ShattAARed Europe: East Plains Drifters

[Silly]

This is supposed to be an AAR with MiscMods v.799 , with some personal changes that introduce most of Wiz's excellent modifications from AzeriEU3.

There have been some MiscMods-AARs, but none that I saw used the Shattered Europe scenario, so I'm going to do just that. The faction I've chosen is the Qasim Khanate, which is quite a bit more powerful than its mid-1400s one province minor-incarnation.

This is going to be gameplay/light narrative-AAR, trying to have one khan/one update, unless the updates get very long. Initial wars will undoubtedly be reported in more detail than later ones.

Since there is a clear risk that modding will break the save, there's a good chance this'll be over sooner than I'd like. Here's hoping it won't come to that. E: And this is in fact what happened, at around 1710 in-game, which means the game ends a century early.

Goals, house rules:
- National Ideas Sudoku
- Form (a Muslim) Russia
- Play reasonably in ruler character

More will be added as they pop up. Settings are normal across the board, except lucky (none). Difficulty was supposed to be Hard but I forgot to change it before starting the game.

Table of Contents and Rulers

Khans of Qasim Khanate
Qasim al-Qasim, 1399-1407
1. The brief reign of..., in which the neighboring Russian minors are conquered and an alliance with the Golden Horde is formed

Mustafa al-Qasim, 1407-1429
2. The Settler, 1407 - 1420, in which the Khanate expands to the Northeast and settles down
3. The Cunning, 1420 - 1429, in which Bryansk is sneakily taken from the Golden Horde

Dan'yar al-Qasim, 1429-1467
4. The Conqueror, 1429 - 1437, in which Novgorod is conquered
5. The Heretic, 1437 - 1450, in which Patron of Arts is adopted and war on Pskov and Polotsk is declared
6. The Czar, 1450 - 1463, in which the Russian Empire is created
7. Imperator, 1463 - 1467, in which Russia expands westwards and enters the Renaissance

Czars of Russia
Nur Devlet "the Mad" Danyarovic, 1467- 1493
8. The Last Khan, 1467-1485, in which Russia decides to Go East!, and Colonial Ventures is adopted
9. Nur Goes to War, 1485 - 1493, in wich Nur Devlet Goes to War, survives, and later dies.

Boris "Oathbreaker" Devletovich, 1493 - 1515
10. The Renaissance Prince, 1493 - 1504, in which Boris begins to consolidate the nation
11. The Moroccan War, 1504 - 1510, in which Morocco invades the Golden Horde
12. The Oathbreaker, 1510-1515, in which The Golden Horde collapses and Russia begins to Quest for the New World

Ivan "The Old Czar" Borisovich, 1515 - 1557
13. Eastwards!, 1515-1528, in which Minsk is conquered
14. Southwards!, 1528-1534, in which Russia conquers provinces from the Horde and the Timurids
15. The Far Eastern Renaissance, 1534-1546, in which Russia expands southward and eastward, and Humanist Tolerance is adopted
16. To the Pacific!, 1546-1557, in which Kazakhstan is conquered and Russian reaches the Pacific

Jan 'Ali "The New Czar" Ivanovich, 1557 - 1579
17. Caucasian Conquests, 1557-1565, in which Astrakhan and the remnants of the Golden Horde are conquered
18. Sailing to Siberia, 1565-1579, in which the sea route to Siberia round the Cape is discovered.

The Regency of Muhammed Janovich, 1579 - 1591
19. Interregnum, in which Alaska is discovered and Bill of Rights is adopted

Muhammed "The Bored" Janovich, 1579 - 1634
20. Into the Black Earth, 1591-1598, in which Russia conquers a Black Sea Port and the Chernozem
21. War in Siberia, War in the West, 1598-1608, in which the first Sino-Russian war and its consequences are partially resolved
22. The Second Magyaro-Lithuano-Siberian Wars, 1608-1613, in which the events of the two previous updates are repeated
23. Exploring the New World, 1613-1620, in which Russia extricates itself from its wars, and explores more of the New World
24. The Long Peace, 1620-1634, in which nothing much happens in Russia

Nur Devlet "The Serene" Muhamedovich, 1634 -1654
25. The Long Peace, continued, 1634-1648, in which nothing much happens in Russia
26. The Long Peace, still continued, 1648-1654, in which the first Duma is called, but little else happens in Russia

Harun "The Fortunate" Devletovich, 1654 - 1698
27. The Dirigiste, 1654-1665, in which Russia enters the Age of Mercantilism, and Harun accidentally upsets the balance of power in Central Asia
28. The Nationalist, 1665-1672, in which most of Hungary's Russian and Ruthenian provinces are liberated
29. The Enlightened, 1672-1681, in which Russia enters the Enlightenment, and the capital is moved to Neva
30. The Diplomat, 1681-1687, in which an unexpected alliance is forged
31. Central Asian Complications, 1688-1698, in which several wars are fought in Central Asia, and a new heir is chosen

The Regency of Harun II, 1698 - 1710
32. Levantine Levities, 1698-1710, in which Russia gets involved in the Levant, and the al-Qasims successfully hold on to power

Harun II Harunovich, 1698 - 1713
33. A Farewell to Charms, 1710, in which this ends with a whimper

 

[Silly]

Shattered Europe
In the Shattered Europe scenario, the infighting between Christian kings has led to Muslims, Pagans and Mongols having a much stronger foothold on the continent. Iberia is dominated by four Muslim kingdoms – Batalyos, Seville, Zaragoza and Granada, and there are Muslim sultanates in Italy (Urbino and Sicily) and in the Balkans.

