While it would be interesting, I guess it is just impostor (with different "id")
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While it would be interesting, I guess it is just impostor (with different "id")
Interesting
Usually don't see any of the Caucaus/Anatolian states do well enough to stay alive against an onslaught of Turks, Timmies and Mongols
Usually don't see any of the Caucaus/Anatolian states do well enough to stay alive against an onslaught of Turks, Timmies and Mongols
Feedback:
zdlugasz- I know, I just thought it was a nice bit of humor there. How often does one have pretender rebels crop up following someone with the same name as your (dead) adviser?
blsteen- I've gotten amazingly lucky this game. Namely because the Mamluks were too busy beating up on other people, and the Knights/Romans turned out to be remarkably successful, and helped keep the Otto's pinned in.
Sorry for the delay everyone, school is a pain.
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
Musegh I Lusignan, King of Cilicia and Armenia
David Bakara, Royal Diplomat
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the First Army
While the Alliance with Qara Koyunlu secured Armenia's eastern border, it did lead to some interesting problems back home. After all, the only allies the nation had ever had were all Orthodox Christian, with the exception of the long-since defunct guarantee by the Knights. Having an Islamic ally was an...interesting prospect to be sure. It did go towards placating the rather large Muslim minority in the country though.
It also ruffled the feathers of the easily annoyed nobles, who picked an easy target in Cilicia's new production techniques.
"What a waste of time," Musegh said when he got the reports, "can't the Nobles entertain themselves in other ways?"
"They're nobles sire," Bakara replied with a bit of humor, "how else can they find enjoyment other than messing with the government?"
Musegh snorted, "True enough. Ignore them."
The older he got, the less Musegh cared about the complaints by the nobility. They seemed to exist to cater to their own goals, and often that was very much against Armenia's best interests, so he cared little for their views. A much more interesting event was one of Armenia's allies (ironically, the new ones in Qara Koyunlu) getting involved in a war with the Ottomans.
"I would go to war with them, but we aren't ready for that are we?"
"Not at the moment, no," General Adamian replied, "our army hasn't fully recovered from putting down the rebels."
The General was talking about rebels sponsored, obviously, by the Ottomans. Ever since taking their new territory, revolts cropped up every few months. Putting those down was stressful on the economy, and left Cilicia a bit unfit for a war against someone as powerful as the Ottomans. It would have been a mostly Roman show, and Musegh wanted Armenia to prove its worth...not rely on the Byzantines.
Of course, there was also the rather large problem to their south...
"How is the border with the Mamluks looking?" Musegh asked.
"Bad," Adamian said honestly, "while they aren't making any hostile moves, our scouts report massive armies moving through the border provinces. The smallest we have seen was eleven regiments, and it is doubtful that is even a third of their army."
Musegh frowned at that, "And we can barely support that many troops on our own."
"Indeed."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
With that knowledge in mind, Armenia sat out the war with the Ottomans. There was little point in fighting them, so long as the Mamluks lurked over their shoulder, waiting for a sign of weakness. Something that Musegh would not give them, even if it meant spending time on nothing more than internal politics. On the plus side, at least the Navy was finally showing signs of improvement.
...even if said navy still remained only seven ships. It was a start at least.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
General Adamian walked through the camps of his army, watching the troops. They were training and exercising, always keeping in shape for a sudden war. With the neighbors Armenia had, it made sense to always be prepared. And that was discounting the constant rebellions.
Still though...
We could do so much better, the General mused.
For as he walked, he saw Noble officers lazing about, watching the rank-and-file troops work while discussing God knew what. Occasionally they would shoot looks at the General, remembering quite clearly that he came from an average farm, not the typical noble officer schools. That had been a problem for Adamaian, and one that didn't want to go away.
"I wonder...could we promote the more experienced troops to replace them," Adamian muttered, watching said experienced troops teach the new recruits how to fight.
It would certainly solve some problems. Right now, the Army was lead by nobles who had never fought, and only had their posts because of family connections. If they had something like a system of Battlefield Commissions, it might help by allowing the truly good soldiers to rise up in rank and teach the younger ones all they knew. Certainly better than relying on the current system, at least to the farm-raised General. So he sent a message to Musegh, who agreed readily.
For those curious: in D&T, that gives me +1.00 on Army Tradition, Leader Fire, and Leader Shock. More useful than anything else, considering my situation.
With this new system set up, it was possible that despite being at peace, the Cilician Army could be trained better than the Mamluk or Ottoman armies. Better training would hopefully offset the difference in relative power...or at least that was the hope.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
While Adamian was working on the Army, Bakara was digging into his roots to see if he could find something to help deal with the Mamluks. Unlike New Candar however, there wasn't a sizable Armenian population in their territory to work with. Thus, it was somewhat harder to actually find the people willing to work against the Egyptians. Well, outside of Syria anyway.
Somewhat more interesting though, was when a handful of men approached him, instead of the other way around.
"So you say you can do things that our King wouldn't want traced back to him?" the former Rebel asked.
The leader of the little group nodded, "Of course. Every ruler has things that need done...quietly. That is where we come in."
Bakara tapped his chin, "How much would this cost?"
"Oh a few Ducats here and there, nothing expensive," the leader said with a grin.
"Hmm..."
Trusting random people was something that didn't exactly sit well with the former Rebel. Then again, anything that could be used against the Mamluks was a good thing. So he shook the hand of the leader, and sent the men away until they were needed.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Musegh, you are not going to believe this!!" a harried Prince David shouted, running into his brother's throne room.
"What is it?" the King asked.
A paper was shoved into his hands as a reply, and once he read it...the paper dropped from shaking hands. Musegh couldn't believe what he was reading...
"Uncle Avedis..." Musegh muttered in shock...that quickly turned to anger, "who dares use his name?!"
David backed up slightly, well aware of his brother's temper from the Eretnid War(s). Adamian, who happened to be walking by, was pulled into the room.
"Sire?" the General asked.
"Take the Royal Army and deal with these rebels," the King said darkly.
Adamian looked confused, until he was given the message. Then his eyes hardened just like the Kings...Avedis had helped him get to where he was, and these pretenders to the throne were trying to use his name to gain power? Not on his watch!!
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
As it turned out, the stress of those Rebels was the last thing that Musegh could take. The King had been sick for some time before that, and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Some time after Adamian put the revolt down, the King passed away. Oddly, he requested to be buried in Trebizond next to his Mother (Zoe had died some years previously) instead of in Cilicia by his father. Then again, he hadn't really known Gosdantin considering how young he had been when his father died.
Still...with Musegh's death, David took to the throne, with his son Gagik as his heir.
Gagik is an 8/7/3 heir by the way. Somewhat lucky there, even if he doesn't know the pointy end of the sword from the hilt.
And thus dies the second King. Musegh certainly had a great run, considering the amount of territory he gained for me.
zdlugasz- I know, I just thought it was a nice bit of humor there. How often does one have pretender rebels crop up following someone with the same name as your (dead) adviser?
blsteen- I've gotten amazingly lucky this game. Namely because the Mamluks were too busy beating up on other people, and the Knights/Romans turned out to be remarkably successful, and helped keep the Otto's pinned in.
Sorry for the delay everyone, school is a pain.
End of an Era
Or at least a King
Or at least a King
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
Musegh I Lusignan, King of Cilicia and Armenia
David Bakara, Royal Diplomat
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the First Army
While the Alliance with Qara Koyunlu secured Armenia's eastern border, it did lead to some interesting problems back home. After all, the only allies the nation had ever had were all Orthodox Christian, with the exception of the long-since defunct guarantee by the Knights. Having an Islamic ally was an...interesting prospect to be sure. It did go towards placating the rather large Muslim minority in the country though.
It also ruffled the feathers of the easily annoyed nobles, who picked an easy target in Cilicia's new production techniques.
"What a waste of time," Musegh said when he got the reports, "can't the Nobles entertain themselves in other ways?"
"They're nobles sire," Bakara replied with a bit of humor, "how else can they find enjoyment other than messing with the government?"
Musegh snorted, "True enough. Ignore them."
The older he got, the less Musegh cared about the complaints by the nobility. They seemed to exist to cater to their own goals, and often that was very much against Armenia's best interests, so he cared little for their views. A much more interesting event was one of Armenia's allies (ironically, the new ones in Qara Koyunlu) getting involved in a war with the Ottomans.
"I would go to war with them, but we aren't ready for that are we?"
"Not at the moment, no," General Adamian replied, "our army hasn't fully recovered from putting down the rebels."
The General was talking about rebels sponsored, obviously, by the Ottomans. Ever since taking their new territory, revolts cropped up every few months. Putting those down was stressful on the economy, and left Cilicia a bit unfit for a war against someone as powerful as the Ottomans. It would have been a mostly Roman show, and Musegh wanted Armenia to prove its worth...not rely on the Byzantines.
