1455-1458 – Holy War (Part II)
The war against the Ottomans was just the first of Aragon’s wars against the heathens of this world. The day that peace was signed with the Ottomans, a call-to-arms arrived from Portugal asking Aragon to come to their aid in a war against Morocco, Granada, and Mzab. The court supported this war, since it was another chance to knock the heathens down a notch. There was also talk about Granada’s involvement in the war and how it could be used for Aragon to take the sultanate before Castile could. Such a thing would require fast action, for Castile had also joined their ally Portugal in the war. All of Iberia was united in the cause against the heathens of North Africa.
After Aragon had ended their war with the Ottomans, the Venetians felt it was best to end theirs before the tide turned against them. They were bitter that Aragon had left the war early, but in the end they were able to claim Albania as planned.
Action had to be taken immediately if Aragon wanted any chance of denying Castile Granada, or better yet claiming it for itself. Two armies of roughly 15,000 men in total moved out under the command of Lino Adrià María de Agramunt and Sebastián de Loarre from Valencia at the breakout of war. It was said that de Agramunt frowned the whole way through Murcia, bitter that the province could not be taken during the Castilian War. Over in the newly conquered Epirus, the army there was split in half with 6,000 men ready to be transported back to Iberia.
The mad rush for Granada didn’t go off as planned, since Portugal reached the capital first, engaging the enemy army. De Agramunt marched over to assist, while de Loarre remained behind in Marriya to siege. Casualties were quite high for the Portuguese, although de Agramunt only lost a hundred men. Knowing that the Portuguese now led the siege against Granada’s capital, de Agramunt ordered pursuit of the enemy army to Jabal Tariq. Eliminating Granada’s army was a priority, but de Agramunt also knew the importance of beating the Castilians to the enemy province. The Castilians could not be allowed to take any of the provinces or they would try to take them in a peace.
Marriya did not hold out long, freeing up de Loarre to aid the Portuguese in the siege of Garnatah. De Agramunt caught the enemy army in Jabal Tariq and showed them no mercy. The heathens suffered a catastrophic defeat that day. Yet as Aragon brought down another heathen bit by bit, another threat rose far in the east. The Mamluks continued to spread their might and influence beyond their borders. They had already vassalized two countries, and now they had taken a province from Dulkadir.
With Aragon holding a province in Greece, King Joan II began to reconsider Ioannes Kontostephanos’s proposal to reclaim Athens for his family. He assigned Diplomat Joseph von Thun to work with the Greek to attempt to re-establish ties with the population of Athens. With their support, Aragon would have an easier time taking the province.
Jabal Tariq fell easily enough and Portugal soon took Granada’s capital. Joan II crossed his fingers for a favourable peace. What Portugal forced upon Granada was not the best peace, but it wasn’t the worst either. All Portugal had done was drain their treasury and leave them without allies. This did open them up for a future attack. The one big benefit of this was that now Castile had a truce with Granada for another decade. While Aragon could not claim the sultanate, neither could Castile.
The passing of the Temple Act a ways back had started to make Joan II start considering the construction of temples throughout Aragon. At the moment it could not be afforded, but he did hire some architects to draw up some designs for some potential temples.
At the end of May of 1456, Grandmaster Erik Inge came before the King asking for a large investment for several Aragonese trade companies to help them compete with their foreign counterparts. King Joan II fully endorsed the trade practices of the nation and spared no expense to aid them.
With Granada out of the war, the focus shifted to Morocco. The heathen country had already taken Ceuta from Portugal. Two armies of 4,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry each under the leadership of Sebastián de Loarre and Jaume Cristòfor crossed over the Gulf of Almeria into Tlemcen. The hope was that by landing in neutral territory, the Moroccans would be unable to stop the crossing. Instead it turned out better than expected when the armies landed and spotted Mzab’s army heading towards Morocco. The enemy was intercepted and eliminated.
Meanwhile, de Agramunt and the remaining army in Granada were ordered back home to Valencia. Joan II did not want the home front left empty, and he made certain his best general stayed in Aragon. Despite fighting alongside the Castilians, the King still feared that Castile would make a move against Aragon if the kingdom was left undefended.
The Portuguese made a bold attempt to retake Ceuta, but the Moroccan army intervened with three times the numbers. The Portuguese were forced to retreat, but the two armies under de Loarre’s and Cristòfor’s command reached Ceuta before the Moroccan army could escape. Having already fought a bloody battle with the Portuguese, the Moroccans were in no condition to fend off the much superior Aragonese forces. Only the sheer numbers of the Moroccan army kept them from being wiped out entirely. Instead they were able to retreat farther south. Unable to pursue with forts blocking the way, the Aragonese army moved into Fez to attempt to take the capital.
