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Feb 26, 2004
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Sine my last AAR didnt seem to be very popular I decided to let it die and start this one. I've had this idea for some time now, but I haven't gotten to really going through with it until now.

This AAR deals with alternative history, and as such, if you take offence about any of the alternative historical events and the alternative timeline I have created, please remember that this is not real life, and that I do not feel like this myself personally.

Now, over the the whole concept. It is quite simple actually; it deals with the crusades. What could have happened if the crusades were a lot more successful than they were IRL?
Now, I know a bit about the crusades, but I am no historian, and as such, this will most likely be complete fantasy with a few roots in real history.

First, I will post a summary, in textbook style, of the five crusades, of the sucess of christianity and of the fall of Islam.

First up is the first crusade and a bit of a prologue. It will come later today, stay tuned!
 
The First Crusade​
1095-1100​
1099jerusalem.jpg



Causes
During the eleventh century, the turks of the Seljuk tribes had grown in power in the east, expanding their rule from Persia, into the levant and eventually starting to go at Anatolia. The Seljuks were muslim, as most people of the area was, and this worried the roman emperor in Byzantinum.
Seeing his power threatened, not only by a powerful enemy, but by a muslim one too boot, the emperor felt worried about his empire. As the Seljuks grew stronger, he could do nothing but stand by and wait, as he feared that should he attack, he would loose.
In 1095, the emperor Alexius I, more worried than ever, sent an emissary to the pope in Italy, asking for help again the Seljuks.
He couldn't have chosen a better time, for the Seljuks had recently divided, now lacking centralized leadership, which would later contribute to the success of the first crusade. Also Europe was in a critical stage, with the relations between Germany and France growing more tense by the hour, the pope Urban II was looking for a way to divert attention from Europe. To him, the request of the emperor of Byzantinum was like a gift from God. He also hoped it might bring the catholic and the orthodox churches together again, and in late 1095, he summond the Council of Clermont, declaring the crusades.​



The Council of Clermont
CouncilofClermont.jpg

The council began as a way to discuss other matters in the curch, with around 300 important clergymen from all over France attending at the council. It lasted for ten days, the first few days concerning itself with matters of reforming the church, a few days about wether or not the king of France should be excommunicated (he had divorced his first wife and married a second one, against papal orders), and not until the second last day, november the 27 1095, was the matter of a holy war brought up.
Urban II called for a crusade to return the holyland into Christian hands and bring about an end to the muslim rule of the levant, and most importantly Jerusalem. He also declared that those who fought would be forgiven all their sins by God.
Ending his speech with the famous words: Deus Vult (God wants it, or it is God's will) he roused the crowds into a roar, and called all men, poor and rich, to join him on his crusade.
It was a great success. Thousands were said to have arrived the very next day, weapons and armor ready, screaming "Deus Vult" over and over again, as a battle cry.​



The march to Jerusalem
FirstCrusade.jpg
In 1096, the papal crusaders left Rome, marching across the Balkans to Byzantinum, where they were greeted by the emperor. Of the four princes leading the crusader armies, three were forced to swear loyalty to the emperor, while the fourth instead allied with him. They quickly went across the Bosphurus and into Anatolia.
At Nicaea they were betrayed by the Byzantines, as the crusaders awoke one morning to find that the emperor had negotiated with the turks, and the city was now in Byzantine hands, and no crusaders were allowed inside. From that day on, the crusaders decided not to help the Greek further, but instead went south to Jerusalem.
Originally the journey was supposed to take five weeks, but sieges and smaller battles ansured that the journey would in fact take two whole years to finish. On the way, many cities were sacked for money, food and water, much needed to supply the army.​




The Capture of Jerusalem
Jerusalemcrusades.jpeg

In 1098, the crusaders besieged Jerusalem, after capturing Antioch earlier that year, after a siege that lastet for 8 months. Jerusalem managed to hold on for almost a year before finally falling to the crusaders. Though news almost immidiately came of the Fatimid amry marching north from Egypt the reatke Jerusalem, the crusaders kept a good mood, and when the muslims did arrive, they were overpwered and slaightered by the European knights, and after that, peace was made with the muslims, handing over power of the Levant to the crusaders.​




The Aftermatch
The kingdom of Jerusalem was founded, as well as several minor crusader states, effectively under the authority of Jerusalem. The kingdom established was mostly inhabited by French, though throughout the early 1100s, several more knights and people arrived, not only from France, but from all of Europe, ensuring a mix of culture in Jerusalem.
The crusaders, having left the Byzantine on their own, had indirectly ensured that Byzantinum would never gain hold power over the whole of Anatolia, as it was effecitvly divided into two, the western parts belonging to the Greek, the eastern parts under turkish dominance, though later events would drive the turks away from these lands.
Another consequence of this crusade was that almost one third of all French nobility had left France, and later many more would leave, leading eventually to the collapse of France as a kingdom and to the hundred years war.
Also, with a firm Christian presence in the Levant, muslim power in the area was permanently broken, and only the Fatimids in Egypt and the Berber in Iberia were left to present a muslim threat to Christianity.

