Beneath the Ottomans

Prologue:

Prologue:

Anatolia, Asia Minor 1419
Meh.med I stared out across the Bosporus and cursed at his misfortune. Only his closest advisors could hear him. “I cannot believe our misfortune,” Meh.med started. “To come this far, only to repulsed again by the heathens of Constantinople!”
“My lord?” questioned his chief military advisor?
“Our lands are threatened on the eastern and western fringes of our empire.”
“I cannot believe this. Who would be so bold to attack our realm?”
“The filthy heathen Christians from the west besiege us in the Balkans, and the remnants of Byzantines press us in Asia Minor I must call for the withdrawal back to Anatolia.”
“My lord, we can still take the city, allow me and several thousand troops to defeat these Christian devils. I will do it for the glory of Allah and for you my lord.”
“No! This is not our true jihad yet we must wait for the right time.”
A few hours later the Ottoman army encamped around the city of Constantinople withdrew to secure the divided Ottoman holdings. On the trip back to Anatolia Meh.med found a solution to his serious problem.

We must find an ally who will protect my holdings in Asia Minor from our vast enemies. I know the best group of people who can help me. Then I can control them as these Christian heathens say a vassal. Yes the nations of Europe and the Middle East will tremble before the might of the Ottoman Empire!

Shortly after Meh.med returned to his palace at Anatolia he drafted the first of many letters to the Grand Council of Teke. His plans were quickly coming to light. Meh.Med I planned to use the people of Teke as support to his war machine. The machine of war would soon plunge both nations into a series of conquests for 35 bloody years. Nations would fall before the might of the Ottoman storm and their Teke allies.

Session I 1419-1431

Session 1: The Unholy Alliance and the rise of the Ottoman Empire 1419-1431

Antalya 1419:

The small enclave of Antalya lies at the western edge of Asia Minor. It was invaded numerous times by both the kings of Cyprus and the Ottoman Sultan. However by 1390 the people of Antalya freed themselves from the oppressions of both parties. This freedom would be short lived as the dawn of the fifteenth century approached. The Ottoman Empire would spread its influence to the far corners of Asia Minor. Twenty years past the people of Antalya soon forget themselves as the nation of Teke and more as Ottomans.

Upon seeing his nations influence on the people of Teke, the Ottoman Sultan Meh.Med I put his bold plan into action. In return for small concessions of military access Meh.Med I formed an alliance with the people of Teke. This alliance would fight a series of devastating wars from the Balkans to the gates of the Holy land. The kings of Eastern Europe label this alliance as the Unholy Alliance.

26 years of war began in the summer of 1422. The Ottoman war machine was determined to destroy Byzantium, claim the Bosporus and push through the Balkans towards Hungary. In 1422 the first war began as Ottoman troops pushed southward and invaded the kingdom of Karaman. The feeble defense put up by the Karaman soldiers was easily pushed aside. Within a year Karaman surrendered to the Ottomans. Three years later Byzantium fell to the Ottomans. In 1427 The Ottomans attacked the Duchy of Athens and took Athens later that year. By 1430 the Byzantium was surrounded on all sides by the Ottomans Murad II would complete the dreams Meh.Med I, the complete destruction of Byzantium.

Later that year Murad II received some disturbing news. The kingdom of Karaman was conquered by Teke. He was upset; the bastards of Teke had acted without his consent. The Ottomans were the true leaders of the Muslim world and not these second rate Turks. However, Murad II was too busy to punish these upstarts. He was pre-occupied with Constantinople.

Session 2 1430-1431

Session 2: At the walls of Larende and Constantinople 1430-1431

Larende 1430

Teke Forces surrounded the last bastion of Karaman at Larende. Karaman which never recovered from the first war nine years ago was weakened by further strife and rebellion. The Grand Council of Teke though it best to invade while their enemies were weakened. However the Ottomans were not impressed by this action. Many of Murad II’s top advisors were in favor of besieging Anatalya and slaughtering the entire population. Murad II though dismayed at this time was more pre-occupied with the fall of Byzantium. In 1431 he would launch the final campaign against Constantinople.

