seeing Kiev and Constanstinople sacked a few times by either side.

Finally in the end the Russians beat the horde back, boxing them up in Carpathia. Their enormous supply of manpower and armies consisting of mostly spear-armed infantry and cavalry proved the perfect counter to the Mongols. Somewhere during all this I think the Swedes or Russians wiped out the Hungarians, then allowing the Italians to re-emerge as the King of Austria where they still rule.

The Hungarians not to be outdone re-emerged in Wallacha and Hungary, but all members of the royal family would be put to the sword again within a decade. Meanwhile in France and England the war continued, with England finally gaining the upper hand. Although England got excommunicated they pushed on and finally defeated the French.

With the French wiped out and an ally on my western border again I pushed into Bavaria with nearly four thousand men. The Swedes choose to retreat the citadel there but did not try to rescue it. So a couple years later Bavaria was mine, but I also had thousands of Swedes on its border keeping me company.

Unfortunately for the English during this time the Swedes decided that they wanted all of the isles not just Ireland and Scotland. Swedish armies would eventually take all of the island, and in the current year are besieging the last holdouts. They've also landed in parts of France but have been pushed out for the most part. Mainly due to their forces being kept in the area of Bohemia to stand guard against my armies in Bavaria.

The Almohads meanwhile finally kicked the Swedes out of Spain and are pushing into the parts of France now held by them. Things look grim for the English as its likely that even if they can beat the Swedes the Almohads will devour them. The wildcard now is of course the Russians. With the Mongol threat nearly gone they will be turning their eye west once more.

My goal now will be to focus on the war with the Swedes, which the Pope seems to approve on since he keeps granting me 1000 florins nearly every year. Its my hope that I can eventually drive up into Demark and take Sweden itself, splitting the beast in half. Of course, theres eight thousand troops on the Swedish-Sicilian border that don't want that to happen.

I'll also keep an eye on the Almohads, taking North Africa is still something I want to do.

The world in 1265: https://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2684/sicily1265ln4.jpg

Deus ret.

02-14-2007, 12:25

Impressive! So the Kievans actually defeated the horde single-handedly? Man what an empire! I've certainly never seen any Eastern faction grow THAT strong so short after the Mongol invasion (other than the Horde itself, that is). They even landed in Spain!

The Almos look somewhat damaged and should not be a real contender. Looks like one day the main battle will be fought between the mighty Swedes and the Kievans, on whom I'd keep a close eye if I were you. With so many rich provinces under their control they could become quite annoying, especially as they are your main trading partner, I suppose.

Martok

02-15-2007, 00:52

Wow, ChaosLord, that's a pretty topsy-turvy campaign you've got going there! I've never seen the Rus become a bonafide superpower like that -- in my games, they're almost always held in check by the Byz and/or Eggies. :dizzy2:

If you want a word of advice, I would maybe go after the Almos now. Your northern border is pretty defensible against the Swedes (since it's mostly hills and mountains), so you're fairly secure there. Meanwhile, the Caliph will continue to be distracted by his war against the Swedes/English, and may soon have to worry about his eastern lands as well, since they now border the powerful Kievans. If there was ever an ideal time to invade North Africa, then this is probably it. :yes:

ChaosLord

02-15-2007, 08:10

I thought the Russians would go down myself, the Mongols emerged with over twenty stacks of troops and decent generals. I think the thing that cost them the most men would probably have been the early sieges, then it was just a war of attrition versus the Russians they couldn't win I guess. I am waiting for Sweden and Russia to finally go to war, but i'm afraid of what huge empire might emerge from that war.

As for attacking the Almohads I have a few reasons not to. First off they're a trading partener and have a large fleet. Secondly i'd have to pull alot of troops off the Swedish front to do it, leaving me vulnerable. And lastly the Almohads have never attacked me this game, despite being unallied much of the time. Doesn't feel right backstabbing them just yet, I want to kill the backstabbing Swedes instead.

Caerfanan

02-16-2007, 14:43

You should really interfere with whatever could bring power to the Swedish, the Russians or the Almohads.... As you said, if whoever two of those three go to war against each other, the winner will be huge. And the golden horde has already been turn to bits...

ChaosLord

02-17-2007, 03:02

Not much I could do on that aside from killing the English myself or the Italians, in the end they fell too quickly anyway. But anway, to update the status of this game.

As I had planned I pushed north further into Swedish territory, taking both Bohemia and Franconia. I was going to push further in, but I didn't want to go too far in and get cut off. So I decided to take the advice here and go for the Almohads while they were busy chewing on the English. I accepted Swedens desperate plea for a cease fire(they asked me like three times in five years) then began moving my armies south to the coast while re-arranging my fleets.

During this time the Russians finished off the Mongols and decided to venture west rather then north or south. They took Serbia, then Austria quickly finishing off the Italians. A bit naively I assumed if anyone they would attack the Swedes and not me, but they invaded Venice with an army. I crushed the attack and found myself at war with the Russians.

With much of my army in Northern Italy I wasted no time reinforcing Venic eand counter-attacking by moving into Austria. Interestingly, this war was the trigger the Almohads and Swedes had been waiting for. Both attacked the Russians, even cutting off their retreat from Austria so I captured their army as it left.

That sadly was about the only good point of the war so far. My fleets in the east were unprepared to face the Russians and nearly all of them died in the first few years. The western fleets fared better, I was able to gather up nearly two stacks worth to try and fend off the Russians in my home waters. Naturally the Russians began invading after the demise of my eastern fleet, starting with Tunisia, Rhodes, and Cyprus.

Tunisia fell quickly but Rhodes and Cyprus managed to fight off the first seiges. Naples and Sicily also got invaded at various intervals, but were able to fight off the invaders. The Swedes and Almohads drove into Russia, making good headway intially then seemed to stall. The battle for control of my local waters didn't go too well.

I was able to sink most of their local fleets but more kept sailing in preventing me from helping Naples, Sicily, and Malta. They were able to land in Malta when I shuffled some ships around leaving a gap, and Naples is always open to invasion due to a full stack of Russian ships in the Aegean Sea. They did try to invade Venice as well, just this last year but I beat back the attack with over 1200 Russians killed, over 200 captured, but nearly 800 Sicilians lost.

Right now i'm weathering the war rather well all things considered, but at the rate my King is losing influence (down to three) I might be headed for a massive civil war. My armies are still mostly intact, they just have nowhere to go due to being cutoff from the seas. One nice thing I found was low loyalty among the Russian generals, with their own King being at three influence as well. They'll likely hit a civil war or if i'm lucky collapse completely.

I'll be able to survive anything but successive civil wars I think, the only question is what will happen once the Russians die. If the Almohads or Swedes decide to go after me it'll likely be the end of the great Sicilian empire.

The world in 1300: https://img201.imageshack.us/img201/8913/sicily1300uj4.jpg

Don't let the blue in Naples, Malta, Rhodes, and Cyprus fool you. I still hold all the castles there, just under seige at the moment.

Deus ret.

02-17-2007, 14:30

some serious action going on there, chaoslord. seems like your empire is put to a little test! but if the Russians are blocking the Aegean sea, can't you reinforce Sicily et al. via the Western route i.e. Genoa? or are there too many Russian ships around?

if their king is also weak on influence that's good news. hold out a few more years (and win a couple of battles) and, depending on how their war with the Almos and Swedish is going, I'm quite sure they'll collapse pretty soon. hopefully before the Swedes or Almos turn on you....

for some reason I don't see the map you posted in your last account. could you re-submit it? I'm an eager follower of your campaign :2thumbsup:

Innocentius

02-17-2007, 20:57

Great campaign, ChaosLord:2thumbsup: This will probably sound pretty bad, but I think a campaign gets more interesting with a few setbacks...Hopefully you'll recover and have your revenge though.

As for my Swedish campaing I'm beginning to loose interest in it. I have nearly conquered all the provinces I want, and all that there is left to do once that is done is to wait for 1453. Besides, my kingdom is now so big that everyone's ganging up on me, had unusually many battles lately. I'll post another episode within short.

ChaosLord

02-18-2007, 07:09

Deus ret: The Russians keep sending small (usually 1 ship) fleets into those waters. I kill them, they die but then more come from being sent the previous turn. Kind of annoying, since my fleets in those waters are overwhelming in comparison that I get blockaded. And here, try this direct link to the image: https://img201.imageshack.us/img201/8913/sicily1300uj4.jpg

Innocentius: It doesn't sound bad at all, I like campaigns like this. Its why I usually play at a slower pace and and don't just go crazy conquering my neighbors. Fun to let things develop and add a bit of flavor to things. Looking forward to seeing how your Swedes end up, but at the same time hoping the Swedes in my game collapse.

Deus ret.

02-18-2007, 14:47

hmm if the Russians keep annoying you with small fleets maybe you should shift the theatre of war to the Aegean sea, if you beat their stack there you can possibly prevent further ships from slipping through.

although as I understand it the problem is to overcome the sheer number of ships there....

Innocentius

02-18-2007, 22:32

I'll post another episode within short.

I'll take that back. Seems that I now have to fight at least two 1000+vs1000+ battles every fifth year now, this means I only play little by little. If only my king would die sometime...

bamff

02-19-2007, 01:25

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 13 – King Henry II Expands his Empire(1365 - 1380)
The Byzantine defenders of Dresden Castle in Saxony had held out valiantly, but by 1365, many had succumbed to starvation and disease, trapped like rats in the besieged fortress. With the fall of the castle to the crusading army, the last vestiges of resistance in Saxony crumble, and the province is returned to Catholic hands.
King Henry rejoices in the news that Saxony has been delivered into his control. He proclaims Lord Wulfstan as Elector of Saxony, and there is much rejoicing throughout the kingdom.
Meanwhile far to the south, Lord Roos lands in the formerly Italian province of Corsica. He and his small army have been charged with the responsibility of subduing the rebels that took control of the island upon the fall of the Italian kingdom. The rebel army, under the banner of Don Bagio Morosini, flee to the safety of Bastia Castle. Roos prepares himself for the coming siege.
With matters apparently in hand in Corsica, King Henry himself leads the English invasion of Sardinia. The leader of the Sardinians, Lord Prignano, has proclaimed himself as Guidice of Sardinia, and he now readies himself for the coming fray.
Even as Henry wades ashore, still further English armies are on the move. Sir Stephen Plantagenet leads an impressive force into Austria. For many long years now the Holy Roman Empire have refused all offers of peace. It is time to end their impudence. Plantagenet’s army does this emphatically, as the two armies come face to face just outside the gates of the town of Linz. Emperor Rainald II is captured, and two of his sons are among the 246 German dead that litter the field. A mere 71 English lives have been lost, and all looks well for England in Austria – until Pope Benedict IX intervenes.
With the threat of excommunication hanging heavily over the heads of both Henry, and his general, Sir Stephen Plantagenet, the English army withdraws in 1367. Emperor Rainald’s sole surviving son, Otto, turns the situation further to his own advantage. With both of his elder brothers slain at Linz, Otto refuses to pay for the release of his father. Plantagenet has no choice - with no ransome to be had for Rainald, there is no purpose in wasting either food or guard's wages on the former Emperor. Orders are duly despatched to the guards, and Rainald, in turn, is also despatched. With the untimely death of Rainald in an English dungeon, his machiavellian offspring is proclaimed Emperor Otto VII.
King Henry’s appetite for conquest is far from satiated. Having had his Austrian ambitions thwarted by the papacy, Henry now uses Rome to his advantage, as he secures a papal blessing for a crusade against the Byzantine province of Serbia. The crusaders duly sail from Palestine to Tuscany to commence their holy undertaking.
While still in a belligerent mood, King Henry II decides that now is the time to respond to a spate of recent Polish attacks on English shipping in northern waters. Granted not one of the Polish attacks had been successful, but the Polish aggression was enough to allow Henry to sway his court to declare war. English forces, which had long been massing on the borders, now flood into Pomerania, Brandenburg, Silesia, and Bohemia.
“Let us see if Wladyslaw is capable of fighting on 4 fronts at once.”, says Henry.
“His past performance has been that he cannot fight on just one front.”
In the face of this overwhelming English onslaught, the Polish forces withdraw. Those that are able to evade the English armies flee to the safety of Poland. For many, however, there is no escape. The Polish army loses thousands of its finest across the four provinces.
In 1369, Wladyslaw heads an army of 4,114 men into Pomerania, seeking to raise the siege of Milikinborg Castle. Lord Bolingbroke has but 2,165 men to meet the Polish counterattack. It proves to be too small and inexperienced an army to withstand the Poles. Inspired by Wladyslaw, and bolstered with massive numbers of knights, the Poles surround the English. Bolingbroke and over 470 of his men fall nobly on the field. With the death of the English general, and surrounded by the Poles, the surviving Englishmen revert to little more than a rabble, and they flee in complete disarray. Wladyslaw somewhat cheekily sends one of his captives to Wessex bearing a message inquiring "Which king was it that cannot fight on just one front?"
King Henry is incensed, and refuses to pay the ransom demanded for any of the men captured in the second battle of Milikinborg.
King Andras of Hungary seeks to take advantage of the Polish offensive, and leads a Hungarian army into Bohemia. He pays for this folly with his life. Whilst his army includes a truly impressive number of knights and szekely, any advantage that these cavalry might expect to take advantage of are severely reduced as they are forced to charge uphill into row upon row of Tyrolian pikemen, all the time under murderous arbalest and longbow fire. His army is utterly destroyed, and with it, the cream of Hungarian knighthood.
With the bulk of Wladyslaw’s Polish army still encamped in Pomerania, Henry orders his generals to strike at Poland itself. At the same time, a large English army marches into Pomerania to ensure that Wladyslaw remains occupied. Wladyslaw had already despatched part of his forces to Poland, and now finds himself in the unenviable position of having too few troops available in either province to mount a successful defence. Both Polish armies suffer terrible defeats, and the survivors flee to their strongholds to prepare themselves for the inevitable English sieges.
King Knud of Denmark commits the unthinkable in 1370, invading the strongly garrisoned English province of Sweden. The mere sight of the English forces on the far side of the field is more than enough for many of his men, who melt away before battle can be joined. Abandoned by so many of his followers, Knud himself turns back to Denmark.
His foolhardy gesture will cost him dearly over the ensuing years. As word of the Danish aggression against England reaches Rome, Pope Benedict denounces the Danish action, and revokes the Papal treaty with Denmark. The loss of Papal favour is indeed a blow to the Scandinavian kingdom, but there is far more that Knud must pay for his actions. In 1371, as the English forces sweep into Denmark from Sweden and Saxony, bent on vengeance, Knud loses both his kingdom and his life. Denmark is no more.
“Foolhardiness is indeed an epidemic across all of Europe.”, notes King Henry to his assembled court. “It seems to particularly affect the nobility these recent years.”
And indeed, King Henry does have a point, as evidenced by the suicidal invasion of Tyrolia by Otto IV of the Holy Roman Empire in 1371. The German forces are humbled by Sir Walter Basset’s men. Barely 1/3 of Otto’s total force of just over 300 men survive to escape back to Austria. Otto is ransomed back to his people for the princely sum of 11,170 florins.
Henry smiles grimly, noting to his Chancellor "It is as well for young Otto that his own son was too young to make the decision that he himself made only a few years ago."
With so much blood spilt across so much of Europe in these past few years, Henry longs for peace. He is also mindful of the possibility of Papal intervention on behalf of the Poles. More importantly, the Polish armies are now so substantially reduced, that they are unlikely to provide any credible threat for years to come. Henry orders his troops to withdraw from Poland and Pomerania in 1372.
The following year Beograd Castle in Serbia falls to the crusaders. The province of Serbia is delivered to the English.
In 1378, Pope Benedict grants Henry 1,000 florins for his services to Christianity, and peace settles across Europe...but for how long?

