The Eastern War- A Sicily AAR

[TalesOfConquest]

Sorry it's been so long since the last post, exams are coming up so I've been preoccupied. Anyway, this is my first attempt at writing in a medieval style historical chapter, so any tips on that style would be appreciated.

Chapter 9: The Venetian War
The war betwixt the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Sicily was one of greed and bitterness. As both signed peace with the Byzantines, any amity they felt for the common foe soon turned to hatred. The seeds for war were planted long before with an alliance between Sicily and the Venetian rival of Genoa. The new kingdom of Sicily had sought to guard the western flanks after the Corsican war, and so it sought the aid of Genoa to this end. With Greece conquered from the Byzantines, the Normans gazed hungrily west, spying the castle of Ragusa and even the city of Venice itself. One of the last acts of King Ruggero II was to plan for and begin the war. He then died in his sleep, claimed by old age, and leaving his son Martino as King of Sicily. Known as King Martino the Handsome, the young King began the invasion, sending out armies according to his father’s plans. The young duke Francesco da Taranto marched on the castle of Ragusa, marching past the largest Venetian army, which waited at the border with Sicilian lands. In a dreadful battle in the rain, he lost two hundred and fifty men, slew more than four hundred Venetians, and captured four hundred and fifty more. Not wanting to free the prisoners who might have retreated to the castle, he slew them all, earning the title, the Bloody, though this would never be spoken in his presence. The large Venetian army was ordered to turn and face the victorious Sicilian army, but gripped with fear, the soldiers mutinied, killing their officers and electing new ones in a fit of treachery. It seemed as if God had seen fit to test the Venetians with the same trial that had once been given to Ruggero as a young count. The alliances with both the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary soon drew both powers to bear on Venice, turning a battle over territory to a war of survival. The mutinous Venetians were slaughtered by a Hungarian army in a bloody battle near Ragusa, opening the way for Hungarians to march to the aid of Sicily. As Ragusa withered away under siege, a second Sicilian army reached Venice itself and began a siege, trapping the Doge and his most trusted councilors inside. The siege was joined by a large fleet, which blocked all ships from entering the city through its canals.

With the Venetian war going well, King Martino’s power seemed well established, and it seemed that the House of Ruggero would hold the throne. However, Martino had no children and his brother Prince Tancredi could only produce daughters. It then became discovered that Tancredi was afflicted with the blight of leprosy. As no leper could be king of Sicily, a council of nobles was gathered to decide who the next heir to the throne would be. As the sieges of continued, the nobles schemed and plotted to put their claimant forth as the heir. Eventually it was decided that a son of Prince Simone, who had been slain early in the First Eastern War, was to be the next Crown Prince. The new Prince Alfonso was away at the siege of Venice when this news was announced, and it became plain to all that he was intended to be a weak king, subject to the whims of the council. With him off fighting in the west, the Council continued to struggle with King Martino for power as the war dragged on. Finally, with the aid of the Hungarians, the castle of Ragusa was stormed and taken in a bloody assault. With the main aim of seizing Ragusa completed, the focus turned on Venice, which continued to resist the siege. The Venetians had nearly double the numbers of the Sicilians at first, but as food became cut off, the army started to shrink in size. Then, the dreadful Plague of Venice struck, halving the numbers twice-fold until the Sicilians had double the numbers of the Venetians. After a decade of war, the dying and starving men struck out of the city and faced the Sicilians in a final stand. The Sicilians themselves were low on food, and they too suffered from the illnesses of hunger. Weak in body and spirit, the infantry fled before the Venetian cavalry and the day was almost won by the Venetians. Spying defeat on the horizon, the Sicilian commander along with the new Crown Prince rallied the Norman heavy cavalry to strike the Venetians upon the flanks. When the infantry was finally emboldened to return to the battle, a dreadful contest ensued in which more than five hundred of both sides were slain. With the Doge and his councilors found amongst the dead, the surviving Venetians simply threw down their weapons and surrendered. The invaders eagerly sacked the city and were finally content to rest before they too were struck with the plague. The army was forced to leave but Prince Alfonso made the decision to keep the city of Venice within the new Sicilian empire, and made peace with the Venetians, who were forced to accept the loss of their home city as the Germans marched by the thousands into what was left of their lands in the terraferma. Finally the war was over, but both sides found themselves at war, with Venice battling the Holy Roman Empire, and the Sicilians beginning the Second Eastern War with the Byzantines.

[Alwyn]

You create an authentic-sounding history of blood battles, terrible plague and rivalry for power. I wonder if Prince Alfonso will be as weak as the council expect him to be and what will happen in the wars which Venice and Sicily are now fighting.

