Crusades

[Csargo]

I started a Turkish campaign my very first one and I just wanted to know when do the Catholic factions start Crusading to the Holy Land so I can start building my defence armys to defend against the Crusades. I have conquered all of Africa and all the way to Constantinople. Please help.

[Knight Templar]

Very soon, in my campaigns 20-30 years from the begining of early period. If you start from late period, even sooner.
Also, if you play GA at early, remember Christian nations have goals to conquer Holy Land, so be prepared for lots of crusades.

[acesman]

Very soon, in my campaigns 20-30 years from the begining of early period. If you start from late period, even sooner.
Also, if you play GA at early, remember Christian nations have goals to conquer Holy Land, so be prepared for lots of crusades.

Very true, I am playing early, GA, XL mod, so the AI is a bit more aggressive, but I have seen as many as three crusades happening at the same time, and four crusades in five years headed for Palestine/Tripoli.

[Loucipher]

From my observations, the earliest date at which a crusade to the Holy Land was launched, was 1104. The Spanish have launched it against the province of Palestine in one of my games.
The beginning of the Age of Crusades is marked by an event in 1095, when a sermon was called in the town of Clermont. It was then that the Pope demanded crusades to the Holy Land. In fact, I am not sure if any crusades can actually be approved prior to this date. It is however to be said that Spain, already having a Church in Castille at the start of an Early Period, is best suited to "blitzades", as I call crusading the RTS "rush" way Add to this the inherent aggressiveness of the Spanish... there you have them, Santiago guys marching your way as soon as 1097

[mfberg]

To defend against Crusades you need to either get the zeal down in provinces surrounding you, or let them into your first line of provinces. Don't push them back into 98% zeal catholic provinces or they will just grow bigger and re-invade. Right now in my new Turkish game I let them into Bulgaria, put some of my bet units in the Castle and have the castle defenses as high as possible and withdraw the rest of my troops.
The year they are in Bulgaria I will put about half of my Jihads towards Bulgaria, with half that can hit Bulgaria instanly going there, and the others into Constantinople. This gives me ample defense in Bulgaria, and in Constantinople, destroying the Crusade whether it stays and fights or runs.

mfberg

ps. Make sure to kill all the routers if the battle is in your first line of defense. As I have found out a damaged crusade can be worse than a fresh one.

[Roark]

Haha!! I knew Mfberg would be contributing to this thread after his edperience in the Balkans...

[Vlad The Impala]

Make sure to kill all the routers if the battle is in your first line of defense. As I have found out a damaged crusade can be worse than a fresh one.

Could you explain a bit why, please?

[Knight Templar]

Could you explain a bit why, please?

Lets say you destroyed crusade army and captured 500 people. If you let them go with ransom, they'll return to nearby friendly province (Christian). So if the zeal is high enough in that province, once destroyed crusade can instead of 500, have 1500-2000 men and attack again.

mfberg's post about the case above

[Vlad The Impala]

I see, that's a nasty surprise indeed! Would dropping alims and imams in the provinces bordering to yours help?

[mfberg]

Zeal is the danger, each religion has a different % zeal and different % follower in each province. Dropping Alims and Imams in the countries bordering your would have an effect, make sure you do it early enough, not right before the crusade comes through. I don't like spamming Imams because it becomes too easy to win when of all of the religious rebellions spring up in the catholic provinces.

mfberg

[Roark]

Yeah, perhaps you should avoid the cheese... but definitely bomb them with Alims to kill zeal.

[Vlad The Impala]

I only started my Turkish campaign recently, and I've only had to deal with one crusade (which doesn't dare to attack Constantinopel since I have a huge army guarding it, bwaha), but sending religious agents to the provinces bordering yours seems like a logical thing (with you trying to spread your religion, and all) and not like cheese, or is this generally considered otherwise?

[Knight Templar]

Depends on numbers. Sending 20 alims in province is cheap, as they will convert population to your religion very quicky which will cause religious rebellions. Plus, it's historically incorrect, population of one whole region can hardly be converted to another religion in few years.

[Peasant Phill]

[QUOTE=Vlad The Impala]I only started my Turkish campaign recently, and I've only had to deal with one crusade (which doesn't dare to attack Constantinople since I have a huge army guarding it, bwaha)[QUOTE]

Be careful that nobody has a ship in the sea regions around Constantinople. Crusades can use ships of other factions. I've experienced this when defending my Turkish empire (Constantinople to Georgia to Egypt) against a French crusade. I only had forces stationed in the border provinces . The crusade didn't dare to attack my armies in Constantinople and weren't growing so I thought I could sit this one out. Suddenly the Hungarians launched a ship in the Black sea and the crusade invades an empty Trebizond. It took a while to corner the French crusade as it moved every turn.

So have an adequate force behind your frontline to capture them or be sure to have every sea region around your empire under your control

[Csargo]

The Germans sent a crusade Antioch and when it got to Constantinople it stopped right before in Bulgaria I think and I let it stay there and weaken then I invaded Bulgaria and a couple of other Byzantine provinces and killed my first crusade .

Now I'm at war with the Hungarians I'm sure I'll take care of them easily though. On to Europe CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Vlad The Impala]

Hehe, that same thing happened to me AGAIN yestrday. A French and a German crusade are sitting on my doorstep in Hungary (One is a bit over 1,600men in size, the other a bit less than a 1,000) but they're both afraid to attack, because they're not doing anything.

@Phill: The seas are all firmly in my grasp, but thanks for the warning anyway!

[rvg]

Hehe, that same thing happened to me AGAIN yestrday. A French and a German crusade are sitting on my doorstep in Hungary (One is a bit over 1,600men in size, the other a bit less than a 1,000) but they're both afraid to attack, because they're not doing anything.

@Phill: The seas are all firmly in my grasp, but thanks for the warning anyway!

That's what I see happening most of the time. They keep sitting in the 89% Zeal Hungary and slowly fading away. I hoped that 89% would be enough for them to swell up and attack, but alas. I evenreduced my troop count in Serbia and Bulgaria, but they were simply too scared of the wrath of my Roman armies. Byz is just too strong of a faction, i guess.