The Triumph of the Near East

Maximus_96 said:

Awhile back after I started an Ottoman game i decided to browse the AAR forum to see if there was an MEIOU Ottoman AAR and i clicked on this one at random and was in luck. Good job to you, I have almost caught up to you in years and I plan on this being the first EU3 game I ever finish. Did you lose Holy war when you reached government tech 30?

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This will also be the first game of EUIII I complete! I lost the Holy War CB in the 1640s, but I suspect it was related to a tech level as other states did not lose it at the same time, ethiopia for example attacked me using it a few years later. It will be very interesting to compare our games when we reach 1821!

Qorten said:

Probably by accident, but your last update had 21 pictures, instead of the maximum of 20 allowed per update.

Otherwise an excellent and most enjoyable AAR!

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Sorry, I've had a look and it appears I started my numbering at 0 for this update, not a good idea. Will make sure this doesn't happen again, thanks for the heads up.

Suleyman inherits a stable Empire, which has burnt of some of the reputation gained following the wars of his father. However, infamy remains high at 21.5, and so a few more years of peace is desirable. The young Khalifah had been an outspoken opponent of his fathers reforms, and on his succession Kostantiniyye was tense – would the new ruler attempt to role back the reforms? The stability of the realm drops 1 as both sides sound the other out, and for a period it looks like civil war could be on the cards.

Suleyman, however, was not the most decisive of rulers, and with every passing week the Parliamentary forces grew stronger, while the likelihood of his gaining any support waned. Outmaneuvered, the Khalifah instead opts to embrace the Constitutional system. On the 8th August 1681 slavery is outlawed. This reduces our tax income, as the costs of agriculture rise, but also reduces our stability costs and gives a slight reduction to infamy.


At the end of 1681, the realms stability returns, and Suleyman begins to plot his first move to expand the Empire. An uneasy peace has existed between Turkey and Imereti, who resented our subjugation of Armenia. Suleyman contrives to convince the region that through our claim on Armenia, we also enjoy a claim against Imereti, and we begin to recruit armies to prepare for a short war.

Suleyman is again cautious however, and insists on reviewing troop numbers throughout the Empire. Preparations take far longer than necessary, but by November Suleyman is satisfied that the armies are more than ready for another period of campaigns. However, before he is able to begin the attack, we receive troubling news. Great Britain have assembled a formidable coalition against us, and have declared a war of religious liberation. They are following allies with France and the Papal State who join the war, but have also coordinated with a second alliance. Ethiopia, Aragon, Ryazan and Sweden all declare war the following day.


Our modernised fleet is sent to block the straits at Sicily, preventing any access to our vulnerable island holdings, while 20,000 men are to be recruited in Australia where we face Sweden and Great Britain. Fortunately Britain is already at war with Genoa, who seem to have the upper hand in Australia. Ryazan invade from the north with an initial force of 22,000, we have an army of 22,000 ready to oppose them and kill 15,000 in a huge victory at Zaporizhzhia Sich in January 1683, and follow this up by routing the survivors at Poltava. A further 50,000 have crossed the border though.. In Egypt, Ethiopia attack with 20,000, but they are routed in a single battle by our forces. A further 9,000 Ethiopians cross the border on the Red Sea, and our small armies of 6,000 begin to occupy the Swedish colonies in Australia.

Our fleet successfully repel British and French forces who attempt to cross the Mediterranean, sinking 25 transport ships which were presumably full. On the 30th March, as the war appears to be going well, we receive the news that Fez have declared war. They are joined by Persia, Khiva and Karem Bornu. We can safely ignore Khiva and Karem Bornu, but Fez and to a less extent Persia can field a substantial number of soldiers on our borders, and will require our attention


Suleyman convenes a military council with his top generals and admirals to discuss the objectives of the current war. Infamy is around 11, so considering that we are unlikely to be in a position to negotiate for peace we are likely to be able to make substantial gains in this conflict. From the British alliance, we really just want peace, but it is also a good opportunity to grab some land in Australia. We must not concede defeat or pay a tribute, as this will only encourage another attack in the future. We should be able to gain a positive war score in Australia, Tyrol against France and against everyone at sea. We are vulnerable in Brazil, if France or the UK decide to land troops we do not have enough men to resist, or enough ships to repel an invasion.