A number of Druidic kingdoms challenge the Christian Scotland, Northumberland and England on the British Isles. In Scandinavia, Norway and Sweden were never converted, and fewer crusades were launched into the Baltics, which has left Finland, Estonia and Lithuania as Pagan kingdoms (different shades of Orange).

---

Qasim Khanate
Qasim Khanate doesn't know or care about any of the above. The furthest north of the Mongol khanates, Qasim is in a pretty good spot to create a Muslim Russia, much better than the Smolenskian sultanate. But they don't have a dragon flag, so there you go.

Qasim controls large parts of Moscovy and eastern Novgorod. All provinces are Sunni. Clockwise, we are bordered by the Golden Horde in the east, the tiny sultanate Smolensk to our southwest, three Russian principalities – Moscow, Tver and Yaroslavl – to our west, and to the northwest is Novgorod. The Horde and Novgorod are the clearest threats to the Qasim.

The Qasim Khanate starts out as a steppe horde, and therefore at war with its settled neighbors to the west.

---

The reign of Khan Qasim al-Qasim, 1399 - 1407
Qasim Khanate's khan, Qasim al-Qasim, (QKKQQ, "Full Yurt") has no sufficiently great men at court to include in his Privy Council. The Khan himself is a hopeless spendthrift (-5% tax) and religious devotee (cheaper missionaries, enables Holy War), so we can only assume that there's a number of lavishly decorated mosques in the capital, Ryazan.

The surprisingly large military consists of 31 infantry divisions and 10 cavalry divisions. Considering the provincial supply limit of 10, and Russian winter conditions (at least another -2 to the supply limit), organising the army in One Giant Horde seems suboptimal.

By something similar to the AzeriEU3-rules, the Khanate can choose three National Ideas. Grand Army, Vetting and Church Attendance Duty seemed the most suitable to the nation's needs.

[SUB]I'm going to follow a National Ideas-sudoku rules: each national idea in a row and column must be the only one of its category. Screenshot taken at a later date, the policies are slightly off.[/SUB]

Not wanting to risk rebellions or stab hits, I opt to move one of the military sliders, Land. The reforms result in the mildest hit possible, the non-existent Navy complaining about naval thought suffering. Besides increasing Land focus, future military reforms will most likely be towards increasing Quantity and Defensiveness. Quantity due to the chronic manpower drain of winters, Defensive due to the nation already being geared towards it. Besides, it'll make forts hold on a little longer during inevitable revolts.

The Khanate's lands produce some valuable tradegoods (fur), and some that seem a bit too valuable at the moment (wheat). The Khan hasn't much interest in trade or the affairs of the farmers, anyway, as long as the horde gets its taxes/tribute.

The dominant faction is pushing for the conquest of Tver, which is a long term project owing to the Horde mechanics. Future plans and decisionswise, Qasim Khanate is in the unique position of being able to form both the Mughal Empire and Russia. There's a very small window of opportunity to pull off the former, since it's available only for as long as the Khanate's a horde.

Khan Full Yurt's greatest immediate concern is the stack of 20 pretender rebels in Nizhny Novgorod. Full Yurt leads the horde personally.

While the armies approach Nizhny Novgorod, the Qasim Khanate accepts alliance requests from the Golden Horde, Qara Koyunlu and Chagatai. The alliance with the Golden Horde is more or less a necessity to secure Qasimite independence the coming decades.

The Russian principalities send a number of expeditions into khanate lands while the majority of the horde deals with the pretender, who refuses to die once he's defeated in the first battle of Nizhny Novgorod in January 1400.

Any threat that the western principalities might pose evaporates once Novgorod and Muscovy accept a cheap peace in early 1400, the Khan conceding defeat. The only remaining concern is the Pretender DoomStack, which keeps avoiding annihilation fleeing between Vetluga, Nizhny Novgorod and Murom, mostly for manpower conservation reasons. With half the Khanate's levy engaged in rebel chasing, Tver, Yaroslavl and Smolensk cause a lot more of a headache than they should be. Gulliver, Lilliputs and all that.

In November 1400, the pretender is finally cornered and promptly beheaded in Nizhny Novgorod. This coincides with the Golden Horde sending armies against Smolensk, which leaves the Qasim armies free to engage Tver and Yaroslavl, but also closes the possibility of expanding into that area while still a khanate.

Yaroslavl is the first principality to get sacked, in June 1401. Tver is pacified/sacked during the rest of the year, at the cost of Qasim Khanate's manpower reserve. While both Yaroslavl and Tver have fallen by summer 1402, it is impossible to sue for a reasonable – full annexation is reasonable, no? – peace. Therefore, the war/pillage, rape and plunder of the Russian countryside continues.

