This is one of the coolest AARs I'm reading on the forums right now. I love the way you justify game events and work them into the story, and I'm a big fan of the premise. Will definitely be following this one.
Heirs of the Pharaohs: Ancient Egypt Restoration Campaign
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Our High Chief/King is doing well...
Yes! Unite Kush and then subjugate the Copts and Egyptians! One that is done, perhaps you can retake the Levant and take Arabia? Make the Muslims pay for taking Egypt?
Yes! Unite Kush and then subjugate the Copts and Egyptians! One that is done, perhaps you can retake the Levant and take Arabia? Make the Muslims pay for taking Egypt?
[Since this is my first AAR here, I really am still trying to get my bearing. Do people enjoy this sort of extremely high detail? For my next king should I go a little more "broad strokes" so we don't end up with a dozen updates per generation? Or are you guys liking the slower narrative?]
ETA: Do note that there will be less content during times of peace, I think. I will still write about court intrigue and relationships and such, but that stuff happens much less frequently than battles and sieges during a series of offensive wars.
ETA: Do note that there will be less content during times of peace, I think. I will still write about court intrigue and relationships and such, but that stuff happens much less frequently than battles and sieges during a series of offensive wars.
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Thank you very much my friend! Sometimes I feel like I really gotta stretch these events to tell a cohesive story
but I'm trying my best!
I am not the best person to ask this question, as I happily read AARs of all stripes pretty indiscriminately.
That said here is my ha'pennysworth. Write in a style you are comfortable with, but also - if you want - experiment.
Edit: In times of peace I am fairly sure there is actually quite a bit going on, but unfortunately right now CK3 makes finding out a whole bunch of stuff somewhat tricky. Hopefully in due course they will institute some of or equivalents to things they had in CK2 which helped fill out the leaner years - Society stuff, council stuff, being better able to track what is happening within your dynasty and realm (and without too, possibly).
My preferred style to read (for CK games) is the 'single entry per ruler' format that I borrowed from Tommy4ever and RossN. Having said that, I have been enjoying this one at the pace you've had it at so far.
Thanks for the feedback guys! I appreciate it
I will continue this AAR as is but perhaps I will start a concurrent AAR at some point with 1 update per ruler to give that a try too (if I need a break from this AAR, which I may, at some point -- there are a lot more screenshots taken than what you guys end up seeing!)
I will continue this AAR as is but perhaps I will start a concurrent AAR at some point with 1 update per ruler to give that a try too (if I need a break from this AAR, which I may, at some point -- there are a lot more screenshots taken than what you guys end up seeing!)
Chapter 1.9: A War of Subjugation
Chapter 1.9: A War of Subjugation
In the year 880, King Bolad I of Kush would declare the first of what was to be many wars of subjugation. The Coptic Chronicles had described Bolad's wars to unify the Daju as the acts of a power-hungry tyrant, but the Kushite traditions always had one justification or another for each of those conflicts, and at the end of the day, he was reuniting his divided people, and he truly did bring them prosperity.
So when we get to King Bolad's adventures in the lands of the Sao, the Kanuri, and the Hausa, it is of little surprise that the Coptics describe this as a brutal, continuous war of subjugation. But what's strange is that the Kushite chroniclers would barely offer justification in their own telling of the tale. It does seem as if the Daju ruling class who would have created these oral traditions in the first place didn't even consider the lot of these soon to be subjugated peoples worth mentioning, even to explain why it was justified to conquer them. It was only natural for the Kushite kingdom of Bolad to dominate its neighbors.
This is a bit surprising, considering the radically different approach later rulers would take towards integration of their subjects. It is clear that under King Bolad little dissent from the cultural and religious norms of the Kushite Daju conquerors was tolerated.
The villages of Dar Sila and Salamat were just the start of Kushite expansion into foreign territory. Just as the rains ended in 880, Kushite forces would invade the Emirate of Wadai.
It was at this time that Bolad accepted the call to war of his ally, the Mai of Kanem. For the most part, Kush would not participate in this war, with the exception of one incredibly unfortunate battle.
That same year, King Bolad's son Murtin and his vassal and ward Ederisu had come of age. Bolad had trained both children in philosophy and the study of their ancestors' religion, but while the boy chief excelled, Murtin's skill proved lacking. Yet while Murtin's loyalty to his father knew no limit, Ederisu had begun to despise the man who was responsible for the death of his father and the diminishment of his house. Despite the way that Bolad had treated him since he had sworn fealty, the oral traditions say that Ederisu harbored hatred for his liege and even threatened to reveal Bolad's relationship with Youssouf. Despite all this, Bolad still treated Ederisu fairly, and on his sixteenth birthday Bolad granted him all the lands of the Cheifdom of Dardaju, keeping Kordofan as his own domain. After this Ederisu treated his liege with due respect.
