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So did I understand that Venice became the vassals of Hungary or Austria with that last post, or did you take some literary license. Regardless, that was a haunting scene that described the Venetian cannibals. And I was trying to eat lunch, SeanB! 
Good luck in this coming war, and it sounds as if you got a spot of luck without Austria joining in.
Good luck in this coming war, and it sounds as if you got a spot of luck without Austria joining in.
coz1 said:So did I understand that Venice became the vassals of Hungary or Austria with that last post, or did you take some literary license. Regardless, that was a haunting scene that described the Venetian cannibals. And I was trying to eat lunch, SeanB!
Good luck in this coming war, and it sounds as if you got a spot of luck without Austria joining in.
No, they are vassals of the Byzantine Empire, its in the post before the last, at the end.
So in-game, Venice is your vassal. I got confused because you wrote this in the previous update:
I guess I just assumed that the Diet accepted so you were setting them up as Hungary's vassal (I guess just in the story.)
coz1 said:
No no, the current Doge escaped, remember? And the Roman Emperor put a Greek Doge in power, he was saying that if Hungary helped him liberate Venice from the rule of the Romans, he would become Hungary's vassal. I'm sorry, I was unclear on that.
Damn, I was really unclear that. Sorry guys, I hope I didn't confuse everyone. :S
By April 1497, Hungary had amassed an army of over 100,000 in order to bring the Greeks to their knees. Emperor Manouel III Palaeologus had ordered the Office of Barbarians to closely watch the troop movements of Hungary, however, once it had became apparent that they were amassing an army along their boarders, the Emperor had began amassing his own great army in anticipation of Hungary’s declaration of war. This would be a war fought entirely on land. Hungary did not possess a fleet as they had no coastal provinces.
The Hungarian army, 100,000 men strong was far larger than Venice’s, barely over 50,000 at its best. While the Empire could afford to raise nearly 150,000 men before its war with Venice, the costly conflict had depleted its reserves greatly, and caused something of an anti-military feel amongst its populous. Try as the Emperor and his new Megas Domestikos Husen Adu Ibrahim might, they were only able to raise an army of roughly 80,000 men.
On May 2nd, 1497, The Kingdom of Hungary declared war on the Roman Empire, stating that the Greeks unlawful occupation of Venetian lands, and the subjugation of the Republic itself had to be ended, and the lives of their fallen Catholic brothers avenged. An army of over 100,000 Hungarian soldiers set out from Bosnia, splitting into two forces, one of 65,000 men lead by the former Doge of Venice, Augostin Barbarigo, and the other army, 35,000 strong, lead by a little known Hungarian general, Tamas Antal.
Rather than wait for the Hungarians to assault his army, Ibrahim chose to make the first move and split his own army of 80,000 into a larger force of 50,000 and a smaller of 30,000. At the head of the larger force, Ibrahim marched on Bosnia from Kosovo, while the smaller army, under the command of the previous Megas Domestikos, Eudaemon Maleinus marched on Serbia. Seeing the approaching Roman Armies rapidly advancing on their positions, Augostin ordered Tamas to call off his assault on Dalmatia and instead move to defend Serbia. Augostin, eager for revenge against the heathen Turk who brought his great Venetian republic crashing down marched directly towards Ibrahim’s advancing force, in hopes dealing a crushing blow to Imperial moral by defeating their greatest general.
Historians suspect that the motives behind Augostin’s rash attack was more than simply revenge. He had a fairly substantial numerical advantage against Ibrahim, but more than that, he may have felt that he needed to prove that he was still a capable leader to the people of Venice. Should he have defeated Ibrahim, chances are he would be hailed as a hero by the Venetians, and the Catholic world in general. The potential to gain such prestige was nothing to ignore in the 15th century. This attitude however, was exactly what Ibrahim was counting on.
Ibrahim knew Augostin was likely wishing for vengeance against him for the destruction of Venice, but he also knew that he had gained a strong reputation among the Catholics as a murderous heathen, who they would love to see burned alive. Defeating him would win Augostin their love and Ibrahim knew it. It was knowing this, that Ibrahim chose to do one of the most religiously controversial moves in military history. As Augostin’s army waited at the border between Kosovo and Bosnia, Ibrahim put his plan in motion in order to lure them into a rash attack.
Ibrahim knew he was taking a risk here in alienating both his Orthodox and Muslim soldiers, but he ordered them to gather 200 women from the near by rural villages, and bring them to his camp. Once there, he forced them to strip naked, where they were then painted in mostly blue. Fires were build along the edge of Kosovo, well within the view of the Catholics. Then, he instructed the women to dance around them chanting any nonsense they could think of. At first, they refused, and many of his more religious soldiers were outraged, but Ibrahim explained that they were not truly chanting to anything, they were simply dancing around a fire uttering nonsensical words. Certainly, they were in the nude, but some sacrifices must be made.
He knew that from a distance, it would indeed look to be Pagan Witchcraft, and the very Catholic Augostin and his Hungarian army would very much be enraged by this sight in front of them. Ibrahim hoped that this would provoke them into a rash and poorly planned attack on their position, where they could use their numbers against them. Though many of his soldiers were still quite upset by this tactic, he had calmed them enough to ensure discipline in the coming battle. All Ibrahim could do was wait for the Catholics to make their move. This tactic would show Ibrahim’s willingness to go against tradition and even accepted religious doctrine in order to achieve victory, and show his powerful grasp of mathematics.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ibrahim paced at the back of his camp, watching the women dance in the distance. He was certain that the hot headed Augostin would fall for his trap, what he was more concerned about was the religious and political consequences of his actions. He could be deemed a heretic by Caliph for such an action, he could lose his title of Megas Domestikos, or worse - he could be executed. But Ibrahim knew that his plan would cost the Romans a minimal loss of life, and was ready to take the risks involved if it meant securing his men’s safety.
“Sir! The Hungarians seem to be gathering for an assault in the distance. They should reach us within 15 minutes at full charge.” The Greek soldier said sharply to Ibrahim, who nodded in acknowledgement. “Good, tell the women to prepare for their arrival, they have been instructed on what to do. Augostin shall know to fear us by the time the sun rises in the east.” The soldier nodded, “Ναι sir!” and quickly made his way to the burning pyres where the women danced.
The chanting of the women filled the sky, the fire burning brightly in the night. Augostin sat upon his horse, watching the sacrilege take place. He could feel his heart tighten and his blood boil at this blatant display of devil worship. He tightened his grip on the reigns of his horse, and turned to the men in his camp, who now stood, watching the same blasphemy that he had been. “Do you see this?!” Augostin shouted to his men, gesturing to the women who danced among the flames, “Do you see this blasphemy that takes place before our very eyes? The Heathen Turk and his army of Greek heretics wish to cast a curse upon us. Our faith, however, is stronger than their black magic! We must ride them down, and end this abomination against God once and for all! Who is with me?!” Augostin shouted to his men, who promptly pumped their arms into the air and shouted into the night.
Augostin nodded his head, and turned back towards the dancing women in blue, “We march on Kosovo tonight men! They will tremble beneath the thunderous charge of our horses!” Lowering the face of his helm, Augostin rallied his fellow Knights and noblemen to his side and began to ride at a steady pace towards the enemy camp. His infantry followed closely behind, as they advanced rapidly on the their hated enemies position.
Within Ibrahim’s camp, the women had began to flee the burning fires on orders from the Turkish General, but not before lighting a small fuse that was attached to canisters of gunpowder that sat near the pyres. Under the shroud of night, the charging cavalry could not see them and as a result continued to charge in a blind rage, hoping to run the ‘witches’ down in the process. As they grew closer, and the fuse grew shorter, Ibrahim had his arquebusiers and archers move to the front of his army, while his cavalry, positioned on the flanks until now, slowly moved forward under the night sky, hoping to charge on the Hungarians flanks once they were engaged with the main Roman Battle Line.
As the Knights rode past the burning pyres, the fuse on each of the canisters finally reached their end, causing the tanks to violently explode around the charging noblemen. Taking the explosions as their queue, the arquebusiers and archers to open fire upon the enemy ranks. The Hungarian cavalry, bewildered and shaken by the blast which had already fallen many of their comrades, were soon met with a volley of fire that further crippled and demoralized their ranks. As many of the horses turned in fear, and many more crashed into their fallen peers, the scene was one of absolute chaos for the Hungarians. Seeing their vulnerable state, Ibrahim ordered his pikes to advance on the shaken cavalry.