Of course, there was also the rather large problem to their south...
"How is the border with the Mamluks looking?" Musegh asked.
"Bad," Adamian said honestly, "while they aren't making any hostile moves, our scouts report massive armies moving through the border provinces. The smallest we have seen was eleven regiments, and it is doubtful that is even a third of their army."
Musegh frowned at that, "And we can barely support that many troops on our own."
"Indeed."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
With that knowledge in mind, Armenia sat out the war with the Ottomans. There was little point in fighting them, so long as the Mamluks lurked over their shoulder, waiting for a sign of weakness. Something that Musegh would not give them, even if it meant spending time on nothing more than internal politics. On the plus side, at least the Navy was finally showing signs of improvement.
...even if said navy still remained only seven ships. It was a start at least.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
General Adamian walked through the camps of his army, watching the troops. They were training and exercising, always keeping in shape for a sudden war. With the neighbors Armenia had, it made sense to always be prepared. And that was discounting the constant rebellions.
Still though...
We could do so much better, the General mused.
For as he walked, he saw Noble officers lazing about, watching the rank-and-file troops work while discussing God knew what. Occasionally they would shoot looks at the General, remembering quite clearly that he came from an average farm, not the typical noble officer schools. That had been a problem for Adamaian, and one that didn't want to go away.
"I wonder...could we promote the more experienced troops to replace them," Adamian muttered, watching said experienced troops teach the new recruits how to fight.
It would certainly solve some problems. Right now, the Army was lead by nobles who had never fought, and only had their posts because of family connections. If they had something like a system of Battlefield Commissions, it might help by allowing the truly good soldiers to rise up in rank and teach the younger ones all they knew. Certainly better than relying on the current system, at least to the farm-raised General. So he sent a message to Musegh, who agreed readily.
For those curious: in D&T, that gives me +1.00 on Army Tradition, Leader Fire, and Leader Shock. More useful than anything else, considering my situation.
With this new system set up, it was possible that despite being at peace, the Cilician Army could be trained better than the Mamluk or Ottoman armies. Better training would hopefully offset the difference in relative power...or at least that was the hope.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
While Adamian was working on the Army, Bakara was digging into his roots to see if he could find something to help deal with the Mamluks. Unlike New Candar however, there wasn't a sizable Armenian population in their territory to work with. Thus, it was somewhat harder to actually find the people willing to work against the Egyptians. Well, outside of Syria anyway.
Somewhat more interesting though, was when a handful of men approached him, instead of the other way around.
"So you say you can do things that our King wouldn't want traced back to him?" the former Rebel asked.
The leader of the little group nodded, "Of course. Every ruler has things that need done...quietly. That is where we come in."
Bakara tapped his chin, "How much would this cost?"
"Oh a few Ducats here and there, nothing expensive," the leader said with a grin.
"Hmm..."
Trusting random people was something that didn't exactly sit well with the former Rebel. Then again, anything that could be used against the Mamluks was a good thing. So he shook the hand of the leader, and sent the men away until they were needed.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Musegh, you are not going to believe this!!" a harried Prince David shouted, running into his brother's throne room.
"What is it?" the King asked.
A paper was shoved into his hands as a reply, and once he read it...the paper dropped from shaking hands. Musegh couldn't believe what he was reading...
"Uncle Avedis..." Musegh muttered in shock...that quickly turned to anger, "who dares use his name?!"
David backed up slightly, well aware of his brother's temper from the Eretnid War(s). Adamian, who happened to be walking by, was pulled into the room.
"Sire?" the General asked.
"Take the Royal Army and deal with these rebels," the King said darkly.
Adamian looked confused, until he was given the message. Then his eyes hardened just like the Kings...Avedis had helped him get to where he was, and these pretenders to the throne were trying to use his name to gain power? Not on his watch!!
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
As it turned out, the stress of those Rebels was the last thing that Musegh could take. The King had been sick for some time before that, and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Some time after Adamian put the revolt down, the King passed away. Oddly, he requested to be buried in Trebizond next to his Mother (Zoe had died some years previously) instead of in Cilicia by his father. Then again, he hadn't really known Gosdantin considering how young he had been when his father died.
Still...with Musegh's death, David took to the throne, with his son Gagik as his heir.
Gagik is an 8/7/3 heir by the way. Somewhat lucky there, even if he doesn't know the pointy end of the sword from the hilt.
And thus dies the second King. Musegh certainly had a great run, considering the amount of territory he gained for me.
Gah! Forgot to read this update, no!
Avedis rises once more, from beyond the grave. Did you happen to build upon some ancient Armenian burial site or church? I heard that really annoys the dead.
Avedis rises once more, from beyond the grave. Did you happen to build upon some ancient Armenian burial site or church? I heard that really annoys the dead.
Feedback:
Arstemis- I don't think I did, but maybe Musegh forgot what he was building a Constable on
I'm aiming to post the next update tomorrow, if possible. And it will have the next war with a major power, so that's fun. (also, almost 45 posts!)
Arstemis- I don't think I did, but maybe Musegh forgot what he was building a Constable on
I'm aiming to post the next update tomorrow, if possible. And it will have the next war with a major power, so that's fun. (also, almost 45 posts!)
And now, what I'm sure some of you have been waiting for...
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
David I Lusignan-Komnenos, King of Cilicia and Armenia
David Bakara, Royal Diplomat
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the Royal Army
John Kurozwecki, Minister of the Army
In the future, history books would tell great stories about the reign of King David I (such as him being the first Armenian King to publicly include the name of his Mother). That was in the future however, as his reign began with little difference from the waning years of his elder brother Musegh's reign. Cilicia continued to consolidate its holdings, and train new troops. The world continued to spin, and Catholic nations continued to launch seemingly random wars.
About the only thing worth recording of the early days of King David's reign was his new appointment to the previously vacant Minister of the Army post. Left empty since the death of the Lithuanian Tomas, it was now being filled by the son of Lukasz Kurozwecki. John was a bit less...eccentric, than his father, but no less effective at his job.
"We are continuing to upgrade our army My King," John was saying, at one of the meetings that had become a hallmark of David's reign.
The King nodded, "Good work, even if you have to use Turkish models."
One of the sources of national shame for Armenia was the relative weakness their homegrown troops had towards the Muslim counterparts around them. So, something begun under Tomas continued under John. The Cilician Army was being remolded in this mold, using the natives of the newly taken territories who knew the methods of their (former) overlords. It was, at best, a stopgap measure, but every bit helped in the long run.
Of course, not everyone was happy with things...
"I would say let them have more freedom," Bakara said, reclining back in his own chair, "what's the worst that could happen?"
"Revolts," General Adamian deadpanned.
Bakara's eyebrow told his sometimes-friend, sometimes-rival everything he needed to know.
"I actually agree with him," David spoke up, "especially in the newly liberated territories. Better to be benevolent rulers than oppressive ones."
Adamian nodded...far be it for him to disagree with the King. Even a newly crowned King such as David. In any case, he had his own part of the meeting to do. And it was arguably the most important, and that wasn't (just) his ego talking. Okay, maybe it was his ego talking, but still!
"In any case, I have reports from the men helping train Qara Koyunlu's troops," the General said, "and it involves our friends the Mamluks."
That got everyone's attention. The Egyptians were an ever-present threat to Armenia, always had been and probably always would be. After all, even the entire Orthodox Alliance+Qara Koyunlu were outnumbered by just the Mamluks.
So hearing that they went to war with the equally large Persians was welcome news. Even though it dragged in their mutual ally Qara Koyunlu, the Persians had nearly as many troops as the Mamluks. And provided they played things smart and waited for the Egyptians, cocky after their other wars, to attack...they could wipe out most of the Mamluk army!
David whistled as he read the message, "This could be just what we need! The Persians and their allies are just as strong as the Mamluk's and their allies."
Bakara nodded absently, "You have a point there. This might be the chance we need to finally secure the Corridor."
The former-Rebel was talking about the three former Ak Koyunlu provinces the Mamluks had taken during Gosdantin's reign. They had been a danger, and left Cilicia split in two. This...this could be the chance they needed to retake them.
"General, prepare the troops," the King ordered, "Bakara, have your spies keep a very close eye on the Mamluk's armies. John, have our forts ready if needed."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The news that the Mamluk's may have finally bitten off more than they could chew was greeted with cheers in Cilicia and her allies. The army was whipped into shape, Adamian using his newly trained officers to get it up to speed on the seemingly inevitable war. The Navy was also readied, but the Mamluk Fleet outnumbered Armenia severely, so it was doubtful it would see much, if any, use.
