Pics & History of your Empire

[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:

[bamff]

Great write up Cowhead!

Pardon the ignorance I am about to demonstrate with these queries, but I am allegedly "crack brained" after all, so please make some allowance for this....

Which mod is it that you are playing?

Secondly, a "bashkort" is a unit type that I am not familiar with (having thus far only played vanilla MTW and MTW:VI). What is it exactly?

[r johnson]

An enjoyable read Bamff, you've got skill in writing as your have in battles.

[bamff]

An enjoyable read Bamff, you've got skill in writing as your have in battles.

Thanks for the vote of approval! I will endeavour to keep the write ups coming!

As for the battles - I have had my share of absolute disasters, don't you worry. While it is true I have been extraordinarily lucky in this English campaign, had I written up my preceding Sicilian and Saxon campaigns, you would certainly have seen some differing results!

[bamff]

Thanks for the info, Geezer57 and Kavhan Isbul....

I am trying to resist the temptation of downloading and installing a mod until after I have tried my hand as Aragon and Turkey....but I will confess I am weakening!

[bamff]

Whoops! Double post - sorry guys!

[bamff]

Gee a TRIPLE post - I really must be crack brained!

[Kavhan Isbul]

I guess after playing MTW a while, and trying out all possible factions in all possible periods in all possible mods, one tends to lose interest in a campaign once it seems victory is pretty much secured. This is what happened to me at least, after trying two campaigns, one with the Bohemians and another one with the Teutonic Order, both in the XL mod. In the first one victory is inevitable (the AI did not really put up a fight), and in the second one I ran out of non-Christians to fight (which was not a problem for the Order in real history, but ruined my game for me).
I decided to start a campaign with the Bulgarians, hoping that playing with my ancestors will keep my interest in the campaign long enough for a completion. I started a campaign in the XL mod, high, expert, Glorious Achievements with the following self-imposed rules - no arbalesters until late (I am debating if I should apply the same rule to the crossbowmen, as the crossbow, while known and existant, was not extremely popular in Medieval Bulgaria); homelands limited to Bulgaria, Thrace, Greece, Serbia, Wallachia, Moldova, Carpathia, Hungary and Croatia; only regional troops in other provinces - Slav Warriors and Javelinmen in Poland and Bohemia for example (if I ever get there), horse archers and Bulgarian Cavalry in Asia Minor and the steppes, Dejma on the islands of the Mediterranean, etc., but nothing else; no merceneraies from far away lands, such as Vikings, Jinettes, Longbowmen, etc. So far so good, and here is Part I of my Bulgarian campaign, "The Rule of Kaloyan I".

In 1204, Tsar Kaloyan was facing a difficult situation - for the first seven years of his rule he had been able to gain the support of the Boyars, and once the Bulgarian Tsardom was unified, he managed to renew the war with the Roman Empire, started by his brothers' successfull rebellion in 1185, but things were changing in the Balkans and now a new, stronger enemy was present. The Latin Crusaders did the unthinkable and captured Constantine's city in April and crushed the Romans, splitting their Empire in a few Greek kingdoms, the most notable of which now existed in Nicaea. These newcomers were looking to expand their Empire and were setting their sights on Bulgaria from the South, and their Catholic allies, the mighty Hungarian Kingdom was looming from the North-West.
Faced with a possible war on two fronts against stronger enemies, Kaloyan allied himself with his Serb neighbors, who had just as much reason as him to fear the Hungarians and the Latins. The same year, an emissary from the Nicaean Emperor arrived at Turnovo to offer an alliance. Kaloyan had spent his youth in Constantinople, and this perhaps influenced his decision to accept the proposal from the old enemy, especially since the Latins seemed the greater danger at the time.
Not only did the Greeks seek an alliance with Kaloyan, but some of them sought his defense against the Latins and agreed to become vassal to Bulgaria in exchange for protection. The Despot Sgouros, who controlled most of Greece, was among them, and Kaloyan accepted him with open arms, granting him gifts and land worth over 3000 florints, and promised him to make him the Governor of Constantinople and even Patriarch of Turnovo once the heretic menace was purged.
Accomplishing this, and believing that his Northern border was secure due to his marriage with a Cuman princess long time ago, Kaloyan gathered his army and marched against those, carrying the false crosses. The Bulgarian ruler sent Lord Sgouros in Turnovo to protect the capital, and apart from leaving small garrisons to watch out for bandits, he gathered all his forces and marched in the direction of Constantinople. He had used the few years after the Crusaders arrived to prepare well - his armies included his retinue of Boyars, trained from childhood in the art of fighting and shooting a composite bow, and equipped with the best available armor, some spearmen also clad in armor, peasant archers and javelnimen, a unit of Bulgarian Brigands, hardy men from the mountains expert with both bow and sword, and some Greek infantrymen Lord Sgouros had provided under his obligation to his new sovereign.
The battle was quick and bloody. Emperor Boduen and his knights recklessly charged at the Bulgarian lines, without waiting for the support of their crossbowmen and Genoese Sailors, only to meat with a shield and spear wall and be cut down by the Bulgarian archers and javelinmen. Kaloyan himself with his cavalry outflanked the enemy, appearing in their rear, which caused a great confusion among the Latins and seeing the knights being slaughtered, the rest of their men simply broke and ran for their lives. However, none escaped on that day. The captured prisoners Kaloyan decided to release - he did not desire the blood of ordinary soldiers, and he feared that executing the nobles will infuriate the Catholic World, and the last thing he wanted was another Crusade. This deed earned him the respect of both enemies and friends alike. The people of Constantinople opened the gates of their city, and welcomed him as a liberator, and the Patriarch crowned him as the new Emperor (Tsar) - God's deputy on Earth. Lord Sgouros was made governor of the great city as promised, and festivities were held in honor of the Tsar, the greatest ruler on the Balkans.

Many foreign kings sent their emissaries to Kaloyan asking for alliance. The Tsar accepted almost all, as he wanted to encourage trade with far away lands. His plans were to build a large fleet with which to protect the seas and purge them from pirates. Unfortunately, his former allies, the pagan Cumans were looking upon the fledgling Bulgarian Empire with envy and distrust. Kaloyan tried to solve this problem with diplomacy, and made an attempt to secure the loyalty of the Cuman tarkhan in Wallachia. Despite the lavish gifts offered, no agreement could be reached, and suspecting a meddling into his inner affairs, the Cuman Khan ordered an invasion on Bulgaria. The Cuman hordes outnumbered the Bulgarian army at least 2 to 1, but Kaloyan showed once again that his time spent in Constantinople had taught him valuable lessons in the art of war. He rushed to the Danube to meet the invaders before they had even crossed, and the heathens were caught unprepared, in the act of crossing the river. None of them was able to set foot on Bulgarian soil, most of them falling to the arrows or javelin of the Bulgarians, and those who made it to the shallows were cut down with poleaxes and stabbed with spears (I used 1 unit ot mercenary pavise arbalesters - using mercenary arbalesters is OK from a historical point of view). It was a famous victory for the Bulgarian Tsar, after which he became renowned all accross Europe as a skilled defender.