Augostin, seeing his charge break apart in front of his very eyes turned and fled from the front, quickly riding to the back of his army, and to safety. The pikes were the final straw that broke the Hungarian cavalry, causing a complete rout of the horsemen. The pikemen pressed onward, following Ibrahim’s strategy. The cavalry crashed through the Hungarian infantry, disrupting their battle lines and causing panic and confusion among their ranks, confusion that the Roman pikes were happy to exploit as they closed on them.
Bloody hand to hand fighting ensued as the Roman pikes kept the Hungarians off balance, allowing their light infantry to strike at the gaps that they formed. Seeing that their chance had finally come, the Roman Kataphractoi that had been waiting on the far left and right flanks of their enemies charged forward on both sides. The already demoralized Hungarian infantry were pinned down by the Roman line and were unable to properly flee from the charging cavalry. The battle quickly became a massacre as men were rode down by the hundreds, the lucky few managing to barely escape with their lives.
Seeing the imminent defeat of his army in the distance, the bewildered Augostin ordered his gallopers to give the signal to retreat. While they were off performing their assigned task, Augostin quickly fled to Croatia in order to “survey the area and plan his defense.” The remnants of his army would soon follow him into the Croatia, defeated and broken, their moral in tatters. Ibrahim had once again secured a great victory for the Empire, his controversial tactic crippling the Hungarian army.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Ibrahim’s crushing defeat of the Hungarian army at Bosnia, the survivors fled to Croatia in an attempt to mount some defense against any further attack by Ibrahim. The battle is considered by modern historians to be one of the most one sided battles in history, the Hungarians losing over 25,000 men, while the Romans barely over 3,000, if that. This loss was crushing to the moral of the Hungarian army, and to the prestige of the Diet.
Though the bad news did not stop there for Hungary, Eudaemon Maleinus, upon meeting with Tamas Antal’s army in Serbia dealt him a decisive defeat at the battle of Smederevo. Nearly 10,000 Hungarian soldiers were either killed or captured, while the Romans lost only around 4,000. Tamas retreated to Banat and Eudaemon quickly captured the city of Smederevo, placing Serbia firmly under Roman authority. Ibrahim had made similar work of Bobovaz in Bosnia. Ibrahim planned to once again deal a crushing blow to Augostin’s army in Croatia, though he knew Augostin would not be so foolish as to attack them blindly again.
However, the advantage had shifted to Ibrahim by this time, he now outnumbered him thanks to Hungary’s crushing defeat in Bosnia. Ibrahim’s troops were high spirited and well rested, while Augostins troops were tired and demoralized, doing their best to mount some symbol of an organized defense. Ibrahim intended to give them no time to rest. Sending a messenger to Eudaemon, he ordered him to hold his position in Serbia and wait for further orders. Eudaemon was greatly angered by this, as most historians find it apparent that he held a great amount of hatred for Ibrahim, who had ‘stolen’ the title of Megas Domestikos from him. It must have felt to this high bred Dynatoi, used to the political treachery that was so common among his peers in the Empire, that Ibrahim was simply trying to take all the glory for himself. However, he obeyed the Turkish Generals orders, for fear of the Emperors wrath.
From letters written after this battle, Modern historians are to able to gain a fairly solid grasp of the attitudes of both the soldiers, and of their generals. written below are a few examples:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Anastasia,
Our Commander, Ibrahim has lead us to a great victory over the Hungarians. The spirit of my peers is high, as is mine, though I can not help but wonder when I shall be able to hold you in my arms once more. Every moment that we are a part only adds to the heavy burden that I bare. I pray to God that I shall soon see your face once more, and that we may never be forced apart again. I have faith that this war shall be over soon, and with Ibrahim to lead us to victory, I am confident that I will make it back to you safely.
So do not fear my love , for I am in good hands.
Always yours, love Daniel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Elias,
Brother, I bring you good news! Under Ibrahim we have crushed the Hungarian army! You should have seen them brother, they ran like the son of a craven whore being chased by a Spanish Inquisitor! It was a complete and utter victory, one the Μαγυαρικά no doubt be rant about for ages to come. It is truly an honor to be serving under a man like Ibrahim. He inspires me and my peers to do things I never thought possible. I feel as if we are invincible, and despite his sometimes…unorthodox - no pun intended - methods, he has proven himself time and time again to be an accomplished and skilled tactician. With a man like him, I feel this war shall be over by Christmas.
I look forward to enjoying mothers home roasted Duck when I get home. Give my love to mother and father, and take care of yourself little brother, I shall hopefully be seeing you soon if all goes well.
Love Maro.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Autocrator,
Augostin has been completely routed my lord, last reports say he has retreated into Croatia where he now hopes to fortify himself against the further advance of our forces. Do not fear, however, his army is demoralized, and their will to fight almost nonexistent. I shall quickly break through whatever defenses he has made - given the low moral of his soldiers, I strongly doubt he will have prepared anything to substantial. Perhaps after this defeat the Hungarian Diet will see reason and be willing to negotiate for peace.
My men are eager for the coming battle, and I am honored to say that they believe in my leadership completely. Together, I am confident we shall cripple Hungary within the next two months at the most, God willing.
Your humble servant, Husen Adu Ibrahim.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following his victory in Bosnia, Ibrahim quickly marched on Croatia, and after a brief engagement, he forced Augostin to once again flee in the face of his superior leadership, and now, his superior forces as well. The bewildered Venetian retreated back to Pest with the remainder of his army, now barely over 34,000. The Hungarian Diet was understandably outraged by this most recent development and threatened to hand Augostin over to the Emperor as payment. However Augostin managed to convince the Diet to allow him one last chance to turn the tied of the war in their favor.
Augostin would soon be granted a small amount of breathing room, thanks to the rash tactics of the Roman Strategos Eudaemon Maleinus. Upon forcing Augostin to retreat into Pest, Ibrahim had sent a second letter to Eudaemon once again instructing him to hold his position in Serbia. Though he had obeyed Ibrahim’s previous orders, this, in his eyes, was simply too much to bare. He would not allow Ibrahim to steal his glory, and, angrily, he charged his army into Banat to confront the army of Tamas Antal once more. However, the outcome proved disastrous for Eudaemon and his men. Tamas, having nearly a month to entrench himself in Banat, was well prepared to Eudaemon.
As the rash Dynatoi ordered a full charge on his position, his army was broken by Hungarian canon and gunfire, and then rode down by the disciplined and well trained Hungarian Knights under Tamas command. By the end of the battle, Eudaemon’s army was in full retreat, and the aged Strategos lay dead on the field, crushed by his fallen horse. Word of this victory soon reached Augostin, who was quick to claim it as part of his “Grand Strategy” for turning the war around. This naturally alienated Tamas, which would later prove fatal for the Hungarian war effort.
Though angered by the treasonous behavior of Eudaemon, Ibrahim knew he could waste no time dwelling on the past, and knew that if he struck quickly, he could still exploit the tattered condition of Augostin’s forces. They couldn’t have had time to replenish their broken and battered equipment, even in the capital. Against the superior numbers and firepower of his army, he was confident victory was not far beyond the horizon. Ibrahim rose his army of around 47,000 men one last time for the march on Pest.
Augostin, seeing the powerful Greek army approaching in the distance knew he was overwhelmed. Sending an envoy to Tamas Antal in Banat requesting aid, he was shocked and horrified when Tamas refused to aid him, and instead marched into Serbia to confront the remnants of Eudaemon’s army. Left alone to face the might of Ibrahim and the Imperial Army, Augostin made his last stand, knowing that there would be no point in retreating should he lose this battle. The Hungarians stood their ground within the capital, and fought valiantly against the Romans, but in the end, the sheer strength of Roman arms was simply too much, and the army was broken and scattered. Augostin was captured by Ibrahim, and sent back to Constantinople to be trilled for his crimes against the Empire.
Fearing Budapest would suffer the same fate as Venice, the Hungarian Diet offered to grant the Romans the rest of his Balkan territories. Once this offer reached Constantinople, the Emperor readily accepted. The reconquest of the Balkans was complete, the Empire of Basileos II had been restored. The Empire once again stood as a mighty power in Europe, and the Orthodox Church once again the dominant power in both the Balkans and Anatolia.
The question that would soon plague the Emperor would involve the future of the Entire Empire…
The Roman Empire at Manouel III Palaeologus’ death on June 28th, 1507
The Hungarian army, 100,000 men strong was far larger than Venice’s, barely over 50,000 at its best. While the Empire could afford to raise nearly 150,000 men before its war with Venice, the costly conflict had depleted its reserves greatly, and caused something of an anti-military feel amongst its populous. Try as the Emperor and his new Megas Domestikos Husen Adu Ibrahim might, they were only able to raise an army of roughly 80,000 men.