While this was going on, news came in from Trebizond, as their Regency finally ended.
If the two nations weren't already the closest allies anyone in the area had ever seen, they now had Kings with the same name. On the plus side, it meant that David could count on his (much) younger cousin to help in this war. On the downside, it lead to much joking by the (new) Pole. John liked making fun of the fact that there was David Lusignan-Komnenos, David Komnenos, and David Bakara, all working in the same two nations. The King merely sent his Minister to Yerevan to work with Qara Koyunlu in response.
On a sadder note, General Adamian was killed in a training accident.
He had served well for many years, defeating the Eretnids (twice) and New Candar. A monument was built in his home province of Orha, that would stand as long as Armenia herself.
With great reluctance however, David took the reigns of Generalship into his own hands, as the long-awaited war began.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
All of the Orthodox Alliance joined in the 'Holy War' against the Mamluks, while Qara Koyunlu merely continued to help their allies in Persia. And the Persians had proven their worth, the entire Mamluk army being deployed in their territory, with only small garrisons left behind to keep an eye on Iraq. Thus, the Egyptians were caught completely off-guard when Armenian, Trebizondian, and Georgian troops poured across the border into their territory. The Romans, meanwhile, were besieging a Mamluk enclave in Anatolia.
Because of this surprise attack, it took some time for the Mamluks to redeploy their troops. Time the Armenians took advantage of, spreading out with their allies to take any province they could.
Add in a large amount of rebels supplied by Bakara's 'friends' in Syria, and the Mamluks were in a bad shape even early into the war. David had proven to be a remarkably good leader, compared to his older brother and father. The Armenians moved with the Romans against the Egyptian armies in Iraq, aiming to catch them in a pincer.
While these armies did their job, bad news came from Cyprus. The Moroccan allies of the Mamluks had finally arrived, and forced the island state to surrender. While the Cypriots were the weakest of the allies, it was still sobering news. Both the Armenians and Romans stopped their advance, consolidating while the Persians and Iraqi's attacked the Mamluks for them.
The first war of David's reign was well underway, and it could still swing in either direction...only time would tell...
I got absurdly lucky with the Mamluk's attacking the Persians. The former had roughly 30k troops at the start of the war, the latter 25k (plus 8k in Qara Koyunlu, and about 10k in Iraq). The Orthodox Alliance (Armenia, Byzantium, Cyprus, Georgia and Trebizond) could muster about 25k of our own. You can see why I broke my own unspoken rule (leave the Mamluks alone!!) here
I've already played to the end of the war, so the next update won't be that far off if I have the time to type it. And you'll notice the Rebel Doomstack correct? That is where those three spies from last chapter came into play. Quite costly to fund them, but oh so worth it in the long run I think. I also change up a bit on the first page, adding the flag of the Armenian Lusignan Dynasty (which apparently influenced the current Tri-Color), along with the Lusignan Coat of Arms (plus my own custom one to reflect how closely tied the Cilician branch of the Lusignan's and the Trebizond Komnenos Dynasty are tied in this Alt-History).
Chapter 12: The Armenian-Mamluk War: Part 1
Wherein David is a brutal opportunist.
Wherein David is a brutal opportunist.
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
David I Lusignan-Komnenos, King of Cilicia and Armenia
David Bakara, Royal Diplomat
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the Royal Army
John Kurozwecki, Minister of the Army
In the future, history books would tell great stories about the reign of King David I (such as him being the first Armenian King to publicly include the name of his Mother). That was in the future however, as his reign began with little difference from the waning years of his elder brother Musegh's reign. Cilicia continued to consolidate its holdings, and train new troops. The world continued to spin, and Catholic nations continued to launch seemingly random wars.
About the only thing worth recording of the early days of King David's reign was his new appointment to the previously vacant Minister of the Army post. Left empty since the death of the Lithuanian Tomas, it was now being filled by the son of Lukasz Kurozwecki. John was a bit less...eccentric, than his father, but no less effective at his job.
"We are continuing to upgrade our army My King," John was saying, at one of the meetings that had become a hallmark of David's reign.
The King nodded, "Good work, even if you have to use Turkish models."
One of the sources of national shame for Armenia was the relative weakness their homegrown troops had towards the Muslim counterparts around them. So, something begun under Tomas continued under John. The Cilician Army was being remolded in this mold, using the natives of the newly taken territories who knew the methods of their (former) overlords. It was, at best, a stopgap measure, but every bit helped in the long run.
Of course, not everyone was happy with things...
"I would say let them have more freedom," Bakara said, reclining back in his own chair, "what's the worst that could happen?"
"Revolts," General Adamian deadpanned.
Bakara's eyebrow told his sometimes-friend, sometimes-rival everything he needed to know.
"I actually agree with him," David spoke up, "especially in the newly liberated territories. Better to be benevolent rulers than oppressive ones."
Adamian nodded...far be it for him to disagree with the King. Even a newly crowned King such as David. In any case, he had his own part of the meeting to do. And it was arguably the most important, and that wasn't (just) his ego talking. Okay, maybe it was his ego talking, but still!
"In any case, I have reports from the men helping train Qara Koyunlu's troops," the General said, "and it involves our friends the Mamluks."
That got everyone's attention. The Egyptians were an ever-present threat to Armenia, always had been and probably always would be. After all, even the entire Orthodox Alliance+Qara Koyunlu were outnumbered by just the Mamluks.
So hearing that they went to war with the equally large Persians was welcome news. Even though it dragged in their mutual ally Qara Koyunlu, the Persians had nearly as many troops as the Mamluks. And provided they played things smart and waited for the Egyptians, cocky after their other wars, to attack...they could wipe out most of the Mamluk army!
David whistled as he read the message, "This could be just what we need! The Persians and their allies are just as strong as the Mamluk's and their allies."
Bakara nodded absently, "You have a point there. This might be the chance we need to finally secure the Corridor."
The former-Rebel was talking about the three former Ak Koyunlu provinces the Mamluks had taken during Gosdantin's reign. They had been a danger, and left Cilicia split in two. This...this could be the chance they needed to retake them.
"General, prepare the troops," the King ordered, "Bakara, have your spies keep a very close eye on the Mamluk's armies. John, have our forts ready if needed."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The news that the Mamluk's may have finally bitten off more than they could chew was greeted with cheers in Cilicia and her allies. The army was whipped into shape, Adamian using his newly trained officers to get it up to speed on the seemingly inevitable war. The Navy was also readied, but the Mamluk Fleet outnumbered Armenia severely, so it was doubtful it would see much, if any, use.
While this was going on, news came in from Trebizond, as their Regency finally ended.
If the two nations weren't already the closest allies anyone in the area had ever seen, they now had Kings with the same name. On the plus side, it meant that David could count on his (much) younger cousin to help in this war. On the downside, it lead to much joking by the (new) Pole. John liked making fun of the fact that there was David Lusignan-Komnenos, David Komnenos, and David Bakara, all working in the same two nations. The King merely sent his Minister to Yerevan to work with Qara Koyunlu in response.
On a sadder note, General Adamian was killed in a training accident.
He had served well for many years, defeating the Eretnids (twice) and New Candar. A monument was built in his home province of Orha, that would stand as long as Armenia herself.
With great reluctance however, David took the reigns of Generalship into his own hands, as the long-awaited war began.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
All of the Orthodox Alliance joined in the 'Holy War' against the Mamluks, while Qara Koyunlu merely continued to help their allies in Persia. And the Persians had proven their worth, the entire Mamluk army being deployed in their territory, with only small garrisons left behind to keep an eye on Iraq. Thus, the Egyptians were caught completely off-guard when Armenian, Trebizondian, and Georgian troops poured across the border into their territory. The Romans, meanwhile, were besieging a Mamluk enclave in Anatolia.
Because of this surprise attack, it took some time for the Mamluks to redeploy their troops. Time the Armenians took advantage of, spreading out with their allies to take any province they could.
Add in a large amount of rebels supplied by Bakara's 'friends' in Syria, and the Mamluks were in a bad shape even early into the war. David had proven to be a remarkably good leader, compared to his older brother and father. The Armenians moved with the Romans against the Egyptian armies in Iraq, aiming to catch them in a pincer.
While these armies did their job, bad news came from Cyprus. The Moroccan allies of the Mamluks had finally arrived, and forced the island state to surrender. While the Cypriots were the weakest of the allies, it was still sobering news. Both the Armenians and Romans stopped their advance, consolidating while the Persians and Iraqi's attacked the Mamluks for them.
The first war of David's reign was well underway, and it could still swing in either direction...only time would tell...
