I have been writing the last big war section tonight and have gotten most of done (I think), so things do look good for tomorrow. There will be maps for 1565, 1566 and 1569.
Welcome back Israelite.
Welcome back Israelite.
BirdNES: 1500 AD: A New World
- Thread starter Birdjaguar
- Start date
Does anyone know the name of the Persian religious center near Samarquand?
Perfectionist
Angel of Verdun
OOC: Bukhara, I think.
Thank you; I'll go with that.
silver 2039
Deity
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
- Messages
- 16,208
I have a good guess...
Update 14 1565-1569
The unexpected can happen:
1565: Famine in Central China because of flooding along the upper Yellow River -1 population China
1566: Cocoliztli kills tens of thousands in Mexico -1 EP lost economy
1567: Mississippi floods kill thousands in Cahokia
1568: Mauna Loa erupts; plumes of smoke attract the attention of Japanese sailors.
1569: The world escapes.
Europe bleeds once again…
1565 did not bring relief from war. In fact war took on a renewed vigor in many places. Europe was alive with armies on the move Over two hundred divisions took to the field from Madrid to Moscow and all of them were expecting battlefield success and lots of booty. The complex web of treaties and agreements was fraught with unexpected perils and opportunity for deception. As the new year turned it appeared that France and Brandenburg were still aligned against Poland and the Order of St. Stephen; Kalmar and Poland had agreed to peace; and that Greece, Austria, France, Muscovy, Safavid Persia & Spain were all bent on finishing off the Ottoman Empire, but new alliances had been forged in secret and when the armies marched all was not what it seemed.
Palace of Antonio Doria January 1565
The treaty of Milan was announced early in the year. And it was accompanied by a Papal declaration of the new Kingdom of Greater Genoa that took the Treaty of Milan one step further and blessed the immediate union of Genoa and Tuscany, as well as, the forthcoming addition of Milan and Savoy and the installation of Manlio Doria as the Duke of Naples. The spring calendar was an impressive one:
• In April the Doge Antonio Doria would be crowned King by the Pope himself
• In May the Genoese & Tuscan fleets would deliver Duke Manilo to Naples in grand style for his enthronement
• By June the political union of Tuscany and Genoa would be complete
• The military and economic fusion would follow over the summer.
At about the same time that Italians rejoiced at their good fortune, far to the north in the Baltic port of Danzig, the Kalmar fleet arrived to remove its troops from Poland. But instead of embarking, forty divisions disembarked and made ready for battle. The “white peace” between Kalmar and Poland was not to be. The hoped for peace was gone and even before the spring crops were planted, peasants fled to the forests and hills and shopkeepers sold cautiously lest they invite trouble.
Halfway around the world, the regency that ruled Khmer until Prince Virote Niran ascended the throne made peace with China and the squabble over Annam cooled as the tension subsided. The Chinese lords took this peaceful interlude to bring rebellious factions to their knees and bow before the Mandate of Heaven.
From the west couriers brought news of peace between Spain and Calusa, a peace supported by the Pope with blessings and gold. Calusan discussions with the Aztecs were on again and off again, but even as peace was elusive, the warriors remained bored in their camps and forts.
Constantinople 1565
Abdullah Qabazard was now a full general. Perhaps the promotion came because of his skills against the Greeks and Europeans, or perhaps, it came because he had survived. So many had not. In the spring of 1565 it was clear that the Empire was lost. Russians, Greeks, Austrians, Franks, Spaniards and even the Portuguese were expected to be there when the assault came. It was an unholy host if ever there was one and Istanbul would fall. But secret deals were made and he had followed orders. The most dangerous part was getting the Sultan, his treasury and court across Anatolia to the now safe lands of Persia. Abdullah’s cavalry had been the rear guard and the last to leave, the last to glimpse the Golden Horn and the spires of the City. The horsemen were followed by a seemingly endless train of refugees who would make the trek south. Much of the wealth of the city moved with them.
From the greatest city of the world their destination was far to the south to the Holiest city of the world: Mecca. From there the Sultan would rule Hejaz under the protection of the Safavid Persian lords. What Turkish troops that could, would join them there. The rest he guessed would either melt away or die in some desperate stand for the glory of Allah. PBUH.
By summer the war was over. Constantinople fell without a fight. The many and powerful cannon did not pound the triple walls to dust. The intricate plans of assault and deception were discarded. The gates were not broken and ruined. Mass was performed in the churches and prayers of thanksgiving recited by all. It was all too easy so the generals resorted to squabbling about the cities fate. Who would reign there and how the land would be divided was not clear. Greeks and Russians had the strongest claims and largest armies. So to avoid coming to blows and to heed other more pressing needs for troops, the final disposition was left to later and the Muscovite Generals were given control of the city. The Greeks accepted Athens and Ionia. France, Spain and Portugal called their troops home. The Persian advance stopped east of Ankara and to avoid a war with the Safavids, a great swath of central Anatolia was left to its own devices for now. The Ottoman bureaucracy degenerated into local and regional centers of government; Christians quickly rose in stature and were treated well.
Outcomes:
+Hejaz to player status under Germanicus
+TC, RC Constantinople to Muscovy
+RC Athens to Greece
Monsoon season Pulicat 1565
The high winds and heavy seas drove many ships to port in the late summer of 1565. Up and down the east coast of India ships chose to lay over until the storms subsided. In Pulicat the harbor was particularly full and the unloading non stop for weeks. Horses, soldiers and cannon made their way from sodden ships to less sodden barracks. War was afoot in India and Bengal would be at the forefront. The rumors were wild and out of control all across the subcontinent and every independent nation within a thousand miles was, at one time or another, recognized as Bengal’s prey. But from but the most reliable sources pointed to the Portuguese holdings in East Africa as the target with particular attention on Zanzibar. It would nicely compliment Bengal’s southern trading post and provide a significant base for further expansion. The accumulation of Bengali naval assets along the Malabar Coast gave it further credence. It seemed like the rains would never end. Three weeks after the skies cleared, the winds that had been wet westerlies were now easterlies and destined for Africa. The ships departed and the counting began. All along the coast nervous lookouts watched and hoped more days would pass without a sighting. After ten days all breathed a little easier since the fleet was now beyond the sailing time to any of the subcontinent nations. Merchants trading with Africa hoped it would be a short war. Word would come soon as the traders fled home with their tales.
Venice April 1565
Michelo Vanguardio was new to his job. His father had bought him a position as a captain in the city’s military affairs department. His department made sure that dispatches and orders came in and went out smoothly and quickly. It was a safe job and his mother was quite pleased given the war fever that had overcome so many in Venice of late. Fourteen clerks reported to Vanguardio and it was his job to make sure that correctly copied orders went out to the right commander. At last, Vanguardio was important and would make his family proud.
Over the first few days his little department copied and disbursed a dozen dispatches without a single error. On the first day of his second week he handled another dozen, and 36 the day after that. The pace was frantic and kept getting more so as troops prepared for campaigns in Germany and somewhere overseas. But Michelo kept at it. He was lord and master of his fourteen clerks and let them know. He would not listen to their silly protests of too much work or that he had made an error. They were the ones in error if they thought he would let them run roughshod over his leadership. Finally after a fortnight of dizzying paperwork, the pace slackened and then dropped to almost nothing as the troops marched and ships sailed to their destinations.
It was tens days after that that Vanguardio was called into the office of the Doge’s chief military advisor. The questions were short and to the point: Why was the Germany army short divisions? Why had the replacement horses for the Verona troops been sent with the fleet? Why didn’t the orders of battle commanded by the Doge not match those now in the field? After a half dozen more such questions Vanguardio broke down. He didn’t know the answers and had done the best he could. It had all happened so fast and his staff had been uncooperative and resentful of his leadership. And surely it was one of them that were the trouble maker or perhaps even a spy. He was sorry, it would not happen again. He knew that it could all be corrected and he would send out new orders to fix all those problems. His grace need only wait a few days and all would be right again. Well, his grace knew very well it would not happen again and he also knew it could not be fixed. Only God knew the true state of affairs that was guiding the Venetian armies to their fates.
In fact, 23 divisions sailed with 15 squadrons for Naples. Another 20 divisions marched to Vienna to join Austria in the Catholic crusade against Brandenburg and everything Protestant. 5 divisions and 15 squadrons stayed home. Landfall along the Amalfi coast would be early May.
Jamal and the Night Visitors
Jamal rowed his fishing boat out beyond the surf before dawn every morning. He knew that the water spirits were pleased with his perseverance and dedication. He caught many fish before the sky was fully light and the lazy fishermen, who slept late, appeared. This morning as he rowed he watched his wife on the shore waving and dancing to his success. She seemed particularly animated this morning. He smiled, but did not stop to wave back. He could not afford to lose an oar so early in the day. It was when he came to a clunking stop that he knew something was amiss. It was a Bengali warship.
The Bengali landing on the coast of Bijapur came off without mishap. Even Jamal escaped serious injury. The adverse winds had put them three days behind schedule and the land invasion from Vijayanagar had already begun. The inexperience of the Bijapur army was quickly apparent and everywhere they stood to fight they were out maneuvered and outfought. They panicked easily. The second front along the coast prompted the wealthy to flee north to Amadnagar. Within two months Bijapur was entirely in the hands of the Bengali Army. All that was left was the division of the spoils.
