One strong ruler could easily conquer the whole Middle East within 10 years. But who would it be?
Not AI I think.
Not AI I think.
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Yay, an update, and a characteristically awesome one. I can't tell if the Hassanids ended up with more or less land in the aftermath of Sulayman's death and the resulting disorder. Leadership and personality sure lend a lot to an Empire--putting the cliffhanger and the map of 1393 together it seems like the Egyptians are also on their way out.
Ditto. At the same time though I don't want to see the Byzantines die out.Thrilling stuff as always.
I know they won't get a full length profile, but I have to admit I am most fascinated by the Latin Empire. When it comes Constantinople I'm rooting for the Poles.
Those Christians are proving hard to stamp out. No doubt Jerusalem will retain its ability to spark conflicts as your history moves forward
Another very welcome update. Obligatory w00t! And as an aside, at some point, gathering up the megacampaign into pdf format might a good idea, yes? (Not that i'd know how to do it...)
Oh, and about comments preceding updates, i was mostly pointing out that updates are bestest at the top of a new page? i.e. people just dropping by the thread are advised there is a new one on the preceding page!
Oh, and about comments preceding updates, i was mostly pointing out that updates are bestest at the top of a new page? i.e. people just dropping by the thread are advised there is a new one on the preceding page!
I don't suppose you'd be willing to release the EU3 scenario to us as a mod, once you've converted it fully?
The World in 1393 and How it Got There
Men of the Sword and the Book
III
The last Khan, the first Mamluk: Ahmed Bahadur
(1309-1375, reign 1333-75)
Men of the Sword and the Book
III
The last Khan, the first Mamluk: Ahmed Bahadur
(1309-1375, reign 1333-75)
The third and final key figure of the century is of course Ahmed Bahadur. He is often deeply respected in Egypt by Muslims and Christians alike, but the assessment of his life and deeds elsewhere in the Muslim – and for that matter, Christian – Middle East is less flattering. His long life had witnessed the final transformation and division of the Ilkhans from Mongols to Christians or Muslims. He had seen the splintering of middle-eastern empires into regional kingdoms and then back again, something that he had a large part in achieving. He was instrumental in bringing about the weakening of the Seljuks and key in the rise of the Hassanids and then the restoration of the Caliphate in Baghdad. And, like the two great men we read about earlier, he was unable to find a successor worthy of replacing him and finishing his plans; in short, he was truly a son of the times, and one of the most colourful.
Ahmed Bahadur is unique among the three in that he was a direct descendant of Chingiz Khan himself. His grandfather Arghun converted to Islam in the aftermath of the Berke-Abaqa war and was taken as royal prisoner by the Blue Horde together with his men. When Nogai Noyon’s pro-Christian faction took over in Sarai, his sons Mohammed Aleytu and Ghazan Mahmud both departed to Damascus with close to ten thousand of their tribal warriors and numerous auxillaries, but finding themselves unwanted there as well (and a direct threat to the Nestorian Ilkhans) made their way into Egypt. The Kaisar of Jerusalem had no power to stop them, and the Seljuks didn’t dare commit an army against an uncertain element. In Egypt, they established themselves as the law of the land, with the weak Emir in Cairo (and nominal vassal of the Seljuks) unable to resist them. The Sultans and the brothers came to a compromise – Egypt would be theirs if they would serve the Seljuks. While Mohammed Aleytu was the Khan, the Seljuks did not interfere with them and maintained friendly relations. In the year 1298, however, two important things happened: the Seljuks defeated the Timurids and forced Ahmed Qadan to bow to the Sultan, and the Khan of Egypt died. Ghazan Mahmud, Ahmed Bahadur’s father, became Khan, but was only briefly able to maintain the loose relationship that previously existed with his overlords. In 1300, the Seljuks came in force and he was obliged to become a true vassal, paying substantial yearly tribute and supplying troops for campaigns.
The situation persisted for a time, until Sultan Selim Mohammed’s death. When Adil Mohammed fled to Egypt in 1322, Ghazan agreed to reinstate the prince. This came at the price of Egypt’s independence from Isfahan. Nonetheless, things did not go quite as planned. Adil Mohammed was kept from the throne and a compromise ruler was installed, while Ghazan died in 1323. The subsequent Sultan did not keep the promise and used internal divisions always present in Mongol states to get a small group of generals to seize control. Those loyal to Ahmed fled, together with him, to the South of the country, basing themselves at Qasr Ibrim. Finally, in 1330, he returned and defeated the usurpers, coming to power almost simultaneously with Adil Mohammed in Isfahan. His brief stay in Nubia had positively disposed him towards Nubian states and Egyptian Christians in general, though not the Greeks or the Latins. He reaffirmed the baqt with the Nubians that existed ever since the Fatimids ruled in Cairo, and pursued a general policy of tolerance towards the Copts, hoping perhaps to destabilize the Crusaders in Alexandria.
