Hello everyone out there in AAR land. This is my first AAR here, though not my first attempt at one - I did one about three years back elsewhere.
For this AAR I'm heading down to Africa, to a tricky starting position - Makuria, part of Nubia, sometimes called the Land of the Bow by the Egyptians.
Why Makuria?
Well, when I first started playing the game, I was looking for somewhere a bit different and interesting and I settled on Makuria, down in Nubia, a place that became one of my favourites to play in.
It starts in something of a tricky spot - right next door to the great green blob and completely undeveloped. In Jade Dragon they made it a tributary of the Abassids, which is completely unhistorical as to the relationship between the Makurians and the Muslims, but without some form of treaty being able to be made in game, it is the only way they could make it that Makuria wasn't pretty much instantly run over by the blob. Even with it, it is still a tricky location, as you can't expand far without running into the blob. So not easy, which makes if fun.
Plus it has one of the best Coat of Arms in the game.
Before CK2 I had never heard of Makuria, which was a shame. Makuria is a fascinating place, one little known. This is due to most of what we know coming from Muslim sources, who weren't exactly always friendly towards their Christian neighbours, and as a result didn't always paint them in a fair light. And the building of the Aswan Dam means large parts of northern Makuria are now lost beneath the waters of the dam, with all the archaeology gone forever.
A brief history of Makuria for those interest.
I have meant to return to play there again after playing in a few other places, and with all the DLC released since I last played, it felt time to give it another try.
My aim for he game is for a narrative driven game. Events as depicted won't necessarily reflect the exact happenings in the game, or the exact order or time that they happened. I'll use them to structure the story.
Rules of the game;
769 start.
Normal difficulty (though in hindsight maybe I should have bumped it up a little).
All DLC but Sunset Invasion.
Demon Worshipers and Secret Socities off.
AI Seduction and Intrigue off.
Supernatural events off
Shattered Retreat and Defensive Pacts off.
Custom Ruler
Added walls to Dongola. Makuria starts completely undeveloped, despite the historically verified fact that there walls at Dongola, and they played a part of the defeat of the Muslim armies in the Second Battle of Dongola in 652.
I am not sure how often posts will be made due to work and family commitments, and of course a slow old computer, but I will keep plugging away at it for as long as it takes, even if it means I'm still going after CK3 is out.
For this AAR I'm heading down to Africa, to a tricky starting position - Makuria, part of Nubia, sometimes called the Land of the Bow by the Egyptians.
Why Makuria?
Well, when I first started playing the game, I was looking for somewhere a bit different and interesting and I settled on Makuria, down in Nubia, a place that became one of my favourites to play in.
It starts in something of a tricky spot - right next door to the great green blob and completely undeveloped. In Jade Dragon they made it a tributary of the Abassids, which is completely unhistorical as to the relationship between the Makurians and the Muslims, but without some form of treaty being able to be made in game, it is the only way they could make it that Makuria wasn't pretty much instantly run over by the blob. Even with it, it is still a tricky location, as you can't expand far without running into the blob. So not easy, which makes if fun.
Plus it has one of the best Coat of Arms in the game.
Before CK2 I had never heard of Makuria, which was a shame. Makuria is a fascinating place, one little known. This is due to most of what we know coming from Muslim sources, who weren't exactly always friendly towards their Christian neighbours, and as a result didn't always paint them in a fair light. And the building of the Aswan Dam means large parts of northern Makuria are now lost beneath the waters of the dam, with all the archaeology gone forever.
A brief history of Makuria for those interest.
Makuria was a Nubian kingdom that formed in around 500. Sometime in the next century they converted to Christianity, only for the rise of the Muslims to occur. When the Muslims invaded and conquered Egypt in 641, it cut Makuria off from its big brother Constantinople and also saw the seat of the Coptic Patriarchy occupied.
Immediately the Muslims turned south and headed for Makuria, aiming to conquer it, like they had everywhere else they had invaded. Except it didn't happen. In 642 they were defeated at the First Battle of Dongola. They tried again in 652 but once more met defeat at the Second Battle of Dongola after they were unable to overcome the walls there. Makuria became one of the first nations to effectively hold off the Muslim conquests that swept over large parts of the world in its early stages of expansion.
Following two defeats, a pact was made between Makuria and the Muslims - the baqt. It saw Makuria send slaves north each year while the Muslims sent trade goods south.
Muslims sources say that it was done because it wasn't worth the effort (read that as far too difficult), and that the slaves were sent as a symbol of subservience, even though Egpyt was obligated to send manufactured goods south in exchange for the slaves.
Following the baqt, Makuria grew stable and prosperous, entering a golden age from around 750 to 1150, but problems were brewing following the overthrow of the Fatamids. The Muslims became more aggressive in their dealings, including driving nomadic Bedouin Muslims out of their territory into Makuria, destabilising their southern neighbour, which sounds like a case of obeying the letter of the treaty but not the spirit of it (ie not to attack each other). This was accompanied by the gradual arabisation and islamisation of northern Makuria by Arab merchants. When the Mameluks took power, they involved themselves with the internal politics of Makuria, as well as invading and occupying it on occasions, eventually taking control in around 1312 and marking the end of a remarkable culture and nation.
Immediately the Muslims turned south and headed for Makuria, aiming to conquer it, like they had everywhere else they had invaded. Except it didn't happen. In 642 they were defeated at the First Battle of Dongola. They tried again in 652 but once more met defeat at the Second Battle of Dongola after they were unable to overcome the walls there. Makuria became one of the first nations to effectively hold off the Muslim conquests that swept over large parts of the world in its early stages of expansion.
Following two defeats, a pact was made between Makuria and the Muslims - the baqt. It saw Makuria send slaves north each year while the Muslims sent trade goods south.
Muslims sources say that it was done because it wasn't worth the effort (read that as far too difficult), and that the slaves were sent as a symbol of subservience, even though Egpyt was obligated to send manufactured goods south in exchange for the slaves.
Following the baqt, Makuria grew stable and prosperous, entering a golden age from around 750 to 1150, but problems were brewing following the overthrow of the Fatamids. The Muslims became more aggressive in their dealings, including driving nomadic Bedouin Muslims out of their territory into Makuria, destabilising their southern neighbour, which sounds like a case of obeying the letter of the treaty but not the spirit of it (ie not to attack each other). This was accompanied by the gradual arabisation and islamisation of northern Makuria by Arab merchants. When the Mameluks took power, they involved themselves with the internal politics of Makuria, as well as invading and occupying it on occasions, eventually taking control in around 1312 and marking the end of a remarkable culture and nation.
I have meant to return to play there again after playing in a few other places, and with all the DLC released since I last played, it felt time to give it another try.
My aim for he game is for a narrative driven game. Events as depicted won't necessarily reflect the exact happenings in the game, or the exact order or time that they happened. I'll use them to structure the story.
Rules of the game;
769 start.
Normal difficulty (though in hindsight maybe I should have bumped it up a little).
All DLC but Sunset Invasion.
Demon Worshipers and Secret Socities off.
AI Seduction and Intrigue off.
Supernatural events off
Shattered Retreat and Defensive Pacts off.
Custom Ruler
Added walls to Dongola. Makuria starts completely undeveloped, despite the historically verified fact that there walls at Dongola, and they played a part of the defeat of the Muslim armies in the Second Battle of Dongola in 652.
I am not sure how often posts will be made due to work and family commitments, and of course a slow old computer, but I will keep plugging away at it for as long as it takes, even if it means I'm still going after CK3 is out.