The year 848, or 1444 in the Julian calender, proved to be an eventful year. New alliances were drawn up between a multitude of nations in the region. Oman, one of Hormuz' fiercest competitors in the Persian gulf, and a significant mercantile power, reached an agreement with Hejaz. The Hejez-Omani alliance would soon embark on a series of aggressive acts, beginning with Najd several years later.
The imbalance of power that this alliance would bring was not lost to the Kingdom of Hormuz. Yet there was little that the Sultan Fakhr could do. His envjoys returned with empty hands from all directions. Apart from one.
Hormuz was not the only realm threatened by this alliance. Yemen, too, foresaw nothing good to come out of this. Duly, an alliance was struck between the two realms. Yemen and Hormuz promised to aid one another if war was to come upon them.
Yemen would turn out to be Hormuz' most trustworthy ally in the years to come.
Sultan Fakhr seemed surprised at the arrival of his envoy at first. He had not expected such warm greetings from the this newly found friend in the west. At this moment, the Yemeni military overshadowed Hormuz' regiments in size, since the Hormuzi were not able to field an army larger than 5.000 souls without depleting its treasury. The only strength Hormuz possessed was its fleet; more galleys were completed in the docks every year.
Despite Hormuz' inability to wage a large land war, the bonds of this new alliance would soon face their first test. After a period of border clashes, the Sultan of Yemen finally gave the sign for his armies to move into Oman proper. This might have been a wise decision, if not for the fact that Hejaz came to its ally's defence. Early battles between Yemeni and Omani riders were decided in favour of the former, but the mobilization of 8.000 Hejazi troops meant a quick deterioration of the war for Yemen.
Yemen's rash declaration of war put Sultan Fakhr in a difficult position. It was not at all clear yet whether Hormuz would come to their aid. What was Hormuz to gain from this? Was their army even in such a state to form a threat to the Omani? These were questions that plagued the Sultan and his advisors.
Several hours later, time used by the Sultan's advisor to squabble between themselves on what to do, the Sultan entered the throne room. He decreed that Hormuz was to prepare its forces and march on Masqat; Oman's capital. Despite his earlier reservations he reasoned that Hormuz had no choice.
Despite Yemen's mistake, the Sultan reasoned, they were Hormuz' ally. Their only ally. If Hormuz wanted to realize its ambition they had to earn their new ally's trust. Thus Hormuz went to war.
The Yemeni-Omani war of 1447-1453
''How many dead?''
''Close to 2000, sir..''
The first military clashes had not gone well for Hormuz. Upon discovering that not enough supplies were present for the siege of Masqat (1) , captain Mehdi was forced to march his regiments back towards the ports of Qawasim. Fortune, however, did not smile upon him. Having finished a war in Najd; Hejazi troops were returning to come to the aid of their Omani allies. It just so happened that Captain Mehdi was right in their path. The ensueing battle did not turn out well for the mercenary; many of his men and of Hormuz' regiments were killed.
''I told him, you know. The forts of Masqat are well fortified, and well manned. He was too bold.''
''.. nobody could have foreseen that we would meet the Hejazi, sir, even our scouts didn't see th--''
''Nonsense! Bad luck comes to those who deserve it. We should have never operated so far from Yemen. What am i to do with only 5000 men!? We can at most plunder villages and ports, not besiege large fortresses.
*sigh* Alright. Round up the remaining troops, i am going to start making preparations for returning the troops to Hormuz. I have read reports that the strait should be safe; the galley masters were succesful atleast...
Captain Mehdi was a sellsword from Persia. Due to the small population of Hormuz island, it could not field any effective force. It had to hire outsiders.
The captain requested an audience with the Sultan, and after a heated discussion managed to convince the Sultan to instead aid the Yemeni in the west, instead of attempting to seize control of the Omani capital on their own. Even though Hormuz itself was safe from outside attack (after a succesful naval battle), the real stake in this war was the enduring of the Yemeni-Hormuzi alliance.
The Hormuzi were, however, not used to warfare; long had they focused solely on trade. Only in recent years did they see themselves in a situation where they had to learn the art of war again. It seemed that men like Captain Mehdi had to do just that.
And much learning they had to do indeed. The war proved to be a tough one. The Yemeni and Hormuzi were outnumbered, and solely by merging their forces could they wish to avoid a defeat. After agreeing to leaving matters of strategy to captain Mehdi, the Hormuzi forces were brought together to recoup, and then to merge with their Yemeni allies in the western theatre. After the formation of an unified Yemeni-Hormuzi force, the Omani forces were eventually repelled from eastern Yemen.
Captain Mehdi capitalized on this victory by quickly turning to Hejaz. He ordered a march unto the Holy City; Mekkah. News of the siege reached the Hejazi forces in Yemen quickly and, eager to defend the capital of Islam, returned to dislodge their enemies. Captain Mehdi, however, had already foreseen this event.
