Sultanate of Africa

[paperfire]

Chapter 1: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1#post14051775
Chapter 2: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1#post14104767
Chapter 3: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1#post14109211
Chapter 4: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1#post14116394

Chapter I: Sultan Malik

I am Sultan Malik of house Safavid, the new ruler of the Sultanate of Africa. The old rulers were decadent and unworthy, and being an ambitious unlanded noble, I took the opportunity and rebelled against the old rulers. I established house Safavid as the rulers of Tunis. Although the Safavid Sultanate is small, ruling over only two sheikdoms, I promise to grow it further across North Africa, as well as capturing land through Jihad against the infidels.



1066: The religion of Islam dictates that I must have many children. As a young man of 28 and as a Sultan, I chose four courtiers and married them. Following that, I sent my councilors to collect taxes, uncover plots, train troops and distribute charity.

1067: I must focus on growing the Safavid sultanate. The Sheikdom of Kairwan is the perfect place to start. Emir Munis of the Riyahdid Emirate and his armies are occupied in his holy war for Sardinia, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike. I declare war on Emir Munis with a de jure claim on Kairwan, and send my troops to begin the siege.



Unfortunately while I was sieging Kairwan, Emir Munis won his holy war for Sardinia and subsequently marched his army back to North Africa to stop me. Our armies meet and a climactic battle was held. However, with Allah watching over me and with the bravery of my troops, my armies emerge victorious. The remainder of Munis’s forces return to his capital and brood while my siege continues.



1068: Praise be to Allah, one my wives is pregnant with my first child!



Kairwan has fallen, and now I wait for Munis to surrender. The infidel kingdom France has declared a holy war for Sardinia and has landed troops in North Africa. With Munis’s armies completely annihilated, it is only a matter of time until he surrenders.



Today my first child was born, a daughter named Dua. I was hoping for a son, but I will accept what Allah has given me.After occupying Kairwan for months, Allah has finally granted me victory! Today Emir Munis surrendered the Sheikdom of Kairwan to me.



1069: To thank Allah for this victory, I decided to go on the Hajj. I come back a holier man, fulfilling my duty to Allah.



1070: One of my wives becomes pregnant. By the end of the year, she gives birth so a son! He is Asad, the heir to my dynasty. Praise be to Allah, he has listened to my prayers!

1071: An uneventful year. I am waiting for an opportunity to attack the Zoghbadid Emirate to south and capture the sheikdom of Gabes. In the meantime, I am spending gold on buildings so I can field more troops.

1072: One of my wives is pregnant. She gives birth to a daughter.

1073: Another wife becomes pregnant. She gives birth to a son, Marwan. The sheikh of Trapani in Sicily is under attack by the infidel duke of Apulia. The Zoghbadid Emirate rushes to the rescue and sends its troops to Sicily. A perfect opportunity arises! While Zoghbadid is mired in Sicily, my troops will be able to capture Gabes without resistance! Once the Emir of Zoghbadid and his army landed in Sicily, I declared war and marched my army into Gabes.



1074: The Zoghbadid Emirate was occupied in Sicily long enough for me to capture Gabes. However, the filthy Zoghbadids sent their troops back from Sicily and defeated me in battle. Back at my capital, I begged Allah to grant me victory, and rallied my remaining troops. I marched the army back to Gabes and this time I win! I win a series of battles against the remnant of the Zoghbadid army, and press for victory by sieging more territory.



1075: While I lay siege to enemy territory, another son is born to one of my wives. My family is growing bigger.



1076: I completely occupy Gabes and continue to defeat the Zoghbadids in battle. During the war, another son is born to me. The Zoghbadids finally realize the obvious and accept my superiority and surrender. The sheikdom of Gabes now belongs to me. Following the war, I demanded the sheikhdoms of Bizerte and Medjerda within de jure Tunis to accept my authority and become my vassals. Bizerte wisely accepted, while Medjerda foolishly declined. Inshalllah, they shall learn the hard way. All of Tunis will be ruled by the Safavids, Allah will make sure of it.



