Homelands: Tales of the Anglo-Prussians

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Homelands
Chapter Eleven: The Longest Year
Part 3

Prelude:
The First Polish War began in June of the Longest Year. Polish forces massed on the border of Prussia, and offered Prussian cities freedom if they surrendered without being sieged. No cities accepted. Eadbert and Aethelwulf headed sough and met up with Count Jan Piast, a former contender for King of Poland. Jan was a traitor who looked to reclaim his family’s throne by allying with the Prussians. The war itself was fought in two main phases, with three theaters. The first phase consisted of the Pinsk and Baltic theaters and occurred in 1136. The First Phase was notable for the slow, sticky battle fronts that formed between the two equally matched opponents. The grinding fashion that the war was fought left casualties very high. It was this depletion of men that would eventually allow the Prussian language to spread throughout the country.

August 10th, 1136

Eadbert eyed Jan carefully. Even though they had been fighting side-by-side for three months, Eadbert felt that he could not completely trust a man so willing to betray his homeland. The Prussian King felt that his son felt the same way. Father and son sat together in the large tent that served as Aethelwulf’s whole existence. His family was with him as he looked at maps of the battle and troops.

“Father, you must trust Jan long enough to finish this war. What are our goals?”

“Pinsk and Jan’s county.”

“Fine, small steps are the best bet.” Aethelwulf scratched the blisters on his arms where the morning sun had shined earlier.

“I do not like these casualties, Aethelwulf. We have left many familes without a head, and many Saxons are now dead.”

“Father, there is not much I can do. We are outnumbered, but we can keep them at bay long enough for Russian reinforcements from Kiev and Chernigov. Once the Russians are here, we can push the Polish back.”

“That is all we need to tip the favors?”

“I believe so. Lázár is a moron, really. He is trying to smash through our pikemen with cavalry. In a few months all of Poland will be devoid of horses. Later today I shall move the front lines a few miles deeper into Poland.”

“You seem confident.”

“Yes, if we strike here,” Aethelwulf pointed to the map, “This light infantry group will collapse. Their troops are on edge. The sight of one group breaking is likely to break several divisions, and we shall simply sweep in with all our might and break them. They will run a few miles back and Pinsk shall be ours by nightfall.”

Prussian troops in the First Polish War: 1 - Prussian Knight; 2 - Royal Bodyguard; 3 - Prussian Lancer; 4 - Scout; 5 - Saxon Heavy Infantry; 6 - Lettish Pikeman; 7 - Lithuanian Crossbow Man​

“Impressive.”

With that Jan Piast entered the tent. He bowed to Eadbert and then shook his hand firmly. “Great Lord, what are my commands for today?”

Eadbert told Jan the plan that Aethelwulf had just laid out, and with Aethelwulf’s input, Jan full-heartedly agreed. “This shall lead us farther than Pinsk, my friends! In a few days we shall be in Krakowie!”

 

[Enewald]

Is that symbol on the shield that of Hungary?
Have you claim upon the title king of poles?

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Is that symbol on the shield that of Hungary?
Have you claim upon the title king of poles?

Shhhhhh! Didn't feel like messing with the image.

Not at this point.

 

[Valhallas Call]

and many Saxons are now dead.”

Rut-roh

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Hey guys, sorry about the down time: I am moving to a summer appartment! I should be back up and running in a few days to a week, depending.

 

[czam2007]

ah, moving is stressful take your time
but hurry back

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

ah, moving is stressful take your time
but hurry back

What is worse is that I am allergic to dust, so since moving kicks up a ton of it, I have to spend all the moving days with a face mask on.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Here, as a brief update about the continuation of this AAR is the MMP map of Europe (based on the world of 1330):

All non-Prussian nations in Russian are Ingrian, ie Finnish, in culture. By 1320 Russian had all but died off. The sole Russian nation is in Azov and is ruled by a lowly branch of the de Normandies.

A Prelude:

By 1399 Islam had settled much of Western Europe. Christianity lay dying in the sand. Attacked from all sides by Turks, Mongols, Berbers and even Frankish and Italian converts, the Holy Roman Empire died in the early 1300's. Emperor Sigmund became one of the first German rulers to officially adopt Islam as his religion. Since then Islam had more easily spread across the continent. But as the Infinite War, which had violently twisted Europe since the late 1000's, ended a new age of division began. European Muslims, once united as conquerors began to fragment trying to gain an edge over one another.

