The Duchy of Athens

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 12:07

Playing Duchy of Athens in a the GC, although some modifications has been made for BYZ and ATH. The Duchy of Athens have for example not a core in Albania but instead some other cores such as Smyrna and Macedonia. Also BYZ have lost some of its cores but on the other hand been somewhat strenghten in other aspects.

The turks is, as always, strong and will probably be the enemy number one. My goals are to push back the turks and establish a new kind of Latin Empire, but first the Duchy must try just to survive...

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 12:10

Duchy of Athens

The Duke, Antonio I, was thinking of Athens status. Being vassal to Tuscany and also in their alliance made the Duchy very dependent on a small italian minor far away. Athens income was also like a joke, 0.7 a month. Antonio wondered where the heck the gold he had in his coffeins was coming from, from the first place, because with such a income as 0.7 it must have taken years for his precedors to collect the gold he now owned, but the gold was there and it looked like it was his only resources, that and 6000 men placed in Athen, ready to obey his commands.

Among the first things that Antonio ordered was to break the vassalship to Tuscany and also leave thier alliance. His next step was to set up a more efficient taxcollect system. Focused on domestical reforms news reached Athen that the Turks had attacked Candar, one of the heathen emirates in Minor Asia. "Well, let them destroy eitchother" was Antonios first thought.

Finished with the domestical reforms Antonio begun to focus on foreign affairs. An offer from Constantinople reached him about forming an alliance togheter with Byzans and Trebizond but Antonio declined. Byzans and Trebizond had declared war upon Candar, as the turks had did earlier, and Antonio had no wish to participate. Instead Antonio made sure of that royal marriages was arranged with Venice, Cyprus and Albania. Soon a rumor reached Athen that Byzans had annexed Candar followed by a one who said that Trebizond and Byzans now was in war with a turkish tribe called Ak Koyunlu. Antonio still decided to bid his time and instead arranged yet another royal marriage with Hungary, respectevily Aragon.

Gifts was send to Moldavia and Wallachia and soon the Duchy was allowed to enter their alliance. After this Antonio started to raise troops. News also reached Athen that Trebizond had been annexed by the Ak Kouynlu. When Antonio commanded an army of 22.000 brave sould he decided to take them into battle. A decleration of war was issued against the Ottoman Empire and Moldovia and Wallachia honored the alliance and attacked the turks as well.

**J. Passepartout** · 11-05-2003 12:54

Careful, or you might lose that nice custom title.

Nice so far. One doesn't see many Duchy AARs.

**Stroph1** · 11-05-2003 13:53

May your empire grow to the size of Alexander.

I will be reading this one.

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 16:07

Originally posted by J. Passepartout
Careful, or you might lose that nice custom title.

Nice so far. One doesn't see many Duchy AARs.

Well now days folks can get their custom ranks by themself anyway so...

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 16:09

Originally posted by Stroph1
May your empire grow to the size of Alexander.

I will be reading this one.

Well...hrmm... I dont have that high expectations for Athens but it would be nice though

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 16:11

The war agains the turks

The Athenian army marsched to Macedonia witch it laid under siege. Soon a turkisha rmy approached. Spies told Antonio that Murad II himself led the turksih army. Antonio began to wonder if his troops would stand against the turks as Murad was known as a skillfull commander and feared as an opponent. Luckily the Antonios army outnumbered Murads and had also the advantage to have much more cavalry. Murad was defeated and reatreated to Smyrna and Antonio thanked God and believed that this indead must be a sign from God that he would grant him victory over the heathens. How ever, the siege was not allowed to continue for long as Murad soon gathered a much stronger army and marsched towards Macedonia once again. This time Murad shatered the Athenian lines and broke the siege. The Athenians reatreated hastily to Athen and begun to dig in, prepareing them self to defend their city against Murads forces, but Murad didnt follow the beaten army but instead turned his army north to Bulgaria where the Wallachians had started siegeing Sofia.

Murad drow the Wallachians away from Bulgaria and seemed to stay put there. Antonio send his army once again into Macedonia and sieged its fortress. Meanwhile Moldovian forced had entered the province of Dobrudja and Wallachia made futil attempts to attack Bulgaria and Murads forces there. Then, in a cold winter morning, news reached Antoino that Byzans had declared war upon the turks aswell. This couldnt have come more convinient, as Murad now turned his forces towards the Emperor as the Emperor laid siege on Smyrna.