Martok

02-19-2007, 06:16

Terrific as always, Innocentius. Way to show those treacherous Danes and Poles what for! ~:cheers:

naut

02-19-2007, 11:31

Yey, bamff great read!

Damn cliff-hanger at the end! Gah.

Innocentius

02-19-2007, 13:02

Another terrific write-up bamff! The Germans and Danes sure got what they deserved:whip:

bamff

02-20-2007, 01:34

Thanks guys - I must admit that with it appearing more and more to be a "forgone conclusion", my enthusiasm for the campaign wanes further...hopefully this isn't too obvious in the written account!

I keep thinking ahead - not sure whether I try my hand at Aragon, or whether I install XL and have a go at one of the new factions there...

And in the meantime I am still trying to find time to install the Pocket Mod on another PC to play around with that!

Choices, choices......gah!

Innocentius

02-20-2007, 17:04

I keep thinking ahead - not sure whether I try my hand at Aragon, or whether I install XL and have a go at one of the new factions there...

Or, you could combine them and play as Aragon in XL:clown: The addition of the Portugese really balances out a thing or two in the Iberian.

bamff

02-21-2007, 04:15

Or, you could combine them and play as Aragon in XL:clown: The addition of the Portugese really balances out a thing or two in the Iberian.

What a great idea! :2thumbsup: Thank you, Innocentius, clearly I couldn't see the sand for all of those tiny rocks! I am determined to see this one through to the end first though - but now I can begin to plot beyond 1453....

King Kurt

02-22-2007, 16:29

By popular request - well I know Martok reads them!! - the final episode of King Kurt's Almo adventure.

SWAN SONG

Sparks flew from the fire as his servant raked the embers, Yusef pulled his cloak tighter around himself. What was he, a man of 59, doing in these cold forbidding mountains? - the camp fires in the middle distance reminded him. There, at the head of the valley, was the army of Phillipe, the Spanish king, patiently awaiting the dawn and the inevitable clash of the 2 old enemies. Yusef and his ancestors had been fighting the Spainards for 100's of years and tomorrow would be the latest in a long line of clashes. But tommorrow's would be different. Yusef's empire was at it's peak, stretching from the Sahara to Scandanavia, from Portugal to the Tyrol. All of western Europe was his - the Pope's armies had been smashed - the latest episode a desparate attack by the Pope on the plains of Naples had seen his son inflict a stinging defeat on the Holy father, leaving with a broken army sculking on the Island of Sicily.
In contrast, Spain appeared in terminal decline. Defeated back in the days of his grandfather, Spain had been reduced to the small mountainous area of Navarre for many years. But 3 years ago, taking advantage of a lessening of Yusef's forces in the Iberian peninsula, Phillipe had grabed the opportunity to grab Castile. Yusef had taken matters in hand, rushing to Valencia to gather an army to first lift the seige of Castile, then invade Navarre to finish the age old despute for ever.
Despite his apparent advantages, Yusef was worried. What if he were to loose tomorrow? His army outnumbered Phillipe's, but the Spanish army consisted of a great number of Royal knights, backed by some spears. In contrast, a large part of his army were raw militia - a considerable threat to the Spanish infantry, especially with their improved armour and fine Toledo steel swords, but the knights would go through them like a knife through butter. Yusef had some good cavalry in several regiments of Faris, but even they would struggle against the Royal Spanish houshold cavalry. Fortunate, good Algerian gold had hired some mercenaries to boost his army with English longbowmen, Bulgarian brigands, Italian and German spears and German mounted crossbowmen - but their loyality lie with their purses, not to Islam and the Caliph. Defeat could mean a growing Spanish uprising and his widespread empire breaking into civil war with his best and loyalest troops hundreds of leagues away.
His servant broke the silence to announce the arrival of his generals. Once gathered round the table, Yusef outlined his plan. The Spanish would be arrayed at the end of the valley, no doubt positioned on the slight rise, in front of the wood. The principle danger was from the knights who would be deployed near the spanish infantry. Yusef's plan was to advance along the valley floor with a solid line of infantry with his missles behind and 2 strong wings of cavalry. Yusef would be with the centre, while his son, Prince Mohamed, would lead the left wing cavalry. The plan was simple - pull the knights on to the infantry, shoot them up with missles, overwhelm them with numbers. Yusef turned to Lord Hawkwood, the hardened mercenary captain with his 2 bands of longbowmen. "My lord Hawkwood, your task tomorrow is simple - anything on a horse with armour, I want your longbowmen to pepper them with arrows, I will assign that cutthroat band of brigands to your command as well" Hawkwood smiled. "Thank you, sire - my men will not let you down. We have not forgotten the part Spain and those French dogs had in the demise of England's green and pleasant land. Tomorrow, we repay some old scores" The group quietly noted their positions and tasks then dispersed for a short, fit full sleep.
Come the dawn, the army deployed in the cold spring sunlight. In the distance stood the Spanish. Yusef cursed under his breath - the Spanish knights were mainly deployed on their right flank - his son would have a hot day today. Moreover, the infantry on his left wing were militia and the far more effective spears were on his right. Too late to do anything about, he ordered the advance. With a grim determination, the army approached the Spanish position in silence.
The armies clashed first on Yusef's left wing. His mounted crossbowmen skirmishing with the Spanish knights. The Spanish cavalry were pulled to their right and things looked grim for Prince Mohamed's command. Then a unit of knights crashed down the hill into the flank unit of militia. Hawkwood's archers made some pay, but the militia unit reeled at the impact of the armoured riders. The Spanish threatened to overwhelm Yusef's left wing as the two armies clashed into a general melee. The right wing of his army rushed round to engage and soon both armies were heavily committed. With the Spanish knights threatening to rout his left flank infantry, Prince Mohamed's bodyguard poured down the hill into the rear of the Spanish knights, stabilising the line at a critical time. A gap had opened in Yusef's line and a unit of knights fell on one of Hawkwood's longbow units. With the battle in the balance, the moment of drama had come. Yusef's right wing had nearly overwhelmed the Spanish infantry when Phillipe and his inner retinue charged down the hill to join the infantry melee. Hawkwood's archers not threatened by knights pepper the King's bodyguard with arrows, killing a third before they contact the infantry. Yusef saw his chance - "Come my brothers - the Sword of Islam strikes" Yusef spurred his charger and he and his bodyguard charge into the whirling melee, aimed straight for Phillipe's distinctive banner. As his horse sped across the valley floor he heard the roar of Hawkwood's longbowmen as they cast aside their bows, drew their axes and charged the unit of kights threatening the rear of Yusef's army.
As the two bodyguards clashed, Yusef suddenly found himself face to face with Phillipe, whose eyes burned with the hatred of hundreds of years of conflict. The Spainard swung his axe, shattering Yusef's shield, sending a wicked shard through the gap between his helmet and mail shirt. Phillipe's momentum took his torso past Yusef, who plunged his sword through the gap in the Spanish King's armour in his armpit. Yusef felt the sword bury deep into the chest of the Spanish King, then the sword was torn from his hand as it broke off in Phillipe's body cavity. Phillipe twisted in his saddle to face Yusef who watched the life force drain from the Spainish King's eyes before he slipped to the floor.
As Phillipe's banner fell, a roar erupted from Yusef's army. The Spainards waivered then broke, streaming back over the wooded hill to their rear. Yusef watched in grim satisfaction as the old enemy were scattered by his troops. His troops had paid a price - he had lost more men than Phillipe, but the Spanish royal household was smashed for ever.
For the rest of the year, Yusef rested quietly in the Spanish palace in Navarre, recovering from his wound. Come the winter, his physicians grew increasingly concerned about his health. In Febuary, some 9 months after his greatest victory, Yusef died peacefully with his family around him. So passed Yusef, the sword of Islam, the Alomad's greatest Caliph.

Reflection

So ends the Almo campaign - the battle was as written - it was Yusef's charge with his bodyguard that tipped the battle and killed the Spanish king. I played one more move and got the "leader of the Almos has died" message, so it seemed logical to end it there. I was well in front on GA points and had biggest army and biggest income messages reguarly, so the end was inevitable. The role playing has made it so much more fun - hope you have enjoyed it to.:2thumbsup:

Innocentius

02-22-2007, 18:52

What a fantastic write-up King Kurt! One of the best battle "reports" that I've read:2thumbsup:

Speaking of ending, I'm considering ending my Swedish campaign. Either the save is corrupt or it's just because there are too many troops around, but I always get CTD's when I try to personally command the battles when the Venetians invade Bavaria. I've won plenty of battles since my last write-up and my only remaining enemy that can really threat me are the Venetians, but it's no fun having to auto-calc all your most important battles.
Since I'm so stinking rich and powerful however, I face no real opposition. I will just probably play King Joar II to the end, and then settle with that. Playing through an additional 60 years (he should die by the end of the 14th century unless he gets unusually old) that will mainly consist of auto-calcing giga battles against Venice doesn't sound too appealing.

Martok

02-23-2007, 00:01

Much as I hate to copy Innocentius, "fantastic" really is the best word to describe your AAR, King Kurt. ~:cheers: That was a wonderful wrap-up to your campaign, and a fitting end for good old Yusef. I personally loved the bit with the English captain in command of the mercenary longbwomen and Bulgarian Brigands -- it definitely lent a nice personal touch.

Well done, Kurt! I feel privileged to have read such fine authorship as yours. :bow:

@Innocentius: Sorry to hear you're having CTD problems, man; I feel for ya. :sad: It's a pity since your Swedish campaign was really chugging along! Here's hoping Joar finishes out his reign in style. :yes:

bamff

02-23-2007, 00:03

I'll second that, King Kurt! What a fantastic write up - well done, sir!

I'll tell you now, Martok was certainly not your only avid reader - there were quite a few following the Almo Adventure, I'll wager.

Gee, first King Kurt's Almo Adventure, then Innocentius' Swedes coming to an end...I am really looking forward to your next campaigns, guys.

My English campaign may also have come to a premature end. Where the AI hordes of several nations have failed, a new foe may succeed - PC failure! At this stage I don't know if there was any Hard Drive damage, but the video card was well and truly fried :thumbsdown: ....I will find out the full extent of the damage later today...fingers crossed!

Martok

02-23-2007, 00:17

Good grief, not you too, bamff! Bad enough that my PC is shot -- I hate to think that it's somehow spreading.... :thumbsdown:

King Kurt

02-23-2007, 11:32

Thank you one and all for the kind comments - but in many ways MTW should share in those - the game provided the storyline - I just coloured in the details.
For example - I needed help to take on 150+ RKs/FKs - turn before the battle, the inn in Aragon - which has had nothing in it for ages - provides me with 2 longbow, 1 brigand, 1 italian infantry and 1 feudal sargents. The highpoint of the battle was the charge of the Spainish King - the AI sent him in to save his infantry which was about to be overwhelmed by my infantry centre/right wing. This gave my missles a couple of shots and there was a gap in the lines for Yusef and his bodyguard to charge through. When the 2 units clashed, the Spainish King's unit was down to one man - him!! - so it only seemed right for the 2 kings to clash and for Yusef to strike the critical blow.
The battle was excellent - very much in the balance until the death of the Spainish King which broke the whole army. I had taken more casualties - those RKs really chew up AUMs - so if Yusef had died, I probably would have broken instead.

Well - next up is install XL and try a new faction - watch this space!!:2thumbsup:

Caerfanan

02-23-2007, 11:59

That was AWESOME King Kurt

Man, the roleplaying part adds so much colour!!!

Congratulations.

Innocentius

02-23-2007, 19:42

So, at a long last, here comes the seventh and final episode of my Swedish (High XL, Normal) campaign. It's a slightly premature ending, but that is not at all a problem to me. I'm perfectly satisfied with this campaign, and I even got a lot further than I ever thought I would. And I never expected to achieve the total dominion-victory anyway. For those who are interested in reading the previous episodes they can be found here:

1 (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1386474&postcount=877), 2 (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1395745&postcount=883), 3 (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1406193&postcount=890), 4 (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1416156&postcount=905), 5 (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1418565&postcount=916), 6 (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1423796&postcount=932)

So, with that said, on to:

The reign of King Joar II, The Last King of Sweden: 1359 - 1398 A.D.

As Joar became king at the age of 27 in the year 1359 of our Lord he was not considered exactly the greatest of men to ascend to the throne of Sweden. He was rather young, inexperienced and there were rumours about him which claimed him to favour the company of young boys rather than that of women. There were never any evidence for these rumours however.
Many claimed Joar would indeed have been coddled and spoiled by growing up in the wealth and prosperity of his father's reign. That wild, barbaric touch of the Swedish was long since gone, and the kingdom of Sweden was now considered to not only be the most powerful of all, but also the be the richest and most technologically advanced. Growing up under such hospitable circumstances made nobody tough. King Joar II was to face plenty of wars during his reign however, and proved himself a worthy heir to the throne and a great warrior as well as strategist.

His father, Magnus I, had left him a mighty kingdom, yet a kingdom involved in many wars. A seemingly never-ending naval war stood between the Swedish fleets and the French. The Swedish were successful for the most part, but nonetheless these hostilities even on the seas seriously harmed Swedish trade.
Furthermore, a great campaign against the Orthodox kingdom of Kiev had been launched by his father the same year as he died. The lands of Pereyaslavl, Levidia, Volhynia, Levidia and Kiev itself were occupied by Swedish troops while the remaining Rus hid in their castles and fortified cities and towns. Only a few months passed before the russian Prince Andrei III in the old lands of the Poles launched several counter-attacks. In the early months of 1360 Kievan armies marched into Volhynia, Pomerania and Franconia.
These were not very well planned though, and by chosing to attack on all fronts instead of focusing on one the Kievan troops were spread to thin and all retreated facing the Swedish overmight.
Other troubles occupied Joar's mind as the foolish King of Hungary declared war against his Catholic brethren. The reason for this is unknown, and the Hungarians must have known that in the long run, they could never defeat the vast kingdom of Sweden. The war even began with the humiliating defeat of the Hungarian army that had marched into Bavaria. Its commander, Prince András himself was killed by a volley of Swedish bolts.
The First Battle of Bavaria
https://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6030/battle1he0.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Prince Andrei III was not idle though, and during the year his troops amassed in Moldavia, to finally launch a surprise attack against the Swedish forces under the command of Lord Sverkersson in Levidia. On December 8 1360 a massive russian army faced the badly outnumbered Swedish under Lord Sverkersson.
The day was long and bitter. The freezing wind cracked bowstrings and men froze to death long before the battle itself commensed. Not far off the battlefield, the wolves howled, already tasting blood. The Kievans and the Sweidh clashed time and again. Each time the russians broke and fled, reformed, awaited reinforcements and renewed their charge. No less than 18 charges were carried out by the huge russian army, but in the end they were utterly defeated and the few who could fled back to Moldavia to tell the tale of how the Devil gave the Swedish supernatural powers that day. That night, the wolves feasted.
The Battle of Levidia
https://img132.imageshack.us/img132/614/battle2jy7.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

This destruction of more than half of the total Kievan army was more than the kingdom could handle. Civil war broke out, and Prince Andrei found himself abandoned by his men. Only in Greater Poland did the loyalist forces remain.

