Update 15: 1570-1574
1570: Year of Treachery
Indian Ocean Spring 1570
Suon Sok had said his farewells to Oscar Brick, Mei Lin and little Wuzhou, whose name meant five continents, south of Suez where they might make their way across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. He would miss them even the little boy who was born at sea and took his first step on a rolling deck off the coast of Africa. At the moment Suon was sailing south to Zanzibar where he would be joined by two other ships of his small and irregular navy. Everywhere in all the ports there was talk of the war and more war to come. Local leaders all along the great coast of Africa were nervous and hedging their bets on where the next trouble spots would be. Great flotillas of supplies flowed north from the “Foot” to support the troops invading Persia and Portuguese ships kept a sharp lookout for marauders. Suon was ready to pick up the pieces of any opportunities provided by any of the belligerents. The latest news was slim, but he was sure that more would be available in Zanzibar. Vijayanagar and Bengal had looted Bijapur and split the treasury (3 EP each) while Vijayanagar took possession of the land. Mali had 25 squadrons at Hormuz and Ethiopia had another 20 nearby. The Portuguese ships were spread up and down the coast, but appeared to be over 30 squadrons in total. The Persians, it seemed were well outnumbered.
In fact, the renewed Great War for the East, as it was being called by Ethiopia and Portugal, got off to a slow start in 1570. The Ethiopian offensive in the Holy Land seemed to sputter and the feeble eastward pressure on the Persian lines was easily contained. Both sides were a little worried because it was clear the bulk of the armies had gone elsewhere. As far as the Persian armies were concerned, the Portuguese were the first to discover where they had gone. The Persian attacks pretty much rolled over the Portuguese defenses at the Tigris & Euphrates delta and moved on to the east. The next enclave was better prepared and though much reduced held out. Supplies were getting to be a problem all along the Persian Gulf. Despite dominating the sea lanes, few ships rounded Cabo das Tormentas from Mali and Portugal. Unknown “brigands of the sea” had been raiding the supply convoys and Portuguese warships had been sent south to restore order. None-the-less the soldiers in Persia suffered greatly. General Mansa, grandson of Askia Musa himself, led the Mali troops in Arabia and as supplies came in they got the lion’s share. Those Arabian holdings grew while to the north their perimeter was diminished. It was a terrible place to fight a war when supplies were low and had to come thousands of miles over uncertain oceans.
As the Portuguese squadrons sailed south along the coast south of Zanzibar Portuguese holdings were in disarray. The forts and settlements taken for granted for so many years and neglected by the king were in trouble. The “pirates” had not only been capturing supply ships, they had been bombarding ports and local infrastructure up and down the coast and stirring up unrest among the natives. Local chieftains threw off the yoke of Portuguese control and rallied their people round them. Garrisons huddled inside forts and towns Further south the Persian holdings in Zambeziland and Khosialand had been stripped bare and abandoned. Had they sailed back north? Or had they gone west around the cape to make trouble in the Congo?
Towards mid year the Ethiopian plan became clear. On a moonless night both Batumi and Trebizond were attacked. The harbors were bottled up and troops landed. Local resistance was pushed inland and within a few weeks both cities firmly under Ethiopian control. With a casualness that spoke of arrogance and clear military superiority, much of the coastline was subdued. As the Ethiopians secured their position in the north, the Persians ground down the Portuguese around Hormuz. The European troops hired by Portugal were worn out and tired of this foreign war. The promised booty had not materialized and to merely live in this hell hole of a place was difficult at best. Too many men without enough to eat and drink was rapidly becoming just not enough to eat and drink.
Suon Sok met his captains at Zanzibar and much more of the story unfolded. The Persians from her new African territory had taken refuge in Vijayanagar where they were welcomed and re-supplied. Suon reasoned that those 12 divisions would be a thorn in someone’s backside soon enough. Of even greater interest was the news that a dozen or more squadrons of Vijayanagar ships had sailed west from Goa. When a week later news of the attack on Albuquerque by that same Indian fleet reached Zanzibar (the facilities at Albuquerque had been bombarded and burned, the Vijayanagar departed). Suon knew it was time to sail for safer seas; if war came to Zanzibar, he preferred finding flotsam and jetsam than being it. East seemed a good direction to sail.