Meanwhile, Bolad's forces invaded the Emirate of Wadai. At first, they faced no resistance as they encircled the villages of the emirate and took them one by one -- the craven Emir's forces were nowhere to be found. But the Emir was ancient, and at the early in the year 810 he died of natural causes. His daughter, no craven, ordered the levies raised; but before they could reach Bolad's forces, they'd charged the village they were encircling and found the young Emira within. She was forced to surrender and Wadai was taken with barely a fight.
The last free Zaghawa Sheikhdom had fallen to the Daju. The Kingdom of Kush stretched far to the west, nearly to the banks of Lake Chad. To the southwest lay a collection of minor squabbling Sao tribes; to the north the Kanuri Maidom of Kanem held sway.
That same year, Bolad's wife Pid gave birth to his third son. The boy Issa, far younger than Bolad's eldest Murtin, would throw the question of succession into jeopardy. By this time, Bolad had divided the western lands into the chiefdoms of Darfur (granted to Cheif Bug, who had distinguished himself in prior wars and was rewarded for his service first with the village of Masalit and then with the High Cheifdom of Darfur) and Darzaghawa, which replaced the conquered Emirate of Wadai. Darzaghawa was granted to Bolad's second son Malaz, leaving nothing for Issa; perhaps this was yet another reason to expand.
During the final days of the war against the Emirate of Dawai, that Kanemi war Bolad had agreed to join finally came calling. The Kanemi were fighting a large coalition of smaller tribes, and though most of the fighting occurred far from Kush, at one point the Kanemi army was caught by its enemies quite near where the Kushite army had been stationed. Since their allies were outnumbered, the Kushites rushed to help. It was a slaughter.
Nearly the entire Kushite army was destroyed. Worse, six Kushite champions lay dead, among them Bolad's longtime lover Youssouf. Bolad would never recover from this loss, according to the Kushite Traditions, and would mourn Youssouf until his dying day.
The destruction of its army would be a setback to Kushite expansion, but as it happened as part of a foreign war, the cost to the realm wasn't all too great. Still, it would be a number of years before the kingdom of Kush would declare its next war.
In the year 880, King Bolad I of Kush would declare the first of what was to be many wars of subjugation. The Coptic Chronicles had described Bolad's wars to unify the Daju as the acts of a power-hungry tyrant, but the Kushite traditions always had one justification or another for each of those conflicts, and at the end of the day, he was reuniting his divided people, and he truly did bring them prosperity.
So when we get to King Bolad's adventures in the lands of the Sao, the Kanuri, and the Hausa, it is of little surprise that the Coptics describe this as a brutal, continuous war of subjugation. But what's strange is that the Kushite chroniclers would barely offer justification in their own telling of the tale. It does seem as if the Daju ruling class who would have created these oral traditions in the first place didn't even consider the lot of these soon to be subjugated peoples worth mentioning, even to explain why it was justified to conquer them. It was only natural for the Kushite kingdom of Bolad to dominate its neighbors.
This is a bit surprising, considering the radically different approach later rulers would take towards integration of their subjects. It is clear that under King Bolad little dissent from the cultural and religious norms of the Kushite Daju conquerors was tolerated.
The villages of Dar Sila and Salamat were just the start of Kushite expansion into foreign territory. Just as the rains ended in 880, Kushite forces would invade the Emirate of Wadai.
It was at this time that Bolad accepted the call to war of his ally, the Mai of Kanem. For the most part, Kush would not participate in this war, with the exception of one incredibly unfortunate battle.
That same year, King Bolad's son Murtin and his vassal and ward Ederisu had come of age. Bolad had trained both children in philosophy and the study of their ancestors' religion, but while the boy chief excelled, Murtin's skill proved lacking. Yet while Murtin's loyalty to his father knew no limit, Ederisu had begun to despise the man who was responsible for the death of his father and the diminishment of his house. Despite the way that Bolad had treated him since he had sworn fealty, the oral traditions say that Ederisu harbored hatred for his liege and even threatened to reveal Bolad's relationship with Youssouf. Despite all this, Bolad still treated Ederisu fairly, and on his sixteenth birthday Bolad granted him all the lands of the Cheifdom of Dardaju, keeping Kordofan as his own domain. After this Ederisu treated his liege with due respect.
Meanwhile, Bolad's forces invaded the Emirate of Wadai. At first, they faced no resistance as they encircled the villages of the emirate and took them one by one -- the craven Emir's forces were nowhere to be found. But the Emir was ancient, and at the early in the year 810 he died of natural causes. His daughter, no craven, ordered the levies raised; but before they could reach Bolad's forces, they'd charged the village they were encircling and found the young Emira within. She was forced to surrender and Wadai was taken with barely a fight.
The last free Zaghawa Sheikhdom had fallen to the Daju. The Kingdom of Kush stretched far to the west, nearly to the banks of Lake Chad. To the southwest lay a collection of minor squabbling Sao tribes; to the north the Kanuri Maidom of Kanem held sway.