The Great Caliph of France split into three main circles, each fighting over the territory they once ruled as a whole. In Germany, the Holy Roman Empire crumbled to nothing, and instead German Sheiks and Emirs fought over Sigmund's title of Caliph of Germania. All the while European Islam began to differ from Arabian Islam, leading to wars in Iberia and Italy where to two openly clashed. The city of Rome, once a center of religion was now only a shell, a mere footnote in history.

All the while the former Catholics divided into three camps. The Hussites, driven by reform attempted to retake Scandinavia and fight off the temptations of both Islam as well as Prussian Orthodoxy. The fiery King of Norway preached a Pan-Nordic Empire, an Empire he would need to conquer by force. The Protestants attempt to reunite all Christians in a happy middle ground. They seemingly are blind to the greater differences that originally divided the Christians. The Reformists constantly revolt from their Muslim masters trying to reignite the Infinite War. They are a militant people, trained in the art of war and usually organized into tight communities.

In the East the Massive Leofricson Empire teeters on ruin. Divided into several Kingdoms and many smaller realms, The King of Prussia-Poland had recently begun to recent the Emperor in Constantinople, his own Cousin. Meanwhile the rest of their family watches from the side-lines as the two massive powers attempt to reunite the Empire for themselves and defend the Roman line from outside invasion.

In England, the Iziaslavich dynasty, set up originally by the Leofricsons, have given up with Prussian Orthodoxy. They have adopted Protestantism and have begun the process of uniting the British Isles. To the south the rulers of France eye England enviously, and from the north the Scots look down at the English seeing targets for pillaging. King William Iziaslavich has much to do to keep his kingdom together from the forces that wish to split it apart.

In Iberia, the rule of the Castillians has only recently been granted. The Great Iberian Caliph, which dominated both Iberia and France for two hundred years had fallen apart. In the north the Kingdom of Castile, ruled by native Sunnis, wishes to retake the peninsula and recover the greatness of the former Caliph there. However, the Castillians have been pushed into the realms of Leon; displaced by Berbers, Arabs and the mulatto races in between. The Basques, first to convert to Islam, had been given much territory to settle, and eventually even came to rule on of the French circles.

Europe in 1399 is a place of hope and growth. Christianity sits on the edge, ready to die; Islam sits poised to take over Europe and possibly the new world. Asia and Africa are ripe for conversion and conquest, but it is only after the waring nations unite and put their minds to expansion.

 

[Devin Perry]

You're definitely not making it easy for yourself but atleast the muslims are as fractitious as the catholics. Which faction of the Leofricson empire are you planning on playing as?
The de Normandies become russian princes of Azov :rofl: by the time the mongols arrive in my AAR Azov is the only province with any pagans left.

 

[hyme]

Oh my god its Europe in a few more years!

 

[Enewald]

If England is a feudal monarchy, would you consider splitting some of her land to some vassals like Wales, Cornwall and whatever else there might be?
To stop it from directly overrunning the British Isles and beginning world colonisation?
And maybe there could be more vassal duchies around Europe?

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

You're definitely not making it easy for yourself but atleast the muslims are as fractitious as the catholics. Which faction of the Leofricson empire are you planning on playing as?
The de Normandies become russian princes of Azov :rofl: by the time the mongols arrive in my AAR Azov is the only province with any pagans left.

The de Normandies show up in Prussia in the mid to late 1100's and then again in the 1200's. Eventually they become Russian through marriages and culture spread. I made them the Princes of Azov. As for the muslims I fractured them, in the game France and Spain are one massive Caliph (centered in France). Italy is actually ruled from Egypt, and is technically Shiite, though most of Europe will be Sunni. I actually might use another one of the muslim religions to represent European Islam.

I am going to play as Prussia, the one that looks rather like Lithuania from our time-line. But I start off with Poland in a Personal Union I lead. It is definitely the most powerful Kingdom. It has several vassals (the Ingrian Princes), but the idea is that Prussia is supposed to stagnate in this period and face revolution in Vicky.

Oh my god its Europe in a few more years!

If England is a feudal monarchy, would you consider splitting some of her land to some vassals like Wales, Cornwall and whatever else there might be?
To stop it from directly overrunning the British Isles and beginning world colonisation?
And maybe there could be more vassal duchies around Europe?