On May 2nd, 1497, The Kingdom of Hungary declared war on the Roman Empire, stating that the Greeks unlawful occupation of Venetian lands, and the subjugation of the Republic itself had to be ended, and the lives of their fallen Catholic brothers avenged. An army of over 100,000 Hungarian soldiers set out from Bosnia, splitting into two forces, one of 65,000 men lead by the former Doge of Venice, Augostin Barbarigo, and the other army, 35,000 strong, lead by a little known Hungarian general, Tamas Antal.
Rather than wait for the Hungarians to assault his army, Ibrahim chose to make the first move and split his own army of 80,000 into a larger force of 50,000 and a smaller of 30,000. At the head of the larger force, Ibrahim marched on Bosnia from Kosovo, while the smaller army, under the command of the previous Megas Domestikos, Eudaemon Maleinus marched on Serbia. Seeing the approaching Roman Armies rapidly advancing on their positions, Augostin ordered Tamas to call off his assault on Dalmatia and instead move to defend Serbia. Augostin, eager for revenge against the heathen Turk who brought his great Venetian republic crashing down marched directly towards Ibrahim’s advancing force, in hopes dealing a crushing blow to Imperial moral by defeating their greatest general.
Historians suspect that the motives behind Augostin’s rash attack was more than simply revenge. He had a fairly substantial numerical advantage against Ibrahim, but more than that, he may have felt that he needed to prove that he was still a capable leader to the people of Venice. Should he have defeated Ibrahim, chances are he would be hailed as a hero by the Venetians, and the Catholic world in general. The potential to gain such prestige was nothing to ignore in the 15th century. This attitude however, was exactly what Ibrahim was counting on.
Ibrahim knew Augostin was likely wishing for vengeance against him for the destruction of Venice, but he also knew that he had gained a strong reputation among the Catholics as a murderous heathen, who they would love to see burned alive. Defeating him would win Augostin their love and Ibrahim knew it. It was knowing this, that Ibrahim chose to do one of the most religiously controversial moves in military history. As Augostin’s army waited at the border between Kosovo and Bosnia, Ibrahim put his plan in motion in order to lure them into a rash attack.
Ibrahim knew he was taking a risk here in alienating both his Orthodox and Muslim soldiers, but he ordered them to gather 200 women from the near by rural villages, and bring them to his camp. Once there, he forced them to strip naked, where they were then painted in mostly blue. Fires were build along the edge of Kosovo, well within the view of the Catholics. Then, he instructed the women to dance around them chanting any nonsense they could think of. At first, they refused, and many of his more religious soldiers were outraged, but Ibrahim explained that they were not truly chanting to anything, they were simply dancing around a fire uttering nonsensical words. Certainly, they were in the nude, but some sacrifices must be made.
He knew that from a distance, it would indeed look to be Pagan Witchcraft, and the very Catholic Augostin and his Hungarian army would very much be enraged by this sight in front of them. Ibrahim hoped that this would provoke them into a rash and poorly planned attack on their position, where they could use their numbers against them. Though many of his soldiers were still quite upset by this tactic, he had calmed them enough to ensure discipline in the coming battle. All Ibrahim could do was wait for the Catholics to make their move. This tactic would show Ibrahim’s willingness to go against tradition and even accepted religious doctrine in order to achieve victory, and show his powerful grasp of mathematics.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ibrahim paced at the back of his camp, watching the women dance in the distance. He was certain that the hot headed Augostin would fall for his trap, what he was more concerned about was the religious and political consequences of his actions. He could be deemed a heretic by Caliph for such an action, he could lose his title of Megas Domestikos, or worse - he could be executed. But Ibrahim knew that his plan would cost the Romans a minimal loss of life, and was ready to take the risks involved if it meant securing his men’s safety.
“Sir! The Hungarians seem to be gathering for an assault in the distance. They should reach us within 15 minutes at full charge.” The Greek soldier said sharply to Ibrahim, who nodded in acknowledgement. “Good, tell the women to prepare for their arrival, they have been instructed on what to do. Augostin shall know to fear us by the time the sun rises in the east.” The soldier nodded, “Ναι sir!” and quickly made his way to the burning pyres where the women danced.
The chanting of the women filled the sky, the fire burning brightly in the night. Augostin sat upon his horse, watching the sacrilege take place. He could feel his heart tighten and his blood boil at this blatant display of devil worship. He tightened his grip on the reigns of his horse, and turned to the men in his camp, who now stood, watching the same blasphemy that he had been. “Do you see this?!” Augostin shouted to his men, gesturing to the women who danced among the flames, “Do you see this blasphemy that takes place before our very eyes? The Heathen Turk and his army of Greek heretics wish to cast a curse upon us. Our faith, however, is stronger than their black magic! We must ride them down, and end this abomination against God once and for all! Who is with me?!” Augostin shouted to his men, who promptly pumped their arms into the air and shouted into the night.
Augostin nodded his head, and turned back towards the dancing women in blue, “We march on Kosovo tonight men! They will tremble beneath the thunderous charge of our horses!” Lowering the face of his helm, Augostin rallied his fellow Knights and noblemen to his side and began to ride at a steady pace towards the enemy camp. His infantry followed closely behind, as they advanced rapidly on the their hated enemies position.
Within Ibrahim’s camp, the women had began to flee the burning fires on orders from the Turkish General, but not before lighting a small fuse that was attached to canisters of gunpowder that sat near the pyres. Under the shroud of night, the charging cavalry could not see them and as a result continued to charge in a blind rage, hoping to run the ‘witches’ down in the process. As they grew closer, and the fuse grew shorter, Ibrahim had his arquebusiers and archers move to the front of his army, while his cavalry, positioned on the flanks until now, slowly moved forward under the night sky, hoping to charge on the Hungarians flanks once they were engaged with the main Roman Battle Line.
As the Knights rode past the burning pyres, the fuse on each of the canisters finally reached their end, causing the tanks to violently explode around the charging noblemen. Taking the explosions as their queue, the arquebusiers and archers to open fire upon the enemy ranks. The Hungarian cavalry, bewildered and shaken by the blast which had already fallen many of their comrades, were soon met with a volley of fire that further crippled and demoralized their ranks. As many of the horses turned in fear, and many more crashed into their fallen peers, the scene was one of absolute chaos for the Hungarians. Seeing their vulnerable state, Ibrahim ordered his pikes to advance on the shaken cavalry.
Augostin, seeing his charge break apart in front of his very eyes turned and fled from the front, quickly riding to the back of his army, and to safety. The pikes were the final straw that broke the Hungarian cavalry, causing a complete rout of the horsemen. The pikemen pressed onward, following Ibrahim’s strategy. The cavalry crashed through the Hungarian infantry, disrupting their battle lines and causing panic and confusion among their ranks, confusion that the Roman pikes were happy to exploit as they closed on them.
Bloody hand to hand fighting ensued as the Roman pikes kept the Hungarians off balance, allowing their light infantry to strike at the gaps that they formed. Seeing that their chance had finally come, the Roman Kataphractoi that had been waiting on the far left and right flanks of their enemies charged forward on both sides. The already demoralized Hungarian infantry were pinned down by the Roman line and were unable to properly flee from the charging cavalry. The battle quickly became a massacre as men were rode down by the hundreds, the lucky few managing to barely escape with their lives.
Seeing the imminent defeat of his army in the distance, the bewildered Augostin ordered his gallopers to give the signal to retreat. While they were off performing their assigned task, Augostin quickly fled to Croatia in order to “survey the area and plan his defense.” The remnants of his army would soon follow him into the Croatia, defeated and broken, their moral in tatters. Ibrahim had once again secured a great victory for the Empire, his controversial tactic crippling the Hungarian army.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Ibrahim’s crushing defeat of the Hungarian army at Bosnia, the survivors fled to Croatia in an attempt to mount some defense against any further attack by Ibrahim. The battle is considered by modern historians to be one of the most one sided battles in history, the Hungarians losing over 25,000 men, while the Romans barely over 3,000, if that. This loss was crushing to the moral of the Hungarian army, and to the prestige of the Diet.
Though the bad news did not stop there for Hungary, Eudaemon Maleinus, upon meeting with Tamas Antal’s army in Serbia dealt him a decisive defeat at the battle of Smederevo. Nearly 10,000 Hungarian soldiers were either killed or captured, while the Romans lost only around 4,000. Tamas retreated to Banat and Eudaemon quickly captured the city of Smederevo, placing Serbia firmly under Roman authority. Ibrahim had made similar work of Bobovaz in Bosnia. Ibrahim planned to once again deal a crushing blow to Augostin’s army in Croatia, though he knew Augostin would not be so foolish as to attack them blindly again.
