Lords of all They Survey: An Ottoman AAR

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The Rule of the Regency (1517-19)

With the great Sultan fallen before an insignificant border town, many in the Ottoman relam decided that God was against further Turkish conquests and urged a return home. This Anatolian Party, as they come be known, is further strenghtened when, less than a month after the fall of Selim, Hadim Sinan falls dangerously ill in his camp outside the walls of Damietta and dies soon afterwards. With the Anatolian faction breathing down their neck, the Regents order me to send my navy to the Egyptian coast, to ensure that no relief vessels come to aid the beseiged Mamluks. The cause of the Ghazi Party, as those who support Turkish greatness come to be called, is saved by a certain colonel Enver, who assumes command of Ottoman forces in North Africa after the death of Hadim Sinan. Damietta surrenders to Enver's forces a month later, rather taking the wind from the sails of the Anatolians. As Enver's troops settle down to lay seige to Alexandria, the last remaining stronghold of the Mamluks, the Anatolian cause is reinvigorated when the Hafsid Empire ends its involvement in the war, claiming Cyrenacia and 49D as booty. The steadfast Ennver continues to wait outside Alexandria's wall, although he confides in me that he was rather counting on the arrival of Hafsid forces to aid in the seige. Thaw al-Qi'dah 923 (Dec 1517) would see Enver's cannons breach Alexandria's walls. Enver orders an assualt, but the fortress holds. Nonetheless, the Mamluks cannot hold out long in Alexandria, with the walls breached and many of the defenders dead. By Thaw al-Hijjah 923 (Jan 1518) the Regency has, at least temporarily, silenced the Anatolians by appointing General Bali (4/1/4) commander of Ottoman forces in Europe, showing that God has not abandoned the Turkish cause. Alexandria surrenders to Enver shortly afterwards, but the Mamluks refuse annexation, foolishly beleiving that their allies England and Pommerania, who have yet to so much as lift a finger in their defense, will come to their rescue. 3 more months of inactivity by their European allies and the threat of widescale pillaging by Turkish troops, causes the Mamluks to accept the inevitable, and the annexation is decreed on 10 Rajab 924 (17 July 1518).

Celebrations are held in the capital and Enver is promoted to the rank of Pasha, but the season of joy soon gives way to a season of sorrow, as the Pope in Rome calls for a Crusade against the Turks to reclaim land that was lost by the infidels many a year ago. The Christian princes of Poland (Venice, Teutonic Order), Hungary (Austria, Bohemia, Baden), and Moldavia all rally to the Papal call. The Persians (Georgia, Nubia) see a chance to recliam land they have lost and issue a DOW of their own. Most disturbingly, the vassal-state of Wallachia refuses to recognize the Regency and declares war and an end to vassalage. This faithless severing of the bond between vassal and lord is not be tolerated, and Bali and 33,000 Ottomans quickly disperse the Wallachian "army" of hurriedly conscripted goat-herders and Bali, knowing that the the men of Wallachia will not fight for a man as faithless and treacherous as their overlord, orders an assault on the walls of Bucharest. As expected, the Wallachians drop their weapons and flee from the turrets, and the Sulatn's former vassal pays the ultimate penalty for its treachery on 14 Shawwal 924 (19 Oct 1518). Bali advances towards Hungary, while Turkish forces in Asia repel Perisan advances into Kurdistan. The Nubians send a force 30,000 strong on a campaign of pillage, while Enver leads the army that recently took the Mamluks against Nubia.

In Muharram 925 (Jan 1519), Bali arrives in the Hungarian province of Maros, where he orders an assault upon the shoddy defensive works. The assault would succeed, but the fortifications proved even shoddier that first expected, and Bali is killed by a section of wall that collapses upon him as he enters the city. By Jumaada 925 (June 1519), a unit of Mad Assaulters in Azerbadzjan has won glory for themselves by capturing Armenia, Colonel Ankara has regrouped Bali's men and taken Transylvania by assault, and the Moldavian capital of Galatz has been beseiged by Turkish troops. However the fortunes of war now tilt towards our enemies, as Dobrudja falls to Moldavian forces, Serbia surrenders to Hungary, and Venice captures Kosovo. Ankara has begun a seige of Magyar, but his seige preceds slowly and a large Hungarian force under the command of Christain hero Zapolya heads for Transylvania...

 

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I hate it when the monarch-generals die because then you have to come up with a reason why your monarch is dead but still rules your nation

Yeah, I really lucked out with that helpful "Sudden Death" Event.

 

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Conclusion of the Eight Year's War

