Tales of the Ottomans

The European Coalition

On September 1 1526, Spain declared war on us. They were joined in this war, by a powerful coalition: France, Austria, Venice, Hannover, Helvetia. The Hedjaz, our loyal allies and vassals, pledged to help defend us. In October, Austria moves into Banat, driving out our troops there, besieging the province. 13 days later, the fortress fell to Austria!!!

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There is one thing to put into context however: We are in 1526, and most of the European land military tech is arround 10-12. Our Empire, which didn't rely on technology to win its wars, instead focussed on Infrastructure most of the time, until very, very lately(Which is why we got Infra(5) so early). This also means that our land technology is currently at (2). Do I need to mention that this is gonna be one helluva of a tough war? Yeepers.

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On January 1527, we return to Status Quo with Hannover. Our fleet in Cretan Sea defeats the Spanish twice in a row. Austria moves into Croatia, while our troops are being deployed in Thrace and Alexandria. Spain attempts two landings in Thrace, being driven out again and again, while we return to Status Quo with Helvetia. Austria moves into Istria. In March, Bohemia joins the war on their side against us. In April, our army in Egypt moves into Cyrenaica, held by Spain. Spain attempts two landings in Corfu, being defeated twice. In August, our navy engages Venice and Spain in the Ionian Sea, defeating their navies, while Spain tries landing into Rhodes, failing miserably. In October, we return to Status Quo with France. Two armies move into Banat and Croatia, besieging the first, and the breaking the siege in the second. Austria attempts to attack us into Croatia, being driven back twice. Spain lands on Cyprus, defeating our local garrison. We defeat their navy in Cretan Sea, however that does not stop them from successfully landing on Rhodes. Another of their army attempts landing on Crete after we moved our navy to try to find their sneaking behind, though their troops are defeated. In December, we engage the navies of Spain in Coast of Rhodes, defeating them. On January 3 1528, a Refinery is completed in Cyprus. Spain attempts landing on Crete, being driven out. In February, Our land technology was improved to Late Medieval(3). We had to catch up to them fast if we wanted to hold against this coalition! Spain landed on Crete, being driven out, and their navy defeated twice trying to come back to the seazone. However their attack on Cyprus is successful and they besiege the province. In March, we take back Banat from Austria. Attacks on Pest by Austria are defeated twice. We send an army to relieve Istria, fighting against Spain and Venice but without success. The Spanish navy engages us three times in Ionian Sea, as we are loading an army, being defeated each time. We move into Ruthenia, driving out Austria with much effort, as we hold back from another attack on Pest from Austria, then Spain In October 1528, we send another army in Istria, while being attacked by Austria in Pest and Spain in Ionian Sea. We are driven out of Istria and Pest, though we hold back in the Ionian Sea, defeating their navy. Two other armies are loaded into our navy. In December, our naval technology is improved to Late Medieval(3). Spain engages us in Maros, being defeated, while we defeat them in the Malta channel. Spain attacks us in Crete, and we hold back. We win two other successive battles in Crete, while being driven out of Ruthenia by Austria. We unload two armies in Tripolitania, defeating the Spanish garrison there, while repulsing an attack by their navy. Two armies are dispatched to fight in Istria and Pest. We win in Istria, but the Austria armies in Pest prove too strong. At roughly the same time, we defeat Spain in the Gulf of Sirte and on Crete. In March 1529, we capture Cyrenaica from Spain. In March also, we engage Venice in Veneto and the Ionian Sea, being driven out of the first yet winning the naval battle. Bohemia agrees to return to Status Quo with us. We win 3 successive battles against Spain and Venice in Ionian Sea, proving our naval superiority once again. In May, Dalmatia is captured from Venice. Spain attempts to attack us in Crete and Cyrenaica, failing miserably as usual. The Empire is holding incredibly well against its much superiorly equipped enemy, however you have to take into factor the sheer size of the Empire's income and manpower, not to mention the huge standing navy. That alone, allowed our Kalifa to wage this war and continue on winning so far.

One army is sent into Ruthenia, attempting to drive the Austrians out, to no avail. Spain attacks us in Cyrenaica, defeating our troops. We hold against the assaults of Austria on Pest. Austria attacks us in Transylvania, being driven out, while our troops move onto Veneto and defeating the army there. Spain attacks us into Quattara, defeating us and besieging the province. We send an army into Magyar, defeating Austria there. Austria attacks us into Transylvania, and we drive them out. In October, Nuyssabin is converted to the One True Faith. In November, we took Pest back from Austria.

This situation of constant battles on all sides continues without break. On January 1530, we capture Tripolitania. In June, Magyar falls to us. In July, Austria accepts peace with us: giving us Pest and Transylvania. The war with Spain and Venice continue individually. In November, Kleves join the alliance with Spain and Venice and wages war on us. In February 1531, they accept to return to a Status Quo with us. The thrice-darned rebels are everywhere, and the battles continue non-stop. In January 1532, Nubia is converted. The month after, Tunisia fall into our hands. In April, Spain accepts our generous offer of peace, the war had ended. (No mentions in my logs of what I gained by defeating Spain. However, if my memory serves, it includes most of its African possessions, possibly Dalmatia as well). In August, Dobrudja is converted to the one true faith. Our Kalifa proclaimed our Empire the Sole Defender of the Sunni Faith again, as we continued the colonization of NE Africa.

