This was originally part of a gigantic monster update, the stuff I hadn't typed because I was busy doing last minute studying for the exam. All together, the monster update was unwieldy, so I'm posting this first part tonight, with the rest to come later this week after some more editing. Enjoy!
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July 11th, 1087
There was always something reassuring about heading a long line of soldiers, and for the first time in his role as leader of Kappadokia, Demetrios felt at home.
Before his father had been wounded, the younger Komnenos had been set off to join the Komnenid army. By the age of ten, he received extensive training in all the fighting arts – horsemanship from the Master of Stables, archery from the Saracen Murad, swordsmanship and single handed combat from his father, and finally mounted combat from the former Domestikos. At age 11, he was sent for a year to serve alongside his father’s lowly skoutatoi, the spear regiments that formed the backbone of the Romanoi armies. At age 12, he served in his father’s personal regiment of kataphraktoi, first as an aide and a page, and by the next year, as a member of the fighting unit itself.
Demetrios might have often felt lost and adrift in the sea of diplomacy – he had good ideas, but he left the field to the likes of the Anastasias, or his mother – but it was in the saddle, in command that he truly felt comfortable, in command, and in control. In a way, the war was a relief for him.
Anastasia the Younger had done her job well. Starting in May, she had sent increasingly insulting letters to the Emir, at first demanding small strips of territory, then Tyre and Tripoli itself, and finally unrestricted rights for Christian pilgrims and a call that the Emir cease his daily prayers to Mecca and convert to Christianity. It was alarmingly easy – the young and rash ruler immediately declared war, and promptly burned several small churches on the border. Raising the standard of battle was not hard amongst the Kappadokian lords after that, and Demetrios had noted with pride that every single vassal under his rule had responded to his call.
Demetrios himself looked splendid. His armor borne gilt tracings on its greaves and scales, and his helm had designs etched in brass and gold, all polished to a bright shine. His heavy oak shield was painted with the dark blue and lighter aquamarine of Kappadokia, the original family theme, while the bright brass boss in the shield’s center denoted who its owner was. Strapped to one side was the short compound bow used by all kataphraktoi in the family service, as well as the long kontos*. Unlike the others in the family’s heavy cavalry, however, Demetrios did not carry the standard skull-crushing mace. Instead, he bore a sword with a shined, brass and gold hilt – the sword carried by his father since Alexios set off on his first campaign at the age of 18.
Behind the prince streamed the Army of the Eastern Themes – 13,000 troops all together amongst the three columns. First came the horsemen, ranging from heavy kataphraktoi armed like their liege lord to lighter Turkoman and Turcopole cavalry on swift ponies – the eyes and ears of the immense host. Further behind came the bread and butter of the army of Romanion – the skoutatoi and other spearmen, as well as numerous heavily armed infantry equipped with the Varangian axes Demetrios had seen long before. Pennants streaming in the wind as they marched out of the city, the army was a frightening sight to behold.
Now, to end the business quickly, Demetrios thought, reflecting back on the endless hours of strategizing over maps. His own domestikos was a lousy commander at best, forcing Demetrios to do most of the planning himself.
The attack was divided into four columns. Demetrios led the largest, of 4500 troops, into Baalbek, while another column of 3500, under the inept Qasim, struck to the north. Further to the south, vassal armies of 2500 and 1500 would harass the Emir’s flanks. Demetrios’ goal was the lure the Emir into battle – if he’d lumbered his 13,000 troops into one massive force, he could have steamrolled over all of Tripoli at a very slow pace, but such a move would have played into the Emir’s plans.
Demetrios' complex invasion plan.
The Turks and Saracens move and fight light, Demetrios remembered his father always saying, They move faster than your troops, and their bows shoot further. You cannot force them back into a corner to fight, you must lure them into your superior troops. Make them think you are weak where you are strong, and they will seek you out, where your heavier troops can fight them on equal terms…
Demetrios would personally led only 4500 men, but they were the best soldiers in Kappadokia, and possibly the entire Empire. His hope was that the Emir too would be looking to end the war quickly, and would rashly come at him with his entire force, some 6000 troops.
