Much Ado About Aden

They do, and it's a moderately wealthy CoT at that. Also, a permanent CB on neighbouring Yemen means early expansion is possible, and it's far enough away from the Ottomans that they usually don't become a serious threat for a hundred years or so, at least from what I've seen of that part of Arabia during other games.

@ Saulta: Al-Haasa is Shiite, right? The Permanent CB on Sunni countries could make for some fun stuff.


So far it's a tie between Aden and Al-Haasa. Anyone want to break the tie?

Qorten said:

I'll go with Aden.

EDIT\ I hope you start your AAR in this thread. Just ask me or any other Mod or Demi-Mod of AARland to change the title of the thread into what you want.

Click to expand...

Aden it is. I'll probably put it up tomorrow or the day after, if you could change the topic to read: Much Ado About Aden.

Thanks for breaking the tie, by the way. Aden should make for some interesting gameplay.

Aden:


At the beginning of 1419, Aden was a small, single province country with much potential, thanks to the moderate wealthy (compared to others in the era) Cneter of Trade found in the capital city. Unfortunately for the young Sultanate, the military was non-existent, and the navy consisted of a measly 5 ships. Hadramut, Aden's eastern neighbor, was an ally and vassal, but relations only started at around +60.


Aden's sliders:



The first sultan, An-Nasir, was a decent leader, somewhat capable at diplomatic and administrative tasks, but inept at the art of war. As his reign began, he demanded that the local bedouin leaders surrender their ability to raise taxes to the central government - the first move towards a centralized government in Aden. Alongside this, Sultan An-Nasir announced that the top priorities for research would be land and trade, in order to bolster the military's ability to wage war in the harsh terrain of the Arabian Peninsula and to ensure that merchants can capitalize on the opportunity presented by the Center of Trade found in their own back (or front) yard.

In order to remedy Aden's lack of military prowess, the Sultan called for the creation of a standing army. 4,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry troops were recruited.

On 4 September 1419, at the urging of his favorite advisor and Imam, Sultan An-Nasir declared war on the heretical (Shiite) state of Yemen, directly to the north of Aden. Another 3,000 infantry troops were recruited and combined with the main army. After sufficient training, the army was sent northwards to besiege the Yemeni capital. After a three day battle the Yemeni army disintegrated, and the brave soldiers of the Sultanate of Aden were free to besiege Yemen.

During the course of the siege, the son of the Sultan came of age. As a gift, his father gave him a present the young heir could only dream of: the beautiful niece of the Sultan of Mahra.

On 9 January, 1421, after well over a year of starving out the city, the Army of Aden liberated Yemen. Despite the religious differences, the Yemeni populace was surprisingly docile and didn't pose a major threat to internal stability and order.


The Yemenis are Welcomed to the Sultanate:



That spring, the military was downsized in order to help ease the budget deficit. To counteract this, the Sultan's son convinced his father-in-law, the Sultan of Mahra, to join the alliance of Aden and Hadramut. Aden quickly gained military access to all three of the members of the alliance, just in case it needed it some day.

Sometime in 1423, a trio of brave coffee merchants set off to the distant city of Samarkand. People there must really like coffee (Aden's finest cash crop!), as they have tremendous success. Two more follow the next year, bringing the total up to five.

Sultan An-Nasir decided to investigate what lay beyond the vast deserts of Arabia. He traded maps with the Mamluks, and learned of a continent called Europe, which was evidently the center of the world!

On 6 January 1424, Sultan An-Nasir was assassinated by disgruntled Bedouins while training his falcon. His son, the newly ascended Sultan An-Mansur, began hording money in the state treasury, saving it for the promotion of Bailiffs.

Sultan An-Mansur Ascends:


In fall of 1426, an elidgible bachelor from Morocco appears before the court. The Sultan was hardly in a position to turn him away empty-handed after such a long journey, and allowed him to marry his niece.

After four largely uneventful years, Sultan An-Mansur grows tired of his stressful job, and abdicated in favor of the competent, yet not brilliant, governor of Yemen, who becomes Sultan Zahir.


Sultan Zahir Ascends:


Sultan Zahir, knowing the importance of good administration, orders the promotion of a bailiff in Aden in March of 1428 in order to maximize tax revenue. The move, while somewhat unpopular, was built on sound economic theory. He announced that he was saving money to promote a bailiff in Yemen, too, and that his top priority was fixing the struggling economy.