[Merchant of Venice]

Ragnarr's chapter was really well done, props to you. I hope we get to see more of his journey through the war torn lands of Greece (although hasn't the story skipped forward a couple of years?) The revelation of Tancredi's leprosy was a big plot twist and now I wonder what will happen to the kingdom once Martino dies. I also liked Martino's almost distaste for war and so I wonder why he is continuing all these wars, is it the council perhaps? Really good job and nice blending of the history book and narrative styles.

[TalesOfConquest]

Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted anything, as finals are coming up. Over winter break I will definitely take the time to work more on this AAR. It's been a great project and I think it's definitely helping with my writing skills. I'd like to thank everyone for the great advice and I find that it's been very helpful.

[TalesOfConquest]

So finals are done and I now have the time to work on this. I do intend to use more Ragnar chapters in the future, but I feel like I've been neglecting other characters, so they I won't be using his perspective as much. Sorry about the poor quality screenshot, I will try to take better ones in the future it's I'm trying to catch the story up to where I am in the campaign, but once that's happened I can work on screenshot taking. Anyway, here's the next chapter, covering the Venetian War.

Chapter 10: The Battle of Ragusa
Rain poured over the battlefield, churning the ground into mud. From atop his horse, Francesco da Taranto lifted is visor to shield his view from the rain. Some of the men lifted their shields over their heads to do the same.
At least the blood will wash away he consoled himself.
It was difficult to see anything in this rain, but he could just spy the shape of the Venetian hordes gathering across the field. A charge through the mud could be deadly, horses’ hooves and armored boots could get caught in the mud, leaving the army vulnerable to Venetian arrows. To the east of the field was a small building atop a hill.

Perhaps the Venetians may make for that hill and fortify themselves there. He knew that the battle would take place at the foot of the hill.

He had been told that the building had once been a monastery but the war had scared the monks away and it now laid abandoned, stripped of all treasures. To his left was a knight named Sir Gioffre, hardened by years of battle against the Byzantines. Francesco himself lacked battle experience and badly needed men like Sir Gioffre in his council.

“My lord, we should take the battle to them before they can muster their forces.” The knight knew his place, but was unafraid to speak his mind.

“The garrison from the castle has yet to appear, perhaps they mean to ambush us.”

“I doubt it my lord, we’ve struck with such haste that they have not the time to organize an ambush. We should attack now before they can claim the defensive position by that hill.” Gioffre, as usual, was right.

“Very well, let us begin this war. Advance!”

With that, the army began its march, trudging through mud and rain towards its bloody goal.

***
Francesco was right about the blood. Water poured off his red-stained sword, sending pools of blood by the hooves of his horse. The dead and the dying held the monastery now. As the surviving Venetians fled, he gathered his forces and led the charge himself.

“No prisoners! Kill them before they reach the castle!”

He drove his horsemen into a fleeing crowd of spearmen, his sword swung down into the neck of a fleeing Venetian, cleaving head from body. The dead man tumbled to the ground, next to his fallen comrades. His orders were being followed with ruthless efficiency, the screams being drowned out by pouring rain and roaring thunder. In rain and blood, Francesco was baptized as a new man, a warrior of Christ. He remembered letters from his cousin, the King, warning him of the horrors of battle. His cousin Martino who now sat safe atop his throne in Athens, calling his kin to war.

Is cousin Martino trying to get me killed? He had not seen Martino since they were but children back in Sicily.
No. He honors me with command. His cousin needed all the allies he could get. This war with Venice was a means to keep the nobles’ hunger for war and treasure sated. At any rate, Francesco had no patience for court politics. He was glad to be out in the field, away from the schemes of nobles. His helmet had taken hard hits and was now dented to the point of uselessness, he pulled it off and threw it into the mud. Sir Gioffre, himself stained with mud and blood, returned from the eastern flank.

“All the Venetians are retreating. The day is won.”

“How are our losses?”

“We have lost two hundred and fifty men. One of the mercenary companies was nearly wiped out.”

“More pay for the survivors then. What of the enemy?”

“Fewer than one hundred have escaped. We have more than four hundred and fifty prisoners.”

“Kill them.”

“My lord.” Sir Gioffre rode away to relay the orders.

Let’s pray this is a short war. He stared out over the field of broken bodies as the rain continued to pour, unrelenting.

[Zeion]

nice update! keep it going

[Alwyn]

I wonder if Francesco de Taranto's decision to execute four hundred and fifty prisoners will have consequences, either for the development of his character or for the way that his opponents fight in future (will they be more determined to fight on, knowing that surrender means death, or will de Taranto's reputation cause his opponents to flee?)