An attack on Portuguese territory was not unexpected and local garrisons were reasonably well prepared. They hoped to hold out until the navy, which was everywhere, but no where in force, would come to their aid. The attack on Albuquerque focused their attention. 15 squadrons gathered at Zanzibar and another 21 at Aden. 5 additional patrolled the East African coast to the south. The Aden fleet sailed for Albuquerque. The Zanzibar fleet sailed north to Mogadishu. Word was sent to Hormuz to be on the look out: Bengal, through her ally had entered the war and more dominoes were about to fall. Fast, sleek, lateen-rigged craft carried important dispatches in every direction. Some made it to their destination; others did not. Two with charted courses for the “Foot” and beyond, did not make it. Two days out of Zanzibar they were taken by Bengali warships sailing north in a wide formation.
It is rare that war’s planned events happen as expected or even when they are hoped for, if they happen at all. It is even rarer that two planned events, even if they are not planned to happen together, do happen on the same day. Such was the 10th of September 1570 though. Mogadishu and Zanzibar were the places that day. The Vijayanagar fleet showed up early in the morning and laid waste to Mogadishu. There was no attempt to invade or control, just destroy everything useful to the Portuguese navy or any traders using it as a base of operations. The fort was troublesome for a while, but small landing parties sill made it ashore to burn what cannon fire had not destroyed. The Vijayanaga victory celebration was interrupted by the arrival of the Portuguese fleet from Zanzibar. A second battle began and, the Portuguese did have several advantages: they were fresh, had plenty of ammunition and they had a considerable edge in maneuverability. From the start, the Vijayanagar force struggled to reorganize and repel this new threat. The mutual destruction continued into the late afternoon when the Vijayanagar finally broke away into the approaching night.
At Zanzibar there was no avenging Portuguese angel. Even though the forts were better equipped to dish out effective return fire than at Mogadishu, it only meant the Bengali price of destroying the port was higher. Small landing parties added fire to bombardment and confusion. The port was pounded for hours and everything of value near the water wrecked or burned. Conquest was not attempted, just wanton destruction.
Outcomes:
-6 Sqds Bengali Zanzibar
-6 Sqds Vijayanagar Mogadishu
-3 Sqds Vijayanagar Albuquerque
-4 Sqds Portugal
- Zambeziland TP & holdings Persia
- Khosialand TP holdings Persia
Traveler’s Notes
The Safavid capital was moved from Baghdad to Tehran as the threat of war along the Tigris grew.
The Mughals dug in to protect their hard won territory in northwest Persia, as they trained new troops and improved roads and other infrastructure.
Northern Europe Spring 1570
As the cold and snow of January 1570 relented in February and March any hope of a peaceful spring dissipated quickly. Recruiting, arming and training were in full swing as the weather broke. The traditional Catholic nations of Poland, Austria and the Order of St. Stephen faced a ring of reformist minded France, Protestant Brandenburg and Kalmar, and Orthodox Russia. France was fielding over 30 divisions. The collapsing state of Brandenburg managed to raise 12 more. Kalmar had 16 already in Poland and 24 more at home. Muscovy had 24 in the field. Poland, with Papal help, planned to field 48 divisions, Austria 32 and even the Order of St Stephen mustered 16, and, in a surprising move, Sweden hired 32 divisions that no one knew the purpose of. To the south around the Mediterranean Sea more troops signed contracts to fight: Genoa supported 16 divisions and Greece 32. Not to be left out, Great Britain even armed 32 divisions. Spain was a bit of a mystery and an illness overtook the Doge of Venice confusing any efforts to focus military affairs. A rainy May and June was welcomed by all except the generals. July was hot and dry and so the wars began again.