I got absurdly lucky with the Mamluk's attacking the Persians. The former had roughly 30k troops at the start of the war, the latter 25k (plus 8k in Qara Koyunlu, and about 10k in Iraq). The Orthodox Alliance (Armenia, Byzantium, Cyprus, Georgia and Trebizond) could muster about 25k of our own. You can see why I broke my own unspoken rule (leave the Mamluks alone!!) here
I've already played to the end of the war, so the next update won't be that far off if I have the time to type it. And you'll notice the Rebel Doomstack correct? That is where those three spies from last chapter came into play. Quite costly to fund them, but oh so worth it in the long run I think. I also change up a bit on the first page, adding the flag of the Armenian Lusignan Dynasty (which apparently influenced the current Tri-Color), along with the Lusignan Coat of Arms (plus my own custom one to reflect how closely tied the Cilician branch of the Lusignan's and the Trebizond Komnenos Dynasty are tied in this Alt-History).
That is the way to go!
Since you have already finished war I have three questions: what were you minimum and maximum war goals and finally after looking at negotiation screen how many provinces could you grab? (even at the cost of prolongation of war and gaining 99% warscore, it it were possible to get)
Since you have already finished war I have three questions: what were you minimum and maximum war goals and finally after looking at negotiation screen how many provinces could you grab? (even at the cost of prolongation of war and gaining 99% warscore, it it were possible to get)
zdlugasz- I actually meant to put the war goals in that post but seem to have forgotten...thanks for pointing that out.
Primary War Goals: Securing the Armenian Corridor (three provinces between Cilicia and what the game considers Armenia).
Secondary: Aleppo and releasing any nations I can.
Tertiary: Money...can always use more Ducats.
I'll answer the territory one after I post the second part of the war
Primary War Goals: Securing the Armenian Corridor (three provinces between Cilicia and what the game considers Armenia).
Secondary: Aleppo and releasing any nations I can.
Tertiary: Money...can always use more Ducats.
I'll answer the territory one after I post the second part of the war
I'm aiming to do the next update tomorrow. Just got a question first: I have 15 screenshots I can use. Would the readers prefer I just bundle them all in an extra-large update, or split the Armenian-Mamluk War into three posts?
EDIT: Also, if anyone with a better understanding of the Armenian language than I have (it is...iffy at best), could they suggest a name for Sinope? I'm renaming all the provinces to old Armenian names (at least according to a map here) but it doesn't have Sinope (understandably so I would think, it isn't really part of historical Armenia). It's iffy on some of the territory I have, but it serves my purposes
EDIT: Also, if anyone with a better understanding of the Armenian language than I have (it is...iffy at best), could they suggest a name for Sinope? I'm renaming all the provinces to old Armenian names (at least according to a map here) but it doesn't have Sinope (understandably so I would think, it isn't really part of historical Armenia). It's iffy on some of the territory I have, but it serves my purposes
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Well, I'm going to go ahead and go with the full chapter here, though I am cutting out of a couple of non-war related screenshots (I can use them as material for the first post-war update). Here we go!
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
David I Lusignan-Komnenos, King of Cilicia and Armenia
David Bakara, Royal Diplomat
Mamlukean Syria, November 1396
The war with the Mamluk's was in full swing, had been for two or so years. The Armenian Army had been at the front lines the entire time, troops rotating back and forth as they helped the rest of the Orthodox Alliance siege the Egyptian territories. The Romans were working in Iraq, while the Georgians had pushed down deep into the Levant. The Armenian's themselves were helping Trebizond with the Corridor.
As for the enemy army, it was nowhere to be seen...fighting deep in 'allied' Persia. Or, at least they had been. For as David lead his forces down into Syria after his cousins forces, they met up with a force of Georgians marching back north.
"What is going on here?" the King asked the commander of the Allied forces...who turned out to be none-other than the Georgian King himself.
Giorgi waved his hand in the direction of the Iraqi lines, "The Mamlukes are coming."
The Egyptians had managed to disengage from their foolish war of aggression, and were marching an army to attack the Orthodox forces in their heartland. Needless to say, David let Trebizond handle the sieges, and formed a defensive line with the Georgians. Once again, Armenian and Georgian troops would fight together against an Islamic enemy, this time in the enemies territory.
The Georgian spearmen formed the center of the line, set up in a standard formation to catch the (relatively) inexperienced Mamluk cavalry as they attempted a charge. The Armenian's formed the flanks of the allied army, their own cavalry battle-hardened from the war(s) with the Eretnids and New Candar. They would not charge so easily, not until it became clear it would work.
"Come on men!! Don't let them through the line!!" David shouted out, riding his own horse through the line, despite the occasional Mamluk arrow landing uncomfortably close to him.
A cheer went up from the Armenian lines...followed by the Georgians as their own King said the same thing in Georgian. The Mamluks were understandably rattled by the many loud shouts in languages none of them understood. They were already rattled by the northern spearmen and Armenian cavalry penetrating so deep into Syria, and the morale of the Allied troops just made it worse for them.
That being said, the Egyptian commander forced his men forward nonetheless, determined to break the lines of his enemies. Wave after wave of Mamluk infantry and cavalry charged forward. They brandished spears and swords, the steel glinting in the harsh sun as they ran forward. The previously cheering Allies faces set into stone, as they raised their shields and took the charging Egyptians head on.
"Push them back!!"
With a roar from the Allied lines, the Georgians and Armenians pushed forward, infantry supported by the much more numerous Armenian cavalarymen. The Mamluks reeled from the sudden attack, their already strained morale finally snapping as a general retreat was called. When the battle finally died down, barely more than 200 Allied soldiers lay dead on the field, mostly the brave Armenian and Georgian cavalry, less than a hundred of the experienced infantry having been lost. The Mamluks however...they lost over two thousand infantry, and nearly a thousand cavalry.
"Well done everyone!" David congratulated his men, as the tired Armenians began to march further south. Their morale was high, the very uneven battle against the Mamluk's giving them some much needed support.
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Tarsus, Cilicia; April 1398
While the war had continued to grind on into its fourth year, unwelcome news began to filter into the capital of Armenia. Despite the Mamluk army having been, more or less, annihilated by the Romans and Persians in the east, a messenger brought bad news from Constantinople. The Romans had given up!
"Those cowards!!!" Bakara shouted as he read the message, angrily throwing it aside, old age doing little to sooth his temper.
"Apparently they were being invaded by the Moroccans," the messenger weakly replied.
"Bah, what can those North African's do? What happened to the Might of Rome?"
"It vanished with the Fourth Crusade."
Bakara snorted at that, "What of Trebizond and Georgia?"
The messenger sighed, "David, David Komnenos that is, says his economy is faltering under the strain of the war and he can't fight any longer. If those provinces in Russia are any indication, he's probably telling the truth. The Georgians are being invaded by the Moroccans too, and their army is still bogged down in Syria...they've had to withdraw from the war too."
"Add in Cyprus falling to th..." Bakara stopped, and a sound that somewhat resembled laughter came from his aging lungs, "the Moroccans are doing all the work in this war!!"
The messenger let a small smile cross his own face, "Indeed they are. Do you have any messages for me to deliver sir?"
Bakara drummed his fingers on his desk, before sighing and writing up a message in his rusty Moroccan, "Take this. We'll pay off the North Africans ourselves...we can't afford them invading from Georgia right now."
Despite the many victories in the four-year war, the Armenian's now stood alone against the Mamluk's and their vassals in Funj. That being said, all reports seemed to indicate the Mamluk's army was obliterated, and not even able to muster as many troops as Armenia alone could raise. Their navy could still take down anything sent against it, but the Egyptians were fast running out of troops and territory. Large portions of Egyptian Syria had declared independence (if disjointed), and the city of Beirut (that had fallen to roving Armenians the previous year) continued to hold down what remained of their once mighty army.
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Syria, 1400
On the subject of the Syrians, the Mamluk's had been frantically sending diplomat after diplomat to their former subjects. Calls of Jihad against the Christian invaders met receptive ears. While it had been Armenian ducats that had funded their revolt in the first place, the Syrians were less than friendly towards their 'Infidel' neighbors (conveniently ignoring the quite cordial relations that the Islamic Qara Koyunlu maintained with the Cilicians). This may, or may not, have to do with the Armenian armies marching through Syrian lands on their way to siege more Mamluk provinces.
Regardless of the cause, in 1400 (the sixth year of the War) the Syrians joined the Mamluks against Armenia.
The fresh Syrian troops brought the numbers more or less to the same as the Armenians. David and his men held a slight numeric advantage (especially in cavalry) still, but his men had been fighting for six long years, while the Syrians were fresh and ready for the war. The only advantage the Armenians maintained was, while tired and warweary, the Cilician soldiers were far more experienced than the mostly militia-comprised Syrians. Their troops were holdovers from the revolutionary forces, armed with old weapons and little (if any) formal training.
