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GreatUberGeek

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Aug 8, 2013
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The ImpalAAR: Wallachia AAR Starting 1456

Welcome to another GreatUberGeek AAR! I'm your host, the GreatUberGeek, with Vlad III Draculesti, ruler of Wallachia.Some people may wonder why I have chosen to start another AAR, what with Wales on hold and Bavaria not updating(I'm saving it for a huge update!). First: this is a mini-AAR, only playing until Vlad dies. Second: Well, there really isn't a second reason. The first one says it all. As I said, I'm only playing until Dracula dies, so it'll be short. House Rules:
No biting.
No kicking.
No scratching.
No cheating.(Unless absolutely necessary.)
At least ONE war with the Ottos, unless Vlad dies first.

This will be very historical and the like. Thus explaining the war with the Ottomans, surely to be suicidal.

CHAPTER 1: VLAD'S EARLY LIFE

Vlad Dracul was born in a small village called Sighisoara, in Transylvania, or Wallachia, as the case may be. His father, Vlad II, was appointed the voyvode, or governor, of Wallachia. This was due to his close relationship to the current overlord of Wallachia, Sigismund I of Hungary. Dracul was part of an order called the Order of the Dragon. Thus his surname meant 'Dragon'. This would be passed onto his son, Vlad III Dracul.

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The Order of the Dragon

In 1436, Vlad II was no longer the voyvode of Wallachia. So he deposed the current ruler and named himself king of Wallachia. After general outcry, nothing much was done. In 1442, the Turks expanded into Transylvania. Vlad had no objection, mainly because he himself was a vassal of the Ottomans. However, in Hungary Sigismund had appointed Vlad to rule over Transylvania. Naturally, they were upset at Vlad II. Vlad turned to the Turks under Murad II and pleaded for help. They quickly responded and helped him regain his throne.
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Vlad II Dracul

As a sign of loyalty to his new liege, Vlad was forced to give his two sons, Vlad III and Radu the Handsome, up to the Ottomans for safekeeping. In 1444 a huge crusading army traveled into the Ottoman lands and were collectively crushed by the Ottomans at Varna. John Hunyadi, the general of the expedition, blamed Vlad, saying that he did not give enough support. In 1447, Vlad II and his son, Mircea, were murdered by a group of Wallacian nobels, urged on by Hunyadi. Murad sent Vlad III as their puppet ruler. He was forced out two months later by Hungarian troops, who installed Vladislav II. Unfortunately for him, the Turks and Vlad were plotting.
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Vladislav II, Hungarian Prince of Wallachia
Vlad first convinced Hungary that he would make a better and more experienced ruler than Vladislav. With their support, he invaded Wallachia, killed Vladislav, and became voyvode once more. The Ottomans declared war on Hungary, and technically being a Turkish vassal, Vlad joined in as well. Thus led to the First Ottoman-Hungarian War. Soon after his accession, Vlad commited on of the acts that would give him the nickname 'Tepes'. He invited the noblemen believed to have killed his father to his castle. After they feasted, he impaled them on sharp wooden stakes. This would be a warning of things to come.
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Vlad the Impaler

Hope you enjoyed! This was just a teaser; actual update with pictures soon.
 
A NEW KING

Vlad Dracula was nothing if not a clever ruler, if a bloodthirsty one. In 1456, his kingdom was in a predicament. THe Hungarian overlord had attacked him in the ongoing battle for his kingdom with the Ottomans. He quickly decided that his army, the Oastea de Muntenia, had to march south to avoid the large Hungarian force.
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Vlad's Army, filled with convicts and murderers
But the Ottomans neutralized Hungary's threat, and thus Vlad was able to return to Tirgoviste, his capital. Upon conferring with his generals, he decided to launch a raid against the city of Maros. As the Ottoman Turks attacked fort after fort, Vlad preferred to stay outside the castle-while massacring all passersby. Scholars point out that more people would be killed in Vlad's campaign than the Turks.
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A Look at the Siege of Maros
While tending to the siege, Dracul had time to look at some reports from his tax collectors. Due to his brutality, peasants were ready to revolt, but the harsh boot of his men kept them complacent-and all that resisted were killed cruelly. The economy would have been doing well, were it not for the monthly tithe Hungary had demanded from Wallachia.
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The Monthly Fee of Being a vassal of Hungary
Vlad took the city of Maros soon after. The assault was followed with a massacre and sack of the city. Thousands were impaled by the roads of Maros as a warning to all invaders. The raid, if it could be called such, moved on to Hunyad. The city feared the treatment that Maros had recieved, but held out in even greater fear of Hungary's wrath. Events would prove them wrong.
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Vlad's "Raiding Party"
Vlad was an exceptional general. He adroitly manuevered the army as if it were chess pieces, and all the men and women pawns in his huge game of chess. But even he could not control all aspects of war. For those he needed a subordinate. He found one in the skilled Radu Golescu, a young man who engineered his way into Maros, and helped shorten the siege. For his efforts he was rewarded to be an aide for Vlad.
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The army's new talent in fetching coffee
The military prowess of Wallachia was soon demonstrated as the siege of Hunyad was duly won. As revenge for their defiance, he massacred all the inhabitants and ransacked the city for three straight days.It would be one of his worst atrocities, and that's saying something. Vlad left Hunyad to find that the Turks had already taken the cities around him. In a fit of murderous pique he killed his aide-de-camp (not Radu, his replacement for the day) and one of the unfortunate servants near his tent. Instead, he traveled further into Hungary to siege Zemplen.
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The Raids go farther in
Soon after the siege was won and the city duly massacred, the Turks upset Vlad in a big way.
 