Shortly thereafter, an interesting development happens. One of the sheikhs named al-Muntasir in the Zoghbadid Emirate approached me and asked me to back his plan to usurp the Zoghbadid Emirate. This did not surprise me, as the humiliating defeat I dealt to the Zoghbadids would surely reduce the vassal's respect in the emir. Perhaps if I help al-Muntasir usurp his liege, he will be more receptive to an offer of vassalization in the future. I agreed to back his plot for this reason. Once the Zoghbadid emir was approached by al-Muntasir, the emir wisely abdicated. He surely knew he would lose fighting an enemy with my backing. Despite having my support in claiming his throne, al-Muntasir did not agree to become my vassal. I will give him time to reconsider my offer, as he is newly crowned and inexperienced with such a high title. Eventually he will accept my rule.



By the end of the year, my son and crown-prince Asad reached his sixth birthday and began his formal education. I pray to Allah to grant him wisdom, as he will rule the Safavid Sultanate once Allah decides I must leave this world.

1077: An uneventful year. As an interesting aside in the infidel world, the Norwegians have conquered England.



1078: Later in the year 1078 I learned that emir al-Muntasir had died of small pox. He may have been a foolish man who rejected my rule, but I wish him the best in paradise with Allah. His nine year old son Buwayh had inherited the emirate upon his death. I hoped that Emir Buwayh wasn't as foolish as father, and demanded that he bend the knee. As it turned out, Buwayh was indeed an intelligent young man and accepted my rule.



1079: The sheikdom of Tunis is very rich and is perfectly suited as the capital for a Sultan. However, a vassal of mine already owns it. It would be no problem to revoke it, but that would upset my other vassals. I sent my grand vizier to fabricate claims on Tunis.

1080 - 1081: Uneventful.

1082: A sheikh called Ahmed in the Suleimid emirate to the east has approached me and asked me to back his plot to usurp his liege. I agree, as helping Ahmed may persuade him to accept me as liege once the war is over. Ahmed wastes no time; as soon as he confirms my support, he revolts against his liege.



I honored my promise to Ahmed and raised my troops to assist him in his war. I proceeded to win a series of battles against the Suleimid enemy.



1083: Treachery! The sheikh of Gabes, knowing that I was busy leading armies in a foreign war raised his banners in revolt, demanding that I abdicate. While I promised sheikh Ahmed my support in his war, I had to withdraw and defend my own lands. I defeated the sheikh of Gabes in battle, and then proceeded to siege his stronghold, awaiting his surrender.



1084: My daughter Dua has come of age. I decided to marry her off to sheikh Ahmed. Ahmed, along with my assistance, appeared to be winning his war and was all but certain to usurp the title of emir. Perhaps he would be more receptive to becoming my vassal if I gave him my first born daughter as a gift. By the end of the year, Gabes had fallen and the traitor sheikh became my prisoner. I quickly revoked his sheikdom; treason must be punished severely.



1085: Once I had dealt with the treason in my realm, I rushed my troops back east to assist sheikh Ahmed, who is now my son-in-law. Soon enough, the Suleimids accept Ahmed's authority and surrender the emirate to him. Ahmed refused to become my liege, but he remains my ally. He may be useful for any future wars I might have. By the end of the year, my grand vizier had successful fabricated a claim on Tunis. The sheikh cleverly respects my authority and cedes the sheikdom to me. Tunis is now the capital of the Safavid Sultanate. As I reign in my grand palace in Tunis, I look upon my family and am grateful. Allah has granted me eleven healthy children; I am truly blessed.

[paperfire]

1086: The sheikh of Medjerda has defied me long enough; Medjerda belongs to me! I promptly declare war on the sheikh and send my armies to siege the castle. Soon enough, it will be mine. By the end of the year, my son and heir Asad has come of age. To prevent him from becoming decadent, I have granted him the sheikdom of Gabes.



1087: The siege of Medjerda is over; I have won.



