My first posting, so any comments, criticisms, suggestions welcomed:
It is given to me, Giorgi of Imereti, to tell the tale of the glorious deeds of the Georgians, a people of Faith in a sea of heathens.
In the Year of Our Lord 1492, our Lord of Blessed Memory, Mstislovski I, ascended to the throne, inheriting a land weak in arms and poor of coin, but strong in faith and brave in spirit. The depredations of the Mongols, and the continuing treachery of our neighbors, the heathen Turks, Persians, and apostate Crimeans had sapped much of the vitality from our once proud land. But with the accession of Mstislovski, who would come to be know as the Wise for his divinely guided rule, we would again rise.
1492: What meager scrapings were found in the treasury were put to use raising garrisons and rebuilding the walls of the Capital, which had lain in ruins since the ravages of Timur the Lame some 80 years past.
1495: Inspired by the selflessness of the King, the princes and chiefs of the land donated 400 ducats to the treasury. This sudden and unexpected generosity clearly unnerved the common people of the land, who flocked to the ports to emigrate.
1501: The First Muscovite-Kazan War. Ivan II seized Lipetsk and forced indemnities from the heathen Khan. Mstislovski ordered Church bells rung throughout the land to celebrate this victory for Christendom.
1503: The hated Turk seized the Crimea through treachery and the weakness of the apostate Crimeans. The Turk now
were to our North and South.
1505: Glorious Providence! The hated Turk fell upon himself this year, with the Balkans, Crimea and entire Anatolian coast coming under the grip of rebels for a time. The Turk would many years reclaiming his own, freeing the Kingdom from much pressure.
With the Turk distracted and the Persians quiet, the King ordered funds diverted from the armies to rebuilding trade which had fallen on hard times since the fall of Constantinople. Georgian traders again scoured the known world for gold.
1507: The civil war among the Turks ended, with Crimea alone remaining defiant.
The Muscovites completed their conquest of Kazan. Another sign of the ultimate triumph of the cause of the True Faith in its long battle against the heathen.
That year also our Muscovite brethren warred against the Golden Horde and Astrakhan. Prayers for their continued success were said daily by all.
1509: The liberation of Christians continued as the Muscovites freed Volgograd from the heathen! Inspired, 7000 men volunteer for the Imperial armies.
1514: Swayed by the preaching of a overzealous monk, over 15,000 headstrong youth, eager to fight and disappointed by the continued prudence of his Majesty, deserted this year. Such is the folly of youth! Do they not realize that for all things there is a time, and this was the time to grow and wait. Fortunately, neither the Turks, still recovering from their internal strife, nor the Persians could take advantage of this misfortune.
1515: Second Muscovite-Khanate war. Settled in 1517 as the Golden Horde pays great indemnities.
1524: The inspired mastery of the iconographers of Sochi finally achieved its deserved notice, and a Fine Arts Academy was established his year to support their work.
1525: Heresy spread among the Western Christians. The Patriarch ordered prayers that this does not cause them to falter in the fight against the heathen.
1527: Poland, France, Moldava and Bohemia war against the hated Turk. At first, The Lord smiled upon the enterprise, freeing Wallachia from its disgraceful vassalage. But the West is weak and the Turks recover. By the time peace is reached in 1529, both Wallachia and Moldava suffer under the Turkish yoke.
1533: Third Muscovite-Khanate war. Settled in 1534 as both Astrakhan and the Horde pay indemnities. The Muscovite Prince is feted in revels that last a week in his honor.
1534: The Prince of Moscow invites us to join his cause. Although such a move bears risk, his majesty deems the time right to stand again openly with Christendom and pledges his allegiance to the cause.
1537: Polish Dominicans convinced many of the princes and chiefs of Sochi to embrace the Roman patriarch. While a needless affront to the dignity and honor of our Apostolic Patriarch, full toleration was immediately granted. While the West has made errors, and the Patriarch of Rome oversteps himself, we are one Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church, Orthodox in our belief. It is a needless and destructive conceit of too many, both East and West, to hate their brothers.