The all volunteer army of Teke made the short march over land to the Karaman home city of Larende. They met minimal resistance as they began the siege. The garrison made one final attempt to break the siege in the winter of 1430. But they were soundly defeated at the battle of Larende. The city fell a few months later in 1431 as The Ottomans began the war versus the infidels of Byzantium. With the annexation of Karaman complete, the people of Teke were looking forward to peace but the Grand Council did not dare defy their Ottoman overlords again. The forces around Larende made the over land march to the city of Constantinople.

In early spring 1431 Ottoman and Teke forces surrounded Constantinople and settled in for a long siege. However during the summer months, a combination of undermining and siege cannons destroyed Constantinople’s triple walls. The Ottomans launched the final attack later that night and sounded defeated the remaining Christian soldiers. The flag of Byzantium would wave no more after the fall of 1431. The Ottomans burned the flag, and slaughtered the remaining soldiers. Murad II was now the undisputed ruler of Asia Minor and Greece.

session 3 1431-1453

Session 3: Ottoman westward expansion and the trader dukes of Teke 1431-1453

Anatolia 1431

Murad II triumphantly entered his old capital in the winter of 1431. Cheering crowds of nobles and peasants alike cheered wildly for their Sultan. He had completed the almost 800 year jihad against the Christian devils. Shortly after the festivities, Murad II moved his capital from Anatolia to Constantinople. He was an ambitious ruler he wanted more. He eyed the Christian lands to the west. He desired to recreate an empire that rivaled or even surpassed the old Roman Empire 1000 years before. He began to make plans to invade the small kingdoms of Albania, Serbia, Moldavia and Candar.

With the defeat of their enemies, the nation of Teke welcomed home their army. Crowds danced in the streets with their nation’s relative easy military victories. They celebrated the glory of Allah, Teke and Murad II. Upon hearing the news of moving the capital of the Ottoman Empire to Constantinople and the opening of a new center of trade there, the Grand Council of Teke met with the trade guild of the city. Plans were made to invest a substantial amount of the nation’s treasury into the new center of trade. The trade guild reluctantly agreed. Though no one realized at the time what the outcome would be. The fortunes of many in the nation would be made and broken on this venture.

Eight years of peace had passed as the Ottomans and Teke made and lost their fortunes at Constantinople. The peace was shattered as Murad II began his spring campaigns against the Christian states of the Balkans. His first move was to attack Albania. The kingdom of Albania was overcome in 1440 with the fall of their capital. In 1441 the southern Balkans erupted into another war. Ottoman forces attacked Serbia and Moldavia. Four years of bloody warfare ensued as both Christian and Moslem fell in numerous battles of the mountains and plains of Serbia and Moldavia. By 1445, both Christian kingdoms surrendered to the Ottomans and ceded territories to them.

During these wars the Grand Council of Teke joined them in name only; no troops were sent or could even be spared. Rebellion in the province of Taurus kept the army of Teke busy. The Ottomans began to see the nation of Teke as cowards. Teke slowly began to realize that they were becoming independent from their ottoman overlords. From 1445-1453 the trader dukes of Teke took control of the trade guild of the city. They invested in Constantinople, Astrakhan and Isfahan. The trader dukes made their fortunes in these short years. However, no one could foresee the fortune and misfortune of the years to come.

its 1487 and i've survied for this long and still going strong

Session 4

Session 4: Into the chaos of war 1453-1467

Spring 1455 Trapzon:

Following the times of peace the Ottoman Empire grows hungry for more territory. Their next target is Trebizond. The kingdom of Trebizond was the final successors of the Byzantine throne. After the fall of Constantinople they believed that it was now their time to restore the throne of Byzantium. Desperately, over the course of the 1440’s and early 1450’s they had secretly amassed a large army of Greeks and foreign mercenaries outside of the city walls of Trapzon. Spies from the Ottoman Empire and Teke found out about this plot in mid 1454. Soon troops from both nations were dispatched to erase the remains of Byzantium.

