The Bavarian Jihad

[aleh]

Ok, I'll give a short (ok, it's definately not short) summary of what happened so far.

Era: Early.
Faction: Almohad.
Difficulty: Hard(This is the first time I've played MTW in nearly a year after finding my discs two days ago.)
Rules: - Don't upgrade too fast.
- Don't expand too fast.
- Don't raise taxes above 'low' level(new rule).
- Don't have field armies more than 600 men strong(new rule).
- Don't prematurely rush a garrison during a siege(new rule).
- Don't use many non-basic/early troops(new rule).
- Don't use alims/imams unless there is a large number of priests.

This is written in AAR format, just skip over it if you don't want to. However the title doesn't make any sense if you skip over the last 8 paragraphs give or take.

The Bavarian Jihad: 1087-1250s


And so the campaign began at 1087. Immediately I fortified my northern forts/keeps(Cordoba, Grenada), and did the same with Cyrenacia. I sent a small army to attack El Cid in Valencia, but it was routed and so I licked my wounds and sent another force that was commanded by my King, and the heir. And then, I built up my forces, with Cordoba serving as my main production area for foot, and Morocco providing me with archers. Cyrenacia, surprisingly enough, was like a hotbed for Mercenaries for the next century(give or take), and it always provided me my cavalry.

I attacked the Spaniards within about 15, or 20 years, and Portugal(after they had attacked it and subsequently lost it to a rebellion). I captured Castille first, and lastly Leon where their King made a last stand and died. When their garrison in Navarre turned into petty rebels, I bribed them. And just like that, within a period of five or seven years, the entire Iberian Peninsula save for Aragon was mine.

The Almohads settled into a period of peace for the twenty or thirty years, give or take, where the most excitting things were deciding which ally to support over another. And occasionally, the courtly intrigue of transferring governorship of a province from one person to another. Caught spies and assassins kept the Empire busy, howevre. During this period, the Khalifah decided to invest in his lands through public works projects including better fortifications, more keeps, a better agriculture system. So on, and so forth. But nothing too major.

And then, the English declared a crusade on Castille. By then, a new Khalifah had come into power, and immediately he whipped the rested and somewhat indolent armies of the Almohads into shape. At the same time, he began talking to sheikhs and other religious figures and had them lay the groundwork for a jihad should Castille be lost.

That is precisely what happened, though some have suggested that the new Khalifah intentionally lost ground so as to have his jihad anyway. Once declared, the Khalifah, his heir, and the other generals within the royal family, and there they led the army north from Cordoba. Reinforced by cavalry, light and heavy, hired in Cyrenecia, and the fearsome militia of the Iberian provinces, the Almohads moved in to reclaim their land.

And so, Castille was recaptured. However, it did not stop there, and the faithful gathered in that crusade were soon put to good use as the Aragonese attacked Valencia. This caught the Khalifah by surprise as for generations, the Almohads had cultivated a close relation with the Aragonese, including leaving them their foothold in the peninsula and supporting them with increased trade between the two nations.

The Khalifah's response to the incursion, a failure since the Valencia keep still held, was what one might have expected of a man of his character. Long-known to have executed captured troops, even after the fate of the battle was known, the Khalifah responded in kind. Immediately he moved several armies into Valencia, recapturing the province, and just five years passed before he attacked Aragon. The castle there was lost by the Aragonese soon enough, though they were permitted to leave to their northern, and sole-remaining, province of Toulouse. Before he could continue on this expedition, Prince Yusuf, the Khalifah's second son, convinced him to show mercy. Of course, to the Khalifah, it was all about rebuilding the lost infrastructure of Valencia, and taking great advantage of th newly-gained province of Aragon, and its castle.

In a move that would puzzle more than one, around 1180 the Khalifah decided to expand his territory straight in central Europe. One of his emmisaries having found the land of Bavaria governed by people not connected to any other, including the Holy Roman Empire. At no-great cost, some three or four thousand florins it is estimated, the emissary managed to convince the garrison to swear fealty to the Khalifah. Of course, the folly of this act was soon seen in that a large army was raised and it soon joined the HRE's cause. The garrison was lost in a token battle, and many were ransomed back to the Caliphate. Of course, the Khalifah's acceptance of all was soon seen when he granted the governorship of Valencia to the former Amir of Bavaria. The man having converted to Islam, shown good loyalty to the throne, and above all, having shown great skill in the management of lands.