In July 1533, our land technology improved to Late Medieval(4). We were catching up... slowly... On September 5, 1533, a diplomatic insult was sent to our Kalifa. This would prove to be our excuse for declaring war on Ak Koyunlu, a mere 4 days later.

Austrian War and Era of Exploration.

The war against Ak Koyunlu that would start in September 1533 would be quick one. In October, their army had been crushed and their fortress was besieged. In June 1535, the province entire fell into our hands and they would be annexed by the February of the next year, 1536. During this time, our colonization of the North-east African tip(Massawa, Issas, Keren at first and later on, Afars, Somalia, Mudugh, Mogadiscio would be added to our growing colonies) was intense, with new settlers being sent to colonize 3 or 4 times a year. In December 1536, our land technology improved to Late Medieval(5), allowing us to assault fortresses. This would prove useful in crushing rebellions.

In February 1537, Our Kalifa declared war on Austria, with hopes to finish carving it up, and getting the remaining Ottoman core provinces in Europe, taking advantage of the recent dismissal of their alliance. The lack of an alliance wouldn't last long however, as Bohemia and Hannover both joined Austria in their war against us during the month. To fight the Austrians, three armies were sent to move along their borders and against their positions. The first moved to Steiermark, the second to Krain, the third to Ruthenia. In April, Austria attacked us in Krain but was driven out within a week. In June, they would mount two attacks on Steiermark, but these wouldn't succeed either. In July, we gained an explorer, and sent him on the West African coast to explore the coastlines further down there, trying to find a way arround Africa, especially in the light of the Ottoman access to both seas.

We repulsed an attack by Hannover in Steiermark in July, and repelled two attacks by Austria in September. In October, Bohemia agreed to return to Status Quo, as we had not fought them yet. Krain falls into our hands. Our army moves into Odenburg, defeating the Austrian resistance there, and setting the siege. In March, Hannover lands an army on Rhodes and begins sieging it. How they got their fleet there, is best left to anyone's guess. In April, Holstein joined the alliance of Austria against us, and thus entered the war, just as we seized Steiermark from them. We sent our army to Salzburg, while our Kalifa was busy reforming the structures of the army to make it more effective. The Austrians mount an offensive to force our army out of Salzburg, to no effect. In July, Holstein and the Ottoman Empire return to Status Quo. In August, Odenburg falls into our hands. In September, we captured Ruthenia. In November, we invested in Fortifications instead in Mimar Sinan's Great construction. We send an army to invade the capital of Austria. We sent an army to invade the Carpathia, and capture Maros, only to invade Magyar. At the same time, the Austrians frantically assemble armies to drive me out of their capital and Salzburg. Each and every attack is repulsed, however.

In March 1539, the Pope joins the alliance of Austria against us, and thus placing themselves at war against us. They would, however, accept peace in June. Armies are dispatched against Austria to prevent them from retaking Steiermark. Our initial attack fail, however we capture Salzburg and move to Ostmarch. The Austrians attempt to drive us out of Austria, Ostmarch and Magyar, succeeding to break our siege in Magyar, but failing elsewhere. In November, we gain a conquistador. In December, after repeated assaults, Austria manage to break our siege on their capital. In February 1540, we drive the Austrians from Magyar, reinstalling the siege there, as well as in Austria. Furthermore, we finally reach peace with Hannover. In April, our monarch instores Great Legal Reform.

In June, Dalmatia is converted to the One True Faith. In July, our land technology improves to Late Medieval(6). We fight several battles against the Austrians, and in August, Magyar is captured. November marks the fall of Carpathia. March 1541 is the date our troops take Austria. In July, our neighbor, Astrakhan, is annexed by the growing Russia, one of the few countries that rivals ours in might. In September, Ostmarch falls into our hands. We start negociating peace with Austria, however they refuse our early terms. In March, our country benefits from Enthusiasm for the Navy, while Presburg falls into our hands. Austria still won't sign peace with us, though on June 5 1542, they are forced to finally accept a settlement that reduces Austria, formerly a major power, to a minor power. In exchange for peace, our Empire gains the following: Steiermark, Presburg, Odenburg, Krain, Magyar, Maros & Ruthenia.

The following months mark a vast campaign of exploration of the seas off the North African tip and arround Oman, and pushing inside the Indian Sea and East African coastlines. In June of 1543, Banat is converted to the One True Faith. September, our land technology finally increases to the point where we can build Artillery(7). We were still way behind the major powers, especially France and Austria which had 15-16, but we were catching up very fast. Soon, the Ottoman Empire would have the best technology in all the known world! In March of 1544, we converted Bisharin to the One True Faith. In May, our technology increased to Late Medieval(8). In September, it increased to Late Medieval(9) and discovered the coastal provinces of Zanj. We kept fighting the rebels all over the Empire, routing their province wherever they showed up, mercilessly. In March 1545, we converted Sudan to the One True Faith. In June, our explorers had pushed as far as the Zanzibar Straits on the African Coastline. In December, our land technology had improved to Late Medieval(10). And so we would have remained at peace, until April5, 1546, when our glorious ruler declared war on Algiers.