Following my victory for Medjerda, I came to a gloomy realization. I have six sons, but I do not have nearly enough land to provide them each with a sheikdom of their own. I was going to have to conquer more land if I wanted to see all my sons landed. As I looked upon my map of the Medditerean in my palace in Tunis, I laid my sights upon the island of Sicily; this would be the perfect place to conquer. It is mostly held by the infidels and would give me a perfect beachhead for further conquests in Italy. I immedietaly declare war on the duke of Benevento who holds most of Sicily. I gathered my armies and began sieging the county of Palermo; by the end of the year I had captured two holdings within Palermo.



1088: I eventually completed conquer every holding in Palermo. I moved my troops east to Messina and begin the siege. The Papal states tried to break my siege, but I easily defeated them in battle. The battles and sieges I had won were taking a toll on my manpower. I wouldn't be able to win the war if losses continued at these levels. To handle the manpower problem, I commissioned Berber mercenaries assist in the war.



1089: The infidel Croatians have stepped into the war and sent an army to Palermo to end my occupation. I however, had no problem annihilating this infidel army. By the end of the year Messina had been captured, and I commanded my armies to swiftly conquer Siracusa and end this war. My second son Marwan has come of age, and I will be able to land him momentarily.



1090: The conquest of Siracusa continues, Sicily will soon be mine.

1091: The infidels have surrendered, Sicily is now mine!



1092: While the infidels are gone from Sicily, there are still Islamic sheikhs in Sicily who are independent. I demanded that the sheikhs of both Trapani and Girgenti become my vassals, and they wisely accept. All of Sicily is now ruled by the Safavids, with three of my sons receiving sheikdoms in Sicily. To celebrate my great victory over the infidels, I have decided to host a Furusiyya tournament. Let the infidel world fear the Safavids, for Allah is on our side.



1093: In my old age (54) I have become a zealous man. I sprung to action upon hearing that the holy Caliph had called a Jihad against the heathen Byzantine Empire for the Kingdom of Armenia. Along with my two eldest sons, Asad and Marwan, we sailed for the Byzantine Empire and began our Jihad. Upon landing into the war zone, I along with every lord with me became a Mujahid.



1094: Allah truly blesses his servants; the heathen Greeks are defeated! Armenia now belongs to the servants of Allah. I sailed back to Tunis and celebrated our victory over the infidels. During this year, the sheikh of Malta become my vassal upon asking him. Additionally, my third born son Azim died due to natural causes. This is not a big problem, as I have five other sons to be my heirs.



1095: This year I have finally decided that my second born son, Marwan, should be my heir. My first born son Asad is slothful and arbitrary and would be unfit to rule a powerful Sultanate. My son Marwan would be a much better ruler. To ensure that Marwan will be powerful enough to succeed the throne upon my passing, I declared him the emir of Sicily. Near the end of the year, a very worrying tragedy happened: my fourth born son Amin died in a suspicious accident. I believe he was murdered, but I do not know by whom. I have four sons still alive, and we must all be very vigilant.



1096: Something very strange is happening: my eldest son Asad has died of the Slow Fever. I now have had three sons die in a period of three years. Although this was a natural death, I remain cautious. Three sons remain: Marwan, Sayyid and Abbas. I hope it remains this way. I do not know why Allah must take continually take my sons, but I pray this is the end.



1097: Emir Ahmed has defied me long enough. If he will not accept my authority and become my vassal, then I will take what I what from his emirate. I declare war on Ahmed with my de jure claim on Syrte. As expected, Ahmed is no match for me and I have fully occupied the Syrte by the end of the year.



1098: The war for Syrte continues.

1099: Emir Ahmed, knowing his resistance is futile, has surrender Syrte to me. After the war, I extended my offer of Vassilization to him. This time, he has become wise and accepted. Perhaps facing me in war has changed his mind.



1100: Uneventful.

1101: Uneventful.

1102: Uneventful.