Soon though, around the last quarter of the 12th century, the Khalifah had no choice but to move north, the French having declared a crusade against Grenada, at the same time that the Italians did on Castille. New armies were marshalled from Cordoba, Morocco(now converted into a land to breed horses, camels and strong cavalrymen), new mercenaries forces were sent for from Navarre and Cyrenacia. Including the feared Italian spearmen, companies of feudal spearmen, and of course the cavalry companies that have become a staple within the Almohad forces.

Toulouse was soon lost by the Aragonese and the Italian crusade which had arrived just the year past. Many historians would later say that the Almohads would never have attacked either holdings of that nation had they not been betrayed, and had the King of Aragon not played willing host to the crusader armies marching on the Almohads. At the same time, Prince Yusuf attacked the large French garrison of Auitaine with his much-smaller one. After four years, a lost Crusade, several waves of reinforcements including one led by the King of the French, the keep of Aquitaine fell to the Caliphate.

The Khalifah's original heir, his elder son, took a handful of the troops under his command and attacked Anjou where the King of the French and much of his armies retreated to. Some did not seemed surprise as the Prince had clearly been deranged, talking to servants that did not even seem to be there. The battle, predictably, was quick, and bloody, at the end of it, the Prince had died and his troops were butchered. The Khalifah, maddened and approaching his own death bed, refused to pay a ransom, and the Anjou Eexpedition figured as one of the most humiliating losses of the Caliphate.

The Khalifah passed some years later, and the Caliphate's influence declined greatly as the less-experienced(in matters not relating to a battlefield of course) Yusuf took over. Within a few years of each other, three crusades were declared. One by the English and targetted against Leon, an especially traitorous one given that the Almohads had remained steadfast by the English in their wars against the French, and especially since the losses inflicted by the Almohads against the French greatly helped them. And two others by the Germans, which had signed a ceasefire with the Caliphate against Cordoba and Castille respectively. They all came at the increasing urgings of the Pope, Popes rather, the Church having grown worried by the strong footholds the Muslims now held in Europe. Something that had not happened...ever, the greatest threat having been 'Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi' force, and those were stopped by Charles Poitiers.

However, the crusader commanders were no Charles Poitiers as was soon shown by the new Khalifah. He first went to Cordoba where he assured the personal loyalty of all the various generals and governors of the Caliphate. And he summoned another member of the royal family, a Prince Umar, from Cyrenacia, and with him came large companies of the best mercenaries the Caliphate could pay for. As soon as they had all gathered, he moved north and arrived at Toulouse just a few years before the first of the German crusades arrived.

For the next 10 or 15 years, Khalifah Yusuf the First held the three Crusader in checkmate. And slowly, but surely, the Crusades began to be deserted. Seeing no way to assault by sheer force, though they heavily outnumbered the Muslims, Toulouse, and with Aquitaine out of their reach, the Khalifah had managed to hold his own territory.

Whispers soon began to surface of the Khalifah meeting with religious figures, and at first, these were dismissed as precautions in case either Aquitaine, or Toulouse was lost that a Jihad should quickly be called. However, that was not the case. Having seen the folly of attempting to continuously reason with these kingdoms and empires, the Khalifah had decided that it was time that the Caliphate moved out of the defensive. Mercenary-spearmen were hired from Cyrenacia, and Navarre. The Berbers and their camels were called on by the Caliph, Aragon and its good archer facilities were put to use in raising crossbowmen and archers. Cordoba was used to gather together the Muwahids and Murabitins, and Grenada with its great militia were called upon.

When they all gathered in Cordoba, the call for Jihad was placed by the various sheikhs, alims and imams. Something that none had seen coming, Caliph Yusuf, whose influence had grown, by not much of course, had decided to take the fight to the Germans and all the others who opposed him. Bavaria was targetted, a move that still surprises many in its daring. The Bavarian Jihad was born.
The Jihad quickly moved into Valencia, from there to Aragon, and finally to Toulouse. Khalifah Yusuf personally took control of the jihad, and from there, he carved a path through German territory. He moved first into Provence, and the Crusaders retreated north of it(the province /just/ north of it, I can't remember the name). And after leaving one of the armies trailing the Jihad there, he followed the Crusaders, and the same occured again, and another army was left in that province. Tyrolia was next, and that too was conquered, though the Jihad did not stay long enough, and the province was soon recaptured by the Holy Roman Empire. Finally, the Jihad had arrived at its target of Bavaria, the influence, which had skyrocketed to its maximum, of Caliph Yusuf the First kept the Jihad together, and not a single man was lost. Following that, the fort of Bavaria was assaulted, and the province was taken.