The conflict with the rebel generals had diminished the numbers of the already few ethnic Mongols that made the backbone of the Egyptian army and state. To make up, he recruited from the local population and from baqti Nubia, both of which provided respectable infantry. However, the all-important cavalry arm was weak, as local aristocracy was not particularly numerous or skilled. To make up for that, like so many other Muslim states before, Egypt imported slaves on a grand scale, boys and young men from the Caucasus and especially Anatolia, where competing beyliks sold Turk and Christian alike into slavery to give themselves an edge over their rivals. The newcomers were integrated into old units according to the Mongol system. Since Ahmed fought continuous wars throughout his reign, the importance of the Mamluk slave army increased until it formed the elite of the entire Kingdom, often rising through merit to generalship and proving themselves capable as regional governments as well. This temporary strengthening was later to prove Egypt’s ultimate undoing, but it would be dishonest to say that Ahmed had many other choices available to him.
His primary effort was defining Egypt’s borders in the West and the South before venturing East, where more powerful foes awaited. The early campaigns were directed at the Emirate of Barqa, a Muslim state that pursued a pro-Crusader policy to maintain independence. He likewise defeated the pastoralist Juhayna, an Arab Baggara tribe that provided many mercenaries to the Latins and Muslims alike from their lands west of the Nile. They subsequently migrated to Kordofan, south of the line of forts and outposts established by Ahmed Bahadur. With the western border somewhat defined, he moved south, and defeated the Arabian transplants, the Banu Khalil, thus stretching Cairo’s rule all the way to Suakin, an important Red Sea port. The competition over the Red Sea trade led him into a conflict with the Fatimids, Egypt’s previous rulers whose reign was ended by the Crusaders. They still held the holy places of Islam, controlled the exits of the Red Sea through their Yemeni allies, and were, in the eyes of an orthodox Sunni like Ahmed, heretics. However, any campaigns against them were to be postponed as a crisis arose in the South. The Jal’Alin tribes had finally overrun the ancient Nubian state that once sheltered Ahmed and still provided him with baqti troops. He moved against the nomads and salvaged what he could, affirming the King of Dotawo in Faras as the highest authority in the land, while occupying Qasr Ibrim with Mamluk troops.
When ‘abd al-Malik Sulayman came to power in Baghdad, Ahmed proved amenable to suggestions of an anti-Greek, anti-Crusader alliance and proved a key player in wresting Damietta and Gaza from the Knights and Jerusalem. Having acquired bases from which to attack, he launched expeditions south towards Mecca in a long war against the Fatimids. However, once again a crisis arose that postponed his drive against the Fatimid caliphs – Sulayman died and the Hassanids descended into a power struggle. In the end, Ahmed intervened directly, putting up the Sunni Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad and taking the underage heir to the Hassanid throne under his protection – a hostage and a threat in one in Cairo to the Hassanid leadership.
He was now finally able to concentrate on the Fatimids. Within the last few years of his life, his troops had gone as far as Mecca itself, but as the Fatimid resistance got ever more determined, were unable to seriously threaten the capital, Jeddah, because of Egypt’s weaker navy, long neglected in the shifting political landscape of the 13th and 14th centuries. At the time of his death, there were several plans to continue the task – an attempt at drawing Yemen to the side of Egypt, a shipbuilding program at Suakin, and increased forces at Mecca. However, like many an ambitious conqueror he died before his greatest dream could be accomplished. To be as fair as possible, the Mamluk generals actually continued the massing of troops at Mecca and a simultaneous border war against the Baggara, but the internal positioning for leadership was nonetheless ongoing from the moment of his death. Ahmed was his father’s only son out of seven children, and left five daughters himself. At the end of several months of alliance-making, the oldest, Maryam, was forced to choose of the Mamluk generals, and had him remove her sisters and aunts. Her step-mother, however, barely older than herself and just as ambitious, was away from Cairo at the time and a separate faction developed under her. The widow’s supporters in the end lost the battle in the street chaos of Cairo, and ran away to Barqa, stripping the border garrisons from the Juhayna campaign. They held out there for a substantially long time before reconquest by the later Mamluk Sultans.
