[SS 6.3 AAR] The Rise of Portugal (COMPLETED 7/24: EPILOGUE)

[Scottish King]

Talk about setbacks!!! I hope the Portuguese are able to hold the lines!!!
+ rep

[TheBard]

Chapter 50: The Monster

Amidst the crumbling of Portugal’s northern defenses, another great-grandson of Pero Bandeira, Jorge Dias, is born. The calls for uprising become louder, just as Hermé passes away at the age of 74. King Fernao faces his greatest crisis.

After years of being under Norway’s yoke, the Pope finally excommunicates the Norwegian king and places the entire kingdom under interdiction. He refuses to lift Portugal’s own interdiction, however.

Geraldo and Marcos Paiva had been preparing to embark on a secret mission via Portugal’s main battle fleet. However, upon hearing of Salvador’s disaster and subsequent death, Geraldo and Marcos quickly abandon the plans and attempt to raise the siege of Toulouse.

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Bras and the garrison sally forth as Geraldo and Marcos wait for his army to join up. The Norwegians refuse to wait, and attack Geraldo’s army.

Portuguese handgunners again fire several volleys into the Norwegians, dropping scores of them.

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Dozens of Norwegian mounted knights break through the Portuguese lines and charge at Geraldo and Marcos.

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The loss of two more generals will certainly spell doom for Portugal’s ability to control the passes east and west of the Pyrenees. However, hundreds of Portuguese foot knights and men-at-arms abandon their defensive posts on the line and turn and catch the Norwegian cavalry just as they are engaged by the Portuguese generals. In minutes, nearly 30 Norwegian knights are killed.

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With the enemy cavalry destroyed, Geraldo’s infantry is able to dig in and hold off the Norwegians until Bras’ army can arrive and rout them.

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The result is a convincing Portuguese victory. Toulouse is, again, free from attack for now.

Pamplona, on the other hand, is on its own. With Bento’s army destroyed, he must head west for reinforcements from Seville and Burgos. Bento’s close companion Bras Andrade is trapped inside Pamplona. Bento planned to immediately raise the siege as soon as he could form up his new army, but the Norwegians beat him to it, assaulting the castle as soon as they are able to.

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The Norwegians expect to be able to take the castle with only a ram, two siege towers, and a few ladders, but they hadn’t counted on facing cannon towers. Pamplona’s cannons fire dozens of balls at the Norwegians, destroying the ram and both siege towers. However, they are unable to destroy the ladders, and the Norwegians begin mounting the walls.

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The few hundred defenders try to hold the enemies at bay, but the Norwegians are simply too many and too strong. They quickly gain the outer walls.

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Bras Andrade and about 150 men withdraw to the middle ring of castle walls, the Norwegians trailing behind.

The Norwegians again use ladders to scale the walls, beating the defenders back. Again, Bras and the defenders, now down to about 100, retreat again, this time to the innermost ring of walls.

Bras and his men prepare to make their last stand, determined to kill as many enemies as they are able. The cannon towers ring out again and again. Three lucky shots land in succession, destroying all the remaining Norwegian ladders! With that, the Norwegians have no way to scale the last ring of walls.

Bras Andrade and his frightened and exhausted men dig in to wait out the enemy. With no way in, the Norwegians (continually hit by cannonballs) eventually retreat.

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Bras and about a hundred men survive, though just barely. A few weeks later, Bento arrives, and he and Bras share an emotional reunion. Though many of the men know of their illicit relationship, the soldiers of both men’s armies will still happily lay down their lives for either man.

Bento quickly finds and destroys the remnants of the Norwegian attacking army, freeing Pamplona from attack.

Queen Aigusta becomes pregnant again, and has a third son in 1353, Guilherme. Though many doubt that he (or either of his two older brothers, Nicolau or Joaquim) is actually King Fernao’s, the presence of three official heirs has seemingly cemented the Brito dynasty, if Portugal can actually survive.

Not only have the Norwegians wrought great destruction, but the Black Death has devastated Portugal as well. The kingdom’s population has fallen by more than 20%, creating more strains on the Royal Treasury. Still tens of thousands of florins in the red, the King has no more money for troops. There is one last army of reinforcements en route from Africa, but that will be all for a while.

Alas, the Black Death continues its terrible path through Portugal, and Bras Andrade becomes infected in 1355. After only 6 days, he is dead. Bento is overcome by his death and goes into seclusion for nearly a week. His advisors worry that he will go mad like his older brother.

Fortunately, he does not. Instead, he takes the last reinforcements from Seville and Burgos and plans his vengeance against Norway.

The 14-year-old Madalena Vivaes (niece to Manuel da Cunha) marries the very young Duke of Algiers, Pedro Antao. Already a promising soldier, Pedro is the son of Portuguese nobles who moved from southern Portugal to the African city. He has no love for Fernao and may prove troublesome in the coming years. Pedro is a vicious young man already, having had several of his servants beaten mercilessly for minor transgressions.

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Queen Aigusta has yet another son in 1356, Sancho. It further cements the Brito dynasty and gives pause to those who would actively rise up. If there is to be a rebellion, it will need to be soon, before Nicolau comes of age and acquires any real power.

Bento and his army destroy a trespassing army of Norwegians, though they take heavy losses in doing so.

The young Pedro Antao and his wife Madalena have a daughter named Rute less than a year after their wedding, and Nuno’s son Marcos comes of age in Africa. Nuno’s son with his mistress, Marcos is widely called “the Bastard,” at least when he is not around.

King Fernao slowly moves his entourage and court back to the capital in Toledo. With Hermé dead, Fernao’s advisors seek only to minimize Fernao’s capacity for damaging the kingdom. While many nobles actively hope for the King’s death in battle, his advisors know that he must be kept far from the front lines. In 1358, his son, Prince Nicolau comes of age.

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Despite, or perhaps because of, his father’s intransigence against the Pope, Nicolau is a pious young man. He believes that several Portuguese saints speak to him, including Saint Salvador, the twelfth century Portuguese general. There is hope among those loyal to Fernao (a group that is rapidly dwindling) that Nicolau and his brothers have inherited some of their uncle Gaspar’s proclivity toward war.

