The Fight for Northern Italy Continues; A Calm Before the Storm?
From the Diaries of Emperor Skantarios
April, 1536 AD. Location: Genoa.
The French response to my attacks last year took some time to materialize but they have struck back in force. In northwest Italy, they have moved one army just north of Genoa to block the passes to the Po while another, larger army has laid siege to Milan.
My governor of Venice reports that the French army put in place last year has done nothing. They have neither moved away nor put the city under siege. They seem content to simply maintain their station blocking ground movement into or out of the city.
Of particular note, another Spanish army has appeared from the east (!) as though out of nowhere. I can only surmise that they became stranded once we took Vienna from them a few years back and are only now making their way back to their own territory. They are like a modern day version of Xenophon's "The Ten Thousand" - but only a poor one.
With all the troop movements in the area, I find it interesting that neither the Spanish nor the French have come to the aid of the Pope and tried to lift the siege of Pisa. It seems their own territorial concerns are outweighing any sacred duty to their spiritual leader. More likely, they only used the excuse of Papal support in order to declare war on us and take our territory. Hypocrites. Just like all the Latins.
Looking a little further north, my scouts report that another French army is hung up in the Alps near Innsbruck. Their vassals (and my ex-allies), the Genoese, have denied them passage south.
Although the Genoese were oath-breakers and sided with the French against me, they are still proving of some use in our Italian war.
Such a shame about the Genoese. If they had only stayed true to us and not the Gauls, I would now be gifting them with their home city. They could even now be moving to reclaim the land of their birth. Now, they are just one more potential enemy in my larger war. How the wheels of fate turn and how such decisions can have impacts far beyond their intended consequences. I wonder if the Genoese really thought about their decision before siding with the French. Too late for that now, the die is cast.
I cannot dwell long on such things as I am called north. My garrisons at Milan and Venice are far too weak to withstand any kind of assault. I must move to relieve them with all haste.
First, I must clear away the French at my own doorstep. Leaving only a small garrison behind me, I take the Imperial Army north to battle.
Second Battle of Genoa - March, 1536 AD.
Spoiler for Second Battle of Genoa:
From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1536 AD.
The French army has strong numbers but is without proper leadership or many professional soldiers.
The bulk of their army is made up of five companies of the unreliable Voulgier militia and one company of pike militia. For missile troops, they have two companies of arbalest militia and one of pavise crossbows. For professional soldiers, they have only one company each of dismounted knights and dismounted "noble" infantry (although how noble can they be when they can't even afford a horse). Their only cavalry is one company of noble cavalry.
The Imperial army is starting to show some attrition from the numerous battles we have fought.
Over the winter, I had to parse out one company of Scholarii in order to make good the losses of the other four. For horse archers, we now have seven companies of Cavalarii and two of Magyars. The remainder of the army consists of three reduced companies of Stratiotae light cavalry, one of Archontopoulai heavy cavalry, and the elephants. We are outnumbered but these men are hardened veterans and up for any challenge.
The day of the battle dawned overcast and cold. We had the advantage of higher ground and I used it by sending out the Cavalarii to the flanks and opening fire on the enemy commander and his company of cavalry.
The range was extreme but we still managed to cut down many of them with satisfying precision.
My Scholarii swept in from the opposite flank and slammed into the arbalest militia sending them fleeing back to the ranks of their heavy infantry.
The enemy captain led their cavalry forward where they were met by our elephants and Scholarii.
What followed was not so much a fight as a comical display of cowardice; the French broke before ever reaching our lines.
The captain could not outrun our arrows, though. He was killed and fell in the tall grass of hills.
I led my own knights in a rolling charge which caught the dismounted French nobles in the flank and sent them reeling.
The enemy were now surrounded by the Magyars and elephants to their front and my heavy cavalry on either wing. The slaughter was terrible as our men kept up a continuous barrage of missiles while cutting out the enemy infantry whenever they became separated from the pack. Soon, the true colors of the French were revealed when they broke as a group.
My men had a fine time riding down the cowards.
The four hundred plus infantry were offered up for ransom.
Spoiler for Ransom Demand:
Their answer, as usual, was no.
I wonder how they can afford to put thousands of troops in the field but cannot spare a little silver to save the lives of those same soldiers.
Shameful.
Now that I have dealt with the French blocking my path north, I am free to continue my march to relieve Milan. No time to wait, straight to battle!
Relief of Milan - April, 1536 AD.
Spoiler for Relief of Milan:
From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1536 AD.
This French army followed much the same pattern as the previous forces we fought.
They were packed with pole-armed infantry composed of seven companies of "Voulgier" militia, five companies of halberd-armed Men-At-Arms, three companies of arbalest missile troops, and two companies of professional dismounted knights. Their only cavalry consisted of the bodyguards for the French generals and one company of Feudal Knights.
The French were led by a young noble named Etienne de Courtenay.
He had some skill in battle including an aptitude for fighting at night; otherwise an unremarkable fellow.
The second general was named Guion de Mortemer.
Since he was second-in-command here, I surmised that he was supposed to be leading the army I had just defeated but had left them leaderless in order to accompany his "ami" Etienne. Either he had some special relationship with Etienne that demanded the two "fight" together or he just wanted to be a part of the assault on Milan.
The Imperial Army had suffered a few losses in the last battle but they were negligible. We were almost exactly the same composition as the previous engagement.
Since the French were almost entirely pole-armed troops and we were entirely cavalry, this engagement would answer the age-old question of who was dominant in the cavalry versus pole-arm comparison.
The French formed up in a truly impressive array of soldiers. Their glaring weak point was that they had the inferior position as they had chosen to form up at the bottom of a shallow valley as opposed to massing on one on the pieces of high ground in the area. Etienne may have some experience but clearly did not know how to play to the strengths of his army.
My forces, in comparison, took full advantage of the terrain and formed up on the high ground overlooking the French. I arrayed the men with the Cavalarii split to the flanks, the Magyars in the center, my light cavalry in front of them, and I in command of the heavy cavalry reserve.
My Cavalarii quickly went to work doing what they do best - being battlefield assassins. They brought both Etienne's and Guion's bodyguards under continuous fire and poured volley after volley into their exposed backs.
I observed that the French armor was just as susceptible to their missile attack as had the Venetians, the Pope's, the Sicilian's, and the Turk's. The first to fall was Guion.
Spoiler for Guion Killed:
Etienne followed his comrade in death quickly thereafter.
Spoiler for Etienne:
Without their leadership, the mass of French infantry continued to advance in a disorganized mess. We were able to pick off their arbalests when they tried to move against the elephants and sent them reeling.
The rest of the infantry continued to advance under a continuous bombardment from the gunners on the backs of the elephants, the Magyars, and the Cavalarii (until they ran out of arrows).
The French Feudal Knights proved more of a challenge as their armor was quite resistant to our arrows. I dealt with this particular company myself.
The French infantry continued to show their astounding lack of bravery by fleeing at the first sign of real combat.
They are earning themselves quite a reputation for cowardice. I wonder if this trait will continue for the rest of our war?
The results of the battle show that the French lost many more men in the pursuit than they did in actual combat. Fully 60% of their army surrendered on the spot or were run down by the cavalry.
Only a precious few escaped.
I decided to repeat the familiar ritual of offering up the prisoners for ransom.
Spoiler for Ransom Demand:
The French continued their ritual of refusing it.
We are getting quite good at dispatching these men in groups. At least it makes for a more orderly clean-up afterwards...
The first two battles against the French this year have gone surprisingly well. Their militia has demonstrated poor discipline and shockingly poor morale. Either the sight of our elephants is spooking them or they are just cowards. Either way, we have killed almost 1600 on the battlefield and another 1600 in executions. A high butchers bill but one that is still not complete.
Unfortunately, the Imperial Army is quite spent and cannot make it all the way to Venice to relieve the city. Fortunately, I have many additional soldiers in the area either newly arrived from Greece or blocking the bridges south of the Po. I press forward alone to rally my captains in the area and put together an ad-hoc force in order to fight the French outside Venice. It is not an ideal situation but one that will have to do.
My preparations for battle are nearly complete when my scouts bring me a surprising report. My garrison at Venice has sallied prematurely and are now in combat with the French. I cannot leave my militia to be butchered but must ride to their aid at once!
Second Battle of Venice - August, 1536 AD.
Spoiler for 2nd Battle of Venice:
From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1536 AD.
The French army was a mixture of many different types of soldiers. Many were veterans and showed some attrition but their organization showed that they were as "thrown together" as we were.
Their infantry consisted of five companies of their Voulgier militia, three of spears, five of crossbows of various types, and one company of dismounted Men-at-Arms. They were quite strong in cavalry with three companies of mounted Men-at-Arms, two of Feudal Knights, and one of the super-heavy Lancers. The Lancers are particularly troublesome as they pack a tremendous charge and are immune to arrow fire.
My wayward garrison was comprised of only two companies of spears and one of archers.
The force I cobbled together for this battle was mixture of mercenaries, new levies, and some of my veterans sent back for retraining and replenishment last year.
We were quite strong in cavalry for such a quickly assembled force with three companies of veteran Pronarii, one of Stratiotae, one company of Germans, and one company of the Condottieri mercenaries. For artillery, we were flush with two units of Mangonels and two of the mercenary Monster Ribaults. Our missile support came from one company of Cavalarii, one each of Roman and Muslims archers, and two companies of javelins. Heavy infantry was our weak point but we do have one company of the excellent Swiss Pikemen, one of the "Free Company" mercenaries, and one of our own Scutarii spearmen.
I barely managed to arrive on the scene before the French were able to overwhelm the Venice garrison. As soon as my force arrived, the French reversed their path, turned away from the garrison, and moved against me.
The back and forth of the French allowed me time to bring my artillery to bear before they could mount their attack. The Ribaults were particularly effective against the armored French horse.
Only slightly less effective were the Mangonels. They are always erratic in aim but do manage to score the occasionally spectacular hit. d
Even better, one of the opening strikes from the Mangonel immolated the French captain and several of his men.
God save me such a terrible fate.
Once the French had fully formed ranks, they began marching against my forces. As they did, my Monster Ribaults tore into them with each shot ripping through the ranks with no regard for armor or numbers.
The power of these mini-cannons was astounding. I personally observed one shot blowing clean through no less than ten men!
Even the concentrated power of our artillery could not prevent all of the French from closing on our lines. The battle was sharp as our mercenaries did battle with the French veterans. We lost many in their opening charge but the lines held. During this fighting, I was able to swing the heavy cavalry reserve around the flanks and crush the French between my pikes and my armored horse.
We did suffer some serious additional casualties when the cavalry had to fight it out in matched combat. The Lancers were particularly tough as they managed to butcher almost the entire company of Condottieri mercenaries as well as a significant chunk of the Germans. I will be wary of them in future battles.
Overall, it was a great victory and nearly none of the French managed to escape.
By this time, I had grown tired of asking for a ransom that was clearly not going to come. I decided to skip the formalities and just had the prisoners executed.
The French armies have only given a lackluster account of themselves so far in this war. They clearly have the numbers but their morale and discipline are lacking. In this season, I have vanquished all three armies from northern Italy.
The only thing that concerns me at this point is the grinding nature of the war. We have little ability at the moment to strike at the French heartlands and so they will continue to be able to stream army after army against us.
Until I settle the political and religious situation in Italy, I dare not leave the peninsula to strike deeper into their country. I do not have another general to send in my place north (nor the forces for such an expedition) and I do not think these old bones of mine are ready for a fresh campaign in the Alps.
So, for the moment, it is a stalemate. They cannot beat me in Italy and I cannot bring the fight to them in France.
My other great Western European enemy, Spain, seems to be having their own problems consolidating their gains in Africa. My admirals report that the city of Al-Mahdiya has rebelled and expelled the Spanish garrison.
The Spanish are already laying siege to the city so I believe their independence will be short-lived. However, the turmoil caused by the rebellion may give us an opportunity. If we can land a force at Tunis and mount an immediate assault, we may be able to split the Spanish and establish a strong foothold there.
I send word to Isidoros that the Normans can wait. He should divert his assault from Sardinia to Tunis. I also send word to Aleksios in Benghazi to mount a reconnaissance in force toward Tripoli. If the Spanish are as weak there as they are in Tunis, we might be able to establish a better buffer between our own African holdings and those of the Spanish.
One troubling piece of news comes much nearer to our capitol. Our scouts report a strong force from the Rus is moving toward our port city of Caffa!
I knew our former vassals were without honor but even I am surprised with the speed with which they have moved against us. I had assumed they would try and take back their former capitol of Kiev but they appear set on moving against Caffa, instead. The city has a very small garrison and cannot resist any type of determined siege. I send word to Vasileios to make preparations in Caffa and our other possessions bordering the Rus in case this is only a diversion. If the Rus are so suicidal to attack us, our retaliation must be swift...and final.
In the other areas of diplomacy, I receive word that our remaining ally, the Hungarians have declared war against our former foes, Novgorod.
Spoiler for Diplomatic Information 1536:
This, I suppose, was inevitable given the vast territories we exchanged with them which brought them in direct conflict with our Orthodox cousins in the north. The only thing I am surprised about is that it was the Hungarians who started it with an eye toward expanding their territory rather than the other way around. My guess is that Hungary is trying to take advantage of the weakened state of Novgorod following our victories in the previous years by seizing territory before they can recover. After all, when there is blood in the water, the sharks will come.
I just hope we don't have to bail out Hungary as we did in their previous war against Germany. We can't afford another conflict right now.
Even with all that has happened in this past year, I cannot shake the feeling that this is merely the calm before the storm. With the war raging in Italy, my armies moving to Africa, the Rus moving against us at Caffa, and the war in the East still at a high boil, it would seem that the whole world is at war - a Total War.
- I am Skantarios.
The world as we know it - 1536 AD.
The world as it really is - 1536 AD.
Read the review of I am Skantarios! in the Critic's Quill here.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - Updated as of 5/3
This update brings us through 1536. A lot of fighting by Skantarios to clear out the French from Northern Italy but not much elsewhere. The east is in a lull as Ioannis licks his wounds from his last defeat and tries to rebuild his army and Genessios consolidates his hold on Ray and preps to continue the offensive.
The year of 1536 was really just setting the stage for the very busy year of 1537, which will be covered in the next update. The only spoiler I will put out is that there will be action on every front and you will even see the reappearance of Vitos in an unexpected theater. One faction will be destroyed and two rulers will die.
I may need some extra time on that one as there was a lot of action and just editing the pictures made my head hurt. Hope to have it up on Tuesday but Wednesday might be more accurate.
Only four more updates to go!
Now, if you'll forgive me, I would like to make a shameless plug. The voting for the MAARC has opened as of today. So, if you've enjoyed this AAR or even appreciated the work that went into it, I would ask you to vote. If you vote for this AAR, that would be great, too. Still, all I ask is that you vote for someone. I would like to see more votes than what determined the winner last time.
Given the imminent conclusion of the AAR, this will be the last time that I enter the MAARC. It would make a nice ending if it placed amongst the winners. Just saying.
You can vote HERE.
(note: I believe you have to have over 50 posts and be registered for more than two weeks to vote but give it a try regardless.)
Last edited by Skantarios; May 03, 2010 at 06:24 AM.
Read the review of I am Skantarios! in the Critic's Quill here.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - Updated as of 5/3
Nice update
Sad to see that we got only 4 updates left. I really enjoy the war in Italy as there is only one field army led by Skantarios against tons of enemies.
Let me guess the next faction to be destroyed
I think it would be Sicily. The faction leaders of Sicily and France will get killed
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - Updated as of 5/3
2 great updates for sure. Keep up the good work. As for an AAR, I still dont know if I can manage screenshots though..Until I master the art of screenshots with my limited computer knowledge, I doubt you will see any. Mind you, I like log entry type AAR, perhaps I should try that and see how it goes.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - Updated as of 5/3
Long time since I've commented but dunno how you have managed to do so but the darkness and brutality of the campaigns by Skantarios.. I thought that wouldn't happen against the Western Kingdoms but im pleasantly surprised
May the Barbarians crumble before the might of the Roman Empire!!
Last edited by Lunchbox; May 03, 2010 at 08:17 PM.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - Updated as of 5/3
One question, Skantarios?
You know at the start of the AAR, where you only held Constantinople and, was it Corinth? Anyway, how did the Turks end up taking all your territories because you are elite at this game. Did you let them or was it by coincidence?
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - Updated as of 5/3
Originally Posted by Minastir II
One question, Skantarios?
You know at the start of the AAR, where you only held Constantinople and, was it Corinth? Anyway, how did the Turks end up taking all your territories because you are elite at this game. Did you let them or was it by coincidence?
Because hes playing 1450 AD campaign and those were the starting positions.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - Updated as of 5/3
3 Questions for you, maybe I'm ahead of myself but considering how many updates are left, I have to ask them.
1: Will you be continuing Skantarios Legacy in another AAR?
2: Since Skantarios was not lucky enough to have a son, who will you lead into this new legacy?
3: How far off will you be starting it after Skantarios, will it be right after his death? A generation away?
Also, know that you have my vote and I will keep track of any future AAR you produce, no matter what it is. You are officially a master in these art and I give you a bow of respect. I also decided to make an AAR myself, I have seen a AAR on another thread which is totally log based with no pictures and it seems to attact some interests, I have not yet decided on which side to play with just yet but my intention was to either do it your way, in the form of following up the lives of one person of note or following a dynasty." I'm not as violent in my campaigns as Skantarios was so conquering half the known world in 1 generation is impossible for me at this time." Anyway, once I make up my mind, I'll post something up and see how it goes.
The Fight for Northern Italy Continues; A Calm Before the Storm?
d
Reply With Quote
Maybe you should start considering a sequel, if you want to of course.
Originally Posted by Minastir II