Crusaderstates.jpeg

Christian Levant as of 1100

Comming up, the second crusade...,


EDIT: If you read this, please post something in the topic. Any comment will do, even just a plain "I read it." If I don't get any posts I get frustrated and scared and prolly the AAR will die again.
 
Last edited:
I read it,


















:p No seriously, it looks cool. But it doesn't look like there need to be anymore crusades with the turks already beaten.
 
Van Engel said:
But it doesn't look like there need to be anymore crusades with the turks already beaten.

Ah, yes, that's exactly what the crusaders in real life thought. At least until a few decades later, when they went a-crusading again and got their rear ends kicked at Damascus and later Hattin. Let's see how that part pans out. ;)
 
Yeah, what Judas said. =)

Nah, the Turks weren't really beat at the point, as they still held a large presence in Anatolia, not to talk about the deserts east of the KoJ. Also, the Fatimids held the Sinai and Egypt, and were still a large threat.

How the crusaders manage to survive will come in the second crusade, prolly sometime tomorrow.
 
The Second Crusade
1145-1150​

Asia_minor_1140.jpg
Crusader states by the time of the second crusade

Prologue and Causes
The first king of Jerusalem was elected, but refused the title, instead calling himself "the protector of the holy sepulcre". He however died after less than a year of ruling, and his follower, Baldwin I had himself crowned king of Jerusalem the very same day.
However, Baldwin I died without an heir, and his cousin instead had to take the throne, until he died mysteriously in bed and his half-brother Louis the Lustful took his place, crowning himself Louis I of Jerusalem in 1136, ensuring that his family, the Rogemonds, would rule the kingdom for almost two hundred years.
Louis I was very ample to put up many fortresses and strook a deal with the then fledgling knightly order known as the Knights Hospitallers, who renamed themselves the Knights of Jerusalem. They would be granted several rights over other orders, and the county of Tripoli, which had been left without a ruler since the current count had died recently, would be given to the order. In exchange, they would supply Jerusalem with an amry of well-trained knights for protection against the turks. This later proved to be a great decision, as the military power provided by the knights would ensure Jerusalem's victory in the second and third crusades.
During this period, many Europeans moved to Jerusalem, most were French, but Italians, Germans, Greek and even a few English also arrived. The Knights of Jerusalem also held recruting campaigns in Europe, amassing a rather large army for themselves and Jerusalem.
In 1145 the count of Edessa called for help, for the turks had attacked his city and besieged it. Jerusalem sent help and called for the pope, who in turn called the second crusade.





The Crusades in the East
443px-Barbaros.JPG

The future Barbarossa
The crusades this time attracted royalty from all over Europe, most importantly the future Barbarossa. The kings and queens from all over Europe sent forces to Jerusalem to help, but only two decided to come in person: Louis of France and Conrad of Germany.
While the mainland Europeans were on their way to the Holyland, the forces of Jerusalem set out to help Edessa, and arrived there in late 1145. The city had almost fallen by then, and the crusader army had to attack, which proved both a good and a bad choice, for the army of Jerusalem lost the battle, but the Seljuks were reduced in number, so the following attack from the Knights was a great success. Edessa was saved and a large Seljuk army destroyed, while the Knights had proven their worth in battle.
No time was spared, as the Knights set out to follow the fleeing army and cut down every last turk.
Meanwhile, a second turkish army had conquered the city of Damascus, and the French and German armies set out to take it back, after holding a council in Acre. The siege of Damascus was barely a success, as the muslims were without supplies and outnumbered, but most of the German and French crusaders were killed in the siege.
Now, all the crusading armies, including the knights, met in Jerusalem again. The Seljuks were no real threat anymore, as their armies were crushed, their leader had been killed in Edessa, and parts of the knights were raiding their cities to make sure no one would dare attack.
The council of Jerusalem decided that now was the time to strike into Syria and the Sinai, and conquer it for christianity. THe army was divided into two: one larger army led by Conrad of Germany and the headmaster of the Knights, a second army led by Louis of France and Louis of Jerusalem.
The two Louis headed east into Syria and Jordan, occupying cities and harrassing muslims, meeting no real resistance, while Conrad and the Knights shipped their army at great costs into Egypt over the Red Sea and launched a surprise attack on Cairo from the south. The Fatimids were not ready, and the hastily amassed army could not hold the city. It fell after a siege that lasted for 6 months. The Knights occupied the city, while Conrad led his army to Alexandria.
After the great successes, the French and Levantine armies in the east also departed for Egypt, and the collective force of the army was too much for the unprepared Fatimids, who fled west, leaving their lands without leadership and ripe for conquest. After a year of fighting, Egypt was now in Christian hands.
Conrad and Louis of France went home to Europe now, while Jerusalem continued to wage war gainst the muslims east of Jerusalem. After pacifying the region and occupying all the cities, the crusades in the east were decalred successful by the pope at the council of Alexandria, when the king of Egypt, an Italian duke from Milan, was elected as Jakob I of Egypt.





