Ibericum - Glenn's Campaign

[PershsNhpios]

PORTUGUESE IBERIA

The new case study of Iberia in the 12th - 13th centuries

Chapter I - Portucale in the Reconquista

Portucale was but a fledgling fief in 1087, and surrounded by two overbearing powers - Castile-Leon and the Almoravid Khaliphate.
King Alfonso III was the ruler who would bring about a very sudden and magnificent change in the fortune of his Kingdom.
King Alfonso VI of Castile was bent only upon the destruction of the Arabs, and was the most enthusiastic participant of the Reconquista, but not the most successful.
The Aragonese King, who had a very odd name which ended something like, '!!!*numerals--#', was to be also a great ruler in the century to come.
Khaliph Yusuf of Cordoba was the antagonist of all Christendom at this time, and would suffer terribly.

These were the major rulers of Iberia at this time, and the following passage, translated by G. W. Roetkelchen, tells of Portucale and her war first against the Almoravids, and then against her own brethren.

History of Portguese Kings (Fragments)


("The Endless Shift for Leon" - Von Eisberg.)

King Alfonso, son of Alfonso III, son of Sancho & Maria, he was the ruler who turned Portucale against her own brother catholics.
But this was not to the disadvantage of the state, for the King brought many riches & benefits of war home to the province without ever bringing the disasters of it & for this he was loved eternally, as was his father, Alfonso III, who, having pledged alliance to the King of Aragon, assisted the kingdoms of Christ our Saviour in their effort to destroy the heathen.
The heathen was vanquished of his state in one battle, & in many others were the corrupted foemen conquered in their petty southern states, for Alfonso III, King of the westmen, led all who could aptly fight first to the Guadiana, next to the Cadiz, & when in all Ibericum no Moorman could be found, led the King his army into Africa & returning, cut apart the garrison of Granada.
This much he did before his death at twoandfifty years & his son risked everything thereafter for but a little more. Alfonso IV King of Portucale & Keeper of the Moroccan Fort of Christ, after learning of the Castilian advance into France -

So much is clear enough in the old passage to be translated, and it is adequately obvious of how beloved King Alfonso III was in his Reconquista, which won for Portucale the greater part of Iberia, and gave Christendom a fist in Africa.

But what happened to the Almoravids?

All evidence suggests that they were entirely destroyed, there having been a civil war after the Khaliph Yusuf died in battle at Al-Gharb, and the Caliphate divided into city-states, which were swept up immediately by the Portuguese King.
Indeed, the Moors were very close to extinction, the Almohads having fought and lost against the Fatimids, and the Fatimids having solicited the help of Portucale and Aragon, the latter leading a Crusade into Algeria thereafter.

Aragon succeeded, and became very rich and rather powerful - a threat to King Alfonso IV - who nonetheless hoped the young King Sanc I would support him against Castile.

For Castile under King Alfonso VII had invaded France who was at war with England.
An extract from De Phyuin's History of 12th Century France illustrates the situation in the north at this time;

"... So England had immediately retaliated, declaring war on France and fighting superbly - then France bribed the Celtic Scots, Irish and Welsh that they should war against the English.
The Celts obliged and took Northumbria, whereafter England under William III begged Alfonso VII of Spain to assist him.
Castile obliged and led a greatly successful campaign through all of southern France, and England destroyed her foremost enemy, and then turned on the Celts.
But this ease lasted less than a year, for the Spanish, feeling entirely flushed, declared war on England continental possessions and for the outset the English King was very hard put to it, trying to remove his men-at-arms again to the continent.
England however, began to solicit new friends..."

King William III reminded Alfonso IV of Portucale of their former friendship, and required him to quit the Iberian alliance and attack Castile-Leon.
This was all the pretext which the Portuguese King needed.
He hoped sincerely that Aragon would join the fight, but King Sanc I would have no part.
Regardless, a campaign was led into Leon, then to old Castile, and finally new Castile.
A map will be shown with major dates, but many more smaller battles were fought due to the constant change-over of possession in Leon, Cordoba and Old Castile.

Finally, both the English and Portucale were excommunicated for their aggression and Alfonso IV nearly suffered civil war, but the people were happy with the fruits of their conquest.

