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Spring, 1408

"My lord," started the melodious voice, "if you would give me your blessing and some gold, I shall sail across the sea and bring back more."

Leaning back on his cushions, Hizir scratched at his beard, looking over the rotund man in his rich silks. He gestured for him to continue.

The merchant smiled. "To the south across the sea, in Egypt, there is much wealth to be made in trading. A cunning man, such as your humble servant here before you, could claim a large part of that wealth."

"Very well," rumbled the chief, and he nodded to one of his lieutenants. "Give him some of my wealth that he might make it grow." The two men departed, and he gestured to another advisor, this one wearing a sword rather than silks. "You have reservations about this, I know. We will also look to expand our lands, not just our wealth."


The first actions of the Saruhanoglu after conquering Antalya were to send off merchants to Alexandria in an attempt to increase their finances. Gold is needed to support war, and this would help bring more in. The early attempts would place two merchants.

1408_1_trading.jpg


Along with the gold being sent back, news came of a new nation arising from a fragment of the Timurid conquests. It calls itself Persia, and uniquely is directly ruled by the faith rather than simply advised by it. Saruhan sends envoys to this new state, offering its support and protection, though not committing to an alliance at this time.

1408_2_persia.jpg


The traders also bring back somewhat more disturbing news: the Christians have laid claim to land near to our borders. Castilian forces overcame the Dulkadiri chieftans; we will have to watch them very closely.

1408_3_castille.jpg


A final message from the south, however, raises an opportunity. The island of Crete threw off the rule of their Venetian masters. Being hemmed in by larger nations was keeping Hizik frustrated, so he commanded his warriors to strike quickly to take advantage of this island's sudden lack of protection. Transports were constructed to carry a regiment of troops to the island, and siege was laid.

1411_1_crete_dec.jpg


1411_3_landing.jpg


Unfortunately, while waiting for the ships to return to pick up more troops for the siege, a revolt suddenly came into being in Antalya. It was a fairly large revolt, so the troops waiting to board ships had to assist in putting down the uprising.

1411_2_revolt.jpg


The first force was made to retreat, but a second wave of revolters came out of the mountains and attacked our troops.

1411_4_revolt2.jpg


Because of this distraction, we were unable to send more troops to Crete. The Cretins were able to raise a unit of mercenaries, who were able to overcome the single regiment of besiegers. With a lack of support, the regiment was lost. Rather than sit around with our people wondering what was going on with a war we could not prosecute, we accepted an offered deal to pay reparations and leave them be.

1411_5_peace.jpg


This was a fortuitous choice, for while the revolts were finally put down, a larger internal threat would soon rise. Chief Hizik sent word to the provinces that he would be instituting stricter controls on the management of the lands under his ownership. When this announcement reached remnants of the Mentese families dispossessed by the Saruhanoglu, they raised an army and marched on Smyrna.

1411_6_central.jpg


This force was sufficient to make the Hizik's forces retreat into the mountains of Antalya. Now, licking his wounds from both being repelled from Crete and from his homeland, Hizik marshals his forces and prepares to launch a counterattack that will put down these pretenders...
 
Excellent update, a very detailed description. You're doing well so far! :)
 
Standing on our Own

Winter, 1415
The Malik looks down out of the Antaylan mountains, and points his sword at the smoke on the horizon.

"We ride now, to take back our city. This is but a setback, and now we will show the world what we are made of."



The first matter of business at the dawn of 1415 was to strike down upon the pretenders to the throne. The chief led his forces back out of Antayla, and after a couple skirmishes, was finally able to surround the rebels and destroy them.

1415_1_rebels.jpg


After securing the kingdom, the chief waited, observing reports from across the Aegean. The Byzantines were supporting a massive rebellion within the western Ottoman Empire, throwing our cousins into disarray. Deciding that this show of weakness was unacceptable, the chief chose to strike and ensure that Turkish lands would be properly protected.