A spat of assassinations followed, the foremost victim being the commander of the army in Mecca (one of the few remaining ethnic Mongols that was in command), and while the army was uncertain of the next course of action – many wanted to return to Cairo to re-establish control – the Fatimids attacked. The unmotivated Egyptian army was routed, and much of the leadership was either killed or captured. However, just when it looked like Maryam and her husband were in firm control, the general was treacherously slain while in the bath, and a second round of violence broke out in the Capital, with his second in command in the end taking control and proclaiming himself the Sultan.
In the end, the advances made in the Fatimid campaign were lost, and by 1393, Jerusalem was once again occupying the Sinai with help from their Crusader allies. Nonetheless, the Mamluk succession wars were largely over and a somewhat stable system was established, with all elites – political and military – drawn from the former Mongol and Mamluk regiments. While seemingly without solid foundation, the state persisted largely within the borders that Ahmed Bahadur established, and even when successive dynasties took the throne, they rarely forgot the wily Mongol warlord in the reckoning of the great former rulers of Egypt.
Thus we conclude our look at the three great conquerors of the 14th century. While all three achieved great territorial expansion in their lifetimes, all three died without being able to establish stable succession nor prepare a great man to follow in their footsteps. They were not unique in this: it was to be a recurrent problem for many states that began as nomadic confederations, whether Turk or Mongol; nonetheless, they all furthered the fortunes of the Muslims in the Middle East and during their collective reigns the philosophical basis for the re-establishment of a universal Muslim empire was renewed and refined. More than a few dynasties would attempt to achieve this goal; one at least would come very close...
Hi everyone!
The last in my series of updates about great Muslim warlords of the 14th century has been posted above. Enjoy!
-------------------
General_BT: there's a "crumpled paper" texture you can find just by google. Layer it OVER the map in Paint.NET or whatever you use. Make sure it's on "multiply" settings. Add another layer with writing.
You can play around with contrast setting and transparency to get the effect you want but essentially that's that. Flatten when you save if you want to save space.
Pirate Z: Ask and ye shall receive!
That goes for everyone.
Nikolai: a pity I don't have his CK screenie, he had all sorts of Kwasatz Haderach-esque stats and traits. But a book perhaps is beyond my writing skills, although I do mention him in a Year's Education.
RossN: I find it's very much the case with me too - there's just so many interesting storylines waiting to happen on that map, and yet some of them must give way to others just because of how little space there really is.
That said, they're actually in a fairly good position, so we shall see.
asd21593: it's not so much the Hassanid state that's important, it's the fact that he had removed Cilicia (Armenian since 1079!), Damascus (Mongol since 1261!) and Tripoli (Greek since 1205!). I was so busy dealing with the Blue Horde (as Kiev) in the 1370s I almost missed the momentous occasion.
English Patriot: thank you very much, always great to see you here!
Milites: Hah! No, this great man had no issues with the Sphinx.
But it would be funny. "Among other things, Ahmad Bahadur is known for destroying the Sphinx' nose in a sudden fit of Mongol behaviour".
Enewald: Please don't forget this was in CK, with religious wars in play. A determined player (or AI leader) can easily wreck the world map in 10 years.
Nonetheless I thought it was impressive.
HKslan: well, as I told RossN, we have Byzantines, Ottomans, and Latins all trying to take Constantinople from the sneaky Bulgarians. Whoever wins, other people will get upset. Sad but true.
As for more or less land - it's not particularly important. They mostly traded Baghdad and Basra for Damascus, Edessa and Aleppo. It'd be a fair trade if I wasn't as successful at spreading Christianity in Syria in the previous century.
ComradeOm: Jerusalem Monomachs are persistent bastards. I've seen them reduced to one-province-deep strip on the coast twice, and both times they came back stronger than ever. I don't know what the AI was doing, but that's what happened.
That said, my current justification is their pro-Latin policies. They're sponsoring the Knights, are friendly with Alexandria and Carthage, and trade brides as far as Valencia and Auvergne. Maybe a little Crusader help was the reason - the kind that doesn't end in the sack of your capital.
Yes, I know.
Tskb18: okay, I think I got it now. Trying it again.
As for .pdf - I was working on a wiki at http://althistory.wikia.com (search for "Barbarian Empire") but I ran out of steam. I don't know if that's what you meant. And yes, maybe I should learn how to make pdf files anyway. Hm.
KlavoHunter: That is absolutely the case.
The 1393 scenario will be released as a downloadable mod provided the nice MagnaMundi people let me do that because that's what it's based around.
I can't guarantee it being totally free from bugs, but at least the map starting positions will be all correct and the alliances will be all set up. There's a few essential events and AI training that I need to do, but other than that I can actually try it on other people now (as opposed to say, two months ago).