By 1121 A.D. Portucale was in danger, though not so clearly as Castile.
Large Aragonese armies stood in Murcia and Algeria, whereas the only Portuguese army left was a pittance still besieging Castile.
King Alfonso IV would need to rely on the pure goodwill of Aragon for survival, for the Kingdom must remain at it's glorious state, for when Pedro, son of Alfonso, son of Alfonso, son of Sancho and Maria would take the crown.

----

Here is a priceless relic, an old map from the time of King Alfonso, who happened to have an incredibly accurate astronomer.
I took the liberty of scribbling all over it in order to make my point.

[seireikhaan]

Gotta love those odd little bugs that crop up in medmod, especially with the names.

[Durango]

Gotta love those odd little bugs that crop up in medmod, especially with the names.

Yep, there are kinks here and there but nothing harmful thankfully. The oddness of the first Aragonese king (as well as the Celtic and Kievan) has something to do with the "roman_numerals" entry in the names file. Well, they should be fine when those kings die sooner or later

Glad to see your new AAR up and running, Glenn! Please do tell us more of your thoughts while playing on the Hard in contrast to Normal. It would be interesting to hear an account of how much of a real difference the extra battle tactics of the AI does. I wouldn't know, since I've only played on Hard and upward.

[caravel]

Superb stuff Glenn!

This is my second night of sitting down to continue the Asai campaign and not even making a start. More time this weekend I hope.

[bamff]

Excellent work Glenn - both in terms of the campaign and the recounting thereof!

I loved the touch of the "excerpts from historical texts", and the "aged map" was a master stroke.

[PershsNhpios]

PORTUGUESE IBERIA

The new case study of Iberia in the 12th - 13th Centuries.

Chapter II - A Peninsular Kingdom

By 1150, Portucale was become a most respected Kingdom in Western Europe, quite contrary to the expectations of those who knew her in 1087.
Prince Henrique, son of Pedro, son of Alfonso, son of Alfonso, son of Sancho and Maria would soon inherit this sprawling conquest of his father's, Iberia.
South of the Pyrenees, none but King Pedro VI claimed the throne of what was now become the Kingdom of Christ's Iberia.

But, let us see first what events led to such lordship over the peninsula for the Portuguese.

1125 A.D. - The Aragonese-Moorish War

At this time, Iberia was divided between two factions, as it was in 1121 - King Sanc I of Aragon, and King Alfonso IV of Portucale.
King Alfonso had one great army, of similar strength to the Aragonese army in Valencia.
However, the King could not afford another army - and this meant that the veteran Aragonese Crusaders of Algeria would easily conquer the southern peninsula from Portucale if war broke out.

This put the Portuguese King in a great dilemma, for growth was stagnated.

But in 1125, the best news arrived!
Khaliph Mohammed of Tunisia led a great invasion into Algeria, having gathering the locals about his banner in droves - and claiming the Almohad throne.
The Crusaders held them off in four consecutive battles, whilst Portucale awaited their downfall.

Little is known about the composition of the Christian or Muslim military at this time, but later shall be discussed the tactical reforms of Portuguese Kings.

When the Crusaders finally retreated to their castle, immediately the newly crowned King Pedro VI led his late father's army into Murcia.

The Aragonese were absent from their homelands, and this passage explains why;

HAVING.RETRIEVED.TOLOSA.PROVINCE.FROM.YON.BARBARIAN.CAESAR.PROCEEDED.TO.MAKE.WAR.UPON.THE.IBERIAN.WI TH.ALL.EXPEDIENT.MIGHT.&.THUS.WERE.THE.ARAGONES.VANQUISHED.

Making an alliance with Portucale, the Roman Emperor immediately attacked Aragon in the south - the Empire being itself unfathomably powerful, in that she held easily the weight of seven seperate war and yet still expanded with success.

So Aragon was almost stripped of manpower in order to fend off the Romans from the Pyrenees, and in this way did Portucale hack apart her garrisons in the south, although the Aragonese shipping upon the east coast made for some difficult skirmishes with what troops could be sent in defence.

Portuguese casualties were an estimated 700 men for the entire war with Aragon, with her loss being 2800, aside from the forfeit of all Iberia and the Aragonese throne.
For after taking Murcia and Valencia, the Portuguese were quickly marching for Aragon itself - and whilst the King Sanc I came to meet Pedro VI's army - yet some brave veterans of the northern war invaded Portuguese Castile and besieged the goodly men there.

