Pics & History of your Empire

[Derfasciti]

Mercia VIKING/NORMAL

807 - 846


Sidenote: This entry may be kind of lacking in infortmation as this was played split up-like. My memory of what all happened may be a little lacking.


THE SUBMISSION OF THE NORTHUMBRIANS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SAXONS.


King offa I died shortly after the decisive battle at Dere. His son, Aethlebert became the new king afterwards. The remnants of the Northumbrian forces were split up. Their forces demoralized over such a blow only ensured a minor resistance. Within a few years, the Northumbrians totally submitted to the Mercians and became part of the Mercian kingdom. All throughout the coming decades, the Scots and Picts stay quiet engaging in little diplomacy with the ever-growing kingdom of Mercia.

The Vikings, ever courted for an alliance with the Mercians attack a few Northumbrian posessions but are soon driven back leaving Mercia and the Northmen in an official state of war but with virtually no violence ensuing.

The minor eastern kingdoms are very quickly subjugated and form a geographic line of defense with the now neutral Saxons.

King Aethelbert Forms a large army and calls a fyrd in Middle Seaxe, aiming their sword towards the rich lands and unofficial capital of the Saxons, West Seaxe. A seemingly large army of 961 troops consisting of many saxon Huscarles and the rest consisting of fyrd and archers. The invasion becomes entangled when an unexpectedly huge army of about 1750 troops stare the Mercian army in the face.

Battle commences, the Mercians hopeing they can inflict massive damage before they leave. Soon, however, the Saxon Huscarles of Mercia soon show their true power and decimate the enemy spearman, having nowhere to turn, the enemy retreats and are run down by the Mercian army. The great victory costs the Saxons 1150 dead and 266 captured. The Mercians only lost 576 troops- easily replaceable.

After several minor battles through Eastern Saxon lands the final thrust into Saxon lands at Defnas concludes with about 600 enemy casualties, breaking the enemy forever. The Saxon king died in the battle and one of his sons assumed the throne in the last stronghold of the Saxons: Dornsaete. Within two years of siege, the Mercians storm the small town and kill every enemy to a man. King Aethelred shortly afterwards dies of natural causes and Offa, the second, becomes the new king of the Mercians. The Mercians, who have ransomed back many a wealthy Saxon noble, including the princes and king of the Saxons at one time, have grown very rich and now enforce a building plan on a massive scale, kingdom-wide. Ports, farmland, forts, and military training buildings are planned to be created.

The Mercian kingdom stretches from Suth Seaxe to the northen reaches of Lothene, easily the largest and most influential kingdom in Britannia. Wales or the Northern reaches of the island are now the objective to which the 59 year old king looks toward. His family line however is not totally secure and has married within the nobility of Mercia to secure his line. Things look well once again for the Mercian people.

[Kavhan Isbul]

Interesting campaign Derfasciti. I guess the Viking Invasion mini-campaign can be interesting, but I would wait until Rythmic releases his mod before I attempt to go back to it. So far, I have never been able to finish a VI campaign as I get bored quickly.

Bamff, that was a great campaign, and I am eagerly waiting for you to start one in XL.

[Martok]

Excellent, Derfasciti!

If I may make one suggestion (and of course you should feel free to ignore it), you might want to begin building a navy if you haven't already done so. Unless and until you can secure an alliance with the Vikings, the odds are high that they will use their longships to strike your wealthier coastal provinces -- at least until you have ships protecting your coastlines.

Other than that, though, you're doing well. I'm looking foward to hearing more.

[Derfasciti]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.

As for Rythmic's mod: I had thought that it's put on hold indefinitely. When/if I can I DEFINITELY want to get it though.


@Martok - A good idea, I had recently thought about the idea, especially to help with an invasion of Ireland, but I really should build up a navy to ward off the Vikings to the east. With about 13000 florins, I should be fine. Then again, I'm building a LOT everywhere so I predict that money may not stay around too long.

[Caerfanan]

If I may make one suggestion (and of course you should feel free to ignore it), you might want to begin building a navy if you haven't already done so. Unless and until you can secure an alliance with the Vikings, the odds are high that they will use their longships to strike your wealthier coastal provinces -- at least until you have ships protecting your coastlines.

Yes, this is realy right. The vikings tending to win thebattle when not outnumberd, I would also suggest that you build a stack of ships in a sea where the vikings are not, and then move the stacks to the seas you want to protect!

[Martok]

As for Rythmic's mod: I had thought that it's put on hold indefinitely. When/if I can I DEFINITELY want to get it though.

As do I. You're right, however, in that he's had to halt work on Britannia Divided for now.

@Martok - A good idea, I had recently thought about the idea, especially to help with an invasion of Ireland, but I really should build up a navy to ward off the Vikings to the east. With about 13000 florins, I should be fine. Then again, I'm building a LOT everywhere so I predict that money may not stay around too long.

Yeah, the sooner you can start getting ships in the water, the better. A navy is a far more effective -- and ultimately, less costly -- defense against the Norsemen, as their armies are a royal pain to deal with once they've actually made landfall. Better to simply keep them from ever setting foot on shore.

[Galagros]

[QUOTE=Martok]As do I. You're right, however, in that he's had to halt work on Britannia Divided for now.QUOTE]
It's a real shame, I've been waiting on that mod sinced I first heard about it.

In other news I had to abandon that Polish BKB campaign. Bad things happened. Other than that my monitor died on my so I am waiting for a new one to arrive so I can start playing again.

[Derfasciti]

MERCIAN VICTORY 846-860(ish. I forgot to save the game.)

OFF TOPIC: This one is comparatively very long compared to the others but I feel like writing right now


After the final death throes of the Saxons. King Harold ruled over Mercia, eastern Anglia, southern Saxons and the Northumbrians. His eyes turned to Wales with dreams of glory. Unfortunately it would not be aseasy to vanquish these britons as some of his former foes were.

In the realm of diplomacy all was the status quo. The Northern Picts and Scots were quiet, seemingly content with their territorial lot in life. But then an Irish explosion of expansionism came- attacking the minor kingdoms of Reget and Cyil with vast armies, quickly subduing them. The Vikings still launched several punitive raids on Mercian territory but for the most part create no real problems, always avoiding peace and alliance talks.

Prince Alfred, the only son and heir to the old King Harold, guards the southeastern part of the kingdom in Cantware, hoping to fend off the Viking raiders lest they become something more than the small forces they keep sending to the isle.

King Harold lost many a nights sleep over how to secure his family's always thin line. Through one of his advisors he comes up with a highly controversial plan that had the Pope found out might've ruined his family forever. With much hostility to the plan, Prince Alfred marries his sister secretly (or as secretly as such an affair can be) and has been convinced only by the fact as the kingdom is truly short on heirs and if something would to befall both of the men in the family, great destruction and chaos would consume the Kingdom, only 53 years in existence since the beginning of it's ruthless expansion into Northumbria. The princess is quietly removed from matters of state and nothing was said of it.



King Harold's eyes now turned to Wales with dreams of glory. Unfortunately it would not be aseasy to vanquish these britons as some of his former foes were.


Pouis was the major target. It's lands were rich enough, but the reason for the main swordarm of invasion to be pointed here was the massing of most Welsh forces in this province. approximately 1000 (give or take obviously) Welshmen guarded this province and King Harold wanted them destroyed as soon as possible. Simultaneously smaller armies were to invade Cerniu and Clwyd, and within a year guent too. What was to become of this invasion was a major back-and-forth campaign staining the fields of Pouis thrice with much blood and sweat. No longer would that land be the same.

