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Thread: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

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    Default A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    A Lion in the Holy Land – a M2TW English AAR

    This AAR is on VH/VH with the leaked unofficial 1.2 patch.

    My personal “glory goals” are to meet the official victory conditions, establish a permanent crusader kingdom in the Holy Land and get to America.

    The play style will be to avoid rushing the AI: I will not start wars (except crusading ones). I will establish an alliance with Scotland to keep them in play for longer. I will role-play the generals, but not deliberately do dumb things; any defeats will reflect my stupidity rather than theirs. To conserve the lives of my people and soldiers, I will generally try to occupy settlements and often starve them out rather than storm them; I will also often end battles as soon as the chance is offered.

    I will try to use balanced armies and avoid exploiting the AI. I will follow a one ship to four passengers houserule.

    This AAR is going to be focussed on gameplay rather than story, unless I feel inspired.

    All screenshots are in spoiler tags, so that people can comfortably read the thread while the screenshots are still loading.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-23-2007 at 00:26.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    The reign of William the Conqueror, 1080-1128

    Build queues in William’s reign


    List of Battles in William’s reign


    FA=field battle (attacker)
    FD=field battle (defender)
    SA=siege assault (attacker)
    SD=siege assault (defender)
    YA=sally (attacker)
    YD=sally (defender)

    Casualties are those reported killed + captured in the final column of the post-battle screens.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-21-2007 at 00:52.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    Part I: Things fall apart.

    1080 (Starting balance: 10000 florins.) Prince Rufus stormed York [battle no.1 in table above; henceforth, b1].

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Prince Rufus takes York by advancing his infantry up two streets, then using his escort to attack the enemy archers from rear down a third.


    Trade rights and maps were exchanged with France. Robert recruited two mercenary spears and advanced on Rennes.

    1082 (6558 florins) Council of nobles gave mission to take Rennes, which Robert began to siege.

    1084: (7107 florins) Robert stormed Rennes [b2].

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Although this time, the English have walls to contend with, they employ essentially the same assault tactics at Rennes as they used earlier at York. They assault along two different lines of attack, then - when space is cleared - work their cavalry into the enemy's rear along a third line.


    England was rewarded with 4 units of mailed knights: 2 were sent to France; 2 to joined William in marching on Caernarvon.

    1086: (7004 florins) Council of nobles gave mission to reinforce Nottingham with 4 units. Relations with France become poor. William and Rufus approach Caernarvon.

    1088: (6448 florins) Caernarvon was besieged and could last out for 5 turns. Princess Cecilia established alliance with the HRE, as well as trading maps and trade rights. She had a secret love.

    1090 (6033 florins) Cecilia married Augustine of Wellington; Robert felt unappreciated. A second diplomat was hired to replace Cecilia. England observed that the Scots had taken Dublin and had an army embarked off the coast near York.

    1092 (6106 florins) Robert married.

    1094 (2976 florins) Robert marched on Bruges. Augustine challenged rebels outside Nottingham [b3].

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Although the rebels include longbowmen and English knights, they are swept away by Augustine's army. First, his escort drives off the rebel screen of archers. Then his massed spear militia overpower the enemy infantry and cavalry.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-20-2007 at 18:34.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    1096 (2810 florins) Council of Nobles gave a mission to send emissary to Milan, which was done this year. Henry came of age. A second merchant was recruited so that a monopoly could be established on the wool trade in Nottingham.

    Robert besieged Bruges while Augustine embarked with an army of militia spearmen from Nottingham to reinforce him. The Flemish garrison sallied from Bruges and Robert earned a heroic victory [b4]. The Welsh sallied from Caernarvon, which finally fell when they were repulsed [b5].

    Story: Battle report for Bruges, 1096

    1096, Bruges Robert, second son of King William and commander of the English forces on the continent, was a young man in a hurry. After the quick conquest of Rennes, the lack of action had left him feeling unappreciated. Some even rumoured there was more to it than that: his disaffection had occurred at the same time his sister Cecilia had acquired a secret lover and tongues wagged that their mutual love was more than merely fraternal. When Cecilia was hastily married off to a undistinguished suitor, Augustine of Wellington, Robert seemed galvanised into action. He himself was married within a year and then gathered a small army to march on rebel held Bruges.

    In his impetuosity, Robert had brought only two regiments each of mailed knights, spear militia, and peasant archers. For some reason, he left a strong force of four militia regiments in Rennes, but left only two depleted mercenary spear regiments to hold the strategic castle of Caen. Lacking a spy, Robert had no knowledge of the strength of the Bruges garrison. Consequently, he was somewhat put out when the garrison promptly sallied out to meet him.Against him were two regiments each of mailed knights, Flemish pikemen, armoured sergeants and crossbowmen. Roberts only advantage was his own escort of tough warriors and the fact that his army was deployed whereas the Flemish rebels had to funnel out through the gate. Still, he would have to be sharp and move quickly to prevail.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The forces arrayed at Bruges


    “Light fire arrows! Target the knights!” Robert shouted to his archers.

    The Flemish knights advanced rapidly on the English position. The regiment of English spear militia on the right flank charged to intercept the enemy cavalry, pinning one regiment.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Flemish army is engaged by English spears on the right, but avoids the schiltron on the left


    A large and indecisive melee developed: the English committing one regiment of knights and the Flemish some of their infantry. But on the left flank, the English spears formed schiltron and the rebels were savvy enough to avoid engaging it in strength. Instead, they pursued Robert’s escort which was retiring to avoid contact with an approaching regiment of Flemish pikemen. Robert was forced to about turn and counter-charge the enemy knights, praying he could prevail over them before the pikemen could arrive.

    “Target the pikemen! Target the pikemen!” Robert screamed at the archers. Since the Flemish cavalry was now bogged down, the English archers were free to fire into the battle. Their fire arrows did terrible damage on the slow moving and unarmed Flemish phalanxes, often catching them in the flank or rear.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The English cavalry on the flanks evade the Flemish pikemen pursuing them, in the process allowing their archers good shots to the backs of their enemies.


    By contrast, the Flemish crossbowmen fell prey to the second regiment of English mailed knights, which was able to reek havoc on the rear of the enemy lines – vainly pursued by Flemish spears and pikes.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The battle in the centre starts to swing in favour of the Flemish. All will depend on the English cavalry acting on the flanks.


    Eventually, Robert’s tough warriors prevailed over the Flemish knights and he was able to join the second regiment of English mailed knights in rampaging around the Flemish rear. In that struggle, the mailed knights managed to cut down the enemy general.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    The battle swings decisively to England's favour with the death of the enemy general, caught amongst the crossbowmen at the rear of the Flemish lines.


    Leaderless, shot in the back by fire arrows, engaged by resilient English militia and subject to opportunistic cavalry charges, the Flemish centre gradually began to dissolve in rout.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Robert had taken a gamble bringing an inferior force to besiege a settlement, but he had won a heroic victory. In retrospect, this battle merely set up England for a fall. Robert’s his army was now out of reach with the strategic castle at Caen, guarded by only two depleted regiments of mercenary spearmen. And the heroic victory encouraged further recklessness amongst the English that was to lead to disaster.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-20-2007 at 20:48.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    1098 (5448 florins) Council of Nobles offers mission to take Antwerp. England is the largest faction.

    1100 (? Florins) France attacked Caen, declaring war.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    A large rebel army is spotted outside Nottingham. Robert pressed on to Antwerp, which would take six turns to fall. Henry took the London levy to Caen, where he fought a fateful battle [b6]

    Story: The death of Henry, 1100

    “Damn it! The French have humbugged us, by God!”

