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Thread: [TW Guide] MTW: The Spanish (General)

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    Default [TW Guide] MTW: The Spanish (General)



    Author: the Black Prince
    Original Thread: Not Available

    MTW: The Spanish (General)The Spanish (General)


    Geography

    Spain, a sun drenched kingdom lying on the Iberian Peninsular of South Western Europe. Separated from Europe proper by the mountains, and separated from Africa by the Straits of Gibraltar, surrounded on 3 sides by water, the Spanish heartlands make the ideal fortress for launching your empire and dream of domination across Europe. With access to some of the finest cavalry in Europe, and the ability to dominate trade in and out of the Med, by controlling the Straits, Spain is strategically placed, even though it may be at the far ends of the Earth. Dramatic vistas and romantic and impressive ruins and castles scatter the Spanish landscape, a relic of bygone eras when Christian fought Muslim, Muslim fought Christian, and both fought to rule the known world. Christian dominance or Muslim tenacity fought to the death to rule the peninsular sometimes called the gateway to Europe. Now you have the chance to realise the dreams of your ancestors reconquer Iberia and rule the world for the glory of the Spanish empire. This is no time for the faint hearted, this is TOTAL WAR!


    History and Timeline of the Peninsula – the Fall of Rome to 1492.

    After the Fall of Rome, the barbaric tribes that Rome had first suppressed and which caused Rome’s downfall migrating West through Europe. Arriving at in Iberia was the Visigoth Tribe. In setting up their lands under a Christian setting, they drove out the Muslims from southern Spain. The Noble Clans of Islam retreated and gave ground, before during the 7th and 8th centuries fought back.

    It was one of the noble clans, the Witiza family that, at the beginning of the 8th century, caused the decline of the Visigoth kingdom, by appealing for aid to Muslim and Berbers warriors from across the Strait of Gibraltar to fight the royal usurper. In fact, the Visigothic state apparatus' disintegration allowed the Muslims to make isolated pacts with an aristocracy that was semi-independent and opposed to the Crown.

    By the middle of the 8th century, the Muslims had completed their occupation and the Umayyad prince Abd al-Rahman, who had fled from the Abbasid slaughter of 750 A.D., took refuge among the Berbers. Finally, supported by one of the Peninsular Muslims tribes, the Yemenies, he managed to defeat, in 755, the Abbasid governor of Al-Andalus and have himself proclaimed in Cordoba Emir, independent of Damascus. In the first third of the 10th century, one of the Spanish Umayyads, Abd al- Rahman III, restored and extended the Al-Andalus emirate and became the first Spanish Caliph.

    The proclamation of the Caliphate had a double purpose. In the interior, the Umayyads wanted to strengthen the Peninsular kingdom. Outside the country, they wanted to consolidate the commercial routes of the Mediterranean, guarantee an economic relationship with the east-Byzantium, and assure the supply of gold. Melilla was occupied in 927 and, by the middle of the same century; the Umayyad controlled the triangle formed by Algeria, Siyimasa and the Atlantic. The power of the Andalucian Caliphate also extended to Western Europe, and by 950, the Germano-Roman Empire was exchanging ambassadors with the Cordoban Caliphate. A few years prior, Hugo of Arles appealed to the powerful Spanish Caliphate for safe conduct f r his merchant ships in the Mediterranean. The small Christian strongholds in the north of the Peninsula became modest feudal holdings of the Caliphate, recognizing its superiority and arbitrage.

    The foundations of Andalucian hegemony rested on a considerable economic capacity based on important trade, a developed craft industry and an agriculture know-how which was much more efficient than anything else in the rest of Europe. The Cordoban caliphate had a currency-based economy, and the injection of coinage played a central role in its financial splendour. The gold Cordobes coin became the principal currency of the period and was probably imitated by the Carolingian empire.

    Therefore, the Cordoban caliphate was the first urban and commercial economy that had flourished in Europe since the disappearance of the Roman West Empire. The capital and most important city of the Caliphate, Cordoba, had some 100,000 inhabitants, making it Europe's principal urban concentration during that epoch.

    Muslim Spain produced a flourishing culture, above all after the Caliph Al-Hakam II (961-976) came to power. He is credited with founding a library of hundreds of thousands of volumes, which was practically inconceivable in Europe at that time. The most distinctive feature of this culture was the early readoption of classical philosophy by Ibn Masarra, Abentofain, Averroes and the Jew Maimonide. But the Spanish-Muslim thinkers stood out, abouve all in medicine, mathematics and astronomy.

    The fragmentation of the Cordoban Caliphate took place at the end of the first decade of the 11th century; this came about as a result of the enormous war effort deployed by the last Cordoban leaders and the suffocating fiscal pressures. The thirty-nine successors of the united Caliphate became known as the first (1009-1090) Ta'ifas (petty kingdoms), a name which has passed into the Spanish language as a synonym for the ruin generated by the fragmentation and disunity of the Peninsula. This division occurred twice again, thereby creating second and third Ta'ifas and producing a series of new invasions from the north of Africa. The first time the Almoravides (1090), invaded the Peninsula, the second time it was the Almohads (1146) and the third, the Banu Marins (1224). This progressive weakening meant that by the middle of the 13th century, Islamic Spain was reduced to the Nasrid Kingdom in Granada. Located between the Strait of Gibraltar and Cape Gata, this historical relic did not capitulate until 2 January 1492, at the end of the Reconquest.


    Timeline:

    718: Pelayo, a noble Visigoth who has been elected king, defeats the Muslim Army in Alcama in the neighbourhood of Covadonga, thus beginning the Christian Reconquest of Spain.

    750: The Christians, under Alfonso I, occupy Galicia, which had been abandoned by revolting Berber troops.

    778: The army of Charlemagne suffers the defeat of Roncesvalles at the hands of the Vascons; death of Roland.

    791 to 842: Alfonso II conquers a number of strongholds and settles the lands south of the river Duero.

    873 to 898: Wilfredo the Hairy, Count of Barcelona, sets up a Christian kingdom with a certain degree of independence from the Frankish kings.

    905 to 926: Sancho I Garces creates a Basque kingdom centred on Navarre.

    930 to 950: Ramiro II, king of Leon, defeats Abd al-Rahman III at Simancas, Osma and Talavera.

    950 to 951: Count Fernan Gonzalez lays the foundations for the independence of Castile.

    981: Ramiro III is defeated by Almansur at Rueda and is obliged to pay tribute to the Caliph of Cordova.

    999 to 1018: Alfonso V of Leon reconstructs his kingdoms.

    1000 to 1033: Sancho III of Navarre subdues the counties of Aragon, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, takes possession of the County of Castile and makes an arrangement with Bermudo III of Leon with the idea of taking away his dominions from him and proclaiming himself as emperor. However, on his death, he leaves Navarre to his son Garcia III, Castile to Fernando I, and Aragon, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza to Ramiro I.

    1035 to 1063: Fernando I conquers Coimbra and obliges the Muslims of Toledo, Seville and Badajoz to pay him tribute. Before his death, he shares out his territories between his sons: Castile goes to Sancho II and Leon to Alfonso VI.

    1065 to 1109: Alfonso VI unites the two kingdoms under his sceptre and takes Toledo. N.b. this is where the game begins, the first Spanish monarch is Alphonso VI controlling both Castile and Leon.

    1086: The Christian advance obliges the Muslim kings of Granada, Seville and Badajoz to call to their aid the Almoravides.

    1102: The followers of the Cid leave Valencia and the African Muslims occupy the Peninsula as far as Saragossa (Zaragoza).

    1118: Alfonso I of Aragon conquers Saragossa.

    1135: Alfonso VII of Leon restores the prestige of the Leonese monarchy and is proclaimed emperor.

    1151: The Almohads, another African dynasty who have displaced the Almoravides, retake Almaria.

    1162: Alfonso II, son of Petronila and Ramon Berenguer IV, unites in his person the kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona.

    1195: The Almohads defeat the Castilians at Alarcos.

    1212: Culmination of the Reconquest. Alfonso VIII of Castile, helped by Sancho VIII of Navarre, Pedro II of Aragon and some troops from Portugal and Leon, is victorious in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.

    1229: Jaime I of Aragon, the Conqueror, reconquers Marllorca.

    1230: Alfonso IX of Leon advances along the River Guadiana, takes Merida and Badajoz and opens up the way for the conquest of Seville.

    1217 to 1252: Fernando III, king of Castile and Leon, conquers Cordova, Murcia, Jaen and Seville. Granada remains as the sole independent Muslim kingdom.

    1252 to 1284: Alfonso X the Wise continues the reconquest and is obliged to face the 'Mudejar' revolts of Andalusia and Murcia. He seeks election as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1257. Alfonso X drafts the 'Fuero de las Leyes', the forerunner of the 'Siete Partidas'.

    1284: An assembly of nobles, prelates and citizens depose Alfonso X and hand over power to his son Sancho IV.

    1309: Fernando IV takes Gibraltar.

    1312 to 1350: Alfonso XI fights the kingdom of Granada for 25 years and in 1340 wins the battle of Rio Salado.

    1369: Pedro I the Cruel is murdered in Montiel by his half brother Enrique de Trastamara, who then governs as Enrique II.

    1385: The Portuguese defeat the Castilians in Aljubarrota.

    1453 – the game ends with fall of Byzantium

    1464: Enrique IV of Castile names as heir to the throne his sister, the future Isabel I, the Catholic, and disinherits his daughter Juana, nicknamed 'La Beltraneja'.

    1469: Isabel I of Castile and Fernando II of Aragon are married, thus consummating the unity of Spain.

    1492: The Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, complete the Reconquest by taking Granada (January 2nd), taking advantage of the rivalry of the last Muslim governors of Spain. Discovery of America (October 12th).

    This real history does little to relate to the game in places, with the muslim factions all being generically called Almohads. Also the Inquisition which Spain is famous for does not appear until the reign of Isobel I of Spain, in 1492 – after the game has ended. The Spanish do not drive the Muslims off he peninsular until 1492, again after the game has ended.



    Strategy

    Please note: this guide is not exhaustive nor does it contribute to any strategy for battles, it assumes the general is going to be enough of a tactician to win when outnumbered and/or outgunned!

    Playing the Spanish is supposedly harder than which ever difficulty level you have chosen. But quick decisive action early on in the campaign, and a strong position backed up by a good leader and general can lead to the Glory of a unified Europe under Spanish Domination!


    The Early Period

    In an early campaign your starting position is not the best, but if you move quickly you can secure the peninsula by 1130 at the latest and strengthen your position. You inhabit the Iberian peninsula which you (currently!) share with two other factions, the Almohads and the Aragonese. Both of these will have to be “dealt with” if you wish to bring Spain to glory. However Aragon is a weak nation controlling but one province. Expansion for them is hard and an early alliance with them could mean that you can safely ignore them. The Aragonese as a whole tend to expand quite predictably into Toulouse, believing that the French can not defend the province. This has been observed to happen even when Navarre is unoccupied by any faction and has considerably less troops in it.

    The Almohad Caliphate on the other hand is an aggressive and deadly enemy with strong armies looking to spread the word of Islam into Europe. Like you, they already control two provinces, plus others in North Africa as well. Unfortunately Cordoba is also more advanced than Castile. At an early stage, confrontation is not advised.

    However there are 3 unoccupied provinces in Iberia, and the early stages of the campaign focus on controlling these. If you allow the Almohads to get the upper hand, it may spell death for your dreams of empire, and if the English and the French can get a foothold into Iberia, it may well prove hard to dislodge them.

    To the North lies Navarre. Small but capable of producing troops with decent weapons due to the iron deposits in the mountains. To the West lies the strongly independent Portugal, and the East Valencia, commanded by a good general. All of these command different strategies and whoever controls them first can shape the game for the future.

    Navarre is an easy target, but your priority must be to prevent Almohad expansion, and as well as gain more provinces, so you can safely leave Navarre for now. Instead it is essential that you take Valencia for Spain. This would leave the Kalifah with Portugal – good luck to him!

    You can let the Almohads take Portugal, but send a few priests to keep the province catholic. The Almohads are persistent and quite capable of bleeding their armies dry trying to keep a catholic province that doesn’t want Islamic control. You can feel a surge of happiness every time you see an uprising in Portugal!

    Now, to Business.

    Castile can produce a good range of troops already, including Spanish Javelinmen if you are playing the Viking Invasion version. Leon will give you the highly prized Spanish Jinettes. Alphonso VI is a fairly good general, what more do you need?

    Start Leon producing Jinettes and build other troops from Castile depending on what your preferences call for. I personally prefer spearmen at this stage, but its up to you. However, we must not forget funding, you want more troops you, say? And who is going to pay fro them pray tell? Get the economy going first – “the sinews of war – unlimited funds”

    Also send your emissary to Aragon to get the alliance whilst the princess pays a call on Valencia, why? to spy of course! Finally for the first year, build the farming stuff in both provinces and increase your taxes, but watch the loyalty, especially Leon, a revolt is the last thing you want right now!

    After visiting Valencia your princess points out that most of the army is Jinettes – see, I told you spears would come in useful! Attack as soon as you feel ready – speed is essential, within 4 years of starting is best.

    By 1090 your first heir should have arrived, and it is now safe to use your monarch in battle. I launched the attack in 1091 with 9 units including the King.

    Now that you’ve taken Valencia the Almohads have no choice but to take Portugal if the wish to expand and you can keep things very unstable there! If you haven’t got a priest yet, get one, and send him to Portugal. Meanwhile now is the time to consolidate and build. Boring, I know, but you’ll find yourself doing that a lot during the early years. Just be glad you didn’t actually have to live through it! Get enough troops to hold all 3 provinces, but watch the treasury, you don’t want o find yourself strapped for cash in a crisis. Also build an army to take Navarre once you can spare the troops. Meanwhile, your emissary has been busy – hasn’t he? Do I really have to tell you everything? Anyway, make sure he is fostering alliances with all of Christendom. You can also try your princess with the Almohads, you never know, it may prolong the inevitable. You may also find that the Pope can help with the treasury problems by granting you a thousand florins for services to the church – don’t ask why.

    If you build watch towers or your emissary passes through, you can’t help noticing that Navarre only has peasants and spears. A prince with some spearmen and a few militia should be able to take the province… increasing your income is essential and every province counts.

    I also noticed in some games that either the English or the French will attempt to bribe Navarre. This must be prevented. It is still possible to invade the province the year the bribe has been accepted (when the unit starts flashing) without actually declaring war on the faction doing the bribing. This may even make the faction lose its money.

    Keep on building steadily alternating between economic and military buildings in all your provinces. DON’T make the mistake of concentrating the military in Castile and farming in Leon etc. if you lose a province your entire economy could collapse, or you could lose all your military buildings. Better to lose one mediocre province from 4, then 1 brilliant military province from 1! Did I mention that you should be consolidating your hold on the 4 provinces? I should have done, you really shouldn’t let me get distracted like that.

    As another side note, you may notice that some of your generals aren’t very loyal. For those who also have low acumen and can’t be awarded titles, place them in the Kings army, this tends to slowly increase loyalty over time. If the province becomes disloyal, tour the monarch around the provinces, keeping their loyalty steady. If a disloyal general commands multiple units, remove him from command, you don’t want a civil war.

    By 1100 you should now control 4 provinces and have a growing economy. The Almohads may or may not have taken (or tried to take) Portugal but it really doesn’t matter. Start getting ready for the confrontation. Mercenary troops (Mercs) can be invaluable because after the battle you can disband them and prevent them from becoming a drain on the economy. They can also give you some quite advanced units.

    By 1110 you may feel you are now ready to take the plunge. Back your armies up with Mercs. Be very careful. When you attack try and capture prisoners to start with kill, them then ransom any others back. You need to balance the conflicting demands of reducing the Almohad armies and selling men back to the Almohads to raise cash for your own troops. Generally attack the Almohads before 1115 if you can, otherwise they may have been able to bring enough troops into Cordoba to make dislodging them impossible. Watch the economy. You need troops to win this war and Mercs are best, but if the treasury is low with no steady income…

    You should be able to and ought to take the Iberian Almohad provinces in two years. Don’t let them keep a foothold. Ignore Portugal, it will revolt soon, and if the Almohads can’t reinforce it, the garrison will fall. Remember that you need to garrison both Granada and Cordoba because Morocco can invade both provinces.

    Once this has been done Portugal can then be taken at your leisure, and Iberia is yours excluding Aragon, but that isn’t a problem.

    You now need to build up your provinces. This may take a while but times move on and the pre feudal level troops you have been using are not going to be enough to take on Europe. You really have two choices. Attack north into whoever is winning the hundred years war, or attack south in north Africa and along to the holy land. I would recommend the north Africa option. It may be a while before you can take on the combined armies of Christendom, which is what you will face if the Pope excommunicates you. Better to take the holy land with the Pope cheering you on, then attack Europe in Pincer from South and East. With continual fighting between England and France your northern border is also going to be the most secure, Aragon hardly constitutes a threat. If you keep a force in Cordoba to dewlap with any problems you should be alright. The AI tends to place troops in border provinces only if it is going to attack or in response to you doing the same, so don’t put large armies in Navarre yet, your only going to invite attack.

    From here on in, your on your own. A lot of the decisions from now on focus on your own strategies. Iberia is a good starting point and a strong starting base to push out along North Africa. You can take it one province at a time until you reach Egypt and beyond. The more provinces you take, the more cash you have the better troops you get, the more provinces that you take. Also remember not to centralise unit production in Iberia, build fortress provinces along the way do you don’t keep going back to Iberia fro a fresh supply of troops. Finally trade, I haven’t mentioned it before because ship production is costly and ties up the production queue. However Spain is in the unique position of being able to send ships into both the Med and the Atlantic with ease. Build up your trade routes and you guarantee income, just don’t keep only 1 ship in every region in case a storm comes along and disrupts for trade for 3 years while you replace it.

    Happy conquering… for the Glory of Spain!
    Last edited by Sir Adrian; December 10, 2013 at 07:32 AM. Reason: fixed author hyperlink

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