At the same time, Prince Idris, the heir, led a campaign north against the French. Brittany was taken by him, and nearly lost it after the f rench counterattacked with overwhelming forces. However, just four years after the attack commenced, Brittany was added to the Almohads' territory. At the same time, Prince Umar led the campaign on Anjou, and it too was taken. To the surprise of the Muslim conquerors, no province threatened to rebel. No doubt thanks to the policy of the King of keeping provinces at an acceptable(normal) taxation rate, and for newly-gained territory at a 'very low' rate until their infrastructure is developed.
At the same time, the Khalifah had sent one of his emissaries to go across the Mediteranean to the isle of Corsica and hire the governors and garrisons there. The isle was soon pacified, and that same emissary was sent south to Sardinia(I /think/ that's the name?) and the same occured there). The Caliphate's maritime strength, extensively developed under Caliph Yusuf's, and his father's reign helped in moving troops from all over the territory of the kingdom, and that helped when Sardinia and Corisca needed to be reinforced quickly.

The Bavarian Jihad was a success beyond all belief, or so people say. The threat of Crusaders constantly raining on Toulouse and other places was stopped, at least for the time being. The threat constantly presented by the backstabbing French was broken, and soon they were reduced to a much-smaller kingdom than their previous one. And more importantly, the Caliphate had assured its position in Europe, and its strength in the Iberian Peninsula.

On his 76th year, in the year 1243, as the Bavarian Jihad was called to an end after the province was added to the Almohads' kingdom, Caliph Yusuf the First, the greatest(so far) in the history of his people perished following his very long reign of nearly thirty years. And his heir, Prince Idris was crowned. Quickly he moved to deal with the Italian threat, and a crusade declared by the Italians against Algeria was repelled at Milan before the army of Provence retreated back to Provence. For a period of five years, Corsica and Sardinia were threatened by the Italians, and Sardinia lost for two years before it was recaptured. The Kingdom looks much different than it did a century ago. The Germans are raising their forces, and Bavaria is caught off from the rest of the Kingdom. The Italians' crusade, while beaten back, is not yet over, and they threaten Provence and Corsica/Sardinia. And while the Egyptians have yet to move, the army stationned at Cyrenacia might not prove a large deterrent anymore. That is if the Byzantines, which are at their strongest after having defeated a wave of something called the 'Golden Horde' do not gobble them up. Khalifah Idris will have to be a great ruler if he is to match his father's skill, and already many say that his influence is nowhere near Yusuf's at the beginning of his reign. With the Caliphate no longer benefitting from the natural protection granted by the two provinces of Aragon and Navarre and the Pyrennes, and spread out as it is, whether Caliph Idriss can keep it together or not remains to be seen.

Well, that's it.

- I /never/ once thought of using Bavaria for a Jihad until I decided that I had to go on the offensive. So that came to me pretty randomly, but I guess that'll be the high-point of this campaign.

- The battles are hard, and I nearly lost more than one, especially the one with Prince Idris and the French's counterattack at Brittany. And of course, Prince Yusuf and his original attack on Aquitaine. However, the Campaign itself seems too easy. And I only felt really threatened at like 4-5 times during the 150+ years of the campaign, should that be normal?

- I don't know what to do now. I have basically a sizeable portion of Western Europe, Bavaria, the Corsican/Sardinian islands, and everything up until Cyrenacia. Any recommendations on where to go next?

[aleh]

The Corduban Crusade: 1260s-1270s

Era: Late.
Faction: Almohad.
Difficulty: Hard(This is the first time I've played MTW in nearly a year after finding my discs two days ago.)
Rules: - Don't upgrade too fast.
- Don't expand too fast.
- Don't raise taxes above 'normal' level.
- Don't have field armies more than 750 men strong.
- Don't prematurely rush a garrison during a siege.
- Don't use many non-basic/early troops.
- Don't fight on more than one front(new rule).


