-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Yay, great success!Granada is certainly interesting, with that it's 100% certain that that won't be the last war against Castille.
I'm assuming you mean that the Corsairs took Ceuta in the end? Melilla was Moroccan already...
you have truth in both what you say
I meant Ceuta of course - maybe I should have started drinking before posting... might as well - cheers to you all!true. I've already started building big (and light) ships as replacements to old galleys. otherwise I am going to take more naval-based national ideas in the future so the superiority of the Corsairs on the sea will be unquestionable!
I am (we are
) not a monster - though as Malurous said, the Castilians have to pay! in this case I might help the Granadans out a bit...
Last edited:
now... with this westernization and Castille been wrecked the struggle for domination just became a lot easier - so here's the deal:
what should be the main priority of the Sultanate of Tripoli in the near future?
I expect some good and challenging ideas from you in this case because currently I have none at all however here are some leads:
- should we break out from the Mediterranean and try to replace England on the seas - everywhere?
- should we follow the Infidels to the New World and fight their oppression over the innocents wherever we find them?
- should we find our own way in the race for resources and turn towards the South, towards the very heart of Africa?
however feel free to add your own ideas to the list, I will pick it and stick to whichever will be the chosen one as the destiny of the Corsairs.
on the other hand: any suggestions for additional rules to make the game even more challenging?
what should be the main priority of the Sultanate of Tripoli in the near future?
I expect some good and challenging ideas from you in this case because currently I have none at all
however here are some leads:- should we break out from the Mediterranean and try to replace England on the seas - everywhere?
- should we follow the Infidels to the New World and fight their oppression over the innocents wherever we find them?
- should we find our own way in the race for resources and turn towards the South, towards the very heart of Africa?
however feel free to add your own ideas to the list, I will pick it and stick to whichever will be the chosen one as the destiny of the Corsairs.
on the other hand: any suggestions for additional rules to make the game even more challenging?
What about expanding into Arabia, Middle East, then the Indian Ocean and the China seas ? There are supposed to be pirates there as well...
Your gracious Sultan,
Help our brothers in Andalusia to regain their lost lands. Give them back what (Gibraltar, Cadiz, Almeira, Andalucia and Cordoba) once stolen by the crusaders from them.
Rewards: Gain 20 prestige, war reparations and become a legend in Andalusia.
(by making Granada a Muslim province again and releasing them as vassal and giving them back some lost territories, will ensure that Castille is no threat to you anymore?)
------------------------
Your gracious Sultan,
We should go the heart of the Crusaders and take out their Holy Roman Emperor. Dismantle their precious holy roman empire, before they become a danger to our interests and to Tripoli.
(This must be challenging enough I think?)
Help our brothers in Andalusia to regain their lost lands. Give them back what (Gibraltar, Cadiz, Almeira, Andalucia and Cordoba) once stolen by the crusaders from them.
Rewards: Gain 20 prestige, war reparations and become a legend in Andalusia.
(by making Granada a Muslim province again and releasing them as vassal and giving them back some lost territories, will ensure that Castille is no threat to you anymore?)
------------------------
Your gracious Sultan,
We should go the heart of the Crusaders and take out their Holy Roman Emperor. Dismantle their precious holy roman empire, before they become a danger to our interests and to Tripoli.
(This must be challenging enough I think?)
Last edited:
Dominate the seas, of course! However, you will need a stronger economy for that...
Load the cannons! Sharpen the swords! Sail beyond the great Western Sea, and occupy the infidels' lands.
Load the cannons! Sharpen the swords! Sail beyond the great Western Sea, and occupy the infidels' lands.
I think your goal should be simple: own as much coastline as possible.
As a secondary goal, you should make the Mediterranean your personal lake by conquering all it's coastline by the end of the game.
As a secondary goal, you should make the Mediterranean your personal lake by conquering all it's coastline by the end of the game.
I should have bet on that this will be the first
however currently there are less oil tankers and millionaires' yachts to hijack in the area you mean Sandokan?
that's not a bad idea either though... especially with a bigger naval range in the future.nah we are not zealots at all - religion is a shackle to keep the people enslaved all across the Mediterranean and make them fight each other. besides I am fully innovative and have little chance acquiring any missionaries. on the other hand, Granada should be freed!
and... dismantling the HRE you say? now these are the ideas I need
yet that is something I've never done before - I have to occupy all the electors' and the Emperor's capital to do that, right? last I checked Austria was the Emperor with some 150 000 soldiers or so... you definitely have got my attention with this.I've had a ridiculous amount of events giving me loads of money and I try to keep my infamy low so the economy should be fine. currently I don't see much about what's going on in the Caribbean but I will look into it for you - well... to be honest not only for you...