But despite this glorious victory no rest was given to the Swedish as Prince Lázlo of Hungary invaded Bavaria - seeking to avenge his dead brother - in the spring of 1361. The brave Lord von Kniprode, the victor in the First Battle of Bavaria now saw faced an army so big it could not be defeated. Nonetheless he made his stand, this time without the advantage of defending a bridge.
Indeed, many Hungarians paid with their lives that day and Lázlo himself was shot to death just like his equally pathetic brother, but nontheless von Kniprode was so badly outnumbered he decided to retreat in the end. As he made haste to lead his army to the safety of the walls of Münich, he is reported to have said to his men: "We gave the Huns the field, but the day belonged to us!". Indeed, it was a pyrrhic victory for the Hungarians:
The Second Battle of Bavaria:
https://img87.imageshack.us/img87/6761/battle3rp2.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The surviving Hungarians marched to besiege Münich, but the siege did not last long. Soon enough reinforcements from Franconia arrived and the Hungarians, disheartened by the death of their leader, fled like whipped dogs before the approaching Swedes.
Finally, Sweden enjoyed a short period of peace. There was still great opposition in the former lands of the Kievan rus, but great news reached King Joar in 1363 as Kiev itself fell. No worse news could be imagined by Prince Andrei in Greater Poland. His capital had fallen, and hardly anything remained of his once so great kingdom. The remaining opposition in the provinces invaded in 1359 now fell quickly.
The final blow came in 1365 as King Joar II of Sweden himself commanded an army invading Greater Poland, mopping up what was left of the Kievans. Prince Andrei was killed and his army annihilated in a bloody battle.
The Battle of Greater Poland:
https://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9062/battle4mw9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Again, a short period of peace followed. King Joar was content, surely his enemies must have realised that their resistance and opposition was nothing but futile by now? All of Sweden now drew a breath of relief. The long wars were coming to an end at last. How wrong they were, for a last wave of massive conflicts had to be broken against the rock that was Sweden before it was all over.
In 1368, Sweden's southernmost lands, the lands of Georgia, suddenly found themselves invaded by a great army under the command of Prince Romanus of the Byzantine Empire. In truth, the Byzantine Empire was not much of an empire anymore and only held parts of Anatolia by this time. Its former capital Constantinople had long ago been conquered by the Venetians.
Prince Romanus however was a man who reminded of what Byzantium once was. He was one of the finest commanders in Europe it was said, and he was feared by all who knew warfare. Perhaps jealous of the expanding Swedes and seeing that his father's empire was nothing but a shadow of its former self he attempted to restore glory to the Byzantines by proving that they could defeat even these strange men from the north. In Lord Sverkersson he faced his equal though and the entire campaign ended in utter humilitation for Prince Romanus. Lord Sverkersson valiantly marched to meet Romanus' army on the battlefield, and positioned himself atop a steep hill. Romanus army arrived and the infamous Kathaphraktoi began to march back and forth in front of Lord Sverkersson's camping army while Romanus ordered scouts to be sent out to see if there was no way to outflank the Swedish.
There was no way however, and as he dared not a risk a frontal assault against such a well-positioned army Romanus reluctantly marched off and retreated back to Trezibond.
Romanus did not remain there for long however. His reputation and self esteem had been badly hurt by the humiliation. He therefore gathered his strenght in Trezibond and again invaded Georgia in the spring of 1369. Lord Sverkersson repeated the tactis used the previous year, but this time Romanus and his brothers (for many of Byzantium's finest princes had joined this campaign) charged straight ahead, regardless of the consequences. Like so many other great men before him, from Prince Mstislav VII of Novgorod to the foolish brothers András and Lázlo of Hungary, Prince Romanus died at the hands of an anonymous Swedish arbalester and so did all his brothers. In a single battle, more than half of the Byzantine royal line had been extinguished and the entire heavy cavalry of Byzantium was no more. Never again would the Kataphraktoi or Pronoiai claim any victories.
The Battle of Georgia:
https://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2391/battle5as5.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

In the same year, 1369 of our Lord, the pagan Cumans, the last pagans of the east met their end as King Joar himself invaded the Crimea. The Khan of the Cumans rallied his people and met the Swedes at bridge crossing a minor river running up to the Dnieper.
The pagans fought bravely and the Swedes were surprised to face such fierce warriors here, almost at the end of their expansion. But no matter how brave, the Cumans were all slain and their Khan taken captive and later executed. This marked the end of the steppe pagans. Catholicism was now spread by the pious King Joar who ordered churches to be constructed in every town and village of the east.
The Battle of the Crimea
https://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2628/battle6tz4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The Battle of Volhynia 1371 - The last battle of the Kingdom

When things finally started to calm down, a last attempt at stopping the Swedes was made. In the east, the pagans had finally been dubdued and baptised after 150 years of bloodshed. The treacherous Byzantines had effectively been defeated and a ceasefire was signed in 1370. The Kievan rus had been wiped off the earth and were no more. Not even the Catholic enemies of Venice and Hungary, whom were still relatively strong, had the will or power to fight the Swedish. But the menace came from a most unsuspected foe.
In the aftermath of the terrible russian defeat in Levidia in 1360 many people in the lands of what once was Poland swore fealty to a man named Kazimierz who claimed to be the surviving heir to the throne of Poland. In 1361 he crowned himself King of Poland as King Kazimierz IV in Lesser Poland. The lands of Moldavia and Silesia joined this restoration of the kingdom of Poland. The Swedish invasion of Greater Poland in 1365 had actually been launched to prevent the increasingly powerful Poles from reclaiming their own lands and to keep the lands of Silesia separated from the King and the rest of the kingdom. King Kazimierz now regarded the Swedish and King Joar II as his greatest enemies as they possessed what he considered to be his. He was well-known as a great military commander and promptly refused all proposals of alliance made by Joar.
In 1371, he and his entire army marched into the once Polish lands of Volhynia where Lord Henriksson was in command of a relatively small Swedish army. Lord Henriksson bravely chose to make his stand, despite being outnumbered 3:1 and having no suitable ground to defend.

Lord Henriksson positioned his men in a traditional manner, with his arbalesters up front, protected on the flanks by halberdiers and chivalric sergeants. He also ordered a second line of halberdiers to take position right behind the arbalesters to charge out and save them should they get engaged in melee. The Swedish line was so long and had its flanks so well deployed in dense and impassable woods that it could, quite simply, not be outflanked. King Kazimierz was not the least bit frightened by this however, nor was he scared by the now infamously accurate Swedish arbalesters.

Kazimierz himself and his heavy cavalry would commit the initial charge and the rest of the army, mostly infantry, would follow. Such was the Polish plan of attack, a plan that many had attempted before and that many had paid with their lives for.
Slowly the Polish knights approached. The Swedish arbalesters made themselves ready. As soon as the first knight was within range a volley was loosed. Man and horse alike fell to the ground screaming in pain. This spurred the other Poles who could no longer resist to attack the hated and unchivalrous arbalesters. As they charged forth they were shot to pieces and once they came too close, the arbalesters retreated while the halberdiers behind them marched out to meet the approaching cavalry. The Polish knights were quickly slain; sliced and skewerd as many other foolish cavalrymen before them. They retreated and reformed. The arbalesters moved up again. This time Kazimierz lead the second line of knights into another equally stupid charge. Kazimierz fell dead long before he reached the Swedish lines, beating even the old Prince Mstislav as he is said to have been struck down by no less than 20 bolts.
The knights fullfilled their charge regardless, and the Swedish tactic was now repeated and the entire knighthood of Poland was wiped out. Now the desperate Polish infantry arrived in wave after wave but each was beaten and driven back. When Lord Henriksson considered the time right, he called for his own units of knights that had been held as reserves. The Swedish now rode out and killed all that came in their way. No prisoners were taken that day.
As the sun set that day, Poles beyond counting laid dead on the fields.

https://img377.imageshack.us/img377/4208/battle7ui0.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

King Kazimierz had died without an heir, and the Kingdom of Poland - once again - was no more. Over the next few years, King Joar one by one bought off the local lords in Lesser Poland and Moldavia, untill he could proclaim himself ruler over these lands as well.
The Battle of Volhynia in 1371 marked the end of nearly two centuries of fighting. No more enemies were there who could challenge the Swedish under King Joar II. Both the Venetians and the Hungarians were busy fighting other enemies or suffered from civil wars. The only other Kingdom that even came near to the glory of Sweden was the Kingdom of Spain, that had risen from the ashes of the short-lived French empire. Sweden and Spain were allies and shared mutual enemies though. Thus, King Joar II was able to live the remaining time of his reign in peace.

Stockholm, 1398:

Inge was nervous. He frowned as he felt the smell when he entered the room. This was the smell of dicease and ever approaching death. He slowly walked over to the grand bed in the middle of the room.
"Father" he said and knelt.
"Rise, my son" said a hoarse voice from the bed.
Inge stood up and looked the old man in the eyes. His father's face was old and tired. His long white beard had not been cut or tended for months.
"I'm dying my son" said the old king. "You know this, and I have sent for you to tell you this one thing: You shall never be King of Sweden".
Inge looked in surprise and chock at his father.
"But father, I..." he began.
"Come come, my son!" his father interrupted. "Let me finish...hm...You have the arguable and impatient ways of me and our ancestors...good, good. Now to the matter: You shall never be King of Sweden. Do you understand me?"
"I..I don't think I truly do understand, father".
"See, my son, there is now no other kingdom in the whole wide world than can challenge us. Mother Sweden stands unchallenged. There are no longer any empires left. The Byzantine Empire clinges on to the world yet today, though without glory or honour. That fool in Nicaea still refers to himself as Emperor, and there are hardly any remains of what once was the Holy Roman Empire".
"Do you mean...".
"Yes, indeed I do my son. You shall be the first to be crowned Emperor of Sweden. No other kingdom in the world can claim such a title more than us. I shall indeed be the last in the line of Kings. Now go, my son. You have plenty to see to".

On November 6 King Joar II of Sweden drew his last breath. He was the last King of Sweden, and soon after his son ascended to the throne as Emperor Inge IV of Sweden. The first in a long line of Emperors. So much was different from the little squabbling kingdom in the shadow of Denmark that his ancestor Erik had ruled. Sweden now stretched from Laponia in the north to Georgia and the Black Sea in the south. From Saxony in the west to Volga-Bulgaria to the east. Truly, Sweden was the greatest Empire of its time. Now the 15th century laid ahead of the Swedish Empire.

The Swedish Empire in 1398:
https://img410.imageshack.us/img410/914/campmapus2.png (https://imageshack.us)

The End

Martok

02-23-2007, 22:14

Bravo, Innocentius; that was brilliant!! ~:cheers:

[sigh] Thus ends another terrific narrative. I could go on using various superlative adjectives, so I will only say this: Veldig god!

(Yes, I know that's Norwegian and not Swedish. ~:))

bamff

02-25-2007, 23:52

A fitting ending to a truly great series of write ups, Innocentius - truly superlative narrative!

Huzzah for King Joar! Huzzah for Emperor Inge! Long shall we miss further tales of their exploits.

My PC is up and running again, and, it appears with no data loss or other ongoing problems, so here is the latest instalment of my meandering English campaign - though I fear it will be a pallid and colourless tale in comparison to either King Kurt's Almo Adventures or the Tales of King Joar....

Apologies again - whilst it only covers 5 years, it has wound up being rather lengthy due to a combination of a whole bunch of battles and my own verbosity....

