Tales from Basra

[Sneakyflaps]

Hey guys this will be my first AAR so please bare with me, also i would love some feedback if its good then im happy ofc, and if you think it sucks then please tell me why so i can improve. Also this is taken from a multiplayer campaign called Dukes of Europe which runs every saturday at 6-10 PM GMT. So there will be a weekly update of this as the game goes along.

So here we go i hope you enjoy


Will I be remembered as the Strong, Weak, Holy, Evil, Fat, Great or the Terrible?



The Ottoman Story

Our story begins in the year 1066 in the small emirate of Basra, words are sweeping across Europe telling about the bastard of Normandy’s victory over a saxon king. Not much are noted of this in Persia as this is no matter to us, so what if a new king of half an island is crowned we will never meet him anyway. After all the messenger didn’t even know his name only that all called him the bastard.

It was in the company of crown prince Malik we first heard of this. Prince Malik was a great prince, he loved writing and knew the ways of his faith better than the caliph, which often embarrassed the caliph enough to tell the sultan to make him be quiet. Its here we find our guy Suleiman just a few months before being granted the emirate of Basra. Suleiman was a great steward and the sultan of Persia Alp Arslan I knew this, earlier Suleiman had been a courtier in his court had been his personal steward, he had reformed the sultans land and made it prosper. The sultan then told him that if he could turn Basra into a mighty emirate that he would be made steward of Persia and could set his mark on the empires history.

Our great lord Suleiman

Seeing this as a great chance he accepted and got the emirate, being told by the sultan he had just 20 years to do it or he would remove it again. The work began slowly and Suleiman got worried, there where war between the Seljuk empire and the Byzantine empire making all the great emirs leave for battle in turkey. In the early stages of this war the steward of the empire died in battle leaving the postion open, many of the great lords refused to leave the battlefield for doing something as simple as collecting taxes, however Suleiman saw this as a chance and accepted the job, this didn’t only leave him with access to the royal finances but also to return to Basra and fortify his position while the rest where away fighting a losing war.

Malik traveled with Suleiman back to Persia, he had recently been maimed in a battle and needed to rest and get medical treatment. This happened in 1069 and there were starting to become unrest. The empire was losing a war we had started, we were going into financial ruin, even though Suleiman did all that he could he simply coundt keep up with the money the war costed, after 5 years of war the coffers where dry and the empire didn’t generate a lot of money because all the young men where off fighting the sultans war.
Then disaster struck in 1070, our armies had been destroyed and worse yet the sultan had been killed in battle.


Was this to be the end of the Seljuk line?

 

[Sneakyflaps]

Part 2

It’s the 22nd of August and Sultan Malik I has called an immediate council to deal with the empire. Within the next few months the empire was in revolt and nothing other than a war could stop it, we had no money to bribe the vassals, a lot had seen Malik as a wrong kind of sultan, being more a scholar then a warrior.

Its 1071 and half the empire has risen up, either going for independence or support the sultan in hopes of gaining land and favor. Suleiman was no different, he joined the sultan because they were old friends but also in hopes of advancing his own position.

Suleiman was the only one in Mesopotamia that had stayed loyal to the sultan, the rest revolted. To prove his loyalty he called his generals and gathered his armies, he by then had also turned Basra into a powerful emirate and had enough gold to buy mercenaries to support him. He had then all his men gathered and marched on the traitorous emirs around him. The first was the emir right next to the east of him, he went in destroyed his armies and was rewarded his county of Kozistan.

By 1072 the situation had become so desperate that the sultan had promised that whoever sieged the land of a rebel would keep it. This made many of the other emirs act quickly to improve their holdings seeing as they now had a chance of being the new powerbase. Suleiman saw this as the perfect action to improve his own holdings, he was surrounded by rebels all he had to do was march for a month and he could gain a county. Suleiman saw this as a great chance of reducing the caliphs power, the caliph had risen in rebellion a few months earlier to get back at Malik, for the insults made earlier when Malik was just a teen.
This resulted in him making Basra to the new powerbase in the empire, during these wars he gain the countys of Kozistan, Tigris, Baghdad, Ilam, Luristan, Rummah and Kuwait.
Suleimans eldest son was also growing and showing great statesmanship and diplomatic ability, however his abilities where overlooked because of his younger brother who had been born during the rebellion. It later showed this child was a genius, and a very skilled steward. Once he hit 16 his true skilled showed, many enemies and allies alike said that he was the greatest steward alive, and the Ottomans would one day be destined to ruler Mesopotamia.