Against Fez, we will have to defend a relatively large frontier in Tunis, and it will be difficult to make gains against them. However, Persia are divided, relatively weak and we have a decent number of soldiers close by. We will aim to take at least some territory from Persia.

Against Ethiopia we are in a position to make considerable gains. Ryazan will be bled white in until we can secure peace or a tribute, while Sweden are weak in Australia so we will look to take all their colonies. Ethiopia will be isolated, and have used the holy war CB against us, and even better are the alliance leader. So we can take a significant amount of territory from them. There are at least 3 Egyptian provinces and their one settlement in Arabia which must be taken during this war.

On the 8th May, Aragon who have been battered recently by France offer a white peace, and we gladly accept. Although they had not yet participated, we were concerned that their fleet could cause us major problems if it combined with the French and the British, and on the 20th Ryazan also offer a white peace after their 50,000 men are routed. We accept this as well, as it means we are now using somewhat less than half our soldiers to fight this war, provided the navy can maintain its control of the seas.

On the 21st June we rout 24,000 soldiers from Fez at Kairuna, and on the 4th July 16,000 Ethiopians meet a similar fate. 21,000 Ethiopians attack our 15,000 defenders on the Red Sea, but are repelled with over 11,000 losses. We also reject an offer of white peace from Sweden – their provinces in Australia have begun to fall to our armies. Suleyman is satisfied with the war effort, our forces are holding up really well and massacring huge numbers of our enemies without sustaining many losses ourselves, although we still face a formidable number of opponents.

In October we defeat Fez twice, but are unable to secure a decisive victory. They have large numbers which prevent us pursuing the defeated armies, and we also lose control of Meroë to a new army of 25,000. We take the two Persian provinces in Mesopotamia, while our Arabian armies advance through Ahsaa and begin a siege in Basra, and on the 25th November we finally rout an army from Fez in Tunisia. Meanwhile our fleet sink the entire French fleet in a battle off the coast of Sicily, meaning we face a far smaller threat from the sea. 1/3 of our ships retreat to port to repair.

1684 begins very well, and all fronts are looking good apart from Brazil where a French fleet prevents us from putting down a rebellion in an isolated colony. Fortunately it is just a peasant revolt and so we do not risk losing the province yet. We retake Meroë from Ethiopia and prepare to tackle the Ethiopian forces in Qus. On the 22nd April 15,000 Turks defeat 26,000 Ethiopians, but another 30,000 approach from the south. In Tunisia, our 19,000 hold off 38,000 in Tunis, and a second army approaches from Egypt to relieve our defenders in Tunisia.

We continue to make progress in Australia, while the fleet continues to thwart British attempts to intervene. In July we are shocked to see 25,000 Frenchmen marching north through Ethiopia. They defeat our 15,000 army which had a city under siege, but we are able to rally a second army and the combined force proves too much for the French. They are defeated over three battles, and we get back to the business of sieges in Ethiopia.


1685 is also a year which starts well for Suleyman. The Papal State, whose new territory lies in the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, offer us a white peace which we accept. We have now taken control of substantial portions of Persia, including their capital, a large chunk out of Ethiopia and a few of Sweden's provinces in Australia. In Tunisia, our soldiers have repelled many attacks, and an offensive of our own is under way which threatens to overrun the North African state.

On the 15th April, we agree terms with Fez and knock the first hostile alliance out of the war. Fez agree to renounce their claims on our Tunisian provinces, while Persia must cede Van and Sharizhar to the Empire, strengthening our position in the Middle East considerably.