4500 Romanoi versus 6000 Saracen… that hardly favors them, Demetrios smiled coldly as the sounds of trumpets began to attack his ears. Surprised, he spun around in his mount, only to see someone in the colors of a herald thundering down the column towards him, the pennant of the office of Basilieus streaming from his hands.
“News from Konstantinopolis!” the messenger reined up his horse. “Emperor Michael, honoring your position as the leader of one of his themes, bids me tell you he too marches to war against Tripoli! He begs me ask you to tarry until he can arrive with the Army of Anatolia to assist your attack!”
Demetrios swore under his breath. Michael knows the game… he reminded himself. The Basilieus had probably gotten word through his spy network – Anastasia might have skills, but even Demetrios realized that Kappadokia had no where near the resources to devote to espionage as even a madcap Emperor. Undoubtedly this meant that Michael’s armies were already on the move… time was of the essence. Already Demetrios’ plan for a quick victory had acquired an alarming grade of necessity.
Yet before him still sat this messenger, patiently waiting for word from the Lord of Kappadokia, Damascus and Edessa, and Demetrios knew if he spoke poorly the words could haunt him. He uttered a mild curse again at not having either Anastasia or his mother nearby to quickly sound for advice. For a few seconds Demetrios thought carefully about the wording, before giving his reply.
“Please tell His Majesty that I will conduct a scouting mission in force, so that when he arrives I may inform him accurately of the Saracen dispositions and strengths.” The messenger nodded, as Demetrios smiled. There was no reason to tell the man that he intended to scout with his entire army, and that he intended to capture as many fortresses as possible before the unwieldy imperial troops arrived…
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Demetrios’ attack lunged forward, rapidly laying siege to most of the Emirate’s greater cities, and quickly Safed fell to Kappadokian troops. Demetrios wasted no time, immediately appointing one of the Qasim brothers, trained in a monastery and now fully of the Orthodox faith, as the local bishop.
Bashir Qasim, son of the Domestikos, who is infinitely more competent than his father.
The Emir of Tripoli, however, had no intentions of waiting while the young Komnenos conquered his lands. Gathering his forces, the Emir struck back outside of Homs, attacking one Kappadokian column with the backbone of his entire army. Demetrios, despite his better quality troops, did not give into temptation to seek battle immediately. Instead, he backpedaled slightly, until his army was deployed across a narrow pass, flanks secure, daring the Emir to approach. Challenged, the Emir marched forward, and into the jaws of the trap.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Demetrios looked down the long battle-line at his men. Disciplined and strong, they numbered almost as much now, three months into the campaign, as they did marching out of Palmyra. In the first rank stood the proud skoutatoi clad in mail hauberks with heavy wooden shields and ten foot long spears. They would be the rock of the Komnenid line. On their flanks were small numbers of his Varangian axemen, similarly armored and equipped with heavy two-handed axes. Behind them stood his archer corps, lightly armored and armed with bows of the Saracen fashion – light and compound. Demetrios himself sat in the rear with his heavy cavalry, the Turcopoles on his flanks.
Across from the Roman lines were 4000 foot and some 1500 horse of the Emir’s army. Unlike the army of the Komnenids, the Emir possessed little heavy cavalry. Outside of his personal bodyguard of 100 ghulam slaves, most of his cavalry was armed with short bows and little armor – good for harassing but poor for a boxed in battle.
Similarly, the Emir’s infantry was built for speed at the expense of protection, and they too were poorly suited to the upcoming engagement. While numerically they had more than the Romanoi, the narrow defiles of the pass meant that their numbers were squandered – they would be forced to face the more heavily armed and armored skoutatoi man to man. Demetrios had picked the battlefield well, and had outfoxed his opponent into drawing up exactly where he wanted him to.