In may 1423 Macedonia was conquered and Antonio send parts of his army to Bulgaria while to other part stays put in Macedonia. In Bulgaria a battle occur between Antonios forces and a small dispatchment of turks. The turks defeats the athenians who are retreating to Rumelia, wich they siege instead.

As the Byzantine and the turks forces meets in battles several times, it seems like the Emperor is the one gaining the over hand soon Smyrna falls into the hand of the Emperor and the Moldovians also manage to capture Dobrudja. The war takes heavey tools on Athen and the costs is more then the Duchy can bear, therefore Antonio is forced to take a loan later that year of 1423. From Minor Asia news reaches Antonio that the Emirate of Karaman have annexed Dulkadir also the Knights of St John and Cyprus have landed forces in Minor Asia and are batteling the forces of the Ottoman sultan. Antonio had missed that the knights and Cyprus had attacked the turks but are not less gratefull for that they did. The campaign had gone better then expected.

Antoino tries an attack upon the Sultans own capital but is defeated. It demands a second try before the athenians can lay the city under siege. Meanwhile combined forces of Wallachians and Byzantines have driven out the turkish forces in Bulgaria. With just a few troops left in Angora, the turks seems to have been beaten. Soon Anatolia is in Antonios hands as Bulgaria is in the Emperors hands, but the Sultan still refuses to agree to a peace. Not until Byzantine troops eliminate the last turkish forces in Angora and lay the city under siege does the Sultan agree to peace. Athen recieves Macedonia and Moldavia recives Dobrudja. Antonio thanks God for his victory and give orders to prepare for some great feasts that now will be held in Athen. Antonio do how ever watch closely how the war between the Emperor and the Sultan proceeds...

**Alexandru H.** · 11-05-2003 16:21

I am glad you took the help of the Moldavians and they proved valuable....the anti-turk alliance is so much better gamewise and historywise, as well

**Soarom** · 11-05-2003 16:42

poor ottomans! having to face every underdog in the region like that! looks like a horde of ants taking down some bigger bug.
what are your plans? how about cooperating with your fellow underdogs, making the area a better place for good christians?

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 19:45

Originally posted by Alexandru H.
I am glad you took the help of the Moldavians and they proved valuable....the anti-turk alliance is so much better gamewise and historywise, as well

Yea the Moldavians proved to be very usefull and fought well in the northern front

Wouldnt, probably, been able to beat the turks without them

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 19:49

Originally posted by Soarom
poor ottomans! having to face every underdog in the region like that! looks like a horde of ants taking down some bigger bug.
what are your plans? how about cooperating with your fellow underdogs, making the area a better place for good christians?

Yes, small but nasty

Hopefully I´ll be able (with the help of others of course) to drive the turks backwards (preferable all the way back to the other side of the Caspian Sea...

) and then try to reestablish some kind of new Latin Empire in the east (with Athen as a capital of course)

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 21:11

Troubles in peacetime

After the war most of the troops where disbanded and maintenance was cut to 50 percent. Most of Athens income went to pay the interest of the loan that was taken during the war and when it was time to repay it in 1428 Antonio was unable to, thus raising the interest even more.

In 1428 the Emperor also made peace with the Ottoman sultan. No land was exchanged but the sultan did how ever pay a modest sum in gold to the Emperor as warreperation. News also reached Athen that Karaman annexed Teke thus expanding even more. Karaman was now as big as the Ottoman Empire.

In 1431 Antonio find the financial situation unacceptable. Athen would not be able to repay its loan for ages, unless he somehow could increas the income. The easiest way to incese the income would be to go to war and conquer even more and richer lands, thus, yet again, warpreperations begun....

**Yoghurt** · 11-05-2003 21:59

Antonios 2nd war against the turks

After enough war preperations had been made (or in other words, after Antonio had raised as many troops that is Duchy could afford) a war decleration was made against the Ottomans. The Ottomans had not entirely recovered from its many wars and Athen was accompined by not only Wallachia, Moldovia but also Serbia, who had entered the alliance.

Antonio send his forces to Smyrna wich was undefended and thus the athenians could start the siege immideatly. Moldavians troops entered Rumelia and a joint corp of Serbian and Wallachian soldiers laid siege to Sofia, in Bulgaria. The Ottomans seemed unable to defend itself against such a swarm and soon Smyrna had felled in Antonios hands.