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 14 – The Ascendency of William IV (1380 - 1385)
All of Europe is at peace, save that is, for the occasional border skirmish between the peoples of Novgorod and the Finnish rebels in the far north. King Henry II of England surveyed the map that stretched out before him, somewhat absent-mindedly. A close observer would note that the king’s eyes did not focus on the map itself, but rather on his own hands that rested upon the parchment.
The King regarded both hands, noting how his skin was now pale and wrinkled, and how the flesh of his hands and arms sagged from his bones. “Time, you are an insidious foe,” the king mumbled to himself, turning his hand to regard its underside. A bony finger traced along a pink scar that stood out like a beacon on his forearm, a souvenir granted him by a Sardinian archer some years ago.
Without turning, or rising from his seat, he raised his voice so that his son William could hear him. “More foes I have vanquished than there are fingers on these old hands. I have even come through the challenge of video card failures unscathed, and yet, the slow and steady advance of time will ultimately defeat me. You are but young, my son, but one day you too, will face your own mortality.”
A raised hand silenced his son’s protests before the words could even form on his lips.
“My end is approaching, William. This is why I have recalled you from Serbia. Your place will soon be here, at Wessex, and you must prepare yourself. Soon you will be king.”
An uneasy silence followed these words before William spoke.
“Father, you have achieved many great things during your reign. To be regarded as only half the monarch that you have been will be a great compliment. You will long be remembered and revered by our people. Ever have they loved you.”
Henry stood, a little unsteady on his feet. He placed a wrinkled hand on his son’s shoulder. “And I them. Remember that and you will do well, my boy. As monarch you must protect and care for your people, for you are their servant as well as their master. Be fair and just in all of your dealings, but ever mindful that those you are dealing with may not be so.”
Henry drew a somewhat laboured breath “I will retire now, William. I will see you on the morrow.”
Sadly, he would not. King Henry II passed peacefully in his sleep that very night. The year was 1381. After a fitting period of mourning for their beloved King Henry, all of England rejoiced in the coronation of King William IV. None rejoiced more than England’s generals and nobility. Whilst Henry had been at pains to guide his nation into peace, young William had established a reputation of having a “killer instinct” during the Serbian campaign. Unlike his father, William was widely known to believe that the road to greatness was a road of blood and fire. England’s nobles knew that the opportunity for glory and for new lands and titles lay ahead.
They did not have long to wait. In early 1382, William made his first move.
Anxious to begin his reign in spectacular fashion, he petitioned Pope Antonio I, seeking leave to launch a crusade against Constantinople. It was a bold move indeed, as the city of Constantinople was both strongly fortified and heavily garrisoned. The pontiff duly granted his blessing on William’s holy mission, and Sir William Roos was given command of the venture. William had carefully planned his steps, and had instructed Roos to sail for Croatia, a province currently held by England’s enemy, Hungary.
King Kalman II was placed in a perfidious position indeed. Were he to refuse passage to the armies of his enemy, he risked excommunication. Were he to grant passage to England, he may appear to other nations to be weak. He would also run the risk of his garrison in that province being depleted as his men chose to follow the calling of the church to crusade against the followers of the false cross. After careful consideration, Kalman decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and he granted Sir William Roos leave to pass through Croatia. It was to prove the wrong move. As the crusade moved on to Serbia, it took with it a sizeable number of Hungarian troops – and left behind a significant English force under the redoubtable Sir Charles Peckham. Peckham wheeled his troops north-west to Zara Castle, the base long favoured by the Hungarians in Croatia. At the same time, a third English army marched south into Hungary itself.
The Hungarian troops in Hungary apparently had little regard for either their homeland or their manhood. All who were able fled south to Wallachia rather than give battle to the English.
The garrison in Croatia were made of sterner stuff, however, and they marched forth to meet Peckham’s army. The English and Hungarian forces numbered approximately 1,000 men each, with the Hungarians enjoying an ever so slight numerical superiority. As such, the defenders were confident. They had positioned themselves on a gentle hill, which sloped down to a small thicket, no doubt in hopes of concealing their positions from the English. What the Hungarians had achieved, however, was to create a situation whereby the English could close to the Hungarian line without coming under significant fire from archers.
Peckham directed Sir Edward Stafford to take his Turcopoles around the right hand side of the thicket. This they did, and they emerged behind the Hungarian left flank, which comprised one regiment of Bularian Brigands, one of Urban Militia, and one of Handgunners. As the Turcopoles’ arrows rained down on these 3 units from their rear, the Urban Milita withdrew. The Hungarian missile units turned to face their tormentors. At this point, a company of longbowmen and one of arbalesters advanced out of the thicket, and once again the Hungarian missile units found themselves taking fire from their rear.
The Hungarian general sent one unit of Szekely to the aid of his left flank, while another regiment of Urban Militia, and one of Armoured Spearmen marched forward to crush the English archers. The Longbowmen melted back into the cover of the thicket, and as the Hungarian troops moved too close to pull back, they found themselves facing row upon row of billmen and chivalric footknights. Leading the English charge was Sir Charles Scrope and his detachment of footknights, and these valiant Englishmen cut a swathe through their Hungarian counterparts. Adding to the Hungarian woes, they now found their right flank under attack from English Gallowglasses. As the Hungarians pushed forwards in a vain attempt to assist their comrades, Peckham now unleashed his knights, supported by Highland Clansmen, around both the left and right flanks. Peckham himself led the charge around the Hungarian right flank. The Hungarians were now completely surrounded. With their general captured, it is not long before they are more interested in fleeing than staying to face the English onslaught. Of an initial force of 1,156 men, only 482 survive to reach the gates of Zara Castle. 340 Hungarians lie dead on the field, 334 dazed and confused men are now prisoners of Peckham’s army.
Pope Antonio I is furious that William has used a Papal sanctioned crusade to mask his attack on a fellow Catholic nation, and a rider is despatched to Wessex to convey the Pope’s displeasure. Pope Antonio’s message instructs William to withdraw all English forces from Hungarian lands within 2 years and to refrain from any further aggression for 10 years.
William reponds to the Papal rebuke by sending his own messenger to assure the Pope that all English troops would be on English territory by the end of 1384.
As the emissary leaves, the king smiles to his assembled generals “Of course, Hungary is already an English province, and by this time next year, so too will Croatia!”
Sir Charles Peckham duly delivers Croatia, following a bloody assault on Zara Castle.
William’s attention has now turned northwards, to the rebel province of Finland. Sir Thomas Camoys, widely known to be a “skilled attacker” has been despatched to bring the rebels to heel and to secure the province for the realm. The Finnish army is impressively large, but poorly equipped and disciplined. Almost all of the Finnish troops are Urban Militia or Peasants. These troops have little hope against a modern army, but they are fighting for their homeland and their liberty.
Sadly for the Finns, raw courage counts for little in the face of cold steel and discipline. They are slaughtered by the hundred. As the Finnish army was entirely comprised of commoners, the heralds do not even bother to count the dead, but estimates of those present on the day put the toll somewhere between 600 and 700 dead. 56 Englishmen die for their king on those cold northern fields.
Meanwhile in the south, King Kalman II of Hungary is apoplectic with rage that the English have escaped Papal sanction through their swift action. He has gathered an army of some 2,890 men, and marches north to reclaim the Hungarian heartlands. Sir Nigel De Vere has but 2,101 men with which to meet this threat – but he is a very able general indeed. He had picked a gentle slope facing a large open plain to make his stand. De Vere had surveyed the terrain well, and was reasonably sure of the direction from which the Hungarians would come. He surveyed his line again, as the sounds of the approaching Hungarian force grew ever louder. He had set 3 regiments of pikemen as the centre of his line, with billmen on either flank. Behind the units of billmen were highland clansmen and royal knights on the left flank, and gallowglasses and royal knights on the right. To the rear of the pikes, and slightly further up the slope as a result, stood arbalesters and longbowmen. His gaze drifted again the the Scots and then to the Irishmen. An unruly bunch, to be sure, but magnificent fighting men. They would earn their keep today, he mused, as the blare of Hungarian horns grew louder still.
The Hungarians advanced across the plain. Truly they were a sight to behold, but the English line stood firm. King Kalman chose to inspire his troops by leading the charge himself, with two squadrons of royal knights flanking his own royal guard. On the Hungarian left was a regiment of armoured spearmen, on the right a regiment of feudal sergeants. Curiously all were driving straight at the centre of the English line.
Those knights that survived the hail of arbalest bolts and arrows that rained down upon them soon found themselves faced with the impossible task of fighting their way through the English pikes. Their task was made even more complicated as the flanking spearmen attempted to assist them, as together with the Jobbagy that followed, they simply served to restrict the knights movement.
De Vere’s battle plan could not have been followed more closely by Kalman had he written it himself! With the entire Hungarian force now pinned in the English centre, De Vere ordered his billmen, clansnsmen, and gallowglasses to close in from the sides, whilst the knights rode around to the Hungarian rear. The carnage that followed was dreadful to behold. Many Hungarians were most likely trampled underfoot by their own side. As the first Hungarian wave is crushed mercilessly, Kalman somehow extricates himself from the crush at the front of the Hungarian force, and he flees the field as would a whipped dog.
The second Hungarian assault fares no better than the first, nor does the third. As the dust of battle clears in the early evening, some 1,059 Hungarian corpses litter the field. 686 Hungarian prisoners gloomily await their fate. De Vere, by comparison, has lost but 273 men. Hungary remains under the dominion of England.
By 1385, the English crusaders had arrived in Constantinople. A second English force has marched on Bulgaria, and stands ready to meet the Byzantine defenders of that province.
The first 4 years of William IV’s reign had been amongst the bloodiest of England’s history – and it would appear that this ambitious young king was far from finished….

Martok

02-26-2007, 23:21

Another superb narrative, bamff! Here's to hoping the great Crusade to Constantinople goes well. ~:cheers:

“I have even come through the challenge of video card failures unscathed, and yet, the slow and steady advance of time will ultimately defeat me.”
LOL! That was pure comedy gold. :laugh4:

bamff

02-27-2007, 00:30

Thanks Martok - i will confess that when the opportunity to throw in something silly comes up, I tend to jump aboard!

As for the crusade, I have followed my usual approach, inasmuch as I like to bide my time until I can hit a couple of provinces at once, in order to prevent the enemy from concentrating their forces. As a result, Bulgaria and Constantinople are the two that I am currently hitting. In Constantinople, the numbes are on my side, so I should be okay. In Bulgaria, the Byz have a fairly big garrison (5 or 6 pretty full stacks from memory). I have thrown a fair number of troops in as well, but my guys will still need to dig deep to make this one stick I think.....so fingers crossed!

Kavhan Isbul

02-27-2007, 00:33

Bamff, I think you should actually feel happy about the 5 or 6 Byzantine stacks in Bulgaria, as that will give you an opportunity for quite a battle. It is rare that you get a challenge in a game after the Horde has been dealt with.

bamff

02-27-2007, 01:26

Absolutely, Kavhan Isbul! I am hoping that it is indeed so, but the big worry is that in the latter stages of the game, a lot of big AI stacks seem to be full of rubbish (witness the Finnish rebels, with ridiculous numbers of UM's, 1 unit of archers, and a few peasants).

Interesting to note that in this campaign, the Horde are very much still there (possibly 3rd largest Empire after me and the Byz) - but they seem happy just to occupy a big chunk of the north east without going after any of their weaker neighbours (such as Novgorod, Poland, or Hungary). Perhaps they will get a touch more agressive when they share a border with me....

Deus ret.

02-27-2007, 01:50

Perhaps they will get a touch more agressive when they share a border with me....
Definitely! They're just waiting to border you. That's rather often the case with larger enemy factions: instead of swallowing their small neighbours they wait for you to come to them in order to have something to do with all their stacks :dizzy2:

but the big worry is that in the latter stages of the game, a lot of big AI stacks seem to be full of rubbish
I might sound biased but ... try the MedMod. No more really crappy units, at least not in late, and subsequently enemy stacks are better balanced.

By the way, great write-up! almost forgot about the captivating story I just read...

bamff

02-27-2007, 03:19

Definitely! They're just waiting to border you. That's rather often the case with larger enemy factions: instead of swallowing their small neighbours they wait for you to come to them in order to have something to do with all their stacks :dizzy2:

With William on the warpath, it looks only a matter of time before this showdown eventuates....

I might sound biased but ... try the MedMod. No more really crappy units, at least not in late, and subsequently enemy stacks are better balanced.

Gah! So many mod choices! I suppose I had only picked XL because it had so many positive mentions in so many threads. I will now also track down what info I can on MedMod!

By the way, great write-up! almost forgot about the captivating story I just read...

Thank you, my good sir...I will endeavour to keep it reasonably entertaining as I push on to 1453!

Deus ret.

02-27-2007, 12:37

I will endeavour to keep it reasonably entertaining as I push on to 1453!

Looking forward to it! :2thumbsup:

Innocentius

02-27-2007, 18:56

Great stuff as always. bamff! Keep it coming:yes:

I agree with Kavhan Isbul that the battle of Bulgaria will be epic, though unfortunately the Byz tend to spam their Slav warriors and Treb-archers into Bulgaria so it will (probably) be more of a slaughter than battle.

bamff

03-05-2007, 05:44

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 15 – The Reign of “Bloody Bill” continues (1385 - 1395)
The year is 1386. Under the direction of King William IV, the new monarch of England, the Byzantine provinces of Constantinople and Bulgaria have found themselves under attack. The Byzantine commanders appear to be somewhat in awe of the fearsome reputation of the young English king, as the defenders melt away before the crusading army in Constantinople. Some flee to Nicea, others north to Trebizond.
In Bulgaria, it proves much the same, notwithstanding the fact that the Byzantine forces actually outnumber the English invaders by almost 1,200 men. A careful analysis of Byzantine records of the time reveals that English agents at work in the province had played no small part in this amazing victory. They had succeeded in convincing their Byzantine counterparts that the English numbers were considerably greater. Had the Byzantine generals been aware of the true size of the English army, and that many of its number were grievously ill with dysentery, malaria, and other ailments, they would undoubtedly have stood their ground rather than fleeing back within the gates of Turnovo Castle.
Disturbing news reaches Wessex in late 1386. Sir Thomas Camoys, the hero of the short war in Finland has fallen in to a despondent mood. The combination of the bitter cold of the north, the relative isolation of the province of Finland, and the absence of any military action to occupy his energies has seen him turn to the bottle for solace.
The disasters of 1386 have an immediate impact on the Byzantine empire, with a series of rebellions breaking out in 1387. Romanus Lascaris has convinced the Cypriots to rise, and his cousin Nicephorus leads the rebel forces in Anatolia. Nicephorus Basilacius and George Monomchus lead the rising in Moldavia, and Theodore Angelus in Georgia.
Ever the opportunist, King William orders Lord Mortimer to take a force to seize the warring island of Cyprus. The resulting triangular contest proves a confused and bloody battle indeed. 191 Cypriots, 243 Byzantines, and 128 Englishmen lie dead as the sun sets on Cyprus that terrible day. Of the Byzantine forces, but 7 Byzantine Cavalrymen survive this dreadful battle (the Byzantines having felt the combined force of the rebels and English before Mortimer turned his attention to what remained of the rebel army).
All of the other rebellions are crushed by their Byzantine overlords, although each of these revolts have served to drain and deplete the Byzantine military machine. Indeed, so far have the Byzantine resources been stretched, that the peoples of Lithuania and Smolensk both claim their independence, and assert their new found rights by slaughtering the local Byzantine governors of their respective lands. Freedom proves short lived in Smolensk, however – by 1389 it is once again under the Byzantine heel.
With the Byzantine Empire in such a precarious state, William moves to seize Armenia and Nicea. Both provinces fall to the English after a series of costly engagements.
The English force that had invaded Nicea had commenced its campaign with almost 1,100 men. The battles of 1389 had been compounded by tropical disease, and these factors had seen the army’s numbers drop to 698 men by the summer of 1390. This was too few men to ably defend the province as over 2,500 Byzantine troops swept west from Lesser Armenia to reclaim Nicea for Byzantium.
The dreadful summer of 1390 brings further gloom for England. News arrives from the north that Sir Thomas Camoys depression and despondency has deepened further still. He is now reputed to be “often drunk”. William sends word to Finland, ordering Camoys to make his way to Constantinople to explain himself.
William himself leads the English army south from Constantinople in 1392, destroying the Byzantine army in a ferocious battle in Trebizond. Casualties on both sides are again frighteningly high, and William now finds himself known by the sinister sobriquet of “Bloody Bill” amongst the English soldiery. At the same time, Sir Charles Langton leads a second English army into Nicea, retarning the province to the English crown.
Intelligence from the East indicates that the Egyptian Sultan continues to be content to sit quietly in Rum. “Rather like our friend, Camoys!” laughs King William, with the sycophantic laughter of the court serving to further embarrass the English General, newly arrived in Trebizond. William is indeed a man ahead of his time, as news of the beverage known as Rum was not to reach Europe for some years yet….
As it transpires, the English intelligence is wildly incorrect. In 1393, the Egyptians reveal that they has been steadily rebuilding their armies as they launch an invasion of Edessa. The English forces are completely unprepared for this attack, and are swept aside. William does not dally in responding. In 1394, Sir Charles Langton leads a small army into the undefended province of Lesser Armenia. King William and Sir Thomas Camoys lead the English invasion of Rum, with the unfortunate Camoys forced to endure a further jibe from his King “Who better to lead us into Rum?”
Even as these English armies moved into position, a third English force under the redoubtable Sir John Despenser moves to retake Edessa. Despenser succeeds in his aim, the English force suffering 351 deaths in doing so. The Egyptian army loses 895 men, with 340 surrendering to the English. In Rum, the Egyptians fight magnificently, but prove to be no match for the better equipped, numerically superior English. Among the many Egyptians to die on the field that day is the Sultan himself. With no heir, the sultanate of Egypt is no more. The rich lands of the East now belong to England….but William’s thirst for conquest is far from slaked….

Author's notes
So as it transpires, the Battle for Bulgaria was a real fizzer...

I was intrigued that poor old Thomas Camoys two vices seemed to follow on quite logically...I hope the poor guy can reclaim some honour for the family...

Just curious - having taken Finland (and having destroyed the port in the process), those troops were stuck there, which is why I guess Thomas copped his vices. Was there a better way I could have managed that (other than building the port quicker)?