    Henry sat in the palace of Westminster, staring at the communique from Caen. The French had declared war on England, marching a small army of four regiments of cavalry against the strategic English castle of Caen. Already the castle was under siege. Robert, marching on Antwerp, was too far away to return. King William and Prince Rufus were only just returning to Nottingham from taking Caernarvon. Augustine was in Bruges, but had no troops to speak of. What to do? The weight of expectations from his dreaded father bore down on young Henry. He had to act decisively.

    “Muster the London levy. Have them board the fleet at Dover. Yes, damn it, all of them! Write to Nottingham and request that they send troops here to takeover garrison duties. Write also to the garrison at Rennes and order them to meet us at Caen. We cannot let the castle fall.”

    With that, the Palace fell into a flurry of activity; no one thinking to ask precisely why they need to hurry to relieve Caen when its mighty walls were quite impervious to the French cavalry besieging it.

    Henry reached France in good time, but the levy were slow moving and it was clear they would not be able to reach the besieged castle before the French had built siege equipment. Henry decided to ride on, recruiting a regiment of mercenary crossbowmen, and challenge the French besiegers. With the Rennes garrison also on the outskirts of Caen, Henry expected to be joined by there three regiments of spears plus the two in the Caen garrison. However, he miscalculated. Instead of ordering the garrison to sally, which might have given both his men and the Rennes garrison time to reinforce them, he started the attack himself. Consequently, while the Caen garrison would be able to reinforce him, the Rennes garrison was too far away.

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    The English have rushed forces to Caen and have four (small) stacks in the area. Fatally, however, only two are able to participate in Henry's attack.


    Realising his error, Henry felt a frisson of foreboding as he deployed his lonely regiment of crossbows in front of his escort.

    “Sire, should we not deploy further to the rear, so that the Caen garrison has more time to join us?” the mercenary captain asked politely. Henry briefly considered that, but was fatally vague about where the reinforcements would enter and dismissed it. When dawn broke, Henry was horrified to see four strong regiments of cavalry within charging distance of his thin line.

    Henry sent an urgent message to the Caen garrison to join him, but then resignedly marched his escort forward to face the French cavalry. The French advanced at a walk, three abreast with one regiment in reserve. They moved slowly, but the divide between the two lines was so slow, they would soon be on top of the English.

    Damn it, thought Henry: “Crossbowmen – target the mailed knights. Escort – forward, charge!”

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Today is a good day to die, as Henry might have said. But didn't.


    The mercenary captain watched in awe as the three dozen English knights charge eight times their number. Fortunately, the French ignored the crossbowmen, engulfing Henry’s escort in mass of cavalry. This allowed the mercenaries to fire into the backs of the French knights, taking a heavy toll on their numbers. But slowly, inevitable, remorsely, Henry’s knights were cut down. Soon – far too soon for the spears of the Caen garrison to intervene – all that was left of the English was Henry himself, a young man in the midst of around two hundred enemy horse.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    A brave man, making a good end. The idiot.


    The sadness of the mercenary captain at watching the young man fall was shortlived – now it was to be his turn, as the massed French horse could finally turn their attention to the men who had been shooting them in the back for the last few minutes.

    The mercenary captain looked at the two regiments of the Caen garrison approaching. They would not be here in time:

    “Men, stand firm! Don’t run – those are not hobby horses they are riding!” he shouted.

    The French spurred their horses at the crossbowmen, who fought gamely for a minute or two but the outcome was never in doubt.

    When the tired Caen garrison arrived, there was no sign of the English relief force, except for the dead and dying on the field. The French cavalry charged, but the garrison formed schiltron and beat off their attackers. The French retired to a nearby wood, blocking the return of the garrison to Caen. The garrison commander cursed – it would not be enough to beat off the French, he needed to defeat them to emerge victorious.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    The mercenary spearmen can hold off the French cavalry, but to get back to Caen holding them off is not enough.


    Reluctantly, he marched his men into the woods after the French but when they approached the enemy horse and were charged, his men’s morale broke. The garrison were wiped out and Caen was left, still under French siege, without a single English defender.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Tired and unnerved by the presence of the enemy horse in the woods, the mercenary spears are quickly routed when they try to engage the French defenders.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-20-2007 at 20:37.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    1102 (3317 florins) The French took Caen; a half stack French army appeared to the south. Augustine besieged Caen with the London levy and two companies of mercenary crossbows. The Rennes garrison tried to link up with Augustine, but failed. Augustine was attacked[b7].

    Story: The fall of Caen, 1102

    News of Henry’s death quickly received Augustine, at Bruges. Like his brother-in-law, Augustine felt impelled to act decisively. He joined the London levy and laid siege to Caen from the west, summoning the three regiments from the Rennes garrison, encamped on the west of the castle, to join his force. Unfortunately, he did not anticipate the difficulty of manoeuvring around an enemy held castle and watched in frustration as the Rennes contingent took a large detour south and was unable to reach him before a strong French army arrived to relieve the horsemen, victors over Henry, now inside the castle of Caen.

    Augustine was nervous – he was outnumbered, but he had a much more substantial force than Henry and the benefit of a decent hilltop defensive position. He arranged his three regiments of spears in line, with two regiments of mercenary crossbowmen in front, and positioned himself and a unit of town militia in reserve.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    The French advance with a strong compact force.


    The main French army approached – a balanced force of archers, sergeant spearmen and mounted sergeants. The English crossbows made little impression on the French – they first targeted the French archers who went into loose formation. By the time they targeted the French horse, it was too late and the French cavalry were already charging the crossbowmen. Augustine’s inexperience told: he had assumed the crossbows could automatically withdraw behind the spears in time. However, whether it was the loose formation they had adopted or some other failing, the crossbowmen were caught by the French cavalry and severely handled.

    Augustine organised the left part of his line in schiltron and counter-charged with his right. But both results were disappointing. The French did not appear to engage the schiltrons whole-heartedly, perhaps preferring to allow their archers to pepper them with arrows. The counter-charge on the right got bogged down, with the superior French spearmen frustrating both Augustine’s own escort and the manoeuvre element of his infantry.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    The English schiltrons on the left start to get worn down, while Augustine's attempt to flank on the right fails to make an impression.


    Slowly, the morale of his infantry gave way. Augustine’s only just realised the imperative to flee the battle, barely managing to get away from the battlefield ahead of the hard-riding French mounted sergeants.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    The battle ends while the French cavalry are in hot pursuit of Augustine. He escapes battle worn, but in tact. Had the battle lasted a few seconds longer, he would not have been so lucky.


    Augustine fell back to the east, towards Rennes – further disheartened to here that the Rennes contingent of spearmen to the south of Caen had been attacked by the same army that had defeated him. Fortunately, the spearmen had been able to withdraw from the battle – but they had headed west and now were nearer to Bruges than Augustine’s own position outside of Rennes.

    Back in the England, King William howled in frustration and anger at the news from the continent. He had lost his youngest son, Henry, and with him, a line of his family tree was forever closed. He had lost Caen, a fertile castle whose lands he had assiduously nurtured over the years in the hope of attracting sufficient population to develop a fortress. His armies were weak and divided. William had the core of an army outside Nottingham, but already had spotted a large army of rebels mustering there. Across the channel, Robert was tied down besieging Antwerp. A French move on Bruges would compel Robert to abandon the siege, wasting the precious time invested in it so far. Augustine had only the remnants of a force outside Rennes.