In winter of 1455 both sides clashed outside of the port city of Trapzon located on the southeaster Black Sea. Turkish forces under the command of Sultan Meh.Med II soundly defeated the Trebizond troops. Less than a year later the city fell and the Ottomans annexed the rest of the land without incident. Later on that year the Great Caucus War broke out. This war would test the resolve of the Unholy Alliance against adversity. The Ottomans began the war with a quick strike against Dulkadir and conquer the province of Sivas in a few short months. However the war would drag out four long years of siege and counter siege.

For the first half of the war the Ottomans dominated the battlefield. They had forced the armies of Ak-Koyunlu further and further east towards the Caspian Sea. However, in later1459 at the second battle of Kurdistan the Ottomans were crushed by their opponents and were forced back into central Asia Minor. Many of the Ottoman officers blamed their Teke allies for this shameful defeat. The “Teke cowards,” as they were called at this time were besieging the city of Mosul. In 1460 just days before the city would fall a peace deal was signed between Ak-Koyunlu and the Ottomans. The army of Teke felt betrayed because there were no spoils or victory in this war.

Later that year the Ottoman Empire began a campaign in Romania to finish off the kingdom of Moldavia. However, within two years the Ottoman Empire was again at war on both Eastern and Western sides. Hungary and Georgia joined on the side of Moldavia to contain the Ottoman aggression. Hungary did not last long in the war a great rebellion in which the king was desperate to crush caused Hungary to leave the war in less than one year.

The next four years was known as the time of heroes in Teke. The small army had defeated the Moldavians at Iasi in 1463 and plundered the city later that year. A minor legend of invincibility grew up on that day that such a small army could destroy an army almost two times it size. Moldavia surrendered later that year. With their victory the trader dukes began to understand the grandeur of Europe and sought the benefits of trade. A new era in trade was about to begin in Teke.

In 1465 Georgia was still at war with the Ottomans and Teke. There was little or no progression in that front. More troops arrived from both Nations to drive the Georgians deeper into southern Russia. In 1467 with the majority of Georgia conquered the Teke army looted the capital city of Tblisi. Following the sack of their capital the Georgians paid a humiliating tribute to both the Ottomans and Teke. The age of Chaos had just begun, more and more soldiers would die before peace was signed. The Ottomans were growing jealous of their Teke allies because of their victories and the Ottomans had made only minimal gains during this time history.

session 5:

Session 5: Adrift in a sea of chaos 1467-1489

Antalya 1467

Following the war with Georgia the nation of Teke enjoyed a short time of prosperity. But one of the major concerns of the Grand Council was the security of the nation. In the late fall of that year the Ottoman Empire revoked their military access. This would be seen by many to be the first in a long series of steps which would bring about an end to the Unholy Alliance. The Grand Council had given the Ottoman Empire military access in good faith so that the nation of Teke could preserve itself in the first half of the fifteenth century. As the century progressed into the second half, nation itself became even more independent from their Ottoman overlords. They saw this even as the beginning of their liberation from the Ottomans.

The short time of prosperity was beginning to end by the mid 1470’s. The trader dukes which had established themselves in the 1440’s began to stir up trouble at home and abroad. The major problem was access to the Alexandria market. Attempting to gain trade concessions from the Shiite government of the Mameluks, a representative of the trader dukes was assassinated in Cairo. This event outraged the rest of the trader dukes who demanded vengeance against the other sect of Islam. In 1475 the Grand Council of Teke declared war on the Mameluks. This was one of the few wars in which the Ottoman Empire had directly told Teke to engage in.