The Crusades in the West
AfonsoI-P.jpg

Alfonso of Portugal
Crusaders from England, the Netherlands and Scotland left for the Holyland in 1146. Before thye arrived, though, they were intercepted along the way, as the king of Portugal, Alfonso, convinced them to instead help him fight the Muslims in western Iberia.
The crusades led by Alfonso put siege to the city of Lisbon 1147, and when the city was later captured, continued pursuing the fleeing muslims. It was then that Alfonso's army was ambushed and Alfonso killed by muslims, before help could arrive. The christian revenge was hard and strong, as they attacked the muslims, driving them further south, until finally settling in 1149, when no muslims west of Andalusia proper remained.
Now, the kingdom of Portugal should have gone to Alfonso's son, but the king of León, managed to convinced the pope that he was the rightful ruler of Portugal, and the pope declared that Portugal was now under the domains of León, which led to a violent reaction among the Castillians, who didn't like the Portuguese much. The Portuguese, however, were content with Leónese rule. later this would erupt into a revolt in Castille, leading the its independence and the loss of Leónese authority in Castille.
The south and east was still under muslim rule, but having secured Portugal was a great success, though not one of the original goals of the second crusade, which would later be remembered as the crusade that accomplished more than anyone could have hoped.​




The Results
The second crusade ensured that the kingdom of Jerusalem would survive and later prosper. The Christian dominance of the region was assured, and with the creating of the kingdom of Egypt, the future of Christianity looked bright.
In the west, the Leónese dominance of the Iberian peninsula would last for centuries, and the Portuguese-Leónese rule would later bring much riches to the peninsula and Europe.
Also, with the Turks and the Fatimids crushed, no real compition would come from muslims in the area for many years to come.​


Coming up, the third crusade...


PS: Yeah, this is on the border to complete fantasy, but I felt I wanted to take some liberty in this. Also, I felt the´touch of having León as the dominant kingdom in Spain instead of Castille was too good not to take. =)
 
NickFey said:
Is the MES mod ?

Actually, I haven't started playing it yet. I will first give a little prelude to the AAR itself, consisting of six installments as the ones above (five major crusades and one installment about several minor ones), and then I will start the scenario itself, which is a modified GC. I am not completely done with the modding yet, but it will include:

- Provinces with catholic Arabs
- The kingdom of Cappadocia
- No Ottomans
- Christian city of Mekkha

...and possibly a few custom events. If I ever bother, I might upload it as a mod.
 
The Third Crusade
1180-1190
477px-Gustave_dore_crusades_death_of_frederick_of_germany.jpg

Causes
The first kingdom of Egypt was an unstable one. The christian rulers were not at all accepted by the muslim people, and even at the height of its power, the Christian kings only controlled the areas around Cairo and Alexandria.
After the first king had died, his son Geraldo inherited the kingdom. Geraldo was a tyrant, demanding ridiculous taxes from the muslims, harrasing them constantly and sometimes killing off whole villages on a whim.
This obviously could not last, and in 1179, Salah ad-Din Jusuf, called Saladin by the Christians, lead a rebellion. He was the nephew of a turkish leader that had lost during the second crsuades. His uprising managed to overthrow the Italian king, brutally killing him and his family and re-establish muslim rule of Egypt.
Naturally, when the king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, heard this, he called for his knights and his army and sent a letter to the pope, who one year later called the third crusade, against Saladin in Egypt, and against the berbers still left in Iberia.​





