This thread is for write-ups only for the French Dynasty PBM game. Please use The French Dynasty thread to post comments, volunteer to play etc....
Thanks
Printable View
This thread is for write-ups only for the French Dynasty PBM game. Please use The French Dynasty thread to post comments, volunteer to play etc....
Thanks
The Chronicle of France 1087 - ????
It was in 1560 that my King, Jean-Maire II decided that now was the time to start recording our glorious empire's history. Looking back over all the historical records that survive i saw that the tale of our rise to greatness began in 1087 and the ascension of King Phillipe I.
In 1087 King Phillipe came to the throne, the Kingdom was in pieces, his father had left lands which were broken by many English holdings. The King sought to unite all his provinces togeather and so 3 months after his rise to the thorne he personally lead an attack force into Normandy. The Englih were ill prepared for such an attack, especailly so soon after the king's coronation and they hastily fled the area. The king consolidated his grip on this newly won province by enlisting peasents from his capitol to guard it.
2 years later the King yet decided to follow the englsih soldiers into Anjou. The lord of Anjou took one look at the king's forces and decided to flee to Aquitain.
IT was later that year that our fortunes took a turn for the worse. The English king decided that losing two important provinces was an insult to his Kingship and decided to send troops across the seas into Flanders.
{The following report was found in an old book in the keep libary}
The First battle of Flanders - 1090
We gripped our spears tightly, even though we outnumbered the english archers slightly the english were better equipped. We watched silently as the english marched steadily towards us, suddenly they stopped, as if they had sensed something. Men around me were praying in low voices, some for their family, some for victory. However, this was disturbed by english arrows zipping through the leafy canpoy and down onto us. Only when they ran out of arrowns did they confront us face to face, we forced one of their units to run. Half the men were chasing the runnig englishmen when the the otehr unit charged. Men around me were cut to pieces as our line collapsed completely and we were chased off the field in an unglorious defeat.
The signed name was not legible
The King lost many men in that battle but there ws enoguh money to replace the casualties. 2 years later in 1092 he ordered the retaking of Flanders, this casued yet another english retreat as the French troops heavily outnumbered the English.
However, the Englsih king was not to be put off by the retreat, in 1093 the Englsih king personnaly lead an attack, backed by 3 units of archers and 1 unit of peasents. The records show that the newly appointed Duke of Flanders, Lord de Boullion was present with his guard of militia. The lord had handpicked his unit from the best soldiers in his town and it was a highly experienced force which faced the english.
{The following was handed to us by the mayor of Gilleps - Lrd Boullion's home town.}
The Second battle of Flanders - 1093
Mama, Papa,
I hope I find you both well, you may have heard of an epic battle which took place a week ago. The English came to take our land from us and we repelled them. You should have seen our Goeffry in battle, he was like a wolf, taking down most of the enemy king's bodyguards in an ambush The english were approaching our main army when Goeff lead the charge into the flank, the english reeled but we managd to get to his unit just in time.
We lost of men in that battle, you remember Christoff, Marcel and Jacob? They all died bravely fighting the invaders, please pass on my condolances to their parents and tell them that they died bravely, whcih is more than what can be said of the English archers, who ran from the battlefield when we approacehd them.
All my love
Serge Boullion
All of this warmongering sapped French military stength, however ,there was just enoguh troops left from the earlier campagins to risk an attack into the last English hstronghold in France : Aquitain.
The English line was comprised mainly of peasents but well equipped hobilars made up the rest of the enemy force. Accounts from the day tell of a slightly rushed french assault into the enemy peasant line by the French troops, just as the French sensedvictory, hobilars poured from the forest and encircled the french vanguard. The King hastily rushed the rest of his men into the fray, sending in his heir: Prince Phillipe, to hold off 2 units of hobilars coming in from the left. This relfie came just in time, only the unit of archers and a depleted unit of Militiamen broke and ran, but the sight of their brothers in arms fighting tooth and nail bought them new courage. The French line lasted long enoguh for the King to be able to move his archers behind the battleline and assault the English from behind. Seeing that they were teapped the English broke and ran. On the right flank, the prince's men had managed to rout one unit of hobilars but the last man was dragged down and killed by the enemy just before the King could rush to his son's aid. Saddened by his son's death, the King ordered that all of the captives be killed, as a sign of how much his son meant to him.
The battle signalled the end of english power in mainland europe, however, it seems that the next year the english tried again to break into Flanders, lead yet again by Lord de Boullion the French mustered all they could, even recruiting the peasent garrisons of nearby normandy. The armies squared up to each other on the bloodied turf that had been the graves of many english and frenchmen alike.
The third battle of Flanders - 1095
found in local records
It was early morning when the english came for battle. However they saw no enemy as Lord de Boulion had ordered the hiding of every unit. We watched as the englsih rode past our positions, yet we dared not attack. Every second was as nervewracking as the last. I thoguht my unit was done for when an english dog sniffed the air, as if he had noticed our presence. Time seemed to stand stil at this moment, nobody dared move. Thankfully the owner didn't notice and the army soon mover on. By late evening the English had gotten tired of searching for us and it seems that they decided to abandon their search in favour of going home to thier families. Why must we continue fighting, surely they are similar to us, with the same family and friends that we have.
However, this battle wasn't the end of the tale, the Englsih king decided to raid the province again the next year.
The English had superior forces, including the English crown prince whilst the french force conisted of mainly militiamen and a depleted unit of archers. Again, lord de boullion tried to hide a ambush unit in the same place but this time the impetuous english first wave, lead by the crown prince charged into the woods, scattering the peasent unit. However, the English King was also advancing upon the French line with his second wave, and called away the prince's troops, alone and without support, even the prince's household guard couldnt stop them being annihilated by vengeful french militaimen.