As for the campaign as a whole, I believe that enough time may now have passed for William to turn his attentions back to the HRE and Hungary. This may well bring England into contact with the Horde, who offer the only possible threat to English interests - Poland and Novgorod are way too weak, Sicily is trapped on Malta, the Byz are struggling to keep it together....Italy have some sizeable forces in Naples, and my suddenly look south to Sicily - but my forces there are veterans just brimming with valour.

Will see how it goes, but I am already thinking that it may be time to end this campaign and move on to another challenge (though I must admit I am loathe to do that - I hate not finishing stuff!)

Martok

03-05-2007, 19:18

Another superb narrative, bamff! Truly, you are a master storyteller. ~:cheers:

As for the unfortunate Sir Thomas Camoys, I don't think there was anything you could have done. About your only option would have been to command him to lead an expedition eastward (since governors & generals are more likely to pick up vices when they're just sitting around), but that would have been unwise, given the Golden Horde's conquest and occupation of the steppe provinces. For better or worse, getting drunk was probably the smarter thing for him to do in this case. :laugh4:

Galagros

03-10-2007, 02:49

Okay, so this is the first time I've touched MTW in almost a year (though I've posted in here before around page 18-21) so I am very rusty. I was never great with battles to begin with, but I was getting much better. I'm not using any cheats, but I did view the entire map on round one just so I could get a picture for you guys.

I've never had much success with the Polish (in any version of the game), but I've always thought their position was interesting. I decided to give it a go and figured the campaign probably wasn't going to last too long.

Mod: BKB
Faction: Polish
Era: Early
Difficulty: Hard

https://img293.imageshack.us/img293/5342/76195432bs1.png

https://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2332/92368729hw4.pnghttps://img207.imageshack.us/img207/954/15260768pd2.png

1087: Poland was a small, poor nation full of hard-working men and women, fearful for their lives. To the west the vast German lands were full of able-bodied soldiers, just waiting for the order to invade; to the south were the Hungarians, who were always ready to invade at any show of weakness; and to the east were the Cumans, who's raids were growing fiercer and appearing further inland every month. King Wladyslaw I was accounted a mighty warrior by many, but he could not defend his lands alone and his army was a pitiful thing made up almost entirely of Slavic tribesmen and peasant levies. He needed coin and allies, but most importantly time, to train and arm his peasants.

Well, coin would be impossible and he could hope for time, but he could actively search out allies. Leszek Zuraw, his royal emissary, would travel south to feel out the opinions of the Hungarians, whose king was the most pious man Wladyslaw had ever heard of. And the king's daughter, whose name was unimportant, would be sent west to be offered in marriage to any German prince that would take her. Oh yes, Wladyslaw could at least find allies....

1089: Before any word of success or failure could reach him, King Wladyslaw took a risk that could easily make or break his fledgling kingdom; he attacked when all sense said to defend. Wladyslaw assembled a small force at struck north, into Pomernia. True, Pomernia was full of pagan tribesmen, but Poland had known it's share of those and besides, the land was full of important resources and trade goods that the king hoped he would have time to exploit.

The attack was considered a moderate success. The enemy smartly retreated from Pomernia before the king had a chance to bloody them; thus the province was taken, but more men had to be brought in to garrison it against a possible counter-attack. It would be a long time before the territory was anything resembling a Polish province.

1091: Wladyslaw had gained his allies; not all of the ones he had sought, but allies were allies. The Hungarians had agreed that the Cumans must meet a unified front when they tried to raid, the Novgorodians had agreed to build an army that would force the Cumans to watch their back, the Byzantines were friendly, and even the English had established diplomatic ties. Some things were definitely started to look better.

1093: Peace somehow still reigned in Poland. Small Cuman raids were still commonplace, but they had not yet brought an army, yet the king still prayed everyday for that to never happen. Wladyslaw next moved his forces into Prussia, accompanied by his eldest son, also named Wladyslaw. Together they hoped to finish off a large contingent of hostile tribesmen that had banded together. Yet when they arrived the tribesmen simply laid down their arms and surrendered. Odd, that, perhaps it was fate; near 1,200 of them were executed that day without the loss of one Polishman.

1096: The German Prince Rudolf leads an uprising in Bohemia and Brandenburg! It seems that the western border is no longer in much danger and King Wladyslaw I sees this as his chance to strike out at the Cumans in Volhynia.

https://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4882/26094829mm1.png

The battle was everything but what Wladyslaw had expected. A Cuman Prince had returned to the province with a sizable escort shortly before the battle began and from there things continued to go down hill. Prince Wladyslaw's horse stepped in a rabbit hole and he broke a leg that later festered and killed him. It was raining, but not hard enough to slow down the Cuman archers, and when the Cuman horsemen charged the King's personal bodyguard just after they had been pelted with arrows, many lost their nerve and were quickly cut down. In the end, King Wladyslaw fled the field of battle ... after that his men never quite looked at him with as much respect as they had before.

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1099: Prince Casimir seeks revenge... He leads a large force into Volhynia to punish the Cuman Prince that so easily defeated his father three years earlier.

https://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2749/12340749jg8.png

https://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9053/80758859jo0.png

1100: Prince Casimir carries out the siege of Volhynia skillfully and the castle is captured before summer.
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That's all that I played today; not a lot of time for gaming. I got bored while at work on Thursday and started reading posts in this thread again so I couldn't stop myself from playing for a while.

bamff

03-12-2007, 08:23

Well done Galagros! A very enjoyable read. Great to see a new writer in the thread, and (if I am not mistaken) I don't believe anyone else has done a Polish write up thus far. Keep it coming! I look forward to reading of Wladyslaw & Casimir's next move.

bamff

03-12-2007, 08:31

Now, the latest update from "the campaign that would not die"....

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 16 – The March of “The Warrior King”, William IV (1395 – 1405)
Under William’s orders, Sir Charles Peckham marched north into the province of Georgia in 1396. The Byzantine forces there have no hope of either reinforcement or retreat. To the north, Khazar is held by the Golden Horde. The waters off the Georgian coast similarly offer no safe passage. They are constantly patrolled by vessels of the English and the Golden Horde. As such, the Byzantine garrison commander, Manuel Stratiocus, is faced with but two choices – fight or surrender.
This choice is by no means an easy one for Stratiocus. A proud man, a loyal subject of the Byzantine Empire, and with a well documented hatred of the invading English, his first instinct is to reach for his sword. This instinct is somewhat tempered by his knowledge of a significant deficiency in his armoury. Stratiocus has not a single archer in his garrison. All had travelled west in 1392 to take part in the disastrous battle for Trebizond. Not a one had returned. True, his garrison was still strong in number, but to take the field with no missile troops other than naptha throwers….Stratiocus loved his troops as a father does his sons. They had lived and fought together over many years. To be responsible for their needless deaths was a thought too horrible for him to dwell upon, and yet a decision had to be made.
“Our lives or our honour….” He mused aloud. Absent-mindedly his fingers turned the family ring long ago given him by his father, and his mind drifted to his wife and sons in Muscovy, far to the north. His decision was made. Stratiocus summoned his captains. “If we are to die this day, we do so as heroes of Byzantium!”
Stratiocus chose a field not far from the gates of T’bilisi Castle to make his stand. The field itself included small patches of forest, which the Byzantine general had reasoned would afford his men some cover from the English archers.
Sir Charles Peckham surveyed the scene from the opposite side of the gently sloping valley. He also felt that the woods could be turned to his advantage, and he directed his Turcopoles and Footknights to advance on either flank, using the trees to screen their movements. The main English force advanced across the open centre of the field. Peckham ordered a halt when his arbalesters were within range of the Byzantine force. The two armies faced each other for a moment, and then the first hail of arbalest bolts tore through the Byzantine ranks. As the second volley cut almost an entire troop of lancers from their saddles, the English footknights, having made their way behind the Byzantines, and through the trees, now smashed into the enemy’s rear.
Stratioucus’ men turned in an attempt to meet this unexpected threat, and Peckham unleashed his Fyrdmen and Royal Knights. Stratiocus and a small band of his lancers managed to fight their way clear of the carnage that followed, and rode hard for the gates of T’bilisi. Some Urban Militia and Peasants tried also to flee, but the English Turcopoles had been positioned to wait for such routing troops, and made short work of these hapless souls. Indeed, not all of Stratiocus’ lancers survived to reach the safety of their stronghold. The day had been won by the English, and in devastating fashion.
Meanwhile, in central Europe, Princess Ryska of Poland is despatched to seek an alliance with Italy. Word of her clandestine mission is relayed by English spies, and the sinister William Fitzneale is soon following ever closer in the footsteps of the princess’ retinue.
Fitzneale finally catches up with his quarry at a lonely inn in Western Bohemia in 1397. As he rides away into the night, the piteous screams of Ryska’s ladies in waiting signal the grim success of his mission.
1397 proves to be a busy year for England’s generals. In Georgia, with his army still encamped around T’bilisi Castle making preparations for the coming siege, Sir Charles Peckham is alerted by his scouts of the approach of an army from the province of Khazar. It proves to be little more than a raiding party, and it withdraws without further incident.
The Italians are not so easily dissuaded, however. Doge Giovanni IV is of the opinion that Sicily, like Naples, should be part of the reborn Italian empire. He leads an army of 3,673 men south, intending to seize the English province. Lord de Beauchamp, commander of the English forces in Sicily, is heavily outnumbered, with only some 1,425 men and boys at his disposal. He holds two important advantages, however. The central core of his army are seasoned veterans with many years campaigning under their belts. The second “ace” in de Beauchamp’s hand is the hilly terrain of Sicily. He positions his men accordingly.
Giovanni’s army climbs steadily to meet the defenders. On the right English flank, two regiments of arbalesters and one of longbowmen concentrate their fire on the leading Italian unit, a squadron of royal knights. A dozen are unseated by the first devastating volley; but three remain after the second – and they are now riding quickly back down the hillside. A regiment of chivalric men at arms now threatens the English bowmen, but as they draw closer to the English line, a unit of Highland clansmen sweep over the hill and smash into their exposed flank, as the swiss halberdiers slice into their other flank. The Italians rout.
Meanwhile, the arbalesters and longbowmen have continued to exact a terrible toll of the Italians struggling up the slope. Giovanni raises his sword to encourage his men, and is unhorsed as an arbalest bolt smashes its way through his exposed armpit. Chain mail alone is no defence at such close range. The Italian forces waver with the falling of Giovanni. Prince Jacopo, next in line to the Italian throne, sends his man to “tend” to the fallen Doge. He duly returns, bearing the sad news that the Doge has perished of wounds suffered by an arbalest bolt and a dagger.
Whilst Jacopo’s face remains grim, there is an undoubted smile in eyes as he places a hand on his attendant’s shoulder. He orders his men to withdraw. “I now hold the Neapolitan crown,” reasons the prince, in somewhat Macchiavellian fashion “I have no need to waste further men seeking Sicily at this time.”
As the Italians withdraw, they leave behind some 450 of their countrymen on the battlefield outside Siracusa, and a further 86 who are now held prisoner by the English. A paltry 17 Englishmen have perished in the battle, and one of those was a billman who carelessly wandered in front of Perkin Percy’s arbalesters just as they loosed their bolts.
The battle proves useful to both the English, and Italian commanders. The vanquished Prince Jacopo returns to Naples, where he is crowned Doge Jacopo II. The victor, Lord de Beauchamp is now widely known as a field defence specialist.
The following year, the Golden Horde shows the world that the raiding party sent into Georgia the preceding year was not there by accident. Their vessels in the Black sea launch a series of attacks on English shipping. It is a misguided move to have underestimated the English navy. The result is that by 1399, the Horde have no ships left afloat.
In the summer of 1401, Sir Robert Mobray’s crusaders arrive in their target province of Moldavia. He is reinforced by Sir Henry Uhtred, who has marched north from Bulgaria with an impressive army of some 1,520 men. At the same time, Lord Giffard, Duke of Greece, leads his army north to Kiev, Sir Charles Peckham sails from Georgia to the Crimea, and King William IV and Lord Longchamp lead the English forces as they strike north into Khazar.
The Horde do not give battle in either Khazar or the Crimea, withdrawing to their fortresses in both provinces.
Lord Giffard meets stern resistance in Kiev. After a tumultuous struggle, the Horde are defeated, but a heavy price has been paid by both sides in this battle. 687 Mongols and 259 Englishmen lie dead on the field. 242 of the Golden Horde’s finest have fallen into English hands. This, however, pales into insignificance next to the carnage of Moldavia. With no hope of retreat, and led by their Emperor, the Byzantines fight ferociously. 1,902 Byzantines and 423 Englishmen are slain before the Byzantine survivors relinquish the field and retreat to Cetatea Castle. 176 Byzantine prisoners gloomily await their fate as the English set up their camps around the enemy stronghold.
Meanwhile in the west, the final flickering light of the HRE is finally snuffed out with the invasion of Austria and the death of Emperor Otto IV. Another faction becomes no more than a memory.
Come 1403, the Golden Horde make a concerted effort to regain their lost territories. Ordhun leads the assault on Khazar. 170 of his men pay the ultimate price for an incautious advance before the Horde are forced from the field. At the same time as Ordhun was suffering this defeat, Aradai leads a large army, estimated to be some 4,000 strong, into Kiev. Grossly outnumbered, the English set their defensive line on a riverbank, with a single bridge crossing. Sir Thomas Peckham’s chivalric footknights and Edward Longchamp’s billmen were assigned the task of holding the bridge. Fanned out to either side were 4 regiments of arbalesters. Wave after wave of Aradai’s men charged the bridge, only to be beaten back each time by the combination of murderous arbalest fire and the staunch resistance of the knights and billmen standing firm at the bridge. The most significant source of English casualties comes from the bows of mongol warriors. These troops line the opposite bank, firing across the river until encouraged to move on by the arbalesters.
Eventually, casualties and fatigue force Peckham and Longchamp to withdraw their men, and their places are taken by more footknights and billmen. As night draws in, and their casualties mount, the Horde withdraw. 1,157 of their number lie dead at the bridge. On the other side of the river, 41 Englishmen have fallen defending the bridge. It is a remarkable victory by any measure.
More troops are sent to Khazar in the latter part of 1403 to bolster the garrison, which has been sorely depleted by two years of warfare.
In 1404, Lord Angelus leads a Byzantine army south into Khazar. His force is twice the number of Lord Longchamp’s English army. The numbers conceal something of a lie in comparing the two forces, however. Whilst Angelus’ force is in total greater than his English opponent, much of the number is comprised of poorly equipped, inferior troops.
Sadly for the Byzantine general, the battle opens with his committing a grievous tactical error. Angelus orders his troops to halt short of the English line, prior to ordering his opening charge. Whilst his men would have been safely out of the range of the common archer, they are well within the reach of the English longbows and arbalesters, who set about reducing the Byzantine forces with ruthless efficiency.
Angelus unleashes his Kataphraktoi. They are met by a solid wall of chivalric sergeants, and then the English billmen and the footknights of Sir Thomas Camoys close in from both flanks. Even as they do so, English knights and Gallowglasses burst from the forests on either flank of the attacking Byzantine army. The combination of the rain of missiles from their front, and these sudden surprise attacks from their rear spark a chaotic, panicked retreat from the Byzantine army.
Camoys and his men are conspicuous for their valour on this glorious day, with this small unit accounting for a significant number of the enemys total casualties of 593 dead, 356 captured. The errant knight has redeemed his family honour in spectacular fashion. Lord Longchamp’s skilled leadership has delivered victory for the paltry price of only 98 English dead, and he is now recognised as a skilled defender.