Joseph von Thun returned from Athens with Ioannes Kontostephanos, successful in their mission. They had gathered the support of several prominent figures in the province and the support of some locals. If Aragon moved against Athens, they would have a much easier time about it now. With the mission done, von Thun was sent on to Byzantium to smooth relations with the ancient empire.
Elsewhere in Europe, France was making a grab for Normandy, having been denied it by Scotland when they set the tiny country free. Sweden also decided to declare independence yet again. Joan II wondered if this was just another ploy to get more land from Norway rather than to actually obtain independence.
General de Loarre feared that without access to the sea, the army could get caught off. He thus sent one regiment of infantry north to take Melilla to ensure a supply route from the sea. When the province was taken, the Moroccan fleet hidden along the coast was forced out into the open. The Aragonese navy was waiting. Admiral Leonardo de Abruzzi sent the enemy fleet to the bottom of the sea with only a single galley lost. This loss was insignificant compared to the carrack that the admiral captured during the battle. The captured Moroccan ship became the first heavy ship in the Aragonese navy.
The Moroccan army reappeared, with half stopping in Meknes while the other half circled up through Tlemcen. General de Loarre feared they were being encircled, but the enemy abandoned their strategy as they marched west instead, most likely to eliminate the small Portuguese army taking their coastline. That plan backfired when they engaged the Portuguese, only to have the Castilians arrive in force to tip the odds. Morocco was having a hard time competing with the Iberians.
Joan II was caught off guard in June of 1457 when news reached him that Genoa had declared war on Granada. The King did not see how Genoa could have any interests in Granada, nor did he care what those reasons were. To have the Italian rival so boldly make a move on Iberia was not something he could appreciate. If Genoa did take any land, action might need to be taken.
A man of many talents, Antonio Beccadelli, offered his services to the Crown, which Joan II eagerly accepted. He’d bring skill and prestige to the Aragonese administration.
At the end of September, Fez fell. With the Moroccan capital under Aragon’s control, Morocco would really start feeling the heat. The two armies in the Moroccan capital were immediately sent off to Gharb and Meknes. Capturing the provinces was a simple task with Fez taken already. These victories weren’t surprising, unlike the Genoans actually landing in Granada and capturing Marriya. The Aragonese armies then marched on Tangiers to capture the fort there, decimating the enemy regiment in the province.
Further south, Castile was taking the effort to prevent Morocco from retaking Dukkala from Portugal. Reinforcements from Portugal gave them the clear advantage, letting the Iberians take the day.
It was clear by this point that Portugal had things well in hand. After having been denied a piece of Granada, Joan II felt that it was best to get out of the war while Aragon could take something of value. A peace was arranged with Morocco, forcing them to hand over the port of Melilla between Portuguese Ceuta and Tlemcen Oujda. They were also forced to pay a hefty war indemnity to help add some funds to the fluctuating amount of ducats in the treasury.
The victory against Morocco was lauded as a great accomplishment for the nation. In celebration for the victory against two heathen nations, Joan II ordered the construction of a temple in Valencia. God had granted them this great victory and thus He should be honoured as He deserved.
As the people of Aragon celebrated, Joan II was already preparing for a potential future campaign. A spy was working in Oujda to forge a claim that Joan II might be able to use to attack the sultanate. Admittedly, he still worried about the dangers of many wars, but surely the heathens were too weak to resist. He just wanted as many options as possible.
With peace established, General Cristòfor and his army sailed to Barcelona, while General de Loarre remained behind to protect Melilla from any potential threat. Now Aragon could focus inwards, or perhaps start planning their next conquest.
((Now for the picture spam of info for advisors and those interested.))
Presenting His Majesty, Joan II de Trastámara, King of Aragon, Naples, and Navarra.
When we defeated the Ottomans, we were frankly surprised. They were one of the strongest Muslims empires in the world, and yet we defeated them with the aid of the Venetians, something that crusades involving most of Europe had failed to do before. But we did not falter. When Portugal called for aid, we answered and we sailed west to fight the heathens of Morocco. Our performance against the Moroccans surpassed that of our troops against the Ottomans. We have shown the heathens of this world that God is on our side. Let us rejoice in our faith, for we are righteous.
((All ministers have until
Saturday at 9am PST to propose their plans, unless they presented a plan prior to the war with Portugal and they want to keep using those ones. Remember that now all plans will be considered automatically passed 24-48 hours after they’re posted if no one openly objects to them, so if you don’t like them say so. I don’t really have anything for us to vote on, so if no one objects to the plans, I’ll go ahead and play this weekend.))