A Last Shot at Restoration? A Trebizond AAR

[Egil4950]

​

Welcome to my AAR!

In this AAR I am going to write a fictional story about my Trebizond game, though still following the guidelines on how my empire grew. The story is going to be written down as a history book made by Sotiria Komnenos, the daughter of Alexios V Komnenos, the Emperor of the Trebizond Empire but also have a personal aspect to it because she is a Komnenos (Like Tacitus books about for example his father in law, Agricola). The book is written between 1612-1617 (From Alexios Ascent to the throne to where I am in the game currently) and going to depict the restoration process made by the Komnenos Dynasty from 1429 (Ascent of Ioannes IV, the ruler of Trebizond at the start of the 1444 campaign) to 1612 when Sotiria II Komnenos died.

When I reach 1612 I will continue if enough people are following this AAR or if I find it very enjoyable to write.

So, with nothing more to say, please enjoy the AAR


Operi gloriosa Trapexontanos Imperii!

 

[Egil4950]

Table of Contents

Prolouges

Prolouge Part 1

Prolouge Part 2

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Reign of Ioannes IV

Early Reign and Start
of The War of Ioannes Vision

Battle of Camerino

The Road To Rome

Siege of Urbino

Siege of Orvieto

The Final Years

Strating the administration and Giulio of Camerino​

 

[Egil4950]

Prolouge Part 1​

7th Febuary 1445



Ioannes was walking through the stone corridors towards his chambers. It had been a long evening in the council room, his advisors and especially his younger brother Dauid were terrified of what was happening to the long humbled Byzantine Empire. After the battle of Varna the Sultan had been furious over Byzantine involvement, claiming they called upon the western help. Mehmet had now laid siege to the city of the world’s desire and the old wall which had repelled so many invaders would not stand any chance against the sheer number of ottoman soldiers. Dauid and his advisors were afraid that Trebizond would be next, being the only Greek stronghold left. He looked up, studying the roof mosaic which had been made by the architects of his grandfather Manuel III 50 years ago. The Mosaic decorated to depict the pantheon of the old Roman Empire, he wondered what the Sultan, or even worse the Khan of Qara Qoyunlu would do with this wonderful art should the Empire fall. Shrouded in his own thoughts he did not notice the man standing in front of him until the man said, "A beautiful art piece, to bad no one believes in those gods anymore". Ioannes almost jumped a heartbeat being caught with his trousers down and was about to draw his sword. How could this man have so easily sneaked up on him? He looked at the man, his skin so pure it almost felt godly. He looked at the man's face, finding it disturbingly familiar. After a brief pause he sheathed his sword and he managed to utter the words "Who are you?". "I go by many names to many different followers, Allah to the Muslims, Javeh to the Jews, Odin to the Norse or God to the Christians. But what I was first named you will see if you look up". Ioannes stumbled over the words this man was saying, finally looking up on the Roman Pantheon moving his eyes across the pictures of the gods until he came to the face he had found so familiar with the man. "Yes, my name is Jupiter Maximus, or Zeus to the Greeks. I was the god of your forefathers, the Romans and the Greeks. But as one of the two last remains of the Empire dies, your line is the only one left to restore the Empire to its full glory and reclaim its land. You must make sure the Empire of Trebizond never falls". Ioannes was speechless, and his mind was overfilled with thoughts ranging from, had he gone insane to how was this possible. He finally muttered the word "How?", knowing fully that any recovery would need another Timur to invade the Osmans. The man waited until Ioannes was finished thinking about it and looked up at him as if the man could read his thoughts. "In a few days you will receive words from a messenger about a war, then you will know what to do". Those were the last words the man said until he leaped back into the shadows as he faded away and Ioannes was left alone again in the cold stone corridor, but he was not freezing.

