1. Betrayal and Vengeance: The Panther on the Padan
If you're interested in rules regarding guest posts, see the author's notes of the 7th indexed post.
In 745 the Avars of Pannonia were again counted amongst the ascending powers of post-Roman Europe. Samo’s Empire was long gone and the Kaghanate had largely recovered the manpower it had lost in its costly attempt on Constantinople. In their immediate path lay the slavic principality of Carantania, a small pagan state that lacked allies. In desperation Prince Borut of Carantania became a vassal of the powerful if disorganized Lombard Kingdom[1] and allowed his son Gorazd and nephew Hotimir to be baptized as hostages in the court of the Lombard Duke of Friuli.
In the series of raiding actions and campaigns that characterized the following frontier conflict Aistulf, Duke of Friuli and brother of the King, emerged as a dominant leader and expanded his land to include Carniola, a Slavic principality that had been tributary to the Avars which he had invaded and fortified. Following this success he seems to have gained the idea of building a personal empire in the east as soon afterwards Gorazd died under suspicious circumstances in May of 747. At the time the royal court in Pavia was too preoccupied with its own matters to invest much interest in the intrigues of Aistulf’s court, meaning that Hotimir had to turn to the clergy for support and even then had to primarily rely on his own intuition to survive. From a safe distance he kept a close eye on his captor, and in doing so was able to learn much in the way of warfare, political maneuvering, and the internal struggles of the Lombard Kingdom.
In 749 two events massively changed the prevailing situation. The Pope had intervened in the Lombards’ latest war against the Grecians[2] and upon agreeing to back down the “Italophile” King Ratchis was promptly deposed by his dukes and replaced by Aistulf. Aistulf promptly reoriented his goals towards an aggressive campaign to drive the Grecians from Italy and at least temporarily lost interest in wiping out Borut’s line of succession.
The second event of note was the death of Borut. Upon hearing of his uncle’s death Hotimir hurriedly set out for Krnski Grad[3] with a veritable army of priests. There he stood atop the Prince Stone and was inaugurated in a mostly traditional manner. He then took up the duty of entrenching Christianity in his lands and preparing the forces he had inherited for the clash with Aistulf that he believed to be inevitable.
The priests quickly found places as a literate technocracy, however the spread of Christianity was a slow and difficult task that would not be completed within his lifetime. However Hotimir possessed other traits that made him acceptable to the old believers. Particularly the friction between him and the Lombard King and his desire to avenge his cousin, who though baptized was viewed as something a martyr. As a result the conflict that began in 751must be viewed in two lenses, one Christian, and one pagan.
In 751 Aistulf had taken Ravenna and now dared to threaten Rome, and by extension the Pope. Citing his duty as a Christian, Hotimir launched his revolt. To his predominantly pagan subjects however the revolt was explained in anti-Lombard terms, a matter that not only ensured their support but ensured that the Carniolans who had been fuming under Lombard rule flocked to his banner. The Lombard garrison in Carnium quickly opted to change sides when faced with the prospect of defending a city full of the same pagans that were besieging them. This defection was aided by the fact that the Lombard commander knew Hotimir from Aistulf’s court and his men as Italians rather than Lombards themselves felt more loyal to the Pope than to their king. Thus Hotimir lead a sizable pagan host out onto the Padan Plain, ostensibly to save the Pope.
Aistulf’s response was quick and he marched his much larger army north to meet his former hostage. After wintering the two sides met southeast of Verona, and Hotimir deployed his army with their backs to the Adige and oddly their unguarded camp in front of them. The location forced Aistulf into a frontal attack and eliminated opportunities for flanking maneuvers, yet he attacked anyways believing his force to poses sufficient numerical and qualitative advantages to make the attack work. After an exchange of arrows the Lombard army advanced, and quickly found its formations broken up by the earthworks, tents, and carriages within the camp. Worse, to bolster his power in preparation for his expansionist campaigns Aistulf had greatly expanded the army and opened it up to Italians.[4] Many of these new soldiers turned out to be more interesting in looting the camp than participating in the march. As a result the Lombard force engaged the defending army piecemeal, reversing any advantages it should have had.
An approximation of the two commanders' deployments with with Hotimir's forces (black) deployed behind their camp.