[Merchant of Venice]

VENICE WILL RISE UP AGAIN. VIVA LA SERINISSIMA REPUBLICA!

Nice chapter keep up the good work.

[TalesOfConquest]

Sorry Merchant, Venice is Sicilian now. In other news, I've finally caught up to where I'm at in the campaign. Loving the excellent feedback and I'm glad that the project which I've put so much effort into is getting this much praise. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 11: The Second Eastern War
As the Venetian War waned the Byzantine War reignited. Assailed by Sicily, Hungary, and the Holy Roman Empire, the Venetians withered away under siege. The final battle outside Venice was a bloody affair, leaving more than a thousand dead on both sides. As large Sicilian armies camped outside Venice, the machinations of the long-dead Ruggero II were realized with the powerful veteran armies positioning themselves to attack the Byzantine Empire. The previous ‘shadow war’ of assassinations during the inter-war period had continued briefly but, when a failed attempt on the life of the Byzantine Emperor himself was discovered, the Sicilians agreed to stop in order to prevent full-scale war. With the Venetians now essentially conquered, Ruggero’s dream of taking Constantinople could be realized. Having effectively driven the Byzantines out of Greece, the Sicilians stood poised to strike at their holdings in Thrace and Macedonia before engaging in the final march to drive them entirely out of Europe. From the capital of Athens, King Martino plotted the opening moves of this war with decisiveness and a mind for grander strategy inherited from his father. However, unlike his father, he was no warrior-king. Widely regarded as a poor battlefield commander, Martino preferred to orchestrate the war from his palace in Athens. His personal writings and letters showed a profound dislike of war, and his dangerously pacifistic outlook was seen as unbecoming of a king. There has been much speculation into why Martino ordered this next phase of what became known as the Great Eastern War. What is commonly agreed on by historians is that he wanted to both honor the wishes of his father and to placate the increasingly ambitious nobles, who had convened a council to choose Prince Alfonso as the heir following revelations of Prince Tancredi’s leprosy. Now dubbed the “Leper Prince”, Tancredi opted to lead one of the main pushes into Byzantine territory, ostensibly with the intentions of dying in battle. With all the pieces in place, King Martino needed only to set the war plan in motion.

As if struck by bolts of lightning, the Byzantines holdings of Scopia, Thessalonica, and Rhodes all came under attack by Sicilian armies. According to some histories, they fell within days of each other, filling Sicilian coffers with gold gained from looting. King Martino found himself managing a rapidly growing economy in addition to an expanding empire. Two notable commanders in this first phase were the aforementioned Tancredi the Afflicted and the war hero Bernardo Maniscalo. With the former seizing Thessalonica and the later taking Rhodes. Maniscalo’s campaign was notable for using a small fleet and army to claim Byzantine islands, engage in piracy, and launch raids into the Ionian peninsula. These strategies earned Maniscalo the title “the Viking”, hearkening back to the Norman roots of the Sicilian nobility. During the period following the first stage of the Great Eastern War, a series of pro-Sicilian Popes had been elected due to the wide diplomatic reach of Ruggero II. By the time the second stage had started, a Sicilian cardinal had become Pope Leo V. Using the strong diplomatic ties to Rome, King Martino managed to convince Leo V to launch a crusade against the Fatimids in the Holy Land in a move reminiscent of his father. Conveniently for Sicily, the routes taken by the crusaders would go directly through Byzantine lands, and the Catholic crusaders had no qualms about killing eastern Orthodox “heretics”. Filling their armies with fanatical crusaders to replace their losses, the swelled Sicilian armies left behind the conquest of Venice (which was still suffering from plague) and began the long march east towards the front. Tancredi too used the opportunity to recruit crusaders in his army and fought with a similarly fanatical conviction. Distracted by a war against the Turks in the east, the Byzantines had difficulty in getting enough forces together to resist the crusading armies. A major attempt at defending what was left of imperial possessions in Europe occurred when they gathered the scattered forces into a small army to defend Adrianople. Facing off against Tancredi, the desperate Byzantines marched into a bloodbath at the same site where their Roman ancestors had attempted to fend off the Goths. The Battle of Adrianople proved especially decisive in deciding the fate of Constantinople.

[Alwyn]

The expansion of Sicily is impressive and dramatic. I wonder if any other countries will feel threatened by the rise of Sicily and if any of them will take advantage of the movement of Sicily's armies away from the Sicilian homeland. Your comment on the Battle of Adrianople sounds intriguing, I wonder if we will hear more about that in the next chapter.

