The Morea, a Palaeologid AAR
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I was a little busy yesterdaycrusaderknight said:
It seems the young lad is still determined, which is good. I would not at all be surprised if he were to achieve his aim - no matter who or what he has to trample on his way.
The 16 year old is acting younger than his age. He must be lying. I bet he's three years younger than he says.
Also, Sicily is always a good move to make.
Also, Sicily is always a good move to make.
Sorry, I guess I did get a little impatient there.stnylan said:I was a little busy yesterday
It seems the young lad is still determined, which is good. I would not at all be surprised if he were to achieve his aim - no matter who or what he has to trample on his way.
Sounds like you've met Nikephoros before!
Yes, Nikephoros is a bit immature. But don't worry, he'll grow up fast.RGB said:
The old Ultimatum of Georgios II was sent to Count Henry of Benevento in early 1188. Henry refused to give in, and so war was declared.
During the preperation for war, King Georgios III met with Arsenios Karamallos and with Supreme Commander Niketas.
The King first spoke to Karamallos, "Arsenios, my friend," he said, "You will not be coming with us to Benevento."
"Sire!?" asked the veteran in shock.
"I have a more important task for you."
Karamallos sighed, "What task would you have me do, my lord?"
"Train young Nikephoros Dekanos."
"Sire, with all due respect," began Karamallos, "I must know, why? You know I hate this runt of a boy, and he hates me, too."
"Which is exactly why it must be you. I promised this boy he could come with us to Crusade. He must be ready when the time comes. If left as he is, he will get himself killed. He must mature, and quickly. I can trust only you with this task."
Arsenios bowed his head, "Very well, sire. But I will be very hard on the boy."
The King smiled, "I could ask for nothing less from you."
Arsenios bowed and left.
"Uncle," the King now said, turning to the Supreme Commander, "I need you to find me my twenty best cavalrymen. We are to remake the Knight-Guard."
"But my lord," said Niketas, "Your grandfather abolished the Knight-Guard, and proclaimed them ended."
"Correct. As as a full sized unit, they had to die. As the military elite, they were the symbol of the Achaian Kings. The Aspidai will continue to be the symbol of Euboian Royalty. But I need mounted bodyguards on the field of battle, and the Aspidai are trained on foot. The Knight-Guard shall arise from the ashes, but only as my battlefield bodyguard."
"As you wish, sire."
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"Why do you have to train me?" demanded young Nikephoros.
Karamallos cuffed the lad, and sent him to the ground, "I will not answer you unless you speak to me with respect."
Nikephoros slowly rose, glared at the old soldier, and puffed his chest out in defiance. A sneer slowly grew across his face.
"Alright," said Karamallos, "I can see we'll have to do this the hard way. But this is going to hurt you far more than it hurts me." Without warning, he punched Nikephoros in the gut with all his strength. The boy let out a grunt and fell to the ground again.
Before he could get up, Nikephoros felt Karamallos kick him hard in the stomach. He bagan to cough. Karamallos then grabbed the lad's tunic with one hand, and lifted him into the air. Nikephoros soon felt his back slammed against a stone wall.
"Had enough?" asked the veteran. Nikephoros spit in his face, and tried to kick him. But before he could complete the kick, he found both legs caught in Karamallos' strong grip. The large man then threw the boy onto the grass. As Nikephoros tumbled, he heard Karamallos say, "I will break your will as a horse is broken by its rider."
When Nikephoros had stopped tumbling, he felt intense pain coursing through his body. But he would not surrender. Never. He forced himself to rise again. Mustering all the strength left in his body, he rushed at Karamallos in fury, swinging his fist. As he ran at the old veteran, the boy shouted, "I AM THE HEIR OF ALEXIOS DEKANOS!"
Before he knew what had happened, Nikephoros was on his back, his nose bleeding. His head hurt, and images spun 'round in his vision. Suddenly, he blacked out.
When the young lad awoke, he didn't know how long he had been out. But there was Karamallos, kneeling next to him. He looked the old man in the eyes and said, "I-I don't understand."