On the yurt front, the faith of merchants in Ryazan has nothing better to do, so they get sent to supervise construction of roads in Murom in september 1401 (I've since toned down the event benefits).

In January 1402, artists offer to paint the sacking of Tver. The Khan assents.

After a long wait spent on infrastructure investments, Yaroslavl submits in november 1403. Seeing as it's Orthodox and the khan's a devout Muslim, the national focus is shifted to Vladimir – that also borders Tver – to increase odds of missionaries succeeding.

The Orthodox province also enables Jizya, a tax on non-Muslim subjects, which is promptly instituted, giving not only the usual tax boost and stability cost penalty, but also -2 missionaries/year, which I'd forgotten I'd added. Tver'll be more difficult to convert, I guess. Further, khan Full Yurt institutes a Sheikh ul-Islam office and decides to favor the Maliki school, since it justifies harsher taxes on our Muslims subjects as well.

In June 1404, the province of Tver submits. Khanate elders decide that it'd be a good idea to pursue vassalization of the rest of the principality. Khan Full Yurt, not the brightest diplomat in the world, goes ahead to do just that. This causes a lot of infamy, but the Qasim's not a trading power anyway.

With the two tiny principalities conquered, khan Full Yurt declares himself a Caliph in August 1404. No one abroad takes the khan seriously enough to protest.

After the subjugation of Tver, the khanate enters a long period of peace, resulting in at least one heir being... disposed of. During the interbellum, khanates around the world begin to settle, beginning with the Oirat Horde in October 1405. The next khan to fall for the settled ways is the Golden Horde, in March 1407. Which means war.

A war neither side is eager to prosecute, which makes it a very short one. The most concerning consequence is that the Golden Horde breaks their alliance with the Qasim Khanate, which is a Bad Thing for the long-term independence of the Qasims.

Not quite as concerning is that khan Full Yurt is found dead at the end of November 1407. The heir apparent, Mustafa Ali, brilliant in all things except diplomacy, is not of age, so a regency council has to see off the pretenders and nationalists rising against Mustafa Ali's rule.

 

[Silly]

The reign of Mustafa Ali, pt 1: The Settler, 1407-1420
The tribal succession crisis is quite mild. The hordes, spread thin because of the harsh Russian vinters, are called to the Vladimir region to see off the rebellions.

With sufficient forces mustered, the outcome is not in doubt. The fighting that ensues does however whittle down the Khanate's manpower reserves. Moreover, the rebel forces are tenacious enough for the rebellions to be defeated only in April 1409, at a considerable cost of lives. The Regency favors the Shafi'i school in these difficult times.

The crisis also leaves the khanate short on cash, so the Regency jumps at the opportunity in June 1409 to arrange the first sale of noble titles to recently conquered areas. These reforms are later followed by banning some of the worst excesses of serfdom in June 1411, the first few steps towards dragging the khanate kicking and screaming into the modern world.

Not content with those reforms, and in another great but surprisingly easy step towards modernity, the Regency decides that establishing settlements in the style of the Golden Horde – and to get closer ties with our southern neighbor – is more important than the good clean yurt life. A year before the accession of Mustafa Ali, the horde is no longer a horde.

The Regency's decision drastically lowers the military capacity of the nation, which causes some concern, given the continued threat posed by the Novgorodian Republic.

In October 1414, Mustafa Ali al-Qasim (also known as Muzak) is finally of age. While a brilliant administrator and general, he has no particular traits.

Khan Muzak continues the rapprochement towards the Golden Horde by favoring the Hanafi school. This is enough for the Horde to offer a renewal of the alliance, which is gladly accepted. The Jizya is also revoked, in order to convert Tver and Yaroslavl.

The Khan's weak diplomatic ability causes the stability of the nation to further deterioriate when he can't quite convince provincial governors to stay in line. The Khan turns to the age-old remedy for internal woes: an external foe.

Preparations for the war against Muscovy consists mainly of waiting for infamy to go away and manpower reserves to recover. The timetable keeps getting pushed back as further armies are mustered, well above forcelimits, straining the Qasimite treasury. Finally, in January 1418, Khan Muzak declares war on Muscovy. The Muscovites are joined by all their allies, including Novgorod.

The Qasim Khanate's strategy is pretty simple: hit Muscovy hard and fast, annex both her provinces (that the Qasims have cores on), then broker a quick peace with Novgorod. Anything north of Vladimir is expendable, but some decoy mercenary armies are sent to siege Beloozersk and Arkhangelsk.

The first six months go according to plan. Muscovy's troops are swiftly defeated, but Novgorod, Polotsk and Pskov bring in more troops than expected, and are quicker to advance the sieges on Tver and Yaroslavl than hoped.

With the sieges on Vyazma under no immediate danger to be broken, Golden Horde is called in to bring in a quicker peace. Muscovy is annexed shortly after the Horde enters the war.

Our Golden Horde allies drive out our enemies from the Tverian front, and the Khanate sends an expedition to Smolensk in August 1418. Khan Muzak sees an opportunity for more expansion than planned for, not caring about the diplomatic repercussions.