 

[Egil4950]

Prolouge Part 2​

12th of February 1445



The sword clinging was a lovely sound. Dauid had been very fond of weapons and martial arts since he was little, though he could not say he was the best at it. He kept hitting the tree-pole in the way the old strategos of his father had taught him when he was very young, but his mind could not stop thinking about his brother. He did not seem troubled at all with the siege of Constantinople and the threats from the khanates surrounding his Empire. Perhaps he had found calm in that he would lose his country's freedom any day and that he could do nothing against it? "You seem troubled brother, what's the matter?" he heard his brother say standing a few meters from him, "Yes Ioannes, I am...". "My Lord, My Lord, I have news from Italy" said the messenger that had interrupted him. Dauid wondered in what way he should punish the man for his insolence and looked to his brother. But instead his brother opened his arms and said "Well, what's the news?". The messenger straighten his chest up and said "The Papal State has declared war on Ferrara, a prince of the Holy Roman Empire and the Emperor has joined the war!". Dauid wondered why these news was to any importance to him and Ioannes; and was about to shout to the messenger why he dared to interrupt his brother which such petty news, but Ioannes instead mumbled "interesting". He felt a bit stumped over his brothers reaction and said "Why does this news matter to us Ioannes?" and looked at his brother bemused. For a brief moment it seemed like his brother would not answer him until he, with a rumbling voice said: "That my dear Dauid, means that we sail for Italy and Rome!".

 

[Egil4950]

The History of the Trebizond Empire​

Reign of Ioannes​

The War of Ioannes Vision​

By Sotiria Komnenos, Daughter of Alexios V Komnenos​

Ioannes Early Reign and Start of the War of Ioannes Vision​

Early reign​

Ioannes IV Komnenos was the ruler of the Trebizond Empire from 1429 until his death in 1457. He was the son of Alexios IV Komnenos and Theodora Kantakouzene. He ascended to the throne in 1429 after his father was killed in a feud between the two. In love for his father he later executed the killers who had gone against Ioannes' orders. John was then recognized as the Emperor of Trebizond around 28th of October 1429.


The start of his reign was dominated by trying to defend Trebizond from the neighbouring Turkmen tribes and the Khanates surrounding him initiating an old policy of the Empire to better defend the countryside. In 1442 Murad, Sultan of the Ottomans, sent out a fleet to capture Trebizond, but the Empire had luck on their side and the fleet was destroyed in a storm outside the coast of Crimea.

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The Greek States left in 1444, Byzantium in Purple and Trebizond in Blue​

The Route to Restoration​

On the 13th of February 1445 the Emperor, discussing with his advisors on how he could restore the empire, sailed towards the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits with the entire Trebizond fleet and his 6000 men. As the Byzantine Empire was falling, he had to sail through them before the Ottomans could block him from sailing out of the Black Sea. He chose to take the safest passage he could, sailing first from Trebizond to Theodoro. The Gothian king of Theodoro, blessing Ioannes trip, gifted him 250 heavy cavalry to accompany him and a galley to transport the men. From there he sailed straight through the Bosphoros, passing a Constantinople under siege. While sailing through the Dardanelles during night, his fleet almost got caught by the castle of Canakkale. From there he set out to Naxos, gladly welcomed by the duke there and the Greek people resupplying his food and water supplies.

After three days in Naxos he set out, sailing towards Chios where he met up with Chios' Byzantine Governor of the province. There 750 unarmed Greeks flocked to his banner joining his Vision, as a rallying call for all Greeks. He then set out sailing through the strait of Otranto and into the Adriatic Sea where he docked at the Serbian port of Budva, buying weapons for his new soldiers with the gold he had brought with him from Trebizond. After sailing another 4 days they reached their target, Ancona in Italy, at the 21st of April, two months after they set out from Trebizond. There they captured the city of Ancona and important surrounding cities after six months, to make a bridgehead from which his brother Dauid could administrate the war. The only battle of the war, later commenced in April 1446, 10 kilometres north of Camerino, in the province of Umbria.

Ioannes trip to Italy​

 

[Egil4950]

The Battle of Camerino (1446)​

The Battle of Camerino, fought on the 5th of April 1446 between forces of the Empire of Trebizond lead by Ioannes IV and the Papal Army under Damiano Collona. It was the only battle in the war where the main body of the Papal Army got annihilated. The battle helped secure Ioannes upper hand in his reclamation war of Italy and his gateway into beginning the siege of Umbria.