It will update together with MM versions (i.e. new downloads) and if I ever get the hang of it I plan a more extensive review of events and the map itself. But no real promises there just yet.
---------
In a couple of days (around the 10th) I will be posting a small semi-academic update on A Year's Education. It's mostly about Turks. I feel I've given them enough space here, but there's always more space in the CK section, as I had originally planned to continue updating there with minor details examined more closely.
Cheers.
The last in my series of updates about great Muslim warlords of the 14th century has been posted above. Enjoy!
-------------------
General_BT: there's a "crumpled paper" texture you can find just by google. Layer it OVER the map in Paint.NET or whatever you use. Make sure it's on "multiply" settings. Add another layer with writing.
You can play around with contrast setting and transparency to get the effect you want but essentially that's that. Flatten when you save if you want to save space.
Pirate Z: Ask and ye shall receive!
That goes for everyone.
Nikolai: a pity I don't have his CK screenie, he had all sorts of Kwasatz Haderach-esque stats and traits. But a book perhaps is beyond my writing skills, although I do mention him in a Year's Education.
RossN: I find it's very much the case with me too - there's just so many interesting storylines waiting to happen on that map, and yet some of them must give way to others just because of how little space there really is.
That said, they're actually in a fairly good position, so we shall see.
asd21593: it's not so much the Hassanid state that's important, it's the fact that he had removed Cilicia (Armenian since 1079!), Damascus (Mongol since 1261!) and Tripoli (Greek since 1205!). I was so busy dealing with the Blue Horde (as Kiev) in the 1370s I almost missed the momentous occasion.
English Patriot: thank you very much, always great to see you here!
Milites: Hah! No, this great man had no issues with the Sphinx.
But it would be funny. "Among other things, Ahmad Bahadur is known for destroying the Sphinx' nose in a sudden fit of Mongol behaviour".
Enewald: Please don't forget this was in CK, with religious wars in play. A determined player (or AI leader) can easily wreck the world map in 10 years.
Nonetheless I thought it was impressive.
HKslan: well, as I told RossN, we have Byzantines, Ottomans, and Latins all trying to take Constantinople from the sneaky Bulgarians. Whoever wins, other people will get upset. Sad but true.
As for more or less land - it's not particularly important. They mostly traded Baghdad and Basra for Damascus, Edessa and Aleppo. It'd be a fair trade if I wasn't as successful at spreading Christianity in Syria in the previous century.
ComradeOm: Jerusalem Monomachs are persistent bastards. I've seen them reduced to one-province-deep strip on the coast twice, and both times they came back stronger than ever. I don't know what the AI was doing, but that's what happened.
That said, my current justification is their pro-Latin policies. They're sponsoring the Knights, are friendly with Alexandria and Carthage, and trade brides as far as Valencia and Auvergne. Maybe a little Crusader help was the reason - the kind that doesn't end in the sack of your capital.
Yes, I know.
Tskb18: okay, I think I got it now. Trying it again.
As for .pdf - I was working on a wiki at http://althistory.wikia.com (search for "Barbarian Empire") but I ran out of steam. I don't know if that's what you meant. And yes, maybe I should learn how to make pdf files anyway. Hm.
KlavoHunter: That is absolutely the case.
The 1393 scenario will be released as a downloadable mod provided the nice MagnaMundi people let me do that because that's what it's based around.
I can't guarantee it being totally free from bugs, but at least the map starting positions will be all correct and the alliances will be all set up. There's a few essential events and AI training that I need to do, but other than that I can actually try it on other people now (as opposed to say, two months ago).
It will update together with MM versions (i.e. new downloads) and if I ever get the hang of it I plan a more extensive review of events and the map itself. But no real promises there just yet.
---------
In a couple of days (around the 10th) I will be posting a small semi-academic update on A Year's Education. It's mostly about Turks. I feel I've given them enough space here, but there's always more space in the CK section, as I had originally planned to continue updating there with minor details examined more closely.
Cheers.
Update(s)! Yipee!
I really like it that you spend time to make updates about muslims something that tends to be forgotten around here! And now onto Japan
I really like it that you spend time to make updates about muslims something that tends to be forgotten around here! And now onto Japan
Rome:VV.
:rofl:
Anyway, another sterling update, you weave a fascinating history, and I always love to see 'personal' empires rise and fall.
Regular updates?
(Granted, I can hardly talk but still...)