As 10 Muharram 926 (Jan 1, 1520) rolled around, the Pope must have been feeling content with himself. Wallachia had fallen, but the Papacy viewed the Eastern Orthodox Christians as little better than infidels and so wept nary a tear. His Catholic soldiers were doing well, the Ottomans were losing ground in the Balkans and perhaps the Holy Land could be retaken after all. Little could the Pope know on that same day that the Regents in Istanbul had surrendered power to the New Sultan, Suleyman I, whose reign would herald a new era of Turkish greatness. As much esteem as I continue to hold the Regents in, the one simply idiotic thing they did was assign crown prince and now Sultan Suleyman, the realm’s most able general (4/5/4/1), to the command of the police army in Crete. The first acts of policy under Suleyman were to move himself and 1,000 choice Janissaries back to Istanbul, where he picks 40,000 freshly recruited Janissaries and marches on Hungary, where he has appointed Gazi Huzrev (3/3/4) as commander of the forces seiging Magyar. Filed Marshal Ibrahim (4/4/3) is given command of Turkish forces in Nubia and the tide of battle begins to turn. Colonel Ankara, now heading the besiegers in Galatz, captures the Moldavian capital, allowing Suleyman to end the war with Moldavia in exchange for Moldavia's surrender of their treasury. As Ankara moves on Ruthenia, Zapolya's forces retake Transylvania, cutting Gazi Huzrev's men off from their supply lines. Zapolya invades Ruthenia, where Ankara and his small force are obliged to retreat, but Zapolya is prevented from pursuing Ankara when word reaches him Suleyman and 42,000 Turks have assaulted and captured Banat. Suleyman is en route to reinforce Gazi Huzrev, but he stops to assault and capture Pest before the two great generals meet up. With Suleyman leading the left flank and Gazi Huzrev the right, the Ottoman assault of Eger begins. The Hungarians fight back ferociously, but the Janissaries advance with equal determination and at last the walls are scaled and the city taken. Alas, there is no time for celebration, as Zapolya and 22,000 Hungarians have crossed into Magyar province, they will be outside the walls of Eger within a day and Suleyman arranges his 36,000 Janissaries in the best defensive positions the featureless the Hungarian plain can provide. Before the walls of Eger, on Thaw al-Qi'dah 926 (Nov 1520) the decisive battle is fought, Zapolya's men fought with determination and enjoyed a considerable cavalry superiority over the all-infantry Turkish force, but the Janissaries refused to budge from their positions, and the tide of battle swayed from side to side until the epic confrontation of the generals, where the Great Turk Suleyman decapitated Zapolya with a single blow of his mighty sword. Their general fallen, the Hungarians retreated in disarray, with Suleyman in hot pursuit. Battle was rejoined in mountainous Carpathia, where the luckless Hungarians ran out of room to run. Their entire force was destroyed and the citadel assaulted and captured on the 1-year anniversary of Suleyman's accession. Elsewhere that year, the Mad Assaulters had captured Nuyssabin, which Persia immediately offered as tribute. This offer was accepted, ending the war in Mideast.

Hungary was reeling as the Christian Year 1521 began, but they were not dead yet, and a combined Hungarian/Austrian force of 28,000 under the command of King Lajos II laid siege to Pest. However, Suleyman the Magnificent, as his Janissaries were already calling him, met Lajos with 23,000 Janissaries and routed him utterly. Lajos and 9,000 Hungarians made their way to Austrian Pressburg as Suleyman pushed on Croatia, which was assaulted and soon captured. That God looked upon the Turks with favor was now doubted by none, especially after He caused war to break out among the German states, thereby diverting Austrian forces, which left the battlefields of Hungary to defend their interests in Germany. A Bohemian army of 15,000 had invaded the Balkans meanwhile, but their rampages were brought to a close when they encountered the Great Turk Suleyman in Bosnia, Suleyman had soon assaulted and recaptured Bosnia from its Bohemian oppressors. Although I had won several major victories against Venice at sea, Suleyman elects not to follow this lead and buys off Poland, ending hostilities with Venice.

The Bohemians elect not to abandon their Hungarian allies and lay siege to Carpathia, hoping to retake it for Lajos II, now fast sinking into melancholy. This is a decision the Bohemians will soon come to regret, as Suleyman now turns his eyes upon Bohemia. Suleyman force-marches his Janissaries through occupied Hungary to meet Bohemia head-on in Carpathia, where the Bohemians are easily defeated. Suleyman then marches upon Bohemian territory, taking Moravia by assault and turning to the capital with 31,000 troops. As Suleyman marches on Prague he sees 18,000 Bohemians ready to meet him, but it is not to be, as the cowardly Bohemians abandon their capital to cut through Austrian Ostmarch and siege Moravia. Although Suleyman enjoys a superior position in Prague, he knows his supply lines have grown perilously thin and orders an assault, telling his men that taking the city will forever prove their devotion to their Sultan and their God. Spurred to glory, the Janissaries easily scale the walls of Prague, where Suleyman negotiates the surrender of Moravia and an indemnity of 125D in a treaty with Bohemia. Later that month, Ankara's forces capture Ruthenia, leaving Hungary in control of nothing but Turkish Serbia. Mad Assaulters quickly overthrow the Hungarian garrison in Serbia and Suleyman turns his forces against Austria, the ally Lajos II hopes will save him.

Suleyman has soon assaulted and taken Carinola and moved on Styria, which is assaulted but holds. As this makes Styria the first Christian stronghold to resist Suleyman, and as 30,000 Austrians have laid siege to Moravia, Suleyman allows the Emperor Karl to ransom Carinola for 110 pieces of Styrian gold. Lajos is now without allies and has no choice to but to accept Suleyman's demand that the Great Turk be given the Crown of St. Stephen on 1 Shawwal 929 (Aug 13, 1523). A status quo ante bellum agreement with the landlocked and isolated nation of Baden ends the Eight Years some days later, Suleyman is proclaimed a hero when he returns to Istanbul, as indeed the Great Turk has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. In Rome, the Pope has conniption fits over the ignominious failure of his crusade that would see not Christian conquest of Islamic lands but the expansion of Turkish Europe by 10 new provinces

The Ottoman Empire After the Eight Years War

 

[Braedonnal]

1524 and already getting huge. If I was in Christian Europe I would be concerned indeed!

As for monarch deaths, I just say they were crippled and no longer able to serve in the military.