1103: The time has come to expand the Safavid Sultanate. I could conquer territory to the west, but that would be unholy as brothers of the faith hold those lands. I ultimately decide that I must conquer infidel territory and spread the religion of Islam. The plan is to move north through Italy, beginning with the duchy of Calabria held by the duchy of Apulia. I declared war and by the end of the year, my troops were sieging both counties in Calabria. Besides a few small Italian states, the Kingdom of Croatia was the only Christian power to defend Apulia. Calabria will soon be mine.



1104: As expected, the duke of Apulia is no match for me and he surrenders Calabria to me. I have given my youngest son Abbas the sheikdom of Reggio; he will be in charge of governing the newly conquered Calabria.



1105: The shiekh of Medjerda has revolted against my rule. As expected, no other vassal of mine joins him; this will be an easy revolt to put down. By the end of year, my troops are sieging his stronghold.



1106: The sheikdom of Medjerda has fallen and is quickly revoked. My plan is to revoke each sheikhdom in the emirate of Tunis. I have designated the emirate of Tunis to be the crown lands of the Safavid Sultanate. By the time the summer ended, I began to feel very ill...

[Merrick Chance']

That's some cliffhanger

[paperfire]

It's a work in progress

[Atridij]

Subbed

[Dovahkiing]

We want an Islamic Pope
It can happen.

[paperfire]

Chapter 2: Sultan Marwan I

1106: Today is a very sad day; my father Malik has died at the age of 68. I, his oldest living son Marwan, have inherited the Safavid Sultanate. The first thing I must do is deal with my two half-bothers, Sayyid and Abbas. They have strong claims on the throne and could easily rally support against my rule; they will have to be dealt with. I successfully imprisoned Sayyed, however Abbas evaded capture, and is now leading a rebellion against my rule! This revolt must be put down swiftly.



1107: Abbas's rebellion is soon extinguished and he is now my prisoner. Although Sayyed and Abbas share my father, I ultimately decided that they must both be executed; they are simply too dangerous to keep alive. I have given the order that both are to be executed. I am now the only male child of the great sultan Malik still living. Seeing as I owned much land in Italy, I decided to give away all my Italian holdings to my sons. As per my father's wishes, Tunis was to be the crown lands of the Safavids. My eldest son Marwan, who is the emir of Sicily appears to be my heir now.




1108: The time has come to spread the Safavid sultanate deeper into Italy. I have three sons who are unlanded, and infidel land in Italy seems to be the perfect place to acquire more land for them. My target is the county of Salerno. The count is weak, and has no vassal to protect him; it will be easy to conquer. Once my troops landed in Salerno, only the duke of Apulia assisted this pitiful count. By the end of the year, my troops are capturing enemy territory.



1109: Salerno has been surrendered to me, and I have designated my fifth son Asad to rule the sheikdom. To celebrate my victory, I hosted a Furusiyya tournament.



1110: The conquest of Italy must be swift; I will resume the invasion of infidel lands. My next target is the duchy of Apulia. This is a large area of land and is the last powerful bastion of Christian power left in southern Italy; it will be mine! I declared war and sent my armies to Apulia. The only Christian power to defend Apulia was the puny county of Ferrera; pathetic. After defeating all the Apulian armies, my troops begin their siege of the enemy strongholds.



1111: I was wrong; other Christian powers have decided to defend Apulia. The Venetians and the Croatians have declared war on me. No matter, my armies are large and Allah is on my side, I do not fear the infidels. After winning a decisive battle against the Croatian army, the Apulians gave up and surrendered Apulia to me. I gave the emirate of Apulia to my youngest son Khidr. Although he is the youngest, he is incredibly intelligent and shows great potential. One day he might succeed me...



1112: Uneventful

1113: There is no use in waiting, I must continue my conquest of Italy! The duchy of Benevento is the easiest target for me to conquer. However the infidels have devised a new way to fight the forces of Allah; they have created knightly orders to defend their lands. In my conquest of Benevento, the Knights Hospitallar have come to the defense of Benevento with an army 7000 men strong! In a climactic battle at Salerno, Allah granted his blessings to his followers and gave us victory against the infidels! My armies pressed on and began to siege the infidel strongholds.