All this time the Englsih king was oblivious to the dange and ordered his men forward. Lord de Boullion took the surprising tactic of rushing forward with his men, risky as it seemed it patyed off for the French, the english battlelines were barely drawn when the french force hit with full impact. Trying to hold his line togeather, the English king was cut down by arrow fire. Wit their king dead, the line borke and was all but swept up by the unit of militamen emerging from the forest.
he latter years of King Phillipe's reign was spent building mighty churches to relive what he saw as his blood debt. He ordered that the holy land be captured and in the last year of his reign, a crusade set out to do exactly this. With his death the french kingdom passed to his son who would enlarge and stabilise the kingdom.
A Chronicle of King Jean II, Defender of the Realm, 1110-1131
1113 Flanders
“I have failed.” said King Jean II quietly.
Lord du Guesclin raised his eyes from over his tankard. As well as his sovereign, Jean was the Grand Chamberlain’s drinking companion and friend.
“Just three years ago I came to the throne and vowed to consolidate my father’s great work of unifying France. The cornerstone of that policy had to be peace with the Holy Roman Empire.”
Lord du Guesclin nodded slowly and Jean continued.
“And now this. An unprovoked invasion into the heart of our kingdom My plans for building up our Kingdom, for obeying the Pope’s call to crusade to the Holy Land… all in vain. Fighting a war with both England and Germany will stretch our young kingdom to breaking point.”
“Sire, the Germans are in no stronger position than us. Beat them down hard now and they may not get up again.” Du Guesclin volunteered cautiously.
Jean looked at the grizzled figure nursing a tankard. The old warrior’s eyes were hooded and glassy, but even at this late hour, Jean had come to trust the veteran’s devious mind and treasure his occasional flashes of inspiration.
“Indeed. My priority remains the security of our kingdom and the pursuit of my father’s holy cause in the Levant. But in order to pursue these goals, we must first cripple the Germans.”
Du Guesclin nodded again: “Burgundy, my Lord. If we take Burgundy, we deprive the Germans of a key recruiting ground.”
Jean turned to look at the rough map laid out on the table.
“Yes, but we must bypass their river line defences. Just as the river lines saved Paris from the German invasion, so it will protect Burgundy from a direct counter-strike. We must approach from the North, taking Lorraine and then Burgundy. These two conquests would also shorten our border with the Germans.”
Energised, Jean rose impatiently. Du Guesclin looked up from his pint, dismayed.
“Sire, there is time for another drink yet. Sit and let us toast Lord Bouillon’s victory” Du Guesclin broke into a winning smile, infecting the young King who reluctantly sat down.
Du Guesclin shook his head. “Good old Godfrey He slaughtered the German dogs on the bridges over the Seine and then chased them back to Burgundy with their tails between their legs I would like to have seen that”
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_01.jpg
Faced with a surprise German invasion, Lord Godfrey of Bouillon musters the Parisian militia to defend the bridges over the Seine. After murderous French archery fire, the Germans withdraw – pursued by French hobilars.
The First Battle of Burgundy, 1115
The drizzle and low mist seemed to have dampened the enthusiasm of the French army. Deployed for battle, it advanced stolidly – quietly, doggedly, with no loud cries or ostentatious displays. Perhaps it was not just the weather, King Jean II thought. A large proportion of his army was composed of mercenaries – Vikings, Khwazariams, Italian light infantry, Muhawid foot and armoured spearmen. These veteran warriors were not prone to excitement or impetuousness. They fought because Jean paid them good money. But they were better equipped and more proficient than the feudal levies that made up the rest of Jean’s army and the entirety of the German force.
Jean looked at the wet, featureless plain that stood before him. The French had marched past a large wood and several small villages, but now had come to rest facing the German army across open fields. The Germans had taken up position at the foot of a slight rise while the French had crested another earlier slight elevation. Between the two armies was a slight dip in the ground, but beyond that the battlefield was remarkably bereft of all terrain.
“Deploy the archers. Loose formation.” Jean shouted. He had included six companies of archers in the vanguard of his army. The Germans had even more.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_02.jpg
The First Battle of Burgundy opens with an archery duel. It is one that the outnumbered French archers win, thanks to their loose formation and slight advantage in elevation.
For some unfathomable reason, the German archers began to approach the French position and entered the dip in the ground between the two armies’ positions. In doing so, they surrendered a height advantage to the French archers and began to suffer terribly due to the close formation they adopted. French hobilars attempted to menace the German archers, drawing forward the supporting German spears.
“Shoot the spearmen Not the archers” Jean cried out.
The French had a clear advantage in cavalry over the Germans, but fewer heavy infantry and needed to lessen the odds. The Germans made no attempt to close with the French but endured the rain of arrows until the French archers supply began to dry up.
“Archers – retire to the supply train. Heavy infantry – advance” Jean commanded.
Slowly the formidable French line advanced on the Germans. Fierce Viking axemen and mailed mercenary foot charged into the unarmoured spearmen that made up the majority of the German line. For a few minutes, the fighting was fierce but the qualitative superiority of the mercenaries began to tell. The German lines began to waiver, as the Jean called out:
“Cavalry, with me Charge They will not stand”
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_03.jpg
As the exhausted French archers withdraw, the remainder of the French line charges and drives the Germans from the field. King Jean can be seen in the far right, leading the pursuit.
The Second Battle of Burgundy, 1118
“It is done.” King Jean gave back the scroll to the messenger. “Lord d’Artois reports that our troops have landed unopposed in Wessex. The English Channel has become a French waterway. Now, all we have to do is to survive today and our Kingdom should be safe.”
As Du Guesclin had predicted, Burgundy was the lynchpin of the German position in the West. It was not something the Holy Roman Empire would surrender easily and so, two years after the first battle of Burgundy, the Empire tried to rest it back with an invasion force of 2000 men. Jean was outnumbered 2 to 1, but had two advantages. First, he had retained the mercenaries who had given him such an edge two years previously. Secondly, unlike the first battle, this time Jean was defending and had found a fine position on a steep slope.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_04.jpg
In the Second Battle of Burgundy, Jean has a strong defensive position. Note the Vikings and hobilars hidden on the left flank.