    To add to Williams’ woes, the Pope – his supposed ally – had ordered him to stop attacking the French and instead organise an army to crusade on Antioch. An army to crusade on Antioch? Where did the Pope think he could the men? Did he think he could manufacture them?!
    Last edited by econ21; 04-21-2007 at 12:33.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    Part II: England resurgent, 1104-1128

    1104 (4049 florins) The Pope demanded a ceasefire with France for 7 turns and called on England to join a crusade on Antioch within ten turns.

    Story: William’s dilemma

    King William took the news of the debacle at Caen with equanimity, after he had overturned tables, screamed at courtiers and cursed the memory of his naïve son, Henry. When he had composed himself, William was left to consider his invidious position.

    The Kingdom had but three armies of consequence, each of around 600 men organised in 8-9 regiments. There was the King’s own army, now at Nottingham, having returned from occupying Caernavon. There was Robert’s army, tied down in a protracted siege of Antwerp. And there was Augustine’s forces, which had retired to Rennes.

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    Englands armies after the fall of Caen. Captain Perkins’ men are the Rennes detachment of three regiments of spear militia that played such a pivotal role, for both good and ill, in the first war with France. The repeated failure to link with this contingent led to the fall of Caen but the survivors would play a key role in halting French expansionism at Bruges.


    With these meagre resources, William had to first defeat a large rebel army outside Nottingham, then secure Rennes and Bruges from French assault. The greater aim was to retake Caen and form a mighty crusade of twenty regiments to send to Jerusalem.

    It was the challenge of forming the crusade that loomed largest in William’s mind. Should he send a smaller crusade early in the hope of winning the race to Jerusalem? That idea appealed, but seemed impractical - given the scant forces on the ground, it would be hard to send even a small crusade early and anyway, such a force would find it hard to make much headway alone against the full might of Egypt. Instead, William decided to delay sending the crusade. The likely crusade leaders - Robert and Augustine - were currently tied down in France. William planned to see to the rebels outside of Nottingham then move his entire army to France. He would retake Caen, relieve Robert and Augustine then launch the crusade. This strategy had the added advantage that it would give time for the bowyers in Nottingham to adopt the yew longbows that had impressed William in Wales.

    His strategy decided, William sat down to write letters to his commanders. Robert was to maintain the siege of Antwerp. He was not to break off and move to join the Rennes detachment - three regiments of spear militia that had twice failed to join the critical lost battles around Caen. The spear militia were expendable. As consequence, the hapless Rennes detachment was routed by the French army that had crushed Augustine[b8]. By good fortune, the detachment was not completely eliminated. Some fled the field, to Bruges, to be joined by those caught who were released in an act of magnamity that the French would soon come to rue.

    1106 (3541 florins). Reinforced by the London levy, King William effortlessly crushed a large rebel army outside Nottingham [b9]

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    With ample cavalry, William is able to pull off a double envelopment of the rebel army outside Nottingham.


    England’s merchants resist a hostile takeover by the Scots, instead latter buying out the over-eager Scottish merchant.

    Encouraged by its rout of the Rennes detachment, the French army that defeated Augustine moves on to besige Bruges. This is a step too far, and next turn leads to their excommunication by the Pope.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-23-2007 at 21:25.

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    1108 (3740 florins) The French attempt to storm Bruges.

    Story: the defence of Bruges.

    Captain Josias, commander of the Bruges town guard, was nervous. The French army besieging it had defeated three English armies in succession and was now preparing to storm his town. Prince Robert had refused to call off his siege of Antwerp and come to the aid of the defenders of Bruges. He claimed that the shortage of infantry in the French army would be their undoing when they attempted to assault Bruges. Horses could not climb ladders and lightly armed peasant archers would be cut down if they tried. Captain Josias had been somewhat reassured by this opinion, until he realised that the simple expedient of a battering ram would allow the fine French cavalry and archers to come into play.

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    The balanced French army that defeated Augustine outside of Caen has been worn down and now is critically short of the infantry that are decisive in siege encounters.


    Captain Josias reviewed his garrison. He had two regiments of town watch, who would do well holding the walls. The critical defence of the town gate he assigned to the remnants of the Rennes detachment of spear militia. On paper, these were three regiments but after their earlier rout, they were barely the equivalent of one full strength regiment. The spearmen were formed into three small schiltrons, waiting for the likely breach of the gate and the arrival of the French cavalry.

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    The English deploy the remnants of the Rennes detachment in schiltron around the gate, while the town militia hold the walls.


    On the town walls, Josias felt a sense of dread watching the confident French approach, their many banners reflecting the valour and standing they had gained from their past victories. However, scaling ladders put the French sergeant spearmen at a severe disadvantage and the town watch were able to hold them off. All now depended on the entrance to castle, which the French battering ram forced open.

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    The English town militia on the walls are able to fend off the French sergeant spearmen.


    The French cavalry gamely attempted to storm the castle entrance, hacking at the English schiltrons that barred the way. The Rennes detachment fought back doggedly, determined to redeem the reputation it had lost in its lamentable journey across northern France.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The fine French cavalry inflict terrible damage on the schiltrons at the gate, but the depleted English regiments hold.


    Eventually, numbers began to tell and when Josias ordered the town militia down from the walls to join the fray at the castle gate, French morale gave way. The English defenders were left victorious, but at considerable cost.

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    The English are left victorious at the town gate, amid a mass of dead horses and men.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-23-2007 at 21:26.

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    1110 (3547 florins) King William landed his army near Caen. Venice and the HRE declared war on each other.

    The Flemish garrison sallied from Antwerp (b11). Robert defeats them, using similar tactics to those he employed against the comparable sally from Bruges (b4). For occupying Bruges, the Council of Nobles reward England with four regiments of mailed knights - a body that will be invaluable in the crusading army soon to be formed.

    1112 (4118 florins) England is the largest army. Venice is excommunicated. A large rebel army is spotted near Caernarvon. The English mainland is virtually devoid of any troops, but William adopts a response of watchful neglect. He will not be deterred from besieging Caen.

    1114 (4662 florins)

    King William storms Caen (b12). However, his choice of siege engines - three rams - is foolish. As a castle, Caen has only one gate so the usual English assault tactic of using rams to open up multiple lines of attack cannot be employed. Moreover, the French garrison is almost exclusively composed of cavalry: four regiments of mailed knights, two of mounted sergeants and only one regiment of archers. Since such a force could not be expected to mount a proper defence of the castle walls, siege towers would have been more appropriate.

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    The French garrison of Caen is formidable, but wholly unsuited to a siege defence.


    The French set fire to one ram and a small detachment of cavalry sally out before a second can reach the gates. The detachment is easily defeated and soon the mass of English infantry swarms into the castle, to find the many French horsemen milling around the central castle square. William orders his spears into schiltron and brings forward his archers to rain fire arrows down on the French horse. He is in no hurry.

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    The French horse mill passively in the castle square as the English archers fire on them, protected by schiltrons of spear militia.


    Over time, the French knights - enraged by the fire arrows falling on them - attempt to engage the schiltrons. The fighting is hard, but gradually the horsemen are worn down. When William judges the time right, he drives into the centre with his escort and that of Prince Rufus, ending the battle.

    1116 (4809 florins) Prince Rufus adopts Roger Bennett. A large German army is spotted near Antwerp.

    1118 (3902 florins) The HRE betrays its alliance with England, laying siege to Antwerp. In response, England allies with HREs enemy, Venice.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The HRE betrays its alliance with England by an opportunistic attack on Antwerp.


    1120 (4435 florins) The Germans attempt to storm Antwerp (b13). However, they employ much the same approach as the French tried earlier at Rennes and are stopped by similar English tactics. The success of the defence of Antwerp (and earlier Bruges) leads England to change its defensive strategy. Previously, England had used token garrisons - such as the two weak regiments who held Caen before it fell - and relied on field armies to come to their support. Now, England decides to provide stronger defences - around half a dozen regiments - who might be able to fight off besiegers unaided. Each settlement is also to be given a small contingent of cavalry, so that it is able to capitalise on any successful defence by pursuing routers.

