Pics & History of your Empire

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

JIHAD - THE RECKONING

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

Reflection

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

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

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

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

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

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

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

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

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

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

That's that. Now, onto:

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

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

The rule of King Erik II

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

King Joar I:
https://img250.imageshack.us/img250/...00007wz.th.png

Birger Magnusson:
https://img258.imageshack.us/img258/...00082xf.th.png

The Kingdom of Sweden in 1260:
https://img405.imageshack.us/img405/...00000104ng.png

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

Episode 6 of king Kurts Almo adventure

REFLECTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

Danish Campaign: ZXMod
Difficulty: Normal

https://img409.imageshack.us/img409/...69zxmoduc4.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martok

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

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

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

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


The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

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

Another terrific write-up, bamff! ~:cheers: I had to laugh at this passage, though:

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Both battles prove to be bloody affairs, with massive casualties on both sides. Notwithstanding that both result in English victories, the horrendous loss of life prompts Alfred to resolve to never to auto-calc again. The use of such odd terminology sparks rumours at court about the king’s sanity. Having already weathered numerous rumours of “secret perversions”, Alfred is not largely concerned.

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That was great! Totally had me rolling. :laugh4:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first Battle of Prussia

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

The war against Novgorod

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

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

King Karl I:
https://img171.imageshack.us/img171/...arl1su2.th.png

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

Torgils Knutsson:
https://img184.imageshack.us/img184/...ils1gy6.th.png

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Originally Posted by Martok

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

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

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

Innocentius - what a write up! Fantastic stuff!

Ok I'll get to reading.

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Originally Posted by bamff

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

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Yeah, that really is unusual. :dizzy2: I personally have never seen a faction re-emerge in more than 5-6 provinces at most, so I wonder why this one was so huge. Perhaps it's different because the Byz died out from their royal line ending, and not because they were conquered? :shrug: I suppose it's possible, but I've simply never heard of anything like it before.

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Originally Posted by bamff

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

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Indeed! :laugh4:

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

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Originally Posted by bamff

Innocentius - what a write up! Fantastic stuff!

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I definitely second that. Loved the sub-story on Johan Birgersson; that was a hoot! :beam:

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

Thanks for your kind words everyone:bow:

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Originally Posted by Martok

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

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

what mods r u guys using

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Originally Posted by Kingtotalwar

what mods r u guys using

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That would be VikingHorde's Medieval:XL Mod

A Byzantine Campaign

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To be continued...

Nice write up Caravel!

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

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

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

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

The Teutonic Order / High / Easy / XL Mod

https://img478.imageshack.us/img478/...icorderhu4.png

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Battle of Novgorod

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

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

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

The years of peace

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

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

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

King Inge III:
https://img174.imageshack.us/img174/...nge1ca9.th.png

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

A Byzantine Campaign - Part II

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To be continued...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deus ret.

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

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

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

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

Nice work, Caravel and Innocentius!

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

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

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

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

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Originally Posted by Martok

@Caravel: So where exactly are you on the map now? Do you have the original Byz lands along with Italy?

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

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

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Originally Posted by Martok

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

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Martok

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

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

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

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Originally Posted by King Kurt

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

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

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

Awesome as usual, bamff. ~:cheers:

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

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Originally Posted by King Kurt

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

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Ugh. You have my sympathies, bud. I *hate* being sick! :no:

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Originally Posted by King Kurt

In many ways, I am sure a lot of my sucess has been due to the fact that the Eggies have left me alone.

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The success of the Almos and Eggies often seems to depend on what the other does. Neither faction ever seems to make nice with the other, yet they generally don't backstab each other either. Most likely this is because they have enemies enough on their other front(s) - the Spanish/Aragonese and Byz/Turks, respectively - to bother tangling with each other. Still, when those two factions *do* go to war, it's always interesting when it happens!

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Originally Posted by King Kurt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Battle of Ryazan

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

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

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

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

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

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

King Magnus I:
https://img177.imageshack.us/img177/...gnusth7.th.png

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

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

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martok

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

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

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

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

Looking forward to the next chapter!

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the picture of the current map: https://img247.imageshack.us/img247/...ily1135po8.jpg

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChaosLord

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

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

Here is the picture of the current map: https://img247.imageshack.us/img247/...ily1135po8.jpg

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

Nice little game you have going here...

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

It looks like medmod. Nice campaign. :bow:

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

SILVERWING

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

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

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Caravel

It looks like medmod. Nice campaign. :bow:

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Doh! Yeah, that would makes sense. :dunce: Thanks, Caravel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picture of the world as it is in 1175: https://img473.imageshack.us/img473/...ily1175ty5.jpg

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

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

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChaosLord

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

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

Heartily recommended. :2thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Geezer57

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

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

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

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

Great campaigns everyone~:cheers:

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

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

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

The Battle of Khazar - 1345

At first Prince Knut was worried by the size of the uprising, and as he was badly outnumbered, he sent his quickest turcopoles to Volga-Bulgaria, urging Engelbrekt Björnsson to rush to his aide. Engelbrekt did this with great haste, and arrived in time to meet the enemy.
Prince Knut knew these lands were plains, and that finding fit ground would be tough. Instead, he remembered how he had read of the tactics used by Prince Burislev in the battle of Novgorod, now so long ago. As Burislev had done, Knut made good use of the scarse forests in these lands, and deployed his army between two small forests, with men hiding in the forests should the enemy try to outflank him.
When Tarkhan Barjik arrived with his force, he laughed. "Is this the force that scared the Khan off? He must have been a cowardly man!" he said, as he considered his cavalry more than capable of riding some infantry down. Had he studied the Swedish wars against Volga-Bulgaria he might have thought differently.
The deployment of troops:
https://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9849/wegwegcn2.png
The two armies facing each other:
https://img145.imageshack.us/img145/...tle1jl8.th.jpg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

King Joar II:
https://img175.imageshack.us/img175/...oar1ve0.th.png

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The world in 1205: https://img246.imageshack.us/img246/...ily1205hh1.jpg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The world in 1265: https://img294.imageshack.us/img294/...ily1265ln4.jpg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The world in 1300: https://img201.imageshack.us/img201/...ily1300uj4.jpg

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deus ret: The Russians keep sending small (usually 1 ship) fleets into those waters. I kill them, they die but then more come from being sent the previous turn. Kind of annoying, since my fleets in those waters are overwhelming in comparison that I get blockaded. And here, try this direct link to the image: https://img201.imageshack.us/img201/...ily1300uj4.jpg

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

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

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Innocentius

I'll post another episode within short.

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

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

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

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

Yey, bamff great read!

Damn cliff-hanger at the end! Gah.

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

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

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

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

Choices, choices......gah!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bamff

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

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Innocentius

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

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

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

SWAN SONG

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

Reflection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That was AWESOME King Kurt

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

Congratulations.

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

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

So, with that said, on to:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stockholm, 1398:

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

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

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



The End