A goal was set to conquer Bursa, protecting the strait from possible Byzantine incursion.
1415_ott_1.jpg


A siege was laid upon Bursa, and mercenaries were raised to attack Bithynia as well. However, at the siege of Bursa, the chief was struck down by an arrow. His son was too young to take the reins, so his lords would maintain the war in his name.
1415_ott_2.jpg


The siege was, of course, successful, as the Ottomans had no means to raise an army against us. Saruhan accepted a peace to take possession of Bursa (being careful to not lay claim to any borders with the Hordes to the east). With the north more secure now, the kingdom would wait for the young king to rise to take the head of the Saruhanoglu.
1415_ott_3.jpg


Finally, Ibrahim Saruhanoglu, the first of his name, achieved the age of manhood. His advisors were not optimistic regarding his prospects, but his younger brother Abdulhamid, was showing great promise with his book studies. Perhaps Ibrahim would be a useful tool in the meantime, at the least.
1421_newking.jpg


Ibrahim's first act as Malik was to turn his eyes south. His trading advisors suggested that establishing a naval fortress would be useful for later shipping. He promptly declared war upon the Knights of Rhodes, and at least one advisor lost his head after stating that such action was not what he was recommending.

Shortly after declaring the war, word was received that the English would come to the Knights' defense. The race was on...
1421_rhodes_war.jpg


Luckily for Saruhan, the invasion force was able to overcome Rhodes' defenses before the English navy was able to arrive at their shores. Punitive siege forces were landed, but the westerners departed accepting a payment in gold. It was significant, emptying the nation's coffers, but it was considered a profitable (and fortunate) exchange.

Shortly afterwards, word was received from much closer to the west: the Byzantine Empire sent a messenger formally declaring was upon the Saruhanoglu. Much of the nearby Muslim world had extended their protections to Saruhan, and most of them responded with their armies. This show of force and unity caused the Greeks to reconsider their war, and soon after a white peace was accepted (likely because the rebellions in the western Ottoman Empire finally resulted in some of the land defecting to them).
1424_byz_war.jpg


1424_byz_war_2.jpg


One nation was noticeably absent amongst those declaring their support for Saruhan during the brief standoff with the Greeks: the Ottoman Empire. Malik Ibrahim I was not pleased, and declared that in doing so, the Ottomans had forfeited any claims to holding domain over Anatolia. As such, he immediately turned the armies assembled to protect against the Byzantines to the north, vowing to eradicate the Ottomans from the land.

His advisors were able to convince him to moderate his demands. Rather than possibly overextending the nation, the Ottomans accepted that they no longer laid claim to, at least, the Saruhanoglu lands.

1424_ott_war.jpg


With the end of this very brief war, Saruhan had achieved one of its goals: it now stood on its own, with no claims upon its lands by the Ottoman Empire. One major threat, that of their Turkish cousins reconquering them, had been laid aside. With the Byzantines apparently content to build up their domains in Greece for the time being, the next goal would be clear: securing more of Turkey by taking the war to the Karamanli.

The state of Europe as of 1426
1426_map.jpg
 
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be extremely careful with those nomads - if the Mamluks do not stand against them, they would be a threat for at least until the 1500s. I used to like playing in Anatolia with the Turkish minors, they have good sliders, better tech than the other Muslims and with the Ottomans are usually taken down (like in your case) there are also... opportunities for them. but also when I play there (mostly as Candar) I always feel it's like gambling - you never know how the hordes will do in a game... like this: I've never seen the GH conquering that much of Poland as they usually settle for tribute.

also poor France... at least that is not big news :)

I stay tuned!
 
be extremely careful with those nomads - if the Mamluks do not stand against them, they would be a threat for at least until the 1500s.

Yeah, I'm being quite careful with regards to the hordes. Twice during the last segment of play I could have taken an extra province from the Ottomans, but it would have put me next to either the Timurids or QK. Right now they're useful, in that they have been weakening countries that I can then expand into, but pretty soon I'm going to be out of room and I'll have to suck it up and start dealing with them.

My last two games, as QK and Scotland, both saw GH run all the way to through Poland, before their tech fell behind and Bohemia methodically drove to China.