I am a lazy leader and don't like managing that awful lot of provinces - besides most of them would be overseas anyway. what about vassa... I mean convincing them to join our cause? I bet some of them will be a bit hard to persuade but I have my arguments...
thanks for these and keep them coming!
and for now let's see what happened to Castille after they were beaten badly by the Corsairs...
Part 17 - Securing the Mediterranean (1559-1567)
[video=youtube;n1_Ubx4_xlA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1_Ubx4_xlA[/video]
All across North Africa the people were overjoyed - the triumph over the Crusaders was great indeed. Envoys arrived from all Muslims of Middle East to offer their service and the undying gratitude of their overlords. Ali II was praised to be amongst the greatest leader the people of the True Faith had since the time of Mohammed and the first Caliphs.
However a particular envoy, the one coming from Constantinople, didn't seem to be as kind as the other ones - and when the festivities passed he asked for a private audience with Ali II himself. It was during this meeting when he revealed his message what was a... "request" from his overlord the Sultan.
The actual subject of this petition was the small Sultanate of Karaman, faithful ally of the Corsairs since the time of Ahmad the Old. However the Sultan of the Ottomans had claims on that land - he even conquered a large part of it a few years ago while the Corsairs were busy fighting the Mamluks.
So what the Ottoman envoy suggested was that with its "unmatched power" Ali sure doesn't need allies like the "pathetic Karamanese" and it would the best to "remove this thorn from the side of the mutual friendship of Turks and the Corsairs."
Probably it would have been better to let the Ottoman Turks take that piece of land - however Ali and his allies just crushed the greatest Infidel kingdom in the world and after that Ali really wasn't in the mood of giving in to the demands of anybody. And above that the Corsairs always praised freedom over oppression and were self-proclaimed defenders of all the people in need across the Mediterranean - regardless of their beliefs.
So for Ali it meant war...
The Ottomans had a large and disciplined army and a decent fleet, both bigger than those of Tripoli's but the former was decentralized trying to defend a very long coastline while the latter was mainly consisted of old Byzantine-style galleys rather than modern sea-faring ships.
Atop of that the other leaders of the Muslim world turned out to be more friendly to Tripoli's politics than the Turks' and in the end the Ottomans remained without allies in their war.
Two armies were quickly dispatched to Rumelia - the European side of the Ottoman Empire - with one marching towards Bulgaria, which was recently conquered by the Turks and was probably less defended, and a larger one laying siege to their capital.
The attack went well - the harbours of the Ottomans were blockaded, their main fleet did not even dare to leave them - and a significant victory was won over a larger Turkish army outside their former capital of Edirne.
Meanwhile back in Tripoli a delegate of merchants appeared before the Sultan complaining about the harassment they had to endure in the cities of Europe since the defeat of the Crusaders at the hands of Ali - he promised them that some provisions will be made immediately to help their situation.
After some short debate Ali II and his council declared the implementation of a new, even more opened merchant policy.
This "Monopoly Act" is going to help maintaining the competition regardless of how fierce the actual competitors are.
In Rumelia the war went on smoothly and Edirne had fallen in a month after the siege started.
The main Turkish forces remained in Anatolia on the other side of the Bosporus and it seemed that they could do nothing to save their capital from its ultimate capitulation.
Meanwhile - for better coordination between the Corsairs and their Italian allies - a new institution was funded in the heart of Italy in the newly acquired city of Firenze. Basically it was a permanent embassy for the Court of Tripoli and its main purpose was to maintain continuous discussions with the city states of Italy and the Pope and guarantee their safety from any attack coming outside from Italy.
Later in that month a large Ottoman army came back from the deeper Balkan where it hid until then and drove off the besieging forces of Tripoli from the walls of Constantinople.
This army could have been beaten probably but Ali II thought that there was enough bloodshed between fellow Muslims and he didn't want to break the Ottoman Empire - like he broke the Castilians - and thus let the Hungarians or the Lithuanians to swarm all over Rumelia. So Ali decided to offer a generous peace to the Ottomans: all they had to admit that they had no legal claims over the parts of Anatolia which were in the sphere of Tripoli and had to repay the cost of Ali's war effort.
The fleet and the army returned home immediately and reorganization after the two great war begun.
The process was helped by funds sent by the councilors and governors themselves as they saw that without strong and central protection their cities and posts all across the Mediterranean would be in great danger.
Beside this the adaptation of Tuscany to the Corsair government system was continued in the next years - not without problems though...
While the Corsairs were an open and tolerant society the Christians in Italy - living under the oppression of feudal overlords and despots of all kind for centuries - were quite unfamiliar with this so there was a dangerous unrest amongst them. Actions against this were needed but the proper method for calming them down was not cleared out yet.