Ottoman and Teke forces gathered along the southern coast of Asia Minor to invade the holy land. Over the following three years, the Mameluks had suffered a humiliating series of defeats. They were pushed out of the Holy land and driven back into the confines of Egypt. In 1478 the war ended with the Ottoman Empire annexing, Sinai and Judea. Teke gained their trade concessions from the Mameluks. However, the trader dukes forbid the merchants to invest in Alexandria.

Tensions along the western fringes of the Ottoman Empire drove them to war again versus Hungry. Over the next 30 years both nations would desperately fight for control of the Balkans. At first the Ottomans were defeated at several key battles on the plains of Hungry. They fought on, almost to the point of breaking. But in mid summer of 1484 a new offensive drive through Kosovo broke the siege there. Led by Teke forces the Ottoman forces managed to regain their lost lands and drive deeper into the Balkans.

Tired of war in 1487 Teke managed to hammer out a white peace with Hungry. But the Ottomans defiantly kept on fighting. The Sultan Bayezid II, was now openly scorned his allies for deserting his cause. He was determined to gain vengeance at this show of cowardness. But he would not live to see the day where the Ottomans would attempt to gain victory over Teke.

i'm still working out the final details but i do want to help create a strong ottoman empire

session 6:

Session 6: At the end of chaos 1487-1518

Constantinople 1492

Following the withdrawal of Teke from the war with Hungary the Ottoman Empire bitterly fought on. From 1487-1492 battles raged all across the Balkans. Following the battle of Kosovo in 1484, Ottoman forces had followed up this victory by besieging the cities of Beograd and Sarajevo. Hungarian forces were also pushed back into Hungary proper. However the final stages of the war would press the Ottomans into an early peace.

In 1492 numerous of war weary peasants rose up in arms against their Turkish masters Supported by Hungarian nobles and foreign mercenaries, the rebels fought for two years in an effort to free their oppressed countries. By 1493 the rebellion grew worse. Soon peasants in the Ottoman homeland of Asia Minor were in rebellion also. Sultan Bayezid II was concerned with this rebellion. With the majority of his troops engaged along the western frontier of his empire he needed the help of his Teke allies to crush his rebellions. In late 1494 the rebellions were put down by second line Ottoman troops and the main army of Teke. Bayezid II was humiliated again by Teke because he could not defend his holdings against peasants. The wedge that had started during the Great Caucus War was driven further between the allies. Later that year The Ottoman Empire added the provinces of Bosnia and Serbia to their growing collection of land in the west.

Constant little wars would break out between the Ottomans and Hungarians between 1494 through 1502. Both nations stood on edge with each other and it would only take a minor spark to ignite another all out war. This spark would start in 1500 with the invasion of Rhodes by Teke.

In the second half of the 1490’s the Knights of St. John bases out of Rhodes began a campaign of raiding against shipping out of Aegean. It was in the interest of both the Ottomans and Teke to stop these raids. The raiding had destroyed the once profitable trade route from Constantinople to Alexandria. In early 1500 Teke was assigned to take the Knights capital at Rhodes and end the raids.

The main problem with Teke was at time was that it did not possess any navy at this time. A hastily constructed fleet of barges and war galleys attempted to cross the Coast of Rhodes to let off there cargo of troops. The main fear was that the Knights navy would intercept this hastily constructed group of ships and sink them. However, with the support of the Ottoman main fleet the island was completely surrounded and the Teke fleet had no problems with disembarking the troops. 10,000 troops landed at the city of Rhodes and were met by barely a force of 3,000. The Knights were swept off the battlefield and retreated to the fortress city. The following siege lasted two years in which various new technologies in siege warfare were used. The final result was that the Knights were forced to retreat from the island and seek refuge on the tiny island of Malta. Teke now controlled the island of Rhodes.

This small invasion had a serious outcome in Hungary; it started another war with the Ottomans. The next 7 years proved to be futile on both sides. Neither nation could make any progress in this war. It ended in a stalemate in 1509.