1544: The long peace and prosperity of our fair realm convinced certain Italian merchants to invest in a Naval Equipment manufactory in Georgia.
Fourth Muscovite-Khanate war. We join with Muscovy and her allies, Pskov, Denmark and the Hanseatic League the war against the heathen, although our contribution is limited to prayers for success as the battlefields are blocked by Turk and Persian. Settled in 1547 as the Horde pays steep indemnities.
1547: The Crimean War. Poland, France, Hungary, Venice, Scotland and the Mameluks war against the Turk and their Tunisian allies. Sensing an opportunity at last, the King raises the banner of war and calls upon our Muscovite brothers for aid. Tense weeks passed at the Court as they waited for word from the Great Prince, but the Muscovites were true brothers and joined the fight!
Georgian armies swept over the Eastern Crimea (the Western provinces, including Crimea itself, having been liberated by the Poles) and soon Azov, Kerch and Kouban were under the Georgian flag. Soon thereafter Russian armies appeared and freed the people of Kalmuk.
1547-1552: The War continues, but mostly in the Mediterranean where several Ottoman assaults on Cyprus fail. In the Crimea, Poland and Hungary briefly liberate Moldava, but soon fall back. Soon they are on the defensive, and the Western Crimea is again in Turkish hands. The brave Muscovites retake Kaffa, but our soon besieged there by an army of 80,000 Turks.
1553: The West surrenders. The Hungarians gave Serbia, the Venetians Illyria, the Poles Bessarabia. Sensing the wisdom of peace, Russia negotiated a brilliant peace whereby they gained Kaffa and Kalmuk. Alone again, our King reluctantly accepted a Turkish peace offer, ceding Azov and Kerch back to them, but retaining Kouban.
1555: Settlers were sent to repopulate the decimated province of Kouban along with monks to reclaim the land for the True Faith. Church bells toll as the apostates in Kouban return to the Church.
1556: Our King had hopes of spending the years after the War rebuilding our lands and repaying debts incurred by the long war, but Divine Providence saw fit instead to task us with a different mission.
In this year the Persians found themselves embroiled in three wars: Against the Turks and their Tunisian allies; against the Mamelukes, the Hedjaz and the Nubians; and against rebels in their own province of Iraq. Their only ally was distant England.
At first our King sought to avoid conflict, but when Turkish armies smashed Persian defenses at Armenia, only to retreat without finishing their conquest, the path lay open to fulfill our King's dearest wish, the liberation of the Armenians.
The entire army,save only a small garrison left to deal with the still-rebellious Kouban, mustered at the Capital. A quick declaration of war followed and the army launched itself against the Persian garrison in Armenia. It was a quick, bloody assault, but a triumphant one, and the city was ours!
1557: Money was borrowed from every available source to rebuild the army in time for the inevitable Persian invasion. The troops were mustered barely in time, as the Persian assaults began in February and a new assault was launched against one of our provinces almost every month. But the disorganization of the enemy and the bravery of our men repelled each of them. Finally, still beset by the rest of the Muslim world, the Persians sued us for peace in December, granting us Armenia. The joy was such that even the subsequent bankruptcy of the Kingdom under the weight of war debt could not dampen the joy.
1558: Although the Turks and Mamelukes each had been at war with Persia since 1556, they had done so not as allies. Thus it surprised none in Court when these heathens turned on each other, creating a three-way war.
1560: The Muslim Wars ended with the Mamelukes being the only victor, taking provinces from both the Turk and the Persians. Most notably they became the new rulers of Trebzon, meaning yet another heathen nation was at our door.
1571: Gold from the Armenian mines paid for the quick rebuilding of the armies. Each province was fully garrisoned, not merely with footmen, but with wild and fearless horsemen from the Caucasus and the most modern artillery from the foundries of Venice. Ample fortifications were built and long-neglected administrative reforms were undertaken. Such was the outpouring of national pride that even the Catholic nobles of Sochi returned to the fold, pledging their loyalty again to our Apostolic Patriarch.
When the massive rebuilding was done our King ordered revels held throughout the Kingdom. Those in the capital are said to have lasted a full month.
The weak child of the Caucasus was gone. The men of Georgia stood again!