So, as we leave the chronicle in the year 1405, the map of Europe stands thus:

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/KingWilliamIV1405.jpg

Author's Note

Silly I know, but I was so pleased that Sir Thomas Camoys performed so well in Khazar. I suppose I was feeling sorry for him - he had done nothing other than what he had been asked to do, and copped a couple of vice slaps for his trouble.

I am thinking that at this point, William will push on to Volyhnia (note the crusade currently in Moldavia), then perhaps turn his attentions to Italy and Hungary (just to alleviate the garrison requirements in surrounding provinces). That will leave the Byz, the Horde, the rebels in Latvia, the People of Novgorod, and last but not least, our one staunch ally - the Papacy. After cleaning up the Italians in Naples and the Hungarians, I thought taking out the north east corner would make sense before folding back towards Scandinavia.

My aim is to wrap it all up as quickly as possible - both to keep "in character" as the aggressive William, and because it is becoming more than a little tedious at this point (I have massive numerical, technological, financial, and territorial superiority over every other faction, and am miles ahead in terms of GA points - in other words, i'm struggling to find entertainment without a challenge).

Martok

03-14-2007, 00:23

@Galagros: Very nice! For someone who's supposedly rusty at MTW, I'd say you're doing quite well thus far. Can't wait to hear more. :2thumbsup:

@bamff: Another superb narrative, man (as always!). I especially enjoyed the beginning part where Manuel Stratiocus is wrestling with the decision of whether or not to fight. Nice color commentaries on the battles of Sicily and Kiev as well. ~:cheers:

So do you think you'll conquer everything, or will you leave the Pope be?

King Kurt

03-14-2007, 16:20

As some of you may be aware, I have started a hard, High Teutonic Order campaign in XL. As in my chronicles of my Alomhad campaign, I have decided to write it up in a narrative style. I will post a more technical account in the thread I started on Teutonic Order in XL. So, sit back and enjoy.

ICE COLD CLARITY

Flurries of spindrift snow swirled along the battlements of Viljandi castle as the last weak rays of the early spring sun turned the western sky light crimson. Atop of one of the higher towers, a solitary figure stood silhouetted against the setting sun. Grandmaster Volquin pulled his white cloak tighter around him in a vain attempt to keep out the cold east wind – How on earth had he and his brethren ended up in such a godforsaken place he mused to himself. Not so many years ago the Teutonic Order basked in the warm sun of the Holy land and the glory of the Crusades. Now after several false dawns, the Order found itself in Northern Europe, bringing God’s word to the heathens of Livonia. A vision of the pompous Bishop of Riga flashed through Volquin’s mind. He laughed out loud, his long blond hair shaking in the fit of sudden mirth. His gloom temporarily lifted, he turned his attention to the matter in hand – what to do about the Order’s current predicament. Militarily, his small army was well equipped and efficient. But that was needed – everywhere he looked he saw potential enemies – to the north the wild land of Estonia whose inhabitants could conquer the world if they stopped fighting themselves, to the east lay the Kingdoms of Novogorod and Russia whose ambitious Princes cast a greedy eye over the rich lands of Livonia. Finally, to the south lay the Lithuanians – pagans keen to fight the world. Only the west seemed safe with the cold waters of the Baltic their castle wall. He knew he must strike in one direction – to wait would mean a slow death – but which?
Volquin’s thoughts were broken by the arrival of messenger. Initially, it seemed the usual litany of useless facts, but suddenly a chance remark sparked a fire in his mind. Apparently merchants from Lithuania reported that much fodder had been recently gathered and several Livonian merchants had sold consignments of barrels to representatives of the King. To Volquin’s military mind, this meant one thing only – the Lithuanians planned a military operation. The scale of purchases meant a force about half of all Lithuania could put in the field, so it probably would be going south to capture Volhynia. In a flash, Volquin’s mind was made up – he would strike south with all he could muster hoping to catch the Lithuanians forces split.
Six weeks later, the smoke from the funeral pyres on the battle field smarted Volquin’s eyes as a small group of horse approached. The day’s action had been a crushing success with his army shattering the reduced field army of Lithuania. “My liege, I bring you a present for the day” shouted the lead rider. The small group of horse parted to reveal the Lithuanian King shackled between 2 horses. Volquin smiled – “Treat my present well; he will be worth a pretty penny. Send word to Volhynia that if they want to see their king and his whipped curs alive they had better send his worth in florins to Riga without haste”
The success of Volquin’s Lithuanian campaign paved the way for a period of prosperity and growth for his kingdom. With his southern border secure and a healthy treasury he swiftly conquered Prussia as well and several chests of gold brought the Estonians into the fold. Denmark, Sweden and Russia became allies and a small Teutonic fleet began plying its trade in the waters of the Baltic. The kingdom of Novgorod was brought to heel with the numbers of Volquin’s army being boosted by mercenaries attracted to the inns of Livonia and Estonia by word of his military prowess and chests of gold.
A period of peace ensued, broken only by the excitement of a Crusade. Apparently the Alomhads threatened Christendom far away to the south and the Pope called on good Catholics to join in the war against the infidel. Stirred up by the ranting of Riga’s Bishop and the attraction of sun and loot many had flocked to the Chapter House to answer the call. Volquin reluctantly gave his blessing but noticeably did not add any troops to the motley group which left with much pomp and gaiety one spring morning. For several years all went well, the force gathering strength as it made its way south. However, the distance was its undoing as Granada fell to the Castilians before they had reached France and the Crusade dispersed in Bavaria to fill the inns with drunken revellers full of brave imagined deeds. More sinisterly, the forests of Bavaria saw a marked increase in banditry as the holy men turned to more worldly needs.
The early 1320’s saw several great military councils where the Order decided its long term military aims. They saw the future as a slow, deliberate progress to the south and east. There the enemy was likely to be enemies of the Catholic faith – a comfortable foe for the military arm of the Pope.
Volquin and his retinue broached the hill and reigned in their horses. In the distance stood the great castle of Novgorod, now the easterly seat of Teutonic military might. The warm southerly wind brought sweet smells of summer as it played through the now grey locks of hair that streamed behind Volquin as he stood at ease on his black charger. Two regiments were exercising beneath the castle wall. Volquin squinted against the sun – “Yonder troops – who are they? – I don’t recognise their colours” Otto, the master of the mercenaries, stepped forward. “They are new, sire. A unit of spear and a unit of polearms” Volquin looked again “They look Slav scoundrels to me. I thought I told you, German or French spear only. Those Slavs are only good for rape and pillage in my experience.” Otto’s face reddened, but he stood his ground “They look like Slavs, sire, but they come from a land far to the east called Korea. They train and fight well, disciplined but savage. Moreover, they have an interesting tale to tell.”
Volquin turned his attention to the exercising troops again. His tutored eye soon picked out their ability as they went through a series of drills and exercises. “These Koreans interest me. Bring their captain to my quarters tonight and we will hear what they have to say.”
Volquin and his retinue were halfway through their meal when Otto brought the Korean captain to their table. He was a tall, intimidating man with dark hair, tanned skin and almond eyes. His cheek was gashed with a livid scar, the relic of previous battles. In a faltering Slav tongue which Otto translated, he told his story. His 2 units had been part of a huge army which had conquered much of Asia and far Cathay. There was constant mention of a Golden Horde and a nation called the Mongols. Either he had no concept of numbers or this Horde was one of the biggest armies in history. Apparently, his troops had fallen foul of a prince of the Khan and they had had to flee to save their lives. They had travelled many leagues, acting as caravan guards across the Slav lands far to the east. In recent years, they had constantly moved west as word spread that the Horde had turned its attention to the west and pushed across the endless steppes of central Asia. Volquin silently considered the man for a minute then asked him when he thought they would reach the lands of the Volga Bulgars and Russians. Through Otto’s translation, the answer came back – 2 maybe 4 years. Volquin frowned. “What then – what happens when they come” Otto’s translation was slow and faltering, but there was no disguising his reaction to the Korean’s terse reply. “Sire, he just says Death, Death to all”

Reflection
Hopefully the dialogue tells the moves well. The strike into Lithuania move 1 worked really well as half the army had gone to Volhynia. The loot from the ransom of the king made the rest of the moves easy. Once established, it was just a case of a steady build and expansion with a careful eye on keeping good alliances. The dispersed crusade was a pain, but such is life. The arrival of the Korean mercenaries in Novgorod in 1327 provided a useful tool to justify some Mongol preparation and lay the seeds for the next chapter – which I will write soon. As I have said elsewhere XL requires a different and challenging style – one which I am enjoying very much – I hope you enjoy it to.

Martok

03-14-2007, 23:20

A terrific opening to your story, King Kurt! Your narrative abilities continue to impress. :thumbsup:

bamff

03-15-2007, 06:20

Wonderful write up, King Kurt -very entertaining!

Martok, in response to your query, my battle plan is to finish off my existing enemies (Horde, Byzantium, Hungary, followed by Italy). This will bring my borders up to Novgorod, so they and the Poles will be next on the hit list - oh, and the Livonian rebels, almost forgot them.

The Sicilians are still alive and kicking down in Malta, and with a reasonable sized force. Mind you with no navy, they present no real threat, so I can leave them alone for a while yet.

And the Papacy should, I think, be rewarded for being my staunchest ally throughout - so I will leave them the honour of being the second last surviving faction (naturally with the English to be last left on the map).

That's the loose plan at this stage, anyway.

Ciaran

03-16-2007, 09:46

Taking a look on your most recent screenshot, bamff, shoulnd´t you have been offered a Minor Victory by now? If not, I suppose you´re not far from it.

Derfasciti

03-18-2007, 15:19

Era: Vikings

Faction: Mercia

Difficulty: Normal

Note: During the game I'll be trying to play the viewpoint more or less of the king. So if there is a civil war I'm always going to side with the king.

Years: 793-807

The Kingdom of Mercia is hemmed in between 3 mighty kingdoms: Wales, Northumbria, and the Saxons. King Offa of Mercia knew that unity was necessarry in England. At least of the Anglo-Saxons. To his south, the Saxons were currently too strong and to the west the Welsh mountains were to formidable of a problem. But Northumbria was ripe for conquest and the beginning of unification.

Emmisaries were sent to both the Saxons and the Welsh and treaties of alliance were made. The Welsh even provided a daughter of theirs to deepen the peace.

The Mercians and Northumbrians both began to ammass troops in Mierce and Dere respectively. The kings son Aethlbert was sent south to Hwice and then Middle Seaxe to lead a defense against any possible Saxon or Welsh incursions. The minor kingdoms to the east could wait for immediate invasion for now. Prince Aethlbert has about 300 troops under his command many of which are mercinaries.

King Offa further north on the other hand has only Fyrd. Both spear and archers along with 20 more royal bodyguards for his son just recently came of age and it was long past due to show him battle's face.

During this time the Kingdom's economy and construction goes on full production. Farmland is further cultivated and enriched in some provinces while all provinces create basic defenses to try to hold off any foreign enemies. Watchtowers are constructed to watch over the Northumbrian border.

In about 803, the stage is set. About 950 Mercians face over 1000 Northumbrians and an invasion of Dere is set. There was no economic necessity at the start but King Offa knew that he would need every rich province he could get later on down the years.

The Northumbrians had mainly peasants, and only then some Fyrd and about 60 woodsmen. The king of Northumbria himself and his son also came to the battle.

The battle commenced with Mercian archers rapidly moving towards the enemy hoping to take as many shots as possible. The Northumbrian spearmen charged the archers with many losses and inflicting few of their own for by then the Mercian Fyrdmen came up to protect the archers. The Mercian cavalry is put on reserve, with only two heirs king Offa is too conscious of his line's vulnerability.

Where king Offa exercised caution the Northumbrian king forgot all about it. His son and him both charged the very weak right Mercian flank, barely having 100 or so fyrdmen and 50 archers. reinforcements are immediately set and soon the King is completely surronded. The Northumbrian infantry, massed on the Mercian right flank and fighting in what was a battle of wills, break and an immediate slaughter commences. A Mercian fyrd, finding itself infront of the Northumbrians who are retreating, charges them and even further destroys the morale and numbers of the Northumbrians. The Northumbrian king, surronded and fighting for his life both against spears and the recently arrived Mercian king himself, dies honorably in battle, and what was left of his army begins to flee. The routed army suffers arounc 200 dead and 350 captured. The Mercians only suffer about 130 losses.
'
The next year the Northumbrian kingdom is split in two by a viking invasion of Elmete. The Saxons, distressingly cancel their alliance and plans are made to fortify the southern border. Things are going well for the Kingdom of Mercia.

Deus ret.

03-18-2007, 15:55

Cool! Just take care of the Saxons, they are your worst enemy in the long run as they are quite rich (and West Seaxe can recruit +1v huscarles :sweatdrop:). Also try to get an alliance with the Vikings, they seem to be rather faithful. Which is a good thing as their uber troops will whoop your a**, especially in early/mid-game.

Derfasciti

03-18-2007, 16:06

Agreed, the second I can, I plan on trying to make an alliance with them. And considering the Saxons broke the alliance I may just up and invade them now too. I don't know yet.

bamff

03-19-2007, 06:12

Nice write-up Derfasciti. I look forward to reading more of the Mercian expansion.