Crusade in Africa

April 5, 1546, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Algiers. Our first move was toward Kabylia, where our troops engaged the enemy and besieged the province. Many battles were waged there in the coming months, but they could not succeed to drive us out of there. In November, Algiers tried landing in Corfu, however could not bring sufficient forces to pose a threat to our experienced garrison.

January 1547, we convert the heretics in Transylvania. In September, our wise ruler accepted a petition for redress, centralizing our state though temporarily destabilizing the realm in the process. In October, Kabylia fell to our forces. In December, we began the siege of Aures. It would fall to us in November 1548. By February, we were continuing our crusade, marching on Al Djazair, crushing the enemy there. In June 1549, our Kalifa reformed the army, increasing our Land Technology to Renaissance(11) in the process, granting our Empire stronger fortresses. In October, Al Djazair fell to our troops. In November, we besieged Orania, intent on finishing our crusade against Algiers soon.

February 1550, we converted Odenburg to the One True Faith. By April, we would also convert Maros. In June, additional reinforcements are sent to Orania, as our initial army has been greatly weakened by battles, and mostly, attrition. It is also the month where we would convert Ruthenia and declare war on Oman, inviting our allies and vassals, the Hedjaz(whom had diplo-annexed Aden btw) to participate in our campaign. In September, our army lands in Hadramut, heavily engaging the Oman troops before proceeding to Dofhar, where more heavy combat ensues. In the meantime, our navy sneaks south on Zanzibar, but is intercepted and defeated by the more powerful Oman fleet. They try pursuing it to the Horn of Africa, but they are in turn defeated. In April 1551, one of our army moves into Mogadiscio, engaging Oman over possession of its african colony. We defeat them, but they seize possession of Somalia then Mudugh from us. In June, Orania falls to our army, quickly followed by Dofhar, in Oman, the following month.

Our army in Dofhar proceeds to Masirah, engaging their army there and defeating it. In December, our african army moves to Atlas as Mogadiscio falls to our hands. In May 1552, Baluchistan declares war on Oman on its own, intent as it is to profit from our ongoing conquests on the Arabian peninsula. In November, our land technology improves to Renaissance(12). January 1553, Masirah falls to our blows. In May, Atlas finally falls to our hands, making our crusade against Algiers a complete success. Our troops progress on Mascate, crushing their defending army. By November, Algiers agrees to a peace treaty, granting us with all their territory save their capital. Our borders on the African tip now stretch to the very border of Morrocco! In May 1554, Mascate falls. In July, Prince Bayezid flees to Persia, and our Kalifa decides to leave him to his fate there. Whatever happens, the Persians will pay eventually, just not now. We load a new army in the Persian Gulf, then another in the Mascate Coast, sailing south toward Zanzibar, but being intercepted by their navy and defeated. Our repeated attempts to land on Zanzibar fail miserably, yet Oman eases our misery:

On September 8, 1555, it comes to us proposing a settlement, which we gladly accept: The Ottoman Empire gains Zanzibar, Masirah, Mogadiscio, Dofhar, Socotra, Somalia and Mudugh.

The Turko-Persian Conflict ignites.

Just after the peace settlement with Oman is reached, we convert Magyar, and the following month, declared war on Moldavia. Our troops move into Moldova, engaging the enemy repeatedly while besieging the fortress, sending reinforcements to hold onto it, and after winning, moving those reinforcements to Bujak. By August 1556, our land technology improved to Renaissance(13). In February 1557, Moldova fell to our assaults. In May, it was the turn of Bujak to fall, and the peace was quickly concluded in exchange for Bujak and some 107 ducats.

On November 12, 1557, comes the day of retribution: The Ottoman Empire, along with its loyal ally, the Hedjaz, wage war on Persia. One army moved into Hamadan, while a conquistador charged on Tabriz; the following month another army joined them by arriving in Awhaz to prepare the attack on Isfahan. Battles are waged accross the border, but their armies are no match for ours, and they fail to break our sieges until June 1558, when a massive army moves into Isfahan, eradicating our army there. They fail to do the same to our other armies however, as constant reinforcements are sent to hold on to our sieges. In January 1559, another army moves into Isfahan. All the while, our whole empire musters its armies to crush the annoying rebels, having on average 3 or 4 rebellions a month, working without respite to put them down.

