Pics & History of your Empire

[Martok]

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.

@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!

[Innocentius]

Great campaigns everyone

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:

The two armies facing each other:


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.



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


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:


King Joar II:

[ChaosLord]

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:

[Deus ret.]

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! Wouldn't have thought that I'd have so much to say.....

[ChaosLord]

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:

[Deus ret.]

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

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

[Martok]

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.

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.

[ChaosLord]

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

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

[Caerfanan]

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

[ChaosLord]

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:

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

[Deus ret.]

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

[Innocentius]

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

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

[ChaosLord]

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.

[Deus ret.]

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

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

[Innocentius]

I'll post another episode within short.

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

[bamff]

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

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

[Martok]

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

[naut]

Yey, bamff great read!

Damn cliff-hanger at the end! Gah.

[Innocentius]

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

[bamff]

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

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

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

Choices, choices......gah!

[Innocentius]

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

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

[bamff]

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

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

[King Kurt]

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.

[Innocentius]

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

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

[Martok]

Much as I hate to copy Innocentius, "fantastic" really is the best word to describe your AAR, King Kurt. 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.

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

[bamff]

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 ....I will find out the full extent of the damage later today...fingers crossed!

[Martok]

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

[King Kurt]

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!!

[Caerfanan]

That was AWESOME King Kurt

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

Congratulations.

[Innocentius]

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


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


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:


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:


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:


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


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.



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:




The End