Jean watched the German army approach en masse. Unlike the previous battle, there would be no protracted archery duel. The Germans were coming in earnest and the sword and the spear, not the bow, would decide the battle.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_05.jpg
The Germanic horde approaches the French position.
All along the front, the two armies clashed in hand to hand combat. Jean waited until the enemy’s heavy units were all committed before unleashing two troops of hobilars - one from each flank - into the rear of the German army and the helpless archers deployed there.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_06.jpg
The battle lies in the balance as two troops of French hobilars can be seen running amok amongst the German rear. German knights can be seen pulling back from the front line in an effort to rescue the situation.
At the same time, a company of Vikings that had been hidden in woods on the French left began to roll up the German line. Pinned down by armoured mercenary spearmen and now beset on the flank by fierce Vikings, the German line broke. Only the French right appeared in danger, buckling under the weight of German numbers. King Jean ordered his escort to circle round the French right until it was behind the German foot.
“Charge”. cried the King as his knights swept into the rear of the enemy lines.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_07.jpg
The charge of Jean’s bodyguard is the last significant action of the Second Battle of Burgundy.
The Reign of King Jean II, the conclusion
Provence, 1120
Jean knelt in prayer before the icon of the Virgin Mary. Truly, this was a year to give thanks. He had won a great victory driving the remnants of the German army from Provence, earning the reputation as an expert attacker. But more importantly, news had reached the kingdom that the crusade launched by his father had taken its objective of Tripoli. It had been granted safe passage through all of christendom, even including Byzantium, but its entry into Turkish lands had been regarded as an act of war. At the time, this did not overly concern Jean, as the crusade appeared too powerful to be opposed in battle by any Muslim province it entered, Turkish or Egyptian.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_08.jpg
Jean’s contemplation was disturbed by the hurried approach of a nervous courtier.
“Sire, grave news from the Levant. The Sultan of the Turks has joined forces with the Sultan of Egypt. A combined army of 4000 has already invaded the Provence of Antioch.”
Jean tried to retain his calm: “How many men does Lord de Luynes have to defend the province?”
“Less than one thousand, your majesty.”
Jean paused. It would be many years before the French could build a fleet large enough to open regular supply lines with the Levant. There was nothing he could do. He returned to his prayers with renewed purpose.
Antioch, 1120
“Take my horse to the rear”, Lord de Luynes instructed his page. “I will stand with my men. Retreat is impossible.”
De Luynes looked around at the crusaders’ line of battle. He stood at the heart, among three companies of Order foot soldiers, their numbers thinned by the attrition of the long march from Ille de France to Antioch. Around him there was a ragtag mix of depleted companies of foot – spearmen, feudal sergeants, urban militia, militia sergeants and even a quarter of a company of mercenary Italian foot. This polygot mixture of under-strength companies was nonetheless the bulk of his army. He was desperately short of missiles, reliant only on one full strength company of archers and a troop of mounted crossbowmen. His army was rounded out by horsemen of various kinds, most notably three dozen knights whose warhorses had survived the rigours of the crusade.
Ahead, he saw the Turkish and Egyptian armies approach. The Turks were in the van, their army composed mainly of horse archers and Turcoman riders. They were supported by some companies of Egyptian desert archers while in the distance De Luynes could see many Bedouin camel riders and other warriors awaiting the call to advance.
“This is just the start, lads. Loose formation. Let them do their worst” The French line spread out to try to dampen the effect of the volleys from the massed Turkish horse riders. The French foot archers and mounted crossbowmen responded to good effect, but the sheer numbers of Turks soon began to tell. De Luynes saw comrades he knew by name fall, one by one, under the incessant hail of arrows. He needed to start to even up the odds. He summoned an aide:
“See the Egyptian archers approaching on the left? They are unsupported. Let them get to within range and then order the cavalry to run them down.”
The manouvre worked, although it prompted the Egyptians to bring up the main body of their line. Bedouin tribesmen mounted on camels pursued the retreating French horse and were in turn attacked by French spearmen.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_09.jpg
The confused First Battle of Antioch at its height. The already under-strength French lines have been further depleted by Turkish horse archers – over a third have fallen. The French are stretched thin but the combined Egyptian and Turkish armies approach piecemeal, wary of engaging the heavier armoured Latins.
Gradually the hail of Turkish arrows slowed. Thank God, they are running dry, thought De Luynes. “Form up, close order Now is the time, men.”
De Luynes looked at his company – over a third lay dead or dying around him. The Turkish horse archers were withdrawing, but some heavier cavalry were advancing on the French. De Luynes called out to his men:
“Men of France, this is your hour. See that great crescent banner?” he shouted to his men. “That is the Sultan of the Turks himself. Let him see how the French fight Charge”
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_10.jpg
De Luynes’ company, aided by some militia sergeants, drives the Turkish Sultan from the field and with him, most of his army. Now, with only the Egyptian army remaining, it is a fair fight.
The rest of the battle seemed to pass in a blur. The French heavy infantry fought continuously against the Egyptians, driving them off in a many small encounters where the armour of the Latins provided a crucial advantage against the more lightly equipped Muslim soldiers.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_11.jpg
The Egyptian Sultan proves no more valorous than his ally and the day is won.
That night, De Luynes took a roll call of his surviving men. He had precisely 416. The French dead numbered 378. The Muslims had suffered terrible losses – 2248 were killed – but their armies in the provinces surrounding Antioch remained formidable. By contrast, the French were without hope of resupply for France and as yet quite unable to recruit any men locally to their cause. Another victory like this, De Luynes knew, and his army would cease to exist.
Burgundy, 1131
“No, not now. It is too soon. It is not my time.” the stricken King Jean was delirious. Aged only 52, he was dying and not so delusional that he did not know his fate.
