Pics & History of your Empire

[Martok]

Wow bamff, that was a great write-up. Definitely one of the more humorous ones I've read in a while (at least compared to my own)! The following passages were the ones that caused me to chuckle and/or laugh the most:

The English chronicles fall strangely silent for the first five years of Edward III’s reign. Historians have long since argued whether this was because Edward had some dark secret that he was determined to keep silent, or whether it was because nothing much actually transpired during this time. A far more likely explanation is that Bamff of Brisbane, the chief scribe responsible for noting the achievements of the empire, simply lost his frantically scribbled campaign notes.

While there is some uncertainty as to the accuracy of Greystoke’s recording of this conversation, little doubt remains that the bishop had a taste for the melodramatic. It is also possibly indicative that Greystoke’s descendants many years hence would enjoy careers as script writers of B grade medieval films.

1230 brings a double helping of welcome news to King Edward. First comes the news that Don Pero de Oliveres, the leading Spanish commander in Cordoba has mysteriously perished at a banquet in honour of King Enrique. It is no mystery to those members of the English court who are aware that Guy of Gisbourne had recently departed for Cordoba. A general too fond of his wine is all too easy a target for a man so skilled in the use of poisons.

Great job, man. Seriously.

[bamff]

My Lord Martok, you do favour us with your kind words....

Seriously though - thanks, it's nice to know that I managed to entertain. I will confess I had some fun writing that one!

[bamff]

As a further note, it is great to see so many and so varied histories being reported....and reading behind the lines, it is intrigueing to see the differing strategies employed...I must confess I am feeling a little less adventurous than most, having chosen the English as my faction....I'm thinking Aragon will be next for me, but I still have a long way to go as England yet...wouldn't mind trying Turkey either, but I have never really succeeded as a muslim faction...

Great work all!

[Martok]

I will confess I had some fun writing that one!

.....And it showed--which is probably why it was such an enjoyable read.

[King Kurt]

Episode 3 of King Kurt's Almo adventure!!
The Empire looked nice and steady - secure borders, good income, leading on GA points - time for some expansion!! Surveying the scene, I decided to attack up the west coast of france as that impacted least on my trade. I marched into Aqutaine just after the French had kicked out the English. I also started the naval war against the French. Some how in the naval exchanges, I managed to start a war against the Italians - I don't think I attacked one by mistake, but all of a sudden I was in a war with Italy and France.
Aquataine fell and then it was Britany and Anjou. The French counterattacked, so I withdrew from both provinces. So, 2 lost provinces - I make that Jihad time!! 2 for Britany, 1 for Anjou. These forces with the existing forces enable me to retake Britany and Anjou before moving on to Normandy, Flanders, Ile de france and Burgandy.
At the same time Italy dived into Aragon with my forces occupied up north. Thanks to another Jihad and what I could gather from around Spain, I was able to retake Aragon - and have the Doge to ransom to boot. This was vital as money was getting low as trade was wrecked by the naval war with France and Italy. I also had a Balkan adventure, attacking Serbia and Greece from Naples, but got beaten back. Then the Pope attacked me in Naples twice. He was sent packing and is now extremely weak and ripe for the plucking. The French dived into Morroco and Granada, but were beaten back, killing the French King in the process.
So, after some scary moments, things look OK. Fighting France and Italy was nearly a costly mistake. I have weathered the storm, my money is back looking healthy and the French look a spent force. After a regroup, I anticipate driving through central France into northen Italy - but that will be in the next exciting episode.

[Kavhan Isbul]