Prelude


On the 21st of April 1445 the Trebizond army commanded by Ioannes IV landed on the shores the province of Ancona and begun the siege of Ancona. The siege of the city lasted until 15th of October 1445 and Ioannes being reluctant to enter the Apennines during winter, stayed in Ancona and set up an administration there. During the winter, 500 greek orthodox soldiers from Epirus under Manuel Kantakouzenos arrived in Ancona to bolster the already 7000 strong Trebizond army. Six months went by and in the beginning of March 1446 the Trebizond army set out from Ancona towards Camerino to get a gateway into Umbria with 7000 men. Five hundred was left behind in Ancona to protect against rebellion.


The Papal Army, being alert of the invasion that would happen when spring came gathered an army under Damiano Collona outside of Perugia during the winter months of 1445-1446. Having just come out of a disaster of a war with the Duchy of Ferrara, he only managed to gather a force of 3500 men; which he marched towards Camerino with to set up a defensive position on the hills located the hills north-east of Camerino.


The Trebizond army arrived at the 20th of April 1445 and set up camp, 2 kilometres east of Collona, the next day Ioannes ordered his men forward into battle.



The Battle


Troop numbers and position


The Trebizond Army consisted of 7000 men in total, where around 4500 infantry and 2000 were Cavalry and 500 were archers from Epirus. Ioannes divided the army into three parts, with him leading the centre of 4500 infantry and 500 archers. His brother Dauid lead the 750 most experienced cavalrymen who were hidden behind a hill to the right of the papal army and Manuel Kantakouzenos leading another 1250 cavalry on the right wing.


The Papal army consisted of 2000 normal infantrymen, 1000 archers. Collona also had 500 Swiss mercenaries which he hoped to stall the Trebizond Cavalry with. He had positioned his army on a hill with his archers in front and his infantry behind them. He also place his 500 Swiss Mercenaries behind his own position so they could be easily manoeuvrable to where ever he needed them.


Though the papal army was outnumbered and out horsed, they had two benefits, more archers and better terrain

(The Picture depicting the battle have different color codes for different units, movement paths and which side their on. The overview over what is what is at the end)



The main battle


Ioannes started the battle by ordering Manuel to take his troops forward to the left flank of the papal army hoping to draw the Swiss mercenaries out. At the same time he gave orders to his infantry to march forward in locked formation and with theirs shields ready. Concurrently time he sent a messenger to Dauid to ready his horsemen on the right side of the Papal Army.

After a dozen of seconds marching the Trebizond troops came into range of Collona's archers. Collona ordered his men to fire at the enemy straight away not wanting to waste any time while Ioannes army came closer. At the same time; being frighten by the quick charge of Manuel’s Cavalry; ordered his Swiss Mercenary to his left flank to meet Manuel's threat. Manuel, seeing that Ioannes plan had worked signalled his hornman to blow the signal. His horsemen suddenly stopped and begun moving to their right to draw the Swiss a bit further out. Ioannes also caught up the signal and ordered his hornmen to blow the signal for Dauids cavalrymen to mount and charge forward into the Papal army. The experienced and well equipped cavalrymen was fast and begun the charge with Dauid in the frontline leading his men.

Collona seeing the threat quickly ordered his Swiss mercenaries to halt and fall back to the Papal line, Manuel noticing this ordered his cavalry to turn around and strike at the Swiss mercenaries while they had their back turned. At the same time he sent a contingent of 400 cavalry to cut off any retreat from the Papal army. Collona looked around fast, trying to address the situation. To his horror, the Trebizond infantrymen was only 10 metres from his archers; who were anxiously waiting for his orders to retreat. At the same time Ioannes ordered his infantrymen to break the line and charge forward, making it impossible for Collona to get all his archers back behind the line. He saw them getting slaughtered by the enemy infantry. In a fit of desperate rage he dismounted his horse and charged down the frontlines with his infantry behind him.

At the same time Dauids Cavalry reached the rear of the Papal army, Ploughing through them like a hot knife through butter. Ioannes sounded a signal that Manuel should stop and then ordered the Epirusian archers to fire at the Swiss. The Swiss seeing that the main body of infantry had charged into the Trebizond army and was getting annihilated,chose to surrender and laid down their weapons. The rest of the Papal Army was surrounded and annihilated at the spot.

