Orders and reports thread

[OverKnight]

1282

Count Hans has eliminated the Mongols, but this victory is made bitter by the news that Jens Hummel was killed in the battle. The loss of one so young is a terrible waste, though he died defending the Reich. For that he should be hailed as a hero.

The forces used against the Mongols will be redeployed around the Levant, forming the armies of Outremer and the Prinz's army.

Duke Arnold has met the AHA coming from Bran on the site of his victory against the Hungarians. Edmund Becker has joined him. Where they will go in the next year will depend on the movement of the Poles and Hungarians.

I have dispatched Dietrich von Dassel from Bern to Marseille. He will not arrive until next year, but he is the closest noble. I have also sent three units of professional troops to the city to stiffen the garrison against the imminent French siege.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has moved to Magdeburg to begin forming the second Franconian Household Army. This will take a few years as Count Peter will need most of the current troops for a push on Vilnius. He is now on the the bridge south of Thorn. Peter will not be dispatched to Vilnius until the second army is ready. I will not leave Franconia undefended.

Duke Friedrich Scherer broke the siege of Paris and is now on the way to Caen. I have moved Wolfgang Hummel into his army. Besieging the Castle will be dangerous as there are many French armies in the area.

Duke Gerhard Steffen will winter in Naples after receiving the Gothic Knight donated by the Council of Nobles. He is waiting for militia troops from Rome to arrive to garrison the city before he resumes offensive action against Sicily.

Count Lothar Steffen will stay in Cagliari for now. The Sicilian naval victory has forced me to concentrate our fleets off Ajaccio, and there are none in range to move the Count.

Kaiser Siegfried has begun moving south, as requested. It will take some time before he arrives in Rome with his army.

[OverKnight]

1284

A Pope has finally lived long enough to act against our enemies.

Given the age of the Pope I doubt this will last long. Still this does remove his previous injunctions against attacking them. We have also added an Imperial Cardinal to the College

The Pope has a new mission for us.

His Holiness seems to be in a belligerent mood this year.

The Egyptians have defeated a Papal army south of Jerusalem and now besiege the city. This will not stand.

I am pleased to say both the Kaiser and Prinz have been blessed with daughters.

Oh, Wilkerus passed away, a shame.

Spain has besieged Ajaccio with a small force, this was most likely the cause of their excommunication.

The Moors have left Sardinia, but the Sicilians have landed a large force next to Cagliari.

Paris is again besieged by a small French force. The French have also, as expected, besieged Marseille.


1284 continued

Duke Friedrich Scherer has gutted a few French Armies and seized the Citadel of Caen. This fulfills Edict 12.3. Unfortunately, the Duke's army is quite battered and it will take all the resources of Caen a few years to replenish it.

Dietrich von Dassel has broken the siege of Marseille and been knighted for his efforts. The professional troops in the city and units recruited from Staufen will form the second Swabian HA. I was thinking of havng them meet near Dijon.

Duke Ansehelm has taken Moscow, the Teutonic Crusade is completed. I offered the city back to the Russian in exchange for a ceasefire, but they refused. The Crusade has left the city and entered Polish territory to the south. I have increased tax levels to very high to ensure that the city will revolt. I would rather rebels hold the city than have the Russians retake it.

Count Dieter Bresch has destroyed some brigands south of Edessa. The men with Dieter will form the core of one of the Armies of Outremer, and I am taking the other to Adana in response to a large Turkish force that has been spotted to the northeast.

Prinz Elberhard has broken the Saracen siege of Jerusalem. Reinforcements are on the way south to Acre, to fully form the Prinz's army. Count Hans has departed Outremer after taking ship in Antioch.

The siege of Paris has been broken.

The siege of Ajaccio has been broken. The Spanish transport ships had been run off, so their troops had no choice but to disperse. A large fleet is moving south with reinforcements for Count Lothar, including the artillery he requested. I have also ordered the recruitment of two units of peasant archers, and one unit of dismounted Imperial Knights at Cagliari. Duke Gerhard Steffen has left Naples, now fully garrisoned by militia, and is taking the nascent 2nd BHA down the toe of Italy to cross the straits to Sicily. Due to the lack of roads this will take a few years.