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"The Syrians are coming through the pass here," an Armenian Commander said, pointing at a map laid out in front of David on the frontline.
The King rubbed his beard as he looked at the movements the Syrians were making, "They are trying to flank us and hit Edessa..."
The newly renamed province (formerly known as Mus) was the closest Armenian territory to Syria, and it made some sense for them to hit it first. However, by moving their entire army there, it left the Syrians own territory dangerously exposed. It was either overconfidence in their erstwhile overlords-turned-allies, or the Syrians genuinely believed the Armenians were no threat to them.
"Let them," David finally said, ignoring the shocked looks from his officers, "we have more men, and can spread out to take their own provinces. Take enough Syrian territory, and we can force them out of the war before they can even think about breaching our walls."
The experienced officers nodded, and set about splitting the Royal Army into various groups to take the Syrian territory. These groups did their jobs well, Aleppo and the strategic province of Dayr Az Zor were soon occupied by Armenians. The Syrian capital of Al Jawf and historic center of Damascus were under siege and expected to fall within the month.
(to explain the next part: the province of Aleppo fits Antioch more. Aleppo itself is somewhere around the border between the named province and Dayr Az Zor, on the side of the latter province)
It seemed like the Syrians realized this too, as they agreed to cede Aleppo to Armenia, the province being renamed to Antioch...a name it hadn't held since the fall of the Principality of the same name, in 1268. In fact, David restored the Principality as a State within Armenia, giving his cousin James the title of Prince of Antioch.
With the Syrians ejected from the War (and being sieged by Qara Koyunlu in an unrelated war) the Armenians once again began the long delayed push deeper into the Levant and into Egypt herself.
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Beirut, September 1401
With the Syrians out of the war and Antioch restored, David moved his Royal Army of Armenia to Beirut. The town had been taken in the early days of the war, and the shattered Mamluk army had been attempting to retake it ever since. The Muslim army was unprepared, however, for the sudden surge of Armenians from the north. Fourteen thousand Cilician troops descended on three thousand Egyptians. The Mamluks never stood a chance.
The desperate fighters managed to take three hundred Armenian infantry with them, but it was in exchange for the last army the Mamluks had. Brave (and almost suicidal) scouting trips by galleys of the Royal Armenian Navy managed to find scattered Mamluk regiments trying to reform in Libya, and new units being raised from the old and very young Egyptians. But, the scouts also reported the entire Levant and most of Egypt was empty!
David was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Everyone! Onward to Cairo!!" the King shouted, marshaling his Army.
The Armenians, instead of slowly taking province after province in the vast Egyptian territory, made a mad dash for the capital of Cairo. It was a daring move, but the war was entering its eighth year, and few in Armenia were still supportive. The war needed to end fast, before things could go worse.
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And in the end, the gamble paid off.
When Cairo fell, the Mamluks finally admitted they were beaten by their norther neighbor. Armenia secured the Corridor, finally uniting the disparate parts of the Kingdom, and restoring the majority of its ancient holdings in addition to that (the money was a nice bonus too). And their eternal enemy in the Mamluks were crippled. Syria controlled most of its own territory, while Assyria was wracked with revolts the Mamluks couldn't put down. It would take them decades to recover from this war, if they ever did.
David had beaten Goliath (the fact the King was named David was added irony).
(I forgot to mention this but...Dat Trebizond...)
Thus ends the Armenian-Mamluk War. I got really lucky in them going to war with Persia. The Persians and their allies kept the Mamluk armies tied down most of the war, and weakened them to the point my own Army could finish them off. The Moroccans managed to force all my allies out (and make me pay them) but they weren't enough to save the Mamluks. The next update will be a State of the World 50 years in (1406). Otherwise though, please comment I'm starting to wonder if I'm boring my readers
(not really, but comments are always appreciated!)
Chapter 13: The Armenian-Mamluk War: Part 2
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
David I Lusignan-Komnenos, King of Cilicia and Armenia
David Bakara, Royal Diplomat
Mamlukean Syria, November 1396
The war with the Mamluk's was in full swing, had been for two or so years. The Armenian Army had been at the front lines the entire time, troops rotating back and forth as they helped the rest of the Orthodox Alliance siege the Egyptian territories. The Romans were working in Iraq, while the Georgians had pushed down deep into the Levant. The Armenian's themselves were helping Trebizond with the Corridor.
As for the enemy army, it was nowhere to be seen...fighting deep in 'allied' Persia. Or, at least they had been. For as David lead his forces down into Syria after his cousins forces, they met up with a force of Georgians marching back north.
"What is going on here?" the King asked the commander of the Allied forces...who turned out to be none-other than the Georgian King himself.
Giorgi waved his hand in the direction of the Iraqi lines, "The Mamlukes are coming."
The Egyptians had managed to disengage from their foolish war of aggression, and were marching an army to attack the Orthodox forces in their heartland. Needless to say, David let Trebizond handle the sieges, and formed a defensive line with the Georgians. Once again, Armenian and Georgian troops would fight together against an Islamic enemy, this time in the enemies territory.
The Georgian spearmen formed the center of the line, set up in a standard formation to catch the (relatively) inexperienced Mamluk cavalry as they attempted a charge. The Armenian's formed the flanks of the allied army, their own cavalry battle-hardened from the war(s) with the Eretnids and New Candar. They would not charge so easily, not until it became clear it would work.
"Come on men!! Don't let them through the line!!" David shouted out, riding his own horse through the line, despite the occasional Mamluk arrow landing uncomfortably close to him.
A cheer went up from the Armenian lines...followed by the Georgians as their own King said the same thing in Georgian. The Mamluks were understandably rattled by the many loud shouts in languages none of them understood. They were already rattled by the northern spearmen and Armenian cavalry penetrating so deep into Syria, and the morale of the Allied troops just made it worse for them.
That being said, the Egyptian commander forced his men forward nonetheless, determined to break the lines of his enemies. Wave after wave of Mamluk infantry and cavalry charged forward. They brandished spears and swords, the steel glinting in the harsh sun as they ran forward. The previously cheering Allies faces set into stone, as they raised their shields and took the charging Egyptians head on.
"Push them back!!"
With a roar from the Allied lines, the Georgians and Armenians pushed forward, infantry supported by the much more numerous Armenian cavalarymen. The Mamluks reeled from the sudden attack, their already strained morale finally snapping as a general retreat was called. When the battle finally died down, barely more than 200 Allied soldiers lay dead on the field, mostly the brave Armenian and Georgian cavalry, less than a hundred of the experienced infantry having been lost. The Mamluks however...they lost over two thousand infantry, and nearly a thousand cavalry.
"Well done everyone!" David congratulated his men, as the tired Armenians began to march further south. Their morale was high, the very uneven battle against the Mamluk's giving them some much needed support.
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Tarsus, Cilicia; April 1398
While the war had continued to grind on into its fourth year, unwelcome news began to filter into the capital of Armenia. Despite the Mamluk army having been, more or less, annihilated by the Romans and Persians in the east, a messenger brought bad news from Constantinople. The Romans had given up!
"Those cowards!!!" Bakara shouted as he read the message, angrily throwing it aside, old age doing little to sooth his temper.
"Apparently they were being invaded by the Moroccans," the messenger weakly replied.
"Bah, what can those North African's do? What happened to the Might of Rome?"
"It vanished with the Fourth Crusade."
Bakara snorted at that, "What of Trebizond and Georgia?"
The messenger sighed, "David, David Komnenos that is, says his economy is faltering under the strain of the war and he can't fight any longer. If those provinces in Russia are any indication, he's probably telling the truth. The Georgians are being invaded by the Moroccans too, and their army is still bogged down in Syria...they've had to withdraw from the war too."
"Add in Cyprus falling to th..." Bakara stopped, and a sound that somewhat resembled laughter came from his aging lungs, "the Moroccans are doing all the work in this war!!"
The messenger let a small smile cross his own face, "Indeed they are. Do you have any messages for me to deliver sir?"
Bakara drummed his fingers on his desk, before sighing and writing up a message in his rusty Moroccan, "Take this. We'll pay off the North Africans ourselves...we can't afford them invading from Georgia right now."
Despite the many victories in the four-year war, the Armenian's now stood alone against the Mamluk's and their vassals in Funj. That being said, all reports seemed to indicate the Mamluk's army was obliterated, and not even able to muster as many troops as Armenia alone could raise. Their navy could still take down anything sent against it, but the Egyptians were fast running out of troops and territory. Large portions of Egyptian Syria had declared independence (if disjointed), and the city of Beirut (that had fallen to roving Armenians the previous year) continued to hold down what remained of their once mighty army.
