De Hautevilles- Can Anyone Stop the Norman Invasion?
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Why did you destroy the Kingdom of Denmark title rather than keep it and hand it off to a loyal vassal? Is Yesugei an Old Gods-style Adventurer or is something else going on there?
Overkill? No 
.... using 40k troops to smash a inconsequent count and using those hordes in the frigid north are all perfectly normal
On the Denmark title, why have you destroyed it? Usurping it and giving it to some of your sons would not be a much better idea ?
On the Taurica girl ... well, she is surely sharper than both of her parents combined and it would give a decent marshall ... but is she still the Taurica heir ? I do not see any heir crown in her portrait, so she might have competition for the throne . And BTW don't tell me that you will let this Sayer to be emperor
And about the Mongol adventurer ... well, you can always assasinate him or simply to give some exercise to your eastern Europe levies. I do not expect them to marshall anything of consequence against you ...
.... using 40k troops to smash a inconsequent count and using those hordes in the frigid north are all perfectly normal On the Denmark title, why have you destroyed it? Usurping it and giving it to some of your sons would not be a much better idea ?
On the Taurica girl ... well, she is surely sharper than both of her parents combined and it would give a decent marshall ... but is she still the Taurica heir ? I do not see any heir crown in her portrait, so she might have competition for the throne . And BTW don't tell me that you will let this Sayer to be emperor
And about the Mongol adventurer ... well, you can always assasinate him or simply to give some exercise to your eastern Europe levies. I do not expect them to marshall anything of consequence against you ...
Good job with Finland - it is one large kingdom. Now I'm looking forward to seeing you finish off Scandinavia.
I've never seen anyone rise up against the Horde in the way this Yesugei is. I'm wondering where that will lead.
Hopefully the Tauricia problem has been solved - though, as Ricardo says, you may have to fight for the throne.
I've never seen anyone rise up against the Horde in the way this Yesugei is. I'm wondering where that will lead.
Hopefully the Tauricia problem has been solved - though, as Ricardo says, you may have to fight for the throne.
Three countries, you and the Mongols? Let's say one country and two rebel countries soon to be absorbed!
Great Northern War(s), Part II
Remnants of Denmark
When Denmark fell, it left a nice array of smaller Duchies- or Kings, as the new Dukes called themselves- free, independent and ripe for conquering. So, the targets this time were: Duchy of Kurland plus Counties of Samogitia, Slesvig and Yatvyagi. Rest of the rulers of former Denmark, Sayer already had a peace treaty.
All these wars were declared in November 1325. Yet again, Normans from all over Europe boarded their boats and sailed to the Baltic Sea. As usual, the Norman numbers were a bit larger then needed, their forces swarming the enemy lands. Kurland took the biggest hit, with over 60 000 Normans assaulting the fortresses there. For that reason, Kurland was also the first one to fall- in March, the enemy was forced to flee and admit Norman superiority.
Samogitia fell in May and Yatvyagi in July. Slesvig was the last to fall- mostly because all the Normans were sailing to the Baltic and forgot they needed to take that province as well. Still, in October, that one fell as well and Normans had made one more step towards their superiority of the Baltic Sea.
Overkill once again... And you'll notice Yesugei marching in.
End of Yesugei
The biggest fight in this series of wars was not against any local opponents. Instead, the fight was quite unexpected. Yesugei, the Mongol who declared war on Sayer, had managed to get quite a host. Nearly 30 000 soldiers. He just made one tiny mistake- he thought it would be a good idea to march through the lands of former Denmark. In March, the reports cape of the enemy host marching towards Zemgale, the capital of Kurland. Not that smart thing to do when there are numerous Normans in the province. So, Normans left one army, only half of side of Yesugei’s host, to lure them in.