Smolensk is sacked less than two months later, and is followed by a the sack of Kholm in February 1419 and an unexpected sacking of Arkhangelsk. Those mercenaries really wanted that loot. The three sackings, together with the Golden Horde's presence, gives khan Muzak a surprisingly strong position to press his claims.

The peace settlement leaves the Qasim Khanate's diplomatic position in tatters. Khan Muzak appoints a (rather poor) diplomat to deal with the problem. As long as the Kipchaks don't mind, no worries.

Timurids, one of the many alliances that the khans's predecessor entered, calls to arms in March 1419. They have attacked the Ottomans, who have no practical way to reach Qasim. Muzak answers the call.

In October 1419 a delegation of Ottoman diplomats presents the Turks' demands: that the Qasimite vasallisation of Tver be ended. Muzak, surprisingly, agrees.

...since Tver is easy enough to just conquer right while the Ottomans delegation is still preparing for departure. The Khan did however miss that the peace also stipulated the alliance with the Golden Horde be ended, but that's easy enough to renew. Thankfully.

Six years into khan Muzak's reign, the Qasim Khanate is the most powerful force north of the Golden Horde. The khanate also has enough infamy to burn off for the remaining Russian and Pagan principalities not to be under any immediate danger.

Further west, the most noticeable changes are Hungary expanding eastwards and Lithuania towards the Baltic. Leinster has absorbed Connacht and Britanny has annexed Normandy. The Italian sultanates Urbino and Sicily are on the brink of collapse.

The Khan abides.

 

[trekfan]

This is amazing. Are you using the DAO map or am I seeing things?

 

[Derahan]

a really good start you got there Though you really need to watch the Golden Horde and eating up the Russians is a very good idea! you might even be able to culture convert to Russian and form Russia!

 

[Silly]

trekfan, thanks, and I'm using Kerschey's mapmod for miscmod which I do believe is based on DAO.

Derahan, yes, I would even say a suspiciously good start. At around 1420 I realized I had in fact forgotten to switch difficulty to Hard like it was supposed to. Some later... turns of events would probably have been impossible on higher difficulties.

Regarding forming Russia/al-Rus, Qasim Khanate has no need to culture convert to Russian to form the nation, it starts out that way (which is true in vanilla too, if playing the OPM incarnation is more up one's alley).

Oh, and I'm afraid this is going to be on a shortish hiatus the next couple of weeks but should be back in August.

 

[Silly]

Sorry for the way longer than expected hiatus, should probably not happen again.

Malik Mustafa Ali, pt 2: The Cunning, 1420-1429
A minor census conducted in the spring of 1420 shows the heavy toll of the recent wars. The poor availabilty of reserves is worsened by the undersized administration, which even Muzak can't do anything about.

The khanate's main priority during 1420 is to renew the alliance with the Golden Horde. A series of diplomatic blunders, later called the Kouban Missive Crisis (involving diplomatic missives getting lost on the Volga, turning up in Kouban, missing the Malik's seal, etc.), are resolved by the Golden Horde doing the invitation. Which is gladly accepted.

The renewed alliance means the Khanate's kept up to date with the Golden Horde's succession crisis, which erupts in January 1421 with accession of Shadi Beg Khan Gengishid.

The crisis offers a moral dilemma for Malik Muzak. As the majority of the Golden Horde forces are tied in the east, they are unable to deal with the Smolenskian rising in Bryansk. The council of elders, pushing for war on Lithuania, is content with the Malik's decision to order Qasim Khanate forces to remain on Qasim's side of the border. Who are we to deal with the Horde's internal affairs?

The Malik is offered a chance for redemption, of sorts, when a makeshift alliance, the Crimean League, of Zaporozhie, Georgia and Crimea jump on the opportunity offered by Horde's perceived weakness and declare war on the Horde at the end of the month. Qasim Khanate joins the Horde's side, although not committing any troops to the war effort.

Regarding the crushing of Lithuania, the Malik fails to live up to the council's expectations. After the fall of Bryansk in May 1421, the council is quite content to let the Malik decide foreign policy priorities.

The Smolenskian rebels do, of course, not respect national borders and cause a lot of troubles throughout 1421 and 1422, exacerbating the continuing difficulties in raising manpower reserves. The Qasim Khanate's difficulties pale in comparison the Horde's, of course.

The Horde's difficulties of keeping the internal peace are caused by Shadi Beg Khan prioritizing the war against the Crimean League, who are forced to accept terms by October 1421.

The Malik, content with the sitzkrieg tactics, makes army reforms towards an even more defensively oriented army. The aristocracy does not like the reforms.

In September 1423 news reach Ryazan from the sultanate of Zaragoza, which has collapsed. In the sultan's place, a self-styled Lord Protector of the Ummah ascends the throne. The Qasim Khanate, not having any interests in the area, does not really do anything with the information.

In April 1424, the situation in Bryansk is finally resolved with the Smolenskian Sultanate declaring a short-lived independence. Before the envoy from the Horde has even arrived, the Qasim Khanate is at war with Smolensk.

This one's for keeps.

The campaign takes its toll on the Malik's health, which the aristocracy soon exploits to push their agenda.

