[Crusades AAR] The Chronicles of the Principality of Antioch - Faith and Holy War

[numio]

The Chronicles of the Principality of Antioch
recorded by Father Robert of Edessa

I have begun this chronicle to be an faithful account of the wars, battles, great deeds and events in the Principality of Antioch during the reign of our illustrious Prince the noble and pious Bohemond, third of that name, named for his noble great grandfather Bohemond the Crusader, first Prince of Antioch.

The holy lands of Outremer have been established for well nigh 70 years though times are difficult. The Saracen Turks are an ever present danger, raiding our lands frequently, sapping our strength. To the south disturbing rumours emerge of a new infidel leader who states that he will push us back into the seas from whence we came. Even in our own lands, infighting and persecution weaken us from the inside. Still, through the grace of God we persist and hold back the infidel hordes from our lands, safeguarding the Holy Lands, through which our lord Jesus Christ once walked among us as a man, for pious pilgrims from the west.



As chaplain and advisor to Prince Bohemond and confidant to Jobert of Syria, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller I am fortunate enough to be able to observe the events occurring in the Principality of Antioch and the County of Edessa.

I will begin my chronicle with an account of the principal individuals who hold power in the Principality of Antioch.



First and foremost my noble Prince Bohemond of Antioch. I have known my Prince for many years and was most honoured when he granted me the privilege of becoming his personal chaplain and advisor. Through my many discussions with the Prince I have been impressed by his piety and intellect. He is also reckoned to be a talented warrior and leader of men and distinguished himself several years ago during the invasion of Armenia with Philip, Count of Flanders. This is truly a man worthy to rule one of the holy kingdoms of God’s Promised Land.



His son is the young Raynald of Tripoli, heir to the Principality who governs the castle of Aleppo to the east of Antioch. Despite his tender years Raynald is feared throughout Outremere for his ferocity and mercilessness towards his enemies and any others unfortunate enough to cross him. Having fought against Saracen raiders from a young age he frequently displays the rotting mutilated corpses of those infidels unfortunate enough be captured by his men on the borders of the Principality as a warning to those who dare to enter our lands. It is clear that Raynald cannot wait to inherit the throne of Antioch and his loyalty has on occasion been called into question. There are concerns I have often heard of his impious ways and his suitability to rule in God’s land which I am tempted to agree with despite those that claim we are in times that require a strong ruler feared by his enemies. A Prince should display the qualities of a good devout man: generosity, mercy and justice. I am worried that Raynald appears to demonstrate none of these virtues and his rule could bring the displeasure of God upon our land.

The Principality of Antioch is fortunate enough to be able to call upon the services of the might Military Order of the Knights Hospitaller under the command of their Grand Master Jobert of Syria. The Hospitallers govern their own lands from the mighty and impregnable fortress of Krak des Chevaliers which dominates access to the coastal pilgrim road. Jobert is one of the most pious knights of the order and a talented military leader on the battlefield as well as an able steward of the Order’s lands both in Outremer and throughout Christendom. The disciplined and fearless knights and their sergeants are the greatest barrier our land possess against the infidel threat.



Finally but my no means least is Gaston, Bishop of Antioch, the spiritual leader of our land and a powerful temporal Lord in his own right with lands near both Antioch and Allepo. As a powerful member of the court of Antioch he has the ear of my Prince and is one of his ablest advisors and administers the treasury of the Principality.
_________________________________________________

Prince Bohemond has decided that with the growing threat from the infidels the time has come to strengthen our sometimes tenuous position along the coast. East of Krak des Chevaliers lies the small but wealthy town of Homs which my Prince has determined would be an appropriate target. Despite argument from many of his nobles who argued that the castle of Ballbek to the south would be a better target, Bohemond overruled them arguing that Homs would give us a buffer zone between our heartlands and infidel raiders as well as being a potential wealthy gain which will do much to support the armies we need to protect our lands. Homs also boasts a large Christian minority which has been forced to live under the yoke of its infidel rulers and this is also an opportunity to give these devout souls the opportunity to practice their faith openly.

He has dispatched one of his trusted lieutenants, Guiot de Bordeaux to lead the attack. Guiot is a gifted military leader and a formidably intelligent man and one of Prince Bohemond’s most trusted advisors. He is also well known in Antioch as a patron of the arts, an increasing rare attribute in these unstable times.



Guiot made his way south from Antioch carrying the orders of Prince Bohemond to Grand Master Jobert requesting the aid of the Knights Hospitaller in his endeavour. Eager to strike a blow against the infidel as well as appreciating the strategic value of protecting Krak from attack, Jobert was quick to agree. Indeed Jobert himself joined Guiot and his men leading a contingent of Knights and sergeants. Homs soon found itself besieged by a mighty army who immediately began the construction of siege equipment necessary to take the city’s strong, well defended walls.

It was at this time, as the siege of Homs progressed that word arrived that a Holy War has been called by the infidel against our lands to retake our Holy Lands granted to us by the grace of God. Needless to say Prince Bohemond has took this pronouncement as a sign that the infidel are planning a major attack upon our lands within the near future. He immediately ordered that fortifications be repaired and made ready throughout the Principality of Antioch and sent word south to King Baldwin of Jerusalem advising him to do the same.

With regards to the siege of Homs I will include a copy of a letter sent to Prince Bohemond by Grand Master Jobert which has been fortunate enough to come to my attention.

‘My Lord Prince,

I write to you to inform you of the progression of the siege of Homs which we commenced several months ago. With news of the Jihad called upon us and threat of an infidel invasion both myself and Lord Guiot agreed that as Homs should no sign of shortages as of yet we should storm the walls as quickly as possible to be ready to move if any attack materialised.




Hoping to catch the city by surprise, Lord Guiot ordered a night attack but to little avail as throughout the infidel has kept a good watch on our movements and was ready as our siege equipment moved forwards. As well as a battering ram and ladders we had also constructed 3 siege towers to take the walls and secure the gate.



The walls themselves were well defended my Saracen archers and spearmen ready to repel any assault. Indeed our men took many casualties as they moved to attack the walls. Using flaming ammunition 2 of our siege towers were set alight before they reached the walls. Despite this many of our men were able to clamber over the defences and push the enemy back from the walls.



The Canons of the Holy Sepulcher in particular distinguished themselves in their faith and bravery being the first to make it over the walls and sending the enemy fleeing in terror leaving scores of their dead behind. Unfortunately these brave warriors suffered heavily at the hands of Saracen horse archers who took advantage of their exposed positions on the walls.

Eventually though the gates were broken by the battering ram and I ordered my sergeants through the gates to scatter the enemy cavalry. Cornered in the narrow streets of their city the infidels were cut down and forced back to their city centre where they were able to regroup.



Despite our strength in numbers the infidel fought fiercely and took a heavy toll on our men and as both sides regrouped and my men prepared a final attack on the centre of the city, Guiot who had entered the city rode up and suggested that our men had fought bravely and should be allowed respite. Instead he brought up our crossbowmen from the rear who rained death down on the cowering Saracens.



Pinned down under a never-ending hail of steel bolts and unable to mount an effective counter attack the enemy perished were they stood or fled to hide in the city.



With the victory Guidot in his mercy spared the city from the sacking and looting that so frequently accompanies the fall of a city and installed his own governors to administer the day to day running of Homs. I am currently staying with my men in the city in case any unforeseen rebellion emerges but I assure you if the Saracens make a move I will be ready to move immediately.

By the grace of God

Grand Master Jobert’

Prince Bohemond sent words of praise to the brave Grand Master Jobert and the merciful Lord Guiot for their decisive victory and ordered them to secure the city and begin patrols around the desert to the east in case any infidels were to make a move across the baking sands. News of the victory has also sent a message of hope to those brave men who guard our frontiers and our faith that despite these troubled times, God still favours those who fight in His name and grants them victory.

[dragases1453]

Very nice AAR

[Maethius]

numio I salute you!

Making an entire campaign AAR this way must take complete dedication

+ rep

[HansDuet]

Very nice! Keep it coming! +Rep
Regent Reynald seems to be a nice guy...
Never seen any character +10 dread at age of 19.

[AdmiringtheEnemyeh?]

Keep the infadel slaying goodness up!

[Selifator]

Great AAR! Seems like a lot of people are enthousiastic about writing their succes.

[Påsan]

This is the best written yet! Good work! I hope you will finish it as good as you started.

[hellheaven1987]

Great AAR!! Writing an AAR for Kingdom of Jerusalm now, hopefully it would be out tomorrow!

[numio]

After the victory at Homs my faithful Prince ordered a mass to be said at the Abbey of St. Ignatius in Antioch presided over by Bishop Gaston and attended by Grand Master Jobert representing the Knights Hospitaller to give thanks for a decisive victory. Unfortunately Lord Guiot of Bordeaux was not able to attend due to the risk of rebellion still present in Homs. So grateful were the other nobles of Antioch that they gave rich gifts to their Prince in recognition of his prowess.

After the service, Prince Bohemond took advantage of the presence of Grand Master Jobert to discuss happenings in the Principality. Bishop Gaston, the treasurer, also in attendance argued that despite the increased revenues from Homs the Principality’s finances still remained unstable. Taxes had been increased several times throughout the Principality but the costs of maintaining a strong military presence almost exceeded these revenues. He chastised Grand Master Jobert for not sacking the city of Homs when he had the opportunity as these funds would have been a welcome respite to the Antiochean treasury. Jobert was less than impressed with this view coming from the foremost clergyman in Antioch arguing that the sizable Christian population in Homs meant that any sack would be putting those of our own faith at risk of death and theft.

At this point Prince Bohemond interrupted and revealed news from his agents that the Saracens were gathering strong armies near Raqqa, south of Edessa.



However he appreciated Gaston’s concerns over the delicate financial situation. He put forwards a plan that the Greek island of Cyprus was poorly defended and its riches ripe for the taking. He also displayed correspondence from Baldwin, King of Jerusalem that he was also planning an expedition to secure the island. While Gaston thought it was a promising idea, the cautious Grand Master Jobert was concerned about sending his knights away from the Holy Land when such a risk of infidel attack existed. Indeed he refused to weaken the Hospitaller position by diverting his knights to sail with an expedition. After much discussion Bohemond managed to convince the Grand Master that the expedition would facilitate the arrival of crusaders from the West and Jobert agreed to send a small contingent of Hospitallers as long as the expedition was led by a Knight Hospitaller. Bohemond acquiesced and Jobert selected Sir Roger of Toulouse, a crusading knight who arrived in the Holy Land several years ago and joined the order rather than return home. As a brave warrior and skilful commander he would prove to be a suitable leader for all parties.



Several weeks later Sir Roger along with his small contingent of Hospitallers and Antichoean soldiers set sail towards the town of Nicosia to the north of Cyrpus. After a journey of several days Sir Roger made landfall and marched inwards to besiege the Greek Orthodox town.

To counter the Saracen threat to Edessa, Bohemond sent one of his commanders, William Longsword, a descendant of English crusaders, with reinforcements to take command of the garrison.



My prince also received word from his son Reynald that he had begun work at the castle at Aleppo to replace its sturdy wooden walls with stone defences. This work was to take many months after which Aleppo would be a solid bastion defending the road between Edessa and Antioch as well as reinforcing the power of Reynald in the region, a fact which Bohemond, troubled by his rebellious son, did not miss.

To commemorate the new chapel at Aleppo which was part of the impressive new castle, Raynald also took on a wife, the beautiful and wealthy Eustance of Cleves, a relative of the Count of Flanders with whom Prince Bohemond allied with several years ago. They soon beget a daughter named Florette who was born so soon after the marriage that word around the Principality was that young Raynald had already had intimate relations with the voracious Eustance and the marriage was pushed forwards due to her pregnancy. So passionate their relationship appears that no longer than nine months after the birth of their first child, a second daughter was born named Guiote.

During this time my Prince Bohemond also became another proud father of a third son named Francis. His second son Guy also reached his sixteenth birthday and was formally recognised as having reached the age of manhood. Despite my efforts as his tutor I failed to excite my young lord’s appetite for matters of learning and religion. Indeed Guy preferred to associate with other young nobles at disreputable establishments though he is a keen soldier and with the right guidance could become a capable commander. The word in Antioch is that my Prince will soon send his son to Krak des Chevaliers to be tutored by the Knights in the hope that he will develop these skills and that the austerity of the Hospitallers will benefit him.



Two months after beginning the siege of Nicosia, Sir Roger sent a message to Prince Bohemond detailing his assault on the city. I have been able to take a copy of the letter and have included it within my chronicle.



‘To Prince Bohemond, favoured of Christ,

I hope this missive finds you in good health. I write to inform you of the ongoing expedition to Cyprus. After a short siege I decided the time was right to storm the castle.



Using the siege equipment we had constructed the made a move to take the walls. Despite the hails of flaming arrows our men made it across the killing ground and the sodden pelts covering the siege towers and battering ram protected them from the effects.



Soon our men were storming over the battlements and forcing the Greek defenders back from their positions. Our battering ram broke down their sturdy gate and our men were charged into the town.



Seeing the opportunity I myself led my remaining men through the gate cutting down the defenders fleeing from the walls back the town centre.



Greek spearmen tried to block our advance through the narrow streets but eventually our swordsmen were able to cut through their desperate stand.



Eventually all that remained were a smaller collection of Greeks who had gathered at the centre of the town for one last stand. As my swordsmen engagement them from the front, I led my knights round their flank and charged home. The enemy were scattered and slain to a man.



After the town governor pleaded for the life of his citizens I decided to be merciful and spared the city on the condition the Orthodox churches be closed down and re-consecrated as churches of the true Catholic faith.



Praise be to God for our victory,

Sir Roger of Toulouse’

Prince Bohemond was delighted at this news and granted Sir Roger governorship of the lands he had conquered in Cyprus in recognition of his triumph in return for a proportion of the tax and trade duties collected.

[numio]

Hope you enjoy the latest installment. Thanks for all your comments! Any more are really appreciated!

[Hellbent]

Another great AAR!

Keep it up!

[edders]

Great! +rep

[the_mango55]

Nice, Antioch is definitely my favorite of the crusader factions.

[bomberboy]

Great AAR, I have a feeling you got the title from my new AAR. When is the nxt one can't wait.

[numio]

With the growing wealth and people flowing through the city of Antioch, Bohemond has decided it is time to expand the mighty city to better exploit its position as a gateway to the treasures of the East. As a result the dominating walls are to be expanded to protect the growing city from infidel raids.

Confirming the wisdom of my Prince Bohemond’s decision to secure Cyprus to help the arrival of crusades to the region his holiness the Pope has decided to preach a third crusade to bolster our defences in the Holy Land. The most illustrious rulers in Christendom have declared their support for the endeavour and Richard the Lionheart of England, Philip Augustus of France and the Holy Roman Emperor himself, Frederick Barbarossa are leading armies across the sea. Indeed it is said that Barbarossa leads one of the largest armies seen in Christendom with over 100,000 men marching to our aid. Doubtlessly our command of Cyprus will make their passage to Antioch easier. Indeed the entirety of the island has been secured for the true religion as King Baldwin has taken the fort of Limassol which controls the south of the island. Efforts on both sides are now underway to convert the island to the Roman Catholic faith.

Meanwhile to the south King Balwin has sent men to besiege the city of Damascus. Worryingly my prince’s son and heir Reynald has declared his intention to march to Damascus and give aid in conquering the city. Taking men from Aleppo he has marched south to Krak des Chevaliers and Homs to gather more men from his expedition. My Prince is concerned at these developments, worried that Reynald is responding to secret communications between himself and the Kingdom of Jerusalem and plans to defect or carve out his own dominion based around Damascus.

While Prince Bohemond was naturally anxious over these developments he had to be seen to support his son and there was no doubt that the fall of Damascus would be a major victory for the Christian kingdoms of Outremer. In an apparent show of support Bohemond offered his son the services of the Knights Hospitaller on his campaign and asked Grand Master Jobert to meet Reynald on the road to Homs. Bohemond confined with me that he intended Grand Master Jobert to monitor Reynald’s actions, control his excesses and most of all prevent any of his more treacherous instincts.

Marching south, Reynald quickly gathered more men from the garrison of Homs as well as the Hospitaller contingent from Krak, including the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre themselves, and entered the Kingdom of Jerusalem, passing the newly conquered fort of Ballbek. The Templar army already besieging Damascus did not await the arrival of Reynald and his men and desperate to take the glory themselves assaulted the city. Despite their best efforts the Templar assault on the walls was repulsed and a quick sortie from the Arab Cavalry within scattered the brave but foolish Christian soldiers. This only bought Damascus another month however as Raynald, larger host moved to surround the city and begin the construction of siege equipment ready for another assault.

The siege of Damascus dragged on for several months during which the 3rd Crusade finally arrived in the Holy Land. Philip and Richard, normally mortal enemies fighting for their territories in France but now allied in their determination to secure the Holy Land for the Church, arrived by sea on the coast. Richard landed south near Acre where he led his troops south reinforced by the troops of the King of Jerusalem. Philip Augustus on the other hand made landfall in the Principality of Antioch near Krak des Chevaliers and marched north to meet my Prince at Antioch itself. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa is yet to arrive as he is taking the overland route through Byzantium.

Upon arriving at the city of Antioch, Prince Bohemond ensured that the King of France was welcomed in a manner that suited one of the most powerful monarchs in Christendom. The inhabitants of Antioch turned out the greet King Philip as he marched through the city towards the abbey of St. Ignatius where Prince Bohemond awaited him along with Bishop Gaston who held a mass celebrating the arrival of help from the west. Later in a private meeting, Bohemond updated Philip on the current situation in the Principality. Philip approved of the ongoing siege of Damascus and was only disappointed that he could not have arrived earlier to lead the attack. Though Philip was eager to march immediately to Damascus to participate in the siege, Bohemond warned him that the latest reports suggested that the city was to soon to be taken by our men and any journey south would be a wasted one. Philip however was adamant that he wanted to immediately take the war to the infidel and honour his crusading vows. Bohemond informed him that reports suggested that the town of Adana had been left relatively undefended by the Saracen Turks responding to Byzantine incursions to the north. King Philip jumped at this opportunity of glory and immediately prepared to march north with his men, reinforced by troops from Antioch.



I was much impressed by the young King Philip Augustus who is already famed throughout Christendom for his honour and chivalry. I was not disappointed as even from the short time I met him his regal bearing and courtly etiquette was readily apparent. What did surprise me though was his genuine piety. I had expected a cynical man coming to the Holy Land to gain wealth and prestige, however at the abbey of St. Ignatius he took particular care to pray at the various chapels around the abbey and kept a retinue of ten priests with him at all times. He also made clear his intention to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and pray at the Holy Sepulchre. Truly if more men were as devout and noble as this paragon of kingship, we would have no need to fear the infidel hordes.

Not long after King Philip marched north to Adana, sad news arrived from the German contingent of the Crusade that their leader, the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa had drowned crossing the river Saleph while marching through Anatolia. Without his leadership the mighty Imperial army dissolved and beset from all sides by Turks escaped for their homelands. The church bells rang throughout Antioch at this sad news and prayers were said for the dead Emperor’s soul.

Only several days after this sad new reached my Prince, a Hospitaller emissary rode into the palace at Antioch bearing a letter from Grand Master Jobert. I have included the letter within my chronicle.

‘To my most exalted Prince, favoured by Christ,

I write to you to bring you to date with developments at the siege of Damascus. For four months now we have besieged the mighty city which has seen off so many crusaders in the past; though I doubt they have ever met so determined a foe as your son Reynald.



Upon arriving at the town he rounded up all the Islamic prisoners he could take from the outlying towns and villages. Then every day for the duration of the siege he marched several up the city walls just out of bowshot and had them tortured and executed within full sight of the city walls. Their agonising screams of pain chilled the hearts of men to the bone. Sometimes Reynald decided to give the prisoner a chance to run to the city for safety while being shot at by our archers which inevitable led to the desperate man dying in agony from his arrow wounds alone outside the city gates. Even our own soldiers grew discomforted and one even refused to follow Reynald’s orders to kill his prisoner. Reynald made an example of the man running him through and feeding him to the dogs. While I understood Reynald’s intentions to undermine the morale of the defenders I was discomforted by the brutality and sadism of the tactics and its ungodly nature. Even infidels deserve honour and dignity in their deaths and should not be butchered like cattle. Reynald laughed at my suggestion he should stop the practice and when I threatened to leave the army in protest he wondered aloud how Christendom would view a Grand Master who fled from the infidel and the repercussions for my Order.



Eventually Reynald decided that the enemy were ready for the taking, short of food and terrified from the scenes they witnessed daily he reasoned the city should fall quickly. To enhance his fearsome reputation, Reynald chose to attack at night and while the enemy slept he ordered the siege equipment to move to take the undefended walls.



Surprised by the attack the Arabs nevertheless rallied quickly and shaking off their hunger and fatigue prepared to defend themselves. Before long the siege towers were at the walls and our men were storming up the ladders. The Edessan guard with their fearsome axes were first onto the walls and soon began to force the enemy back. Meanwhile the swordsmen and our elite Canons of the Holy Sepulchre poured from the siege tower cutting down the poorly armoured archers.



However, despite our initial gains on the walls, our progress was halted by the elite Gulhams. Having abandoned their horses, the slave warriors in their heavy armour climbed up onto the walls to strengthen their faltering comrades and soon our losses began to mount.

Eventually our battering ram broke through the iron-barred gate and spearmen began to pour through into the city and towards the centre where the infidels were mustering their last defences.



Seeing the prospect of slaughter ahead, Reynald with his bodyguard rode to enter the city first with a scream of triumph. Though I warned your son to be prudent and that his presence was unnecessary, as usual he ignored me and rode heedlessly into the fray. The Dasmascans had in the meantime launched a counter attack against our push to the centre of the city and sent their well trained cavalry down the streets to repel our men.



Though the initial shock pushed our men back and the lines almost broke, the presence of Reynald at the rear urging the men forwards was enough to banish any thought of flight and the line held. Step by step the cavalry were pushed back by our wall of spears and shields.



Without heed for his own safety, Reynald dismounted and pushed his way to the front line hacking at the enemy with his broadsword, relishing each blow. The breakthrough came as the enemy leader was struck down a spear through his leg, as he lay stunned on the ground, Reynald finished him off with a sword blow. With the death of their leader the enemy fell back to the city centre to prepare for a last stand. On the walls the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre eventually drove back the Ghulams who, cut off and encircled, were slaughtered to a man.

Following the example of Lord Guidot in the siege of Homs, Reynald ordered my crossbowmen forwards to slaughter the entrenched foe.



However the enemy still had some fight left and despite heavy losses, a swift cavalry charge left the crossbowmen decimated my men and left them retreating for the safety of our men. Furious at the lack of success of his stratagem, Reynald led the mass of spearmen forwards and the enemy was overwhelmed by sheer numbers. After several minutes of vicious fighting the city was ours.




Despite my protests, Reynald began a sack of the city, raiding its mosques, slaying its inhabitants, regardless of religion and laying proud Damascus to waste. I have heard stories of slaughter in the streets, mutilated bodies floating in the river and women raped in the streets as the common soldiery let loose their baser instincts encouraged by Reynald. Eventually as is always the case in such pillages, fire broke out and engulfed large areas burning long into the next day. Even as I write this they still burn and Damascus, once a jewel of the East lies a smouldering ruin.

Though I rejoice in the defeat of the hated infidel, I see no sign of Christ in such scenes of carnage and destruction. I beg you my lord to restrain your son as I fear God will turn away from us if more such atrocities are committed.

By the grace of God,

Jobert, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller’

Naturally my prince was much disturbed at the contents of the letter though outside the people rejoiced at the news, hearing little of the horrors and only that mighty Damascus had fallen to Lord Reynald and the infidel laid low. In such a situation there was little Bohemond could do other than offer thanks for the great victory in a grand public ceremony. Likewise he could not recall the hero of Damascus in disgrace and so Reynald remains, secure in his new city to the south and a mighty army under his command. The only action my prince could take was to send a letter to Grand Master Jobert, asking him to keep watch on the ambitious heir.

[IrAr]

It is interesting to see a "_____ of Edessa" being a supporter of the Crusades and a Catholic.
The reason for my surprise is Matevos Urhayetsi or Matthew of Edessa, who despised the Crusaders because of their ruthlessness and barbarism and found that their rule was only slightly preferable to Muslim rule because of their being Christian at least.

[numio]

True. I admit not much thought went into where the narrator came from. Though I imagine there were many Catholics living in Edessa who were Crusaders themselves or descendants of Crusaders who might have had different opinions. Perhaps Richard of Edessa is one of those

What is even more interesting is to see the County of Edessa still around in 1172 more than 20 years after it was destroyed.

It's a shame really as having Antioch without those cities would have made it a completely different challenge to the Kingdom of Jerusalem rather than just being a similar faction with slightly different units in a slightly different position. Antioch could have been a weaker faction fighting for survival against the Turks. Maybe an idea for a mod...

[IrAr]

I think for a mod, one could just throw religious conversion out and have large Orthodox minorities representing Armenians which would make Antioch have a much harder time, and Armenia (based in Kilikia) excelled at keeping Antioch in line.

[christof139]

Hi,

Armenians weren't Orthodox, they belonged to the Armenian Church Rite, which eventually acknowledged the Pope as their head and became part of the Catholic or Latin Church although they kept their own rites.

The Byzantines or 'Greeks' were Orthodox, and many Armenians did not get along with the Greeks, although some did. There was constant fighting and subtrefuge between them, andmany Armenians also did not like the Latins and argued and fought with them.

Then there were the Jacobite Syrians that did't care for any of the other Christian branches, but eventually they too became part of the Latin Roman Church in the same manner as the Armenian Church.

Farther south in Lebanon, the Maronite Christians also became a part of the Latin Church, but many of them also did not get along well with the Crusaders, but after a time were an important part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Then there were scattered groups of Nestorian Christians, that basically kept to themselves but also did argue and fight with all the other Christians and Moslems.

Many of the native Christians preferred Moslem rule but that opinion changed with the times depending on how the local Emir treated them etc., and the same applied to how the Latin rulers treated them.

Many Mongols were Nestorian Christians, and the Mongols that invaded Iran, Iraq, and Syria were originally pro-Christian, but many became converted to Islam over time, and the first great body of the Mongols to do so were the Golden Horde.

Politics in the Hol Land were disjointed, and frequnetly Moslems allied with the Crusaders to fight other Moslems and Crusaders. The Arabs were at odds with themselves and both the Turks and Kurds and the Turks were also at odds with themselves and the Arabs and Kurds. Same with the Christians, and there were open clashes between rival Crusaders and Crusader states and the Byzantine Empire and the different Armenian factions. A real mess as the world was and still is.

Very interesting AAR you have written. I enjoyed reading it.

Chris

[IrAr]

Hi,

Armenians weren't Orthodox, they belonged to the Armenian Church Rite, which eventually acknowledged the Pope as their head and became part of the Catholic or Latin Church although they kept their own rites.

The Byzantines or 'Greeks' were Orthodox, and many Armenians did not get along with the Greeks, although some did. There was constant fighting and subtrefuge between them, andmany Armenians also did not like the Latins and argued and fought with them.

I'm aware of this. I am in fact Armenian and Armenian Apostolic (also known as Armenian Orthodox). I suggested that because its not like anyone would take the time to make a new religion, now would they?