Saladin and the siege of Jerusalem
Salah_ad-Din_Jusuf_ibn_Ajub.jpg


Saladin was a supreme military commander, and a great agitator. Men flocked around him to join his military ranks, and fight with glory. In 1180, he besieged Alexandria, and by the end of the year, he had expelled all Christians from Egypt and was making his way north, towards Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, ranks of crusaders, lead by Richard I (better known as Lionheart) of England and Frederick of Germany, marched towards Jerusalem. On the way, Frederick died by drowning in Cilicia, causing chaos among the ranks of the crusaders. Lead by Lionheart, they made their way southwards and arrived in Antioch in spring 1181
At this time, the armies of Saladin met with the army of Jerusalem and a few Knights in Jaffa. Pulling a great tactical stunt, Saladin allured the Christians to attack his armies from behind by pretending that he hadn't noticed the Christians waiting for him in a mountain pass. The christians saw the armies walk by them and tried to charge them, unaware of the thousands of camel-mounted warriors hidden among the hills. The army of Jerusalem and two hundred of the best knights was killed, and Saladin could march to Jerusalem, besieging the city.
When Lionheart arrived in the spring, the city was on the bringe of falling into Muslim hands, as Baldwin IV hadn't prepared for a siege, and the food was running out. In a massive battle, where Lionhearts superior numbers, joined by almost a thousand highly trained knights from the city of Tripoli, met with the untrained Muslim infantry, aided by their supreme camel cavalry. As it looked grim for Lionheart, the remaining men in Jerusalem opened the city gates and stormed out, led by Baldwin IV himself, and drove the Muslims into flight.​





North Africa
Richard_coeurdelion_g.jpg


After the siege, Lionheart's army and a group of Knights decided to follow the fleeing Muslim army southwards. Several small skirmishes followed, but no real battle until the Muslims arrived in Alexandria and barricaded themselves. The siege became longand tedious and after almost seven months of siege, the crusaders started bombarding Alexandria with plague infected corpses, leading to an outburst of black plague, causing the eventual fall of the city to Christian forces. Saladin, however, managed to flee west, and in an attemt to catch him, a smaller army of knights rode west into Tripolitania* and onwards to Tunisia, while the main bulk of the army stayed in Egypt, oppressing the trouble makers and making sure that this time, the Christian's would stay.
Saladin was finally caught up with in 1182 in Tunisia. The knights raided the city and killed Saladin and the local court, establishing themselves as rulers of Tunisia, Tripolitania* and Cyrenaica.




Spain
Though not as eventful as the crusades in the Hoyland, the Iberian crusades at this time is noteworhty nonetheless. The king of Aragon, together with the king of León, gathered their armies and made a joint attack on the remaining sultanate of Corboda, León from the south and Aragon from the North. Corboda, having been in chaos and constant civil war since the second crusades, proved to be no match for the Christians, who could simply walk through the countryside and cities, until reaching the city of Granada, where the last sultan of Corboda reigned. The siege lasted for only a week before the sultan capitulated. He was left alive as a courtier in León for awhile, though not as any worthwhile role, but as an amusing pet to the king.
After this devastating success, the pope declared the council of Valencia in 1190, that would later makr the end of the third crusades.



The Council of Valencia, or the Consequences
640px-View_and_Plan_of_Jerusalem_Fac_simile_of_a_Woodout_in_the_Liber_Chronicarum_Mundi_large_folio_Nuremberg_1493.png

At the council of Valencia, the pope, several hundred memebers of the clergy and the kings of León, Aragon, France, Jerusalem and England (Germany was represented by several dukes, as the new emperor hadn't been chosen yet) met do discuss what to do about the new situation.
It was agreed that Iberia would be divided between Aragon and León, giving León the newly conquered Andalusia and Gibraltar, while Aragon would be granted the coastal provinces of the east, including Granada.
Egypt would be ruled by a French nobleman related to both the French and and the Levantine (Jerusalemite) kings, and the new capital would be Alexandria. Cairo would be burned to the ground and deserted, to prevent future rebellions.
The newly conquered lands of Tripolitania*, Tunisia and Cyrenaica would be granted to the Knights for twenty-five years, so that they could supress the Muslims there, after which, it would be granted its own king, elected in another council.

Other Important Events
Related to the Crusades, two other important events followed. The first was the Christian conquest of Sicily, previously owned by Muslims.
The second was that Byzantinum took its chances and launched a small war themselves, reconquering most of Anatolia for themselves.​



Coming up, the fourth crusade....

