The Piast History of Europe, 1066 - 1370

[ASPGolan]

P.S.:

Here is how my work is going on the mod.

If anyone wants to help me with changing province files I would probably love them for a pretty long time.

But WAIT. Why the blue horde? its the "golden" horde for a reason, ain't it?

 

[Hydroloc]

But WAIT. Why the blue horde? its the "golden" horde for a reason, ain't it?

There were many names for it. From what I've seen most commonly used is either blue or golden horde.

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

I forgot to comment earlier in this thread when I'd caught up. An enjoyable AAR, nice and succinct compared to some of the sprawling epics around these parts (not that those are bad).

The Blue Horde is there because Martellus hadn't modified that part of the default MEIOU map when that screenshot was taken. The plan over on the mod thread says that there will be a Golden Horde.

 

[Martellus.]

Kazimierz X the Mighty:
1211 - 1296
Duke of Danzig: 1224
Duke of Savoy: 1226 - 1263
Duke of Trakai: 1263 - 1296
Grand King of Poland-Lithuania: 1223 - 1296

Potop:
1223 - 1276
​

Kazimierz X had no time to waste after becoming king, even at such a young age: he understood the almost imminent threat of Mongol invasion and the danger his lands were in. Thus, Kazimierz almost immediately began to impose his will on the Polish nobility, who had gained significant rights in the later years of Mieszko III’s rule- the king was often in Flanders and left many tasks to his compatriot Wladyslaw Dunin, who strongly favored the smaller landed nobility over the ruling house of Piast. Nobles were first prevented from leaving their supposed duchy of residence in 1225, with the exception of those participating in the higher Sejms (held in Rawa, the ‘capital’ of Mazovia). Noble’s rights were continually constrained until 1241, when nobles willingly relinquished nearly all of their remaining privileges to the Polish crown to assist in the fight against the Mongol hordes.

Wladyslaw was officially the “regent” of the Commonwealth at the time, although in reality Kazimierz X had reined him in (so to speak). The real power lied with Kazimierz X and the elder brother of Mateusz, Cardinal Leszek. Leszek held not only the title of Cardinal (many influential nobles in Piast countries were given the title after the effective subjugation of the Papacy) but also controlled the archbishopric of Kuyavia. Because of his close familial ties with the previous regent he often had more sway than the true regent did himself. Similarly, Kazimierz X’s official “tutor” was King Jovirdas I of Lithuania, a devout Orthodox and only one of many Lithuanians that felt their Kingdom was being restricted by the ruling Poles. But, in reality he was mostly taught by Stanislawa Czartoryska, his mother, who would even go on to assassinate Jovirdas I along with the help of Cardinal Leszek.

Clockwise from top left: A young Kazimierz X, Jovirdas I, and both Leszek Dunin (the cardinal) and Wladyslaw Dunin (the sitting man)​

Over the next few years, Kazimierz Mlody (as he was called at the time) would mostly learn the art of politic from Leszek, and take tentative steps to creating a strong centralized government. The aforementioned travel restriction, dubbed the Statute of Rawa, was an early move and probably one of the most important in this period. Kazimierz continued to travel much more than many other Polish kings and is known to have visited Rome, Lubeck (the Danish crown’s capital), Ghent, Esztergom, Prague, Barcelona, and Leon in the space of around 6 years. A few important marriages were made during this period: most notably, the younger brother of Mlody, Mieszko Piast, married Mechtild I Babenberg, who was the queen of Lotharingia, and Kazimierz X himself married Pernelle I Dillingen, who was Duchess of Savoy (although their children would mostly break ties with the Piast dynasty).

After the end of Kazimierz’s regency, he spent much of his time near the border between Lithuania, Wschodrus, and the Golden Horde, mostly in Smolensk, where he stayed at the grad of Smolensk (the castle there). Jovirdas I, who had already been snubbed as court tutor, now felt that the continued existence of the king within Lithuanian territory was a direct assault against his freedom, and made plans to kill Mlody. His diary reads more or less the same thing: “The intolerance towards Lithuania has been made clear by this upstart king. His intolerance, in turn, will not be tolerated. The Flemish king will die agape in his false home, a false king. I have prepared for this occasion and will succeed in my plot, God willing.” These plans were reported to Leszek, who in turn asked Stanislawa Czartoryski, herself the son of an earlier Lithuanian king and respected member of the court there, to kill Jovirdas before he could even drum up support for his plan. He was poisoned a short time later (in March of 1232), and his 11-year old son Aras became Aras I of Lithuania. Aras was tutored by Stanislawa Czartoryska and quickly became a close ally of Mlody, although this did win him favors with the dukes of Lithuania; they rebelled fairly often over the next 8 years or so.

Clockwise from top right: Kazimierz X's marriage to Pernelle I, the Statute of Rawa, the death of Jovirdas I, the grad at Smolensk today alongside a statue of an older Kazimierz X​

The time termed as the ‘Potop’, or Flood, began around 1235, although historians are unsure of the exact start date. Although it is often referred to the ‘Forty Years’ War’ outside of Poland, the Mongol invasions of the Commonwealth was, for the most part, state sponsored indirect warfare, with the exceptions of short periods between 1251 and 1256, as well as between 1265 and 1269. In both these small epochs, more blood was shed than during the entire remainder of the 41 years of conflict- historical sources estimate a loss of anywhere between 300 thousand and one million Mongol soldiers, and about 250 to 400 thousand Piast fighters (Keep in mind that the Bujakhin Mongols controlled land from Mongolia to Russia at this time, and that the Commonwealth and the Piasts held the vast majority of Europe). The intermittent periods saw much less organized fighting, but were host to a few major battles (particularly the Polish disaster of Tikhvin in 1249). Overall, much of the fighting was actually done by hired soldiers, especially on the Polish side- there are documents that even allude to the Varangian Guard heading to the hinterlands of Wschodrus for a short time.

By 1240 or so, large numbers of semi-professional soldiers were stationed on or near the Polish “border” with the Hordes, which was rather fluid, seeing as the Mongols had no interest in establishing diplomatic relations with any European court at the time. The men had no real allegiance to the Polish crown and instead chose to take up rather unseemly professions (mostly highwaymen and robbers). Kazimierz X had to spend rather ludicrous amounts of money from his personal treasury to keep the men in check and replace resources they used up. The men did successfully push all the way to the great fort of Sarkel in the same year, however, causing short term land gains in the south of Rus; more importantly, the capture of the fort allowed for control of the Volga-Don portage and stifled much trade for the Mongols. A little less than a year later, nobles from all walks of life pledged most of their remaining freedoms and levies to the Polish king, with the stipulation that they would have them returned after the Mongol threat ended.

The first “hot” period of the war was incited by the Mongols in 1251- they simply acknowledged the long standing political reality of their incursions, and were bolstered by the major defeat two years earlier at Tikhvin, where about 16 thousand Polish mercenaries were killed at the hands of Mongol horsemen. This first open war is typically referred to as “Wlocznia”, or ‘the Spear’, especially in Polish folk lore. The Horde came from the northeast, and incurred heavy losses on the Poles at Belozersk (one of Kazimierz X’s major defeats as general), Komarovka, and Torzhok. At this point in time Mongol tactics were not well known, and large numbers of cavalry were lost in attempting to chase down their false retreats. To many, it appeared as if the days of Poland-Lithuania were numbered: Commonwealth forces were pushed back central Lithuania and mostly held the line. However, successes at Bevel and Khorol prevented any further movement into Polish territory. The south was almost entirely untouched and Polish forces continued to hold the area around Sarkel, crippling Horde influence there. However, Mongol forces almost reached the walls of Kiev in 1254, when many Polish elements in the area were recalled to assist in holding Lithuania. It was their farthest extension into the south of the Commonwealth, and, in fact, they were repulsed from the area shortly after.

The initial Mongol invasion- the Wlocznia​

The war then continued in earnest, although both governments agreed to the cessation of formal hostilities in 1256 due to the lack of ability to fight on either side. Kazimierz now was given the nickname “Przeklety”, referring to his embarrassment in the first formal war against the Horde, but did not relent: he continued visits to foreign courts and creation of armies to fight another war. In particular, he drummed up support from France, which held a Piast king from 1249 to 1263. He committed rather large numbers of French troops to the battles in Poland, and was especially adamant about sending most of the French knight retinues to the Commonwealth. Not surprisingly, the Polish cavalry force by around 1260 was really only rivaled by the Mongols’, although in an entirely different fashion: the Mongols had always valued skilled archers and most of their innovation was in that regard, even on horseback. The Polish, on the other hand, looked at heavily armored horsemen as the pinnacle of fighting, and chose to use these heavily.

The “Potop” went rather quiet until around 1264, when multiple Holy Orders were given land surrounding Lithuania (where much of the Horde’s ‘army’ resided at the time) and hired swords managed to hold between the Dnieper and Neman rivers, thus creating a bottleneck for the now –trapped horsemen of the Golden Horde. A few minor engagements were recorded when Mongols attempted to cross the Neman rather unsuccessfully. With his plan set in motion, Kazimierz X chose to declare war, citing the existence of a vaguely related Polish baron in Moscow (at that time owned by Rostov and thus part of Bujakhin’s lands) as slander against his family name. The second period is often referred to as “Retortowy”, or the Retort, as Kazimierz X did more than simply embarrass the famed horsemen of the steppes: he totally destroyed them, and most of this was actually done in only one battle- the Battle of Jurbarkas. Jurbarkas is a city mostly known for two things: its position on the Neman between various trading cities, and the famous battle fought there in 1266. On one bank lay the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its army, on the other lay the Bujakhin Horde and their Mongol horsemen. Unbeknownst to the ‘commander of the Mongols’, who is only named as Bughu (but presumed to have been a member of a branch of the Bujakhin family) and is known to have died at Jurbarkas, the large majority of Polish forces had been transferred to his side of the river on the 2nd of June, 1266.

Jurbarkas today and the supposed site of the battle of Jurbarkas​

By the 6th of June, the Commonwealth forces- a motley crew of various cultures and creeds were set up in their appropriate formation on a hillside. Kazimierz X ensured that every man on the left (Polish) bank of the river set three fires, to keep the illusion of an specific army size that the Mongols seemed to have created. On the 10th of June, the main Piast infantry on the Mongol bank revealed themselves through the ‘accidental’ crossing of paths with Horde scouts. Believing his army to greatly outnumber the Commonwealth’s, Bughu turned most of his army to the east and marched a little less than 2 kilometers to what appeared to be a pillaged wheat field between two hills of mostly tall grass. There had been a recent rain, and puddles lay all over the field and around it. Polish tents were set up through the field, and most soldiers, who appeared to be predominantly untrained peasants, milled around near the hillside. They quickly reorganized into what appeared to be fighting formations. These were actually heavy infantry numbering around 70 thousand, who immediately took up a strong defensive lines with intentional holes through the line and at the flanks. Archers, who probably numbered around 15 thousand in number, took up places immediately behind the Mongol forces, along with a large number of spear cavalry- a little less than half the Piast forces, and completely outnumbered by the Mongol’s well-trained light cavalry. The real Polish army, however, lay behind the hill with infantry upon it. This army was led personally by Kazimierz X, and consisted of about fifty thousand elite heavy cavalry- all the finest Europe had to offer- along with the same number of light cavalry.

​

Bughu, in his overconfidence, called for a general charge, where most of his light cavalry and even some of his horse archers charged the infantry emplacements even though they were under strict orders to keep their typical ‘fire on the retreat’ stratagem intact. The wheat field was mostly clear of debris, but the tall grass obscured the path of many a Mongol horsemen. Long spikes hidden in this grass acted as cheval de frise and impaled many an unwitting horseman. When the horsemen first begun to smash against the walls of infantry, a horn was sounded- this was the signal. Through the lines’ holes poured the heavily armoured knights of Europe, while further out faster cavalry swept and encircled the large Mongol forces, now entirely within the field. Commonwealth archers shot two volleys: The first was of arrows tipped with oil, the second of arrows tipped with quicklime. The two in combination not only burned the invaders, but also then blinded them, causing mass chaos within the tightly packed Mongol ranks. It is believed that Bughu was killed during this portion of the attack, but there is really no consensus on how he died (except that it occurred at Jurbarkas). The spear cavalry facing the flanks of the Mongols came over the hill at an almost identical time, leaving the horse archers no route for escape. The heavy cavalry, which had poured over the hill and rapidly advanced in a sort of wide wedge, mauled through the disoriented and demoralized Mongols at an astounding pace. Within less than an hour they had probably killed around 150 thousand horsemen, and the battlefield was literally blanketed in fallen soldiers and their horses. The predominantly Polish horsemen continued to the Neman, where they slaughtered the remains of the Horde’s ‘army’.

The battle was pivotal in that it ended the threat of Mongol invasion of Europe. Had Kazimierz X lost at Jurbarkas, Europe had no other real defense to speak of: the Holy Roman Empire, France, and Hungary were currently experiencing extended interregnums. Sweden, Norway, and Denmark were all very decentralized, and both Iberia and the Balkans were killing fields- in a state of almost constant warfare. Italy was perhaps the only other coherent nation in Europe at the time, but its armies paled in comparison to the Commonwealth’s. The Horde would have fulfilled their dream of conquering to the Atlantic Ocean and could have perhaps become the masters of Europe.
The Golden Horde’s military might would be significantly weakened after the loss of almost 200 thousand horsemen at Jurbarkas, but were not defeated at the site. Poland, however, suffered fairly minimal losses and pressed their advantage after the Mongols retreated to Wschodrus, winning at the battles of Mtsensk, Yauchy, Dyatkovo, Bryansk, Roslavl, Pereyaslavl, Chortitza, and Baszmacka. In essence, the Polish chased the Mongols all the way back to Torzhok, the site of their first disaster. With the Mongols lacking an army, Kazimerz X ended formal hostilities for the second time with his border effectively in the same place as it was at the beginning of the ‘Potop’. Finally, in 1276, Khagan Guchu Bujakhin adopted Orthodoxy and spread it to most of the high Mongol nobility, along with many classically ‘Russian’ customs. A formal peace treaty was finally signed later that year at Sarkel, which had held out as a Polish city for almost 40 years. The Treaty of Sarkel marked the end of the horrid conflict of the Forty Years’ War, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth would soon enter a new era of prosperity.

Rus after the Treaty of Sarkel (golden lines indicate Bujakhin fiefs), the new Bujakhin flag​

The Horde, which began to be referred to as the Bujakhin Empire, began a strange existence, somewhere between a tribal nation and a European one. Ridiculous court rituals, such as the use of shamanistic ovoos, were somehow maintained even as converts to Orthodoxy became more common, and Polish, Russian, and even some Greek traditions were adopted. The Mongols seemed to forget of their dream of “conquering to the Atlantic” and instead spent their time proselytizing Christianity to the Sunni Bolghars, Shias of Azerbaijan, and even those who still worshipped the Blue Sky God- Tengri. They maintained an awkward relationship with their southern Mongol neighbors in the Ilkhanate, who had previously converted en masse to Sunni Islam in 1259, and eventually created the buffer state of Khiva between the two. This predominantly Persian nation would later become a thorn in the side for both nations due to its conversion to Zoroastrianism.

Everyone seemed to be losers in the Forty Years’ War: Europe lost more men than it did to most plagues and the Mongols lost their way of life. The only one that could be said to have ‘won’ is Kazimierz Mlotek himself, who would rule for another 20 years and gain his final namesake: Kazimierz X Potezny- the Mighty. He unfortunately lost the opportunity to acquire France, which had come and left the grip of the white eagle during the ‘Potop’, but still continued the domination of Imperial politics the Piasts had come to expect, and even began the long tradition of appointing anti-kings to oppose elected emperors in 1238 (but began exerting much more force in his decision later on).

---

Did someone say sprawling epic?

This update kind of "solves" the Mongol problem, and I will address foreign affairs during this period in the next update (which will be almost entirely focused on things going on in Europe).

I have been working on my mod for the continuation into EUIII but still need to do a lot of work on it- any help is appreciated, of course, whether it is playtesting or contribution to events, history, etc...

I will probably update this AAR again sometime around Christmas-ish, as it's the next point in time I have a lack of work, so I will see you all then.

P.S.: If anyone has a copy of Crusader Kings 1.06 could they send it to me please? My saves have all been broken due to CKII going to like 1.08 or something like that.

 

[loki100]

great update, love your meshing of the game events into a wider history and the idea of a border that sees constant struggle but with this punctuated by periods of intense warfare. And the mutation of the Mongols into a sort of russified realm is a neat idea.

 

[Alerias]

I've thoroughly enjoyed this work, its rare to see Poland and eastern Europe get so much attention, and both your writing and your use of images is excellent.

Ive thus chosen you as the new WritAAR of the Week! Head over to the thread and bask in the glory! Congrats!

 

[Martellus.]

I've thoroughly enjoyed this work, its rare to see Poland and eastern Europe get so much attention, and both your writing and your use of images is excellent.

Ive thus chosen you as the new WritAAR of the Week! Head over to the thread and bask in the glory! Congrats!

I get back and post one update and already this?

Thank you very much!

As always, thank you for the comment loki; hopefully I can keep putting out good updates.

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

Nice update and congrats on winning WritAAR of the Week. That certainly explains the situation in the East in the EU3 era and how a Zoroastrian state could arise between the two great khanates. What is the religious situation like within your own borders at this point? Is the grey blob within the Bujakhin borders one vassal state or a bunch of smaller domains?

 

[Alerias]

I get back and post one update and already this?

Thank you very much!

As always, thank you for the comment loki; hopefully I can keep putting out good updates.

I did not look at the date stamps, I didn't know But lets see it this way; now you have good motivation to write moar!

 

[Martellus.]

Nice update and congrats on winning WritAAR of the Week. That certainly explains the situation in the East in the EU3 era and how a Zoroastrian state could arise between the two great khanates. What is the religious situation like within your own borders at this point? Is the grey blob within the Bujakhin borders one vassal state or a bunch of smaller domains?

It's under one duke who owns like two provinces at this point- basically largely decentralized Russian territory.
Catholicism has penetrated most of the Baltic coastline, but "Romuva" paganism holds out in parts of Prussia as well as some of Lettigallia (which is a ugly mix of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Suomenusko, and Romuva paganism at this point, due to its having various Finnish and Lithuanian rulers). Lithuania is about half Orthodox and half pagan- they were bouncing back and forth between pagan and Orthodox kings. Wschodrus is almost entirely Orthodox, with small Catholic communities in certain areas (Kiev, particularly). Poland is completely Catholic, although there was a few Waldensian insurrections near the border with Hungary. That pretty much sums up the religious situation.

 

[Nikolai]

A well deserved award! Congrats!

 

[Avindian]

Caught up with this AAR; love the battlefield map! Care to share how you made it, or did you just use a real historical map and modify it?

 

[Martellus.]

A well deserved award! Congrats!

Thank you!

Caught up with this AAR; love the battlefield map! Care to share how you made it, or did you just use a real historical map and modify it?

Thanks for the comment, Avindian.

I took a historical map (I don't remember from where, I think it was the battle of Lake Trasimene) and used the colors there as a template for my own. The rest was just made in photoshop on my own or taken from the picture.

 

[ASPGolan]

That last update was awesome. Just mindblowing. Cool detail too and made me search the wikipedia a little and read a bit more. Thanks. Much more easy with a visual teaser to bare the long boring reads. Nice thread.

 

[Martellus.]

That last update was awesome. Just mindblowing. Cool detail too and made me search the wikipedia a little and read a bit more. Thanks. Much more easy with a visual teaser to bare the long boring reads. Nice thread.

Thank you!

All readers: do any of you happen to have a 1.06c version of CKII anywhere? I need it to run my saves for this game and it would help me make a better AAR.

 

[loki100]

Thank you!

All readers: do any of you happen to have a 1.06c version of CKII anywhere? I need it to run my saves for this game and it would help me make a better AAR.

yes, I've not updated since then as I had an ongoing game and wanted to complete that first.