[Merchant of Venice]

I hate you for what you did to Venice but love you for the writing and great story.

Can't wait to read about the next battle.

[TalesOfConquest]

Hi all, I suppose it's time for an update. It's been months since I've posted anything and I don't really have an excuse for this other than being bored with the campaign. I've also been having issues with getting Stainless Steel to work, but a quick reinstall should fix that. I want to wrap this one up and move onto another AAR soon (probably under a different username), but I do owe it to you guys to finish this one. In the campaign, Constantinople is about to fall so I guess that would be a natural place to finish it. So I'm sorry about the wait, I will try to get this one finished.

[Zeion]

Hey Teabagger,

did the forum crash bum you out a little bit? I think you lost a chapter or two in the process of the reset?

Too bad you got bored with the campaign. Your AAR had an interesting style and your nomination(s?) in the AAR Awards 2015 show that.

I guess it's always good to have multiple exit points where it makes sense to quit an AAR but still have a sense of accomplishment by leaving it on a note that feels satisfying to you as the author and also to the readers. Sounds like the fall of Constantinople could be a good exit point.

I'm certainly looking forward to your next story and AAR!
Just wondering, but why change user names?

Cheers and keep up the great work,
Z

[TalesOfConquest]

I'm thinking of ending the series soon, with perhaps a final textbook chapter and a two or three-part finale covering the battle for Constantinople (which is about to fall in my campaign). Thanks to everyone for the support and advice.

Chapter 13: The Raider
The bright sea sparkled with the light of the sun. A small fleet cut across the clear Mediterranean waters pushed along by the wind. Bernardo Maniscalo gazed towards land across the deck of his ship, looking past the sailors and soldiers ready to storm the beach. They’d just sailed from Rhodes and were ready to begin the first raid into Ionia. His armor weighed heavy on him and his sword rattled in its scabbard. He supposed with his men gathered on the deck he should say a few words.

“Out there is a city that’s ripe for the taking. Tonight we feast on their meat, drink their wine, take their gold and their women. Let’s kill some heathens!”

The landing was unopposed. The men gathered on the beach, a small force of spearmen and cavalry. Some catapults were constructed right there on the beach.

We need some archers.

Bernardo had sent out some men to find and hire a local mercenary company. Horse archers, he was told. He remembered facing them early in his youth when he was just a captain serving under Prince Simone. The man was a good warrior. But he was no king. The city of Smyrna was but a day’s march away, yet nightfall was already approaching. He saw fit to make camp and send out foragers to fell some trees. Ladders would be needed to scale the walls of Smyrna. The trip from Rhodes had been short, but his men would still need time to adjust to land. He’d spent as much of the war at sea as he had been on land. The camp had been prepared by nightfall. Bernardo ate a meal of stew and had a hearty tankard of ale. Glad to be on solid ground, he slept as well on the hard earth he had in the palace at Athens.

“Into the breach!”

Corpses, shields and spears tumbled off the walls and onto the streets below. The catapult tore open a section of the wall, giving the opening the cavalry needed. Bernardo could feel hundreds of hooves thundering behind him as they charged into the city. They trampled the dying, slaughtering all Greeks who stood in the way. Hot blood drenched Bernardo’s armor and horse, dripping onto the cobblestone below. Behind him, the fighting on the walls was grinding into a bloodbath, with the Greeks starting to lose ground.

“Get the archers on the wall!”

A horseman rode back to relay the orders. Hundreds of bowmen climbed the ladders that their comrades had used to clear the walls. Soon, a hail of arrows rained down on the Greeks in the streets below. Within the hour, the Sicilians controlled most of the city with the remaining Greeks holding the town square.

“Kill them all!”

Night fell.

What had once been the ancient city of Smyrna was a pile of ash and ruins. Flames licked the pitch black night sky. The armored Norsemen walked out carrying chests of loot. Camp was set just outside the city and the men feasted as the city burned through the night.

[TalesOfConquest]

I'm sorry for how late post, I recently had a scare with my laptop but it's working fine now. I'm trying to figure out what to do for an AAR next, I'm currently quite far into a Third Age campaign as Eriador. I'm also playing a couple of Britannia campaigns, doing one as Norway and one as Wales, so those would also be fun to try. I'm hoping to wrap up this series with an epic multi-part story-line involving the siege of Constantinople. Anyway thanks for the feedback and support, hope you guys like it.

