A Christian Africa - Ethiopian Abyssinia AAR

[video=youtube;HBYhDvNePuc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBYhDvNePuc[/video]

Not sure if you are allowed to put videos into AARs, or if this'd break your immersion.

Chapter 2​

Es tu Brutus?​

I was furious, my father was blinded by his ambition, and the arabian gold, this holy war was false! I had to do something, I could not just idly sit by, while our own greed destroyed us. I gathered the nine best men I knew in our country, our Spymaster, Fasilidas of the Sinjahs, the man was a snake, but the best venom-spitter in the known world *wich is very small in ths case*. My bodyguard Berta of the Bongas *yeh it’s a masculin name too* from childhood, one of the best swordsmen I knew in our small kingdom. The next man was harder to find, we needed someone with a knowledge of the castle, but since the steward was loyal and corrupt to my father he was out of the question. Eventually as with life it often is the man I was looking for found me, it was Abebe of the Bambasis. This four should have been enough, but knowing my father, and the sin I was to commit knew that God was not on my side. I gathered 5 more of the worst and least trustworthy of assasins, schemming courtiers, and corrupt bodyguards for the deed that must be done, Holy Father in heavens, please forgive for I have sinned the unspeakeble, but in this I pray for your help and understanding, we are weak but we will become strong in your name!


„Here I must interfere of the good Prince, his memory of the event is rather; poor. Mine is not perfect either, but still better. It was a night just like when I arrived, the castle and the town below us flourishing with people, and suddenly the palaces doors slam wide, nine men enters the room armed to the teeth, and request that the king show himself. The king sends down his guards but instead of waiting for a response they are killed in cold blood. I watch the men march to the throne room where they meet the king, already in his best; I must give the men credit, he died like a king; Kretos speaks first: ’What might this be, my good son don’t be foolish, stop this folly before it goes to lengths a good christian would never even think of!’ The son masked up like his 8 brothers in arms, steps forward. ’If you believe your poisinous words might cloud my mind as well, you are badly mistaken, I give you one chance, fight me now in single combat, or die squeeling like some pig up for the slaughter!’ The king chose the latter, I was surprised they were able to clean the throne room after, legend sais there are nine blood drops in the room still, speaking of the deed that has been done that cursed night.”

My first deed as king was to divide the newly conquered land between my brother and Fasilid, it was their just due after what have happened. Awful as it is there are people who are better than me in things, but it is just natural, that is why i have a steward to help me with the gold, and a marshal to help me with steel.

[video=youtube;2usKIlau1JM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2usKIlau1JM[/video]

I'm gonna post the first song that comes to my mind after every Chapters first response comment.

My king gave word that he was in need of advice, and I gave it to him, we were in dire need of troops and land if we even dreamed about remaining independent, and/or true to our faith. We needed the heathen lands. I was on my way to the land for the taking, and then a scout came running back to our camp, glittering with sweat, and blood. The damned arabs found a way around our main army and attacked us while crossing the strait to Aden, the main force already there was far away, and out of reach, I had 900 men to hold out agains double our numbers. Good odds for anyone with the mind for it, even tough better equiped, stronger in numbers, the heathens never broke our lines. One night i recieved a letter, smugled in telling us that the reinforcements were near, so we mounted our attack. The battle ensued in Tadjuora near the coastal city of Berenice. After a week long of blood and sand, our armies broke the east flank and the day was ours.
But God forsaken us! The treacherous Fatimid Sultanate decided to interfere with our holy war, the war was lost, and the best we could do was to form a white peace with the dogs. We needed Axum, and we needed it now. The damned Axumites were in the way again. They refused all of our marrige arrengements on the fields of politics, the dispicables, they should be honored by an alliance between our families, and what’s worse they accepted heathens into their court! Even a man with my knowledge and skills could not find an assassin worthy to head the false king of Axum off.

Until...

My king found written proof of that Abyssinia was larger than it was now, much bigger, we had the Axumites in our de jure hands. Even though they refused our first offer of vassalisation, they could not withstand our military might. Our armies counted two thousand thiers only twelve hundred. But the recent war with the muslims left us low on men, a lost war never helps the recruitment.