The Yemeni and Hormuzi were well situated to defend the local mountainous terrain, and when the Hejazi attacked they were in an excellent position.
The Hejazi lost many men that day, and were forced to retreat northward during which Mehdi moved the troops to besiege Mekkah.
The first, and last, deciside naval engagement between Hormuzi and Omani ships
After having suffered many casualties in the later stage of the war, and being unable to dislodge the combined Yemeni-Hormuzi army in Hejaz, Sultan Fakhr decided to send a peace envoy to Masqat to negotiate a peace. Oman agreed to nullifying their alliance with Hejaz. A more punishing peace treaty was established between Oman and Yemen shortly afterwards.
Although the Hormuzi captains would tell you otherwise, it was not the army that won the war. The battle at the strait of Hormuz had guaranteed the Hormuzi free reign over the local sea. It was this freedom that allowed Hormuz to move troops from one end to the other quickly. Had it not been for the fleet, the Hormuzi army would not have been able to join with the Yemeni at the western end of the peninsula.
The true victory in this war was the lasting Yemeni-Hormuzi alliance. Hormuz had, through struggle, managed to gain the trust of the Yemeni sultan. A royal celebration was held between the two monarchs shortly after the war, with much contemplation on what promise this alliance would have for the future.
Notes: In the future i will take more screenshots of wars to give you a better glimpse of the strategical situation. Suffice it to say that the only war this war was won was because the AI never bothered to merge their forces, while i did with Yemen.
Even before the arrival of European ships, a thriving network of trade existed in the Indian ocean. Due to the diversity of the regions at the ocean's shores, there was much demand for intraregional trade. Wood from India found its way to Arabia, where it could not be found in abundance, while precious goods like ivory and gold left the lands of east Africa. In any case, the Indian ocean trade was not limited to luxury goods. The use of ships allowed for trade in bulky goods such as wood and foodstuffs (such as rice from South-East Asia).
The monsoon winds allowed the sailors for predictable streams in the ocean, so that eastward voyages were conducted in summer, and westward voyages in winter.
Most of these ships consisted of Dhows, derived from Daw (Swahili). Dhows were routinely used ships in the Indian ocean trade. They were characteristic for their lateen sails and their stitched hulls. On his visit to Hormuz, Marco polo displayed a dim view of the design:
"they were twine and with it stitch the planks of the ship together. It keeps well and is not corroded by sea-water but it will not stand well in a storm [...]
The vessels built at Hormuz are the worst kind, and dangerous for navigation, exposing the merchants and others who make use of them to great hazards."
Yet the Dhows, which came in various sizes and widths, stayed predominantly in use by Indian ocean merchants for many centuries to come. Unlike the caravans, they would allow for goods in large quantities to be moved across the continent.
The Hormuzi-Najd war of 1454-1456
Despite captain Mehdi's warning that the rulers of Qara Qoyunlu would not look favourably upon this aggressive act, Sultan Fakhr ordered for him to ready the regiments once again.
Soon after the conclusion of the conflict with the Omani, the Sultan wanted to deter any predators that were preying upon Hormuz. This was to be achieved by means of conquest.
Besides scaring potential enemies, the Hormuzi merchants also needed new trading posts and opportunities in the Persian gulf. Or so they reasoned. What they wanted with a few dusty islands was a mystery to him. The pay was good, so he just followed orders. And thus, deciding that argueing against the Sultan would net him little anyway, arranged for his men to mobilize.
The conflict proved to be quite unremarkable. It seemed that Najd's nomads were utterly unprepared for a new conflict, and Najd's men were quickly scattered.
The peace treaty would force Najd to relinquish the provinces of Qatar, Awal and Bani Yas.
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''These are delicious.. where did you procure these, my friend?''
''Dates from Qatar sire. A gift from the local governor. I believe they merely wish to placate you. There are many more of them in docks. Shall i have them brought over?''
''No, i am fine. Tell me, what do you think of captain Mehdi's view on my policy? He seemed less than eager to be sent to the mainland again.
''He is but a sellsword sire, seeking to save his own skin.. but he is right in the fact we should be cautious. Any activity in the gulf is to be looked upon suspiciously by not only the Persians, but also by the black sheep''
The sultan stood up from his chair, and walked towards the balcony.
''... yes. If you must... Oh, there was one more thing, sire.''
''Yes?''
''An envoy, from Persia... it seems events are unfolding there in a shocking pace.'' (2)
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Gameplay notes:
(1): I overlooked the fact that Masqat had a garrison of 3000! Early military mistake
Still need to get used to CS mechanics Didnt have enough man to siege it, i was hoping that, once there, Yemen would send forces to help me but they were busy with Hejaz.
(2): Rebellions, rebellions everywhere.