That same year, Bolad's wife Pid gave birth to his third son. The boy Issa, far younger than Bolad's eldest Murtin, would throw the question of succession into jeopardy. By this time, Bolad had divided the western lands into the chiefdoms of Darfur (granted to Cheif Bug, who had distinguished himself in prior wars and was rewarded for his service first with the village of Masalit and then with the High Cheifdom of Darfur) and Darzaghawa, which replaced the conquered Emirate of Wadai. Darzaghawa was granted to Bolad's second son Malaz, leaving nothing for Issa; perhaps this was yet another reason to expand.
During the final days of the war against the Emirate of Dawai, that Kanemi war Bolad had agreed to join finally came calling. The Kanemi were fighting a large coalition of smaller tribes, and though most of the fighting occurred far from Kush, at one point the Kanemi army was caught by its enemies quite near where the Kushite army had been stationed. Since their allies were outnumbered, the Kushites rushed to help. It was a slaughter.
Nearly the entire Kushite army was destroyed. Worse, six Kushite champions lay dead, among them Bolad's longtime lover Youssouf. Bolad would never recover from this loss, according to the Kushite Traditions, and would mourn Youssouf until his dying day.
The destruction of its army would be a setback to Kushite expansion, but as it happened as part of a foreign war, the cost to the realm wasn't all too great. Still, it would be a number of years before the kingdom of Kush would declare its next war.
- 1
Chapter 1.10: Conquest, Continued
Chapter 1.10: Conquest, Continued
By late 885, the Kingdom of Kush had recovered from the devastating losses it had suffered in Kanem and declared a war of subjugation upon the Sao Chimma Dwiyongi of Tumak. The Chima was craven, and rather than engage the numerically superior Kushite warriors his warband carried out an ineffective campaign of low-level harrasment. The war progressed quickly and by late 886 the Sao Chima was forced to surrender, swearing fealty to King Bolad and pledging his lands to Kush.
The Coptic Chronicles claim that when King Bolad first entered the newly conquered lands to inspect them, he fell quite ill. These lands were wet and humid compared to his homeland of Kordofan, and the climate did not agree with the victorious king. According to the Chronicles his physician treated him with leeches -- also native to this new land -- and this immediately cured Bolad of his sickness.
The kingdom of Kanem had quite a bit of cross-Saharan trade with the Islamic sultanates to the north, so now that Bolad's Kush was nearly bordering them is when the Daju seem to enter the Muslim consciousness. The Annals of Tunis contain the first surviving mention of Kush, with an interesting story about Bolad's treatment of his Zaghawa subjects.
Soon after the conquest of Tumak, a collection of Zaghawa elders from all the villages of Darzaghawa travelled across the entire kingdom of Kush to reach Ubaid, seeking an audience with King Bolad. They requested some degree of autonomy, but Bolad refused, and though the elders were weary from their travelers, and had used up their supplies and valuables for barter on the way to the capital, he ordered them to return to Darzaghawa directly, refusing to resupply them or allow them lodging in Ubaid even for the night.
Whether this alleged mistreatment actually occurred or not, it is clear that in May of 887 the First Bori Uprising broke out across Darzaghawa and Darfur. The Kushite armies, already raised for their war of conquest, easily dealt with the rebels, and the Uprising ended less than three months later.
There was no harsh reprisal, and those warriors who fled the field of battle and returned to their village were allowed to do so peacefully. High Priest Angrun's conversion efforts redoubled in the west, however, and the Kushite faith slowly began to gain ground.
Offensives in the west would resume in early 889 with the invasion of Kuku. Again, we can actually get a pretty good picture of the story from the Annals of Tunis. They tell us that the Chima of Kuku was a wise Bori named Loel. He was considered a great holy man by the Bori of the region, and the Annals even claim that he had been influenced by the teachings of Islam and spread many of its tenants[1] to the surrounding Bori.
Whether it was intended to sow discord among the Bori faithful or not, the conquest of Kuku went smoothly. Chima Loel had only a few warriors pledged to him directly, but the chiefs of nearby tribes had respected the Bori wiseman and came to his support. By the time they arrived to face Bolad's warriors, however, the Kushites had already stormed Loel's only village, taken control of it, and exiled the Chima. The Bori forces dissolved without a clear leader and Bolad started eying his next target.
Perhaps it was the elimination of a notable rival in the realm of the divine, but it was shortly after this time that the various priests and shamans of the Kushite faith came together and officially proclaimed King Bolad to be a prophet of the great gods of old, and his lineage to be directly descendent from the pharaohs -- who, of course, were sons of the gods themselves.
Ironically, this is when Bolad's rule seems to shift focus in many ways. He's still an incredibly influential religious figure, but as the lands that Kush controlled grew and grew, he seemed to realize that he must get his kingdom's mundane affairs in order, too.