The destruction of Cerniu's garrison was easy enough, and several higher nobles of Wales were ransomed back increasing the already rich Mercian booty chest. Clwyd too fell without much of a battle. However, Pouis was a different matter.

The army that invaded that land was apporximately 900 troops strong. What they lacked in numbers they made up for in courage and skill. Many again were King Harold's household guards wearing expensive chain mail (a rarity in those days for sure) and carrying large axes to do their master's bidding. The rest included approximately 240 archers who played a pivotol role in many of the battles.

When the army marched, it had only expected around 1000 welshmen to block their path, but in reality the Welsh king apparently had must've bribed many of his lesser nobility for they brought a host of about 1400 troops to the battle. Outnumbered, the Mercians still decided to make the most of the battle and turned out to win a stunning victory killing 360 of their troops and capturing another 450. Losing less than 300 men in the process.

King Harold, leading the army himself while his son still guarded the Southeastern kingdom from Vikings, had thought this demonstration of power would have chilled Welsh blood, but it was not meant to be. When the winter snow melted the next year, a new Welsh army consisting of over 1600 men ammassed and attacked the numerically far inferior Mercians in Pouis.

Throughout the Mercian camp there was much fear of defeat. Surely 617 men could not stand up to almost tripple that number. Peace must be made and perhaps Mercia could leave the discussions with some land and honor to call their own. Mercian nobles, once proud of their king now threatened to his face to leave the camp with their men if they were not allowed to retreat. King Harold, stubborn with age, perservered and convinced his thegns and Ealdormen to follow him to glorious victory. They stuck with him.

The day of the battle, Harold's men gave one final attack to the enemy- and failed. In a valley, the Mercian infantry were unable to reverse their fortune when they were heavily outflanked by the huge Welsh army.The army routed leaving 426 dead Mercians and 514 Welsh deadin their wake. The 100 captured Welsh were set to be executed but the Welsh took their own back too quickly to make done with the order. The once proud and strong Mercian army dragged itself back home, only 281 men surviving.

However, all was not lost. The previous year Guent had been captured turning up the Welsh king himself, giving the Mercians a heavy ransom price of 10,000 florins. This hurt the Welsh treasury horribly, limiting the ability of the Welsh to provide for a large force.

Compared to this, the Mercians could field many more men because of their huge kingdom. Within the year a new army of 946 troops were assembled of similar build and again the army marched off towards Pouis, the 50 year old King Harold swearing that he would die rather than leave the land the loser again.

946 Mercians faced off against 1845 Welsh troops. The Welsh comprised mainly of Celtic warriors, some peasants, and many archers. Their cavalry was virtually non-existent similar to the Mercian Kings only horse bodyguard of 20 royal guards. This battle would be won by the man on foot, as usual.

The Welsh were smart. This time they concentrated their undisciplined army in a large forest limiting mobility for everyone but giving them a great way to defend against superior Mercian troops. However, one must not underestimate the power of loyalty. The Saxon Huscarles of King Harold made the forest thick with blood that day and soon the Welsh center was almost fully enveloped even with the woods blocking quick movement, before they decided to flee, only to find Mercian spears at their backs.

The most pivotal troops in this battle were the hithertoo less-renowned archers. Farmers and their sons who knew only a little of how to shoot an arrow- but enough of them so it mattered much less than it would otherwise. The Welsh reinfocements came from the east, where King Harold and his 20 bodyguards were busy harrying some Welsh archers. Harold, seeing this ran for the cover of the Archer's and orders were sent for the archers to shoot into the massed ranks of Welsh peasants - men who'd rather farm than play warrior for the day. Soon, the slow moving and ill-disciplined peasants were beset by two hundred arrows pouring from the heavens and soon they dispersed leaving many wounded and dead in their wake- causing no casualties themselves.

During this time the Mercian infantry tired themselves out greatly, running from one side of the battlefield to the other chasing archers or assaulting newly arrived Welsh reinforcements and soon the battle was up in the air. But then, with the archers continuing salvo into the enemy ranks, foced and Welsh to flee for their lives and soon King Harold captured the enemy general himself, ensuring that a hefty ransom would go to the royal coffers. With the last of Welsh forces destroyed or running, the victory was official and the dead were counted. In total, 604 Welsh were killed and another 376 were taken. Being unable to pay for such a sum, they were massacred to a man. 419 Mercians died but with 527 troops left, the Mercians were by far the strongest army in Wales.

The Kingdom of Wales was conquered quickly after the final Battle Of Pouis. No longer could they summon a fyrd to defend welsh lands and soon the King was killed, starving from a siege in his own castle. With Wales totally conquered Modern-day England and Wales were under Mercian control. King Harold had did what his great-grandfather, Offa I, wanted: He ensured Mercian survival.

Several attempts were made to assault both Pictish and Irish lands, ending in failure. But these are small losses compared to the great victory story that was the Mercian kingdom. Now king Harold decided to live an administrative life, ships were to be built to defend against Viking and Irish aggression and perhaps his son; with God willing a pack of sons of his own, would complete the conquest of the whole Island but for now, no one could dispute the total dominance that is the Mercian Kingdom. May God grant it many years of peace and prosperity.



THE END.




Author's note: This entry by far the longest and most detailed. That's probably because I want to write right now and this part seems pretty epic. I also wanted to wrap this up as I'm probably picking up a couple of Viking books today and am considering starting a Viking campaign. I'm also thinking of possibly a Welsh one. I just don't know and any suggestions would be nice. I hope you all enjoyed reading these entries (granted not many of them). By all means give me your criticisms and advice both game-wise and in story-telling. I know I'm not perfect.


Thank you for reading the history of the once-great Mercian Kingdom!

[bamff]

Great stuff, Derfasciti - both in terms of the victory and the write up! Well done mate!

[bamff]

After much prevarication, I have started a new campaign....

The campaign is the Aragonese, in XL, Hard, Early, GA mode...I have got to say, I have found a few things quite different in XL - not only new factions, but new borders as well! Hmmm....we'll see how bamff copes with this!

Okay, without further ado, here are my first nervous (and you will note pretty tenative) steps onto the XL field....