The heir to the emirate.

Over the next 10 years Suleiman fortified his position in Basra building it up and preparing for future wars.

The year is now 1086 and this is where the first part of our story ends. Despite being homosexual and despised by other for it, he managed to have 9 children by 1082. And by this time being the strongest emir in Persia his position was strong.

The emirate at the end of session one.

 

[Dovahkiing]

perhaps we could have some screenshots?

 

[Sneakyflaps]

Here are some pics, i am sorry they are not better and all from the end date, and that i don't have more. I will first be able to really take some pics as the game goes along next saturday at session 3. Mainly because it was first after the second session i decided to write the AAR, so i do apologize for the lack of early pics. However the update from last saturdays session shoud have some pics in it, also there was a Jihad going on so you will see alittle warfare atleast. Also shoud there be anything else you would like me to do feel free to say so

 

[Sneakyflaps]

Alright ladies and gentlemen here is part 1 of session 2.

I hope you enjoy it


Tension and war along the border.
The year is 1086 and our lord Suleiman is rebuilding his new lands after the civil war, the civil war have been costly and deadly but also profitable in the long run. Our lands have increased by 3 times the original emirate granted by our beloved sultan Malik’s father, neither the rebels or the sultan had emerged victorius from the war, both sides had lost. The civil war was especially hurtful for the sultan having lost the two powerful emirates of Aleppo and Edessa, and with the loss of them we lost our frontier against the byzantine empire under the rule of Konstantinos XI, but worse yet the fools leave themselves unprotected.

But also with the new lands Suleiman was able to grant his second son and heir apparent a title securing him in the succession.

The next two years where rather peaceful, Basra hadn’t only turned into a major powerbase for the Ottoman dynasty, but also for Seljuk control in the area. However even though this is considered peace time Basra still went to war with a Shia to the south, it was a war of non importance and only a few hundred men died, had it not been so recent no one would have remembered it. The empire had become stable and had rebuild its army, the new personal army of Malik the Ghilman had proved to be worth the entire cost and now Malik wanted to use them. Malik had picked an easy target for the Ghilman but still enough to give them a fight.

The war was easily won and the land was Malik’s by right of conquest. However another problem had risen, though not a treat to us yet they might become a problem, especially because they are Shia. A string of murders had happened in western Persia, Malik didn’t think anything of it but did order his spymaster Danismend Pervane to see who the murderers were.

The year 1091 saw the jihad for Anatolia being called, it was glorious we finally had the chance of weakening the Byzantine empire, and avenge the death of our sultans beloved father. As a muslim I honored the call of the caliph and raised my men, we would bring death to the greeks and claim lands pushing our empire to an enormous extent.


During the middle of the Jihad negotiations with the Fatimids to the west had broken down, Malik had ordered his old friend and ally Suleiman to deal with it, Suleiman raised his own troops and was given a 7000 man strong mercenary army filled with light cavalry and horse archers. Suleiman was told to bring the fury of the sultan to Arabia and so the preparations began for the invasion of Arabia.

This however turned out to be Maliks last command, while Suleiman gathered his troops near Basra getting ready to start the war, word reached him of his friends Maliks death, the wound he had gotten many years earlier in battle leaving him maimed, had become infected and he died.

The young Sultan Saruca now held the power much to Suleiman’s dismay, the young sultan was shy and didn’t like talking with ambassadors, he also didn’t care for justice and he ate until he puked. All in all he was loathed by the emirs and didn’t command their respect, preferring to party rather than ruling, this saw the time where his council of emirs had held the most power in history. Suleiman was the leader of his council and was the only reason the realm held together, by this time Suleiman held so much respect, power and wealth to sway over any rebels. And the only thing stopping Suleiman from chopping the head of the sultan was out of respect for Malik and the marriage between his son and the sultans sister.

Now with the army gathered and the realm back in control the invasion could go on and thus the war for muslim supremacy started. However powerful men in Europe had known there where plans of an invasion which wasn’t good, these said men forced the pope to call a crusade for the kingdom of Jerusalem. Now this was a good chance to strike the head of the snake, and thus Suleiman turned the war into a speed campaign to make sure victory would be ours before the Fatimids could even have troops down in Arabia.