1114: As expected, I conquer Benevento. Most of southern Italy is now under my control. After a period of illness, my young son Khidr is dead. It is too bad, he could have been so much.



1115: I have conquered much infidel territory, making me very vulnerable. The infidels can decide to take back that land at any time. To protect myself, I need powerful allies. The Dhunnudid emirate to the west in Iberia is very powerful and would be a strong ally for me to have. In order to secure the emir's support, I betrothed my daughter Adelah to emir Yusuf.



1116: In this year I have completely conquered southern Italy. From now on, northward expansion into Italy will be very tough as the Holy Roman Empire controls those territories. I must wait for a proper opportunity to strike the great infidel empire. The current kaiser is 47 years old and infirm, he will be dead soon. Perhaps his death will trigger a succession crisis. I will wait until then.



1117: I am appalled; my spymaster has discovered my second born son Malik is plotting to overthrow me to put himself on the throne! He has refused to end the plot, so my only choice was to imprison him.



1118: Uneventful

1119: Uneventful

1120: Uneventful

1121: Uneventful

1122: My son-in-law Yusuf in Iberia has started a war against the Holy Roman Empire for Barcelona, and has called upon my aid. Of course I accept; we must weaken the infidel empire in any ways possible. I raised my armies and sent them to Italy. I was going to give the Kaiser a war on two fronts. He surely couldn't properly fight a war in two theatres.



1123: Things have began to turn bad; this holy war has now began a continental war. The wretched Kaiser has convinced the kingdoms of France, Norway and Croatia to defend him. Emir Yusuf would not be able to handle the Iberian front against so many armies. The infidel coalition had formed a grand army led by the Norwegians and was marching the army into Iberia. I quickly embarked one of my armies and sent it across the Mediterranean to assist Yusuf. In a dramatic battle at Solsona, the warriors of Allah achieved victory.



On the Italian front, the Croatians have sent an army to stop my advance. I defeated them easily.



Although the Islamic forces have won a string of victories, I began to worry. Our manpower was strained but the infidels appeared numberless.

1124: We continue to win more battles against the infidels, but our numbers are falling. Just as I was beginning to lose hope, the holy caliph had called a Jihad for Aragon! Noticing our heroic battles against the infidels, the Caliph guaranteed that our victories would not be in vain. Praise be Allah, reinforcements will soon arrive. By the end of the year, the war on both fronts were progressing well.



1125: The Italian front is progressing well. By the summer, Rome had been taken.



Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the Iberian front. The Kaiser had formed another coalition and had wiped out all Islamic forces in Barcelona. Reinforcements must arrive soon, or else this Jihad may fail.



While campaigning in Rome in the winter, I began to feel ill...

[paperfire]

Chapter 3: Sultan Marwan II

1125: On this day, I have rightfully inherited the Safavid Sultanate from my father, being his eldest son. The first thing I did was recall all my troops in foreign lands. I don't need them fighting my father's wars; I need within the sultanate to secure my rule. I then imprisoned my two oldest brothers. They had strong claims on the sultanate and our too dangerous to allow free.



1126: I have put down all rebellions and the sultanate appears to have accepted me as the rightful ruler; praise be to Allah! To celebrate my ascedance to the throne, I held a Furusiya tournament.

1127: I must be opportunistic. While the Kaiser is busy defending Barcelona against my brothers of the faith, I will be free to conquer territory to the north! I laid my eyes upon the duchy of Capua, and invaded.



As expected, the Kaiser was too busy defending against the jihad offered no resistance to me. By the end of the year, I had occupied most of Capua.



1128: After capturing Capua, the Kaiser has recognized that he cannot beat me and surrendered Capua to me. The entirety of southern Italy now belongs to the Safavid Sultanate. Very soon, I shall take Rome, the capital of Catholicism. Perhaps conquering Rome will give a message to the infidels that Allah is on our side. They will learn and accept that Allah is the only god and that Muhammad is his prophet...