I am afraid I lost interest in my Bohemian campaign - the Byzantines never attacked me again, and just turtled in Serbia and Bulgaria. They only left a small garrison in Constantinople of an archer and a urban militia, and I invaded with 4 mounted crossbowmen. The idiotic AI withdrew, which was smart as it would have lost, but it abandoned its capital to me withought a fight. I reinforced Constantinople expecting a desprate attack, but the Greeks never attempted to regain it despite the fact that they had plenty of units in Bulgaria and Greece, and a few large stacks in Anatolia, which they could transport to their capital in two turns. Then I used mounted crossbows to chip away at an all-katank army in Greece (and these had silver armor upgrade plus an 8 star general). After two battles the katanks were wiped out except for three of them, who managed to escape to a castle. I abandoned the province and the next turn invaded again with 4 or 5 units of mounted crossbows, and invaded Serbia and Bulgaria with massive armies, expecting two tough battles with plenty of casualties on my side. No such thing - the imbeciles abandoned Bulgaria without a fight as they did not want to risk the Emperor being trapped in the fortress and besieged, then they also retreated from Serbia (this time leaving a large garrison in the castle to starve in two turns), but they accepted the battle in Greece - 3 katanks against 200 mounted crossbowmen! Those three valiant fools were shot down in a battle taking a little less than a minute, most of which was moving my units within shooting distance. The end result of the whole thing was that the Balkans were conquered with only a few skirmishes and no major fight, a few nice Byzantine stacks were wiped out without entering a battle, and on top of all that I gained 30k in ransom.
Such completely stupid moves by the AI just ruined it for me . Now the campaign is pretty much won - the Horde is yet to present itself, but they will run out of gas before they reach me, and even if they manage to establish a foothold in the steppes, I doubt they will ever be able to expand to a degree in which they can become a serious threat. All other threats have been reduced to minor powers struggling to survive and waging petty wars against each other. I do not see any point to continue the campaign, as it will be boring as hell, conquering the map at a slow pace and perhaps only a battle or two worth mentioning with the Mongols.

I started a new campaign with the Teutonic order in High on expert, GAs, and so far it has been fun and a good challenge, as all my neighbors seem to hate me, and the Horde will be making its way towards my lands very soon. I will try to play this campaign with a self-imposed rule of attacking only non-Catholics (and this will include rebels) and try to win on GA points. The Pope approves, and I also have the Holy Father's word that in this case backstabbing an ally is OK, because a word gived to a heretic or a heathen is not the same as one given to one's Catholic brethern, and therefore a sneak-attack on any enemy of the faith does not really constitute a betrayal.

[bamff]

Nice work King Kurt - looks like you are really on a roll now!

And Kavhan - I know where you are coming from, once you get to a pretty dominant point it is hard to maintain enough enthusiasm to keep going, especially when the AI won't put up a fight. Sorry to ask (again! No wonder I got the title "Crack brained") but are you playing the XL mod? Just wondering on the basis of the faction names.....

This next instalment of my English campaign is much shorter than the last (and you would hope so - it only covers 5 years!), so no need to be reaching for the "no doze" this time!

Here goes:

The Chronicles of Bamff’s English

Chapter 7 –King Edward III (1233 – 1237)