However, the advantage had shifted to Ibrahim by this time, he now outnumbered him thanks to Hungary’s crushing defeat in Bosnia. Ibrahim’s troops were high spirited and well rested, while Augostins troops were tired and demoralized, doing their best to mount some symbol of an organized defense. Ibrahim intended to give them no time to rest. Sending a messenger to Eudaemon, he ordered him to hold his position in Serbia and wait for further orders. Eudaemon was greatly angered by this, as most historians find it apparent that he held a great amount of hatred for Ibrahim, who had ‘stolen’ the title of Megas Domestikos from him. It must have felt to this high bred Dynatoi, used to the political treachery that was so common among his peers in the Empire, that Ibrahim was simply trying to take all the glory for himself. However, he obeyed the Turkish Generals orders, for fear of the Emperors wrath.
From letters written after this battle, Modern historians are to able to gain a fairly solid grasp of the attitudes of both the soldiers, and of their generals. written below are a few examples:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Anastasia,
Our Commander, Ibrahim has lead us to a great victory over the Hungarians. The spirit of my peers is high, as is mine, though I can not help but wonder when I shall be able to hold you in my arms once more. Every moment that we are a part only adds to the heavy burden that I bare. I pray to God that I shall soon see your face once more, and that we may never be forced apart again. I have faith that this war shall be over soon, and with Ibrahim to lead us to victory, I am confident that I will make it back to you safely.
So do not fear my love , for I am in good hands.
Always yours, love Daniel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Elias,
Brother, I bring you good news! Under Ibrahim we have crushed the Hungarian army! You should have seen them brother, they ran like the son of a craven whore being chased by a Spanish Inquisitor! It was a complete and utter victory, one the Μαγυαρικά no doubt be rant about for ages to come. It is truly an honor to be serving under a man like Ibrahim. He inspires me and my peers to do things I never thought possible. I feel as if we are invincible, and despite his sometimes…unorthodox - no pun intended - methods, he has proven himself time and time again to be an accomplished and skilled tactician. With a man like him, I feel this war shall be over by Christmas.
I look forward to enjoying mothers home roasted Duck when I get home. Give my love to mother and father, and take care of yourself little brother, I shall hopefully be seeing you soon if all goes well.
Love Maro.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Autocrator,
Augostin has been completely routed my lord, last reports say he has retreated into Croatia where he now hopes to fortify himself against the further advance of our forces. Do not fear, however, his army is demoralized, and their will to fight almost nonexistent. I shall quickly break through whatever defenses he has made - given the low moral of his soldiers, I strongly doubt he will have prepared anything to substantial. Perhaps after this defeat the Hungarian Diet will see reason and be willing to negotiate for peace.
My men are eager for the coming battle, and I am honored to say that they believe in my leadership completely. Together, I am confident we shall cripple Hungary within the next two months at the most, God willing.
Your humble servant, Husen Adu Ibrahim.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following his victory in Bosnia, Ibrahim quickly marched on Croatia, and after a brief engagement, he forced Augostin to once again flee in the face of his superior leadership, and now, his superior forces as well. The bewildered Venetian retreated back to Pest with the remainder of his army, now barely over 34,000. The Hungarian Diet was understandably outraged by this most recent development and threatened to hand Augostin over to the Emperor as payment. However Augostin managed to convince the Diet to allow him one last chance to turn the tied of the war in their favor.
Augostin would soon be granted a small amount of breathing room, thanks to the rash tactics of the Roman Strategos Eudaemon Maleinus. Upon forcing Augostin to retreat into Pest, Ibrahim had sent a second letter to Eudaemon once again instructing him to hold his position in Serbia. Though he had obeyed Ibrahim’s previous orders, this, in his eyes, was simply too much to bare. He would not allow Ibrahim to steal his glory, and, angrily, he charged his army into Banat to confront the army of Tamas Antal once more. However, the outcome proved disastrous for Eudaemon and his men. Tamas, having nearly a month to entrench himself in Banat, was well prepared to Eudaemon.
As the rash Dynatoi ordered a full charge on his position, his army was broken by Hungarian canon and gunfire, and then rode down by the disciplined and well trained Hungarian Knights under Tamas command. By the end of the battle, Eudaemon’s army was in full retreat, and the aged Strategos lay dead on the field, crushed by his fallen horse. Word of this victory soon reached Augostin, who was quick to claim it as part of his “Grand Strategy” for turning the war around. This naturally alienated Tamas, which would later prove fatal for the Hungarian war effort.
Though angered by the treasonous behavior of Eudaemon, Ibrahim knew he could waste no time dwelling on the past, and knew that if he struck quickly, he could still exploit the tattered condition of Augostin’s forces. They couldn’t have had time to replenish their broken and battered equipment, even in the capital. Against the superior numbers and firepower of his army, he was confident victory was not far beyond the horizon. Ibrahim rose his army of around 47,000 men one last time for the march on Pest.
Augostin, seeing the powerful Greek army approaching in the distance knew he was overwhelmed. Sending an envoy to Tamas Antal in Banat requesting aid, he was shocked and horrified when Tamas refused to aid him, and instead marched into Serbia to confront the remnants of Eudaemon’s army. Left alone to face the might of Ibrahim and the Imperial Army, Augostin made his last stand, knowing that there would be no point in retreating should he lose this battle. The Hungarians stood their ground within the capital, and fought valiantly against the Romans, but in the end, the sheer strength of Roman arms was simply too much, and the army was broken and scattered. Augostin was captured by Ibrahim, and sent back to Constantinople to be trilled for his crimes against the Empire.
Fearing Budapest would suffer the same fate as Venice, the Hungarian Diet offered to grant the Romans the rest of his Balkan territories. Once this offer reached Constantinople, the Emperor readily accepted. The reconquest of the Balkans was complete, the Empire of Basileos II had been restored. The Empire once again stood as a mighty power in Europe, and the Orthodox Church once again the dominant power in both the Balkans and Anatolia.
The question that would soon plague the Emperor would involve the future of the Entire Empire…
The Roman Empire at Manouel III Palaeologus’ death on June 28th, 1507
That was well played. Augostin pretty much forced his own loss, really. And played right into the hands of Ibrahim. I wonder how much the Diet is concerned for it's own safety now. It stands wide open.
The streets of Constantinople were thronged with people, the great market at the center of the city was lined with people, wall to wall almost. Through the crowd, a man was escorted by a contingent of heavily armored royal guards. A black, eyeless mask had been draped over his head, and tied tightly in place around his neck by a small brown rope. The people around him shouted taunts and insults at him as he was escorted to a wooden platform in the very center of the market. The Emperor, Megas Domestikos, and many members of the royal court stood there waiting for him.
As the guards and their escort made their way up onto the platform, they forced him to kneel before the Emperor, removing his mask. Augostin knelt before Manouel III, a broken man. The Megas Logothetes stepped forward, “Augostin Barbarigo, you are charged with treason against the Republic of Venice, and for the crime of provoking a war between the Roman Empire and Kingdom of Hungary. For these crimes, you shall be sentenced to death by hanging. Do you have any last words?”
Augostin simply laid there, unable to speak a word any longer from the shame he was being forced to endure. Treason! Treason against Venice, the republic he so loved, no less. After a moment of silence, the Megas Logothetes continued, “Very well.” He signaled for the guards to place him on the small box that had been set for him in the center of the platform. A rope was wrapped around his neck, as the Patriarch moved forward, bowing his head slightly, “May our Lord in Heaven have mercy on your soul as you pass from this life, into the next. May you be forgiven of your sins and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. I pray that your soul will find peace, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen.”
With that, Manouel nodded to the guards, who promptly kicked the block from under Augostin’s feet. The result was quick, the former Venetian Doge’s neck was snapped, instantly killing him. The people in the market of Constantinople cheered wildly at his death, as they danced in the streets in celebration of the Empire’s great victory. Manouel was very pleased with his new gains. It was under his rule that the Empire of Basil II had been restored, and he knew that this would give him a place in history as one of the greatest Emperors of the Romans.
But he could not help but wonder what the future of the Empire would be, now that the Empire had been restored, should they seek to return to the days long past? Should they finally do what the Catholics could not, and claim the Holy Land for the Empire? This would also provide an excuse to reconquer Egypt…and Alexandria. Or he could solidify his rule in the Balkans and Anatolia, and guarantee the security of what the Empire already held against its foes. It was a difficult decision. Manouel rubbed his chin, perhaps his advisors would have an opinion on what their next course of action should be.
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Well, I think it might be interesting to check what you guys think. Its fun to hear good advice.