During this time period the trader dukes desperately lobbied with both the Grand Council of Teke and the Ottoman sultan to invade the island of Cyprus. Their major complaint was that Cyprus had gained an unfavorable advantage in the eastern Mediterranean trade. This whole complaint was made up by the trader dukes; they just wanted to eliminate the competition from the Constantinople center of trade. The merchants of Cyprus had gained an advantage in the markets there and the dukes did not want to admit defeat against their local rivals.

In 1510 Cyrus was invaded by the Ottomans. 13,000 Cyprus troops awaited the Ottoman soldiers to land. Before the Ottomans could react they were forced to flee Cyprus in disarray. It took the Ottomans five separate landing attempts to defeat the defenders. In 1513 they had succeeded in taking Farmagusta and now declared Cyprus as an Ottoman domain. Following this war the trader dukes as reestablished themselves as the premier traders in the eastern Mediterranean.

The following few years saw aggressive power of the trader dukes in Teke. Eventually their power would grow to rival the Grand Council. By 1517 the dukes forced another war in the Holy Land. This time the dukes had guaranteed the full co-op of the Teke army with the war versus the remaining Mameluk forces. This action would spell doom for the Mameluks and the Grand Council of Teke.

The war had begun and Ottoman forces hard pressed the Mameluk forces in Egypt and the Holy Land. Following the death of the key Mameluk leaders Sultan Selim I Yavuz was declared the Khalif of Egypt and outright annexed the rest of the Mameluk territories. During this event a series of revolts broke out in Teke. The trader dukes had made their bid for power while the Army of Teke was engaged in Syria. Following their successful revolt and the assassination of the members of the Grand Council of Teke, the trader dukes seized power and assumed total control of the country. Supported by the Ottoman Sultan the new government would attempt to keep the ties of the Unholy Alliance together throughout the stormy sixteenth century.

i'd like to thank everyone who has read the first six chapters in beneath the Ottomans. I'd love to hear some ideas of what they'd like to see in the next 100 years. Also before I move on in this AAR i'm probally going to go back and add on some sub stories to the major events of the past 100 years. So stay tuned as well get some characters and ideas to add on to the next sessions.

session 7:

Session 7: The year the world changed a soldier’s story 1431

Constantinople 1431

It had been a long march; much longer than I had remember. Still I felt a nagging fear in the back of my mind. I had only known the safety of my peasant village and the farm fields in Antalya. And now I was marching toward the unknown.

My regiment had left Antalya to go fight the heathens of Christianity at the port city of Constantinople. I had never seen a Christian. When I was a child my father ensured me that they were pure evil. He would often tell me stories about the crusades in which Christian knights from the west would kill innocent civilians in the name of God. But which God? They have their God and we have Allah. I still do not know the truth but what I assume must be correct, still which side is Allah truly on.

Our regiment arrived today at the siege lines around the city of Constantinople. I could not believe the sights. The once grand city of our enemies was ablaze. Tongues of flame nipped away from the roofs of the city. They lit up the night sky and gave it an eerie glow. I was scared, I never had seen such devastation and I was assured by another soldier that it was going worse inside the city.

Six weeks has passed, I do not know who is in more trouble us or them. Supplies are non-existent here. Ottoman soldiers have been reduced to pillaging the local villages for food and water. I cannot bring myself to do this right now. They may be Christians but they are no better or worse than us. Eventually I will need to go and forage for food. I have seen enough suffering here to last a life time and that is only on our side of the siege. I can only imagine the horrors that our opponents face inside those walls.

It has been done; our miners have breeched the final wall. I saw the last wall come down. Our Ottoman masters order us to advance and kill everything in sight. At first we move into the ruins of the city and see numerous bodies. I see the dead everywhere, it is like Hell. Surely our forefathers who had done the jihads before this never had to experience this. Yet when we arrive in the city the majority of the battle is over. The Byzantine Empire is finished by our hands. Yet we will only write about the history, and the Byzantines will be forgotten by all.

