Sakartvelo - Rose Jewel of the Caucasus

[Saithis]

"A Written History of the Kingdom of Georgia..."

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More Information

This will be my first Europa Universalis III AAR, written primarily in History Book format (though I may include some narrative pieces as well). This is mostly going to serve as a side project for me to turn to and refresh my mind inbetween working on my main AAR, Piety of the North Star, or other projects. I am not setting myself any goals beyond to enjoy the game and develop Georgia as a state of reasonable power. The story and polishing it will be more important than 'winning' and conquering the world.

Napoleon's Ambition and In Nomine are installed and patched up to v3.1, no mods are being used for this AAR. Difficulty will be set to Normal, Lucky Nations will be disabled, and spread of explored provinces will be lowered to 25 years, for no real reason other than that I like it that way. Other than that, everything is set to default. Let's see how it goes.

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Table of Contents

1. King Giorgi VII (1393- )

• Chapter 1.1 (January 1st 1399 - December 13th 1399) - Teaser
• Chapter 1.2 (January 1st 1399 - April 17th 1400) - War of Caucasian Unity

[Saithis]

This post is aimed to be more of a little teaser than anything, to give a slight taste of what I intend to be doing while I finish up some work for my other current projects.

"A Written History of the Kingdom of Georgia..."

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Chapter 1.1

The year was 1399 anno domini, and the near east was beset by conflict. From the east, a ruthless conqueror had emerged and sought to create a new Empire in the same way his own Mongolian ancestors had. Georgia was but one nation amongst the many caught in the path of this mighty advance, the Emir Timur, a Turko-Mongol lord of the east. Those who feared him referred to him as 'Timur Khan' in the fashion of the Mongols - none had forgotten the deeds of Genghis Khan, who forged the mightiest Empire ever seen, or of his descendents. Even as late as 1399, the Mongols ruled from Russia to China, albeit split and divided into feuding states. The mightiest of these, the Golden Horde, still reigned supreme, dwarfing all its neighbours. Georgia had been forced to pay tribute to them before, but it seemed only a matter of time before a land-hungry Khan rose from the north.

Georgia had fallen a long way from its former glory. A relatively unknown country on the edge of Christian lands, it was once a haven of romantic chivalry, philosophy and wealth. All that ended with the arrival of the Mongols, who utterly destroyed the Georgian Army and forced Georgia to pay the tributes. Since that day, Georgia has struggled to survive, facing economic and political difficulties. United under the Georgian Orthodox Church, a self-headed branch, it also sported a considerable Muslim minority who spark tensions and serve as a reminder of Georgian failure to resist.

Stuck in a rather backwards state, the Georgian state was heavily scattered and divided, with local nobles holding more real power and sway. People had few if any rights unless they could prove their wealth, and in all Georgia remained a country mostly uninterested in change. This would eventually begin to change as they developed - ideas of the west would slowly leak into Georgia's culture and desires. Great thinkers of Georgia would return, men such as Anzori Khalibauri and Khvtiso Tvildiani would lead impressive revolutions in Georgian society. The face of Georgia would change greatly over the coming years.

Giorgi VII, also known as Giorgi the Weak or Giorgi the Fat. Little is known about Giorgi himself, but documents pertaining to his reign have often been highly critical. It is known that he was easily influenced by the court and that few people liked him. Despite this, however, he ruled over the beginning of a great recovery by the Georgian Kingdom. While he was not known for his mental adeptness, he had many skilled advisors. The greatest and best known of these was his general.

Kaihosro Takaishvili was a much better known figure of the period, and even today he is hailed as a national hero for his success. Though his army was small and outnumbered, he successfully resisted the Timurid Empire and even led Georgia to victories against its enemies. It would be years of hard struggle, but upon December 13th, 1399, he was said to have burst into Giorgi's royal chambers with a great cry.

He had seen the reports from his watch - the Timurids were coming, led by the Emir himself. Their numbers were as vast as the trees, and to the Georgians, all hope of resistance seemed futile. Giorgi went to lead the armies himself, advised by Takaishvili, who was well-documented to be the main decision maker of the army. Giorgi spoke words which Takaishvili fed into his mouth, and the army fled Imereti to the east, knowing there would be nothing they could do to stop the Timurid Hordes.

[Milites]

This looks both tasty and interesting!

Good luck with bringing the Lame Mongol to the negotiation table

[coz1]

Well that's a nasty way top open the game.

This looks great so far. Nice graphics and Georgia is always fun to play. From one Georgian (US version) to another, good luck!

[Sir Kenny]

O, that looks dangerous.

[Grubnessul]

Good luck, Sai

[naggy]

Excellent graphics, and nice start!

[Didaa]

Nice an AAR about georgia, nice teaser

[GregoryTheBruce]

That doesn't look fun. But I guess it would be a short-lived AAR if you weren't victorious...