In mid 889, the Kushite army would march once more, this time against Chima Bakarou of Wandala, claiming the Chima's secondary lands of Baaguirmi. Again, the war itself proved relatively quick and simple. The fragmented Sao realms could not stand up to the united Daju peoples, and so fell one by one in a series of swift campaigns.
Even an easy war is not without cost, however. The skilled warchief Bug of Darfur was killed in the fighting, and his young son Beg inherited his lands. Bolad would raise Ber as a son, as he raised Ederisu beforehand.
Speaking of Ederisu, he had been taken prisoner when his village was sacked by another chief in an internal dispute, and only released in exchange for his abdication as High Chief. His title returned to King Bolad, who granted it to his son Issa. Had Bolad's intent in continuing hostilities in the west was to secure a proper inheritance for all of his male heirs, this would have resolved the problem. Yet expansion in the west would not slow.
The war for Baguirmi was further complicated by Chima Begli of Baguirmi, who controlled a large stretch of land to the north and considered the lands Bolad had just taken his. This new war would continue for a time.
As this occurred, the Annals of Tunis claim that the Mai of Kanem -- whose daughter was betrothed to Bolad's eldest boy Murtin -- had died, and with no living sons his successor came from a different part of his dynasty. This meant that Bolad's alliance would no longer be with the mighty Mai and therefore the whole of Kanem, but instead to a minor Chima in that realm. He promptly broke the betrothal and allowed his son to pick a wife from the women of the tribe.
The angered Chima, daughter of the dead Mai, and so she joined the Chima of Baguirmi in his war. But even with this aid, the Kushite forces overwhelmed the Chimas and the conquests were defended.
During this war, many of King Bolad's daughters (at the time of his death, Bolad had 13 children -- 10 female, 3 male) had come of age. At his return from campaign, he arranged marriages for them. Most he married to the men who had proven themselves worthiest during the wars, rewarding them by adopting them into House Tantamani and marrying them off to his daughters; some would even be granted land, thus ensuring that the chiefs of Kush would be related by blood and hence, hopefully, loyal to the crown.
One, however, he married to the heir to the Emirate of Air, a Siguic tribal realm to the west of Kanem. Bolad hoped this marriage would prevent Kanem from invading the conquered Kushite territory. Instead, he was almost immediately forced to honor the alliance by joining the defense of Air, as the Kingdom of Kanem declared a war of conquest against the Emirate.
[1] It does appear true that after losing his holding, Loel would travel north and would eventually die of old age in the Grand Emirate of the Sahara, converting to Ibadi Islam on his deathbed. Whether he had been influenced by Islam beforehand remains unknown.
By late 885, the Kingdom of Kush had recovered from the devastating losses it had suffered in Kanem and declared a war of subjugation upon the Sao Chimma Dwiyongi of Tumak. The Chima was craven, and rather than engage the numerically superior Kushite warriors his warband carried out an ineffective campaign of low-level harrasment. The war progressed quickly and by late 886 the Sao Chima was forced to surrender, swearing fealty to King Bolad and pledging his lands to Kush.
The Coptic Chronicles claim that when King Bolad first entered the newly conquered lands to inspect them, he fell quite ill. These lands were wet and humid compared to his homeland of Kordofan, and the climate did not agree with the victorious king. According to the Chronicles his physician treated him with leeches -- also native to this new land -- and this immediately cured Bolad of his sickness.
The kingdom of Kanem had quite a bit of cross-Saharan trade with the Islamic sultanates to the north, so now that Bolad's Kush was nearly bordering them is when the Daju seem to enter the Muslim consciousness. The Annals of Tunis contain the first surviving mention of Kush, with an interesting story about Bolad's treatment of his Zaghawa subjects.
Soon after the conquest of Tumak, a collection of Zaghawa elders from all the villages of Darzaghawa travelled across the entire kingdom of Kush to reach Ubaid, seeking an audience with King Bolad. They requested some degree of autonomy, but Bolad refused, and though the elders were weary from their travelers, and had used up their supplies and valuables for barter on the way to the capital, he ordered them to return to Darzaghawa directly, refusing to resupply them or allow them lodging in Ubaid even for the night.
Whether this alleged mistreatment actually occurred or not, it is clear that in May of 887 the First Bori Uprising broke out across Darzaghawa and Darfur. The Kushite armies, already raised for their war of conquest, easily dealt with the rebels, and the Uprising ended less than three months later.
There was no harsh reprisal, and those warriors who fled the field of battle and returned to their village were allowed to do so peacefully. High Priest Angrun's conversion efforts redoubled in the west, however, and the Kushite faith slowly began to gain ground.
Offensives in the west would resume in early 889 with the invasion of Kuku. Again, we can actually get a pretty good picture of the story from the Annals of Tunis. They tell us that the Chima of Kuku was a wise Bori named Loel. He was considered a great holy man by the Bori of the region, and the Annals even claim that he had been influenced by the teachings of Islam and spread many of its tenants[1] to the surrounding Bori.
