Sorry for the wait! This chapter is really long so I've split it into parts.
The Great Mediterranean War 1096-1115 Part-1
War does not determine who is right - only who is left. - Bertrand Russel
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In the year 1095, Europe had fallen into an unexpected peace. Minor wars were still raging but altogether, there was very little infighting in-between the Christian kingdoms. For once they had all united to fight what was in their eyes a common enemy, the Egyptians in Jerusalem. This however was not to last. Just as the Christians viewed the Muslims as their enemy, the Muslims, due to the Christian aggression, began to see the Europeans as their enemy. For the first time in 200 years, infighting began to slow down in between the Shiite and the Sunni. The calm before the storm.
It has long been debated what exactly set off one of the largest wars in pre modern history. However, eventually historians arrived at the conclusion that it was due to not one but two reasons. Primarily, the Crusade had sprung a rift in between the two religions, that despite the old holy wars, had never existed before. This set up the powder keg. However, it was the Hispanians who ignited the spark. By the 30th January, two relatively minor wars were already raging in the peninsula but they were both infighting between the two main religions, the Catholics and the Sunni.
The Castille-Navarran War
The Aftasid Invasion of Cadiz
Then the spark was lit, two wars broke out that would change the course of European history forever. On one hand, the Duhhunids declared war on Navarra and on the other, the Almoravids set forth to invade Barcelona. The rope had been set alight, and every day, it was getting closer to igniting the powder keg.
The Duhhunid Holy War for Aragon
The Almoravid Invasion of Barcelona.
With the Navarrans busy in Castille, it didn't take long for the Duhhunids to siege and take over their first castle and very soon their army of 4000 had grown massively, now encompassing nearly 7000 men. This prompted the fighting catholic states, for the first time since the fall of Cordoba, to band together. Very soon, all the northern states par from the Castillians were all attempting to stop the Duhunnid invasion
The Duhhunid-Aragon War
Despite the Catholics joining together, the Duhunnids still marched through Navarra relatively easily and soon had their troops surrounding King Zentulo's castle. The stubborn Navarran, despite the high chance of his death, refused to submit, instead telling his garrison to await the Navarran army, which were ordered to surprise the Duhhunid army that they now outnumbered.
Meanwhile in the South-East, the Almoravids had easily destroyed the Aragonite army and had now laid their army to siege the southern lands of the Aragonite King.
The Sieges of Navarra and Aragon
The Navarran military, still believing the village stories about the ruthlessness and strength of the Duhhunid Army, refused Zentulo's order and left the King to his own fate. Luckily for him however, the King of France, Hugues II, decided to order his own army to come and free the King. Just two months later, the French army had arrived at the Navarran Capital. French records state that the Duhhunids, after seeing the massive French army, were so scared that they retreated without a fight. Whether or not this is true, they were definitely forced out of Navarra and back to their Emirate. The French however didn't stop there, they ordered their army to advance further and soon met the Duhhunids at the Emirates Capital. The battle that followed was one of the quickest in French History. Emir Yahoo was defeated and the Catholics stood victorious in the North.
Battle of Tulaytulah
In the South however, the Almoravids had forced the Aragonese to give up the county of Turtusa and had turned their eyes onto the Castillians. Castille due to its isolation from the rest of the Catholic world, was in dire straits.
The Almoravid-Castillian War
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mediterranean, the Byzantines were fighting a devastating civil war over control of the country. To their East, Sultan Bahadir, the only son of Togah Shah, who had so famously kept the Seljuks together during the crisis of 1080, was preparing to live up to his fathers name. Just a few weeks later, the Young Sultan declared war upon the Byzantines to claim Anatolia. At this moment, the spark reached the powder keg and the Mediterranean went up in flames.