"You have much to learn, Nikephoros."
"But, what, what hope do I have of ever getting my ancestor's sword?"
"Georgios III is an honourable man, and he rewards skill. If you can prove to him your worthiness, he will make you Supreme Commander."
"How can I be worthy?"
"That's what I've been trying to teach you. But you are very stubborn, lad."
"Can you make me the best there is?"
Karamallos laughed, "I can't make you anything. But I will teach you to be the best soldier in the Morea, and you must take my lessons, and make yourself the best there is."
Nikephoros knew what he had to do. But... to ask for this man's help... he would be ashamed... what would happen to his pride? It was all he had. But... he wanted that sword. Was he really willing to sacrifice his only chance at that sword all for the sake of pride? Never. He took a deep breath, and said, "Then teach me."
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In August, a few days before the departure for Benevento, Queen Tobritza, who was nine months pregnant, went into labour. King Georgios ordered a delay on the departure until after his wife had given birth.
The child was a long time in coming, but at last, a son was born. He was named Valsamon.
With a new and healthy second son, Georgios III's line was secure. Now he could depart. He brought 5,000 men with him to Benevento.
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Valsamon? Sounds like a country and western singer.
Nikephoras is in a real hurry to grow up, isn't he.
The Knight-Guard returns. That's the way to go!
Count Henry wouldn't be from that family Hautvile, the sworn enemies of the Palaeologus,would he?
Nikephoras is in a real hurry to grow up, isn't he.
The Knight-Guard returns. That's the way to go!
Count Henry wouldn't be from that family Hautvile, the sworn enemies of the Palaeologus,would he?
Chief Ragusa said:
Well, when you're an immature 16 year-old, and want to be mature enough for the King to let you join the Crusade...Chief Ragusa said:
Chief Ragusa said:
That was actually done just for you, Chief. I had originally planned to have them ended for good, and to replace them with a more "Greek" set of body-guards, as I felt the Knight-Guard were too Norman is name and function. But you seemed rather unhappy about their end, so I decided to bring them back, albeit not entirely. I do want the Aspidai to remain, to help the body-guards remain more Greek, but now we will have the Knight-Guard as well.The same. There are two branches of the de Hautevilles left: Henry's line in Benevento, and also a group in Messina, who are actually descended from a daughter of my line (I can't remember if she was a daughter of Georgios I or Athanasios I), and are all Greek now in all but surname.Chief Ragusa said:
By the way, everybody, starting with this next update and continuing until the end of the 5th Crusade, I will be trying something new. I will be telling both sides of the story here, and not just the Morean side. Because during the 5th Crusade, there will be a very important enemy general named Zeyd, and I wanted to tell the story from his perspective as well. Please give me lots of feedback on how I do telling two sides of a story. If this turns out well, I may use it again in later parts of the AAR.
Zeyd al-Rasheed bowed before his leige, Emir Sha'ban of Sicily. As he rose, the general said, "I have come at your command, my Emir. What can I do for you?"
Emir Sha'ban motioned to the man standing next to him, "General Zeyd, I am sure you know my Marshal, General Ibrahim al-Ibrahim."
"I do," said Zeyd, attempting to keep his disgust hidden. Ibrahim al-Ibrahim was famous for his excessive cruelty, and for his poor judgement. Why the Emir had such a man as the leader of his armies, Zeyd could not know for sure. I would be a much better candidate for Marshal, he thought.
Sha'ban continued, "Word has reached the ears of my master, King Hasan, that this new King of the Morea, this Georgios III, desires a Crusade into Sicily. King Hasan is certain that Georgios desires all of Sicily. This would ultimately mean war with my Emirate, and therefore war with all of Tunisia. King Hasan wishes for us to secure as much of Sicily under Tunisia's banner as possible before the Morean arrives."
The Emir then led the two generals to a table, upon which was a map of Sicily.
"Here you can see our Emirate, in the south-central part of the island, centred at Agrigento. To the west is the Sheikdom of Trapani. To our north in the Sheikdom of Palermo. To the south-east is the sheikdom of Syracuse. And to the north-east is the Christian County of Messina," the Emir said.
