Tsardoms Total War: Late Campaign - Help
The team at Tsardoms Total War has started planning for the the next goal: a late campaign starting in 1448. However, in order to achieve this goal we need help from the public. Our team is too small and it would take us many years to do all the detailed research required for a fully historical late campaign.
The late campaign will use exactly the same map as the 1345 campaign and will have the following factions: (list is still provisional)
- Ottomans - Murad II (leader 1446 - 1451 - Sultan), Mehmed (heir) - can script in 1351 for Mehmed to take over from Murad II (he abdicated)
- Karamanids - Ibrahim Bey (leader - 1424 - 1464 - Bey of Karaman)
- Crimean Khanate (Golden Horde) - Haci Giray (leader 1441 - 1466 - Khan)
- Athens - Nero II Acciaioli
- Bosnia - Stjepan Tomas (leader - 1443 - 1461 - King of Bosnia)
- Serbia - Durad Brankovic (leader - 1427 - 1456 - Despot of Serbia), Lazar Brankovic (heir)
- Albania - Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg (leader 1444 - 1468 - Lord of Albania)
- Croatia - Petar Talovac (leader - 1436 - 1453 - ban of Croatia)
- Austria - Frederick III/V (leader 1440 - regent for the Duke of Austria, did not become Archduke until 1457)/Ladislaus Posthumous (underage)
- Poland - Casimir IV Jagiellon (leader 1447 - 1492 - King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania)
- Bohemia - Jiri Podebrady (leader - regent), he took over Prague in 1448, Bohemia is in a civil war - pro-Rome vs Hussite Utraquists
- Bavaria - Albert III (leader 1438 - 1460 - Duke of Bavaria-Munich)
- Hungary - Janos Hunyadi (leader 1446-1456 - regent/governor), Matthias Hunyadi (heir)
- Wallachia - Vlad II Dracul (leader - voivode in 1447), Vlad III Dracula (heir or leader - Voivode in 1448)
- Moldova - Petru III (leader - voivode), he had several reigns in 1444-1445, 1447, 1448. Ally of John Hunyadi/Hungary, Bogdan II (heir)
- Roman Empire - John VIII Palaiologos (leader 1425 - 1448 - emperor, dies in December 1448), Constantine XI Palaiologos (heir, crowned emperor Jan 1449 - 1453)
- Genoa - Giano di Campofregoso (leader 1447 - 1448 - doge), Lodovico di Campofregoso (heir)
- Florence - Cosimo de Medici (leader 1434 - 1464 - signore), Piero de Medici (heir)
- Venice - Francesco Foscari (leader 1423 - 1457, doge)
- Naples - Alfonso I the Magnanimous (leader - 1442 - 1458 - king)
- Milan - Francesco Sforza (leader), Golden Ambrosian Republic in Milan between 1447 and 1450. Faction will start with settlement of Milan as rebel and Francesco must conquer it in order to become Duke
- Hospitallers - Jean de Lastic (leader - 1437 - 1454 Grand Master)
- Ragusa
- Swiss
- Papacy
What we need help with is research in regards to the following:
- help with writing all of the faction descriptions for the factions to match the situation of 1448
Since the campaign starts in 1448 and we already did detailed faction history for 1345 the focus should be on the post 1345 history. As such the structure of the text should be:
- 1 short paragraph for basic history prior to 1345
- maximum 4-5 paragraphs (can be less) summarising the history between 1345 and 1448
- 1 closing paragraph
Examples of faction description texts for 1448 already done:
Intro menu text for Candarids
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Candarid (or Isfendiyarid) Beylik was officially established in 1292. The Seljuq Sultan Masud II took Kastamonu from the Chobanids and gave it to Temur Yaman Candar, a commander from the sultan's candar corps, in thanks for rescuing him from Mongol captivity. Following Temur's death, the Chobanids recovered Kastamon however his son Suleyman I conquered the province and annexed Safranbolu and Sinop. Suleyman I then appointed his son Ibrahim I as governor to Sinop and a second son Ali to Safranbolu. Suleyman I reigned under the authority of the Ilkhanate, until the death of the ruler Abu Sa'id in 1335.