 

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A Decade of Peace (1524-1533)

After returning in triumph to the capital after the Eight Years War, Suleyman tells his divan that the realm will require a longer period of peace than usual both to replenish losses from the last war and because Turkey's reputation as an aspiring world-conqueror has soured her relations with the world to the point where any DOW from Turkey is liable to bring the entire world down on her head. Suleyman reconfirms Ibrahim as Commander in North Africa, leaves Gazi Huzrev in Europe and assigns his own personal command to the Turkish regiments stationed in Syria near the Persian border. I now find myself commander of the Janissary Oujak in Damascus, officer in charge during those periods when the Sultan remains in the capital. Damascus, oldest continously inhabited city on Earth, is another of my favorite destinations, but a travelogue can wait until later.

The decade following the Eight Years War is renowed cheifly for peaceful developments. The Mamluks had failed to fortify the wealthy provinces of Lebannon and Nile, and this oversight is soon corrected by Turkish administrators. Full-time tax collectors are being appointed throughout the realm at a record pace, as yearly income has swelled considerably with our latest territorial gains. If many people were saddened or angered by our annexation of the Mamluks, in the holy city of Mecca the people were dancing in the streets, as their years of vassalage to the Mamluks were brought to an end. With the Hedjaz free to operate on the international scene once more, they quickly agree to a royal marriage with their Ottoman liberators. The Ottoman diplomatic corps also renewed our royal marriage with Sibir and brought Aden into our alliance for future wars against Nubia or perhaps Ethiopia. The greatest success in diplomacy however came on 29 Rabay' al-awal 936 (1 Dec 1529) when the Khan of Astrakhan agreed to become a Turkish vassal. Paranoid as ever, the Khan was happy to have such a powerful protector for his tiny state.

Suleyman was determined to show that Turks were as good at trading and governing as they were at war, and so monthly income was diverted into infrastructure improvements, which soon allowed for the promotion of Chief Judges. At first, only large and wealthy provinces receive a local Isatnbul-appointed judge, but soon these officers are being promoted even in the most remote provinces, this goes a long way to rationalizing Turkish legal practice and many of his subjects begin referring to their illustrious Sultan as Suleyman the Lawgiver. A steady stream of colonists has begun offering their services, and their first target is the Sinai, where the sleepy town of Akaba (pop. 60) is the only outpost of civilization in an otherwise barren wasteland. This city soon receives a steady stream of new inhabitants, and it quickly grows into a modest city, supplying salt to the cities and towns along the Red Sea. Hungarian revolts are quite common in this period, but as the unruly Christians die out, Turkish missionaries are sent in and the joy of Islam spreads through the lands of the former Hungary, causing the Pope in Rome to smash several valuable objects in his palace (Banat, Maros, and Transylvania converted by colonists). Suleyman also looks outward with his colonial ambitions, and in Rajab 933 (Apr 1527) a trade post is established on the island of Socotra between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The small Turkish party there reports that the island is uninhabited but for themselves and that the fishing is quite good.

While Turkey enjoys years of peace of prosperity, the Christian infidels make ceaseless war upon each other, led by their supposed Prince, the Pope, who took flack from many observers as the deceitful man used his troops to conquer Sicily from the Spanish even as he sent the Hungarians to their utter defeat. The German War that was fought as the Eights Years War raged ended with the Palatinat annexing Cologne. The Palatinat's moment of glory was brief however, as their southern neighbors Baden attacked them and claimed the province of Mainz for themselves. Our western border is unified under the House of Habsburg in Safar 940 (Sep 1533), when Bohemia accepts a permanent union with Austria. The most interesting foreign development was the Civil War which the crippled the Polish-Lithuanian Commonweakth beginning in Rajab 939 (Feb 1533). With our most formidable European enemies tied down so conveniently, Suleyman decides the time has come to begin a new round of Turkish conquests....

 

[Cow Pie]

Oh man that's gonna be a doozy of a BB war, since the Empire is surrounded by everyone. and Sibir makes a very unsteady ally, I cried not once when i annexed them, or was that Russia? *Shrug*.

Runs from Morph. The Russians can get a bit nasty too you gotsta smack them around and keep them from reaching Siberia.The Persians will also shove it up your butt as soon as they can, as will any local North African states, and do I even have to mention Austria & co?

Ought to be fun to watch, as all the first BB wars are.

 

[Morpheus506]

*runs after Cow Pie, torch in hand*

How dare you annex Sibir! Get back here!

Anyway, BB wars are fun. Remember, use them to your advantage, annex all comers!

 

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The Nine Years War(1534-43):Opening Campaigns

As the Christian Year 1534 rolls around, I have the Oujak on full alert, Suleyman has left the capital to come join our garrison in Syria, we are 36,000 strong, a even mix of janissaries and sipahis. The only Persian army we can spot is 12,000 strong and stationed in Iraq. There are also 16,000 Mad Assaulters in Azerbadzjan prepared to move on Armenia. Suleyman's goals for this war are the liberation of the holy city of Baghdad and the sacred gold-mines of Armenia . That this conflict will soon spread beyond Persia we have no doubt. On 28 Rajab 940 (12 Feb 1534) Persia receives an Ottoman DOW and we march on Baghdad. Miraculously, we cross the waterless and bandit-infested Syrian Desert with no losses and confront 12,000 Persians before the very walls of the holy city. The battle is no contest, as we Turks are better armed, better led, and enjoy a 3-to-1 numerical advantage. After running off the Persians we settle down for the siege as artillery units are brough to us from Damascus. Northwards, the campaign goes not so well, as our forces in Azerbadzjan are defeated by Persian cavalry despite assistance from our allies in Astrakhan. The Mad Assaulters flee to Trabzond, where they regroup and receive reinforcements. They soon do their duty by overthrowing the puny fortress guarding Persian Armenia, but by now the Persians have captured Azerbadzjan. Nearly a year to the day from the initiation of the siege of Baghdad, the holy city surrenders to Suleyman the Magnificient and we enter in awe of the majesty of Baghdad. I wonder how many of my compatriots would believe me if I told them I had once been a mason laying the foundations of this great city. Sadly, we have no time to sight-see as the failures of our norhtern campaign mean that Suleyman shall have to march on Isfahan itself if we are to gain the necessary leverage to end the Persian War in our favor. Thus we march on Hamad, whose minimal fortress is assaulted and captured and then Isfahan itself lays within reach. As scouts warn us that Perisan forces in Azerbadzjan are heading south to interecept us, Suleyman gives the order to assault. The assault on Isfahan is a day to be remembered, as I was among the first Janissaries to sucessfully scale the wall and reign death upon the Persians within. The assault is a success and the Persian War is won, soley thanks to Suleyman's military genius. The war ends on 28 Muharram 943 (July 7, 1536) with Persia surrendering Iraq, Armenia, and cash.