Du Guesclin sat by his bed, red-eyed – whether from tears or from one of his drinking excesses, it was not clear. The old warrior clasped his king’s hand firmly:
“Sire, you go to a better world and there you will be able to take your place with honour. Antioch is safe and now in Christian hands. De Luynes holds it with a fist of iron. Three times the Muslims tried to take it from him. And three times, they failed. The third time, it cost the Egyptian Sultan his life”
“De Luynes… a fine general. Tell my son, we must send him aid.”
Du Guesclin nodded. “Do not fret, your majesty. The second crusade, to Tripoli, has already joined up with De Luynes. With this reinforcement and his local mercenaries, our foothold in the Levant is secure.”
The King seemed appeased, but his thoughts turned closer to home:
“The Spanish border … how fare things there?”
“The Lord of Ypres has taken Castille, my King. The Spanish have paid for their aggression, as the Aragonese did for theirs. First, they lose their kings in battle attacking us. Then we punish them by seizing their lands. Truly, God is just.”
“I never meant it to happen, you know. I never meant any of it. I did not want war with England, with Germany, with Turkey, Aragon or Spain. Were we cursed, Du Guesclin? My poor son, Henri, what do I leave him? No allies and all the world seemingly ranged against us?”
“Sire, this is foolish talk. You have defended the realm admirably. Each of our enemies you have struck back hard and disarmed. The Kingdom is safe and grows stronger every day. We are the richest and mightiest in Europe. Prince Henri has a fine inheritance.”
Jean looked at his Grand Chamberlain sadly:
“But it is too soon… there is so much I planned to do…”
Du Guesclin shook his head softly, but then turned as he heard the door to the King’s bed chamber thrown open.
A page ran in excitedly: “My King Great news Our crusade has taken Tripoli”
Du Guesclin turned to the dying King and clasped his hand more tightly:
“See, Sire, truly God is just”
Jean smiled as the bells of the church in Notre Dame rang out in celebration, carrying his spirit to meet his maker.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../France_12.jpg
A portrait of King Jean II in his twilight years.
The Chronicle of Henri II, the Builder, 1132-1162
1132
Paris was cold at this time of year. King Henri II, heir to the late King Jean, shivered slightly under his cloak. He looked at the massive army marching forth, he knew that by the time they finally reached Levant it would be many times this size.
For many years before this time Henri's father Jean had worked tirelessly to increase France's power. He had originally hoped to consolidate France, to increase its wealth, but the other nations of the world would not sit back idly while his father wisely governed his realm. Those nations surrounding France attacked mercilessly, thinking the French would remain weak after its war with England, but King Jean had proved them all wrong. Germany's western territories were crushed, and added to the realm of the Franks as they should have been after the reign of Charlemagne. England, for its continental ambitions, was forced to watch has the Lord d'Artois ground their armies into dust. Aragon perished from the face of God's green earth, and recently, under the reign of Henri, Spain had suffered the same fate. Henri knew he could never be the general, the master of war, that his father had been, but he also knew that his father had nonetheless left him with a great task that he knew was well within his skills and abilities, the same task which Jean had hoped to perform, but nonetheless failed to do due to the incessant wars: the consolidation of the realm. Henri vowed to carry out that task, to bring France out of its backwardness to become the most technologically advanced, the wealthiest, the most powerful nation on earth.
1130's
All of France's borders were secure, none threatened its might in terms of military arms, France's armies were superior to those of its enemies on every front, except one. The Almohads to the south had postively some of the best soldiers in Europe. Many of their infantry soldiers were veterans, hardened by years of combat with the Spanish, and now they threatened the southern border of France.
Henri had never really cared too much for the Iberian peninsula, yet that was nonetheless not the core issue here. Another nation had made an insult to his military power, something that could not be tolerated. England dared not threaten Wessex in its weakened state, the German's had learned their lesson in previous decades, but the Almohads had never faced the French in battle, and France was, after all, the only country with truly valuable land on their borders. The 1130's saw the first few battles, largely games of cat and mouse, occur in Iberia. Rebels in some areas were bribed and in other areas the French skirmished with the Almohads. At first the French tried to win sway over much of the peninsula rebels, but this was not accomplished on a large scale which gave way to the campaigns of the 1140's and 50's.
Levant, however, was much more of a contested ground. Immediately after taking over the kingship, the Egyptians attemped to dislodge the French from Tripoli. Tripoli was a valuable province, it was here that the French eventually hoped to establish a massive fortress to provide for the Crusaders. Naturally, Henri was not about to give it up.
The Crusaders deployed their forces on a hill on the edge of a small valley-type area ringed with hills. This one wasn't particularily larger than the others, but it was hard to assault as it was seperated, so the Unholy brigands would not be able to mount a nearby hill and assault a carefully-constructed flank. A mangonel was deployed but all of the other siege equipment was discarded due to it being under-manned and un-necessary. In front was a wall of spears backed by swordsmen, militia, and peasants. Behind this was a massive amount of 240 or so archers. The French strategy was to lure the Egyptians right into the center of their line with a unit of horse archers, a tactic which they would use many times throughout the empire during Henri's reign. No other time did it work as perfectly as it did here. The Egyptians charging the position were bombarded with the mangonel and arrows, the spears stood fast and the enemy soldiers were counter-charged by peasants, militia, and swordsmen. Flank attacks by cavalry were executed with textbook precision, and the Egyptian army of 3000 was routed by only 2000 crusaders. Of that 3000, the Egyptians lost roughly 1200 to the crusaders 700. In addition, during the 1130's Henri began his many building projects, for which his later name, Henri the Builder, is derived.