Outcomes:
-Bijapur as nation
-3 Divs Bengal
May Day 1566
It was a glorious spring all over France, Germany and Austria. The rains were moderate and temperatures warm enough for an early planting. But, the many army camps made everyone very nervous including the Verners. Bavaria seemed safest and the family and key agents met in Augsburg to take stock of the world. They would monitor the ongoing fighting from there and send out orders through their vast network of friends and associates.
The whole family, or as much of it as could be gathered, had come to Germany. Wilhelm and his wife Viola Doria were there with their sons Peter (age 15) and Johann (age13) and the newest family member, Alexandra, who was still under a year. Sarah Verner Brick came from Kaffa with her twins Dora and Michael who would turn 11 while in Augsburg. Oscar Brick was still in Chinas so far as they knew. Everyone hoped Sarah would have a recent set of letters. Paul Hansen was there from Cairo and most recently Constantinople. John Cabot had hardly set foot on the Lisbon docks when he received word to come to Augsburg. His tales would be from America and the land of the Mexica and Inka. Oscar’s father, Johann Brick, had spent the last couple of years traveling from the British Isles to Kalmar and back on numerous occasions and was glad to be back in Germany. Lastly, Antonio di Paolo had made the trip from Moscow, through Kiev, Warsaw, and Danzig.
Even though it had started off well, 1565 had been a hard year on the people of Germany and Poland. Few crops were planted and fewer harvested and what stores had been put away were mostly gone. If this year’s crops failed or suffered the ravages of war, many would starve. By the summer of 1565 Poland had sent three armies into Brandenburg. Two were aimed at Berlin and the last liberated protestant souls from the burden of life’s choices throughout southeastern Brandenburg. The overall plan had been quite masterful. Poland and the Order of St. Stephen, with newly recruited troops of the Empire, were to push hard to capture Berlin. Austria, with Venetian help, was to take Bohemia while Venetian troops captured Naples and pressed on to Marseilles. Even Spain had a part to play with a foray over the Pyrenees into France. The plan did not survive January and by May it was in shambles.
Kalmar was the most difficult to overcome, but the Polish leaders ignored them for much of the year concentrating on capturing Berlin. Mikolaj Radziwill and Grand Hetman Mikolaj Jazlowiecki led 23 divisions through Silesia towards Berlin. Field Hetman Mikolaj Sieniawski (apparently being named “Mikolaj” guaranteed a high ranking position in the Polish army at this time) commanded 9 divisions, but his planned attack had to be redirected to oppose the advancing Kalmar troops, as soon as, the quickly raised levies bolted and ran in the face of organized gunfire. Austrian aid could not be counted on until 1566 so the Poles were stretched very thin.
As the summer campaign season got underway the Order of St. Stephen lightly guarded its holdings along the Rhine and focused its energy against Brandenburg. They crossed the Elbe mid summer at Werben. Brandenburg was slow in raising its troops and threw them at the enemy as fast as they took to the field. The “Mikolaj Twins” (Radziwill and Jazlowiecki) as they were called by the Germans, worked their armies brilliantly. First one would pin the Germans then the other would turn the flank and force a retreat. Then they would change roles and do it all over again. One battle at a time, they worked their way up the south bank of the Oder to Frankfort and then turned west. As the front narrowed in anticipation of an attack on Berlin, the Germans defense got stiffer and better prepared. If the Order could close the back door, the campaign could end with the capture of the Brandenburg capital.
The Battle of Havel 1565
The season’s pivotal battle took place on October 20th at Havelberg. The Emperor, 16 divisions and 700 knights caught 20 Brandenburg divisions awkwardly on two sides of the Havel River. Without support six German divisions collapsed in the morning battle and fled south away from the field. Bellimus had his chance now for a “killing blow” against his current foe and to seal the fate of Berlin. His troops captured two bridges across the river and pushed the defenders into further disorder. His knights, wisely held in reserve, were fresh. They went south as if to pursue the fleeing troops from the morning’s fight, but were to cross the river to approach the remaining Germans from the rear and pin them between the Havel and the Elbe. The open fields would be a perfect setting for the charging horsemen.
The infantry battle raged and slowed giving the Germans time to better organize their defense. Bellimus waited for his knights. His optimism turned to concern. Now his troops west of the Havel were in peril and the knights were nowhere to be seen. Attrition was thinning both armies quickly. It wasn’t until four in the afternoon (2 hours late) that the trumpets of the knights sounded their arrival. But, by then it was too late. The Germans had regained control and reordered their troops. It was a simple matter to redirect two divisions and hold them in wait of the coming charge. As expected the charge failed and the few survivors fled without ever engaging the infantry.
It wasn’t until the next day that the Emperor learned what had happened. The ford across the Havel was not where the map said it was and, in addition to being further away, it was not well marked. The knights had gotten lost.
Berlin was saved for now and an early winter descended all across Germany driving the armies to seek warm winter quarters.
France in the Rhineland
The French advance in the Rhineland was mostly unimpeded and they pushed the Knights of St Stephen north and away. Their occupation brought a welcome peace and order. They would have continued al the way to Berlin had not events in Marseille not been of concern.
Outcomes:
-15 divs Brandenburg
-8 divs St Stephen
-575 knights St Stephen
-5 divs Poland
-2 divs France
Poland 1565: The Valley of the Vistula
Several hundred miles to the east it was a very different story. The Kalmar army spent the spring securing their holdings and trouncing the poorly organized Catholic resistance all along the coast. As April turned to May and summer waxed, The Scandinavian troops looked to expand. The bulk of the army moved south along the east bank of the Vistula River, crossed it with 15 divisions and then approached Warsaw along both banks with 30 divisions total. The hastily raised levies were a poor match for the well-trained troops Kalmar and merely slowed an already slow-paced campaign.
The thrust against Warsaw was further slowed when Mikolaj #3 showed up with his well-trained and experienced forces. His attack south of Thorn checked the march up river and then the Poles circled around to the southeast and arrived at Warsaw in time to prepare for the city’s defense.
The siege didn’t officially begin until September and by the middle of October it was well under way. Both sides expected a long and miserable winter.
Venice’s part in the destruction of protestant Europe was to distract France and send aid to Austria. The Austrian effort would not commence until 1566 and was to focus on the recapture of Bohemia for Austria. France was a different matter. The plan called for an attack on Naples in May and then an assault on southern France itself shortly thereafter. The Treaty of Milan posed a bit of a problem. The capture of an independent Naples might not distract France at all from its efforts to eliminate the Order in Germany and could provoke Genoa. A compromise plan was devised. The attack force fleet would only try to capture the city and harbor and hold it as a forward base of operations for the invasion of France. Naples would provide a safe haven from the French navy and not require a large force to hold against any civil unrest. The rest of the state would be left “independent”. With high hopes 15 squadrons and 23 divisions sailed from Venice in late April bound for Naples.
Manlio Doria, the Duke of Naples, stood atop the citadel of Naples with his family and entourage. The Bay of Naples spread magnificently below him; it was filled with ships in a grand array of flags, pennants and billowing sails. 25 squadrons had been on parade all morning sailing into and out of the harbor as they passed the Duke’s viewing stand and fired salutes to his investiture. The celebrations, both in the villas and aboard ship continued far into the night. At sunrise on the 12th of May the town was still sleeping off the night’s party. There was none of the usual hustle and bustle that greeted a new day. Atop the watchtowers, the guards leaned heavily on their pikes and waited the smell of fresh bread from the Duke’s kitchens. It was already two hours late. In the harbor 75 vessels rocked at their moorings on an almost flat sea. Few crews stirred. A single sloop animated the scene as it worked its way through the maze of hulls towards the Admiral’s flagship.
As soon as his tiny craft touched the hull of the flagship, Giovanni di Salvadore jumped for ladder and scrambled up and onto the deck. He was known and passed the guard at the gangway without a stop. At the bottom of the short set of steps he entered the Admiral’s cabin, closed the door behind him and stood facing the sleeping mound across the small space. With his dagger handle he rapped on a beam just over his head. He rapped again a bit louder this time. A groggy head appeared from under the covers and stared at him for a moment. Recognition flashed in the widening eyes and a croaky voice uttered: “Ah…Giovanni! It is early, even for you.”
“Yes my Lord, but if it were not urgent, I would have waited. I have brought you this.” And he took two steps and handed the Admiral a carefully folded and sealed parchment. Giovanni listened as if he did not know the contents.
“My Lord, the Venetians have accepted your invitation to the Duke’s party. You can expect 12 to 15 guests of noble rank and their entourages. The gifts they bear look to be substantial. You should anticipate their arrival at Amalfi this evening and in Naples at an early hour tomorrow. It is unlikely that they are aware you have planned to welcome them in courtly style.”
“Well Giovanni, so much for sleeping-in today. There’s work to be done. We must make sure our guests feel welcome.”
By mid morning the harbor was quite empty and only a few fishing boats dotted the off shore waters to the south of the great bay. The Genoese navy had sailed west and north over the horizon. The plan was quite simple. As the Venetian fleet sailed into Naples at dawn to awake the Duke with cannon fire, half the Admiral’s ships would appear to windward and trap them all in the Bay. The other half would sink the transports that had unloaded the troops at Amalfi the night before. It should all be wrapped up by noon. He was off by six hours. As the sun rose on the morning of May 13th, there were no Venetian ships to be found off Naples or in the entire Gulf of Salerno. None. And the Admiral had no idea where they might be. He had been snookered.