Aragon was yielded without any fight, King Sanc I fled to his men in Castile, who grieved with him on hearing that the Kingdom was lost.
A suitable paragraph of Aragonese scripture has been discovered;

"King Sanc I, last protector of the Aragonese throne, was forced to flee from the treacherous Germanics in the north, and from the enemy in the south - even his own brethren - the Portugese, who had advantaged themselves with Aragon's naked soil while the King and all able-bodies were at war.
Coming to the army in Castile, when met with the usual royal honour by the common men, he asked them if, by these actions, they considered wrongly that the Aragonese still held but a fief upon the road by which he had come.
At this, there was a general weeping throughout, and all were so enraged eventually that an assault was immediately made upon the large Castilian castle, which but a few men managed to take from the Portuguese.
And they slaughtered the foemen without remorse, in the name of their lost Kingdom.

But King Sanc I had only just conquered the castle when he himself was besieged in it by Pedro IV, who came quickly to the aid of his country.
The last fighters of Aragon starved in an old Spanish stronghold.

The Iberia of Christ.

It is regrettable that no information is available on the small battles that occurred with Aragon, but it is supposed that they were so brief, and so final, that these were hardly accounted for by historians of the time.
It is sufficient to say that Portucale had constantly plotted treachery and conquest against her neighbours on the peninsula since the Reconquista.
She had shown herself to be capable of most vicious deception.

But now the dreamed Kingdom was established, two armies were adequately guarding Morocco and Castile, and the Iberian Kingdom was soon to take part in political affairs on a grossly larger scale.

As an addition to the map of this time, a brief study of neighbouring Kingdoms at this time will be made;

England, at war with Flanders and the Empire, had forsaken the alliance of Portucale in the last Iberian war.
For this reason, several of the best Spanish Orators were sent to Scotland, where the locals were stirred to rebellion - charmed by the tales of Portucale's own conquest against her repressive neighbours.
The Kingdom of New Scotland was established thus, and England was in great danger.

The Holy Roman Empire was the other neighbour worthy of note, a good ally, and of immense strength, for the Empire had survived a constant war with seven states on four fronts since 1109.
Portucale intended to assist the Empire however it was possible.

[PershsNhpios]

Ho! ZdeUs Kronides!

Standby for an explanation of the next forty years, and the shocking realisation of war with a superpower.

[PershsNhpios]

The Kingdom Of Christ's Iberia

The new case study of Iberia in the 12th, and also hopefully the 13th and 14th centuries.

Chapter III - The Fortunes of the Brothers

King Henrique II, son of Pedro, son of Alfonso, son of Alfonso, son of Sancho and Maria would see the every conquest achieved by his forefathers come under the greatest danger.
And this was to be the fault of himself, and that of his brother's also.

For the brother Princes had scolded their King, that he had not expanded on the reaches of their father, Pedro IV, when he had taken advantage of Aragon, as his father, Alfonso, had taken Castile, and Alfonso III the Almoravids.

The Portucale tradition was that a new King meant a new war, and new conquest for Christendom.

With such arguments the new King was persuaded to invade the young states of Tolosa and Aquitaine, who, being recently freed from the slavery which the Frankish, Spanish, and English had placed them under, were by no means prepared to take a new yoke.

But they had no choice, being outnumbered by two thousand men.

Portucale rejoiced in the huge rise of wealth, for ere this had the revenue been horribly scanty, and the King now felt obliged to strengthen the three army groups and agreed with his brothers that more men should be hired for arms.

When the Spanish Kingdom of Anjou declared war on the Western Empire, King Henrique II personally marched into Anjou and shut up the Spaniard in his fortress, as a warning to unwarranted belligerence.

At this time, the Kingdom of Christ's Iberia was not so much a collected state under one Monarch as many Duchies with considerable autonomy who gathered under the banner of the Portuguese King.
The several Dukes of Iberian States made up the cavalry of all three armies, and from their provinces men of skill and rank were levied and taken to the extremities of the Kingdom for service.

I have not read about the Kingdom past the date of 1189 yet, but as soon as I do, I will tell you if the military ever became more reformed than this.

Now a large navy was created to protect all conquests and Iberia from the foemen, whoever they might be, and the allies at this time, (1172) included both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, which were once more carving Europe for themselves.
The powerful city-state of Venice had declared war on the Western Empire with her allies and had conquered the transalpine regions.
The Western Empire under Hermann II at this time was annexing Poland and trying to prevent the allied Kingdoms of Spanish Anjou and Normandie from taking any land.