1129: I have decided to join the Jihad for Aragon. Not only am I fighting for Allah, but I am weakening the infidel Holy Roman Empire. I gathered my troops and set sail for Barcelona. Upon landing I marched to battle against the Holy Roman host. The battle was long and bloody, and we lost. I withdrew the survivors and fled to Tunis to decide upon my options. After much contemplation and prayer, I decided that I would rally my armies and fight the Empire in Italy. It would open up a second front for my brothers of the faith, making their conquest of Aragon easier.



1130: My armies are making gains in Italy, however the Islamic forces are losing the war for Aragon. I fear we may lose this Jihad; the Holy Romans are just too numerous.

1131: I have pulled my troops out of Italy; I believe the war is lost. Christian forces have delivered devastating victories to Islamic forces in Aragon; there is no use fighting a lost cause.

1132: Uneventful

1133: The Jihad for Aragon has been called; we have lost.

1134: Uneventful

1135: Uneventful

1136: Emir Yusuf in Iberia has begun an invasion into Aquitaine, France and has requested my assistance. Of course I accepted his request; we must conquer infidel name in Allah's name. By the end of the year, my armies had landed in France and the invasion was progression smoothly.



1137: Victory! My brothers of the faith now have a sizable dominion beyond the Pyrenees!



1138: - 1140 Three uneventful years. Things are too quite.

1141: A black day; the Pope has called a crusade against Sicily! May Allah grant me strength against the infidels, I will need it. I have called upon the Fatimids in Egypt and the Dhunnudids in Iberia to assist me, and they both accepted. The Almoravids in North Africa have also offered assistance. I have powerful allies, perhaps I can survive this.



While I was rallying my troops, the infidels have made big gains in Italy. I gathered a grand army, and charged straight into the infidel main force. What followed was one of the largest battles ever seen in Italy, perhaps Europe. Despite larger numbers, we were outmaneuvered by the infidels and lost. During the battle, I received a grave injury to my head.



Fortunately, my allies arrived just in time and defeated the crusader force. We must now focus on recapturing lost land. This crusade shall be defeated!

1142: My allies have honored their commitment and brought tens of thousands of troops to aid my; the war is progressing well. We are making good progress against the infidels, and I am pushing my forces into Rome.



1143: The crusade is over, and we have won. The Catholics will now think twice before calling another crusade.

1144: The time is ripe to take Rome, the capital of Catholicism. The Papacy and the knightly orders who defend them are weak from the crusade; now is the time to strike! I declared war and sent my armies to Rome. In a decisive battle at Gaeta, I defeated the Papal army and an sent the survivors scattering. The conquest is going well thus far.



1145: The war continues; I have begun the siege of Rome.

1146: The war continues; I am seiging more holdings in Rome.

1147: This war is taking longer than I thought it would. The infidels are very persistent to defend their holy capital.



1148: The forces of Allah have won! My warriors march through the streets of Rome praising Allah; the Catholics have lost their capital. This will surely put fear into the hearts of the infidels.



Now that Rome has fallen, I can die in peace.

[paperfire]

Chapter 4: Sultan Al'a'addin I

1148: The first thing I did as Sultan was to imprison my older half-brothers Shamsaddin and Khadr. They have strong claims on the sultanate and cannot be allowed freedom. Before the year ended, I decided to go on the Hajj. I have big ambitions of Jihad against the infidels, and the Hajj will give me the holiness to do so.



1149 - 1152: Uneventful years. It appears my rule is solidified. I would like to expand further into Italy, however the Holy Roman Empire is too strong. I have to wait for a good opportunity.

1153: I'm not going to wait forever to conquer Italy; there are other opportunities for Jihad. I began to look east, and Greece looked very vulnerable. The Byzantine Empire is currently defending against a Shia Jihad for Anatolia. As a pious Sunni, I will not assist the heretics. However I will use the opportunity they have given me for conquest. I laid my sights upon the duchy of Achaia. This would be a good place to have as a beachhead for further Greek conquests. I declared war on the Greeks and sent my armies to begin the siege.