Anyways it seems that more than a few Muslims have decided to emulate the great Alexander. At least it keeps things interesting and gives the Christians a chance. For these at least the establishment of a stable Mamluk regime* cannot be good news
* Interesting how this was achieved with Mongol aid. Perhaps the Mamluk victory at Marj al-Saffar (OTL) was not in their best interests after all...
(Granted, I can hardly talk but still...)
Anyways it seems that more than a few Muslims have decided to emulate the great Alexander. At least it keeps things interesting and gives the Christians a chance. For these at least the establishment of a stable Mamluk regime* cannot be good news
* Interesting how this was achieved with Mongol aid. Perhaps the Mamluk victory at Marj al-Saffar (OTL) was not in their best interests after all...
If the updates keep coming at this pace, I doubt there's going to be a single sad person in all the EU3 forums!
Seriously I have to agree with the excellent update and those pictures almost seemed like you had 3d texture in there for topographical purposes XD Cool stuff !
and those pictures almost seemed like you had 3d texture in there for topographical purposes XD Cool stuff !
Rome:VV.
No, even if VV was the best thing happened to Eu Rome, the game still simply sucks.
The World in 1393 and How it Got There
Central Europe
Central Europe
Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła,
Kiedy my żyjemy.
Co nam obca przemoc wzięła,
Szablą odbierzemy.
Kiedy my żyjemy.
Co nam obca przemoc wzięła,
Szablą odbierzemy.
- Polish national anthem
Poland: Poland is among the oldest Slavic nations, and at the end of the 14th century also, undoubtedly, the strongest. The earliest centuries of the Piast Kingdom were characterized by an ongoing struggle with the still-unitary and expansionist Holy Roman Empire of the Germans, but beginning in the late twelfth century, the Germans became increasingly factitious and beset by the Sevillan Muslims, the Byzantine Empire, and Hungary. With their crusading spirit largely spent and with their unity shattered, the German states stopped their slow Eastward creep. Nonetheless, slow colonization of West Slavic lands continued, with numerous German settlers arriving to seek a better life in new territories, or seeking work in newly-founded cities. The Polish, despite having accepted the Catholic faith centuries ago were initially reluctant contributors to the Crusader cause. Beginning in the mid-13th century, however, it was the newly-confident Eastern European kingdoms – Hungary, Poland and Bohemia – that organized most of the Crusades into Anatolia, North Africa and the Levant. The Latin Empire of the Polish nation is the last surviving Polish crusader state.
The Crusaders in their zeal had created an implacable enemy from the nominally Christian Blue Horde, and Poland along with other Eastern European countries was devastated in the 14th century, with cities razed and populations enslaved or slaughtered. The Mongol invasions were followed by the plagues, which only compounded upon the woes of the Poles. Nonetheless, the Mongols’ invasion had an unexpected side effect: Northern Poland was barely touched, anecdotally due to diplomatic efforts of a Poland-friendly (and dynastically related) Kiev, a key Mongol ally. Through most of the Mongol occupation period, the country was ruled by several Princes subservient to the Khans. When the Blue Horde retreated from Europe, these Princes expanded West and South against their devastated neighbours, and against each other. The Princes of Mazovia emerged supreme, unifying most of the Polish lands and claiming the crown in 1361. The Prince of Mazovia is also the Margrave of Brandenburg, and claims dominion over the rulers of Pomerania as well. Poland is a supporter and protector of the German Knights in Banat. Despite its strength, the country is surrounded by rivals – Bohemia to the South, Lithuania to the East, and Sweden to the North. A policy of alliances with the weakened Hungary to the South may prove to be a necessary long-term strategy.
The Crusaders in their zeal had created an implacable enemy from the nominally Christian Blue Horde, and Poland along with other Eastern European countries was devastated in the 14th century, with cities razed and populations enslaved or slaughtered. The Mongol invasions were followed by the plagues, which only compounded upon the woes of the Poles. Nonetheless, the Mongols’ invasion had an unexpected side effect: Northern Poland was barely touched, anecdotally due to diplomatic efforts of a Poland-friendly (and dynastically related) Kiev, a key Mongol ally. Through most of the Mongol occupation period, the country was ruled by several Princes subservient to the Khans. When the Blue Horde retreated from Europe, these Princes expanded West and South against their devastated neighbours, and against each other. The Princes of Mazovia emerged supreme, unifying most of the Polish lands and claiming the crown in 1361. The Prince of Mazovia is also the Margrave of Brandenburg, and claims dominion over the rulers of Pomerania as well. Poland is a supporter and protector of the German Knights in Banat. Despite its strength, the country is surrounded by rivals – Bohemia to the South, Lithuania to the East, and Sweden to the North. A policy of alliances with the weakened Hungary to the South may prove to be a necessary long-term strategy.