In June 1559, Persia succeeds in driving us out of Hamadan. Clearly, though our armies are superior to theirs, their determination to hold onto their land is admirable. Our Empire also has a boundary dispute with a neighbor, and our Kalifa choses to press our claims. In August, our reinforced army moves straight back into Hamadan. In April 1560, Isfahan falls into our hands, followed by Tabriz in May. Our troops proceed to Lut, as Hamadan falls, and our two other armies proceed to Tabaristan and Elbruz. They still attempt to drive us out, but their attempts are feeble at best, as we keep sending reinforcements to hold our positions.

In January 1562, Tabaristan falls to our hands and we proceed to Meched after reinforcements arrive to reinforce our army. In May, it is the turn of Elbruz to fall to our troops, and our army quickly proceeds to Kerman. Sensing the iminent fall of Persia to our hands, its neighbors, the Mughal Empire, Gujarat and Baluchistan team up together and declare war on the Shiite dogs. In march 1563, a new army moved into Birjand. In June, Meched is captured from Persia, followed by Kerman in August. Our troops proceed to Khorasan. In May 1564, Lut falls to our troops and we convert Dofhar to the One True Faith. In September, our Infrastructure improves to Late Baroque(6), marking us as the supreme power in European technology, and Birjand falls to our troops in short order. We make peace with Persia, gaining vast stretches of lands, including Isfahan(though I cannot precise the rest, the logs are unclear when it is I who proposes the treaty). We remained at peace for very little time. Indeed, in December, our Kalifa declared war on Algiers, intending on crushing it once and for all.

After examining the logs...

It seems I gained the following provinces: Isfahan, Tabriz, Lut, Hamadan and perhaps Tabaristan/Elbruz too. I'm not sure about those 2 latest provinces though, either I gained them in this war, or in an upcoming war.

Btw, my first screenshot is in 45 years from now, so hang on a little

Time of Peace, Constructions and Development

On December 13, 1564, our Glorious Empire declared war upon Algiers, intent on finishing its earlier conquest. Our army quickly moved into Al Djazir, destroyed the resistance and besieged the province. By November 1565, we had captured their fortress and annexed them. It was also the time when our Naval Technology improved to Late Medieval(4), allowing us to finally construct transport ships. In September 1566, we completed two Goods Manufactory, in Aleppo and Anatolia, making those the first Good Manufactories on earth. It would be the last sight of our Glorious Kalifa Suleyman I Kanuni as he died four days later and was replaced by Selim II, may his reign be prosperous.

In June 1568, our naval technology improved to Late Medieval(5), quickly followed by an improvement in our land Technology in November to Renaissance(14) and of our Trade level to Late Renaissance(3) in January 1569. This rapid rate of technology growth would not stop, for the in April 1570, our Land Technology increased to Renaissance(15). In August, we completed a Fine Arts Academy in Serbia. In November, Pest was converted to the One True Faith, and all the while our fortifications were being developped all over the Empire, replacing our aging fortresses with modern ones. In September 1571, our Land Technology improved again to Renaissance(16). In October, a Goods Manufactory was constructed in Croatia. Our ruler, Seyim II, unlike his predecessors seemed more interested in peace and development than warfare and his wise rule was one of the most peaceful ones to date, however that would change when in September 1572, an ambassador to our court delivered a fatal and vicious insult to Our Kalifa, whom replied in March of the coming year by declaring war on Austria and its allies: Kleves, Spain, Bavaria, Cologne and Poland. Our trustworthy allies, the Hedjaz, followed us into this war.

The 2nd Pan-European Conflict, The Wars of Honor

And so it was that the peaceful era, which had lasted 11 years, ended with the beginning of the second pan-european war, ignited by a foolish Austrian embassador who thought it wise to insult our wise ruler. With the declaration of war dispatched to their courts, our forces immediately set to invade our neighbors. Individual armies moved into Ostmarch, Jedisan, Carpathia and Salzburg all within the first month of the war, engaging the enemy defenses and destroying them mercilessly, in addition to positioning an army in Presburg. Our fleet was also on the move in the Mediterranean Sea, toward the Straits of Otranto, to block any attempts by Venice to join in the war, as it had done during nearly every european conflict thus far, and to prepare a landing bridge into Spain-held Napoli. In May, Krain was converted to the One True Faith. We won most of the initial engagements in this war, however the siege in Carpathia was successfully broken in August, as our army was loading in the Straits of Otranto and Kleves agreed to return to Status Quo in this war. Spain, seeing our moves toward Napoli decided to attack our fleet in the Straits of Otranto, but would not succeed in breaking our hold on the Straits, as Cologne returned to peace with us in September. Our first true setback of the war happened just before the peace with Cologne as Austria managed to break the bones of our armies in Presburg, and take the fortress by assault. We unloaded our army in Apulia and launched another strike on Austria, trying to destroy the defenders and succeeding. The battles against Poland were much tougher, as it successfully moved into Ruthenia in October and destroyed our two armies in Jedisan in coming January. They would prove to be our toughest opponents in this war.