Duke Arnold is in pursuit of the Hungarian army that is threatening Bran, he should catch up with them in the new year.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has taken a few units closer to Hamburg, while the rest of the 2nd Franconian HA is being formed at Magdeburg. Count Peter von Kastilien is holding on the bridge south of Thorn. He is wating for reinforcements from the Castle, as the move on Vilnius looks difficult, and for the 2nd FHA to become operational. A middling Russian army is within a year's march of Thorn, another reason to keep him in the area.

Kaiser Siegfried continues to move south.

[OverKnight]

1286

The Explorer's Guild in Antioch has been upgraded to a Headquarters.

Moscow, to my surprise, did not revolt, but the city is rioting.

There is a Russian force to the southeast that is withing marching distance of the city.

A large French army has besieged Caen. Fortunately the walls have been repaired. Paris is besieged as well, but by a much smaller force. While the seizure of Caen was a master stroke, it has left the northwestern Swabian front vulnerable.

Thorn is besieged by a small Russian force, but Peter von Kastilien has run them off. Hamburg is besieged by the Danes.

Cagliari, not to my surprise, has been besieged by the Sicilians.

England has reached a truce with the Danes and has declared war on the French by besieging Bruges.

The Turks have laid siege to Baghdad. The Byzantines have been repulsed from Caesaria.


1286 continued

Prinz Elberhard has defeated the Egyptian General al Muazzam north of Jerusalem. The General has escaped east into the desert. Count Zirn, seeking revenge for the siege of Damascus, has marched south with a small force to pursue him. The Prinz has moved to Acre to rearm and await the rest of his reinforcements.

Count Lothar Steffen has destroyed the Sicilians who besieged Cagliari. Our fleet in the area has driven off the Sicilian Lanternas, and the way to Palermo appears open. The Count and his army will depart the Citadel next year.

Count Peter von Kastilien has pursued the Russians and destroyed them. Tancred von Tyrolia and the garrison of Breslau marched north and drove off a Polish force. The young Franconian has joined Peter on the bridge south of Thorn.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has broken the siege of Hamburg and routed the Danes. He will make his way back to Magdeburg to witness the completion of the second Franconian Household Army. This means the attack on Vilnius will depart soon.

The siege of Paris has been broken. I offered the French Cagliari, some money, trade rights and map information in return for a ceasefire. Though the offer seemed balanced, it was firmly rejected.

Finally, Duke Arnold engaged the Hungarians west of Bran with Edmund Becker commanding his cavalry.

The Duke seized the high ground and when the Huns tried to bring their numerous bowmen to bear, Becker's calvary ran them down. An infantry charge decided the issue and the Hungarian noble and his men ran for their lives.

Oremus Samuel managed to flee, but few of his men survived and he now fears conflict. Duke Arnold is triumphant and a swordbearer has joined his retinue.

The Prisoners, worth over four thousand florins in ransom, were executed. Edmund Becker served with distinction, I suggest the Duke knight him.

[OverKnight]

1288

The French siege of Caen continues, they tried besieging Marseille, but the garrison sallied out and drove them off.

The Russians have retaken Moscow and put an end to the rioting in the city.

I had hoped the city would rebel, but Moscow is a shadow of it's former self. Between Duke Ansehelm and rioting, the city is a ghost town with many damaged buildings. The Duke is on the road to Smolensk in the area of Ryazan.

Jerusalem was besieged by the Egyptians, but the Papacy was able to repulse them without our assistance. Also, another of our priests has joined the College of Cardinals.

Portugal and Egypt along with England and France have reached ceasefires.

Count Lothar Steffen has departed Cagliari with the first Bavarian HA. His ships are weighted down with catapults, so he will arrive at Palermo next year.

Count Edmund Becker has taken command of the second Austrian HA. He will head west as small Polish and Hungarian armies have been spotted north and east of Budapest. A large rebel army is also near the city. Duke Arnold, while the first AHA reinforces, has begun building a series of forts and watchtowers in the mountain passes around Bran.

Dietrich von Dassel and elements of the second Swabian HA are making their way to meet near Paris.

Despite a clumsy assassination attempt by the Danes, Count Fritz von Kastilien will be making his way east as the military threat by Denmark has subsided. This is needed to cover his brother's eventual move on Vilnius.


1288 continued

Count Peter von Kastilien has routed a small force of Poles north of Thorn. He has moved east to begin his drive on Vilnius.

Count Zirn has brought justice to the the Egyptian al Muazzam in the desert south of Damascus. He was an irritant and I am glad he is dead.

Duke Gerhard Steffen has destroyed a small Sicilian force blocking his way to Palermo. The pincer is closing on the Castle.