Hungary: The Hungarians rode into Europe at the dawn on the second Christian millennium, and have since become one of the more important nations on the continent, not to mention some of the most successful Crusaders in history. Their nomadic origins, however, had kept them in the lush grassy homeland of the Alfold, and when the Mongols decided to invade Europe that proved to be their undoing. No nation had suffered as much as Hungary during the early 14th century, and when the Mongols left, no nation’s recovery was as painful. Nonetheless, the Hungarian state persevered, though largely with Polish help. They lost the peripheral regions – Slavonia to Croatia, and likewise Slovakia, where the local population invited the duke of Luxemburg to be their ruler. Inviting German settlers and German knights proved to be a double-edged sword, as the Order in Banat and the independence-minded Transylvanians had come to blows not only with the neighbours to the South, but with their overlords as well, and even with each other! The Kingdom is also experiencing an influx of Steppe tribes from Moldavia and Wallachia, where increasing centralization and settlement is squeezing out the traditional nomads; while the Pechenegs and the Cumans are excellent riders and warriors and would ably supplement the szeklers, they pose a different sort of problem – they are mostly Orthodox, prompting concern from the Pope in Salzburg about the prospects of Hungary as the defender of Catholicism in the East.
Bohemia: Bohemia, like Poland and Hungary, was ravaged by the Mongol invasion and the Plagues, and its kings spent thirty years in exile in Naples, and then in Croatia. They returned with the backing of both the Pope and the Tzars and with the consent of the remaining population. The devastation the Horde left behind allowed them to quickly establish control over most of their former territory (as well as Meissen and Moravia) and their able mercenary army allowed them to hold off other claimants. This has made them a rival and a target to both the Poles and the Magyars, which is probably the reason why the Croatian Choniatoi supported them to begin with. Like Hungary, Bohemia’s strength is largely hollow, and like Hungary, Bohemia is experiencing an influx of foreign settlers – mostly Saxons, who will probably outnumber the Czechs and Lusatians within a century or two. The dynasty’s staunchly Roman, pro-German policy brings it support from powerful Bavaria, but creates internal tensions with the Slavic nobility and middle class, who feel that they were largely to thank for restoring the country in the first place in the wake of the Mongols’ retreat.
Bavaria : Even as the Holy Roman Empire crumbled, Bavaria rose in pre-eminence among the surviving factions. When the lords of Burgundy raised their royal title to match that of the German King, the Bavarians followed suit, and the history of Germany (and Italy) had ever since been one of rivalry between the two. The Bavarians are doubtlessly weaker than Burgundy, but they are the protectors of the Pope and will gladly play off the Church against the dogmatically uncertain Burgunds if they can get away with it. Bavaria itself is rich and was largely spared the devastation the Mongols inflicted on all its neighbours to the East and to the North. This has allowed them to impose vassalage on many smaller duchies, and a long-term strategy of further centralization does not seem improbable.
Nonetheless, there are rivals even to the East - the stubborn Dukes of the Osterreich defy the Bavarians, whereas in the Carinthian march, the schismatic Croatians are encouraging the dukes of Krain to pursue an independent agenda, whereas to the South, the Venetians seek to reclaim lordship over Verona, Aquileia and Friuli from Bavarian vassals, and the threat of Ottomans interfering on the Venetian side is everpresent. In Italy, Guelf positions are threatened by the mere existence of the Ghafsid Naples. In the turbulent politics of France, Bavaria’s hand can be felt, supporting England against everyone else, while in Central Europe, the Bavarians support the Bohemians against the stronger Poles. Their ambitions for the Imperial Crown, however, remain frustrated as Lorraine holds that, and through them, the meddlesome Burgundians extend their influence. Bavaria, in short, has grand aspirations but must choose where to spend their efforts, because to take on all rivals at once is a quick road to being overwhelmed.
Nonetheless, there are rivals even to the East - the stubborn Dukes of the Osterreich defy the Bavarians, whereas in the Carinthian march, the schismatic Croatians are encouraging the dukes of Krain to pursue an independent agenda, whereas to the South, the Venetians seek to reclaim lordship over Verona, Aquileia and Friuli from Bavarian vassals, and the threat of Ottomans interfering on the Venetian side is everpresent. In Italy, Guelf positions are threatened by the mere existence of the Ghafsid Naples. In the turbulent politics of France, Bavaria’s hand can be felt, supporting England against everyone else, while in Central Europe, the Bavarians support the Bohemians against the stronger Poles. Their ambitions for the Imperial Crown, however, remain frustrated as Lorraine holds that, and through them, the meddlesome Burgundians extend their influence. Bavaria, in short, has grand aspirations but must choose where to spend their efforts, because to take on all rivals at once is a quick road to being overwhelmed.