The worst fears of the citizens of the Caliphate were soon confirmed. Khalifah Idris was nothing like his father. The English took advantage of the Caliphate's and its new ruler's focus being on the Italians, and its tenuous hold on former German provinces. A crusade was called, and soon they moved into Anjou which had to be abandonned and the garrison returned to its castle to wait of the Crusaders. The King had, rather foolishly, dispatched much of his forces to Toulouse, the province having been the traditional crossing point through the Pyrenees. Aquitaine was held only by a token force, and it was precisely this province that was attacked by the crusaders.

Quickly, the Caliph scrambled to deal with the ingenuous English, and he moved much of his forces to retake Aquitaine. But by the time he got there, the Englush were in Aragon, and there he followed. For the next few years, the crusader army led the Caliph's on a trek through to the very heart of the Caliphate, and to its capital of Cordoba. At the same, across the Mediteranean, the Italians attacked Sardinia, their King leading the attack. Sardinia was soon lost. After a drawn-out siege, Corsica and its towns and keeps also suffered the same fate.

The Caliph's persoal reputation sunk, and with that, the seeds of rebellion which had been formenting since he took over from his father, gave fruit. Civil war took the Caliphate by storm, and many of its recently-conquered areas were taken over by rebels, not even Castille, or Aragon were spared. Only Bavaria, Brittany and Aquitaine remained steadfast and loyal.

His reputation ruined, his lands recked by strife and civil war, the Caliphate took a decision that many have called reckless, and an equal number brave. He assembled what forces he could, second-rate troops for the most part, and made straight from Castille to relieve the siege of the castle and city of Corduba by the English. The battle that followed was long, bloody, and the stuff of legend. It was also a horrible loss that destroyed the Caliphate as it was. Though Caliph Idriss regained some stature by taking on regiment after regiment of Crusaders, and by commanding a good battle, as well as fighting to the very last and even when surrounded. In the end, the English troops were simply better, and more importantly, there were more of them. Though the English paid in blood for that victory.

The Kingdom of the Almohads, the Caliphate of Corduba as many had begun to call it, seemed destined to a glorious, and quick death. A place in history as the only Muslim nation that not only threatened Europe but controlled an important swath of it deep into its territory. But as these things are, what should have happened, and what did were two entirely different things.

The former Caliph left no direct heirs able to rule, and the Caliphate's leadership was claimed by more than one. With the more important troop concentrations, and well-positioned holdings of Europe, Ali, a not-so-distant descendant of the originator of the bloodline of the Caliphs of Corduna, claimed the title from his place in Anjou. Another, Muta'mid did so from the citadel of Cyrenacia, backed by the powerful army there, and by the rich province of Algeria. Another Ali, this one the former governor of Corduba, and at his beck the legitimacy granted by holding the capital, as well as Aragon, Leon and Castille, and more importantly, having succeeded in beating back the remnants of the Corduban Crusade. And lastly, there was Umar.




The Marrakesh Resurgence: 1270s-1288

With the governors of Valencia, Portugal, Grenada, Tunisia, and his own province of Morocco to back him up, Umar was one of the front-runners in this 'race' for the throne. A highly devout man, having been influenced by the Berbers, he was an able general, though not the best amidst the candidates, and a good governor, though not the best amidst the candidates. As such, he was considered by most to be no more than a petty rebel and the two Alis as the 'legitimate' rulers of the Caliphate. What he had, however, were the two provinces Morocco and Grenada. The first having, for decades and generations now, having provided the cavalry arm of the Caliphate, and Grenada having being the fertile ground for the dreaded militias. And with those, as well as the important maritime network of the Almohads controlled from the main port of Tunisia, he quickly set about reuniting the land.

From its height of controlling all of Iberia, and northern Africa from Morocco to Cyrenacia, as well as a sizeable portion of Western Europe which included Brittany, Toulouse, Bavaria and Burgundy. The holdings of Umar were but a pitiful five regions, Tunisia, Morocco, Portugal, Grenada, and Valencia. A much-reduced force from the height of the Almohads.

Like his forefathers, and their forefathers, Umar, Khalifah Umar the First now, unleashed the Berbers and the Saharans from their native ground in northern Africa. Two armies were raised, and one placed under the control of his right-hand man. But they were not put to use just then. Instead, he gathered the best emissaries aat his diposal, and from his stronghold of Marrakesh sent them in all directions with suitable bribes, "gifts", for the governors of as many former holdings as possible. Cyrenacia, and its important position was the first to swear fealty to him. Leon next, Castille, Brittany, Aquitaine, Provence, and as an added bonus the region of Genoa was "convinced" into joining the resurging Caliphate. And immediately, added-weight was added to Umar's claim, but he did not have Corduba.

He was the one who was most surprised and affected by the Egyptians' betrayal. A small fleet, assigned to escort a merchant convoy through to Cairo and protect it from the pirates of that region, was attacked and destroyed by the traitorous Fatimids. In this, the otherwise pious and just Umar showed absolute rage. How dare a Muslim attack another Muslim? What reason do the infidels of Cairo and Antioch have of calling themselves the true Caliphate when they declare war on another Muslim nation? Immediately, he and the former son of Idris, an able general too, Prince Muhammad took two armies and immediately sailed up the Maghrebi coast and went to Cyrenacia.

From there, Governor Muta'mid was relieved of command of the army, and it was transferred to Muhammad's command. Egypt was attacked with a large force(about 1.5 stack), and the city of Cairo was taken. However, aside from assigning a trusted leader and his best governor, one that had recently returned after having been ransommed back by the traitorous European rebels, was placed in charge of that rich region. That the man had been born a Christian and an European mattered little to Caliph Umar, and soon, the man took in earnest the duties of being the Amir of the Caliphate's richest province.

Umar himself led his forces to the Sinai. There he was truly tested, and there he proved that the Caliphate was the force that it had been under Khalifah Yusuf of the Bavarian Jihad. Three battles, three /immense/ battles, though only the latter two are worth mentionning. In the first, the mere sight of the gold-and-oranged Almohad colours and the iron and steel of the true Caliphate was enough to strike fear, or at least caution, into the Egyptians' hearts and they retreated without a single shot being fired. Perhaps it was that with the Almohads having a large well, one they needed should the fighting last over several days, and a mosque at their fight. The first battle of the Sinai resembled too much the Battle of Badr, with the Almohads as the righteous, and the Egyptians as the Quraish. A fact that Umar, a down-to-earth man in many aspects, was able to regale his troops with that night.

The same, however, could not be said of the third battle of the Sinai. Yet again Umar and his troops were outnumbered but they had the advantage of choosing the terrain in advance, and the Egyptians had to cross a long swath to come to them. The second battle of the Sinai was the hardest fought, or so Umar would later say. Outnumbered 3-5, the battle lasted over no less than four days, and on the third day, they had to fight through a sandstorm. Through no less than seven waves, each more dangerous than the last, the Egyptians came, and first the fighting was carried over a wide region near the Almohad camp. near a series of villages. After the first two waves routed, Umar made a decision that some believed would be disastrous. He followed the routing Egyptians nearer to their camp, and established formation at the opening of a narrow valley.

It was this, perhaps, that saved the Almohads from being crushed by larger numbers. The fighting was especially hardest at the left flank, and at the end, the sole-remaining archer unit(the others having been called back in favour of more footsoldiers) discarded their bows once their quivers emptied and resorted to knives, short swords and shields. Finally, as fourth day began, the final wave of the Egyptians broke, and Umar and his troops followed them to their camp where much was captured. In time too, as all of the units were near-exhausted if not severely so, and Umar himself had lost half of his bodyguard, though he did not leave the battlefield, or even draw back even as he came under repeated fire from the crossbowmen and arbalasters of the Egyptians. Encouraging his men even when his horse was too tired to carry him. The third battle of the Sinai was fought in the same conditions, though he was less outnumbered then before, the casualties were massive on all sides, but finally, the Egyptians were broken.

Having been pushed out of their holdings in Antioch, Syria, Palestine by a Turkish kingdom that had done the same to the Byzantines and kicked them out of Rum, Trebizond, Anatolia, Georgia and God knows who else. A surprising development as many had assumed the Byzantines would eventually dominate that area and prove to be the only natural threat to the Caliphate of Corduba. The Fatimid Egyptians, the false-Caliphate, the allies of the backstabbing Christians, were pushed back into their pitiful holdings in Arabia, though nothing more was done for fear that combat into that area would spread into Mecca.
With the east secured, and an army massing in the Sinai to discourage the Turks should they get any ideas, Umar, now established as the equal of Khalifah Yusuf the Conqueror, turned his attention back to the former holdings in the Iberian Peninsula and in Europe. Just in time too given that his holdings faced outbreaks of rebel activity in Portugal, Brittany, Genoa, Provence, Navarre --recently bribed into rejoining the Caliphate--, and Aragon. His strategy, one that not many suspected until then, of cultivating Portugal as a hot ground for the pious and the zealous was then put into use.

A Jihad was declared, aimed straight for the new rebels of Castille, and led by Prince Muhammad who sailed back the coast to Morocco where he took control of the horses and camels being gathered at Morocco, and Grenada. Before moving north to Leon, the rebels at Portugal were taken care of, and those of Leon smartly surrendered once having been reminded of the authority of the Caliphate and the rule of Caliph Umar the First. Castille was liberated, and the Jihad called to an end, the faithful, of course, were put to good use relieving the garrison of Navarre, and from there, Umar moved north to Aquitaine. Dividing his troops, he went back to Navarre, and then sent the rest to GBrittany after making certain that the forces of Aquitaine could stand on their own. Just then, Umar came to Grenada after having gathered troops from his Maghrebi and Berber allies and the towns and cities of Grenada. Prince Muhammad moved into Cordoba after having gone to Castille, and from the south came Umar. Ali of Corduba, the claimant to the Caliphate, was beaten back in the field, and soon, Muhammad led an assault on the castle itself which brought an end to all the traitors captured that way who were soon sold into slavery.

Finally, the kingdom of the Almohads had secured itself, give or take. And the Caliphate of Cordoba had regained its capital. Khalifah Umar the First had proven himself an able, and great leader. All of the territory from Cyrenacia to Navarre and Aragon was retaken, with Aquitaine and Brittany regained as well. Of course, the sad truth as that despite the great flow of cash, the Calipahte was still threatened. From the East, the Turks had proven themselves a great threat, and they might not care that a large army awaits them in the Sinai should they decide to attack. From the north, strong rumours persist that the Germans have broken their alliance with the Caliphate only a few years after having signed it, and they have called a crusade on somewhere within the Caliphate.

Most importantly, the two decades, give or take, of constant war and strife took its toll on the once-proud, beautiful and breathtaking sights, towns, cities and countryland of the Caliphate. And though he has already prioritized the creation of mosques throughout all of his holdings, there is much to be done, from the simple things such as reestablishing the important network of border forts to making certain that Aragon can produce some of these new "handgunner" units and the staple of that region, the other missile troops of the Caliphate. Of course, the agriculture and trade networks of the regions of the Caliphate suffered. and that too needs to be taken care of.

For Caliph Umar the First, the Saviour of the Caliphate as he is rightly called, many concerns remain. However, it is rumoured that he holds his eyes on freeing the people of Western from the traitorous and backstabbing people that they have for leaders. And reminding the former holdings of the Caliphate that loyalty is not something to be easily forgotten, especially the new-found Arab and Berber "Lords" and "Sirs" of Anjou, Bavaria and the other provinces. Including, in particular, 'Sir Ali ibn Muta'mid', the man who has left not only his nation, but his very religion behind. Oh, Umar will indeed have much to be kept busy about.

- This was a /great/ few years. I was considering the campaign boring, and the battles too easy. And then, /bam/. I can't even waiti for a 'very hard' campaign. Not only that, but the battles are the funnest I've had...ever.

- This is coming along quite nicely, though I worry now that since it's 1288, I've like 165 years(I /think/) to conquer all of the middle east, swing north and west into Constantinople. Take Western Europe, a bit of Central Europe, and of course, punish the goddanged pope.

[seireikhaan]

Wow, that was a heck of a bad turn of events w/ that crusade. That
s why I usually like to sit tight w/ the provinces of Aragon and Navarre as a northern border for a while when I play Almos. Only two armies are needed and the terrain of the provinces means you can usually beat back an army much bigger than yours.

I also don't usually rely on mercs, even as almos, due to the upkeep costs. For cav, I usually rely on V2 saharans from Cyrenacia and just use them to chase down routers. Ghazis, muwahids and AUM can fill the lineup out nicely for footsoldiers and I abuse the berbers for desert combat. Desert archers are decent enough and the javelin throwers are decent for defence, especially in mountainous provinces like Aragon and Navarre. Even though Almos don't get high tech troops, you do get access to LOTS of iron, so you can actually specialize the iron provs for a specific troop. And, as you learned, Egypt cannot be trusted. I usually try pust them back until I have Sinai, once I have a secure border in Iberia, just to make sure to hurt them.

Overall, seems like a good campaign so far, good luck with it!