The Malik still has the support of the overextended bureaucracy, though. Shouldn't probably exploit bugs caused by my own modding in the future. Feels almost like... modsturbation?

Bryansk is sacked in September 1424. While the sultanate offers quite tempting peace terms, Malik Muzak pushes for full annexation. The Horde is not thrilled, but on the other hand, it takes the quarrelsome region off their hands.

Moreover, the Golden Horde is clearly turning its attention southwards, moving its position forwards in the Delhi Sultanate and joining her wars. Which means the Qasim Khanate finds itself at war with countries half a world away, who few Qasimites have ever heard of, let alone visited.

A year later, the Horde asks Qasim to join in against the Jalayirids. Besides the Delhi Sultanate, the Mesopotamian Mongols have profited the most from the gradual disintegration of the Timurid Empire. The troubles of the tripartite Timurids make even the Horde's internal problems seem trivial.

In 1425, Malik Muzak entertains some plans on increasing the Qasimite trade presence in Astrakhan. The plans are soon scrapped. Instead, the Golden Horde's continued friendship is somewhat secured by granting their troops full rights of passage through Qasimite lands.

To the nation's immediate south, the latter half the 1420s sees the Zaporozhie Khanate successfully absorbing the Crimean Khanate. This is of little immediate concern to the Qasim.

Rather, with the manpower reserves replenished, the Malik has turned his attention northwards. Levies are mustered/army maintenance is cranked up and moved towards the Novgorodian border in preparation of war. Unfortunately, this proves a too heavy strain on the Malik's health. In August 1429, Malik Muzak the Cunning, passes away. Like Muzak's father before him, the heir apparent, Dan'yar is not of age.

The usual heated negotiations ensue, but again quite mild – undoubtedly owing to the martial prowess of Dan'yar.

 

[Silly]

Malik Dan'yar, pt 1: The Conqueror, 1429-1437
Quite mild is still quite concerning. Fortunately, the pretender gathering troops in Moscow is not overly concerned with logistics, which the coming Russian winter is soon to punish.

The revolts are also many enough to force the Tula corps to stay as reserves, pending the results of battles in Rzhev and Bryansk.

The regency is forced to drum up more troops, but by the time the other rebellions are dealt with by the end of January 1430, the fort of Moscow is still standing strong and the winter has reduced the Pretender's levy by more than 10,000 men. When the (almost) full might of the loyalist levies fall upon the pretender at the end of March, the former outnumber the latter two to one.

The pretender escapes, but is hunted down in Tver. By June, the succession is secure, but the giant concentrations of troops well above what the land can support has had a horrific human toll. Besides all the looting, raping and murdering, that is. Dan'yars Regency, unlike Muzak's, favors the Hanafi school, in hopes of avoiding further revolts.

The liberal orientation of the Regency is made even more clear by its submissive attitude to serf petitions.

Dan'yar is not exceptional in any one area (ADM 7, DIP 6, MIL 5), but is not bad at anything either. Learning from the Regency's example, he treats his subjects with a surprising amount of respect and is an inspirational leader for his troops. Which will be needed, since his accession in March 1433 triggers another wave of revolts.

This time around, the pretender doomstack is weakened by having to fight Orthodox zealots in Moscow.

With surprisingly little concern for supplying his troops Dan'yar orders an assault on Moscow in the heart of winter.

Again outnumbering a pretender two to one, and again beheading the pretender in Tver a few months later, Dan'yars second succession crisis is over in April 1433. To honor and compensate for the losses suffered by the peasantry, the new malik further curbs serfdom.

Dan'yar shares his father's Novgorodian ambitions, but unlike Malik Muzak, lacks the military acumen and patience. While the country is still recovering from the succession crisis, Dan'yar surprisingly declares war on the Republic in July 1435.

Dan'yar's aim is simple: to annex Novgorod. The greatest concern is the southern front, where Novgorod's ally Polotsk will be in a good position to cause bad things for the Qasimites. It is also going to be very expensive war, seeing as the Khanate will have to rely on mercenaries to fill out the ranks.

An overwhelming Polotskian cavalry force drives back the first Qasimite expedition into Kholm in October 1435.

The are some concerns about an impending full military collapse as a significantly outnumbered Novgorodian force somehow snatches victory from the jaws of defeat, driving out Qasimite armies from Olonets just a few weeks later.

Thankfully, the southern front holds, which proves a turning point in the war.

This is because the successful defense of Smolensk forces Polotsk, unable to cope with their losses, to accept a white peace in March 1436.

Not that the Qasim could use peace. Less than 500 men are available at any one time to replenish armies. Moreover, the Merchant class proves just as (if not more) opportunistic as the Aristocracy, exploiting the situation to push through some of their demands in June 1436. The Malik promises them that they will be trading in Novgorod before the year is over.

Surprisingly, he seems to be almost good for his word. Kholm, Olonets and Novgorod are sacked in quick succession between July and September. However, the southern forces, decimated by their engagements with the Polotskians, are unable to contain a Novgorodian force, leading to the temporary loss of Vyazma.

The last Novgorodian home province, Beloozersk, falls in October 1436, but by the time the – also heavily decimated – northern levies reach Vyazma it is already January. Not quite what was promised, but the merchants are not really in a position to complain. There's only so far you can push your luck.