As we begin marching back to Turksih terriotory, we come to learn that the Persian campaign has sparked off a war that involves virtually the entire region. The Pope once more called for crusade and this time struck a mighty opening blow on his own, arriving in Naples with no less than 70,000 troops . The defenders of Naples numbered only 15,000, and though they fought valiantly, they were overwhelmed by the human wave tactics employed by the Pope's generals, and were forced to fall back with great loss of life. Naples had already fallen to Papal forces when our unit returned to Baghdad, and the Sultan immediately left to take control of events in the capital. Gazi Huzrev and his European forces were tied down with Poland, whose King courageously committed troops to the Pope's crusade, the civil war plaguing his country nonewithstanding. Gazi Huzrev had struck the first blow, by reducing and capturing Podlasia by seige. However, he decided that he was needed elsewhere, as an assault on the walls of Galatz had failed, and Gazi Huzrev moves his men to the Moldavian capital, leaving the Polish front and allowing Poland to recapture Podlasia some time later. Suleyman admired the bravery of the Polish King, and agreed to give him an honorable no tribute peace, ending the Polish war. Poland's king paid dearly for his courage however, as his northern Prussian neighbors attacked at this moment of weakness and the Poles were forced to surrender Posen and Kurland to these invaders. Gazi Huzrev had more sucess in Moldavia, where Galatz and Bujak were both captured by siege warfare, ending with the annexation of Moldavia on 29 Rabay' al-awal 943 (15 Sep 1536).

Elsewhere, the Mad Assaulters of Azerbadzjan would find an opportunity to redeem themselves in the Georgian Declaration of War in the Christian Year 1535. As Georgian troops laid seige to Kerch, the Mad Assaulters came upon Tblisi and the city was captured by storm. It would take two tries and some reinforcements to take the Georgian capital Sukhumi, by which time Georgia had captured Kerch. The Mad Assaulters met the Georgian Army in Kerch, where 11,000 Georgians defeated 18,000 Turks, further blackening the reputation of the Azerbadzjan unit. The Georgians settle down to reclaim their capital as the Azerbadzjan unit recruits new forces to avenge itself in the eyes of God and the Sultan, and a year later, 23,000 Turks of the Azerbadzjan unit routed 8,000 Georgians before the walls of Sukhumi, leaving Georgia no choice to accept full annexation by the Ottoman Empire on 1 Thaw al-Qi'dah 944 (1 April 1538).

Back in Itlay, the Pope continued his march, capturing Apulia and slaughtering the Turkish garrison, fearing that his foothold in Italy might be lost altogether, Suleyman surrender Naples and 14D to the Pope on 23 Ramadhan 943 (5 March 1537). Suleyman vowed that Naples would be retaken during his lifetime and orders Gazi Huzrev to take vengeance on the Republic of Venice, which joined the Papal crusade. When Gazi asked his Sultan which of Venice's territories he coveted, Suleyman simply said "all of them"....

 

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The Nine Years War (1534-43): The Final Campaigns

The War with Venice officially began all the way back in Sha'ban 940 (March 1534), but little action was seen until after the Moldavian annexation, which freed Gazi Huzrev and his men for the Venice campaign. These forces were divided into 2, a legion of Mad Assaulters, who moved upon Illyria and took it on the Third Assault and Gazi Huzrev and the artillery, who took Ragusa the long way before they were picked up by the Ottoman fleet and ferried to Corfu, which also capitualted after a 9-month siege, by which time 2 assaults had taken Istria. Khair ad-Din (aka Barbarossa) (5/4/5), Admiral of the Ottoman fleet, saw to the sinking of the several Venetian War fleets, including inflicting a serious defeat on the main body of the Venetian navy. His mastery of the seas allowed the siege of Corfu to proceed without interruption and then allowed Gazi Huzrev and his artillery to sail to Venice itself to meet up with the Mad Assaulters there.The siege of Venice proceeded without any precipitous assaults, as we wished to preserve the Arts Center there. The Turkish siege of Venice would prove a difficult affair however, as 20,000 Venetians from Mantua were able to drive off Gazi Huzrev and 26,000 Turks. Gazi Huzrev and his men retreated to Croatia, where they rallied and then returned to Venice in triumph, after expelling the Venetian force in Istria. Venice fell to Gazi Huzrev, who then marched on Mantua, where another 20,000 Venetians repelled him and his 24,000 Turks. The Venetians laid seige to their capital in a desperate bid to avoid annexation, but once more Gazi Huzrev rallied, knowing that otherwise the Golden Chord of Failure awaited him, and his troops returned to Venice, destroyed the Venetian relief force, and stormed and captured Mantua. This long and exhausting campaign ended with the annexation of the Republic on 27 Rabay' al-Thanny 949 (9 Aug, 1542).