    After having first collected longbowmen from Nottingham, Prince Robert is able to assemble a mighty crusader army of twenty regiments outside of Caen. The army embarks to sail to the Holy Land.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The army that is formed to crusade to Jerusalem.


    The Pope sets a mission to recruit a priest in York. England swaps maps and trade rights with Spain.

    Augustine adopts Robin Lambert.

    1122 (8822 florins) Seemingly without any diplomatic intervention, a truce is established between England and France. This frustrates the most obvious avenue for England, now the strongest faction, to expand her territories. Despite this show of peace, an English spy spots two French assassins and one French spy outside Caen.

    The Pope sets a mission to break England’s alliance with Venice.

    1124 (6670 florins) Byzantium and Egypt ally; Byzantium is recognised as Europe’s strongest power.

    1126 (7190 florins) Spain declares war on England. Two regiments of longbowmen and one regiment of crusader knights are lost at sea from the crusade. A bad year.

    1128 (5270 florins) King William dies. France is at war with Spain.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-21-2007 at 20:22.

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    The reign of King Rugus, 1128-?

    Build queues in William’s reign

    Europe


    The Holy Land



    List of Battles in Rufus’s reign


    FA=field battle (attacker)
    FD=field battle (defender)
    SA=siege assault (attacker)
    SD=siege assault (defender)
    YA=sally (attacker)
    YD=sally (defender)
    AD=ambush (defender)

    Casualties are those reported killed + captured in the final column of the post-battle screens.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-30-2007 at 14:23.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    Part III: The Conquest of the Holy Land

    1128 King Rufus was only 38 when he inherited the thrown. God willing, his reign would be long. His heir, adopted son Prince Robert, was only a decade younger at 29. The onus would be on Rufus to lead the country, but his tutelage under King William had done little to develop his character - as a Prince stuck garrisoning England, Rufus had grown lazy. He set no specific goals for the first part of his reign other than using the crusade to Jerusalem establish a crusader kingdom for the England in the Holy Land. In Europe, England would seize any adjacent provinces it could from enemy powers but the unintended truce with France meant no such targets presented themselves.

    1130 (5016 florins) Robin Lambert defeats a rebel army outside Caernarvon (b14). A second, much larger, Portugese army lands in Wales under the command of its faction heir, Prince Alfonso.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The armoured swordsmen in the rebel ranks caused problems for Robin’s militia, but a cavalry charge to their rear overwhelmed them.


    1132 (5520 florins) The crusader fleet is alarmed when it spots five Egyptian fleets patrolling the central Mediterranean. The crusaders have visions of being forced to debark and march from Greece. Fortunately, the Egyptian navy is not spotted again.

    The Spanish offer a ceasefire. This poses a dilemma. Continued war would provide opportunities for England to expand. However, presently England is not in a position to take advantage of such opportunities - its militia based armies remain weak (lacking armoured swordsmen) and it has no land border with Spain, nor a fleet to launch an amphibious invasion. Rufus demands tribute of 2000 florins in return for peace - the Spanish accept, leading Rufus to regret not demanding more!

    However, Rufus feels some satisfaction with the ceasefire, as the first Portugese army in Wales besieges Caernarvon - signalling the start of a new conflict for England. Fortunately, Prince Afonso’s army remains inactive at its beachhead, offering the prospect that the two armies can be defeated separately.

    1134 (7570 florins) England is the strongest faction (Byzantium the largest). The crusader fleet is now off Crete. Lambert marches from Nottingham towards besieged Caernarvon. Nottingham begins to be upgraded to a fortress, offering the prospect of England fielding fully professional armies with armoured swordsmen replacing militia. An English spy spots the Portugese fortress of Pamplona and Rufus makes a mental note of it as his first target when the time comes to go onto the offensive.

    1136 (5449 florins) The crusade makes landfall in the Holy Land. Not only did the Egyptian fleet not intercept the crusade, but they did not warn the Egyptian army. When the crusaders besiege Jerusalem, they find it is garrisoned by only a single regiment of spear militia. To make good their losses from desertion, the crusaders hire two regiments of unhorsed knights and one regiment of turcopoles.

    Robin Lambert drives off the first Portugese army in Wales which was besieging Caernarvon and routs it easily (b16).

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    He’s behind you! Billmen are employed in battle for the first time. They perform well, inflicting three times the casualties that they suffer in melee with the hapless Portugese spear militia.


    Prince Alfonso responds by leading the second Portugese army in Wales to resume the siege of Caernarvon.

    1138 (2967 florins) King Rufus is alarmed by the fall in England’s treasury - he attributes this to the effect of multiple blockades of English ports by Portugese warships. Since England’s fleet is docked outside Jerusalem, the country is powerless to react.

    Venice is reconciled with the Papacy and so the Papal mission to cancel England’s alliance is cancelled a mere turn before one of England’s diplomats was scheduled to arrive at Venice.

    The crusaders storm Jerusalem (b17) and exterminate the population - killing 5649 and looting 4220 florins. Fear of their ability to control a large and hostile Muslim population accounts for this act of barbarity. The Crusade leaders - Robert and Augustine of Wellington - fear that their presence in Jerusalem will merely swell the settlement with migrants and so temporarily leave the settlement to assess its loyalty in their absence. Unfortunately, they fall victim to an ambush by two Egyptian regiments of spearmen and a battery of ballista. The two generals and their small escorts are able to outmanoeuvre and ride down the unfortunate Egyptians (b19).

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    The English crusader army in its full glory outside Jerusalem.


    The HRE besieges Antwerp.

    Robin Lambert fights a decisive battle with the Portugese Prince Alfonso outside Caernarvon (b18).

  12. #12
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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    Story: The Battle for Wales, 1138

    Captain Curtice sat calmly astride his horse, surveying the ground for the coming battle. He had no reason to feel anxious. The ground was open and fairly level, with a slight camber that favoured the English. The two armies were roughly evenly matched. But Captain Curtice rated the English bowmen and billmen above the Portuguese militia. And England had one more regiment of knights than their enemies. Moreover, the English general - Robin Lambert - had comfortably seen off a smaller Portuguese army and Captain Curtice had no doubt he would repeat the trick today.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    The forces arrayed at the battle - Robin Lambert will also be reinforced by two regiments of town militia sallying from Caernarvon.


    Captain Curtice knew what he was supposed to do. General Lambert’s plan was much the same as he had employed before: open up frontally with longbows; advance to engage the front with infantry and then drive round the flanks into the rear to finish off the enemy missiles before moving back to lend decisive support to the main infantry melee. Captain Curtice’s regiment of knights was deployed on the left of the English line.

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    The position at the start of the battle.


    The battle opened with a missile duel. By Captain Curtice’s estimation, the longbowmen were getting the better off it - thanks to their superior range, height advantage and loose formation. The Portuguese crossbowmen seemed indecisive in their response - moving backward and forward, often intermingled with the main Portugese line and thus exposing that to the showers of fire arrows aimed at them.

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    The preparatory missile barrage as the English horse start to move round the flanks, to catch the Portuguese skirmishers in the rear as they fall back under the frontal advance of the English infantry.


    Despite the advantage lying with the English, General Lambert pushed his spearmen and billmen onwards. The enemy crossbowmen were causing considerable casualties and the general wanted to hurry the battle on to its inevitable conclusion. As the English infantry advanced, regiments of skirmishing Portuguese crossbowmen fell back to the rear. On the flank, this was the moment Captain Curtice had been waiting for and he spurred his knights against the helpless Portuguese missile troops, caught in loose order. One regiment was destroyed in short order - Curtice spurred his men on against a second, position even further to the rear of the Portuguese line.