Bamff’s Aragonese Escapade

Chapter 1 – A Kingdom is Born (1087 - 1130)

The year is 1088. King Sancho I has sat upon the throne of Aragon for just over one year. His country is a tiny land, perched on the northernmost part of the Iberian peninsula. So small is Aragon, that many in Europe do not afford it the status of a kingdom at all – it is, after all, just a single province, a veritable minnow in the political sea of Europe.
Sancho has greater problems to deal with than the poor esteem in which his kingdom is held by others. Aragon’s small size dictates that its economy is also small, and the Aragonese, in relative terms, are poor. His subjects are hungry for land and trade. Sancho is well aware that if he can deliver unto his people some measure of land, wealth, and glory, their loyalty will be assured. He is also acutely aware that if he cannot deliver these needs, he will not long wear the crown.
With these considerations in mind, Sancho had taken an enormous gamble. He gathered every last one of his available soldiers, and had marched north across the Pyrenees to the rich lands of Toulouse. Nominally this was a province belonging to the king of France, but it was relatively isolated from the remainder of his territories, joined by the narrowest of land bridges to the province of Isle de France. The isolation of Toulouse, Sancho had reasoned, made the province vulnerable, and ripe for the plucking. He was still somewhat nervous, however – information on the strength and deployment of the French forces in Toulouse was far from complete, and after a long and arduous march from their homes in Aragon, his men were clearly fatigued. Today was the day that he would meet the French forces. Would his own men be ready to fight when the time came? Would they be able to match the Frenchmen, who he had no doubt would be well trained?
He reproached himself mentally for allowing such doubts to surface, and surveyed his forces. He had brought with him 1 regiment of archers, under the command of Don Ferdinand Mendez, 1 regiment of feudal men at arms under Lord Granvelle, and 1 regiment of urban militia under Don Beltran Enriquez. The Aragonese king shrugged his shoulders. Urban Militia? Not “real” soldiers, by any stretch of the imagination, but better than peasants….at least he hoped they would prove so….and then there was the question of Enriquez’ loyalty. This had been the subject of much recent conjecture at court.
Sancho raised himself in his stirrups and craned his neck, peering intently into the distance, where blue flags could now be seen quite clearly fluttering above the French force sent to meet him.
“Too late to contemplate turning back now,” he mused, as he raised an arm to direct his men forwards. All the while he continued to survey the French. “What are they thinking?” wondered Sancho, as he noted the Frenchmen were not marching towards him at all. Indeed, they were marching away from the Aragonese, and at some considerable pace. The French were evacuating the province – Toulouse had been won, with nary a drop of blood spilled! As the cheers of his men rang in his ears, Sancho knew that his job was merely beginning – but he was off to a fine start indeed!
That same year, the Aragonese emissary despatched by Sancho in 1087 successfully negotiated an alliance with the Castillian Spanish. Both Christian nations shared a burning ambition to cleanse the Iberian peninsular of the Moorish invaders, the Almohads, but curiously, both also shared a deep mistrust of the other. It would remain to be seen whether this alliance was one which would last.
That having been said, the alliance was important to Sancho, because it allowed him to focus on his territorial ambitions to the north and south without having to be quite so concerned for the security of his western borders.
Sancho had left Toulouse and returned to Aragon almost immediately after the province had been seized. In 1090, he had raised an army of sufficient size to march west to Navarre. This territory was at that time held by the Basques, and they had no intention of relinquishing their freedom without a struggle.
Sancho’s invading force numbered 181 men, the force being comprised of 1 squadron of royal knights, 1 regiment of spear (in the form of feudal sergeants), and 1 of archers. The Basque force is almost twice their number, although quantitatively inferior, comprising mostly of peasants.
The Basques take position atop one of the imposing mountains that fill the tiny province of Navarre, forcing the Aragonese to march uphill to meet them. Sancho leads his men up the steep slope some way away from the Basque army, then marches across the slope towards them, with his archers in the van, and his knights at the uppermost part of the slope. The Basque spearmen break ranks, charging at the Aragonese archers. 12 of their number are brought down by the time they reach the Aragonese line. As the spearmen close, the Aragonese archers melt away behind the advancing line of feudal sergeants, and battle is joined. With the Basque spearmen now fighting for their lives, Sancho leads his knights to charge into the Basques from the rear. The spearmen waver in the face of this onslaught, and flee. Showing superb disciplne, Sancho’s knights, and feudal sergeants regroup rather than pursue, and the archers once again move forwards to fire upon the remaining Basque forces. The pattern of the first engagement is now repeated, though this time it is 184 peasants charging the Aragonese line rather than 88 spearmen. The result is even worse for the Basque second wave. As the last routers are ridden down by Sancho’s knights, a light snow begins to fall. Not a single Basque has escaped the field – 167 lie dead, and 133 are now prisoners of the Aragonese. Only 15 Aragonese soldiers have perished (all of them spearmen), and the extremely one-sided nature of this battle sees Sancho’s stature grow even further in the eyes of his people.
While King Sancho was engaged in Navarre, Lord Dampierre of France has sought to reclaim Toulouse for the French crown. The province is defended by Lord Granvelle. The two armies are of extremely similar composition and experience, and whilst the battle hangs in the balance for much of the day, it is Granvelle’s men who triumph, turning back the invading Frenchmen. 118 Frenchmen have lost their lives in attempting to retake Toulouse, and 72 sons of Aragon in defending the province. The ferocity of the fighting is underlined by the fact that a mere 7 Frenchmen are taken prisoner.
Further good news arrives at court late in 1090, with word that El Cid of Valencia wishes to pledge allegiance to the crown of Aragon. King Sancho grants El Cid a gratuity of 3,400 florins to assist in developing the defences of Valencia.
Sancho had proven himself a more than capable battlefield commander in Navarre, and he now set about proving himself to be every bit as skilled a diplomat as a soldier. Alliances were soon secured with King Phillipe of France in 1091, King Inge of Sweden in 1092, King Malcolm III of Scotland and King William II of England in 1093, King Wladyslaw I of Poland and King Roger I of Sicily in 1095, and in 1096, the Portugese also accept an alliance with Aragon. All the while, Sancho continued on his dual programmes of military and economic building, turning his once tiny impoverished one-province kingdom into an affluent Mediterranean trading nation. By the time of his death in 1111, King Sancho had indeed achieved his goals. He had secured and expanded the borders of his kingdom. He had increased the wealth of his people enormously, and he had laid the foundations upon which later kings of Aragon could build further. The kingdom of Aragon had indeed “arrived” on the Medieval European political stage.
With the passing of King Sancho, his son Sancho (the first king of Aragon had shown imagination in many areas, but sadly not so, it would seem, in the naming of his first born) was crowned Sancho II.
Sancho II soon showed himself to be capable of continuing in the footsteps of his great father. The extensive public works program undertaken by Sancho II soon earned him the reputation of being a “great builder”, but few initially noted the slightly different direction that the building works of Sancho II were taking. A very pious man, the new king sought to ensure that all Aragonese provinces could boast a resident bishop. Sancho II was most anxious to continue, and to complete the “Reconquista”, and in 1129, he successfully petitioned Rome for the right to launch a crusade to the province of Granada, one of the two remaining Almohad held provinces on the Iberian peninsula. After almost 40 years of peace, Aragon was once again going to war. Though none dared to give voice to their concerns, there were many at court who harboured doubts about this latest campaign. Time would soon tell if Sancho’s crusade was to spell success or disaster for his rule…

[Deus ret.]

congrats, bamff! 1000th post in this thread and a story well worth reading. good that you have a new campaign

[Galagros]

A good read! I was actually contemplating doing a BKB Aragonese campaign as my next (I've tried before and found failure). Maybe I'll have to try someone else (Navare always looked interesting...)

Now I just need my monitor to arrive. Good luck with the camaign!

[Innocentius]

Excellent bamff! I'm a bit late in congratulating you on your victory in this English campaign of yours, and it looks like you're off for a good start with your Aragonese campaign

[Martok]

Very cool, bamff! Invading Tolouse was a gutsy move, but it looks like it's paying off. My congratulations to Sancho and his men!