“Ali, what are you doing? Come on it is time to go.”

Ali looked up from the pages of his journal and saw the horrors of Constantinople around him. He wanted to hide back with in the pages of his journal. But he looked at the face of his friend Murat.

Murat was overjoyed that the siege was finished. A long time veteran of the Teke Army, he was one of the fiercest fighters in his regiment. But now he was excited.

“How come you are looking at me like that?” Ali said.
“It is time to go.” Murat returned
“Home to Antalya?”
“No on to our next journey! Karaman, Constantinople and now Hungary.”
“Hungary where is that?”
“It is a land to the west. We will kill more Christians for the glory of Allah and for the glory of me.’
“Are you sure?”
“Yes people will sing songs of our adventures and compare us to Murad II!”

Murat picked up spear and walked off. Ali got off the ground closed up his journal and turned in the other direction. He was tired of war. He never wanted to experience it again. Sickened by the bloodlust he turned around and went in the other direction. When he arrived back at Antalya, he did not take part in the celebration of the fall of Constantinople. Instead he returned to his village.

If this is how the world will be changed than I am against it. I will find another path. Others must be made to see the light.

session 8:

Session 8: The Age of Heroes in the sea of chaos 1463-1467

Iasi 1463

In the year 1463 the Ottoman Empire and their Teke allies were engaged in a war against Moldavia, Hungary and Georgia. The battle of Iasi during the summer of that year represents the start of the Age of Heroes during the bitter wars of the second half of the fifteenth century.

Tensions were running high in the Teke camps. Ottoman spies had estimated the number of Moldavian troops at 11,000 infantry and knights. The Army of Teke only had 7,000 troops. Less than a week later the two forces clashed outside the walls of Iasi. At first the Moldavian troops were overconfident; they had destroyed two small Ottoman armies in the previous months. They had expected this battle to be no different.

On the morning of the battle a dense fog had rolled onto the battlefield. Soaking rains the night before had turned the field into a swollen mass mud and grass. This would be the stage that both nations would fight a desperate battle on for control of Romania. As if on cue the armies appeared on opposite sides of the field at dawn.

The Moldavia knights proceeded at full speed ahead of their infantry. Halfway through the field the knights slowed down from a gallop to a trot then a crawl as the mud engulfed their horses. Teke archers equipped with crossbows opened up with murderous a fire against the knights. To the man the Moldavian knights were killed in a few minutes as their bodies were pierced with bolts. Then the infantry charged. Unlike the foolish knights who proceeded into field they had skirted the muddy patch in the center and divided their forces. The Army of Teke engaged the Moldavian infantry on both sides of the muddy patch. The following battle was a chaotic affair with Moslems fighting Christians. At the end of the day the Moldavian infantry was surrounded. They were desperate to break through the remaining Teke troops. One last death or glory assault was mounted but to the man the Moldavians died on those bloody fields outside of Iasi.

It was a battle that was similar to Agincourt almost 50 years before. A small English force had destroyed a larger French force. This was the same result. Overconfidence on the lager forces side had played a significant role on the battlefield. After the battle the siege of the city began. It lasted less than a year. When the city fell the Army of Teke pillaged the city stealing gold and silver from the various nobles and churches of the city. The result of this was that Moldavia was finished. Less than a year later their so called allies Hungary annexed them over a trade dispute in Venice.