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    Captain Curtice rampages round the Portuguese right flank.


    The Captain was not to know it at the time, but his counterpart - the captain of the regiment of English knights on the left flank was not so fortunate. Attempting to pull off a symmetrical manoeuvre to that of Captain Curtice, they were counter-charged by a regiment of Portuguese knights. That particular melee became one of mutual assured destruction. General Lambert moved his own escort up from its position as a central reserve to the English right flank to replace the stalemated regiment of mailed knights.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The situation on the English right flank - Captain Curtice’s flag can just be made out on the furthest left.


    The battle reached its peak with the arrival of two regiments of town militia from the Caernarvon garrison. With this addition, General Lambert felt confident to order a charge across the line.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Caernarvon garrison arrives on the English right and adds weight to the attack there.


    Unfortunately, General Lambert had committed all his forces to the battle but the Portuguese Prince Alfonso still had one critical reserve: his own escort of elite knights. These charged General Lambert’s own escort, which was working its way round the Portuguese left.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Portuguese Prince and his escort get off a proper charge, lances levelled. The English general’s escort merely approach with swords drawn - their general is actually locked in combat to the rear with enemy infantry and this dispersed nature of the formation prevents a coherent counter-charge.


    At this crucial moment in the battle, disaster struck. General Lambert was caught up in a mob of enemy spearmen and fell.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Robin Lambert dies in battle, shattering the morale of the English army.


    With the death of the English general, the attack began to falter. The militia started to lose heart and the longbowmen - skirmishing in loose formation - could provide no resistance to the invigorated Portuguese army. The Portuguese counterattack could not be stopped even the death of Prince Alfonso - like Lambert slain by lowly spear militia.

    Far to the rear of the Portuguese army, having pursued its skirmishers off the field, Captain Curtice looked back in horror at the way the battle had turned. The English army was dissolving. Here and there, a regiment might rally but soon they crumbled under the onset of their Portuguese pursuers. The vengeful escort of the slain Prince was particularly effective, rounding up large numbers of fleeing Englishmen as prisoners and running over any regiment that attempted to stand.

    Curtice spurred his regiment forward, running down any broken Portuguese regiments and then racing for the main army. As the Portuguese themselves were running flat out in pursuit of the fleeing English it took Captain Curtice’s knights some time to get back into the battle proper. The fact that the Portuguese were preoccupied with the pursuit of the English meant that they did not recognise the threat Curtice’s regiment, still near full strength, represented. Had the Portuguese turned and provided a coherent defence, there would have been little Curtice’s men could have done. But as it was, Curtice was able to engage individual Portuguese detachments, sometimes even charging them in the rear as they hastened after the broken English main army. The toughest resistance was provided by the Prince’s wrathful escort, but these warriors were too few to stop a full regiment of knights. By the time, Curtice reached the main surviving regiments of Portuguese spearmen, these forces were as shaken and vulnerable as the main English army had been when Lambert fell. Curtice ordered one last charge but its target soon broke and with it, the morale of the Portuguese crumbled. Curtice eagerly accept the surrender of the Portuguese, fearing that attempting a pursuit would merely provide them with an opportunity to rally.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    England started the battle with an advantage of one extra regiment of knights. On this slim edge, victory hung.


    Captain Edward Curtice's pivotal role in the battle for Wales did not go unnoticed.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Last edited by econ21; 04-23-2007 at 21:20.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    1140 (4165 florins) The Pope sets a mission to build a small church in Nottingham. Scotland enters into war with Portugal. England is now the most advanced and largest faction, although Milan is the strongest.

    Edward Curtice defeats a rebel army under Captain Tostig outside Nottingham (B20).

    Robert storms Acre (b21) and is delighted to discover it is a fortress with many advanced buildings.

    1142 (2726 florins) King Rufus drives off a German army besieging Antwerp (B22). He is alarmed by England’s low income and decides to take a number of measures. He orders the crusaders to sack the Egyptian capital to the west of Jerusalem. The city garrisons in Europe, enlarged so as to be capable of repelling a siege assault, are to be reduced back to only what can be supported free of upkeep plus a few horse. The navy in the Holy Land is disbanded. Most controversially, Rufus decides to make England a demilitarised zone, dismissing Edward Curtice’s army of 936 and leaving him with only his own escort and one regiment of knights. Two regiments of knights are also dismissed from King Rufus’s own army in France.

    1144 (7895 florins) Following the retrenchment of the previous turn, England’s income rises sharply. However, the cost-cutting is now without its downsides. Immediately after Edward Curtice’s army is disbanded, a new Portuguese army of ten regiments lands next to Caernarvon! In alarm, King Rufus ships his army from France back to England.

    The crusaders besiege Gaza, capital of Egypt.

    1146 (4751 florins) Rufus races back towards Caernarvon, but his lazy disposition prevents him reaching the settlement. Word reaches him of a Scottish army, moving south towards York. He is worried by this move by his so-called allies, but can do little about it: the priority is evicting Portugal from Wales.

    The Council of Nobles set a mission to take Damascus, offering a reward of 2500 florins. Robert assaults Gaza, enduring heavy losses (b23), but killing Sultan Mubarak.

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    The Egyptian Sultan dies hard, his heavy armoured escort taking down most of the crusader sergeants before they are vanquished.


    1148 (7257 florins) Robert adopts Sammuel Spill.

    Augustine wipes out a rebel army in Jerusalem for no loss (b24), the first time England has won a victory without loss of English life.

    The HRE besiege Antwerp and Spain besieges Rennes, ending the truce they had paid for with England. Portugal besieges Caernarvon. The HRE and Portugal are excommunicated for their aggression. King Rufus’s mind now settles on a new objective in Europe. He will take the war to Iberia, first destroying the excommunicated faction of Portugal and making in roads into Spain. Iberia offers a promising avenue for continental expansion, being a relatively enclosed and defensible area. It is also close to Africa and well positioned for eastward exploration over the Atlantic. To this end, England will develop a navy capable for securing its isles and undertaking amphibious operations in Iberia. In due course, this navy will range further a field, seeking new opportunities for trade and expansion.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-26-2007 at 10:15.

  14. #14
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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    1150 (7600 florins) King Rufus’s army finally arrives at Caernarvon and was able to defeat the Portuguese besieging the city (b25). Faced with a large number of enemy crossbowmen, the English for the first time decide not to use fire arrows for fear of reducing their rate of fire. In the battle, Rufus’s three regiments of longbows kill 360 enemies (two-thirds oft the total Portuguese army) for the loss of only five men of their own!

    In the Holy Land, the loss of Jerusalem, Acre and Gaza has driven a wedge through the middle of the Egyptian kingdom. During this period, Egypt is unable to mount a coherent response and instead of sending a single large army against the crusaders, is reduced to manoeuvring with small forces – seemingly trying to move north from the newly formed crusader kingdom (Outremer). Reluctant to lead these small forces consolidate, the crusaders attack them where they can. In this year, Augustine of Wellington fights one such encounter, pitting his longbows against Egyptian mameluk archers (b27). The Mameluks prove formidable foes – when Augustine charges them with his regiment of Crusader knights, a melee immediately develops but it is not to the crusaders advantage: over half the regiment fall to the axes of the Mameluks and they kill only 16. The English resolve to be more circumspect in dealing with these powerful horse archers.

    1152 (8538 florins) En route to Damascus, Robert the Crusader defeats a second small Egyptian army (b27).