New campaigns were forced upon the Empire as the Venetian campaign proceeded inexorably towards its conclusion, Nubia DOWed in 944 (1538), as did Crimea. Field Marshall Ibrahim led his troops against Nubia, while I was called upon to march north from Baghdad to meet up with Suleyman for the Crimean campaign. Ibrahim's forces had a difficult time with Nubia, though every Nubain army encountered was easily defeated, the poverty of the area Ibrahim fought in resulted in attrition killing far more efficiently than the enemy. Nonetheless, Ibrahim's forces would sucessfully capture both Nubia and the capital province of Sudan, forcing the Nubians to cede Nubia and a cash indemnity, ending the war in Africa by 948 (1541). Meanwhile I had led my soliders up to Georgia, where Suleyman and a large body of recruits met us. Assuring us that new recruits were on the way, we marched upon the Crimean Tatars, glad to be back in action after 2 years of inactivity as the war raged elsewhere. The first contest of arms was had in the Kouban, where Suleyman and 25,000 men defeated 30,000 Crimean troops thanks to the brilliance of Suleyman's strategic thinking and the fearless execution of his Janissaries. After we took Kouban by a 7-month siege, our numbers were bolstered up to 62,000 by new recruits, just in time to face 50,000 Crimeans in the Second Battle of Kouban. The battle was a rout, as the Crimeans had no Suleyman to lead them, I led the left wing of the Turkish lines, and we smashed the Crimean right and hooked up with Suleyman's divison, which had plowed through the Crimean center. A few hours later, the Crimean right gave way and the remaining soliders of the Khanate fled in terror, Crimea had lost 42,000 men on the battlefiled, while Turkey's losses were a mere 9,000. After the Second Battle of Kouban, we faced only pockets of further resistance, we stormed Kalmuk, the fastest Janissaries were within the walls even before the gates could be shut and the city was taken easily. Azov and Crimea we took with patient siege warfare, which left only Lugansk in the Khan's hands. By now, the Khan was begging for peace, but his moment had passed. Lugansk was taken by assault and the Crimea annexed on 28 Rajab 949 (6 Nov 1542).

Shortly before the final destruction of Crimea, the Golden Horde had declared war. These Mongols were poorly prepared however and our forces, fresh from the Crimean campaign, met the Horde's troops in Volgograd. The Horde's troops were small in number and were quickly forced to retreat. Suleyman, with the help of forces sent from Astrakhan and Sibir, took the Mongol capital and forced peace upon the Golden Horde in exchange for some of their gold. The campagin had lasted only 6 months betweeb the Christian years 1541 and '42.

The end of the war with the Golden Horde brought peace on the eastern forntier, but France and Austria now decided to enter the war on the western front. Formidable as these enemies were, our biggest problem at this time was the Romanian Revolt, as the lands of Moldavia, Transylvania, and Wallachia rose in rebellion and troops needed on the Italian forntier were kept occupied quelling revolt after revolt as France advanced into Turkish lands. Mantua revolted as the French crossed this terriotory and the French soliders obligingly crushed this uprising for us before laying siege to Mantua. With Mantua about to fall, Suleyman bought the French off with some Armenian gold. This left only the Austrians, who accepted a white peace after a round of inconclusive border skirmishes in Shawaal 949 (Feb 1543), ending the Nine Years War.

Like any major conflagration, the Nine Years War produced several after-effects. Among these was the status of the Pope, although the Pope claimed his newest crusade as a smashing success with the Christian reconquest of Naples, many had noticed that the Pope was expanding his own influence in his crusades by callously sending his supposed allies to their doom. The Christian nations of Venice, Hungary, Moldavia, Wallachia, and Georgia had all been sacrificed for the capture of a single province, and then there was the question of how long the Turks would accept their Italian setback, as many Christians observed that the Ottomans had begun massing troops both in Mantua and Apulia, with Turkish borders to the north and the south, just how safe was the Pope in his conquests? Another result of the war was Turkey's standing with their paranoid vassal Astrakhan. The Khan of Astrakhan was impressed enough with Turkey's stunning victories against Crmiea to agree to exchange his Khanship for a Pashalik, and the Khanate of Astrakhan was annexed diplomatically by Suleyman's Turkey on 8 Safar 953 (9 April 1546).

The Ottoman Empire in 1546

 

[Morpheus506]

Heh heh heh, the Pope destroyed you

Now what needs to happen is for Poland, Russia, France, Austria, the Pope, and Persia to all declare war on you at once and tear you apart. There aren't enough AARs like that

 

[Cow Pie]

Maybe you already said this, but who controls Sicily? The Pope?

 

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Cow Pie: Yes, the Pope owns all Sicily. He has grown into a quite a little powerhouse in this game. The only other weird things on the map would be the Helvetian riviera (that brown spot between France and Spain) and the big brown mass up north, where the Kalmar Union is still together.

Morph: I gain 16 provinces, annex 4 whole countries, lose 1 province and I got destroyed??? Tough crowd. Obviously I'll have to annex some more people, maybe I'll start with a certain small khanate on my northeastern border....[retires into the Seraglio and requests Janissary bodyguards. Offers Cow Pie Asylum]

 

[Morpheus506]

Well, the Papal states are like 1/20th your size... so I would consider a province gained on their side destruction, yes (hooray for skewed sense of victory/defeat )

 

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A Time of Exploration, Consolidation, and Crisis (1543-59)

With the Nine Year's War finally over and the overwhelming dominance of Turkish arms being demonstrated (despite certain naysayers), the peasants of the Aegean Islands and Apulia came to accept that Ottoman administration had come to stay (nationalism dies out). The Pope's celebrations over the Christian conquest of Naples were soon dulled when the peasants of the city rose in revolt at the exorbitant tax rates the Pope imposed upon them. The following years would see development come to the fore as never before in Turkish history, with the construction of a liquors manufactory in Crete and an Art Academy in Istanbul. Sadly, the realm's other Art Academy in Venice was torched by Papal-backed rebels about this time.