Whether it was intended to sow discord among the Bori faithful or not, the conquest of Kuku went smoothly. Chima Loel had only a few warriors pledged to him directly, but the chiefs of nearby tribes had respected the Bori wiseman and came to his support. By the time they arrived to face Bolad's warriors, however, the Kushites had already stormed Loel's only village, taken control of it, and exiled the Chima. The Bori forces dissolved without a clear leader and Bolad started eying his next target.
Perhaps it was the elimination of a notable rival in the realm of the divine, but it was shortly after this time that the various priests and shamans of the Kushite faith came together and officially proclaimed King Bolad to be a prophet of the great gods of old, and his lineage to be directly descendent from the pharaohs -- who, of course, were sons of the gods themselves.
Ironically, this is when Bolad's rule seems to shift focus in many ways. He's still an incredibly influential religious figure, but as the lands that Kush controlled grew and grew, he seemed to realize that he must get his kingdom's mundane affairs in order, too.
In mid 889, the Kushite army would march once more, this time against Chima Bakarou of Wandala, claiming the Chima's secondary lands of Baaguirmi. Again, the war itself proved relatively quick and simple. The fragmented Sao realms could not stand up to the united Daju peoples, and so fell one by one in a series of swift campaigns.
Even an easy war is not without cost, however. The skilled warchief Bug of Darfur was killed in the fighting, and his young son Beg inherited his lands. Bolad would raise Ber as a son, as he raised Ederisu beforehand.
Speaking of Ederisu, he had been taken prisoner when his village was sacked by another chief in an internal dispute, and only released in exchange for his abdication as High Chief. His title returned to King Bolad, who granted it to his son Issa. Had Bolad's intent in continuing hostilities in the west was to secure a proper inheritance for all of his male heirs, this would have resolved the problem. Yet expansion in the west would not slow.
The war for Baguirmi was further complicated by Chima Begli of Baguirmi, who controlled a large stretch of land to the north and considered the lands Bolad had just taken his. This new war would continue for a time.
As this occurred, the Annals of Tunis claim that the Mai of Kanem -- whose daughter was betrothed to Bolad's eldest boy Murtin -- had died, and with no living sons his successor came from a different part of his dynasty. This meant that Bolad's alliance would no longer be with the mighty Mai and therefore the whole of Kanem, but instead to a minor Chima in that realm. He promptly broke the betrothal and allowed his son to pick a wife from the women of the tribe.
The angered Chima, daughter of the dead Mai, and so she joined the Chima of Baguirmi in his war. But even with this aid, the Kushite forces overwhelmed the Chimas and the conquests were defended.
During this war, many of King Bolad's daughters (at the time of his death, Bolad had 13 children -- 10 female, 3 male) had come of age. At his return from campaign, he arranged marriages for them. Most he married to the men who had proven themselves worthiest during the wars, rewarding them by adopting them into House Tantamani and marrying them off to his daughters; some would even be granted land, thus ensuring that the chiefs of Kush would be related by blood and hence, hopefully, loyal to the crown.
One, however, he married to the heir to the Emirate of Air, a Siguic tribal realm to the west of Kanem. Bolad hoped this marriage would prevent Kanem from invading the conquered Kushite territory. Instead, he was almost immediately forced to honor the alliance by joining the defense of Air, as the Kingdom of Kanem declared a war of conquest against the Emirate.
[1] It does appear true that after losing his holding, Loel would travel north and would eventually die of old age in the Grand Emirate of the Sahara, converting to Ibadi Islam on his deathbed. Whether he had been influenced by Islam beforehand remains unknown.
- 1
Chapter 1.11: The Defense of Air
Chapter 1.11: The Defense of Air
The historical record is never complete, but sometimes it's astounding just how large the gaps can be. For example, we know that Bolad's son Murtin was, at the end of his life, disfigured so badly by some facial injury that he wore a mask to hide his face; and further, that he was utterly insane. But what happened to make him this way? We have no idea, and all three sources we've used so far -- the Coptic Chronicles, Kushite traditions, or Annals of Tunis -- are completely silent on the matter.
What is made clear is that Bolad knew that Murtin inheriting Kush would be disastrous. The disappointing boy had turned into a man who was entirely unfit to rule. In the Kushite tradition, Bolad is haunted by this knowledge but is powerless to do anything about it. The Coptics and the Tunisians give this tale a much more sinister bend.
What all three sources agree on is that Murtin ibn Bolad was not a very skilled fight.
We do know that the Kushites didn't expect the war they'd just gotten dragged into to mean much. It was thought that they would raid the eastern lands of Kanem, maybe skirmish with some smaller enemy forces, but that the main fighting would be in the far west, between the Emirate of Air and Kanem themselves. To begin with, that proved true, and Murtin led the Kushite army as it started taking villages on the periphery of the kingdom.