King Henrique, having witnessed his forefathers stand by the Empire throughout her rise to power, and assist her in the darkest days, knew that it would be against the will of his family to refuse assistance to the Emperor - even now when the Italians were crossing the Alps.

The Duke of New Aragon stepped forth as a volunteer for an Italian expedition, and the Princes supported him.
The Dukes of New Castile, Leon, Cordoba, Granada and Valencia all offered troops, but Al-Gharb and Murcia would not hear of the proposition;

"It is not well met, that the Kingdom of Christian Iberia, having warred constantly for an entire century against the yoke of stronger powers, and consisting of Duchies which propagate the benefits of a free and autonomous state under the King - and now owning her own right to choose her way in this world - should instead allow her flowering youth to die for the Empire.
For the Romans are no less ambitious and evil than the Spanish, the Aragonese or the Moors, when they all seperately held sway over us.

"If you persist on this belligerence, just as your ally, you shall inherit her war with the known world, but you shall not inherit her strength to bear it - and we shall all suffer."

Yet the Duke of New Aragon would not listen to these arguments, preferring the idea of eternal allegiance to the Western Empire, which had so far served the Kingdom well.
King Henrique II had no influence on the matter, but must follow the will of the multitude of Duchies, and regardless of the Eastern Emperor's warnings to avoid war with his ally, Venice, the expedition was prepared.

The Italian Expedition

There are no artworks of this period, probably due to it's detested outcome.
For no artists of Portucale were ever inspired by a vain Duke who sought battle and suffered accordingly.

Duke de Jucar found that the Etruscans had fled, and heard that an army was gathered in the south of Venice to meet him.
Ignoring the fortifications in Tuscania, he marched on with his 1400 men into the Papal States to meet his enemy.

The following battle is hardly recorded for very shame - so many untried Iberian men having ambushed and surrounded a nevertheless veteran Italian army.

It is said that the Men-At-Arms, being freshly recruited, fell into disorder and were routed quickly by the Italian bowmen, sailors who had been recruited for the Venezian campaign of 1178 and who had spent five years fighting the Austrians in the harder country.

Everywhere the best of Iberia were being slaughtered by the worst of Italia, and under the best circumstances, for the Italians had been caught in disorder.

The cavalry, consisting of the Dukes of New Aragon and Leon, was held back by a group of Pavisers who caught them near a forest, preventing the horse from skirting around them.
Even when the cavalry broke free and into the backs of the infantry, already were the Iberians so beaten that they could no longer hold the line.

400 were captured, and the rest were never heard of in the Iberian courts again.

But even this is not the greatest consequence of Henrique's sanctioned expedition.

The Byzantine Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire ordered an assault from Corsica on all of the Iberian camp-followers who remained in Tuscania, and claimed to have saved the country from the invader for his good Venetian ally.

King Henrique II was hysterical for grief!

An entire army and two Dukes had been lost, no benefit had come from the expedition, and the Eastern Empire was now claiming to be involved in the war with Venice.

The situation was much like that which Great Prussia would face with Britain in the 18th Century.


With the aid of this map of the time, (Which remains from a classic 12th Century AAR by von Inns), the danger of the Kingdom can be illustrated with ease.

At this time, the two Roman Empires dominated all - the poor Russo-Cuman Khanate and the Iberian Kingdom being the only two not in immediate danger of being annexed.
Perhaps it is necessary to relate the status of each European power at this time;

- Kingdom of Celtland met Northumbria
This Kingdom had disappeared twice, once after England's conquest, whereafter the Scots had been called to rise by the Portuguese intimations, and the Kingdom of Scots eventually died out when the supposed Royal Line found itself without an heir.
Portucale abandoned the project, but the Celts rose to power again in 1168 and almost fatally damaged the English throne.

- England has been the victim of countless betrayals, and saw her one dream realised and lost in the same decade.
Though in existence, she was powerless in debt.

- Kingdom of Spanish Anjou
More than once has the King tried to be great once more, but his reanimated line cannot force a new Kingdom on the old Frankish provinces.
At the least, he existed at this time without a yoke.

- Kingdom of Flanders
The Frankish warmongers found a new title for themselves and for a fourth time have poured onto the mainland.
It is believed that the English instigated their revolt, but the Empire deals swiftly with rebels.