As the guards and their escort made their way up onto the platform, they forced him to kneel before the Emperor, removing his mask. Augostin knelt before Manouel III, a broken man. The Megas Logothetes stepped forward, “Augostin Barbarigo, you are charged with treason against the Republic of Venice, and for the crime of provoking a war between the Roman Empire and Kingdom of Hungary. For these crimes, you shall be sentenced to death by hanging. Do you have any last words?”
Augostin simply laid there, unable to speak a word any longer from the shame he was being forced to endure. Treason! Treason against Venice, the republic he so loved, no less. After a moment of silence, the Megas Logothetes continued, “Very well.” He signaled for the guards to place him on the small box that had been set for him in the center of the platform. A rope was wrapped around his neck, as the Patriarch moved forward, bowing his head slightly, “May our Lord in Heaven have mercy on your soul as you pass from this life, into the next. May you be forgiven of your sins and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. I pray that your soul will find peace, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen.”
With that, Manouel nodded to the guards, who promptly kicked the block from under Augostin’s feet. The result was quick, the former Venetian Doge’s neck was snapped, instantly killing him. The people in the market of Constantinople cheered wildly at his death, as they danced in the streets in celebration of the Empire’s great victory. Manouel was very pleased with his new gains. It was under his rule that the Empire of Basil II had been restored, and he knew that this would give him a place in history as one of the greatest Emperors of the Romans.
But he could not help but wonder what the future of the Empire would be, now that the Empire had been restored, should they seek to return to the days long past? Should they finally do what the Catholics could not, and claim the Holy Land for the Empire? This would also provide an excuse to reconquer Egypt…and Alexandria. Or he could solidify his rule in the Balkans and Anatolia, and guarantee the security of what the Empire already held against its foes. It was a difficult decision. Manouel rubbed his chin, perhaps his advisors would have an opinion on what their next course of action should be.
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Well, I think it might be interesting to check what you guys think. Its fun to hear good advice.
Well, you know the Big White Blob is just going to start getting blobbier and blobbier soon, and of course, retaining the title Holy Roman Empire. Thus my hints to go after Hungary and keep strong on Austria's flank, eventually taking them on and out.
But the Holy Land saounds liek a plan, and then Egypt after.
And is that a really large France I see to the west of you? Good lord - they own half of Italy. You may need to get involved there.
But the Holy Land saounds liek a plan, and then Egypt after.
And is that a really large France I see to the west of you? Good lord - they own half of Italy. You may need to get involved there.
coz1 is right, as there is only one God in Heaven so can there be only one Emperor on Earth. You can't tolerate any upstart barbarians calling themselves "Emperor" or "Roman"! Though restoring the historic borders of the empire is important, too.
BTW, I really liked the last couple updates. Ibrahim's tactics with the "witches" was really clever!
BTW, I really liked the last couple updates. Ibrahim's tactics with the "witches" was really clever!
Since without the Ottoman conquest, there can be no COT in thrace you must take the one in Alexandria.
Hmm..... witches <snaps back to reality>
Anyway, I'd move into the Holy Land, it has more religous worth and keeps you out of costly wars with the BWB, France and England. The wealth of Persia and the Empire of Alexander is the true path to riches.....
...
...
...
...
Or North Americao
Mr.C
Anyway, I'd move into the Holy Land, it has more religous worth and keeps you out of costly wars with the BWB, France and England. The wealth of Persia and the Empire of Alexander is the true path to riches.....
...
...
...
...
Or North America
o Mr.C
You can place me in the "Restore Old Roman Empire's Borders" camp, or ROREB for short
Now that I look at the map, Rhodes is still under the Knight's control. You need to fix that.
I am in the process of editing my saved game file at the moment, basically restoring the Mughal Empire to its proper state for the sake of the storyline. But in any case, I ask you all to remember to think of the Byzantine Empire as a real nation, they won't invade Rhodes simply because it is there. Over all, through file editing if necessary, I'm going to try and keep the game as historical as possible, other than the obvious fact that the Byzantine Empire did not fall.
Ahistorical stuff will only happen as a result of that one ahistorical aspect. For example, Great Britain will still colonize the west coast of North America, things like Cortez and the Aztecs will still happen...as I doubt I'll be there to do anything myself. This may sound boring up front, but I promise you that it won't be.
I wish to show a world that is fairly normal and recognizable to us, which we can all relate to, but with one key difference - instead of an Ottoman Empire, we have a Greco-Turkish Roman Empire. Things will be ahistorical in some areas as a result - like perhaps the situation with Zapolya in Hungary, or with Persia, and the like. The colonization of India could be quite a bit different than in history, for example, but we'll have to see. I haven't laid set plans for the future, as to keep it spontaneous, but essentially, what I'm saying, is that if the existence of the Roman Empire would not effect something at all, then it will go as it did in history.
Yes, I know, this will take A LOT of work with saved file editing and the like, but it is worth it in my eyes, I hope one day you'll see it that way too.
Over all, through file editing if necessary, I'm going to try and keep the game as historical as possible, other than the obvious fact that the Byzantine Empire did not fall.Ahistorical stuff will only happen as a result of that one ahistorical aspect. For example, Great Britain will still colonize the west coast of North America, things like Cortez and the Aztecs will still happen...as I doubt I'll be there to do anything myself. This may sound boring up front, but I promise you that it won't be.
I wish to show a world that is fairly normal and recognizable to us, which we can all relate to, but with one key difference - instead of an Ottoman Empire, we have a Greco-Turkish Roman Empire. Things will be ahistorical in some areas as a result - like perhaps the situation with Zapolya in Hungary, or with Persia, and the like. The colonization of India could be quite a bit different than in history, for example, but we'll have to see. I haven't laid set plans for the future, as to keep it spontaneous, but essentially, what I'm saying, is that if the existence of the Roman Empire would not effect something at all, then it will go as it did in history.
Yes, I know, this will take A LOT of work with saved file editing and the like, but it is worth it in my eyes, I hope one day you'll see it that way too.
Great work SeanB I finally caught up.
I reckon the holy land, but be careful of your BB it must be starting to get up there. Reclaim the empires jewel in Egypt!
I reckon the holy land, but be careful of your BB it must be starting to get up there. Reclaim the empires jewel in Egypt!
While I am keeping Europe as Historical as possible, I’m not doing the same for other regions unless they began to get truly insane. The Mughals below, for example, actually worked out better for the storyline than in history. Historically the Mughal Empire was concentrated in modern India, almost completely uniting it, however, in this, they are a middle eastern Empire basically covering the old lands of the Timurid Empire.
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When the reluctant members of the Hungarian Diet had surrendered the Balkans to the Empire, the Roman people believed their days of war were at long last at an end. The Empire of Basileos II had been restored, and the Empire of the Romans once again was one of the Great Powers of the world, with Constantinople safely at its heart. Manouel himself announced that the Empire had been restored and that it was time for peace. Indeed, for the next 10 years of his life, Manouel would devote the Imperial Treasury to rebuilding the war ravaged state.
In 1507, Manouel III passed away and his son, Andreas II Palaiologos was crowned Emperor of Rome. Manouel would forever be remember as the Emperor who restored the Roman Empire to its height, before the battle of Mazikert. Andreas planned on following his fathers doctrine of peace prosperity, but events would transpire that would prevent the last survivor of antiquity from resting peacefully.
As the years went on, and the Roman Empire started to relax, an event happened that shook the middle east and the Islamic World. The Great Mughal Empire had ruled lands from modern Iraq to northern Afghanistan. It was one of the most powerful and feared world powers of its time, and despite some relatively embarrassing defeats against the newly formed Afghan state, they still stood as the supreme Islamic power in the middle east.
Mughal Empire 1507
It appeared to the outside world that it brought unity to the middle east and the Islamic faith in the region, but this was merely a farce. The population of central Persia, the breadbasket of the Mughal Empire, was predominately Shiite, a long suppressed and persecuted sect of Islam. Finally, as tensions began to grow, the Shiite community found a leader in Isma’il I, son of Haidar Safavi, the last leader of the defeated Ak Koyunlu tribe which fell to the Roman Empire in 1471. Though Haidar survived in exile, feeling to western Persia, he was executed in 1490 for heresy by the Sunni government of the Mughal Empire.
Isma’il and his mother lived in obscurity for the next 10 years, as Isma’il matured to manhood. When the Mughal Dynasty once again decided to persecute those of the Shiite faith in the region, his mother was among those targeted, and was beheaded in the town square of Tehran. As a result, on February 23rd of 1500 Isma’il is said to have vowed to his servants and followers to free Shiism from the oppressive rule of the Sunni Mughal Dynasty. Isma’il began holding underground religious meetings, where he would preach against the rule of the Mughal’s, slowly gathering support from the large Shiite population of modern Iran, touring back and forth from region to region, preaching his message away from the eyes of the imperial government.