After giving the generals a minute to study the map, Sha'ban continued, "King Hasan has commanded me to first move against Palermo. The Sheik of Palermo is a weak coward, and his army is small. Ibrahim, Zeyd, you two should be able to take it with half of my army."
"A mere thousand men is enough to take Palermo?" asked Zeyd.
"As I said," spoke the Emir, "Palermo's Sheik is a weak coward. He does not have much of an army. And he has let Palermo's fortifications fall into disrepair. Once you have taken Palermo, you are to turn it into a powerful fortress, one the Moreans will never breach."
"It will be done," said Ibrahim.
Emir Sha'ban looked to Zeyd, "Zeyd, can I count on you?"
Zeyd bowed, "I will do whatever I must for Sicily. Palermo shall fall to our forces, and then never again shall it fall."
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November 21st dawned just like any other for King Georgios III of the Morea. He breathed the mountain air of the southern Appenines. It reminded him of Hellas. He had once visited Mount Olympus, what a wonderful experience that had been. He thought it silly that the ancient Greeks had once believed their gods to live upon that mountain. But, then again, didn't every pagan society dream that their gods lived among them?
His musings were interrupted by a scout, who saluted and said, "My liege?"
After clearing his mind, Georgios turned to face the scout, and said, "Report."
"We've spotted the enemy's campfires, sire. Just a day's march from here."
"How many are there?"
"I'd estimate 1,500 men at the most, sire. But their numbers are likely smaller than that."
"Good. We have more than three to one in numbers. But, this is their mountain country, they know the terrain."
The King then summoned his officers, "Rouse the soldiers! We march! Tomorrow, Count Henry shall surrender to us... or blood shall spill."
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As night fell upon November 21st, 1188, Zeyd reflected upon the battle that faced him on the morrow. Emir Sha'ban's informants had underestimated Sheik Ali's abililty to defend his lands. Ali had gathered nearly 2,000 men under his banner. Now the Tunisians would be outnumbered two to one. Zeyd did not like this at all. But he had sworn that he would help Ibrahim defeat the Palermans, and he would. He had been born in Agrigento, and did not want to see his homeland fall to the Morean. For this reason, Palermo must come under Sicilian, and therefore Tunisian, rule. He would do whatever was required of him to defeat Ali's men.
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Well, I always have a soft spot for Sicily and clearing it of Sheikdoms (no matter how much they might like the place themselves) is fun, in addition to proving the real Greekness of Georgios.
You're doing a good work with the two sides of the story, I think it gives a rather interesting depth. Could be very interesting seeing a battle between Zeyd and the Morean king be told from two perspectives.
It helps de-antagonizing the enemy, which makes it more believable.
It helps de-antagonizing the enemy, which makes it more believable.
I would not count it beyond the bounds of possibility for, if not friendship, then a measure of respect to grow between Nikephorus and his tutor. Certainly there is no doubting the lad's spirit.
Well, thankfully the Emperors in Constantinople have been rather stagnant. They aren't even trying to take Sicily. In fact, the Empire is about the only country that has barely expanded and never been attacked. A bit odd if you ask me.RGB said:
Yeah. During the Crusade the Tunisians (especially Zeyd) put up more of a fight than any enemy I have faced thus far, and really earned my respect. I didn't see them as bad guys, just respected enemies, and so I wanted to write about them in a similar light.Snugglie said:You're doing a good work with the two sides of the story, I think it gives a rather interesting depth. Could be very interesting seeing a battle between Zeyd and the Morean king be told from two perspectives.
It helps de-antagonizing the enemy, which makes it more believable.
Over the years, Arsenios will come to have a ton of respect for Nikephoros.stnylan said:
As the sun rose on the morning of November 22nd, two battles were about to begin. In the Southern Appenines, King Georgios eagerly awaited his coming battle with Count Henry. The Moreans were more than likely to crush the Beneventan army, and soon he would have even more of a stronghold in Southern Italy.