The Athenians moved forward to Anatolia, siegeing the Ottoman capital. Bulgaria fell into the hands of the Serbs and so did Rumelia into the hands of the Moldovians. Rebells laid siege to the remainig Ottoman province, Angora, (a revolt probably caused by warexshaustion) and thus no turkish forces was opposing the alliance.

Anatolia fell in November 1433 and the result was that the Ottoman sultan ceded Smyrna to Athen.

**Wasa** · 11-05-2003 22:15

Nice beginning..I like the way you chop up the story with pics..a bit easier to digest that way...

**Kurek** · 11-05-2003 23:04

Good luck and all, may your AAR be more sucessful than mine

(Although I had no modifications at all and was using 1.01 or something

)

**Yoghurt** · 12-05-2003 14:03

Thanks and yes I believe that my mod my have had an impact in that BYZ is going pretty well. I gave Constantinople a bigger fortress and they also got an extra mediocer general in the start, but other then that the Emperor and his gang recieves no extra advantages

**Folc de Cardona** · 12-05-2003 15:14

Well done. Take care of Karaman though. How is the alliance situation in the area. What about Albania? Seems that in the future Greek inheritance will be hardly disputed between Athens and Byzanzium.

**Yoghurt** · 14-05-2003 08:42

Thanx F d C!

Athen is allied with Moldovia, Wallachia and Serbia. Another great alliance is Venice with Siebenburgen, Bosnia, Ragusa and some german minor. OE are allied with A-K. Karaman stands alone.

Byzantum seems to grow and can be a dangerous opponent in the future. At the same time they have fought Oe well and contributed to make Oe weaker (my primary enemy as i thought first) but perhaps the Emperor will be a harder nut to crack then Oe is in the beginning. When Oe is destroyed, or almost anyway, I have to see to that the Emperor doesnt grow to strong either.

**Yoghurt** · 14-05-2003 08:44

Nerio II

Although Athen since the last war saved every penny it had failed twice to repay its loan, but the treasury did slowly grow. In 1435 Antonio I died and Nerio II was made new Duke of Athen. Nerio did arrange a marriage with Serbia as his first official decision as Duke. Nerio was hoping for some peacefull years so that the treasury would be able to be filled so that the loan ultimately could be payd, but things didnt turned out that way. In 1436 Wallachia declared war upon Siebenburgen. Moldavia, Serbia and also the newest member of the alliance, Hungary, joined on Wallachias side. Nerio felt forced to bring Athen in to war to. His allied had stand on Athens side twice before and he didnt want to fail them. How ever, Siebenburgen wasnt fighting alone. Bosnia, Venice, Ragusa and Wurtemberg standed on there´s side. Soon the entire Balkan seemed to be covered by flames and Nerio decided to lay siege upon the Venetian island of Ionia.

The island of Ionia was heavily fortified and attrition took it tolls on Nerios troops but as the Venetians didnt seem to send any forces to Ionias rescue the island ultimately fell. Venice had instead decided to make amphibius assault upon Moldavia and soon had the Moldavian coastline under its controll. Hungary on there behalf annexed Siebenburgen. The ar continued and Nerio had no means of sending troops to the Moldovians aid nor invade Venice as Athen lacked a navy. A navy or not wouldnt probably make a differnet beacuse every now and then a strong squad of Venetian warships sailed in the Aegian Sea.

**Yoghurt** · 14-05-2003 12:02

Antonio II

In 1439 Nerio II was replaced by Antonio II. The war continued but the forces of Athen still hadent any means to reach the battle fields, nor had Venice send any forces to free Ionia. 1439 was also teh year when the Emperor in Constantinople declared that from here on his Empire would be a catholic one. Antonio was glad for this and immideatly offered one of his daughters to marry one of the Emperors finest generals.

In September a peace was made with Venice and Ionia was released from Athen controll. Hungary had also annexed Ragusa and probably gone a bit to far as an alliance led by Poland declared war upon Hungary. Only Serbia decided to honour the alliance and fight on Hungarys side and as both Moldavia and Wallachia dishonoured the alliance, Antonio thought it to be the best to. Instead he created a new alliance with Athen as leader. Wallachia, Moldovia, Albania and even Byzans join the alliance.

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