Eye of the Turk

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Eye of the Turk

EU1.09/IGC 2.3/Hard/Aggressive/Low IGC Tax Setting/Random and Historic Events On/Forced Annex On/All Nations Annexable

Playing as Turkey!

1492

On the first day of the year of the Lord 1492, as time is judged upon Earth by Christ's own, the Lord God, having despised of the sins of the holy fathers of Rome, and tiring of their acceptance of Satan's enticements, summoned the Archangel Michael.

"The wickedness of men hath angered me," sayeth the Lord. The Lord God sent Michael forth to loose the demons of the nature of man upon the earth.

Michael, having some latitude in the administration of the Lord's Wrath, came to Constantinople and appeared in a dream to Bayezid II, ruler of the Turkish Empire. Upon awakening Bayezid announces to his followers that Allah had chosen him to rule a great Empire and began to lay plans to assault the lands of the Egyptian sultan, The Mameluk Al Kansur. So deceived by the Archangel, the Great War of Bayezid's Vanity was loosed upon the holy lands.

The year was spent in preparation for war, Bayezid proclaimed throughout his domain a call to holy war against the hated Shiite realm. By year's end 34,000 faithful had trekked to Thrace to take up arms to free their Sunni brethren from Cairo's yoke. Trade expansion was banned as the entire 400-ducat wealth of the Empire was pledged to bear the expenses of war. The great Turkish general Hadim Sinan came down from Angora to Konya with 35,000 men and twenty cannons. Hadim Ali, an even more deadly solider, hones a like sized force in Macedonia. Bayezid sends an emissary to Tunis and an alliance against the Mameluks is forged with Hafsid ruler Zakariyah II.

Western Europe is unaware of the stirring of the Lord's work against them and in April the papists declare the Treaty of Tordesillas dividing the world between Portugal and Spain. This is much to Satan's delight but he is likewise unaware of the Lord's purpose. Many years will pass before the Dark One realizes that the Hand of the Lord will be raised against his dominion of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Ivan of Russia is filled with envy and wars with his allies against Kazan while rebellion shakes Persia and England in Erie.

1493

On the first anniversary of Bayezid's Dream, the Sultan reveals the battle plan. The Turkish fleet at Smyrna is split between the command of Kemal Reis and Kusuk Daoud. On May 15, each is to set sail, Reis to Thessaloniki and from there to transport Major General Hadim Ali's army to invade Alexandria. Daoud is tasked to move Sinan to a landing in Egypt. By the special order of Bayezid no horse are to embark across the Mediterranean.

Yearly taxation having somewhat replenished the Turkish coffers (to 345 ducats at years dawn), Bayezid continues the call for more warriors. His advisors are adamant in their advice to train mounted warriors, but Bayezid queerly refuses to horse them.

While his forces move to strike their initial blow, Bayezid sends princes to marry into the royal houses of Astrakhan and Hafsid to strengthen Turkish ties with these realms. Then a curious envoy arrives from the Isfahan court of Persian ruler Rostam Mirza. The Persians have allied themselves with England and Naples in a war with France and many other European nations. Bayezid gives praise to Allah for this, as he proclaims that the Shiite Persia will not be able to interfere in his war on the Mameluks, though he admits he does not see how the confused Persians can send troops to such far away lands. In any case, rebellion continues to ravage Persia and Bayezid is confident that Turkish forces will not face any threat from that quarter in the upcoming campaign.

Allah of course is nowhere to be found. This was the work of Michael alone.

Although Hadim Ali embarked first of the two Turkish forces, his voyage was longer and Hadim Sinan arrives in the Bay of Alexandria on August 20 and delivers a declaration of war to an apparently astonished Mameluk court.

But, Al Kansur is not caught by surprise. Even before Sinan can land his troops, Turkish spies in far away Aleppo are alarmed to find the Mameluk ruler at the head of a 28,000-man army. On the march and in position to threaten the Turkish provinces of Adana or Sivas, Kansur has clearly known of the Bayezid plan for some time.

Sinan invests Cairo on the 30th of September and Ali besieges Alexandria on the 10th of the following month. Both Turkish fleets head north and on cue, the Hafsid Empire declares for Turkey in the conflict. Bayezid's plan is proceeding without delay and Turkish hopes are high despite reports that Mameluk troops are gathering in Aleppo and on the Delta.

And so was the beginning of the Great War of Bayezid's Vanity, the handiwork of the Archangel Michael upon the urging of the Lord God in his wrath.

 

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1493 (continued)

Al Kansur invades Turkey on October 17th. With a force that includes almost 20,000 cavalry he lays siege to Sivas. Bayezid receives word by carrier pigeon and immediately orders his commanders not to attack the Mameluks. He has other plans.