I haven't been watching to see what exactly is happening to France, but it was their collapse in my Scotland game that made me finally just start making flags for ALL the EU3 nations in V2. :)
 
The Humbling of the Greeks

Spring, 1427

Ibrahim sat in his tent, sharpening his sword, thoughts wandering over the past year. He had led his people against the Ottomans, proving the right of the Saruhanoglu to rule Anatolia. It was, in his mind, his destiny to be at the forefront of the fight, the spearpoint that would drive into the heart of the land of the Turks, uniting them all under his banner and under his hand.

The rhythmic rasping of the whetstone over metal helped his mind wander further, thoughts turning to the East. There, the Karamanli ruled a small domain. That is where we must strike next, to secure their resources, and then we will drive the Ottomans completely into the West. Let them deal with the Greeks if they wish.

Ibrahim I muttered under his breath, "in the spring, my greatest war will begin."


In the spring of 1427, the Saruhan nation launched a war upon Karaman. The goal was simple for this war: take Hamid, leaving the other provinces as buffers against the Timurid hordes. Ibrahim was a warmonger of dubious acumen, but even he was able to tell that he needed more men under his rule before he could defend suitably against them. From this point, he planned to invade the remaining Ottoman strongholds on Anatolia.

He would only accomplish one of those goals.

1427_1_karaman.jpg


The war with the Karamanli went quick, as expected: Saruhan's troops overran their lands, occupying the three provinces, and quickly forced a surrender of the Hamid province. However, shortly after the completion of the war, at a celebration dinner where Ibrahim planned to take a new wife from the newly conquered territory, a trio of unfortunate events occurred.

First, Ibrahim I choked on a gamebird's bone and died. Rumors abounded that he was poisoned by advisors at the behest of his younger brother, but nothing concrete was ever uncovered. Abdülhamid was in the southern Mediterranean, speaking with the Mamelukan Sultan and visiting Alexandria's markets, so the councilors would administrate Saruhan until his return.

Second, the night after Ibrahim's death, a bright light streaked across the sky. The peasantry had been quietly celebrating the passing of the Malik, fearing that he was about to lead them into another misadvised war. Unfortunately, the light of the meteor put fear back into their hearts, as they worried that it might have been a sign of heaven's displeasure.

Finally, the third and worst event happened: an ambassador from the Byzantine Empire delivered a letter to the ruling council. The emperor wished to exercise his claims upon Bursa, and would be leading an army to take it by force. The Saruhan, he stated, could surrender the province or die defending it.

1427_2_comet_byz.jpg


The council took the ambassador's head to present to the prince upon his return from overseas, and sent word to the army. Scout ships reported a force massing across the Bosphorous, in Edirne, but that the Greeks seemed to be poorly organized and equipped due to only recently having been raised. In a bold move that caught both the Byzantines and the Saruhan peasantry by surprise (only pleasantly in the latter case), the army launched boats and crossed the Bosphorous to strike.

The surprise counterattack was a complete success. The Greek force was shattered, and the Saruhanoglu armies occupied Edirne and Thrace.

1427_3_strike.jpg


Landing in Smyrna to thunderous cheering and applause, the newly crowned Abdulhamid I raised a sword before his people that was gifted to him by a very unlikely source: an ambassador from Albania. This tiny nation had just become very critical to the war with the Byzantines: desiring to see their larger neighbor's strength checked, the Albanians granted access to Saruhan's military. Combined with the lack of Ottoman forces present, the army was able to march through the western Ottoman Empire and across hostile Serbian lands before turning south. This outflanking march surprised the Byzantines, laying the entirety of Greece open to them.

1427_4_flank.jpg


With this unexpected impersonation of the Golden Horde staring them in the face, the Greeks sent an envoy under flag of truce. They willingly renounced their claims to the Saruhanoglu lands in Anatolia, freeing them (however temporarily) from the threat of future Byzantine attacks.

The next time the Greeks could try to expand their empire again, Saruhan would have an army able to repel them easily.

1427_5_byzpeace.jpg
 
Wow! That was some good fighting!
Now that they have no cores, it will be much harder for them.
Also, Good that England didnt rape you like they do with the ottomans in most of mine games.
 
Nicely done!
 