In recent events our good friend and marshall Abebe passed away. He was there with me when we met the muslims on the strait of Aden, and when we murdered the king. His last words were „Fasilidas! You will be my guest in the feast of heavens.” Not a very religious man, unlike our good king.

Finaly! I was able to herald god news for the king! A group of christian self-titled warriors joined my garrison in Harer, we now heve double the number of the enemy axumites, but the king wanted to wait until our full military support was reached. Fourtunetly I was able to persuade our newly minted marshall to support me in the council meetings. The war was started and we captured the capitol of Aksum. We suffered losses, but the war was won.

Dovahkiing said:

Cool M2TW picture!

Click to expand...

Yeah I figured that because there are not too many pics/paintings/whatevs of the medieval East Africa I could use M2 TW to represent it.

DO NOT QUESTION MY LOGIC!

Chapter Four​

Crusade​

„The great Crusade for Jerusalem have started. If you had the nose for it the smell was in the air for a while now, the Fatimid Sultanate in civil war, losing twenty thousand men, they were weakened, the sick of Arabia. I suggested the king that he should use this to push his war for the Rassid territories. He agreed, and the council was in consensus. The armies wait half a year for the chatolics to reach the shores and then the attack begins.”

I led the africans army to battle, they begged me to come to their country and show them our superior European war tactics and weapons. It was costly and dangerous venture, but the mountain lion of Abyssinia roared to me, and I was unable to resist. My father always said, „Grigoriy my son, sometimes the most dangerous adventure is the warmth of home.” The weather was not easy to get used to, even with the mountains, and the sea close the air was filled with heat. It was a great they for battle though. The blinding sun was behind us, and the muslims had to cross the strait first to get to us, we built up some minor defenses along the beach. The strange thing was that the greeks were inthe game too, even if far away, they sent a nine thousand strong army our way! They’d never reach us in time for battle, but the war was already done with this fact in mind.

We had the upper hand in the fighting at first, easily holding our lines, pushing the muslims back to the sea bit by bit, but frieghtening news arrived after the first days of the skirmishes. The Atef Emirate joined the war with it’s two thousand men outnumbering us vastly added with the other two and a hald thousand on the Rassids. Thankfully they were still far from the battle, but it was only a matter of time until they reached our shores. The first major battle happened on the 14th of April, when the king leading the center charged the lines of the muslims, it was an easy Victory and soon we joined as well. I was leading the north flank. It was one bloody battle, the numbers won the victory for us, but their weapons and tactics were far superior to the africans, if I was not there it would have been a bloodbath. Thankfully we were already winning when the first thousand strong Atef reinforcment came in.

I ordered the men count the dead and salvage what armor and weapons they could from the enemy, it was not honorable, but the muslims never had any honor. We lost a thousand men in this bloody battle. My heart ached that I could not do more for these hopeful, and doomed people, but life is never fair. We won a war, but could we win every one of them? I hardly think so. The men of the Basileus crossed the Rassid borders two months later. The king wanted to chase the enemy back, but I advised not to, we would lose a lot of men, and with the greek at our side we already won the war.

This „king” is a queer one. He sometimes has some sort of, I’m not sure fits? I first thought the man was simply of hot-blood, but sometimes, when nobody’s watching he, or hearing he speaks an even stranger language than his own, and I cannot see the person he talks to, but he seems to be speaking TO someone, I asked the court about it but they dodge the subject.

The war was fought for the duchy of Sanaa, sorry for not making that clear. Since I cannot join Catholic Crusades. The battle was at Sanaa if I remember right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHqm7iVhtEI

„The axumites must die! They must! They are a threat to the realm, death on a horse! Today an angel came to me, I King of Abyssinia must deliver these sinners to God! Death Death Death! I must, I must! I decleared war on them the council tried to stop me, but I AM THE KING! NOBODY CAN STOP ME!”