Throughout 1685, little of any major importance occurs. Our forces continue sieges in Ethiopia and Australia, while the British make fewer and fewer attempts to involve themselves in the war they started – they are also fighting separate conflicts in Mexico, and are losing badly in Australia to Genoa. On the 14th December, we are ready to negotiate an end to the war with a second alliance. We force a highly damning peace on Ethiopia, whose army have been annihilated and who face rebellions in all corners of their vast state. Ethiopia surrender their territory in Arabia to Hadhramaut, and give up two provinces in Egypt to us, giving us a far easier to defend border for future conflicts. The same treaty also hands over all Swedish settlements in south west Australia to Turkey – Sweden are left with one isolated city in the north. As we negotiate using the Ethiopian Holy War CB, we take these ten provinces for just ten infamy. The two treaties of 1685 mean our infamy is now 26.9/34, but it continues to fall by 2.00 annually. We now only the Franco-British alliance.

In January '86, we sign a white peace with Pskov, who have not participated in any of the conflicts so far. The war is continuing slowly by this point, we control two British settlements in Australia which intend to defect to us in the coming months, so despite the British and French pleas we will not agree a peace yet. In April, Suleyman begins work on a new programme of infrastructure. Roads are to be the first focus, starting with our newly acquired territories.


Finally, on the fourth of September, we have gained the provinces we can from Great Britain, and we negotiate a withdrawal from Trent and an end to the war. Britain pays a small indemnity of 100 ducats, and finally the Empire is at peace again. However, this peace was to prove to be merely an armistice, and the conflict which had ended merely the first phase of a period of global warfare.
On the 22nd November, with the ink still fresh on the peace treaties, Khalifah Suleyman II passes away in his sleep and is succeeded by his son, Mehmed I.

SirkTheMonkey said:

That's a rather poor ruler you're stuck with there now. Nice work grabbing the Nullabor and Swan River, plus all the other stuff I don't care about because it isn't in Australia.
What are the stats and age of the new heir? Would it be worth it to stick Mehmed in a uniform that looks suspiciously like a bullseye and make him lead from the front?

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Yeah, as far as ruler's go Mehmed is the worst I've had, but some distance. I think he was in his early 20's on succession, and his heir is of a similar calibre unfortunately. Fortunately, taking the cabinet national idea means I'm assured of a reasonable infamy reduction, even with a diplomatic rating as poor as Mehmed's. It was certainly tempting to stick him at the head of a column, but after Mustafa III's excellent long life I figured I couldn't really complain if I'm stuck with him for a while.

In terms of Australia, I was delighted when the Ethiopian declaration of war offered me the chance to grab a decent number of provinces so cheaply.

Maximus_96 said:

That would be pretty cool to compare them at the end, except I dont seem to have a screenshots folder anywhere in my EU3 files

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I've got a few idea of how to end this AAR, and I think I'll certainly have a look back at some of the rulers. I don't use the screenshot folder either, but instead I use the print screen key and just paste into paint. Fairly crude, but it means I can keep track of the screenshots I'm taking.

Gukpa said:

Excelent,you take south Australia!

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There will be more conflict in Australia in the next update as well.

loki100 said:

that map with all your enemies would have had me cowering beneath the bed for a few hours ... well done for handling it so calmly. Does seem, judging by the battle reports, that your armies have a real technological edge which must help in those situations.

Mehmed looks like he is going to be a real problem though ...

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It was actually quite deceptive - I did face a significant number of enemies but France, Britain and Aragon could only really engage on my terms due to the Turkish stranglehold on the Med. It is very fortunate I upgraded and re-organised the navy during Mustafa's reign however, as the sheer number of battles would have worn me down eventually. By using three fleets of modern ships I was able to allow one fleet to repair while the others patrolled, and so I didn't lose any battles or ships.

The battles I did face - against backward and quantity focused Ryazan and Ethiopia, were a bit of a walk in the park. With leaders, and if terrain wasn't too bad, I could win with around half the troops they fielded. When France suddenly marched through Egypt, however, I was caught off guard, and was lucky they didn't press their advantage or I would have lost at least one army.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Merrick Chance' said:

Well, finally got through your AAR.