The Romanoi closed in an unusual formation – Demetrios lined all his cavalry behind his infantry and archers, before closing, while the Emir attempted in the narrow spaces of the pass to put his cavalry on the flanks. As the Romanoi closed, the Emir’s cavalry began to harass the massed skoutatoi with bowfire and javelins, yet Demetrios’ men grimly marched forward as his bowmen began firing back, driving the Emir’s cavalry back to its own lines.
Finally, the massed Romanoi spearmen clashed with their Saracen counterparts, and quickly, the superior Komnenid discipline and arms shone through. The Saracen troops began to bend and their line started to crack. Yet as it seemed they could bend no longer, trumpets sounded, and the skoutatoi broke off the engagement, reforming a line across the pass.
The Emir, his bodyguard still untouched, doubtlessly wondered to whom he owned this thanks. Part of him wanted to withdraw – the field was obviously one that favored the Romanoi, yet another part of him wanted to test them again. The Romanoi obviously pulled back for some reason – was their commander injured, was their confusion in their ranks?
Taking a position just behind his spearmen, the Emir ordered the tired troops back up the defile once again, directly towards the silent, menacing Romanoi spearline. He could see movement behind it, but he was not sure what he faced until a single, bloodcurdling trumpet call echoed off of the hills around them. As one, the skoutatoi reformed ranks – doubling their depth, while leaving gaps between the clumps of soldiers. The ground began to shake, thunder filled the air, and the Emir watched in horror as horsemen, armored head to toe, trotted through the gaps and formed a charge line with sickening speed and precision. It was too late to turn around, too late to pull his fractured troops out of the narrow pass of death. In the open, his cavalry could have ran circles around the slow Byzantine heavy cavalry – but here…
Five hundred heavy kataphracts, Demetrios at their head, lowered their kontos and charged.
The Emir’s fragmented army did not have a chance.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
After his crushing victory at Baalbek, Demetrios’ troops slashed further southward into the Emirate. Anastasia the Younger joined them, and we know that all creature comforts were not lost, as she once again became pregnant.
Despite the rigors of the campaign, Demetrios and Anastasia do find alone time…
Demetrios’ whirlwind campaign, however, confirmed him in the minds of all as a formidable tactician, gifted and experienced beyond his years. The intense training ordered by Alexios for his son was paying immense dividends, and in courts from Konstantinopolis to Cairo to far away Shiraz, Demetrios’ name began to appear on the lips of the powerful, a name that they spoke with fear.
The Komnenid military tradition continues.
Demetrios’ other family members continued to develop as well. Manuel’s education in the church was finally complete, and the surly, grumpy teen had now become a surly, acid tongued intellectual. However, his knowledge of biblical affairs remained unmatched among any in the Komnenid court. To save the minds and ears of his courtiers and prevent several unfortunate threats of brawling or fights, Demetrios duly appointed Manuel the new Bishop of Baalbek, giving his sibling a whole new group of targets for his acerbic wit.
Manuel Komnenos is a highly intelligent, articulate young man…
...whose tongue was so sharp and annoying his brother sends him to be the bishop of Baalbek.
However by this point, the cool Middle Eastern winter was upon them, and as the cold breezes began to blow, they brought in unwelcome guests – the Imperial Army of Anatolia, with Michael VII at its head. Unannounced and unwanted, they streamed south from Antioch, where Demetrios’ poor Uncle Isaakios lost two years worth of income entertaining the Emperor and his entourage, stealing sieges in Beirut, Tripoli and Tyre.
Come Christmas of 1087, the Emirate of Tripoli ceased to exist, its interior in the hands of vassals of Demetrios, its coastline under the control of vassals of Basilieus Michael. On Christmas Day, the two sides came together for a tense and uneasy feast celebrating the birth of Jesus, and the end of an Imperial enemy…
The Basilieus, along with almost 30,000 Imperial troops from all over Romanion, arrive in Tripoli…
========================================================
*kontos - an long, heavily built spear used by Byzantine cataphracts.