It is given to me, Giorgi of Imereti, to tell the tale of the glorious deeds of the Georgians, a people of Faith in a sea of heathens.
In the Year of Our Lord 1492, our Lord of Blessed Memory, Mstislovski I, ascended to the throne, inheriting a land weak in arms and poor of coin, but strong in faith and brave in spirit. The depredations of the Mongols, and the continuing treachery of our neighbors, the heathen Turks, Persians, and apostate Crimeans had sapped much of the vitality from our once proud land. But with the accession of Mstislovski, who would come to be know as the Wise for his divinely guided rule, we would again rise.
1492: What meager scrapings were found in the treasury were put to use raising garrisons and rebuilding the walls of the Capital, which had lain in ruins since the ravages of Timur the Lame some 80 years past.
1495: Inspired by the selflessness of the King, the princes and chiefs of the land donated 400 ducats to the treasury. This sudden and unexpected generosity clearly unnerved the common people of the land, who flocked to the ports to emigrate.
1501: The First Muscovite-Kazan War. Ivan II seized Lipetsk and forced indemnities from the heathen Khan. Mstislovski ordered Church bells rung throughout the land to celebrate this victory for Christendom.
1503: The hated Turk seized the Crimea through treachery and the weakness of the apostate Crimeans. The Turk now
were to our North and South.
1505: Glorious Providence! The hated Turk fell upon himself this year, with the Balkans, Crimea and entire Anatolian coast coming under the grip of rebels for a time. The Turk would many years reclaiming his own, freeing the Kingdom from much pressure.
With the Turk distracted and the Persians quiet, the King ordered funds diverted from the armies to rebuilding trade which had fallen on hard times since the fall of Constantinople. Georgian traders again scoured the known world for gold.
1507: The civil war among the Turks ended, with Crimea alone remaining defiant.
The Muscovites completed their conquest of Kazan. Another sign of the ultimate triumph of the cause of the True Faith in its long battle against the heathen.
That year also our Muscovite brethren warred against the Golden Horde and Astrakhan. Prayers for their continued success were said daily by all.
1509: The liberation of Christians continued as the Muscovites freed Volgograd from the heathen! Inspired, 7000 men volunteer for the Imperial armies.
1514: Swayed by the preaching of a overzealous monk, over 15,000 headstrong youth, eager to fight and disappointed by the continued prudence of his Majesty, deserted this year. Such is the folly of youth! Do they not realize that for all things there is a time, and this was the time to grow and wait. Fortunately, neither the Turks, still recovering from their internal strife, nor the Persians could take advantage of this misfortune.
1515: Second Muscovite-Khanate war. Settled in 1517 as the Golden Horde pays great indemnities.
1524: The inspired mastery of the iconographers of Sochi finally achieved its deserved notice, and a Fine Arts Academy was established his year to support their work.
1525: Heresy spread among the Western Christians. The Patriarch ordered prayers that this does not cause them to falter in the fight against the heathen.
1527: Poland, France, Moldava and Bohemia war against the hated Turk. At first, The Lord smiled upon the enterprise, freeing Wallachia from its disgraceful vassalage. But the West is weak and the Turks recover. By the time peace is reached in 1529, both Wallachia and Moldava suffer under the Turkish yoke.
1533: Third Muscovite-Khanate war. Settled in 1534 as both Astrakhan and the Horde pay indemnities. The Muscovite Prince is feted in revels that last a week in his honor.
1534: The Prince of Moscow invites us to join his cause. Although such a move bears risk, his majesty deems the time right to stand again openly with Christendom and pledges his allegiance to the cause.
1537: Polish Dominicans convinced many of the princes and chiefs of Sochi to embrace the Roman patriarch. While a needless affront to the dignity and honor of our Apostolic Patriarch, full toleration was immediately granted. While the West has made errors, and the Patriarch of Rome oversteps himself, we are one Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church, Orthodox in our belief. It is a needless and destructive conceit of too many, both East and West, to hate their brothers.
1544: The long peace and prosperity of our fair realm convinced certain Italian merchants to invest in a Naval Equipment manufactory in Georgia.