1140's
In this period Henri's true magnificance began to come forth. Edessa was taken with crusades, the fortress in Tripoli was coming along nicely, and the French, despite having lost Castile, had formulated an effective defensive front at Aragon and Navarre. But Henri's real pride were his ships, his father had began a navy but had not gotten too far before his untimely death, Henri expanded the naval fleet massively during his reign. French ships and merchants dominated trade as far away as the Baltic Sea and as far east as the Italian city-states by 1150. Wealth began to flow to Paris.
Probably the most interesting account from this period was a battle that took place in Antioch. Vengeful for the recent Crusades, the Egyptians launched a massive invasion as they had many years before. The French deployed their forces roughly half-way down a large hill. The hill was crescent shaped and slowly spiraled down a large valley. The Crusaders deployed here because to defend at the top of the hill would be foolhardy, the Moslems could simply climb the gradual incline and negate the height advantage almost entirely. Here, the only gradual slope was a road that would be easily defended. At first, the battle progressed excellently, French cavalry archers ruffled the Moslem's feathers on many occasions and demoralized many of their troops. At last, impatient, the Moslems attacked. Almost the entire enemy line was routed, save the general. The French piled soldiers on the general, and that's when the frustration began. After his entire bodyguard had been eliminated, the French and the general seemed to fight for hours. The French must have stabbed the general countless times. At last the Crusaer general (de Laynes I believe) began cursing saying HOW IS THAT ****ING POSSIBLE??. Many of the French soldiers joined with him in his cursing, and afterwards many said the battle was the fault of the Total War Engine's inability to represent some aspects of battle. While fighting the general, more Egyptian reinforcements were summoned, and a unit of Saracen cavalry charged the French rear, routing the entire Crusader army
Yet nonetheless after the battle Henri saw an oppurtunity. Using troops from the nearby provinces, he launched a massive invasion force at Antioch, while also launching an invasion force at Syria to cut the Egyptians off. The Egyptians gave up without a fight, and the massive army captured (roughly 2500-3500) was refused ransom and slaughtered. Syria was quickly given up again, as Henri placed no value in a desert province.
1150-1163
The 1150's were the years in which Henri's policies began in the 1140's finally took fruition. Contact with Levant was secured and trade goods from Antioch immediately became the most high-demanded in the world. These goods piled gold into the treasury as if there was no tomarrow, immediately nothing in all creation was too expensive for the French treasury. Quality soldiers were being trained in the core provinces and high-grade fortifications sprung up all over the empire.
The 1150's and 60's also saw the largest amount of territorial expansion since the campaigns of King Jean from 1113-1131. At last, sick of the war in Iberia, King Henri assembled massive armies from all over France and poured them into Castile. Soon after, Leon, Cordoba, and Valencia fell, many without a fight. King Henri's son, Charles, came of age and launched a campaign further south, taking Granada, Morrocco, and Algeria while Henri took Portugal. In addition, another Crusade took Palestine, the great and wondrous Krak des Chevaliers was began, and French merchants dominated every single sea zone in the world. Excellent high-grade fully developed Feudal soldiers were almost ready to be trained. In future years, Toulouse's knights would become the most renown in the world.
With the capture of their massive army in the late 1140's, Egypt was no more than a shell of what it once was capable of. The Turks were pre-occupied with the Byzantines, and the Germans had to worry about the Polish. The English could not even effectively control the Scots. Many of the nations around France still existed only because Henri allowed them to.
Yet there would still be great trials ahead. The Byzantine empire had expanded to encompass seemingly all of Asia, and Henri had heard rumblings of a massive, unstoppable horde coming through Asia to collide on the unsuspecting Europeans. Yet he knew his sons were up to the challenge. Each one was intelligant, brilliant, and he left the resources of the most powerful nation in the world at their disposal. He knew they would one day conquer the world, and expressed this at his death-bed.
In 1162, while lying there sick and cold, Henri remember the first days of his reign, when he was seeing off the Crusaders to conquer Edessa. He remembered how far he had come since then, and looked at his sons, his heirs, in the eyes. He said to them a quote that should be remembered throughout all history, something that was above all else a declaration of the things to come, Sons you shall be the ones who in the annals of history will be remembered for conquering the world. The sons beamed with pride. However... he began with a grin, I will be remembered as the one who made it possible.
(Excerpted from A History of Medieval Europe
Book II - The Rise of France, Chapter 4,
The Reign of King Charles IV the Rich, 1163-1189
by A. M. Afrit , PhD in Creative History
Introduction:
King Charles IV is an interesting character in the saga of the royal French dynasty of the early Middle Ages. Unlike his predecessors, he was not a true warrior King. While there were some wars and conquests during his reign, his time on the throne is mostly remembered as an era of plenty and relative peace. In fact, his main achievement was the phenomenal growth of the Kingdom's treasury which earned him the surname The Rich.
The new King's Character:
To understand the events of King Charles' reign, one must look at the man himself. Records from the reign of his father, Henri II, do not shed much light on Charles childhood. He was born in 1135, presumably in Paris Castle. Evidence points to him participating in several battles during his father's reign, but again no historical records survive today. However, his reputation as a capable military commander was well established at the time of his ascension, when he was already a commander of the 7th rank.
He was also famous for his mathematical skills. Folk stories tell of him regaling his guests with his ability to juggle difficult arithmetic problems in his head, without assistance from scribes. This skill with hard sums -as it was called by contemporaries - doubtless contributed to his management of the French treasury, which more than tripled in his reign.
His other personal characteristics, however, are somewhat confusing. Letters written by courtesans who knew him tell of his charming manner. As Madame de Poitiers put it, he oozes charm. Yet, letters from Lieutenants in the field also talk about his killer instinct even before his ascension to the throne. He later carried that trait further and became well known for his swift execution of enemy prisoners and his scant mercy.
His reign is conveniently divided into 3 periods.
The Early Years and Consolidation of the Levant (1163-1167)
The first part of the new reign was marked by the continuation of the war in the Levant. A letter from the King's younger brother, Prince Henri, sheds light at the situation at the time of the King's coronation in 1163:
Dearest brother, my Liege,
I praise the Lord that He granted you the health to succeed our beloved father, King Henri. I write this letter from the Fort of Jerusalem. Thanks to our brave Order Foot Soldiers, veterans of the recent crusades, I am pleased to advise you that Jerusalem is securely in our hands and all the Holy Land is now open to Christian pilgrims. I am delighted to report that construction on the Krak Des Chevaliers in nearby Tripoli proceeds at a good pace, and our master masons tell me it will be done in a dozen years or so. But more work remains to be done if France wants to secure the Levant to herself. The despised Egyptians still control Arabia and Syria and are within striking distance of the citadel under construction. I advise you to send in haste a capable commander with ample troop support to push back the enemy and secure our new realm in the Levant. .
It appears that Charles took his brother's advice seriously for in the first year of his reign simultaneous invasions of Syria and Arabia were launched. In Syria, De Lusignan, commander of the 5th rank, led a force of 1050 men against Amir Nasir Ad Din of Egypt with 2108 men. An eyewitness account of the battle survives in the form of a letter written by a Gerbert De Plaisian, commander of a company of Hobilars:
My beloved Matilde,
I write to you with mixed joy and sadness. I thank our Lord for the swift victory he delivered us today, and I pray that he protects me and my fellow Hobilars until the day I meet you again. But I also pray for the souls of my fallen companions. I am sure young Pierre would be eager for an account of the fight, so please relay this to him:
The heat was suffocating and our troops were anxious. Scouts reported an enemy force twice our size approaching under the banner of the famous Emir Nasiradin. A large dune separated the two forces. Our commander De Lusignan quickly ordered the Turcopoles to climb up the dune. I followed on their left flank with my 39 companions, and my borther Arthur followed with another company of Hobilars to my left. The drums of the Egyptians could barely be heard over the blowing sand. From my horse I could see a mass of Egyptians climb up the dune on the other side: Muwahids, Nubians, Archers and Camels. Our Turcopoles started the battle by shooting their arrows at the advancing enemy. The enemy camel, commanded by Nasiradin himself, were clearly bothered by the Turcopoles' arrows and charged up the hill. At that time, our mercenary Khawarazmians were cresting the dune and therefore engaged the enemy camel. A melee started and I quickly charged the enemy flank with my brave Hobilars. The stench of those damned camels was horrific. Our horses were taking fright and I saw several of my brave men fall. But I swear to God we put up a great fight until those treacherous Khawarazmians began to flee So-called knights fleeing from unarmored troops Seeing the dire situation, I had to order my men to retreat (my dear son, do not ever believe other accounts that we fled in fear). De Lusignan quickly ordered a volley of javelins against Nasiradin, and that thinned his band of camels even further. But they must have been valorous veterans, for even with so many casualites they outfought my brother and his second Hobilar company. But then Nasiradin's impetuousness got the better of him, and he charged behind the Hobilars. Our Turcopoles let him through, all the while peppering him with arrows. And then, at the perfect moment I ordered my regrouped Hobilars to charge. What a great fight My 12 surviving companions and I got to the Emir and finished his life with the thrust of a lance. On seeing its leader fall, the Muslim host took fright. De Lusignan saw his chance and ordered a relentless pursuit. Luckily for us we had so many units of light cavalry that we pressed the rout all the way to the edge of the battlefield, never giving the enemy the chance to regroup. We took 376 prisoners that day which were executed on account of instructions from the King himself . My fellow Hobilars bore the brunt of the fight and only 12 men survived in my company.
Please send my condolences to all the the families of the fallen, particularly those of Gilbert, Clovis and Geoffrey. May God bless their souls.
yours for ever,
Gerbert, Seigneur de Plaisians
Further South, the French under Prince Henri met little resistance and quickly set out to besiege Kerak castle as the Egyptians retreated to the Sinai. The Egyptian army of Syria, retreating after its defeat, was therefore trapped and surrendered.
Next year (1164) , both Damascus and Kerak were assaulted by the French and taken. Meanwhile, the King himself decided to visit the Levant, landing in Tripoli in 1164 where he visited the construction site of the Krak Des Chevaliers. He moved to Palestine in 1165 and organized an army to invade the Sinai.
In Spring of 1166, the King led exactly 16 full-strength companies across the desert . He was opposed by the Egyptian Sultan Ali accompanied by several of his sons. The armies came within sight of each other, and the French maneuvered to outflank the Egyptians. The Egyptian Sultan thereupon feigned a re-positioning maneuver and withdrew from the field in an orderly fashion, without making any contact with the French. On their route back to Egypt, the Sultan and his sons learned of a rebellion in their homeland and discovered that the passes out of the desert were all occupied by the rebels. The poor Sultan Ali had no choice but to surrender his entire army to King Charles. The unfortunate Sultan was unable to ransom himself and he was executed -with his children -by King Charles, whose reputation for ruthlesness grew with this incident.
With Egypt's might destroyed and their threat to the Krak Des Chevalier finished, King Charles turned back the next year and headed to Tripoli, without invading Egypt. The Egyptian dynasty survived several more years as the late Sultan's son held out in Cairo castle against the rebels and then a German crusade until 1186 (this is one of the longest sieges of Medieval Times, totaling 20 years).
The middle years of peace and prosperity (1168-1184)
With Tripoli and the Krak secure from sudden enemy attack, the King's focus moved to improving finances and building up the realm. He initiated several reforms in that regard.
First, he ordered all governors not in command of major border armies back to their respective provinces. He had them supervise an ambitious building program and improve tax collection. Many of them later on became known for their skill as builders.