Hundreds of miles to the southwest, Zeyd's feelings towards his own approaching battle were quite different. Outnumbered two to one, things did not look good for the Tunisians. He had to formulate a plan, and fast.
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The battle between Georgios and Henry did not last long, and so we will not dwell upon it. Within the first hour of combat, the Beneventan army had been routed, pursued, and slaughtered nearly to a man. Only about twenty men, along with Count Henry, managed to escape with their lives to reinforce the garrison of Benevento. The Moreans had barely lost 200 men, and soon Benevento was under siege by nearly 5,000 men.
It is Zeyd's battle with Sheik Ali upon which we will focus our attention.
Scouts had reported to Zeyd and Ibrahim that the Palermans had taken the high ground, giving them yet another advantage.
Ibrahim told Zeyd his plan, "Zeyd, I want you to take your regiment and attack up the centre. Draw their attention to you. They will unleash volleys of arrows, and perhaps attack, and then, when I give the signal, my regiments will encircle them and crush them. Do you understand?"
Zeyd did his best to hide his anger at he and his men being used as sacrificial lambs to lure the enemy in. He knew it was necessary to lure the enemy, or there was no hope of victory, but he did not want to throw his men's lives away. Suddenly, a plan formed itself in his mind, a way to be the distraction Ibrahim needed, without losing most of his men. But... he knew that Ibrahim would not like it if a sub-general came up with a better plan. So, Zeyd decided to keep it from his commander. He merely said, "Yes, General Ibrahim. I understand."
When he was alone with his regiment, Zeyd told them his plan. "General Ibrahim wishes to send us to our deaths as a deception to the enemy, so that he may envelop them and destroy them. I do not want to lose such a fine group of men as you, but we must be this distraction. However, I have altered our mission without telling Ibrahim. He want us to eat up their arrows. I will do better, and save lives. We will march to the foot of their hill, and taunt them. With any luck, and if Allah wills it, Sheik Ali's pride will be tempted. If he feels an insult to his pride because of our taunts, he will come down from the hill and attack. When he does this, we must fight for a brief time, and them flee, as though broken. Because not even Ibrahim knows that it is a feint, both he and the enemy will think it a rout. Ali will no doubt pursue us, to prevent us from rallying. At the same time, Ibrahim will be forced into action early enough to save our lives. Now, when our fleeing regiment approaches our comrades, we must reform the ranks, and join with our brothers. This will throw the Palermans off guard, and give us the chance we need. Allah willing, this will bring victory, and save most of our lives."
The men liked this plan, and agreed to it.
So, when the Tunisian army had formed lines, Zeyd marched at the head of his regiment of 400. On the Right flank, Ibrahim waited with his regiment of 300. And on the left was another sub-general, Ibrahim's brother, Al'a'addin with 300 more men.
As Zeyd and his men marched across the field to the hill, the first volley of Palerman arrows came down upon them. Zeyd called for his men to raise shields, and they complied quickly. With their shields in the air, most of the arrows were deflected, and only a handful of Tunisians fell. Another volley came, and had the same result.
Now Zeyd had reached the foot of the hill. He and his men defended against a third volley of arrows, and then shouted taunt and insults up the hill at their enemy. It worked, in part. Sheik Ali would not let this taunt go unanswered, but he saw no need to let all 2,000 men run down the hill over a mere 400. He sent one regiment, his best, led by his only son, Yakub.
As Zeyd saw only 600 men descend the hill, he knew his plan was beginning to fall apart. But there was one way to save it. "Kill Yakub!" he shouted to his men as they braced for the impact of the 600 Palermans' charge.
Once the two forces had locked in combat, violent fighting erupted. Zeyd fought long and hard to reach Yakub. At last he did. Yakub was no warrior, and was no good with a sword. Within moments, he was slain by Zeyd's scimitar. Upon seeing Yakub fall, the Palerman regiment fled back up the hill.
Zeyd's men cheered in victory. But Ali would not let his son's death go unpunished. Now he fell into Zeyd's trap. He ordered all his men to attack, with orders to spare no one.