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A new GUG AAR? I'm expecting great things from you. :D
As usual...(nervously scrambles to write epic update)
Great AAR, it is nice to see one about Vlad :)
Thanks, oh great AARlander editor! I had noticed a very disturbing lack of Dracula AARs, and it seemed like a fun idea, so I went with it.

A POLITICAL RECKONING
Shortly before the siege of Zemplen was over, Vlad was delivered unexpected news.
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The Ottomans had gone behind Vlad's back and made peace with Hungary. Though Vlad was glad that the he no longer had to pay fealty fees. And then the Turks went even further.
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Knowing Vlad since his time at the capital, they warned him that any more bloodshed was cause for war. Vlad, angry as hell, decided to go out into the countryside and impale as many peasants as possible.
As he was killing the peasants, a thought crossed his mind. His daughters were coming of age, and he needed ties with another nation.
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Girls were duly sent out to Bosnia, Montenegro, and Morea, the nearest Orthodox countries. Pleased with his work, Vlad also noticed that a Dracul had found his way into the Montenegrin throne as well.
Sometime during the early 1460s, Vlad was thrown into a terrible illness. He retched and vomited and boils appeared all over his body. During his sickness, he was forced to rely on the boyars he had hated so much.
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The nobles beamed with pride-until Vlad, recovered from his illness, impaled them at the next dinner.
Following the sickness, he was able to pull off some diplomatic coups. Alliance offers against the Turk (A/N: not a coalition!) were sent to Bosnia, Montenegro, and Morea.
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They would all accept, making Vlad slightly upset, as he had planned to massacre the lot of them.
Of course, Vlad was not the only one doing the bloodletting. Bosnia had planned the conquest of the rich trading city, Ragusa, for a while now, and decided to act.
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Vlad, never one to turn down a massacre or two, happily accepted, and plundered the city to such an extent that, even today, Romanians are not allowed in Ragusa.
The girl he had sent to Montenegro turned out to be well spent. In 1465, Sava I Draculesti died and, after a solemn funeral, Vlad succeeded to the throne.
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The succession was marked by a "plunder party", during which the entire city was sacked and massacred.
Following the 'orgy of death', as one historian called it, Vlad started seeing strange things. He raved about the Austrians and the English conspiring to take his throne away. He frequently killed random servants who had been faithful to him for a long time, though that was a bit normal.
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His vizier, the former chancellor, took office and tried to help. Though the bank did lose some money, and Vlad's international standing was hurt, Wallachia soldiered through the crisis as if nothing had happened.
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That's it for now. I did play through Vlad's death, which could be happening soon...:eek:
 
The Turk is comming... just saying ;)
But will he come during Vlad's reign? :eek: I'm thinking of continuing this AAR after Vlad's death. BTW, when's the next AARlander magazine coming out?
 
But will he come during Vlad's reign? :eek: I'm thinking of continuing this AAR after Vlad's death. BTW, when's the next AARlander magazine coming out?

You should continue the AAR after Vlad's death since Wallachia AARs are so rare and it seems its going good for you atm. For the AARlander it should be around 1 and a half week if nothing happens, but then again a plan never survives the first contact with the enemy
 
You should continue the AAR after Vlad's death since Wallachia AARs are so rare and it seems its going good for you atm. For the AARlander it should be around 1 and a half week if nothing happens, but then again a plan never survives the first contact with the enemy
Great! I am thinking of continuing this, as I'm the only country able to form Romania. You should also particapate in my Bavaria contest.

A KING'S DEATH
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Vlad was nearing the end. After his delibating sickness and insanity, he was at death's door. However, four important events would occur before the end of his reign.
The first was the military's innovation. After the battles in Hungary, Radu realized that the pikes used at the sieges of Maros and Hunyad could be used effectively on the battlefield. Though the Austrians had realized this after their war with Styria, it was an important technological advance.
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Secondly, Vlad achieved the Holy Grail of all Orthodox diplomacy. After exchanging cordial words with the rulers of the Rus, Muscovy, he soon shepherded them into a pact, whereas Vlad would protect Muscovy and Muscovy would protect Vlad. This would only be achieved after years of begging and marriages. The alliance would prove steadfast for the rest of Vlad's life.
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Vlad was quite taken with the Hungarian Lady von Hunyad, and after the siege swept her away in a whirlwind courtship which ended in a healthy young boy, Mircea. Mircea, even at the age of 3, seemed to be just as skilled as Vlad in military matters when Dracul died.
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The peasantry were of course not entirely placid during that time. In fact they rose up many times, only to be crushed by Vlad's army.
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Some measly peasants demanding rights. Hah! As if!
Finally, Vlad noticed that one merchant was becoming quite the tradesman, increasing their income by literally tenths. Vlad quickly hired the man as a trade advisor and pushed the former trade advisor out of the window for not sucking up quickly enough.
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The promising young tradesman
But, alas, all good things must come to an end.
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This AAR is, for all intents and purposes, over. Thanks, everybody.