Holstein and Luxemburg: The Grand Duchy of Holstein is a shadow of its former self, since no longer than a century ago the Duchy controlled much of what is today the Low countries (Hainaut, Brabant and Scottish Flandres) and Northern France. The fall came when the Luxemburg branch of the dynasty rebelled and called upon Burgundy for help. At the end of the 14th century, Holsten holds onto the Danish isthmus and Friesland, while extending its influence weakly upon the minor North German states. Since it is no longer a major land power, the rulers must seek alternative routes to greatness – gaining greater importance in the Hanseatic League at the expense of Lubek and Mecklenburg, perhaps, or developing a financial Empire that could support expansion elsewhere. Holsteiner merchants are also heavily involved in loans to both the Swedes and the Norwegians – whether this will bring them directly into conflict with one or the other remains to be seen. Luxemburg, meanwhile, has chosen a Dynastic route for growth – the Dukes are rulers of faraway Slovakia and rapidly developing Holland. Their far-flung possessions require good relations with both Burgundy and Bavaria, and thus the Luxemburgs are the greatest proponents of the Status Quo in all of the Empire.
Norway and Sweden: The two Nordic countries had seen their share of ups and downs, but could never really aspire to greatness until the regional hegemon, Denmark, was devastated by Muslim attacks. Subsequent occupation by both the Greek and the German Empires only weakened it further, allowing Sweden and Norway to grow stronger and more independent. As time went on, the countries centralized and developed, while trade and conflict with the Novgorodians and the Germans brought technical innovation and experience in European politics beyond simple warfare. The two countries are of course each other’s greatest rivals, and whichever is victorious in the end stands to establish domination of all Scandinavia. Although Norway is weaker, Sweden has ongoing rivalries with the Russians and Lithuanians in Finland, and its greater involvement in German affairs creates tensions with the Burgund and Polish clients, so a wise Norwegian king may easily overcome his stronger neighbour with opportunistic political decisions. Meanwhile, although Norway’s expansion over the seas towards Iceland was stymied before, it does not mean they will not try again,,.
The Elbian Marches: In the ninth century, what is now Brandenburg, Mecklenburg and Meissen were firmly Wendish and Lusatian; within two centuries, the Wends looked to be on their way out, squeezed out by German settlers and conquered by Danish princes. However, several reversals followed. Denmark’s devastation in the 12th century lead to Novgorodians establishing themselves in the area, and the Slavic principalities being left alone for a while. Subsequent Lithuanian and Russian merchants and princes often used the local Slavs as intermediaries with the Germans to the south, creating the first semblance of an Elbish Slavic burgher class. Nonetheless, as urbanization continued, the German population continued to grow, and German culture, being the culture of the cities, gained in importance, especially in Lusatia and the areas closer to Sliesia and Bohemia. This continued until the Mongol invasions. As the German-speaking urban population showed by far the most resistance (and the Slavs instead preferred to hide out in the forests), it suffered the hardest retribution. Since the plague that came afterwards hit the urban areas harder than the rural ones, the Germans were again more affected than the Slavs. Within a generation, the population trends that held for centuries started to look uncertain. The final development happened after the Mongols left: the Swedes demolished the last vestiges of Russo-Lithuanian control over Denmark, and Poland emerged as the pre-eminent regional power. The Swedes applied pressure to expel all people privileged during the centuries of foreign rule over Denmark – the Russian merchants, the Orthodox converts, and the Wendish mercenaries and go-betweens. Some of these headed to Novgorod, a few to Iceland, but most to Poland and its possessions in Brandenburg. This coincided with the Polish-initiated expulsion of their rivals’ partisans from their new territories, most of whom were German. In the end, the Marcher territories under Polish rule acquired a Slavic urban class in addition to the Slavic villages, whereas in the lands with large Slavic minorities, like Mecklenburg and Lubeck, Germanisation accelerated. Although the Polish crown (now well-established) toys with the idea of inviting the German settlers back, the problems that its neighbours in Bohemia and Hungary are having with similar projects may serve as a discouragement.