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 17 – The Setting of the Sun (1406 - 1424)
The reign of Doge Jacopo II of Italy came to an abrupt end as 1405 drew to a close. The self indulgent Jacopo had made numerous enemies in his own court as well as abroad, so it was no surprise to anyone when word reached Wessex of the untimely demise of the Italian ruler. His brother, Vitale, laid claim to the throne, and was duly coronated as Doge Vitale IV.
Unlike Jacopo, Vitale had always been close to his father Goivanni, and had long since burned with a desire to avenge him against those who had played a part in his death. Jacopo had now paid the price for his treachery, but the English had also been involved in Giovanni’s death, and with this in mind, Vitale gathered an army of 3,195 men and marched south to Sicily.
Vitale and his men had every reason to feel confident. Lord Holland, the commander of the English forces in Sicily could muster only some 1,468 men to meet them.
Lord Holland, for his own part, was quietly confident that he and his men could at the very least ensure that Vitale had to pay a very high price indeed for Sicily. The bulk of his force were men who had served with him for many a year. These hardened soldiers knew what was needed to win the day. Their quiet confidence did much to steady the nerves of Holland’s newer recruits.
Holland inhaled deeply as the gentle breeze carried the feint aroma of the ocean once more to his nostrils. He gazed across the valley below. Far away to his right, stood the port town of Siracusa. Directly to his front, the green of the valley gave way to the blue of the Gulf of Catania. He could spot gulls, sweeping and soaring, mere white dots against the pale blue sky, but could not hear their cries above the ever louder rattle of drums and blare of trumpets.
The Italian army was truly a sight to behold, stretched out in neat lines across the valley. Their distinctive gold and green tunics had, in the distance, blended somewhat with their surrounds, but not so now as they drew ever closer.
“Pretty, aren’t they? The Italians do dress well for battle,” he noted to his nearest lieutenant and then paused briefly to reflect. Milan and its various fashion houses had long been under English control - surely his own men should be more fashionably attired? He shrugged, then continued “But remember - ’tis one thing to look like a soldier – but altogether another to fight like a soldier.”
The Italian front ranks were comprised of several regiments of pikemen. They came within range of the English arbalesters and longbowmen while still faced with a long uphill march to reach the English line. 200 men had evaporated to just 105 by the time they had crossed half of this distance. One regiment had been reduced to just 42 men, and they withdrew. The other regiment pressed on, now feeling the full weight of English fire. Only 36 survived to reach the English line, where they were immediately set upon by Sir Henry Burnell’s Chivalric Men at Arms. A veritable giant of a man standing well over 6ft tall, the imposing figure of Burnell was in the van as the Englishmen ripped through the pikemen. Only 11 Italians survived to flee the onslaught.
The English archers continued to rain death upon the advancing Italians, but doggedly they continued to advance. With his casualties mounting, Doge Vitale was acutely aware that his men needed inspiration from their leader. To this end, he led his surviving knights in a charge against Stephen Bolingbroke’s billmen in the English centre. This decision proved a costly one. His steed was slashed across the shoulder and flank, and fell, throwing the Doge at the feet of the billmen. In the heat of battle, the billmen forgot all thoughts of ransome, and Vitale’s end was not a pretty one.
News of the death of Vitale is the final straw for the surviving Italian troops, and they flee the field with almost indecent haste.
At day’s end, the field is littered with the distinctive gold and green tunics of Italy. 767 of them lie scattered as far as the eye can see. 163 more Italians sit glumly under English guard. 61 Englishmen have perished.
Far to the west, further battles were also unfolding. King William IV, was continuing to revel in the role of the “warrior king”, and in 1406, he led a force of 1,785 men into Lithuania to meet the army of Khan Chagatai IV. At the same time, Lord Giffard led the English assault on Chernigov, held by Prince Mongke, Sir Henry Langton invaded Pereslavyl, Sir Morcar Mortimer invaded Prussia, and the English crusaders seized Volhynia. The Golden Horde retreat without giving battle in both Lithuania and Chernigov, and their losses in Prussia and Pereslavyl are crippling. With his empire ripped from beneath him, and trapped in a besieged castle, Chagatai takes his own life. The Golden Horde are but a memory.
The Hungarians continue to resist all overtures of peace, and in 1409, King William’s patience is at an end. Lord Berkely leads the invasion of Carpathia, and Sir Henry Percy leads the invasion of Wallachia.
King Kalman II leads a most spirited defence of Wallachia, but ultimately, superior English numbers and arms carry the day. 463 Hungarians and 376 Englishmen have made the ultimate sacrifice. 189 Hungarians have placed themselves at the mercy of their conquerors. Kalman is amongst the Hungarian dead.
Never one to do things by halves, William has also ordered the invasion and annexure of Poland and Pomerania. Lord Greystoke and Lord Mobray respectively, are the English commanders of these assaults. In both provinces, the Poles retreat to their strongholds rather than give battle. Neither castle is prepared to play host to so many men, and with supplies rapidly dwindling, both castles surrender in 1410.
Most of Europe has now fallen under the English heel. In 1411, whilst enjoying an early morning ride in Kiev, the king’s horse steps in a rabbit hole, breaking its leg and throwing its rider. King William IV lands heavily, breaking his neck. Death is instantaneous. What a cruel twist of fate, that this great king, who had captured most of Europe and the middle east, and who had struck fear into the hearts of his enemies from Wessex to Volga-Bulgaria, should meet his end courtesy of a mere rabbit.
King Stephen III is crowned in Wessex. At 28 years of age, the new king is already widely known as a “great warrior” and a “hedonist”. Though little is recorded of Stephen’s early life, it would appear that the new monarch has already seen much action both on and off the field.
Stephen is anxious to continue what he calls his father’s “great work”, and to this end, he orders his armies in the east to invade the Byzantine provinces of Smolensk, Ryazan, and Volga-Bulgaria. The Byzantine armies are but a shadow of what they once were, and surrender all 3 provinces meekly, without so much as loosing an arrow.
In 1413, Stephen’s army pushes on into Muscovy, determined to meet Emperor Alexius III in the field. They are sorely disappointed. The Byzantine Emperor has gathered all of his available forces and marched south to liberate Ryazan. The garrison of Muscovy is reduced to a solitary Ballista crewman. This hapless soul surrenders as quickly as he can.
Emperor Alexius’ army numbers some 1,736 men. Lord Greystoke’s forces in Ryazan total 1,222. Greystoke is a master at defensive warfare, and duly wins the day. 661 sons of Byzantium have perished, 270 are captured, including the Emperor himself. He fetches a fine ransom indeed – 17,304 fl. In return for this gold, the Emperor is returned to his loyal followers on Crete. Greystoke’s losses on this memorable day number only 207.
King Stephen is anxious for further personal glory, and in 1414 he leads an army to subdue the rebel Vladimir Maksimov and his followers in Lithuania. The English king succeeds in this endeavour, and Lithuania falls under the English banner. At the same time as Stephen’s army crossed the Lithuanian border, Lord Cromwell leads a second army into Novgorod, seizing the province for the English crown.
Two years later, Stephen’s eye shifts to the rebel province of Naples. Lord Holland marches north, and brutally crushes the rebels. 1,080 Neapolitans die, 278 surrender. Holland loses only 151 men.
The success is dizzying for the English king. In 1417, his armies assault and seize the island of Crete. Just when it appears that all is going to plan, The Papacy launch a surprise attack on the English Navy in the Adriatic Sea. The attack is ill-conceived and poorly executed, and the entire Papal Navy is soon resting on the floor of the Adriatic. Stephen’s rage is terrible to behold. He orders the immediate invasion of all Papal lands, with strict orders to auto-calc, given the overwhelming numerical superiority of the English forces. The Papacy is shattered, and by 1420, all remaining resistance is crushed in the Papal States and Rome.
In 1421, the English invade the last remaining non-English province, Malta. The Sicilians are routed, and the survivors flee to the sanctuary of Valetta Castle. They continue to resist the English until 1424.
King Stephen III stood on the western wall of Wessex castle, calmly surveying the clouds now painted in glorious fashion by the sun as it dipped towards the western horizon. His Chamberlain approached rapidly, carrying the latest despatch from the east.
"News from Malta, my liege." he bowed as he offered the parchment bearing Lord Holland's seal.
King Stephen read the proffered note "The Sicilians have relinquished Valetta Castle, and the survivors have sworn allegiance to England."
His voice trailed off for a moment, before he continued "I am victorious. All of Europe has fallen."
He thought of his father William and all of those who had gone before, and then turned once more to view the richly painted western sky. Never had a sunset seemed so beautiful to his eyes. All of Europe was his. His place in history was assured.

https://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/bamffofbrissie/TotalVictory.jpg

Caerfanan

03-19-2007, 11:22

Agreed, the second I can, I plan on trying to make an alliance with them. And considering the Saxons broke the alliance I may just up and invade them now too. I don't know yet.
Alliance with the vikings is a vital key! I rush a bishop after the viking king and keep asking, asking and asking for peace if necessary, then alliance. Not having a coastal province with an Abbey is a plus.... And the saxons are the main threat. So having a bit more troop producing provinces than them is a good idea!

Martok

03-20-2007, 01:33

@Derfasciti: Hurrah for the Mercians! You're off to a pretty good start with them. :thumbsup: In regards to the Vikings, I second Caerfanan -- getting an alliance with them is imperative! You'll want to turn your attention to Wessex before long, and securing friend with the Norsemen will make that possible. :yes:

@bamff: Huzzah for King Stephen and the English! Huzzah for bamff and his magnificient storytelling abilities! Truly, we have witnessed the terminus of an outstanding campaign. :medievalcheers: :medievalcheers: :medievalcheers:

Lord Holland ruminating on soldier fashion got the biggest chuckles out of me by far. :laugh4: I also really liked the short passage about Sir Henry Burnell cutting down the Genoan pikemen -- a very nice touch, that. :bow:

Deus ret.

03-20-2007, 11:30

Yeah, it's indeed a pity that the story of bamff's great English is now told and over. I just read through the last write up and really enjoyed it..."with strict orders to auto-calc"....great!

Looking forward to new adventures!

bamff

03-21-2007, 03:25

Thanks for the nod of approval Martok & Deus ret.

As I have mentioned (possibly too many times) previously, I am going to try my hand at Aragon next...possibly prior to installing a mod such as XL, just so that I can then go back and try the same faction "post mod" to compare how it has changed.

Stay tuned!

seireikhaan

03-21-2007, 04:37

I, for one, second Martok and Dues ret. Bamff, thoust surely is a god amongst men in the art of recounting the deeds of pixilated heroes and the sacrafices of those who don't actually exist! Alas, if only I was as skilled at the literary arts!

Csargo

03-21-2007, 07:24

Very nice bamff

Derfasciti

03-22-2007, 23:30

Mercia VIKING/NORMAL

807 - 846

Sidenote: This entry may be kind of lacking in infortmation as this was played split up-like. My memory of what all happened may be a little lacking.

THE SUBMISSION OF THE NORTHUMBRIANS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SAXONS.

King offa I died shortly after the decisive battle at Dere. His son, Aethlebert became the new king afterwards. The remnants of the Northumbrian forces were split up. Their forces demoralized over such a blow only ensured a minor resistance. Within a few years, the Northumbrians totally submitted to the Mercians and became part of the Mercian kingdom. All throughout the coming decades, the Scots and Picts stay quiet engaging in little diplomacy with the ever-growing kingdom of Mercia.

The Vikings, ever courted for an alliance with the Mercians attack a few Northumbrian posessions but are soon driven back leaving Mercia and the Northmen in an official state of war but with virtually no violence ensuing.

The minor eastern kingdoms are very quickly subjugated and form a geographic line of defense with the now neutral Saxons.

King Aethelbert Forms a large army and calls a fyrd in Middle Seaxe, aiming their sword towards the rich lands and unofficial capital of the Saxons, West Seaxe. A seemingly large army of 961 troops consisting of many saxon Huscarles and the rest consisting of fyrd and archers. The invasion becomes entangled when an unexpectedly huge army of about 1750 troops stare the Mercian army in the face.

Battle commences, the Mercians hopeing they can inflict massive damage before they leave. Soon, however, the Saxon Huscarles of Mercia soon show their true power and decimate the enemy spearman, having nowhere to turn, the enemy retreats and are run down by the Mercian army. The great victory costs the Saxons 1150 dead and 266 captured. The Mercians only lost 576 troops- easily replaceable.

After several minor battles through Eastern Saxon lands the final thrust into Saxon lands at Defnas concludes with about 600 enemy casualties, breaking the enemy forever. The Saxon king died in the battle and one of his sons assumed the throne in the last stronghold of the Saxons: Dornsaete. Within two years of siege, the Mercians storm the small town and kill every enemy to a man. King Aethelred shortly afterwards dies of natural causes and Offa, the second, becomes the new king of the Mercians. The Mercians, who have ransomed back many a wealthy Saxon noble, including the princes and king of the Saxons at one time, have grown very rich and now enforce a building plan on a massive scale, kingdom-wide. Ports, farmland, forts, and military training buildings are planned to be created.

The Mercian kingdom stretches from Suth Seaxe to the northen reaches of Lothene, easily the largest and most influential kingdom in Britannia. Wales or the Northern reaches of the island are now the objective to which the 59 year old king looks toward. His family line however is not totally secure and has married within the nobility of Mercia to secure his line. Things look well once again for the Mercian people.

Kavhan Isbul

03-22-2007, 23:47

Interesting campaign Derfasciti. I guess the Viking Invasion mini-campaign can be interesting, but I would wait until Rythmic releases his mod before I attempt to go back to it. So far, I have never been able to finish a VI campaign as I get bored quickly.

Bamff, that was a great campaign, and I am eagerly waiting for you to start one in XL.

Martok

03-23-2007, 00:23

Excellent, Derfasciti! :medievalcheers:

If I may make one suggestion (and of course you should feel free to ignore it), you might want to begin building a navy if you haven't already done so. Unless and until you can secure an alliance with the Vikings, the odds are high that they will use their longships to strike your wealthier coastal provinces -- at least until you have ships protecting your coastlines. :yes:

Other than that, though, you're doing well. I'm looking foward to hearing more. :2thumbsup:

Derfasciti

03-23-2007, 01:43

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.

As for Rythmic's mod: I had thought that it's put on hold indefinitely. When/if I can I DEFINITELY want to get it though.

@Martok - A good idea, I had recently thought about the idea, especially to help with an invasion of Ireland, but I really should build up a navy to ward off the Vikings to the east. With about 13000 florins, I should be fine. Then again, I'm building a LOT everywhere so I predict that money may not stay around too long.:coffeenews:

Caerfanan

03-23-2007, 12:26

If I may make one suggestion (and of course you should feel free to ignore it), you might want to begin building a navy if you haven't already done so. Unless and until you can secure an alliance with the Vikings, the odds are high that they will use their longships to strike your wealthier coastal provinces -- at least until you have ships protecting your coastlines. :yes:
Yes, this is realy right. The vikings tending to win thebattle when not outnumberd, I would also suggest that you build a stack of ships in a sea where the vikings are not, and then move the stacks to the seas you want to protect! :yes:

Martok

03-23-2007, 18:07

As for Rythmic's mod: I had thought that it's put on hold indefinitely. When/if I can I DEFINITELY want to get it though.
As do I. ~:) You're right, however, in that he's had to halt work on Britannia Divided for now.

@Martok - A good idea, I had recently thought about the idea, especially to help with an invasion of Ireland, but I really should build up a navy to ward off the Vikings to the east. With about 13000 florins, I should be fine. Then again, I'm building a LOT everywhere so I predict that money may not stay around too long.:coffeenews:
Yeah, the sooner you can start getting ships in the water, the better. A navy is a far more effective -- and ultimately, less costly -- defense against the Norsemen, as their armies are a royal pain to deal with once they've actually made landfall. Better to simply keep them from ever setting foot on shore. :yes:

Galagros

03-23-2007, 21:30

[QUOTE=Martok]As do I. ~:) You're right, however, in that he's had to halt work on Britannia Divided for now.QUOTE]
It's a real shame, I've been waiting on that mod sinced I first heard about it.

In other news I had to abandon that Polish BKB campaign. Bad things happened. Other than that my monitor died on my so I am waiting for a new one to arrive so I can start playing again.

Derfasciti

03-24-2007, 20:18

MERCIAN VICTORY 846-860(ish. I forgot to save the game.)

OFF TOPIC: This one is comparatively very long compared to the others but I feel like writing right now :laugh4:

After the final death throes of the Saxons. King Harold ruled over Mercia, eastern Anglia, southern Saxons and the Northumbrians. His eyes turned to Wales with dreams of glory. Unfortunately it would not be aseasy to vanquish these britons as some of his former foes were.