The two forces clashed, but within moments, according to plan, Zeyd's men broke. Zeyd ran as fast as his men, and he shouted to them to run in a scattered formation, so as to truly appear broken.
It worked. Ali's men prusued, oblivious to the trap they were falling into.
On the Tunisian side of the battlefield, Ibrahim looked on with horror, "I thought I could trust Zeyd to do better than that! The battle is nearly lost. Attack, now! ATTACK!"
The 600 Tunisians charged. As Zeyd and his men approached their brothers, they turned as one, and shouted a great war cry. The Tunisians, upon seeing Zeyd and his men reform, were filled with fresh courage. The Palermans, on the other hand, were filled with dread. They now understood that they had fallen for the feigned retreat. This realisation came too late for them. The two armies clashed, and the vicious and bloody melee began.
The Tunisian men looked to Zeyd now for courage and inspiration, and he gave it to them. He fought on and on, even as his body grew exhausted. At one point, he spotted the banner of Sheik Ali himself, and fought his way to him. Some forty Tunisians fought along with him, to protect him. By the time they were in ear-shot of Ali, nearly half of the forty were dead. Zeyd shouted to the Sheik, "It was my sword which took your son's head! Now it shall take yours as well!"
Ali let out a war cry, and shouted, "You bastard! I will kill you for what you did to my son!"
As the two leaders clashed, Zeyd's men fought desperately to keep the Palermans from interfering. By now, Zeyd had only about ten men left with him, the rest of the Tunisians were still further back at the main line of battle.
The duel between Zeyd and Ali lasted for about twenty minutes before Ali, already in his fifties, succumbed to exhaustion. In his fatigue, he let down his guard for one brief moment, which the much younger Tunisian commander took advantage of. Within moments, Ali's head was rolling on the ground. Zeyd let out a victorious cry, "ALI IS DEAD! LONG LIVE KING HASAN!"
As this cry rang through the Tunisian line, the Palermans broke and fled the field.
Zeyd looked around him. Only two of the forty men who had followed him to the heart of the Palerman army still lived. Thirty-eight of his men had died to give him the chance to kill Ali. They had done their duty.
When the dead were tallied, the Tunisian army had lost nearly 600 men, but over twice that many Palermans had died. Of Zeyd's own regiment, 136 men still lived, less than half the original number. But they all knew that had they followed Ibrahim's plan, many more would have died.
After word reached Agrigento of the victory, Emir Sha'ban sent his other thousand men to reinforce the army, and sent praise to Ibrahim for his victory, and to Zeyd for his courage and valour.
With their Sheik and his son dead, the people of Palermo surrendered without a fight to the armies of Tunisia. Now the Tunisians had a greater foothold in Sicily.
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stnylan said:
Indeed. Zeyd will be quite a challenge a few years from now.RGB said:
The siege of Benevento barely lasted more than two weeks. By December 9th, the Beneventans were forced to surrender. Count Henry bowed before King Georgios, expecting death to come, as it had to those who had resisted Georgios' predecessors from Athanasios I to Petros I.
But death did not come. The Morean King instead sentenced the former Count and his family to exile. They were forced to leave the Kingdom of the Morea and of Naples (which included those lands within what was considered the realm of Naples which were not yet Morean: Capua and Sicily).
After taking control of Benevento, King Georgios sent word to Prince Theophylaktos Dekanos of Calabria, asking him to come to Benevento. Theophylaktos' court was based in Taranto, which was just south of Benevento. By December 12th, the Prince had arrived.
When the Prince of Calabria appeared before his King, he was greeted warmly. Georgios walked over to him and embraced him. When the embrace had ended, the King said, "Theophylaktos, walk with me."
As they walked, the King said, "Your family, the Dekani, have long been defenders of my own family. Indeed, we owe our very survival to your great ancestor, St. Alexios. Were it not for his devotion to the young Georgios II, the Inheritance Wars would have been our end, with either the De Hautevilles or the Trpimirovics now ruling the Morea. I know that we have already given you Reggio and Taranto, along with the title of Prince of Calabria, but I feel more must be done."