I took the northern Army of Outremer to the mountain pass northeast of Adana to expell a large Turk army from our territory. I fear the Turks are using our lands to transport troops to Caesarea in their efforts against the Byzantines. This must stop. I faced Kasim of Kabul, his army was destroyed but the coward escaped. I set up a watchtower and will block any further incursions into our frontiers.

The French finally summoned up the courage to assault Caen, but Duke Scherer has repulsed them in a Heroic victory. A smaller French army has moved to besiege the Castle however.

[OverKnight]

1290

Caen remains under a second siege.

The Egyptians have besieged Jerusalem again, but were repulsed by the city's garrison.

A Sicilian fleet has unexpectedly attacked the Imperial fleet carrying Count Hans.

Our ships were put to flight, with one flotilla being sunk. The Count will continue his journey.

Pope Gualandus is dead. The College of Cardinals gathered to select a replacement, but by now it is a mere formality. We can never directly control the Church, but we do control who becomes Pope.

Though Denmark and Spain were reconciled, our Catholic enemies are all in danger of excommunication. As Pope Abbate is only 53, this will last. On the other hand, we must watch our own actions as well.

The Kaiser has been blessed with another daughter, while another son is born to Count Zirn.

1290 continued

Count Peter von Kastilien has defeated a large Polish army blocking his path and has crossed into their territory. He should reach Vilnius by next year. I have not heard from the Count if Tancred von Tyrolia was deemed worthy of knighting.

Count Edmund Becker has crushed two armies outside Budapest. Duke Arnold has constructed a fort and watchtower north of Bran. The fortifications in the Carpathian mountains are now complete.

Count Lothar Steffen has taken Palermo, the last Sicilian possesion in Europe. Edict 12.1 is fulfilled. A diplomat has been dispatched via a large fleet to land in Africa next year. I plan to offer them Cagliari for peace. Due to extra funds provided by Lothar's sacking of the Castle, I have decided to convert Cagliari into a city in preperation for the offer. The forces in the Citadel will rest and rearm, and the two HAs will exchange troops to come to a more consistent configuration.

Kaiser Siegfried has routed some rebels near Innsbruck.

His army will rest and rearm in the Castle.

I have defeated a small army of Turks in the pass northeast of Adana.

I have established a fort at the battle site to contain further Turkish incursions.

Prinz Elberhard has moved south of Jerusalem to face the Egyptian armies that have been brazenly crossing the Pope's land. Count Dieter Bresch is moving the second Army of Outremer south as well, as Egyptian forces have been spotted gathering in the desert near Damascus. He is now east of the city.

[OverKnight]

1292

My Father, Duke Gerhard Steffen, is dead. This is terrible news.



An august General, he turned the Po River valley into a charnel pit for the Venetians and Hungarians. His seizure of Marseille and Naples were marked by suddenness and disdain for the siege. His reign as Duke saw an era of unrivalled peace and prosperity for Bavaria, as the Duchy was spared much of the strife visited on the rest of the Reich. I will miss him.

In some small recompense, several of the Reich's nobles were blessed with daughters.

Breslau has been besieged by the Poles. They are also within a year's march to Budapest.

The College of Cardinals is at capacity once again as an Imperial priest was promoted to Pope Abbate's vacant slot.

Count Dietrich von Dassel and the second SHA are now in position to support the defense of Caen and will be able to strike at the besiegers next year.

I have moved to northwest of Adana and established another fort in the pass to Turkish Caesarea.

Our diplomat has landed in Africa, and will reach Tunis in a year.


1292 continued

Count Bresch has defeated an Egyptian army southeast of Damascus. The survivors fled north. Prinz Elberhard defeated the Egyptian Crown Prince Mustamsik and his army on the Gaza-Jerusalem border. This is the beginning of a new aggressive approach against the Saracen. Armies near Jerusalem and our borders will be attacked before they can enter our territory.

Count Peter von Kastilien has taken Vilnius. Edict 12.2 is fulfilled. Count Fritz von Kastilien has broken the siege of Breslau and rejoined his infantry halfway between Thorn and Hamburg.

Count Edmund Becker has suffered a crushing defeat to the Poles north of Budapest. The second Austrian Household Army has been destroyed and Wilhelm von Heidelburg was captured and slain by the Polish. Becker and the remnants of his army have taken shelter in Budapest. In response to this terrible news, Duke Arnold is marching west from Bran with the remaining Household Army.