In the year of our Lord 1233. The kingdom of Edward III of England stretches from Ireland across the western parts of the European mainland. The eastern borders of his kingdom are Franconia in the north, stretching southwards through Switzerland to Genoa. Its northernmost provinces include the Scandinavian states of Norway and Sweden. Even the northern parts of the African continent fall under English rule, with Morocco and Algiers both part of Edward’s realm. One obstacle stands between Edward and the complete domination of Western Europe. King Enrique II of Spain continues to cling to the province of Cordoba. Edward has decreed that it is high time for this situation to be “corrected”. Sir Richard Plantagenet, renowned as a “skilled attacker” leads the English armies into Cordoba. King Enrique of Spain is not known as a brave leader of men, but he has no avenue of escape. The English naval blockade has ensured that no Spanish forces may either leave Cordoba, or enter it to reinforce the beleagured garrison. Enrique has no option but to stand his ground and fight.
The gently rolling hills of Cordoba do not provide ideal ground for an attacking army, but such is Plantagenet’s skill that he soon manouvres his forces into positions atop two small hillocks. The Spaniards stand on the other side of the shallow valley, forced to pull back from their original encampment along the valley floor.
In their haste to reposition themselves, the Spaniards have left their catapult and ballista crews in the middle of the valley that separates the two armies. These men bravely stand at their posts, and commence firing upon the English.
Sir Charles Langton’s knights bravely charge along the valley, ignoring the fire from Spanish archers and the ballista crews. The Spanish artillery are massacred; their weapons destroyed. The Spanish king sends an entire regiment of Spearmen to aid the artillery units, but it is all too late. The spearmen have orders to extract some revenge for Spain, and as the 9 surviving knights withdraw, they are pursued by the Spanish spears. Langton knows that he cannot stand and fight – 9 knights against 100 fresh spearmen in good order would be suicide. Withdraw he must – but he is a savvy enough commander that a withdrawal is not necessarily a defeat – indeed it can be a victory. He marches his knights in good order along the valley floor, slowly enough to encourage his Spanish pusuers. The Spaniards take the bait, and are soon pursuing Langton’s men along the front of the main English line. It is a tactical mistake that few will live to regret. The Spaniards have unwittingly marched right into the teeth of the beast, and it now bites hard. 177 arbalests and 180 longbowmen make short work of the Spanish spearmen, with Langton’s men turning to provide the coup de gras by riding down several of the routing survivors before withdrawing.
Enrique is furious, and his rage overwhelms his powers of reason. He orders a skirmish line of two units of javelinmen forward to strike back at the English. A javelin has but a fraction of the range of an arbalest or longbow, and none survive to reach a range from which they may do any damage.
Next it is the turn of the jinetes to take the fight to the invader, and at the same time Don Alfonso de Luna’s royal knights charge the English left flank. Two volleys reduce the knights numbers to 10 men. One final volley leaves two wounded knights riding quickly from the field. Meanwile, the jinetes have achieved nought but an increase in the Spanish death toll.
While this carnage had been unfolding, Sir Richard had sent one unit of billmen and an accompanying squadron of royal knights forward on both flanks. These units now wheel inwards, as the English chivalric sergeants, billmen, chivalric men at arms, and fyrdmen steadily advance in a line at the Spanish centre. Enrique is trapped! Surrounded by the English, he panics, and leaving his own royal guard stranded, he flees. His men fight to the last, all 20 dying for their ignoble king. They are by no means alone in that regard – as the dust of battles settles, 807 Spaniards lie dead or dying on the field. 205 surrender to the English. A mere 53 Englishmen have died for their kingdom.
News arrives from the east that the Golden Horde have taken Volhynia. Apparently their fearsome reputation is now such that the Polish garrison simply fled as soon as word had arrived that the horde had crossed the border. These new arrivals in Europe do indeed appear formidable, and King Edward instructs his agents in the region to watch their movements closely.
The following year, the Horde are pressing the Byzantines hard across all provincial borders. So much so that Byzantine agents offer King Edward an alliance. The desperation of Byzantium is clear, and Edward uses this to his advantage, negotiating very favourable terms for the alliance, which he then accepts graciously.
King Edward is indeed an astute ruler, and his skills and acumen extend far beyond the diplomatic arena. He has noted that the local populace of the recently acquired province of Switzerland appear to be unusually skilled with the halberd – far more so than is the case elsewhere in Europe. King Edward decides that this is something that will indeed be useful in securing our eastern borders, and decrees that several regiments of Swiss Halberdiers shall be trained forthwith.
In 1237, the few remaining defenders of Cordoba Castle raise a tattered white rag, and the commanding general offers his sword to Sir Richard Plantagenet to formalise the surrender. King Enrique was one of many who did not survive the siege, though in his case it would appear that it was not starvation or disease that brought about his demise. When viewing the body, Sir Richard notes a number of odd wounds. He surmises that one or more of Enrique’s subjects may have tired of their king’s ineffectual rule….
With King Enrique’s demise, the remaining Spanish held provinces of Tunisia and Cyrenaica rebel. The kingdom of Spain has been consigned to the footnotes of history books. Lord Scrope marches immediately on Cyrenaica, taking the province without a struggle.
Prince John leads our forces from Algeria into Tunisia, and is joined by forces from our new allies, the Byzantines. He positions his arbalests and longbowmen high on a hill on the rebel flank. The unimaginative Byzantine general marches his men straight at the rebel force. This does not bother Prince John – these troops are expendable in his opinion, as they have not cost a single English florin to train, equip, and maintain. The English archers wreak a terrible toll on the charging rebels (and, it must be said, on our Byzantine allies, with a number of lancers and infantry falling to "friendly fire" in the midst of the melee). Once battle is joined, and the rebels are pinned against the Byzantine line, Prince John orders his cavalry to hit the rebel forces from behind. They are routed. Tunisia is now also in English hands....and King Edward muses to himself that now at last, Egypt's "long wait" may be at an end....

Footnote: originally I had no intention of taking Tunisia and Cyrenaica - but weak rebel garrisons just were too tempting....and now I find King Edward reminding me that Martok had suggested taking out the Eggies a while back and now they are all that separates Cyrenaica and Palestine....

[Cowhead418]

I know I'm a bit late on this update (compared to others), but I can only find time to play on the weekends and sometimes do not get to playing it at all.