Bavaria was peaceful island in the war torn Europe and it was there that the Verners collected their clan of family and associates for most of 1570. Bavaria was a true haven. King Albert was spending on education and peaceful pursuits for his nation. As a gesture to war that raged all around he did organized a small standing army that he could support. It was well trained in special tactics and had a superior officer corps. Trade flourished and manufacturing to support the war grew at a rapid pace, much of it due to the Verner’s capital that could not be invested elsewhere at the moment. Christmas 1570 was a particularly joyous holiday this year. Oscar Brick and his Chinese servant re-joined the family after many years in the Far East. It was to Oscar and Mei Lin that Pietro, Mathilda and Wilhelm Verna and Johann Brick got to tell the tale of 1570. Of course everyone else chimed in to spoil surprises, but that was part of the fun. Only Sarah was missing. She and the twins Dora and Michael were caught in Kaffa by the fighting around the Black Sea and could not make it Augsburg.
Even the beginning of this tale was difficult to find. Poland held Berlin, but was pressed hard by Kalmar, Muscovy and Greece. The Ottoman Empire was being hacked apart by the conquerors. France was under siege by Spain and Venice as it (France) tromped the Order of St. Stephen. By mutual consent and almost a consensus they agreed to begin in France and carry the story east through the Mediterranean, up through the Black Sea to Poland, the Baltic States and thence to Germany.
For France the summer of 1570 made things less complicated. Spain pulled its troops back across the Pyrenees and meekly sent a trove of gold (1 EP) to appease the French King. In a similar disappearing act the Venetian armies in southern France contracts were not renewed and the troops packed up for other lands and wars elsewhere. As this front faded to nothing, King Chretien sent embassies to Bern and Moscow to strengthen ties and seek support for the war in Germany, as well as, 6 squadrons to Vespuccica to be on the lookout for pirates. In May the King announced his heir apparent, 2 month old Prince Jean-Luc Mael. A grand celebration was held. France could now focus on Germany.
Genoa began the summer attacking Venice. 21 divisions and 50 squadrons made the attack on a woefully unprepared Venice. Its 15 squadrons tried to protect the shipyards where new warships were under construction, but they were simply overwhelmed. A few quickly raised divisions slowed the land attack that swept around and besieged Verona and extended its troops to the coast opposite Venice itself. Both cities prepared for long, destructive and costly sieges. A sortie of Austrian ships sailed from Split to aid the Doge, but a lopsided battle only resulted in the residue of the Austrian fleet being bottled up in Split by the Genoans. As both Genoa and Vencie dug in and steeled themselves for a nasty war, King Antonio of Genoa personally appealed to the people of Venice to save themselves and their city by turning over the Doge and his cronies. If they did so, all would be spared and Venice would join the Kingdom of Greater Genoa and its citizens would be not only spared the horrors of a war to the death, but welcomed as citizens of Genoa. It took the people of Venice less than 48 hours to usher the Doge outside the walls. He and his associates were escorted to Genoa. Two weeks later Verona followed suit and the war was over. As per an agreement with the Pope, the Papal domain was extended to incorporate lands east of Venice.
Outcomes:
-15 sqds Venice
-5 sqds Austria
-17 sqds Genoa
-Venice as a nation
-Verona as TC
Oscar and Mei Lin both knew of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, but they did not know that Muscovy had ceded Constantinople and their newly acquired land in Asia Minor to the Greeks. During a break for dinner, Oscar told his tales of the Persian wars and what he knew of it. The capture of Trebizond by Ethiopia was news to those in Germany. From there the conversation turned to southern Poland and the advances of Greek and Russian troops. From all reports it appeared that Poland had concentrated most of her troops around Kaffa. Neither the Greeks nor Russians were particularly aggressive in pushing forward from their previous conquests and by early fall Poland had retaken the most vulnerable of its land. A well-defended Kiev, however, was still in the hands of the Muscovites.