[Kavhan Isbul]

Bamff, I am happy to see you start another great campaign. Invading Tolouse was a nice opening move in the vanilla game, but it is not cut off from the rest of France in XL, which certainly surprised you a little. This is exactly the nice part about mods - there are changes in the map, the units, etc., which make the game more enjoyable even if you play with one of the original factions. Seemes like the most interesting part of an Aragon campaign - the Reconquista, is just about to start in your campaign, so I will be checking back here to see how it turns out.

[Bregil the Bowman]

Story of a VI 2.01 campaign, starting in early, playing the Almohads on “Hard” setting

Herewith the tale of how Yusuf I, may his name be blessed, sought to establish a peaceful Caliphate in the western Mediterranean, enjoying peace and prosperity alongside his Christian neighbours. Sadly this was not to be – for the greed and rapacity of the Spanish and Aragonese kings was such that war soon ravaged the Iberian peninsular, and Muslim and Christian alike cried out for relief.

Early conflict with Castile and Aragon was settled by decisive battles in Cordoba and Valencia, better positioning of forces on the slopes settling the matter. Later the Spanish were able to bring large forces of jinettes to battle, and hard contests were fought where the skill of Desert Archers and steady defence of the Almohad militia was tested against the mobility and courage of the Spanish horsemen. Sometimes losses were heavy on both sides; at other times, such as the battle of the Spanish Bridges which cost the Castilian king his life, the use of terrain allowed the Almohads to draw the enemy horsemen into a killing zone.

Frequent revolts by the Spanish and Portuguese were unable to break a Muslim hold on the Iberian peninsular. By 1130 the conquest was complete and the Houses of Castile and Aragon had ceased to exist.

Yusuf II was initially content to maintain a border on the western Pyrenees.. He became allied wit the Holy Roman Empire to counter the threat of French army in Aragon but launched no hostile moves, instead expanding his fleets and developing a peaceful trading Empire in the Mediterranean. Revolts in Sardinia (1136) and Corsica (1157) challenged Italian dominance of the seas, and the Almohads were first to exploit the vacuum and seize these valuable bases.

Sadly, prompted by Rome, first France and then Germany broke the peace and attacked the Iberian empire. In the three-sided war that ensured, Yusuf II’s heir, Umar I, led a magnificent campaign that drove the Germans back across the Rhone and the French north of the Loire by 1154. By the end of his reign he had advanced as far as Flanders, the last French king having fallen against the Germans in Burgundy. But by then events in the east had begun to demand attention...

The Byzantine empire developed into a superpower, exploiting conflict between Turks and Egyptians to secure its Asian flank while pressing north to the Baltic at the expense of the Hungarians and the People of Novgorod. Eventually Egypt proved to be the stronger of the eastern Muslim factions, and launched an attack which cleared the Byzantines from Asia Minor, even laying siege to Constantinople before being repulsed. But the Sultan’s forces were over-extended, and by 1160 the Byzantines had reconquered most of their lost territory. The Anatolians rose up against the Sultan and established an independent kingdom. During this time Almohad expeditions had laid claim to Corsica, Crete and Cyprus, and now a force landed in Anatolia to reclaim that territory for the True Faith. This act provoked the Sultan into a declaration of war, but defeats at sea and in Anatolia proved this to be a disastrous decision! With powerful armies deadlocked in Cyrenaica and Egypt – neither party wanting to risk a drawn out desert assault – the Almohads (under the Qadi al Qadi) achieved a breakthrough by seizing Sinai with an attack from the sea. In a series of inconsequential clashes, the Almohad expeditionary force pursued the Sultan around Palestine, Arabia and Sinai, finally succeeding trapping his forces in Jerusalem Castle by landing a second force at Tripoli. Eventually the Egyptian army was split, with one force in Egypt the other holding the Armenian states and Georgia.
Yusuf III’s brief reign saw the completion of this campaign as the Egyptian garrison dissipated its strength in two fruitless attempts to break out through Cyrenaica before a counterattack from Sinai finally crushed resistance. Yusuf also completed the conquest of all Europe west of the Rhine, with Burgundy established as a stronghold against German incursions.

The early era ended with tensions between Umar II and his Byzantine counterpart as a German crusade was allowed to pass through Trebizond to attack Anatolia. The German commander proved unequal to the challenge, retreating without offering battle twice before attempting the longer route though Syria where he was stopped in a grim desert battle. The resurgence of the Turks in Edessa also put an end to the Egyptian war, with neither Almohads nor Egyptians willing to advance with a potential enemy on the flank.

Umar II faced the Christian world in 1205 with great doubt on his mind. Despite the enormous profits from trade with Rome and Constantinople, he was aware that soon one or both must challenge his dominance of southern Europe. And in the east, rumours of the rising Tartar empire also gave him cause for concern. It would be long before the faithful Almohads could abandon the sword...

[bamff]

Bravo Bregil!

Well played and well written. I look forward to reading of Umar's adventures in the high period!

[Martok]

Well done, Bregil! I'm eager for more!

[Bregil the Bowman]

Part Two of an Account of a VI 2.01 campaign as the Almohads

As the High period began, the Al Mu’tamid dynasty bestrode an empire that stretched from Portugal and Morocco to Syria and Arabia, from the edges of the Sahara to the Arctic edges of Scandinavia. The mainstay of this empire was its navy, fast-moving Tunisian dhows supported by Spanish and Algerian baggalas, that sailed every sea from the Baltic to the Black. The young Umar II had vowed to follow his forefathers principles, reigning over a prosperous, pious and peaceable folk and never making war upon the other major powers unless attacked first. Nonetheless, he inherited bitter wars against the Holy Roman Empire and the Egyptians, and though at peace with both the Papacy and the Byzantine Empire he knew both were working covertly against him.

The wealth of this great empire was able to maintain large forces to defend its borders. The ironworks of Toledo and Pamplona equipped the Almohad Urban Militia that was the mainstay of his army. The deserts of the Sahara provided spearmen, archers and light cavalry, while Arabia and Syria provided Bedouin camel troops who were to prove crucial. Tripoli, Tunisia and Sardinia began to produce first crossbowmen and then arbalesters. And many mercenaries also flocked to Umar’s banner – notably from the east, Druzhina cavalry, Khwarazmian horsemen, Rus and Vikings, and later (perhaps most crucially) handgunners and artillerists bringing with them the secret weapon of gunpowder.

Umar’s first crisis, surprisingly, came with the English attempt to seize Flanders. The Almohad response was merciless. Using his command of the sea, Umar sent an expeditionary force to Wales while attacking across the channel. He also drew forces back from the German borders to crush England’s last continental holding in Champagne. Within a short time the English had been pushed back to Northumbria. Never intended as an army of occupation, this force was withdrawn to Wessex to allow peace talks to continue – and to allow further prosecution of the war against Germany.

Umar’s strategy against the Holy Roman Emperor was to hold Lorraine and Burgundy and create a line of “buffer states” between the two powers. The first part of this strategy was achieved quite quickly, a brief reoccupation of Lorraine by the Germans provoking a Jihad in 1205. But buffer states quickly fell into German hands again. By 1230 Almohad armies under the able Prince Ismail had penetrated as far as Franconia, Friesland, Saxony and Switzerland, and it was becoming clear that any “buffer states” would have to remain under occupation. In addition, German shipping out of Friesland and Venice had been threatening trade and supply routes, a situation Umar refused to tolerate.