Firstly, I really like the hybrid gameplay/historybook style you have going, it lets you keep a brisk pace which is nice.

Secondly, the Ottomans are one of my favorite countries to play (after maybe France), so it's really nice to see what you did with it (plus while I don't like playing MEIOU [i'm too used to how hard MM is] I love MEIOU AARs because the maps are *so* *much* *prettier*).

Thirdly, I like your use of art. This is a quality AAR and I'll be following it with gusto

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Thanks very much. The pace has felt maybe a little quick at points, although it has given me the confidence to try something more in-depth at a later date. I agree with you on the map, it certainly makes it harder to go back to vanilla after playing a mod - although this is true of a number of EU3 mods.

il_loco said:

Hey, at least you have a nice commander for jungle patrol armies...

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Another excellent reason for expanding the Brazilian colonies!

dragonizer said:

Another fine update.
as you can tell from my sig. I play for war and battles.
been playing since EU1 in 1999 EUIII 2006 IN 2008
Have not lost a war yet some lucky wp's though.

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Thanks. I suppose I haven't lsot any wars in this campaign, but there are a few I would consider a loss as I was either glad to accept a white paece, or unable to press my demand from the beginning of the war.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, glad you're all enjoying this.

One of the disadvantages of playing a few years ahead in the game is that I'm always trying to answer a question without spoiling the next update. There is some action in the colonies coming up, but I can say it seems to have been a fairly normal colonial experience. The UK has done well, owning the south of Mexico, and a substantial part of the eastern North American coast. Castille have some land in the Caribbean and Venezuela, while there are numerous smaller colonies in Mexico, owned by France, Aragon, Mallorca, Portugal, and even some colonial revolts such as the USA, Texas and New Orleans (All in real life Mexico)

There are a very limited number of native controlled provinces still left, while in Canada it’s a similar patchwork, with Quebec having emerged as a two province minor. Aragon have a significant colony in Louisiana and in South Africa, while Indonesia is a patchwork of native states, Castille, Ming and Holland. Ming also control most of the west coast of South America.

I've played through the life of the next monarch, but I'll try to provide some maps and a decent overview of the colonial situation in the next update. You've timed your question well, it will be very important in the coming years

Mehmed I takes to the throne, and instantly clashes with the hostile Parliament. The new ruler is not consiudered to be the man to lead the Empire through challengin times, as rumours of fresh European alliances abound. Nevertheless, there is no attempt to usurp the throne, and Mehmed settles into the palace and attempts ot improve his influence. Follwoing the conclusion of hostilities against France, armies is Italy are increased in size, and many of the European ships captured are scuttled. While the situation on our borders is tense, our finances are poured into province developments, and we enjoy watching the infamy (rather slowly) burn.

On the 2nd January 1689 we build a stock exchange in Kostantiniyye, which increases trade efficiency and gives a 2% boost to trade income. The weakness of Mehmed has also allowed the religious factions to re-assert themselves, we gain our first missionary in many years and begin converting Hungarian provinces.


On the 7th May, the Parliament agitation for expansion, as tensions spill over in the Caucasus. The Orthodox states, encouraged by Ryazan, are becoming increasingly bold. Turkish soldiers are ordered over the border and into Imereti. Our aim will be to establish another vassal in the region, and weaken Ryazan's influence. Ryazan decide to resist with force, and are joined by their allies Circassia and Persia. Ryazan assume leadership and declare that they will not let up until Muslim power is forever removed from the Crimea, and 55,000 modernised troops attack Dniepre and Zaporizhzhia Sich. Circassia attack in the east.

Although we have fewer men in the region, we still enjoy a significant technological lead over the Orthodox alliance, and all the early battles go our way. The Orthodox numbers do mean that several of our cities are under siege, but we pick off their smaller forces one by one. On the 1sty January 1690 we meet a huge army from Ryazan and inflict a crushing blow on them at Dniepr. Our 22,000 men lose only 324 men, while their force of 24,500 are left with only 2,700 after one of the bloodiest and most one sided battles our armies have been invovled in. We quickly pursue the survivors and Ryazan are left with no men able to oppose us.