As mentioned previously, Suleyman's dilpomatic skills would see the peaceable incorporation of Astrakhan in 953 (1546) and Suleyman followed this diplomatic coup when Sibir accepted vassalage to the Ottoman Empire in 954 (1547). At this time, a heroic adventurer named Ozdemir (3/2/2) offered his services as an explorer (conquistador). Ozdemir was fitted with 4,000 horsemen in Astrakhan and sent out to explore the wild areas east of Sibir in 955 (1548). I suspect Ozdemir may be half-Russian, as he uses the Russian tongue when naming the new provinces he discovers for Suleyman. His reports indicate that the natives of the region are a peaceful lot and his expeditionary force is not molested on its way. On 22 Shaban 958 (25 August 1551) Ozdemir discovers a large nation called China far to the east of Turkish lands and by 961 (1554) the Turkish ambassador to Beijing sucessfully bribes his way into the Imperial map room and our knowledge of the far east grows exponentially. By that time, Ozdemir had discovered a land he called "Kamchatka" to great fanfare (+10 VPs). With the eastern limits of the Eurasian landmass attained, Ozdemir begins the long ride back to Turkey, taking a more northerly route and discovering many new provinces on his return trip. Sadly, Ozdemir and his party freeze to death in the land Ozdemir had named "Ob." Suleyman's growing love of geography was further indulged with an exchange of maps with the Mughal Empire and Mysore (both 1557), giving us a complete map of the subcontinet. Sulemyan also accepted a Mughal princess into his harem at the kind offer of the Mughal Sultan. Meanwhile, colonists were expanding Turkey's eastern borders, with colonial towns being founded in Socotra (1543), Alga (1558), and Aralsk (1559). The eastern border was expanded yet farther on 26 Rajab 966 (4 May 1559) when the khanate of Sibir was quietly incorporated into the Turkish realm.

Domestically, this period was troubled despite ongoing infrastructure upgrades by a political crisis percipitated when the people learned of the large sums of money being paid out as bribes to ensure foreign good-will in Ramadhan 954 (Nov 1547). The dust had barley cleared from this crisis when the discovery of blatant office-selling by regional pashas was uncovered in 962 (1555). The corruption revealed by this scandal caused rampant inflation, as the peasants looked suspiciously on government-backed currency for several years thereafter.

In foregin affairs, the most important events were Russia's absorption of Ryazan and the French conquest of Alsace. The Pope sent Suleyman a threating letter after Turkish missionaries had sucessfully spread Islam to the people of Orenburg, ending their time of ignorance. Suleyman demanded the Pope surrender Naples to its rightful Turkish owners, and relations between the Sultan and the Pope somehow managed to degrade yet further. As the Pope and the Sultan continued to trade insults, the Pope hinted that he might call for another crusade, but Suleyman beat him to it, declaring war upon the Papal States on the 1st day of the Christian Year 1560...

 

[Morpheus506]

They died in Ob, so close to safety in Sibir... that sucks, well at least you got China's maps

 

[Cow Pie]

[retires into the Seraglio and requests Janissary bodyguards. Offers Cow Pie Asylum]

Why do so many people think I'm crazy?

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Turkey have a CB on Stiermark in Austria?

 

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Why do so many people think I'm crazy?

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Turkey have a CB on Stiermark in Austria?

I meant political asylum, fellow Sibir-annexer. I have a CB shield on Carinola but not Styria. The Ottomans CB shields are kind of weird, as they're spread all over the place and often not contiguous. I guess the computer's trying to make sure the Ottomans make a lot of war. As a minor complaint, how is it their neither Turkey nor Austria has CB shields on Hungary (except my Ottoman CB shield on Croatia)?

 

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Last Campaigns of Suleyman (1560-64)

As war with the Pope begins, I march northwards from Apulia with Sultan Suleyman and 40,000 men. General Lala Mustapha (2/2/4) leads Turkish forces numbering 43,000 men southwards from Mantua. Our first stop is in Naples, where rebels have had the run of the city for several years since chasing out their Papal governors, these rebels welcome their Turkish liberators with open arms (I stormed a rebel fortress, same difference). As I contnue to march northward with Suleyman, I hear word that Lala Mustapha has assaulted and captured Emilia. The Christians we pass on the way seem indifferent to the outcome of the war, they have not risen in arms like the Christian Pontiff predicted, perhaps due to the fact the Pope's ceaseless warmongering has harmed his reputation with his subjects. Word begins to spread at camp that supposed might of the Pope will prove little more than a paper tiger. Indeed, we soon reach the walls of Rome itslef without seeing so much as a single Papal division. Suleyman has tired of dealing with the intracatable Pope and orders an assault, our reward should we succeed will be the right to keep whatever we can carry as plunder. With visions of riches dancing in our heads, we attack with a ferocity that easily overwhelms the Papal defenders. Charging through a city you've just captured gives quite a rush, particularly for one with no fear of death, and the plunder is exceeedingly good. Shortly after Rome falls, Suleyman and Lala Mustapha meet to discuss further deployments, as Romagna had fallen to Mustapha's forces, leaving the Pope no territory on the peninsula. It appears French agents have managed to smuggle the perfidious Pope to a city known as Avignon, as Turkish search parties are unable to find him. At this point, a logical division appears, as the duchy of Modena (Spain, Knights) declares war and a Papal force of 16,000 begins a seige in Apulia. Suleyman heads south to face the Pope's armies in Apulia, still with 35,000 men under his command, while Lala Mustapha heads north for Modena. The duchy of Modena fields an army of 17,000, which is easily overwhelmed by Lala Mustapha and his troops. Down to 25,000 men, Lala Mustapha assaults and captures Modena, and the duchy is annexed on 18 Jumaada II 968 (5 March, 1561). Meanwhile, Suleyman meets and quickly smashes Papal resistance in Apulia, and we pursue the Papal forces across the straights into Messina, where unexpected help arrives by way of Genoa. I don't know exactly how the Genoese wound up at war with the Pope, but no sooner have they arrived than they submit to Suleyman's obvious military superiority. Suleyman uses these Genoese as auxillaries for his Janissaries in the assaults of Messina and minimally-defended Parma, bring all Papal lands under the Sultan's control and resulting in a surprisingly easy annexation on 10 Jumaada I 968 (26 Jan 1561).