The Age of Heroes represents the only form of order during the chaos wars of the late fifteenth century. Only with the ascension of the trader dukes in the sixteenth century could rival the Age of Heroes. Yet the short lived Heroes at Iasi would mostly die in subsequent campaigns in Georgia and the Balkans

session 9

Session 9: Who will rule the Nation of Teke? Part I 1510-1518

Constantinople 1510

Duke Aerton, a trader duke from the Island of Rhodes entered the palace of Sultan Selim I Yavuz. He was here this day to encourage the Ottoman Empire to destroy the trader duke’s biggest competitors in the eastern Mediterranean trade. Both nations Teke and Cyprus were vying for control of trade at Constantinople. Yet Cyprus had gained an advantage in the first decade of the fifteenth century. Their traders had learned about how the play the markets and when to invest. The trader dukes were insulted by this outrage. They had planned to destroy Cyprus then they would move on with their ambitious plans. Duke Aerton would be the instrument behind their destruction

Since 1445 when the trader dukes had assumed control of the merchant guild, they had ruthlessly taken control of the economic well being of Teke. For the next 50 years they saw themselves as the true leaders of Teke and not the Grand Council. During the chaos wars 1460-1518 the Grand Council of Teke was weakened by internal conflict. Karaman rebelled several times and the mayor of Larende had to flee for his life as rebels gained control of the city. The Army of Teke was even routed by these rebels. The trader dukes saw this as a sign of weakness and an insult to them. The Grand Council was growing weaker and weaker each year. It was being corrupted by outside sourced most notably by Cyprus. In return for not investing in the Constantinople market the nobles of Cyprus gave gifts of gold to the member of the Grand Council. The trader dukes were outraged that Cyprus would stoop to corruption to gain an advantage in trade.

“My Lord I present Duke Aerton of Rhodes.” Said Selim’s herald.

Duke Aerton bowed as removed his hat in front of the Sultan. He was a graceful middle-aged noble who know how diplomacy worked. He was one of the finest ministers in all of Europe at this time. Yet he was still nervous because the Ottoman’s had a distrust of Teke nobility since the middle of the fifteenth century.

“You may rise my friend.” The Sultan began.
“Thank you.” Aerton responded.
“What brings you to Constantinople today? After all the trader dukes are not ones to be seen in public.”
“Yes well there is a certain problem that both our nations face.”
“You see your cartel as a nation?”
“Not yet, but that plan will come to fruition shortly.”
“Then what is your business here I am a busy man. My nation is at odds with the Hungarian scum to the North.”
“How would you like to get even with Hungary?”
“I am listening.”

Duke Aerton took a long breath. This would either be the ploy to cement the friendship of the Ottoman Empire to the trader dukes or it would be his own death
“Cyprus and Hungary are in league to destroy your nation and our nation. As you already know tensions between your nation and Hungary has been on edge for the past 30 years. You know of the constant little border skirmishes of your realm. Yet Hungary’s troops represent a dagger pointed at your belly. The rest of Europe as at odds with your nation. They view Unholy Alliance as pure evil. They are desperately sending money and troops to their realm so that they can prevent you from marching into central Europe. If Hungary falls then the kings of Europe will be hard pressed to stop you. Yet you cannot move against Hungary because you fear of the reprisals in the south by the Mameluks. Our plan is quite simple. In return for the destruction of Cyprus we can give you the throne of the Mameluks with no questions asked.”

The Sultan was confused and bewildered. “How is this possible? The people of Egypt have no love for me or their Mameluk ruler. Your plan is insane!”

Duke Aerton smiled. He had the Ottoman Sultan where he wanted the rise of the trader dukes was about to happen. “My Lord it is quite easy for you to press your claim to Egypt and the rest of the Holy Land. With the destruction of the Mameluks, their nobles you shall rise to power. Our spies have already been placed in the key cities of the Mameluks all they need is the word to strike. And you can awaken to your wildest dreams, achieving Murad II’s dream of surpassing the old Roman Empire.”

The Sultan looked blankly at Duke Aerton. He still couldn’t believe what this man was suggesting. Land for economic control of Constantinople. He came to his decision quickly.

“Then you shall have your wars. Cyprus will fall, and I will rule the lands of the Mameluks. Go now I shall send a messenger when I am prepared.”

Duke Aerton smiled. The dark plans of the trader dukes had begun. In less than two years his wildest dreams of wealth and power would be reality.