The Duchy of Athens

In 1441 Nerio II becomes Duke of Athen once again. A few years afterwards Nerio succeds in repaying the loan of 200 gold. Nerio also sees to that the tax system becomes more efficient in Smyrna and Macedonia, hoping to increase the income.

Some peacefull years passed and as no interests on loans no longer had to be payed the treasury filled much faster then before. News from aborad reacehd Athens in 1444 and told Nerio that the Ottoman sultan had sworne vassalship to the Khan of Ak Kouynlu, an interesting turn. In 1448 Nerio decided that the treasury was filled enough to endure anothern war, the target was as many times before the Ottomans. The timing was choised beacuse of the war between Ak-Koyunlu the Ottomans and Georgia witch ment that most of the turks forces was invovled in battles in the far east. Nerio planned for a quick war and he brought Athens allies, the Emperor, Wallachia, Moldovia and Albania with him.

The forces of Athen quickly laid siege upon Anatolia and a joint corp of the Emperors, Wallachias and Moldovias forces sieged Sofia i Bulgaria. How ever, the war against the turks didnt prolong for long until the Emirate of Karman Dow Athen. All our allied came to our aid, but Karaman forces layd siege upon Smyrna while our allies was occupied with the turks. The Athenian forces did how ever capture Anatolia but soon afterwards a strong Ak Koyunlu force, witch outnumbered the Athenians by 4 to 1, approached Anatolia. The result was a devestating battle where the entirely Athenian army was annhiliated and the Khans forces began to siege Anatolia to free it from Athens occupation.


In the European battlefield the Emperor captured Bulgaria and moved his forces into Rumelia and soon the forces of Karaman captured Smyrna from Athen. The war continued.

Yes, Im playing the beta so wartaxes gives me inflation and yea... I thought this situation was pretty scary to

The forces of Ak Koyunlu was about to free Anatolia from Athenian controll when Nerio decided to sue for peace. The Ottomans ceded Bulgaria to the Emperor and Athen released Anatolia from its controll. The war had only cost Athen blood and gold without giving anything back. On the other hand the turks had been weaken and our ally, the Emperor, had grown in strenght. Now only Karaman remained. Karaman who hold Smyrna in there hands.


As the war against the Ottomans and there allies Ak Koyunlu had ended our friends and alies now turned there forces against Karaman. The Emperor send an army against Smyrna who was occupied and hold by a strong army from Karaman. Also Wallachia and Albania send there forces against Smyrna. The first battle, between the Emperors forces and Karaman, led to the destruction of the Emperors army and only weakend Karamans. The same result happend to Wallachias despatchment. It was first the Albanians attack who drove the army from Karaman away. Nerio soon heared that he had the great Albanian leader Skanderbeg to thank Smyrnas liberation for. The great Albanian leader had lead the assault himself and he was celebrated as a hero through out the Duchy of Athens. The Albanians hold Smyrna against the counter attacks by Karaman and meanwhile an army, send by the Emperor, landed in Adana and layed siege upon that province, in the other end of the Emirate of Karaman. When Adana finaly fell into the Emperors hand, Karaman sued for white peace and Nerio accepted.

Hopefully I´ll smash him to pieces when that happens, but it will be an even fight never the less

In 1451 Francesco I become Duke. That same year Poland declared war upon Moldovia. This made the alliance break into pieces as several members dishonoured it. Also Fransesco thought it to be best to stay out of the conflict. Instead Fransesco establish a new alliance with Albania and the Emperor.

News outside our borders talked about war between the Ottomans and Karaman and the Ottomans and Moldavia and the Knights of St John. Both the wars ended with Turkeys defeat. Karaman recieved Angora and Moldovia recieved Rumelia in 1454. This way the former glorius Ottoman Empire only consisted of one province, Anatolia. Fransesco finded it suitable to take advantage of this at once and declared war upon the Sultan. To avoid that any of Athens allied would take Anatolia, Francesco didnt invite them into the war and as the Sultan didnt command any forces at all, they conquest was easy. In 1455 Anatolia fell and Turkey was annexed. Now Athens was left in a war with the Ak Koyunlu, but as they had no way to get to the battlefield by land they opposed no real threath.

After the fall of Anatolia and the destruction of the Ottoman Empire the Emperor took controll of the trade and a center of trade was established in Constantinople (The same event that can be found in the agc are also implented in this scenario).

Francesco continued a peacefull politic and focus much in getting royal marriages with german nations. Even if the road would be long to travel he wished to open an oppertunity to strenghten the bounds between the Holy Roman Empire and Athen in an attempt to grant one of his succesors the Imperial Crown. In 1458 a white peace was arranged with the Ak Koyunlu and two years later Fransesco was replaced by Antonio III* as a Duke.

Originally posted by Bocaj
Well Yog,

Good job on finishing the Ottomans off. I have to ask, is Athens Catholic? Because it sounds that the way you are talking...But Athens is a staunchly Orthodox *confused*

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Athen is catholic as it use to be. Its just the capital provine Hellas wich start as orthodox.

Originally posted by mudder
Good Job Yoghurt!!

Are you using your Byz scenario GC? Carrying those loans forward must of jacked up your inflation. Do you plan on going east or west?

mud

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Thanx mudder and yea Im using my byz scenario, altough I added some minor changes for Athen to (as you can read in the start of this AAR)

Antonio III*

(In the original campaign the line of Dukes of Athens ended with Francesco I so the following Dukes are pure fantasy)

Among the first things that happend in Antonios reign was that the Emperor of Byzans converted back to orthodoxy. It resulted in that Byzans left the alliance and that the relations dropped heavily. Antonio himself sought to that a tax collector was promoted in Anatolia and soon afterwards a request came from Albania.

Albania had been DoWed by Serbia and Serbia was in return supported by Wallachia and Croatia. Rememberinghow Skanderbeg saved Athen once, Antonio decided to aid his allied, even if it might seemed unwise with so many opponents.

Serbian forces sieged the Albanian province of Bosnia and striked back an attempt from Albania to invade Serbia. Antonio send his forces to siege Kosovo. The war soon escalated as Austria took the oppertunity to DoW Croatia. Even the Emperor saw an oppertunity and DoWed Wallachia. thoose things was, from Antonios perspective good things as it tided his enemies forces, but then he was strucked by a message from the East. Karaman DoWed Athen and layed siege upon Smyrna and Anatolia.

Originally posted by R.F.A
Good one, realy! But i wonder the same thing as mudder, are you going east ore west? and, have you thougt about the option of converting to Ortdodoxy?

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Dunno my self but probably east if i see an oppertunity and as mudder said, I cant convert to orthodoxy unless I insert an event for it

Athen in ashes...

Serbia captured bosnia from Albania in 1463 and soon afterwards the Athenians took Kosovo. The war in the West continued for some time without any was able to gain adavantage over the other side. It ended in 1464 with no land losses on either side.

Meanwhile Karaman had captured both Anatolia and Smyrna and was siegeing Macedonia. Antonio send his forces from the west to Anatolia via the Emperors territory (enabled by a treaty of RoP). At the same time as Anatolia was liberated the forces from Karaman captured Macedonia, thus a strange dance bagan where Karman would captured a province and the Athenians liberate another. This contiuned for a while, but as Karaman had much easier to raise new fresh troops, the Athenians find it harder and harder to evade the much stronger Karman forces. In 1466 the last Athenian army was totaly destroyd and Karaman had either captured or occupied all of Athens provinces.


Antonios response was to lower the tolerance for orthodoxy and hoping for rebellions to spread and drive the Karmamans out.

Antonio was replaced by Fransesco II* in 1468