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July 11th, 1087
There was always something reassuring about heading a long line of soldiers, and for the first time in his role as leader of Kappadokia, Demetrios felt at home.
Before his father had been wounded, the younger Komnenos had been set off to join the Komnenid army. By the age of ten, he received extensive training in all the fighting arts – horsemanship from the Master of Stables, archery from the Saracen Murad, swordsmanship and single handed combat from his father, and finally mounted combat from the former Domestikos. At age 11, he was sent for a year to serve alongside his father’s lowly skoutatoi, the spear regiments that formed the backbone of the Romanoi armies. At age 12, he served in his father’s personal regiment of kataphraktoi, first as an aide and a page, and by the next year, as a member of the fighting unit itself.
Demetrios might have often felt lost and adrift in the sea of diplomacy – he had good ideas, but he left the field to the likes of the Anastasias, or his mother – but it was in the saddle, in command that he truly felt comfortable, in command, and in control. In a way, the war was a relief for him.
Anastasia the Younger had done her job well. Starting in May, she had sent increasingly insulting letters to the Emir, at first demanding small strips of territory, then Tyre and Tripoli itself, and finally unrestricted rights for Christian pilgrims and a call that the Emir cease his daily prayers to Mecca and convert to Christianity. It was alarmingly easy – the young and rash ruler immediately declared war, and promptly burned several small churches on the border. Raising the standard of battle was not hard amongst the Kappadokian lords after that, and Demetrios had noted with pride that every single vassal under his rule had responded to his call.
Demetrios himself looked splendid. His armor borne gilt tracings on its greaves and scales, and his helm had designs etched in brass and gold, all polished to a bright shine. His heavy oak shield was painted with the dark blue and lighter aquamarine of Kappadokia, the original family theme, while the bright brass boss in the shield’s center denoted who its owner was. Strapped to one side was the short compound bow used by all kataphraktoi in the family service, as well as the long kontos*. Unlike the others in the family’s heavy cavalry, however, Demetrios did not carry the standard skull-crushing mace. Instead, he bore a sword with a shined, brass and gold hilt – the sword carried by his father since Alexios set off on his first campaign at the age of 18.
Behind the prince streamed the Army of the Eastern Themes – 13,000 troops all together amongst the three columns. First came the horsemen, ranging from heavy kataphraktoi armed like their liege lord to lighter Turkoman and Turcopole cavalry on swift ponies – the eyes and ears of the immense host. Further behind came the bread and butter of the army of Romanion – the skoutatoi and other spearmen, as well as numerous heavily armed infantry equipped with the Varangian axes Demetrios had seen long before. Pennants streaming in the wind as they marched out of the city, the army was a frightening sight to behold.
Now, to end the business quickly, Demetrios thought, reflecting back on the endless hours of strategizing over maps. His own domestikos was a lousy commander at best, forcing Demetrios to do most of the planning himself.
The attack was divided into four columns. Demetrios led the largest, of 4500 troops, into Baalbek, while another column of 3500, under the inept Qasim, struck to the north. Further to the south, vassal armies of 2500 and 1500 would harass the Emir’s flanks. Demetrios’ goal was the lure the Emir into battle – if he’d lumbered his 13,000 troops into one massive force, he could have steamrolled over all of Tripoli at a very slow pace, but such a move would have played into the Emir’s plans.
Demetrios' complex invasion plan.
The Turks and Saracens move and fight light, Demetrios remembered his father always saying, They move faster than your troops, and their bows shoot further. You cannot force them back into a corner to fight, you must lure them into your superior troops. Make them think you are weak where you are strong, and they will seek you out, where your heavier troops can fight them on equal terms…
Demetrios would personally led only 4500 men, but they were the best soldiers in Kappadokia, and possibly the entire Empire. His hope was that the Emir too would be looking to end the war quickly, and would rashly come at him with his entire force, some 6000 troops.