Second, he embarked on an aggressive building spree. It can be said with confidence that each French province had an active building project every single year with almost no interruptions. As early as 1168, King Charles was referred to by foreign diplomats as a great builder. By the end of his reign, he was renowned as a magnificent builder and Great Steward. He was particularly remembered for building a number of Citadels. The first to finish was in Tripoli, named Krak Des Chevaliers. It was inaugurated to great fanfare in 1175, 16 years after it was started by the late King Henri I. Next came Citadels in Ile De France (1180), Toulouse (1189) and Brittany (1190). With the conquest of Constantinople in 1188, only France had such fortifications. In fact, the French were by then known all over Europe as a technologically advanced nation. He also started the construction of the renowned Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in 1181, but he died before he could witness its completion.
Third, he improved military training facilities, again by aggressive support of buildings. At the end of his reign in 1191, France was training some of the best troops in Europe. Feudal Knights from Toulouse in fact played a crucial role in the conquest of Constantinople in the late 1180s, and facilites were constructed to provide for more rigorous training of Chivalric Knights. Both Ile De France and Palestine were able to produce Royal Knights to replenish the ranks of princely generals.
Fourth, he improved the situation of the navy. By 1191, shipyards and dockyards were present in Friesland, Flanders, Wessex, Brittany, Navarre, Leon, Cordoba, Morocco, Algeria and Sinai. The fleet in 1191 totaled 79 ships, up from 31 at the beginning of the reign. With at least 2-3 ships on active patrol in every sea, France was mistress of the Mediterranean and Atlantic without competitors.
Fifth, he improved trade in many provinces. He supported merchants in the provinces of Antioch and Tripoli and restarted trade in Constantinople after its capture.
Sixth, he sent emissaries and representatives of the crown to all the provinces of Europe. Yearly letters from these agents provided the King with a clear picture of pan-European events during the latter half of his reign. He tried to obtain an armistice from all the European powers that had declared war on France, but met no success.
Finally, with all the improvements above, he almost tripled the size of the French treasury. By 1191, despite the loss of significant trade income from Byzantium, the treasury was levying around 30,000 florins a year from taxes. Historians estimate that about 2/3 of that income was from farming and land taxes, the remainder mostly from trade dues. During his entire reign, the treasury ran a budget surplus, and by 1191 it had 345,745 florins.
This long period of peace from 1168 to 1184 was only interrupted by the invasion of rebellious Lesser Armenia in 1178. The invasion was led by the King in person, and in a messy forest fight with the rebels the King again showed his ruthlesness by executing all prisoners (106 in total). Rumors of the King's demise in the fight prompted widespread unrest in Leon, Navarre, Toulouse and Aragon. All these peasant rebellions were easily subdued the next year, but the King never ventured again at the head of his army.
On a personal level, the King married the daughter of a French aristocrat in 1164. The future King, Prince Jean was born in 1169 in Antioch (or possibly Tripoli). He was groomed as a warrior and would eventually command the invasion of Constantinople. The King's younger boys, Louis and Charles were not great commanders and were not favored by their father.
The later years and the War with Byzantium (1185-1191)
The major military campaign of King Charles reign was arguably the capture of Constantinople. Historians still debate the motives behind this war. The nagging question, of course, is what drove Charles to war knowing that he would lose the income from the lucrative trade with Byzantium? Some historians hold the view that he feared the growing power of the Byzantines, while others argue that it was greed for the rich province of Constantinople. The most accepted theory, however, and the one told by contemporary sources, ascribes the seeds of the war to a seemingly unrelated event: the launch of a German crusade against Egypt 14 years earlier
In 1171 the Germans launched a crusade against Egypt. They decided to pass through French Lorraine. Charles, fearing excommunication, grudgingly allowed passage. To his dismay, large numbers of French troops deserted and joined the crusaders. In a fit of anger, Charles ordered a retaliatory measure in the form of a crusade to cross Germany by land. This was promptly declared at the Paris chapterhouse and its target was set to Volga-Bulgaria, the last rebel steppe province, all the other steppes having been conquered by Byzantium.
In 1172 the German crusade moved to Flanders and then sailed to the Levant. Meanwhile, the French crusade under De Molay proceeded through central Europe. It was given permission to pass by the Germans and reached Bohemia in 1173. That year the Byzantines captured Volga-Bulgaria. After gathering new recruits, the crusade left Polish Volhynia in 1177 and entered Byzantine Moldavia. Surprisingly, the Byzantines granted it passage. By 1181, the crusade was in Khazar awaiting the final orders to move to its target.
King Charles now found himslef in a dilemma. Fearing the embarassement of a failed crusade, he had to proceed towards Volga. But wanted to avoid war and its detrimental effect on the treasury. He therefore compromised and ordered the crusade to rest in Khazar as long as possible. Menawhile, he ordered the French fleets to move into position to take out all the Byzantine ships in the Black and Mediterranean seas when war came.
Over the next 3 years, the crusade suffered significant desertions, with its numbers dipping down to about 800 men only. But the King still waited for the opportune moment to attack.
In 1184, Prince Jean reached the age of maturity. With his tutors declaring him a military prodigy (commander of the 8th rank), the King saw the time for war with the Byzantines had come.
In 1185, De Molay proceeded into Volga-Bulgaria. To his amazement, the Byzantines left him the entire province with its castle. But it was too late to avoid war for Prince Jean had already landed with a large force on the north shores of the Aegean and proceeded towards the great citadel of Cnstantinople. Taken by surprise, the Byzantines retreated to the protection of the city's great walls. Thus began the siege of Byzantium.
Meanwhile, the French fleets launched simultaneous attacks on Byzantine ships in the Ionian, Balck, Marmaran and Adriatic seas. They only managed to engage and sink the Adriatic fleet, the others escpaing destruction for a while. The Marmara Dromon squadron, in particular, proved problematic. Commanded by the wiley Basil Maniakes, it managed to slip by the French ships in the Dardanelles and blockade the North Aegean coast. This meant that Prince Jean's expedition, now besieging Constantinople, was cutoff and isolated.