Quislings Delight
More successes would surely have come to the Polish generals had not events in the north not unfolded as they did. Kalmar pushed their borders to the south all through the summer until they were unexpectedly attacked by Sweden. Scania and Halland were the targets of over 30 divisions and they met little resistance. The Kalmar army was split between Poland and America with little left to guard the homeland. As the Swedish armies reached the coast they turned north towards Oslo which was besieged and fell before the onset of winter. Both Kalmar and Swedish fleets patrolled the Baltic in a series of ongoing skirmishes. Kalmar was determined to both keep her troops in Poland supplied, as well as, bring some of them home. Sweden was equally determined to gain control over all naval activity and destroy the Kalmar navy. Neither quite succeeded.
It was Sweden’s entry into the war that drew the Polish army north. It was an opportunity to punish Kalmar and retake lost territory. And by the end of the campaign season of 1570, Kalmar was losing ground along the Baltic.
The war against Brandenburg paled in comparison to sweeping battles of Poland and Kalmar. The royal family of Brandenburg went into hiding in North Germany while its armies made three attempts to retake Berlin. All failed. The Order of St Stephen marched 8 divisions to the coast where they boarded Portuguese ships and disappeared. Bellinus, 125 knights and 8 divisions fled east through Bavaria seeking refuge in Poland. Albert of Bavaria had shielded his kingdom from war and would have none of it. His little army stopped the passage of Bellinus, commanded the mercenaries to disband or fight. The hirelings knew a losing situation and made their way back to Germany. The Holy Roman Emperor abandoned his knights and departed secretly one night two days into the negotiations. The knights were stripped of their arms and horses and sent back to where they came from, on foot. By Christmas 1570 the Emperor’s whereabouts were still unknown. French armies swept unopposed into Germany restoring the independence of many states.
It was John Cabot who relayed the story of the Americas to Oscar. Kalmar had planned a major initiative against the Iroquois for 1570 and had stationed 12 divisions in New Sweden and 12 more in Nova Scotia. The rugged virgin forest terrain made European style warfare almost impossible. Whenever combat did take plac, though, the Europeans were almost always successful and they burned many villages and drove the Iroquois further into the hidden enclaves of their nation. The news from home that Sweden had declared war and attacked was a shock and the offense in the Americas stopped. But Kalmar’s troubles were just beginning. Great Britain had decided it was time to repay old debts and launched attacks against both Nova Scotia and New Sweden. 32 divisions landed in America just in time to greet the Kalmar troops pulled from the Iroquois war and ordered to sail back to Kalmar. Winter put everyone’s plans on hold.
Further to the south Genoa was spending on Nova Roma. Colonists and artisans sailed west, explorers looked for new land and opportunities and the great cathedral was taking shape in Italian granite and marble. The trading post even further south was declared Nova Byzantia. The last bit of news for the year trickled in among dispatches from Paris. French squadrons patrolling for pirates off the east coast of Vespuccica had come upon Portuguese transports and warships unloading troops hired by the Order of St. Stephen. The Portuguese ships were outnumbered 3 to 1 and couldn’t keep the French warship from getting to the transports. Three divisions made it to shore; the rest went down with their ships. Those troops who gathered on the beach to watch the sea battle saw all their comrades and supplies disappear into the Atlantic. The French abandoned them and nothing more was ever heard of them again.
By the time King’s Day rolled around Mei Lin and little Wuzhou had been accepted into the family in spite of her strange accent, queer ways and the unspoken, but certainty of the child’s parentage. How permanent was she and what would happen when Sarah finally made it home? “Que sera, sera!” was the answer given. One more piece of news from 1570 dragged itself through the Verner’s door halfway into January. Agents in Portugal confirmed the rumors that Portugal had had trading posts halfway around the world in distant Khmer, even among the Spice Islands. With that message came other ones too: the Empire had struck back and
Alderaan the Portuguese holdings were no more.
Outcomes:
-2 Sqds Portugal
-2 Sqds France
-6 Sqds Kalmar
-8 Sqds Sweden
- TPs in IP and ANZ Portugal
to NESers.
And one poem about me 
Which means, at least personally, I am not too broken up by a hiatus, though it is sad to see the most viewed and posted in single thread in NESing history close down. It was a good run.