In the east, the uneasy truce with the Byzantines was maintained, but both the Egyptians and the resurgent Turks made ineffectual attacks on the Almohad territory. Fortunately Umar had excellent commanders in these areas, including his cousin Mohammed al Mu’tamid and the Bedouin Amir of Sinai, Buluggin. In 1228 Buluggin invaded and conquered the Turks in Edessa while Mohammed fended off several Egyptian jihads. In 1235 further efforts to secure the eastern provinces were made by the Amir of Provence, who succeeded in conquering Lesser Armenia and confining the Egyptians to their last province of Rum.

It was against this background that the Golden Horde arrived on the scene.

Umar II, now 63, might have hoped that the arrival of this vast and capable army on his rivals’ flanks would prove a blessing rather than otherwise. But this was not to be. Operating westwards, the Great Khan was content to seize Khazar and Kiev before making a treaty of alliance with the Byzantines. Heading south, Mongol forces conquered Georgia and Armenia before reaching a similar accommodation with the Egyptians. It was clear their target was to reach the rich cities of the Levant, and that their chief obstacle was the Almohad army in Syria.

In the last years of his reign, Umar therefore faced the two fears that had haunted its beginning. Firstly, the Tartar threat from the east finally reached the Syrian desert. Secondly, the Byzantines chose to break the peace and attack Anatolia while simultaneously blockading the Almohad sea routes.

Despite the superiority of the Byzantine army in so many respects – better generals, better archers, better heavy cavalry – the Almohad garrison in Anatolia was able t withstand several fierce attacks. Sadly the bold General Mohammed was not to live to enjoy the fruits of victory, being cut off and slain while trying to pursue a repulsed enemy attack from the field of battle. But his valour ensured victory in the first of these encounters, and the Almohads were never to lose that initiative.
Against the Mongols in Syria, several battles were fought which followed a similar, almost repetitive pattern. The Battle of Alamut serves as a fine example. The Almohad army drew up on the hills overlooking the oasis, three units of Nubian spearmen protecting pavise arbalesters and archers positioned above and below them on the slope. In reserve behind these lines the Amir Buluggin held two units of Muwahid spearmen and a mass of Bedouin camel-riders.

The Horde attacked in swirling lines of foot-archers and heavy cavalry. Despite the superiority of Mongol numbers, their elevated position and the better accuracy of the Almohad archers gave them the advantage in these exchanges. The Mongol commander therefore sent his heavy cavalry to drive off the Almohad skirmish line – but these horsemen were soon entangled with the Nubian spearmen. At the crucial moment, Buluggin released his Muwahid fanatics through the gaps in his line, while the camels swarmed round the Mongol flanks. The Mongol horses panicked and fled under this attack, leaving their infantry to be ridden down by the charging camels. Despite casualties, Buluggin maintained the chase through the oasis and across the desert, not giving the Mongols time to rally until their second wave threatened to overrun the pursuers.

Normally, the Almohad general would have been content to withdraw and face this second wave. At Alamut, however, Buluggin realised that a more advantageous position could be reached on the opposite flank of the oasis. He therefore used the time between the repulse of the first wave and the arrival of the second to reposition his army with an impassable ridge on their right flank. The manoeuvre was completed satisfactorily in time for the second wave to receive the same treatment as the first. Buluggin had sensibly arranged his reinforcements in such a way that while his camel riders were pursuing, he could replace any archer units that were low on ammunition; and while he was defending against the next attack, he could replace his weary and depleted camel units. Casualties on both sides were high, but it was the Mongols who lost most heavily and were forced to quit the field.

Buluggin’s victory at Alamut was more or less replicated with slight variations over a number of years. The introduction of mercenary handgunners and an organ gun added to the speed with which the first wave could be broken. Mongol attempts to interrupt the routes of reinforcement or lay ambushes for pursuing forces meant that the Almohad general needed to be alert. But the consequence of each battle was the same – replaceable losses (mainly camel riders) for the Almohads, severe losses for the Golden Horde.

In 1239 Prince Ismail, having conquered the Tyrol and laid siege to Venice castle, sailed to Lesser Armenia to bolster the defences of the east against the triple Byzantine-Mongol-Egyptian threat. But he was not to stay long, for the following year he was to return to Spain to be crowned as Ismail I.

Umar II died aged 68 after a long and successful reign. His virtues were recorded as “Charmer”, Magnificent Builder,” “Magnificent Steward.” Not least would he be remembered for knocking down and rebuilding the Alhambra in Granada because “he did mislike the shadow cast by its barbican.”
Though he had not greatly expanded the empire he inherited from his father, he had provided more than adequately for its defence. He had prepared the way for the campaigns which his own son, Ismail I, would wage for the next thirty-five years...

[Bregil the Bowman]

Umar II died aged 68 after a long and successful reign. His virtues were recorded as “Charmer”, Magnificent Builder,” “Magnificent Steward.” Not least would he be remembered for knocking down and rebuilding the Alhambra in Granada because “he did mislike the shadow cast by its barbican.”

Just to explain last comment - I discovered that the GA points awarded for a Citadel in Granada are lost if you build a barbican. Strange, but I suppose it spoils the aesthetic.

[nara shikamaru]

Thought I'd share my Russian campaign. High, Normal, GA. Now unlike alot of others here I can't write a good stroy about my Russian campaign, as i either don't remember some, like names and what happened when, nor do I write anything for later use, although I have some pics of something I've never seen before in the couple of years I have been playing.

Well What I remember is I wanted to get Lithuania, and create a kinnd of curtain, preventing the other factions from advancing eastward. By the time the Golden Horde came I had already conquered Lithuania, Livonia, Moldavia, Walachia, Bulgaria, Constantinople, Ryazan, and Volhynia. Now I'm letting the GH live cuz that would mean more GA points.

Now at around 1240-1260, I had started to notice my ally the Byzantines were at war with the Italians, and they were not doing so good. My plan was then to get a navy great enough to take on the Italian one out of the Mediterranean sea, and stop them in Asia Minor. Well It went well for me, I made sure to crush the Italian navy around Asia Minor, and up to Italy, I took Nicea, and Anatolia( I think, it is the province on the right of Nicea) The Italians tried to retake Nicea, but I had an army of about 1400-1500 men, mostly Halberdiers, some Boyars, Fuedal Sergeants, and arbalesters. The Italians only had about 500 men. I was able to route their army, even if my men seemed like idiots and couldn't figure out what i wanted them to do, this also brings us to the pics i took, it was of the defense of Nicea, in which I encountered something I have never seen before. I would like to apologize for the water mark, I'm using the demo version and it puts them on all pics i convert.



Now I know someone will come along and say these aren't odd, but this was the 1st time I've ever seen a unit walk acros water in MTW.

Now to continue, after the Italians were beaten out of Asia Minor I kept up the Naval War, which was going good for me, but not the economy, I wasn't losing money but only made about 1200 florins each year. The war with Italy ended I never invaded Italy, though i think I helped the Sicilians who were at war with the Italians.

After this war I had wanted to get my ships out again, yes I rely on trade more then farming, which i slowly was, but very wearily, because the Italians still had a few ships. Well about 5-10 years after the Italian war, my ally the Byzantines attacked me in Constantinople, I was able to fend them off twice, they attacked Constantinople again, only a couple of years after the 1st attack. This like Italian war was more over a naval war then anything, at this time the Byzantines were also at war with the Sicilians, and the GH, and only had5 provinces. After alot of success at sea, I attacked them in Trebizond, the Sicilians took Greece, and the GH took Crimea from them. all the Byzantine were left with at the end was Crete, and Rhodes, and an Emperor who was over 70 years old without an heir, I killed the only heir in the attack on Trebizond. I tried to negotiate a ceasefire with the Byzantines, but the emperor died heirless, and so it no longer needed attention.