In April of 1186, Prince Jean recognized his difficult situation, for he urgently sent a letter to his father:
My Lord the King,
I have carried out your orders successfully and our force now stands in sight of the walls of the second Rome. Our fleet in Maramra has blocked the city port and we have surrounded the walls . None can leave the city. But I fear that the enemy will not allow their captial to fall. Scouts already report that a large host is gathering against us, from Bulgaria, Trebizond and Greece. My scouts to the South report that enemy Dromons have cut off our shipping lanes, and I am told that the reinforcements I was expecting from Iberia and the Levant will not arrive. I have no fear of the enemy and I will stand up and fightl. However, I do ask of you to provide for our soldiers a way home should our luck turn against us on the battlefield. My scouts tell me that the enemy's army in Nicaea has been ordered to march against us. Thus, this is an opportune moment to seize that province and provide us with an escape route, should it be needed.....
The King, worried about his son's safety, promptly sent an overwhelming force under De Brienne to take Nicaea. The Byzantines retreated to the castle without a fight.
But this precaution was unecessary, for Prince Jean managed to repulse the Byzantine attempt at relievign their capital. This is detailed in a letter he wrote later that year to this father.
My Lord.
thanks be to Our Lord and Our Lady. I report to you a great victory over the heretic Greeks. I dedicate the best spoils to the Our Lady and hope they be forever displayed in the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Our forces fought valiantly in this long day. The battle took place at the crossroads leading to Adrianople, half a day;s march from the city gates. The Lord was with us today, for the enemy were commanded by the incapable Emperor himself. My fear that the fearsome Lord Palealogus of the 9th rank would be in command was not meant to be. I chose a wooded hill overlooking the crossroads as the fulcrum of the defense. I placed the few units of foot troops in the middle, and had the Turcopoles, Jinetes and Mounted Seargeants on the flanks. Then I waited for the enemy to advance. .The foolish emepror first sent a company of Trebizond archers to harrass ourt line. Separated from their companions, they were easy prey to a charge by our Jinetes. The enemy then sent a unit of infantry in support and our Jinetes cutoff the engagement and lured them towards our lines. Our well positioned missile units quickly thinned their ranks and a well timed charge by the Templars finished them off. Meanwhile, the enemy King sent his heaviests cavalry, 40 Kataphractoi and 40 Lancers in flanking maneuver our our left and generally shifted his center to our left. I promptly ordered our right wing cavalry (Turocpoles, Feudal Knights and Jinetes ) to wheel around and engage their rear. To parry that maneuver, the enemy King moves his personal guard to his left, opening a wide gap in their center. Menawhile our left was successfully holding back their heavy cavalry on the right thanks to the advantage of height the hill provided. With the enemy Emperor exposed in the midfield, under our archer fire, I ordered the Feudal Knights and other cavalry to surround him. The coward then fled and I followed him with my royal knight companions and took him prisoner. I then ordered a halt to the pursuit of the enemy and reorgnaized our lines to wait for their reinforcement. The second wave of enemy troops was lighter and weaker and easily dispatched with the arrows of freshTurcopole reinforcements and a couple of heacy cavalry charges. Again we reorganized after a brief pursuit. Their third wave had a unit of Kataphraktoi. But our Turcopoles easily harassed it, and by the time it reached the main line, it counted only 20 horsemen. Needless to say, our foot troops and Templars took care of them easily. This time, I pressed the pursuit all the way, sensing the enemy is running out of reinformcements. At the end of this long day, we had captured 1109 men including the Emperor himslef, killed 968 enemy to a loss of only .... on our side. Following your instructions to take no prisoners, I executed the enemy captives. I believe this mass execution has impressed our soldiers, for now I hear whispers of scant mercy and butcher when I walk around the camp .....
Prince Jean's great victory sealed the fate of Constantinople, which would fall 2 years later in 1188
But all did not go well for the French that year. Lord Andronicus of the Byzantines overpowered De Molay's small force in Vogla-Bulgaria and put him under siege, while their Tyrhenian fleet scored a small vicotry over the French barques.
In 1187, the French land a crusade in Greece and besiege the small garrison there, while the Byzantines finish off the remnants of the Molay's force in Volga.
In 1188, Constantinople fell after a 3-year siege. Amazingly, the destruction of the city was limited and most of its structures, including teh Port, Amor Guild and Church survived. Meanwhile, Prince Philippe landed a force in Moldavia in the hopes of cutting the Byzantine empire into 3 parts, while De Brienne sacked Nicaea and abandoned it now that the shipping lanes to Constantinople were reopened.
Recognizing the danger his oldest son was in, the King wisely ordered the invasion of neighboring Nicaea in an effort to provide an escape route for Prince Jean, should he be forced to retreat. With a large force at his disposal, Lord De Brienne intimidates the Byzantines into retreating to Nicaea castle. But further west, Prince Jean faced the brunt of the Byzantine counterattack, which he had to face with his initial
In 1189, the Byzanitines counterattack in Greece. Totally outnumbered, the French put up a delaying rear action with low quaity troops while the main force of order foot retreated to Constatinople. As Prince Jean readied for a new attempt to take Greece, news reached him of the death of his father from a sudden illness. He promptly left COnstantinople and sailed to Toulouse, where a citadel has been recently completed, for the coronation .
Thus King Charles started, but did not finish, the war with Byzantium.
King Charles IV's Legacy:
Historians generally agree that France was stronger at the death of King Charles relative to its beginning. He left a healthy treasury with a budget surplus for his son. He developed many provinces, and laid plans for France to obtain good qualioty heavy cavalry from Avar Nobles in Modlavia and Chivalric Knights in Toulouse. He supervised the completion of the Krak Des Chevaliers and started the construction of Notre Dame Cathedral. However, he left an unfinished wart with Byzantium and left France with no allies besides the Papacy. The full effect of his policies would not be felt till the reign of his son Jean, which is the topic of the next Chapter