- The Western Empire
Hermann II has seen the entire empire restored to full vigour in less than 50 years, and in doing so, countless rebellions and claimants have been thrust down with great force - Portucale now being her only ally since 1152.
It was hoped that she would war with the East.

- Danemark and Sweden
Are hardly worthy of the title of government.
These two states are suffering terribly from disorder and debt, and unless something pushes them forth to great reform, they cannot be expected to be noticed hereafter in history.
The conquered and battered Poles, Pechs, and Lithuanians can also be placed in this category of forgotten damnation.

- The Russo-Cuman Khanate
She has remained a sleeping giant since 1120, having burst out over the north and then satisfied her lust for conquest and settled.
The world could surely benefit if she would come to the aid of freedom and attack the Eastern Empire.

-Venezia and her allies
These have become a very militaristic and aggressive state, being entirely disposed to survival at first, and now united they wish to take the Western Empire for themselves.
Their troops are first rate, and if the Western Empire remains under such conflict, she may win her prize.

-The Eastern Empire
The Antagonist, the evil that choked all, the oppressive entity that loomed over all muslims and like a dog with a taste for Catholic blood has now turned on the virtuous.
Only god himself may know when the Empire shall stop this continuous age of conquest, which is threatening to enslave all of Europe.
It is steady, it is powerful, confident and it is coming from all sides.

[Durango]

Wonderful AAR Glenn, keep it coming!

What do you think of the battles in this mod? Going up against such well equipped foes, one almost misses the peasants and UM of vanilla AI armies. Which is the suitable effect, actually.

-The Eastern Empire
The Antagonist, the evil that choked all, the oppressive entity that loomed over all muslims and like a dog with a taste for Catholic blood has now turned on the virtuous.
Only god himself may know when the Empire shall stop this continuous age of conquest, which is threatening to enslave all of Europe.
It is steady, it is powerful, confident and it is coming from all sides.

Well, at least they don't have a death star.....yet.

[PershsNhpios]

It is entertaining to see such equality on the field, as in Shogun: Total War, I only hope that the equipment changes with era, as I did enjoy racing for the new age in XL.
I do miss the variety of units and jack-of-all-trades in XL, but I still prefer the MedMod for now.
I have never played in such constant stress and fear of defeat!

Not that I will stressed for equipment in 1205..

You will soon see why - I am playing through 1201 at the moment, and I think this is the first AAR in which the author loses.
I had my moments.

Perhaps you can answer here Durango;

Do the HRE and Byzantines commonly take over the world in the MedMod?

[Durango]

I only hope that the equipment changes with era, as I did enjoy racing for the new age in XL.

Yes, you get new units for each era.

Do the HRE and Byzantines commonly take over the world in the MedMod?

In Early or Late? I play mostly Late these days, but the Byz are weaker than in Early so they mostly do not dominate. In Early, they do rise to power more than occasionally as you have noticed.

The HRE sticks together for longer which is a nice change from vanilla, but overall they don't really compete for total dominance. Once you exceed your ca. 8-12 homeland provinces, it becomes more difficult to keep expanding, which is one of the design goals of the MedMod.

I'm currently playing a Novgorod campaign in Late. Lots of battles against the horde with only one province to start with, quite fun

I recommend Late for anyone who desires a bit of XL unit variety, since you can build units of previous eras at the start, giving you usually 2-3 types of each unit instead of one in Early.

[PershsNhpios]

One thing which disappoints me is the fact that these Byzantines can take any province with any culture and keep it immediately with 200% loyalty.
It is impossible to stir a revolt with spies!

I have not yet seen an increased disloyalty in provinces, for the Byzantines are welcomed everywhere, even with 150 men.

They took Volhynia and left it without a garrison the next turn! It is their most loving province!

Ach!

---

I have a question for the readers;

Would you like to see the Portuguese Kingdom attempt to survive by whatever means possible, or would it be better if I accept that my campaign has now been quite demolished?

I have yet another update to give, whereafter you shall see my point.
King Henrique, wishing to live with his heirs, fled to exile in Wessex.
If the campaign is still worthy enough I will continue, otherwise I must try another.

(I gave the magenta fools a thrashing in Morocco though!)

[Durango]

One thing which disappoints me is the fact that these Byzantines can take any province with any culture and keep it immediately with 200% loyalty.
It is impossible to stir a revolt with spies!

I have not yet seen an increased disloyalty in provinces, for the Byzantines are welcomed everywhere, even with 150 men.