Our war in Italy has of course prompted our enemies the Persians (Hedjaz) to declare a war of their own. Turkish forces in the region move on Kirkuk while Persia's armies lay seige to Baghdad. Ottoman forces assault and capture Kirkuk and move on Kars, but 2 assaults fail to dislodge the defenders of this mountainous province, and the Persians have meanwhile retaken Iraq, prompting an exchange of priosners and captured terriotries, ending the war with a white peace on Ramadhan 968 (June 1561). Our campaigns against the Hedjaz came off better, as forces under Ozdemirolsu Osman (2/4/3) head north from the Nubian border to reach the Hedjaz. After dispatching a small border defense force in Jordan, Osman's forces quickly storm and capture the provinces of Jordan and Arabia, prompting the sharifs of Mecca to cede the territory of Jordan to the Ottomans for peace.

With the Papal States annexed, Suleyman and his forces arrive in Apulia, where reinforcements are brought in as admiral Dragut (5/2/4) cleanses the waters of Spanish and Knightly fleets. Farhter north, Lala Mustapha has turned his attentions against Bavaria, Papal allies who have laid seige to Pest. The Bavarians are dislodged from Pest, but not before inflicting heavy losses among Mustapha's men, even as a second Bavarian army lays seige to Mantua. At this point, the Austrians, new leaders of ex-Papal alliance, offer to end the war in exchange for Turkey's paying idemnities. These terms are judged acceptable, and the war against the Papal alliance ends.

As Suleyman's numbers are bolstered back to 34,000, a new target is selected--Rhodes. The expedition is held off for a time by Dragut's defeat by a Spanish floatilla, but as soon as the Spainiards move off, Suleyman and his troops are loaded. It is a tense moment as we hope to avenge the glory of Islam against the wicked crusaders. We have no illusions it will be easy though, as the Kinghts are commanded by Jean de Vallette and have 26,000 men at their disposal. The tension was palpable as we unloaded and advanced upon Valette's entreched position. The Kinghts ventured out from their hiding places and battle was joined. Disaster looked imminent as the Ottoman left began giving way, but the Janissaries rallied and launched a surprise charge against Valette's center, which gave way under the pressure. We all followed the lead of those valiant men and poured into the gaping hole in the enemy's forces and the battle was ours. The Knights retreated into their citadel and a seige of several months was required before Rhodes was ours. Suleyman had the greatest respect for Valette and his warriors, who had shown great valor. They were offered a chance to join the Turkish army, but Valette and his men claimed they would prefer martyrdom, and they were speedily obliged. We announced the dissolution of the Order on 9 Shawaal 969 (11 June 1562).

The eastern front had not been quiet however, as both Poland and the Golden Horde took up arms against the House of Osman. As hostilities open, we send a Turkish army against Bessarabia, the last remaining non-Turkish port on the Black Sea. There our army is defeated by forces led by King Sigismund despite our slight numerical edge (18,000 vs. 16,000). We are able to revenge ourselves, however, as reinforcements bolster the army to 33,000 strong, and we proceed against Poland once more, routing Sigismund's forces utterly. We capture the poorly defended provinces of Bessarabia and Krementjug by assault as the Poles seige and capture Moravia. We then move against Kiev. Kiev is well defended, but Turkish besiegers are patient, and the city surrenders after a breech in the walls creates an assault opportunity. These gains are enough to convince the Poles to part with Krementjug and Bessarabia for peace. The Golden Horde is as badly prepared for conflict as always, they field a single army of 9,000 besides some fresh recruits raised later, but they're resistance is pitiable compared to Turkish might. Their capital Volgograd is assaulted and taken early in the war, and the Horde's remaining provinces of Uralsk and Samarra are reduced and captured with patient seige warfare. Fearing Russian retaliation, we wait until the onset of winter to declare the Horde's annexation. Sadly, Tsar Ivan IV is no fool, and he waits until the spring thaw to declare a war of his own upon the Ottomans.