These are the last written words of Kedus Harbethe Great King of Abyssinia. He died in battle leading a suicidal charge against the axumite army. His mind was obviously deteriorating by the time. His heir the young but already showing much promise Girma. He is unmatched with sword in hand by children of his age, but he has good mind for everything else aswell, and not just good, he is outstanding in every aspect.May his rule be fourtunate, and strong!

This regent is one venomous snake. I tried seperate the young king and this Judas as far as I could, but somehow his corruption still reached him. His life was in danger. Thankfully we were able to protect the child.

The young king already shown his steel, but this is why I trust him to be one of the greatest kings yet. We had a decision. Two of the heathen states neighbouring us rebelled against their liege, for why I’ll never know but this gave us a window of opportunity. The king choose to attack Hashimid instead of the Oman, and he was right to do so. The Omans fell quickly and we would have lost our chance if he chose the wrong target, now we ride to war again against the heathens, and hopeful we are after many succeesful wars.

The war went without any major battles, or at least we thought it would. We were very wrong. The muslim forces waited in neighbouring Halaban for the castle to surrender. A regiment counting nine hundred rushed forward, they were cut off from the main army, we were unsure who would win the race to Mecca, thankfully reinforcements arrived with twelve hundred men, and they were able to stay on the defense until more reinforcements arrived, our armies still broke on their properly trained soldiers, yet the war was ours.

The war changed the young king, he fought with a certain zeal now, and his experience on the battlefield made him a brilliant commander, maybe the only hope of his people.


„Today I witnessed something I wish I never had seen, a so called heretic was burned on a stake, the man was not a man of power, not a man of high prestige, just an unlucky courtier He screamed, but not like a man normally dos, the sound was outlandish, deafening, and painful, as the fires reached higherm the scream switched to a higher pitch aswell, death itself was evoked. His screams will haunt me forever, but there was nothing I could have done. ”

When we thought that we were winning, that was when God decided otherwise, a Hashimid army of six thousand men appeared on the horizon, our twentyseven hundred had no chance, we retreated back behind our borders, the only problem was, the Fatimid army has arrived aswell, eight thousand men. The Hashimid stood no chance, and after a round of chasing around they eventually fell thus reintegrating Mecca in to the Fatimid sultanate.

Teanaste'lle'n, I am Girma, first of his name, king of Abyssinia, and Sole Defender of the Miaphysyte christianity. My tale is of defeat.

The war for Mecca and especially the fact that we lost it was a killing blow to respect among my subjects. They are as fierce as rebellious and soon I’d learn the fault of that. Mine own brother rose up against me in a war to conquer the throne, I thought that it was a war easy to win but God was on their side and I had to give my crown up.

Not for long! I alone held a three thousand men strong army in the kingdom and with the help of most of the former vassals of the false king I took my throne back easily locking the bastard away.

Glory to god! Another Seljuk civil war, and the Dammans decided again to join the revolt, giving us the chance to invade. We mount our attack. And after six month of war we have to back down because of a inheritance twist we don’t understand fully. We must study this further!

My daughter, oh my ugly, but skilled daughter! What have you done?! Oh my, what am I to do with this bastard child? I’ll just let my spymaster handle it. Who handles by not handling it at all, he just let’s them live, it is indeed a very christian way to solve the problem but still this stain will never be removed from the family.

The nightsky was still glazed with red by the descending sun, the high tower of Ambassel lit with candle light. The king was leaning tired over a piece of rough paper. His hand moved swift and elegant, and his mouth slowly moved with every written word. He needed no fire from any hearth to warm him in the night, the mountains of Gondar captured the heat of the desert for the evening. He was writing still, when he saw the falling star, arching across the sky, finding it’s place in the far lands of Nubia. He considered this as a sign. It was time, due time, to take back the lost lands of the Kingdom of Nubia, and save his brothers in culture and faith. He wrote the last words, a decleration of war.

We needed to expand, or be crushed in due time. It was ineviteble, and anyone with a spark of smart would know this, not my vassals. I decided to launch an atack on the fatimids, since they were preoccupied with invading Italy, wich was in HRE hands. I gathered my army and led them to Nubia. We found great help in the christian populace of the land, they supplied us with...


In the courtroom the air was chilled, even though the sun was burning outside with long seen might. The king was sitting on his throne, his councilors sitting around a table below him. The silence lasted long, too long to feel confortable in. The war their king started was not to their liking. The Sultanate, even if weakened on the west, strong as ever in the east, but it was something that had to be done. They all knew, still they did not give their consent, and the kingdoms forces were already crumbling. They had no proper reinforcements, they had an enemy a hundred times their size, eight times the stronger in arms, and a thousand times stronger in gold. It was an honorable, but utterly pointless, and costly venture.
„My king, with all dure respect, this is madness, If you had...”
„Silence, Fasilidas. You are old, weakened, and fearing death is close. You served my father, and his father well, and my debt to you cannot be counted in gold, but I beg you silent. You are a spymaster. Battlefield is not your ground. marshall, give me a report on our soldiers.”
„My king, I am pleased to say that out army stand near ten thousand strong. And there are no sings yet of any enemies on the horizon, if we can make this a short war, we will easily win, while the muslims are pushing their failed atempt for the wealth of Italy.”
„Good, see Fasilidas, there is no thing to be afraid of, this war is in our hands.”
„I see, but your scouts do not see far enough. I got grave news sire. My spies report that there are ships leaving from the shores of sicily, packed with the Sultans best men, to stop us.”
„Bah! Your „spies” are cutthroats, pirates, clergymen, and untrustworthy merchants. The way I hear it from the trade caravans, is that ships are leaving from Alexandria, to support the italian Jihad!”
„Yes, MUSLIM caravans.Not to offend, my good steward, but we can’t put our trust in them either. Fasilidas, how many may these ships bring, if they even exist.”
„Some say barely four or five thousand, some say eight, and another bunch swears they saw t least fifteen.”
„And what do you think my good spymaster?”
„I believe...” The doors were hastly blown open by the guards, a scrawny, small man, with skin as dark as coal, and hair coarse as like of sea-urchins, ran in heaving for air.
„MY KING!” He shouted from the top of his lungs, even though barely breathing „EIGHT THOUSAND MEN WERE SEEN MARCHING ON ASWAN TWO WEEKS AGO!”
The words echeod and then slowly froze in the air. It would not be such an easy war after all.


United we stand.

Forsaken​

Great news from the north! The Baselius decided on helping our war against these heathens! God be praised! We might just win this war!

Fight will you!

God must have forsaken us, or the Devil himself is playing his cruel game with us! We were so close to victory! The Baselius died in unknown circumstance. His armies retreated back their strongholds, leaving us to face off the muslims alone.


"The gates to hell have opened" - Bishop Abab 1143


„Face them we will! My good king, this war is far from over yet, we have six thousand men, in not else we can force a white peace.”
„True enough my russian friend, but still the omens are against us, I fear God forsaken us truly.”

The war went well until the March of 1130, the muslims were able muster an eight thousand men army to throw us back, and they did, our army barely surviving a battle against half it’s numbers, was down to thirtysix hundred, and they were tired and of low morale. We were done for, a bird came delivering a letter stating that the Chatolics will again try to take Jerusalem, my hope were low still, but a chance is a chance no matter how low it is. Good news were that with the new recruits we will have a nin thousand army, bad news were not until a several years past. We had to wait, pray and hope. May God have mercy, and help us in this war this time. The peasent rebellions did not help this.

It was hopeless, the catholics won their Crusade, but we were left alone, without help and without allies, our people hopeless. We are done for. We are again torn by infighting and my uncle still tries to somehow usurp the throne, this time by instituting succession by seniority. He eventually took it by force, and again I’ve taken it back.

Arabia is in flames! This is the chance the ethiopians were waiting for. I only pray to God that I may live these last years to carry on my fathers legacy. I Álmos of House Árpád, will write the history of these people! It weas the year 1142 in the month of November, a huge muslim civil war has started. Using this to their advantage the africans decided upon taking back the lands of Nubia, who still followed the true faith and the old traditions.