I know what you mean. It is much more interesting to be able to use subterfuge properly, instead of it being a non issue. I therefore play without Border forts, which coupled with a provincial rebelliousness of +2 works wonders for the campaign. This way, you can actually use spies offensively to stir up trouble, and your assassins valour up when left in one of your provinces instead of the border fort catching the enemy agents. Further, Grand Inquisitors are made exclusive to the Papacy only, since they are overpowered in the hands of a human player.

If you'd like to try these changes, I can send you the files.

About your campaign, I say go for it! Muster every able bodied Iberian, and show the Greek usurpers that they may take your lands....but never your freedom!!

[PershsNhpios]

You are right Durango! Dinis, son of Henrique, shall bring the Iberians back to reclaim the homeland.. And probably fail miserably- but with honour!

I would be interested in that change!
Perhaps it is easier if I make the changes myself? Or is it a very long process?

I could change a file to heighten rebelliousness instead of taking out the forts.

Pike & Musket has the same problem, the three superpowers (Ottoman, Russian and Spanish) maintain control of everything from start to finish - due to over-zealous populations.

--

Portucale will fight on for a few more updates, meanwhile I will try to create something to explain the current situation today!

[gollum]

Originally posted by Glenn
Would you like to see the Portuguese Kingdom attempt to survive by whatever means possible, or would it be better if I accept that my campaign has now been quite demolished?

The Medmod IV was never playtested (although previous versions leading to it were) - so certain factions are way too difficult to play.

However, yes i would like to see Portucale striving to survive and if succesful try to win.

[bamff]

Would you like to see the Portuguese Kingdom attempt to survive by whatever means possible, or would it be better if I accept that my campaign has now been quite demolished?

Press on, o noble Portucale! While there is life, there is hope!

[PershsNhpios]

BYZANTINE IBERIA

A New Case Study of Iberia in the 12th and a little bit of the 13th centuries.

Chapter IV - The Great Byzantine War

Isaakios, son of Isaakios, son of Alexios, son of Alexios had reaped the better part of Iberia by 1200.
Prince Dinis, son of Henrique, son of Pedro, son of Alfonso, son of Alfonso, son of Sancho and Maria would inherit nothing more than a futile struggle in his nation's throes of death.

The war with Venice had brought horrible, fatal calamities upon the Kingdom, but King Henrique, now 62, was determined to see the war finished.

In this chapter of Iberia's history, we will look solely at the war between the Eastern Roman Empire and Portucale, from the first battles of Morocco until the time of Henrique's retreat and conquest of southern England.

At the beginning of the fighting, it seemed that some agreement might be reached before the Greek entered the mainland. But the bargaining could not last.

The Legend of Taos Texeira

Since Morocco's conquest, one army had held her Atlas borders consistently, which army Texeira, son of Lord Texeira inherited.
Due to the naval power of Portucale, it was suspected that the first main attack would come from Algeria and strike to Gibraltar.

Texeira led his 1455 men out into the rocky, barren hills and awaited the Greek.

The Iberians, mostly covered with heavy armour, truly began to burn under the radiation, and the ground became a hotplate.
Nevertheless they watched as 2300 Byzantines came, some from the eastern road, others to the shore from distant galleys.

The First Battle for the Bianca Pass



The Men-at-arms and archers ranged themselves on a great slope before the advancing violet banners.
These seemed rather effeminate, and the Iberians laughed raucously at the very colour of their chivalries - completely ignoring the standard Portuguese, 'baby-blue'.

Six hundred archers allowed for a smashing display of carnage to occur on the heads of the invaders; let this passage from Texeira's memoirs recount the patriotism of the Iberians;

"The foemen were elegantly displayed, and some were still upon the beach where they breakfasted in the Greek custom.
The volleys pleasantly surprised the host, which scattered and tangled in confusion under the barrage.
The Emperor Isaakios was then reported to be amongst the vast equestrian guard, and when this was reported to the troublesome and weary ranks of archers, they brightened immediately and were seen to be arguing with one another as to who would knock the blighter from his mount.

Lord Railles of Castile defended the right by leading a charge down into the midst of the Kataphraktoi facing him, and the old man slaughtered the Greek, though they surrounded him with spears.

When the archers began to reach for more ammunition, and the Byzantine was weary with pushing vainly against our veteran line, then I personally led the Bellatores hounding down the hill to assist Railles, and with the help of those most courageous archers the enemy hardly bore our wrath.