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Syria, 1400
On the subject of the Syrians, the Mamluk's had been frantically sending diplomat after diplomat to their former subjects. Calls of Jihad against the Christian invaders met receptive ears. While it had been Armenian ducats that had funded their revolt in the first place, the Syrians were less than friendly towards their 'Infidel' neighbors (conveniently ignoring the quite cordial relations that the Islamic Qara Koyunlu maintained with the Cilicians). This may, or may not, have to do with the Armenian armies marching through Syrian lands on their way to siege more Mamluk provinces.
Regardless of the cause, in 1400 (the sixth year of the War) the Syrians joined the Mamluks against Armenia.
The fresh Syrian troops brought the numbers more or less to the same as the Armenians. David and his men held a slight numeric advantage (especially in cavalry) still, but his men had been fighting for six long years, while the Syrians were fresh and ready for the war. The only advantage the Armenians maintained was, while tired and warweary, the Cilician soldiers were far more experienced than the mostly militia-comprised Syrians. Their troops were holdovers from the revolutionary forces, armed with old weapons and little (if any) formal training.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"The Syrians are coming through the pass here," an Armenian Commander said, pointing at a map laid out in front of David on the frontline.
The King rubbed his beard as he looked at the movements the Syrians were making, "They are trying to flank us and hit Edessa..."
The newly renamed province (formerly known as Mus) was the closest Armenian territory to Syria, and it made some sense for them to hit it first. However, by moving their entire army there, it left the Syrians own territory dangerously exposed. It was either overconfidence in their erstwhile overlords-turned-allies, or the Syrians genuinely believed the Armenians were no threat to them.
"Let them," David finally said, ignoring the shocked looks from his officers, "we have more men, and can spread out to take their own provinces. Take enough Syrian territory, and we can force them out of the war before they can even think about breaching our walls."
The experienced officers nodded, and set about splitting the Royal Army into various groups to take the Syrian territory. These groups did their jobs well, Aleppo and the strategic province of Dayr Az Zor were soon occupied by Armenians. The Syrian capital of Al Jawf and historic center of Damascus were under siege and expected to fall within the month.
(to explain the next part: the province of Aleppo fits Antioch more. Aleppo itself is somewhere around the border between the named province and Dayr Az Zor, on the side of the latter province)
It seemed like the Syrians realized this too, as they agreed to cede Aleppo to Armenia, the province being renamed to Antioch...a name it hadn't held since the fall of the Principality of the same name, in 1268. In fact, David restored the Principality as a State within Armenia, giving his cousin James the title of Prince of Antioch.
With the Syrians ejected from the War (and being sieged by Qara Koyunlu in an unrelated war) the Armenians once again began the long delayed push deeper into the Levant and into Egypt herself.
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Beirut, September 1401
With the Syrians out of the war and Antioch restored, David moved his Royal Army of Armenia to Beirut. The town had been taken in the early days of the war, and the shattered Mamluk army had been attempting to retake it ever since. The Muslim army was unprepared, however, for the sudden surge of Armenians from the north. Fourteen thousand Cilician troops descended on three thousand Egyptians. The Mamluks never stood a chance.
The desperate fighters managed to take three hundred Armenian infantry with them, but it was in exchange for the last army the Mamluks had. Brave (and almost suicidal) scouting trips by galleys of the Royal Armenian Navy managed to find scattered Mamluk regiments trying to reform in Libya, and new units being raised from the old and very young Egyptians. But, the scouts also reported the entire Levant and most of Egypt was empty!
David was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Everyone! Onward to Cairo!!" the King shouted, marshaling his Army.
The Armenians, instead of slowly taking province after province in the vast Egyptian territory, made a mad dash for the capital of Cairo. It was a daring move, but the war was entering its eighth year, and few in Armenia were still supportive. The war needed to end fast, before things could go worse.
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And in the end, the gamble paid off.
When Cairo fell, the Mamluks finally admitted they were beaten by their norther neighbor. Armenia secured the Corridor, finally uniting the disparate parts of the Kingdom, and restoring the majority of its ancient holdings in addition to that (the money was a nice bonus too). And their eternal enemy in the Mamluks were crippled. Syria controlled most of its own territory, while Assyria was wracked with revolts the Mamluks couldn't put down. It would take them decades to recover from this war, if they ever did.
David had beaten Goliath (the fact the King was named David was added irony).
(I forgot to mention this but...Dat Trebizond...)
Thus ends the Armenian-Mamluk War. I got really lucky in them going to war with Persia. The Persians and their allies kept the Mamluk armies tied down most of the war, and weakened them to the point my own Army could finish them off. The Moroccans managed to force all my allies out (and make me pay them) but they weren't enough to save the Mamluks. The next update will be a State of the World 50 years in (1406). Otherwise though, please comment I'm starting to wonder if I'm boring my readers
(not really, but comments are always appreciated!)
Astounding! At this point, Armenia is larger than Rome. Or rather, what's left of Rome. Can you take over the Knights? I know, they are your allies, but they are filthy Catholics and as your messenger rightly said, the Fourth Crusade is not forgotten! The Polish-Greek border is also interesting...
Twas an epic war. I wonder who the next major enemy will be. Possibly Persia or the Golden Horde?
Well done crushing the Mamluks and reuniting Armenia's sundered Kingdom.
While a long war was hard, it leaves you in a decent position to deal with your enemies. It
will be interesting to see how hard the war hit the Persians and if the Timurids make any gains at their expense.
While a long war was hard, it leaves you in a decent position to deal with your enemies. It
will be interesting to see how hard the war hit the Persians and if the Timurids make any gains at their expense.
Once again, I apologize for the delay. School has been kicking me left and right lately, and on top of that I'm trying to get a custom decision+new formable nation working. I've never modded before, so that's proving fun. Anyway, since I had four years (1402-1406) before we hit the 50 year mark and the State of the World, I had several things crop up in between. So, this will be another regular post, with the SotW in the next post.
Feedback-
GulMacet- Technically speaking, the Knights have never actually been my allies. Somewhat friendly neighbors, but they only helped with the First Ottoman War because they guaranteed the (at the time) small Armenia. Since then, they've kind of just sat there, refusing any alliance offers I sent their way. Now, while taking them down is tempting, they are allied with both Byzantium and Cyprus. I'm not quite ready to break those alliances yet, so the Knights will have to wait until at least the Ottomans are gone. As for the Poles, I do find their border interesting. I just hope the Romans don't drag me into a war with them.
LeLapinImperial- Persia maybe. The Horde...well, read the update and you'll see why they don't worry me anymore.
blsteen- You'll see more in the State of the World, but the Persians are steadily replacing the Otto's and Mamluks as the regional (Islamic) superpower. The 'Rids are in fairly bad shape at the moment, so I don't expect them to make any substantial gains anytime soon.
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
David I Lusignan-Komnenos, King of Cilicia and Armenia
Gagik Lusignan-Komnenos, Prince of Armenia
Tarsus, Cilicia, 1402
With the end of the long Armenian-Mamluk War, King David marched back into Armenia as the hero who had taken Cairo. The war had drained him and his men, but they still managed to take part in the cheer and wonder of their people in defeating the largest nation in the region.
"King David returns!!" heralds at the front of his line of troops shouted, riding forward through border towns on the way to Tarsus, Capital of Armenia.
Crowds gathered and cheered on the returning troops, the men in the Royal Army wearily marching on, dull armor and swords shining dimly in the midday light. They continued on to their barracks, while David and his Guard split off to the royal palace at the center of Tarsus. When the weary King arrived at his home, he was greeted by his adult son Gagik. The Prince had grown into a fine young man while David was leading the army, and he stood proudly as his father returned.
"Welcome home father," the Prince said.
"It is good to be back Gagik," David replied, walking into his study.
Inside that room, were piles of documents that had been waiting for the King's return. At the top of the stack was something that caught the King's eyes.
Despite helping them in the War, the Persians had decided to throw their weight around and tell Cilicia, in no uncertain terms, 'back off of our territory and stop declaring wars'. For a nation that had been part of Mongol states for longer than even David's grandfather had been alive, it was remarkably presumptuous of them.
"Fools," he muttered, moving on to the rest of the documents.
One of the more interesting things was another collapse in the Mamluk Empire, this time in Assyria.
It was interesting to note that another ancient nation had broken its bonds and declared independence. Persia...and now Assyria. What was next, Athens?
Regardless of how things were going for the Mamluks, David and his people had issues to work through at home. The War, while popular, had put stresses on the nation it hadn't quite been prepared for. Supporting a war for eight years was something they hadn't had to do in recent memory, even Musegh and Gosdantin's wars paling in comparison.