Theophylaktos shook his head, "Your Majesty, you needn't feel the need to continue to repay the Palaeologid debt to St. Alexios. As head of the House of Dekanos, I consider the debt paid in full."
Georgios smiled, "Theophylaktos, my friend, I know that our debt to St. Alexios has been paid. But we Palaeologi have not paid the Dekani for their continued services. To honour the continued devotion of the Dekani, I wish to give you the lands of Benevento, which I have now conquered."
The Prince tried to refuse, but Georgios was insistant, and so Theophylaktos accepted. He was now the most powerful noble in the Kingdom. No other single individual owned so much land, save for the King himself.
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"I will not owe my victory to this... this... this kalb!" shouted Ibrahim al-Ibrahim, using the Tunisian word for "dog".
His brother, Al'a'addin, shook his head, "Brother, you must not be so frustrated. His strategy may have won the battle, but yours is the victory, and yours is the honour."
"But now he had made a name for himself with Emir Sha'ban! Sha'ban will surely not ignore him now. Zeyd al-Rashid has much potential, and could one day become a rival to me... perhaps even surpass me. I cannot allow this. The kalb must not be allowed any further opportunities to show his prowess."
"But how will you prevent it?" asked Al'a'addin.
"I do not know. But I will find a way."
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It was shortly Christmas of 1188 when King Georgios returned home to Korinthos. When he reached the castle, he was greeted by his two older children: Athanasios, who was eleven, and Belkonia, who was ten. His youngest, Valsamon, was still only an infant, and could not greet the King.
The King first embraced his son and heir, "Athanasios!" he shouted as he gave his son a big hug, "How is your training?"
"It is going very well, father. Great-Uncle Niketas has taught me much."
The King ruffled his son's hair, "I am glad. Perhaps you'll be ready in time to join me on my Crusade!"
"I would love that, father!"
The King then turned and smiled at his daughter, "Belkonia! My, you are growing more beautiful every day! You will make a wonderful bride someday!"
The young princess ran to her father and as he embraced her, he lifted her up in his strong arms and twirled her about, and she laughed.
Once the embrace had ended, and young Belkonia once again had her feet planted firmly on the ground, the three royals began to walk to the great hall. Belkonia took her father's hand and said, "Papa, I've been studying a lot with Mother Angela at the abbey. She's taught me to read very well, and just yesterday I finished reading the Gospel of St. Luke with her!"
The King laughed with joy, "Very good. Very good. I am glad." He smiled to himself, and thought, Even if I never surpass Georgios I in greatness, I have one thing no King of the Morea has ever had before, a truly wonderful family.
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As Zeyd al-Rashid returned triumphantly to Agrigento, he made his way through the cheering throngs to his house, were all that remained of his family, his thirteen year-old son Abdul, was waiting for him.
Abdul smiled to welcome his father home. Zeyd patted his son on the head, "Did you look after the place while I was away?"
"Yes, father!" said Abdul. "It is just as you left it. Tell me about the battle, father! How many Palermans did you kill?"
Zeyd sighed, "More than I care to remember."
"When the Morean comes, you'll kill that wicked Kafir won't you?"
Zeyd shook his head, "I would rather live in peace. But if the Morean comes, I will fight him. But you musn't think him evil, Abdul. His people once ruled this island, it is only natural that they should want it back."
"You don't mean to say they are in the right, do you father?"
"I did not say that, Abdul. This is our land now. I was born here, as you were, and as was my father, and his father before him. Agrigento may have once been Greek, Roman. But no more. It belongs to us Arabs now, and I will fight to defend my home."
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Another Punic epic confrontation is shaping up in which Sicily is but one battlefield. Once the war with Tunisia starts, it will mean those unfinished Crusades in the East will stay unfinished.
Don't worry, Chief. The Cumans are my next priority.Chief Ragusa said:
Thankyou, that's what I was aiming for.stnylan said: