Kingdom of Jerusalem - A Modern Crusade

[Judge]

Kingdom of Jerusalem - A Modern Crusade

Country: Kingdom of Jerusalem (Created as a Vassal from Mameluks in 1419)

Settings: Normal/Normal

Goals: To became a regional power at least

Other important info:

I will role- play this one and in order to make the game more playable I have modified some conditions. I know that I am cheating a bit but it will make the AAR more fun. Otherwise it will be either a very short AAR or a very boring one. I will give you a background and in that background I will give hints on the modification I have made (in brackets).

It’s appropriate to apologize for any bad English since I am not a native English writer (Swedish actually). Comments on my English are most welcomed though!

The Background

Kingdom of Jerusalem was not entirely conquered by any Arab ruler. Instead the province that is known as Judea remained as a free state but it was forced to pay tribute to the rulers of Egypt and was in fact a vassal to the Mameluks.

Nevertheless The Kingdom was quite developed due to the extensive immigration from Europe that had taken place during the years. In 1419 the Kingdom had about 30 000 inhabitants (+20 000 app. from the set-up) and the major part of the inhabitants were Christians (free conversion of Judea).

The Kingdom had also attracted a lot of Arab blacksmiths famous for the knowledge of making swords and thus the Kingdom had become a centre of weapon manufacturing in the region (Weapons manufactory added).

The Kingdom had an army consisting mainly of knights from various religious orders like the Templars. This army was small but feared (offensive 10, land 8, military tech 2). The rulers in the Kingdom had, in order to keep the Mameluks out constructed a huge fortification that surrounded Jerusalem (+1 fortification).

The Kingdom was also quit developed in trading terms. Their traders organized caravans to Muscate, Isfahan and Alexandria and they used ports that were controlled by the Mameluks to trade with Venice and Genoa (trade tech 2).

In 1419 things began to change.

For a long time catholic countries had tried to increase their influence in the Arab region. In 1419 the Mediterranean was still important in trade terms and especially Venice tried to increase their trade with the Arab and Turkish world. The problem was that the Byzantine Empire was in decline and hence the rulers of Venice looked for an alternative trading partner in the region to increase the trade.

At the same time there was considerable unrest in Judea due to the fact that the Mameluks denied Judea a port of its own. A couple of Christian leaders travelled to Venice in order to get some support against the Mameluks. They had not high hopes though since they had been left on their own since the days of the crusades.

The delegates from the Kingdom met a lot of support in Venice when they arrived. During the meeting with high delegates from Venice they were promised a donation of 1 000 000 gold pieces (1000 gold) and in return Venice expected the Kingdom to rise in a revolt against their oppressor. The Kingdom also had to promise that Venice would be granted a trading monopoly in every province controlled by the Kingdom.

However, Venice was reluctant to directly support the Kingdom with troops but on the other hand Venice offered to ship over any knight that would volunteer in the revolt. The delegates from the Kingdom were most surprised, as they had not been counting on such support. This was way over their wildest dreams.

At most they had been hoping for some kind words from Venice, a written protest and perhaps a naval blockade or something like that. They happily accepted the terms put to them and returned to the Kingdom full of expectation. Now, the time had come for some real action; time to revolt and liberate the holy land.

To be continued

[Judge]

Part I, Ludvig and the Knights of Jerusalem (Background)

The delegates from Venice immediately sought audience before Ludvig Grammont the ruler of the Kingdom. He was of French origin like most of the nobility in the Kingdom. Ludvig rose to the throne on 15 August, 1405. In many ways he was a strong contrast to his father Klodvig Grammont. Whereas the latter, even in his old age, was an imposing figure, Ludvig, pale and slim, was more quiet and serious.

The former was a man who carefully planned his measures, experienced, and idolized by his people for all his improvements of the country, Ludvig a somewhat solitary, positive character, not easy to penetrate but definitely a man of action. Nevertheless Ludvig was great in his conceptions, great also in the energy with which he pursued his aims. The restlessness which led him ever to advance his aims often made him appear nervous and not less frequently hard and unfeeling; some would even say cruel. While his father never really dared to challenge the Arab neighbours Ludvig did not wish for anything else.

However during the years his hopes had constantly been shattered since he was unable to get some support from the catholic world. Ludvigs mind was now mostly set on retaining the little freedom the Kingdom still had. The recent development of Judea in terms of trade and manufactories was the work of his father. His father was also behind the immigration that had taken place since 1350 from Europe. Ludvig had followed up these improvements and the Kingdom was now in a pretty good shape in economic terms.

Ludvig had not lived all his life in the Kingdom. When he was young he lived in France for a while due to the constant threat from the Mameluks and the risk of assassination attempts. There he was put under the influence by Leonard of Clairvaux, a relative to the more famous Bernhard of Clairvaux known for his involvement in the formation of the Knights Templar amongst other things.

Leonard was a man of intense feeling and dedication and also a visionary man with strong religious conviction. Like his famous relative Leonard was a younger member of an extremely large family. He received a good education, at Châtillon-sur-Seine, the same in fact as Bernhard of Clairvaux. Ludvig stayed with Leonard and served as a monk in Leonards new order, the Knights of Jerusalem.

It was Klodvigs idea to send Ludvig to the order since he thought that it was a great benefit to have close ties to the Knights of Jerusalem. Of course he also hoped that this could be a channel to the Pope. Leonard on his behalf was most anxious that he too, like Bernhard, should create a famous religious order that could replace the Knights Templar. The order was, like the Knights Templar based on the rule of St Benedict that is amongst other things the renunciation of one's own will and the taking up of arms under the banner of Christ.

The first year was one of great hardship for the order. They had no stores and lived chiefly on roots and bread. Leonard imposed such severe discipline that his monks became discouraged, but he realized his error and became more tolerant. Leonard decided that it should be allowed to drink beer and wine and meet women one day a week; Saturdays. This could be described as an early form of casual Friday.

However Leonard insisted that only women with large breasts should be allowed into the camp. Nobody really understood this rule but Leonard explained that large breasts was a sign from above which indicated a great blessing. Though nobody really understood this explanation nobydy made any protests against this rule. Leonard was most pleased with all the drinking and other activities that went on and said that this made the Knights more devoted on the other days in the week as the Knights now recognized the devil more easily.

Every night Leonard sang some songs mainly about Bernhard Clairvaux like

“O God, by whose grace your servant Bernhard Clairvaux, Kindled with the flame of your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever”.

Leonards main thesis was the fact that the great disciplinary force for human nature is work; and that idleness is its ruin. The purpose of his work was to bring men "back to God by the labour of obedience, from whom they had departed by the idleness of disobedience". In Leonards world work was the first condition of all growth in goodness. It may come as no surprise that Ludvig after a while found Leonard a bit tiresome but nevertheless he really enjoyed his time in France, especially on Saturdays.

Suddenly his father died and in 1405 and he was called back to the Kingdom.

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Excellent! Wonderful idea. I like the writing, too.

I will read for sure... thanks for bringing this story here

Sasha.

[heagarty]

Great start! Intriguing characters, too.

Kingdom of Jerusalem AARs have, for some reason, never gotten too far (computer crashes, being abandoned, etc.) so I am wishing you luck and look forward to a long and successful campaign.

[Kurek]

This one looks good
*subscribes*
Keep it up

[Jythier]

Yay, I caught an AAR that looks promising before it got too far, so now I can make comments about it as it goes along... can't wait!

[Judge]

Gaijin, Heagarty, Kurek and Jythier, thanks for all kind comments

I will try to survive and hopefully with the initial help I will manage to continue to 1820.

I will soon release chapter II anyway so Ludvig is not dead yet.

Judge

[Judge]

Part II, Death and Love (1405-1418)

1405

The circumstances around the death of King Klodvig Grammont were most unclear but it was widely believed that he was poisoned by the Mameluks who did not approve of the recent reforms in the Kingdom. The suspicion that he was murdered was further strengthened by the fact that his face was blue at the funeral. The prospects for the Kingdom were now most bleak and most people believed that it was only a matter of time before the Mameluks would conquer the Kingdom entirely.

Ludvig reluctantly left France and Leonard and above all Amanda de Vaudimont who he had met on one of the infamous Saturdays (more of her later). Ludvig was considering the possibility of bringing Amanda along but refrained from doing so as he knew the danger she would face back in Jerusalem due to the uncertain future of the Kingdom. Leonard was very worried over the situation and feared that he would never meet Ludvig again. To put some courage into Ludvig he made a speech in front of the knights of Jerusalem on Ludvigs departure.

“Go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the cross of Christ with a stalwart heart. Know that neither death nor life can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, and in every peril repeat, Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

What a glory to return in victory from such a battle! How blessed to die there as a martyr! Rejoice, brave athlete, if you live and conquer in the Lord; but glory and exult even more if you die and join your Lord. Life indeed is a fruitful thing and victory is glorious, but a holy death is more important than either. If they are blessed who die in the Lord, how much more are they who die for the Lord!

Ludvig thanked his dear friend for his speech and then set sail for Jerusalem.

After the death of Klodvig there was a period of peace in the region and Ludvig continued the work of his father. He established new custom duties in the ports that were administered by natives, he raised the tolls exacted from caravans and sold monopolies of certain industries to rich Knights. All this were a fruitful source of revenue for the Kingdom.

Back in Europe Ludvig persuaded Leonard to do some propaganda for the Kingdom and through the Knights of Jerusalem a lot of young men pledged themselves to the coming war against the “Saracens”. Being favoured with many spiritual and temporal privileges, the order now easily gained recruits.

After a while Ludvig felt secure and called for Amanda de Vaudimont. Amanda was remarkable for the courage and persistency with which she opposed all attempts on the part of her father and brother to make her marry.

She had resolved from childhood to be the spouse of Christ. Amanda was very beautiful and her hand was sought by several princes. She was also equipped with perhaps one of the biggest pair of breasts that had ever been seen on earth.

When Amanda grew up she loved to listen to the tales of the Knights Templar and when she heard of Leonards new order she went off to seek the advice of Leonard. Leonard insisted that she should come and visit the camp where the order had settled down.

When she hesitated he assured her that she would find a particular knight, heir to the holy Kingdom, especially interesting. When Amanda understood that Ludvig was to inherit the holy land she decided that it was worth a visit.

She entered the camp on a Saturday and was chocked. Amanda found knights drinking like animals and she also saw a lot of naked women running around in the camp chased by drunken and horny knights. This reminded her more of the tales of the Vikings than those of the Knights Templar. Leonard explained that all this made the Knights moral much more motivated and added that these actions was sanctioned by God himself.

Amanda did not know what to think but she trusted the wisdom of Leonard. She decided to stay and after a while she found Ludvig in the camp. For once Ludvig was sober because Leonard had instructed him to take it easy with the wine from Hermitage in the Rhone Valley that he usually drank. When Ludvig set his eyes on Amanda he immediately knew that she was the one and they spoke all night about the holy land.

Ludvig found Amanda a bit shy and boring at first but , with assistance of Leonard, he began to persuade her to drink Hermitage wine and to join him in the camp during Saturdays. First Amanda was reluctant to visit him but when Leonard insisted and told her that it was the will of God and finally she let go off all restraints.

After a while she became the most popular women in the camp and she could drink several knights under the table (swe expression) after some training. Though her breasts were tempting and many knights tried to seduce her (when Ludvig was to drunk to notice that is), she allowed no man but Ludvig to touch her.

Amanda decided to move to Jerusalem to stand by Ludvigs side. The got married in 1406.

1406-1418

The years passed and the Kingdom prospered. Ludvid worked as hard as ever to develop the Kingdom and sent numerous delegations across Europe to seek support for his cause. Ludvig also wrote letters to Leonard and asked him to send knights to Judea in order to build up the army of the Kingdom which Leonard of course did.

Amanda gave birth to their son Baldwin (1417) and their daughter Cecilia (1418). She was extremely interested in the education of her children and devoted all of her time to this.
Ludvig and Amanda were extremely happy in their children. Baldwin was thus full of the most brilliant promise and Cecilia was a beautiful creature, warm and kind to animals as well as infidels.

The Mameluks were busy with their internal affairs and it was not until 1418 when the Mameluks prevented the building of a proper port in Judea that problems arose that would threaten the existence of the Kingdom.

[Judge]

Part III, Freedom and Disappointment (1419-1426)

1419

When Ludvig heard of the news from Venice he immediately understood the danger that his Kingdom now was in. If the news became public he knew that the Mamelukes would immediately attack. This meant that there was no time to lose. The money from Venice (+1000 gold) would arrive any day and he sent a couple of couriers to Leonard in France to gather knights and other volunteers as soon as possible. Soon small bands of knights arrived in Jerusalem armed to their teeth and ready to slaughter every infidel that were to be found.

The money did arrive and with them some ”Volunteers” from Venice as well. The preparations continued and a couple of months later the Kingdom could field an army of 10 000 knights. In addition small bands of knights continued to drop in from France every day and also from other places like Cyprus and Rhodes. Ludvig was especially pleased when he saw knights wearing above their armour a white surcoat with the black cross. He then knew that Leonard had answered his call.

Finally Ludvig decided that the time had come for action. In September 1419 he declared the Kingdom independent (Vassalage with the Mamelukes broken).

He also made a speech written to him by Leonard who had based it on works of Bernhard of Clairvaux.:

Rejoice Jerusalem, and recognize now the time in which you are visited! Be glad and give praise together, wastes of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has ransomed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all peoples. O virgin of Jerusalem, you were fallen and there was none to raise you up. Arise now and shake off the dust, O virgin, captive daughter of Sion. Arise, I say, and stand on high. See the happiness which comes to you from your God. You will no longer be referred to as the forsaken one, nor your land any more termed a wilderness; for the Lord takes his delight in you, and your land shall be peopled. Raise your eyes, look about you and see; all these are gathered together and come to you. Here is the help sent to you from the Holy One! Through them is already fulfilled the ancient promise, I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy from generation to generation. You will suck the milk of the nations and be nourished at the breasts of their sovereignty. And again, As a mother consoles her children, so will I console you, and in Jerusalem you will be comforted.

People in the streets cheered but at the same time everyone feared the revenge that would come but nothing, NOTHING happened!

This was not expected ! What would happen now?

1419-1425

A couple of years passed and there was still no sign of action from the Mamelukes. Ludvig continued the build up of the Kingdom and now when he did not have to pay the Mamelukes money anymore the economy was further strengthened. During this time Venice demanded back their money but instead of a repayment of all 1 000 000 gold (1000 gold pieces) Ludvig accepted a proposal of becoming vassal of Venice. Venice would then get back their money in small portions instead (The Kingdom accepts to become vassals of Venice).

1426

In 1426 Ludvig went to France to meet with Leonard and a couple of high officials sent by the Pope and Venice. The reason for the meeting was to discuss a military action against the infidels. Ludvig assured the delegates that the Kingdom was strong enough to act and Venice promised to help out with naval aid. Filled with hatred an eager to avenge his fathers death Ludvig was immediately prepared to attack the Mameluks but Leonard suggested that this had to wait due to their 100 000 strong army. Instead Leonard recommended Ludvig to strike against the Hedjaz.

Leonard explained that The Hedjaz was a much weaker nation and not in any alliance right now. The Hedjaz also oppressed Christians in Jordan and the Kingdom had been asked by Christians there to come to their aid on several occasions. Leonard was especially upset by this oppression and urged Ludvig to rescue the Christians in Jordan. Ludwig heeded the advice and decided to prepare for war against the Hedjaz.

In order to get some assistance Ludvig signed an agreement with Venice, Cyprus and the Knights that assured the Kingdom of military assistance. Ludvig felt assured that his allies would help him out when he declared war and when he returned to Jerusalem he immediately declared war on The Hedjaz.

To his great disappointment none of the allies would honour the alliance ! People in the Kingdom were in a total state of chock! How could this be true? Leonard was furious but Venice and the other allies firmly refused to honour the alliance.

In the Kingdom it was believed that this had to do with the threat from the Mameluks. Recently the Mamelukes had indeed threatened to enter any war if a Christian state would attack a Muslim state in the region (Mamelukes defender of the faith). As troops from the Hedjaz were rapidly approaching Judea Ludvig decided to act fast.

(Part IV, WAR and WAR will follow in a couple of days

[Hastu Neon]

Wonderful setup and starting... this AAR is worthy a careful reading!

[Judge]

HN, Thanks

Part IV, WAR and WAR (1426-1432)

1426

Ludvig gathered a cavalry of knights and met the Arabs in Jordan. The fight was hard but the Arabs could not withstand the massive charge from experienced knights and thus the infidels were slaughtered to the last man.

On 7 June Ludvig began the siege of Jordan and the attack on the main fortress began a couple of days later. Finally the Christian army managed to enter the main fortress from all sides and massacred its inhabitants regardless of age or sex. This was indeed a cruel act but Ludvig was not in the mood of showing any mercy towards the infidels after what happened to his father.

Besides, this was also a way of putting pressure on the Hedjaz in a coming peace negotiation. After the fall of Jordan Ludvig continued his march against Arabia. The troops he met was easily scattered and annihilated. The rulers back in Mecca seemed to be paralysed by the whole situation and called for help among their Arab friends.

1427

In November 1427 the Mamelukes declared war on the Kingdom and they were joined by the state Qara Koynlu. Now Ludvig faced a war on three fronts at the same time. The Mameluk declaration of war was thus most unfortunate for the small Kingdom.

This was of course not what Ludvig had expected and he also knew that his army was unable to fight against three Arab armies at the same time. Qara had a standing army of 30 000 soldiers and the Mamelukes had about 100 000 troops in their provinces.

The Hedjaz was quite weak though and Ludvig knew that his only chance to save the Kingdom was to make a quick peace with the Hedjaz followed by a short and victorious war against the Mamelukes. This meant that he had to continue his campaign against the Hedjaz until he could get a decent peace and leave Judea undefended. It was a risky plan but he saw no other way.

He raised as many soldiers he could from Judea and sent them all to Arabia. The campaign against the Hedjaz continued and finally Arabia was captured as well. Ludvig advanced through Medina and attacked Mecca. Ludvig now felt that he had some good possibilities to make a deal with the Hedjaz.

After some negotiations the Hedjaz accepted that Jordan was put under the protection of the Kingdom. This was of course good news but the bad news was that the Mamelukes were making their way against Jerusalem. The Qara army was also advancing against Jerusalem and Ludvig knew that he had to prevent the two armies from joining. If they managed to merge he would not stand a chance.

Since the Qara army mainly consisted of infantry and Ludwig’s army consisted mainly of cavalry he decided to attack the relatively weaker army of Qara before taking on the Mamelukes. Ludvig met the Qara army in Jordan and due to the open terrain the Qara infantry were massacred by the massive charge from heavily armoured knights.

Some Qara soldiers fled but Ludvig did not bother to hunt them down because at the same time the Mamelukes attacked Jerusalem. The Mamelukes made a general attack and penetrated into the town, and its small defence forces fled in their ships. The strongest opposition was offered by some of the Knights of Jerusalem. They held out for many days, only to be completely annihilated in the end.

Ludvig immediately headed for Jerusalem. Rumours told that the Mamelukes were planning on a huge massacre there on the remaining Christians. The Mameluk felt so sure of their victory that they decided to check out which persons they should sell as slaves first. They also made the terribly stupid mistake of leaving the gates open as they thought that the Qara army had finished Ludvig off for good.

Finally Ludvig´s army reached the gates of Jerusalem. Now he had the chance of revenge that he patiently had been waiting for since his father was murdered. Too raise the moral amongst his knights he decided to hold a speech in front of his men before he gave the signal to attack.

“Go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the cross of Christ with a stalwart heart. Know that neither death nor life can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, and in every peril repeat, "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." What a glory to return in victory from such a battle! How blessed to die there as a martyr! Rejoice, brave athlete, if you live and conquer in the Lord; but glory and exult even more if you die and join your Lord. Life indeed is a fruitful thing and victory is glorious, but a holy death is more important than either. If they are blessed who die in the Lord, how much more are they who die for the Lord!”

The Mamelukes took up positions outside the gates of Jerusalem as Ludvig approached. Ludwig’s small force had marched a long distance and had nearly exhausted itself to relieve the Holy City. Food was running low and a number of men were sick but the Mameluk had come to Jerusalem with an overdose of confidence, sure of their ability to crush the small Christian army.

The Mameluk army was lead by an incompetent Mameluk called Basar Al-Uma. His Poor leadership completely negated the Mameluk advantage in numbers and morale. By contrast, Ludwig’s small army was, despite exhaustion, highly motivated and Ludvig had proven to be an excellent leader in the numerous battles that had taken place recently.

Another advantage was the fact that the Christian army consisted only of cavalry and therefore it could easily deploy, allowing it to fight at full strength.

The battle that finally occurred was fierce and Ludvig fought along his men outside the gates and later in the streets. Ludvig was also lucky to receive help from the inhabitants who knew that they were to be massacred if Ludvig was defeated. Full of inspiration Ludwig’s army fought on and after a hard and bitter fight the Mamelukes was forced to leave the city but the fight continued outside the city.

During the battle Basar Al-Uma was killed and his head was placed on a stick outside the gates. The Mameluk morale plunged when they saw the head and by noon, the battle was totally over, with the remnant of the Mameluk army standing in defeat. Ludvig had won the day thanks to the excellent cavalry forces from the Knights of Jerusalem. Against these, the Mameluk superiority in numbers mattered little.

The Mamelukes fled but regrouped in Sinai. Their casualties were substantial but they still widely outnumbered Ludwig’s army. The Mameluk had been sure of a quick victory but now when the war did not go their way it seemed like they began to fear a Nubian attack in the south. Thus it came as no surprise to Ludvig when he suddenly received a peace proposal from the Mamelukes.

The Kingdom was requested to pay 20 000 gold in return for peace (20 gold - the whole treasury) which Ludvig gladly accepted. Some may ask why Ludvig did not continue his campaign after his initial victory over the Mamelukes and the answer to that question is that he did not have enough troops or enough money to raise new troops. Thus this was the only possible way to go for Ludvig and after all he had captured Jordan, which was his plan from the beginning.

1429

The Kingdom was now in control of Jordan and had been able to fight three Arab states at the same time. All this boosted the confidence of the young nation. The war had been very expensive and the economy was in a really bad shape.

The Kingdom was also diplomatically isolated. Moreover; due to the cowardice of Venice the Kingdom broke the agreement of vassalage (Vassalage with Venice broken). This led to some friction but during this time a great war raged in Italy so nothing happened. Ludvig started to negotiate with Castile and Portugal and signed an agreement of military assistance with these two states instead.

Anyway this was not a time to sit back and enjoy the situation. The Kingdom faced some huge problems ahead that required immediate action. The main question was; how to deal with the infidels in Jordan? Ludvig could not think of a better person than Leonard of Clairvaux to handle this matter! He immediately sent for him and promised him land for his order. Ludvig wrote to Leonard that his order would be “unknown to the ages gone by” History would prove him right…

Leonard gladly accepted the invitation and brought the whole order with him. When Leonard went ashore he recited Bernhard of Clairvaux:

“I do not mean to say that the pagans are to be slaughtered when there is any other way to prevent them from harassing and persecuting the faithful, but only that it now seems better to destroy them than that the rod of sinners be lifted over the lot of the just, and the righteous perhaps put forth their hands unto iniquity.

Leonard faced a tough task but luckily for him there were a lot of Christians in Jordan already and many infidels had already fled when they heard of the arrival of the Knights of Jerusalem. With the help of hordes of fanatic monks that accompanied Leonard from France he started to turn Jordan into a Christian province. On several occasions he had mass baptism of infidels against their will, and even the baptism of children without their parents consent.

You see, Leonard did not believe that all conversions should be free. Instead he thought that violence was a superior method and therefore he made people to choose between the cross and the sword and he found that they quite often chose the cross.

Ludvig gave land to the Knights of Jerusalem and placed the various areas under the command of a knight of the order, who was called a preceptor. This preceptor was charged with collecting the revenues, one portion of which was devoted to the support of his community, formed of a chaplain and some brothers the other portion being destined for the King.

The preceptor was also responsible for the education of the citizens and children were to be sent to Leonard’s centre of Inquisition outside Jerusalem to learn of the true faith. Leonard was a bit sad that he did not have to use as much violence as he had hoped for against the infidels but he knew that there would be plenty of work to do in the near future in other provinces and sought comfort in that fact.

[Judge]

Puh, I have had some tough problems with the 1,06 version but now I hope it is ok..(cross fingers). Well to celebrate this i will post another part today.

Part V, Baldwin and the new war (1433-1439)

Another project that Ludvig put much effort in was the reorganization of the army. Ludvig set up an army of light cavalry armed in Saracen style. These recruits consisted of Christian Arabs and poor Europeans that had answered the call for help. Altogether these forces barely exceeded 7,000 men so Ludvig still had to rely on the aid from the Knights of Jerusalem.

1433-1440

Baldwin Grammont

The glorious victory over the evil infidels allowed Ludvig to engage in the education of his children. He left Cecilia’s education to Amanda and devoted all of his time to Baldwin. Baldwin was very sensitive and intelligent boy and had a huge interest for religious and military matters.

Ludvig decided that Baldwin should go abroad and study law in Italy. Endowed with great energy and very talented, Baldwin studied law at Bologna 1428, where he took his doctor's degree, and then entered the service of the papal curia that he was offered by the Pope himself. On 27 February, 1432 the Pope made him Cardinal-Deacon of St. Eustachius, and in the following year appointed him legate of Romandiola.

This was indeed a quick career but it came as no surprise since Baldwin was an outstanding person of his time. On 17 March, 1433 Baldwin set out for Bologna, where, until 1434, he proved himself an astute financial administrator of the papal territory, as well as a skilful statesman and able commander. In 1434 he was called back to the Kingdom as Ludvig had a new mission for him in the coming war.

In 1434 the Kingdom was at last prepared for a holy war again and Ludvig decided it was time to take up the war against the Hedjaz. The evil bastards there had been severely smashed in the last war and they had not yet recovered from it so Ludvig assumed that it was an easy target.

Leonard fully supported a war against the evil infidels and started to gather his knights for the glorious war. In this year an incident occurred on the border to Arabia (controlled by the Hedjaz). A knight of Jerusalem had crossed the border to make some mission in Arabia and thereby help the infidels there. Instead of showing gratitude towards this noble gesture some infidels had cut off his head.

This angered Ludvig and especially Leonard and in order to prevent the infidels from harassing any more Christians the Kingdom declared war on the Hedjaz. Ludvig led his army in the crusade against the infidels with the assistance of Baldwin.

The recent development angered the Muslim world and in 1435 the back stabbing Mameluks joined by their ally Qara declared war on the Kingdom. Castile and Portugal joined the Kingdom in the coming war against the hordes from hell.

Ludvig laid siege to Arabia and captured the province in 1435. Then he started to siege Medina. Since the Mameluk army were heading for Jerusalem he left the command in Arabia to Baldwin and returned to Jerusalem in head of an army of heavily armed knights. On the way to Jerusalem he annihilated a small army from Qara and the Qara army would after this not intervene in the war anymore.

At the same time Baldwin attacked Medina with only a smaller detachment of knights and put to flight an army of four thousand Arabs. According to some Baldwin had, with a stroke of the sword, hewn an Arab horseman through the middle so that his body fell in two equal halves.

This great victory convinced the Hedjaz to hand over Medina and Arabia to the Kingdom in return for peace. After his glorious victory Baldwin also began to march on Jerusalem to join the main army.

Soon troops from Castile and Portugal arrived in Judea and the combined army from Castile and Portugal engaged the Mameluk army in Jordan. The Mameluk cavalry proved to be superior to the infantry from the Iberian Peninsula. When the cruel and evil Mameluks for once had gained the upper hand they most cowardly took advantage of the situation and massacred the valiant men from Castile and Portugal that had answered the call from the holy land. The remnants of the allied army had to return to Judea.

Ludvig and Baldwin, angered by the very cruel behaviour from the infidels, joined and attacked the Mameluk army in Jordan. When the Mameluk army now had to meet the noble Knights of Jerusalem in open battle things turned around. The Christian army thus crushed the infidel army after a long day out in the fields.

Ludvig and Baldwin now joined the Iberian army and laid siege to Sinai with a part of the army. The rest of the allied army laid siege to Egypt. A Mameluk army attacked Ludvig in Egypt but against the combined forces from the Kingdom and Iberia the dark forces from hell stood no chance.

The Mameluk army thus fled in great disorder followed by thousands of knights from Jerusalem that bore in mind the disgusting behaviour that had been displayed by the infidels before. Ludvig rode along his men and shouted that no mercy should be shown this day.

When the ensuing massacre of fleeing infidels was over Castile and Portugal withdrew from the war. Ludvig now felt that the time had come to negotiate since the Mameluks were gathering troops all over their territory.

Ludvig knew that it was just a matter of time before the Kingdom would be totally outnumbered by them. To prevent this from happening he sent a peace proposal that was rejected but later in 1437 a peace agreement was signed on condition that the Kingdom paid 34 000 gold pieces.

This may come as a surprise after the glorious victory over these men from hell but Ludvig wanted peace as soon as possible due to the weak position the Kingdom was in after the hard wars so he agreed to pay a small sum. Ludvig had something special in mind for these back stabbing creatures in the future and that comforted him a lot.

What a successes the war had been. Two new provinces had been put under the Kingdoms supremacy and now Ludvig controlled four provinces instead of one. Moreover a lot of infidels had been sent to hell and the Knights of Jerusalem had once again proved their skills in battle. The captured provinces were not very rich but they gave some contribution to the economy of the Kingdom at least.

Ludvig was most pleased with the leadership of Baldwin and after the war Ludvig also discovered that Baldwin displayed great energy in meeting the many difficulties which threatened the new State.

Amongst other things Baldwin with experience from the Papal States and Leonard with his experience in religious matters decided that the Kingdom was in need for some sort of official institution in the effort to convert infidels in the conquered territories. Before getting in to this matter I have to introduce John of Huntingdon to you. In addition I will also tell you about the rise of the evil Ottomans.

(Next Part “the Holy Office and the rise of the Ottomans” will be out when I am back from a meeting in Paris that I have to attend next week). Cheers

[Languish]

I find the Kdm. of Jerusalem to be a really intriguing idea, and your writing style complements it. You have made a great start to this.

[Judge]

Thanks

I will soon be back with an update.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Originally posted by Judge
“Go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the cross of Christ with a stalwart heart. Know that neither death nor life can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, and in every peril repeat, "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." What a glory to return in victory from such a battle! How blessed to die there as a martyr! Rejoice, brave athlete, if you live and conquer in the Lord; but glory and exult even more if you die and join your Lord. Life indeed is a fruitful thing and victory is glorious, but a holy death is more important than either. If they are blessed who die in the Lord, how much more are they who die for the Lord!”

Now that's a pep talk!

I don't really like Ludwig and the others, however. Too bloodthirsty and fanatical.

[Judge]

Well Ludvig and the others are certainly no funny Disney characters. After all they are the descendants to the old crusaders embarking on a new crusade against infidels in the days on inquisition and religious persecutions. However I am trying to add some morbid sense of humour in to the story partly by telling it in a sort of Tolkien good versus evil style. I hope that nobody is upset by this AAR. If so let me know and I will bear that in mind when I continue this AAR

[Judge]

Ok, no concerns. That’s very good. Back to work then..

Part VI, the Holy Office and the rise of the evil Ottomans (1440-1454)

The Kingdom had been expanding quite a bit lately and now it contained a lot of Saracens. It stood perfectly clear for Ludvig and Leonard that in order for the Kingdom to become a true regional power the conversion efforts were of crucial importance. Leonard suddenly realised that he had to make the converting process a lot more efficient to achieve this goal.

Leonard sought inspiration from Spain where they had some experience in this respect and after some consultations with the Pope Leonard decided to set up a holy office that would handle matters of conversion and deal with the infidels. The office was given the somewhat Orwellian name “the Office of Truth”.

At the head of this office stood the grand master, nominated by the king and confirmed by the Pope. By virtue of his papal credentials the grand master enjoyed authority to delegate his powers to other suitable persons, and to receive appeals from all courts in the Kingdom. He was aided by a Council consisting of ten members - the so called Apostolic Consulters. Leonard was on his own suggestion appointed as grand master.

All this made Leonard very happy and he was cheerful as a child now that he had both an order and a holy office of his own. He was walking around Jerusalem constantly laughing or cracking jokes about infidels and he did not hesitate to drink a couple of beers too.

Lately Leonard had been working very hard and he felt that he needed an assistant to share his burden. In addition to this he also began to worry a bit over all the administrative paper work that had to be done at the Office of Truth. This threatened to prevent Leonard from participating in the practical side of the inquisition which he truly loved so he decided to quickly find an assistant.

John of Huntingdon

John of Huntingdon was indeed a remarkable person. He had started his career in France where he fought on the English side in the war against France (the hundred year’s war). He was infamous for his frequent contacts with prostitutes and he was also a die-hard gambler. It goes without saying that he was a most able drinker as well. As all this was not enough John was a very violent person always ready to start a fight in a bar or a penthouse. You could very well say that he was worse than dishonourable scum and then you would not exaggerate a bit.

On one night after excessive drinking and a couple of visits to a nearby penthouse John saw clearly the image of The Lady with the Holy Child Jesus at whose sight for a notable time he felt a reassuring sweetness. This night left him with such a loathing of his past sins, and especially for those of the flesh, that every unclean imagination seemed blotted out from his soul, and never again was there the least consent to any carnal thought.

His conversion was now complete. Everyone noticed that he would speak of nothing but spiritual things and the need for a new crusade against the infidels that had lay their dirty hands on holy grounds. His elder brother begged him not to take any rash or extreme resolution, which might compromise the honour of their family.

He promised them to leave England and went off to the holy land ready to finish off every infidel he could find. In Jerusalem he met Leonard. Immediately Leonard understood that this man could be of great use and made him head of the Apostolic Consulters.

Europe

In Europe this was a time of great unrest. The evil Ottomans had been expanding in Europe since 1419 which forced the catholic and the orthodox world to sign an agreement of mutual assistance. Turkish armies were uniformly successful and they gradually came to dominate south Eastern Europe and Asia Minor.

Turkish success was based on their extensive use of light cavalry and their possession of what was perhaps the finest infantry in the world at the time, the Janissary Corps. The Janissaries were recruited through the devsirme system, a form of taxation in which the eldest son of each Christian family in the sultanate had to be yielded up for the Sultan's service, to be raised as a Muslim and trained to fight his masters battle.

The Janissaries were among the first infantrymen to be regularly armed with handguns and proved themselves useful in numberless battles.

To meet this severe threat the Pope had promised to assist the Byzantine Empire in case of a confrontation with the Turks.

By this time it must have been clear to most people that the Byzantine Empire was doomed. The advance of the Ottoman Turks had left the capital, Constantinople, an island under siege, with only the Peloponnese and a few other isolated areas still under Byzantine rule.

Constantinople itself had fallen into a state of ruinous decay far removed from its former glory. Hardly surprisingly, many Byzantines began to look towards the Christian West and towards the Kingdom as a possible escape route from the inevitable fall.

In 1440 the Ottomans declared war on Byzantium and the Papal States joined the war on the Byzantine side. In 1442, despite huge efforts to relieve Constantinople the Ottomans captured the city and initiated a huge massacre. This of course led to great despair all over Europe.

In 1443 this despair grew even worse since the Ottomans defeated the Papal army in a huge battle in Romagna. The fleeing Christians forces were massacred. The Pope was terrified and offered the provinces of Romagna, Emilia and Marche in return for peace. The Ottomans accepted this but promised their Muslim brothers to behead the Pope as soon as possible.

Ludvig was utterly worried and angry when he heard of the news from Constantinople and wept when the terrible news from Italy was brought to him. Baldwin was even more upset since he partly had grown up in the regions that the Ottomans now controlled. As if all this terrible news were not enough Leonard told them that the Ottomans had turned the enormous copper dome of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

It is certainly no exaggeration to say that the Kingdom was in a state of chock. Ludvig found these evil creatures very disgusting since they not only had rejected the love of God but moreover had set out to destroy everything good and sacred in the world. He knew that there was only one punishment for such a crime – the capital.

In 1444 the cruel and cunning Ottomans continued their campaign and attacked the Knights of St John and Cyprus. In the end both these states were annexed (no PE here back then). The Knights on these islands were severely persecuted by the Ottomans but some managed to flee.

Soon a couple of ships with refugees were seen in the waters of Judea followed by murderous Ottomans. Horrible scenes took place in the waters outside Jerusalem as Ottoman war ships intercepted and boarded ships from Rhodes and Cyprus killing the refugees. The Kingdom lacked ships so there was nothing to do about this though.

Some knights tried to swim ashore but they were chased by small boats filled with blood thirsty demons and a lot of the swimming knights were stabbed in the back with daggers. Ludvig silently uttered that it was easy to stab defenceless knights in the back with a dagger but it would be a lot harder to meet the noble and determined Knights of Jerusalem in an open battle. He swore a silent oath that he would come down on the evil cowards with an ironfist making them bath in their own blood. In all only a couple of knights managed to safely reach Jerusalem.

Voices all over the Kingdom were raised in favour of a war against the murderous Ottomans but Ludvig refused to declare war since he knew that the Kingdom would not stand a chance against the Ottoman war machine.

1446-1454

In 1446 the alliance with Castile and Portugal expired and these countries were not willing to prolong the alliance. The reason for this was a bit unclear but Ludvig assumed that they were afraid to be drawn into a war against the Ottomans since the relation between the Ottomans and the Kingdom was very, very bad indeed right now.

Instead Ludvig negotiated with Venice and despite some old problems with the Venetians an alliance was finally concluded between the two countries. After a while Ragusa and Serbia joined the alliance as well.

In 1448 Leonard successfully managed to convert Medina to the one true faith. As Leonard later said, it took some knifes and swords to get the job done but there is nothing better than the smell of a well used torture chamber early in the morning.

The earlier atmosphere of some tolerance in the Ottoman Empire was all over their territory replaced by vicious attacks on the Christians. Reports of robberies, beatings, killings, degradation of holy sites and the kidnapping for ransom of patriarchs made their way back to Europe. To the Europeans their Christian brothers were now in the smothering grip of the Infidel and something must be done.

Since the Kingdom had acquired new land and as a lot of infidels had fled despite Leonard’s benevolent efforts to help them there was also a need to populate the new territories with good Christians. Ludvig asked Leonard to go back to Europe and persuade people to settle down in the Holy Land and to take part in a new crusade against the infidels.

As Leonard immediately found this idea brilliant he travelled to Paris with a couple of knights from his order and began to make propaganda for the Kingdom. The answer was enormous in Europe!

Amid wonderful enthusiasm and cries people all over Europe rushed towards the Knights of Jerusalem to pledge themselves by vow to depart for the Holy Land and receive the cross of black material to be worn on the shoulder. At the same time Leonard sent letters to all Christian nations, and the movement made rapid headway throughout Europe.

Everyone felt that the time had come to crush the infidels! Fanatic preachers of the coming crusade appeared everywhere, and on all sides sprang up disorganized, undisciplined, penniless hordes, almost destitute of equipment.

These fanatic and violent hordes were loaded on Venetian ships that sailed off to the Holy Land. There were a lot of drinking and fighting on the ships but to keep the hordes calm special entertainment ladies had been brought onboard the ships.

Some of these men of course changed their minds about going to the Holy Land but quite a few arrived there and Ludvig was most pleased with the result. They were sent to the newly occupied territories and were also given some money and of course weapons (new land claimed).

Leonard and John travelled around in the countryside telling the newcomers of all the horrible deeds that the infidels had committed in the past to get the newcomers in the right mood. This was really not necessary since the newcomers have had their eyes set on infidel blood and gold for a long time but you can never be too sure Leonard reasoned.

Ludvig rejoiced when he saw all these fierce and drunk but yet very noble Christians arrive. How lucky had he not been getting all this support. Along with Baldwin, Leonard and John no evil or backstabbing infidel would be able to withstand his coming crusade. He was now more convinced than ever that the time had come for a huge crusade in order to wipe out the evil followers of the Devil himself once and for all. Amanda knew how much Ludvig loved wars against the infidels and now that he would go to war with all his dear and noble friends she felt warm inside.

(Next update; Disaster and the birth of the legend of the perfect Knight)

[Tiemler]

Good to see someone else embarking on a Kingdom of Jerusalem adventure. I'm up to 1444 in my 'Lion of Judah' GC, which I'll try to chronicle in an AAR soon, time willing. Hard setting, Normal AI aggression.

My kingdom has expanded to include the entire Hedjaz and the province of Basrah, taken by force from the Kaliphate despite their military alliance with the Timurid Empire.

Our grasp upon Basrah is tenuous, our forces there isolated in a sea of hostility, but some of the forces sent by our allies, the Mameluks, have been stranded there for many years, with military access to our empire but no friendly territory to traverse. They have been instrumental in keeping the revolts from getting out of hand.

Bailiffs were promoted to tax collectors quite early on. Our income is currently a bit over 22d a year, and while the treasury slider is minimized, we're still getting 0.8d monthly. Our merchants aren't dominating trade anywhere, but have their foot in the door at a few CoTs.

We currently have a "tarnished" reputation, but a number of royal marriages throughout Europe.

[Judge]

Tiemler: The Knights of Jerusalem wouldn’t allow such an alliance you know. Looking forward to your AAR though. It is really fun to play the Kingdom.

Part VII Disaster and the Birth of the Legend of the perfect Knight (1455-1462)

1455

In the spring of 1455 a couple of years after Ludvig's victory over The Hedjaz, he, now 75 years old planned a new war, a new crusade. His regency had been quite successful and the Kingdom now controlled the following provinces:


Judea
Jordan
Arabia
Medina


These provinces had been successfully converted thanks to the excellent work of Leonard. In addition the share of the world trade had expanded somewhat so there was indeed a good ground for future expansion. However compared to the Mameluks and the Ottomans the Kingdom was still just a minor player in the region.

This time, Ludvig intended to strike at the Arab centre of Mecca, as this was the ultimate target for a new crusade. In 1454 the Hedjaz, weekend by their war against the Kingdom had fell prey to Aden and Mecca was now in the hands of Aden. Aden was for the moment not in any alliance and Leonard strongly recommended Ludvig to make a move against this centre of infidels as soon as possible.

Ludvig was very anxious to initiate the war and thus immediately declared war on Aden. Their allies joined the Kingdom but nobody really believed that the allies would send troops and they did not.

Before marching on Aden Ludvig held a little speech to boost the morale of his men and to welcome the newcomers in a proper manner.

“When the battle is at hand, the Knights of Jerusalem arm themselves interiorly with faith and exteriorly with steel rather than decorate themselves with gold, since their business is to strike fear in the enemy rather than to incite his cupidity. They seek out horses, which are strong and swift, rather than those, which are brilliant and well plumed; they set their minds on fighting to win rather than on parading for show. They think not of glory and seek to be formidable rather than flamboyant. At the same time, they are not quarrelsome, rash, or unduly hasty, but soberly, prudently and providently drawn up into orderly ranks, as we read of the fathers. Indeed, the true Knight is a man of peace, even when he goes forth to battle”

A lot of knights and newcomers wept when they listened to the emotive speech and many were deeply touched by these noble words from a noble King. People cheered and then the march began. Passing through the surroundings of Mecca Ludvig got mixed up in a clash with troops from Aden. Ludvig drove off the Arab army quite easy though. He continued his advance and laid siege to Mecca.

Since he always had dreamt of capturing this city he immediately ordered a full-scale attack. The heavily outnumbered defenders held off the Christian assault led by Ludvig for several hours. The end came when a force of elite troops, led by the valiant Baldwin himself, from the Knights of Jerusalem, gained entrance through an unguarded section of the wall and attacked the defenders from the flank and rear.

The surrounded defenders still refused to yield. Ludvig and Baldwin continued the attack and fought along with their men but suddenly Ludvig fell to the ground badly wounded. Baldwin and a couple of Knights immediately surrounded Ludvig and carried him away to his tent outside the city. This created great unease amongst the Christians, some began to hesitate and a couple of peasants from Europe even turned around and fled.

However a couple of Knights of Jerusalem suddenly raised the Jerusalem flag with the black cross over the city and shouted that the city had been captured though it in fact had not. Their comrades outside the wall heard the signal and echoed the shouts from within that the city had been taken. Baldwin now standing outside the city gave a signal and the men outside the walls stormed in through the breaches in the walls.

The defenders began to panic when they saw themselves surrounded with no way of escape and fled. The fighting was fiercest at a gate called Mohammed’s pearl and it was probably there that Ludvig was last seen alive. Ludvig later died in his tent of his wounds and thus he was killed fighting as a common soldier against the infidels. The Christians were victorious but at the cost of their King's life.

Since there was no time for mourning Baldwin immediately took command and marched against Aden. Filled with anger Baldwin reached the city of Aden and besieged it in a wonderful manner as you could expect of course.

The siege would not be that easy since the fortress of Aden was feared all over the Orient. It was also almost impossible to find water nearby as deserts surrounded the city. Moreover infidels outside the city hid near all the springs and wells and ambushed Baldwin’s men, killing and mutilating them when they approached.

Baldwin decided to attack the city with machines, in order to enter it and to teach the brutal bastards a lesson or two. Two wooden towers were made and many other machines. Day and night the Christian army forcefully attacked the city on all sides; but before the final assault Leonard and John persuaded all by their preaching and urging that a procession should be made round the city to Ludvig's honour, faithfully accompanied by prayers, alms and fasting.

This procession raised the confidence within the army. The Christians went on to violently attack the city on all sides and the defenders could do nothing against it. Baldwin himself climbed on to the wall of the city in his shining armour waving his sword in front of him. He ran his sword through a huge infidel who tried to kill him and when he reached the top, all the defenders of the city quickly fled along the walls and through the city. Baldwin and the Knights of Jerusalem followed and pursued them, killing and shouting in annoyance and there was such a slaughter that the Knights of Jerusalem were up to their ankles in the enemy's blood.

Baldwin tried to stop all this since he wanted to round up the infidels and sell them as slaves but his army was out of control due to the previous procession. In addition the Knights of Jerusalem were enraged over the earlier attacks on their comrades outside the city. The emir who commanded the town decided to surrender to Baldwin but the battle still went on.

Entering the city, the Knights of Jerusalem pursued and killed some infidels but the infidels assembled and resisted fiercely all day. At last the infidels were overcome and Baldwin’s men seized many men and women in the temple in order to hand them over to Leonard for some education. Then the troops scattered throughout the city, seizing gold and silver, horses and mules.

The Legend of Ludvig

When Ludvig succeeded Klodvig The Kingdom was not more than a marionette to the mighty but wicked Mameluks. Now the Kingdom had gained its independence, Jerusalem was a medium sized town quite comparable with some great European cities and the Kingdom controlled the provinces of Jordan, Medina, and Arabia when he died.

Legend soon laid claim to Ludvig and he was portrayed as the perfect type of a Christian knight. Tall of stature, with pleasing countenance, and with so courteous a manner that he seemed more a monk than a knight. As a zealous Christian, he was among the first to take the cross in the new crusade, accomplished his vow without the slightest deviation, and at great personal cost accepted the defence of the new conquests. Indeed, at this time Ludvig had become, like Roland and Arthur, a Christian hero.

Peace 1462

In 1462 Aden offered the Province of Mecca and 125 000 (125) gold pieces for peace. Baldwin found this offer acceptable and consequently the City of Mecca fell in to Christian hands. The capture of Mecca of course led to negotiations as of what to do with this city. Leonard, Baldwin and John were in favour of a mass destruction but Amanda spoke against this since she thought that the assault on Aden had been too violent. She also said that any attacks on Mecca would spark an all out war with all Muslim states on earth.

Baldwin took her advice and decided that Mecca should be allowed to remain a holy city for the Muslims. This surprised many amongst the Christians. Leonard and John of Huntingdon spoke strongly against this and the controversy went so far that it nearly came to a conflict between the Knights of Jerusalem and forces that were loyal to the King.

In 1463 Baldwin and Leonard finally agreed that the holy places in the city should be left alone and that pilgrimage should be allowed. In return Baldwin had to give Leonard full authority in his conversion attempts outside the city. When Amanda had persuaded Baldwin she went back to France with Cecilia. Thus Baldwin was the sole Grammont left in the country.

Ludvig had intended this campaign as the ultimate crusade but now when he suddenly had been killed Baldwin decided that the mother of all crusade had to wait since he had to consider his position for a while

[Tiemler]

Actually, the Mameluks were the first to realize the abdurdity of our alliance. The year is 1456, and we've defeated and annexed the Hedjaz and the Kaliphate, taken two provinces from the Timurids just as their government fell, and we've stomped the guts out of the Mameluks, settling for a 230d cash settlement instead of territory for the moment.

The Timurids just DOW'd us and lost Ifsahan in short order. With revolts going on everywhere and other enemies picking at the scraps, their government fell once again, putting a very wealthy center of trade in our grasp. ]

On to economic domination of the Middle East!

According to the graph, the Lion of Judah now rules more territory than the Ottoman Pasha. Hard difficulty, Normal aggression, BTW.