January – June 1068
It was an impossible task holding down such a vast city and its population, to control the fortress, city walls, and the countryside around it. This was a situation which would’ve gotten quickly out of hand were it not for the disease which had sapped the will of the people to throw off these Christian interlopers. This didn’t, however, decrease the sense of foreboding that gripped the halls of the castle where Alessandro, the self-titled “Count of Alexandria”, huddled with his small army.
If he was going to last in Egypt, he would have to move quickly, first establishing a system of rule that would both maintain his authority as “Count” and make his erstwhile comrades happy. He needed their support as much as they needed his leadership and in this mutual setup of common need, the first baby steps of the Condulmer reign in Alexandria were feudal.
It was only natural that Alessandro’s reign would have to be feudal
Of course, all of this banked upon there being an actual government. If he was the ruler, Alessandro certainly could not rule alone. He had bold plans and if he turned his back on his compatriots for an instant, they’d usurp his position if they suspected any weakness. They were pirates after all. Thus, he needed to co-opt allies. Like the feudal system of territory – of little use in a single county – the fledgling Alexandrian court was a product of necessity. It simply had to be this way. The problem was, most of the bandits and pirates he associated with were ill-equipped to assume any responsibility and were illiterate. This was handy in his election as Count, but it also meant he had few people to turn to for those necessary court officials. Thus, this contributed to a high proportion of native women who were elevated early on in Alessandro’s rule.
The promotion of local women to positions of power was controversial
With names like Abdel and al-Nasser, it was easy to suspect the religious leanings of these impromptu officials. Yet each person, when put to the test – verbally – by Alessandro, swore to be both Italian and Catholic, a handy coincidence that fooled few. Rumors abounded that the new chancellor, Livia Abdel, was merely a midwife and a distant cousin of one of the raiders while Clara al-Nasser, the steward to be, had simply been well qualified at stewarding laundry. Adelasia al-Mou, another professed Italian Catholic, was the only candidate who would not speak her mind. Indeed, she was quiet and shy, which fooled some into thinking she could keep a secret. This was an inauspicious beginning, and reflected the poor state of affairs in Alexandria. Fearing rivals, it was widely noted that Alessandro did not appoint a military commander. Of course, no one among his army wanted the job. As for priests, the less said the better.
To foster some positive outlook by the Church, the “Count” was generous enough to institute a poor fund in the city and aid survivors of the plague, which lessened some of the hostility of the province, yet religious orders were non-existent and the goodwill of the Church was hundreds of miles away.
Perhaps it was the high percentage of women at court that made Alessandro consider his marital prospects. Barring military defeat, the lack of an heir was the greatest danger to their sojourn in Egypt. Simply put, he needed a wife. Young though he was, he was not a fool and counted on a European wife to enlist some sympathy for his cause back home. Actually, a European wife would help the nobility back home to realize he was even there. Accordingly, feelers were put out to some of the nobles in southern Italy, looking for a wife of youth, fertility, and ignorance as to the state of affairs in Alexandria.
Umfreda Marachas was a decent prospect and was known for her gossip and intrigues in the County of Reggio. A minor personage in a minor county was likely the best Alessandro could hope for.
Fooled into thinking that these were the Venetian Condulmers looking for a wife, her liege and family accepted the proposal, and naively sent both daughter and dowry on a ship which was not bound for Venice. By the time she had arrived in Alexandria, it was too late to notice. Besides, Alessandro wasn’t too bad looking.
Indeed, it was clear that there must be a modicum of attraction of at least duty, for Umfredo was soon expecting.
The diplomatic had move surprised the bandits, who promptly cancelled their planned mutiny and decided to continue supporting “Count” Alessandro. A Countess was sure to liven things up at court, grant an ounce of legitimacy to her husband’s reign, and provide someone he could trust to govern his state when on campaign. In addition, the influx of needed gold was sure to help the financial stability of the realm.
With domestic affairs arranged as best they could, Alessandro proceeded to announce his arrival in Egypt with a bang. Rather than wait for the King of Egypt to conclude his campaign in Tripoli and squash the Alexandrian upstart, the Christian leader chose to attack one of his smaller neighbors to the west, the unfortunate Sheik of Al Alamayn. If Egypt stayed out of the fight, Alessandro could hope for even odds in the coming war. If he lost, he might as well lay his head on the block.
The best defense in Egypt was a daring offense…
True to form, Al Alamayn’s direct lord, the Emir of Cyrenaica, supported his vassal against Alexandria’s sudden aggression. Yet critically, Egypt ignored pleas of help, content to beat down sheiks rather than counts. This gave Alessandro the opening he desired. Mustering what troops he could find, leaving sufficient to garrison the port city, he set up to seize his neighbor’s lands with gusto, with just under two thousand soldiers.
Alessandro received an early boost when a northerly wind blew two more pirate vessels into the harbor prior to his departure. Their commander, Damiao, was exhausted, grateful for their rescue, and senior enough to be counted upon in a scrap. Having heard of his reputation during their brief association back west, Damiao was appointed the military commander in Alessandro’s absence. Better still, Damiao passed the verbal test, professing himself to be Italian and Catholic!
The Count’s opening maneuvers were hampered by a lack of horses. None survived the long drift eastward across the Mediterranean and few enough were found in Alexandria. What could be appropriated were taken from local families and farms, some abandoned when their masters died off from disease, others taken with the promise of reimbursement when there was actually money to spare. The mounts facilitated the transport of the army and were hardly counted upon as cavalry. Yet it was enough to led the small Alexandrian army to their first victory.
This first battle was too small an affair to properly be given a geographical name. Suffice to say, Alessandro and his men had survived. What followed was a hasty pursuit and makeshift siege of the Sheik’s small fortress. This was risky enough as the Emir’s forces were gathering for a counterstroke and threatened his flank and rear.
Yet the early victory had impressed some of the Emir’s subject enough to grant Alessandro a seperate piece. Certainly the Sheik of Tobruk – future target – was wise enough to remove himself from the field with minimal financial loss. Each sheik’s defeat in turn meant fewer troops to oppose him. And starting with even odds, Alessandro’s prospects grew.
The siege ground on steadily with some success, the Emir resorting to a strategy of piecemeal attack. First Al Alamayn, then Tobruk, then Quattara, and then the Senoussi, attacked the Christian lines and failed miserably.
Al Alamayn was now willing to give everything they had except their land and their lives, which was the very goal of the Alexandrian attack. So they would have to wait until they put forward a more appropriate peace offer – or were killed.
By late spring, the Emir’s forces refused to give in. Although Alessandro fought a second defensive victory over the Emir himself, enemy raiders were already moving dangerously close to Alexandria itself, a cause for concern as the day temperatures rose.
These invaders inspired local warriors to pillage and raid in their own right, giving rise to growing banditry in a county ruled by pirates.
Perhaps playing for time, his foe offered money yet still no territory, contriving to keep the Christian army in the field, where the summer heat would wilt them.
This worried Alessandro, though he was counting on the imminent collapse of the enemy defenses and the capture or death of the Sheik.