As 1 January 1430 came around, Aden found itself in a position to grow over the next few decades. It had expanded through the annexation of Yemen, established itself as the dominant trading power in Arabia, and started to build up its infrastructure. It was poised to make a move.

@ Olav: I'm not sure exactly how much trade amounts for, but I'm worried that I'll soon be out-paced by most of the Europeans, so I need to jump on all openings as early as possible.

@ Saulta: Yeah, I really needed Yemen - it's another coffee province (which isn't terribly lucrative now, but it's value should improve as more conscription centers are built). Also, it means that should Mamluks come calling, they won't be able to force-annex me.


Right now, I'm going to be entering a period of waiting, building relations with allies, and improving the treasury. I'm hoping to be able to diplo-annex Hadramut and vassalize Mahra within the next turn.

Sultan Zahir had intended the 1430s to be a decade of diplomatic expansion. Unfortunately, he was quite mistaken, and historians now refer to the 1430s as the wasted decade.

The Sultan began, as expected, by slowing building relations with Hadramut and Mahra. The alliance expires in early 1431, but is quickly renewed. Relations with both hover between 140 and 160, although a hunting expedition with the Sultan of Mahra leads to greatly improved relations between the two Sultanates.

In fall of 1431, a marriage is arranged between Ormuz and Aden, along with a trade agreement.

After two letters of introduction, Mahra is invited to become vassals. They refuse, making Sultan Zahir grumpy. Somehow, however, just a few weeks after being embarrassed by Mahra, Sultan Zahir found out he had a great reputation! Much feasting ensued.

During the early 1430s, the economic situation was pretty dire. Despite being a powerful trade force, Aden was making little money. Sultan Zahir decided it was time to diversify and enter new markets, and sent four merchants to far off Azerbaijan, somewhere in the Caucasus mountain range. After a long and treacherous journey, all four merchant successfully established themselves. The Sultan is pleased, and sends another merchant, who somehow gets lost and never makes it to Azerbaijan. It takes another two years for the fifth merchant to arrive.

After three years of letters of introduction, Hadramut refuses annexation. Sultan Zahir has twice been rejected, and determines that it will not happen a third time. He decided it was time for a change in tactics; instead of pumping money into improving relations, he would save up for a tax collector.

In August, 1434 the Sultan decided he would trade maps with Morocco. While the decision baffled his advisers, his journal would reveal that it came about because the Sultan was feeling "a little bored, and really hungry."


October 1434 brought good news: deflation!




Summer 1436: Sultan Zahir heard of a new heretical nation, Musha'sha'. He committed to teaching the heretics a lesson, and began training 2,000 more infantry to help show the heathens the true path to heaven.





The Sultan, pleased with his new recruits, declared war on Musha'sha' on 1 August 1437. The brave troops disembarked and began laying siege without facing combat.




Sultan Zahir, shamed and stressed after a decade of failure, passed away. His much more talented son, who became Sultan Al-Rashaf, ascended to the throne in January, 1438.





After a lengthy siege, peace with Musha'sha' was declared in Spring of 1438, resulting in a gain of 129 ducats. Sultan Al-Rashaf announced, within a few days of earning the war indemnities, that a team of missionaries would travel to the remote corners of Yemen in an effort to persuade the people to convert to Sunni Islam.





When 1440 rolled around, things were looking up (but not too much!), especially with a serviceable Sultan and the conversion of Yemen underway.

@ Saulta: Time definitely passes slowly. Very slowly. Honestly, the reason I traded maps with the Mamlukes was so I could spend time watching events unfold in Europe, as opposed to staring at the boringly static map of lower Arabia.

@ Olav: I needed quick cash for the conversion of Yemen, and a golden opportunity presented itself! My inflation was 1.7 or 1.8, so the -2 helped.

@ Duke of Wellington: Thanks! I'm not really a fan of the easy countries - I like to be kept on my toes. Even if it means failure or unimportance.


I probably won't get another update up until saturday or sunday. I have midterms this week, and my Fall of Rome class will keep me studying. I imagine the next few will be more exciting, though.