Chapter 14: The Beginning

Isaiah 22: 1-7
¹The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
² Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
³ All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
⁴ Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
⁵ For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.
⁶ And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
⁷ And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

It seemed like the apocalypse was coming to the heirs of Rome. Like its western cousin before it, the jewel of the East was facing collapse. Thousands of crusaders camped outside the walls of Constantinople. One by one, the cities of Ionia were falling to raids and naval invasions. One of the last armies that could have saved Ionia faced a Sicilian army led by Ubaldo Guiskard, brother of King Martino, on the road to Nicaea. It was easily defeated in a lopsided battle, with Ubaldo ruthlessly butchering the prisoners. Meanwhile, Bernardo Maniscalo left the city of Smyrna behind in ruins to march north to the fortress of Canakkale, where the Byzantine Co-emperor himself resided. Meagerly defended, the city fell with ease to the raiders. The Co-emperor was beheaded by Maniscalo in the castle square and the soldiers looted all valuables before claiming the castle for the Kingdom of Sicily. To the east, the Byzantine Empire was fighting a losing war against the Fatimid Caliphate, which had ostensibly been the reason that a crusade was declared in the first place. Crushed between two of the world’s wealthiest and fastest growing empires, the Byzantines were caught in a vice-like grip. Decades of constant war had taken its toll, with the Byzantines facing defeat after defeat on both fronts. Some of the most fascinating documents concerning the period involved letters between the nobility and some writings have been found by the unfortunate souls trapped in Constantinople during the siege. The following excerpt was written by a young captain named Ioannis.

The men were restless today. Everyday more and more of the scum gather outside the walls. They build towers, ladders, and rams. From atop the ramparts, I think I even saw a catapult. They erect wooden crosses and parade their priests. They act as if we are not even Christians. They outnumber us many times over, their legions forming a sea of men. Even so, I’m luckier than my brother who fights the savages in the East, at least I’ll die by the swords of fellow Christians.

The desperation of the Imperial Court was ever apparent, as the once-endless number of legions were swept aside by Sicilian and Fatimid armies on each front. The wave of crusaders from the other kingdoms of Western Europe were making their way east to fight the Fatimid Caliphate, which may have initially seemed like a boon to the Byzantines, however they made their way through the Imperial territories without lifting a finger to stop the Sicilians, who still held the papacy. Once it became clear that Constantinople would come under attack, the Emperor was whisked away from the capital and sent to Ionia, taking most of the nobility and the Court with him. This apparent abandonment by their leaders left the people of Constantinople in an even greater sense of despair. Like with Venice before, the supplies began dwindling and the defenders found their numbers dropping from desertions, disease, and eventually starvation. The commander of the Byzantine garrison was a young captain named Palladios. The commanders of the besieging army were a young lord named Giulio Gualtiero, Duke Francesco da Taranto and King Martino himself, who at this stage in his life was thought to also be afflicted with leprosy. Unlike with his brother, the term Leper King was only spoken in whispers amongst the disgruntled. With Smyrna all but destroyed, Canakkale taken, Constantinople and Nicaea under siege, it looked like the end was coming. Only scattered pockets of resistance remained, with Byzantine holdings essentially confined to the fortress of Isparta, the city of Trebizond, some Black Sea colonies, and the island of Cyprus.

Soon, the time came. With three large armies gathered outside Constantinople, it seemed the invasion had reached a critical mass. Dawn was accompanied by the beating of war drums. Prayers said, with death on the horizon, the Leper King drew his sword and announced the attack. Siege towers, rams, and ladders converged on the city walls. Catapults threw flaming projectiles into the city. The apocalypse had come.

[waveman]

I definitly understand burnout. I'd look forward to another AAR that you're thinking about starting

[TalesOfConquest]

So I think it's time for an update. Unfortunately, my old laptop has finally died and I'm not sure if I can finish the actual campaign. On the other hand, I'm at a section where I could finish the AAR by staging a custom battle or potentially using screenshots from games like Mount and Blade, Dragon Age, or Skyrim (I want to have at least one more Ragnar chapter). I'm even considering doing the battle on the Constantinople map in Attila, though it might look anachronistic and I wouldn't know what faction to use to represent the Sicilians. Anyway, thanks to everyone for their support and any suggestions are welcome.

[Zeion]

Hea Teabagger,

good to hear from you again. You could perhaps use the "Medieval Kingdoms 1212" mod for Attila to finish off your AAR. I think custom battles are already possible (not sure about the Byzantium map though). Otherwise the Age of Charlemagne expansion might provide some cool battles as well (certainly no Constantinople map, however).
Just wait until you feel like finishing off your campaign, it might be better than rushing to an end. But on the other hand, of course, it's nice to finish something at all. Many AARs just desolve, which is a bit sad.

But don't rush into anything.

Good luck and I'm really forward to your next projects. Yours was a really high quality one.

Cheers