By the 22nd April Imereti's capital falls and they surrender, becoming our vassal. This frees up forces from Asia Minor who attack the south of Circassia. With Ryazan unable to mount a threatening invasion, our forces drive east and begin to capture the Circassian towns. In December 19,000 rebels rise in the North of Circassia, and prompty capture cities inCircassia, Ryazan and the Blue Horde.

By January of 1692 our forces have made considerable progress. Baghdad has again fallen, while the Orthodox alliance have suffered huge casualties and all three remaining enemies beg for peace. They still have a total of 50,000 men, but many are situated in the north of Ryazan where the Timurids are causing problems.


Cricassia soon lose control of many of their provinces, while Persia and Ryazan are unable to come to their aid. In July 1693 the province of Kabarda defects from Circassia, and other provinces will follow soon. Kerman, although no longer an ally, decide to capitalise on Persia's weakness, and invade their northern holdings. With few Persian's to resist, Kerman clock up a rapid and total victory, taking much land.


Finally, after many years of occupation, we agree a treaty with the alliance. On the 20th January. Circassia give up two provinces in the Caucasus, which connects our territories in Asia Minor and Crimea, and also cuts their holdings in half. Persia cede the port of Basra and release the state of Shirvanshah, meaning they now only control a handful of Mesopotamian provinces. Ryazan give up their claims on our provinces, and release the state of Astrakan. Following the peace treaty, our infamy rises to 25.2.


Following the peace, we have almost gained a land border with Kerman. Circassia still control some land on the Caspian Sea, while the acquisition of land in the Caucasus and Imereti strengthens our position in the region considerably, allowing troops to travel easily between the Middle East and the northern frountier. With Ryazan no longer having a claim on our provinces, the likliehood of them attacking is reduced, although they still have ambitions on the Crimea. Shirvanshah could potentially be a useful ally, especially as we have almost gained a border with the expansionist Kerman.


In Australia, Genoa remain at war with Great Britain and have made considerable gains. Many provinces have defected, and since a considerable number of the British colonies were previously Genoese cities there are few issues with culture of revolts. However, they accept peace before the finaly colonies can convert. Nevertheless, Genoa are once again our major rival in Australia, which is preferable to a strong Great Britain who would field greater numbers. It also means we do not share a border with Britain, which hopefully means they will be less likely to intervene against us.

For the next fives years, we concentrate on building paved roads in new colonies, as well as improving fortifications. A few more missionaries are gained, who continue to work in our Hungarian provinces.

On the 7th April 1700, this temporary peace is again shattered where France launch another religious war against us. They have a strong alliance, with Castile and Ethiopia joining, as well as the small state of Merina (In Madagascar).


Castille outnumber us significantly in Brazil, and none of our provinces on the border are cored. It also takes a long time to move troops through the jungle, meaning it will be a number of months before we can resist. In the meantime, Castille cross the border with 7,000 men and begin a siege. Ethiopia attack with what is becoming the customary 20,000 stack. Interestingly, the years between our wars with them have not been kind, and Ethiopia have lost land to three rebellions in the North, West and South. They still hold most of thei territory, but are somewhat smaller than in their previous attacks. Prolonging our war with them could be an opportunity to stir up further unrest.

The war does not begin well however, as combined Franco-Spanish fleets inflict a defeat on us in the Meditterenean. 27,000 French attack Rhodes, but we have 40,000 men available in Kostantiniyye who land and defeat the invasion. We are able to re-establish our hegemony on the waves after defeating the French and Spanish individually. On the 23rd January 1701 Castille capture Curantyce in Brazil, but their 7,000 men do not advance. We have 5,000 to oppose, so although we cannot advance we are able to resist further loses. Howeve, colonial provinces qualify under MEIOU's war dynamics system, meaning that if we don't retake the city soon it will defect. This also means that if we can turn the tide here we can overrun the Spanish holdings in Venezuala. We have until August 1702 to retake our city from Castille.