In March 1437 Malik Dan'yar the Conqueror annexes Novgorod, at an almost incalculable cost of human lives.

Which doesn't stop the Qasimite Treasury from offering an estimate, down to the last kopek.

 

[MrQwerty]

An excellent victory over Novgorod, even if it means more rebels in the next succession crisis. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to further conquests .

 

[Silly]

Thanks, I suppose, MrQwerty. Further conquests... well, it's a Russian principality, so it's hard to avoid (even though I tried!). Anyhow.

---

Malik Dan'yar, pt 2: The Heretic, 1437-1450
With the conquest of Novgorod Qasim controls a center of trade, which is a great boon for the nation's income. Without increasing inflation (already approaching 10%), the budget runs a surplus, which is far too little for Dan'yar's needs and ambitions.

The lands to Qasim's west are a part of both, but need time to be mapped before any proper plans can be made.

The army, which is left in a sorry and rather diminished state after the Novgorodian Conquest, is also in need of time, as is the economy, which is in dire need of investments and reconstruction. Stability's also very slow to recover, partially because of the Jizya and the teachings of the Hanafi school.

Reconstruction efforts are disrupted by recurring revolts in Novgorodian lands – usually Orthodox zealots unhappy with the Jizya – and Golden Horde calling on the Qasim to wage war against the Timurids. The tripartite Timurid tribe just can't catch a break.

In Europe, the Christian nations are staging a comeback during the 1440s. On the British Isles, the Christian states Lancaster, Scotland and England are in a good position to convert the rest of the isles.

In Italy, only the sultanate of Urbino remains by October 1443.

To the Khanate's immediate southwest, the spread of Hungary into Muslim and Animist lands is concerning.

In the East, things are like they usually are. Ming are still tech leaders, and have an impressive number of vassals.

In the Middle East, the Mamluks are weaker than usual, and Ethiopia far stronger than usual.

In Iberia, the Muslim states are more keen on infighting than finishing the Reconquista. The Islamic Republic Dictatorship of Zaragoza is beset on all sides, and is the state closest to collapse, like Algiers has at the hands of Morocco.

In June 1444, Urus Mohammed arrives in Ryazan. He swiftly gains a seat on the malik's privy council.

The Christian and Pagan states to Qasim Khanate's west have created a complex web of Warnings, Guarantees and Alliances, but are not keen on declaring war against the Qasimites, even in the Khanate's state of weakness. They are however rather keen on trying out how well Vetting protects against espionage.

The difficulties on the countryside and lifted restrictions on travel and moving causes former serfs to seek out a living in the cities. Dan'yar is forced to accept these developments, although they nullify years of efforts trying to stabilize the country.

Education reforms in 1447 (towards more Innovativeness) are celebrated by the establishment of an Ibadat Khana, the great malik wishing to learn more about the beliefs of the conquered lands.

Religious leaders are concerned about these developments.

Dan'yar is, however, determined, and like his grandfather becomes known for favoring the Arts.

Not having the help of the mosques in stabilizing the country does however make the malik's position more difficult. At least all the constables built help allievate the worst difficulties in administering the nation.

By 1448, the lands to the nation's west have been mapped. The war of the Swedish conquest of Estland, which has been going on for some while, seems to have spread from Finland to Lithuania.

Perceiving a weakness, Qasimite hordes are mustered and sent westwards.

Polotsk is, however, quicker to exploit the Lithuanian situation, conquering Mogilev. Which is a blessing in disguise to the malik. A thoroughly ill prepared war on Polotsk and Pskov is declared in May 1450.

The malik can only hope that it will be over soon.

 

[unmerged(271387)]

How did you merge miscmods with azeri eu3?Could you release it please?

 

[trekfan]

This is an excellent AAR. When you finish this one (And I know you will, RIGHT???????????????) will you be doing another one?

 

[Silly]

videofan, it took quite a while and still has some bugs. It's available in the MiscMods-thread.

trekfan, thanks again, and I've played up to about 1613 so there's at least quite a few updates to go. I'll probably do another one after that, but that's verrrry far off.

 

[Silly]

Malik Dan'yar, pt 3: The Czar, 1450 - 1463
The Qasimite war effort against Polotsk runs into problems less than two months after it's begun. In June, a numerically slightly inferior combined force of Polotskians and Pskovians defeat Qasimite armies in Kholm. The defensive tactics of the Qasimites and difficulties in levying recruits are generally blamed. Reinforcements from Novgorod are needed to drive the enemy out.

Even with the Pskovian army marauding the Qasimite countryside, they are unable to lift the siege on Pskov. In July 1450, Pskov is sacked.

Against the diplomatic corps' advice, Malik Dan'yar demands the full annexation of Pskov, which rather puts a dent on Qasim's reputation.

The annexation does however have the added benefit of leaving the Polotskian forces facing far superior numbers of Qasimites, which removes any potential threat they might have posed against the Khanate. First Mogilev, then Polotsk, are sacked in September 1450. Dan'yars peace terms are surprisingly humble.