As his followers began to grow, he appointed religious governors who would continue to preach in secret in the various cities in Persia, even while he was absent. This helped the movement to attain a constant stream of new followers, and eventually created underground networks from which Shia Muslims from across Persia could contact one another via letters, free from the prying eyes of the Mughals. By late 1507, Isma’il had inspired the Shia community of Persia to finally take up arms against the oppressive Sunni, and the great Mughal Empire found its richest provinces beset by rebellion.
Babur did not hesitate to send in his vast armies to crush the Shia revolt, however, though his army defeated the rebels on several occasions, the more Persians his men slew, the harder the population of Persia would fight against him, and with even the smallest victory bringing them great hope, Babur found himself quickly being overwhelmed. Finally, at the battle of Birjand, an army of 40,000 rebels under Isma’il decisively defeated Babur’s imperial army of 30,000, driving the Mughals into Harat, and dealing a humiliating blow to Babur’s pride and prestige.
Isma’il, emboldened by his victory, declared himself the Shah of Persia, choosing the city of Tehran as his capital. This sent shockwaves through the Islamic world, the mightiest modern Sunni Islamic nation had been defeated by heretic rebels. Persia declared itself independent from the Mughal Empire on May 9th, 1508. However, Babur, enraged at his defeat was unwilling to give up the fight. He rose a vast army of 45,000 men and marched once more on the fledgling nation.
Emperor Andreas II Palaiologos had been finding it increasingly difficult to defend the lands of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Syria from the constant Mughal commissioned raiding parties. These raiders, though commissioned by the Mughal government were usually privately hired bands of Bedouin raiders from the Arabian peninsula, and could not be directly traced back to the Mughal Empire, even though most of the Imperial Court suspected it was indeed them. When the Shiite Revolt broke out in the Mughal Empire, Andreas saw the perfect opportunity to weaken a dangerous rival empire.
Andreas ordered that supplies, gold, and a limited supply of modern weaponry be sent to the rebel Persians, in order to aid them in weakening the hostile Mughal Empire. It is doubtful that Andreas expected the Persians to actually win, rather, he most likely thought that they would simply weaken his rivals to a point where they would no longer be a threat to the Empire for a few good decades. However, with the new supplies and weaponry he received from the Empire, Isma’il once again easily crushed Babur’s army, and even went as far to lay siege to the capital of the Mughal Empire, Harat.
As it rapidly became clear that Shiite Persia would defeat the Mughal Empire if something was not done, the Sultan of the Mameluk’s, Qansuh, chose to lend support to his Sunni brothers, sending vast supplies of gold and weaponry to the land locked and starving Mughal Armies in modern Iraq. Shah Isma’il, though angered by the Mameluk’s interference, knew that to attack them directly whilst he was still embroiled in war with the Mughals would be suicide. The constant stream of supplies being sent to the armies in Iraq, however, couldn’t be ignored, so Isma’il devised a plan to prevent the Mameluke’s from providing any more aid to the Mughal Empire.
On May 18th, 1510, Isma’il commissioned a raiding party of Bedouin raiders, bearing a well known Mameluk war flag, to raid several rural towns on the edge of Damascus, Syria, on the borders of the Roman Empire. The Bedouin’s are estimated to have slaughtered nearly 2,000 Arabic and Syrian people, before they were forced to retreat by the approaching Roman Army. Emperor Andreas II was horrified and enraged by this unprovoked and seemingly pointless raid: for such a large death toll, hardly anything had really been looted.
News spread fairly quickly, thanks to the Jewish ran printing press in Constantinople, horrifying citizens as pamphlets telling of the massacre were posted at nearly every major market in the Empire. The printing press of Constantinople had originally been created in Andalusia, Spain, one of the last Muslim strongholds in the area. When the area was conquered by the Spanish in the early 1490’s, many of the Jews living there, fearing persecution at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition, fled to Constantinople, where Emperor Manouel III was intrigued by the clever invention, and commissioned them to print and distribute Orthodox Bibles, Roman Literature, and Imperial proclamations, when needed.
After the Sultan of the Mameluks repeatedly ignored demands for an official apology and compensation, Emperor Andreas II ordered his Megas Domestikos, the legendary Hussen Adu Ibrahim, to prepare for war against the Mamelukes. Though the Emperor originally wished to avoid war if possible, the Sultan’s repeated refusal to negotiate or even discuss the recent attack left him with little choice, on top of this, every messenger he had sent had failed to return... Andreas, knowing the Mameluks had a vast technological disadvantage with the Empire told Ibrahim he would be allowed no more than 50,000 soldiers for the war. Ibrahim agreed that this was more than acceptable, and began working on a plan to invade the Mameluk’s northern territories.
On June 10th, 1510, the Roman Empire declared war on the Mameluk Sultanate.
Ibrahim had split his 50,000 men into two armies of relatively equal size, the one under his personal command would move to capture the province of Samaria, before attacking the Mameluk’s in Judea, and securing the holy city of Jerusalem for the Empire, after that, he would move into Sinai, and then into Egypt itself, while he does this, the second army will have moved into Jordan and then Arabia, before attacking the holy city of Medina. Ibrahim hoped that the captured of these important provinces would force the Sultan to surrender and cede all of Judea and Jordan to the Empire.
The declaration of war had caught the Sultan completely off guard, for he had never received the letters that had been sent to him by the Emperor, the Shah of Persia had allegedly had each of his messengers killed as they attempted to pass the Samarian border. Unprepared for war, a mere 1,000 men were stationed in Samaria, and when they saw an army of 25,000 Romans approach, they surrendered without a fight. The news of the declaration of war had not even reached Samaria yet, and they were completely unprepared to fight.
Ibrahim wasted no time in conquering the region, and soon, all of Samaria was under Roman authority. In Jordan, the Roman army under Strategos Eufasius Nicomachi met with a far more formidable enemy force: Nearly 20,000 Mameluk’s awaited him, though they too were not aware that war had been declared, they had been stationed there as part of the Sultans plan to assist the Mughal Empire more directly with a war against Persia. When one of the routine patrols caught sight of the advancing army of Rome they wasted no time in alerting the Mameluk’s camped outside the city of Amman of the approaching enemy. Though surprised and ill prepared for a battle, they moved to meet them never the less.
Eufasius, seeing the rapidly approaching enemy, ordered his 20 canon be brought to the front of the army. As the Mameluk’s continued to advance, they were met with a withering barrage of canon fire which tore through their ranks, and caused panic among both men and horses, the brave Arabic warriors continued to press forward though, even as their ranks were continuously hammered by canon and gunfire. Finally, the last volley was fired at 35 yards, with devastating effect. A clear gap had been created within the enemies center, and Eufasius saw his chance, ordering his cavalry to the charge the center of the enemy line.
The cavalry charge tore through the tattered Mameluk’s line, allowing for the Imperial Pikes to rapidly advance on the demoralized Arabs. Though the battle was hopelessly lost, the Mameluk army continued to fight, managing to inflict nearly 3,000 casualties on the Romans, yet, by the end of the day, they too surrendered. With Judea quickly falling into Roman hands soon after, the first step of the war had been completed.
Ibrahim quickly set off for Judea upon conquering Samaria, he had lost some 2,000 men in the conquest of the region, but moral was still high. As he approached the holy land, scouts reported an army that was at least as large as his own, and preparing defenses for his arrival. Word of the declaration of war had by now reached the entire Sultanate, and the Sultan’s armies were rapidly mobilizing in order to defend the holy land. Ibrahim was confident of victory, however. The Mameluk’s had hardly any gunpowder weaponry available to them, and the defensive fortresses that guarded key cities such as Jerusalem were jokes.
The two armies met, and though the fighting was brutal, in the end, Ibrahim emerged the victor, though the hard fought victory had cost him nearly 4,000 men, and it was clear now that underestimating the Mameluk warriors was not a wise thing to do, even for Ibrahim. Never the less, the enemy was driven back, and the siege of Jerusalem would soon begin. The garrison inside the holy city was ready to die to the last man to protect this sacred land. Ibrahim prepared his forces for the siege to come, he was about to make history, and he surely knew it.