In April 1326, the enemy arrived, attacking the Normans outside the city of Riga. The trap sprung and suddenly, Mongols found themselves fighting nearly 70 000 Normans. In the end, 12 000 of Mongols limped away, but towards the west, to Kurzeme. There, they were defeated yet again and this time, it was the end. Yasugei gave up, his host was disbanded and their dreams of conquest were shattered.
How not to fight your wars 101: Do not march your army to the place swarming with Normans. Oh, and rest of the Normans are on a boat
War for Sanaa
Sanaa, southernmost of the Duchies in the Arabian peninsula,was ruled by Emir Shujah II of the Zuravid Emirate. Besides Sanaa, the Zuravids also controlled Oman, a second Duchy in the South Arabian Peninsula and Harare, down south in Ethiopia. Sayer had decided it was time to end their rule though.
For last half of year, three Norman armies had marched into position. One in Mecca, another in Medina and third in Asir. Also in November 1325, when Sayer begun his wars in the North, three massive armies started their march. Very slowly. The idea was to avoid attrition as much as possible, so the Norman armies followed each other like geese. Finally, in summer 1326, Normans were in place. All three armies were sieging their targets- who, of course were too strong to assault. Sayer didn’t want to lose his men on unnecessary bloody assaults, so he ordered them to siege and assault only when there is little oppositions. This was going to be a long war...
It took them over half a year to arrive in this position...
Meanwhile, Duke Stephen of Arabia, vassal of King Jerusalem, had moved south on his own accord, conquering Hail, part of Duchy of Nefoud in the middle of Arabian Peninsula. It will make Sayer’s work a bit easier, so he didn’t mind much.
Death of a Khagan
The morale of the story is- even when you’re a Khagan, Islamic laws apply to you. So, when the laws say no wine, you should listen. Badai I, Khagan of the Ilkhanate, didn’t listen. The results were... not so pleasant.
For about 2 years, Sayer had been plotting to kill Khagan Badai. He had found several allies in both courtiers and high-ranking nobles of the Ilkhanate, he had spent a small fortune on bribes and he had found out that Khagan actually has quite a lot of enemies.
It was Borte, main wife of the Khagan, who was Sayer’s greatest ally. It was she who finally did the deed- poisoned a good wine Khagan so loved. So, when Khagan begun one of his drinking parties in December 1326, he didn’t think it would be the last. He got drunk like a pig and in the morning, he just didn’t wake up. Badai the Conquer, usurper of the traditional Aral throne, died at the age of 52. His son and successor, Munglin of the Ilkhanate, was next in throne- and already were the Norman forces waiting at their borders...
Out with the old...
... in with the new
Remnants of Denmark
When Denmark fell, it left a nice array of smaller Duchies- or Kings, as the new Dukes called themselves- free, independent and ripe for conquering. So, the targets this time were: Duchy of Kurland plus Counties of Samogitia, Slesvig and Yatvyagi. Rest of the rulers of former Denmark, Sayer already had a peace treaty.
All these wars were declared in November 1325. Yet again, Normans from all over Europe boarded their boats and sailed to the Baltic Sea. As usual, the Norman numbers were a bit larger then needed, their forces swarming the enemy lands. Kurland took the biggest hit, with over 60 000 Normans assaulting the fortresses there. For that reason, Kurland was also the first one to fall- in March, the enemy was forced to flee and admit Norman superiority.
Samogitia fell in May and Yatvyagi in July. Slesvig was the last to fall- mostly because all the Normans were sailing to the Baltic and forgot they needed to take that province as well. Still, in October, that one fell as well and Normans had made one more step towards their superiority of the Baltic Sea.
Overkill once again... And you'll notice Yesugei marching in.
End of Yesugei
The biggest fight in this series of wars was not against any local opponents. Instead, the fight was quite unexpected. Yesugei, the Mongol who declared war on Sayer, had managed to get quite a host. Nearly 30 000 soldiers. He just made one tiny mistake- he thought it would be a good idea to march through the lands of former Denmark. In March, the reports cape of the enemy host marching towards Zemgale, the capital of Kurland. Not that smart thing to do when there are numerous Normans in the province. So, Normans left one army, only half of side of Yesugei’s host, to lure them in.
