Chapter 1: A Horde In Deed
Lessen 1: A Horde In Deed
(For clarity: pictures will proceed related text in this AAR). Game related tidbits are in italics. Also, I have no idea how long I can keep up the "classroom" feel.
Hello students, today's lecture concerns the early history of our great nation, starting from were we left off last week, in 1444. As we learned last week our great country was established by the son’s of Jochi, eldest child of Chenghiz Khan. The 'Golden Family' of Temujin, in the form of Batu Khan, Jochi's eldest son, founded the Golden Horde in 1251. Of course, the current ruler claimed direct descent from such illustrious personage's, a statement which is of course probably misleading at best.
As you'll remember, just a short time previous to the year 1444 the Horde was divided up by some, ah, philosophical differences, civil war, and the political interference of the Muscovite, Lithuanian and Timurid Kingdoms. This lead to the establishment of Uzbek and Sibir and then later the Khanate of Kazan in 1438, the Nogai Horde in 1440, and finally, the Khanate of Crimea in 1441. In additional, the system of tribute which had fueled the steppe trade dried up, leaving the lands more then a bit poor. Indeed, in 1444 it could have been said that the Golden Horde was looking at the downside of history. Indeed, in another history, perhaps it would just be an interesting footnote to the trials of a Muscovian Empire or an Ottoman Imperium.
Don't look so shocked, when studying history you should learn to utilize the what-if. As it happens, the great what-if of our world happened to start today's lessen. As we've already established Khan Kuchuk Muhammad Genghisod was a mediocre ruler, barely competent really. But he was deeply faithful and on a hunt, somehow, his riders came across a tiger. Upon slaying the tiger they found inside of its stomach a man severed hand and a map case full of scrolls documenting the old Mongolian Horde's territory. This, it was assumed, was a sign of God's Will upon Khan Kuchuk. Word of the discovery spread across the plains and shortly thereafter Khan Kuchuk announced the new flowering of the Horde. The image was powerful and riders flocked to the banners of a resurgent Khan. You can, of course, still see those same maps in the History Museum downtown, where it has been enshrined under glass for the last 550 years or so.
First things first. One of the few things going for a Tribal is that we don’t suffer regencies. Therefore – I promoted my ruler (0/0/2) to General immediately. Turns out he's not so good at that either. But hey, he's Khan of the Horde. Loyalty is his unless he turns coward. Being brave is apparently the only thing he's good at as it turns out. Interesting side note, I did the opening for the Horde a couple of times to make sure I understood what I was getting into - the test run Khan-General was a 3-3-4-4. Sigh
Khan Kuchuk Genghisod placed himself at the head of his armies following that hunt and ordered his troops west. The call went out for volunteers to join him in the west. There was no hiding it - this was a call to war, a call to reclaim the lands lost just 3 years before - Crimea would rejoin the Golden Horde.
Just to be sure, he sent a rider ahead of him to deliver a thinly veiled insult. The Ride of Guchin we call it now, per the ode I'm sure you memorized in your language class last year.
I declared Crimea a rival and then took the Insult mission. Kazan was then declared a rival as well. I held off on the last one - I had rivaled Nogai before and it resulted in them getting into my affairs before I really wanted... My other diplomat was sent to butter up the Ottomans, I felt like I'd want their armies guarding my border.
Word of the Khan's find spread even faster then his army moved:
The Uzbek Khan sent word that he would be happy to ally with the now-popular Khan. This was accepted, however, a request to marry one of the Uzbek's own was left unanswered in a move unlike most of the time where armies were bought with royal ties.
In addition, the Khan began hiring competent advisers for once and appointing them in a fairly revolutionary move where competence actually meant more then blood. The Khanite was in arrears in these early years, but the merchants of the realm, their hopes and blood up, offered the money to finance the reorganization.
That is, I hired -3 unrest, +30% dip, and a 5% discipline. I couldn't afford any of this long-term, or the 2 mercenary companies and 1 additional infantry raised on Crimea's border but I was going to war and I figured the cash from the war would pay my way forward. Technically at this point I was already running almost a gold piece behind per month.
With the troops in place, along with volunteers that met the king at the border, it was time to attack. War was declared on Crimea during the closing days of 1444. With that declaration a new world would be forged.
Word of the Khan's new fervor awoke a rebellion among the Genoese invaders who held land in the Black Sea. Even as forces of the Golden Horde closed on Crimea, they rose up in Azov province and declared themselves patriots of the new Khan.
Small forces in place to restrict the Crimean retreat. The picture isn't clear, but I sent a merc troop just ahead of my main army into the engagement..