Our diplomat in Durazzo has arranged to donate 500 florins a year for the next five years to the Church. Considering the relative youth of the Pope, I consider this a good idea.

Another of our diplomats on the Russian border stumbled on a Sicilian Princess. He tried to make her an offer she couldn't refuse.

It was a generous but it was refused. I hope our Diplomat nearing Tunis will have more luck, but I fear our reputation is too despicable for anyone to make peace with us.

Finally, I have received word that the French have attacked Count Dietrich von Dassel's army as it lay outside besieged Caen. I will report on the battle in the new year.

[OverKnight]

1294

Sir Dietrich von Dassel is victorious with a crushing defeat of the French who attacked him! The French, shocked by their loss, have abandoned their second seige of Caen. I will begin recruiting new troops there immediately.

Soon after I heard of this Heroic Victory, I received news that two Hungarian armies had attacked Duke Arnold and the remaining AHA.

When taken together, the Hungarians had a well balanced force. However Providence and the terrain smiled upon us, as both served to delay the arrival of the second army. The Duke skillfully used an advantage in height and cavalry to destroy the first army.

Arnold was then able to reform his men to face the second army when it finally arrived. This time he had the superiority in bowmen.

It was a crushing victory.

The Duke was in no mood, as if he ever is, to leave the enemy forces alive.

The Hungarians have also besieged Bran, but with a small army. It should be easy enough to drive off.

The Franconians face an interesting decision as the Teutonic Knights have offered to establish a Chapter House in Vilnius. The question is, do we plan to stay there?

With the Reich flush with Florins, and my building program in full swing, I decided to try one last time to make peace with the Sicilians.

It cost a pretty penny, but we have peace with the Sicilians. I know they could turn around and attack us again, but I felt we must give peace one more oppurtunity. The Sicilians may have forgotten their alliance with us, but they stuck with us through Excommunication, we owed them a chance. However, further treachery will not be tolerated.

Having reached a ceasefire with Sicily, I contacted their allies the Spanish. If we remain at war with them, it could possibly endanger our new found peace.

Again, our reputation has made negotiations difficult, but we must try. Sicily and Spain were our two enemies with whom we do not share a border. I hope this will serve to establish a lasting peace and mutually beneficial trade. We shall see. In both cases, I aimed for upfront payments, so as not to burden the next Chancellor.


1294 continued

Duke Arnold has crushed a small Hungarian army in his path.

Unfortunately for the Hungarians, the Duke's bad mood continues, there were no survivors. The garrison of Bran has also thrown off the Magyar siege. This means that Austria is free of the their troops. Edmund Becker has taken the mounted remnants of his army and is proceeding to the Citadel to recruit a new force.

I welcome Duke Ansehelm and the Teutonic Crusade back to the Reich!

Count Fritz von Kastilien has moved west to respond to the threat on Hamburg, as the Danes have besieged the Elbe fort. Count Peter von Kastilien has moved back towards Thorn with the majority of his army in response to an increased Polish presence in the area. Sir Tancred von Tyrolia now commands at Vilnius with a small garrison until the fate of the Citadel is decided. There are three units of Polish Nobles to the south, but there is no infantry for a proper siege, and the Duke will soon be in the area.

Cou. . .Duke Lothar has departed Palermo with HA Gerhard. He will take ship to Florence. Count Karolinger will remain in Palermo while HA Otto finishes arming.

Duke Scherer will stay in Caen to refit his army and oversee repairs to the Citadel. Sir Dietrich von Dassel will stay nearby and await reinforcement from Staufen. The siege is over, but both Swabian HAs are battered and not ready for offensive action.

Prinz Eleberhard has moved back to Acre to rest and refit his army. Count Bresch has moved closer to Damascus, as I don't want him going too far from our border in pursuit of the Saracen.

Finally, in order to strengthen our northern border with the Turks, and, as I have been convinced, aid our allies, I have attacked a small Turkish army outside Caesarea. The Byzantines have been sitting outside the Castle for ages, but were outnumbered. I have decided to break the stalemate. As I expected, my attack drew both the garrison and the Byzantines into battle.

The day went well for us and our allies. I hope to write a battle report shortly.

The Turkish Sultan fled, and he and a few survivors are holed up in their capital. I hope that our allies, with many men in the area, will summon their courage and besiege the Citadel. I have done all I can for them besides open the gate.