But eventually, after a few villages had fallen, Kushite forces came across three smaller Kanemi bands. Murtin was no longer leading the army, though he was still one of its champions. The commander, whose name has been forgotten, made the tactical mistake of attacking the Kanemi from across a river. The Kushites outnumbered them, so he judged this worth the risk; but Kanemi reinforcements soon poured in, and though the battle looked like it would go for the Kushites at first, the final wave of reinforcements swung the balance back the other way, and the Kushites were routed. Murtin ibn Bolad was among the dead.
This enraged King Bolad, who would never forgive Kanem or its Mai, and would bring about their downfall in due time. But that's a tale for another day. For now, the question on everyone's mind was succession. With Murtin dead, Kush would go upon Bolad's death to his second son, Malaz, High Chief of Darzaghawa.
Yet soon it was discovered that Beydaan, the wife of the late Murtin, was pregnant. A few months later she gave birth to a boy; though he would never meet his father, he would be named for his grandfather, and one day inherit the kingdom of Kush. The baby boy was renown for his beauty, a quality he would remain associated with for the rest of his days.
In the Kushite tradition, this is when King Bolad becomes a Flagellant, using physical self-punishment to cleanse his sins. For a modern reader, it is easy to interpret this as the stress of losing his son causing the already overworked king to crack mentally. Bolad's anger would be focused on Kanem for the rest of his days, surely an unnatural state for a man as forgiving as he was renown to be, and it is clear even from the largely detached style of the medieval writings that his mental health had suffered for this.
At that same time, Bolad's close confidant and high shaman Angrun would convert the Cheifdom of Wadai to the Kushite faith; this would be his last act before his death that same year. His successor, High Shaman Monica[1] of Kush, was far less learned and (perhaps more importantly) far less effective at the conversion of the Bori tribes.
Though the Kushites would go on to pull their forces back and cease participation in the war, they'd done enough damage to sop Mai Fune from conquering the Emirate of air. The Kanemi conquest had failed, and in the peace agreement Bolad managed to greatly increase his herds of cattle. Yet he would not forgive nor forget, not in this case. His western ambitions had grown; no longer would he limit his expansion to the small realms of Sao, but he would keep his eye on Kanem and beyond.
[1]I had no idea Monica was on the Kushite/Daju name list but apparently...?
The historical record is never complete, but sometimes it's astounding just how large the gaps can be. For example, we know that Bolad's son Murtin was, at the end of his life, disfigured so badly by some facial injury that he wore a mask to hide his face; and further, that he was utterly insane. But what happened to make him this way? We have no idea, and all three sources we've used so far -- the Coptic Chronicles, Kushite traditions, or Annals of Tunis -- are completely silent on the matter.
What is made clear is that Bolad knew that Murtin inheriting Kush would be disastrous. The disappointing boy had turned into a man who was entirely unfit to rule. In the Kushite tradition, Bolad is haunted by this knowledge but is powerless to do anything about it. The Coptics and the Tunisians give this tale a much more sinister bend.
What all three sources agree on is that Murtin ibn Bolad was not a very skilled fight.
We do know that the Kushites didn't expect the war they'd just gotten dragged into to mean much. It was thought that they would raid the eastern lands of Kanem, maybe skirmish with some smaller enemy forces, but that the main fighting would be in the far west, between the Emirate of Air and Kanem themselves. To begin with, that proved true, and Murtin led the Kushite army as it started taking villages on the periphery of the kingdom.
But eventually, after a few villages had fallen, Kushite forces came across three smaller Kanemi bands. Murtin was no longer leading the army, though he was still one of its champions. The commander, whose name has been forgotten, made the tactical mistake of attacking the Kanemi from across a river. The Kushites outnumbered them, so he judged this worth the risk; but Kanemi reinforcements soon poured in, and though the battle looked like it would go for the Kushites at first, the final wave of reinforcements swung the balance back the other way, and the Kushites were routed. Murtin ibn Bolad was among the dead.
This enraged King Bolad, who would never forgive Kanem or its Mai, and would bring about their downfall in due time. But that's a tale for another day. For now, the question on everyone's mind was succession. With Murtin dead, Kush would go upon Bolad's death to his second son, Malaz, High Chief of Darzaghawa.
Yet soon it was discovered that Beydaan, the wife of the late Murtin, was pregnant. A few months later she gave birth to a boy; though he would never meet his father, he would be named for his grandfather, and one day inherit the kingdom of Kush. The baby boy was renown for his beauty, a quality he would remain associated with for the rest of his days.
In the Kushite tradition, this is when King Bolad becomes a Flagellant, using physical self-punishment to cleanse his sins. For a modern reader, it is easy to interpret this as the stress of losing his son causing the already overworked king to crack mentally. Bolad's anger would be focused on Kanem for the rest of his days, surely an unnatural state for a man as forgiving as he was renown to be, and it is clear even from the largely detached style of the medieval writings that his mental health had suffered for this.