Fourth Muscovite-Khanate war. We join with Muscovy and her allies, Pskov, Denmark and the Hanseatic League the war against the heathen, although our contribution is limited to prayers for success as the battlefields are blocked by Turk and Persian. Settled in 1547 as the Horde pays steep indemnities.
1547: The Crimean War. Poland, France, Hungary, Venice, Scotland and the Mameluks war against the Turk and their Tunisian allies. Sensing an opportunity at last, the King raises the banner of war and calls upon our Muscovite brothers for aid. Tense weeks passed at the Court as they waited for word from the Great Prince, but the Muscovites were true brothers and joined the fight!
Georgian armies swept over the Eastern Crimea (the Western provinces, including Crimea itself, having been liberated by the Poles) and soon Azov, Kerch and Kouban were under the Georgian flag. Soon thereafter Russian armies appeared and freed the people of Kalmuk.
1547-1552: The War continues, but mostly in the Mediterranean where several Ottoman assaults on Cyprus fail. In the Crimea, Poland and Hungary briefly liberate Moldava, but soon fall back. Soon they are on the defensive, and the Western Crimea is again in Turkish hands. The brave Muscovites retake Kaffa, but our soon besieged there by an army of 80,000 Turks.
1553: The West surrenders. The Hungarians gave Serbia, the Venetians Illyria, the Poles Bessarabia. Sensing the wisdom of peace, Russia negotiated a brilliant peace whereby they gained Kaffa and Kalmuk. Alone again, our King reluctantly accepted a Turkish peace offer, ceding Azov and Kerch back to them, but retaining Kouban.
1555: Settlers were sent to repopulate the decimated province of Kouban along with monks to reclaim the land for the True Faith. Church bells toll as the apostates in Kouban return to the Church.
1556: Our King had hopes of spending the years after the War rebuilding our lands and repaying debts incurred by the long war, but Divine Providence saw fit instead to task us with a different mission.
In this year the Persians found themselves embroiled in three wars: Against the Turks and their Tunisian allies; against the Mamelukes, the Hedjaz and the Nubians; and against rebels in their own province of Iraq. Their only ally was distant England.
At first our King sought to avoid conflict, but when Turkish armies smashed Persian defenses at Armenia, only to retreat without finishing their conquest, the path lay open to fulfill our King's dearest wish, the liberation of the Armenians.
The entire army,save only a small garrison left to deal with the still-rebellious Kouban, mustered at the Capital. A quick declaration of war followed and the army launched itself against the Persian garrison in Armenia. It was a quick, bloody assault, but a triumphant one, and the city was ours!
1557: Money was borrowed from every available source to rebuild the army in time for the inevitable Persian invasion. The troops were mustered barely in time, as the Persian assaults began in February and a new assault was launched against one of our provinces almost every month. But the disorganization of the enemy and the bravery of our men repelled each of them. Finally, still beset by the rest of the Muslim world, the Persians sued us for peace in December, granting us Armenia. The joy was such that even the subsequent bankruptcy of the Kingdom under the weight of war debt could not dampen the joy.
1558: Although the Turks and Mamelukes each had been at war with Persia since 1556, they had done so not as allies. Thus it surprised none in Court when these heathens turned on each other, creating a three-way war.
1560: The Muslim Wars ended with the Mamelukes being the only victor, taking provinces from both the Turk and the Persians. Most notably they became the new rulers of Trebzon, meaning yet another heathen nation was at our door.
1571: Gold from the Armenian mines paid for the quick rebuilding of the armies. Each province was fully garrisoned, not merely with footmen, but with wild and fearless horsemen from the Caucasus and the most modern artillery from the foundries of Venice. Ample fortifications were built and long-neglected administrative reforms were undertaken. Such was the outpouring of national pride that even the Catholic nobles of Sochi returned to the fold, pledging their loyalty again to our Apostolic Patriarch.
When the massive rebuilding was done our King ordered revels held throughout the Kingdom. Those in the capital are said to have lasted a full month.
The weak child of the Caucasus was gone. The men of Georgia stood again!
Last edited:
