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Thread: The Great Conflicts main discussion thread. Please post here!

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    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
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    Icon4 The Great Conflicts main discussion thread. Please post here!




    FAQ
    Q : Why a new mod now that ETW is near to the public release?
    A : Because we feel that ETW modding attempts will take some time to
    be playble and that time will be big enough for mods that will focus
    in medieval eras because there is need for creation of:
    • New ships
    • New animations
    • New buildings

    Q : What is the main idea behind this mod(what is the story)?
    A : The main attempt will focus on the Roman/Bulgarian conflict for
    the balkans in late 9th and whole 10th century..

    Q : Will this conflict be the only one?
    A : No...The mod will present two other mostly unknown conflicts in
    the central Mediterranean sea and south Italy ...
    The primary players for both of those conflicts will be two muslim states.
    The Muslim Sultanate of Sicily and the muslim Principality of Chandax(Crete Island).

    Q : What is going to be the exact time frame of the mod?
    A : The timeframe will be 872 to 1071ad ...
    That way we can 'cover" many events that marked those factions in the area...

    Q : What will be the faction list?
    A : We want to make the mod as smaller as it gets so the faction list will
    be as small as posssible..


    Playable factions:
    1: Romans (Byzantines)
    2: Bulgarians
    3: South Italy Longobards
    4: Muslim Sultanate of Sicily
    5: Muslim Principality of Chandax
    6: Hungarians(at 2nd release)
    7: Dutchy of Croatia
    8: Petzenegs (non playable in the 1st release)
    9: Pope's domain (non playable)

    Emerging Factions:

    1: Kievan Vikings
    2: Turcomans
    3: Normans
    4: Magyars (at 1st release)


    Possible additions:
    Serbians

    Q : Why a mod that small?
    A : Because a small mod has much more chances to "survive" to the point
    of it's full release..The needed work is much less giving the dev team
    the chance to focus in some features in maximum details...
    Some of those features are:
    1: Realistic march distances becouse the army's march "covers" more land.
    With a 4 turns per year campaign an army will need a year to march from Dunab to Pelloponesos region..
    2: Shadow factions that could allow realistic civil wars...

    Q : Will be an era separation?
    A : This feature is useless in a mod that focus in specific era and region.

    Q : What about castles...Will they exist in the mod?
    A : No...Castles as we met them in M2TW did not exist that era and most important castle towns appeared in the balkans after 13th century.
    So..Only cities...

    Q : If there wont be castles,would that mean that there will be no stone forts either?
    A : Stone forts WILL exist...Romans,Arabs and other factions mainly in Balkans had a long tradition(roman heritage)of building stone forts in many strategic points known for Romans as "Kleisourae"...

    Q : What the map will look like?
    A : The map area in the block will be the mod's one...


    Some 1st pics from the early version of the map..
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




















    Screenshots by Agistournas!


    Q : Will be other expansions in the future?
    A : It would be too early to talk about expansions when the mod in it's 1st
    version is just another "crazy" idea...
    But never the less we are going to organise the mod that way that new additions would be easy to fit without harm any of the core mod ...
    The most important will be the map that will have 100-120 settlements and a future addition would easily add the rest that could reach the limit.

    Q : What the mod will need?
    A : Any kind of help is wellcomed,modelers or factions creator mods(like CBUR),researchers and any kind of help...

    Q : Will the reqruitment of units change?
    A : Yes it will change...The fact that we wont have any "castles' to separate the unit rosters
    will allow us to create a more accurate way of reqruitment...
    The units of each roster will be separated in two basic lines...
    The "King's men" and the rest of them (both proffesionals and not)...
    The "King's men" feature will allow us to give the players a number of heavy/ellite troops
    in his disposal from the begining of the game but in a very slow rate of reqruitment to avoid
    to make the mod inaccurate...
    "Kings men" will ussualy be available in the faction's capital (in the faction's pallace)...
    The rest of the units will be available in every city the faction will have but in order to have some of them
    the player will have to build a number of buildings that will be relative to them...
    (see the way Varangians,Scithikon,Pronoiarii etc... can be recruited in BtR submod)...
    A smaller number of merc units will be available after certain historical events
    (ex:The Varangians will be available as mercs after 911 trade agreement event and as fully reqruitable unit
    after 980 or so)...
    That way of reqruitment has already tested in BtR submod where the AI reqruits it's units with the traditional
    way...
    The Great Conflicts requitment system.


    This is the main idea behind the reqruitment system for all factions in the mod.




    To let you understand more i will use the Roman unit roster as example:
    The main "native" unit roster will be the "Thematic" armies and the Tagmatic units.
    Main Roman roster.

    • Acontistae*
    • Peltastae
    • Toxotae
    • Trapezitae
    • Scutati
    • Kontarati
    • Menaulati
    • Cavalarii
    • Aristocrats*



    • Tagma tou Arithmou
    • Tagma ton teichon
    • Tagma ton Excuvitoron
    • Tagma ton Scholon
    • Tagma ton Ikkanaton
    • Vasiliki Anthropi


    AOR available units.
    These will be a number of units that will be part of other faction's roster
    like for example Bolyars and a levy Bugarian unitin Bulgarian teritories or plus Italian levies and Lombard nobles in Lombard/Italian teritories etc.
    In those areas Acontistae* and Aristocrats* wont be reqruitable.
    The i noticed them because they will be reqruitable for other factions that will occupy Roman teritories.

    AOR available mercenaries.
    In some areas their will be some unigue units that wont belong to any faction but they will present local population that live in that area.
    For Romans the most famous units will be:

    • Armenian Nobles
    • Armenian border guards

    Those units will be available in east asia minor.

    • Alans in the Cherson penisulla.
    • Petzenegs north of Dunab river.
    • Serbian spearmen in serbia territories.


    Available mercenaries via events.
    These units will be the "learning tool" of our mod.
    These units will show the players the changes that happened to the state armies after some certain events and the evolution they offered to warfare.
    For Romans will be:

    • Vikings (the same Vikings "Vikingars") after the 1st raid in Constantinople 911ad.


    • Latinikon (Norman early knights) after the 1st Norman raid in Itally.
    • Vardariotae (magyar horsearchers)after the 1st raid of Magyars in the balkans.


    • Turcomans after the 1st raid of Turcomans in east asia minor.


    Available units via events.
    In the roman example the units will be:

    • Athanati [after I.Tsimeskes comes to throne event]
    • Varangian Guard [when the 1st 6000 Varangs became available to Basil II].
    • Scithicon [only when all the steppe factions will emerge aka Turcomans,Petzenegs,Magyars.



    In conclution each faction will have access to several units exapt of its own ones via events like:

    • Raids
    • Invasions
    • Dynasty changes




    Q : What about the Pope? Will he exists as he is in M2TW?
    A : Yes Pope will exists in the game but in a kind of diferent role...
    The Popes may given the title of the "Roman" Emperor to a "German" some years ago but...
    they still ask help from the "Official" Emperor that is in Constantinople when they have any
    kind of troubles with others...The Roman Emperors still need the Pope to ask from him "favours"
    that can not ask from the Patriarch of Constantinople...We must not forget that as long the Roman
    forces ARE in south Italy they are the "protectors" of the Pope himself...

    Q : Will be any cristian separation like in M2TW?
    A : No...Despite the minor changes that happened that era from Pope's side there was NO separation
    in Catholics and Orthodox cristians!But...it will be e great event during the game (1054)that could cause
    chain reactions to many factions and could "provoke" the Norman invasion to Italy a bit later...

    Q : Will any historical battles exist in the mod?
    A : Yes there will be...For example the battle of Cannes in 1018 between the rebelled Longobards of south Italy and
    the Romans...At that battle Longobards used many Norman knights as allies and mercs and the Romans sent to
    the "Katepano of Italy" reinforcements of Varangs(Harald Haadrata in them)and Alan horsearchers!!!
    Afcourse other famous battles will exist....

    The FAQ will reguraly updated in the near future...



    The "political" situation in the starting date of the mod.
    Let's start from Italy...
    There will be the Lombardic States Allience under rebelion against the Roman Empire...
    The Sultanate of Sicily will start as neutal against the Roman Empire but the peace will
    be on a sword's edge...The Pope will be ally with everyone until some one will take over
    the Italian lands...Them he will be ally with only the winner!

    At the balkans in the starting date will be a calm before the storm(in real Bulgarian Tsardom
    and Roman Empire were in a peace situasion until....

    Magyars will be a constand danger for both of the great balkan players with their massive raids
    based on historical based events...The good thing about those raids will be the availability
    of Magyar mercs after the 1st raids(that way we are about to show how "Vardariotai" apear
    in the balkans!

    In Asia Minor(Anatolia) things going to be more "quite"(after the final victory of the Romans
    against Arabs in the Licaon river )but...new "players will apear to brake the peace conecting
    historicaly the apearence of Turcomans until the Battle of Majiquert and finally the form of the
    Sultanate of Rum(as we know it in the mods we play today)...
    The most unknown "player" will be the "Muslim principallity of Chandax"!
    They are going to be the supreme pirates but also great traders and scholars!
    Their posible expansion to the south Aegean islands will be great danger for Romans
    becaouse if an Emperor wont deal with them he will risk a civil war or worst his neck!

    I left the most famous raiders last...
    The Vikings who formed a state in Kiev will be both great allies and ennemies...
    Politicaly Kievans wont have the option to bcome allies with Bulgars for the simple reason
    that we want their raids to happen...Vikings will apear infront of Constantinople's walls
    some day and the Emperor that wont be ready for them will sufair the loss of his most
    valuable city ...That loss will deny him "imperial units" and will creat a civil war...


    Civil wars for the main playble factions!

    Having in game a small number of factions means that each one of them will have a large number
    of provinces in it's disposal..In present terms of M2TW those factions will be mosnsters in size and power!
    That give us the chance to create and present more accuratly civil wars!
    Those conflicts will be a constant danger for any player and will keep him always in allert!
    Some ideas (influenced by DhRR mod) for reasons that could lead in a civil war could be:
    1:A faction leader that has no personal victories in his record!
    2:A faction leader that wont be in time to his capital to be coronated.!
    3:The loss of the faction's capital!
    4:A generall with a huge number of victories!
    5:If all the heirs are underage!
    6:If the faction armies sufair 3-4 defeats in a row!
    7:If 2-3 cities revolt for any reason!

    As civil war i mean the apearence of "shadow" factions of the major factions:
    Romans and Bulgarians that will be the bigger factions of the mod!


    The Normans Preview.
    The Normans


    The Normans



    Introduction.
    The Normans regarded themselves as a distinct people, separate from the French and only distantly related to their Viking ancestors. In about 911 AD Charles the Simple recognized Rolf, known to the French as Rollo, as the legitimate ruler of Neustria and the former Viking raider accepted baptism by the archbishop of Rouen. The ancestor of Duke Robert the Magnificent and William the Bastard was now established in the lower Seine valley between Les Andelys and Vernon and by 933 the Norman territory had been pushed as far west as Mont St Michel. From this base the Normans were to extend their power to Sicily in the south and to England in the north with profound effects on the history of Europe.

    Normans in Italy.

    While it has received more attention recently, the Norman insertion into Italy and Sicily is often neglected even in basic texts concerning Western Civilization. Yet this "other" Norman invasion had profound effect on the political and cultural development of the Mediterranean.


    Normans in their attempt to settle in Normandy found themselves in a very uncertain political environment that followed the collapse of the Frankish Empire. That “environment” allowed Normans to strength their position and tries to expand more without fear of a counter measure.

    The Normans arrival in southern Italy was not an invasion as much as a slow accumulation of young mercenary knights looking for opportunities denied them at home. Initially hired by the Lombards to help in their revolt against the Byzantines in 1017, they soon sold their services to either side.

    More importantly, they began to seize towns and carve out fiefs for themselves. Often too small in number to directly assault well-defended towns, the Normans proceeded to raid and raze the outlining areas and farms, slow stripping the target of both food and commerce until it capitulated. They even went as far as to start fires and then demand payment before allowing them to be put out. The Normans systematically used intimidation and terror to rapidly gain land in Apulia and the area north of Naples. These tactics would allow them to set themselves up as barons in the region in less than seventy years.

    Yet while the Normans often acted as little more than robber-barons pursuing their own interests, they could show remarkable cohesion and foresight when required. Even when squabbling among themselves, they could rapidly drop their quarrels to confront a perceived threat. This ability to subsume internal differences for the greater good of the group was one of the primary reasons for their success. It also helped that their adversaries, be they the pope, Muslims or Byzantines, continually underestimated the capabilities and tenacity of the Normans. Never superior in numbers, the Normans used their heavy cavalry in a remarkably coherent manner to outmaneuver their opponents and seize fleeting opportunities. When Pope Leo IX came south with an army in 1053 to deal with the Norman predations of church property, he soon found himself their virtual prisoner following the crushing defeat at Civitate. Yet in a paradox typical of the Normans, they showed the Pope extreme respect and negotiated a settlement with him that confirmed their holdings. The Normans under Richard of Capua would continue to insert themselves into papal politics as when they invaded Rome and placed Nicolas II on the throne of St. Peter in 1059.

    The Normans were actually divided into two settling groups:

    1: The earliest known expedition was one by Rainulf Drengot along with his brothers and 250 other Norman cast-outs and adventurers, who established a protection business around Monte Sant'Angelo and its pilgrims in the late 1010s. The Byzantines (who thought they were in charge) showed their displeasure by thrashing the Normans in a battle close to Cannae (where Hannibal won his greatest victory against Rome), after which the bedraggled Norman survivors headed west into Lombard lands to lick their wounds. Battered but not defeated, Drengot and the surviving Normans regrouped and maneuvered themselves within ten years into a position where they had pretty much usurped the Lombards, and in the process taken over a lot of the properties of the Abbey of Montecassino. In 1030 Rainulf was acknowledged as the first Count of Aversa - the first formal Norman presence in Southern Italy. In 1038 he got his own form of payback by beating the Byzantines in battle, and deciding he was really a prince. And in 1042, in an act of poetic justice, his Norman mate from the other side (William Bras-de-Fer - see below) let him have Monte Sant'Angelo after he had removed the Byzantines from the east side of the country. Rainulf left no sons, and it was the nine Hauteville boys and their descendants (below) who were to stamp a lasting Norman impression on Southern Italy and Sicily.

    2: The most famous of the Hauteville family was Robert Guiscard, who arrived in Italy in 1047. Initially only in control of malaria-ridden lands in Calabria, Robert soon expanded his holdings and after helping install Nicolas II he was invested with Apulia, Calabria and Sicily as a reward. The fact that Sicily was held by the Muslims and portions of Apulia were still under Byzantine control seems to have mattered little to Robert or his younger brother Roger. While in the early years the Normans had been focused on territorial expansion and the accumulation of wealth, as their holdings increased they were inevitably forced to deal with the issues of governance.

    An interesting contrast emerged between how Roger developed the Sicilian government compared to the system that evolved in southern Italy under Robert. Because other Norman families had established significant fiefs in Apulia, Robert was continually confronted with revolts from his vassals who perceived the Hautevilles as having overstepped their authority. Yet despite continual turmoil in his lands, he persisted in trying to expand his holdings into to Illyria right up to his death in 1085.

    In contrast, Roger was extremely careful in assigning land in Sicily and held much of it for himself, thus preventing any family from developing a power base. He also showed remarkable foresight in his government organization by retaining many of the administrative techniques that had evolved there from the Byzantine and Muslim traditions. Holding court in Sicily and Calabria, Roger developed a centralized government that saw the rise of trade and culture to new heights in his territory. His death in 1101 marked the closing chapter in the heady days of conquest and expansion that had begun just over eighty years before.

    Typical of the Norman tactics, they launched a reconnaissance in force into Sicily. They returned in 1061 to capture Messina using diversions and sheer audacity. It would not be until 1086 though until Roger captured Syracuse and sealed the fate of Sicily.

    Changes in warfare tactics.

    Less than one hundred years of living in Normandy had profound influences on the Normans. They adopted French language and customs, and adopted the feudal system. The Normans also made immense changes to their warfare technique. Upon arrival on the shores of France, the Normans were almost entirely an infantry force that used typical Viking style shield-wall tactics. Only one hundred years later, the Normans become renowned horseman.

    The eleventh century saw the rising importance of cavalry in battle. The Normans were fast to adopt to this development. The advantage that a combined infantry-cavalry force proved over massive infantry-only formations soon became very clear. Some of the Norman's neighbors that did not follow these changes in warfare would soon pay a dear price. The Anglosaxons, for example, situated on the other end of the la Manche channel still used old style tactics well into eleventh century [picture].

    The Normans used their cavalry to disrupt enemy shield-wall formations with a series of attacks and feinted retreats.
    They did not yet possess lances long enough to allow them to charge straight into an enemy infantry formation and break it on impact. Instead, when the Normans drew close to their enemies they would throw their spears at the infantry [picture]/[picture2] or they would try to stab the enemy with spears while moving parallel to shield wall. The goal of these tactics was to weaken the enemy before the final assault, and to provoke them into breaking formation. When the enemy formation finally broke and the infantry became disorganized, the Norman infantrymen would join the attack and along with their mounted countrymen they would rout the enemy.

    After their arrival in Italy they found themselves in a heavily mountainous environment and in battles against armies that used a large number of archers and heavy cavalry that used longer spears/lances than their own. However, they were smart enough to fortify themselves in high mountains and to learn from their enemies the cavalry tactics and techniques that the Lombards had used for centuries. In their Italian campaigns, the Normans adopted longer lances and employed tight cavalry charging formations. These, along with adoption of spurs and specially engineered high saddles allowed so called "couched" charges which could smash enemy lines in half. Now the Normans became even less dependent upon infantry, who were pushed aside to a supporting role, in favor of the cavalry.

    Soon enough they also realized that archers were much more lethal in the Italian mountain environment than in the open plains of west Europe. Archers in Italy also had better training and equipment and were present in larger numbers. Normans found two solutions against this disadvantage of theirs - they recruited large numbers of Lombard, Italian and Muslim archers and they adopted the Islamic and Roman style scale and lamellar made cuirasses to better protect themselves [picture].


    Timeline of the Norman expansion in Italy.

    10th-11thCenturiesA.D.
    The Norman Conquest of southern Italy begins. The first adventurers from the coast of Normandy, France, hire themselves out to the rival rulers of Benevento, Salerno, Naples, and Capua. As a reward they are given the city of Aversa. But as their numbers increase, the Normans band together to fight on their own.
    1053-1059A.D.
    By this time Robert Guiscard (i.e. "the Wise", or, "Wily") has established a Norman kingdom in southern Italy. He conquers Calabria (the toe of the Italian peninsula), Benevento (1054 A.D.), and allies himself with Pope Nicholas II (r. 1059-1061), whom he protects from being dominated by Germanic rulers, and receives papal sanction to rule Calabria, Puglia (the heel of the Italian peninsula), and the island of Sicily. Robert sends his younger brother Roger to conquer Sicily, and himself sets out to conquer Puglia from the Byzantines.
    The Normans have many classical texts translated from the Greek and Arabic into Latin. Together with the Greek texts that are collected in Byzantium and rediscovered in the libraries of the monasteries of Europe, these works will bring about a revolution both in Roman Catholic theology and in secular learning.
    1071A.D.
    Robert Guiscard captures Bari. With Puglia conquered, and with it Byzantium's rule in southern Italy ended, Robert next sets out to conquer Constantinople. But he is called back by Pope Gregory VII (r. 1073-1085) to defend the papacy against the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV.
    1084A.D.
    Robert Guiscard captures the city of Rome from Henry IV's army. But when the people of Rome revolt against Robert's army, Robert sacks and burns the city.
    1060-1091A.D.
    Roger Guiscard's conquest of the island of Sicily from the Saracens. The Moslems of Sicily and southern Italy are Berbers from North Africa (the race of St. Augustine) and Spanish Moslems, a diverse people but they are all called Saracens
    1085-1101A.D.
    With the death of his brother Robert Guiscard, Roger becomes the ruler of Norman Italy or the "Two Sicilies" as it is called -- i.e. of the island of Sicily and the southern half of the Italian peninsula.
    1101-1154A.D.
    During the reign of Roger II, a nephew of Robert Guiscard, Naples and Capua are added to the Norman Kingdom. Abruzzo is captured from the Holy Roman Emperors, and North Africa from Tripoli to Tunis is taken from the Saracens.
    1130A.D.
    Roger II changes his title from Count to King. The capital city of his "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies" is Palermo.
    1194A.D.
    Roger II's heirs, who have already lost the Norman's North African possessions, end Norman rule in southern Italy by surrendering the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the Holy Roman (i.e. German) Emperor Henry VI under the pretext that Henry has married a woman from the Norman court.
    ("People from the East") by the Italians.

    Map of the Norman expansion in Italy.




    Hauteville dinasty line until 1071ad:





    BANNERS & CHARACTERS

    Banners
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Cavalry flag (gonfanon)





    Bodyguards of Norman duke carry main faction flag, officer is visible to (red-yellow helmet)





    Infantry flag




    Archer officer and banner carrier hiding behind melee infantry.
    ...they will have their heads cut off for this cowardice...



    Nobles with "elite" flag




    Characters

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    King ......................... Heir ........................... General.................... Captain





    UNITS
    UNITS DESCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Familia Ducis (Ducal household)
    .
    Ducal household or "Familia Ducis" were loyal band of professionals which served the duke as his personal bodyguards. They received full-time salary, as well as generous periodic gifts from their lord to strengthen their loyalty. In war, they expected their share of the spoils.
    Duke's household was remarkably heterogeneous in its composition and it included both landless, unenfeoffed knights and members of great aristocratic families with large estates that owed their rise to their close ties with the king or the great magnates. Equipment and ability seem to have been the defining factors for recruitment of these warriors. Each warrior was expected to provide his own equipment. However he could expect his master to compensate him for any damaged or lost items. Members of Ducal household were well payed and could afford best equipment available.
    Soldiers of the familia possessed equipment consisting of a long chain-mail hauberk, a helmet, a kite-shaped shield, a sword, a lance and a war horse (destirer). Additionally, warriors wore padded underclothing that increased the effectiveness of their defensive system. Lamellar or scale cuirasses were also sometimes used to provide soldiers with even more protection.
    On battlefield, heavy cavalry of familia ducis as trusted companions of the duke followed him everywhere protecting his life even at the expense of their own.



    UPGRADE




    Familia Baronis (Baronial household).
    The core of Norman armies was the household or familia, who can be divided into the ducal and the baronial familia.
    The Baronial household or Familia Baronis were professional troops in personal service to great magnates (barons). They received full-time salary, as well as generous periodic gifts from their lord to strengthen their loyalty. In war, they expected their share of the spoils. Members of the familia often showed intense loyalty towards their lord that was often far stronger than that shown from his feudal subjects.

    As such, the professional soldiers of the familia formed a permanent and truly effective arm of Norman military might. During the 11th century, the familia were not filled exclusively with those of noble birth. A man’s equipment and ability seem to have been the defining factors. Each warrior was expected to provide his own equipment, however he could expect his master to compensate him for any damaged or lost items. Since these warriors were well payed they possessed weapons
    and armor of high quality.
    Soldiers of the familia possessed equipment consisting of a long chain-mail hauberk, a helmet, a kite-shaped shield, a sword, a lance and a war horse (destirer). Additionally, warriors wore padded underclothing that increased the effectiveness of their defensive system. Lamellar or scale cuirasses were also sometimes used to provide soldiers with even more protection.
    In battle, heavy cavalry of Baronial household acted like mounted shock troops. A well timed charge of the familia could break even the hardiest opponents. The battle-hardened troops of the familiae had a key role in the expansion of the Norman principalities in southern Italy during the 1040s-70's and formed the core of the armies which invaded Sicily in the 1060's.



    UPGRADE




    Familia
    The core of Norman armies was the household or familia, who can be divided into the ducal and the baronial familia.

    The "Familia" were professional soldiers in personal service of duke himself. They received full-time salary, as well as generous periodic gifts from their lord to strengthen their loyalty. In war, they expected their share of the spoils. Members of the familia often showed intense loyalty towards their lord that was often far stronger than that shown from his feudal subjects.Size of the duke's familia depends on the size oh his treasury. Rich ruler could not only keep small unit of personal bodyguards, but can also raise additional number of these elite troops. An army consisting several familia regiments is a fearsome sight indeed.
    As such, the professional soldiers of the familia formed a permanent and truly effective arm of Norman military might. During the 11th century, the familia were not filled exclusively with those of noble birth. A man’s equipment and ability seem to have been the defining factors. Each warrior was expected to provide his own equipment. However he could expect his master to compensate him for any damaged or lost items. Members of household were well payed and could afford best equipment available.
    Soldiers of the familia possessed equipment consisting of a long chain-mail hauberk, a helmet, a kite-shaped shield, a sword, a lance and a war horse (destirer). Additionally, warriors wore padded underclothing that increased the effectiveness of their defensive system. Lamellar or scale cuirasses were also sometimes used to provide soldiers with even more protection.
    In battle, heavy cavalry of Baronial household acted like mounted shock troops. A well timed charge of the familia could break even the hardiest opponents. However, if the need arose, Ducal household troops would fight on foot. On foot, they would use their swords as well as fearsome two handed axes in combat. Though their numbers were never great, even a handful of these fearsome warriors could prove decisive to the outcome of the battle.
    The battle-hardened troops of the familiae had a key role in the expansion of the Norman principalities in southern Italy during the 1040s-70's and formed the core of the armies which invaded Sicily in the 1060's.





    Dismounted Familia
    The core of Norman armies was the household or familia who were professional soldiers in personal service of duke himself. They received full-time salary, as well as generous periodic gifts from their lord to strengthen their loyalty. In war, they expected their share of the spoils. Members of the familia often showed intense loyalty towards their lord that was often far stronger than that shown from his feudal subjects.Size of the duke's familia depends on the size oh his treasury. Rich ruler could not only keep small unit of personal bodyguards, but can also raise additional number of these elite troops. An army consisting several familia regiments is a fearsome sight indeed.
    As such, the professional soldiers of the familia formed a permanent and truly effective arm of Norman military might. During the 11th century, the familia were not filled exclusively with those of noble birth. A man’s equipment and ability seem to have been the defining factors. Each warrior was expected to provide his own equipment. However he could expect his master to compensate him for any damaged or lost items. Members of household were well payed and could afford best equipment available.
    Soldiers of the familia possessed equipment consisting of a long chain-mail hauberk, a helmet, a large kite-shaped shield, a sword, a lance and a war horse (destirer). Additionally, warriors wore padded underclothing that increased the effectiveness of their defensive system. Lamellar or scale cuirasses were also sometimes used to provide soldiers with even more protection.
    Soldiers of the familia often dismounted before battle and fought on foot if they thought it was favorable. A dismounted warrior was not at a disadvantage, since they spent the same amount of time training fighting on foot, as well as on horseback.
    In battle, heavy household formations acted like elite shock troops. A well timed charge of the familia could break even the hardiest opponents. Dismounted household troops use their swords as well as fearsome two handed axes in combat. Though their numbers were never great, even a handful of these fearsome warriors could prove decisive to the outcome of the battle.
    The battle-hardened troops of the familiae had a key role in the expansion of the Norman principalities in southern Italy during the 1040s-70's and formed the core of the armies which invaded Sicily in the 1060's.





    Milites Normanii (Early knights).
    The term “milites” originally meant “armored horseman” without regard to their social status. However, here, milites mostly consisted of lower nobility, who were given land fiefs by their feudal lord and expected to serve as mounted warriors if called to arms. Knights could be direct vassals of the duke or vassals of magnates or religious houses, who had sent them to serve the duke to fulfill a duty.
    Their obligation lasted 40 days a year inside the borders of the realm and was primarily defensive in nature. For offensive actions, such as an invasion of foreign lands, knights were motivated by promises of land and booty. Norman dukes never experienced shortages of poor or even landless warriors willing to follow them on even the most adventurous campaigns.
    Norman cavalry typically fought in small units of 25-50 men called conrois, under their banner, the gonfanon. The main weapon of the knights was a spear. Each warrior would hold the spear in his right hand and try to stab his opponent in an overarm or underarm fashion. However, since the spear was not longer than the infantryman's own spear, the rider would need to come into close reach. This tactic could be dangerous against organized and experienced enemies.
    In order to compensate, Normans used an alternative tactic in which the warrior would throw his spear like a javelin. A volley of spears would have a devastating effect on the enemy, even if they lacked the range of proper javelins. In battle, knights would ride close to the enemy and then bombard their lines from almost point-blank range with their spears, retreating before the enemy infantry could catch with them. The goal of these feigned retreats was to provoke the enemy infantry into breaking from formation and to get them to give chase on the battle field. Once the enemy units were isolated and without support, they could be encircled and destroyed with ease.
    This tactic proved useful in numerous battles such as Arques in 1053, Messina in 1060, Hastings in 1066, and Cassel in 1071.
    A knight’s secondary weapon was a sword. A sword was not only very dangerous, but expensive as well. As such, it was an extremely prestigious weapon of great symbolic value. A typical Norman sword in the 11th century was straight, two bladed and 75-80 cm in length.
    For protection, knights wore chainmail hauberk vests with attached hooded coifs. The head was protected with an iron helmet with a nasal guard. A helmet could either be one piece or made out of several metal parts screwed together. Additionally, each warrior would carry a large wooden kite-shaped shield. The shield’s exterior surface was covered with boiled leather which was often decorated with painted symbols or mythological beasts.
    Norman knights needed to possess several war horses as well. These destirers were almost as expensive as armor itself.





    Milites (Late knights).
    The term “milites” originally meant “armored horseman” without regard to their social status. However, here, milites mostly consisted of lower nobility, who were given land fiefs by their feudal lord and expected to serve as mounted warriors if called to arms. Knights could be direct vassals of the duke or vassals of magnates or religious houses, who had sent them to serve the duke to fulfill a duty.
    Their obligation lasted 40 days a year inside the borders of the realm and was primarily defensive in nature. For offensive actions, such as an invasion of foreign lands, knights were motivated by promises of land and booty. Norman dukes never experienced shortages of poor or even landless warriors willing to follow them on even the most adventurous campaigns. Norman cavalry typically fought in small units of 25-50 men called conrois, under their banner, the gonfanon.
    Once on Italian soil, the Normans faced new enemies with different fighting styles. Their old tactic of throwing spears proved less effective against old-fashioned but still dangerous Lombard cavalry, Saracen archers, and the sophisticated war machine of the Romans. Instead, the Normans adopted longer lances as their primary weapons. These lances were longer than standard infantry spears and allowed them to use a new tactic - a mass charge of their heavy cavalry with "couched" lance which would break through enemy lines upon impact. Anna Comnena, the Roman princess, was so impressed with the Norman's charge that she wrote they "could make a hole through the walls of Babylon."
    A knight’s secondary weapon was a sword. A sword was not only very dangerous, but expensive as well. As such, it was an extremely prestigious weapon of great symbolic value. A typical Norman sword in the 11th century was straight, two bladed and 75-80 cm in length.
    For protection, knights wore chainmail hauberk vests with attached hooded coifs. The head was protected with an iron helmet with a nasal guard. A helmet could either be one piece or made out of several metal parts screwed together. Additionally, each warrior would carry a large wooden kite-shaped shield. The shield’s exterior surface was covered with boiled leather which was often decorated with painted symbols or mythological beasts.
    Norman knights needed to possess several war horses as well. These destirers were almost as expensive as armor itself.



    UPGRADE




    Milites pedites (Dismounted knights).
    The term “Milites pedites” means dismounted or infantry knights. “Milites” mostly consisted of lower nobility, who were given land fiefs by their feudal lord and expected to serve as mounted warriors if called to arms. Knights could be direct vassals of the duke or vassals of magnates or religious houses, who had sent them to serve the duke to fulfill a duty.
    Their obligation lasted 40 days a year inside the borders of the realm and was primarily defensive in nature. For offensive actions, such as an invasion of foreign lands, knights were motivated by promises of land and booty. Norman dukes never experienced shortages of poor or even landless warriors willing to follow them on even the most adventurous campaigns.
    Norman knights often dismounted before battle and fought on foot if they thought it was favorable. A dismounted Norman knight was not at a disadvantage, since they spent the same amount of time training fighting on foot, as well as on horseback.
    On foot, a knight’s primary weapon was a sword. A sword was not only very dangerous, but expensive as well. As such, it was an extremely prestigious weapon of great symbolic value. A typical Norman sword in the 11th century was straight, two bladed and 75-80 cm in length.
    For protection, knights wore chainmail hauberk vests with attached hooded coifs. The head was protected with an iron helmet with a nasal guard. A helmet could either be one piece or made out of several metal parts screwed together. Additionally, each warrior would carry a large wooden kite-shaped shield. The shield’s exterior surface was covered with boiled leather which was often decorated with painted symbols or mythological beasts.





    Servientes (Mounted sergeants).
    Sergeants were vassal of lesser status than knights, holding half, or even a smaller part, of a knight's fief in return for their service. The word sergeant is derived from the Latin servient, serviens which means “to serve.” The term was also applied to a knight's mounted retainers of non-noble status.
    Sergeants were experienced warriors who fought as horseman in a similar fashion to knights. However they had considerably worse equipment. Each sergeant had a spear, a large kite-shaped shield, an iron helmet and maybe a sword, but not all of them possessed armor. Some sergeants were unarmored, some had quilted jackets and the wealthier amongst them maybe got their hands on short chain-mail vests called haubergeons.
    Being less armored than knights makes sergeants more vulnerable in combat. Thus, their tactical role is somewhat different. Instead of leading frontal charges, sergeants should be used for flanking maneuvers, for fighting enemy light cavalry, for engaging enemy archers and light infantry and for chasing routed troops.
    Because they are considerably cheaper to employ and available in larger numbers, sergeants tend to outnumber the “proper” knights in an army 3-to-1 or more.



    UPGRADE


    UPGRADE




    Pedites (Sergeant Spearmen).
    The term “pedite” means “foot soldier” or “infantryman” in general. These semi-professional soldiers of non-noble birth followed knights into battle and provided the bulk of Norman infantry. Roman sources noted that Robert Guiscard was accompanied by 5 horseman and 30 infantrymen when he first left Normandy on his journey to the Italian peninsula. Such proportion was considered typical.
    Pedites were armed with spears, had large wooden kite shields and wore iron helmets. There was no general rule about armor. Some were unarmored, but most had at least quilted armor. Better equipped pedites had short-sleeved chain-mail shirts called haubergeons, which were considerably shorter than knights’ hauberk armor shirts. Their equipment and weapons were provided by their feudal lords.
    In field battles, pedites were often overshadowed by knights but should not be underestimated. They are good defensive troops, especially against cavalry. Deployed in close formation, these men could defeat enemy cavalry force foolish enough to charge straight into their front ranks. However, their flanks and back have to be properly protected or the enemy can exploit these weaknesses. It is in sieges where pedites show their real value. Climbing ladders and siege towers or defending towers and walls is something a man on the horse simply cannot do.



    UPGRADE


    UPGRADE




    Sagitari Normanii (Norman archers).
    The Norman knights might take all of the credit and glory after a victory, but they never went to battle alone. In fact, they were heavily reliant upon the support and coordination of their infantry followers. The task of archers is a simple one - to provide supporting fire for the main part of the Norman army.
    Norman archers were drawn from the lower classes. In Normandy itself, such men were readily available in large quantities, but in Italy this was not the case. Some infantry archers arrived in Italy as part of knight’s retinue or were perhaps sailors on ships.
    A Norman duke in Italy has only a limited number of these troops and will need to find a way to compensate for this shortcoming. Saracens and Romans have archers of much better quality and in larger numbers. To be on equal ground with his enemies, a Norman duke will have to acquire the services of local troops and mercenaries.
    The main weapon of a Norman archer was a rather large self-bow that was effective against armored opponents at 50 meters, if shot in a straight line, or at 100 meters, if shot in a high trajectory.
    An archer did not possess any armor. He went to war dressed in everyday clothing. Nor did he carry a shield. This lack of armor and shield makes him extremely vulnerable to enemy arrows and ill-suited for melee combat. If caught in melee combat, his only close-range weapon is a knife, which offers only a weak chance of survival.





    Auxilia
    Eleventh century Italy was described as a "land of milk and honey and all other beautiful things." Such a description attracted many adventurers, criminals, and landless sons from Normandy in search of land and booty. These men in turn offered their services in combat to invading armies and often followed knights in their journeys to Southern Europe.
    These light infantrymen are equipped with old fashioned, second-hand equipment.
    They are armed with old-style short swords and one handed axes. Despite their Viking ancestry, the Normans made relatively little use of axes in battle. Their weapon of choice was a sword, which is too expensive for these soldiers. Axes were mostly used as tools for cutting wood and building ships. However on some occasions, single handed axes proved handy in battle.

    Most of these warriors wear some kind of padded coat (gambeson) for protection, although some might wear short chain-mail vests called haubergeons. Most of them wear spangenhelm type helmets, which were made of several iron plates screwed together. Their shields are of old-fashioned circular design.
    Their use is limited. They are no match for cavalry and while effective against enemy infantry, they are too unreliable to hold the line in main formation. Despite this, they still have their use. They are best used for fighting enemy spearmen and they are more than capable of winning siege battles.



    UPGRADE




    Iaculatori (Javelinmen).
    Iaculatori are light infantry whose role was skirmishing or protecting the flanks of main force. Sometimes they appear as almost autonomous units. These are non-professional troops, drawn from the lower classes, who lack both equipment and training.
    These troops do not wear any armor and only have circular wooden shields to protect themselves.
    Their main weapons are javelins, light spears designed primarily for use as a ranged weapon. Javelins do not have the range of arrows, but can have considerably more power on impact. The only weapons these soldiers have for melee combat are knives and daggers, so they should keep their distance from enemies.






    CREDITS
    Matthæus
    Koultouras
    Leif Erikson
    Lord_Calidor
    S-te-fan


    Historical info

    firekiller
    Matthæus


    Spesial Thanks to:

    Rusichi TW modding team.
    DisgruntledGoat for ussing material from "1066 mod".
    Strelac for his advices about double weaponed units.




    The Great Conflicts 872 -1071 older Faction Previews mooved to post 5.

    2D Art

    Menu preview.



    The Great Conflicts
    menu preview


    (TGC's icon for desctop)

    Videos

    Bad quality, but just to see how the menu works. As you can see the faction icons are perfectly arranged (no motion when selected)


    Faction icons


    Menu







    -------------------------------








    -------------------
    Few random loading screen images \just 5 of all 15\
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 










    Creator: Gogo-t


    The Great Conflicts signatures


    Olavi's sigs..
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    By firekiller..
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Sigs by Tzar...
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    Sigs by Violator
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 













    Sigs by Hrobatos
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Sigs by Gogo-T
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Sigs by Wildrek
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 






    THE TEAM:

    Researchers:
    1: CBUR team:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    AnthoniusII
    Agisilaos
    ByzantineKlibanophori
    Neoptolemos
    Starlightman
    Pompeius Magnus
    The_Bulgar_Slayer

    2:BGTW team:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    NikeBG
    Alien_t

    3: PubliusKhannus
    4: firekiller
    5: Matthæus
    6: Hrobatos
    7: FliegerAD
    8: Clandestino

    Modelers:
    1: Absinthia
    2: Sumskilz
    3: Stefaneke
    4: HaniballExMachina
    5: =NF=Basileios the 2nd
    6: Gogo-t (Bulgarian Unit Roster)
    7: Matthæus
    8: AnthoniusII
    9: Koultouras


    Skinners:
    1:CBUR skinning team:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Leif Erikson
    Absinthia
    Sumskilz

    2: BGTW team.[For the Bulgarian Unit Roster]
    3: Matthæus
    4: Pacco
    5: Koultouras

    2D Art:
    1: Agistournas

    2: Olavi
    3: firekiller
    4: Tzar
    5: Petar
    6: Gogo-t
    7: Remlap
    8: Char

    Strat_map city models:
    1: General Grievous

    Coders/scripters:

    1: Absinthia
    2: Koultouras
    3: Taiji


    Mappers:
    1: Agistournas
    2: Gigantus
    3: Absinthia

    Music:
    1: Arn

    Members of Honor Hall of fame


    In here we place the names of people that their work and
    donations gave TGC mod its essence of realism.
    WE THANK THEM ALL

    JMRC
    Master Zuma
    skr
    tone
    michaiv



    Last edited by AnthoniusII; April 01, 2011 at 04:51 PM.
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  2. #2
    Agisilaos's Avatar GREECE - ΕΛΛΑΔΑ
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    Default Re: A central mediteranean sea conflict mod [title to be disided]

    very good idea! this mod has great potential and seems very interesting. i can help wherever you need me and i am able to!
    Macedones were, are and will always be Greeks
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    watch this
    , this and this
    Τακτική είναι να ξέρεις τι να κάνεις αν υπάρχει κάτι που μπορείς να κάνεις.
    Στρατηγική είναι να ξέρεις τι να κάνεις όταν δεν υπάρχει τίποτα να κάνεις.

  3. #3
    Swagger's Avatar Imperial Coffee-Runner
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    Default Re: A central mediteranean sea conflict mod [title to be disided]

    nice
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  4. #4
    Babur's Avatar ز آفتاب درخشان ستاره می
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    nice idea,it definitely has potential.

    Will this project be affiliated with Golden Age Total War? :hmmm:
    Under the patronage of Gertrudius!

  5. #5
    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    The Great Conflicts 872-1071 Faction Previews.

    Bulgarian Empire

    History

    Origins.
    As any self-respecting, mysterious tribe, the origins of the Bulgars are largely disputed and still not certain. The meaning of the very name Bulgar has over 160 interpretations, ranging from the less likely "descendants of the Noah's great-grandson Bulgar", through "people of the Volga river", "water people", "wise people", "kind people", "fortress-guards", "brigands" and "rebels" and finally reaching to the more likely "mixed people" and "settled people". Likewise, their origins are supposedly Turkic, Iranic, Finno-Ugric and even Thracian or Slavic. The Bulgar homeland has been searched high and low all over Eurasia - from Bactria, through Altay and Siberia to the Transcaucasian steppes and the Balkans.


    Worship and Religion.

    Paganism
    Similarly, the Bulgar religion is also rather controversial. Based on the theory of Turkic origins and one damaged epigraphy, the most popular thesis is that the Bulgars were monotheistic people worshipping Tangra, the Bulgar equivalent of the Turkic Sky-God Bir-Tengri. An Arab chronicler gives two other names - Edfu and Fa. There are also references to Christian rulers, shamanism among the common people, worshipping of rocks, of the sun and the moon, even of some "demons" (according to the Christians). The Iranic theory also proposes influences of Zoroastrianism found in the schemes of several Pagan temples. The Bulgars themselves, however, used simply God, as attested several times in their epigraphies: "Whoever seeks the truth - God sees. And whoever lies - God sees... The Bulgars did many good deeds to the Christians (Romans) and the Christians forgot them, but God sees." Adding to all this the fact that when the Bulgars conquered Moesia from the Romans, they also integrated the local population with its own beliefs, we get a quite diverse religious picture of the situation in Bulgaria.
    Christianity.
    Due to this, the Bulgar rulers eventually realized something has to change. The Bulgars themselves had one belief, the Slavs had their many deities, the Romans had their Christian god and every religious group had different moral codes and different laws. As a result, Khan Krum the Terrible was reportedly the first to create common state laws for all his subjects, no matter their religion. However, this didn't fully solve the problem, so half a century later, in 864, Khan Boris took the fateful decision to officially convert himself and his people to Christianity. Thus he hoped to solve several problems: from one side - to unify his people into one, both in religion and culture, and from another side - to gain a greater prestige and equality next to the other great rulers in Europe, both of which were Christians (the Roman emperor and the German king). With this he also had one great fear - the increasing influence of the Roman culture - but in time this was solved as well, after the students of St. Methodius came to Bulgaria in 886 and started spreading Christianity in the now common Slavic language, thus replacing the Roman influence over the people.

    Manoeuvring between Rome and Constantinople.

    Boris, now called Knyaz Boris I Mihail, also had one other fear connected to his baptism - the control over his newly-created church and the possible foreign interventions in his political affairs through it. This is why he demanded from the start an autocephalous (self-governing) church which would be under his control alone. He first turned towards Constaninople, but the response from Patriarch Photios was less than acceptable. Therefore he turned towards Rome and sent a list with 106 questions of various nature to Pope Nicholas I. The answers were detailed, but the pope glossed over the controversial question of the autocephalous status desired by Boris and sent a large group of missionaries to continue the conversion of Bulgaria in accordance with the western rite. In response, Patriarch Photios wrote an encyclical to the eastern clergy in 867, in which he condemned Rome's ecclesiastical intervention in Bulgaria. This occasioned the Photian Schism, which was a major step in the rift between the eastern and western churches. However, after several of Boris' candidates for an independent archbishop were denied by the Pope, he shifted again towards the Romans. In 870, the Fourth Council of Constantinople finally granted the status of an autocephalous archbishopric to the Bulgarian church and thus Bulgaria remained under the wing of the Eastern Orthodoxy.

    General history.
    As previously stated, the origins of the Bulgars are largely controversial. What is certain is that they came from the Eurasian steppes and were first testified by a European source in 354 by the Anonymous Latin chronographer who, while speaking about the descendants of Noah, placed "Ziezi ex quo vulgares" at the end - "Ziezi, of whom are the Bulgars". Two other reports about them, by Paulus Diaconus and Fredegarius, place them in 422 on the northern slopes of the Carpathians where they had a successful battle with the Langobards and killed their first king, Agelmund. But let us start from the beginning:
    Early history.
    No matter where they've originally come from, it is certain that one of their long-lasting homelands were the lands to the north of the Caucasus mountain. They are testified by several Armenian chroniclers to have lived there in tents and in cities, some of them migrating to the south during the Hunnic invasion and eventually getting assimilated among the Armenians. Another large group was supposedly carried away by or with the Huns to the west, to Eastern and Central Europe, as we saw in the forementioned case about the battle with the Langobards. This group was later called Huno-Bulgars or Kutrigurs, which some interpret as "the wanderers". The group that stayed in Transcaucasia was called Utigurs, which is along that line interpreted the same way as Bulgars - "the settled ones". After Attila's death in 453, the Kutrigur Bulgars split on two again - some joined the Gepids at the battle at Nedao and stayed living in Central Europe (these Bulgars later joined the Langobards in their migration to Italy), while many of the other Kutrigurs were "inherited" by Attila's favourite son, Ernakh, who settled in Scythia Minor and took control over the Utigur Bulgars. As allies to the Roman emperor Zeno, they were first hired to fight against the Goths, but soon the Bulgars started raiding the Roman realms in the Balkans as well. These raids lasted for nearly a century, sometimes combined with the raids of the Slavs who had just arrived to the north of the Danube. During the reign of Justinian I, he managed to create a conflict between the Kutrigurs (some of which were hired as foederati and settled in Moesia) and the Utigurs, which eventually stopped the raids as the two tribes started fighting between themselves. In such a weakened state they were met by the newly-arrived Avars, which conquered most of the Kutrigurs, and the Gok-Turkic khaganate, which dominated over the Utigurs.
    Old Great Bulgaria.
    Kubrat was a heir to the Bulgar throne from the royal house of Dulo. He was raised in Constantinople where he befriended the future emperor Heracleios and learned how to administer a country. After he returned to his people around 632, he managed to overthrow the Avar and Gok-Turkic dominion and eventually created a state, which was called "Old Great Bulgaria" by the later Roman chroniclers. As Kubrat grew old, it is reported that he gathered his five sons and gave them a lesson about unity - they had to break a bundle of arrows, but even the strongest of them could not. But when the old Kubrat took out and broke the arrows one by one, he showed them that if they separate, they will be easily crushed. But if they stay united, they will be undefeatable. His sons, however, did not listen to him and after he died, they split on five groups. The oldest son, Bat-Bayan, remained in his lands in Transcaucasia and was soon subjugated by the Khazars. The second son, Kotrag, took a large part of the Kutrigurs to the north, near the rivers Volga and Kama, where the so-called Volga Bulgaria was later created. The third son, Asparuh, went to the south-west and in 680-681 conquered Moesia from the Romans and formed the so-called Danubian Bulgaria (or simply Bulgaria today). The fourth and fifth sons, Kuber and Altsek, went directly to the west, in the Avar khaganate where they attempted to take the throne, but failed. Then they split - Kuber took his people to the south in present day Macedonia, while Altsek first fled to Bavaria and then to the Lombards. Of the five brothers, only two managed to create a sufficiently long-lasting legacy.
    Danubian Bulgaria.
    After he conquered Moesia in 680, Asparuh relocated some of the local Slavic tribes and placed them as border guards to the south and west, while the Bulgars guarded the north-eastern border, where Asparuh eventually died fighting the Khazars in 700 AD. He was succeeded by Tervel, managed to gain the high imperial title of kesar (Greek form of "caesar") after helping Justinian II take back his throne. In 717-718 he and his successor Kormesiy joined the Romans during the Second Arab siege of Constantinople and together they repulsed the last Arab siege against the Roman capital. In the middle of the century, however, began a struggle for the throne and Roman Emperor Constantine V Copronymus used the turmoil to launch nine campaigns against Bulgaria. The country managed to survive and stabilize itself during the reign of Kardam (777-803). The following ruler, Khan Krum, who was supposedly a descendant of Kuber, expanded the state to the north by destroying the Avar khaganate in 805 and to the south taking Serdica in 809. In 811 Emperor Nikephoros I Genikos passed the Balkan mountains and sacked the Bulgar capital of Pliska, but was then ambushed during his retreat and was killed in the ensuing battle, while his son was mortally wounded and died a couple of months later. Krum was succeeded by Omurtag, who signed a 30-years peace treaty with the Romans and started large construction and reconstruction projects, including the rebuilding of the burned-down Pliska. He also continued the administrative reforms of his father and organized the state into 10 komitats. Another such policy was to gather all the Slavs under the Bulgar wing and this idea was pursued also by Persian, Omurtag's grandson, who conquered more lands to the south. Persian was followed by his son - Boris. After unsuccessful wars with the Romans and the Germans, Boris decided to convert his people to Christianity and unite them under one God, one law and one monarch. The conversion wasn't welcomed by many of the nobles and the people and Boris was forced to quell a rebellion, which ended with the executions of 52 high nobles and their families.

    Language.
    The language of the old Bulgars is unknown, since nearly all Bulgar epigraphies are on Greek, but the two main guesses are about some form of Turkic or Iranic. However, during the time of Knyaz Boris I, the Bulgars and the Slavs had mixed to such a degree that Slavic was the common language, which later became official at the National Council in 893, when the Slavic writings had been fully incorporated into the life of the church and the state administration.

    Social structure.
    The Bulgars had a well-developed clan system and were governed by hereditary rulers. The members of the military aristocracy bore the title boil (bolyar). There were also bagains - lesser military commanders. The nobility were further divided onto Small and Great Bolyars. The latter formed the Council of the Great Bolyars and gathered to take decisions on important state matters presided by the khan. Their numbers varied between six and twelve. These probably included the ichirgu boil and the kavkhan (vice khan), the two most powerful people after the khan. These titles were administrative and non-inheritable. The boyars could also be internal and external, probably distinguished by their place of residence — inside or outside the capital. The heir of the throne was called kanartikin. Other non-kingly titles used by the Bulgarian noble class include boila tarkan (possibly the second son of the khan), kana boila kolobur (chief priest), boritarkan (city mayor).

    Rulers.
    The "Nominalia of the Bulgar rulers" starts with two characters which are considered as legendary rulers and are associated with Attila and his son Ernakh. It is not clear whether there is any real connection between the Dulo clan and Attila or if this was just a honourification of the clan's genealogy.

    * Avitohol lived 300 years. His clan was Dulo and his year (of ascending to the throne) dilom tvirem.
    * Irnik lived 150 years. His clan Dulo and his year dilom tverim.
    * Gostun, the regent, 2 years. His clan Ermi and his year dokhs tvirem.
    * Kurt ruled 60 years. His clan Dulo and his year shegor vechem.
    * Bezmer 3 years and his clan Dulo and his year shegor vem (vechem)...

    After that comes Asparuh and the Danubian Bulgarian rulers:

    Dulo clan
    *Asparuh (681-700)
    *Tervel (700-721)
    *Kormesiy (721-738)
    *Sevar (738-753)

    Ukil/Vokil clan
    *Kormisosh (753-756)
    *Vineh (756-762)

    Ugain clan
    *Telets (762-765)

    Ukil/Vokil clan
    *Sabin (765-766)
    *Umor (766)

    Ugain clan
    *Toktu (766-767)
    *Pagan (767-768)
    *Telerig (768-777)
    *Kardam (777-803)

    Krum's dynasty, possibly Dulo clan
    *Krum (803-814)
    *Omurtag (814-831)
    *Malamir (831-836)

    *Persian (836-852)
    *Boris I (852-889, 893; †907)

    Tactics of the Bulgarian Army
    The Bulgars paid great attention to scouting the enemy before battle. Their battle line was distinguishable - it consisted of front guarding units, scouting units, two battle lines and a reserve. The supplies were placed deep behind the battle lines - from 1,5 to 3 km distance. The infantry held the centre, while the cavalry - the flanks. In order to exhaust the enemy, the cavalry would harass him and then quickly retreat, while the main forces would deal the decisive strike at a carefully chosen place. The Bulgars were masters in the art of ambush. It was important for the terrain to be sloping against the enemy, the sun to shine in his eyes and the wind to blow against him. The Bulgars pursued the vanquished enemy until his total annihilation, without care for the loot, which was astonishing for their contemporaries.

    Organization of the Bulgar army

    There was a strict hierarchy in the Bulgar army. The highest commander was the khan, while his right-hand man was the kavkan. Assistants of the khan were also the ichirgu boil and the kana boila kolober. Other commanders were the tarkans and the zhupans, while the lower ranks were held by the bagains. In times of war, the army was recruited from the whole population and the rulers could field numerous forces. In times of peace, regular forces were the ruler's personal band, the fortress garrisons and the border guards. The army discipline was very tight. Incitement for mutiny, changing to the enemy's side, desertion during battle and other crimes were punishable by death. But along the harsh laws, prizes were also being awarded. The khan's chosen warriors were given the rank of bagatur, those distinguished in battles - an additional part of the spoils. Stone tombstones with epitaphs were made for the commanders who died in battle."

    Battle formation




    Map
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 






    Banners
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    Unit roster [Unit descriptions and screenshots]
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    1. Selyani – Bearing the Slavic-Bulgarian name for “peasants” [BG: селяни], these men are commoners, whose main purpose is to work the fields, be it for themselves as the so-called “lyude”, meaning “(free) people” (as most of the Bulgarian population from that time was), or for any eventual noble that might have acquired their land - the small, but slowly growing group of bonded peasants called “paritsi” (coming from the Greek paroikoi). Compared to most other troops, they are ill-equipped (mostly with whatever tools they have in their homes), ill-trained and not well-suited for the battlefield, but their low cost and high numbers can make them a worthy canon-fodder in the arms of a skilled leader.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    2. Shtitonostzi – Literally meaning “shield-bearers” [BG: щитоносци], these men have taken their name from the specific shields they carry, as described by Mauricius in his Strategikon chapter about the Slavs: “Every man is armed with at least two throwing spears and some of them with big and long shields, like doors – very strong, but uncomfortable”. But now these shields have an improved and rounded version, making them easier to be worn and giving the men an even better ability to fight. And they have a reason to fight, as they are mostly free men, peasants who have been called to arms to fight for their land against its many enemies. They are well prepared to fight with their javelins, striking from a distance, while their large shields offer them a good protection from any enemy ranged retaliation. As they finish firing their javelins, they can take out their axes to mop up what is left of the enemy in close combat.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    UPGRADE




    3. Kopienostzi – Bearing the Slavic-Bulgarian name for “spearmen”, literally “spear-bearers” [BG: копиеносци], these warriors are the backbone of nearly every medieval army. Considering the spear is a relatively simple weapon and even used in civil life as a hunting tool, and since the kopienostzi consist mostly of commoners, called to arms in a time of need, they are relatively cheap and can be recruited in large numbers. And in large numbers is their strength, since a wall of spears is a force to be reckoned with and a good general would know how to use them to stop the enemy in his tracks, while sending his cavalry to outflank the now immobilized enemy.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    UPGRADE




    4. Streltzi – In the times of old, when the Slavs were still worshipping their heathen gods, Mauricius wrote in his Strategikon manual about their streltzi [BG: стрелци], or archers in English: “They use wooden bows and small arrows, tipped in a poison which acts quickly, unless the wounded soldier has smeared himself beforehand with the teriak liquid or some other antidote known to the medical science.” Now their traditions in archery have been combined with those of the Bulgars and although they are not as mobile as the latter’s horsemen, they are still a truly deadly threat, more than making up for the light equipment they carry.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    UPGRADE




    5. Leka konnitza – Leka konnitza [BG: лека конница] comes from Slavic-Bulgarian, meaning “light cavalry”. Since the Bulgars had adopted the steppe warfare at least since the times of the Huns, these men, along with the horse archers, form the bulk of their armies. Although they are of commoner origin, their long spears and cavalry axes are always ready for a fight. The strict laws and discipline also help, as mentioned by Pope Nicholas I in 866 in a letter to Knyaz Boris I: “You say that it is a custom of your country that, before you set out for battle, a most faithful and prudent man is sent by your lordship, who inspects all the arms, horses, and things which are necessary for battle; and if, at someone's home, they are found to have been readied in a useless fashion, that person receives capital punishment.” As a result, as one X century Arab historian, Al-Mas’udi, wrote: “One horseman of the Bulgarians can face 100 or 200 horsemen of the infidels.”
    Image
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    UPGRADE




    6. Konni streltzi – Konni streltzi [BG: конни стрелци] is the Slavic-Bulgarian name for the horse archers, a continuation of the old Bulgar tradition of steppe warfare. In the VI century a Roman writer in Ostrogothic service, Cassiodorus Senator, called the Bulgars “feared throughout the whole world”. One of the main reasons for that are precisely the horse archers, free men who are trained to ride before they can walk, to shoot a bow before they can grow their first facial hair. As Mauricius writes in his Strategikon: “They pay great attention and practice a lot in shooting from their horses”. In addition to this, they carry their superior composite bows which allow them to shoot not only to a great distance, but also with a great speed and lesser fatigue. It is then no wonder why they are one of the most important parts in the Bulgarian army.
    Image
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    UPGRADE




    7. Mechonostzi – In earlier ages, every Slavic knyaz had a personal band of loyal soldiers, the so-called druzhinniks. But since the times of Krum and Omurtag, the Slavic independence gradually disappeared and the knyazes became a part of the state administration. Because of this, the poorer part of the druzhinniks lost their high status and transformed into the mechonostzi [BG: мечоносци], simply meaning “sword-bearers” – a mixed unit of professional soldiers and simple peasants, trained in the art of sword-fighting. They still loyally serve their master (be that the tsar and his provincial administrators or some of the various nobles) and are ready to protect his life, possessions or estates even in the thickest of battles, despite their lost prestige and the resulting decrease in pay and armament, their only hope being that they would be noticed and hired as the tsar’s chigots or the noble’s personal guards.
    Images
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    UPGRADE




    8. Otbrani kopienostzi – The chosen spearmen, which is the meaning of “otbrani kopienostzi” [BG: отбрани копиеносци], are professional soldiers, whose skills and courage have been noted by the nobles or the tsar’s servants. As a result, they have been hired in higher-ranked units, with a greater pay and considerably better equipment. They form a solid part of the regular forces of the country, serving as garrisons and guards throughout the land, ready to quell any unrest or repel any foreign invader.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    9. Otbrani mechonostzi-While the old druzhinas in Bulgaria were reorganized due to the waning power of the Slavic knyazes, the more skilled of them were formed in units of the so-called otbrani mechonostzi [BG: отбрани мечоносци], or chosen swordsmen – a regular unit of relatively high pay and a relatively high battle-strength, serving mostly as the garrison’s core in the bigger towns and some strategically located fortresses. The best among them can hope to be bestowed the honour of serving in the personal retinues of the bagains or even the boils.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    10. Otbrani streltzi – Marksmanship has always been a highly prized skill in nearly every human culture for the last several thousands of years. But joining a group of the best foot archers, the “otbrani streltzi” [BG: отбрани стрелци] or “chosen archers”, in a country composed of two peoples with legendary skills in archery, is by far not an easy task. Yet, these men are exactly such people, who have proven time and again that they know not only how to shoot with a bow, but also how to swing the sword, should it come to that. Of course, their main asset it still their skill in ranged warfare, making them ideal both for garrison duty and open field battles. Because, as the early Xth century Roman historian Ioannis Kaminiatis writes, “Nothing else was so natural to them as to take aim and nothing could withstand the power of their arrows”.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    11. Bagaturi – The bagaturi [BG: багатури], their name coming from an old Bulgar word for “heroes, brave men”, are veteran soldiers who have shown exceptional courage and skill in battle, returning with the heads of several enemies at once. The Roman author Ennodius, while writing in the early VI c. about the Bulgars, mentioned that “this is a nation where people acquired their titles and bought their nobility with the blood of their enemies, a nation where the battlefield glorifies one’s kin, because they consider the one, whose arms have been more blooded in battle, to be certainly nobler than the others.” These men are such people – soldiers who are rising the social ladder solely through their courage and strength of arms. In order to do this, they have dedicated their lives to war and have equipped themselves as best as they can, forming a unit of medium-heavy cavalry, equally skilled in both ranged and melee fights.
    Image
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    UPGRADE




    12. Boili – The boili [BG: боили], or “bolyars” as they are called by the Slavs, form the group of the high Bulgarian nobles. They are some of the wealthiest men in the state, whose main occupation basically comes down to ruling, hunting and fighting. They are also divided in two groups – the so-called “malki boili” and “veliki boili” (respectively meaning “small boils” and “great boils”), the latter forming the Council of the Great Boils – close advisors to the tsar, which at times can even depose him and elect a new one. Naturally, their wealth provides for some of the heaviest equipment in the land not only for themselves, but also for their personal guards who form this unit (the descendants of the old high druzhinniks), making them some of the best lancers in the Bulgarian army.
    Image
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    UPGRADE




    13. Bagaini – The bagaini [BG: багаини] form the lower parts of the Bulgarian aristocracy. They are not as wealthy as the boils and can not afford their heavy melee equipment, thus preferring first to ride from afar and weaken the enemy with their composite bows and only then to close up and draw their swords. Naturally, their lower noble status and desire to rise up in ranks also makes them a convenient tool in the hands of the tsar, limiting the possible transgressions of the more power-hungry nobles.
    Image
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    14. Tarkani – The tarkani [BG: таркани] are representatives of the tsar, placed to govern regions of various size – from whole regions to single fortresses, depending on their rank. They can be nobles of various caliber or even simple commoners, who have earned the trust of the tsar and risen to heights, which would in return earn the eternal loyalty to their benefactor. As they are a part of the state administration, the government secures them and their closest guards with lances, swords, bows and armour, but they prefer to act mostly as the tsar’s most loyal lancers, ready to protect his interests in the thickest of battles.
    Image
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    15. Chigoti – Since Pagan times, the Bulgars revered the sword as a sacred weapon. Pope Nicholas I attested to this in 866, writing to Knyaz Boris I that “whenever you decided to oblige someone for some matter by swearing an oath, you brought a sword into the centre of the gathering and swore an oath by it”. And although the country converted to Christianity in 864, the chigoti [BG: чиготи], an old Bulgar word for “swordsmen”, are still seen as something special, something almost sacred. They are skilled and brave, often said to be heroes, but unlike the bagaturs, they also have the prestige to be one of the tsar’s closest units – his palace guards, who also follow him to the field of battle. Another thing that distinguishes them from the other elite Bulgarian units is that they fight on foot, thus combining the traditions of both the Slavs and the old Bulgars. Given their high position, they are heavily armoured and a real threat to even the strongest enemies.
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    16. Tzarska strazha – The Tzar’s Guard or “tzarska strazha” [Bg: царска стража] are the elite of the elite. They form the tsar’s closest and most loyal soldiers and are a source of pride for the whole nation. They are a heavily armed cavalry and are described (together with the chigots) by Theophanes Continuatus like “a great host, divided on many units, some armed with golden shields and golden spears, others with silver shields and silver spears, third with arms of all colours and all of them covered in iron.”
    Images
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    CREDITS

    BGTW Team:
    Gogo-t
    NikeBG
    Alien-t
    More additions:
    Absinthia
    Leif Erikson

    Also:
    A huge thanks to Rusichi TW team for their primary material.

    Roman Empire


    Roman Empire




    The Macedonian epoch (867-1081)
    The history of the Macedonian dynasty falls into two periods, unequal in significance and duration. The first period extends from 867 to 1025, the year of the death of Emperor Basil II; the second, the brief period from 1025 to 1056, when Empress Theodora, the last member of this dynasty, died.
    The first period was the most brilliant time of the political existence of the Empire. The struggle in the east and in the north with the Arabs, Bulgarians, and Russians, was crowned with brilliant success for Byzantine arms by the second half of the tenth and the beginning of the eleventh century. This was achieved in spite of some failures at the end of the ninth and in the early part of the tenth century. This was the moment of the highest strength and glory ever attained by the Empire. The intensive legislative work, expressed in the publication of a gigantic code, the Basilics, and a number of famous novels directed against the pernicious growth of large landownership, and the intellectual advance associated with the names of Patriarch Photius and Constantine Porphyrogenitus add further glory and significance to the first period of the Macedonian dynasty.


    The main problem in the external policy of Basil I, the founder of the Macedonian dynasty, was the struggle with the Muslim world. Conditions were unusually favorable for great achievements in this struggle, because in his time the Empire maintained peaceful relations with Armenia in the east, with Russia and Bulgaria in the north, and in the west with Venice and the western emperor. Added to these advantages was the internal dissension within the eastern caliphate aroused by the increasing influence of the Turks at the Arabian court, the defection of Egypt, where the independent dynasty of the Tulunids arose in the year 868, the civil wars among the North African Arabs, and the difficult position of the Spanish Umayyads in the midst of the local Christian population.

    The successful military campaign which opened at the beginning of the seventies in the eastern part of Asia Minor against the followers of the sect of the Paulicans resulted in the Emperor’s occupation of their main city of Tephrice. This conquest not only widened the extent of Byzantine territory, but also placed Basil face to face with the eastern Arabs.Victory was sometimes on the side of the Greeks and sometimes on the side of the Arabs, but in the end the Byzantine borderline in Asia Minor moved considerably to the east.





    Painting of Basil II replicated from an 11th century manuscript.
    Far more serious were Basil’s relations with the western Arabs, who at that time possessed the greater part of Sicily and occupied some important points in southern Italy. The troubled affairs of Italy caused the intervention of the western Emperor, Louis II, who occupied the important city of Bari. It was with this ruler that Basil I formed an alliance for a combined attempt to drive the western Arabs out of Italy and Sicily. But this alliance did not succeed and was soon dissolved.
    In spite of the loss of Syracuse and the unsuccessful campaigns against the Arabs, Basil increased somewhat the extent of Byzantine possessions in Asia Minor, and restored the lost importance of Byzantine rule in southern Italy. “The aged Basil,” said a recent student of his period, “could die in peace. He had fulfilled, both in the east and in the west, a very great military task, which was at the same time a civilizing task.
    The Empire left by Basil was stronger and more imposing than the one he had received. The peaceful relations maintained by Basil with all his neighbors, excepting the Arabs, were broken under his successor, Leo VI the Wise (886-912). A war broke out with the Bulgarians, which ended with their victory. It was during this war that the Magyars (Hungarians) appeared in Byzantine history for the first time.
    The campaigns against the Arabs were generally ineffective in the time of Leo VI. In the military clashes on the eastern borders the Arabs were at times as victorious as the Greeks. Neither side gained much from these collisions.
    The beginning of the tenth century was marked by active operations of the Muslim fleet. Even at the end of the ninth century Cretan pirates had repeatedly raided the coasts of the Peloponnesus and the islands of the Aegean Sea.
    Thus the Byzantine struggle with the Arabs was highly unsuccessful in the time of Leo VI: in the west Sicily was definitely lost; in southern Italy Byzantine troops failed to accomplish anything after the recall of Nicephorus Phocas; on the eastern border the Arabs were slowly but persistently going forward; and on the sea the Byzantine fleet suffered several serious defeats.
    In the long reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913-59) and Romanus I Lecapenus (919-44) the Byzantine Empire could not struggle effectively with the Arabs until the end of the third decade of the tenth century, because all its forces were thrown into the Bulgarian war.
    The epoch of Romanus Lecapenus was of very great importance for the Byzantine policy in the East. After three centuries of keeping to the defensive, the Empire under the guidance of Romanus and John Curcuas assumed the offensive and began to triumph. The frontier was in a very different condition from what it had been at the time of Romanus’ accession. The border provinces were comparatively free from Arab raids.
    The last years of Constantine Porphyrogenitus were marked by desperate battles with Saif-ad-Daulah, and although the Greeks had been beaten in several of these collisions, the outcome of the struggle was the defeat of the Arabs in northern Mesopotamia and the crossing of the Euphrates by the Byzantine army.
    The eastern conquests of John Curcuas and John Tzimisces, which extended the borders of the Empire beyond the Euphrates, inaugurated a brilliant period of Byzantine victories over the Muslims.
    During the brief reign of Romanus II (959-63), his capable and energetic general, Nicephorus Phocas, the future emperor, occupied the island of Crete, thus destroying the nest of Arabian pirates who had terrorized the population of the islands and coasts of the Aegean Sea.
    The achievements of the next three emperors — Nicephorus Phocas, John Tzimisces, and Basil II Bulgaroctonus — form the most brilliant pages of the military history of the Empire in its struggle with Islam. During his six years’ reign (963-69) Nicephorus Phocas concentrated his attention on the East, although occasionally he diverted it to the hostile acts of the Bulgarians, which became more serious due to the intervention of the Russian prince, Sviatoslav.



    Coin of Nicephorus II Phocas and Basil II

    The occupation of Cilicia and Cyprus opened for Nicephorus the road to Syria, and he began to work toward the realization of his cherished dream: the conquest of Antioch, the heart of Syria.
    In the West the policy of Nicephorus Phocas was a failure. In his time the last points in Sicily which still belonged to the Empire were conquered by the Muslims, so that Sicily was completely in their hands. The main problem of John Tzimisces (969-76), who succeeded Phocas, was to secure the conquests in Cilicia and Syria. During the first years of his reign he could not participate personally in the military activities on the eastern border, because the Russian and Bulgarian wars, and the insurrection of Bardas Phocas demanded his undivided attention. He was victorious in the northern wars, and he also succeeded in suppressing the rebellion of Bardas Phocas.



    Coin of John Tzimisces

    Under the successor of John Tzimisces, Basil II (976-1025), the general state of affairs was not favorable for an aggressive policy in the east. The menacing insurrections of Bardas Sclerus and Bardas Phocas in Asia Minor and the continuing Bulgarian war demanded Basil’s undivided attention. By his personal appearance in Syria, at times unexpected, Basil frequently succeeded in restoring Byzantine influence in this province, but failed to make any significant new conquests
    The anarchy which set in after Basil’s death emboldened the Muslims to start a series of offensive movements, which were particularly successful in the districts of Aleppo. The situation was somewhat improved for the Empire by the young and gifted general, George Maniaces.
    The Empire’s attempts to reconquer Sicily did not bring about any definite results, in spite of the fact that George Maniaces was victorious in several battles.
    Thus, in the time of the Macedonian dynasty, in spite of the troubled period which followed the death of Basil II, the efforts of John Curcuas, Nicephorus Phocas, John Tzimisces, and Basil II widened the eastern borders of the Empire as far as the Euphrates, and Syria, with Antioch, once more formed part of Byzantine territory. This was the most brilliant period in the history of Byzantine relations with the eastern Muslims.


    As early as 1025, after the death of Basil II Bulgaroctonus [MAP of the empire at Basill II death], the Empire entered upon a period of troubles, frequent changes of accidental rulers, and the beginning of a general decline.
    This period, characterized externally by frequent changes on the throne, which was occupied for the most part by incapable emperors, was a very significant period in the history of the Byzantine Empire; for during these twenty-five years those conditions developed in the Empire which later called forth the crusade movements in the West.
    During this period the external enemies of the Byzantine Empire exerted pressure on all sides: the Normans were active in the west, the Patzinaks and Uzes in the north, and the Seljuq Turks in the east. In the end the territory of the Byzantine Empire was considerably reduced.

    Sources
    Alexander A.Vasilief-History of Byzantine Empire
    Wikipedia

    Organisation :
    The medeival Roman armies of that period were organised in two main corps. The Thematical armies that were the units of the provinces and the Tagmatic ones that were the units that stationed in Constantinople.
    A third part of armies were the mercenaries or allied forces that were available according the finansial abillity of the empire and the alliences between the empire and other warlords.


    The Thematic Armies
    Units

    Acontistae

    Toxotae

    Scutati

    Peltastae


    Contarati

    Menaulati

    Trapezitae

    Cavalarii (defensores)


    Cavalarii (cursores)

    Aristocrats


    CREDITS


    CBUR TEAM
    Absinthia
    Leif Erikson
    =NF=Basileios the 2nd
    Lord Calidor
    S-te-Fan
    Slash-5
    Agis Tournas
    CBUR Researching team.
    Starlightman
    Byzantineklibanophori
    AnthoniusII
    Neoptolemos
    Spesial thanks to:
    Pacco
    JMRC
    Master Zuma & skr
    lance
    Rusichi TW Team


    Last edited by AnthoniusII; March 17, 2011 at 06:02 PM.
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  6. #6
    Babur's Avatar ز آفتاب درخشان ستاره می
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Quote Originally Posted by AnthoniusII View Post
    Golden Ages will cover much more area and many more factions but yes the main idea will be quite the same...
    Golden Ages mod continues it's development...
    In a much smaller mod we feel that we can "give" realistic features that we can not in big mods(like the shadow factions etc)...
    don't go overboard with the shadow factions though LOL

    I give you my encouragement
    Under the patronage of Gertrudius!

  7. #7
    alien_t's Avatar В Съединението е Силата
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Possible additions:
    Serbians in playable factions
    Hungarians in emerging Factions
    For Serbians it's possible to be borrowed from FA(with permission of course). Their mod starts 1099, but have very nice serbian roster (see Kingdom Of Raška in this preview). May be with little changes it will fit in this project.
    I think that the Serbian faction will be very good edition to the mod.
    Bulgaria: Total War - Mod For M2TW
    Check my Turnovo, custom settlement video preview or download it here
    Under the Honorable Patronage of B. Ward

    "...We are Bulgarians and and all suffer from one common disease [e.g., the Ottoman rule]" and "Our task is not to shed the blood of Bulgarians, of those who belong to the same people that we serve" - Gotse Delchev, Collective memory, national identity, and ethnic conflict: Greece, Bulgaria, and the Macedonian question, Victor Roudometof, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, ISBN 0275976483, p. 79.

    "The Bulgarians, these are the people, who had everything they wished for. A nation, where the one who buys the nobility with the blood of the enemy receives titles..." - Magnus Felix Ennodius, description of battle at Margus
    (Morava) river 505 AD





  8. #8
    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Quote Originally Posted by alien_t View Post
    For Serbians it's possible to be borrowed from FA(with permission of course). Their mod starts 1099, but have very nice serbian roster (see Kingdom Of Raška in this preview). May be with little changes it will fit in this project.
    I think that the Serbian faction will be very good edition to the mod.
    Very good sugestion...I will pm Ataegina :hmmm:
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  9. #9
    Horsa's Avatar Artifex
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Looking good

  10. #10
    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Thessalonike Greece
    Posts
    19,047

    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    FAQ updated with the way of reqruitment...
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  11. #11
    Senator
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Sounds like a really good idea - a very intersting scenario indeed!

  12. #12
    S-te-Fan's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Interesting

  13. #13
    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    The mod's mapper Agistournas had an exelent idea...
    The map will be "ready" for a furthair expansion in the future...
    See the "new" map in the FAQ and you will see it...
    The map inside the yellow block will be the map for the 1st release...
    But having the map "ready" from the start any mod's expansiosn will
    be easier becouse the full map will exist and the only thing the expansion team will have to do will to add the new settlements and factions!
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  14. #14
    alien_t's Avatar В Съединението е Силата
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Excellent idea indeed The new way of recruitment is cool too.
    Bulgaria: Total War - Mod For M2TW
    Check my Turnovo, custom settlement video preview or download it here
    Under the Honorable Patronage of B. Ward

    "...We are Bulgarians and and all suffer from one common disease [e.g., the Ottoman rule]" and "Our task is not to shed the blood of Bulgarians, of those who belong to the same people that we serve" - Gotse Delchev, Collective memory, national identity, and ethnic conflict: Greece, Bulgaria, and the Macedonian question, Victor Roudometof, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, ISBN 0275976483, p. 79.

    "The Bulgarians, these are the people, who had everything they wished for. A nation, where the one who buys the nobility with the blood of the enemy receives titles..." - Magnus Felix Ennodius, description of battle at Margus
    (Morava) river 505 AD





  15. #15
    Stephan's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    with the new map will there be new factions eg venice?

    Yes, I know that Ishtar is spelled wrong

  16. #16
    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Quote Originally Posted by Stephan View Post
    with the new map will there be new factions eg venice?
    Venice was NOT an intipentant state that time...:hmmm:

    News:Magyar mod team offered their help for the Magyar faction...
    The BuTW team offered a version of their Bulgarian roster...
    We are trying to reqruit the experts of each faction for maximum accuracy!

    No one can be more accurate for Hungarians but Hungarians and for Bulgarians but Bulgarians...
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  17. #17

    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    This is a very interesting time that doesn't get shown very often! I'm excited!
    'Sup Gentlemen...
    "Militant" Atheist (Just kidding)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxGMqKCcN6A
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  18. #18
    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    The FAQ has been updated...
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  19. #19
    AnthoniusII's Avatar Μέγαc Δομέστικοc
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    The list of Factions has changed a bit..thank to the help the "Magyar Team" promised to contribute...We thank them...
    Last edited by AnthoniusII; May 19, 2012 at 07:32 AM.
    TGC in order to continue its development seak one or more desicated scripters to put our campaign scripts mess to an order plus to create new events and create the finall missing factions recruitment system. In return TGC will give permision to those that will help to use its material stepe by step. The result will be a fully released TGC plus many mods that will benefit TGC's material.
    Despite the mod is dead does not mean that anyone can use its material
    read this to avoid misunderstandings.

    IWTE tool master and world txt one like this, needed inorder to release TGC 1.0 official to help TWC to survive.
    Adding MARKA HORSES in your mod and create new varietions of them. Tutorial RESTORED.


  20. #20
    alien_t's Avatar В Съединението е Силата
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    Default Re: A central Mediterranean sea conflict mod [title to be decided]

    Excellent! The mod is expanding.
    The new models/textures of Magyar Team are really impressive.
    Last edited by alien_t; February 17, 2009 at 07:15 AM. Reason: Spelling
    Bulgaria: Total War - Mod For M2TW
    Check my Turnovo, custom settlement video preview or download it here
    Under the Honorable Patronage of B. Ward

    "...We are Bulgarians and and all suffer from one common disease [e.g., the Ottoman rule]" and "Our task is not to shed the blood of Bulgarians, of those who belong to the same people that we serve" - Gotse Delchev, Collective memory, national identity, and ethnic conflict: Greece, Bulgaria, and the Macedonian question, Victor Roudometof, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, ISBN 0275976483, p. 79.

    "The Bulgarians, these are the people, who had everything they wished for. A nation, where the one who buys the nobility with the blood of the enemy receives titles..." - Magnus Felix Ennodius, description of battle at Margus
    (Morava) river 505 AD





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