Mount the attack!

The war needed to be won and fast. Fatimid forces were gathering on the border to claim the lands their own, and a seven thousand strong Aswan army was gathering in Nubia. The seven thousand stood no chance against the kings army now counting twelve thousand soldiers, but the fatimid army was still a great threat to this war of conquest. Fourtunetly the king did have enough men to storm the holdings, and thus he won a great victory, costing many life, but what is the life of few for the lives of many?

The king was loved well by the people, he enjoyed conversing with the servents and the peasentry, tough not eveyeryone viewed this as good. His courtiers did not aprove neither did his vassals, but I believed that he was on the right of things. For a strong rule, he needs the mob.


Meanwhile the Monophysite heresy was gaining ground, even against the best efforts of the Patriarch. He was killed in Kassala spreading the holy faith. This assured the king. The war for Alexandria has begun. As it is with many times, the won holy war, and the chance of getting back Alexandria, was too much good. Queen Antonia Doukas died fter the first year of war.

Hearing of this saddening tale the young Basilissa Antonia, niece of the quen, decided to gather her armies and help the Abyssinians war. Thus the war was ensured and Alexandria was once again in the hand of the Copt Pope. The old King Girma, first of his name, had died after his conquest in 1148 the 18th of July. The whole country was grieving and he was succeded by a much less reputable and much less loved and skilled, Bekele.

This pretender, was no less than a useless slug. The true king was dead, and the nobles of the realm refused to return to the old ways of equal voting until they have seen this king handling the affairs of the state. It was a long and peaceful, and uneventful era.

The king dies and another vile pretender sits the throne, called Negus, an unskilled, and unlovable character worthy of despise by both the court, his vassals, and the people. But they all love him, he might be the one finaly bringing stability back to the kingdom.

In 1166 April, Negus the Unworthy launched an attack for the Duchy of Cairo, for a chance to cripple the Sultanate. It was a brave, but reckless atempt. It ended after a year in White Peace.

„Again, the subjects of the Sultanate rise to take up arms against their lieg, again the african people feel that the time has come, to take Cairo, and usurp the Throne of the Pharaos. The war has gone for a while without bloodshed only tiring sieges and slow assaults, but the war was far from over. The major battle is fought under the walls of Quena. A bloody battle of twenty thousand against half it’s numbers. The battle is won but will the war be won aswell?”


Meanwhile the game of thrones is played big in the halls of Alexandria. The Duke of Sanaa assassinates the heir to the throne, the Count of Sanaa Yones, the son of the great Girma himself. With his loss, the court becomes a warfare even more dangerous tahn the one outside the gates of Quena. The new heir a young woman of 24 called Ayana, a fierce and strong girl, with great ambitions, arrives to the emergency concil held to pre-elect the new Ruler of Abyssinia, and if everything goes well, the ruler of Egypt.

„Are there any news of the war, Lebna?”
„No sire, After the battle of Quena the muslims appear to have been crippled. The young Sultan refuses to give his sultanate up, and we’re getting the best of it.”
„Good let’s see...
The king stops his words midair, he heard someone knocking on the door. His paranoia nearly takes the best of him, but he opens the door hastly.
„The muslims beg for peace my king. We have won!”

Of Coming Ages

1176 November 18th – Queen Anaya

We can’t match their numbers, we have no alliances, we can’t do anything. We have to give up Egypt. It was all a dream it appears. After a hundred year of preparation, after so many bloody wars, it was all for nothing. The Faitimids stand strong still, and we cannot do a thing to change that. Maybe the islam is meant to rule the world, not christianity. We have gained so much and lost it all in one move. We lost it all, our plans failed, we marched back to Gondar, knowing that all was lost. A whole nation in mourning. Mourning our future.


*Unfourtunetly I dont have a screen of the short lived full extent of the Abyssinian Kingdom, because I am a lousy screenshooter, and I was not expecting what happened, alright a little bit.*

more music, in anyone interested