Aftermath

The defeat of the Papal army at Camerino and the death of Collona had a huge blow on the Papal army and the Pope himself. The Swiss mercenaries were the only unit who had survived the battle and were soon sent to Ancona where they would spend the rest of the war under arrest. The Pope would make no effort to raise another army against Ioannes, and as an effect of the battle the Mayors of Camerino and Assisi surrendered their cities without a fight. The Trebizond gateway into Umbria was secure and the sieges of Perugia and Spoleto soon commenced. The victory would later be hailed as the beginning of the restoration of the Roman Empire under the Empire of Trebizond and was made a day of celebration by Skantarios II 50 years after the battle.

Units:
Blue Box = Empire of Trebizond units
Red Box = The Papal State units
Pink Rectangle inside the box = Cavalry units
Yellow Rectangle inside the box = Archer Units
Blank space inside the box = Surrendered
Star = The Leaders of the Armies

Movement paths:
Blue movement arrows = Trebizond Movements
Red movement arrows = Papal Movements

 

[DKM]

subbed

I'm liking this format so far.

 

[ThetrueColt]

subbed as well, I like where this is going.

 

[Tristanxh]

Subbed, thank god for Rome.

 

[Egil4950]

Reign of Ioannes​

The War of Ioannes Vision​

By Sotiria Komnenos, Daughter of Alexis V Komnenos​

The Road Towards Rome (Summer of 1446)​

After the Battle of Camerino​

The result in the battle of Camerino was a decisive victory for Ioannes and Dauid. It helped to not only secure Trebizond's access to taking Spoleto and Perugia, but also opened the way into Latium and Rome. The charge of the kataphraktoi lead by Dauid had played such a huge role in the battle that Ioannes ordered 50 of his best cavalrymen to begin training towards joining their ranks. The nearby mayor of Camerino, Giulio da Camerino soon realised that he stood no chance against the Trebizond army and quickly surrendered and opened the gates for Ioannes and his army. The victory had been so decisive that there was not a single soldier left on the field, except for the Swiss mercenaries. The Swiss were sent to Ancona where they would sit out the rest of the war so they could cause more harm. The Pope was said to have been struck by depression over the defeat of his army by Ioannes and soon ordered every able soldier not already stationed in towns like Orvieto to Rome. Ioannes allowed only one night of celebration amongst his troops, not wanting to waste any time. Two days later, on his way to Assisi, the mayor there sent a letter of surrender not wanting his city to be pillaged by Ioannes and Dauid. Ioannes then sent letters out to the Mayors of Spoleto and Perugia asking for their surrender. They refused though, not wanting to be stamped as traitors to the papal state.

A Kataphraktoi Cavarlyman, surronded by a foot soldiers and and archer.​

Disaster in Constantinople​

At the same time, news arrived from Constantinople, after a siege that had lasted 13 months the city had finally fallen and was annexed by Mehmet. Not wanting to stand alone against Mehmet, Ioannes sent diplomats to Tuscany and the Emperor (Austria). The only good thing that came out of the fall of Constantinople, was that hundreds of Greeks flocked to banner of Ioannes during April and May raising his army in Ancona from 500 men to almost 3000. He immediately sent Dauid with 500 infantry and 1000 cavalry to Ancona to lead the army northwards into Urbino and Romagna.

The siege of Constantinople by Ottoman forces​

Ioannes then marched towards Spoleto and began a siege which lasted 14 days. It finally ended when one of his siege engines managed to hit a weak spot on the walls. He then assaulted it. The city was raided for any valuables and grain depots were emptied to supply the army, though he ordered only to kill those who resisted. After this he marched northwards towards Perugia and captured the city which had no more than 250 militia troops left. During this siege he captured the mayor who had tried to sneak out, not wanting to meet the same fate as his city would. For his cowardice, Ioannes killed the Mayor in front of the city and demanded their surrender as well as a tribute for him not to sack the city, with the consequences that would follow a raid. He had now the province of Umbria under his control and only one large obstacle remained between him and Rome. Orvieto, which sat on a rock, controlling the road between Firenze and Rome. After recruiting a mercenary Serbian orthodox unit numbering 900 men, hired and payed with the loot earned at Spoleto, he began the march towards Orvieto.