[demokratickid]

Ooo! Glad to know you've started another! Nice work!

[Qorten]

I totally support Georgian superiority over the Mongol and Orthodox world! Will try to follow and comment now and then. Good luck Sai!

[Ooga of Booga]

Good luck, I suspect you may need it against Tamerlane...

[Enewald]

Oijoi, bad start!
Unless you scorch the land?

[balkanite]

Long live the Orthodox Georgians! World Dominance!

[The_Guiscard]

So you've started another AAR, Saithis. *Sigh* That means yet another AAR I will have to try to follow.

[RGB]

How many AARs DO you have?

I've got one and I update like once a year.

Nonetheless - go Caucasian Christians! Show those Emirs whatswhat.

[asd21593]

Good start!

Unite the Caucasus and beyond!

[Teep]

Good work, m'lady I hope this doesn't mean your other AAR will be updated more slowly.

[Saithis]

Although it was my intent to update Piety of the North Star today, I sat down and saw this, and decided I really want to pick it up again. Piety will still remain my chief focus and I'll probably update it tomorrow (maybe), but for now, I'd like to give this a little deserved time.

I'm writing the update now, the main time consumer is editing images, but I should have it up sometime tonight. Meanwhile, let me throw some very late comment responses out there...

Milites: Thank you. Timur can actually be surprisingly easy to satisfy due to low stability and many wars at once, the problem is finding the right time to approach him. If you don't do it right, he won't accept peace for anything less than a province.

coz1: You're telling me? It's even worse than my practice game as Georgia - I only got hit with about 12k that time... xD I've done a little graphical improvement since it's very early and I came up with a new style for my CK AAR, hopefully it shows. Now to see if I can establish a Georgian Empire of my own.

Sir Kenny: Understatement of the year...

Grubnussel: Thanks...I will need it. xD

Naggy: Thank you. As I said, I did a little graphical improvement so I hope you still like it. x3

Didaa: Thank you, glad you liked it.

GregoryTheBruce: Technically, I don't have to be victorious to keep the AAR going, I just have to survive. xD

demokratickid: And now I'm going to restart this for you...enjoy checking two at once, muahahaha...

Qorten: I support it as well, but the possibilities of accomplishing this while being squished between Timmy, Goldilocks and Otto (all allied with each other) is less than astonishing. xD

Ooga of Booga: Luck is definitely required surviving the early war...if things don't go right, Timur just stomps across the entire country and leaves you a vassal or OPM... :\

Enewald: One step ahead of you. ;)

balkanite: World Dominance? I dunno if it'll go that far... xD

The_Guiscard: But how can you follow AARs when you've disappeared off the face of the forum? ='(

RGB: Just the two... xD And I haven't updated either in ages, until this last week. ;) Reuniting the Caucasus, ho!

asd21593: Once the Caucasus is reunited I'm not sure quite where I want to go. I'll probably turn to readers for input as to my next destination... :3

Teep: Piety of the North Star always takes priority, as I have said before. It wasn't updated because of other things, not because of this AAR. So don't worry about it. x3

[Saithis]

"A Written History of the Kingdom of Georgia..."

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Chapter 1.2

The beginning of the campaign that would change Georgia forever was not the invasion of the Timurids at the end of the year – no, it happened in January of 1399, upon the cusp of winter’s break. Though the mountains were packed with snow, Georgian troops moved east – news of the Conqueror Timur had reached them, and their chief rival, the Caucasian Emirate of Qara Koyunlu, struggled to protect itself against the Timurid Horde. Georgia would seize this opportunity to become the dominant state of the Caucasus, to expand their power and remind local powers that they were not afraid of Islam any longer.

The majority of Georgia’s standing army, including 1,000 Alanian horses, marched east through the mountains, reaching the lands between the mountains and the Caspian Sea surprisingly quickly. The Emir’s armies were in the south, trying to resist the Timurid invasion, and villages and towns all along the shores of the Caspian sea fell before the quick advance of the Alanian cavalry. This continued for over a month before news reached General Takaishvili that a force of Persian cavalry under a Timurid general had advanced north into Qarabagh. Rather than risk confrontation with the Mongols, he ordered a halt to the advance. The Mongols were marching northwest, and there was a possibility they would be needed to defend Tbilisi from them.

Knowing that their rival feared the Timurids far more than he feared the Georgians, Giorgi VII sent an offer to Muslim lands. Georgia would advance no further and would form a united front against the Timurid invasion on the condition that they be paid tribute in gold and the lands they had conquered so far. If they refused this offer, Takaishvili would continue to advance and crush the weakened Emirate’s armies. Faced with little other choice, Qara Koyunlu folded, surrendering their territory and granting Georgia access to the Caspian Sea.