Following the death of Suleyman I, his sons Ibrahim I and Ali fought for the throne. In 1339 Ibrahim was victorious and took over the rule of Kastamonu. Upon his death, his cousin Adil replaced him and ruled between 1346 and 1361). When Adil died, his son Koturum Bayezid became bey. Koturum Bayezid fought twice with Kadi Burhan al-Din, the ruler of the Sivas region, and in 1383 lost Kastamonu to one of his own sons, Suleyman II, who received military support from the Ottoman sultan Murad I. Koturum Bayezid retreated for Sinop, and thus the Candarid Principality was divided. After Koturum Bayezid's death in 1385, his son Isfendiyar succeeded him in Sinop.
Based in Kastamonu, Suleyman II remained faithful to Murad I, his supporter in his revolt against his father, and participated in Ottoman campaigns in Europe in 1386 and 1389. However, Murad's successor, the aggressive Beyazid I launched an assault in 1391 on Kastamonu as part of an effort to control the Anatolian beyliks. Suleyman II was killed and the Candarids' rule in Kastamonu ended.
Meanwhile in the other Candarid state in Sinop, fearing conflict with the powerful Ottomans, Isfendiyar requested immunity from Beyazid and became an Ottoman vassal with autonomy. Kadi Burhan al-Din's short lived but powerful Turkmen state in the Central Anatolia was the main reason for the Ottoman-Candar cooperation in Sinop. However, following the Ottoman sultan's defeat by the Timurids in 1402, Isfendiyar recognized the authority of Tamerlane. The Timurids confirmed Isfendiyar in the traditional Candarid lands of Kastamonu, Kalecik, Tosya, and Cankiri and the beylik was re-established to its full extent.
After Tamerlane left Anatolia, during the Ottoman Interregnum, Isfendiyar stood close to all the four sons of Beyazid avoiding any conflict. When one of his sons, Kasim claimed control over Cankiri and Tosya, and declared the annexation of these areas to the Ottoman Empire, the Candarids' dominion was divided once more. In 1419 Ottomans further annexed the eastern part of the beylik. Following the death of Mehmed, Isfendiyar revolted against the new sultan Murad II and reconquered the lost lands. However he was eventually defeated and forced to sign a treaty in 1423 abandoning his gains but keeping Sinop and Kastamonu. Isfendiyar died in 1439, to be succeeded by his son Ibrahim II, who upon his death was replaced by Ismail in 1443.
The Candarids are now ruled by Ismail and have good relations with the Ottomans having family links with them and participating in the Ottoman campaigns of conquest. Despite the current climate there is still a great danger of the Ottomans taking more Candarid territory. Ismail can either continue the policy of appeasement of the Ottomans or he can choose to follow a more aggressive route and take advantage of the current Ottoman-Hungarian wars to try and push back and re-establish a powerful Candarid state like in the times of Isfendiyar. The very survival of the Candarid dynasty and state is at stake, the time is now for great decisions and great actions, the time is now for Total War!
Intro menu text for Wallachia
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Principality of Wallachia emerged as an independent state in the 1330s under the rule of Basarab I who founded the Basarab dynasty. The successors of Basarab, Nicolae Alexandru (1352 - 1364), Vladislav I (1364 - 1377) and Radu I (1377 - 1383) all worked to consolidate the Wallachian state and fought several wars with Hungary even extending their influence South of the Danube in Bulgaria. During this period Wallachia expanding its territorial extend towards the Black Sea, established its own Metropolitan recognised by Byzantium and embarked on an extensive church and fortification building programme.
As the entire Balkans became an integral part of the growing Ottoman Empire, Wallachia became engaged in frequent confrontations in the final years of the reign of Mircea I (r. 1386–1418). Mircea initially defeated the Ottomans in several battles, including the Battle of Rovine in 1394 and extended his control over briefly extending his rule to the Danube Delta, Dobruja and Silistra. He swung between alliances with Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, and Jagiellon Poland (taking part in the Battle of Nicopolis). After the battle of Nicopolis, the Ottomans occupied Bulgaria and could attack Wallachia more easily. However, the Ottoman defeat at the battle of Ankara led to the collapse of Ottoman power. Mircea reestablished Wallachian control over Dobrudja and was even involved in the Ottoman civil war supporting several contenders. After Mehmed I became Sultan and ended the civil war he took control of Turnu Măgurele, Giurgiu and Dobrudja and forced Mircea to accept a peace treaty and pay tribute. In 1418–1420, Mircea's son Michael I defeated the Ottomans in Severin, only to be killed in battle by the counter-offensive; in 1422, the danger was averted for a short while when Dan II inflicted a defeat on Murad II with the help of Pippo Spano.