So Ali II had to use what he got...
...and at that time the best he could get was agents - spies - all across his realm to monitor the situations in the far away cities and report back any possible underground movement immediately.
Meanwhile Ali didn't give up his plan of dealing with the Spanish crusaders once and for all - the situation since the war 5 years ago developed in the way that was just perfect for Ali: the Castilian government were still struggled with bankruptcy and above that the resistance across the former Al Andalus branched out and war ravaged through Southern Iberia once again...
Though the Crusaders had serious financial problems and some of their former conquests in Portugal and Catalonia had already defected back to their rightful owners they still had a decent military force and would have wrecked the liberation movement - unless the Corsairs join the struggle on the Andalusian side.
The timing of the attack was perfect - all their allies abandoned the Infidels and their army was encircled in the Andalusian enclave of La Mancha - their country was open to allied attacks yet this time it offered even less resistance.
Corsair, Aquileian and Syrian forces quickly overran Iberia - Ali even considered some future reward for the Aquileians as since they joined the cause of Tripoli in liberating the Mediterranean from oppressor like Castille, they were the quickest to mobilize and the most eager to fight in every war regardless of the chances. However the whole of Tripoli remembered the Archbishop's raid on their cities back in Mansur's war for Naples...
Meanwhile another revolt took place in Tuscany but the reserve army routed the rebels and quickly restored order in Firenze.
Just in one and a half year Iberia was under full control of Tripoli - again.
The treasures acquired from the Crusaders - which were surely stolen from other innocents all across the world - were carried to Tripoli in countless shiploads.
In the brink of collapse the Crusaders had little choice on the matter of peace so the negotiations were quick: they gave up their claims on foreign territories and handed over the Baleares (as a future naval base for Tripoli) along with the formerly independent lands in Galicia which they subjugated and kept under pressure for a long time.
Thus Ali could return home with a most comforting thought: the fearsome Crusaders of Castille will not pose any threat to him in the future...
[video=youtube;n1_Ubx4_xlA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1_Ubx4_xlA[/video]
All across North Africa the people were overjoyed - the triumph over the Crusaders was great indeed. Envoys arrived from all Muslims of Middle East to offer their service and the undying gratitude of their overlords. Ali II was praised to be amongst the greatest leader the people of the True Faith had since the time of Mohammed and the first Caliphs.
However a particular envoy, the one coming from Constantinople, didn't seem to be as kind as the other ones - and when the festivities passed he asked for a private audience with Ali II himself. It was during this meeting when he revealed his message what was a... "request" from his overlord the Sultan.
The actual subject of this petition was the small Sultanate of Karaman, faithful ally of the Corsairs since the time of Ahmad the Old. However the Sultan of the Ottomans had claims on that land - he even conquered a large part of it a few years ago while the Corsairs were busy fighting the Mamluks.
So what the Ottoman envoy suggested was that with its "unmatched power" Ali sure doesn't need allies like the "pathetic Karamanese" and it would the best to "remove this thorn from the side of the mutual friendship of Turks and the Corsairs."
Probably it would have been better to let the Ottoman Turks take that piece of land - however Ali and his allies just crushed the greatest Infidel kingdom in the world and after that Ali really wasn't in the mood of giving in to the demands of anybody. And above that the Corsairs always praised freedom over oppression and were self-proclaimed defenders of all the people in need across the Mediterranean - regardless of their beliefs.
So for Ali it meant war...
The Ottomans had a large and disciplined army and a decent fleet, both bigger than those of Tripoli's but the former was decentralized trying to defend a very long coastline while the latter was mainly consisted of old Byzantine-style galleys rather than modern sea-faring ships.
Atop of that the other leaders of the Muslim world turned out to be more friendly to Tripoli's politics than the Turks' and in the end the Ottomans remained without allies in their war.
Two armies were quickly dispatched to Rumelia - the European side of the Ottoman Empire - with one marching towards Bulgaria, which was recently conquered by the Turks and was probably less defended, and a larger one laying siege to their capital.
The attack went well - the harbours of the Ottomans were blockaded, their main fleet did not even dare to leave them - and a significant victory was won over a larger Turkish army outside their former capital of Edirne.
Meanwhile back in Tripoli a delegate of merchants appeared before the Sultan complaining about the harassment they had to endure in the cities of Europe since the defeat of the Crusaders at the hands of Ali - he promised them that some provisions will be made immediately to help their situation.
After some short debate Ali II and his council declared the implementation of a new, even more opened merchant policy.
This "Monopoly Act" is going to help maintaining the competition regardless of how fierce the actual competitors are.
In Rumelia the war went on smoothly and Edirne had fallen in a month after the siege started.
The main Turkish forces remained in Anatolia on the other side of the Bosporus and it seemed that they could do nothing to save their capital from its ultimate capitulation.
Meanwhile - for better coordination between the Corsairs and their Italian allies - a new institution was funded in the heart of Italy in the newly acquired city of Firenze. Basically it was a permanent embassy for the Court of Tripoli and its main purpose was to maintain continuous discussions with the city states of Italy and the Pope and guarantee their safety from any attack coming outside from Italy.
Later in that month a large Ottoman army came back from the deeper Balkan where it hid until then and drove off the besieging forces of Tripoli from the walls of Constantinople.
This army could have been beaten probably but Ali II thought that there was enough bloodshed between fellow Muslims and he didn't want to break the Ottoman Empire - like he broke the Castilians - and thus let the Hungarians or the Lithuanians to swarm all over Rumelia. So Ali decided to offer a generous peace to the Ottomans: all they had to admit that they had no legal claims over the parts of Anatolia which were in the sphere of Tripoli and had to repay the cost of Ali's war effort.
The fleet and the army returned home immediately and reorganization after the two great war begun.
The process was helped by funds sent by the councilors and governors themselves as they saw that without strong and central protection their cities and posts all across the Mediterranean would be in great danger.
Beside this the adaptation of Tuscany to the Corsair government system was continued in the next years - not without problems though...
While the Corsairs were an open and tolerant society the Christians in Italy - living under the oppression of feudal overlords and despots of all kind for centuries - were quite unfamiliar with this so there was a dangerous unrest amongst them. Actions against this were needed but the proper method for calming them down was not cleared out yet.
So Ali II had to use what he got...
...and at that time the best he could get was agents - spies - all across his realm to monitor the situations in the far away cities and report back any possible underground movement immediately.
Meanwhile Ali didn't give up his plan of dealing with the Spanish crusaders once and for all - the situation since the war 5 years ago developed in the way that was just perfect for Ali: the Castilian government were still struggled with bankruptcy and above that the resistance across the former Al Andalus branched out and war ravaged through Southern Iberia once again...
Though the Crusaders had serious financial problems and some of their former conquests in Portugal and Catalonia had already defected back to their rightful owners they still had a decent military force and would have wrecked the liberation movement - unless the Corsairs join the struggle on the Andalusian side.
The timing of the attack was perfect - all their allies abandoned the Infidels and their army was encircled in the Andalusian enclave of La Mancha - their country was open to allied attacks yet this time it offered even less resistance.
Corsair, Aquileian and Syrian forces quickly overran Iberia - Ali even considered some future reward for the Aquileians as since they joined the cause of Tripoli in liberating the Mediterranean from oppressor like Castille, they were the quickest to mobilize and the most eager to fight in every war regardless of the chances. However the whole of Tripoli remembered the Archbishop's raid on their cities back in Mansur's war for Naples...
Meanwhile another revolt took place in Tuscany but the reserve army routed the rebels and quickly restored order in Firenze.
Just in one and a half year Iberia was under full control of Tripoli - again.
The treasures acquired from the Crusaders - which were surely stolen from other innocents all across the world - were carried to Tripoli in countless shiploads.
In the brink of collapse the Crusaders had little choice on the matter of peace so the negotiations were quick: they gave up their claims on foreign territories and handed over the Baleares (as a future naval base for Tripoli) along with the formerly independent lands in Galicia which they subjugated and kept under pressure for a long time.
Thus Ali could return home with a most comforting thought: the fearsome Crusaders of Castille will not pose any threat to him in the future...
Great AAR to read... enjoying it.
Wouldnt (or couldnt you) an alliance with the Ottomans have served your interests better in the long term? Or did you not wanted that?
Wouldnt (or couldnt you) an alliance with the Ottomans have served your interests better in the long term? Or did you not wanted that?
Last edited:
I would not refuse an offer from them but I haven't received any so far - and with this war our relations are really suffering so any alliance with them is not likely in the near future. I try to help other Muslim nations as much as I can but I don't want the Ottomans attacking my allies every 5 year so I have to force them giving up their cores in my sphere.
thank you! I've seen so many AI Castille destroying whole North Africa - it's time for payback!
Smooth, Castille sure seems like a bit of a mess by now.
As far as the longer term goals go, large scale naval domination sure seems like a fitting thing to aim for from an RP perspective...
As far as the longer term goals go, large scale naval domination sure seems like a fitting thing to aim for from an RP perspective...