Four days later the Venetian fleet anchored off la Ciotat between Marseille and Toulon. 23 divisions disembarked. Toulon was besieged within a week and the harbor of Marseille reduced greatly through unrestricted cannon fire. The French resistance was minimal and with Toulon isolated the Venetian troops advanced up the Rhone towards Lyons. They would be cautious until Toulon fell, which it did in late June. With the coast secure and peace with Genoa, they prepared to march north, but the advance was halted unexpectedly. French troops on their way back from Constantinople had landed in Sete to the west. In the ensuing campaign their threats to Marseille and to the Venetian troops along the Rhone held any further gains to Venice at a minimum. By year’s end, Lyons was still securely in French hands.
Outcomes:
-8 divs France
-9 divs Venice
The unexpected can happen:
1565: Famine in Central China because of flooding along the upper Yellow River -1 population China
1566: Cocoliztli kills tens of thousands in Mexico -1 EP lost economy
1567: Mississippi floods kill thousands in Cahokia
1568: Mauna Loa erupts; plumes of smoke attract the attention of Japanese sailors.
1569: The world escapes.
Europe bleeds once again…
1565 did not bring relief from war. In fact war took on a renewed vigor in many places. Europe was alive with armies on the move Over two hundred divisions took to the field from Madrid to Moscow and all of them were expecting battlefield success and lots of booty. The complex web of treaties and agreements was fraught with unexpected perils and opportunity for deception. As the new year turned it appeared that France and Brandenburg were still aligned against Poland and the Order of St. Stephen; Kalmar and Poland had agreed to peace; and that Greece, Austria, France, Muscovy, Safavid Persia & Spain were all bent on finishing off the Ottoman Empire, but new alliances had been forged in secret and when the armies marched all was not what it seemed.
Palace of Antonio Doria January 1565
The treaty of Milan was announced early in the year. And it was accompanied by a Papal declaration of the new Kingdom of Greater Genoa that took the Treaty of Milan one step further and blessed the immediate union of Genoa and Tuscany, as well as, the forthcoming addition of Milan and Savoy and the installation of Manlio Doria as the Duke of Naples. The spring calendar was an impressive one:
• In April the Doge Antonio Doria would be crowned King by the Pope himself
• In May the Genoese & Tuscan fleets would deliver Duke Manilo to Naples in grand style for his enthronement
• By June the political union of Tuscany and Genoa would be complete
• The military and economic fusion would follow over the summer.
At about the same time that Italians rejoiced at their good fortune, far to the north in the Baltic port of Danzig, the Kalmar fleet arrived to remove its troops from Poland. But instead of embarking, forty divisions disembarked and made ready for battle. The “white peace” between Kalmar and Poland was not to be. The hoped for peace was gone and even before the spring crops were planted, peasants fled to the forests and hills and shopkeepers sold cautiously lest they invite trouble.
Halfway around the world, the regency that ruled Khmer until Prince Virote Niran ascended the throne made peace with China and the squabble over Annam cooled as the tension subsided. The Chinese lords took this peaceful interlude to bring rebellious factions to their knees and bow before the Mandate of Heaven.
From the west couriers brought news of peace between Spain and Calusa, a peace supported by the Pope with blessings and gold. Calusan discussions with the Aztecs were on again and off again, but even as peace was elusive, the warriors remained bored in their camps and forts.
Constantinople 1565
Abdullah Qabazard was now a full general. Perhaps the promotion came because of his skills against the Greeks and Europeans, or perhaps, it came because he had survived. So many had not. In the spring of 1565 it was clear that the Empire was lost. Russians, Greeks, Austrians, Franks, Spaniards and even the Portuguese were expected to be there when the assault came. It was an unholy host if ever there was one and Istanbul would fall. But secret deals were made and he had followed orders. The most dangerous part was getting the Sultan, his treasury and court across Anatolia to the now safe lands of Persia. Abdullah’s cavalry had been the rear guard and the last to leave, the last to glimpse the Golden Horn and the spires of the City. The horsemen were followed by a seemingly endless train of refugees who would make the trek south. Much of the wealth of the city moved with them.
From the greatest city of the world their destination was far to the south to the Holiest city of the world: Mecca. From there the Sultan would rule Hejaz under the protection of the Safavid Persian lords. What Turkish troops that could, would join them there. The rest he guessed would either melt away or die in some desperate stand for the glory of Allah. PBUH.
By summer the war was over. Constantinople fell without a fight. The many and powerful cannon did not pound the triple walls to dust. The intricate plans of assault and deception were discarded. The gates were not broken and ruined. Mass was performed in the churches and prayers of thanksgiving recited by all. It was all too easy so the generals resorted to squabbling about the cities fate. Who would reign there and how the land would be divided was not clear. Greeks and Russians had the strongest claims and largest armies. So to avoid coming to blows and to heed other more pressing needs for troops, the final disposition was left to later and the Muscovite Generals were given control of the city. The Greeks accepted Athens and Ionia. France, Spain and Portugal called their troops home. The Persian advance stopped east of Ankara and to avoid a war with the Safavids, a great swath of central Anatolia was left to its own devices for now. The Ottoman bureaucracy degenerated into local and regional centers of government; Christians quickly rose in stature and were treated well.
Outcomes:
+Hejaz to player status under Germanicus
+TC, RC Constantinople to Muscovy
+RC Athens to Greece
Monsoon season Pulicat 1565
The high winds and heavy seas drove many ships to port in the late summer of 1565. Up and down the east coast of India ships chose to lay over until the storms subsided. In Pulicat the harbor was particularly full and the unloading non stop for weeks. Horses, soldiers and cannon made their way from sodden ships to less sodden barracks. War was afoot in India and Bengal would be at the forefront. The rumors were wild and out of control all across the subcontinent and every independent nation within a thousand miles was, at one time or another, recognized as Bengal’s prey. But from but the most reliable sources pointed to the Portuguese holdings in East Africa as the target with particular attention on Zanzibar. It would nicely compliment Bengal’s southern trading post and provide a significant base for further expansion. The accumulation of Bengali naval assets along the Malabar Coast gave it further credence. It seemed like the rains would never end. Three weeks after the skies cleared, the winds that had been wet westerlies were now easterlies and destined for Africa. The ships departed and the counting began. All along the coast nervous lookouts watched and hoped more days would pass without a sighting. After ten days all breathed a little easier since the fleet was now beyond the sailing time to any of the subcontinent nations. Merchants trading with Africa hoped it would be a short war. Word would come soon as the traders fled home with their tales.
Venice April 1565
Michelo Vanguardio was new to his job. His father had bought him a position as a captain in the city’s military affairs department. His department made sure that dispatches and orders came in and went out smoothly and quickly. It was a safe job and his mother was quite pleased given the war fever that had overcome so many in Venice of late. Fourteen clerks reported to Vanguardio and it was his job to make sure that correctly copied orders went out to the right commander. At last, Vanguardio was important and would make his family proud.
Over the first few days his little department copied and disbursed a dozen dispatches without a single error. On the first day of his second week he handled another dozen, and 36 the day after that. The pace was frantic and kept getting more so as troops prepared for campaigns in Germany and somewhere overseas. But Michelo kept at it. He was lord and master of his fourteen clerks and let them know. He would not listen to their silly protests of too much work or that he had made an error. They were the ones in error if they thought he would let them run roughshod over his leadership. Finally after a fortnight of dizzying paperwork, the pace slackened and then dropped to almost nothing as the troops marched and ships sailed to their destinations.
It was tens days after that that Vanguardio was called into the office of the Doge’s chief military advisor. The questions were short and to the point: Why was the Germany army short divisions? Why had the replacement horses for the Verona troops been sent with the fleet? Why didn’t the orders of battle commanded by the Doge not match those now in the field? After a half dozen more such questions Vanguardio broke down. He didn’t know the answers and had done the best he could. It had all happened so fast and his staff had been uncooperative and resentful of his leadership. And surely it was one of them that were the trouble maker or perhaps even a spy. He was sorry, it would not happen again. He knew that it could all be corrected and he would send out new orders to fix all those problems. His grace need only wait a few days and all would be right again. Well, his grace knew very well it would not happen again and he also knew it could not be fixed. Only God knew the true state of affairs that was guiding the Venetian armies to their fates.
In fact, 23 divisions sailed with 15 squadrons for Naples. Another 20 divisions marched to Vienna to join Austria in the Catholic crusade against Brandenburg and everything Protestant. 5 divisions and 15 squadrons stayed home. Landfall along the Amalfi coast would be early May.
Jamal and the Night Visitors
Jamal rowed his fishing boat out beyond the surf before dawn every morning. He knew that the water spirits were pleased with his perseverance and dedication. He caught many fish before the sky was fully light and the lazy fishermen, who slept late, appeared. This morning as he rowed he watched his wife on the shore waving and dancing to his success. She seemed particularly animated this morning. He smiled, but did not stop to wave back. He could not afford to lose an oar so early in the day. It was when he came to a clunking stop that he knew something was amiss. It was a Bengali warship.