The war now entered the its last and bloodiest phase, as over 90,000 Russian troops surged across our borders and quickly captured Lugansk. We raised a masive army of our own under Koprollu Mehmed (3/2/1), and sent them against the Russians. The Russians, commanded by Prince Andrei Kurbsky, were now beseiging Samarra, whose walls were giving way, when Koprollu's relief force arrived and sent the invaders packing after a long and bloody battle. Koprollu's force then advance into Russian territory, capturing Kubyschew and Saratow and moving on Lipetsk, where Koprollu and 59,000 Turks meet 6,000 Pskovian cavalry. The Pskovians win their nation great glory at Lipetsk, where their delaying actions corall Turkish forces long enough for Kurbski and another gigantic Russian army to descend upon Lipetsk. The First Battle of Lipetsk was a horrendous bloodbath. When it ended, 33,000 Turks and 40,000 Russians/Pskovians lay dead, but Kurbski had carried the day, and Koprollu was obliged to retreat to Saratow. The two armies each received large reinforcements, and Koprollu, fearing the Golden Chord, advanced once more. The Second Battle of Lipetsk was nearly as nightmarish as the first. Koprollu succeeded on this day and Kurbski withdrew, but the plain surrounding Lipetsk was thick with human corpses and the streams ran red with blood. More than 125,000 men from both sides lay there at a site that has come to be known as Desolation Field. The putrid stench and hideous conditions of Lipetsk, forced an Ottoman withdrawl, as there were not enough men to continue further into Russia. The First Russo-Turkish War ended soon afterwards with the Russians paying a small sum in gold.

Yet there was one more war to fight, as Tuscany, who had wisely stayed out of the conflict for two years, boldly entered the fray. Lala Mustapha easily defeated their armies and the state was annexed after patient seige tactics secured Tuscany's 2 territories with their 2 manufactories.

The Ottoman Empire in 1564

 

[Cow Pie]

I meant political asylum, fellow Sibir-annexer. I have a CB shield on Carinola but not Styria. The Ottomans CB shields are kind of weird, as they're spread all over the place and often not contiguous. I guess the computer's trying to make sure the Ottomans make a lot of war. As a minor complaint, how is it their neither Turkey nor Austria has CB shields on Hungary (except my Ottoman CB shield on Croatia)?

Well just a minor suggestion. As I recall raising Stabillity was a bitch when playing as the Ottomans, so far most wars you can now count on everyone declaring war on you anyway. so just Dow the Emperor of the West to get your way.

Saves you the stab hit of say Dowing Russia, the Pope *Which made me think of this suggestion*, etc. Great AAR

 

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The Death of Suleyman and the reign of Selim II

I must confess I missed a few years here. In my life as Janissary, I caught an illness during the seige of Rhodes and never properly recovered. I was dead during the end of the Russian and Tuscan wars so I only repeat what I heard some time later, when I re-entered the Turkish world as Jalal Pasha, in charge of foreign relations at Istanbul. I arrived late in August 1566, just in time for Suleyman's funeral. Like many in Istanbul and throughout the realm, I wept openly at the news that the Great Turk was dead. I was obliged to perform the eulogy, which I managed despite being choked with tears, especially having fought under Suleyman in campaigns to Baghdad, Crimea, Rome, and Rhodes. As Suleyman the Magnificinet was interred a list of the lands he annexed to the realm was attached. To remind all who shall ever read this of the greatness of the man we buried that day, here is the list : Papal States, Modena, Tuscany, Astrakhan, Sibir, Crimea, Moldavia, Hungary, Georgia, Venice, and the Golden Horde.

During the first month of his rule, Selim II did little to interrupt the prolonged period of mourning which gripped Istanbul in the wake of Suleyman's death. After the morning period, it became clear that Selim II was devoted not to the arts of government but to the pleasures of the couch (liquor, tobacco, etc.). Thus I come to join the de facto regency which rules the land as Selim and his pals enjoy week-long benders and poetry slams in Topkapi, I miss the Great Turk already. During Suleyman's last years and my abscence, the most important happenings I learn of are Lorraine's declaration of independence from France and the upgrading of the Turkish colony in Socotra to a city. A new liqour refinery had also been ordered in Smyrna by the crown prince Selim. Annual income has risen to nearly 7 times the haul we brought in when I first arrived in Turkey. I take it as my mission to prevent the gradual erosion of Turkish power that occurred many years ago when I was in college. There will be none of it this time, not if I can help it. France re-annexes Lorraine shortly after my newest incarnation and we soon learn that the French have annexed Wurtemberg as well, despite the continued widespread rebellion in their lands. We look uncomfortably at our new border with the French and it does not make us happy. Revolts among the Italian posessions are distressingly common at this time, we suspect agents from Avignon. Our colonial holdings expand as we push into Siberia in these years, setting up tradeposts in Semipalatinsk, Novosibirsk, Altai, Ob, Barabinsk, and Irtych. We also discover logistics, allowing the exploration of what few lands remained outside the sweeping discoveries of Ozdemir.

The infrastructure of the provinces receives continual upgrades throughout Selim's years, with the discovery of a rare mineral (+300D) facilitating our efforts in 1570. On the diplomatic front, Turkish gold buys many friends, allowing us to marry into the family of Uzbek Khan (1570) and add Oman to our alliance with the Hafsids (1573). Maps were also exchanged with the new nation of the Netherlands, allowing the Turkish discovery of America, where it was noted that the Aztec Empire was still very much alive. Having heard of the wealth of this region, a Turkish presence in the New World is created when the colony of Chibam is founded in 979 (1572) in the territory the Spanish named "Moron," presumably after one of Phillip II's cousins. The gold mining colony of Hargeisa (Angara) is established in 981 (1573), making our expansion into Siberia much more profitable overnight. The French suffer their first major reversal at the hands of a foreign power in 981 as well, when they surrender the lands of Savoie and Milan to the Elector of Saxony. Western Europe is further paralyzed by the outbreak of civil war in Spain. The English nation rejoices when Anglia become a CoT, but the English prove touchy over their trade and no sooner have Turkish merchants arrived in Anglia than England has declared an embargo against us. The fools have merely given us another CB to work with. After allowing his adviors to bring 8 years of peaceful development to the realm, Selim II dies from a nasty fall in the bath in the year 982 (1574), and Murad III (3/2/5) takes over. I can tell we advisors will have our work cut out for us in the years to come....