Now the last major event of my Russian Campaign was that the English sunk my ships in the English Channel, and the Bay of Biscay, called a crusade on Constantinople, and asked for a ceasefire, all in the same turn. All this happened 5-10 years after the war witht he Byzantines ended. I stoped playing after that, but I will continue later, and see what the Englisg bring when they come to Constantinople. Well That's it for now, I'll come back with more later, and maybe I'll share My Polish campaign where I own Eastern Europe, the Asian Steppes, and most of Asia Minor, and it isn't even the High period yet.

[Martok]

Very good, gentleman! I continue to be impressed by all the talented storytellers we seem to have here.

[bamff]

Now I know someone will come along and say these aren't odd, but this was the 1st time I've ever seen a unit walk acros water in MTW.

Holy halberdiers, Batman! Did your army pause post battle for a quick feed of loaves and fishes?

I have seen troops "walk" on the very edges of water before, but not that far in....

[bamff]

Apologies in advance - was going to include some pics, but ran into some technical difficulties. Will sort them out for Chapter 3!

A reminder again about the parameters for this campaign - XL, hard, early, GA mode.


Bamff’s Aragonese Escapade

Chapter 2 – Iberian Expansion (1130 - 1150)

After many years of peace, the armies of Aragon are once again on the march. King Sancho II had long looked with covetous eyes across his western borders at the rich fertile lands of his Castilian neighbours. The Castilians were strong, however, so he had been able to do precious little about it – until now.
With the Aragonese crusade against the Almohads in Granada passing through Castile, a religious fervour had gripped the province. Many Castilian soldiers had left their posts to join in the holy mission to free Granada from muslim rule. With the Castilian armies reduced, Sancho decided that it was time to strike, and he directed his generals accordingly. The Castilians were all too aware of their own reduced numbers, and in both Castile and Murcia, the enemy forces fled to their strongholds.
Aragon’s rise as a European power has indeed reached far and wide. In late 1130, word arrives from distant Sweden that King Inge I offers the hand of his daughter Birgitta to Prince Ferdinand. King Sancho II accepts on behalf of his son, cementing an alliance between the two nations.
The losses of Castile and Murcia prove to be very costly indeed for the Castilian King, Alfonso. Rebellions break out in both Leon and Cordoba. Prince Pedro takes a force of almost 600 men to Cordoba to aid uprising in that province led by Don Alvaro Sanchez. The Spanish king, faced by such a force, flees north to Leon. Sanchez proves far from grateful for Aragon’s show of support, turning on the Aragonese as the new year of 1131 begins. It proves to be a fatal mistake. In the ensuing battle, 269 Cordoban loyalists and 58 Aragonese die. 104 of Sanchez’ men surrender their arms, and Cordoba becomes the latest Aragonese acquisition.
That same year, the Aragonese sponsored crusade arrives in its target province of Granada. In the fierce battle that ensues, 462 moors and 365 Christians perish. It is the cross that triumphs over the crescent on this day, and the surviving Almohads flee in disarray to their stronghold. Amir al-Hajj and his men cannot hold out for long, however, and the castle falls to Don Ferdinand de la Cerda the following year.
The Reconquista is almost complete. The sole remaining muslim province on the Iberian peninsula is Portucale, and in 1138, Aragon launches a crusade to reclaim these lands for Christendom. As these troops cross Leon in 1139, the religious fervour of the Castilians sees many nobles and other troops take up arms to join the crusade against the Almohads.
1139 is a year which brings great sadness to Aragon, as the nation’s second king, the much loved Sancho II passes peacefully in his sleep. King Garc I is crowned, and vows to continue the great works of his father.
The Portugese, apparently believing that a change of monarch in Aragon may cause some confusion or disharmony within the realm, advance into Cordoba. Upon surveying the strength of the local garrison, however, the Portugese troops promptly wheel about and march back to Algarve. It is a grave embarrassment to the Portugese monarch, and worse news awaits him upon his return to Algarve. Many are questioning his ability to lead a nation given that he could not even control his army, and rebellion breaks out.
The Castilian Spanish have long been suspected of covertly plotting against Aragon. Whilst there is no hard evidence that the Spaniards have indeed taken any action against Aragon, the finger of suspicion is reason enough for King Garc to justify his next action as King. With the Castilian forces in Leon reduced by virtue of so many men joining the Aragonese crusade on Leon, the province is ripe for the taking, and in 1144 King Garc orders his armies to advance.
Unfortunately for King Garc, however, his allies the English are ready to seize the opportunity afforded them by this westward movement of the Aragonese armies. The vile treachery of the English unfolds in a two-pronged attack, with one column marching east into Toulouse, and the other south into Aragon itself. The garrison in Toulouse is too few in number to resist, and all retreat to the stronghold to await the inevitable English siege. King Garc himself leads the defence of Aragon, choosing a field near the ancient city of Zaragoza to make his stand.
It proves to be a dark day indeed for Aragon. Outnumbered and outmanouvered by the more mobile English army, the Aragonese force fights bravely. Just as it appears that they are on the verge of an unlikely victory, King Garc’s charger falls. Dazed, and weighed down by his armour, the king is too slow to avoid the troop of hobilars that bears down on him as he struggles to regain his feet. News of the death of the king spreads like wildfire through the Aragonese army. On top of a terrible casualty toll, it proves too much, and the remaining Aragonese troops flee the field.
King Enrique I is crowned at the tender age of 17 years. His first act as king is to swear vengeance on the treacherous English. All of Aragon is with him, and in 1145, Enrique leads the reclaimation of Aragon, while a second Aragonese army marches into Toulouse.
The English forces in Aragon had also suffered terrible casualties in the first battle of Zaragoza, and consequently the army fielded for the second battle of Zaragoza is a small force indeed. With but a handful of archers to return fire on the advancing Aragonese, the English fyrdmen, and urban militia are decimated by Aragonese arrows. The one remaining regiment of hobilars finds itself under attack from two regiments of Jinettes, and is soon routed. Even as they flee the field, the beleagured English footsoldiers are being attacked by feudal sergeants from the front, and feudal men at arms from both flanks. King Enrique himself delivers the coup de grace, charging into the English rear with his royal knights at his side. Aragon is once more in Aragonese hands! 112 English corpses litter the field, and 65 prisoners are taken. Only 13 Aragonese lives are lost.
The English forces in Toulouse withdraw in the face of the sallying Aragonese garrison.
The final hammer blow for the English falls in Aquitaine in 1146. The French have taken all provinces to the north, sealing off any hope the English commander may have entertained of either escape or support. Fresh from the recent campaigns in Aragon and Toulouse, the Aragonese troops also enjoy the weight of numbers, and are inspired to perform great deeds on the field by the treacherous English attacks of 1143. Indeed, such is the Aragonese outrage that few prisoners are taken.
A truce is negotiated with the English in 1148, allowing Enrique to focus on more pressing matters within his newly expanded realm. He turns his attention to the south once more – but not in the direction of the Almohads in Africa.
It is time to repay the Portugese for their aggression of 1144. “I have taken care of the English dogs,” muses Enrique “Now it is time to crush this Portugese flea.”
The Portugese forces are indeed weak from years of civil war, and they are able to offer little resistance to the Aragonese army. They are massacred.
Aragon now controls all of Iberia, and the provinces of Aquitaine and Toulouse. Enrique reflected happily on his achievements. In 5 short years, he had completed the Reconquista, and the armies of England and Portugal had been subdued. Enrique felt that Aragon was secure, and that the time was right to look further afield. The holy lands in the east were still under muslim rule. It was only right that all Catholics should seek to return these lands to the bosom of Christianity….and there was no more staunchly Catholic nation in Europe than Aragon….
As the year 1150 drew to a close, the drums of war were once more beating in the heart of an Aragonese king…

Previous Chapters of This Campaign
Chapter 1 - https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpo...postcount=1000

[Martok]

Well done, bamff! I admit it was quite a pleasure seeing the English get their well-deserved comeuppance.