In April 1326, the enemy arrived, attacking the Normans outside the city of Riga. The trap sprung and suddenly, Mongols found themselves fighting nearly 70 000 Normans. In the end, 12 000 of Mongols limped away, but towards the west, to Kurzeme. There, they were defeated yet again and this time, it was the end. Yasugei gave up, his host was disbanded and their dreams of conquest were shattered.
How not to fight your wars 101: Do not march your army to the place swarming with Normans. Oh, and rest of the Normans are on a boat
War for Sanaa
Sanaa, southernmost of the Duchies in the Arabian peninsula,was ruled by Emir Shujah II of the Zuravid Emirate. Besides Sanaa, the Zuravids also controlled Oman, a second Duchy in the South Arabian Peninsula and Harare, down south in Ethiopia. Sayer had decided it was time to end their rule though.
For last half of year, three Norman armies had marched into position. One in Mecca, another in Medina and third in Asir. Also in November 1325, when Sayer begun his wars in the North, three massive armies started their march. Very slowly. The idea was to avoid attrition as much as possible, so the Norman armies followed each other like geese. Finally, in summer 1326, Normans were in place. All three armies were sieging their targets- who, of course were too strong to assault. Sayer didn’t want to lose his men on unnecessary bloody assaults, so he ordered them to siege and assault only when there is little oppositions. This was going to be a long war...
It took them over half a year to arrive in this position...
Meanwhile, Duke Stephen of Arabia, vassal of King Jerusalem, had moved south on his own accord, conquering Hail, part of Duchy of Nefoud in the middle of Arabian Peninsula. It will make Sayer’s work a bit easier, so he didn’t mind much.
Death of a Khagan
The morale of the story is- even when you’re a Khagan, Islamic laws apply to you. So, when the laws say no wine, you should listen. Badai I, Khagan of the Ilkhanate, didn’t listen. The results were... not so pleasant.
For about 2 years, Sayer had been plotting to kill Khagan Badai. He had found several allies in both courtiers and high-ranking nobles of the Ilkhanate, he had spent a small fortune on bribes and he had found out that Khagan actually has quite a lot of enemies.
It was Borte, main wife of the Khagan, who was Sayer’s greatest ally. It was she who finally did the deed- poisoned a good wine Khagan so loved. So, when Khagan begun one of his drinking parties in December 1326, he didn’t think it would be the last. He got drunk like a pig and in the morning, he just didn’t wake up. Badai the Conquer, usurper of the traditional Aral throne, died at the age of 52. His son and successor, Munglin of the Ilkhanate, was next in throne- and already were the Norman forces waiting at their borders...
Out with the old...
... in with the new
Oh my, oh my, this AAR has passed over 100 000 views. A special day, i tell ya! Thank you all for reading, commenting, lurking and hopefully liking what you read. I hope it has been as pleasureful for you to read as it was for me to write!
And now, remnants of Denmark under Norman control and next time, we'll have war on Ilkhanate, with a twist!
Remitonov - has balls, but no brains. Unfortunately i'm not Greek, so castration is out of the question...
SirkTheMonkey, Ricardo Rolo - oh, i haven't mentioned it? I have made former lands of Denmark into merchant republics, bringing their income directly to yours truly. Need more income and perhaps one-two more armies. I'm currently making only a bit over 100 gold per month! (and killing Khagan isn't cheap). And yes, Yesugei is Old Gods adventurer.
Ricardo Rolo- the bigger the armies, the quicker the war ends though. And well, it's kinda easy to overkill- i just have sooo many troops at my disposal...
As for Taurica girl- she is certainly the heir. Oldest daughter, still no male heirs. Perhaps because she now lives in Palermo? She definitely has the claim. But the firstborn was a girl, so i'm waiting for a boy before this ends. About Sayer jr- hell no!