Thus, the Army and Navy stood down to peacetime levels, and the nation went into a state of recovery. It would take some years to get everything sorted out. From integrating the new territories, to setting to work on converting their populaces. The last thing they could afford was another war so soon, and thus, David curbed his more...warlike...impulses by chasing rebels.
"The Ottomans can't keep funding rebels!!" the King shouted in frustration, stabbing his sword into a map of the area...right over the Ottoman green.
"Technically they can, unless we go to war," Gagik chimed in.
"Which we can't do because Persia is still at our back, and the country hasn't recovered yet," David growled, leaving to marshal the Army...again.
Rebel hunting became something of an Armenian national pastime in those days, as every nation around that had seen them beat the Mamluks didn't like the idea of a resurgent Armenian Empire. The Ottomans, eternal enemies that they were, turned out to the be the worst offenders. Whenever they could get spies into Cilicia, rebels would pop up. The same held true for Trebizond, its far-flung territories proving very difficult to police.
So the Royal Army might as well have been renamed the 'Rebel Stomper' Army.
At least Armenia didn't have the problems of England or the Golden Horde however. Both of those nations, while powerful in their own rights, were quickly realizing what the Mamluks and Ottomans had...no matter how powerful you may be, an alliance of sufficiently powerful states can, and will, fight harder than you can manage.
The Romans would join with their Crusader allies, and move most of their army into the Horde's territories. These two wars alone included much of the known world, and even David was leery of getting involved in them.
"I'm not stupid Gagik," the King said at one point, "we can't fight that type of coalition."
"Nor would I want to," the Prince replied...distaste clear in his voice. Unlike his father, who was really only good at military matters, Gagik had a supreme dislike for wars and anything of that nature. He preferred the administration side of things.
Which was good...for his father soon passed on.
David, King of Armenia, Prince of Antioch, and restorer of the Kingdom. This King would long be remembered in Armenia, as the first of the Lusignan(-Komnenos) line to truly succeed against his enemies. Gosdantin took Dulkadir and secured the long-standing alliances with Trebizond, Georgia, and Cyprus. Musegh took New Candar and most of the Eretnids. But David...he took on the Mamluks, the looming threat that had petrified greater men. And he had won. He had taken their capital.
Because of this, the funeral of David I was a glorious spectacle, crowds coming out and watching as a parade of Armenian soldiers carried his crypt to its tomb, set on a hill outside Tarsus, facing south. The Conqueror of the Mamluks would be buried with respect, and facing the direction of his greatest successes.
His son would take his place, continuing to drag Armenia into the present, and secure its border against its many enemies...
(for those wondering, Musegh the Younger is an 8/6/6 leader. Fairly well-balanced really).
Though the first thing he did was marry his son, a young boy of just 7 years, to his (Musegh's) cousin Anna of Trebizond. This was in the goals of continuing that glorious alliance. Still though, it didn't stop some in the court from muttering, 'the joys of Royal Marriages' under their breath. Gosdantin would be proud.
Short, I know. But I wanted to get the last four years of David's reign out of the way before the State of the World. That will, hopefully, be up a bit sooner. Depends on how my week goes really.
Feedback-
GulMacet- Technically speaking, the Knights have never actually been my allies. Somewhat friendly neighbors, but they only helped with the First Ottoman War because they guaranteed the (at the time) small Armenia. Since then, they've kind of just sat there, refusing any alliance offers I sent their way. Now, while taking them down is tempting, they are allied with both Byzantium and Cyprus. I'm not quite ready to break those alliances yet, so the Knights will have to wait until at least the Ottomans are gone. As for the Poles, I do find their border interesting. I just hope the Romans don't drag me into a war with them.
LeLapinImperial- Persia maybe. The Horde...well, read the update and you'll see why they don't worry me anymore.
blsteen- You'll see more in the State of the World, but the Persians are steadily replacing the Otto's and Mamluks as the regional (Islamic) superpower. The 'Rids are in fairly bad shape at the moment, so I don't expect them to make any substantial gains anytime soon.
Chapter 14: Recovery
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
David I Lusignan-Komnenos, King of Cilicia and Armenia
Gagik Lusignan-Komnenos, Prince of Armenia
Tarsus, Cilicia, 1402
With the end of the long Armenian-Mamluk War, King David marched back into Armenia as the hero who had taken Cairo. The war had drained him and his men, but they still managed to take part in the cheer and wonder of their people in defeating the largest nation in the region.
"King David returns!!" heralds at the front of his line of troops shouted, riding forward through border towns on the way to Tarsus, Capital of Armenia.
Crowds gathered and cheered on the returning troops, the men in the Royal Army wearily marching on, dull armor and swords shining dimly in the midday light. They continued on to their barracks, while David and his Guard split off to the royal palace at the center of Tarsus. When the weary King arrived at his home, he was greeted by his adult son Gagik. The Prince had grown into a fine young man while David was leading the army, and he stood proudly as his father returned.
"Welcome home father," the Prince said.
"It is good to be back Gagik," David replied, walking into his study.
Inside that room, were piles of documents that had been waiting for the King's return. At the top of the stack was something that caught the King's eyes.
Despite helping them in the War, the Persians had decided to throw their weight around and tell Cilicia, in no uncertain terms, 'back off of our territory and stop declaring wars'. For a nation that had been part of Mongol states for longer than even David's grandfather had been alive, it was remarkably presumptuous of them.
"Fools," he muttered, moving on to the rest of the documents.
One of the more interesting things was another collapse in the Mamluk Empire, this time in Assyria.
It was interesting to note that another ancient nation had broken its bonds and declared independence. Persia...and now Assyria. What was next, Athens?
Regardless of how things were going for the Mamluks, David and his people had issues to work through at home. The War, while popular, had put stresses on the nation it hadn't quite been prepared for. Supporting a war for eight years was something they hadn't had to do in recent memory, even Musegh and Gosdantin's wars paling in comparison.
Thus, the Army and Navy stood down to peacetime levels, and the nation went into a state of recovery. It would take some years to get everything sorted out. From integrating the new territories, to setting to work on converting their populaces. The last thing they could afford was another war so soon, and thus, David curbed his more...warlike...impulses by chasing rebels.
"The Ottomans can't keep funding rebels!!" the King shouted in frustration, stabbing his sword into a map of the area...right over the Ottoman green.
"Technically they can, unless we go to war," Gagik chimed in.
"Which we can't do because Persia is still at our back, and the country hasn't recovered yet," David growled, leaving to marshal the Army...again.
Rebel hunting became something of an Armenian national pastime in those days, as every nation around that had seen them beat the Mamluks didn't like the idea of a resurgent Armenian Empire. The Ottomans, eternal enemies that they were, turned out to the be the worst offenders. Whenever they could get spies into Cilicia, rebels would pop up. The same held true for Trebizond, its far-flung territories proving very difficult to police.
So the Royal Army might as well have been renamed the 'Rebel Stomper' Army.
At least Armenia didn't have the problems of England or the Golden Horde however. Both of those nations, while powerful in their own rights, were quickly realizing what the Mamluks and Ottomans had...no matter how powerful you may be, an alliance of sufficiently powerful states can, and will, fight harder than you can manage.
The Romans would join with their Crusader allies, and move most of their army into the Horde's territories. These two wars alone included much of the known world, and even David was leery of getting involved in them.
"I'm not stupid Gagik," the King said at one point, "we can't fight that type of coalition."
"Nor would I want to," the Prince replied...distaste clear in his voice. Unlike his father, who was really only good at military matters, Gagik had a supreme dislike for wars and anything of that nature. He preferred the administration side of things.
Which was good...for his father soon passed on.
David, King of Armenia, Prince of Antioch, and restorer of the Kingdom. This King would long be remembered in Armenia, as the first of the Lusignan(-Komnenos) line to truly succeed against his enemies. Gosdantin took Dulkadir and secured the long-standing alliances with Trebizond, Georgia, and Cyprus. Musegh took New Candar and most of the Eretnids. But David...he took on the Mamluks, the looming threat that had petrified greater men. And he had won. He had taken their capital.
Because of this, the funeral of David I was a glorious spectacle, crowds coming out and watching as a parade of Armenian soldiers carried his crypt to its tomb, set on a hill outside Tarsus, facing south. The Conqueror of the Mamluks would be buried with respect, and facing the direction of his greatest successes.
His son would take his place, continuing to drag Armenia into the present, and secure its border against its many enemies...
(for those wondering, Musegh the Younger is an 8/6/6 leader. Fairly well-balanced really).