The first Mameluk envoy arrives with a demand for peace and reparations. Bayezid counters, offering peace for Kansur's head upon a stick. Quickly repenting of that offer Bayezid sends the envoy away with a promise to leave North Africa upon Kansur's withdrawal from Sivas. It is a ploy, designed to offer false hope only.

The first clash of troops occurs in early December when 4,000 Mameluks infantry attack Sinan in Egypt. Sinan quickly kills or captures all of the intruders and resumes his siege. Meanwhile, Daoud reaches Smyrna and splits his fleet to transport 10,000 men and 10 cannons to Cyrenaica. Bayezid has no knowledge of this action. Daoud, a new favorite of Bayezid, is concerned that Hafsid troops might capture Cyrenaica before Turkish forces can arrive and hopes to prevent that from happening.

In Sivas, Kansur's army suffers heavy attrition and is reinforced by over 10,000 infantry. Bayezid is convinced that the Mameluks siege will fail of its on accord due to the mountainous terrain. Certainly, it appears unlikely that Kansur has the strength to maintain a serious invasion of Turkish territory. On the other hand, the number of new warriors recruited in Constantinople has swelled to 62,000, none of which had yet been committed to action. In total, Turkish armies are numbered at over 200,000 men.

Bayezid is so confident of victory that he begins to speak of total conquest of all Mameluks territory within two more years of war. His aides and advisors begin to doubt Bayezid as they feel he is loosing touch with reality and becoming more and more enamored of himself and his status with Allah. Several openly decry his failure to attempt to lift the siege at Sivas. When he ridicules this, faint beginnings of a plot against him begin to form.

1494

On January 4th Kemal Reis learns of the Daoud plan to ship 10,000 infantry to Cyrenaica. Knowing that Bayezid's plan did not entail this, he correctly guesses that Daoud is acting without sanction and commandeers the troops and heads for Samaria with half his fleet sending the balance to Thrace. Daoud is furious, as he outranks Reis, but has no choice but to follow through with his next objective, ferrying troops from Thessaloniki to Judea.

Tax collection finds the treasury with 332 ducats, only 68 less than that Bayezid had at hand two years earlier. The call for more holy warriors continues.

Mameluks troops continue to pour across the border into Sivas and just as quickly die there of hunger. Still, it becomes clear that the garrison there cannot hold much longer and Bayezid is constantly bombarded with pleas to counterattack Al Kansur. He demurs and begins to appear at court less often.

Hadim Ali, still besieging Alexandria learns that Hafsid troops are marching east across the Mameluks border intent on assisting him. He sends word to Hadim Sinan at Cairo. Neither of the generals intends to assault the garrisons at hand, preferring to conserve their forces. Neither of the generals is eager to welcome the Hafsid either.

With the arrival in Thrace on January 29th of the ships detached from Kemal Reis's fleet, Bayezid learns of Daoud's attempt to divert troops to Cyrenaica. He makes no comment, but orders 9,000 infantry to be transported to Aleppo and Lebanon and then leaves court for a time of prayer and supplication. The plot at court against him thickens. He is increasingly thought of as being weak for his refusal to attack Kansur and for his failure to respond to what many see as Daoud's impertinence. As news of spreading rebellion in Persia dribbles into Constantinople some fear that a similar rebellion may be brewing in Turkey.

Bayezid emerges from his retreat on March 1st and orders all the Turkish cavalry in Angora, almost 25,000 strong, to immediately attack Al Kansur in Sivas. This immediately raises spirits in Constantinople though many grumble that they will not arrive in time, having to cross and then fight in the mountains. Bayezid announces that he had been hesitant to commit cavalry in such disadvantageous terrain, but that Allah had revealed to him that the venture would be successful. Allah was nowhere to be found, nor was the Archangel Michael. This time Bayezid was acting without any source of divine inspiration.

On March 4th, Kemal Reis begins to land troops in Samaria. Scout report that the Mameluks in that region and neighboring Judea are training troops furiously.

On the 18th of March, the Turkish Imperial Army, the cavalry ordered from Angora, descends upon Al Kansur with a vengeance. The battle is fierce and appears at first that the Turks would prevail, but on the eighth day Kansur's forces envelop and destroy most of the attackers. Only 4,000 horse escape and flee north to Trabzon. This news is meet with much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Constantinople but Bayezid declares a victory on the basis that the Kansur force was halved. He immediately orders the remaining infantry in Angora to attack Al Kansur, which is seen by most of his advisors as a frantic and potentially disastrous order. Court clerks put the cost of the 20,000 lost cavalry at more than 320 ducats, which was more than that currently present in the treasury. Woe, despair and grief for the Turkish nation.