And well, Yesugei managed to make quite an impressive host. Though there is good reason not to kill him- when i win, i'll get bucketload of prestige, piety and some military tech points as well. So i'll kill the poor bastards.
DensleyBlair- Well, Scandinavia is almost finished. One King plus some other titles left... More like picking up the pieces. And Yesugei is just an adventurer, i've made the rest of the story up. For Taurica- yes, it is the plan. I'll wait until the happy couple gets a boy, then i'll kill the mother and press the claim. I am soo evil!
Nikolai - Can't call them rebels. To rebel against me would mean they'd been conquered before. Rather, i think it's time to start trading in futures- in CK map area, there is left Roman Empire and it's future lands.
And now, remnants of Denmark under Norman control and next time, we'll have war on Ilkhanate, with a twist!
Remitonov - has balls, but no brains.
Unfortunately i'm not Greek, so castration is out of the question...SirkTheMonkey, Ricardo Rolo - oh, i haven't mentioned it? I have made former lands of Denmark into merchant republics, bringing their income directly to yours truly. Need more income and perhaps one-two more armies. I'm currently making only a bit over 100 gold per month! (and killing Khagan isn't cheap). And yes, Yesugei is Old Gods adventurer.
Ricardo Rolo- the bigger the armies, the quicker the war ends though.
And well, it's kinda easy to overkill- i just have sooo many troops at my disposal... As for Taurica girl- she is certainly the heir. Oldest daughter, still no male heirs. Perhaps because she now lives in Palermo? She definitely has the claim. But the firstborn was a girl, so i'm waiting for a boy before this ends. About Sayer jr- hell no!
And well, Yesugei managed to make quite an impressive host. Though there is good reason not to kill him- when i win, i'll get bucketload of prestige, piety and some military tech points as well. So i'll kill the poor bastards.
DensleyBlair- Well, Scandinavia is almost finished. One King plus some other titles left... More like picking up the pieces. And Yesugei is just an adventurer, i've made the rest of the story up. For Taurica- yes, it is the plan. I'll wait until the happy couple gets a boy, then i'll kill the mother and press the claim. I am soo evil!
Nikolai - Can't call them rebels. To rebel against me would mean they'd been conquered before. Rather, i think it's time to start trading in futures- in CK map area, there is left Roman Empire and it's future lands.
I'm impressed with Yesugei: not only has the balls to face the Normans , but also has enough persuasive powers to convince 70k poor souls to follow him He would make a good norman (BTW, if he is a Old Gods adventurer, he is currently your vassal, right ? ... he might even be useful )
Anyway, I guess that you will have another session of Mongol bashing next update ... it seems likely that the rule of the new Khagan will not be uncontested, so it will probably a good idea to see if some idi ... freedom fighter rebels near the Norman border .... anyway, the war for Arabia Felix ( as the good ol'Romans called Yemen ) will take a fair time to roll out ( *raises fist in anger to Paradox due to the non-navegability of the eastern seas while you can sail to Prague since Old Gods Did they never heard of Raynald of Châtillon ?* ) and the Northern wars are most likely in a redeployment phase, so you have to get something to keep yourself busy
P.S Merchant republics in the baltic ? Hum, that might not end well , but cash is cash
He would make a good norman (BTW, if he is a Old Gods adventurer, he is currently your vassal, right ? ... he might even be useful )Anyway, I guess that you will have another session of Mongol bashing next update ... it seems likely that the rule of the new Khagan will not be uncontested, so it will probably a good idea to see if some idi ... freedom fighter rebels near the Norman border .... anyway, the war for Arabia Felix ( as the good ol'Romans called Yemen ) will take a fair time to roll out ( *raises fist in anger to Paradox due to the non-navegability of the eastern seas while you can sail to Prague since Old Gods
Did they never heard of Raynald of Châtillon ?* ) and the Northern wars are most likely in a redeployment phase, so you have to get something to keep yourself busy P.S Merchant republics in the baltic ? Hum, that might not end well , but cash is cash
Congrats on the 100K views. I think it's somewhat strange that a Mongol adventurer only had 36 horse archers. I suppose destroying a kingdom makes sense if the new rulers of the land are going to be republican. Surely you could tweak it so that the mighty Augustus can order a person's eyes removed or a man's parts blinded... uhhh I mean a person's eyes blinded and a man's parts removed.