Though the first thing he did was marry his son, a young boy of just 7 years, to his (Musegh's) cousin Anna of Trebizond. This was in the goals of continuing that glorious alliance. Still though, it didn't stop some in the court from muttering, 'the joys of Royal Marriages' under their breath. Gosdantin would be proud.
Short, I know. But I wanted to get the last four years of David's reign out of the way before the State of the World. That will, hopefully, be up a bit sooner. Depends on how my week goes really.
Just to let you know that I am reading sitl (and appreciating), although not on regular basis
Feedback:
TheChalk- We sure have come a long way haven't we?
zdlugasz- As long as you are reading I'm happy.
And now we'll have the State of the World update.
Europe:
-England is still in their major war, though they are holding their own on their own turf (the French territory is occupied). They also took part of Italy at some point (I know its hard to see, but they have a province on either side of Genoa right now).
-Bohemia took part of Hungary, who took part of Serbia to make up for it. Speaking of which, the Serbs are weak at the moment, due to losing a good third of their territory by now.
-Poland ate original Moldavia, who have since popped up in Wallachia. This is what gave the Poles their border with the Byzantines, though I don't expect much to come of that. At least I hope so, I don't want to fight the Poles, even though Lithuania has already gotten out of the PU somehow.
-The Swedes continue to have problems. The Teutons control part of Sweden-proper, while the English control two provinces in Finland. The northern Big Blue Blob is not looking like it will form any time soon.
-Speaking of BBB, the French are doing fairly well. Only a couple provinces are still independent in France.
-Scots lost half their country.
-HRE is still a mess, nothing new there.
-The Iberians can't seem to make up their minds. Aragon keeps trying to beat Castille, but the Big Yellow Blob refuses to take their territory. The Portuguese are kind of just sitting there.
-The Russians are doing well. Muscovy took a pretty decent chunk out of the Horde in their last war, while Novgorod seems to be getting into exploring Siberia.
-Speaking of the Horde...they are falling apart badly. Their army is basically history, and the Byzantines+Rebels are busy taking Crimea. I don't see them recovering from this.
-North Africa is about the same as usual really.
-In my neck of the woods, the Ottomans and Knights have been fairly stable. Neither has taken any new territory in decades.
-Armenia is big and probably the strongest non-Russian Orthodox power in the game now. At least in Army size. My navy still sucks since I don't have enough ports to build it any bigger yet.
-Trebizond...is probably the biggest in pure size terms, thanks to their Russian territories. Its mildly amusing I think, that they are bigger than the Byzantines because of that.
-Mamluks are still falling apart at the seams thanks to me wrecking their armies. Their navy is still something like 80 ships though.
Asia:
-The Timurids are still big, but certainly not the threat they once were. The revolts in the smaller Hordes are interesting, but the 'Rids aren't in the shape to take advantage of them yet.
-Persia on the other hand...they are becoming something of a monster. Thanks to the TI you can't see it, but they have a province in Arabia, and one on the Horn of Africa. They are probably the biggest threat to me right now, but thankfully Qara Koyunlu has broken their alliance with Persia (or the Persians broke it themselves, not sure) and are still allied with me. So I have something of a buffer on my Eastern border while I deal with the Otto's.
-Like the HRE, India is still a mess. Delhi is becoming the regional superpower though, which is to be expected with a weak Timurids.
-China is also a mess. Ming dominate it, but because Yuan is holding on by a thread (they are allied with Wu, who are helping in wars) we haven't seen a unified China yet.
-Again, the Terra Incognita causes problems, but Joeson/Korea is expanding north at a pretty impressive rate. You can see their blue, even if you can't see Korea-proper.
South-East Asia/Pacific:
-Japan is still divided (I do believe I've never seen Japan unify actually).
-Majapahit is dominating SE Asia right now. While part of Indonesia is free, the majority of it is turning red right now.
-The rest of Indochina is about what one would expect. Divided between weak powers that can't manage to stand up to the bigger guys (Majapahit to the West, and Xia to the north).
No screens for Africa or South/Central America though. They are fairly standard really...Inca is big, CA is divided, and Africa has seen little change since the start. The next true update will be up once I have the time to play it.
TheChalk- We sure have come a long way haven't we?
zdlugasz- As long as you are reading I'm happy.
And now we'll have the State of the World update.
State of the World: 1406
Europe:
-England is still in their major war, though they are holding their own on their own turf (the French territory is occupied). They also took part of Italy at some point (I know its hard to see, but they have a province on either side of Genoa right now).
-Bohemia took part of Hungary, who took part of Serbia to make up for it. Speaking of which, the Serbs are weak at the moment, due to losing a good third of their territory by now.
-Poland ate original Moldavia, who have since popped up in Wallachia. This is what gave the Poles their border with the Byzantines, though I don't expect much to come of that. At least I hope so, I don't want to fight the Poles, even though Lithuania has already gotten out of the PU somehow.
-The Swedes continue to have problems. The Teutons control part of Sweden-proper, while the English control two provinces in Finland. The northern Big Blue Blob is not looking like it will form any time soon.
-Speaking of BBB, the French are doing fairly well. Only a couple provinces are still independent in France.
-Scots lost half their country.
-HRE is still a mess, nothing new there.
-The Iberians can't seem to make up their minds. Aragon keeps trying to beat Castille, but the Big Yellow Blob refuses to take their territory. The Portuguese are kind of just sitting there.
-The Russians are doing well. Muscovy took a pretty decent chunk out of the Horde in their last war, while Novgorod seems to be getting into exploring Siberia.
-Speaking of the Horde...they are falling apart badly. Their army is basically history, and the Byzantines+Rebels are busy taking Crimea. I don't see them recovering from this.
-North Africa is about the same as usual really.
-In my neck of the woods, the Ottomans and Knights have been fairly stable. Neither has taken any new territory in decades.
-Armenia is big and probably the strongest non-Russian Orthodox power in the game now. At least in Army size. My navy still sucks since I don't have enough ports to build it any bigger yet.
-Trebizond...is probably the biggest in pure size terms, thanks to their Russian territories. Its mildly amusing I think, that they are bigger than the Byzantines because of that.
-Mamluks are still falling apart at the seams thanks to me wrecking their armies. Their navy is still something like 80 ships though.
Asia:
-The Timurids are still big, but certainly not the threat they once were. The revolts in the smaller Hordes are interesting, but the 'Rids aren't in the shape to take advantage of them yet.
-Persia on the other hand...they are becoming something of a monster. Thanks to the TI you can't see it, but they have a province in Arabia, and one on the Horn of Africa. They are probably the biggest threat to me right now, but thankfully Qara Koyunlu has broken their alliance with Persia (or the Persians broke it themselves, not sure) and are still allied with me. So I have something of a buffer on my Eastern border while I deal with the Otto's.
-Like the HRE, India is still a mess. Delhi is becoming the regional superpower though, which is to be expected with a weak Timurids.
-China is also a mess. Ming dominate it, but because Yuan is holding on by a thread (they are allied with Wu, who are helping in wars) we haven't seen a unified China yet.
-Again, the Terra Incognita causes problems, but Joeson/Korea is expanding north at a pretty impressive rate. You can see their blue, even if you can't see Korea-proper.
South-East Asia/Pacific:
-Japan is still divided (I do believe I've never seen Japan unify actually).
-Majapahit is dominating SE Asia right now. While part of Indonesia is free, the majority of it is turning red right now.
-The rest of Indochina is about what one would expect. Divided between weak powers that can't manage to stand up to the bigger guys (Majapahit to the West, and Xia to the north).
No screens for Africa or South/Central America though. They are fairly standard really...Inca is big, CA is divided, and Africa has seen little change since the start. The next true update will be up once I have the time to play it.
Nice aar indeed. Stayed awake whole last night reading it. Nice to see that Mamluks are defeated, but whyI have bad feeling about Persia?
Besides, when are you going to continue it?
Besides, when are you going to continue it?
DumBMan: Because everyone who neighbors the Persians have bad feelings about them?
In all seriousness though, the Persians are definitely the biggest immediate threat now that the Mamluks have self-destructed.The Europeans could care less what I get up to, but the Persians are right next to my token Muslim ally, and they (the Persians) certainly don't like me. As for the next update, I got lucky with the weather so I'm planning on playing through the next decade or so and getting a post up either tonight or tomorrow
In all seriousness though, the Persians are definitely the biggest immediate threat now that the Mamluks have self-destructed.The Europeans could care less what I get up to, but the Persians are right next to my token Muslim ally, and they (the Persians) certainly don't like me. As for the next update, I got lucky with the weather so I'm planning on playing through the next decade or so and getting a post up either tonight or tomorrow
Awesome, I can't wait for next update. I was planning on starting new aar with Serbia 1356 start. I'm hoping you'll give it a look.