The Volga Bulgars: 1110-1139

RAPID EXPANSION

Khan Subudai II was much like his father. Authoritarian in nature, he had a terrible loathing for disobedience. Though he was accused many times of being an iron-fisted dictator, he was a benevolent ruler that deeply cared for the progress of his nation and the prosperity of his people. Subudai had much to live up to, as bards were already singing the praises of his accomplished father and cementing his name into legend. He knew that in order to gain the fame he craved that expansion was necessary, and he eagerly yearned for control of the neighboring lands. However, opportunities for expansion were limited due to allied control of these territories. Subudai was a man of honor and refused to entertain any suggestion of betrayal.

On the western frontier, Novgorad was secured, but hostile, vicious viking hordes still threatened Volga-Bulgarian security. Seizing the moment, Subudai sent a sizable force into Finland in an attempt to capture his enemy the Prince of Novgorad. The general, Prince Mongke, split his forces in half in an attempt to encircle the opposing army. However, the enemy Prince wasted no time in fleeing to safety across the Baltic Sea. Finland had been taken without bloodshed. His lust unsatiated by this new acquisition, Khan Subudai II ordered the immediate construction of a fleet. He knew that economic and expansive opportunities lay across the open waters, and he wanted his nation to establish a naval presence.

By now, a second Muslim force had made its way into the wide expanses of the steppes. The Seljuks had seized control of Khazar, and already thousands of barbaric Turkish troops were pouring into the north, threatening to expand even further. To the Volga-Bulgarian people, the Seljuks were fellow Muslims, and the population opened their arms in proposed religious brotherhood. Subudai, however, had starkly different thoughts on his mind. The Seljuk Sultan had already dismissed his offer of partnership multiple times, and he eyed with suspicion the build-up of Turkish armies along his borders. Rejecting the advice of his military advisors, Subudai declared war on the Turks and sent an invasion force into Khazar, where the enemy garrison quickly retreated to the fort.

The impact was immediate. There was widespread protestion to Subudai's brash decision, and several allies cancelled their former treaties, including the Lithuanians. In a decisive move, the Fatamids remained firm in their friendship, and offered to apply pressure from the south. Surprisingly, the Turkish people were among the most vocal protestors to the war, and several groups openly called for secession amidst the heightened political pressure.

The very next year, an army of nearly 2000 Turks sought to regain Khazar, and the Lithuanians showed their support by invading Muscovy, which they took without a fight. The Volga-Bulgar army charged with defending Khazar was led by the Khan himself, followed by the heir to the throne Prince Ogadai and the Prideful Prince Khogibag. Subudai chose to stand his ground, despite being outnumbered more than 2 to 1. He gave a riveting pre-battle speech, and prepared his men for battle. His force was composed of mostly cavalry and archers, with some armored spearmen and Bashkorts mixed in. When the first wave of Turks came forward, it was made up of mostly horse archers. A long missle duel soon commenced, and when the battle started to turn against the Turks they conducted a massive cavalry charge. It was a hard-fought battle, but the superior Bulgarian Royal Cavalry with javelin and archer support won the day, and much of the Turkish army was captured, including a notoriously talented general. After the first wave was defeated, the rest of the Turkish force was summarily routed. Nearly half of the Turkish army was captured, and Subudai for the first time showed his brutality by ordering the execution of almost 1000 Turks.

Though the battle was the first, it was to be the last. The crushing defeat caused the Turkish empire to descend into chaos, with several thousand troops in open revolt. Their entire presence in the steppes was destroyed in one fell swoop, and the Turkish sultan wisely sued for peace. The following year, VB armies descended on Muscovy and Smolensk, adding a new territory to the mix. A few years later Lesser Khazar was conquered, and the size of the empire had nearly doubled.

Over the next several years, Subudai fortified his borders and fostered extensive plans in order to bring down what he called "those traitorous scoundrels." His hatred for the Lithunanians went so deep that his health dramatically declined. In the year of our Lord 1139 A.D., the beloved Volga-Bulgarian ruler died of sudden heart failure, caused by an overload of stress and emotion. Subudai's biggest fear was that he would be overshadowed by his father, but his accomplishments proved to be remarkable. The size of the empire had nearly doubled, and the economy was now flourishing. A fleet had been constructed, and the reach of the VB navy went as far as Ireland. Vast improvements were being made in agriculture, and infrastructure was expanding rapidly. Most importantly, Subudai had made a determined statement to the world that the Volga-Bulgars were not to be taken lightly. The Seljuks had been a rising world power, but now their empire lay nearly in utter chaos.