4500 Romanoi versus 6000 Saracen… that hardly favors them, Demetrios smiled coldly as the sounds of trumpets began to attack his ears. Surprised, he spun around in his mount, only to see someone in the colors of a herald thundering down the column towards him, the pennant of the office of Basilieus streaming from his hands.
“News from Konstantinopolis!” the messenger reined up his horse. “Emperor Michael, honoring your position as the leader of one of his themes, bids me tell you he too marches to war against Tripoli! He begs me ask you to tarry until he can arrive with the Army of Anatolia to assist your attack!”
Demetrios swore under his breath. Michael knows the game… he reminded himself. The Basilieus had probably gotten word through his spy network – Anastasia might have skills, but even Demetrios realized that Kappadokia had no where near the resources to devote to espionage as even a madcap Emperor. Undoubtedly this meant that Michael’s armies were already on the move… time was of the essence. Already Demetrios’ plan for a quick victory had acquired an alarming grade of necessity.
Yet before him still sat this messenger, patiently waiting for word from the Lord of Kappadokia, Damascus and Edessa, and Demetrios knew if he spoke poorly the words could haunt him. He uttered a mild curse again at not having either Anastasia or his mother nearby to quickly sound for advice. For a few seconds Demetrios thought carefully about the wording, before giving his reply.
“Please tell His Majesty that I will conduct a scouting mission in force, so that when he arrives I may inform him accurately of the Saracen dispositions and strengths.” The messenger nodded, as Demetrios smiled. There was no reason to tell the man that he intended to scout with his entire army, and that he intended to capture as many fortresses as possible before the unwieldy imperial troops arrived…
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Demetrios’ attack lunged forward, rapidly laying siege to most of the Emirate’s greater cities, and quickly Safed fell to Kappadokian troops. Demetrios wasted no time, immediately appointing one of the Qasim brothers, trained in a monastery and now fully of the Orthodox faith, as the local bishop.
Bashir Qasim, son of the Domestikos, who is infinitely more competent than his father.
The Emir of Tripoli, however, had no intentions of waiting while the young Komnenos conquered his lands. Gathering his forces, the Emir struck back outside of Homs, attacking one Kappadokian column with the backbone of his entire army. Demetrios, despite his better quality troops, did not give into temptation to seek battle immediately. Instead, he backpedaled slightly, until his army was deployed across a narrow pass, flanks secure, daring the Emir to approach. Challenged, the Emir marched forward, and into the jaws of the trap.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Demetrios looked down the long battle-line at his men. Disciplined and strong, they numbered almost as much now, three months into the campaign, as they did marching out of Palmyra. In the first rank stood the proud skoutatoi clad in mail hauberks with heavy wooden shields and ten foot long spears. They would be the rock of the Komnenid line. On their flanks were small numbers of his Varangian axemen, similarly armored and equipped with heavy two-handed axes. Behind them stood his archer corps, lightly armored and armed with bows of the Saracen fashion – light and compound. Demetrios himself sat in the rear with his heavy cavalry, the Turcopoles on his flanks.
Across from the Roman lines were 4000 foot and some 1500 horse of the Emir’s army. Unlike the army of the Komnenids, the Emir possessed little heavy cavalry. Outside of his personal bodyguard of 100 ghulam slaves, most of his cavalry was armed with short bows and little armor – good for harassing but poor for a boxed in battle.
Similarly, the Emir’s infantry was built for speed at the expense of protection, and they too were poorly suited to the upcoming engagement. While numerically they had more than the Romanoi, the narrow defiles of the pass meant that their numbers were squandered – they would be forced to face the more heavily armed and armored skoutatoi man to man. Demetrios had picked the battlefield well, and had outfoxed his opponent into drawing up exactly where he wanted him to.