There's a simple reason for this. Mogilev is sufficient to press another, more important claim. On September 22nd, 1450, Dan'yar proclaims himself the Czar of Russia. His title, tracing back its roots to Rome rather than the Middle-Eastern or Persian sultan, caliph or shah, is widely seen as a signal of Qasim seeking closer association to and establishing a sphere of interest in Northern Europe.

The somewhat ugly chosen coat of arms is the Qasim dragon gilded, standing on a field of black, representing the past, red, representing the blood that has been spilled in the creation of the Empire, and green, representing hope, Islam and the future. At least that's what Dan'yars inept vexillologists say.

Of course, calling himself the Czar of Russia does little to pacify and stabilize the country. In October 1452, Dan'yar does a minor privy council shakeup, appointing Afanasiy Kasimovskiy as Court Theologian and Edvárd Belezany to aid Urus Mohammed's efforts in establishing Qasimite trade.

Belezany initiates another round of sales of titles to recently conquered lands.

Meanwhile, the Golden Horde's interests are spread further and further off. In January 1455 the stalwart allies of the Russian Empire request our aid in the war against the Oirats and a number of kingdoms in Indochina. At least the war provides a pretext for passing a recruitment act to improve the Empire's available manpower.

Shamanist Finland and Asatru Sweden – who shares a border with Russia after annexing its Estonian vassal state in the autumn of 1455 – mistake this as a sign of aggression on Russia's part. By October 1455, the nation is warned by all of its western neighbors.

The Western neighbors are not alone in that impression, even the Imperial Senate is under the impression that Dan'yar is still pursuing expansionary policies.

The Czar disappoints them, and goes on to agree to a most unexpected alliance.

Belezany passes away in 1458, and is replaced by the High Judge Nikodim Kasimovsky, who is tasked with overseeing the efforts to centralize the complicated bureaucratic structure created by the rapid transformation of Russian society.

Nikodim's efforts are not widely appreciated.

Nevertheless, with the aid of Nikodim and Afansiy Kasimovsky, the Empire is slowly stabilized. It just takes a moment to bring the country back right where they started when in 1462, the Golden Horde calls to arms.

Afanasiy Kasimovskiy is, however, not so easily discouraged.

Kasimovskiy's efforts are soon nullified, this time by the Czar himself. Czar Dan'yar has decided to pursue further expansion West.

 

[PrawnStar]

Subscribing - looks fun.

 

[Silly]

Thanks, though it's rather a walk in the park compared with your AARs.

 

[Deus Eversor]

oh no a muslim russia... it couldnt be more evil

 

[Silly]

Czar Dan'yar, pt 4: Imperator, 1463 - 1467
The timing of the First Western Wars is easy enough to understand. Sweden is in deep trouble in its war against Denmark and Riga, leaving the Russian claims on Ingria (owned by Sweden), Neva (owned by Riga), Kexholm (owned by Finland) and Karelia (likewise) lightly defended and less likely to lead to wars spiraling out of control.

Further, the long preceding period of peace has left Russia with a considerable manpower reserve.

Separate wars are declared on Sweden, Finland and Riga in January 1463.

Again, the defensive tactics of Russia have rather dire results when on the offensive.

The Rigan forces are however far too few to stop the Russian advance. Riga's position is further worsened by Hungary accepting Russia's call to arms in March 1463.

When in doubt, bring more troops.

The Conquest of Karelia is the easiest to accomplish, with the Finns accepting peace in July 1463. The Hungarian offensive into Nyland undoubtedly helped.

Sweden, whom Russia is unable to reach beyond Estonia, take a while longer to accept defeat, but submit in September 1463 to ceding Ingria to Russia.

With Russian war capacity greatly improved by the two peace treaties, even Riga can be convinced to cede Neva in November 1463.

The horrors of the Western Wars coincide with the wonders of the Russian Renaissance.

Dan'yar, not content and fully determined to decimate Russia's manpower, decides to press Russia's claims on Polotsk in February 1464. Much like the war on Novgorod, the war is quite poorly planned and timed.

This could be defended on the grounds that the Czar could hardly have expected the rather bizarre situation of Poland and Lithuania being simultaneously at war with and allied to each other.

Unfortunately, Poland decides that Russia is a greater threat than Lithuania, and concludes a peace treaty with Lithuania in May 1464, leaving the spoils of Lithuania to German minors.

This causes the situation on the Western Front to deteriorate.

A situation naturally exploited by Aristocrats (the Czar chooses to accept their demands, though).

Dan'yar makes the rather controversial decision to let Poland and her allies largely free to siege Neva and Bryansk, concentrating on bringing a rapid conclusion to the war with Polotsk and expelling Polish forces from Novgorod. The brilliant Polotskian general is almost, but not quite, able to turn back the vastly superior Russian numbers.

Fortunately, a Russian colonel rather distinguishes himself in the battle of Novgorod. In what is later seen as the turning point of the war, Nikita Potemkin is appointed Grand Marshal of Russia in November 1464, preventing the destruction of the Northern armies and pursuing the Polish to the Baltic.

Potemkin's contribution is all the more important, considering the diplomatic blunder of not calling Hungary to the nation's side earlier. Instead, the Magyars join the war on Poland's side, abandoning the fragile alliance.