Indeed, the Imperial escort was the first to flee, when all at once the solemn line of men burst into action and resounded upon their antagonists supported by the cavalry.

I had Diazveni complete a resemblance of the Greek fleeing, which I have kept ever after the first fight. The man is a fine artist.



The Eastern Emperor had brought many, but fresh men to the battle, levied in the Pontic Euxine states, they had no taste for blood.
Especially not their own.
And so they may have pressed hard against the stagnant Men of Iberia, but once the thousands of arrows began to waver them - a solid charge from Portucale had them screaming for the ships.

1800 Byzantines died, and 150 were captured. 200 Iberians lost their lives.

The Second Battle

This battle had rather the same result - excepting that the loss of 250 men was this time felt heavier, as the reinforcements for Texeira were marching from Leon.
However, 1900 Byzantines were killed, and among the imprisoned was the astoundingly talented Italian general Lord Balsamon - who was ransomed for 2700 florins.

The method of defeating the Byzantines, which was successfully deployed twice by the great Texeira, was quite simple;

The Vestitiarae, though well armoured, were yet incapable of crushing a battle-line.
And these were the offensive armaments of the Greek.
Their pitifully outdated 'Oplitai would do no more than push the Portuguese about, only to be routed immediately in return.

Under disadvantage of numbers, it was only necessary that a line should be formed which could protect the archers whilst they battered the advancing enemy, and which would both deter the cavalry and meanwhile sustain the attack of the infantry until they tired.
Then a brief counter-attack would have the incompetent attacker retire.

The fact that the Saragossian could hold an infantry charge from two sides and patiently wait for the command to strike back was a tribute to their potential for empire-building.

But there were not enough of them.

Texeira's method of sustaining a large, reinforced attack would be used again - notably by Prince Sancho at Aragon.


Morocco Falls, Iberia Follows

The following year, Isaakios was so embarrassed by the loss of 4000 men and two generals that he ordered all possible troops be gathered in Algeria and that they should number no less than 4000.
This order was achieved, and in the same year the Greek had the power to declare war on the Cuman Khanate successfully.

The Empire was infinitely powerful.

Texeira was legendary, but his archers could only continue to batter the hordes for so long, and his men soon tired under the sun - not to mention the heavy horse, who suffered nastily.

980 men could not hold 4000 in the desert.

Forty volunteered to hold the keep, and the rest left with Texeira their lord for Granada, where recruits from all over were gathering to join his army.

Morocco Fort of Christ fell without incident to the Greeks, and they bypassed Granada, marching immediately into Cordoba.
This shocked the peninsula, who now knew that the end of the Kingdom was in sight.

Until this time, Henrique had vainly remained in Poitou, believing that Texeira could continue to hold off the enemy.
But now the navy was vanquished, and the peninsula was invaded, and he must return with his army and order Sancho his brother (Who had inadvertently brought this calamity on Portucale) to take up arms in Aragon.

Meanwhile, Al-Gharb had fallen easily to the Greek - the King having ordered that minimal garrisons be kept of twenty or fifty men, who could keep the forts for many years.
This however had little use in the weakened keeps of the south.
But the tactic must be useful with a Citadel!

The Battle of Aragon

This battle included all three brothers of the King, Sancho, Pedro and Afonso, (Who was arrogant and unfriendly because everyone stated that he knew not how to spell his own name).

They employed Texeira's tactic, which with difficulty worked against the first wave of the host.

The Iberians rejoiced at the routing enemy, for surely here in the good countryside could the battles be properly won.
But it could not be so easy.
Great Lord Balsamon of Serbia had returned after being ransomed, and the Portuguese cursed his very namesake for his lack of chivalry and gratitude.
In this battle there would be no Greek prisoners.

Balsamon had brought 4700 men against 1300 Iberians.

The hearts of all the peninsula sank in dread as they saw the horizon darken before the thousands of silhouettes approaching them.
There would be no end to the fighting.
There were no more arrows - the men themselves were spent.

Yet they all fought on well into the evening, becoming scattered to all ends of the field and routing back and forth with the infinite foe who kept returning.

800 Iberians died, but before the last man left the field, 2400 Greeks had been cut off - Balsamon himself almost being among them.

It was obvious that the Emperor had determined to never fight on fair terms with Portucale again.