    1154 (6305 florins) The English begin to construct a fleet to transport them to Iberia, but the first three hulks are blockaded at Caen by the Spanish. A diplomat at Pamplona observes that a large Scottish army that had originally landed at Antwerp has marched all the way to the Pyrenees but then rebelled. This force will be more of an obstacle to an English assault on the castle of Pamplona than the small Portuguese garrison. Spain offers England a ceasefire. Rufus counters by demanding 5000 florins in return, but this proposal is just rejected. The Spanish lay siege to Rennes again, this time with two regiments of dismounted foot knights, a regiment of town militia and a regiment of jinettes.

    Two regiments of HRE spearmen besieging Antwerp are driven off by a sally, after Prince Robert arrives to provide support.

    Robert the Crusader begins the siege of Damascus.

    1156 (5119 florins) The construction of a Channel fleet and the recruitment of the first two regiments of swordsmen in Nottingham is contributing to a renewed fall in England’s income. King Rufus looks to Outremer to provide funds for his kingdom, as Robert sacks Damascus (b30). This provides 11066 florins, bolstered by a further 2500 reward from the Council of Nobles. The siege itself is a bloody affair – the crusaders have to fight their way through a large Egyptian bodyguard at the gate. The longbowmen are brought up too soon and 95 are shot down outside the gate towers.

    Prince Roger pursues and destroys the HRE spearmen who had besieged Antwerp (b28).

    Edward Curtice arrives at Rennes to drive off the one and a half regiments of Spanish mailed knights besieging the city. The English militia garrisoning the town suffer heavy losses from the Spanish knights (b29).

    1158 (15211 florins) The merchants guild’s offer to set up in Jerusalem is gratefully accepted. The Pope sets a mission to build a small chapel in Gaza.

    Prince Roger returns to Caen after his relief of Antwerp and King Rufus embarks the main English army into the fleet at Dover, preparing to sail to Iberia.

    The Spanish attempt to storm Rennes (b31). Edward Curtice is trapped in the settlement. He knows that if it comes to fighting inside the city, his militia will be carved up by the two regiments of Spanish dismounted feudal knights. His only advantage will be if he can use his escort and the half regiment of knights garrisoned in the settlement. Consequently, as soon as the battle begins, he rushes his horse outside of the main gates and charges the Spanish battering ram with his militia. The skirmishing jinettes inflict losses on his cavalry, but he orders a charge into the enemy infantry. One regiment of dismounted feudal knights counter-charges his escort.

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    Edward Curtice knows his cavalry will be almost useless in the cramped streets of Rennes, so he boldly charges his besiegers.


    However, it crumbles when charged in the rear by a regiment of militia. As the English cavalry charge into the remainder of the enemy infantry massed around the ram, the Spanish morale fails and their commander sues for terms. A relieved Edward accepts. The Spanish are excommunicated for their repeated aggression.

    At the end of the year, the Scottish army loitering outside York finally strikes. The alliance with England is betrayed. King Rufus must now ponder whether to disembark his army from Dover and cancel the planned invasion of Iberia. Although both Portugal and Spain are excommunicated, the window of opportunity this provides is short – Pope Gregory is 60 years old.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-30-2007 at 17:09.

  15. #15
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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    Part IV: The Unification of the British Isles

    1160 (13145 florins) With reluctance, King Rufus postpones indefinitely his planned invasion of Iberia. His invasion army disembarks at Dover and begins the march north to the besieged city of York. Davy Stanley musters the available men at Nottingham and arrives at York in time to see the Scots begin their assault.

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    The Scots besiege York, but Davy Stanley is able to provide reinforcements to save the city before it is assaulted.


    1162 (10750 florins) The Scottish Prince Edmund has been lurking around Caen for some years. Prince Roger captures him in hand-to-hand combat (b32) but the callous Scottish king refuses the ransom.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Prince Roger trades blows with Prince Edmund...



    Before the Scottish Prince falls.


    The Scottish Prince David, successor to the unfortunate Edmund, tries to storm York, but is driven off when Davy Stanley arrives with reinforcements (b33). Scotland is excommunicated for this aggression.

    Portugal pays 2240 florin for a ceasefire.

    1164 (7852 florins) The Merchants Guild offers a mission to establish trader rights with Portugal. This is accomplished next term, for a miserly reward of 100 florins.

    After a miscalculation deprives Damascus of its governor, Augustine, the city riots. Augustine returns but half the population are openly disloyal to England. The city rebels, expelling the English and forming a powerful rebel Arab garrison.

    Prince Roger destroys a regiment of Spanish knights near Caen (b34), while Robert sees off a rebel army near Jerusalem (b35).

    1166 (10793 florins) Pope Gregory dies and Pope Froderigus is elected his successor. Augusting defeats some rebels near Acre (b36).

    1168 (7203 florins) King Rufus arrives near Edinburgh, smashing one Scottish army guarding the approach (b37) and then laying siege to the capital. England accepts an alliance with Poland.

    1170 (6582 florins) King Rufus storm Edinburgh (b38), sacking the city for the gain of 17010 florins. Antony comes of age in the city. Spain pays 2000 florins for a ceasefire, as Portugal renews hostilities with a blockade of Antwerp. The HRE returns to lay siege to the city.

    1172 (15033 florins) The Pope demands a seven turn ceasefire with Scotland. However, this does not stop King Rufus sallying against the two Scottish armies besieging Edinburgh. By attacking at night, Rufus is able to change the odds from being even to being greatly in England’s favour (b41).

    Prince Roger drives off the HRE army besieging Antwerp (b39) and reinforcements are despatched for France from Nottingham. However, the landing of a large Portuguese army at Caernarvon implies this movement was short-sighted.

    In Outremer, Robert destroys a rebel army, but not before discovering that desert cavalry field javelins that can reek havoc on knights (b40). King Rufus wonders about launching a second crusade against Egypt.

    A large Spanish army, complete with siege engines, is spotted outside Rennes.

    1174 (13460 florins) Reinforcements are scrabbled towards Caernarvon, which is brought under Portuguese siege.

    1176 (4542 florins) The Pope calls a crusade on Tunis. Fighting multiple opponents in the British Isles and France, it is not clear that England can spare the men for a crusade. Consquently, Rufus decides to send the army of Outremer on crusade westward across the North African coastal road. This will leave Jerusalem, Acre and Gaza with only token garrisons. However, Egypt has so far been strangely passive and accepting of the loss of these settlements, so it is a risk Rufus is willing to take. A crusade is launched at Gaza – unfortunately, this Muslim province can provide no regiments of Christian volunteers for the crusade. Rufus regrets not launching the crusade from Jerusalem, now well on the way to conversion to Christianity. Still, the crusade is able to make good time, smashing a band of rebels who try to block a crossing over the Nile (b42).

    King Laurencius of Portugal storms Caernarvon (b43). Davy Stanley attempts to bring a relief army to save the city, but dies in the battle. Portugal is excommunicated.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-30-2007 at 21:21.

  16. #16
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    Battle Story: The Death of Davy Stanley and the Fall of Caernarvon, 1176 AD

    Captain Tobias and his men had marched hard from Nottingham to Wales, their boots becoming ragged and their feet bloody. General Davy Stanley had urged them on:

    “Lads, do not make me a liar to my King! We must reach Caernarvon before it falls!”

    Well, the General had kept to his word and his column, the first of several converging on Caernarvon, had gained sight of the city just as the Portugese were deploying for their assault.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Davy Stanley comes to the rescue of Caernarvon.