The Bengali landing on the coast of Bijapur came off without mishap. Even Jamal escaped serious injury. The adverse winds had put them three days behind schedule and the land invasion from Vijayanagar had already begun. The inexperience of the Bijapur army was quickly apparent and everywhere they stood to fight they were out maneuvered and outfought. They panicked easily. The second front along the coast prompted the wealthy to flee north to Amadnagar. Within two months Bijapur was entirely in the hands of the Bengali Army. All that was left was the division of the spoils.
Outcomes:
-Bijapur as nation
-3 Divs Bengal
May Day 1566
It was a glorious spring all over France, Germany and Austria. The rains were moderate and temperatures warm enough for an early planting. But, the many army camps made everyone very nervous including the Verners. Bavaria seemed safest and the family and key agents met in Augsburg to take stock of the world. They would monitor the ongoing fighting from there and send out orders through their vast network of friends and associates.
The whole family, or as much of it as could be gathered, had come to Germany. Wilhelm and his wife Viola Doria were there with their sons Peter (age 15) and Johann (age13) and the newest family member, Alexandra, who was still under a year. Sarah Verner Brick came from Kaffa with her twins Dora and Michael who would turn 11 while in Augsburg. Oscar Brick was still in Chinas so far as they knew. Everyone hoped Sarah would have a recent set of letters. Paul Hansen was there from Cairo and most recently Constantinople. John Cabot had hardly set foot on the Lisbon docks when he received word to come to Augsburg. His tales would be from America and the land of the Mexica and Inka. Oscar’s father, Johann Brick, had spent the last couple of years traveling from the British Isles to Kalmar and back on numerous occasions and was glad to be back in Germany. Lastly, Antonio di Paolo had made the trip from Moscow, through Kiev, Warsaw, and Danzig.
Even though it had started off well, 1565 had been a hard year on the people of Germany and Poland. Few crops were planted and fewer harvested and what stores had been put away were mostly gone. If this year’s crops failed or suffered the ravages of war, many would starve. By the summer of 1565 Poland had sent three armies into Brandenburg. Two were aimed at Berlin and the last liberated protestant souls from the burden of life’s choices throughout southeastern Brandenburg. The overall plan had been quite masterful. Poland and the Order of St. Stephen, with newly recruited troops of the Empire, were to push hard to capture Berlin. Austria, with Venetian help, was to take Bohemia while Venetian troops captured Naples and pressed on to Marseilles. Even Spain had a part to play with a foray over the Pyrenees into France. The plan did not survive January and by May it was in shambles.
Kalmar was the most difficult to overcome, but the Polish leaders ignored them for much of the year concentrating on capturing Berlin. Mikolaj Radziwill and Grand Hetman Mikolaj Jazlowiecki led 23 divisions through Silesia towards Berlin. Field Hetman Mikolaj Sieniawski (apparently being named “Mikolaj” guaranteed a high ranking position in the Polish army at this time) commanded 9 divisions, but his planned attack had to be redirected to oppose the advancing Kalmar troops, as soon as, the quickly raised levies bolted and ran in the face of organized gunfire. Austrian aid could not be counted on until 1566 so the Poles were stretched very thin.
As the summer campaign season got underway the Order of St. Stephen lightly guarded its holdings along the Rhine and focused its energy against Brandenburg. They crossed the Elbe mid summer at Werben. Brandenburg was slow in raising its troops and threw them at the enemy as fast as they took to the field. The “Mikolaj Twins” (Radziwill and Jazlowiecki) as they were called by the Germans, worked their armies brilliantly. First one would pin the Germans then the other would turn the flank and force a retreat. Then they would change roles and do it all over again. One battle at a time, they worked their way up the south bank of the Oder to Frankfort and then turned west. As the front narrowed in anticipation of an attack on Berlin, the Germans defense got stiffer and better prepared. If the Order could close the back door, the campaign could end with the capture of the Brandenburg capital.
The Battle of Havel 1565
The season’s pivotal battle took place on October 20th at Havelberg. The Emperor, 16 divisions and 700 knights caught 20 Brandenburg divisions awkwardly on two sides of the Havel River. Without support six German divisions collapsed in the morning battle and fled south away from the field. Bellimus had his chance now for a “killing blow” against his current foe and to seal the fate of Berlin. His troops captured two bridges across the river and pushed the defenders into further disorder. His knights, wisely held in reserve, were fresh. They went south as if to pursue the fleeing troops from the morning’s fight, but were to cross the river to approach the remaining Germans from the rear and pin them between the Havel and the Elbe. The open fields would be a perfect setting for the charging horsemen.
The infantry battle raged and slowed giving the Germans time to better organize their defense. Bellimus waited for his knights. His optimism turned to concern. Now his troops west of the Havel were in peril and the knights were nowhere to be seen. Attrition was thinning both armies quickly. It wasn’t until four in the afternoon (2 hours late) that the trumpets of the knights sounded their arrival. But, by then it was too late. The Germans had regained control and reordered their troops. It was a simple matter to redirect two divisions and hold them in wait of the coming charge. As expected the charge failed and the few survivors fled without ever engaging the infantry.
It wasn’t until the next day that the Emperor learned what had happened. The ford across the Havel was not where the map said it was and, in addition to being further away, it was not well marked. The knights had gotten lost.
Berlin was saved for now and an early winter descended all across Germany driving the armies to seek warm winter quarters.
France in the Rhineland
The French advance in the Rhineland was mostly unimpeded and they pushed the Knights of St Stephen north and away. Their occupation brought a welcome peace and order. They would have continued al the way to Berlin had not events in Marseille not been of concern.
Outcomes:
-15 divs Brandenburg
-8 divs St Stephen
-575 knights St Stephen
-5 divs Poland
-2 divs France
Poland 1565: The Valley of the Vistula
Several hundred miles to the east it was a very different story. The Kalmar army spent the spring securing their holdings and trouncing the poorly organized Catholic resistance all along the coast. As April turned to May and summer waxed, The Scandinavian troops looked to expand. The bulk of the army moved south along the east bank of the Vistula River, crossed it with 15 divisions and then approached Warsaw along both banks with 30 divisions total. The hastily raised levies were a poor match for the well-trained troops Kalmar and merely slowed an already slow-paced campaign.
The thrust against Warsaw was further slowed when Mikolaj #3 showed up with his well-trained and experienced forces. His attack south of Thorn checked the march up river and then the Poles circled around to the southeast and arrived at Warsaw in time to prepare for the city’s defense.
The siege didn’t officially begin until September and by the middle of October it was well under way. Both sides expected a long and miserable winter.
Venice’s part in the destruction of protestant Europe was to distract France and send aid to Austria. The Austrian effort would not commence until 1566 and was to focus on the recapture of Bohemia for Austria. France was a different matter. The plan called for an attack on Naples in May and then an assault on southern France itself shortly thereafter. The Treaty of Milan posed a bit of a problem. The capture of an independent Naples might not distract France at all from its efforts to eliminate the Order in Germany and could provoke Genoa. A compromise plan was devised. The attack force fleet would only try to capture the city and harbor and hold it as a forward base of operations for the invasion of France. Naples would provide a safe haven from the French navy and not require a large force to hold against any civil unrest. The rest of the state would be left “independent”. With high hopes 15 squadrons and 23 divisions sailed from Venice in late April bound for Naples.
Manlio Doria, the Duke of Naples, stood atop the citadel of Naples with his family and entourage. The Bay of Naples spread magnificently below him; it was filled with ships in a grand array of flags, pennants and billowing sails. 25 squadrons had been on parade all morning sailing into and out of the harbor as they passed the Duke’s viewing stand and fired salutes to his investiture. The celebrations, both in the villas and aboard ship continued far into the night. At sunrise on the 12th of May the town was still sleeping off the night’s party. There was none of the usual hustle and bustle that greeted a new day. Atop the watchtowers, the guards leaned heavily on their pikes and waited the smell of fresh bread from the Duke’s kitchens. It was already two hours late. In the harbor 75 vessels rocked at their moorings on an almost flat sea. Few crews stirred. A single sloop animated the scene as it worked its way through the maze of hulls towards the Admiral’s flagship.
As soon as his tiny craft touched the hull of the flagship, Giovanni di Salvadore jumped for ladder and scrambled up and onto the deck. He was known and passed the guard at the gangway without a stop. At the bottom of the short set of steps he entered the Admiral’s cabin, closed the door behind him and stood facing the sleeping mound across the small space. With his dagger handle he rapped on a beam just over his head. He rapped again a bit louder this time. A groggy head appeared from under the covers and stared at him for a moment. Recognition flashed in the widening eyes and a croaky voice uttered: “Ah…Giovanni! It is early, even for you.”
“Yes my Lord, but if it were not urgent, I would have waited. I have brought you this.” And he took two steps and handed the Admiral a carefully folded and sealed parchment. Giovanni listened as if he did not know the contents.
“My Lord, the Venetians have accepted your invitation to the Duke’s party. You can expect 12 to 15 guests of noble rank and their entourages. The gifts they bear look to be substantial. You should anticipate their arrival at Amalfi this evening and in Naples at an early hour tomorrow. It is unlikely that they are aware you have planned to welcome them in courtly style.”
“Well Giovanni, so much for sleeping-in today. There’s work to be done. We must make sure our guests feel welcome.”
By mid morning the harbor was quite empty and only a few fishing boats dotted the off shore waters to the south of the great bay. The Genoese navy had sailed west and north over the horizon. The plan was quite simple. As the Venetian fleet sailed into Naples at dawn to awake the Duke with cannon fire, half the Admiral’s ships would appear to windward and trap them all in the Bay. The other half would sink the transports that had unloaded the troops at Amalfi the night before. It should all be wrapped up by noon. He was off by six hours. As the sun rose on the morning of May 13th, there were no Venetian ships to be found off Naples or in the entire Gulf of Salerno. None. And the Admiral had no idea where they might be. He had been snookered.
Four days later the Venetian fleet anchored off la Ciotat between Marseille and Toulon. 23 divisions disembarked. Toulon was besieged within a week and the harbor of Marseille reduced greatly through unrestricted cannon fire. The French resistance was minimal and with Toulon isolated the Venetian troops advanced up the Rhone towards Lyons. They would be cautious until Toulon fell, which it did in late June. With the coast secure and peace with Genoa, they prepared to march north, but the advance was halted unexpectedly. French troops on their way back from Constantinople had landed in Sete to the west. In the ensuing campaign their threats to Marseille and to the Venetian troops along the Rhone held any further gains to Venice at a minimum. By year’s end, Lyons was still securely in French hands.
Outcomes:
-8 divs France
-9 divs Venice
Arabian Sea Tales 1566
Suon Sok had been sailing the Indian Ocean for the better part of year now and he wasn’t captaining some small merchant ship; he was at the helm of his Khmer war junk. As they usually did on calm evenings, he, Oscar Brick and the ever lovely Mei Ling sat in chairs next to the stern rail and talked. Two topics had dominated the discussions over the last week: their brief visit with Ethan Dobias and his partner Luís Fróis from the Khmer government and two, the rapid build up of foreign ships and troops in the major ports along the east coast of Africa. Dobias had come up because they all speculated whether or not Khmer would respond to it all or if the sudden change in power in that nation would force it to focus inwardly for a while. The end of the regency on a technicality had been surprising in and of itself, but very quick assumption of power by Virote Niran was startling. None of them could guess what the young monarch might do, but they knew that eventually any news would find its way to them. Suon’s connections and informants were well-placed, widespread and quick to let him know when things changed. Mai Ling was now fluent in English, Thai, Hindi and Malay, as well as, her native Chinese. She was also 8 months pregnant. Oscar spoke passable Chinese and some Thai he learned from Suon, who now could converse in English. Mostly they spoke English except when Suon and Mei argued, and then they dropped into Chinese.
To predict the future and bet on the outcomes, as they often did, the threesome first recapped the past. It seemed that the collapse of Bijapur beneath Bengal had triggered a whole series of events. Early in 1566 the Persians moved ships and troops to Zambeziland and took control. In the process they captured most of the Bijarpur fleet that had fled in 1565. Five months later another expedition captured Khoisandland at the foot of Africa. Bijapur had disappeared from the maps completely. And something was up in East Africa. It was in Zanzibar that oscur heard about the destruction of the Ottoman Empire and their removal to Mecca. He was taken aback. When he left Europe, the Turks had been in command of the situation and well on their way to snuffing out the Greeks. The fall of Egypt was also new news and he wondered what Ethiopia was up to now that it had access to the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Indian Ocean. They knew that Portuguese was planning a war. It was obvious from the build up of men and ships and supplies. New convoys were a regular feature of port life in Zanzibar, and Aden, and they were pretty sure at the other Portuguese holding. When, and who was the target was the open question.
The strangest bit of news though came from the” foot”. In September 1566 a Malinese flotilla had put in at the now Persian port in Khoisanland thinking it was Portuguese. The Persians were alarmed by the unexpected arrival of warships and troop transports and boarded the flagship demanding explanations. As translators struggled to keep up, tempers flared and threatening gestures took charge. It wasn’t until one of the nervous Malinese captains opened his ship’s gun ports that things really got out of hand. The fort saw it first and fired a warning shot to alert the Persian ships in the harbor. The Portuguese thought they were under attack and everything went to hell in a hurry. This was all new to the Malinese navy (they have never been in real a battle) and their planning had not included war with Persia; at least not now anyway. Some of their ship tried to flee; a few opened fire on the Persians, and still others did nothing for some few minutes.
The Persians were more organized. The fort’s guns scored hits, especially on the transports. The outnumbered Safavid ships made good use of their skill and experience to punish the enemy ships closest to them. The “Tormentas in a Teapot”, as it came to be called, did not last long. As more and more Mali ships fled, few of the Persians followed for long. A number ran aground and never made it out of the harbor; they were claimed as prizes. In a panic the West Africans continued east where they regrouped over the following three days. A week later they “discovered” Madagascar and after a stop over for fresh water, they reached Zanzibar in another five days. As the Persians pieced together what happened from their own recollections and the interrogations of the captured Mali ships and crews, it became apparent that Mali and Portugal were closely allied and preparing to go to war. Nobody among the captured seemed to know the details and “vigorous” questioning produced no new information. Espionage was increased in the neighboring Portuguese settlement and all ship activity monitored and counted. All information was sent north to Babylon.
For Oscar, Mei and Suon, it was all an interesting game. Portugal and Mali were getting ready for war and Ethiopia was already prepared. Were they working together? Or did Ethiopia have her own plans? The obvious targets were any nations that weren’t Christian.
Outcomes:
+ Zambezistan Persia
+ Khosiastan Persia
- 6 Sqds Mali
- 5 Divs Mali
- 1 Sqd Persia
+25 Divs, 20 Sqds Mali based in IOS
+29 Divs, 20 Sqds Portugal based in IOS
Bulgarian Spring 1566
Ivan Kalashnikov hated the new warfare. The gunpowder contraptions were clearly the work of the devil and he would never touch one. But he did recognize their superiority over swords and lances. He wasn’t stupid, just set in his ways. They were machines of foul smoke and noise that killed and maimed with great efficiency. He would have nothing to do with them, but he did make sure his troops could use them well. As they weather warmed and dried, he was at the head of 15 divisions marching north from Adrianople. To his west 10 Greek divisions paralleled his movement. Constantinople was now in Orthodox hands, if not Russian at its heart, yet. Apparently a new war called; one that would involve real fighting this time. Ivan smiled. Polish Catholic aggression had provoked a protracted war in Germany and it was to be Ivan’s job to impale the Polish nation on his Russian lance to quiet their Catholic arrogance. It would be his pleasure to watch them twist and squirm.
Viennese Christmas 1566
The Verner Clan gathered in Vienna for the Holidays in 1566. The war news was, of course, on everyone’s mind, but there was other news too. France had acquired all of Genoa’s Vespuccica holdings on the Atlantic and they had been named, collectively, Nouveau Jerusalem. The King had chartered the French New World Company to facilitate growth in the Americas and Vespuccica. Many French citizens took advantage of the opportunity to emigrate. John Cabot further related that uneasy peace between Calusa and the Aztecs was holding. But as the months wore on the Aztec beachhead in Florida became lees and less tenable because of the difficulty in keeping it supplied and the deteriorating sanitation situation within the enclave. At the end of 1566, it was abandoned. North of Calusa along the western edges of Kalmarian America the squabbles and skirmishes with the native Iroquois were becoming more and more frequent. Well organized and effective raids sometimes resulted in whole towns of Scandinavians were put to the torch and the citizens killed or carried off. Nova Roma now that it was back in Genoan hands began to revive. As John talked he arrogantly puffed away on some of his private stash of Nova Roma tobacco. All the men were quite jealous and pressured him for some. He held out for most of the evening, but finally broke down and distributed his carefully guarded gifts: Small casks of the finest American tobacco for all the men.
Johann Brick had little to report beyond the details of the trade accounts, but he did announce the Swedish take over of Lapland. The new Swedish monarch had exerted his influence all the way to the Arctic Ocean. The Netherlands had declared itself a mercantile republic and made every effort to stabilize itself as the new controlling authority in the land. Great Britain completed its conquest of Ireland and intrepid Scottish captains mapped the Caribbean region of America.
When Mathilda could be pried away from her grandkids, she told stories about her trip the coronation of the new king of Bavaria: Albert. In light of the horror and disruption that has overtaken the rest of Germany, Bavaria has become somewhat of an island of peace and tranquility where lives flourished and art and education meant something. They also watched and learned from the wars around them. Sarah had news of Oscar. He had left China with his translator to make the journey home by sea via India and Egypt to the Ottoman domains. On his way he hoped to visit the ancient and mysterious Elephant Throne of Khmer, allegedly the richest and most powerful kingdom in the world. Oscar hoped to be home within a year. From the date on the letter he was already 8 months late.
The war stories always came later in the evening after the children had gone to bed or in the confines of the trading house offices. Trade everywhere was down. The risks far outweighed any profit so the Verners, like most others, cut back on goods moving between cities in the war zones. Zones, which by 1566, encompassed all of Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean.
Brandenburg was hard pressed to survive and only did so because the Order as a fighting force all but collapsed in the summer of 1566. France pushed hard early in the year and destroyed the last field army of St. Stephen outside of Bremen. But immediately withdrew from Germany to assist its own hard-pressed troops along the Rhone River. And it was that summer when the war was finally brought home to Poland. Warsaw fell to Kalmar who staked a claim to much of northern Poland. The combined Austrian and Venetian army took the field and easily chased Brandenburg from Bohemia in June and had orders to move north to finally crush the German defenses around Berlin. It was the day before they took to the roads that word came from the east. Muscovy had invaded Poland, striking for Kiev, and a combined Greek and Russian army had crossed into the Polish Balkans marching towards the Danube. The Mikolaj Twins asked Austrians to help against either of these enemies. The Austrians were reluctant to leave their Bohemian prize for war against their former allies of the Turkish campaigns, so they stayed put. Their Venetian allies went home and from there went to France. The additional troops enable them to expand their territory in southern France. But France was preparing for a counter offense in 1567. With resources dwindling the Mikolaj Twins backed off from Berlin to reconsider their strategy and raise what militia they could to slow the advance of the Russians and Greeks.
Outcomes:
-10 divs Muscovy
Off the coast of Puerto Rico 1566
Robert Morgan could not believe he had been so foolish. Some times it does not pay to listen to your subordinates at all. The plan had been simple and elegant. With help of Spain they were to invade Puerto Rico and loot San Juan. For a bunch of sailors they seemed to have trouble with east and west. In disbelief he re-read the orders that had been sent out:
So, on a dark night the Spanish troops landed on the beaches just north of Mayagnez on the island’s west coast. Ten miles to the north covering fire ricocheted among the palm trees. Two weeks later the Spanish troops were boasting of their successful invasion in the bars and brothels of Hispaniola.
“And the hand of God swept across the land like a tempest. At its coming it brought fire and death and destruction. At its leaving it left sorrow, charred towns and bloated corpses.”
In spite of being ready, the first weeks of the war were a hammer blow to Persia. Ethiopia, Portugal and Mali all declared war together and then struck hard. Sheikh Sa’id led 60 divisions into Gaza and up the coast. The Portuguese attacked Hormuz with 29 divisions and a diminished army from Mali (25 divisions) landed in Oman and along the southeastern coast not far from the Gujarat border. The Persian field army was 49 divisions of well-trained and confident troops backed up by prepared garrisons and scores of levies and local militia units ready to die for Islam.
The Battle of Hormuz 1567
At sea the 35 Persian squadrons based in Hormuz missed the landings by the Portuguese and Maliese troops. Perhaps deliberately, because once the troops were ashore the Persian ships were quick to appear and engage the 20 Portuguese squadrons and 20 Ethiopian squadrons defending the beachhead on the northern side of the straits. Determination was the word of the day. The aggressors could not afford to lose. To do so would leave the army to wither and die. And for that very same reason the Persian plans had been drawn up. The strait was only 50 miles wide and the north side a dangerous collection of islands and shoals protecting Hormuz itself. The transports and supply ships were anchored in the channels of this north shore. Portuguese ships patrolled the open water to the south while the fleet was anchored in the deep water where the strait turned south. The Ethiopian warships held station at the north end of the Bay of Oman some mile to the south.
The Persian plan was simple: their battle line came up the Arabian coast towards the Portuguese fleet closing the door on any ships trying to escape south. Another smaller flotilla of shallow draft gun boats made their way along the north shore among the islands to hunt down the transports and supply ships lurking there and driving them into the open water controlled by the main fleet. The winds favored the Persians and made maneuver difficult for the Portuguese unless they choose to flee south away from the battle. Few did. As the battle developed, the transports and supply ships mixed with the warships, adding to the confusion. An afternoon wind shift to the north provided the Portuguese with more maneuverability and an opportunity to reorganize their remaining ships. But the damage was already done and little came of the effort. Signal flags ordered the fleet south to any safety the Ethiopians might provide. As the Portuguese assessed their losses the following day, it appeared that flotilla of transports and supply ships had been badly decimated and warship losses unexpectedly high. Only six squadrons would be ready to fight again soon.
The second battle of Hormuz
With their army and whole campaign at risk, the Portuguese were determined to retake control of the strait and command of the sea lanes. With strong southerly winds behind them the Ethiopians and a few Portuguese sailed north in a double line looking for trouble. Two lines of Persian warships met them 12 miles off Ras Musandam. The warp of Persia locked tight with the weft of Ethiopia and they pounded each other with round shot for half a day. Then, as if on a signal, stiff winds cleared the smoke and the firing stopped. Both sides could see the damage done. Wreckage was everywhere. No ship unscathed. The Ethiopians had held their own and when the Persians began to collect themselves and sail west up the Gulf, they realized they might have won.
Outcomes:
-15 sqds Portugal
-12 sqds Ethiopia
-supply and transport capability Portugal & Ethiopia
-24 sqds Persia
The land war in southern Persia was a difficult grind. The Portuguese and Mali armies did poorly in the heat and dryness of the desert. With only the inadequate Malinese supply ships to keep everyone with food, water and ammunition, none of the armies was well served. The forbidding landscape of rugged dry mountains made the fighting against local levies of jihadist militia difficult and limited progress inland was made. Sickness and disease became the worst enemies as the campaign continued into the following years. Hormuz held out in spite of repeated efforts to capture it. Where strength and sure defense was needed, the Persian regular army was up to the task. In the Holy Land Most of the Ethiopian plans were fulfilled, but a general uprising among the vehement shiite population made further extension difficult and dangerous, In 1568, the Mughals seeing opportunity to take advantage of Persian attentions elsewhere, invaded the northeast in an attempt to capture Samarqand. Guerilla warfare rather than pitched battles favored the Persian levies and religious fanatics, so progress was slow, but steady. Bukhara fell after a siege and the army was prepared to pursue the gathering defense at Samarqand.
Outcomes:
-29 divs Persia
-Hormuz as TC
-37 divs Ethiopia
+ Jerusalem as RC Ethiopia
- Jerusalem as TC
+ Bukhara RC Mughals
- 9 divs Mughlas
Travelers Notes of 1568 & 9
Portuguese expansion continues worldwide: A small expeditionary force to Korea establishes a trading post between the Chinese border and the expanding Japanese holdings, but explorers sent east across the pacific are never heard from again. Two other expeditions attempt settlements in far places. A small trading post was established in a far corner of ANZ and another in Indonesia. When a Portuguese captain visited the Indonesian settlement a year late in 1569, it was in desperate shape. Repeated attacks by local natives (surprisingly well armed with guns) had reduced the trading post to a small fortified camp hanging on for dear life.
Ethiopia makes efforts to integrate Egypt into its growing empire with administrative reform and incorporation of Islamic leaders and culture into Ethiopian society. Attempts to increase the number of traders using Aswan failed as they continue to show a preference for the cosmopolitan Cairo and Alexandria over the hinterland of Upper Egypt.
The conversion of the new Calusan Paramount Dasitoa to Catholicism despite his young age (12) brought many of the common people with it. Portuguese and latin became more widespread among the educated and this new brand of Romanism took on a decidedly “reformist” look. Miracle stories and the lives of the Saints became popular among the people and the revered Torno quickly achieved sainthood.
In Europe in the ensuing years war fatigue and depletion of troops and resources took their toll on the campaigns. The Mikolaj Twins were determined to crush Brandenburg at any cost and in a last ditch effort threw everything they had at Berlin in late 1569. It was a costly victory. The Royal family simply fled and the city surrendered. As the attack on Germany sucked up all the military resources of Poland, Muscovy and Kalmar filled the vacuum with their armies. Kiev fell to Muscovy in August of 1569. For the Orthodox citizens of Poland the incursion of Muscovy was nothing short of divine intervention.
The Emperor held up in Cologne as his Empire fractured around him. France left him alone and turned to deal with the Venetians. The war stalemated in 1568-9 as neither side could move the other or gain appreciable advantage.
By 1569, the Khmer conquest of Annam was complete while China watched without reaction. Her colonies expanded and her majesty across all Asia was enhanced.
And in other little noticed news from Asia, the Japanese founded a way station midway across the Pacific that greatly facilitated trade with their trading post in western America.
NOTE: Cities that have lost TC status this update because of war, will most likely return to TC status once things settle down.
Suon Sok had been sailing the Indian Ocean for the better part of year now and he wasn’t captaining some small merchant ship; he was at the helm of his Khmer war junk. As they usually did on calm evenings, he, Oscar Brick and the ever lovely Mei Ling sat in chairs next to the stern rail and talked. Two topics had dominated the discussions over the last week: their brief visit with Ethan Dobias and his partner Luís Fróis from the Khmer government and two, the rapid build up of foreign ships and troops in the major ports along the east coast of Africa. Dobias had come up because they all speculated whether or not Khmer would respond to it all or if the sudden change in power in that nation would force it to focus inwardly for a while. The end of the regency on a technicality had been surprising in and of itself, but very quick assumption of power by Virote Niran was startling. None of them could guess what the young monarch might do, but they knew that eventually any news would find its way to them. Suon’s connections and informants were well-placed, widespread and quick to let him know when things changed. Mai Ling was now fluent in English, Thai, Hindi and Malay, as well as, her native Chinese. She was also 8 months pregnant. Oscar spoke passable Chinese and some Thai he learned from Suon, who now could converse in English. Mostly they spoke English except when Suon and Mei argued, and then they dropped into Chinese.