The war was over in two engagements, lead by a Khan that records tell us led the charge both times and offered no quarter.
Word of the Khan's valor spread and as lands of Crimea were sieged out, the provinces surrendered without a fight one by one. Soon, enough of Crimea had surrendered and the surviving nobles were assembled, expecting to be executed. And then Khan Kuchuk did something unexpected, he offered to spare them if they were swear fealty. Peace was signed and fealty sworn on April the 2nd of 1447, ending the Crimean War.
Of course, we all know the saying: 'Crazy like Kuchuk'. It was born from these days, he had more plans then Crimea and he set them into motion.
While still at war with Crimea, the Khan took two steps. First, he sent riders into the lands of Circassia and let all there know that he was the rightful ruler of those lands and that he claimed them all has his subjects. Historical reports suggest that the local Circassian nobles reacted by burning the Khan in effigy. While this is unconfirmed, later actions do suggest that they managed to... annoy the Khan.
In addition, the Khan withdrew most of his army from Crimean lands even though the war wasn't over and moved them north. I'm sure you all watched last year's Black Sea blockbuster "The Ride of Kuchuk." It was not entirely a false picture - horses and fodder had been put into position ahead of time and the men were marched almost without rest. As far as I know, however, there was no Sarangerel Joharis riding among them, no matter how fetching the premise. Ahem, although I'm sure if there was the Khan would have fallen in love with her if there had been. Once in position, he declared war in Dec of '46 on a surprised and quickly overwhelmed Ryzan, who had no idea that an army was even on their borders. One quick battle and it was over but for siege work to remove the nobles from their castles.
This last bit of warfare was resolved and the Ryzan nobles were also offered the opportunity to bend a knee - they did so on Jan 20, 1448. As we know however - and can see from the associated slide, Kuchuk's army was already gone when the peace was signed.
During this time Nogai and Kazan went to war - two of Khan Kuchuk's largest rivals fought each other, assuming that attempted conquest of Crimea would take more time and use up his energy.
As we know, the Golden Army hurried back south, passing the same way it had come such a short time earlier. Positions along the entire Circassian border were occupied and in Oct of '47, shortly after the Crimean subjugation and war was declared.
The Khan led another battle with his foes - his forth major engagement within 4 years and fell upon an unsuspecting Circassian army.
Afterwards, most of the army was withdrawn. The winter was particularly bad that year and it was better to quarter most of the troops in friendly lands where they could be called upon at need.
In the meantime, the state was flush with cash - although technically still spending more then it made it taxes. Fortunately, it seemed war was profitable. Merchants were even petitioning to rebuild old roadways and caravans were beginning to move goods again. Truthfully, it was all very little, but a small bump to a ruined economy is extremely noticeable.
Hope can make for a good economic balm - history shows donations began pouring in. We won't discuss every recorded donation, but in some years this was the main source of income outside of war for the resurgent Horde.
Meanwhile, traveling players were already immortalizing the Khan's daring rides - some of which we still teach, no doubt to your dismay, today.
In the fall of 1449 the last Circassian province gave up it's flag. Afterwards, what followed was, by anyone's terms, a bloodletting. The Khan had so far offered all people whom he had conquered their lives and even their liberty upon their surrender. The Circassian nobles he slaughtered. Don't let nationalism blind you to our history and our own faults - the Khan's soldiers hunted down everyone with noble blood in the provinces. Rumor has it he was particularly enraged by the report of being burned in effigy - a sin against the teaching of Islam as you know.
At the conclusion, the Ottomans offered an alliance and a marriage to the Khan. The Golden Horde was now counted as a power among those who moved and shook the medieval world. They weren't a great power - not yet of course, but they had been noticed as worthy friends or worrisome foes.
Class - your assignment for next week is a three page paper with roots in this brief but pivotal time period. You could pick one of the opening campaigns of Khan Kuchuk's legacy. Please be sure to indicate any lasting legacies of the campaign. And CITE your sources. For those of you who aren't as into the military side of things, I would enjoy seeing a paper on the fractured economy of the region and what types of trade goods were moved through the markets of Astrakan and the Black Sea ports. Finally, if you have to, you could write about the horses of those times and how the bloodlines have been kept intact through the present day. If you choose the Ride of Kuchuk, please omit references to the movie - that is not considered a proper historical source.
A quick showing of enemy armies for neighboring states:
Thanks for reading! I'll get the next "lesson" posted as soon as I figure out how I managed to mix two different games pictures together and make sure I actually show you the right ones!