Geraldo seems to be the only moderately capable Portuguese general in all the north. Even Bento lacks the modest success of his older cousin. Without Gaspar, there is no one that can effectively push back against the continued Norwegian attacks.

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Geraldo barely manages to defeat a large Norwegian army east of Toulouse in 1358. The following year, Bras de Matos, the garrisoning general in Toulouse, succumbs to the Black Death. The terrible plague has cut low nearly a dozen Portuguese generals in just over a decade, and it shows little sign of abating.

Nuno Sousa and Margarida have a daughter together, named Lucia, and she is not, unlike her half-brother Marcos, illegitimate.

Desperate to save the now leaderless Toulouse, Geraldo attacks yet another Norwegian army in 1359. To his surprise, a small English army arrives and offers assistance. It is the first the Portuguese have seen of the English on the mainland in decades. While the material assistance is nearly useless, the offer does help reconnect the two longtime allies.

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Unaware of the size of their enemies, the Norwegians foolishly send a large portion of their army off to fight the tiny English reinforcements. That provides Geraldo the opportunity he needs, and his veterans quickly destroy the smaller Norwegian core before charging after those send at the English. The result is a crucial victory.

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Geraldo’s successes have temporarily halted the Norwegian assault. The Black Death slowly begins to fade, and the Portuguese royal coffers correspondingly fill again. With that, Geraldo recruits reinforcements from the northern castles.

In 1361, Joaquim Brito comes of age, quashing any real chances of an uprising against Fernao.

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Joaquim has, like his older brother, inherited some of Gaspar’s military skills, though Joaquim has also inherited some of his father’s awkwardness as a speaker.

Baltazar Dias, great grandson of Pero Bandeira also comes of age that year.

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Baltazar is intelligent, but he is unlikely to live up to the expectations placed upon him for years by those who would conspire against Fernao. He is much more of a bureaucrat than a warrior, and unlikely to lead any revolt against the Brito dynasty.

With the eminent arrival of new generals, and a recovery of the Royal Treasury, Portugal’s northern front looks to be more secure than it has in years. Geraldo seeks to finally open up the way to a push into Norwegian territory when he attacks Christoffer Willadsen near Toulouse. Willadsen has become a tremendous general, having delivered several crippling blows to Portugal already. He is known by most Portuguese soldiers as “Christoffer o Monstro.”

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With Marcos de Paiva’s reinforcements slowly working their way toward him, Geraldo chooses to wait in the hopes that Willadsen will tarry and allow the Portuguese forces to combine. They are to be disappointed.

Willadsen instead makes a full frontal assault on Geraldo’s position, with scores of heavily armored Norwegian knights charging their horses into the Portuguese infantry.

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With his infantry immediately engaged, Geraldo is caught unawares when Willadsen himself attacks the Portuguese general’s bodyguards.

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Geraldo and his men fight well, but Willadsen’s men fight better. As Geraldo sees his men begin to fall around him, he takes heart when he sees Marcos de Paiva’s army arrive.

That moment of hope is suddenly crushed, as Marcos’ army is swiftly beaten, and Marcos himself killed by hordes of Norwegian cavalry.

Geraldo’s army crumbles, and the general himself is barely able to escape with his life.

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The loss of Marcos de Paiva is a harsh one, as it leaves Geraldo and Bento as the only experienced generals in the north. With the death of Gaspar, Bras de Matos, Salvador de Vide, Bras Andrade, Martinho Paiva, Lucas da Mota, and now Marcos de Paiva, the Portuguese leadership has been savaged in little more than a decade.

If Geraldo or Bento do not quickly regain control of the situation, Christoffer o Monstro will find himself at the gates of Toledo in under a year.

[Scottish King]

I can't stand the Portuguese in my campaign but I just got to root for these guys. I hope they can pull it out.

[TheBard]

Lots of changes coming in the next couple chapters, including (finally) some new family tree pictures and a world map picture. I also just got the warning that a faction is about to win, but it isn't Norway. Any guesses?

So this AAR could come to a screeching halt at any moment, but I'll keep it going as long as I can.

[Radzeer]

Yes, please keep up the good work! You've come a long way, and this is really an epic story.

[SavageFeat]

Lots of changes coming in the next couple chapters, including (finally) some new family tree pictures and a world map picture. I also just got the warning that a faction is about to win, but it isn't Norway. Any guesses?

So this AAR could come to a screeching halt at any moment, but I'll keep it going as long as I can.

Egypt, ummmm i cant remember their name in game... Fatimid Caliphate? easily doesn't Norway need Jerusalem?

[TheBard]

Good guess, savage feat. Fatimids are correct.

I've played ahead quite a bit (maybe too far, actually!), so I have some work to do to get caught up with updates. There have been at least 3-4 major, shocking events that have occurred. I'm into about the early 1370s, so I've got at least 10 years to update, including the family tree I promised everyone. The family tree is almost unmanageable, and will take quite a while to do. I'm hoping to get an update done this weekend.

[TheBard]

Chapter 51: The Monster Returns


After the loss of Marcos de Paiva, the family tree suffers another loss the next year when Madalena Vivaes’ new husband, Pedro Antao, becomes infected with the plague and dies. The Black Death has certainly earned its name, killing nearly a dozen Portuguese nobles in the 20 years it has raged.

In the meantime, Norway arrives to once again besiege Toulouse, this time with Geraldo trapped inside. The Portuguese have struggled to retain control of the key castle ever since losing Bordeaux.

Soon, the late Bras de Matos’ daughter, Ines, meets a nobleman from Seville, Manuel Bastos. Manuel courts Ines for several months before her aunt, Rute, allows the two to marry.

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A few weeks later, Portuguese diplomats convince the King of Novgorod to marry his daughter Lyudmila to Prince Nicolau. It takes a huge payment to convince him to marry off his daughter to the Catholic Portuguese heir.

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Then, in May of 1363, a momentous event rocks the Kingdom of Portugal. The 62-year-old King Fernao has had increasingly violent fits and seizures over the last few years, and he eventually falls into a coma. He lingers for several weeks, but dies just as the summer dawns. There are rumors that he was slipped some kind of poison or that a curse was placed upon him all those years before, but there is no proof of treachery in this, by the Norwegians or anyone else.

Though King Fernao had been mentally and spiritually absent for years, his death shocks the entire kingdom. The 19-year-old Nicolau is suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role, and is crowned the ninth King of Portugal only four days after his father’s death.