Wow! That was some good fighting!
Now that they have no cores, it will be much harder for them.
Also, Good that England didnt rape you like they do with the ottomans in most of mine games.

stupid DoTF system... combine it with the hordes and the tech.group penalties and that explains why AI muslim states fail in almost every game. not to mention very hard diff, when the poor tax provinces of the east (an also in Scandinavia too) maximize the disadvantage... hm, sorry for being off-topic.

on:
now you will have to face less threat from your neighbours. btw did you have any luck gaining cores or still have Smyrna as only core?
 
The Fall of the Ottoman Empire

Winter 1437-38

Abdülhamid I looked over the plans that had been drawn up for a permanent palace to be built in Smyrna. He nodded, smiling at the architect. "I think this shall be a glorious monument to our people. You may begin construction in the spring." As the architect bowed and left the tent, the chief turned to his military advisors.

"And now we must secure a domain worthy of this palace as well. It is time: we are secure against attack from the west, so we shall now secure our future to the east."


As the cold winter settled in over Anatolia, the harsh conditions combined with the poor state of affairs in the faltering Ottoman Empire to ignite into a massive revolt. Hearing reports from across the border, Abdülhamid knew that it was time to strike. When he received word that the uprising had spread into Karaman as well, he ordered his army into their capital, to help "maintain order".

1438_1_Karaman.jpg


Securing the province, the Saruhan forces simply waited for the uprising to feel secure enough to lay claim to its own nationhood.

Finally, after the turn of seasons into summer, a warlord arose and claimed the revolt for his own, and the Dulkadiri ripped the heart out of the remains of the Ottoman Empire. In what would amount to a mercy blow, Saruhan immediately declared war upon the Ottomans, to claim its place as the dominant force on Anatolia.

1438_3_ott2.jpg


Saruhanoglu forces easily took control of the remains of the Ottomans (including aiding the Dulkadiri in laying siege to the capital); the province of Macedonia was then sold to the Byzantines. This both helped improve relations while also signaling that Saruhan had no ambitions in Greece, at least not at this time.

1438_5_ott3.jpg


Finally, the moment arrived: the Ottoman Empire was no more.
1438_6_ott4.jpg


The new state of affairs in the region was fairly clear: The Byzantines held solid control of Greece, and Anatolia was largely split between Saruhan and Dulkadiri, who at this point could be called successor states to the Ottoman Empire. Saruhan, however, had the advantage of already having military infrastructure in place, and would move quickly to secure its own future.
1438_7_overview.jpg


First, the minor state of Ramazan was absorbed into the expanding domain of the Saruhanoglu, and then the nascent Dulkadiri were put into their place. As the year 1444 drew to a close, the Hand of Saruhan held Anatolia firmly in its grip, and its eyes turned to the eastern borders, contemplating the best way to ensure its place in the larger world.

1438_8_ramazan.jpg


1438_9_dulk.jpg


1438_10_map.jpg


End of Book One
 
I am very, very, very impressed! :D

Fantastic play, and very nicely done pictures too!
 
That's what I call a papal state!
good job expanding in Anatolia!
Selling Macedonia will likely prevent a war with Byzantium/GH.
 
I predict those Greeks will be back with a vengeance before long. The one good thing is they have to worry about the Golden Horde.

Oh, yeah, one of the side effects of taking over Ottoman territory was that the Byzzies now once again have cores on my territory. The difference now, though, is that I have a high enough forcelimit that I can actually defend against them and won't have to rely on my dazzling tactical acumen. ;)

And yeah, Dat Pope.
 
Nice AAR you got going here. One thing is missing from your empire, though: Morea :D
 
Been playing through the next segment yesterday and today... it's up to around 1475 and there hasn't been a hell of a lot going on, at least not involving Saruhan. I think I'm going to do an "interlude" piece between books 1 and 2 that will cover the ground between the first bit and whenever something interesting starts happening again.

In other news, as part of my EU3-Vic2 flagpack, I made it up to Saruhan. These are the flags I'll use if I succeed in taking the game all the way to V2 and don't decide to upgrade into some other larger nation or such.
SRH_V2.png