The People of the Forest
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A sizable influx of reparations is icing on the top of the glory of victory.
Attacking the People of the Forest on their own ground is never going to go well.
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1192 – 1196 The Great Holy War for Pomerania
1192 – 1196 The Great Holy War for Pomerania
Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ would have less than a year to recover from the war with one Christian Empire before she was called upon to fight against another. Those 10 months were relatively quiet as the Merry Men were still recovering in their permanent camp outside of Riga.
Some of her vassals had their own activities. King Chipaz of Khazaria declared Holy War for Emba on Chief Yilig of Kangly. His predecessor had captured Kangly in the past, but the nomads had broken free in the chaos surrounding the death of Emperor Inzhay ‘the Hammer’. King Naruchad 'the Brute' of Merya created High Chiefdom of Veliky Ustug.
The threat of a new war began when another Catholic Holy Order formed in Jerusalem, officially called the Order of the Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary, but it quickly became known simply as the Teutonic Order. Their initial charter was primarily to protect and care for pilgrims to the Holy Land, similar to other, older Holy Orders. But their leader, Hochmeister Swithræd, a lowborn Anglo Saxon warrior, had larger plans. He planned to start a northern campaign against what he considered the greatest threat to Christianity, namely the Suomenusko pagans of the Volga-Ural Empire.
Tietaja Tommo’s response to this news did nothing to change Hochmeister Swithræd’s opinion. Tietaja Tommo immediately called for a Great Holy War for Pomerania against Kaiser Eberhard II of Germania. Empress Tatka immediately offered to join the Great Holy War against Kaiser Eberhard II 'the Lion' even though she was leading the Merry Men against raiders on her southern border. She was soon followed by most of the other Suomenusko leaders.
Tatka and Merry Men dealt with the raiders in the south in Zaporzhye and began the long march back toward Pomerania. About this time, Tatka’s son Koshel ‘the Wise’ and Princess Duši Abuha had a second child together, a daughter named Olota. Tatka’s new granddaughter had inherited her mother’s clubfoot.
It was six months after the start of the Holy War before any of Tatka’s own men joined the fight. There had been a couple of battles between Tatka’s allies and the Germans, but little had been accomplished so far. The first battle fought by the Empress’ levys was at Wollin. The Battle of Wollin was a victory, but costly, the Empire lost 6,000 warriors in exchange for 8,000 dead Christians. Battle of Wollin was soon followed by the more allies fighting the Battle of Werle.
The Empress’ men quickly captured Stargard in Stettin earning the Empress honors as a Hammer of Ukko like her father before her.
From the east, came rumors of a terrible epidemic. The current news had it centered in distant Badakshan, but it was aid to have come farther east in China. The Protector General and Emperor Duši Xianzong soon sent word that the plague had ended in China, though it was still spreading near Badakshan.
Tatka’s armies and those of her allies moved west through Germania capturing the major settlements within Pomerania. Tatka’s forces concentrated on capturing the settlements while her allied armies screened her advance, fighting off any attempts by the Germans trying to regain control of Pomerania. Wolgast, Soldin, Anklam, Usedom, Waren and Wollin were captured, before a German army broke through the screen and faced Empress Tatka personally. But it was a suicidal attack, between the 20,000 men Tatka commanded directly and close to 40,000 allies that converged on the site of battle, the entire 12,000-man German army was slaughtered at the Battle of Gevezin.
The Battle of Gevezin was swiftly followed by the capture of Wismar, Gevezin, and Schwern. This ended the Great Holy War for Pomerania and Empress Tatka was granted the victory. This gave Empress Tatka a vast extent of new territory along the Baltic coast as well as some additional territory further inland, over 40 new holdings that came under her direct control. She did not gain title to the Kingdom of Pomerania as that was still held by the independent King Pawel ‘the Liberator’ of Pomerania.
Empress Tatka had to spend some time sorting through all these holdings and figuring out how to best redistribute this expanded domain. Many of her warriors and courtiers were rewarded new titles and responsibilities as they were given control of the cities and temples throughout the new Pomeranian territories.
Once Empress Tatka had assigned people to the individual holdings, she needed to choose some people to centralize control over these areas, so she wouldn’t have to deal with each of the new vassals directly. To start, she granted her nephew, Orunza, the Chiefdoms of Stettin and Wolgast.
Next, she granted Commander Kichay the Chiefdoms of Meissen and Gorlitz, the two of the inland territories she had gained. Kichay was a low born warrior who was now able to found a new dynasty, the Kichayid, with his new status. To help that along, Tatka arranged his marriage one of Tatka’s courtiers, Sbyslava.
Commander Tutyra was granted the third inland territory, the Chiefdom of Merseburg. He also founded a new dynasty, the Tutyrid and gained a new wife, another courtier from Riga named Gorislava.
Commander Iziaslav Boryatinskiy was granted the Chiefdom of Rostock and another courtier, Kezhedey Paas, was granted the Chiefdom of Rügen. Tatka created the High Chiefdom of Rügen and granted it to the Chief Kezhedey Paas of Rügen against the Council's wishes.
Empress Tatka did want to hold on to the most western portion of the new coastal territory, Hamburg, Lübeck and Mecklenburg, so she knew she had to give up some of her older holdings. So, she decided to grant her son-in-law, Prince Onni, is the Chiefdoms of Calarasi and Târgoviste in Wallachia. She also created the High Chiefdom of Muntenia and granted him control of the southwestern corner of the Empire. While her Council had no issues with granting Prince Onni the Chiefdoms, they protested when Tatka said she was making him a High Chief, but she ignored them and granted Prince Onni the High Chiefdom of Muntenia a further move against the Council's wishes. Tatka granted another of her nephews, Nuyaksha, the Chiefdom of Galich, and transferred his vassalage to the High Chief of Galich.
This left her with a manageable domain and a manageable number of vassals to deal with.
Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ would have less than a year to recover from the war with one Christian Empire before she was called upon to fight against another. Those 10 months were relatively quiet as the Merry Men were still recovering in their permanent camp outside of Riga.
Some of her vassals had their own activities. King Chipaz of Khazaria declared Holy War for Emba on Chief Yilig of Kangly. His predecessor had captured Kangly in the past, but the nomads had broken free in the chaos surrounding the death of Emperor Inzhay ‘the Hammer’. King Naruchad 'the Brute' of Merya created High Chiefdom of Veliky Ustug.
The threat of a new war began when another Catholic Holy Order formed in Jerusalem, officially called the Order of the Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary, but it quickly became known simply as the Teutonic Order. Their initial charter was primarily to protect and care for pilgrims to the Holy Land, similar to other, older Holy Orders. But their leader, Hochmeister Swithræd, a lowborn Anglo Saxon warrior, had larger plans. He planned to start a northern campaign against what he considered the greatest threat to Christianity, namely the Suomenusko pagans of the Volga-Ural Empire.
Tietaja Tommo’s response to this news did nothing to change Hochmeister Swithræd’s opinion. Tietaja Tommo immediately called for a Great Holy War for Pomerania against Kaiser Eberhard II of Germania. Empress Tatka immediately offered to join the Great Holy War against Kaiser Eberhard II 'the Lion' even though she was leading the Merry Men against raiders on her southern border. She was soon followed by most of the other Suomenusko leaders.
Tatka and Merry Men dealt with the raiders in the south in Zaporzhye and began the long march back toward Pomerania. About this time, Tatka’s son Koshel ‘the Wise’ and Princess Duši Abuha had a second child together, a daughter named Olota. Tatka’s new granddaughter had inherited her mother’s clubfoot.
It was six months after the start of the Holy War before any of Tatka’s own men joined the fight. There had been a couple of battles between Tatka’s allies and the Germans, but little had been accomplished so far. The first battle fought by the Empress’ levys was at Wollin. The Battle of Wollin was a victory, but costly, the Empire lost 6,000 warriors in exchange for 8,000 dead Christians. Battle of Wollin was soon followed by the more allies fighting the Battle of Werle.
The Empress’ men quickly captured Stargard in Stettin earning the Empress honors as a Hammer of Ukko like her father before her.
From the east, came rumors of a terrible epidemic. The current news had it centered in distant Badakshan, but it was aid to have come farther east in China. The Protector General and Emperor Duši Xianzong soon sent word that the plague had ended in China, though it was still spreading near Badakshan.
Tatka’s armies and those of her allies moved west through Germania capturing the major settlements within Pomerania. Tatka’s forces concentrated on capturing the settlements while her allied armies screened her advance, fighting off any attempts by the Germans trying to regain control of Pomerania. Wolgast, Soldin, Anklam, Usedom, Waren and Wollin were captured, before a German army broke through the screen and faced Empress Tatka personally. But it was a suicidal attack, between the 20,000 men Tatka commanded directly and close to 40,000 allies that converged on the site of battle, the entire 12,000-man German army was slaughtered at the Battle of Gevezin.
The Battle of Gevezin was swiftly followed by the capture of Wismar, Gevezin, and Schwern. This ended the Great Holy War for Pomerania and Empress Tatka was granted the victory. This gave Empress Tatka a vast extent of new territory along the Baltic coast as well as some additional territory further inland, over 40 new holdings that came under her direct control. She did not gain title to the Kingdom of Pomerania as that was still held by the independent King Pawel ‘the Liberator’ of Pomerania.
Empress Tatka had to spend some time sorting through all these holdings and figuring out how to best redistribute this expanded domain. Many of her warriors and courtiers were rewarded new titles and responsibilities as they were given control of the cities and temples throughout the new Pomeranian territories.
Once Empress Tatka had assigned people to the individual holdings, she needed to choose some people to centralize control over these areas, so she wouldn’t have to deal with each of the new vassals directly. To start, she granted her nephew, Orunza, the Chiefdoms of Stettin and Wolgast.
Next, she granted Commander Kichay the Chiefdoms of Meissen and Gorlitz, the two of the inland territories she had gained. Kichay was a low born warrior who was now able to found a new dynasty, the Kichayid, with his new status. To help that along, Tatka arranged his marriage one of Tatka’s courtiers, Sbyslava.
Commander Tutyra was granted the third inland territory, the Chiefdom of Merseburg. He also founded a new dynasty, the Tutyrid and gained a new wife, another courtier from Riga named Gorislava.
Commander Iziaslav Boryatinskiy was granted the Chiefdom of Rostock and another courtier, Kezhedey Paas, was granted the Chiefdom of Rügen. Tatka created the High Chiefdom of Rügen and granted it to the Chief Kezhedey Paas of Rügen against the Council's wishes.
Empress Tatka did want to hold on to the most western portion of the new coastal territory, Hamburg, Lübeck and Mecklenburg, so she knew she had to give up some of her older holdings. So, she decided to grant her son-in-law, Prince Onni, is the Chiefdoms of Calarasi and Târgoviste in Wallachia. She also created the High Chiefdom of Muntenia and granted him control of the southwestern corner of the Empire. While her Council had no issues with granting Prince Onni the Chiefdoms, they protested when Tatka said she was making him a High Chief, but she ignored them and granted Prince Onni the High Chiefdom of Muntenia a further move against the Council's wishes. Tatka granted another of her nephews, Nuyaksha, the Chiefdom of Galich, and transferred his vassalage to the High Chief of Galich.
This left her with a manageable domain and a manageable number of vassals to deal with.
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The most enjoyable part of a great conquest is always dividing the spoils!
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It seems that Volga-Ural is unstoppable if it can just walk all over Christian empire after Christian empire.
Maybe the plague will change things up, a few succession crises can do terrible things
Maybe the plague will change things up, a few succession crises can do terrible things
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I havent been on the forums for around 2 years but recognized your AAR from when I was active, glad to see it still going strong, first impression was that is a LOT of allies!
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Been reading from the beginning, so it took me quite a while, but I finally caught up with the Kardazids. Looking forward to reading new chapters as they come from now on.
I must admit, that Empress is definitely a woman after my own heart!
I must admit, that Empress is definitely a woman after my own heart!
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Sorry for the delay in posting the next chapter. My CK3 AAR, the Legacy of Uhtred, has been played to its end date and I have been focused on writing up the last chapters of that story and wrapping up that AAR in the next couple weeks.
But the Kardazids have not been forgotten and I will post the next installment as soon as I can.
The Plague is moving slowly, so it has not yet reached our neighborhood, but in previous experience, it eventually finds every nook and cranny of the world.
Love founding new dynasties and seeing how they fare and landing poor relations, giving them a fresh start.
It seems that Volga-Ural is unstoppable if it can just walk all over Christian empire after Christian empire.
The Volga-Ural Empire has had great success so far against the Catholic Empires, but mostly in defensive wars. The Great Holy War for Pomerania has given them new confidence that they can challenge the Christians on any terms.
Plague always has the potential to be a game changer, I have never had it end a game, but it has come close on a couple of occasions, weeding out the weak members of the dynasty.
Welcome back! Glad to see I made an impression years ago.
My Empire still running with a tribal government so most of the allies are actually are vassal Chiefs and Kings showing their support rather than formal allies linked by marriage or treaty.
Thank you for your dedication in catching up. Empress Tatka is the first female leader in charge of all the People of the Forest and she has done well in proving that a woman ruler was overdue.
But the Kardazids have not been forgotten and I will post the next installment as soon as I can.
The Plague is moving slowly, so it has not yet reached our neighborhood, but in previous experience, it eventually finds every nook and cranny of the world.
Love founding new dynasties and seeing how they fare and landing poor relations, giving them a fresh start.
It seems that Volga-Ural is unstoppable if it can just walk all over Christian empire after Christian empire.
The Volga-Ural Empire has had great success so far against the Catholic Empires, but mostly in defensive wars. The Great Holy War for Pomerania has given them new confidence that they can challenge the Christians on any terms.
Plague always has the potential to be a game changer, I have never had it end a game, but it has come close on a couple of occasions, weeding out the weak members of the dynasty.
Welcome back! Glad to see I made an impression years ago
.My Empire still running with a tribal government so most of the allies are actually are vassal Chiefs and Kings showing their support rather than formal allies linked by marriage or treaty.
Thank you for your dedication in catching up. Empress Tatka is the first female leader in charge of all the People of the Forest and she has done well in proving that a woman ruler was overdue.
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1196 – 1202 The Northern Crusade
1196 – 1202 The Northern Crusade
The Teutonic threat of a Northern Crusade seemed to gather steam for a brief period of time, with the Hochmeister talking of attacking Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ and the Volga-Ural Empire to free the lands of Saxony from the Suomenusko pagans. Empress Tatka was ready to repel any attack, even though she held very little territory in the area considered Saxony. Even more heartening was the number of Suomenusko faithful who pledged their support to join in the defense against a Catholic Crusade.
But a couple years passed and the threat never materialized. Either the Teutonic Order could rally no support for their campaign, or they were daunted by the show of support Empress Tatka received. The Entwined Empires, Germania and the Holy Roman Empire, were involved in their own wars. Kaiser Eberhard ‘the Lion’ of Germania was trying to forcibly vassalize King Pawel ‘the Liberator’ of Pomerania, but Pawel was showing a surprisingly strong resistance, aided by an internal revolt in Germania challenging for Eberhard’s crown. Kaiser Konrad 'the Confessor' of the Holy Roman Empire had started an excommunication war against King Gaucher 'the Evil' of Jerusalem. A war that proved very unpopular as most of the other Catholic Rulers throughout Europe sided with King Gaucher. Even King Pawel pledged his aid even as he defended against Germania’s assault. Further issues troubled the Catholics as the Shia Caliph Shaiban of the Fadlid called for Jihad against the Welsh King Stinian of Egypt, one of Jerusalem’s defenders against Kaiser Konrad ‘the Confessor’.
With the threat of a Northern Crusade fading Empress Tatka looked inward. Her son Koshel ‘the Wise’ and his wife Princess Abuhi had twin sons, Tylemache and Paksyay, adding to Tatka’s growing number of grandchildren. Tatka took Koshel’s oldest child, the younger Koshel, as her personal ward. He was second in line to the Empire after his father. He also had a claim on the Empire of Britannia from his late mother, his father’s first wife. Æbba of St. Cuthbert, Princess of Britannia, sister of the current Empress of Britannia and great aunt to young Koshel, had died, leaving behind three daughters, removing another pretender to the Britannic Crown.
Another of Tatka’s grandchildren, Hellä Anttonen had travelled through Tana and along the Silk Road to China in search of a new life, rather than joining her father and the rest of her family in his new Bolghar lands in Wallachia that Tatka had granted him.
In 1197, Tibet had lost control over the lands it held in Crimea following death of Tsenpo Tong Rapsel I and the crowning of his son as Tsenpo Tong Rapsel II of Tibet. A Bőpda lord named Günyadin Isho ruled the newly independent Lukomorie while an Alan nomad calling himself Khagan Safrak of Ve Lebusa gained control of the Lower Don. Independent Lukomorie didn’t last long, as Günyadin Isho’s daughter, Günyadin Kunzang, was quickly overrun by Empress Tatka’s vassal, Queen Ruzava ‘the Sword of Omől' of Ruthenia. Khagan Safrak of Ve Lebusa, however, remained free for now.
In 1199, Empress Tatka’s 1-year old grandson, Polshayka Nalkid, became the King of Volga Bulgaria after his father, King Tylemache II, died at the age of 20 from pneumonia. Tatka’s daughter, Toyaksha, the new Dowager Queen of Volga Bulgaria, was pregnant with the late Tylemache’s third child.
Tatka’s son Tutyra was married to a Uyghur girl named Yilgun Fassekrid, the sister of a Khagan, to try to win some allies to the east. This was to offset Western Protectorate who had brought Vasyugan into its fold as another tributary.
Shaman Nuyat of Ledurga, Empress Tatka’s court Diviner meanwhile had been spending his time in the west, in Tatka’s new territories in Pomerania, and quickly converted the majority of the populations in Mecklenburg and Lübeck to the Suomenusko faith.
By 1200, rumors came that the Teutonic Order was again threatening to lead a Crusade against the Suomenusko pagans. Again, the Suomenusko Kings and Chiefs pledged their support to defend the faith.
The Northern Crusade was finally launched in the summer of 1201, when the Teutonic Order declared war, not against Empress Tatka and the Volga Ural Empire, but rather against King Voitto II of Lithuania. King Voitto II was one of the few independent Suomenusko rulers, his tiny Kingdom consisting a single Chiefdom on the north shore of Lake Ladoga, deep in the heart of Volga Ural Empire.
It was a pitiful display, especially if the Hochmeister thought he could score a quick victory for the Catholic Faith by attacking such tiny Kingdom. The Suomenusko faithful rallied to King Voitto’s aid as swiftly as they would have rallied to Empress Tatka, and Empress Tatka was the first to pledge her Empire’s support to King Voitto, as they were already tied to each other by blood and marriage, as well as religion.
The Teutonic Order would never even get close to King Voitto’s lands. They attacked Empress Tatka’s lands in Hamburg at the start of the war. They had early success as the distances involved slowed Tatka’s response, capturing Brunsbüttel and Hamburg itself.
It took almost a year for Empress Tatka to gather her forces and march west to Hamburg. There she found 7,000 Teutonic Knights waiting. But she was leading over 20,000 men by that time. The Catholic knights were forced to flee after losing 2,700 men. Brunsbüttel and Hamburg were quickly freed from the Catholic garrisons.
Then Empress Tatka ferried her army across the Elbe River to Hannover. A small contingent of the Teutonic’s allies tried to oppose the landing, but were quickly exterminated. Tatka then followed the Elbe south into Luneburg and there she met the massed Knights of the entire Teutonic Order, 8,000 of Christianity’s finest warriors.
The Battle of Bardowick would see the Teutonic Order’s dreams of glory end as they lost 2,500 men to the overwhelming numbers of Suomenusko pagans. Tatka lost only 500 men as Christianity’s shining knights broke and ran.
King Voitto of Lithuania came west to accept the Teutonic Order’s surrender and claim victory, ending the Northern Crusade.
The Teutonic threat of a Northern Crusade seemed to gather steam for a brief period of time, with the Hochmeister talking of attacking Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ and the Volga-Ural Empire to free the lands of Saxony from the Suomenusko pagans. Empress Tatka was ready to repel any attack, even though she held very little territory in the area considered Saxony. Even more heartening was the number of Suomenusko faithful who pledged their support to join in the defense against a Catholic Crusade.
But a couple years passed and the threat never materialized. Either the Teutonic Order could rally no support for their campaign, or they were daunted by the show of support Empress Tatka received. The Entwined Empires, Germania and the Holy Roman Empire, were involved in their own wars. Kaiser Eberhard ‘the Lion’ of Germania was trying to forcibly vassalize King Pawel ‘the Liberator’ of Pomerania, but Pawel was showing a surprisingly strong resistance, aided by an internal revolt in Germania challenging for Eberhard’s crown. Kaiser Konrad 'the Confessor' of the Holy Roman Empire had started an excommunication war against King Gaucher 'the Evil' of Jerusalem. A war that proved very unpopular as most of the other Catholic Rulers throughout Europe sided with King Gaucher. Even King Pawel pledged his aid even as he defended against Germania’s assault. Further issues troubled the Catholics as the Shia Caliph Shaiban of the Fadlid called for Jihad against the Welsh King Stinian of Egypt, one of Jerusalem’s defenders against Kaiser Konrad ‘the Confessor’.
With the threat of a Northern Crusade fading Empress Tatka looked inward. Her son Koshel ‘the Wise’ and his wife Princess Abuhi had twin sons, Tylemache and Paksyay, adding to Tatka’s growing number of grandchildren. Tatka took Koshel’s oldest child, the younger Koshel, as her personal ward. He was second in line to the Empire after his father. He also had a claim on the Empire of Britannia from his late mother, his father’s first wife. Æbba of St. Cuthbert, Princess of Britannia, sister of the current Empress of Britannia and great aunt to young Koshel, had died, leaving behind three daughters, removing another pretender to the Britannic Crown.
Another of Tatka’s grandchildren, Hellä Anttonen had travelled through Tana and along the Silk Road to China in search of a new life, rather than joining her father and the rest of her family in his new Bolghar lands in Wallachia that Tatka had granted him.
In 1197, Tibet had lost control over the lands it held in Crimea following death of Tsenpo Tong Rapsel I and the crowning of his son as Tsenpo Tong Rapsel II of Tibet. A Bőpda lord named Günyadin Isho ruled the newly independent Lukomorie while an Alan nomad calling himself Khagan Safrak of Ve Lebusa gained control of the Lower Don. Independent Lukomorie didn’t last long, as Günyadin Isho’s daughter, Günyadin Kunzang, was quickly overrun by Empress Tatka’s vassal, Queen Ruzava ‘the Sword of Omől' of Ruthenia. Khagan Safrak of Ve Lebusa, however, remained free for now.
In 1199, Empress Tatka’s 1-year old grandson, Polshayka Nalkid, became the King of Volga Bulgaria after his father, King Tylemache II, died at the age of 20 from pneumonia. Tatka’s daughter, Toyaksha, the new Dowager Queen of Volga Bulgaria, was pregnant with the late Tylemache’s third child.
Tatka’s son Tutyra was married to a Uyghur girl named Yilgun Fassekrid, the sister of a Khagan, to try to win some allies to the east. This was to offset Western Protectorate who had brought Vasyugan into its fold as another tributary.
Shaman Nuyat of Ledurga, Empress Tatka’s court Diviner meanwhile had been spending his time in the west, in Tatka’s new territories in Pomerania, and quickly converted the majority of the populations in Mecklenburg and Lübeck to the Suomenusko faith.
By 1200, rumors came that the Teutonic Order was again threatening to lead a Crusade against the Suomenusko pagans. Again, the Suomenusko Kings and Chiefs pledged their support to defend the faith.
The Northern Crusade was finally launched in the summer of 1201, when the Teutonic Order declared war, not against Empress Tatka and the Volga Ural Empire, but rather against King Voitto II of Lithuania. King Voitto II was one of the few independent Suomenusko rulers, his tiny Kingdom consisting a single Chiefdom on the north shore of Lake Ladoga, deep in the heart of Volga Ural Empire.
It was a pitiful display, especially if the Hochmeister thought he could score a quick victory for the Catholic Faith by attacking such tiny Kingdom. The Suomenusko faithful rallied to King Voitto’s aid as swiftly as they would have rallied to Empress Tatka, and Empress Tatka was the first to pledge her Empire’s support to King Voitto, as they were already tied to each other by blood and marriage, as well as religion.
The Teutonic Order would never even get close to King Voitto’s lands. They attacked Empress Tatka’s lands in Hamburg at the start of the war. They had early success as the distances involved slowed Tatka’s response, capturing Brunsbüttel and Hamburg itself.
It took almost a year for Empress Tatka to gather her forces and march west to Hamburg. There she found 7,000 Teutonic Knights waiting. But she was leading over 20,000 men by that time. The Catholic knights were forced to flee after losing 2,700 men. Brunsbüttel and Hamburg were quickly freed from the Catholic garrisons.
Then Empress Tatka ferried her army across the Elbe River to Hannover. A small contingent of the Teutonic’s allies tried to oppose the landing, but were quickly exterminated. Tatka then followed the Elbe south into Luneburg and there she met the massed Knights of the entire Teutonic Order, 8,000 of Christianity’s finest warriors.
The Battle of Bardowick would see the Teutonic Order’s dreams of glory end as they lost 2,500 men to the overwhelming numbers of Suomenusko pagans. Tatka lost only 500 men as Christianity’s shining knights broke and ran.
King Voitto of Lithuania came west to accept the Teutonic Order’s surrender and claim victory, ending the Northern Crusade.
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Mighty Tibet! To call a crusade against an OPM is disgraceful; to lose it is pitiful! Thank you for updating.
Tibet is getting scary. The Crusade was an embarrassmet to the Catholics, which they did not like.
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1200 - 12th Century World View
1200 - 12th Century World View
The 12th Century ends with the Suomenusko faith proving its strength against its Catholic adversaries, defeating them in both offensive and defensive wars. The Volga-Ural Empire has pushed it boundaries in all directions in the latter half of the century, west into Pomerania, south into Wallachia and Crimea, and east beyond the Ural Mountains. Within its borders, the Suomenusko faith is spreading, displacing the old religion as well as the other faiths that have been brought into the Empire.
The Catholic faith is not going away. While it has failed to overawe the Suomenusko faithful, it has had better luck against the Muslims. The Umayyad’s centuries long hold on Iberia is weakening as the Holy Roman Empire makes inroads from the north and from its African holdings in the south. A successful Crusade in the east has reestablished the kingdom of Jerusalem and the Jihad for the Catholic Kingdom of Egypt has been defeated.
The Catholics greatest enemy may be themselves. Britannia suffered some internal revolts that saw a portion of England break free of its control and become independent. The Knights Templar have stolen another piece of England for themselves. But while Britannia may have lost some land in its home islands, it has gained holdings on the Continent, wresting control of a large swathe of the Atlantic coast and other territories from the Empire of Germania. Empress Wulfrun will be the last Anglo-Saxon ruler of Britannia, her son Alured will put the Empire into the hands of the Welsh and the Seisyllwg dynasty.
Germania has had other issues, not only losing Pomerania to the Suomenusko Great War, but also portions of its own Empire have gained independence and it lost additional land to the Holy Roman Empire. It made a few small gains such as winning a war against Pannonia, but not enough to make up for its losses. It internal issues just recently came to a head in a civil war that saw Stefan Udonen usurp the throne from Kaiser Eberhard ‘the Lion’, ending 75 years of the Abbonid dynasty rule over the Empire.
House Udonen also controls the Holy Roman Empire under Kaiser Konrad ‘the Confessor’. The HRE has been the most successful of the Catholic Empires with gains in Africa and Iberia against the Muslims Empires of the Al-ma’Afiri and the Umayyad. Its only notable failure was in its excommunication war against King Stinian of Egypt. Most of the Catholic world took King Stinian’s side, including the Pope who had excommunicated him, forcing Kaiser Konrad to back down.
King Stinian and Egypt have done well, defeating the Excommunication War while expanding westward along the north African coast and south into East Africa. There, they have come in conflict with the Umayyad Empire, and ended up losing some land in the east while gaining land in the south. Now Egypt is facing a Shia Jihad lead by Caliph Shaiban, but so far the war is going well with support from their neighbor Jerusalem and the Holy Roman Empire.
West of Egypt, the lands of Ifriqiya have changed hands in the past 50 years. First, the Kingdom of Sicily conquered the Aghailid and took control. But then a dispute with the Knights of Sardinia, had the Holy Order claim most of Sicily’s north Africa holdings. Egypt took the opportunity to grab some of the disputed territory in the east.
The Avar Kingdom of Pannonia is has lost some border territories to its neighbors, but has also added a little territory, absorbing some of the smaller territories left over from the collapse of the Shia Empire.
South of Pannonia, the Byzantine Empire, which has converted to Catholic has also made some gains. It is still entangled with the Shia Fadlid Sultanate, but its has made some gains in the east against the Sathisi nomads and in the north against smaller Shia realms.
The Sunni Muslims are not part of this Jihad. After their loss in the Catholic Crusade for Jerusalem, the Umayyad’s have been more focused on their western and eastern borders. In the west, the Holy Roman Empire continues to encroach further into Iberia and the Sultanate of Ghana has gained independence in West Africa, these losses are slowing eating away at the Umayyad’s traditional stronghold in the west. In the east, while there has not yet been any direct conflict, the Tibetan Empire has swallowed up the neighboring Sunni states, bringing Tibet right to the Umayyad border. The only gains have been some expansion in East Africa. The Umayyad response to all of this is waiting on Caliph Musliddin coming of age and ending his regency.
Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by the Bedouin Empire of Al-ma’Afiri and the Sultanate of Ghana. These two Sunni realms are cut off from the rest by Catholic expansion north of the Sahara and in the east.
Further east, the Tibetan Empire continues to grow stronger. It has pushed west to the Caspian Sea and south across Persia and part of India all the way to the Indian Ocean. It has even pushed the Western Protectorate back along its northern border.
South of Tibet in the Indian subcontinent, the Rashtrakuta and the Ayudha control most of the territory. But even if they decide to join forces, they don’t have the strength to stop Tibet if Tsenpo Tong Rapsel II decides to seize more of India.
North of Tibet, most of the smaller tribes and kingdoms, even the Ashina and the Űge, have sought safety under the Western Protectorate. Only the Uyghurs under Khagan Baqu II of Uzur have refused to kneel to the servants of the Xia Empire.
The 12th Century ends with the Suomenusko faith proving its strength against its Catholic adversaries, defeating them in both offensive and defensive wars. The Volga-Ural Empire has pushed it boundaries in all directions in the latter half of the century, west into Pomerania, south into Wallachia and Crimea, and east beyond the Ural Mountains. Within its borders, the Suomenusko faith is spreading, displacing the old religion as well as the other faiths that have been brought into the Empire.
The Catholic faith is not going away. While it has failed to overawe the Suomenusko faithful, it has had better luck against the Muslims. The Umayyad’s centuries long hold on Iberia is weakening as the Holy Roman Empire makes inroads from the north and from its African holdings in the south. A successful Crusade in the east has reestablished the kingdom of Jerusalem and the Jihad for the Catholic Kingdom of Egypt has been defeated.
The Catholics greatest enemy may be themselves. Britannia suffered some internal revolts that saw a portion of England break free of its control and become independent. The Knights Templar have stolen another piece of England for themselves. But while Britannia may have lost some land in its home islands, it has gained holdings on the Continent, wresting control of a large swathe of the Atlantic coast and other territories from the Empire of Germania. Empress Wulfrun will be the last Anglo-Saxon ruler of Britannia, her son Alured will put the Empire into the hands of the Welsh and the Seisyllwg dynasty.
Germania has had other issues, not only losing Pomerania to the Suomenusko Great War, but also portions of its own Empire have gained independence and it lost additional land to the Holy Roman Empire. It made a few small gains such as winning a war against Pannonia, but not enough to make up for its losses. It internal issues just recently came to a head in a civil war that saw Stefan Udonen usurp the throne from Kaiser Eberhard ‘the Lion’, ending 75 years of the Abbonid dynasty rule over the Empire.
House Udonen also controls the Holy Roman Empire under Kaiser Konrad ‘the Confessor’. The HRE has been the most successful of the Catholic Empires with gains in Africa and Iberia against the Muslims Empires of the Al-ma’Afiri and the Umayyad. Its only notable failure was in its excommunication war against King Stinian of Egypt. Most of the Catholic world took King Stinian’s side, including the Pope who had excommunicated him, forcing Kaiser Konrad to back down.
King Stinian and Egypt have done well, defeating the Excommunication War while expanding westward along the north African coast and south into East Africa. There, they have come in conflict with the Umayyad Empire, and ended up losing some land in the east while gaining land in the south. Now Egypt is facing a Shia Jihad lead by Caliph Shaiban, but so far the war is going well with support from their neighbor Jerusalem and the Holy Roman Empire.
West of Egypt, the lands of Ifriqiya have changed hands in the past 50 years. First, the Kingdom of Sicily conquered the Aghailid and took control. But then a dispute with the Knights of Sardinia, had the Holy Order claim most of Sicily’s north Africa holdings. Egypt took the opportunity to grab some of the disputed territory in the east.
The Avar Kingdom of Pannonia is has lost some border territories to its neighbors, but has also added a little territory, absorbing some of the smaller territories left over from the collapse of the Shia Empire.
South of Pannonia, the Byzantine Empire, which has converted to Catholic has also made some gains. It is still entangled with the Shia Fadlid Sultanate, but its has made some gains in the east against the Sathisi nomads and in the north against smaller Shia realms.
The Sunni Muslims are not part of this Jihad. After their loss in the Catholic Crusade for Jerusalem, the Umayyad’s have been more focused on their western and eastern borders. In the west, the Holy Roman Empire continues to encroach further into Iberia and the Sultanate of Ghana has gained independence in West Africa, these losses are slowing eating away at the Umayyad’s traditional stronghold in the west. In the east, while there has not yet been any direct conflict, the Tibetan Empire has swallowed up the neighboring Sunni states, bringing Tibet right to the Umayyad border. The only gains have been some expansion in East Africa. The Umayyad response to all of this is waiting on Caliph Musliddin coming of age and ending his regency.
Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by the Bedouin Empire of Al-ma’Afiri and the Sultanate of Ghana. These two Sunni realms are cut off from the rest by Catholic expansion north of the Sahara and in the east.
Further east, the Tibetan Empire continues to grow stronger. It has pushed west to the Caspian Sea and south across Persia and part of India all the way to the Indian Ocean. It has even pushed the Western Protectorate back along its northern border.
South of Tibet in the Indian subcontinent, the Rashtrakuta and the Ayudha control most of the territory. But even if they decide to join forces, they don’t have the strength to stop Tibet if Tsenpo Tong Rapsel II decides to seize more of India.
North of Tibet, most of the smaller tribes and kingdoms, even the Ashina and the Űge, have sought safety under the Western Protectorate. Only the Uyghurs under Khagan Baqu II of Uzur have refused to kneel to the servants of the Xia Empire.
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Welcome back.
I get the feeling that Germania's days are numbered and the Holy Roman Empire will absorb what's left.
I get the feeling that Germania's days are numbered and the Holy Roman Empire will absorb what's left.
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Thanks, Germania is definitely weakening, but it is so sprawling it can't be taken in one bite, so it would take time to absorb it.
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1202-1209 Crusade for Saxony
1202-1209 Crusade for Saxony
Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ was 66 years old and feeling her age. She had faced the Catholic threat many times and defeated their greatest Empires throughout her reign, defeating Britannia in their neverending quest for Orkney, defeating the Holy Roman Empire in their attempt to claim Overijssel, taking a large portion of Pomerania from the Empire of Germania in the Great Holy War, and then defeating the Teutonic Knights, the Catholics’ greatest warriors, by crushing their Northern Crusade for Lithuania. She hoped she had earned peace in her final years.
Her son Koshel ‘the Wise’ had learned all she could teach him and was ready to take over as Emperor. He was biding his time in the Chiefdom of Vitebsk, until the day the Gods claimed her and his rule would begin. Her other sons also had lands of their own to rule and raise their families as they waited for their own, lesser inheritances. Inzhay ‘the Dragon’ was High Chief of Minsk and nominally his older brother’s liege, for the time being. Saksa was in the east, holding the Chiefdom of Votyaki. All three had been fruitful, giving her almost 20 grandchildren between them. Her daughters were also doing well, Chieftess Cherava of Vladimir Volynsky, High Chieftess Potekay ‘the Blushing’ of Muntenia, and Toyaksha, the Dowager Queen of Volga Bulgaria. Though the three of them had provided less than a half dozen grandchildren all told, though one of Toyaksha’s sons was King Pokshayka II of Volga Bulgaria.
But her dream of peace was not to be. She did have 5 years of peace, meeting and playing with her the first of her great-grandchildren, her grandson Koshel, son of Koshel ‘the Wise’ gave her the first, a girl named Putyayka, followed by Tutyra, Inzhay’s oldest son giving her two more, a girl then a boy, Syryava and Vechkas. More would follow. There were some peasant revolts, but the local Chief’s dealt with those, not disturbing Tatka’s rest. There was a troubling internal war, where Estonia was trying to press Princess Pemka ‘the Heavenly’ of Novgorod’s claim to her brother’s throne, but Tatka left them to settle their differences.
But midway through her idyll, rumors came from the west. The Catholic Pope and the Kings and Emperors were still reliving their humiliating defeats at the hands of Suomenusko, stewing over their failures against the pagans. King Stinian of Egypt’s defeat of the Shia Jihad gave them a false bravado and hope for revenge again the Suomenusko pagans, despite the fact that King Stinian remained excommunicated from the very Church who were cheering and claiming his success as a Catholic victory.
In 1205, the rumors became a more real threat, as Pope Stephanus VII 'the Blessed' sent out a call for the Catholic faithful to prepare for war, to prepare for new Crusade for Saxony. But even this did not greatly worry Empress Tatka, as a Catholic Pope had 10 years previously called for a similar Crusade for Saxony, which had failed to materialize and had been replaced by the pitiful Teutonic Northern Crusade for Lithuania. But she still had her spymaster, Mayor Koshel of Belgorod, send agents west to keep an eye on the Catholic threat.
But over the next two years it became obvious that this Crusade was not an empty threat, the Catholic faithful were flocking to the Pope’s cause, not only lords and knights from the Empires that had suffered humiliating defeat at Empress Tatka’s hands and were now seeking vengeance, but Catholics from further south, Egyptians, flush with their victory against the Shia, and even the Byzantine Emperor pledged their support. The Volga-Ural Empire’s recent push into Wallachia and Crimea had brought the Suomenusko threat to the borders of the Byzantine Empire.
Empress Tatka’s vassal Kings and Queens quickly promised their support, as did the few independent Suomenusko realms such as the recently defended Kingdom of Lithuania. But as the tallies came in it became clear that the whole Catholic world was gathering to march on the Volga-Ural Empire to claim the portions of Saxony under pagan control. This amounted to the High Chiefdom of Agder on the southern tip of Norway and the islands that made up the High Chiefdom of Sjælland. Both of which were controlled by Thorvald Hylling who, ironically, wasn’t even a follower of the Suomenusko faith. He was one of the Empire’s few remaining vassals who followed Odin and the rest of the Germanic gods.
The Pope’s only setback was the death of Kaiser Konrad ‘the Confessor’ in the final months leading up to the launch of the Crusade. Dietrich 'the Wise' Herluins was elected as Kaiser Dietrich III of the Holy Roman Empire and didn’t renew that Empire’s pledge of support as he was settling in to his new position on the throne. But despite that, on February 22, 1207, the Catholic Crusade for Saxony began. The 71-year old Empress was going to war, perhaps for the last time.
Empress Tatka 'Bold's strength amounted to about 110,000 men, 30,000 coming from her personal levys, her direct feudal vassals and the 10,000 Merry Men. The other 80,000 came from her tribal vassal allies. The Catholics were rumored to have raised close to 250,000 men with the various Holy Orders and the retinues of the Emperors, Kings, and high lords as the Crusade’s core strength.
Despite her age, Empress Tatka took to the field, leading the Merry Men and 20,000 levies and allies. They marched south west from Riga. She met the vanguard of the Catholic host at Kaunas. The Battle of Kaunas was a great victory, Empress Tatka and her army slaughtered 15,000 Catholics, losing only 3,000 of her own men. But this was only a small part of the Catholic Crusade and while the Battle of Kaunas was fought, more Catholics captured Marienburg to the west. And more Catholic armies were coming east along the coast.
The Ruthenian army met the next Catholic troops at Osterode. They were outnumbered at first, but held on long enough for Empress Tatka and her men to join the fray. The Catholics were led by one of their Holy Order and the Knights of that Order made it a bloody battle. Empress Tatka eventually found victory, but it was a costly, while 20,000 Cathlics died, 15,000 Suomenusko warriors also fell, men Tatka couldn’t afford to lose.
Another Catholic army was right on the heels of the last and Empress was forced into another battle at Galindia within days of the victory at Osterode. But the Cathoics were even more surprised than the Empress. They had expected their Holy Knights to rout the pagans, instead they found their Knights slaughtered and the pagans ready for their assault. The Battle of Galindia was another slaughter of Catholics, 10,000 died, while the Empress lost only 1,200.
But the news away from the Empress’ army was not good, Turov fell to an army coming from the south, Greek Catholics coming from the Byzantine Empire. While far to the west, a great host of Catholics were marching north to take ship for Agder and Sjælland. Mecklenberg fell, giving the enemy a launch point to sail across the strait to the island of Fyn.
Empress Tatka fought another battle at Ragnit, again defeating the enemy, but she was then forced to turn south to deal with the Greek army that was continuing north after taking Turov. The Greek army was destroyed at the Battle of Wizna, barely 2,000 escaped from their original 10,000.
But the Catholics were determined to trap the Empress in the East, to keep her from coming west to protect the target of the Crusade, the lands in Saxony. To this end, they had landed another army outside Riga and had sacked the capitol while Tatka had been hunting down the Greeks. The rest of the Empress allies were proving ineffectual in defending the western lands, not coming together in strength, but raiding the outskirts of the Catholic hosts individually.
Tatka fell back to Riga to free it from the enemy occupation. She was successful, but Pope Stephanus VII 'the Blessed' sent an emissary asking Empress Tatka to surrender. He and his Crusade had secured Saxony, and Empress Tatka had been penned up in the East, prevented from relieving the western provinces. He thought she must realize her cause was hopeless. In her pride, Tatka refused and once more marched west.
A 2nd Battle was fought at Ragnit as the Empress swept westward, brushing aside the Catholic forces. She then pushed on into Pomerania fighting another battle at Gdansk at the start of the year 1209. Again winning, but again forced to slow her advance and her chance to relieve her western lands.
By April 1209, she had reached Mecklenburg and freed Schwerin from its Catholic garrison. She then freed Lubeck and crossed into Germania territory hoping to capture the port near Lauenburg and ferry her men to Sjælland.
Lauenburg was a trap, a trap Empress Tatka walked into in her eagerness to finally reach the disputed territory. Tatka had the orginal army outnumbered, 30,000 men versus 20,000. But the Catholic’s had a massive army waiting just off shore, and as soon as Tatka committed her men to the assault, these Catholic reinforements began to land. In the end over 60,000 Catholics fought in the Battle of Lauenburg against Empress Tatka’s 30,000. This was Empress Tatka's greatest defeat in 30 years of war, two thirds of her army were slaughtered, the Merry Men were decimated holding the center. She was forced to flee back into Suomenusko Pomerania.
Thus, Empress Tatka at 73 was faced with a tough decision, she had no hope of freeing Saxony against the full might of the Catholic world, she would have to surrender.
King Conmael of Brittany was given credit for capturing the most Saxon territory and named his sister Beladora as Queen of the new Catholic Kingdom of Saxony. On July 8, 1209, the Pope crowned her as Queen Beladora 'the Holy' of Saxony. Pope Stephanus VII 'the Blessed' gloated telling the 73-old Empress "may her life be short and miserable" as he claimed his victory. Empress Tatka was forced to lead the remnants of her army home.
Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ was 66 years old and feeling her age. She had faced the Catholic threat many times and defeated their greatest Empires throughout her reign, defeating Britannia in their neverending quest for Orkney, defeating the Holy Roman Empire in their attempt to claim Overijssel, taking a large portion of Pomerania from the Empire of Germania in the Great Holy War, and then defeating the Teutonic Knights, the Catholics’ greatest warriors, by crushing their Northern Crusade for Lithuania. She hoped she had earned peace in her final years.
Her son Koshel ‘the Wise’ had learned all she could teach him and was ready to take over as Emperor. He was biding his time in the Chiefdom of Vitebsk, until the day the Gods claimed her and his rule would begin. Her other sons also had lands of their own to rule and raise their families as they waited for their own, lesser inheritances. Inzhay ‘the Dragon’ was High Chief of Minsk and nominally his older brother’s liege, for the time being. Saksa was in the east, holding the Chiefdom of Votyaki. All three had been fruitful, giving her almost 20 grandchildren between them. Her daughters were also doing well, Chieftess Cherava of Vladimir Volynsky, High Chieftess Potekay ‘the Blushing’ of Muntenia, and Toyaksha, the Dowager Queen of Volga Bulgaria. Though the three of them had provided less than a half dozen grandchildren all told, though one of Toyaksha’s sons was King Pokshayka II of Volga Bulgaria.
But her dream of peace was not to be. She did have 5 years of peace, meeting and playing with her the first of her great-grandchildren, her grandson Koshel, son of Koshel ‘the Wise’ gave her the first, a girl named Putyayka, followed by Tutyra, Inzhay’s oldest son giving her two more, a girl then a boy, Syryava and Vechkas. More would follow. There were some peasant revolts, but the local Chief’s dealt with those, not disturbing Tatka’s rest. There was a troubling internal war, where Estonia was trying to press Princess Pemka ‘the Heavenly’ of Novgorod’s claim to her brother’s throne, but Tatka left them to settle their differences.
But midway through her idyll, rumors came from the west. The Catholic Pope and the Kings and Emperors were still reliving their humiliating defeats at the hands of Suomenusko, stewing over their failures against the pagans. King Stinian of Egypt’s defeat of the Shia Jihad gave them a false bravado and hope for revenge again the Suomenusko pagans, despite the fact that King Stinian remained excommunicated from the very Church who were cheering and claiming his success as a Catholic victory.
In 1205, the rumors became a more real threat, as Pope Stephanus VII 'the Blessed' sent out a call for the Catholic faithful to prepare for war, to prepare for new Crusade for Saxony. But even this did not greatly worry Empress Tatka, as a Catholic Pope had 10 years previously called for a similar Crusade for Saxony, which had failed to materialize and had been replaced by the pitiful Teutonic Northern Crusade for Lithuania. But she still had her spymaster, Mayor Koshel of Belgorod, send agents west to keep an eye on the Catholic threat.
But over the next two years it became obvious that this Crusade was not an empty threat, the Catholic faithful were flocking to the Pope’s cause, not only lords and knights from the Empires that had suffered humiliating defeat at Empress Tatka’s hands and were now seeking vengeance, but Catholics from further south, Egyptians, flush with their victory against the Shia, and even the Byzantine Emperor pledged their support. The Volga-Ural Empire’s recent push into Wallachia and Crimea had brought the Suomenusko threat to the borders of the Byzantine Empire.
Empress Tatka’s vassal Kings and Queens quickly promised their support, as did the few independent Suomenusko realms such as the recently defended Kingdom of Lithuania. But as the tallies came in it became clear that the whole Catholic world was gathering to march on the Volga-Ural Empire to claim the portions of Saxony under pagan control. This amounted to the High Chiefdom of Agder on the southern tip of Norway and the islands that made up the High Chiefdom of Sjælland. Both of which were controlled by Thorvald Hylling who, ironically, wasn’t even a follower of the Suomenusko faith. He was one of the Empire’s few remaining vassals who followed Odin and the rest of the Germanic gods.
The Pope’s only setback was the death of Kaiser Konrad ‘the Confessor’ in the final months leading up to the launch of the Crusade. Dietrich 'the Wise' Herluins was elected as Kaiser Dietrich III of the Holy Roman Empire and didn’t renew that Empire’s pledge of support as he was settling in to his new position on the throne. But despite that, on February 22, 1207, the Catholic Crusade for Saxony began. The 71-year old Empress was going to war, perhaps for the last time.
Empress Tatka 'Bold's strength amounted to about 110,000 men, 30,000 coming from her personal levys, her direct feudal vassals and the 10,000 Merry Men. The other 80,000 came from her tribal vassal allies. The Catholics were rumored to have raised close to 250,000 men with the various Holy Orders and the retinues of the Emperors, Kings, and high lords as the Crusade’s core strength.
Despite her age, Empress Tatka took to the field, leading the Merry Men and 20,000 levies and allies. They marched south west from Riga. She met the vanguard of the Catholic host at Kaunas. The Battle of Kaunas was a great victory, Empress Tatka and her army slaughtered 15,000 Catholics, losing only 3,000 of her own men. But this was only a small part of the Catholic Crusade and while the Battle of Kaunas was fought, more Catholics captured Marienburg to the west. And more Catholic armies were coming east along the coast.
The Ruthenian army met the next Catholic troops at Osterode. They were outnumbered at first, but held on long enough for Empress Tatka and her men to join the fray. The Catholics were led by one of their Holy Order and the Knights of that Order made it a bloody battle. Empress Tatka eventually found victory, but it was a costly, while 20,000 Cathlics died, 15,000 Suomenusko warriors also fell, men Tatka couldn’t afford to lose.
Another Catholic army was right on the heels of the last and Empress was forced into another battle at Galindia within days of the victory at Osterode. But the Cathoics were even more surprised than the Empress. They had expected their Holy Knights to rout the pagans, instead they found their Knights slaughtered and the pagans ready for their assault. The Battle of Galindia was another slaughter of Catholics, 10,000 died, while the Empress lost only 1,200.
But the news away from the Empress’ army was not good, Turov fell to an army coming from the south, Greek Catholics coming from the Byzantine Empire. While far to the west, a great host of Catholics were marching north to take ship for Agder and Sjælland. Mecklenberg fell, giving the enemy a launch point to sail across the strait to the island of Fyn.
Empress Tatka fought another battle at Ragnit, again defeating the enemy, but she was then forced to turn south to deal with the Greek army that was continuing north after taking Turov. The Greek army was destroyed at the Battle of Wizna, barely 2,000 escaped from their original 10,000.
But the Catholics were determined to trap the Empress in the East, to keep her from coming west to protect the target of the Crusade, the lands in Saxony. To this end, they had landed another army outside Riga and had sacked the capitol while Tatka had been hunting down the Greeks. The rest of the Empress allies were proving ineffectual in defending the western lands, not coming together in strength, but raiding the outskirts of the Catholic hosts individually.
Tatka fell back to Riga to free it from the enemy occupation. She was successful, but Pope Stephanus VII 'the Blessed' sent an emissary asking Empress Tatka to surrender. He and his Crusade had secured Saxony, and Empress Tatka had been penned up in the East, prevented from relieving the western provinces. He thought she must realize her cause was hopeless. In her pride, Tatka refused and once more marched west.
A 2nd Battle was fought at Ragnit as the Empress swept westward, brushing aside the Catholic forces. She then pushed on into Pomerania fighting another battle at Gdansk at the start of the year 1209. Again winning, but again forced to slow her advance and her chance to relieve her western lands.
By April 1209, she had reached Mecklenburg and freed Schwerin from its Catholic garrison. She then freed Lubeck and crossed into Germania territory hoping to capture the port near Lauenburg and ferry her men to Sjælland.
Lauenburg was a trap, a trap Empress Tatka walked into in her eagerness to finally reach the disputed territory. Tatka had the orginal army outnumbered, 30,000 men versus 20,000. But the Catholic’s had a massive army waiting just off shore, and as soon as Tatka committed her men to the assault, these Catholic reinforements began to land. In the end over 60,000 Catholics fought in the Battle of Lauenburg against Empress Tatka’s 30,000. This was Empress Tatka's greatest defeat in 30 years of war, two thirds of her army were slaughtered, the Merry Men were decimated holding the center. She was forced to flee back into Suomenusko Pomerania.
Thus, Empress Tatka at 73 was faced with a tough decision, she had no hope of freeing Saxony against the full might of the Catholic world, she would have to surrender.
King Conmael of Brittany was given credit for capturing the most Saxon territory and named his sister Beladora as Queen of the new Catholic Kingdom of Saxony. On July 8, 1209, the Pope crowned her as Queen Beladora 'the Holy' of Saxony. Pope Stephanus VII 'the Blessed' gloated telling the 73-old Empress "may her life be short and miserable" as he claimed his victory. Empress Tatka was forced to lead the remnants of her army home.
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A sad day for the empire, and a bad way for Tatka to spend her twilight years.
Though Saxony isn't an especially important region to lose, it has to sting Suomenusko pride
Though Saxony isn't an especially important region to lose, it has to sting Suomenusko pride
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Something like that can happen when the Christians finally get their act together...
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That's exactly it, it was their first significant defeat to the Catholics in centuries.
Luckily they rarely work together for long.
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1210 – 1214 - … they take a Kingdom, you take an Empire! That’s the Volga-Ural way.
1210 – 1214 … they take a Kingdom, you take an Empire! That’s the Volga-Ural way.
After the defeat, age seemed to catch up with Empress Tatka as she spent her time talking about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and gossiping about the neighbors while she sipped the tea her daughter-in-law Abuha had introduced, brought from the court of the Xia Empire. She took little interest in the affairs of state, either internal or foreign issues.
She bragged about her grandson Puresh marrying Nino Durgulely chyzg ve Mapa, an Alan nomad. In time, she would be delighted by their first child, a son they name Koshel after his grandfather. She tutted about her lame granddaughter Olota coming of age, trained as a dutiful cleric. The King of Nenetsia asked for Olota as a wife for one of his sons, Chipaz, but Tatka declined as boy was far too young. Instead, Olota is married to Uchva Vespä, the son and heir of High Chieftess Nezayka of Mordva. Another granddaughter, Noroava, is briefly betrothed to Prince Puresh of Estonia, but he soon came of age and they were married. One frequent subject of discussion was her grandson, Koshel, the oldest son of Koshel ‘the Wise’. The boy had had such promise and he had a claim on Empire of Britannia from his late mother, Nulzyava of St. Cuthbert. But the boy fallen in with a bad crowd and was now infected with the pox, which was already eating away at his mind. Tatka had taken pity on his only child, his daughter Putyayka and taken her on as her ward.
The gossip outside the immediate family included stories of King Tjudmund 'the Magnificent' of Lapland dying of an infected wound and his kinsman Viryas becoming the new King of Lapland. (Tjudmund had been one of the last of the people Tatka knew in her youth as they were of similar age). And there was High Chief Inzhay 'the Fat' of Vestlandet dying of pneumonia and his son becoming High Chief Uchva II of Vestlandet. Then they laughed at King Naruchad 'the Brute' of Merya. He spent years fighting a long war to usurp the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhinya from Kardaz 'the Great', only to have Inzhay Kardazid usurp the crown of Merya out from under his nose, leaving Naruchad 'the Brute' with only with the stolen crown of the weaker Kingdom of Galicia-Volhinya. There salacious gossip about High Chief Tikshayka of Kuyavia gaining an advantageous alliance with King Chumbulat III of Novgorod by practically throwing his sister Mel'shay at the young King and then convincing him to make her his Queen. Finally, she was appalled at the horrible accident that had left Queen Ruzava 'the Sword of Omől' of Ruthenia a mangled mess, leaving her younger sister Chindyayka to become Queen Chindyayka of Ruthenia.
There was juicy gossip about a couple of neighboring rulers. Basileus Athansios 'the Butcher' of the Byzantine Empire was murdered, some suspected that his son, the newly crowned Basileus Maurikios II, was involved in the plot. Closer to home King Voitto ‘the Whisperer’ of Lithuania, who had managed to hold onto his throne against a Catholic Crusade (with Tatka’s considerable aid), ended up losing it to a bunch of peasants. The peasant leader, a man named Kaarle claimed the Chiefdom of Sortavala, and the Kingdom of Lithuania disappeared for good, with Voitto 'the Whisperer' Anttonen going into exile.
A few things outside of gossip did catch her attention briefly.
Chief Kichay 'Iron Hand' of Meissen, one of Tatka’s commanders during the Great Holy War for Pomerania who she had rewarded generously, died, and since he had no sons, Tatka inherited his titles. He did leave one daughter, Tetyava Kichayid, who was married to a Kardazid named Tyushtya. So Tatka decided to grant Tyushtya his late father-in-law’s lands and titles to Meissen and Gorlitz, to honor her comrade-in-arm’s memory and provide for Iron Hand’s grandchildren.
And the Empire expanded some to make up for the loss of Saxony. High Chieftess Yrsa of Viken claimed Scalloway and the island of Shetland in the North Sea and the King of Khazaria took Kuban and Sarpa from the Sathisi nomads, though forts and other methods needed to be built in order to control the nomad populace.
Thus Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ passed the last few years of her long and eventful life, before dying at the age of 76 in the fall of the year, 1212.
With the death of Empress Tatka, Koshel 'the Wise becomes the new Emperor, his brother Saksa becomes King of Wallachia, his nephew, Tutyra, the son of his late brother, Inzhay 'the Dragon', inherits Mecklenburg and other lands, and his oldest son, Koshel, a pox-ridden madman, becomes heir to the Empire.
His son and heir is foremost in Koshel’s mind as he takes control of the Volga-Ural Empire. He cares little that the nomads of Kuban and Sarpa break free from the Empire and rejoin the Khagan of the Sathisi.
As he convenes the Council, (after appointing Shaman Moksha of Ledurga as the new diviner as Shaman Orunza was now his nephew’s vassal), his first order of business is to declare war to press his son Koshel’s claim for the Empire of Britannia. The Council were surprised and try to get him to wait before taking such a drastic step, several advise against it entirely, but he is determined. His son’s hold on his sanity is slipping more and more each day as the pox eats away at his mind, and there is no telling how much longer he has before the pox claims his very life. This is the last chance to bring to fruition a plan that was first set in motion by Inzhay ‘the Ruthless’ when he captured the six-year old heir to the throne of Britannia, Æthelweald of St. Cuthbert, over 60 years ago. There have been setbacks, but they now have this one last chance to place Æthelweald’s only grandson on the Britannic throne.
Koshel raised his levys and called upon his feudal and his tribal vassals. Not all of them agreed with this adventure, sharing the Council’s doubts. King Chipaz 'the Sword of Jumi' of Khazaria was highest vassal to refuse the call to arms. But even without Khazaria, Koshel had enough. The young Emperor Ælfræd of Britannia had no allies, only the strength of the vassals that supported him directly. Koshel had his men rally to the south near the port in Marienburg, and the fleets were launched and told to sail for the Gulf of Danzig to take on troops.
He takes a new concubine, Sochava Rigaid, to keep him company as he waits for his army to gather. She is soon pregnant. Another grandchild is born to Koshel’s son Puresh and his wife Nino, named Seyamka. Koshel’s kinsman, Tutyra, is his ward, he will join him in the field acting as his valet and messenger.
First battle of the war is fought outside Marienburg. The British had learned of his rally point and sent an army to disrupt his preparations for the invasion of Britain. But by the time they landed and offered battle, Koshel’s army has swelled. It was a one-sided victory at Marienburg, the enemy lost almost 6,000 men, while Koshel lost less than 1,000. It barely slowed down his preparations.
Word comes of unrest in the interior of the Empire, peasant revolts in Atyrau and in Naro-Fominsk. Koshel leaves it to the locals to deal with. The Atyrau peasants are quickly handled by the local Chiefs, though the revolt in Naro-Fominsk will drag on for some time. On the opposite side of the Empire, Iceland suffers a revolt that sees a man named Kako has usurp the High Chiefdom of Iceland from the young lord Nabtiko. Koshel shrugs and accepts the fealty of the new High Chief. He is focused on his goal and is ready to set sail in early summer.
It takes four months to sail from the Baltic to the western tip of England. Koshel lands in Cornwall just ahead of the winter storms that would have made the sea voyage much more dangerous. The capitol of Britannia is already besieged by some of Koshel’s allies, so Koshel divides his army, sending half to Devon and the rest toward Somerset.
There is no sign of an enemy army, so Koshel has free reign to seize the holdings. Taunton in Somerset is the first to be captured. This is followed by Lydford in Devon. And then Glastonbury.
Fresh news arrives from home. Koshel has a new daughter, Yagana, born to his concubine Sochava. Also, High Chief Otvay II of Bashkiria, Koshel’s Steward, has leveled charges of treason against King Tylze of Nenetsia, the Empire’s spymaster. Koshel knows that the two men are rivals on the Council, but he cannot afford to have a spymaster that is disloyal, so he orders King Tylze's arrest. The spymaster is captured without incident and safely locked away. Koshel will look into it further once the war has ended.
The rest of the important places in Cornwall quickly fall, Exeter, Ilchester, Muchelney, and finally Axminster. The Imperial fleet then sails around Land’s End into St. George’s Channel to ferry the army across to Wales. There they finally find a British army at Pembroke and join in battle.
The victory at Pembroke, which fell 10:1 in Koshel's favor, marked the end of British resistance. Young Emperor Ælfræd of Britannia is forced to surrender, giving up his higher titles and reduced to Duke Ælfræd of Leinster as the war is over. Koshel ‘the Wise’ stays in Britain to see his son crowned as Emperor Koshel of Britannia, ruling from Leix in Ireland (his new subjects already calling him Koshel 'the Usurper'). His new empire includes most of the British Isles, except for the small Kingdom of England and the Knights Templar holdings in the south, and additional holdings on the continent stretching south along the Atlantic coast. The Empire he has claimed has a feudal government, so all his vassals owe him fealty, men, and taxes.
Once the younger Emperor Koshel is crowned, the older Emperor Koshel takes his men home. The Catholics had claimed the Kingdom of Saxony and humiliated his mother, now he has taken an Empire from them.
After the defeat, age seemed to catch up with Empress Tatka as she spent her time talking about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and gossiping about the neighbors while she sipped the tea her daughter-in-law Abuha had introduced, brought from the court of the Xia Empire. She took little interest in the affairs of state, either internal or foreign issues.
She bragged about her grandson Puresh marrying Nino Durgulely chyzg ve Mapa, an Alan nomad. In time, she would be delighted by their first child, a son they name Koshel after his grandfather. She tutted about her lame granddaughter Olota coming of age, trained as a dutiful cleric. The King of Nenetsia asked for Olota as a wife for one of his sons, Chipaz, but Tatka declined as boy was far too young. Instead, Olota is married to Uchva Vespä, the son and heir of High Chieftess Nezayka of Mordva. Another granddaughter, Noroava, is briefly betrothed to Prince Puresh of Estonia, but he soon came of age and they were married. One frequent subject of discussion was her grandson, Koshel, the oldest son of Koshel ‘the Wise’. The boy had had such promise and he had a claim on Empire of Britannia from his late mother, Nulzyava of St. Cuthbert. But the boy fallen in with a bad crowd and was now infected with the pox, which was already eating away at his mind. Tatka had taken pity on his only child, his daughter Putyayka and taken her on as her ward.
The gossip outside the immediate family included stories of King Tjudmund 'the Magnificent' of Lapland dying of an infected wound and his kinsman Viryas becoming the new King of Lapland. (Tjudmund had been one of the last of the people Tatka knew in her youth as they were of similar age). And there was High Chief Inzhay 'the Fat' of Vestlandet dying of pneumonia and his son becoming High Chief Uchva II of Vestlandet. Then they laughed at King Naruchad 'the Brute' of Merya. He spent years fighting a long war to usurp the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhinya from Kardaz 'the Great', only to have Inzhay Kardazid usurp the crown of Merya out from under his nose, leaving Naruchad 'the Brute' with only with the stolen crown of the weaker Kingdom of Galicia-Volhinya. There salacious gossip about High Chief Tikshayka of Kuyavia gaining an advantageous alliance with King Chumbulat III of Novgorod by practically throwing his sister Mel'shay at the young King and then convincing him to make her his Queen. Finally, she was appalled at the horrible accident that had left Queen Ruzava 'the Sword of Omől' of Ruthenia a mangled mess, leaving her younger sister Chindyayka to become Queen Chindyayka of Ruthenia.
There was juicy gossip about a couple of neighboring rulers. Basileus Athansios 'the Butcher' of the Byzantine Empire was murdered, some suspected that his son, the newly crowned Basileus Maurikios II, was involved in the plot. Closer to home King Voitto ‘the Whisperer’ of Lithuania, who had managed to hold onto his throne against a Catholic Crusade (with Tatka’s considerable aid), ended up losing it to a bunch of peasants. The peasant leader, a man named Kaarle claimed the Chiefdom of Sortavala, and the Kingdom of Lithuania disappeared for good, with Voitto 'the Whisperer' Anttonen going into exile.
A few things outside of gossip did catch her attention briefly.
Chief Kichay 'Iron Hand' of Meissen, one of Tatka’s commanders during the Great Holy War for Pomerania who she had rewarded generously, died, and since he had no sons, Tatka inherited his titles. He did leave one daughter, Tetyava Kichayid, who was married to a Kardazid named Tyushtya. So Tatka decided to grant Tyushtya his late father-in-law’s lands and titles to Meissen and Gorlitz, to honor her comrade-in-arm’s memory and provide for Iron Hand’s grandchildren.
And the Empire expanded some to make up for the loss of Saxony. High Chieftess Yrsa of Viken claimed Scalloway and the island of Shetland in the North Sea and the King of Khazaria took Kuban and Sarpa from the Sathisi nomads, though forts and other methods needed to be built in order to control the nomad populace.
Thus Empress Tatka ‘the Bold’ passed the last few years of her long and eventful life, before dying at the age of 76 in the fall of the year, 1212.
With the death of Empress Tatka, Koshel 'the Wise becomes the new Emperor, his brother Saksa becomes King of Wallachia, his nephew, Tutyra, the son of his late brother, Inzhay 'the Dragon', inherits Mecklenburg and other lands, and his oldest son, Koshel, a pox-ridden madman, becomes heir to the Empire.
His son and heir is foremost in Koshel’s mind as he takes control of the Volga-Ural Empire. He cares little that the nomads of Kuban and Sarpa break free from the Empire and rejoin the Khagan of the Sathisi.
As he convenes the Council, (after appointing Shaman Moksha of Ledurga as the new diviner as Shaman Orunza was now his nephew’s vassal), his first order of business is to declare war to press his son Koshel’s claim for the Empire of Britannia. The Council were surprised and try to get him to wait before taking such a drastic step, several advise against it entirely, but he is determined. His son’s hold on his sanity is slipping more and more each day as the pox eats away at his mind, and there is no telling how much longer he has before the pox claims his very life. This is the last chance to bring to fruition a plan that was first set in motion by Inzhay ‘the Ruthless’ when he captured the six-year old heir to the throne of Britannia, Æthelweald of St. Cuthbert, over 60 years ago. There have been setbacks, but they now have this one last chance to place Æthelweald’s only grandson on the Britannic throne.
Koshel raised his levys and called upon his feudal and his tribal vassals. Not all of them agreed with this adventure, sharing the Council’s doubts. King Chipaz 'the Sword of Jumi' of Khazaria was highest vassal to refuse the call to arms. But even without Khazaria, Koshel had enough. The young Emperor Ælfræd of Britannia had no allies, only the strength of the vassals that supported him directly. Koshel had his men rally to the south near the port in Marienburg, and the fleets were launched and told to sail for the Gulf of Danzig to take on troops.
He takes a new concubine, Sochava Rigaid, to keep him company as he waits for his army to gather. She is soon pregnant. Another grandchild is born to Koshel’s son Puresh and his wife Nino, named Seyamka. Koshel’s kinsman, Tutyra, is his ward, he will join him in the field acting as his valet and messenger.
First battle of the war is fought outside Marienburg. The British had learned of his rally point and sent an army to disrupt his preparations for the invasion of Britain. But by the time they landed and offered battle, Koshel’s army has swelled. It was a one-sided victory at Marienburg, the enemy lost almost 6,000 men, while Koshel lost less than 1,000. It barely slowed down his preparations.
Word comes of unrest in the interior of the Empire, peasant revolts in Atyrau and in Naro-Fominsk. Koshel leaves it to the locals to deal with. The Atyrau peasants are quickly handled by the local Chiefs, though the revolt in Naro-Fominsk will drag on for some time. On the opposite side of the Empire, Iceland suffers a revolt that sees a man named Kako has usurp the High Chiefdom of Iceland from the young lord Nabtiko. Koshel shrugs and accepts the fealty of the new High Chief. He is focused on his goal and is ready to set sail in early summer.
It takes four months to sail from the Baltic to the western tip of England. Koshel lands in Cornwall just ahead of the winter storms that would have made the sea voyage much more dangerous. The capitol of Britannia is already besieged by some of Koshel’s allies, so Koshel divides his army, sending half to Devon and the rest toward Somerset.
There is no sign of an enemy army, so Koshel has free reign to seize the holdings. Taunton in Somerset is the first to be captured. This is followed by Lydford in Devon. And then Glastonbury.
Fresh news arrives from home. Koshel has a new daughter, Yagana, born to his concubine Sochava. Also, High Chief Otvay II of Bashkiria, Koshel’s Steward, has leveled charges of treason against King Tylze of Nenetsia, the Empire’s spymaster. Koshel knows that the two men are rivals on the Council, but he cannot afford to have a spymaster that is disloyal, so he orders King Tylze's arrest. The spymaster is captured without incident and safely locked away. Koshel will look into it further once the war has ended.
The rest of the important places in Cornwall quickly fall, Exeter, Ilchester, Muchelney, and finally Axminster. The Imperial fleet then sails around Land’s End into St. George’s Channel to ferry the army across to Wales. There they finally find a British army at Pembroke and join in battle.
The victory at Pembroke, which fell 10:1 in Koshel's favor, marked the end of British resistance. Young Emperor Ælfræd of Britannia is forced to surrender, giving up his higher titles and reduced to Duke Ælfræd of Leinster as the war is over. Koshel ‘the Wise’ stays in Britain to see his son crowned as Emperor Koshel of Britannia, ruling from Leix in Ireland (his new subjects already calling him Koshel 'the Usurper'). His new empire includes most of the British Isles, except for the small Kingdom of England and the Knights Templar holdings in the south, and additional holdings on the continent stretching south along the Atlantic coast. The Empire he has claimed has a feudal government, so all his vassals owe him fealty, men, and taxes.
Once the younger Emperor Koshel is crowned, the older Emperor Koshel takes his men home. The Catholics had claimed the Kingdom of Saxony and humiliated his mother, now he has taken an Empire from them.
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