Fortunately, Polotsk falls and is annexed soon after Hungary enters the war, and it turns out to have been blessing in disguise, since the Magyars are quite willing to accept white peace in the new year. Dan'yar, who is lucky not to lost what he created, is quite content to spend his remaining years overseeing the construction of Workshops across Russia.

Czar Dan'yar passes away in September 1467. It's unclear whether his heir, Nur Devlet, will follow in the footsteps of Dan'yar the Tyrant, who caused the death of hundreds of thousands in his wars of aggression or Dan'yar the Emancipator, who reduced serfdom, and generously gave patronage to artists and philosophers.

 

[Sjiveru]

This is quite interesting. Keep it up!

 

[Silly]

Czar Nur Devlet, pt 1: The Last Khan, 1467 - 1485
Nur Devlet is decidedly a better fit for the role of Tyrant. He would have been a great Khan, with great military prowess (9) and little care for other regal duties. Unfortunately, he sees himself as the Emancipator, who bring stability and peace to Russia.

His son and heir is named the most typically Russian name that the imperial family could think of. Looks like I'd forgotten to add Qasimite leadernames to Russia, eh.

Urus Mohammed's efforts to improve Russian trade customs come to fruition with remarkable timing in December 1467, while inauguration feasts are still celebrated.

But it's still a long way to go to a fully stable Russia.

The Russian diplomatic and espionage corps have been badly underfunded, which is why the Czar is surprised that the Khan of the Golden Horde greets him as a relative, during the Czar's visit to Sarai. The claim is very covertly verified.

Given the Czar's lack of interest in the administrative and diplomatic affairs, and the Empire's poor position to wage wars – most claims are on lands owned by the Golden Horde, which look rather unlikely to be conquered by force. Nur Devlet's reign is therefore largely dominated by improving and expanding the Imperial Civil Service. A great concern is the perennial lack of technological investments, worsened by the simultaneous need to mint less – to ease inflation – and more – to fund infrastructural projects.

A complicating factor is the Czar himself. Nur Devlet is not very popular among Russia's civil servants, nor among religious leaders who frown on the Czar's taste for wine.

Because of the Czar's... eccentric tendencies, it remains a bit uncertain exactly what his Declaration of Freedom of Movement of March 1471 really means. The proverbial cat is, however, out of the bag by the time Czar recovers from the New Years' celebrations.

A seminar hosted at Ryazan's Ibadat Khana during the winter of 1471-1472 notes the stunning fact that Russia is the only country in Europe – and likely the world – with provinces where the majority of the people are Orthodox Christians. Nur Devlet Danyarovich, deeply moved by the plight of the Orthodox, declares that no Orthodox Christian shall fear persecution or forced conversion in Russia. His adjutants help the Czar to quickly add that this is, of course, contingent on paying the Jizya.

While not squandering the Treasury or inofficially making himself Defender of Faiths he doesn't even believe in, Nur Devlet Danyarovich does use his military acumen to further improve the army's defensive tactics in August 1472.

By January 1473, technological advances and improved quality of the Civil Service has decreased the load on the Imperial administration. It's still overextended, just less so.

To the Czar's dismay, The Golden Horde's first call to arms concerns the Kipchacks' Indian interests, which means few opportunities for glory.

The Czar seeks solace in the Art of Statesmanship, to the Treasury's dismay.

The Czar is at some length convinced that his statesmanship can be honed even further by a proper tutor. The philosopher Lazar Kutuzov is invited to Ryazan in December 1475.

Kutuzov's first success is convincing the Czar to, like his forebears, favor the Hanafi school. Kutuzov's grand opus The Malik, about Dan'yar – containing much praise for the first Czar's underhanded diplomatic manuevering – is intended to ingratiate himself with the Czar, but backfires when Nur Devlet explores the opportunity of having the Golden Horde's heir assassinated.

As luck has it, the Treasury is unable to work out the financial arrangements. The Khan of the Golden Horde passes away not long after, in March 1482, and is succeeded by Mahmud Qasim. This does not stop Nur Devlet Danyarovich from occassionaly referring to himself as the Khan of the Golden Horde (and dressing the part).

With the czar's attention elsewhere, the Civil Service – with prince Boris rumored supprot – continues to drag the empire kicking and screaming into the future. Or at least to Siberia, or more precisely the frozen wastelands beyond Arkhangelsk and Karelia, declaring on the Czar's behalf his intentions to colonize the North in March 1480.

By the time the Czar is informed of his decision, Nur Devlet Danyarovich becomes very proud of himself. The Czar personally oversees the first several attempts to establish colonies in Kola.

The Czar, content with his progress (sooner or later, the colonisation efforts will succeed), proceeds to declare the establishment of the Imperial Shipwrights' Guild in August 1480. It takes the failure of the third Kola Company to finally convince the Czar that the Guild should be disbanded in favor of establishing a Colonial Office in January 1485.

This sudden reversal of policies cause considerable instability, and particularly damages peoples' faith in the imperial institutions.

At least the first Russian settlement is successfully created on the Kola peninsula in December 1485.