1440-1447

The Sultan, upon surveying his holdings, was concerned with the pitiful state of the army. If he was to keep up with the Europeans and Ottomans, he told his advisory council, he would need to have a strong military. Some 4000 more troops were recruited in May of 1440 to bolster the ranks.

Cartographers and adventurers had been talking about a far-off land called Timbuktu for years, but the Sultan had considered them insane. There was nothing beyond Ethiopia or south of Morocco, everyone knew that! However, after being presented with an exotic ivory statue by a brave adventurer claiming to have purchased it in Timbuktu, he determined there was no harm in at least investigating. He sent his cousin (along with porters, adventurers, and a team of cartographers) to the ancient and mysterious kingdom. Much to his pleasure, he received a saying that Timbuktu does indeed exist, that
maps will be arriving shortly, and that his cousin had married a local princess!







In October of 1441 ties with the Mamlukes were becoming somewhat strained. The Sultan understood that the Mamlukes provided a great natural defense against the Europeans and Ottomans, and quickly arranged a marriage between the two courts to help rebuild ties between the two growing powers.

January 1442 brought a new Sultan to Aden. Unfortunately, this new Sultan was certainly less able than his father. It was looking like it might be a rough few years for the Sultanate of Aden.







Just six months into his reign, Sultan Muzzafar was faced with the type of decision any Sultan would love to tackle: how best to handle the budget surplus. Despite his own inclination to pocket the money and lower inflation a bit, he ended up agreeing with the advice of the Merchants Guild of Aden, who strongly recommended investing that money right back into Aden and Yemen.







After over a decade of failed attempts, Sultan Muzzafar was finally able to announce the annexation of Hadramut on 10 November 1442. Evidently the former government of Hadramut decided it was better to become a less than equal partner in the Sultanate of Aden than to wallow in obscurity like they were destined to if they remained independent. This announcement was met with much excitement, as the wool raised in the newly annexed province would help diversify the economy of Aden, which was formerly based around coffee alone.







26 July 1443 brought reports that Kenya had been discovered. Evidently, there was land on the other side of the Horn of Africa, despite what was formerly believed.







August of 1444 was a hectic month for the Sultanate of Aden. A nobleman was assassinated in Yemen, which sparked riots and an open revolution and greatly shook the confidence of people throughout the entire Sultanate. The army was sent in, and successfully forced the rioters to disperse after heavy fighting. Days later, the team of missionaries sent several years earlier to convert the Shiites of Yemen sent a letter to the Sultan stating that their attempts had been successful beyond their wildest expectations, and that Sunnis were now the vast majority in Yemen.







Sultan Muzzafar was annoyed at the slow rate of income generation, and decided he needed to do something in order to get some coins in the treasury. After consultation with his advisers, he discovered that the peace treaty with Musha'sha' had recently expired. The Sultan also noticed that they were still Shiite, which provided justification for a quick, tidy little war. It was declared on 20 January 1445 that Musha'sha' was once again on the receiving end of a declaration of war.

July 1445 saw the start of the siege of Musha'sha'. The Sultan received word that there was finally an ample amount of money available for a tax collector in Yemen. He immediately ordered the promotion and training of several individuals to fill that opening.

A messenger from the Musha'sha' brought a letter to the Sultan on 24 April 1446, offering 198 ducats for peace. That was quite a pretty penny, and Sultan Muzzafar found himself drooling at the possibility of what would amount to a five-fold increase in the treasury. He hastily accepted the offer, and issued orders for his troops to return home.







Making good use of the newly aquired funds, the Sultan sent several personal gifts to Mahra, Aden's eastern neighbors, who also owned an island off the coast of the Horn of Africa. Muzzafar also ordered the promotion of a tax collector in Hadramut in order to capitalize on taxes.

July of 1447 brought more good news to Aden: Mahra had accepted to become vassals. The Sultan was very glad to see that his gifts had not been given in vain, and shortly after the vassalization took place arranged another marriage between the two courts.







The Sultan decided to take a well deserved vacation in August, 1447. He had initially been called a dunce and deemed incapable, but had proved his doubters wrong by presiding over the successful conversion of Yemen, the annexation of Hadramut, a successful and bloodless war against Musha'sha', the vassalization of neighboring Mahra, and the promotion of tax collectors in Yemen and Hadramut. While his reign up to that point had only been several years, they had certainly been busy years, and years that left Aden moving in what was undoubtedly the right direction.