    From afar, Captain Tobias watched as the enemy marched towards the settlement walls. The Portuguese were deployed in well serried ranks - these were disciplined, professional fighters; mainly mercenaries, Tobias was to find out later.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    URL=https://imageshack.us][/URL]

    Although not large, man for man, the Portuguese army outclasses the English militia.


    In their haste to get into the town, the Portuguese had built only one ram and a set of ladders. But Captain Tobias was doubtful the Caernarvon garrison could repel them; the Welsh militia had to buy time for General Stanley’s men to reinforce them.

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    The Portuguese have a good head start on Stanley’s relief force.


    As Captain Tobias’s men marched along the east road heading to the town, the sound of battle grew louder. General Stanley approached the Tobias:

    “Captain, it is taking too long - the town will fall before we arrive. I will run my knights ahead to try to hold the town centre. The infantry is useless to us exhausted - you continue your march and join us when you can.”

    Tobias saluted, as the English knights kicked up dust racing to the centre of Caernarvon.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The walls breached, Stanley tries to hold the town centre.


    Inside Caernarvon, it was chaos. As the Portuguese battering ram hammered the gate, the Welsh garrison commander, Captain Francis, had seen the hopelessness of situation and tried to pull his own regiment of town militia off the walls and back into the town centre. But he had left it too late - the Portuguese cavalry were through the gates well before the English infantry could make it to the town centre. Captain Francis stopped his men under a wall tower.

    “You few men, there, get up in that tower and prepare to fire arrows. The rest of you - brace yourself for cavalry!”

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Unable to get back to the town centre, the garrison commander makes a stand against the Portuguese cavalry at a bottleneck inside the walls.


    As Captain Tobias reached the eastern gate of Caernarvon, he heard a lookout shout -

    “Cavalry! Enemy cavalry!”

    Tobias saw with surprise that a regiment of jinettes had worked their way round the town to skirmish with his infantry. At first, Tobias tried to hustle his men towards the gate - desperate to join General Stanley in his defence of the town centre, but the jinettes were aggressive and eventually Tobias could not resist ordering his men to turn and engage.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The infantry in the relief force under Captain Tobias’s men are delayed by a skirmish with a detachment of Portuguese cavalry.


    Inside Caernarvon, General Stanley’s bodyguard had gradually been worn down in combat with the Frankish knights hired by the Portuguese; the arrival of the mercenary spearmen from the walls, had tipped Stanley’s defence of the square from being heroic to hopeless. Reluctantly, with only two knights left at his side, Stanley tried to make a break for it and return to Captain Tobias’s infantry.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Stanley attempts to disengage, but he has left it too late.


    By the time Captain Tobias had fought his way into Caernarvon, it was all over. All of the garrison under Captain Francis and General Stanley were slain or captured by the Portuguese. All that greeted the brave English spearmen working their way up the eastern road was a massed charge by the Portuguese knights, led by King Laurencius himself.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Tobias’s men fought doggedly, impressing the Portuguese King with their valour.


    When Laurencius offered to accept Tobias’s surrender, the Captain bowed to the inevitable and conceded. In a magnanimous gesture, the Portuguese released the Captain and the 63 survivors of his company. Caernarvon had fallen, but other English relief armies were already converging on the town. Tobias would return to the town to fight another day and neither he nor Laurencius would ever leave it again. The chivalrous Portuguese King fell defending his prize in 1182, while Tobias would die eighteen years later when the King’s son reclaimed it in 1200 AD.

    Far away in Gaza, Augustine of Wellington grieved when he heard of the death of his adopted son, Davy Stanley. By a morbid coincidence, Augustine's first adopted son, Robin Lambert, had also fallen at Caernarvon, many years ealier in 1138. Some say Augustine never recovered from this second tragedy and that on, in his delirium on his deathbed, the old man would repeat over and over the name of the town that had brought so much grief to his family.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-30-2007 at 21:30.

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    Prince Roger and the defence of Antwerp, 1178

    While King Rufus set about the conquest of Scotland and England wrestled with Portugal for control of Caernarvon, Prince Roger was left to defend his father’s continental territories. Since King Rufus had emptied France of all England’s professional fighters, Roger was left to fight with a scratch force composed mainly of mercenary spearmen.

    The battle Roger fought against the Danes in 1178 is in some ways characteristic of several engagements the Prince fought to protect England’s territories in Flandes. However, the battle was also one of the largest and most evenly balanced of the contests.

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    The battle is fought with even odds.


    The Danes were besieging Antwerp with an army of over a thousand men - including many dismounted feudal knights. Combined with the local garrison, Roger had rough parity in numbers but his infantry were inferior to the Danes - only one regiment of longbowmen and one of billmen stood out from the mass of spearmen. His main advantage was in his mounted knights - his own escort and half a regiment of mailed knights. The Danes were led by a mere captain and there only cavalry was a regiment of scouts.

    The battle was fought in winter. The English approached gingerly, hoping to use their solitary unit of longbows to wear down the Danes before closing. However, a regiment of Danish peasant archers started to duel the longbows so Prince Roger used his escort in an effort to drive them off.

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    Prince Roger plans to assist the longbowmen in their duel with the Danish archers


    The aggressive action of the English general seemed to spur the Danes into action and all along the enemy line, their heavy infantry advanced on the English spears.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Although technically on the defensive, the Danes are not prepared to sit idly.


    The Danish scouts are the first to hit the English lines, but Prince Roger’s men with their ample spears do not fear the light cavalry. It is the heavy infantry coming close behind that will provide the challenge.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The enemy closes.


    The battle went well for the English on their south flank, where Prince Rufus was positioned and where the Antwerp garrison was arriving to add weight. The English started to break the Danes and Rufus urged his militia on in pursuit, to prevent the Danes rallying. However, in centre north, the Danish dismounted feudal knights were carving their way through militia and even the sole English regiment of billmen. Only the intervention of the mounted English knights prevented a collapse.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The English army is at breaking point, but is saved by its cavalry


    After close calls like this, Prince Roger was keen to upgrade his army to put it on a more professional level. However, when it came to recruitment, the continent always took third place after England and Outremer, so improvements were slow in coming.
    Last edited by econ21; 05-02-2007 at 22:49.

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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    1178 (5478 florins) Prince Roger drives off a Danish army besieging Antwerp (b44). England’s losses are great, convincing the Prince of the need to recruit a professional army in France.

    A captain besieges Caernarvon while King Rufus leaves Edinburgh, heading south towards the Portuguese held city. The Scots besiege Edinburgh, becoming excommunicated for their pains.

    1180 (6289 florins) In York, Maria marries Gelies Mars and Arthur comes of age – both generals are marched west to assist in the siege of Caernarvon. King Rufus doubles back north to drive off the Scots besieging Edinburgh (b45). The Spanish besiege Rennes.

    1182 (6328 florins) The crusade drives through another rebel army blocking its progress (b46). Gelies Mars retakes Caernarvon, although the Portuguese King dies hard (b47). Spain storms Rennes (b48).

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Rennes garrison stand doomed in the face of a powerful invading Spanish army



    1184 (10169 florins) King Rufus decides to send Gieles Mars’s army from Caernarvon to Scottish held Dublin. A fleet is summoned to transport the army.

    1186 (5403 florins) Egypt besieges Gaza. The Council of Nobles sets a mission to blockade the Spanish port of Toledo.

    1188 (6048 florins) Egypt tries to storm Gaza, but a relief force from Jerusalem arrives behind the attackers, eliminating them to a man (b59).

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Although the Egyptians break through Gaza's outer defensive walls, Geoffrey and the relief force from Jerusalem arrive in time to stop the enemy ram reaching the inner wall.


