Dukes of the frozen North - the Rise & Fall of bamff's Lithuania

Well it has been a while betwixt drinks, hasn't it?

I have in recent times been wandering the fields of RTW & M2TW, with varying degrees of satisfaction...but have found myself longing more and more for the verdant fields of good old MTW....and so here I am once more. I thought it fitting to mark my return with a chronicle of my Lithuanian campaign - if nothing else, at least it may help you to sleep!

Anyway, enough waffling from me - on with the tales of Lithuania!

Dukes of the frozen North - the Rise & Fall of bamff's Lithuania
~ A Campaign in XL ver 3.0 (Huge Unit sizes) – Hard ~

Chapter 1 – Claiming a place on the Medieval Stage

In the year 1084, Europe and Northern Africa were still awakening from the long slumber of the dark ages. As the various kingdoms of these two continents stretched and yawned to greet this morning, there remained considerable conjecture and disagreement over who or what provided the light of this new dawn.

The Catholic Church were quite clear in their understanding, and as ever, were more than prepared to enforce their view on others. Consequently, throughout Eastern Europe in was generally accepted that Christianity was the light. Any who dared express any divergent viewpoint found themselves denounced as heretics, and then executed by any one of a number of gruesome and cruel methods.

In northern Africa, and in the southernmost parts of the Iberian Peninsula, the teachings of Islam held sway, and in those places, it was common knowledge that it was the prophet Mohammed that provided the light of this new dawn.

Far in the eastern regions of Europe, followers of the Orthodox Church were equally convinced that theirs was the true and indeed only path, and that in was this faith that lit the way for Europe into this new day.

Not all had abandoned or forgotten the old gods, however. Here, in the north-eastern part of Europe, belief in the pagan gods of old remained as strong as ever was the case, and nowhere was that more so than in the Duchy of Lithuania. In these lands, all knew that it was the sun god Saule that provided the light of each day.

Grand Duke Algirdas I knew that their gods made his people strong….and he also knew that their faith made them targets of those anxious to impose their own religion upon his lands. Indeed, his kingdom bore the title of “Duchy” in the west largely because the Catholic Church would not recognize a pagan ruler as a king – and consequently would not recognize any lands under the rule of such a monarch as a “kingdom”. This obvious disrespect rankled Algirdas. In time, he would ensure that they saw the error of their ways, but for now, he had more pressing problems to address.

An icy wind drifted south from the Baltic coastline as he led a small group of horsemen back towards Vilnius. The Duke reined in his mount, and shivered involuntarily as he stared to the north. The festival of Kupole had heralded the arrival of Spring, but the spirits of Winter seemed unwilling to loosen their last tenuous grip on the lands of Lithuania.

His companions had all halted, and dutifully waited silently as the Duke watched a goshawk hunting in the distance. It hovered, picking its moment, then dived to earth. Moments later it ascended once more, its talons still empty, to resume its search for targets.

“Encouraging to see that the mouse can triumph on occasion,” muttered Algirdas to himself.

“My Lord?” Gintautas Is Kernave, Duke of Lithuania interrupted his thoughts.

Algirdas glanced over his shoulder, and having satisfied himself that they were out of earshot of the remainder of the group, he confided in his old friend.

“We are surrounded by enemies, Gintautas. The lords of Novgorod and Kiev would have our lands for their own, and we have precious few men under arms with which to ward them off. Our army is weak and ill-equipped for war. We are as the field mouse beneath the wings of a hunting bird.”

“But we have raised no less than four regiments of Lithuanian swordsmen these past years, and this coming year, the Lithuanian cavalry of Ivonaitis is Apuole should be ready to take the field....”

“Such troops will help, but we will need a good many more of them, I’ll wager. The question is how much time our neighbours will grant us to prepare. Laima has been kind to us these past years – how long will our good fortune hold?”

Gintautas recognized the depth of his Duke’s concern with the mention of the Goddess of luck. He also recognized that Algirdas was right – luck would indeed need to be with the Lithuanians.

The Grand Duke continued “We need more than time, more than men. We also need land. Territory from which to raise troops, and upon which to raise crops to feed our people and fund our army. Where do I find these things, old friend? The shamans can offer our prayers to the gods, but they cannot deliver such things into our hands.”

Gintautas remained pensive for a moment, then spoke, choosing his words carefully. “No my Lord, but perhaps our swords can. Novgorod Castle is but two day’s march away. Prince Mstislav’s forces have been weakened by his ongoing war with the Finns. Indeed, he has just embarked on his latest campaign against them, with most of what remains of his army. Precious little stands ready to defend Novgorod itself. It could be yours by the end of this summer.”

Algirdas considered this suggestion. Gintautas’ plan most definitely had merit – but also a significant element of risk. Algirdas gave voice to his concerns “To divert our troops to Novgorod at this time….will it not leave open the way for Kiev to strike at us from the south?”

Gintautas smiled. “You are right, my Lord, the Kievans may seize such an opportunity – but then again, they may not. Granted, the Novgorod expedition will require a large force to ensure success. It is a wonderful opportunity to blood Prince Algirdas’ Boyars. They are well trained, and keen for action, as is the young Prince himself. Supported by my Lithuanian Cavalry and the four regiments of Swordsmen, our young Prince cannot fail. The mere presence of your Highness and his Boyars here in Lithuania should be enough to deter any would-be aggressor.”

He paused to allow Algirdas to digest his words. Prince Algirdas had come of age last Winter. It would indeed be a chance for his son to show his mettle. After all, the boy was now a man, and would one day need to be ready to lead his people.

Gintautas continued “My Lord, this is an age of darkness.”

He paused briefly, as if waiting for a stirring stab of martial music, then continued. “A world of fear, power, and death. But a few will forge their destiny…The Gods favour you, my Lord. They have sent this opportunity – but you must seize it. Let us trust in the goddess Laima to continue to favour us with good fortune.”

“Inspiring words, Gintautas – you should perhaps copyright them - at least those up to your mention of the Gods. They may prove a worthy introduction to a computer based strategy game in years to come."

Gintautas knew better than to question his ruler's sanity, and Algirdas chose to ignore his general's raised eyebrow as he continued "You are right, the time for action is upon us. The time for war….medieval total war. It is decided. Our army shall march, and Prince Algirdas shall take the van, with you at his side if he should require the counsel of one more experienced.”

The Lithuanian drive north caught the armies of Novgorod completely by surprise. So much so, that the few who had remained to garrison the province simply fled to join their Prince in Finland rather than offering battle.

Gintautas prediction proved correct – Novgorod fell very quickly indeed.

After consolidating the gains in the north, Grand Duke Algirdas’ attention was drawn to the province of Smolensk in the east. Orders were dispatched, and in the summer of 1086, Gintautas Is Kernave was marching south-east, with the Lithuanian swordsmen of Minegal is Rietavas.

Word had reached Lord Is Kernave that the Mikhail Schukin was gathering a Belarussian army to face the Lithuanians on the wide plains that stretched south-west of the small town of Rudnya. This would not do at all. He was well aware that the opposing force would contain many horse archers, and on an open plain, such troops could draw close, fire, and wheel away before ever being caught and engaged by his footsoldiers. They would wear his force down, frustrating and tiring them, all the while whittling away at their numbers, before eventually closing for the kill. In order to deny his rivals of this tactical advantage, Is Kernave had marched through the night, reaching the village itself late in the evening. In the morning, his army would be ready to face their foes in the forest thickets to the north-east of Rudnya.

Battle joined at Rudnya

The Belarussians stood little chance. They had anticipated that the Lithuanian force was marching from the south, not from Novgorod in the north. Not expecting the Lithuanians to be anywhere near this location, they were relaxed and unprepared.
They had ridden virtually right up to the swordsmen. Several of their number yawned as they rode nonchalantly, one or two complained of the cold which was somewhat exacerbated by the heavy fog that swathed the road between forests to the left and right. Little did they realize that this early morning fog hid more than the road.

