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.