To predict the future and bet on the outcomes, as they often did, the threesome first recapped the past. It seemed that the collapse of Bijapur beneath Bengal had triggered a whole series of events. Early in 1566 the Persians moved ships and troops to Zambeziland and took control. In the process they captured most of the Bijarpur fleet that had fled in 1565. Five months later another expedition captured Khoisandland at the foot of Africa. Bijapur had disappeared from the maps completely. And something was up in East Africa. It was in Zanzibar that oscur heard about the destruction of the Ottoman Empire and their removal to Mecca. He was taken aback. When he left Europe, the Turks had been in command of the situation and well on their way to snuffing out the Greeks. The fall of Egypt was also new news and he wondered what Ethiopia was up to now that it had access to the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Indian Ocean. They knew that Portuguese was planning a war. It was obvious from the build up of men and ships and supplies. New convoys were a regular feature of port life in Zanzibar, and Aden, and they were pretty sure at the other Portuguese holding. When, and who was the target was the open question.
The strangest bit of news though came from the” foot”. In September 1566 a Malinese flotilla had put in at the now Persian port in Khoisanland thinking it was Portuguese. The Persians were alarmed by the unexpected arrival of warships and troop transports and boarded the flagship demanding explanations. As translators struggled to keep up, tempers flared and threatening gestures took charge. It wasn’t until one of the nervous Malinese captains opened his ship’s gun ports that things really got out of hand. The fort saw it first and fired a warning shot to alert the Persian ships in the harbor. The Portuguese thought they were under attack and everything went to hell in a hurry. This was all new to the Malinese navy (they have never been in real a battle) and their planning had not included war with Persia; at least not now anyway. Some of their ship tried to flee; a few opened fire on the Persians, and still others did nothing for some few minutes.
The Persians were more organized. The fort’s guns scored hits, especially on the transports. The outnumbered Safavid ships made good use of their skill and experience to punish the enemy ships closest to them. The “Tormentas in a Teapot”, as it came to be called, did not last long. As more and more Mali ships fled, few of the Persians followed for long. A number ran aground and never made it out of the harbor; they were claimed as prizes. In a panic the West Africans continued east where they regrouped over the following three days. A week later they “discovered” Madagascar and after a stop over for fresh water, they reached Zanzibar in another five days. As the Persians pieced together what happened from their own recollections and the interrogations of the captured Mali ships and crews, it became apparent that Mali and Portugal were closely allied and preparing to go to war. Nobody among the captured seemed to know the details and “vigorous” questioning produced no new information. Espionage was increased in the neighboring Portuguese settlement and all ship activity monitored and counted. All information was sent north to Babylon.
For Oscar, Mei and Suon, it was all an interesting game. Portugal and Mali were getting ready for war and Ethiopia was already prepared. Were they working together? Or did Ethiopia have her own plans? The obvious targets were any nations that weren’t Christian.
Outcomes:
+ Zambezistan Persia
+ Khosiastan Persia
- 6 Sqds Mali
- 5 Divs Mali
- 1 Sqd Persia
+25 Divs, 20 Sqds Mali based in IOS
+29 Divs, 20 Sqds Portugal based in IOS
Bulgarian Spring 1566
Ivan Kalashnikov hated the new warfare. The gunpowder contraptions were clearly the work of the devil and he would never touch one. But he did recognize their superiority over swords and lances. He wasn’t stupid, just set in his ways. They were machines of foul smoke and noise that killed and maimed with great efficiency. He would have nothing to do with them, but he did make sure his troops could use them well. As they weather warmed and dried, he was at the head of 15 divisions marching north from Adrianople. To his west 10 Greek divisions paralleled his movement. Constantinople was now in Orthodox hands, if not Russian at its heart, yet. Apparently a new war called; one that would involve real fighting this time. Ivan smiled. Polish Catholic aggression had provoked a protracted war in Germany and it was to be Ivan’s job to impale the Polish nation on his Russian lance to quiet their Catholic arrogance. It would be his pleasure to watch them twist and squirm.
Viennese Christmas 1566
The Verner Clan gathered in Vienna for the Holidays in 1566. The war news was, of course, on everyone’s mind, but there was other news too. France had acquired all of Genoa’s Vespuccica holdings on the Atlantic and they had been named, collectively, Nouveau Jerusalem. The King had chartered the French New World Company to facilitate growth in the Americas and Vespuccica. Many French citizens took advantage of the opportunity to emigrate. John Cabot further related that uneasy peace between Calusa and the Aztecs was holding. But as the months wore on the Aztec beachhead in Florida became lees and less tenable because of the difficulty in keeping it supplied and the deteriorating sanitation situation within the enclave. At the end of 1566, it was abandoned. North of Calusa along the western edges of Kalmarian America the squabbles and skirmishes with the native Iroquois were becoming more and more frequent. Well organized and effective raids sometimes resulted in whole towns of Scandinavians were put to the torch and the citizens killed or carried off. Nova Roma now that it was back in Genoan hands began to revive. As John talked he arrogantly puffed away on some of his private stash of Nova Roma tobacco. All the men were quite jealous and pressured him for some. He held out for most of the evening, but finally broke down and distributed his carefully guarded gifts: Small casks of the finest American tobacco for all the men.
Johann Brick had little to report beyond the details of the trade accounts, but he did announce the Swedish take over of Lapland. The new Swedish monarch had exerted his influence all the way to the Arctic Ocean. The Netherlands had declared itself a mercantile republic and made every effort to stabilize itself as the new controlling authority in the land. Great Britain completed its conquest of Ireland and intrepid Scottish captains mapped the Caribbean region of America.
When Mathilda could be pried away from her grandkids, she told stories about her trip the coronation of the new king of Bavaria: Albert. In light of the horror and disruption that has overtaken the rest of Germany, Bavaria has become somewhat of an island of peace and tranquility where lives flourished and art and education meant something. They also watched and learned from the wars around them. Sarah had news of Oscar. He had left China with his translator to make the journey home by sea via India and Egypt to the Ottoman domains. On his way he hoped to visit the ancient and mysterious Elephant Throne of Khmer, allegedly the richest and most powerful kingdom in the world. Oscar hoped to be home within a year. From the date on the letter he was already 8 months late.
The war stories always came later in the evening after the children had gone to bed or in the confines of the trading house offices. Trade everywhere was down. The risks far outweighed any profit so the Verners, like most others, cut back on goods moving between cities in the war zones. Zones, which by 1566, encompassed all of Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean.
Brandenburg was hard pressed to survive and only did so because the Order as a fighting force all but collapsed in the summer of 1566. France pushed hard early in the year and destroyed the last field army of St. Stephen outside of Bremen. But immediately withdrew from Germany to assist its own hard-pressed troops along the Rhone River. And it was that summer when the war was finally brought home to Poland. Warsaw fell to Kalmar who staked a claim to much of northern Poland. The combined Austrian and Venetian army took the field and easily chased Brandenburg from Bohemia in June and had orders to move north to finally crush the German defenses around Berlin. It was the day before they took to the roads that word came from the east. Muscovy had invaded Poland, striking for Kiev, and a combined Greek and Russian army had crossed into the Polish Balkans marching towards the Danube. The Mikolaj Twins asked Austrians to help against either of these enemies. The Austrians were reluctant to leave their Bohemian prize for war against their former allies of the Turkish campaigns, so they stayed put. Their Venetian allies went home and from there went to France. The additional troops enable them to expand their territory in southern France. But France was preparing for a counter offense in 1567. With resources dwindling the Mikolaj Twins backed off from Berlin to reconsider their strategy and raise what militia they could to slow the advance of the Russians and Greeks.
Outcomes:
-10 divs Muscovy
Off the coast of Puerto Rico 1566
Robert Morgan could not believe he had been so foolish. Some times it does not pay to listen to your subordinates at all. The plan had been simple and elegant. With help of Spain they were to invade Puerto Rico and loot San Juan. For a bunch of sailors they seemed to have trouble with east and west. In disbelief he re-read the orders that had been sent out:
Idiots! San Juan and El Morro were 100 miles to the east across a wilderness of unroaded jungle. The northwest point of the island was home to nothing more than sea urchins and sand fleas. He was sure the round shot would impress them and immensely. In the future he would hold off on the rum and whores until after the battles were fought and won.
So, on a dark night the Spanish troops landed on the beaches just north of Mayagnez on the island’s west coast. Ten miles to the north covering fire ricocheted among the palm trees. Two weeks later the Spanish troops were boasting of their successful invasion in the bars and brothels of Hispaniola.
“And the hand of God swept across the land like a tempest. At its coming it brought fire and death and destruction. At its leaving it left sorrow, charred towns and bloated corpses.”
In spite of being ready, the first weeks of the war were a hammer blow to Persia. Ethiopia, Portugal and Mali all declared war together and then struck hard. Sheikh Sa’id led 60 divisions into Gaza and up the coast. The Portuguese attacked Hormuz with 29 divisions and a diminished army from Mali (25 divisions) landed in Oman and along the southeastern coast not far from the Gujarat border. The Persian field army was 49 divisions of well-trained and confident troops backed up by prepared garrisons and scores of levies and local militia units ready to die for Islam.