At that same time, Bolad's close confidant and high shaman Angrun would convert the Cheifdom of Wadai to the Kushite faith; this would be his last act before his death that same year. His successor, High Shaman Monica[1] of Kush, was far less learned and (perhaps more importantly) far less effective at the conversion of the Bori tribes.
Though the Kushites would go on to pull their forces back and cease participation in the war, they'd done enough damage to sop Mai Fune from conquering the Emirate of air. The Kanemi conquest had failed, and in the peace agreement Bolad managed to greatly increase his herds of cattle. Yet he would not forgive nor forget, not in this case. His western ambitions had grown; no longer would he limit his expansion to the small realms of Sao, but he would keep his eye on Kanem and beyond.
[1]I had no idea Monica was on the Kushite/Daju name list but apparently...?
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About to break out into West Africa...
That battle wtih all the Knightly casualties was one hell of a beating.
That battle wtih all the Knightly casualties was one hell of a beating.
Kanem now blocks your way east, so a big war or three will be required there. But east Africa is full of lovely tiny minors, guarded only by a small beef gate. Maybe time to head back east and take the horn?
How old is Bolad by now? Because having an heir that young could be trouble, should something happen to him.
Chapter 1.12: The Road to War
Chapter 1.12: The Road to War
As 895 came to a close, King Bolad was ready to invade Kanem. He planned to conquer the whole heartland kingdom, leaving only shattered realms on its outskirts. The main motivation for this war was a desire for vengeance, as Bolad's eldest son was killed while defending the Emirate of Air against Kanemi aggression. Yet a second motivation was, once more, the desire for more land. Some of the chiefs had begun to speak of splitting up the kingdom of Kush on Bolad's passing, saying it was too big for one chief to govern effectively. The idea of splitting off a kingdom of Greater Darsao was gaining popularity among the chiefs. By conquering even more lands, Bolad hoped to both show that a single chief could indeed manage that much land, but also to make practical the idea of granting his younger son a vassal kingdom.
Invading that much land takes a lot of convincing in a tribal society, though, and Bolad did not have the necessary clout with them minor chiefs to launch such a war. He would need to solidify his power base before the chiefs would agree to act.
The Coptic Chronicles tell us that Bolad's first attempt to convince the chiefs of his plan was to invite them all to a grand feast, where he could rally them behind his dreams of conquest. Yet the feast was an unmitigated disaster, and the chiefs lost respect for their liege by the display. Bolad would instead use what clout he still had to convince the chiefs to invade Wandala, a smaller realm they had fought with before over the Baguirmi lands. This war would go seemingly, though the victory would not have the desired effect -- Bolad would find that it took more political goodwill to get the chiefs to agree to war than it won to capture more land. At this same time, High Cheif Jal -- who was granted a realm the Daju called Dargula in the occupied Sao territories -- had fought his own war against the Baguirmi without his liege's help, capturing more land for the Kushites.
By this time, Bolad was fifty five, and his mind had been battered by grief and loss over and over throughout this time. Bolad would go on to live another decade, but the Kushite traditions say that he would have little taste for life by this point. A modern person might say that he was simply going through the motions.
I probably shouldn't be speculating like this -- as you know, yours truly is not a historian. But I can't help but wonder if the fact that Bolad's heart lay to the northeast in the lands of Nubia and Egypt while his conquests lay to the west didn't have something to do with it. We know that at this time the twin Nubian kingdoms of Alodia and Makuria were united by alliances of blood (a situation that would only grow worse in the years to come). Expansion to the east simply wasn't in the cards, as Bolad believed Wepwawet had fortold. Bolad could set his sons up for the future conquest of Nubia and Egypt, but he could never experience the fulfilment of this dream himself.
The Coptic Chronicles say that Bolad's wars in the west would not end until the day he died. Bolad's dream - to make the Kushite Kingdom into an Empire strong enough to strike eastward - is not one that he would see fulfilled, close as he did come. Yet in his quest to secure the secession, Bolad would pay an ultimate price and render the question moot.
Bolad still wanted to convince the chiefs to go to war with Kanem, and finally he sent his forces into the western kingdoms as raiders in order to bring back plunder and win him some fame. The men did very well, and the ransomed captives and loot they brought back would see Kush's treasury swell.
Back at his home village, preparations for the war were carried out with gusto. The Kushite tradition says that in his final years, Bolad would gain much comfort from the execution of a road project, of all things. High Chieftain Jal had put Bolad in touch with a highly skilled builder named Youssouf, oddly enough. While Bolad would never develop any deep relationship with the man, it appears that he did remind him of his old love, and Bolad was most at peace when discussing some details of infrastructure with the man late into the night.
The road was a resounding success, and when the road's construction was complete Youssouf was granted charter as the head of a builder's guild which greatly improved construction quality across the villages of Kush.
Finally, midway through the year 900, Bolad would declare war upon Mai Fune of Kanem, intending to seize the heartlands of the kingdom. The Emirate of Air would join in the war effort, the threat of Kanem would finally be put down, and vengeance for Murtin's death would be wrought upon them.