The peace signed in 1428 inaugurated a period of internal crisis, as Dan had to defend himself against Radu II, who led the first in a series of boyar coalitions against established princes. The boyars were victorious in 1431 (he year when the boyar-backed Alexander I Aldea took the throne. He was the first Romanian ruler to be forced to render military service to the Ottomans. However, the boyars were dealt successive blows by Vlad II Dracul (1436–1442; 1443–1447), who nevertheless attempted to compromise between the Ottoman Sultan and the Holy Roman Empire.
The following decade was marked by the conflict between the rival houses of Dănești and Drăculești. Faced with both internal and external conflict, Vlad II Dracul reluctantly agreed to pay the tribute demanded of him by the Ottoman Empire, despite his affiliation with Sigismund of Luxembourg and the Order of the Dragon. As part of the tribute, the sons of Vlad II Dracul (Radu cel Frumos and Vlad III Dracula) were taken into Ottoman custody. In 1447 John Hunyadi broke into Wallachia and placed his protege Vladislav II on the throne after Vlad II Dracul and his son were assassinated.
Recognizing the Christian resistance to their invasion, leaders of the Ottoman Empire released Vlad III to rule in 1448. Vlad has now arrived in Wallachia and has taken control of the country taking advantage of the fact that the previous voivode, Vladislav II was away crusading with John Hunyadi. Vlad is now in a precarious situation, will he stay loyal to his Ottoman overlords or will he decide to join the Christian alliance, break the chains of servitude and become the stuff of legends?
Intro menu text for Karamanids
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The Karaminds Emirate traces its origins to the early-mid XIIIth century in Southern Anatolia. The Karamanids managed to take advantage of the internal rivalry and also the conflicts between the Seljuks and the Mongols in order to expand their territory. Many conflicts followed with the Cillician Armenians, the Seljuks, the Mamluks and the Mongol Ilkhanids. They negotiated alliances with other Turkmen clans to raise an army against the Seljuqs and Ilkhanids. During the 1276 revolt of Hatıroglu Şemseddin Bey against Mongol domination in Anatolia, the Karamanids defeated several Mongol-Seljuq armies and in 1277 even managed to temporarily take Konya and place a puppet sultan on the throne.
The Karamanids continued to increase their power and influence, largely aided by the Mamluks of Egypt, especially during the reign of Baybars. Karamanids captured Konya on two more occasions in the beginning of the XIVth century, but were driven out both times by the Ilkhanid governors of Anatolia. An expansion of Karamanid power occurred after the fall of the Ilkhanids in 1334. A second expansion coincided with Karamanoglu Alaeddin Ali Bey's marriage to the daughter of the Ottoman sultan Murat I, the first important contact between the two dynasties.
As Ottoman power expanded into the Balkans, Aleaddin Ali Bey captured the city of Beysehir, which had been an Ottoman city. However, it did not take much time for the Ottomans to react and march on Konya, the Karamanid capital city. A treaty between the two kingdoms was formed, and peace existed until the reign of Bayezid I.
Timur gave control of the Karamanid lands to Mehmet Bey, the oldest son of Aleaddin Ali Bey. After Bayezid I died in 1403, the Ottoman Empire went into a political crisis as the Ottoman family fell prey to internecine strife. It was an opportunity not only for Karamanids but also for all of the Anatolian beyliks. Mehmet Bey assembled an army to march on Bursa. He captured the city and damaged it. However, in 1413 the Ottoman Interregnum ended and in 1414 the Karamanids were defeated by the returning Ottomans. In 1415 Mehmet Bey was captured by the Ottomans and sent to prison. He apologized for what he had done and was forgiven by the Ottoman ruler with peace lasting between 1415-1422.