I'm a little surprised they actually had the stones to invade you, though. I usually don't see the English do much in the south of their lands, unless it's to invade and occupy a still-independent Navarre.

Regardless, however, another rousing AAR!

[bamff]

Well done, bamff! I admit it was quite a pleasure seeing the English get their well-deserved comeuppance.

I'm a little surprised they actually had the stones to invade you, though. I usually don't see the English do much in the south of their lands, unless it's to invade and occupy a still-independent Navarre.

I was more than a little surprised myself when it happened, I can tell you!

That's two big surprises in this XL campaign (the first being the altered map with Toulouse joined to other french provinces). Surprises are good, though. I am looking forward to meeting some of the new unit types....

[Innocentius]

Fantastic as always, bamff! Long live the reconquista!

Me, I have finally pulled myself together to start a new campaign. I was about to start a Teutonic Order campaign, but then King Kurt beat me to it. I then went for a Bohemian campaign but it turned out too similar to my latest Bohemian campaign. So then I looked to the Iberian but figured it would be pretty lame to start another Aragonese campaign next to bamff's and the Portugese never appealed to me, so in the end I went for the Polish. I know Galagros is already running one, but since mine will be in XL it'll hopefully turn out differently.
Now, I've never been very good as the Poles, and this time I decided to play on Hard for a change, so hopefully I'm up for a real challenge. This campaign is played in Hard, Early XL, GA.

The rise of Poland and the reign of Wladyslaw I: 1087 - 1107 A.D.

In the year 1087 of our Lord, Poland is but a minor kingdom in the outskirts of the catholic world. The previous 100 years have seen the kingdom being carved out from the rock that is the pagan Slav cultures, of which much still remain. It has been a defining period for the christianised Slavs and all of Christianity for that matter.
The Holy Roman Empire has earned itself a new ally to the east, a bastion between them and the pagans of the distant east. The Pope in Rome now has a new archdiocese and several new dioceses to see to, and for the Christian Kievans and the people of Novgorod, this means that their Christian brothers are no longer as far away, although the pagan peoples of the Lithuanians and the Cumans still separate them.
This new and relatively underdeveloped kingdom is ruled by King Wladyslaw I, 32 years old, who only recently ascended to the throne after the death of his father. His reign is to see the rise of Poland.

Wladyslaw I was an ambitious man who wished to continue on the path staked out by his forefathers. To the north and east of his kingdom were small and independent Slav kingdoms, still praising the pagan gods of old.
To his south were his catholic brothers the Hungarian Magyars, and the pagan tribe known as the Cumans.
To the west lay the mighty Holy Roman Empire and the not quite so mighty kingdom of Bohemia. As Wladyslaw was to prove during his reign, he was a man able to use the conflicts of both his friends and foes to his own benefit.

Wladyslaw's first action as king was to ally with his neighbours to the west, the Bohemians. Although brothers in faith, he put little trust to the Holy Roman Empire and its greedy emperor. Bohemia and king Vratislav II was a much more trustworthy ally, and one that in part shared the same ambitions as Poland. More importantly, they both feared the might of the Emperor. An alliance between the two countries would provide some help in a war against the Empire. Then, with his western borders secured, he turned his gaze northwards.
The pagan kingdom of Pomerania was his aim. The lands of Pomerania were wealthy, and should he not seize them for himself soon enough, the Holy Roman Empire would conquer them for sure. Also, spreading the words of Christianity was a deed that would surely be appreciated by the Pope (and by all Christianity really).
Thus, in 1088, a great Polish army under personal command of King Wladyslaw marched into Pomerania. The Pomeranians put up little resistance, and fled to their strongholds and hillforts. For two whole years the war raged on, and Wladyslaw marched his men through Pomerania, everywhere driving the pagans out and piece by piece conquering the lands. After a long and tiresome war, the Poles finally stormed and took the last stronghold of the pagans in 1090, and all of Pomerania was declared subject to the Crown of Poland.
Immediately, the task of baptizing the population began. This was a slow process however, and many pagans still dwelled in these lands by the time of Wladyslaw's death.
Crown Prince Wladyslaw and Prince Casimir, who had come of age in 1089 and 1091 respectively, however longed for glory and would not settle merely with this, particularly not Casimir who had been too young to participate in the Pomeranian wars. With the blessing of their father, the two young brothers commanded an army invading the pagan lands of Prussia in 1092. Again, the war raged on for two years, and it was not until 1094 that the last pagan hillfort was finally conquered and burned down. In the same year, Prince Wladyslaw celebrated this conquest by marrying Princess Maria of Kiev, while Casimir married Margrethe of Norway the very next year.

Despite its conquests and great achievments Poland now fell into an economic crisis. The treasuries were almost empty and the meagre income brought by the harsh lands of the realm was not enough. A famine struck Pomerania in 1098 and a revolt almost broke out, but King Wladyslaw travelled there from Greater Poland in time to settle things down. Still, many perished and still more suffered that year.
It was these rough times that prevented the Poles from assisting their allies the Bohemians in their war against the Holy Roman Empire in the very last years of the 11th century. The Bohemians and King Vratislav II figured that attack was the best defence as the Emperor had been mustering great amount of troops down in Austria lately. These troops were in fact recruited to defend against the invading Hungarians, but that was beyond Vratislav's knowledge.
He invaded Franconia in 1097 and was successful, but Bohemia itself was invaded from Bavaria the next year, forcing him to retreat home. He did however defeat the Germans, and the Emperor himself was caught and executed during the battle, weakening the Empire enough for the Bohemians to recover.