Part 18 - Some Wham!s To Deal Out (1567-1573)
[video=youtube;18ivz99kKqY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18ivz99kKqY&ob=av2n[/video]
It was the year 1567 and Ali II, Sultan of Tripoli had ruled the Corsairs for more than 20 years now - it was 20 years of pure glory: the greatest enemies of Tripoli were trampled under the foot of Ali and the area secured by the fleet of the Corsair Alliance stretched from Iberia to Trebizond.
Due to the distances and the many different cultures under the leadership of Tripoli, the effectiveness of the traditional ways of Monarchy as it was "invented" by the Old Caliphs and Sultans wasn't enough anymore. While Tripoli itself was only consisted of a few cities along the North African coast and some others in Greece, Italy and Iberia, the area under the indirect control of the Sultan and his Council was way much larger and apart from being Sultan in Tripoli Ali II had many other titles (and thus responsibilities) too:
He was Sultan of Morocco and Sultan of Candar, Protector of Italia, Supreme Leader of the Joint Forces of Algiers, Tunis and Greece and Guardian of Iberia.
To be able to command such a diverse and scattered alliance, Ali needed a much more capable government than before so after a few years of planning and organizing on the 5th day of October in 1567 a Proclamation of Trust was sent to all corners of the Mediterranean related directly or indirectly to Tripoli:
The reason for this title was the core element of the Proclamation: it revoked all the previous privileges and liberties of the local rulers and representatives of the Sultan. Instead of "being born to titles" in this new system direct subjects of the Sultan would be appointed by Ali II himself - and only after further acknowledgement of the Councilors. Atop of that should these governors or "mayors" act improperly they title could be revoked in the very same way.
This act of reform gave much more liberty to the Sultan and the government in controlling and interfering with local leaders and the ability of dealing with incompetent, corrupt or intriguing key figures increased dramatically. It was thought that this would also lower the risk of potential unrest and open the way for a more centralized and much freer country on the long run.
Though Ali had the military power required to enforce this new act upon the previously semi-independent local chiefs and pirate-sheikhs he could not implement this new system to areas not directly under his control such as the far western lands of Morocco or Italia to the north. However he gave encouragement and support for all those who were trying to reach the same freedom in their own country and even considered further reforms for these people.
And there was one other important quest for him:
It was the Knights of Saint John, last bastion of blind Catholic faith in the Mediterranean. They should be eradicated to remove every possible zealous resurgence of the Infidels - and above that their base of operations was just next to Tripoli on the small island of Malta.
In league with the fanatic Lithuanians the Knights were assisting the Castilians against the helpless people of Andalusia and for that the wretched Crusaders even gave them concession over the barren rocks of Gebel al-Tarik in the southernmost corner of Iberia - that would also gave them control over the shipping route through the Gibraltar Strait and that was one more thing Ali couldn't allow to happen.
Though the Crusader Knights had many supporters across Europe none of them rushed for their aid when they were in need - it seemed that the age of crusades and Christian fanaticism finally faded away.
Thus there wasn't much to do - three Corsair unit laid siege to the three fortresses of the Knights: one on the islands of Rhodes, one on the rocks of Gebel al-Tarik and their capital of Malta.
Meanwhile - in synchronicity with the reworking of the government - a new wave of reform was started inside the military too. The ability of taking heavily fortified bastions on small islands required increased firepower as these tiny patches of land offered little time for sieges before epidemics could broke out endangering every single soldier regardless which side he (or she) were fighting on. So new, bigger better cannons were introduced to the army, however the cost of them also increased significantly...
But in a few months all the forts fell and the Knights of Saint John, last remnants of an evil heritage, were finally no more.
At least their islands and castles could be better used as ports and harbours for Corsair and allied fleets.
After securing the Mediterranean islands, Ali turned towards Iberia again: although the people of Al Andalus managed to free themselves from the oppressors of Castille it seemed that without assistance they cannot keep this independence of theirs for long. Rebel factions were fighting for power in their lands while some of their holdings were already defected back to the Crusaders. Immediate action was required and Ali wasn't a man of delay.
Some of the Andalusian lands were under Corsair control since the second war with the Spanish 10 years ago and giving them back to their rightful owners in exchange for the... protection of Tripoli seemed a fair deal for many in the reborn Kingdom of Granada but the new king was a rather greedy one and decided to take up arms against the Corsair army coming for protecting him.
Yet he reconsidered his former decision just in two months...
The Andalusians accepted the protection of Tripoli and renounced their rights for controlling the Gibraltar Strait and in exchange...
...they got back the very heart of their ancient land. This established a connection between their separated lands and gave them a higher potential if they had to fight the Castilians once again.
There was also a minor incident during the transportation of the garrison to Gebel al-Tarik: a brand new ship of the fleet, finished just a few weeks before this course, seemed to act rather strangely on the water. It was not sure that this was a construction or producing mistake but all ships of that type was sent to dock immediately until the case was solved.