The tactic worked, the Fatimids surrendered when the army reached Egypts borders, giving Suleiman both the added troops and income from Arabia and of cause the sacred county of Mecca. Now celebrating the successful invasion, a feast was called in honor of Suleiman, the celebrations however where cut short when news of the catholics success in getting the kingdom of Jerusalem reached Basra. And the ones who had won this crusade shocked the court even more, it was the descended of the bastard of Normandy, King Gerald of England was the victor and no one had seen it coming, it also opened the muslim worlds eyes to the treat of the Catholics.

King of England and Jerusalem.

 

[Sneakyflaps]

Part 2 and final part of session 2

Sultan Saruca next action was to be forever lived on in infamy.

He called for another invasion but this time against the Fatimids homeland of Egypt, breaking a truce and forever to be called dishonest. Suleiman was commanded to lead the army again, still have the mercenaries near the border to Egypt he ordered them to quickly take the small castle of Eilat. They had to do this before the main Egyptian army showed up or they would be dead, while Suleiman returned to fight the Egyptians again he wondered if the mercenaries could make it in time, worried he set the speed of his soldiers up to get to them. However as later shown these mercenaries where some of the best in the Arabic world and had taken the castle, and gotten out of the area just before the Egyptian army arrived. They then linked the two armies together, however unknowing to Suleiman the Fatimids had gotten financiel support from Amin ibn-Marwan Muhammedid emir of Fes.

Amin ibn-Marwan.

They had then with the 1000 gold from Amin gotten mercenaries of their own, as this came as a surprise to Suleiman that Amin would not only go against the will of the Ottomans but would actually dare to go against the will of the Seljuks. Now being outnumbered with 3000 men Suleiman had a problem, however to his luck the enemy sultan was in command of his army and was aggressive, he had other things on his mind at home, his wife was lying ill with a child, and that child would be his only legitimate son to secure his line. In this he made the mistake of going into Arabia by now firmly in the hands of Suleiman, Sultan al-Majid then marched his entire army into Maan through Petra. This was exactly what Suleiman needed he then started cutting off the supplies from the Egyptian army leaving it to starve, after some time in Maan, and on hearing the news that Suleiman had reinforcements coming in from Basra, al-Majid decided to pull his troops back to El-Arish.

The starved army now retreated giving Suleiman the chance to catch them and win the battle. Suleiman caught al-Majid in Eilat where the battle would take place the same morning.

The battle started with Suleiman moving his troops first, earlier that morning he had sat down with his war council and they had come up with a plan. The horse archers would move in on the flanks under command of the emir of Morsul who had linked up with the army the same morning, they would be covered by our own archers and light cavalry, then our infantry would slowly move towards the enemy position making sure the enemy would take maximum casualties from the archers. Once the infantry hits, the light cavalry will circle behind the enemy and wait for my signal, once the signal goes up they will then come in from behind resulting in either mass route or mass murder.

It worked, the entire Egyptian army was now either dead or in retreat, Suleiman sent his son Kutalmis whit the light cavalry to captured the Fatimid sultan, and kill those of his personal guard that doesn’t surrender, Kutalmis succeeded in doing this and got the sultan into capture ending the war before it even had truly begun. And thus making sure Egypt would now be in Seljuk hands. For Suleimans great efforts and skill he was rewarded with 4 new titles, Lord Regent of Arabia and Egypt, Commander of the western armies and admiral of the Egyptian navy.

The year is now 1106 and our lord Suleiman is growing older and is now at the age of 61, his son Kultamis is starting to take more and more control over the lands, and he will soon be the emir. Kultamis has fathered a healthy son who is no at the age of 6 and the future heir. During the later years after the death of Malik and Suleimans firstborn son, Suleiman started to drink heavily, and would often lock himself in his castle. Suleiman has had 11 children and has made a stunning mark on the Seljuk dynasty and the fall of the Fatimids. But as Suleimans days grow shorter what will happen, will the emirate be in conflict, will his son be able to be a capable ruler, will the young sultan try and take control of Ottoman lands now that Suleiman cant stop him, all these questions in Suleimans mind and will they come true?.

Ottoman lands at 1106

Seljuk lands at 1106 and surrounding area.

 

[mike the knight]

At least we see a succesful war for Anatolia You have such a vast land mass to manipulate :blush: Let see how you control all the se children you are talikng about