In the realm of diplomacy all was the status quo. The Northern Picts and Scots were quiet, seemingly content with their territorial lot in life. But then an Irish explosion of expansionism came- attacking the minor kingdoms of Reget and Cyil with vast armies, quickly subduing them. The Vikings still launched several punitive raids on Mercian territory but for the most part create no real problems, always avoiding peace and alliance talks.

Prince Alfred, the only son and heir to the old King Harold, guards the southeastern part of the kingdom in Cantware, hoping to fend off the Viking raiders lest they become something more than the small forces they keep sending to the isle.

King Harold lost many a nights sleep over how to secure his family's always thin line. Through one of his advisors he comes up with a highly controversial plan that had the Pope found out might've ruined his family forever. With much hostility to the plan, Prince Alfred marries his sister secretly (or as secretly as such an affair can be) and has been convinced only by the fact as the kingdom is truly short on heirs and if something would to befall both of the men in the family, great destruction and chaos would consume the Kingdom, only 53 years in existence since the beginning of it's ruthless expansion into Northumbria. The princess is quietly removed from matters of state and nothing was said of it.

King Harold's eyes now turned to Wales with dreams of glory. Unfortunately it would not be aseasy to vanquish these britons as some of his former foes were.

Pouis was the major target. It's lands were rich enough, but the reason for the main swordarm of invasion to be pointed here was the massing of most Welsh forces in this province. approximately 1000 (give or take obviously) Welshmen guarded this province and King Harold wanted them destroyed as soon as possible. Simultaneously smaller armies were to invade Cerniu and Clwyd, and within a year guent too. What was to become of this invasion was a major back-and-forth campaign staining the fields of Pouis thrice with much blood and sweat. No longer would that land be the same.

The destruction of Cerniu's garrison was easy enough, and several higher nobles of Wales were ransomed back increasing the already rich Mercian booty chest. Clwyd too fell without much of a battle. However, Pouis was a different matter.

The army that invaded that land was apporximately 900 troops strong. What they lacked in numbers they made up for in courage and skill. Many again were King Harold's household guards wearing expensive chain mail (a rarity in those days for sure) and carrying large axes to do their master's bidding. The rest included approximately 240 archers who played a pivotol role in many of the battles.

When the army marched, it had only expected around 1000 welshmen to block their path, but in reality the Welsh king apparently had must've bribed many of his lesser nobility for they brought a host of about 1400 troops to the battle. Outnumbered, the Mercians still decided to make the most of the battle and turned out to win a stunning victory killing 360 of their troops and capturing another 450. Losing less than 300 men in the process.

King Harold, leading the army himself while his son still guarded the Southeastern kingdom from Vikings, had thought this demonstration of power would have chilled Welsh blood, but it was not meant to be. When the winter snow melted the next year, a new Welsh army consisting of over 1600 men ammassed and attacked the numerically far inferior Mercians in Pouis.

Throughout the Mercian camp there was much fear of defeat. Surely 617 men could not stand up to almost tripple that number. Peace must be made and perhaps Mercia could leave the discussions with some land and honor to call their own. Mercian nobles, once proud of their king now threatened to his face to leave the camp with their men if they were not allowed to retreat. King Harold, stubborn with age, perservered and convinced his thegns and Ealdormen to follow him to glorious victory. They stuck with him.

The day of the battle, Harold's men gave one final attack to the enemy- and failed. In a valley, the Mercian infantry were unable to reverse their fortune when they were heavily outflanked by the huge Welsh army.The army routed leaving 426 dead Mercians and 514 Welsh deadin their wake. The 100 captured Welsh were set to be executed but the Welsh took their own back too quickly to make done with the order. The once proud and strong Mercian army dragged itself back home, only 281 men surviving.

However, all was not lost. The previous year Guent had been captured turning up the Welsh king himself, giving the Mercians a heavy ransom price of 10,000 florins. This hurt the Welsh treasury horribly, limiting the ability of the Welsh to provide for a large force.

Compared to this, the Mercians could field many more men because of their huge kingdom. Within the year a new army of 946 troops were assembled of similar build and again the army marched off towards Pouis, the 50 year old King Harold swearing that he would die rather than leave the land the loser again.

946 Mercians faced off against 1845 Welsh troops. The Welsh comprised mainly of Celtic warriors, some peasants, and many archers. Their cavalry was virtually non-existent similar to the Mercian Kings only horse bodyguard of 20 royal guards. This battle would be won by the man on foot, as usual.

The Welsh were smart. This time they concentrated their undisciplined army in a large forest limiting mobility for everyone but giving them a great way to defend against superior Mercian troops. However, one must not underestimate the power of loyalty. The Saxon Huscarles of King Harold made the forest thick with blood that day and soon the Welsh center was almost fully enveloped even with the woods blocking quick movement, before they decided to flee, only to find Mercian spears at their backs.

The most pivotal troops in this battle were the hithertoo less-renowned archers. Farmers and their sons who knew only a little of how to shoot an arrow- but enough of them so it mattered much less than it would otherwise. The Welsh reinfocements came from the east, where King Harold and his 20 bodyguards were busy harrying some Welsh archers. Harold, seeing this ran for the cover of the Archer's and orders were sent for the archers to shoot into the massed ranks of Welsh peasants - men who'd rather farm than play warrior for the day. Soon, the slow moving and ill-disciplined peasants were beset by two hundred arrows pouring from the heavens and soon they dispersed leaving many wounded and dead in their wake- causing no casualties themselves.

During this time the Mercian infantry tired themselves out greatly, running from one side of the battlefield to the other chasing archers or assaulting newly arrived Welsh reinforcements and soon the battle was up in the air. But then, with the archers continuing salvo into the enemy ranks, foced and Welsh to flee for their lives and soon King Harold captured the enemy general himself, ensuring that a hefty ransom would go to the royal coffers. With the last of Welsh forces destroyed or running, the victory was official and the dead were counted. In total, 604 Welsh were killed and another 376 were taken. Being unable to pay for such a sum, they were massacred to a man. 419 Mercians died but with 527 troops left, the Mercians were by far the strongest army in Wales.

The Kingdom of Wales was conquered quickly after the final Battle Of Pouis. No longer could they summon a fyrd to defend welsh lands and soon the King was killed, starving from a siege in his own castle. With Wales totally conquered Modern-day England and Wales were under Mercian control. King Harold had did what his great-grandfather, Offa I, wanted: He ensured Mercian survival.

Several attempts were made to assault both Pictish and Irish lands, ending in failure. But these are small losses compared to the great victory story that was the Mercian kingdom. Now king Harold decided to live an administrative life, ships were to be built to defend against Viking and Irish aggression and perhaps his son; with God willing a pack of sons of his own, would complete the conquest of the whole Island but for now, no one could dispute the total dominance that is the Mercian Kingdom. May God grant it many years of peace and prosperity.

THE END.

Author's note: This entry by far the longest and most detailed. That's probably because I want to write right now and this part seems pretty epic. I also wanted to wrap this up as I'm probably picking up a couple of Viking books today and am considering starting a Viking campaign. I'm also thinking of possibly a Welsh one. I just don't know and any suggestions would be nice. I hope you all enjoyed reading these entries (granted not many of them). By all means give me your criticisms and advice both game-wise and in story-telling. I know I'm not perfect.

Thank you for reading the history of the once-great Mercian Kingdom!

bamff

03-25-2007, 09:24

Great stuff, Derfasciti - both in terms of the victory and the write up! Well done mate!

bamff

03-25-2007, 09:29

After much prevarication, I have started a new campaign....

The campaign is the Aragonese, in XL, Hard, Early, GA mode...I have got to say, I have found a few things quite different in XL - not only new factions, but new borders as well! Hmmm....we'll see how bamff copes with this!

Okay, without further ado, here are my first nervous (and you will note pretty tenative) steps onto the XL field....

Bamff’s Aragonese Escapade

Chapter 1 – A Kingdom is Born (1087 - 1130)

The year is 1088. King Sancho I has sat upon the throne of Aragon for just over one year. His country is a tiny land, perched on the northernmost part of the Iberian peninsula. So small is Aragon, that many in Europe do not afford it the status of a kingdom at all – it is, after all, just a single province, a veritable minnow in the political sea of Europe.
Sancho has greater problems to deal with than the poor esteem in which his kingdom is held by others. Aragon’s small size dictates that its economy is also small, and the Aragonese, in relative terms, are poor. His subjects are hungry for land and trade. Sancho is well aware that if he can deliver unto his people some measure of land, wealth, and glory, their loyalty will be assured. He is also acutely aware that if he cannot deliver these needs, he will not long wear the crown.
With these considerations in mind, Sancho had taken an enormous gamble. He gathered every last one of his available soldiers, and had marched north across the Pyrenees to the rich lands of Toulouse. Nominally this was a province belonging to the king of France, but it was relatively isolated from the remainder of his territories, joined by the narrowest of land bridges to the province of Isle de France. The isolation of Toulouse, Sancho had reasoned, made the province vulnerable, and ripe for the plucking. He was still somewhat nervous, however – information on the strength and deployment of the French forces in Toulouse was far from complete, and after a long and arduous march from their homes in Aragon, his men were clearly fatigued. Today was the day that he would meet the French forces. Would his own men be ready to fight when the time came? Would they be able to match the Frenchmen, who he had no doubt would be well trained?
He reproached himself mentally for allowing such doubts to surface, and surveyed his forces. He had brought with him 1 regiment of archers, under the command of Don Ferdinand Mendez, 1 regiment of feudal men at arms under Lord Granvelle, and 1 regiment of urban militia under Don Beltran Enriquez. The Aragonese king shrugged his shoulders. Urban Militia? Not “real” soldiers, by any stretch of the imagination, but better than peasants….at least he hoped they would prove so….and then there was the question of Enriquez’ loyalty. This had been the subject of much recent conjecture at court.
Sancho raised himself in his stirrups and craned his neck, peering intently into the distance, where blue flags could now be seen quite clearly fluttering above the French force sent to meet him.
“Too late to contemplate turning back now,” he mused, as he raised an arm to direct his men forwards. All the while he continued to survey the French. “What are they thinking?” wondered Sancho, as he noted the Frenchmen were not marching towards him at all. Indeed, they were marching away from the Aragonese, and at some considerable pace. The French were evacuating the province – Toulouse had been won, with nary a drop of blood spilled! As the cheers of his men rang in his ears, Sancho knew that his job was merely beginning – but he was off to a fine start indeed!
That same year, the Aragonese emissary despatched by Sancho in 1087 successfully negotiated an alliance with the Castillian Spanish. Both Christian nations shared a burning ambition to cleanse the Iberian peninsular of the Moorish invaders, the Almohads, but curiously, both also shared a deep mistrust of the other. It would remain to be seen whether this alliance was one which would last.
That having been said, the alliance was important to Sancho, because it allowed him to focus on his territorial ambitions to the north and south without having to be quite so concerned for the security of his western borders.
Sancho had left Toulouse and returned to Aragon almost immediately after the province had been seized. In 1090, he had raised an army of sufficient size to march west to Navarre. This territory was at that time held by the Basques, and they had no intention of relinquishing their freedom without a struggle.
Sancho’s invading force numbered 181 men, the force being comprised of 1 squadron of royal knights, 1 regiment of spear (in the form of feudal sergeants), and 1 of archers. The Basque force is almost twice their number, although quantitatively inferior, comprising mostly of peasants.
The Basques take position atop one of the imposing mountains that fill the tiny province of Navarre, forcing the Aragonese to march uphill to meet them. Sancho leads his men up the steep slope some way away from the Basque army, then marches across the slope towards them, with his archers in the van, and his knights at the uppermost part of the slope. The Basque spearmen break ranks, charging at the Aragonese archers. 12 of their number are brought down by the time they reach the Aragonese line. As the spearmen close, the Aragonese archers melt away behind the advancing line of feudal sergeants, and battle is joined. With the Basque spearmen now fighting for their lives, Sancho leads his knights to charge into the Basques from the rear. The spearmen waver in the face of this onslaught, and flee. Showing superb disciplne, Sancho’s knights, and feudal sergeants regroup rather than pursue, and the archers once again move forwards to fire upon the remaining Basque forces. The pattern of the first engagement is now repeated, though this time it is 184 peasants charging the Aragonese line rather than 88 spearmen. The result is even worse for the Basque second wave. As the last routers are ridden down by Sancho’s knights, a light snow begins to fall. Not a single Basque has escaped the field – 167 lie dead, and 133 are now prisoners of the Aragonese. Only 15 Aragonese soldiers have perished (all of them spearmen), and the extremely one-sided nature of this battle sees Sancho’s stature grow even further in the eyes of his people.
While King Sancho was engaged in Navarre, Lord Dampierre of France has sought to reclaim Toulouse for the French crown. The province is defended by Lord Granvelle. The two armies are of extremely similar composition and experience, and whilst the battle hangs in the balance for much of the day, it is Granvelle’s men who triumph, turning back the invading Frenchmen. 118 Frenchmen have lost their lives in attempting to retake Toulouse, and 72 sons of Aragon in defending the province. The ferocity of the fighting is underlined by the fact that a mere 7 Frenchmen are taken prisoner.
Further good news arrives at court late in 1090, with word that El Cid of Valencia wishes to pledge allegiance to the crown of Aragon. King Sancho grants El Cid a gratuity of 3,400 florins to assist in developing the defences of Valencia.
Sancho had proven himself a more than capable battlefield commander in Navarre, and he now set about proving himself to be every bit as skilled a diplomat as a soldier. Alliances were soon secured with King Phillipe of France in 1091, King Inge of Sweden in 1092, King Malcolm III of Scotland and King William II of England in 1093, King Wladyslaw I of Poland and King Roger I of Sicily in 1095, and in 1096, the Portugese also accept an alliance with Aragon. All the while, Sancho continued on his dual programmes of military and economic building, turning his once tiny impoverished one-province kingdom into an affluent Mediterranean trading nation. By the time of his death in 1111, King Sancho had indeed achieved his goals. He had secured and expanded the borders of his kingdom. He had increased the wealth of his people enormously, and he had laid the foundations upon which later kings of Aragon could build further. The kingdom of Aragon had indeed “arrived” on the Medieval European political stage.
With the passing of King Sancho, his son Sancho (the first king of Aragon had shown imagination in many areas, but sadly not so, it would seem, in the naming of his first born) was crowned Sancho II.
Sancho II soon showed himself to be capable of continuing in the footsteps of his great father. The extensive public works program undertaken by Sancho II soon earned him the reputation of being a “great builder”, but few initially noted the slightly different direction that the building works of Sancho II were taking. A very pious man, the new king sought to ensure that all Aragonese provinces could boast a resident bishop. Sancho II was most anxious to continue, and to complete the “Reconquista”, and in 1129, he successfully petitioned Rome for the right to launch a crusade to the province of Granada, one of the two remaining Almohad held provinces on the Iberian peninsula. After almost 40 years of peace, Aragon was once again going to war. Though none dared to give voice to their concerns, there were many at court who harboured doubts about this latest campaign. Time would soon tell if Sancho’s crusade was to spell success or disaster for his rule…