During these last years of the 11th century a new threat rose to Poland. The pagan tribe known as the Cumans - or Kipchaks - had long troubled the Hungarians and often threatened their borders. Particularly the lands of Carpathia suffered in these wars, and often switched owners. King Wladyslaw knew that his catholic brothers could not hold out against the Cumans indefinitely, especially not now that they were at war with the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1099, the Cumans invaded the Slav lands of Volhynia, defeating the inhabitants in a large battle and thereafter pillaging the lands. Now, a long strip of pagan held lands separated Poland from Kiev, something Wladyslaw could not tolerate. In 1102, Poland had recovered enough strength to launch an invasion of Volhynia. Prince Casimir commanded the army, and Prince Wladyslaw travelled to Lesser Poland to defend it should it be attacked from Moldavia.
The moment was well chosen; the Cumans had recently been defeated by the Hungarians in Carpathia, and the better part of their armies were down in Wallachia, were they could not harm or threaten the Polish.
The Cumans were indeed taken by surprise as they had not expected the Polish to attack them, and they fled with great haste as Casimir approached. They left not a single man to defend their lands, and thus Volhynia fell to the Polish without a single casualty on either side.
Further Polish expansion was prevented however, as the Cumans soon retook the lands of Carpathia, and many steppe warriors rode from the distant lands of Khazar into Levidia, putting pressure on the Polish borders. A famine in Silesia in 1105 also helped secure that the Polish finances were too weak for further recruiting. Thus the position was locked.
In 1107, King Wladyslaw I passed away in an illness after 20 years on the throne. Wladyslaw would always be remembered for his capability in politics, and for conquering such vast areas of land without any major sieges or battles. Perhaps not a king of great valour and glory, he had been a king of great wisdom and sense, and had taken his kingdom through many tough periods while at the same time expanding it.
He was succeeded by his son Wladyslaw, who was crowned King Wladyslaw II in the spring of 1107.

The Kingdom of Poland in 1107:


King Wladyslaw II:

[Martok]

Good job so far, Innocentius! You're definitely in for a challenge, especially since you neighbor the oft-powerful Cumans. The best of luck to you!

[Galagros]

Don't worry about me Innocentius, as I said earlier ... my campaign turned sour so I abandoned it. I've recently been playing around with Chivalry Total War, which is why I have not posted anything here.

[King Kurt]

Martok

As my most avid reader, consider this an early easter present!! I have been meaning to write this for about 2 weeks, I hope you enjoy it.

The long awaited second episode of King Kurt’s Teutonic campaign!!

AN UNEXPECTED WAR

Lars Lindinman gripped the ship’s rail as his weathered face scanned the horizon. The pale rays of weak spring sunshine light up the sky as grey clouds scudded over the headland. The bustle of activity pulled his attention back to his crew busily preparing the ship for action. All clutter was being bound down, arrows and crossbow bolts were being put in place, the canvas screens lashed to the rails. He watched with grim pleasure as his crew went through their well practised routine, except this was no practice. Lars was the admiral of the small Teutonic fleet sent to open up the waters of the Skagerrak for the new Teutonic Order empire. His and the other 3 ships of his charge had experienced initial success, establishing strong trade links with their good allies the Danes. But their last trip to Copenhagen had brought worrying news. The Danes had heard from various sources in the inns on the quay that a powerful Swedish fleet was waiting to ambush Lars when he put to sea. Initially this seemed unbelievable – Sweden was an ally and good trade partner – but several sources had confirmed this, so Lars opted for caution and prepared to fight. He and several of his captains were veterans of many battles in the Mediterranean and these longboats could be no worse than the Turkish galleys which were their normal foe. These Vikings would find his caravels packed a few surprises.

The chords of the ratting lines sang as the ship sailed as close to the wind as it dared. The other 3 ships of Lars’s fleet stretched in line astern behind them. Lars anticipated that, if an attack was coming, it would be soon. He was hugging the right hand side of a channel with the open sea before him – the more normal route would have been the left, but Lars wanted sea room as he anticipated the Swedes would be hidden by the left bank’s headland, ready to ambush the unsuspecting ships. True enough, as they reached the mouth of the channel, 8 longboats sprung for the shore, their bows leaping from the surge of the oarsmen pulling hard to move the sleek ships through the water. Lars kept his course true as the Swedish boats narrowed the gap between them and his ships. His experienced eye noticed the small mistakes creeping into the movement of the longboats as their haste to close the gap caused a bunching in the Swedish fleet as they battled the wind and waves. The last boat in the line was the obvious target of the Swedes and Lars had boosted the crew in that boat to help repulse any attack. As the Swedes closed, Lars waited for the right moment. Just as it seemed that the Swedes would catch and overwhelm the last ship, Lars unfurled the red signal flag on his main mast. With practised swiftness, the first 3 ships of the line bore away from the wind, their sails filling with the increasing breeze. The ships turned into a line abreast and bore down on the Swedish longboats. Lars leapt to the bow as his ship closed with the rear of the group of longboats. Next to him stood the first mate, carefully aiming the pivot crossbow high in the ship’s bow. When in range he fired and the deadly bolt pinned the longboat’s steersman to the prow, causing his boat to slew into its neighbour. Almost immediately Lars’s boat struck the midships of the first longboat, smashing the boat in two. The ship’s keel bore over the boat to crash into the second longboat turning it into matchwood, its crew, weighed down with their mail shirts, struggling in the water.

Lars glanced to his left – to watch the other two boats have similar success, sinking 2 longboats between them. The remaining Swedish boats now looked to run for cover, but the archers on all 4 ships were now showering the retreating boats with arrows and casualties in the crew made their progress ragged. Many of the arrows were wrapped in rags soaked in oil, which were set alight by small braziers placed around the raised castles on the high sided sailing ships. Plumes of smoke rose from the longboats despite frantic efforts of the crews. Soon it was all over, the mid morning breeze tinged with the acrid smell of burning wood and tar. A few sorry Swedish sailors had been dragged from the sea, but most had perished in in the cold waters of the Baltic.

Word of the Teutonic victory spread like wildfire round the Baltic. Grandmaster Volquin called an emergency meeting of the Grand Order. This treachery by the Swedes would be punished. Over the next 3 years, the Order waged a swift, savage war against the Swedes routing their armies and storming their castles. Despite a rebuke from the Pope, all the Swedish lands were in the Order’s hands, including the fabled weapon shops of Stockholm, makers of the finest blades in the north. At this peak of his success, Grandmaster Volquin past away, leaving his heir Karl to take his place.

There followed a period of relative calm. Karl was an uninspiring leader, more interested in looking at the sun through the webbing between his fingers than conquering new lands. The Order’s armies were refurbished and brought up to strength and all the while a cautious eye was cast towards the east from where tales of the relentless advance of the Mongol horde filled the mead halls with worried faces. Volquin’s dying words had been to beware the Tartars and to let other nations bear the brunt. But now the Order’s treasury was looking increasingly bare, the cost of keeping an army to face the Horde was a severe drain.

One summer’s morning, Grandmaster Karl walked the battlements of Viljandi castle as per normal. The sun felt warm on his shoulders and a blackbird sang in the castle’s market garden as Karl jumped onto his favourite parapet to hold his hand up to the sun. “Look at the pretty colours” he shouted. His personal courtier mumbled his normal affirmation while admiring one of the under maids pinning washing on a line below. His idyll was shattered by a crack and a shout as a piece of poorly fitted masonry broke away from the parapet and pitched Karl into the courtyard below. The under maid ran to her royal master, but, save for a murmured “It was a pretty colour”, it was too late. Later that day, the Grand Council of the Teutonic Order turned to their new Grandmaster to hear his first commands. “Gentlemen, for too long we have been inactive. The time for action is upon us.” The hearty cheers resounded round the chamber and the festival of the wake caroused long into the night.

REFLECTION.
A first I think – a report on a MTW naval battle!! It was the deciding event in this period, so I used the bare facts and a little imagination to flesh it out. This destroyed the Swedish navy, enabling me to invade Sweden with impunity. A regrouping followed, coupled with a weak leader, setting the scene for the next episode…. Which I hope to write soon.