Ramazanoglu Ali Bey captured Tarsus while Mehmet Bey was in prison. Mustafa Bey, son of Mehmet Bey, retook the city during a conflict between the Emirs of Sham and the Mamluks of Egypt. After that, the Mamluk sultan Sayf ad-Din Inal sent an army to retake Tarsus from the Karamanids. The Egyptian Mamluks damaged Konya after defeating the Karamanids, and Mehmet Bey retreated from Konya. Ali Bey pursued and captured him; according to an agreement between the two leaders, Mehmet Bey was exiled to Egypt for the rest of his life. However, in 1421 the Mamluk Sultan died and Mehmet was released from prison. Early in 1423, Mehmet II attempted to take Antalya from the Ottomans but he died during the siege and his sons retreated.
Ibrahim Bey, Mehmet Bey's son, fought against his uncle Ali Bey, and with Ottoman support he ascended to throne in 1424. Nevertheless, their help did not ensure his fidelity to the Ottomans. He secretly allied himself with Kingdom of Hungary against them. During the Ottoman wars in Europe, he was able to capture the city of Beyşehir from the Ottomans. However, in 1433, Ottoman Sultan Murat II returned to Anatolia and Ibrahim sued for peace in 1435. Nevertheless, shortly after the peace, Ibrahim laid a siege on Amasya an important Ottoman city to which Murat reacted by supporting the Dulkadirids to capture the city of Kayseri and İsa, Ibrahim's brother, to capture Akşehir from Karamanids. Ibrahim was forced to lift the siege in 1437. During the following seven years peace prevailed in Anatolia.
During the Crusade of Varna against the Ottomans in 1443–44, Ibrahim Bey marched on Ankara and Kütahya, destroying both cities. In the meantime, the Ottoman sultan Murad II was returning from Rumelia with a victory against the Hungarian Crusaders. Like all other Islamic emirates in Anatolia, the Karamanids were accused of treason. Hence, Ibrahim Bey accepted all Ottoman terms.
The glory days of the Karamanid Emirate seem to be long gone. The Ottomans are now the greatest foe in Anatolia and there are few allies around. The peace with the Ottomans is tenuous at best. Ibrahim Bey must find a way out of the current situation, perhaps taking advantage once again of the mounting Hungarian forces and a potential new crusade in the Balkans. Alliances with the remaining beyliks such as the Candarids and even with Christian states could be the path towards the overthrow of the Ottomans. The final goal should be the restoration of the old Seljuk Empire under the Karamanid dynasty!
Intro Menu text for Genoa
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The maritime trade Republic of Genoa known as "la Superba" or "la Dominante" rose in the XIth century as one of the dominant naval powers in the Mediteranean and the Black Sea. The Republic took advantage of the Crusades to expand its power and establish colonies and trade posts in Greece, the Levant, Anatolia, the Aegean islands, Crimea and even in the heart of the Roman world in Galata. The Genoese defeated their other maritime rivals of Pisa and Ancona, gained influence over the Roman Empire and fought numerous wars against their remaining Venetian rivals for naval and commercial supremacy.
In 1339 Simone Boccanegra became the first Doge of Genoa being elected for life but was ousted in 1345. Genoa formally annexed Corsica in 1347. In 1348-1349 and again in 1352 the Byzantines attempted to break away from the Genoese trade dominance in Galata but were defeated and had to agree to a compromise with the Republic. Between 1352 and 1354 Genoa fought a war in Sardinia supporting the rebelling natives against the Aragonese. In 1354, Lesbos was granted as a fief to the Genoese Francesco I Gattilusio.
Disputes over Black Sea with Venice prompted the outbreak of war in 1350 known as the War of the Straits. Venice allied with King Peter IV of Aragon, who was at odds with Genoa over commerce and control of Sardinia and entered the war in 1351. In 1353 the Venetian-Catalans defeated the Genoese in Sardinia. Alarmed by the defeat, Genoa submitted to Giovanni Visconti, Lord of Milan, in order to secure his financial support. In 1354 the Genoese captured the entire Venetian fleet at Sapienza which led to a peace with Venice in 1355. Freed of the need for support from Milan, the Genoese brought an end to Milanese rule in 1356. Simone Boccanegra returned to power following the liberation from Milan and ruling until his dead in 1363.