Not an update this time, but something different! A new AARlander is out, so go there and read! I'd personally suggest DensleyBlairs fine article about history of AARs! Doesn't matter if you're old fart like me or newbie to AARs, it is always an interesting read.
So, let us all have a cold glass of lemonade in the summer and enjoy! And if you have to ask what i'm talking about, then, shame on you! Click on the link, read, understand and nod happily with me!
Anyways, back to business as usual. Update coming tonight-tomorrow and will involve (very heavy spoilers ahead)- Mongols, butts and some kicking!
Nikolai- Good point. I can fabricate a claim on any county and make Nowherestan ancient Norman territories, so yes, all the Mongols are rebels who will have no right for any lands!
Ricardo Rolo- Nononoooo, Yesugei did not get 70 000 poor souls to follow him. He get 30k poor souls to follow him and 70k of quite happy Norman souls to slaughter him! And he didn't become my vassal, he became my prisoner.
As for Red Sea- agree completely. There should be some more sea zones, some navies and some nice coastal cities too. Heh, and talking about Raynald, there is one man who so got what was coming for him! And why are merchant republics in the Baltic a problem? Have plenty them everywhere else
SirkTheMonkey- Well, you can take it that way- Adelise killed off most Mongol horse archers and the rest are rare and few? Hmm, and i'm not so sure i want to go Basileus on my poor prisoners. Doesn't seam that much Norman style- and i'm in progress of making Byzantines Norman, not vice versa.
So, let us all have a cold glass of lemonade in the summer and enjoy! And if you have to ask what i'm talking about, then, shame on you! Click on the link, read, understand and nod happily with me!
Anyways, back to business as usual. Update coming tonight-tomorrow and will involve (very heavy spoilers ahead)- Mongols, butts and some kicking!
Nikolai- Good point. I can fabricate a claim on any county and make Nowherestan ancient Norman territories, so yes, all the Mongols are rebels who will have no right for any lands!
Ricardo Rolo- Nononoooo, Yesugei did not get 70 000 poor souls to follow him. He get 30k poor souls to follow him and 70k of quite happy Norman souls to slaughter him! And he didn't become my vassal, he became my prisoner.
As for Red Sea- agree completely. There should be some more sea zones, some navies and some nice coastal cities too. Heh, and talking about Raynald, there is one man who so got what was coming for him!
And why are merchant republics in the Baltic a problem? Have plenty them everywhere else SirkTheMonkey- Well, you can take it that way- Adelise killed off most Mongol horse archers and the rest are rare and few?
Hmm, and i'm not so sure i want to go Basileus on my poor prisoners. Doesn't seam that much Norman style- and i'm in progress of making Byzantines Norman, not vice versa.
You northerners and your summer. Surely there's a similar metaphor that can apply to the frigid depths of winter.
Now I have the most inexplicable craving for pie...
Now I have the most inexplicable craving for pie...
New Traditions
War for Alania
So, in December 1326, Sayer had Khagan Badai killed. Wine simply did not agree with the poor Khagan and he did pass to the next world. His son, Munglig, was 32 when he took the throne. Residing in Duchy of Alania, capital in county of Manych. Incidentally, not a good place to put your capital. For Sayer had a problem- three of his armies were still busy with slow and painful and boring conquest of the Zurayid Emirate. Meaning no free available troops in the Mesopotamian area. But, since the last war with the Golden Horde, Sayer had two armies loitering around in the area. As a coincidence, they were actually right next to borders of the Ilkhanate. Weird world, that.