The gains made in the Caspian Sea campaign were significant – though the areas Georgia had conquered were predominantly Muslim, they were reasonably populous and would give Georgia significant power over its weaker neighbour. This would spell the beginning of Georgian imperialism, and the beginning of a new era for the country. The first of many lands had been claimed, and the Georgians determined to become masters of the Caucasus forevermore.

The Georgian army would return to Imereti victorious, and for most of the remainder of the year, news would remain good. The Timurids, faced with resistance from both the local Emirates and Georgia, ceased its advances towards Tbilisi and headed for occupied Armenia. The Ottoman Turks were launching counter-attacks east, hoping to blunt the Timurid offensive – this would force Timur to concentrate most of his forces against the Anatolian Empire and would leave the Empire’s soft interior vulnerable.

The Georgians cared not so long as their lands were safe, and were entered into a relative era of prosperity. The new Caspian territories had granted their economy new options, and for a country so reliant on Alanian gold, this was an important thing. The country had been left unstable in the wake of Giorgi’s early failures, but now it seemed Georgia might recover – Georgia’s economy focused itself on the arts, philosophy and culture, helping the citizens remember the golden country it once was. They had endured one Mongol invasion, and they would endure this one. The King’s advisors worked day and night to bring confidence to the people.

Ambassadors were sent across the Black Sea to Bessarabia, where they would travel north. By the late summer, these men would reach the great city of Moskva, the juggernaught of the Russian plains. There, King Giorgi would propose to the Grand Duke of Moscow a pact to protect one another in the event of an invasion by the Tartars, to be sealed by offering the Duke’s son Giorgi’s own daughter. The alliance was accepted, and the two would be married within the month.

It seemed things had grown brighter in Georgia’s future, and the people were rejoicing as the fear seemed to subside. But then the news game, in the late of December – Timurid armies marched for Imereti, a horde that outnumbered Georgia’s own army by seven times, and was led by the Khan himself. Takaishvili ordered the retreat from the province, and issued the decree that no Georgian would surrender to a Mongol again. Word was spread to the villages, who would resist bitterly and to the end. Many packed up any belongings they had to flee north or east.

The Timurid Horde steadily entered the Caucasus and found little to sustain them – used to campaigning on the spoils of pillaged lands, the attrition they suffered was horrendous – thousands died marching through the mountainous, snowy terrain. All wealth had been taken to Tbilisi, and those villages who had not fled bitterly resisted them, forcing numerous massacres and only enraging the Georgian people more.

Though the Georgian Army was also attempting to flee, on the 11th of February, the Khan’s faster-moving forces encircled 3,000 footmen near Imereti itself. The soldiers would fight bitterly but, being no match for the Khan’s armies, were crushed utterly. Only Georgia’s cavalry forces remained to resist the Khan, and numbering a mere 1,000 men, they would stand no hope of resisting Timur’s assault. Imereti was abandoned to the Khan.

"The Khan's men annihilate the Georgian Foot."

The Timurids would find no solace in Imereti, though – the city was well-fortified and held a large garrison which was determined to resist any assault. Used to cities surrendering before they approached, Timur lacked the siege weaponry necessary to crack the city in any sort of speed. An initial assault was attempted, but driven back (albeit with heavy casualties). Two months into the campaign and the Timurids had yet to take one bit of real plunder. Morale had plummeted and thousands had died from starvation in the harsh winter of the mountains.

Then, news reached Timur that Azerbaijani was in open revolt and the Black Sheep Turkomans had advanced into Persia. More news came that an Ottoman Army of 15,000 men had reached Erzurum, and had laid siege to the city. Faced with stubborn resistance in the Caucasus and little profit, the horde prepared to turn back. Timur sent word to Giorgi VII that, if he was given a small tribute, no greater than the tribute of wealth given to Georgia by Qara Koyunlu, he would leave the Caucasian kingdom to its own devices.

Though Giorgi loathed the thought of giving in to this man’s demands, his advisors insisted that they do so, and he relented, accepting the Khan’s proposal. Within a week, Timur’s horde had turned back to fight the Turks, and Georgia was safe from their advance. On April 7th of the year 1400, a shipment of Alanian gold arrived at Timur’s camp, and a formal peace treaty was signed between Timur and Giorgi. Officially it stated that Giorgi was subservient to Timur, but unofficially both sides knew there was no way for Timur to practically enforce this demand.

Much to Giorgi’s dismay, Takaishvili received far greater credit than he for the successful resistance of Timur Khan. He was lauded as a national hero and there was a great boom of children named Kaihosro in his honour. Though the Imereti region was devastated by the war, it would recover over the next year and Georgia would see the eventual collapse of the Timurid Empire under the weight of its myriad wars. Rebellions plagued the mighty state and it seemed that it would lose control of everything from Persia to Turkey as the Ottomans fought mercilessly.

Georgia’s great rejuvenation had begun.