The Romanoi closed in an unusual formation – Demetrios lined all his cavalry behind his infantry and archers, before closing, while the Emir attempted in the narrow spaces of the pass to put his cavalry on the flanks. As the Romanoi closed, the Emir’s cavalry began to harass the massed skoutatoi with bowfire and javelins, yet Demetrios’ men grimly marched forward as his bowmen began firing back, driving the Emir’s cavalry back to its own lines.
Finally, the massed Romanoi spearmen clashed with their Saracen counterparts, and quickly, the superior Komnenid discipline and arms shone through. The Saracen troops began to bend and their line started to crack. Yet as it seemed they could bend no longer, trumpets sounded, and the skoutatoi broke off the engagement, reforming a line across the pass.
The Emir, his bodyguard still untouched, doubtlessly wondered to whom he owned this thanks. Part of him wanted to withdraw – the field was obviously one that favored the Romanoi, yet another part of him wanted to test them again. The Romanoi obviously pulled back for some reason – was their commander injured, was their confusion in their ranks?
Taking a position just behind his spearmen, the Emir ordered the tired troops back up the defile once again, directly towards the silent, menacing Romanoi spearline. He could see movement behind it, but he was not sure what he faced until a single, bloodcurdling trumpet call echoed off of the hills around them. As one, the skoutatoi reformed ranks – doubling their depth, while leaving gaps between the clumps of soldiers. The ground began to shake, thunder filled the air, and the Emir watched in horror as horsemen, armored head to toe, trotted through the gaps and formed a charge line with sickening speed and precision. It was too late to turn around, too late to pull his fractured troops out of the narrow pass of death. In the open, his cavalry could have ran circles around the slow Byzantine heavy cavalry – but here…
Five hundred heavy kataphracts, Demetrios at their head, lowered their kontos and charged.
The Emir’s fragmented army did not have a chance.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
After his crushing victory at Baalbek, Demetrios’ troops slashed further southward into the Emirate. Anastasia the Younger joined them, and we know that all creature comforts were not lost, as she once again became pregnant.
Despite the rigors of the campaign, Demetrios and Anastasia do find alone time…
Demetrios’ whirlwind campaign, however, confirmed him in the minds of all as a formidable tactician, gifted and experienced beyond his years. The intense training ordered by Alexios for his son was paying immense dividends, and in courts from Konstantinopolis to Cairo to far away Shiraz, Demetrios’ name began to appear on the lips of the powerful, a name that they spoke with fear.
The Komnenid military tradition continues.
Demetrios’ other family members continued to develop as well. Manuel’s education in the church was finally complete, and the surly, grumpy teen had now become a surly, acid tongued intellectual. However, his knowledge of biblical affairs remained unmatched among any in the Komnenid court. To save the minds and ears of his courtiers and prevent several unfortunate threats of brawling or fights, Demetrios duly appointed Manuel the new Bishop of Baalbek, giving his sibling a whole new group of targets for his acerbic wit.
Manuel Komnenos is a highly intelligent, articulate young man…
...whose tongue was so sharp and annoying his brother sends him to be the bishop of Baalbek.
However by this point, the cool Middle Eastern winter was upon them, and as the cold breezes began to blow, they brought in unwelcome guests – the Imperial Army of Anatolia, with Michael VII at its head. Unannounced and unwanted, they streamed south from Antioch, where Demetrios’ poor Uncle Isaakios lost two years worth of income entertaining the Emperor and his entourage, stealing sieges in Beirut, Tripoli and Tyre.
Come Christmas of 1087, the Emirate of Tripoli ceased to exist, its interior in the hands of vassals of Demetrios, its coastline under the control of vassals of Basilieus Michael. On Christmas Day, the two sides came together for a tense and uneasy feast celebrating the birth of Jesus, and the end of an Imperial enemy…
The Basilieus, along with almost 30,000 Imperial troops from all over Romanion, arrive in Tripoli…
========================================================
*kontos - an long, heavily built spear used by Byzantine cataphracts.
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