The Battle of Hormuz 1567
At sea the 35 Persian squadrons based in Hormuz missed the landings by the Portuguese and Maliese troops. Perhaps deliberately, because once the troops were ashore the Persian ships were quick to appear and engage the 20 Portuguese squadrons and 20 Ethiopian squadrons defending the beachhead on the northern side of the straits. Determination was the word of the day. The aggressors could not afford to lose. To do so would leave the army to wither and die. And for that very same reason the Persian plans had been drawn up. The strait was only 50 miles wide and the north side a dangerous collection of islands and shoals protecting Hormuz itself. The transports and supply ships were anchored in the channels of this north shore. Portuguese ships patrolled the open water to the south while the fleet was anchored in the deep water where the strait turned south. The Ethiopian warships held station at the north end of the Bay of Oman some mile to the south.
The Persian plan was simple: their battle line came up the Arabian coast towards the Portuguese fleet closing the door on any ships trying to escape south. Another smaller flotilla of shallow draft gun boats made their way along the north shore among the islands to hunt down the transports and supply ships lurking there and driving them into the open water controlled by the main fleet. The winds favored the Persians and made maneuver difficult for the Portuguese unless they choose to flee south away from the battle. Few did. As the battle developed, the transports and supply ships mixed with the warships, adding to the confusion. An afternoon wind shift to the north provided the Portuguese with more maneuverability and an opportunity to reorganize their remaining ships. But the damage was already done and little came of the effort. Signal flags ordered the fleet south to any safety the Ethiopians might provide. As the Portuguese assessed their losses the following day, it appeared that flotilla of transports and supply ships had been badly decimated and warship losses unexpectedly high. Only six squadrons would be ready to fight again soon.
The second battle of Hormuz
With their army and whole campaign at risk, the Portuguese were determined to retake control of the strait and command of the sea lanes. With strong southerly winds behind them the Ethiopians and a few Portuguese sailed north in a double line looking for trouble. Two lines of Persian warships met them 12 miles off Ras Musandam. The warp of Persia locked tight with the weft of Ethiopia and they pounded each other with round shot for half a day. Then, as if on a signal, stiff winds cleared the smoke and the firing stopped. Both sides could see the damage done. Wreckage was everywhere. No ship unscathed. The Ethiopians had held their own and when the Persians began to collect themselves and sail west up the Gulf, they realized they might have won.
Outcomes:
-15 sqds Portugal
-12 sqds Ethiopia
-supply and transport capability Portugal & Ethiopia
-24 sqds Persia
The land war in southern Persia was a difficult grind. The Portuguese and Mali armies did poorly in the heat and dryness of the desert. With only the inadequate Malinese supply ships to keep everyone with food, water and ammunition, none of the armies was well served. The forbidding landscape of rugged dry mountains made the fighting against local levies of jihadist militia difficult and limited progress inland was made. Sickness and disease became the worst enemies as the campaign continued into the following years. Hormuz held out in spite of repeated efforts to capture it. Where strength and sure defense was needed, the Persian regular army was up to the task. In the Holy Land Most of the Ethiopian plans were fulfilled, but a general uprising among the vehement shiite population made further extension difficult and dangerous, In 1568, the Mughals seeing opportunity to take advantage of Persian attentions elsewhere, invaded the northeast in an attempt to capture Samarqand. Guerilla warfare rather than pitched battles favored the Persian levies and religious fanatics, so progress was slow, but steady. Bukhara fell after a siege and the army was prepared to pursue the gathering defense at Samarqand.
Outcomes:
-29 divs Persia
-Hormuz as TC
-37 divs Ethiopia
+ Jerusalem as RC Ethiopia
- Jerusalem as TC
+ Bukhara RC Mughals
- 9 divs Mughlas
Travelers Notes of 1568 & 9
Portuguese expansion continues worldwide: A small expeditionary force to Korea establishes a trading post between the Chinese border and the expanding Japanese holdings, but explorers sent east across the pacific are never heard from again. Two other expeditions attempt settlements in far places. A small trading post was established in a far corner of ANZ and another in Indonesia. When a Portuguese captain visited the Indonesian settlement a year late in 1569, it was in desperate shape. Repeated attacks by local natives (surprisingly well armed with guns) had reduced the trading post to a small fortified camp hanging on for dear life.
Ethiopia makes efforts to integrate Egypt into its growing empire with administrative reform and incorporation of Islamic leaders and culture into Ethiopian society. Attempts to increase the number of traders using Aswan failed as they continue to show a preference for the cosmopolitan Cairo and Alexandria over the hinterland of Upper Egypt.
The conversion of the new Calusan Paramount Dasitoa to Catholicism despite his young age (12) brought many of the common people with it. Portuguese and latin became more widespread among the educated and this new brand of Romanism took on a decidedly “reformist” look. Miracle stories and the lives of the Saints became popular among the people and the revered Torno quickly achieved sainthood.
In Europe in the ensuing years war fatigue and depletion of troops and resources took their toll on the campaigns. The Mikolaj Twins were determined to crush Brandenburg at any cost and in a last ditch effort threw everything they had at Berlin in late 1569. It was a costly victory. The Royal family simply fled and the city surrendered. As the attack on Germany sucked up all the military resources of Poland, Muscovy and Kalmar filled the vacuum with their armies. Kiev fell to Muscovy in August of 1569. For the Orthodox citizens of Poland the incursion of Muscovy was nothing short of divine intervention.
The Emperor held up in Cologne as his Empire fractured around him. France left him alone and turned to deal with the Venetians. The war stalemated in 1568-9 as neither side could move the other or gain appreciable advantage.
By 1569, the Khmer conquest of Annam was complete while China watched without reaction. Her colonies expanded and her majesty across all Asia was enhanced.
And in other little noticed news from Asia, the Japanese founded a way station midway across the Pacific that greatly facilitated trade with their trading post in western America.
NOTE: Cities that have lost TC status this update because of war, will most likely return to TC status once things settle down.
World Economy
Wars put several regions in the tanker as far their trade economy goes.
Affects stats for Update ----- 13 --14
Europe: NWE, CE ------------ 20%-20%
Asia: CA, CJ, CC ------------ 10%-60%
N. Atlantic: ENA, MC, CAN ---- 40%-30%
S. Atlantic: ESA, WCA, AB ---- 60%-80%
Indian Ocean: ECA, IOS -------80%-20%
Med & Middle East: MED, SR -- 50%-20%
SE Asia: IP, ANZ, IA ---------- 30%-70%
Pacific: SP, NP, WNA, WSA---- 70%-70%
Central Africa: NCAf, SCAf ----------50%
North America: INAm ---------------50%
Total World Economy....34.7
Max World Economy......79.0
Percent of Maximum......44%
Wars put several regions in the tanker as far their trade economy goes.
Affects stats for Update ----- 13 --14
Europe: NWE, CE ------------ 20%-20%
Asia: CA, CJ, CC ------------ 10%-60%
N. Atlantic: ENA, MC, CAN ---- 40%-30%
S. Atlantic: ESA, WCA, AB ---- 60%-80%
Indian Ocean: ECA, IOS -------80%-20%
Med & Middle East: MED, SR -- 50%-20%
SE Asia: IP, ANZ, IA ---------- 30%-70%
Pacific: SP, NP, WNA, WSA---- 70%-70%
Central Africa: NCAf, SCAf ----------50%
North America: INAm ---------------50%
Total World Economy....34.7
Max World Economy......79.0
Percent of Maximum......44%
You may post. I expect to post the up date within an hour. I have bits of editing and checking yet to do
a_propagandist
The Light Brigadier
Does that mean that my population will go down?
I have some good ones too, but they dont make me unnervous. I thought that was my safer area.
It is up, Maps are next.
Perfectionist
Angel of Verdun
OOC: Very nice, very nice. A little disappointed that we took so many casualties, though. Also, what happened to our attempts to incite revolt in the north-west?
FROM: Ethiopia
TO: Safavid Persia
You cannot hope to prevail against the forces now arrayed against you, but we and our allies have no desire to destroy you. Are you willing to discuss terms?
FROM: Ethiopia
TO: Safavid Persia
You cannot hope to prevail against the forces now arrayed against you, but we and our allies have no desire to destroy you. Are you willing to discuss terms?
I'm a little confused, so I'll wait for maps to comment on events in my sphere.
Otherwise, brilliantly written as always, my dear moderator.
EDIT: Alrighty! I am eminently pleased with the results, in part because my sort-of-allies, the Greeks, ain't fighting me, and I got Bohemia. Mission: Accomplished.
Otherwise, brilliantly written as always, my dear moderator.
EDIT: Alrighty! I am eminently pleased with the results, in part because my sort-of-allies, the Greeks, ain't fighting me, and I got Bohemia. Mission: Accomplished.
Symphony D.
Deity
OOC: As I said: San Juan island and San Juan city are not the same thing.Wikipedia said:
El Morro is nowhere near San Juan. Captain Morgan may be a man of unique talents and opinions but he isn't stupid. Still, I can't argue with results... though I'm curious why the islands are still listed Aztec on the maps. Rest of the update is quite satisfying too, at any rate.
OOC: As I said: San Juan island and San Juan city are not the same thing.
Rest of the update is quite satisfying too, at any rate.
El Morro is in just NW of the city and island of San Juan. From the fortress you can see the city.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/saju/morro.html
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Nevermind. Nice update.
Symphony D.
Deity
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