While the overall family tree has not grown enough to keep up with the terrible devastation of the Black Death, the presence of four princes has virtually guaranteed the survival of the Brito line, at least for now. Plus, the new king’s marriage brings hope for continued stability in the new dynasty. The Portuguese crown has now passed from father to eldest son twice in a row for the first time since King Guilherme was crowned in the year 1200.

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The royal family tree of Portugal has changed dramatically since Fernao took over in 1322. Both time and the Black Death have ravaged the ranks of generals and wives.

Rankings

Overall

1. Norway 1,000,000 (+0% since 1322)
2. Fatimids 1,050,000 (+68%)
3. Portugal 350,000 (-12.5%)
4. Novgorod 340,000
5. Kievan Rus 330,000
8. England 185,000

Military
1. Norway 930,000
2. Fatimids 750,000 (+25%)
3. Timurids 360,000
4. Kievan Rus 205,000 (-49%)
5. Portugal 200,000 (-26%)
7. England 190,000

Territories
1. Norway 49 (+17%)
2. Fatimids 46 (+64%)
3. Portugal 25 (+9%)
4. Novgorod 14
5. Kievan Rus 14
6. England 8

Population
1. Norway 1,000,000 (-13%)
2. Fatimids 885,000 (+18%)
3. Portugal 380,000 (-16%)
4. Novgorod 290,000
5. Kievan Rus 280,000 (-44%)
6. England 180,000 (-20%)

Norway remains the most powerful kingdom in the known world, but their position is no longer unchallenged: in the wake of the Black Death that ravaged northern and western Europe and having split up Africa with Portugal, the Fatimids have expanded greatly in the past four decades. They have very nearly destroyed the eastern remnants of the Roman Empire, though the Caliphate will soon need to deal with the Timurid invaders.


Norway’s ongoing war with Portugal has caused a distraction that has delayed the Norwegians’ push into eastern Europe and the steppes, but with tight control over the Papacy and a nearly limitless army, they have Portugal on the brink of collapse.

With his excommunication for warring against other Catholic peoples, the Norwegian king feels emboldened to go to war with the Pope himself! The Norwegian Pope has no choice but to call for a Crusade, choosing Rome as the logical target. The Frankfurt Papacy has limped along for nearly a hundred years, isolated and sequestered in the middle of Norwegian territory. The Crusade is perhaps the best chance for the Pope to return the Church to its proper home in Italy.

While many Portuguese generals want to join the Crusade, the young King Nicolau urges caution and patience. The war with Norway is not going well, and he can ill afford for any of his generals or troops to leave now.

Nicolau orders Bento and Marcos “the Bastard” Sousa to attack two Norwegian armies near Bordeaux. Outnumbering their enemies almost two to one, the Portuguese use their bombards to frighten the enemy before crushing them between the two armies. The result is a clear victory, though Bento loses more than 200 men. The two generals immediately besiege Bordeaux, hoping to take back the castle more than two decades after it was initially lost.

Manuel da Cunha dies in Al-Mahdiya at the age of 59. The hot weather never really agreed with him; it sapped all the energy from his life and made him both lazy and sloppy. In the end, he died of some kind of sweating sickness.

King Nicolau begins heading toward Bordeaux with a large army in the hopes of reinforcing Bento and Marcos. When he is still almost a year’s march away, the two Portuguese generals are surrounded by Norwegian reinforcements.



Bento and Marcos hastily attack Karl of Marstal before any of the other Norwegian armies can support him.

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Bento forms up his bombard crews, aiming them for the heart of the Norwegian lines.

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The bombards do little real damage to the Norwegians, actually misfiring and killing several Portuguese light men-at-arms. But they do cause confusion and despair among the Norwegian infantry, and it allows Bento to hold Karl’s troops off until Marcos can arrive.

Marcos himself leads his army into a charge against the side of the Norwegian army. Caught in the devastating pincer move, Karl abandons his men and flees.

It is another excellent Portuguese victory, but Bento’s army again takes heavy casualties.

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The following year, the aging Goncalo Nascimento dies at the age of 72. His death is a natural one, the first in many years. The plague seems to be finally abating somewhat, though it continues to flare up throughout different areas of the kingdom.

Then, the young King Nicolau arrives near Bordeaux to attempt what no Portuguese has yet been able to do: defeat Christoffer o Monstro.

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[dezikeizer]

Great updates as always, and hopefully with the plague ending you'll be able to start to turn the war around. It's a good sign that you've at least dented the growth of Norwegian power, so at least you're causing damage. One typo:

However, hundrds Portuguese foot knights and men-at-arms abandon

I think you meant: However, hundreds of Portuguese foot knights and men-at-arms abandon.

[Desley]

Great AAR!!!!

[Scottish King]

That plague has really hurt Portugal. Maybe having a new king will help change the Portuguese fortunes!

[TheBard]

dezikeizer: Thanks for the catch. I am definitely causing damage to Norway, but it feels like trying to hold back the tide, sometimes.

Desley: Thanks for the comments and for reading.

Scottish King: The plague is almost (but not quite) over. And yes, a new king may help.

I'm about to put up the next update, with bios and pictures of all generals (except Nuno Sousa, who I somehow forgot to get pictures of).

I will also say that I was just informed that the Fatimids achieved their victory conditions, and have therefore "won" the campaign. Luckily, the game let me continue playing, so I am still going strong, and now I don't have to worry about trying to keep anyone from getting to 50 territories. I'd never played this far before, so I just assumed the game ended if the computer one. I'm glad that wasn't the case.

Also, I'm going to try something new that I saw in Scottish King's AAR that Radzeer mentioned: putting all the pictures and words from one single battle into one spoiler button. That will mean less clicking, though it may also decrease the dramatic tension some. I'd love to hear feedback from everyone about whether they like this better or worse.

[TheBard]

Chapter 52: Warrior-King

The young King Nicolau initially hopes to wait for Bento’s troops to arrive, crushing Christoffer Willadsen’s army together. However, Bento tarries, leaving Nicolau to face the small Norwegian reinforcing army alone. Whether Bento or Willadsen will arrive next is unclear.

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Nicolau sets his handgunner up for initial defense, as Captain Toke’s army arrives. The Portuguese handgunners fire only two volleys before the Norwegian cavalry are upon them.



Willadsen sends his own cavalry ahead, hoping to crush the young king’s army before Bento can arrive.



In the meantime, Captain Stenkil rushes toward Bento’s reinforcements, trying to cut them off. Doing so would force Nicolau to face Willadsen alone. Not fully understanding the enemy’s intentions (and envious of Nicolau’s recent ascension to the throne), Bento chooses to dig in and defend against Stenkil’s army more than 3 miles from the king’s position.

Nicolau’s troops also dig in, and Captain Toke’s army is soon routed. Willadsen’s mounted huskarls and knights arrive almost immediately after. Without any infantry support, however, the Norwegian cavalry become bogged down in fighting against elite Portuguese infantry, fired upon by the handgunners all the while. Then, the Portuguese cavalry charge from both sides, trapping the Norwegians.

Willadsen’s cousin, Sweyn of Svalunes, is one of the first to fall. A minor Norwegian noble, Sweyn recklessly charges his knights into the center of the Portuguese lines and is killed by a Portuguese foot knight’s halberd.

The Norwegian cavalry are devastated, more than 100 elite knights killed.



With Bento’s army just beginning to engage with the second small Norwegian army, Nicolau is on his own to defend against the Monster. Willadsen and Gunnar Ericsson lead another 50 knights at the rear of the main advancing Norwegian army.

As the two lines of infantry engage, Nicolau sends 60 of his own Portuguese knights around the sides, where they soon engage with Ericsson. Dozens of knights are killed on both sides, but eventually Ericsson is stabbed through and dies.

Giving no thought to winning the battle, Nicolau’s only goal is to kill Willadsen. The Norwegian foot soldiers begin to slowly push back the Portuguese infantry, but with no more cavalry support, Willadsen is forced to defend against scores of Portuguese knights. Willadsen’s personal knights are some of the greatest in all of Europe, better even than Gaspar’s were. Their kills are more than twice as many as their losses.

Just as Nicolau’s last group of knights are destroyed, Bento finally arrives. Bento’s knights, fresh off their easy victory over Captain Stenkil, sweep forward and again surround Willadsen.

Willadsen fights desperately and bravely, taking dozens of hits.



But he cannot survive against the crush of more than a hundred Portugese knights and men-at-arms. He, too, is eventually killed, and each Norwegian army destroyed.



It is a difficult and hard fought victory. With Willadsen finally dead, there is hope among the Portuguese that they can stabilize the northern border and perhaps even retake Bordeaux. Just as importantly, Nicolau has already proven himself a capable leader, ending any thoughts of an uprising.

Nicolau and Bento immediately besiege the lightly defended Bordeaux.

The following year, Baltazar Dias, once seen as a possible king by conspirators against Fernao, contracts the plague in Burgos. After only 4 days, he is dead.

In 1367, Baltazar’s younger brother Jorge Dias comes of age, and a sister, Urraca Dias, is born.

After much deliberation with the Archbishop of Toledo, Nicolau’s younger brother, Joaquim, joins the Crusade on Rome. He gathers a large force from Seville, Toledo, Granada, and Valencia, and heads east for the main Portuguese fleet. When Fernao died, the Pope sent an offer to reconcile Portugal and remove the interdiction. Knowing that the Pope needed Portuguese help against Norwegian attacks, Nicolau accepted.

It ended decades of interdiction in which Portuguese citizens were not allowed to have officially sanctioned sacraments; the rituals and rites continued under priests who ignored the orders from Rome, but the events created a widening schism. Many Portuguese, having grown up without any official Church sacraments, begin to see an opportunity to break from Rome.

Nicolau fears the upheaval this would create more than almost anything, and is quick to respond to the Pope’s offer. With that, Portugal is finally back in the Holy Father’s good graces, while Norway is on the outside looking in.

Nicolau and Bento soon assault Bordeaux, finding it defended by their old enemy, Karl Marstal. An emergency supporting army has arrived to help him defend the castle, but Nicolau is confident.

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Nicolau’s bombards blow a hole in the castle walls, and his army streams in as Bento holds off the reinforcements.



Though nearly 200 Portuguese soldiers lose their lives, it is a relatively easy victory. Marstal is killed, both armies destroyed, and Bordeaux is finally back in Portuguese hands.

The King’s second brother, Guilherme, comes of age soon after.

Costanca Sousa, Nuno’s daughter, marries Luis de Araujo, a half-Moorish nobleman in Africa. De Araujo is the son of a Moorish convert to Christianity, a man that was afforded a noble title by the Aragonese in Tunis. Luis himself is, by nature of his situation, a cautious and patient man.

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Rute Bastos, is born to Manuel and Ines, the late Bras de Matos’ youngest daughter.

As Joaquim heads for the east coast near Barcelona, word arrives that the Pope has died. The Portuguese Cardinals have gained quite a bit of influence in the past decade, but not enough to fully counter that of the Norwegians, who still control a large portion of the College of Cardinals. Unable to secure the election of a Portuguese Cardinal, they band together and swing the vote to a Hungarian, who is elected over another Norwegian by a single vote.

Having broken the Norwegian hold on the papacy, Nicolau is hopeful that Norway will remain an enemy of the Church. Alas, the new Pope, setting his sights farther east on the expanding Fatimids, reconciles the Norwegians, ending the Crusade on Rome.

Joaquim waits near Barcelona to hear his brother’s command.

A Norwegian diplomat arrives seeking a ceasefire, but Nicolau has him thrown out of the castle of Bordeaux onto his ear, warning him not to come back unless it is with an offer to become a vassal. The proud Norwegian stares at Nicolau and spits on the ground, but leaves before the Portuguese King can have him caught and killed.


The late King Fernao was likely the worst king in Portuguese history thus far. He combined King Guilherme’s elderly madness (though at a much younger age) with King Alexandre’s military ineptitude. The only thing that kept Fernao’s reign from resulting in the utter destruction of the kingdom was Gaspar’s determined defense of the northern borders. As it was, Norway gained the upper hand in the Porto-Norse War, and conspirators nearly created an uprising.

Many see far more promise in his son. Nicolau is already an impressive man. He is already an accomplished military leader, having defeated and killed Christoffer o Monstro. He is intelligent and eager, though he has inherited some of his father’s miserliness when it comes to taxes. He has, for years, heard voices that he claims are from Saint Salvador, the twelfth century Portuguese military leader. The Pope is not so sure, but is willing to ignore it for now.

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The King’s younger brother, Joaquim, is also a skilled military leader. Though at least the equal of Nicolau’s intelligence, Joaquim is an awkward speaker and often finds himself stumbling over words in meetings with his advisors. Though he has had no battlefield experience yet, he has proven quite courageous in jousts and tournaments. Addressing the crowds of thousands after those tournaments is another matter entirely.

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The third brother, Guilherme, may also have some military talent, though it is too early to tell just yet. Unlike his father, the young Guilherme has no problem with the sight of blood. In fact, much to the dismay of his brothers and mother, he often fights with the sons of the castle servants. Though it is most good-natured horseplay, Guilherme has been known to sneak out of the castle dressed as a commoner in order to stir up trouble with the local ruffians.

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Their uncle, Bento Brito, has grown hard-hearted since the death of his companion, Bras Andrade. In addition, despite several major victories against the Norwegians, Bento has always felt the shadow of his older brother, Gaspar, looming over him. And after Gaspar’s death, Geraldo became the leader in the defense of the northern cities, not Bento. However, Bento’s efforts to finally defeat the Aragonese in Africa will not soon be forgotten, and his name holds a special place in the Portuguese history books. There is, though, a sense of disappointment surrounding him during his lifetime, as it was expected by many that the scourge of the Aragonese would return from Africa and make quick work of the Norwegians. Bento, himself, was shocked by how much tougher the Norwegians were than the lightly armored and displaced Aragonese. Bento looks on enviously at Nicolau and his other nephews.

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Geraldo, on the other hand, is quite content. After Gaspar’s death, Geraldo became the only general keeping Norway from invading Portugal proper. Though he had several setbacks (most notably against Christoffer Willadsen), he did more than enough to protect the homelands. As the Grandmaster of the Knights of Santiago, Geraldo has helped spread the influence of the Order throughout Portugal and Africa. Now in his mid-60s, his time on the battlefield is drawing to a close, and Nicolau has granted him governorship of Toulouse as a reward for his service. Geraldo treats his people well and is respected by the thousands of Norwegian ex-prisoners who owe their lives to his mercy. Though he has no children as of yet, he has recently married the Novgorodian princess, Lyudmila.

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The aging Fernao Vivaes is on his deathbed in Lisbon. He has served three kings faithfully as a governor and administrator, never showing much ambition. With Pedro Antao’s death, the only other living member of the family line is Vivaes’ granddaughter, Rute.

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Manuel Bastos, son-in-law of the late Bras de Matos, is a decent man. He is somewhat inexperienced in the art of war, but he has shown some ability to recruit and train soldiers.

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Fernando de Alvares, the only son of the late Marcos de Alvares and Rute de Alvares, has arrived in Pamplona after studying in Seville and Salamanca for nearly a decade. He is intelligent and ambitious, and already a master of battlefield theory. It remains to be seen how he will do in actual warfare, but he has already made a name for himself, becoming the youngest ever Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller.

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Marcos Sousa is the illegitimate son of his father with a mistress. Perhaps because of the kindness shown him by his stepmother, Margarida, Marcos is a kind and merciful soul. An honest and talkative man, he is beloved by the people despite the circumstances surrounding his birth.

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The young Jorge Dias, great-grandson of the legendary Pero Bandeira, has a long way to go to live up to his ancestor’s name. Jorge is a quiet, bookish sort of boy. And while he is good with numbers, he also holds some odd beliefs which the Pope would no doubt be shocked to learn.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

While Nicolau decides what to do with Joaquim, their younger brother Guilherme gets into a scuffle that boils over into a full-fledged fight in the streets. While ostensibly studying in the capital of Toledo, the 15-year-old Guilherme continues to disguise himself and meet with his noble-born friends (also disguised to look like commoners) in the town. Their actions consist mostly of stealing from the vendors, drinking in the pubs, and taunting the prostitutes.

However, they often get into fights with local common-born adolescents, and rather than use their birthrights as a trump card, Guilherme and his friends always maintain their disguises. They usually win these fights, but not always.

Once more feeling cramped in the stifling atmosphere of the castle, one chilly spring morning, Guilherme again sneaks out to meet with his friends. After no more than an hour, they find themselves fighting with a group of commoner adolescents. Guilherme gives as good as he gets, facing off against an older boy named Francisco Costa.

None of the other boys are seriously hurt, but near the end of the fight, Francisco lands a solid punch against Guilherme’s left temple, knocking the young prince out cold. Guilherme’s friends abandon him and scatter as the townspeople come near. Francisco is caught by the wrist, and someone recognizes the unconscious Guilherme. With that, Francisco is arrested and thrown in the castle dungeon for assaulting a nobleman.

When Guilherme comes to, he demands to see Francisco. There, in the stale and musty dungeon, the boys make peace, and Guilherme becomes determined to see Francisco set free.

Guilherme sends urgent word to his brother, Joaquim, who is marching with his army toward Pamplona. Joaquim is initially annoyed, but then he has to wait for Nicolau’s orders about what to do now that the Crusade has been canceled. While his army camps and rests, Nicolau rushes back to Toledo.

Guilherme explains what happened, and that he started the fight. Joaquim shakes his head, since the law states that any commoner who strikes a nobleman for any reason faces execution.

“There is nothing to do for it, Guilherme. He struck a noble.”

“Yes, I know. But he did not know I was a noble!”

“Well, then why don’t we just go making all sorts of exceptions for every law? That will surely lead to a good end, no?”

Joaquim’s sarcasm is not lost on his younger brother. “What if he weren’t a commoner? What if he were a noble too?”

Joaquim rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes, and what if he were the Pope and you were a Moor? I’d expected a better argument. I didn’t come 40 miles to play ‘imagination’.”

Guilherme sighs heavily and puffs at his hair. “I mean, what if we made him a noble? Then he would not be breaking a law.”

Joaquim cocks his eye at his younger brother. “You wish to promote him to the nobility?”

Guilherme squints and mumbles his answer. “Not me. You. It would look bad if I advocated for his promotion myself. He is an honorable man, and a good fighter. He will serve you honorably.”

Joaquim shakes his head, repeating his brother’s answer. “Not me. You. He will serve you. And you will be responsible for him, and his lands will come from your own. But I will convince Nicolau to promote him. And the next time you get into a fight, one of you had better be dead.”

Joaquim sends the royal scribes to “discover” Francisco’s true noble birthright. Genealogy charts and trees are forged, showing that Francisco was actually distantly related to the long dead Aragonese nobleman, Diego de Penalosa. With that, Francisco Costa is elevated to the nobility. While he becomes a member of Joaquim’s line, he will serve under Guilherme, and his titled lands are indeed carved out of Guilherme’s royal lands.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Nicolau himself leaves Bento in charge of the newly conquered Bordeaux and prepares his army to meet another oncoming Norwegian army that threatens Toulouse. If the Portuguese cannot defeat them, the gains of the past few years may well be lost. With a victory, the Portuguese may finally be able to push farther into Norwegian lands.

In the meantime, Joaquim receives his orders from Nicolau: he and Fernando de Alvares are to complete the secret mission that was originally planned for Geraldo and Marcos de Paiva years earlier.

[Scottish King]

Great update for all the generals and family members. I wonder what this secret mission is?

[TheBard]

Thanks for all those still reading. I'm deep in the throes of grading my students' exams and papers (this is finals week for my college), so everything else takes a back seat. I should be done grading in the next couple days, if not today, so I'll be able to do another update soon.

The secret mission is something I've been trying to do for a while now, but never had the troops to do it, and was under way too much pressure from Norway. I'm not sure I actually should have done it, now that I have! We'll see...

[dezikeizer]

Great update as always, and good to see you took Bordeaux back, hopefully you'll be able to keep it this time. This secret mission sounds interesting, and I look forward to finding out what it is.

[TheBard]

Chapter 53: City of God

The decade of the 1370s begins inauspiciously. Bernardo Dias, married to Pero’s granddaughter, and father of Jorge and the late Baltazar, dies in Burgos after a fall from his horse.

Manuel and Ines Bastos have a son named Tome, and Sancho Brito comes of age in the capital of Toledo.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The young prince has some absurd beliefs about the nature of God and man, but he is intelligent and already shows some skill in battle. As the youngest of four healthy princes, he is unlikely to ever be king.

His older brother Joaquim and Fernando de Alvares take two huge armies on board the two main Portuguese fleets, intent on carrying out the mission aborted by Geraldo years earlier.

Geraldo himself has proven a capable governor of Toulouse. He is rewarded for his loyalty and service with a marriage to the Byzantine princess Efphimira. As the former regent, Geraldo carries a great deal of authority. The Byzantines, caught between the expanding Norwegians and Fatimids, are desperate for any link to a powerful kingdom, and are ecstatic at their fortune in marrying into the Portuguese royal family, even if Geraldo will never be king.

King Nicolau and Geraldo soon catch a large Norwegian army advancing toward Toulouse. The two Portuguese generals eagerly attack.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The King fires several bombards directly into the Norwegian lines while waiting for Geraldo’s army to arrive. Nicolau and his men fight valiantly and are just able to hold off those of Sighvat Hildetand, and Geraldo’s cavalry arrive to help finish them off. Sighvat is killed in the rout, and the Norwegians are utterly destroyed.



The King’s army loses almost 300 men, but the victory ensures the safety of Toulouse. Nicolau and his army rest outside the castle after taking several hundred veterans from Geraldo’s garrison.

Within a few years, the Black Death burns itself out, and aside from a few flareups in the ensuing decades, the terrible plague of the fourteenth century is over. All in all, more than a dozen Portuguese nobles and hundreds of thousands of Portuguese citizens died of the plague in the more than three decades that it raged.

Tristao Delgado, the illicit lover of the late Gaspar’s wife, Indre, dies of old age in 1371. He and Indre met secretly hundreds of times in the castle of Toledo, and every servant (and most of the populace) knew about their romance. Still, few begrudged the young woman who was left widowed at the age of only 31.

Soon after, Ines’ older sister Raquel de Matos marries Egas de Meneses, the Baron of Marrakesh.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Egas is bookish and placid, and Raquel is satisfied with an unambitious husband.

Because of their continued intransigence against Portugal and, now, Sicily, the Kingdom of Norway is again excommunicated. Though the Crusade against Rome was called off when the King was reconciled, Nicolau intends to continue the war against his longtime enemy.

To that end, the King himself besieges the coastal city of Marseille, hoping to cripple Norway’s economy and strike into the heart of their central regions.

In Toulouse, the King’s wife, Lyudmila, delivers a healthy boy shortly after Nicolau sets out for Marseille, and he is named Filipe Brito.

Only two months after the future king is born, the current king easily takes the lightly defended city of Marseille.

On a signal from Nicolau, Joaquim’s and Fernando’s fleets, anchored only 5 miles offshore of the newly captured city, head immediately toward the southeast. In July of 1373, the two huge Portuguese armies land within 15 miles of Rome itself. The two generals attack a Norwegian army under the command of Christoffer Masson.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Forced to attack across a narrow bridge, Joaquim uses bombards to devastate the Norwegian defenders. In all, the bombards kill nearly a hundred defenders.



The Portuguese lose almost 200 men in the daring attack, but the victory establishes a beachhead for an invasion into Norwegian Italy.

The royal family increases in the next two years, as the newly married Egas and Raquel have a daughter named Beatriz, and Raquel’s sister Ines and Manuel Bastos also have a daughter, named Clara. Costanca and Luis de Araujo have a son that they name after the great Portuguese general, Pero.

In 1375, Joaquim and Fernando assault the most important Christian city in the world, Rome.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Vastly outnumbering the defenders, Joaquim and Fernando need only find a way past the thick walls. For the first time in Portuguese history, bombards effectively demolish these walls, creating a clear path into the city.



Fernando’s army draws many of the defenders to the opposite wall, and Joaquim’s army streams into the city. Fernando and his army knock down the gate with rams and also enter the city. Fernando’s army takes the brunt of the defenders’ force, and the Portuguese snatch the city away from the heretical Norwegians.

The following year, Nicolau’s ambassadors offer Rome back to the Holy Father and his Papal States for free, with the intention of currying favor. The Pope accepts, and after more than 60 years, the Frankfurt Papacy ends. The Pope returns to the city of Rome, which is still surrounded by Norwegian forces.

Geraldo and his new wife Efphimira have a son named Vicente, and word arrives that the Mongols have been completely subsumed by the recently arrived Timurids. Almost as quickly as the Mongols arrived on the scene and shook Eastern Europe to its core, they are defeated and destroyed by their own descendants.

Only one year later, the Scots are also destroyed, this time by the English. For their actions, the English are interdicted.

Joaquim and Fernando retreat to the mountains of Italy, harried and harassed by several huge Norwegian armies.

The Fatimids, meanwhile, declare war on Novgorod. Forced to choose between two allies, King Nicolau sides with the Muslim Fatimids over the pagan Novgorodians, angering the Pope. To Nicolau, it is an easy choice, as the Fatimids present a huge danger to the African colonies and are one of the few kingdoms that could present a strong second front against Norway.

Lucia Sousa, Nuno’s daughter, marries Daniel Dinis, a minor noble from al-Mahdiya of mixed Moorish and Aragonese blood.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Meanwhile, Geraldo and his army are besieged at Toulouse by a large Norwegian army. With an aging Geraldo, now 73, unable to properly lead the defenders, the castle is at risk of being captured. Suddenly, the young prince Guilherme arrives with a force of elite soldiers from Toledo and Burgos, and battle is joined.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Guilherme and his large army wait for Geraldo and his army to slowly come up. Guilherme and his men easily hold off the Norwegians, and the combined Portuguese cavalries kill Snorri of Vikhus and clear the Norwegians from the field of battle.

Joaquim and Fernando are soon surrounded by enemies in the mountains east of Rome. Reinforcements from the African colonies arrive by sea, and a huge battle takes place.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Bombards ring out across the valley, and thousands of soldiers crash together.



The battle rages for almost a full day. The momentum swings back and forth as each side’s reinforcements arrive. Joaquim and Fernando both join in the thick of the battle, and the Portuguese eventually win a hard-fought victory just as night begins to fall.



Almost 600 Portuguese soldiers are killed, hundreds of miles from their homelands. Much like Pyrrhus more than 1500 years earlier, Joaquim realizes that it will be impossible to conquer Italy from afar. Without a steady stream of reinforcements available, Joaquim and Fernando prepare to reboard their fleets and leave Italy behind. Still, the two are content to have wrested Rome away from the Kingdom of Norway.

The true descendants of the ancient Romans, the Eastern Roman Empire, falls apart under the pressure of continued attacks by Norway from the west and the Fatimids from the east. In 1380, Constantinople, the last remaining Eastern Roman city, falls to the Fatimids. For the first time in almost 1500 years, there is no true Roman Empire.

In 1379, however, Nicolau is besieged at Marseille by almost 2000 Norwegians. With only 900 defenders, the Portuguese King faces nearly insurmountable odds. Far from home and with only an infant son as heir, the King’s defeat would throw the kingdom into chaos.

After several peaceful successions, Portugal’s stability may soon be at risk.

[Scottish King]

Just when it looks like Portugal was making a comeback I hope Nicolau can survive or have reinforcements come help him out.

[TheBard]

King, thanks for the comment. Things are dicey at the moment, but we'll see.

I've played ahead quite a bit (almost to 1400), and I think the AAR may be drawing to a close, finally! Whether that portends good or ill, you will have to wait and see.

I could see myself writing at least another 2-3 chapters (maybe more), but I'm also looking forward to trying out 6.4 and or BGR. Plus, I've made it 300 years (and turns) into this campaign, so I think it's been almost long enough.

[TheBard]

Chapter 54: Trapped

As Nicolau prepares Marseille’s defenses, Fernando de Alvares and the King’s younger brother Joaquim receive word about the pending attack. The two generals each load their armies on board their respective fleets and head west, hoping to arrive in time.

Fernando’s fleet manages to just barely skirt a major storm near Sardinia, but Joaquim’s is unable to do the same. Several of the ships in Joaquim’s fleet are crippled, and the prince is delayed as several hundred soldiers have to leave the damaged ships and squeeze into the remaining ones. Joaquim orders Fernando to continue on in an effort to save his brother.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Fernando and his army arrive in the spring of 1380. The Norwegians are on the cusp of assaulting the city, so Fernando immediately attacks, and Nicolau sallies forth.



Fernando’s handgunners surge forward and take a position within 100 yards of the first enemy army, where they unleash two devastating volleys.



Fernando’s infantry hold off the first Norwegian army, while his mounted knights destroy the enemy cavalry and curl around to crush the main infantry force. Just as the first army is destroyed, King Nicolau’s force arrives. The two armies merge, and turn on the second Norwegian army as one huge army. In less than an hour, the second army is routed, and the Portuguese are victorious.



Fernando’s army takes the brunt of the losses, but it is a huge victory. With Fernando’s army already there and Joaquim’s on the way, Marseille is firmly in Portuguese hands. The king’s three brothers urge him to leave the front, and he does, taking up residence in Barcelona. Though the official capital remains at Toledo, all of Nicolau’s court arrives in the city on the east coast of Portugal.

Guilherme Brito and Francisco Costa each take huge armies north from Toulouse heading for Clermont. The youngest prince, Sancho Brito, arrives soon after and takes command of Francisco’s army, intending to approach Clermont from the southeast.

Within a year, the family tree expands greatly. The aging Geraldo Meira and his wife Efphimira have a daughter named Monica, and Lucia and Daniel Dinis have a daughter named Teresa in 1380. The following year, Ines and Manuel Bastos have a daughter named Antonia, while Costanca and Luis de Araujo have a son named Henrique.

Guilherme and his close friend, Francisco Costa, approach Clermont from the west in one huge army. Sancho, already a skilled military leader, begins to approach from the south/southeast.

Joaquim and Fernando, each with a large army of veterans from the Rome campaign, head north from Marseille toward the key strategic castle of Lyon. Fernando takes the western path, while Joaquim lingers near Marseille, intending to take the eastern path.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Guilherme and Francisco quickly besiege the lightly defended city of Clermont. Joaquim comes upon a large Norwegian army blocking the bridge north toward Lyon. Despite the tactical disadvantage, Joaquim and his superior army attack across the bridge.



Joaquim orders his three bombards to fire across the bridge at the enemy Norwegians. The bombards send cannonballs flying through the air to crash into the defenders, killing dozens before battle is rightly joined.



The smoke hangs thick, but the Norwegians maintain their defensive positions, forcing the Portuguese to cross the bridge. Joaquim sends his infantry forward to crash into the Norwegians at the other end.



Joaquim himself stays within a few yards of his men, urging them onward and ordering his cavalry to come up and slice through the defenders. Suddenly, Joaquim stands up stiffly in his saddle, and his arms begin to raise as if to remove his helmet. Then, he goes entirely still, and falls from his horse, a Norwegian handgunner having fired a ball directly into, and through, his forehead. He is dead by the time he hits the ground.

The Portuguese army falters and begins to waver, but the knights come up and crash into the defenders, as the Prince’s body is carried away to the rear lines. The knights embolden the Portuguese army, and they soon sweep away all the defenders.



Though the battle is won, a terrible price is paid. Joaquim joins his father Fernao, his uncle Gaspar, his grandfather Duarte, and his two great uncles, Lopo and Sancho, as the latest in the Brito line to fall in battle.

Upon hearing of his brother’s death, Sancho heads east to continue the assault against Lyon.

Fernando attacks a large Norwegian army that appears at nearly the exact spot where Joaquim was killed, and is able to swiftly turn them aside.

Then, in 1383, the first Portuguese Pope is elected in almost 100 years. For the past century, the Norwegians had a stranglehold on the Papacy, with only a few short periods of Hungarian popes. It matters little that history would eventually determine that Pope Innocentius is, in all likelihood, a woman.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Geraldo and Efphimira have another daughter, Francisca, proving that the 78-year-old general may be beyond battle in the field, but not in the bedroom.

Fernando continues clearing enemies from near Lyon, including killing Godfred of Grindsted, but he also loses nearly 300 soldiers in the process.

Guilherme Brito and Francisco Costa assault Clermont that same year. The bombards easily punch three holes in the city walls, enabling the Portuguese to easily surround and overwhelm the 250 defenders. The city is taken and sacked, with dozens of nobles killed or imprisoned.

Nuno Sousa dies in 1384 at the age of 73. He lives just long enough to see his daughter Lucia and her husband Daniel Dinis produce a son, Guimor.

Tome Bastos, son of Manuel and Ines, comes of age that year in Seville.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tome is an odd man, very superstitious. Still, he hides his heterodoxical views well, pretending to take great enjoyment in the Christian rites. He will not last long if inquisitors arrive.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hundreds of reinforcements from Bordeaux are caught and destroyed by a Norwegian army west of Clermont. Enraged, Nicolau sends his brother Sancho to crush the Norwegian resistance between Clermont and Lyon.



The Norwegians set up their defenses next to a low-walled field, hoping to force the Portuguese into tight fighting quarters.



It works, as Sancho’s army begins to bend under the force of the two armies’ mighty clash.



Sancho’s right cavalry destroys their Norwegian counterparts, protecting the main Portuguese lines from flanking. However, the Norwegian infantry outnumbers the Portuguese infantry, and the Portuguese begin to waver.

At that moment, the cavalry on Sancho’s left flank complete their movement around the edge of the walled fields, turning to charge headlong into the rear of the Norwegian lines. The Norwegians are stunned and caught in a vise of their own making, as they are suddenly unable to escape the tight confines between the other Portuguese cavalry and the walls. They are torn to shreds.



While nearly 400 Portuguese soldiers lose their lives, it is a resounding victory. The way is now clear for a full-fledged assault on Lyon. Sancho is already a military genius on par with Gaspar Brito and Pero Bandeira.

Mere weeks after the previous victory, Sancho makes a critical mistake. Sending his army marching toward Clermont to regroup and reinforce, Sancho is ambushed by a huge army under Ingeborg of Sikrum. Having paid no heed to scouts, Sancho’s army marched single file through the unwatched forests. Ingeborg’s ambush is stunningly well-executed, catching Sancho’s entire army unawares.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Surprised and outnumbered, Sancho’s army has no time to set up any real defenses, and are attacked as they march in a line.



Sancho immediately orders most of the cavalry, 140 knights and men-at-arms, to the right to protect the flank as the infantry desperately try to regroup and form some kind of line. The 150 handgunners set up exactly where they are, but are only able to get off one ill-timed and misfired volley before they are set upon.



The bulk of the Portuguese cavalry on the right charge forward recklessly, and are able to catch and destroy their underpowered and outnumbered Norwegian counterparts. They also swing in toward the middle and shock Ingeborg’s guards, unhorsing the overconfident Norwegian and killing him under a hail of lance strikes.

Sancho and his guards, with a mere 30 Knights of Santiago and 26 Portuguese knights, swing around on the left flank and are able to hit the attacking Norwegians there. Overly anxious, the Norwegians never notice the Portuguese general and his knights until it is too late. Sancho himself kills dozens, while the elite Knights of Santiago kill hundreds more.

Both Norwegian flanks roll up, crushed by Portuguese cavalry, and Sancho’s army wins the day.



Sancho and his army do far more than simply escape; they crush the Norwegians and kill Ingeborg, pulling victory from what seemed a certain defeat. And all while losing only 150 soldiers. With the enormous success, Sancho’s legend among the Portuguese grows to epic heights.

Only a week later, he easily destroys a force of 650 Norwegians while losing fewer than 100 men.

Fernando takes advantage of Sancho’s efforts to besiege Lyon, hoping to cripple the Norwegian front and expand the Portuguese holdings toward the center of the Norwegian Kingdom. Just as he is about to assault the castle, three Norwegian armies arrive to attack.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A victory at Lyon would secure the recent gains at Clermont and Marseille, and perhaps create a route to Paris and beyond. A defeat would be devastating, allowing the Norwegians to regroup and reinforce. With Joaquim dead and Sancho, Guilherme, and Francisco Costa engaged near Clermont, Fernando will have no reinforcements. The battle will determine the fate of two kingdoms, both striving to become empires.