After 1365 the Genoese expanded their trade empire and signed various trade treaties with Cyprus, Portugal and Aragon and acquired Soldaia in Crimea. In 1373-1374 after a war with the Kingdom of Cyprus and Genoa occupied the island.
In 1376 Venice bought the strategically positioned island of Tenedos near the Dardanelles from the Byzantine Emperor John V, threatening Genoese access to the Black Sea. The Genoese helped John's son Andronikos IV to seize the throne, in return for the transfer of the island to Genoa, initiating a new war between the two republics known as the War of Chioggia. The Genoese, defeated at Anzio (1378), were victorious at Pola (1379) and threatened Venice itself. The naval Battle of Chioggia took place in 1380 and the Venetians completely defeated the Genoese fleet. The war continued for territories around the Dalmatian coast until 1381 when a peace was signed with Venice victorious but which left both states exhausted.
The XIVth century began with periods of foreign domination in Genoa as a result of the debts and instability following the previous wars. Rising Ottoman power also cut into the Genoese emporia in the Aegean, and the Black Sea trade was reduced.
In 1396, in order to protect the republic from internal unrest and the provocations of the Duke of Orleans and the former Duke of Milan, the Doge of Genoa Antoniotto Adorno made Charles VI of France the "defender of the municipality" of Genoa. In 1407 the Bank of Saint George was founded which would play a large role in the establishment of the Genoese banking empire. The French dominion ended in 1409 when Theodore II Palaeologus the Marquis of Montferrat became lord of Genoa. His rule ended in 1413 and between 1422 and 1435 Genoa was once again ruled from Milan by Filippo Maria Visconti.
Sporadic piratical violence between Venetians and Genoese continued, notably in the wake of a naval clash at Modon in 1403. During the period of Milanese rule in Genoa, conflict on the Italian mainland between Milan and Venice drew Genoa into another inconclusive naval war with Venice in 1431-33. In 1431 on the Po river, the fleet in the service of Visconti was defeated by Venice and Florence.
After 1400, the expansion of Aragonese power in the western Mediterranean posed an increasing threat to Genoa. In 1420 Genoa lost Sardinia to Aragon. A series of full-scale wars (1420–26, 1435–44) broke out between Genoa, Milan and Aragon which involved commercial interests and control over Naples. Genoa's control over Corsica was weakened by internal revolt and Aragonese intervention. In 1435 the Genoese defeated the Aragonese at the naval battle of Ponza and captured Alfonso the King of Aragon. However, Alfonso managed to convince the Milanese overlords of Genoa to switch sides and support Aragon in the dispute with the Angevins over Naples. As a result, the Genoese rose in rebellion and overthrew the Milanese rule. In 1436 the Republic was thus restored with the Doges once again ruling the city as elected officials.
It is now 1448 and Genoa is ruled by Giano di Campofregoso. The Republic is well past its golden age and has suffered as a result of several wars and foreign rule. The Doge must rally his forces, defeat any internal dissent and look towards re-establishing Genoese dominance in the Mediterranean. The Republic is surrounded by enemies on all sides, in Italy the Milanese and the Aragonese and in its overseas colonies the Ottomans and the Tatars are threatening the very existence of its trade empire. The time is now for a rebirth and for reclaiming the lost glory of la Superba!
Intro Menu text for Moldova
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The Principality of Moldova was founded as a polity in the middle of the XIVth century. In 1353, Dragoș, mentioned as a Vlach Knyaz in Maramureș, was sent by the Hungarian King Louis I to establish a line of defense against the Golden Horde on the Siret River. This expedition resulted in a vassal state to Hungary, in the Baia region. Bogdan of Cuhea, another Vlach voivode from Maramureș who had fallen out with the Hungarian king, crossed the Carpathians in 1359, defeated Dragos and took control of Moldova. He succeeded in removing the state from Hungarian control, moved the capital to Siret and founded the Bogdan-Musat dynasty.