There was actually another good reason for choosing Alania. Parts of Khazaria that were recently conquered by Mongols of the Ilkhanate from the Mongols of Golden Horde. Meaning that lot of provinces were still easy prey for the hardened Norman troops. Lightly defended, no proper levies and town defences still being rebuilt.
Also in December 1326, Sayer declared war and Norman armies started their march towards the borders. Three armies, two from Sayer and one from King Rolland II of Georgia. Normans marched happily, expecting easy war and plenty of loot. For once, they were totally right. Mongols were unable to offer any resistance and in just four month, the war was over. In the beginning of March 1327, Mongols gave up. The war had lasted for about 2,5 month and after that, Alania was Norman. If was the quickest war against serious opposition since early Norman Emperors blitzed up the Holy Roman Empire in Italy.
Now, that was surprisingly quick
War for Itil
When the Norman envoys went to new Mongol capital in Itil, capital of the Duchy with the same name (incidentally, located right next to Alania). There, as instructed, the envoys also made some small enquiries about how Mongol courtiers feel about killing the new Khagan. To everyone’s surprise, Munglig was actually quite popular and the people were not that willing to join the plotting. Even few bribes given didn’t seem to matter- Sayer was having hard time finding conspirators.
What to do? Sayer, decided to finish the matter old-fashioned way- hired knives in the dark. Total three parties of assassins were sent, by you know who. Two of them failed and under torture, revealed the involvement of Sayer. Third party managed to infiltrate the bedroom of poor Khagan-for-three-month Munglig and let’s just say the result was not pretty and Ilkhanate needed a new Khagan yet again. Now, another problem with Munglig was that though he had 6 children, all of them were girls. Instead, Agachu, his elder brother inherited the Empire.
The problem was that poor Agachu had fallen off the horse about 10 years ago and since that time, he was alive, but incapable, just laying in the bed and saying “lala”. He was Khagan’s son and that is why he was kept alive, but now, he was Khagan. To be honest, even that did not force good Mongols to rebel against their Khagan.
The New Khagan. And it seemed appropriate to show the other Khagan as well. Great Mongol rulers- one with syphilis, another just incapable...
Death of Khagan still meant that former peace was now not valid and Sayer was quick to use it. Against Itil this time- big Duchy right next to Alania. Again, two Norman armies and one from Georgia was used. Again, Khagan was unable to offer much of resistance. By July 1327, the war was over and Sayer controlled vast traces of freshly conquered lands in the East.
In just half a year, Normans had given Mongols two really quick wars, conquered total 10 provinces and dealt a terrible blow of two Khagans, for Agachu was now forced to leave his home and move his capital to the new lands. Now, Normans have given Ilkhanate twice the traditional coronation gift usually reserved for the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire. Thus, a new tradition was born, but with a small twist. Normans just attacked Kaisers when they died, but now they also managed deaths of the Khagans. As for Agachu- he was in so bad condition that Sayer decided to wait for natural process. No need to force things...
Kingdom of Arabia
By August 1327, Emir Shujah II had lost enough lands that he was forced to give up. Sayer now controlled enough lands to create Kingdom of Arabia. Gilbert, ruler of Mecca and Medina and fourth son of King of Nubia, now owns his own Kingdom right across the Red Sea. The war was the longest Normans had fought in quite a while, starting in November 1325 and lasting for nearly two years. Would have been longer, but luckily, not all Muslim holdings were garrisoned by 4000 soldiers and some quick assaults made the war last longer.
Norman Kingdom of Arabia. What is the world coming to?