In January 1574, we converted Tabriz to the One True Faith and captured Fez from Spain. In February, 3 armies moved into the Straits of Otranto and successively unloaded in Apulia, only to move to Messina to establish a siege there as well. In April, Spain took control of our trade outpost in Ambovombe and burned it to the ground. In the meantime, Poland moved through our lands with one massive army, defeating many of our armies that were readying to invade Austrian lands. In May, Pest would be converted to the One True Faith. Spain landed multiple armies in our north african territory, trying to annoy us by starting multiple sieges while we reinvaded Jedisan and heavily fought against the Polish troops, unable to achieve any definite victory. This war was one of back and forth that had no clear winner due to the extremely apt resistance put up by the Polish armies. The exchanges of lands and non-war events are exposed here in the meantime:

August 1574: Spain burns our trade outposts in Antsirana.(For those wondering, those two lost trade outposts were in Madagascar)
October 1574: Salzburg is captured by our troops.
November 1574: Apulia is captured by our troops.
December 1574: Our ruler is killed in mass battle and Murad III takes over.
June 1575: Mogadiscio was converted to the One True Faith and captured Presburg.
November 1575: Austria signs a peace with us, for Carpathia if I recall correctly.
January 1576: Our troops capture Messina from Spain.
February 1576: Our land technology increased to Renaissance(17)
March 1576: Galizien falls to our troops.
September 1576: Malta is captured from Spain.
October 1576: Spain accepts peace with us, granting us Fez and Malta for peace.
January 1577: Jedisan is captured from Poland. We are slowly gaining an unbearable advantage against the Poles since our troops used in the Austria conflict are now massively pouring against them.
October 1577: Poland loses Crimea to our troops.
November 1577: We converted some heretics.
September 1577: We captured Krementjug from Poland.
September 17 1577: Persia decided to fan the flames of war and to teach us a lesson in the continuing Turko-Persian conflict, and so Persia declared war on us. Here starts a massive ammount of invasive and counter-invasive maneuvers between the Persian and the Ottoman forces in the east.
January 1579: Captured Podolia from Poland. We start to negociate with them to find a settlement, but our initial attempts are met in failures.
February 1579: Captured Galizien from Poland(It was lost to them earlier, probably by rebels). They will accept peace with us at the end of the month, gaining us: Jedisan, Podolia and Crimea.
August 1579: Persia loses Kerman to our troops.
May 1580: Our troops take Birjand from Persia.
July 1580: Meched falls to our troops.
January 1581: Tabaristan falls to our troops.
June 1581: Our troops take Khorasan by force.
September 1581: An ambassador of Moldavia delivered a foolish insult to our Kalifa, which would lead the country to be destroyed.
November 1581: Our troops takes Elbruz away from Persia and Persia agrees to make peace with us.

The gains: Tabaristan and Elbruz(which were not gained from the last war, I can recon), as well as: Lut, Kerman

In January 1582, our land technology improved to Renaissance(18), allowing us to build weapon manufactories and Our Kalifa immediately declared war on Moldavia, which would fall to us in October, and be shortly annexed. Another insult would be delivered to our court in December 1582, this time by Russia, and would spark a long Turko-Russian conflict. When would they learn not to insult the honor of our Kalifa?

The Turko-Russia Conflict

In December of 1582, our Kalifa made peace with Moldavia and was insulted by the Russians. The next months were spent cleaning up rebels, deploying troops on the borders of Russia and mustering new troops to prepare for a tough conflict, since Russia stretched from the border of Sweden to our border in Crimea, having swallowed up most of the Russian principalities(Novgorod was independent) and most of the Golden Horde. In May 1583, our naval technology improved to Late Medieval(6). In September of the same year, Steiermark was converted to the One True Faith, and our conflict with Russia was ignited by our Kalifa, who proclaimed the state of war, without inviting our allies in it. It would be a very religious conflict, opposing the two of the largest empires in the world, opposing the Champion of the Sunni Faith and the Orthodox Faith, for the control of the steppes and the silk road.

Our first move was that of a single army moving into Azow unopposed, to which the Russians replied by moving three armies into Crimea in the following two months. In January of 1584, an army of Jeni Ceri moved into Astrakhan, engaging the Russia garrison while another of our army moved into Kouban unopposed and the Russians deployed troops in Azow to counter us. We won both battles in Azow and Astrakhan, and were besieging these two provinces in addition to Kouban while Russia besieged Crimea. Russia spent the next few months throwing small armies after small armies on our positions in Azow and Astrakhan, delaying our sieges but achieving little gain of their own. We reinforced our position in Astrakhan as our loses were mounting. In June, Russia managed to drive our army out of Astrakhan, however in the meantime, Kouban had fell to our armies. We reinforced our position in Azow and in Daghestan, where our army was preparing for a counter-attack on Astrakhan. In September, Russia moved on Azow while we moved on Astrakhan, and our armies engaged. We won both battles, however as we did, Crimea fell to the Russian army. This would prove an interesting war. In October, Azow was captured by our troops, and Russia starting launching attacks after attacks on Astrakhan, intent as it was to keep the profitable Trade Center as we moved on Kalmuk. Its repeated attack failed, but our Empire was struck by a very annoying noticed in February of 1585: The people of Nubia, whose lands were under siege for the past few years, had declared their independence. We converted the heretics in Fez and in March, Russia launched a devastating attack on Astrakhan, defeating us despite the reinforcement that arrived in time to fight from Daghestan. Both armies were driven back. After defeating our hold on Astrakhan, Russia moved onto Kouban, trying to take the province back. In September, Kalmuk fell to our army and so did Nubia, being annexed back into our empire. We pressed our advantage by moving onto Lugansk, defeating the Russian garrison while we sneaked into Crimea, to retake the province. We defeated an attempt to break the siege in Lugansk and in November, our naval technology was improved to Late Medieval(7), just as Kouban unexpectedly fell back into Russian hands. its army from Kouban moved into Lugansk, defeating our army. In May 1586, our naval technology was again improved to Late Medieval(8). And in June, Crimea was recaptured by our forces, as Russia set siege to Azow.

In August, our scientists developped Bronze Cannon Armaments for our navies, greatly improving the fighting values of our ships. Our troops moved into Lugansk, defeating the Russian garrison, and sneaked unopposed into Astrakhan again. In December, we marched on Kouban, breaking the Russian army and in January of 1587, Lougansk was in our control. Our army proceeded to Kalmuk, hoping to take it again. In April, Russia besieged Lugansk, and in May, we marched onward north and into Volgograd, winning several battles against Russia. July brought us another increase in naval technology. Clearly, the Ottoman were catching up to the rest of the world, and soon, we would lead everyone in the tech race. We fought several battles in Volgograd, and in October, captured Kouban. In January 1588, it was the turn of Astrakhan to be captured, finally bringing the much conveited trade center into our control. Russia besieged Lugansk in March, as we fought and destroyed their garrison in Uralsk. June brought us the control of Volgograd, as our armies were progressively swallowing Russia. We moved further north into Ufa, defeating their armies there in September. Knowing we had not enough mens and ressources to pursue besieging Russian soil during the harsh winter, we instead decided to press our advantage with the cavalry, moving accross Russian territory, plundering and crushing small armies in Tambow, Nizhgorod and Kazan. December saw our engineers improve our Naval Technology to Renaissance(11), allowing us to build shipyards. Uralsk also fell to our armies and we started negociating a peace, unwilling to press further north where we would have to sacrifice hundreds of thousands to take province by province. Russia proved to be harsh to negociate with. Oh, it was willing to sacrifice some lands allright, just not the lands our Kalifa conveited. And so we continued sending our cavalry accross the Russian steppes, engaging small armies after another, and keeping up with the plunder. March 89 saw the conversion of Kerman to our faith, proving once again that was did not stop our religious efforts, on the contrary. As Russia continued in its stubbornness, our Kalifa dispatched several armies onto Ufa to show the Russians that if necessary, we could conquer all the way to Moscow to obtain our objectives. In September, it was the turn of Carpathia to be converted. in December, Lugansk fell back to Russian rebels, however the Russian government had seen enough of this war, and would agree to a peace with us before the end of the month, which resulted in our Empire gaining Azov, Kalmuk, Kouban and Astrakhan. Our Empire had triumphed over the Orthodox faith once again, gaining a trade center and a foot on the road of silk.

A little peacetime, the Destruction of Small Neighbors

After the Russian war, we had a little respite of war, which would be put to good use cleaning rebels and improving our relations with the Hedjaz. And of course, preparing for the next conflict.

January 1590 saw the creation of a Weapon Manufactory in Angora. May 1591 saw the improvement of our naval technology to Renaissance(12). Another weapon manufactory, in Kirkuk this time, was completed in August 1591. April 1592 saw the continued colonization of the North-east African Tip, which we had not yet completed. We converted Lut in July, and Kerman in August, though I wonder why we converted a sunni province to sunni.
(Editor's Note: it was already converted during the Russian war. This is a result of my habit of sending a missionary everytime I can, which means when a province being converted falls to rebels, I send another missionary as I recapture it. This has helped me a lot to speed up the conversion, since the chances are 'rolled' twice within the same time restraint, though it is a very costly procedure to put in action). In April 1594, we improved our Naval Technology to Renaissance(13), and in August, declared war on Georgia.

The Geogian conquest was a necessity, since they held several provinces *inside* of our borders. Of course, it was totally ridiculous to allow a state to exist within our borders when we kept expanding abroad. And so, an army was sent into Kaffa to engage the Georgian troops and defeat them. Several skirmishes were fought, with each battle showing our clear superiority in the military domain and in January 1595, with the rise of Mehmed III to the throne, another army was dispatched into Sochi, then Georgia in February. In March, Sochi fell to our assault and the army then proceeded into Kerch. In December, Georgia itself was captured, and our army proceeded into what was formerly Trebizond. Kerch fell in April 1596 and Georgia sieged its capital back in August. Seeing how Georgia had no chance of opposing us anymore, our bold Kaliph decided not to wait any longer, and declare war on Persia. Our attack on Tabaristan was defeated, and in September, our Naval Technology was improved to Renaissance(14). We were quick to counter-attack the Persian though, and they were driven out in November and the province besieged, as we captured Sochi. Persia moved into Meched and Elbruz, besieging the first, being driven out of the other.

In March 1597, Trabzon fell to our troops. A month later, we received Trabzon, Kerch, Sochi and Kaffa for our victory. Several skirmishes were fought on the Persian border, with our troops winning most of them, though the Persian besieged Lut. In July, Meched was converted to our faith. In November, in another move of boldness, our Kaliph declared war on Oman! The following month saw an army march on Mascate unopposed, and the improvement of our Naval Technology to Renaissance(15). Oman came back at us with an army, but it was quickly cut to pieces. And in April 1598, Tabaristan fell, finally allowing us to annex Persia. Oman would be annexed in August.
(Looks like I have to ammend my earlier post about gaining Tabaristan in an earlier war, I didn't, since it was their capital; as I said, the logs aren't always easy to decipher! )

We had a border dispute with one of our neighbors in November 1598, however our Kaliph, not particularly eager to war with them, chose to settle the issue, improving our stability instead. In March 1599, we finally developped the technology to build naval manufactories. Bujak was converted the following month. In December, our Kaliph was grossly insulted. Would he follow the tradition of his predecessors of trading wars for insult? Our Monarch decided that he had nothing to gain from that country, and let the matter lie. In October 1600, our Empire's trade level improved to Early Baroque(4), allowing us to initiate trade embargo. In January 1601, Zanzibar was converted to our faith and kept on crushing the rebels, working on improving our stability. In February 1602, more colonization were done on the North-eastern tip of Africa. And in June, our Kaliph declared war again on Georgia, intending to finish it once and for all. We were initially defeated, but would keep coming back until it fell. In November, al Kharam joined our Empire, fleeing their oppressors in Baluchistan. In February 1603, a Naval Manufactory was completed in Rhodes. Georgia fell in May, and was formally annexed in August.

In December, our beloved Monarch passed away, and was replaced by Ahmed I, whose first action was to declare war on Ethiopia at the beginning of the year 1604. This war would be an easy one, with the true enemy being the high desert attrition and the time that would be needed to chart their land. An unexpected invention in one of our province happened in September, that greatly pleased our Kaliph. The colonization of the region continued constantly all during the war. In July 1605, we captured Welo, and seeing how Ethiopia would be no match for us, our Kaliph declared war on Morrocco the following day. We moved into Tangiers, defeating their army, and sieging the province. In September, another army moved into Toubkal, as we converted some heretics within our lands. In October, Arsi fell to us. Morrocco made several attempts to drive us out of Toubkal, but our army prevailed. In April 1606, Tangiers and Shewa fell to our troops. In May, Harerge was captured. In November, Gonder and Toubkal fell to our troops. They proceeded further in Ethiopian territory and onto Sahara in Morrocco. In April 1607, Bale and Sahara fell to our assaults. We continued further on Anti Atlas and charting the Ethiopian ground. In July, Elbruz was converted to the One True Faith, followed by Trabzon in October. In August 1608, Anti-Atlas fell to our troops. On May 5 1609, we made peace with Morrocco, gaining the following: Mdennan, Anti-Atlas, Tangiers, Sahara, Tassaret, Quatar & Damman. Ethiopia also surrendered, and our Empire gained Welo, Gonder, Kefa, Bale, Arsi and Harerge.

In September 1609, our Empire truly was the greatest power in the world, and none could compare to our might but the Chinese. Sure, Spain and France had powerful European and colonial empires. However, they would never succeed to survive our onslaught, if we desired to crush them. The Empire no longer had any opposition that posed a threat, except perhaps those annoying rebels. Future conflicts were brewing with the Mughals and Baluchistan as we our Kaliph wished to extend his domain to the Indian border, and we would need to destroy Ethiopia and Morrocco, if only to round our borders. But the question remained, as that would not hold us for long... where would the Empire expend next? Some of the officials have suggested seizing Africa or just conquering onward on the path to China, and the descendants of theSuleyman still dream about a united faith for all muslims in the world, with themselves at its head...

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Time for screenshots now! I still have 10 years waiting for me in the logs, and then I finally resume the game. If you have any request for the path of conquest, its time to make them

The war with the Mughals, the rebellions of the provincial Beys.

In November 1609, our trade level improved to High Baroque(5). January 1610 saw the discovery of Fernando Po, which would be colonized in the coming months and years to allow the continued exploration to find a safe path for our navy arround Africa. In April, Mascate was converted to the Sunni faith. And in June, an emissary from the Mughal Empire delivered a stingy insult to our Kalifa in the courtroom. The Mughal wanted to provoke us, and they succeeded in gaining a powerful enemy indeed, for two days later, the Ottoman Empire declared war on the Mughal Empire and its allies Baluchistan, Chagatai Khanate, Sibir and the Khazak Horde.

The first move of the war was played in September, when Baluchistan invaded Awhaz and beat back our garrison located there, and then in Basrah the following month. Truces were signed with Sibir and the Khazak Horde in November and December as our troops were deploying in position to strike. Baluchistan moved into Iraq, trying to destroy our amassing armies but failed miserably. In January 1611, an army was sent on Bukkhara to siege the province. The enemy in Basrah was crushed as they deployed more troops in Kirkuk this time. Battles were fought in Bukkhara against the Mughal who tried to break the siege, but they could not defeat our superior troops. Another army was deployed in Hormouz and besieged the province while a failed invasion of Birjand was attempted. Our hold on Bukkhara was broken as our explorers discovered the Cape of Good Hope, achieving a critical discovery in our goal to control the sea routes arround Africa.

Massive armies were deployed on the border of the Mughals, while troops were being moved into Fars unopposed. The Mughals landed a few attacks on our position, but they could not break them. In October, a naval landing from Baluchistan allowed them to seize Damman and Quatar, both minor colonies on the Arabian peninsula. The Chagatai Khanate landed an army in Birjand during January and in February, Astrakhan declared independence. Troops were deployed in Astrakhan and Bukkhara. A lock was established for a period, as the enemy constantly attacked our position but was unable to break them.

In March 1613, our Kalifa wed the intelligent Kosem, who would influence many of his policies for the coming years. The back and forth movements continued on without stop, the casualties on each side mounting without any clear victor. A series of religious conversion were performed all over the empire:

Gonder was converted to the true faith in December 1613; Kefa would be converted in February 1614; Georgia in March; Harerge in April and Masirah in July. Astrakhan fell to our armies in November and would be annexed back in February 1615. In August, a major event would attract the attention of the world: France diplomatically annexed the peaceful nation of Portugal, gaining its vast colonies in the process. A few days later, our Kalifa strongly reined in the local beys in to prevent a Decentralization of the state on the provincial level, causing a major stability hit. The ammounts of rebellions that would be created in the coming months was astronomical, and severely hindered our war efforts. There simply wasn't enough troops to take care of them all, though thankfully our stability increased rapidly due to our heavy investments and close-minded and complete serfdom policies. In December 1615, we made peace with the Mughal Empire, receiving Bukkhara, Herat and Keshka for our efforts, and allowing us to focus more easily on the rebellions and Baluchistan.

March 1616 saw the capture of Zahedan from Baluchistan. And massive armies were raised all over the empire, as the ground turned red with the battles everywhere, and the sky grew loomy. The ammount of deaths caused by the rebellions in this decade surpassed by far anything the Empire had witnessed in the past years. In August, it was the turn of Qandahar to fall to our troops. In December, Kaffa was finally converted as well, and Kerch would be converted in February 1617. Peace with Baluchistan would be signed in March, in exchange for Qandahar. The battles against the rebels continued continually, and in February 1618, Osman II arrived to the throne. In April, Moldova was converted to our faith. Slowly, the revolt were dying out as the stability of the nation returned to its normal status. In April 1619, our Land Technology improved to Renaissance(19) and as it did, declarations of war fused from all arround the globe.

OOC Notes on the situation in May 1619

I reloaded the game in April 1619, after adjusting the difficulty to Very Hard, since I thought I would need the challenge or the rest of the game would become too easy. I was in for quite a surprise, because I'm practically in war with the whole world right now. Within a month, I got those declarations of war:

Zanj
Saxony(together with Hannover)
Tuscany
Sicily
Austria(whose alliance wisely decided to opt out)
Mali(and Songhai)
France(and Venice, Sardinia, Siena, Wurtemberg, Poland)
Russia
Denmark
Golden Horde
Sweden
Morocco
Nogai
Netherlands
Genoa
Scotland
Novgorod
Uzbek Kaganate
Ethiopia

Suffice it to say that I'm at war with all of Europe except Spain, England, Bohemia, Savoy, Navarra and 3 german minors, as well as 5 African powers, and a couple of nations in Minor Asia. Sounds like this won't be an easy ride.

Here are a couple details that are worth mentioning about the current status of the Ottoman Empire as well.

Religion:
The Ottoman Empire fully tolerates the Sunni faith, Shiite and Orthodox slightly more than normal, is slightly intolerant toward catholicism and totally intolerant in regards to protestants.

The following provinces still hold heretics:
Shiite: Hamadan, Isfahan, Tabaristan, Al Kharam
Orthodox: Arsi, Bale, Welo, Sochi, Jedisan
Catholic: Podolia

Domestic Policy Setting:
Aristocracy 8
Centralization 10
Innovativeness 0
Mercantilism 6
Offensive 10
Land 10
Quality 10
Serfdom 8

The current army:
187545 Infantry, 171971 Cavalry, 200 Artillery split over the territory, generally on the borders, on an Island, or fighting off rebels.
The current navy:
17/31/22 in Thrace
12/0/17 in Nile

Stability at +3, Manpower of 123 and Treasury of 625.

The first thing I'm doing at the start of this war is to raise war taxes. The details of this war will be posted sometime else. Heh, World War I in 1619, yeah right