The Rhenish Patchwork:The Rheinland remains the richest area of Germany, despite – or perhaps because of – the severe fragmentation of power. The small states (of which Wurttemberg, Hesse and Braunschweig are the largest) can hardly resist against he greater powers that surround them on their own, and thus they collectively support the Imperial system that allows conflicts to be resolved within a commonly agreed-upon framework of law and precedent. Meanwhile, the stronger states of the Empire (Bavaria, Bohemia, Burgundian-backed Lorraine) seek to extend their influence through alliances and vassalages. Nor are they the only players; states outside the Empire, like Sweden, Poland and Hungary may also interfere on the behalf of their friends. The area boasts a mind-boggling variety and number of states, statelets and governments: sovreign bishopricks, dynastic duchies and hereditary principalities, noble-dominated free counties, imperial cities, urban communes and burgher republics. One thing is for certain – whoever can unite and control the Rhine can control Germany; whoever controls all of Germany can probably defeat any power in Europe, unless internal unity is compromised.
The Eastern Baltic:Catholic and German involvement in the Baltic's eastern Shores began with the Northern Crusades, which, besides gaining ground from the Pagans, also surprised several major Rus cities. Within two generations, every last Latin stronghold fell to the resurgent Russo-Byzantines, and the Orthodox Tsardom of Lithuania was established. Nonetheless, some relics remained - Riga, where German merchants maintained an outpost that grew into a major trade port, and Kurland, a Catholic vassal of the Lithuanians that took its chance to rebel during the succession wars of the 1380s. German presence also remained with Polish acknowledgment in Danzig, where it borders the Orthodox princes of Prussia and the Yatvangians. Independence obtained by the latter during Lithuanian weakness must now seem untenable in face of Polish resurgence and Swedish maritime strength. The Prussians must therefore rely on diplomacy to survive as a state.
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The update is here! And a new map style!
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Deamon - Japan is untouched by me. As far as I know, MMP does a great job of representing it
Enewald - CK has oodles hilarity, EU, though, has gravitas. I don't know how well the two combine.
Nikolai - well, not that. Although I'm contemplating a VV AAR. I'll let you all know when and if I do it. It will not be a mega-campaign.
asd21593 - that was always my intention.
English Patriot - I'm afraid that's largely it for those, though...from now it's all economic forces and social contracts
ComradeOm - well, RL Mamluks did pretty well too, actually, considering. These Mamluks are relatively stable compared to their neighbours, I don't know how stable they will be compared to IRL Mamluks, and they start with less territory too.
General_BT - :rofl:
In that case, it's happy hour again!
aldriq: thank you!
Working on it!
canonized - 3D texture gave me an idea for this last map. I'm not entirely satisfied with how it came out, but yeah...
Enewald - I have to agree. Rome is the least satisfying of all the titles.
Which is a pity since I really know/knew more about the late antiquity than the middle ages, actually. It should have been exciting, but it was so unrealistic it made CK look deep and polished.
Oh well.
----
I decided the previews will abridge the minor states into general topics; I thought of giving the HRE the same treatment as Spain and Italy and my brain - quite literally - exploded.
And no, there will not be a focus update on the HRE. Suffice it to say that MMP does a fantastic job of it and that's how I'll leave it.
Cheers and thanks for reading!
---------
Deamon - Japan is untouched by me. As far as I know, MMP does a great job of representing it
Enewald - CK has oodles hilarity, EU, though, has gravitas. I don't know how well the two combine.
Nikolai - well, not that. Although I'm contemplating a VV AAR. I'll let you all know when and if I do it. It will not be a mega-campaign.
asd21593 - that was always my intention.
English Patriot - I'm afraid that's largely it for those, though...from now it's all economic forces and social contracts
ComradeOm - well, RL Mamluks did pretty well too, actually, considering. These Mamluks are relatively stable compared to their neighbours, I don't know how stable they will be compared to IRL Mamluks, and they start with less territory too.
General_BT - :rofl:
In that case, it's happy hour again!
aldriq: thank you!
Working on it!
canonized - 3D texture gave me an idea for this last map. I'm not entirely satisfied with how it came out, but yeah...
Enewald - I have to agree. Rome is the least satisfying of all the titles.
Which is a pity since I really know/knew more about the late antiquity than the middle ages, actually. It should have been exciting, but it was so unrealistic it made CK look deep and polished.
Oh well.
----
I decided the previews will abridge the minor states into general topics; I thought of giving the HRE the same treatment as Spain and Italy and my brain - quite literally - exploded.
And no, there will not be a focus update on the HRE. Suffice it to say that MMP does a fantastic job of it and that's how I'll leave it.
Cheers and thanks for reading!
Oi, will the game begin soon, because these great detailed informative updates make me really thirsty to see those politic nightmares in action!