Despite this, the coronation of the new Khan was a depressing moment in VB history. Ogadai I was neither a capable nor a powerful monarch, and he was not trusted by his fellow blood relatives. The transition of power was a bloody struggle, and several old Princes talked of rebellion. Ogadai will have to act fast to avoid Civil War...

Western Front:


Southern Front:


Rest of the Empire:


Khan Ogadai I:


Royal Line:


Diplomacy:


Alleged Traitor:


Glorious Achievements:

[r johnson]

I started a new campaign with the Teutonic order in High on expert, GAs, and so far it has been fun and a good challenge, as all my neighbors seem to hate me, and the Horde will be making its way towards my lands very soon. I will try to play this campaign with a self-imposed rule of attacking only non-Catholics (and this will include rebels) and try to win on GA points. The Pope approves, and I also have the Holy Father's word that in this case backstabbing an ally is OK, because a word gived to a heretic or a heathen is not the same as one given to one's Catholic brethern, and therefore a sneak-attack on any enemy of the faith does not really constitute a betrayal.

I like it. The Teutons ae a fun factions to play, good luck.

[Innocentius]

A shortish update on

The Kingdom of Bohemia: 1112 - 1120 A.D.

Before King Vratislav could settle with his army in Brandenburg, and even before news of the conquest had reached all corners of the now vast kingdom, the Holy Roman Empire sought to take revenge on the Bohemians by attacking Bohemia itself. Prince Spytihnev, the provincial ruler of Bohemia at the time, was so shocked by the news that he spat his entire moithful of beer all over his keyb...dining table.
King Vratislav had lately been so busy with his conquest to the north that he had foolishly disregarded the defences of his own homeland, thus an outnumbered force under the comman of Prince Spytihev marched to meet the Imperial invaders in the summer of 1112. The situation looked grim at start, the Bohemians were outnumbered by 2:1 and were unable to find a fully suitable spot to defend. However, as the day revealed, the German army lacked any real substance, and its cowardly troops were no match for the Bohemians.
The Germans first advanced their archers in three groups, on in the centre and one on each flank. Their right flank was completely wiped-out by Prince Spytihev and his knights, stationed on the Bohemian left flank, while the rest of the German archers were beaten by the superior Bohemian bowmen.
After this failure, the German commander ordered a head on charge and the Bohemians, now out of arrows, chose to attack them and bravely meet them on the field. It wasn't long before the Germans broke ranks and fled, and their general, a prince of the Empire, was captured and executed along with his entire bodyguard.

All the prisoners were quickly ransomed by the Holy Roman Emperor for a decent amount of money.

After this disastrous defeat, the Holy Roman Empire did not have the power, funds or will needed to continue fighting the Bohemians, but nonetheless it remained at war with them, in its traditional, stubborn manner.

Shortly after this, in the year of 1114, Bohemian troops under Prince Vratislav attacked the rebel province of Friesland, and duly slaughtered the undisciplined rebels:

This time, not a single prisoner was spared.

Another important event of this year was an alliance with the neighbouring Poles. However, this alliance was probably only caused by several disastrous defeats suffered by the Poles against the pagan Lithuanians lately.

In Friesland, the fighting raged on. The backbone of the rebels had been crushed in the battle of 1114, but many rebels still remained and hid themselves in a great many forts all across the province. The last one wasn't to fall untill 1120. King Vratislav II however, never lived to see this day. He died out of old age in 1119, and was mourned by all the kingdom. He had been a great man indeed, and had lead his people to greatness, success and prospering.
His oldest son, Vratislav ascended the throne at the age of 45, becoming king under the name King Vratislav III of Bohemia. King Vratislav III was already a seasoned warrior and a great man indeed. He was known for his hot-heatedness and sometimes cruelty, not hesitating to execute all the prisoners he took, yet he was also know for being a great builder and a man who cared a lot for agricultural issues. He was also said to be very honest, thus earning the respect of his subjects.

The success of the Bohemians and the greatness of King Vratislav III became obvious in 1120. Not only did Friesland finally succumb totally, but the King also recieved a 1000 florins from the Pope. An indication to that the awareness of the increasingly powerful Bohemians had finally reached even the Pope.

Forgot to take a pic of the minimap, sorry, but it's the same as last time really, just with Friesland added.