Hard/aggressive. EU 1.08, IGC 2.0/Burgundy independent/Picardie French.
Part I. The End of Reconquista.
"When you sought aid from your Lord, so He answered you: I will assist you with a thousand of the angels following one another. ..."
There was a siege of Troy that lasted ten years. Priam, the old King of Troy, refused to believe that the city might fall and payed dearly for his misjudgement.
The conquest of Granada also lasted 10 years, and Mohammed XII Boadbil the Little, the last ruler of Granada, refused to admit his defeat as well.
For ten long years Christian armies advanced closer and closer to the city in what they called 'The last war of Reconqusta'. Finally, the careful preparations of Isabella began to pay off. 40,000 Spanish soldiers, supported by two artillery pieces, were advancing on the city and there were only 17,000 Muslim troops standing between them and their victory. If only they remained idle the victory would be Christian. Allah, however, wished it to be different. The city would survive the war, which indeed would become the last war of Reconquista, for after it came another re-conquest, this time from the south. As the holy flames of jihad burned away the Christian power on the peninsula, the kingdom of Al-Andalus was re-born.
There once was a time when Al-Andalus was the strongest state in Iberia. Muslim Moors ruled the kingdom from Cordoba, which at the time was the second largest city in Europe after Constantinople. Muslims and Christians were treated alike, the art and culture prospered and, more important, the country knew the true meaning of peace. Then came the Reconquista, brought from the mountains of the north by fanatical Christians, who couldn't except defeat and longed for the power and gold of Moors. Slowly they advanced south, forming new kingdoms along their way. They preached the good news of Jesus, but brought with them the swords and the plague and the poison of Inquisition. Al-Andalus perished in this avalanche and only the city of Granada was left to remind people of its former glory. The last Muslim city in Spain, the last stronghold of Islam in Western Europe. The year was 1492 and it spoke of new beginnings.
What happened next could not be predicted even by the most daring minds of the age. If only the defending army of Granada stayed by the city the Spanish conquest would be complete. Instead, all of it, but 1,000 infantry marched to Andalusia and besieged the city. Although Spanish had little mobile artillery, they did possess enough guns in their fortresses and gunless Muslims had a hard time taking Spanish fortifications. The hunger was their primary weapon and it worked well, bringing the defenders of Andalusia to their knees. Meanwhile, the remaining thousand of Moor soldiers took control of defenseless Murcia and 7,000 recruits were hastily raised in Granada.
Mohammed understood the importance of first steps in this fatal war. He knew that only if he can beat Spaniards decisively Granada has a chance to survive the Christian onslaught. Therefore, he begged Muslims across the sea to help Granada financially, if not military. Soon help was received in the form of 1,000,000 loan. In the same instant he ordered 200,000 ducats to be spent on learning the art of making artillery, considering it the most important weapon in the war.
Spanish army, confident in their victory, besieged Granada. There they learned of the advance of new Muslim army and in a short battle drove the recruits away from the city. The retreating army joined their comrades in Murcia and marched north, to Castille.
Meanwhile, Andalusia fell in April and the besieging army was split. 3,000 Muslims went to Castille, taking control of Estramadura . 13,000 marched on Gibraltar, where Spanish were recruiting infantry and artillery. This march almost brought the war to an end, as the army was routed and came straight to the hands of the main body of Spanish troops in Andalusia. 27,000 Spaniards almost finished it off and then proceeded to liberate Estramadura, thus revealing the main Spanish weakness - the fear for their supply lines.
This event gave Muslims a chance to regroup and strengthen their forces by additional several thousands infantry and 30 artillery pieces. The reserves are moved across Toledo to speed up the siege of Madrid. Spanish troops continue to play the game of cat-and-mouse with Muslim cavalry in the plains of Estramadura. Their siege wagon prevents them from catching Moor army, while their fear of being shut off from their supplies prevents them from moving on to Granada.
Spanish startegic defeats could not be hidden away from the rest of Europe, who all but prayed for Spain to make one mistake. In March of 1493 the French sensed an easy victory and attack Spain. Granada was safe, as Spaniards moved north to counter the French aggression. The victory was close at hand too, for in April Madrid fell to Muslim troops and the siege of Valencia resulted in the similar fashion. Isabella of Castille begged for peace, offering Andalusia, Murcia and Valencia, mostly the lands belonging to her husband. The union between Castille and Aragon was broken, as Papal troops overan Catalonia and Gerona, thus sealing the fate of the former. All Aragon's possessions were seized by Castille and Ferdinand was soon found dead, the real causes of his death still unknown.
Granada proved its power to other Muslim nations and one by one their acknowledged it by offering their daughters to Mohammed's harem. The alliance was soon formed with Algiers, Granada becoming the spearhead of Muslim Jihad in the west. With Turkey in the east and Granada in the west, the teachings of Islam would continue to spread.
The results of First Spanish War of 1492-94 were significant for a new kingdom of Al-Andalus, as the state of Granada came to be known in years to come. It left the kingdom with a standing army of 22,000 infantry and 39 guns. The size of the kingdom had grown from one province to four and the maps stolen from Madrid revealed the explorations of Columbus. Spanish first settlement in Haiti soon had a Muslim neighbor in Cuba. If not for the conquest of shipyard in Andalusia, Muslim expansion in Americas would be impossible. This too was the result of the war.
The Reconquista was over, but a new reconquest had begun. The purple banners of Al-Andalus flew high along the green banners of Jihad, promising new conquests and new conversions. This was the time of change, the time of new things and endless opportunities. As Al-Andalus was reborn, so were the hopes of many Muslims around the world.