Yet there were good news as well: Abd al-Aziz Nedim, decendant of the famous soldier, architect and Councilor Tahir Nedim (who - though unintentionally - ignited the chain of events leading to the downfall of the Old High Council), and also a Councilor himself, finally finished collecting all the written and unwritten laws of Tripoli - this was a task given to him by Ali II himself when the implementation of a new governmental system was first mentioned on a meeting of the Sultan and the Councilors.
With this unified collection of laws and traditions the centralization of power in Tripoli could reach a whole new level. It was also the first thing to be discussed in the new session of the Sultan and the Councilors that will go on further and enact the most important decisions that will shape the government of Tripoli in the future.
It was truly a great work but soon Ali had other issues to deal with too...
The Ottomans didn't take their last defeat in the hands of the Corsairs well and tried to stretch their power onto people protected by Tripoli once again.
Ali didn't take it easy that he had to spill the blood of former friends again but he also didn't hesitate to protect those he had ensured of that protection. By attacking Catholic lands the Ottomans already enraged half of Europe so participating in the war didn't seem to be much of a risk for Tripoli at all. Only the Ottomans had prepared themselves much better this time...
Nonetheless the army was dispatched - one part of it to Anatolia to attack the Turks from behind and another to Greece to intercept the Ottoman army marching to there.
Meanwhile back at home the session was going on - this was also the time when the first semester of the newly built and opened University of Tripoli began. It was founded some 5 years ago but the preparations for such a new center of science took some time - yet the benefits would be enormous indeed: with the very first institution of its kind in the Muslim world Tripoli tried to counter the much older ones in Firenze and Pisa which were also functioning under Corsair control now but their heritage was more of the Infidels than of the Muslims.
Along with this and due to the rapidly increasing duties of Ali the responsibilities of the Council aiding him in everyday matters were also extended: they gained a larger role in appointing new governors and such and could operate freer in matters dealing with internal matters or the allies of Tripoli. This Act not only lifted some weigh off of Ali's shoulders and let him focusing on foreign matters but were also seen as a generous abdication and a wise sharing of power by the people of Tripoli.
However the war with the Ottomans ravaged on and it was not always generous to the Corsairs: even a large army of Tripoli was caught by surprise in one of the valleys of Southern Greece and was eventually destroyed leaving only dead and captured behind. And above that the forces of the Ottomans seemed limitless - for every killed or captured soldiers they raised two others and their resistance in Anatolia didn't seem to break at all.
Though their fleet was trapped in port, they were worthy foes: their land forces were more than a match for that of the Corsairs. They were maneuvering rather good and managed to avoid all the traps the allied forces set to them.
But the implementation of the new government system didn't stop because of any war and the ongoing assembly tried to further unify the people under the rule of the Corsairs by officially declaring the freedom of religion all across Corsair controlled lands.
Though Islam remained the state-religion as its position above the others couldn't be questioned without seriously endangering the stability of the country, followers of other religions were granted absolute freedom in their practices and were not to be harassed at all - unless they were openly campaigning against Islam of course.
The Councilors hoped that this new declaration would help the people of Italia and Iberia adapting to Corsair rule more easily and would also lower the risk of possible rebellions due to religious tensions. Religion wasn't a central matter for Ali or his government after all, but the traditions of religious feuds in Europe and the Middle East were so strong that even with their permissive policy they couldn't hope to wash away centuries of hatred and intolerance.
On other (and more tangible) fronts, after more than a year of chasing each other in the mountains of Anatolia and Greece, the war with the Ottomans was also very close to an end - by then both sides suffered thousands of casualties and it didn't seem that any of the sides could win a decisive victory over the other soon so negotiations over the terms of peace were started in early 1573.
With their fleet outnumbered the Ottomans couldn't hope to breach the blockade around their country but with their army mostly intact the allies also couldn't hope to gain anything from the war in the near future so the two sides agreed upon mild terms of defeat on the attacking side.
The Ottomans promised to restrain themselves of attacking any of the people protected by Tripoli in the future and they also paid reparations for the loss of lives on the Corsair's side - in exchange for that the blockade was lifted and all allied troops left Anatolia and Rumelia immediately.
Then, with the fleet and the army at home once again, Ali and the Councilors returned to their session as they all hoped that this time they could finish it undisturbed...
[video=youtube;18ivz99kKqY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18ivz99kKqY&ob=av2n[/video]
It was the year 1567 and Ali II, Sultan of Tripoli had ruled the Corsairs for more than 20 years now - it was 20 years of pure glory: the greatest enemies of Tripoli were trampled under the foot of Ali and the area secured by the fleet of the Corsair Alliance stretched from Iberia to Trebizond.