Personal Matters
Also in August, Sayer divorced his wife, Judith. The main problem was that Judith was becoming infertile, but Sayer still lacked a heir. Don’t get me wrong, by now, Sayer has 13 children, not only from Judith, but from two lovers. None of them were up the standard expected from Augustus/Augusta of the Roman Empire. So, in August 1327, Sayer payed a huge bribe to the priests that dwarfed the money needed to get Khagan killed and he was a free man once again. For a few hours at least. Then, he married Adele, a 20-year old genius after the former husband of Adele had met an unfortunate accident of falling on a knife 20 times.
The new Augusta. Hopefully she will provide a worthy heir.
War for Alania
So, in December 1326, Sayer had Khagan Badai killed. Wine simply did not agree with the poor Khagan and he did pass to the next world. His son, Munglig, was 32 when he took the throne. Residing in Duchy of Alania, capital in county of Manych. Incidentally, not a good place to put your capital. For Sayer had a problem- three of his armies were still busy with slow and painful and boring conquest of the Zurayid Emirate. Meaning no free available troops in the Mesopotamian area. But, since the last war with the Golden Horde, Sayer had two armies loitering around in the area. As a coincidence, they were actually right next to borders of the Ilkhanate. Weird world, that.
There was actually another good reason for choosing Alania. Parts of Khazaria that were recently conquered by Mongols of the Ilkhanate from the Mongols of Golden Horde. Meaning that lot of provinces were still easy prey for the hardened Norman troops. Lightly defended, no proper levies and town defences still being rebuilt.
Also in December 1326, Sayer declared war and Norman armies started their march towards the borders. Three armies, two from Sayer and one from King Rolland II of Georgia. Normans marched happily, expecting easy war and plenty of loot. For once, they were totally right. Mongols were unable to offer any resistance and in just four month, the war was over. In the beginning of March 1327, Mongols gave up. The war had lasted for about 2,5 month and after that, Alania was Norman. If was the quickest war against serious opposition since early Norman Emperors blitzed up the Holy Roman Empire in Italy.
Now, that was surprisingly quick
War for Itil
When the Norman envoys went to new Mongol capital in Itil, capital of the Duchy with the same name (incidentally, located right next to Alania). There, as instructed, the envoys also made some small enquiries about how Mongol courtiers feel about killing the new Khagan. To everyone’s surprise, Munglig was actually quite popular and the people were not that willing to join the plotting. Even few bribes given didn’t seem to matter- Sayer was having hard time finding conspirators.
What to do? Sayer, decided to finish the matter old-fashioned way- hired knives in the dark. Total three parties of assassins were sent, by you know who. Two of them failed and under torture, revealed the involvement of Sayer. Third party managed to infiltrate the bedroom of poor Khagan-for-three-month Munglig and let’s just say the result was not pretty and Ilkhanate needed a new Khagan yet again. Now, another problem with Munglig was that though he had 6 children, all of them were girls. Instead, Agachu, his elder brother inherited the Empire.
The problem was that poor Agachu had fallen off the horse about 10 years ago and since that time, he was alive, but incapable, just laying in the bed and saying “lala”. He was Khagan’s son and that is why he was kept alive, but now, he was Khagan. To be honest, even that did not force good Mongols to rebel against their Khagan.
The New Khagan. And it seemed appropriate to show the other Khagan as well. Great Mongol rulers- one with syphilis, another just incapable...
Death of Khagan still meant that former peace was now not valid and Sayer was quick to use it. Against Itil this time- big Duchy right next to Alania. Again, two Norman armies and one from Georgia was used. Again, Khagan was unable to offer much of resistance. By July 1327, the war was over and Sayer controlled vast traces of freshly conquered lands in the East.
In just half a year, Normans had given Mongols two really quick wars, conquered total 10 provinces and dealt a terrible blow of two Khagans, for Agachu was now forced to leave his home and move his capital to the new lands. Now, Normans have given Ilkhanate twice the traditional coronation gift usually reserved for the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire. Thus, a new tradition was born, but with a small twist. Normans just attacked Kaisers when they died, but now they also managed deaths of the Khagans. As for Agachu- he was in so bad condition that Sayer decided to wait for natural process. No need to force things...