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“Defend the walls with your lives!” Shouted the Mameluk captain, Ahmed, as the soldiers stationed on the walls were being torn to pieces by Roman canon. He knew the walls would not hold for much longer against such a force, but he had to buy time for the Imam in Jerusalem to save what holy relics he could. As he watched the walls explode from the canon fire, and soldiers fall to their deaths as a result, Ahmed knew that he would need to make his last ditch defense in the streets of Jerusalem itself. Though the risk of damaging the holy site was great, it was better than simply letting it fall into the hands of the Isiast Scum.
“Fall back!” Ahmed shouted as the walls finally crumbled from the intense barrage of fire that was being leveled against it, the soldiers lucky enough to escape retreating into the inner city. Ahmed had always been fascinated by tells of great generals such as Alexander the Great, Caesar, or, closer to home, Saladin. Being one of the few members of lower society that was actually literate, he always enjoyed reading tales about these great hero’s of times past. The spread of the printing press had made these affordable for many of the peasants, even though the Sultan, and many other Muslim leaders often shunned them.
He planned on staging a valiant last stand in the streets, inspired by the exploits of Saladin, his must recent study. As soldiers gathered, he ordered them to form a straight line, packing them wall to wall in the street, offering vulnerabilities for his foes to exploit. Ahmed glanced over his men, standing ready, awaiting their enemies attack, “Stand your ground till the end! Not one man shall pass until we all lay dead!” Ahmed shouted over the roar of battle.
He could hear his foe grow closer, the anticipation causing beads of sweat to trickle down his forehead. Finally he saw the first Greek infantrymen rounding the street in the distance. Expecting them to charge once they had organized, he stood ready in the center of his line. However, the Greeks simply stood, watching him. Though at first, Ahmed was confused by this, he told himself that they were merely trying to temped them into a rash attack. “Stand your ground! Let them come to us!” Ahmed shouted to his men. As they stood, waiting for the Greeks to attack, Ahmed began to hear what sounded like a low rumbling of thunder.
Fearing they were planning on a cavalry charge, he ordered his spear armed soldiers to the front of the line in order to ward off the potential charge. However, as the sound of thunder grew ever closer, he realized it was not the thunder of horses, but that of wheels. Instantly, he knew what was happening, but it was too late, the Greeks had already moved their canon into position. Ahmed shouted to his men to attempt to scatter, but they were packed tightly against each other, and in the panicked struggled to escape, they only became further impacted against one another.
Ahmed’s eyes widened in horror as the canons opened fire on the closely packed group of soldiers. The flash was blindly, and the ground around him shook violently. When Ahmed was finally able to open his eyes, he found himself laying on the ground. He saw his sword a short distance away and attempted to reach for it, a pain, a pain too horrible to describe shot through his entire body, he glanced over at his arm, to find only a bleeding stump. Before Ahmed could scream however, the blade of a Greek soldier penetrated his chest, puncturing his heart, killing him.
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The siege of Jerusalem was over quickly, with hardly any losses for the Roman Army. With Jerusalem in his hands, Ibrahim knew victory was close at hand: The capture of the holy city of Jerusalem was a crushing blow to the moral of the Mameluk’s, being one of Islam’s most sacred and holy cities. The Mameluk’s were not defeated just yet, however. In Sinai, a large army of 31,000 awaited Ibrahim, with another 20,000 on its way. Such a formidable force would not be easily broken, even by the technologically superior forces of the Romans. This time, Ibrahim truly had his work cut out for him.
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Well, that is it for now guys. Sorry the update took so long, I promise I’ll get the next one out sooner.
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When the reluctant members of the Hungarian Diet had surrendered the Balkans to the Empire, the Roman people believed their days of war were at long last at an end. The Empire of Basileos II had been restored, and the Empire of the Romans once again was one of the Great Powers of the world, with Constantinople safely at its heart. Manouel himself announced that the Empire had been restored and that it was time for peace. Indeed, for the next 10 years of his life, Manouel would devote the Imperial Treasury to rebuilding the war ravaged state.
In 1507, Manouel III passed away and his son, Andreas II Palaiologos was crowned Emperor of Rome. Manouel would forever be remember as the Emperor who restored the Roman Empire to its height, before the battle of Mazikert. Andreas planned on following his fathers doctrine of peace prosperity, but events would transpire that would prevent the last survivor of antiquity from resting peacefully.
As the years went on, and the Roman Empire started to relax, an event happened that shook the middle east and the Islamic World. The Great Mughal Empire had ruled lands from modern Iraq to northern Afghanistan. It was one of the most powerful and feared world powers of its time, and despite some relatively embarrassing defeats against the newly formed Afghan state, they still stood as the supreme Islamic power in the middle east.
Mughal Empire 1507
It appeared to the outside world that it brought unity to the middle east and the Islamic faith in the region, but this was merely a farce. The population of central Persia, the breadbasket of the Mughal Empire, was predominately Shiite, a long suppressed and persecuted sect of Islam. Finally, as tensions began to grow, the Shiite community found a leader in Isma’il I, son of Haidar Safavi, the last leader of the defeated Ak Koyunlu tribe which fell to the Roman Empire in 1471. Though Haidar survived in exile, feeling to western Persia, he was executed in 1490 for heresy by the Sunni government of the Mughal Empire.
Isma’il and his mother lived in obscurity for the next 10 years, as Isma’il matured to manhood. When the Mughal Dynasty once again decided to persecute those of the Shiite faith in the region, his mother was among those targeted, and was beheaded in the town square of Tehran. As a result, on February 23rd of 1500 Isma’il is said to have vowed to his servants and followers to free Shiism from the oppressive rule of the Sunni Mughal Dynasty. Isma’il began holding underground religious meetings, where he would preach against the rule of the Mughal’s, slowly gathering support from the large Shiite population of modern Iran, touring back and forth from region to region, preaching his message away from the eyes of the imperial government.
As his followers began to grow, he appointed religious governors who would continue to preach in secret in the various cities in Persia, even while he was absent. This helped the movement to attain a constant stream of new followers, and eventually created underground networks from which Shia Muslims from across Persia could contact one another via letters, free from the prying eyes of the Mughals. By late 1507, Isma’il had inspired the Shia community of Persia to finally take up arms against the oppressive Sunni, and the great Mughal Empire found its richest provinces beset by rebellion.
Babur did not hesitate to send in his vast armies to crush the Shia revolt, however, though his army defeated the rebels on several occasions, the more Persians his men slew, the harder the population of Persia would fight against him, and with even the smallest victory bringing them great hope, Babur found himself quickly being overwhelmed. Finally, at the battle of Birjand, an army of 40,000 rebels under Isma’il decisively defeated Babur’s imperial army of 30,000, driving the Mughals into Harat, and dealing a humiliating blow to Babur’s pride and prestige.
Isma’il, emboldened by his victory, declared himself the Shah of Persia, choosing the city of Tehran as his capital. This sent shockwaves through the Islamic world, the mightiest modern Sunni Islamic nation had been defeated by heretic rebels. Persia declared itself independent from the Mughal Empire on May 9th, 1508. However, Babur, enraged at his defeat was unwilling to give up the fight. He rose a vast army of 45,000 men and marched once more on the fledgling nation.
Emperor Andreas II Palaiologos had been finding it increasingly difficult to defend the lands of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Syria from the constant Mughal commissioned raiding parties. These raiders, though commissioned by the Mughal government were usually privately hired bands of Bedouin raiders from the Arabian peninsula, and could not be directly traced back to the Mughal Empire, even though most of the Imperial Court suspected it was indeed them. When the Shiite Revolt broke out in the Mughal Empire, Andreas saw the perfect opportunity to weaken a dangerous rival empire.
Andreas ordered that supplies, gold, and a limited supply of modern weaponry be sent to the rebel Persians, in order to aid them in weakening the hostile Mughal Empire. It is doubtful that Andreas expected the Persians to actually win, rather, he most likely thought that they would simply weaken his rivals to a point where they would no longer be a threat to the Empire for a few good decades. However, with the new supplies and weaponry he received from the Empire, Isma’il once again easily crushed Babur’s army, and even went as far to lay siege to the capital of the Mughal Empire, Harat.
As it rapidly became clear that Shiite Persia would defeat the Mughal Empire if something was not done, the Sultan of the Mameluk’s, Qansuh, chose to lend support to his Sunni brothers, sending vast supplies of gold and weaponry to the land locked and starving Mughal Armies in modern Iraq. Shah Isma’il, though angered by the Mameluk’s interference, knew that to attack them directly whilst he was still embroiled in war with the Mughals would be suicide. The constant stream of supplies being sent to the armies in Iraq, however, couldn’t be ignored, so Isma’il devised a plan to prevent the Mameluke’s from providing any more aid to the Mughal Empire.
