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Don't raise taxes to pay for your flamboyant, overspending, crusading brother's ransom. Leave him to rot.
BTW, wish Blackadder had done an early medieval show, Rik Mayall doing his Lord Flashheart would have made a superb Richard
BTW, wish Blackadder had done an early medieval show, Rik Mayall doing his Lord Flashheart would have made a superb Richard
If there will be a tactical battle command in the game, don't fall for the feingt retreat praticed by the Turks, Mongols and Arabs over, and over, and over again!
The real problem with the force at Manzikert was that its size was in inverse proportion to its quality. Those Georgians, Armenians, Franks, Khazars, Cumans and Iraqis and others as well as a too small contingent of regular Thematic forces might individually have been perfectly good but mixing them together was asking for defeat. A small Thematic force, Varagians and cavalry might have been much smaller or at least a lesser variety and smaller numbers of mercenary forces.
Before any desertions and treachery their initial attacks were repulsed at great cost. Had they taken advantage of Alp Arslan's force failing to reassemble and the initial attack on Soundaq had gone better a better spirit would have prevailed among Byzantine forces. Ducas' treachery first involved spreading a rumour that the emperor had died but Byzantine forces were already in a fearfully disordered state after an order to turn and head back to an unguarded camp. The Seljuks fell on this disorder. The second stage of Ducas' treachery was his deliberate failure to commit the reserves.
Given that much of the Norman, Cuman, Iraqi and other mercenaries had found a better use for their time than fighting for Romanus and the manifestly degraded incompetent of the Greek corps the battle was not going to be won. A stalemate or something phyrric or doubtful was the best to be expected. But if Ducas had committed his forces Romanus would still have forces to meet the Turkish intruders that took Roman land for themselves. Romanus should have paid the Turks off and waited for a better chance and better forces. Ducas' treachery seems to loom larger because the Seljuks before the battle seemed almost to be routing but the main reason was that the emperor put unfit forces on to the field of battle.
It will be interesting to see how Crusader Kings simulates this. Mercenaries in Europa Universalis differ only in their names and a greater preponderance of infantry. Mercenaries in Crusader Kings will have to have unigue skill as they had then but provide a very substantial opportunity for treachery. A fully realised simulation of mercenaries must be part of the game or all its other features will be for nought - at least for the Byzantines.
Before any desertions and treachery their initial attacks were repulsed at great cost. Had they taken advantage of Alp Arslan's force failing to reassemble and the initial attack on Soundaq had gone better a better spirit would have prevailed among Byzantine forces. Ducas' treachery first involved spreading a rumour that the emperor had died but Byzantine forces were already in a fearfully disordered state after an order to turn and head back to an unguarded camp. The Seljuks fell on this disorder. The second stage of Ducas' treachery was his deliberate failure to commit the reserves.
Given that much of the Norman, Cuman, Iraqi and other mercenaries had found a better use for their time than fighting for Romanus and the manifestly degraded incompetent of the Greek corps the battle was not going to be won. A stalemate or something phyrric or doubtful was the best to be expected. But if Ducas had committed his forces Romanus would still have forces to meet the Turkish intruders that took Roman land for themselves. Romanus should have paid the Turks off and waited for a better chance and better forces. Ducas' treachery seems to loom larger because the Seljuks before the battle seemed almost to be routing but the main reason was that the emperor put unfit forces on to the field of battle.
It will be interesting to see how Crusader Kings simulates this. Mercenaries in Europa Universalis differ only in their names and a greater preponderance of infantry. Mercenaries in Crusader Kings will have to have unigue skill as they had then but provide a very substantial opportunity for treachery. A fully realised simulation of mercenaries must be part of the game or all its other features will be for nought - at least for the Byzantines.
I think it has already been stated somewhere that when you raise troops from your lands, and the lands of your vassals, you can't specify *what* the troops are. That is determined by the lands themselves. I imagine mercenaries would work the same way, by varying based on the region they originate from.
as Alphonse I of Portugal.
Don't try to conquer Badajoz when your cousin's son is trying to do the same.
Don't try to conquer Badajoz when your cousin's son is trying to do the same.
as the moorish people of the city of Santarém
Be careful not to take a group of sheep with torches for an portuguese army in the night!
Be careful not to take a group of sheep with torches for an portuguese army in the night!
for Therese, countess of Portugal
be careful how you trust your child...
he might get you jailed while he crowns himself as king.
be careful how you trust your child...
he might get you jailed while he crowns himself as king.
As Pere I of Catalunya
Don't approach the battle field at Muret.
And as the Anti-frank coalition, kill Montfort once and for all while you can.
Cat
Don't approach the battle field at Muret.
And as the Anti-frank coalition, kill Montfort once and for all while you can.
Cat
Pere I of Catalunya falling at battle of Muret
Hey i vote for this one too!
Charging at the front of its troops proved to be such an odd mistake, just like that of Barbarrossa deciding to take a bath.
However, since the confrontation was unavoidable, as Pere I i would stand at the rear of my army, sitting on a comfortable sofa and drinking some beer while watching the battle's outcome
Hey i vote for this one too!
Charging at the front of its troops proved to be such an odd mistake, just like that of Barbarrossa deciding to take a bath.
However, since the confrontation was unavoidable, as Pere I i would stand at the rear of my army, sitting on a comfortable sofa and drinking some beer while watching the battle's outcome
Don't tie your horse to a blind Bohemian King's horse and ride into battle against the English.
As Boleslaw the Bold of Poland...
Do NOT draw and quarter bishops-to-become-future-saints.
Do NOT draw and quarter bishops-to-become-future-saints.
Having Roger de Flor assassinated or failing to protect the leader of the Great Company from disgruntled individuals. They had scythed the Turks from Cyzicus to Philadelphia (later to be the last Byzantine territory in Anatolia and which Manual II humiliatingly had to aid Sultan Bayezit in reducing it) albeit at the cost of turning the land retaken over the 6,500 troops of the company as a fief. If the Byzantines had remained on good terms with them or obtained more of their sort as mercenaries or as crusaders Byzantium would have lasted far longer. Mistra could otherwise have absorbed the Duchy of Athens and Thebes with the thriving silk industry of the latter towns that an enraged Grand Company had taken after the death of Roger and afterwards sold to the Acciajuoli of Florence for the Byzantines. It is not entirely clear cut for the Grand Company could have used Anatolia as a base to pillage the empire if Roger de Flor tired of Byzantine honours and promises but it does for me rank as a mistake of some magnitude for the Byzantines to be so careless of the attitude of men who could make or break them. They were careless and the Company proceeded to break them.