We soon suffer another setback, as 30,000 Frenchmen surprisingly attack through Ethiopia, inflicting a heavy defeat on us Kerma, interrupting our siege. The day after our defeat, Ethiopia offer us a white peace, which we accept. Our second Egyptian army retreats and combines with our defeated force, finally defeating the French in Alexandria. 20,000 men in Arabia travel south to attack and siege the Castilian ports on the Arabian sea.

In Europe, things are reasonably quiet as the French and Castilian navies do not venture from their ports. On the 27th April we declare war against Pisa, citing the a tenious claim we have on the Pisan colonies in Australia. They are supported by a large alliance, the Holy Roman Emperor (Holland), Genoa, Siena, Firenze, Quebec and Venice all agree to support Pisa. This means that the conflict will take place not only in Australia, but in Italy where there are around 30,000 hostile forces on our border.


On the 13th July, the French fleet finally leave port and are sunk off the coast of Malta. Their decision to attack without Castilian support is difficult to understand, although well led they are very heavily outnumbered and out gunned. With their fleet defeated, France are unable to threaten us. We already have Trent under siege, so their do not have any provinces on our border to recruit from.


Mehmed takes personal command of an army of 25,000 and attack Siena. We aim to knock the smaller states out of the conflict as early as possible. However, our plans suffer an early setback as the Italian states inflict a defeat on us at Siena.

On the 17th August, we finally defeat the Castilians at Curantyna and retake the province. We now have 9,000 men in the west, while Castille have no men remaining. We have a further 4,000 men travelling to increase the number of sieges. We hope to capture as much of their colonies as possible before reinforcements arrive.

Maps showing the progress across all our fronts as of October 1702​

A revolution breaks out in the Blue Horde, who finally break away from Circassia. They revert to their previous nomadic existance and begin to venture over our borders. War breaks out and we begin to occupy their cities.

On the 25th August 1703 we defeat a larger army from Firenze and sign a peace for 168 ducats, while our fleet inflict a heavy defeat on the Castilian's, although we cannot sink many ships.


On the 6th September, a revolution breaks out in brazil. Ming's province has been held by separatists for a number of months, but their revolt also spreads to our provinces on either side who declare their allegiance to the new state and declare war against us. The three provinces can only call a small number of men to their cause, but they instantly begin recruiting. We must divert men from the Castilian front in order to snuff out this rebellion before it can spread. Brazil also have a number of cores in our territory, so we could potentially lose land very quickly if they are allowed to fall to the revolutionaries.


On the 30th April 1704 we gain Al Mukka from Castille through event, and Manyeh from the Blue Horde. In July, two provinces defect from Genoa and Pisa in Australia. Infamy is only 11.3, so we can still take much more land.

On the 19th March 1705, following a fairly straighyforward occupation, Brazil surrender and we gain the city previously held by Ming, meaning we finally can connect our territory without a lengthy march through the jungle.

On the 27th April, Milan decide to throw their hat into the ring. They want to displace Holland as the HRE, and playing a more active role in the religious wars against us would be one way to guarantee election. We defeat their invasion of 33,000 in Veneto, but it is a costly battle and we are routed in a second battle. While we recruit a new army, our 40,000 strong capital force march to relieve the pressure on our Italian holdings. We clash with them at the battle of Padoa on the 7th December 1705, routing the Milanese army.


On July the 13th we capture Siena and they pay 250 ducats for peace. On the 15th Genoa offer a huge 1650 ducats for peace, and we withdraw from their few remaining cities in Australia. On the 2nd February 1707 we colonise the last province of the Blue Horde, and the nomadic state are no more.

In August 1707, the small French trading post in India finally defects to us, we now only want their small holding in Indonesia to defect before we can bring the war to an end. We are making strong progress against Castille in Brazil. However, before we can bring the conflict to an end, Mehmed dies at the head of the Italian army on the 16th March 1708.