*Tripolitania is not the same as the city of Tripoli, which is in the Levant. Tripolitania is a strip of land roughly where the coast of Libya is in modern days.
 
Shame Barbarossa died from drowning, again. :rolleyes: I guess we will be seeing alot of infighting between the crusader kingdoms soon, maybe even a crusade against the Greeks? :D
 
Van Engel said:
Shame Barbarossa died from drowning, again. :rolleyes: I guess we will be seeing alot of infighting between the crusader kingdoms soon, maybe even a crusade against the Greeks? :D

Well, I felt a historical drowning was too good to not keep.

About the greek, off course there will be a crusade against them next. =)
The fourth update *might* appear this evening, if I find time.
 
The Fourth Crusade
1207-1212
DelacroixConstantinople.JPG


Prelude and Causes
The newly established kingdom of Egypt was a shaky one. In order to not have another kingdom overtrhwon by Muslim rebels, the pope ordered a new knightly order created, based in Alexandria. The Knight of Alexandria became protectors of Egypt, and with their help, the kingdom could endure.
Any time Muslims revolted, the knights would be there to put them down, and with a massive conversion campaign launched by the church in Jerusalem and Egypt, things started to look good for the crusader kingdoms.
In León, meanwhile, an expidition was launched southwards to capture the city of Tangiers and the southern pillar of Hercules. When the king left for the trip, he put one of his advisors in charge of the kingdom. The advisor was Portuguese. This caused a massive uproar among the Castillians, who revolted and declared independence. With the king in southern lands, the advisor could do nothing, especially considering the Castillians turned to Aragon for protection.
In Byzantinum, the emperor declared in 1204 that all catholics would pay an extra tax while travelling through the city, and in 1206 he establsihed road blocks all the way through he empire, taking money from pilgrims and people on their way to settling in the Levantine. The pope declared these taxes to be an abomination, made only to stop people from doing their duties to God, and in 1207, a Venetian merchant seeing his chance, asked to pope if a crusade would be declared. A month later, a crusade against Byzantinum was launched.




To Byzantinum
BNF-crusaderattackonjlem1099.jpg


A crusader army led by the king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, was sent from Jerusalem. Meanwhile, a small army was sent from Rome as well, but it wouldnt arrive until later on.
The Levantine army marched north, raiding, pillaging and killing any solidiers they came across. In july, they put a siege on the city of Nicaea, where the first crusaders had been betrayed by the emperor long ago. It fell four months later, about the same time as the Roman army arrived in Athens by boat, sieging the city.
The Byzantine army was non-existant, and the empire in great economical difficulty. Without much difficulty, the cities fell, and early 1208, the Levantine army arived in Byzantium.
The siege lasted for almost a year and a half, but eventually the city fell to the crusaders. The emperor, begging for mercy, was forced to sign a document, declaring that he would convert to Catholicism, and that the anatolia would go to the crusaders. He signed, but broke his agreements later.





The Mauretania Crusade
267%20Rabat-Morroco.jpg


The king of León, already present in Tangiers, heard of the crusades and decided that while he couldnt take part on the attack against Byzantium, he could venture south into the little known lands of Mauretania. His army was small, but he reconned it would be enough, and in 1208 he sieged Fez, which fell early 1209 to his army. His plan had been to march stouhwards, but his army was too small, and the Castillian revolt required his attention at home, so he left the city to his nephew, who when the king had left, declared himself king of the kingdom of Mauretania, with its capital in Fez. He continued battling muslims until later 1212, when he was content with his conquests and went back the Fez, starting massive conversion campaigns.






Consequences
The kingdoms of Cappadocia and Cilicia in the Anatolia were created out of the old Byzantine possesions. They both had kings related to the king of Jerusalem
THe kingdom of Mauretania would steadily push southwards in the future, gaining more and more land in Africa.
The kingdom of Castille was formed, vassals under Aragon. It was a thorn in the side of León for ages.
Also, the kingdom of North Africa was soon to have its first king elected. However, the dying pope was persuaded by the king of Sicily to give him the title king of North Africa, for the payment of the lands around Naples and the Italian "boot" to the papal states. Thus was the kingdom of Sicily and North Africa formed.




Coming up, smaller crusades and the fifth crusade....
 
Thank you.

Another reason I dropped Barbarossa was because Europe would look veyr different in 1419 if he had stayed, and I didn't want to get too deep into modding mainland Europe. My plan is to have Europe pretty much the same, while north africa and the middle east is changed.