This was evident when the Prince Sancho saw from the walls of Barcelona Citadel what equipment Balsamon had brought.

The Siege of Aragon



Isaakios had ordered ten Trebuchets be brought to the Citadel, and they were all arrayed well before the walls.

What was meant to be an easy defence seemed a disaster before the barrage of so many huge missiles.
The walls crumbled and the crews retreated, replaced by hundreds of infantry columns, filing up towards the gap in the fortress.

And here a great battle ensued, without strategy or forethought, the 600 defenders of Barcelona fought savagely against the first wave of 1200 Byzantines.
After half an hour of fighting, the Greek fled, and was chased far into the wood surround the fortification.

However, reinforcements soon arrived, and to the final despair of the Royal brothers they were cut off from the keep in the field, and every man was destroyed.

Aragon - the jewel of Iberia - was lost.

Careless in Defeat

The King of Portucale could not possibly have forseen how well-equipped for conquest the foe was - for he and all of his forefathers had been educated in the XL doctrine.

Never before had an enemy dealt with the balancing and structuring of an army so expertly.

Henrique II, seeing what became of Aragon and not wishing to watch everything his father bequeathed him burn, took with him his son Dinis and fled the peninsula with 1400 men and sailed north with the intention of taking England for a colony.

It was soon realised that this would not work.
Wessex could never be a homeland.

So the country was raided and Henrique decided to land once more in Aquitania and ensure that he and his heir would make every effort to free the land from the Greek.
They had only 1400 men against the Eastern Empire, and the city-states of Iberia were now horribly close to total slavery.

There was of course Lord Texeira, who was made Duke of Granada after every Duke in the East of the peninsula was killed in the battles for Aragon and Morocco.

The nobility was almost non-existant.

But this man, having been abandoned by his King, was pushed by the people towards claiming the Kingdom of Granada for his own right, and indeed he had the arms to do so.
For at this time however it was best that he unite with the King in order to free his lands from the hated Greek.

A new war was about to begin!

[I of the Storm]

Uh-oh...

[gollum]

Hold on Portucale! - if it is written that you are to fall in the strands of fate - then go with pride and defiance to the enemy!

[seireikhaan]

Yikes.

[bamff]

The King of Portucale could not possibly have forseen how well-equipped for conquest the foe was - for he and all of his forefathers had been educated in the XL doctrine.

Never before had an enemy dealt with the balancing and structuring of an army so expertly.

Never mind the walls of the citadel - methinks I hear the "fourth wall" crashing down! Well written Glenn!

Looks like a tight situation, alright, and made none the easier by the well balanced enemy forces that you will have to face if you are to stave off the next wave.

Best of luck, o noble Portucale.....

[Durango]

Doom 'n Gloom!

This reminds me of Return of the King actually, just a pity there is no ring to be thrown in a volcano to make the Byz go away...

I'm anxious to hear what happens next in this most dramatic tale!

[gollum]

There is such a *ring* noble Durango; its that +2 influence the Byz Empreror takes that safeguards them from civil wars - this is taken out (hardcodedly) in 1320. A long way for Frodo, his Sam and me still.

[bamff]

Now there is an interesting little piece of information! Good Smeagal....errr Gollum...thanks!

[gollum]

Good Smeagal always helps

[caravel]

Throw the man another fish...

I had no idea that the Byzantine bonuses were removed in 1320 either...

[gollum]

*what about birdses, eh, precious? what about birdses eh?*



EDIT

I have a feeling not so many others play campaigns to the bitter end - well?

[bamff]

Actually on reflection I don't know that I ever recall the Byz surviving as far as 1320.....mind you if I am their neighour, this is often my fault....

[seireikhaan]

Same. Granted, I've played a few late campaigns here and there, but I'd never noticed that. Thanks for the tip!

[PershsNhpios]

Thank you all for your comments and advice!

I will add the futile attempt at a counter-attack soon enough.

I must try to hold them off for another 120 years, for that is long enough for a couple of hobbits to find their way from Barcelona to MOR-Constantinople.
This is the first time I have ever allowed a total defeat to play out naturally.
I would have quit in 1189 if this were not an AAR, but now I have made fun of it (As you must..) I find that it is very interesting to try and keep a kingdom together in such a situation as this.
It's actually impossible.

Well, I can only be online for a moment today, so I will return to complete a next chapter when I have the time - 'til then!

It is grand to see you all enjoying it!