On May 18th, 1510, Isma’il commissioned a raiding party of Bedouin raiders, bearing a well known Mameluk war flag, to raid several rural towns on the edge of Damascus, Syria, on the borders of the Roman Empire. The Bedouin’s are estimated to have slaughtered nearly 2,000 Arabic and Syrian people, before they were forced to retreat by the approaching Roman Army. Emperor Andreas II was horrified and enraged by this unprovoked and seemingly pointless raid: for such a large death toll, hardly anything had really been looted.
News spread fairly quickly, thanks to the Jewish ran printing press in Constantinople, horrifying citizens as pamphlets telling of the massacre were posted at nearly every major market in the Empire. The printing press of Constantinople had originally been created in Andalusia, Spain, one of the last Muslim strongholds in the area. When the area was conquered by the Spanish in the early 1490’s, many of the Jews living there, fearing persecution at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition, fled to Constantinople, where Emperor Manouel III was intrigued by the clever invention, and commissioned them to print and distribute Orthodox Bibles, Roman Literature, and Imperial proclamations, when needed.
After the Sultan of the Mameluks repeatedly ignored demands for an official apology and compensation, Emperor Andreas II ordered his Megas Domestikos, the legendary Hussen Adu Ibrahim, to prepare for war against the Mamelukes. Though the Emperor originally wished to avoid war if possible, the Sultan’s repeated refusal to negotiate or even discuss the recent attack left him with little choice, on top of this, every messenger he had sent had failed to return... Andreas, knowing the Mameluks had a vast technological disadvantage with the Empire told Ibrahim he would be allowed no more than 50,000 soldiers for the war. Ibrahim agreed that this was more than acceptable, and began working on a plan to invade the Mameluk’s northern territories.
On June 10th, 1510, the Roman Empire declared war on the Mameluk Sultanate.
Ibrahim had split his 50,000 men into two armies of relatively equal size, the one under his personal command would move to capture the province of Samaria, before attacking the Mameluk’s in Judea, and securing the holy city of Jerusalem for the Empire, after that, he would move into Sinai, and then into Egypt itself, while he does this, the second army will have moved into Jordan and then Arabia, before attacking the holy city of Medina. Ibrahim hoped that the captured of these important provinces would force the Sultan to surrender and cede all of Judea and Jordan to the Empire.
The declaration of war had caught the Sultan completely off guard, for he had never received the letters that had been sent to him by the Emperor, the Shah of Persia had allegedly had each of his messengers killed as they attempted to pass the Samarian border. Unprepared for war, a mere 1,000 men were stationed in Samaria, and when they saw an army of 25,000 Romans approach, they surrendered without a fight. The news of the declaration of war had not even reached Samaria yet, and they were completely unprepared to fight.
Ibrahim wasted no time in conquering the region, and soon, all of Samaria was under Roman authority. In Jordan, the Roman army under Strategos Eufasius Nicomachi met with a far more formidable enemy force: Nearly 20,000 Mameluk’s awaited him, though they too were not aware that war had been declared, they had been stationed there as part of the Sultans plan to assist the Mughal Empire more directly with a war against Persia. When one of the routine patrols caught sight of the advancing army of Rome they wasted no time in alerting the Mameluk’s camped outside the city of Amman of the approaching enemy. Though surprised and ill prepared for a battle, they moved to meet them never the less.
Eufasius, seeing the rapidly approaching enemy, ordered his 20 canon be brought to the front of the army. As the Mameluk’s continued to advance, they were met with a withering barrage of canon fire which tore through their ranks, and caused panic among both men and horses, the brave Arabic warriors continued to press forward though, even as their ranks were continuously hammered by canon and gunfire. Finally, the last volley was fired at 35 yards, with devastating effect. A clear gap had been created within the enemies center, and Eufasius saw his chance, ordering his cavalry to the charge the center of the enemy line.
The cavalry charge tore through the tattered Mameluk’s line, allowing for the Imperial Pikes to rapidly advance on the demoralized Arabs. Though the battle was hopelessly lost, the Mameluk army continued to fight, managing to inflict nearly 3,000 casualties on the Romans, yet, by the end of the day, they too surrendered. With Judea quickly falling into Roman hands soon after, the first step of the war had been completed.
Ibrahim quickly set off for Judea upon conquering Samaria, he had lost some 2,000 men in the conquest of the region, but moral was still high. As he approached the holy land, scouts reported an army that was at least as large as his own, and preparing defenses for his arrival. Word of the declaration of war had by now reached the entire Sultanate, and the Sultan’s armies were rapidly mobilizing in order to defend the holy land. Ibrahim was confident of victory, however. The Mameluk’s had hardly any gunpowder weaponry available to them, and the defensive fortresses that guarded key cities such as Jerusalem were jokes.
The two armies met, and though the fighting was brutal, in the end, Ibrahim emerged the victor, though the hard fought victory had cost him nearly 4,000 men, and it was clear now that underestimating the Mameluk warriors was not a wise thing to do, even for Ibrahim. Never the less, the enemy was driven back, and the siege of Jerusalem would soon begin. The garrison inside the holy city was ready to die to the last man to protect this sacred land. Ibrahim prepared his forces for the siege to come, he was about to make history, and he surely knew it.
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“Defend the walls with your lives!” Shouted the Mameluk captain, Ahmed, as the soldiers stationed on the walls were being torn to pieces by Roman canon. He knew the walls would not hold for much longer against such a force, but he had to buy time for the Imam in Jerusalem to save what holy relics he could. As he watched the walls explode from the canon fire, and soldiers fall to their deaths as a result, Ahmed knew that he would need to make his last ditch defense in the streets of Jerusalem itself. Though the risk of damaging the holy site was great, it was better than simply letting it fall into the hands of the Isiast Scum.
“Fall back!” Ahmed shouted as the walls finally crumbled from the intense barrage of fire that was being leveled against it, the soldiers lucky enough to escape retreating into the inner city. Ahmed had always been fascinated by tells of great generals such as Alexander the Great, Caesar, or, closer to home, Saladin. Being one of the few members of lower society that was actually literate, he always enjoyed reading tales about these great hero’s of times past. The spread of the printing press had made these affordable for many of the peasants, even though the Sultan, and many other Muslim leaders often shunned them.
He planned on staging a valiant last stand in the streets, inspired by the exploits of Saladin, his must recent study. As soldiers gathered, he ordered them to form a straight line, packing them wall to wall in the street, offering vulnerabilities for his foes to exploit. Ahmed glanced over his men, standing ready, awaiting their enemies attack, “Stand your ground till the end! Not one man shall pass until we all lay dead!” Ahmed shouted over the roar of battle.
He could hear his foe grow closer, the anticipation causing beads of sweat to trickle down his forehead. Finally he saw the first Greek infantrymen rounding the street in the distance. Expecting them to charge once they had organized, he stood ready in the center of his line. However, the Greeks simply stood, watching him. Though at first, Ahmed was confused by this, he told himself that they were merely trying to temped them into a rash attack. “Stand your ground! Let them come to us!” Ahmed shouted to his men. As they stood, waiting for the Greeks to attack, Ahmed began to hear what sounded like a low rumbling of thunder.
Fearing they were planning on a cavalry charge, he ordered his spear armed soldiers to the front of the line in order to ward off the potential charge. However, as the sound of thunder grew ever closer, he realized it was not the thunder of horses, but that of wheels. Instantly, he knew what was happening, but it was too late, the Greeks had already moved their canon into position. Ahmed shouted to his men to attempt to scatter, but they were packed tightly against each other, and in the panicked struggled to escape, they only became further impacted against one another.
Ahmed’s eyes widened in horror as the canons opened fire on the closely packed group of soldiers. The flash was blindly, and the ground around him shook violently. When Ahmed was finally able to open his eyes, he found himself laying on the ground. He saw his sword a short distance away and attempted to reach for it, a pain, a pain too horrible to describe shot through his entire body, he glanced over at his arm, to find only a bleeding stump. Before Ahmed could scream however, the blade of a Greek soldier penetrated his chest, puncturing his heart, killing him.
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The siege of Jerusalem was over quickly, with hardly any losses for the Roman Army. With Jerusalem in his hands, Ibrahim knew victory was close at hand: The capture of the holy city of Jerusalem was a crushing blow to the moral of the Mameluk’s, being one of Islam’s most sacred and holy cities. The Mameluk’s were not defeated just yet, however. In Sinai, a large army of 31,000 awaited Ibrahim, with another 20,000 on its way. Such a formidable force would not be easily broken, even by the technologically superior forces of the Romans. This time, Ibrahim truly had his work cut out for him.
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Well, that is it for now guys. Sorry the update took so long, I promise I’ll get the next one out sooner.