As 895 came to a close, King Bolad was ready to invade Kanem. He planned to conquer the whole heartland kingdom, leaving only shattered realms on its outskirts. The main motivation for this war was a desire for vengeance, as Bolad's eldest son was killed while defending the Emirate of Air against Kanemi aggression. Yet a second motivation was, once more, the desire for more land. Some of the chiefs had begun to speak of splitting up the kingdom of Kush on Bolad's passing, saying it was too big for one chief to govern effectively. The idea of splitting off a kingdom of Greater Darsao was gaining popularity among the chiefs. By conquering even more lands, Bolad hoped to both show that a single chief could indeed manage that much land, but also to make practical the idea of granting his younger son a vassal kingdom.
Invading that much land takes a lot of convincing in a tribal society, though, and Bolad did not have the necessary clout with them minor chiefs to launch such a war. He would need to solidify his power base before the chiefs would agree to act.
The Coptic Chronicles tell us that Bolad's first attempt to convince the chiefs of his plan was to invite them all to a grand feast, where he could rally them behind his dreams of conquest. Yet the feast was an unmitigated disaster, and the chiefs lost respect for their liege by the display. Bolad would instead use what clout he still had to convince the chiefs to invade Wandala, a smaller realm they had fought with before over the Baguirmi lands. This war would go seemingly, though the victory would not have the desired effect -- Bolad would find that it took more political goodwill to get the chiefs to agree to war than it won to capture more land. At this same time, High Cheif Jal -- who was granted a realm the Daju called Dargula in the occupied Sao territories -- had fought his own war against the Baguirmi without his liege's help, capturing more land for the Kushites.
By this time, Bolad was fifty five, and his mind had been battered by grief and loss over and over throughout this time. Bolad would go on to live another decade, but the Kushite traditions say that he would have little taste for life by this point. A modern person might say that he was simply going through the motions.
I probably shouldn't be speculating like this -- as you know, yours truly is not a historian. But I can't help but wonder if the fact that Bolad's heart lay to the northeast in the lands of Nubia and Egypt while his conquests lay to the west didn't have something to do with it. We know that at this time the twin Nubian kingdoms of Alodia and Makuria were united by alliances of blood (a situation that would only grow worse in the years to come). Expansion to the east simply wasn't in the cards, as Bolad believed Wepwawet had fortold. Bolad could set his sons up for the future conquest of Nubia and Egypt, but he could never experience the fulfilment of this dream himself.
The Coptic Chronicles say that Bolad's wars in the west would not end until the day he died. Bolad's dream - to make the Kushite Kingdom into an Empire strong enough to strike eastward - is not one that he would see fulfilled, close as he did come. Yet in his quest to secure the secession, Bolad would pay an ultimate price and render the question moot.
Bolad still wanted to convince the chiefs to go to war with Kanem, and finally he sent his forces into the western kingdoms as raiders in order to bring back plunder and win him some fame. The men did very well, and the ransomed captives and loot they brought back would see Kush's treasury swell.
Back at his home village, preparations for the war were carried out with gusto. The Kushite tradition says that in his final years, Bolad would gain much comfort from the execution of a road project, of all things. High Chieftain Jal had put Bolad in touch with a highly skilled builder named Youssouf, oddly enough. While Bolad would never develop any deep relationship with the man, it appears that he did remind him of his old love, and Bolad was most at peace when discussing some details of infrastructure with the man late into the night.
The road was a resounding success, and when the road's construction was complete Youssouf was granted charter as the head of a builder's guild which greatly improved construction quality across the villages of Kush.
Finally, midway through the year 900, Bolad would declare war upon Mai Fune of Kanem, intending to seize the heartlands of the kingdom. The Emirate of Air would join in the war effort, the threat of Kanem would finally be put down, and vengeance for Murtin's death would be wrought upon them.
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Yes, it was.... really set me back. I lost so many High Chiefs, too! For a while all the chiefdoms were led by boys.
Unfortunately the Nubian kingdoms were each stronger than me on their own. I did think about conquering on the other side of them, but I was worried this would make me too vulnerable, not to mention I'd barely be an annoyance to the Sultanates..
Unfortunately that won't be Bolad's legacy -- but he will make it possible for his heirs to do it...
55 at this time, so getting up there. I started getting worried when the decision to 'pass on' peacefully became available. I had a plan for when Bolad would feel he was allowed to take it, but unfortunately he didn't leave that long...
The "pass on" decision is due to Kushite doctrines, right? Because the restrictions on regular suicide are so bad that I basically never see the point.
Also it seems to me that you might be in a position to form the empire of Kanem sooner rather than later. Probably not with Bolad, but with his heir, seems quite possible.
Also it seems to me that you might be in a position to form the empire of Kanem sooner rather than later. Probably not with Bolad, but with his heir, seems quite possible.