Kingdom of Arabia
By August 1327, Emir Shujah II had lost enough lands that he was forced to give up. Sayer now controlled enough lands to create Kingdom of Arabia. Gilbert, ruler of Mecca and Medina and fourth son of King of Nubia, now owns his own Kingdom right across the Red Sea. The war was the longest Normans had fought in quite a while, starting in November 1325 and lasting for nearly two years. Would have been longer, but luckily, not all Muslim holdings were garrisoned by 4000 soldiers and some quick assaults made the war last longer.
Norman Kingdom of Arabia. What is the world coming to?
Personal Matters
Also in August, Sayer divorced his wife, Judith. The main problem was that Judith was becoming infertile, but Sayer still lacked a heir. Don’t get me wrong, by now, Sayer has 13 children, not only from Judith, but from two lovers. None of them were up the standard expected from Augustus/Augusta of the Roman Empire. So, in August 1327, Sayer payed a huge bribe to the priests that dwarfed the money needed to get Khagan killed and he was a free man once again. For a few hours at least. Then, he married Adele, a 20-year old genius after the former husband of Adele had met an unfortunate accident of falling on a knife 20 times.
The new Augusta. Hopefully she will provide a worthy heir.
Now, the (new) traditional coronation gift to the Mongol Khagan! And i must say, both wars were surprisingly easy. I expected more from Mongols.
On a sidenote, I also declared war on Jylland, for old Duke had died and well, time to paint Scandinavia a bit more purple. But! The Duke was also fending off the host. Didn't mind, thought ok, i'll kick the host and then kick the Duke. Didn't work out- couldn't attack the host, they were sieging Jylland and i couldn't do anything. That is an oversight on Paradox's part. Unfortunately
SirkTheMonkey - Believe me, about the northern winter... -20C cold, snow up to your knees (and you have to shovel that bloody snow so you can get your bloody car out of the driveway and drive to bloody work while the car takes at least 10-15 minutes to become warm) and the ice that can trip you... Believe me, we northeners don't wan to remember winter with any good metaphors! Plus, as the saying goes- Estonian summer is three month of bad skiing weather
BogMod- Thanks! It was a nice pleasant surprise indeed
On a sidenote, I also declared war on Jylland, for old Duke had died and well, time to paint Scandinavia a bit more purple. But! The Duke was also fending off the host. Didn't mind, thought ok, i'll kick the host and then kick the Duke. Didn't work out- couldn't attack the host, they were sieging Jylland and i couldn't do anything. That is an oversight on Paradox's part. Unfortunately
SirkTheMonkey - Believe me, about the northern winter... -20C cold, snow up to your knees (and you have to shovel that bloody snow so you can get your bloody car out of the driveway and drive to bloody work while the car takes at least 10-15 minutes to become warm) and the ice that can trip you... Believe me, we northeners don't wan to remember winter with any good metaphors!
Plus, as the saying goes- Estonian summer is three month of bad skiing weather BogMod- Thanks! It was a nice pleasant surprise indeed
Nice to see you got a piece written on this AAR in the AARlander.
A well deserved piece for a great AAR!
With all these accidents going on I expect that by the turn of the century someone will have invented the Safety Knife. I hope to see this reborn tradition extended to all Emperor-equivalents who oppose the mighty Roman Empire.
That's brilliant
You're making very good progress in the east. Now I see why you're confident of a total WC.
Sayer is certianly quite the unscrupulous character - he'd be one of the more interesting to learn about, I think.
That's brilliant
So, one more post and the next update doesn't become last post of the page. Hmm- in that case, i think Estonian summer needs more jokes.
An Estonian man somewhere to Mediterranean area for holidays. The locals look at him and say: "Oh, you are soooo pale? How come, don't you have summer in Estonia?"
Estonian replies: "Sure we do. Only i was working that day"
Next, an update!