The Hungarians attempted to retake control of Moldova but were defeated in 1366, 1368 and 1370. After Louis of Hungary also became King of Poland he managed to restore Hungarian influence over Moldova even forcing Bogdan's successor, Latcu to convert to Catholicism around 1370. He also started expanding the borders of Moldova towards the Black Sea at the expense of the Tatars. Despite remaining officially Eastern Orthodox and culturally connected with the Byzantine Empire after 1382, princes of the House of Bogdan-Musat entered a conflict with the Constantinople Patriarchy over control of appointments to the newly founded Moldavian Metropolitan seat; Patriarch Antony IV even cast an anathema over Moldavia after Roman I expelled his appointee back to Byzantium.
Petru II profited from the end of the Hungarian-Polish union and moved closer to the Jagiellon realm, becoming a Polish vassal in 1387. This gesture was to have unexpected consequences: Petru supplied the Polish ruler with funds needed in the war against the Teutonic Knights, and was granted control over the Polish province of Pokuttya until the debt was to be repaid. Prince Petru also expanded his rule southwards to the Danube Delta and moved the capital to Suceava. His brother Roman I conquered Cetatea Alba in 1392, giving Moldova an outlet to the Black Sea becoming the first Moldavian ruler to call himself "voivode from the Carpathian mountains to the Black Sea shore". Roman was toppled from the throne for supporting Fyodor Koriatovych in his conflict with Vytautas the Great of Lithuania. Under his successor Stefan I, the growing Polish influence was challenged by Sigismund of Hungary, whose expedition was defeated by Stefan at Ghindaoani in 1395.
Alexandru the Kind was brought to the throne in 1400 by Sigismund of Hungary (with assistance from Mircea I of Wallachia) and was one of the most successful Voivode in Moldavia's history ruling until 1432. He initiated a series of reforms while consolidating the status of the Principality, he expanded the bureaucratic system, developed trade, built fortresses and settled the conflict of the Moldavian church with the Patriarch of Constantinople. Several times placed his own choice of rulers in Wallachia. In 1402 shifted his allegiances and became of vassal of Poland. He sent Moldavian forces on the Polish side in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and the Siege of Marienburg in 1422. His reign saw the very first confrontation with the Ottoman Turks at Cetatea Alba in 1420. In 1426 Alexandru took advantage of the difficult situation of Dan II in Wallachia and took control of the vital Black Sea port of Chilia. Alexandru launched an attack on Poland during the civil war of 1431-1435 as a result of Polish territorial claims and failure to fulfil their suzerain role against the Ottomans.
A deep crisis was to follow Alexandru's long reign, with his many sons and successors battling each other in a succession of civil wars that divided the country. Between 1432 and 1443 Alexandru's sons Ilias I and Stefan II battled for power, deposing each other and the throne being occupied by both of them several times. In 1435 after the indecisive battle of Podraga the Polish King intervened in the civil wars and forced Ilias I and Stefan II to share rule of the country with Ilias as nominal ruler and Stefan II ruling the South. In return Moldova had to cede Hotin and Pokuttia to Poland. Stefan II eventually deposed Ilias and assumed power in 1443 and nominated his other brother Petru III as co-ruler. In 1444, Moldova sent troops that joined King Wladyslaw III at the failed Crusade of Varna
Stefan II was killed in 1447 by the son of Iliaș, Roman II who assumed the throne with Polish support. Petru III returned in 1448 with the help of John Hunyadi. In return for the support Petru III ceded the Chilia to Hungary and sent a cavalry contingent to Hunyadi for his expected expedition into Ottoman-held Serbia.
The year is now 1448 and the fate of Moldova is hanging on a thread and threats are everywhere. There are pretenders to the throne that are ready to attempt a violent overthrow of the rightful ruler, the Hungarians and Poles are both disputing the overlordship over Moldova and the Ottoman juggernaught is drawing closer and closer. Can the successors of Alexandru the Kind and Bogdan the Founder manage to settle their differences and unite their strength in order to bring Moldova to greatness?
Only your help can make this happen!
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Originally Posted by jurcek1987
but I'm not great due to my depression and bipolar with meeting my promise. But I will see what I can find. Found some great stuff I've been collecting too. 
I've updated the post with more infos I've found, some could maybe be emergeant characters, there are old peoples among but it can't be helped. For neapolitan branch of Orsini we can have Raimundo as emergeant(in the 1460's) to ensure family don't die out.