    1190 (5163 florins) Gieles Mars assaults Dublin, killing the Scots King Edward (b50). The city is sacked, giving 7056 welcome florins). The crusade reaches Tunis.

    1192 (7906 florins). Pope Froderigus dies and Pope Martinus is elected. Martinus is a young man – his excommunications are likely to endure for a long time. Edward Curtice routs a rebel army in Caen (b51).

    1194 (7366 florins) England's second crusade sacks Tunis (b52), earning 11354 florins.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The might of the second English crusade.


    1196 (6822 florins) Gieles Mors, returning from Ireland, defeats a rebel army in Inverness (b53). Geoffrey destroys a large rebel army in Jerusalem (b54). King Rufus plans to create two small armies in France, one to retake Rennes – the other to protect Antwerp.

    1198 (6708 florins) England’s sustained naval blockade of Toledo is rewarded by three regiments of Knights Hospitaller.

    An enormous Portuguese army lands at Caernarvon. King Rufus resolves that in future, any garrison of England should be based at that settlement, given its Portugal’s seeming obsession with taking it. Yet again reinforcements are scrambled to race to Caernarvon, to be led by Edward Curtice who leaves Caen for the Wales. Three batteries of trebuchets are hired from Edinburgh to constitute the beginnings of England’s siege train.

    Prince roger defeats a Danish army besieging Antwerp, although his militia and billmen are roughly handled by the Danish huscarls.

    1200 (3703 florins) King Rufus is mortified by the low state of England’s finances. The Scottish Prince Gilles offers 5000 for the assassination of his own father. Rufus is tempted, but Inverness is about to fall, deliver both Gilles and his father to the English justice.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    As Inverness is about to fall, the Scottish royal family shows it has no honour.


    The Scots sally from Inverness and are wiped out by the English in a bloody struggle (b58). Scotland is no more.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    [b]His kingdom gone, his army wiped out, King Alexander the Cruel fights on heroically.


    Geiles Mars defeats a rebel army in Edinburgh (b56), while Geoffrey battles rebels near Cairo (b57).

    These English victories are overshadowed, however, by the loss of Caernarvon to the Portuguese (b59), leading to Portugal’s excommunication.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Prince Rui of Portugal brings an army of over a thousand men to bare down on the hapless militia garrison of Caernarvon.


    1202 (11647 florins) A massive HRE army – perhaps the legacy of a crusade – is spotted embarked on a fleet outside off Caen. English ships hurriedly move to intercept before the army can debark.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The English navy is all that stands between England and this magnificent HRE army.


    A Milanese army lands at Tunis.

    1204 (4873 florins) The English navy sinks the HRE fleet, drowning its powerful army. A large Egyptian army is spotted approaching Gaza, so a plan to retake Damascus is placed on hold. Morris of Bedford engages a Spanish force in Rennes that had been devastating the economy of Caen (b60).

    1206 (4565 florins) Geoffrey engages the first of two Egyptian armies seen menacing Gaza (b61).

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Geoffrey races the Egyptian defenders for control of a key summit.



    Although the Saracens make it to the top of the heights a fraction sooner, the superior fighting quality of the unhorsed knights prevents them from holding their gains.


    The veteran crusader Augustine of Wellington dies of old age. Milan is excommunicated.

    1208 (5184 florins) Europe is warned of the approach of the Mongols.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Will the Mongols approaching Baghdad in due course threaten Outremer?


    The Council of Nobles gives England a mission to assassinate Salam, an Egyptian general near Cairo. Prince Roger defeats a small Danish army near Antwerp (b62). Milan besieges Tunis.

    1210 (6381 florins) Samuel sallies out of Tunis, routing the Milanese army – although the Italians crossbows make the victory costly (b64). The Pope demands England cease hostilities against Spain for seven turns. Antony defeats a rebel army in Edinburgh (b63)

    1212 (6494 florins) A Portuguese army of seven regiments, mainly jinettes, arrives to provide support to besieged Caernarvon.

    1214 (5389 florins) News arrives of the Mongols invading from Baghdad. Egypt besieges Gaza and Acre.
    Last edited by econ21; 04-30-2007 at 21:21.

  19. #19
    Senior Member Senior Member econ21's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR

    The recapture of Caernarvon, 1214

    With Portuguese held Caernarvon about to succumb to starvation and surrender, Captain Jorge attempted to relieve it with his four regiments of jinettes and two batteries of ballista.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Having waited several turns, the Portuguese relief army attempts to rescue Prince Rui just as he can hold out in Caernarvon no longer.


    Although technically on the defensive, English General Edward Curtice knew that he had to strike aggressively to prevent the Portuguese relief and garrison forces retiring to Caernarvon with fresh supplies. He ordered his longbowmen to target the jinettes, pushing forward his heavy infantry to provide a protective screen for his archers.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The English abandon their line of stakes in an attempt to take the battle to Captain Jorge’s jinettes.


    The jinettes were elusive enemies and General Curtice realised too late that a regiment of his armoured swordsmen had advanced too far from his line. In less than a minute, the jinettes had concentrated their fire on the unfortunate swordsmen. Curtice hurriedly pulled them back, but they had already suffered more than 50% casualties.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The javelins of the jinettes maul an unfortunate regiment of swordsmen.


    Gradually, however, the English longbows prevailed over the Portuguese javelins.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    A sister regiment of swordsmen has more luck, catching a regiment of jinettes as it forms Cantrabian circle to evade the English arrows.


    As the Portuguese jinettes weakened, the Curtice committed the cavalry of his right flank to see them off.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    English mailed knights engage Captain Jorge and his ballistas, ultimately despatching both.


    Just as the action against the relief army was concluding, Prince Rui and the Caernarvon garrison came into contact with the English line. The Portuguese army included four regiments of mercenary crossbows. Curtice still had the cavalry on his left available, so he ordered them to charge the crossbowmen screening Prnce Rui’s advance. Three regiments of English cavalry approached in column, but the attack was a failure. Only the first regiment could perform a charge - it obstructed those in behind it. Worse still, the crossbowmen held it long enough that it became tied up with the one regiment of Portuguese spearmen in Prince Rui’s army.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The English cavalry attempt to chase off the Portuguese missiles.


    There was symmetry to the battle, as on the right of the English line, Prince Rui himself led a charge into the massed ranks of English longbowmen - their protective screen of infantry had become detached during the skirmishes with the jinettes.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Prince Rui charges the English longbowmen


    Order was gradually restored to the English line as their heavy infantry - hitherto dealing with the jinettes - came puffing up to support the archers and cavalry facing Prince Rui’s garrison.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    A regiment of English swordsmen routs the Portuguese spearmen that had stalled the charge of the English knights on the left wing.


    On the right of the English line, spear militia surrounded Prince Rui as the longbowmen belatedly extracted themselves from the melee. The English trebuchets - which had kept up an impressive but largely ineffectual fiery barrage throughout the battle - finally made a significant contribution, as a lucky shot caught the unfortunate Prince Rui.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Prince Rui goes out with a bang.


    With the jinettes having been routed off the field, the full might of the English army could converge on the Portuguese foot, left leaderless thanks to the trebuchets. The Portuguese army dissolved, although the English were left to lick their wounds.

    After the battle, General Curtice gathered information about the casualties inflicted on the Portuguese by the various arms under his command. The three trebuchets were found to have accounted for only fifteen Portuguese dead, although that did include the unfortunate Prince Rui. The many knights accounted for only 83 dead while the arrows were found to have killed 184. The largest contribution, however, was made by the melee infantry, who claimed 223 dead.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The butcher's bill.
    Last edited by econ21; 05-05-2007 at 23:30.

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