1154: The craven heretic Shias have called off their Jihad. Regrettably now the emperor will focus all his armies on me. I hope that his armies suffered large losses in the Jihad; for his full strength will be too much for me to handle. Surely enough, the emperor has arrived with his grand army by the end of the year, which I soundly defeated. If this is all the emperor has to fight me with, this will be an easy war to win.



1155: My fears have come true: the emperor has arrived with his full force. Although each man of mine is worth more than one of his, the emperor simply has too many men. I don't think I can win this war. Curse the Shia for abandoning me!



1156: I cannot win this war; I have negotiated a white peace with the Byzantine emperor. I now must retreat to Tunis to consider my options.

1157: I have made progress in my decision. I was being too ambitious targeting the Holy Roman and Byzantine Empires; they are simply too powerful. I need to invade a weak power that can be easily defeated.

1158: I have decided. The Kingdom of Croatia is ripe for invasion! The nation is small and weak, and King Dmitar is embroiled in civil war against a rebellious noble. The kingdom has routinely impeded my forefathers' expansion into Italy. This upstart kingdom shall be destroyed.



As expected, the Croatians offered no resistance. My troops had landed in in Croatia and were capturing holdings into the winter.



1159: Something terrible has happened: the Holy Roman Empire has declared war on me for Rome! And the English and Norwegians have agreed to support them! The infidels are persistent on getting their capital back.



I cannot defeat those three nations, so I won't even bother fighting back. If they want their precious capital back so badly, they can have it. Allah will ensure that it will fall back into Islamic hands eventually. I am keeping my eye on Croatia; an entire kingdom is surely a sweeter prize than Rome. By the end of the year, the infidels have captured many territories in Rome. The invasion of Croatia however is going well.



1160: I have surrendered Rome to the Holy Roman Empire. There is no use fighting a war I know I cannot win. The Croatians have been more resilient than I thought. Because they don't have the manpower, they have resorted to hiring mercenaries and holy orders to fight me. Of course they are still no match for me, and all they succeeded in doing was delaying my inevitable conquest.

1161: I have occupied nearly all of the coastal counties. Croatia should surrender momentarily.



1162: Croatia has finally surrendered to me. The first thing I have done with the newly conquered kingdom is ask all the landed lords to convert to Islam: the true religion. They all accepted my demand; I will ensure that Croatia will become the first Islamic dominion in the Balkans.



1163 - 1167: Uneventful years. The Croatians appear to have integrated very well into Islam. They are now doing things such marrying multiple wives and going on the Hajj. I am a very pious man, for I have converted an entire people to the true faith. Praise be to Allah! The former king Dmitar has been especially eager in his adoption of Islam.



1168: The Kaiser has declared war on the Islamic kingdom of Aquitaine. This may be a good opportunity for an invasion...

1169: I have decided to star a full-blown invasion of Italy. The kaiser is busy fighting a war in Aquitaine, and will be unable to spare troops to fight me. I have declared war and captured many territories by the year end.



1170: I have captured many Italian territories and the kaiser has been too busy to respond. Eventually he realized his folly in opposing me, and surrendered all his Italian holdings to me. Praise be to Allah, Italy will be the newest kingdom of Islam!



I have spent the rest of the year Islamicizing Italy. Most rulers would get a choice: convert to Islam or have your holdings revoked. I landed all my sons as well as distant kinsman.

1171 - 1173: The Islamification of Italy is complete. All Catholic rulers who haven't converted are now gone. The rulers have converted, and now the common people will follow.

[germanpeon]

Looks like the forces of Popery still have a holding in Benevento.

Your kingdom is very beautiful, by the way. Just watch out for Germans...

[MrQwerty]

Fantastic work in expanding your realm across North Africa and southern Italy, and especially in persistently fighting the Holy Roman Empire. I must say though, seeing your ally expand into all of southern France was a shock .

Good luck in keeping your lands unified and conquering Greece. I'll be following.

[Malurous]

Thread closed for now due to adbot infestation. paperfire, if/when you want to resume updating just PM one of the AARland mods and we'll reopen the thread for you.