Due to the distances and the many different cultures under the leadership of Tripoli, the effectiveness of the traditional ways of Monarchy as it was "invented" by the Old Caliphs and Sultans wasn't enough anymore. While Tripoli itself was only consisted of a few cities along the North African coast and some others in Greece, Italy and Iberia, the area under the indirect control of the Sultan and his Council was way much larger and apart from being Sultan in Tripoli Ali II had many other titles (and thus responsibilities) too:
He was Sultan of Morocco and Sultan of Candar, Protector of Italia, Supreme Leader of the Joint Forces of Algiers, Tunis and Greece and Guardian of Iberia.
To be able to command such a diverse and scattered alliance, Ali needed a much more capable government than before so after a few years of planning and organizing on the 5th day of October in 1567 a Proclamation of Trust was sent to all corners of the Mediterranean related directly or indirectly to Tripoli:
The reason for this title was the core element of the Proclamation: it revoked all the previous privileges and liberties of the local rulers and representatives of the Sultan. Instead of "being born to titles" in this new system direct subjects of the Sultan would be appointed by Ali II himself - and only after further acknowledgement of the Councilors. Atop of that should these governors or "mayors" act improperly they title could be revoked in the very same way.
This act of reform gave much more liberty to the Sultan and the government in controlling and interfering with local leaders and the ability of dealing with incompetent, corrupt or intriguing key figures increased dramatically. It was thought that this would also lower the risk of potential unrest and open the way for a more centralized and much freer country on the long run.
Though Ali had the military power required to enforce this new act upon the previously semi-independent local chiefs and pirate-sheikhs he could not implement this new system to areas not directly under his control such as the far western lands of Morocco or Italia to the north. However he gave encouragement and support for all those who were trying to reach the same freedom in their own country and even considered further reforms for these people.
And there was one other important quest for him:
It was the Knights of Saint John, last bastion of blind Catholic faith in the Mediterranean. They should be eradicated to remove every possible zealous resurgence of the Infidels - and above that their base of operations was just next to Tripoli on the small island of Malta.
In league with the fanatic Lithuanians the Knights were assisting the Castilians against the helpless people of Andalusia and for that the wretched Crusaders even gave them concession over the barren rocks of Gebel al-Tarik in the southernmost corner of Iberia - that would also gave them control over the shipping route through the Gibraltar Strait and that was one more thing Ali couldn't allow to happen.
Though the Crusader Knights had many supporters across Europe none of them rushed for their aid when they were in need - it seemed that the age of crusades and Christian fanaticism finally faded away.
Thus there wasn't much to do - three Corsair unit laid siege to the three fortresses of the Knights: one on the islands of Rhodes, one on the rocks of Gebel al-Tarik and their capital of Malta.
Meanwhile - in synchronicity with the reworking of the government - a new wave of reform was started inside the military too. The ability of taking heavily fortified bastions on small islands required increased firepower as these tiny patches of land offered little time for sieges before epidemics could broke out endangering every single soldier regardless which side he (or she) were fighting on. So new, bigger better cannons were introduced to the army, however the cost of them also increased significantly...
But in a few months all the forts fell and the Knights of Saint John, last remnants of an evil heritage, were finally no more.
At least their islands and castles could be better used as ports and harbours for Corsair and allied fleets.
After securing the Mediterranean islands, Ali turned towards Iberia again: although the people of Al Andalus managed to free themselves from the oppressors of Castille it seemed that without assistance they cannot keep this independence of theirs for long. Rebel factions were fighting for power in their lands while some of their holdings were already defected back to the Crusaders. Immediate action was required and Ali wasn't a man of delay.
Some of the Andalusian lands were under Corsair control since the second war with the Spanish 10 years ago and giving them back to their rightful owners in exchange for the... protection of Tripoli seemed a fair deal for many in the reborn Kingdom of Granada but the new king was a rather greedy one and decided to take up arms against the Corsair army coming for protecting him.
Yet he reconsidered his former decision just in two months...
The Andalusians accepted the protection of Tripoli and renounced their rights for controlling the Gibraltar Strait and in exchange...
...they got back the very heart of their ancient land. This established a connection between their separated lands and gave them a higher potential if they had to fight the Castilians once again.
There was also a minor incident during the transportation of the garrison to Gebel al-Tarik: a brand new ship of the fleet, finished just a few weeks before this course, seemed to act rather strangely on the water. It was not sure that this was a construction or producing mistake but all ships of that type was sent to dock immediately until the case was solved.