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Serbian soldiers, here depicted during the battle of Kosovo, 57 uears before these events.​

Start of the sieges of Orvieto and Urbino​

At the same time, Dauid had arrived in Ancona with his 1500 men, with the Swiss mercenaries and the loot from the battle of Camerino. There, he met up with the Greek soldiers from Constantinople and Morea and equipped them with the weapons and armour from Camerino. He left 500 men behind in Ancona and began marching northwards towards Urbino on the 25th of July 1446 to take the capital of the vassal of the Papal State, from Duke Federico da Montefeltro. After marching 110 Kilometres he reached Urbino at the 3rd of August and began the siege of the city. What met him left him in awe, the city had the biggest walls he had seen since he landed in Italy, and in the middle there was the big Fortress of Albornoz. Knowing full well the siege would last a long time he begun administrating supply lines and set up camp on the outskirts of Urbino, outside the militia crossbowmen's range.

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Duke Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino and vassal of the Pope​

Ioannes arrived at Orvieto on the 3rd of August 1446 after marching a long 50 kilometres through rugged terrain. The walls surrounded the city, which sat on a natural fortificated rock, with the Albornoz Fortress on the top (1.). But Ioannes needed to take the city and its castle for two reasons. First he needed a clear way to Rome for his troops to march. Secondly he needed the city to block any support from northern Italy to arrive to the Pope’s rescue, because it sat on the road down from Firenze. Setting up his camp 3 kilometres away. He also begun constructing siege fortifications and making a plan for a siege tower to take down the last obstacle on his road towards Rome.

The Medieval City of Orvieto​

(1.) While searching for a bit of background information, I noticed that both the city of Urbino and Orvieto had a fortress named Albornoz. Both was built during the 14th century, around 50-100 years before this event.

 

[Egil4950]

subbed

I'm liking this format so far.

Thanks
After I began writing the next chapter I realized I will differ a lot in writing style in each chapter. Some being more History format and some getting a bit Novelish type of chapters.

subbed as well, I like where this is going.

Thank you

Subbed, thank god for Rome.

Thanks for subbing

 

[ThetrueColt]

You sure put a lot of effort into the updates - your AAR may prosper for a long, long time to come.

Also, with Byzantium gone - can you feel the burden of Rome on your shoulders? The last pillar of eternity and glory in a world filled with unbelievers and usurpers? I wonder what you might demand from the false Bishop of Rome...

 

[Tristanxh]

You sure put a lot of effort into the updates - your AAR may prosper for a long, long time to come.

Also, with Byzantium gone - can you feel the burden of Rome on your shoulders? The last pillar of eternity and glory in a world filled with unbelievers and usurpers? I wonder what you might demand from the false Bishop of Rome...

He should demand no less than Rome itself! But he should work Ravenna into that deal... *Cough* go for it all! *Cough*

 

[Tristanxh]

Thanks for subbing

Np! Us Romans AAR writers must stick together!

 

[Egil4950]

You sure put a lot of effort into the updates - your AAR may prosper for a long, long time to come.

Also, with Byzantium gone - can you feel the burden of Rome on your shoulders? The last pillar of eternity and glory in a world filled with unbelievers and usurpers? I wonder what you might demand from the false Bishop of Rome...

He should demand no less than Rome itself! But he should work Ravenna into that deal... *Cough* go for it all! *Cough*

We'll see, but Ioannes have some strong Catholic enemies...

Np! Us Romans AAR writers must stick together!

Glorious is the legacy of the Eagle!

 

[Tristanxh]

We'll see, but Ioannes have some strong Catholic enemies...

Glorious is the legacy of the Eagle!

Strong Heretics? They must be consorting with demons! Barbarians can't possibly stand up to the might of Rome! *looks over at rubble of Byzantium* Move along nothing to see here!

 

[Egil4950]

Strong Heretics? They must be consorting with demons! Barbarians can't possibly stand up to the might of Rome! *looks over at rubble of Byzantium* Move along nothing to see here!

Owh, the might of Rome will rise once more, but its troubled times across Europe. A Devil is rising to the east of us.

 

[Tristanxh]

Owh, the might of Rome will rise once more, but its troubled times across Europe. A Devil is rising to the east of us.

Oh my, do you mean the Timurids?

 

[Egil4950]

Oh my, do you mean the Timurids?

Time will tell, A better way to say it is:
Two devils are rising around us.

 

[Tristanxh]

Time will tell, A better way to say it is:
Two devils are rising around us.

Chaos and Heretics? Oh shot, wrong series... uh Infidels and Heretics?