Part I. The End of Reconquista.
"When you sought aid from your Lord, so He answered you: I will assist you with a thousand of the angels following one another. ..."
There was a siege of Troy that lasted ten years. Priam, the old King of Troy, refused to believe that the city might fall and payed dearly for his misjudgement.
The conquest of Granada also lasted 10 years, and Mohammed XII Boadbil the Little, the last ruler of Granada, refused to admit his defeat as well.
For ten long years Christian armies advanced closer and closer to the city in what they called 'The last war of Reconqusta'. Finally, the careful preparations of Isabella began to pay off. 40,000 Spanish soldiers, supported by two artillery pieces, were advancing on the city and there were only 17,000 Muslim troops standing between them and their victory. If only they remained idle the victory would be Christian. Allah, however, wished it to be different. The city would survive the war, which indeed would become the last war of Reconquista, for after it came another re-conquest, this time from the south. As the holy flames of jihad burned away the Christian power on the peninsula, the kingdom of Al-Andalus was re-born.
There once was a time when Al-Andalus was the strongest state in Iberia. Muslim Moors ruled the kingdom from Cordoba, which at the time was the second largest city in Europe after Constantinople. Muslims and Christians were treated alike, the art and culture prospered and, more important, the country knew the true meaning of peace. Then came the Reconquista, brought from the mountains of the north by fanatical Christians, who couldn't except defeat and longed for the power and gold of Moors. Slowly they advanced south, forming new kingdoms along their way. They preached the good news of Jesus, but brought with them the swords and the plague and the poison of Inquisition. Al-Andalus perished in this avalanche and only the city of Granada was left to remind people of its former glory. The last Muslim city in Spain, the last stronghold of Islam in Western Europe. The year was 1492 and it spoke of new beginnings.
What happened next could not be predicted even by the most daring minds of the age. If only the defending army of Granada stayed by the city the Spanish conquest would be complete. Instead, all of it, but 1,000 infantry marched to Andalusia and besieged the city. Although Spanish had little mobile artillery, they did possess enough guns in their fortresses and gunless Muslims had a hard time taking Spanish fortifications. The hunger was their primary weapon and it worked well, bringing the defenders of Andalusia to their knees. Meanwhile, the remaining thousand of Moor soldiers took control of defenseless Murcia and 7,000 recruits were hastily raised in Granada.
Mohammed understood the importance of first steps in this fatal war. He knew that only if he can beat Spaniards decisively Granada has a chance to survive the Christian onslaught. Therefore, he begged Muslims across the sea to help Granada financially, if not military. Soon help was received in the form of 1,000,000 loan. In the same instant he ordered 200,000 ducats to be spent on learning the art of making artillery, considering it the most important weapon in the war.
Spanish army, confident in their victory, besieged Granada. There they learned of the advance of new Muslim army and in a short battle drove the recruits away from the city. The retreating army joined their comrades in Murcia and marched north, to Castille.
Meanwhile, Andalusia fell in April and the besieging army was split. 3,000 Muslims went to Castille, taking control of Estramadura . 13,000 marched on Gibraltar, where Spanish were recruiting infantry and artillery. This march almost brought the war to an end, as the army was routed and came straight to the hands of the main body of Spanish troops in Andalusia. 27,000 Spaniards almost finished it off and then proceeded to liberate Estramadura, thus revealing the main Spanish weakness - the fear for their supply lines.
This event gave Muslims a chance to regroup and strengthen their forces by additional several thousands infantry and 30 artillery pieces. The reserves are moved across Toledo to speed up the siege of Madrid. Spanish troops continue to play the game of cat-and-mouse with Muslim cavalry in the plains of Estramadura. Their siege wagon prevents them from catching Moor army, while their fear of being shut off from their supplies prevents them from moving on to Granada.
Spanish startegic defeats could not be hidden away from the rest of Europe, who all but prayed for Spain to make one mistake. In March of 1493 the French sensed an easy victory and attack Spain. Granada was safe, as Spaniards moved north to counter the French aggression. The victory was close at hand too, for in April Madrid fell to Muslim troops and the siege of Valencia resulted in the similar fashion. Isabella of Castille begged for peace, offering Andalusia, Murcia and Valencia, mostly the lands belonging to her husband. The union between Castille and Aragon was broken, as Papal troops overan Catalonia and Gerona, thus sealing the fate of the former. All Aragon's possessions were seized by Castille and Ferdinand was soon found dead, the real causes of his death still unknown.
Granada proved its power to other Muslim nations and one by one their acknowledged it by offering their daughters to Mohammed's harem. The alliance was soon formed with Algiers, Granada becoming the spearhead of Muslim Jihad in the west. With Turkey in the east and Granada in the west, the teachings of Islam would continue to spread.
The results of First Spanish War of 1492-94 were significant for a new kingdom of Al-Andalus, as the state of Granada came to be known in years to come. It left the kingdom with a standing army of 22,000 infantry and 39 guns. The size of the kingdom had grown from one province to four and the maps stolen from Madrid revealed the explorations of Columbus. Spanish first settlement in Haiti soon had a Muslim neighbor in Cuba. If not for the conquest of shipyard in Andalusia, Muslim expansion in Americas would be impossible. This too was the result of the war.
The Reconquista was over, but a new reconquest had begun. The purple banners of Al-Andalus flew high along the green banners of Jihad, promising new conquests and new conversions. This was the time of change, the time of new things and endless opportunities. As Al-Andalus was reborn, so were the hopes of many Muslims around the world.
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