England is not a feudal monarchy, and after all the catholic revolts the entire Kingdom is ruled solely by William. I might break them up, but a strengthened Scotland might help, those two are pretty must the sorest of enemies. Also Ireland, England had to capture Wales and Cornwall from Ireland, so that would be another good enemy. Ireland is relatively strong, seeing as it has suffered less under the muslims. It gets conquered in one war and liberated in another, and then drops out of the fight, as compared to Germany which spent most of 1100 to 1300 fighting Islam, by the time the other islamic countries got involved the biggest army should could raise was 600. The same for Italy, which had it even worse.

The map still needs some work for balance, but the facts are I am not creating the scenario for balance, but for accuracy. I divided France/Spain up because the civil wars had started in the last save. It was only in the last save that Germany had attacked Sweden and Norway and then won.

 

[Enewald]

Well, are you then giving those civil-war countries missions to conquer each other rather than start colonizing etc...?

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Well, are you then giving those civil-war countries missions to conquer each other rather than start colonizing etc...?

Yes, I'll make it a full mod with new missions and the such.

EDIT:
The main issue plaguing this next step is balance without leaving the game too much. I don't want England to jump into colonization right away, but I want it to be open for them in the future. Tying them up with Scotland and Ireland, and maybe even crusades in France is one solution, but on the other hand, I believe in this time frame Christians especially will look to the Americas as a new homeland. I would like to point out, that small blue country in the Persian Gulf is actually a Christian nation, it is the remains of Croatian Basra, the longest-lasting Crusader state. I will definitely take suggestions and possibly release the mod as a stand-alone mod for people's enjoyment.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Or why you shouldn't leave your notes one state over...

A brief look at religion in Europe:

Green: Sunni (Western Europe might get its own)
Bright Green: Shiite
Light Green: Indigenous Islam

Blue: Reformed
Purple: Protestant
Cyan: Hussite
Light Blue: Indigenous Christian
Brown: Greek and Prussian Orthodoxy (Might be split)

Grey: Pagan


Shias in Europe: Centered entirely in Bosnia. Between 1200-1300 Bosnia was a major Shiite Emirate, but conversion was hampered by the Infinite War. In the 1300's Bosnia was conquered by the Leofricson Empire despite continued support from Egypt.

Christians in Africa/Asia: The first round of Crusades between the Roman Empire and Egypt had converted most of the middle east and Judea to Orthodoxy, but in the 1200's the Principality of Galilee fell to the Emirate of Damascus. Rome and the Catholics eventually conquered much of northern Egypt, converting much of the population to Christendom, but by the end of the Infinite War Egypt was back in the hands of the Muslims and was back on the road to being muslim. Catholicism had spread into Basra and Kuwait under King Stanislav of Croatia. The King of Bahrain remains the only Christian ruler in the region, solely on the massive fortress Stanisgrad on the island.

Christians in Iberia, France and Italy: The only major population centers of Christianity are in Portugal. In Italy populations of Coptic Egyptians were settled by the Caliph of Egypt. Tuscany and Veneto, having been held longest by the Christians still had major populations of Christians. In France, Christianity all but died in three hundred years. It became seen as a religion of a ruthless and uncaring Nobility who sent hundreds of thousands of Frenchmen to their deaths fighting in the Infinite War.

--==MORE TO COME LATER==--

 

[Devin Perry]

You've made Poland and Hungary Orthodox
Setting up england to go crusading in France looks like a good idea, see how they feel about sending hundreds of thousands of muslims to their deaths.

 

[Mr. Capiatlist]

You've made Poland and Hungary Orthodox
Setting up england to go crusading in France looks like a good idea, see how they feel about sending hundreds of thousands of muslims to their deaths.

The reason behind Bohemia and Hungary will become clear in later chapters... I am leaving for Indiana tomorrow, so I can have a real update out later this week.

 

[Enewald]

So Crusades might continue for long in EU3?
What about Barbary pirates terrorising North Sea instead of Mediterranean?

Looks extremely cool!

 

[OutsiderSubtype]

Looks like a fun mod. We appreciate your attention to detail in this AAR.

 

[germanpeon]

What about Barbary pirates terrorising North Sea instead of Mediterranean?

Or Christian pirates terrorizing the strait of Gibraltar.