With the Cuman army suffering a himiliating defeat, Kaloyan could cross the Danube and reclaim Wallachia from the pagans, who afraid of his strength and reputation of an excellent military commander fled to their wooden fort instead of meeting him on the field of battle. They were besieged and soon ran out of supplies, and had to surrender to the Tsar, who once again emerged victorious. A champion of Orthodox Christianty, Kaloyan did not stop there, but regroupped his tired men, reinforced them with some mercenaries, who were flocking to his Empire attracted by its wealth and his glory of winning all battles he fought, and then marched on Moldova. The Cumans once again preferred to flee to Iasi. Rumors of a large force of fierce horsemen from the East made the Bulgarian ruler anxious to end the siege as quickly as possible, and Iasi was stormed and taken without a siege.
Unfortunately, some Black Sea pirates managed to sink the Bulgarian dromons in the Black Sea and after being well paid by the Cumans, transported their khan and plenty of Cuman cavalry - light abnd heavy, to Thrace, wehere they embarked and besieged Constantinople. The city was defended by the heir, prince Kaloyan. Seeing his plight, Lord Sgouros gathered his forces of armoured spearmen in Greece, met with some reinforcements from Turnovo and attacked the Cumans in an attempt to lift the siege. A long and hard battle was fought, in which many Bulgarians fell against the Cuman cavalrymen, who were feeling at home in the Thracian valleys and hills where there are few forests. At the end however, the Bulgarians held victory and the Cuman khan attempted to flee but was captured.
Meanshile, in Levidia, Kaloyan sent an invasion force entirely consisting of mercenaries in an attemot to seize the Cumans capital and force a peace treaty on the enemy. A certain Mongke, a heir to the Cuman throne emerged, however, and managed to defeat the Bulgarian army and usurp the throne, taking advantage of the absence of his khan, who was campaigning in Thrace. The new Cuman ruler denied ransom for his own father, and the old khan was blinded and thrown into the Turnovo dungeon, where he perished soon after. The Cuman invasion in Constantinople had another major consequence - the Cathedral in the city along with some palaces was destroyed on the siege, and Kaloyan ordered a new one to be built, but in Turnovo instead, and thus the Turnovo Patriarchy was reinstalled, and it was now the Turnovo patriarch who lead the Orthodox Christians all over the world.
Kaloyan then pleaded to the Nicaean Emperor, his ally, to come to his help with his fleet. This he did, only to lose it to the same pirates that were responsible for the sinking of the Bulgarian Black Sea fleet. The Poles, who also suffered from Cuman raids, accepted Kaloyan's alliance. facing a war against multiple enemies, on all fronts, Mongke realised the difficulty of his position, and had no choice but to accept Kaloyan's peace offer. It is possible that stories of a Great Khan, coming from the East with many thousands of men, might have also influenced his decision to agree to an end to the war.
The war with the Cumans had only finished, when another one started. The Sicilians and the Serbs, long-term Bulgarian allies, hoping that the Bulgarian troops will stay in the East to fight the Cumans and the newly emergent Mongol threat, betrayed Kaloyan and invaded Greece. The Serbs came by land the Sicilians by sea. Being vastly outnumbered by the enemy, Lord Sgouros retreated to Thrace, and the Sicilian Normans took most of Greece. However, they were unaware that a large Bulagrian army with prince Ivan, known as a great commander, was being raised in Bulgaria. Tsar Kaloyan wanted to be prepared for the Mongols, should they be able to defeat the Cumans and invade the Balkans. This army and Lord Sgouros's forces in Constantinople were reinforced with some newly trained troops and some mercenaries - a Bulgarian princess was married to the Armenian heir and impressed by the abilities of Armenian infantrymen, she helped her father and brothers recruit some of them. The Normans offered cease-fire, but Kaloyan could not accept it - he had not driven the Latins away from the Balkans only to lose land to the Sicilians at an old age. The Orhodox population was relying on his help, and it came. Prince Ivan remained with s significant force in Bulgaria ready to repel any Serbian attack, while Lord Sgouros led the rest of the army into Greece and dealt them a crushing defeat, while the new Bulagrian dromons sank a Sicilian galley fleet in the Aegean. The Sicilians had to pay a ransom to save the prisoners the Bulgarians took, and agreed to a cease-fire. Then Lord Sgouros and Prince Ivan marched on Serbia to punish the unloyal ally. The Serbs fought bravely, but where overwhelmed and forced to retreat behind the walls of Belgrade.
Tsar Kaloyan had made his dream a reality- he had finally managed to unite all Orthodox Christians on the Balkans under the Bulgarian crown. He had forged a new, vigorous Bulgarian Empire, and had defended it from all sorts of foreign invaders - Latin Crusaders, Normans, Serbs and Pagan Cumans. He had also reinstated the Turnovo Patriarchy (the magnificent Turnovo cathedral would not be completed during his lifetime), started the building of a fleet, earned allies and influence, and greatly increased Bulgaria's coffers and tax revenue. Satisfied with his life and accomplishments, Kaloyan who had always been known as a good and charitable Christian stepped down from the throne in favor of his odlest son, and spent the rest of his life in a small monastery somwhere in the mountains of his Balkan Empire.


Screenshots to follow.

[bamff]

Oh Kavhan - you have indeed raised the bar....

Wonderfully managed campaign and incredible write up!

Well done indeed sir!

[caravel]

Secondly, a "bashkort" is a unit type that I am not familiar with (having thus far only played vanilla MTW and MTW:VI). What is it exactly?

A people from around the Ural region. In the XL mod they are represented as either spearmen, javelinmen or a spear/javelin hybrid, can't remember which now.

[Geezer57]

They're a spear/javelin hybrid, as you thought. They have four javelins, and have 5/1/2/1/4 for stats (charge, attack, defense, armor, & morale). The numbers come from the MTW_XL_EARLY_UNIT_PROD11.TXT file, so might vary in later periods.

[Kavhan Isbul]

Bamff: I am playing the XL mod, and so is Cowhead. The bashkorts are a really nice hybrid between spearmen and javelinmen, and I personally find them to be the best javelin infantry in the XL mod. True, almughavars and armored almughavars are even better, but the Bashkorts are cheaper and have a far greater impact, especially for the two factions that can use them - the Volga Bulgars and the Cumans. The Volga Bulgars lack any missile units other than vanilla archers (unless they get to certain provinces and build them up quite a bit), and the Bashkorts provide some very effective range attack, when used properly, especially in defensive battles. The cumans lack any spearmen other than vanilla spearmen, and the bashkorts can act as a high morale spear unit if necessary - they will not do wonders, but a unit of them can hold a MHC long enough to allow another unit of Bashkorts to pepper the enemy with armor piercing javelins. The bashkorts also have a low upkeep and require only a spearmaker's workshop and nothing else, and the Cumans and Volga Bulgars can build them everywhere they go. The only downsides are that they are available only in early and high, and their lack of armor.