They realized their mistake only upon hearing the blood-curdling battle cries of the Lithuanians as they rose like wraiths from the shrouding mist and then charged from the forest. The horse archers tried vainly to regroup, but their resolve to continue the fight was quickly snuffed out as Kernave’s Lithuanian Cavalry smashed into their flank. By some miracle, 30 of their number were able to escape the carnage, and they fled eastwards to Smolensk Castle as fast as their mounts would carry them. 80 horse archers had ridden towards Rudnya that morning. 41 of them now lay dead or dying, with 9 more having dropped their weapons in surrender. Schukin himself had been among the first to have been pulled from the saddle and slaughtered. Four Lithuanian cavalrymen, and as many swordsmen also lay dead on the field. Lord Is Kernave gave orders for Minegal is Rietavas to attend to the burial of these men, and then follow him with all haste to Smolensk Castle. The cavalry raced ahead in order to ensure that there was neither escape nor any chance for respite for the beleaguered Belarussians.

The siege proved relatively brief, with the castle falling with the loss of the entire garrison early in 1087.

With the success of these campaigns in Novgorod and Smolensk, Algirdas next sought dominion over Livonia and Chernigov. Each would fall in turn, and in surprisingly similar fashion. All local forces in both principalities withdrew rather than face the Lithuanian army, and in both cases, the respective fortifications proved ill-prepared to accommodate a garrison of any size. Both surrendered within weeks as stocks of food and water rapidly diminished.

The Battle of Vel’sk

A short period of peace settled over the lands of Lithuania, and Algirdas basked in his successes. Storm clouds were gathering on his horizon, however, and in 1095 the storm broke, as Prince Mstislav I, and his sons Mstislav and David joined Lord Buiakov to strike east into Novgorod, intent on reclaiming those lands lost a decade earlier.

With an army nearly 1,000 strong, Mstislav was confident of success, and his confidence grew as he surveyed the Lithuanian force that opposed him outside the town of Vel’sk.

“What do you think, Buiakov?” he sniffed “Six hundred? Perhaps seven?”
“Certainly no more than seven hundred, my Lord. I would venture closer to six.” responded Buiakov.

“We’ll make light work of those pagan dogs” interjected Prince David, his eagerness apparent.

His father smiled and nodded “Indeed. Time for us to reclaim our lands and send a message to Algirdas.”

Atop a slight hillock, Prince Algirdas and most of his men braced for the onslaught. As it happened, the estimates of Mstislav and Buiakov were reasonably accurate, with 580 Lithuanian troops doggedly holding their ground. What they could not see were 53 mounted crossbowmen holding their position in a small thicket of forest to the left of the field. In their haste to join battle with the smaller Lithuanian force, the troops of Novgorod surged past this stand of trees, and soon found themselves under fire from two directions.

“No matter! We press on – we can deal with these dogs later!” bellowed Mstislav, urging his troops forward.

Vikings and spearmen fell under a vicious hail of arrows from Lithuanian archers and the boyars of Prince Algirdas. The mounted crossbowmen poured a withering fire into the boyars of Prince David. They exacted a fearful toll, including the young Prince himself.

Some Novgorod spearmen broke and ran. A furious Lord Buiakov rode them down, intent on setting an example. A regiment of Vikings, thinking that their Lord had found an easier path to the Lithuanians, followed him, thereby depleting the Novgorod lines still further. Those that did reach the Lithuanian position now found themselves outnumbered, and thoughts quickly moved from impending victory to escape and survival as the Lithuanian swordsmen’s ranks folded in about both flanks of the Novgorod force. Prince Mstislav and his son Mstislav were unceremoniously pulled from their saddles as their men died around them. As word of their capture spread through the Novgorod ranks, the survivors fled the field. A great victory had been won. Almost one hundred Lithuanian soldiers had perished in the battle, but their sacrifice had ensured that Novgorod remained in Lithuanian hands – and better yet, the coffers would be filled to overflowing with the ransom that Novgorod would pay for the safe return of the two Mstislavs.

7,865 florins, and casualties of 524 men killed on the field at Vel’sk would ensure that it would be some time before Novgorod was in any position to threaten Lithuania again.

As Grand Duke Algirdas celebrated his 51st birthday in 1096, his territories had grown to no less than 5 provinces. His northern borders were largely secure. He reflected on these early years of his rule, gave thanks to Dievas, and settled in front of a large table upon which stretched a great map. He smiled. There was still much to be done, he reflected – the only question was time…