Yet there were good news as well: Abd al-Aziz Nedim, decendant of the famous soldier, architect and Councilor Tahir Nedim (who - though unintentionally - ignited the chain of events leading to the downfall of the Old High Council), and also a Councilor himself, finally finished collecting all the written and unwritten laws of Tripoli - this was a task given to him by Ali II himself when the implementation of a new governmental system was first mentioned on a meeting of the Sultan and the Councilors.
With this unified collection of laws and traditions the centralization of power in Tripoli could reach a whole new level. It was also the first thing to be discussed in the new session of the Sultan and the Councilors that will go on further and enact the most important decisions that will shape the government of Tripoli in the future.
It was truly a great work but soon Ali had other issues to deal with too...
The Ottomans didn't take their last defeat in the hands of the Corsairs well and tried to stretch their power onto people protected by Tripoli once again.
Ali didn't take it easy that he had to spill the blood of former friends again but he also didn't hesitate to protect those he had ensured of that protection. By attacking Catholic lands the Ottomans already enraged half of Europe so participating in the war didn't seem to be much of a risk for Tripoli at all. Only the Ottomans had prepared themselves much better this time...
Nonetheless the army was dispatched - one part of it to Anatolia to attack the Turks from behind and another to Greece to intercept the Ottoman army marching to there.
Meanwhile back at home the session was going on - this was also the time when the first semester of the newly built and opened University of Tripoli began. It was founded some 5 years ago but the preparations for such a new center of science took some time - yet the benefits would be enormous indeed: with the very first institution of its kind in the Muslim world Tripoli tried to counter the much older ones in Firenze and Pisa which were also functioning under Corsair control now but their heritage was more of the Infidels than of the Muslims.
Along with this and due to the rapidly increasing duties of Ali the responsibilities of the Council aiding him in everyday matters were also extended: they gained a larger role in appointing new governors and such and could operate freer in matters dealing with internal matters or the allies of Tripoli. This Act not only lifted some weigh off of Ali's shoulders and let him focusing on foreign matters but were also seen as a generous abdication and a wise sharing of power by the people of Tripoli.
However the war with the Ottomans ravaged on and it was not always generous to the Corsairs: even a large army of Tripoli was caught by surprise in one of the valleys of Southern Greece and was eventually destroyed leaving only dead and captured behind. And above that the forces of the Ottomans seemed limitless - for every killed or captured soldiers they raised two others and their resistance in Anatolia didn't seem to break at all.
Though their fleet was trapped in port, they were worthy foes: their land forces were more than a match for that of the Corsairs. They were maneuvering rather good and managed to avoid all the traps the allied forces set to them.
But the implementation of the new government system didn't stop because of any war and the ongoing assembly tried to further unify the people under the rule of the Corsairs by officially declaring the freedom of religion all across Corsair controlled lands.
Though Islam remained the state-religion as its position above the others couldn't be questioned without seriously endangering the stability of the country, followers of other religions were granted absolute freedom in their practices and were not to be harassed at all - unless they were openly campaigning against Islam of course.
The Councilors hoped that this new declaration would help the people of Italia and Iberia adapting to Corsair rule more easily and would also lower the risk of possible rebellions due to religious tensions. Religion wasn't a central matter for Ali or his government after all, but the traditions of religious feuds in Europe and the Middle East were so strong that even with their permissive policy they couldn't hope to wash away centuries of hatred and intolerance.
On other (and more tangible) fronts, after more than a year of chasing each other in the mountains of Anatolia and Greece, the war with the Ottomans was also very close to an end - by then both sides suffered thousands of casualties and it didn't seem that any of the sides could win a decisive victory over the other soon so negotiations over the terms of peace were started in early 1573.
With their fleet outnumbered the Ottomans couldn't hope to breach the blockade around their country but with their army mostly intact the allies also couldn't hope to gain anything from the war in the near future so the two sides agreed upon mild terms of defeat on the attacking side.
The Ottomans promised to restrain themselves of attacking any of the people protected by Tripoli in the future and they also paid reparations for the loss of lives on the Corsair's side - in exchange for that the blockade was lifted and all allied troops left Anatolia and Rumelia immediately.
Then, with the fleet and the army at home once again, Ali and the Councilors returned to their session as they all hoped that this time they could finish it undisturbed...
Last edited:
A bit of a shame that the Knights had to be annexed - it's not often that you see them actually expand.
Too bad that the Ottomans insist on attacking countries in your sphere... After all, weakening them too much would leave an opening for the Infidels to expand, but as it stands you're forced to fight them every now and then.
Too bad that the Ottomans insist on attacking countries in your sphere... After all, weakening them too much would leave an opening for the Infidels to expand, but as it stands you're forced to fight them every now and then.