The battle dragged on for hours with relatively high losses on both sides. However, wishing to preserve his numerical advantage for a later engagement on more even terrain, Aistulf sounded the retreat. The Carantanians pursued and extracted a heavy toll on the enemy, particularly those preoccupied with looting. Hotimir’s plan had won the day but with much of his supplies stolen and his army badly maimed he had to remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Of the engagement Paul the Deacon wrote:
The Wends of Carantanum fell upon the retreating Langobards with great fury and murderous intent. The grass was watered with their blood and it is said that that evening they performed human sacrifices to their gods while their prince prayed in the nearest church. Prince Hotimir may be the most pious of men, but his people are by far the least.
The winter of 751/752 provided minor breathing space for the two commanders. For Aistulf the situation was destined to become worse. North of the Alps Pepin the Short had overthrown the Merovingians and proved quite eager to support the Pope and assert the Frank’s position as the foremost kingdom in Western Europe. As much as Aistulf would have loved to simply wait where he was as Hotimir’s horde starved on the riverbank he had to march west to prepare for a confrontation with a far more dangerous opponent. Aistulf fell back to Pavia and rallied a great army for a forward defence in the Susa Valley.
Hotimir meanwhile took up the roll of the beggar for a time and after a lengthy process of threats, negotiations, and intercession by the city’s Bishop, managed to convince the city of Verona to open its granaries to his army. As soon as spring broke both sides made their moves. Aistulf moved northeast with great haste and Hotimir moved to encamp along the Via Francigena between Pavia and the valley,[5] his idea being that depending on the outcome of the battle he could cut off Aistulf’s retreat or fight a significantly weakened if victorious enemy.
The great clash between the Lombards and the Franks took place in the shadows of the Graian and Cottian Alps. The Lombards had long been well known for their traditions of fighting on foot, however the relatively flat valley proved ideal for the Frankish army which had a large component of mounted infantry. The Lombards proved unable to match this mobility and were eventually outflanked. Facing the possibility of being over run and completely defeated on the spot, Aistulf initiated a hasty disengagement and retreat. Within the week he would halt his retreat when the riders he had sent ahead to warn Pavia returned with news of Hotimir’s location. Aistulf halted his retreat and surrendered to the pursuing Franks, as with good reason he believed Pepin would be a kinder captor than the vengeful Hotimir.
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[1] OTL he made the same agreement with the Bavarians, who at the time were a more centralized and expansionist power than the Lombards.
[2] An archaic alternative to “Greek”, and in this case it refers to the Byzantines/Romans. I like the idea of alternate timelines also using alternate terminology.
[3] OTL it’s now Karnburg.
[4] As by this point the difference between Italians and Lombards was a matter class, (the upper social stratas being Lombards and the lower ones being Italians) so it is likely that the "Italian" actions at Carnium and the Battle Near Verona is the result of people who have traditionally not been soldiers being forced to serve with little training and little potential for social advancement through service.
[5] He’s not a mind reader, it’s just the logical invasion route (which is also why Aistulf choose to mount his defense there both OTL and TTL)
Anyways I hope that what I have presented is enjoyable and not too wild. I’ll admit that my readings for this first part have been very sparse so if you think I screwed the pooch on something (travel times? everything?) please be brutal with your criticism.
The title is a reference to two things. One is the heraldic Black Panther that has been claimed to be an ancient Carantanian symbol (the evidence for it may be questionable, but it certainly has rule of cool on its side). The other is the Ljubljana Gap which is the space between the Eastern and Dinaric Alps, and is the homeland of the Slovenes.
Also next update will include the establishment of Hotimir’s realm, and I wanted to know what you think the Franks and the Pope would see fit to give him. I was thinking Austria and Neustria north of the Po, but then I realized that that would put Pavia (the Lombard capital!) in his domain. It seems a bit much to deprive Ratchis’ rump Lombard Kingdom of the old Lombard capital. So let me know where you’d place his new western border.
In 745 the Avars of Pannonia were again counted amongst the ascending powers of post-Roman Europe. Samo’s Empire was long gone and the Kaghanate had largely recovered the manpower it had lost in its costly attempt on Constantinople. In their immediate path lay the slavic principality of Carantania, a small pagan state that lacked allies. In desperation Prince Borut of Carantania became a vassal of the powerful if disorganized Lombard Kingdom[1] and allowed his son Gorazd and nephew Hotimir to be baptized as hostages in the court of the Lombard Duke of Friuli.
In the series of raiding actions and campaigns that characterized the following frontier conflict Aistulf, Duke of Friuli and brother of the King, emerged as a dominant leader and expanded his land to include Carniola, a Slavic principality that had been tributary to the Avars which he had invaded and fortified. Following this success he seems to have gained the idea of building a personal empire in the east as soon afterwards Gorazd died under suspicious circumstances in May of 747. At the time the royal court in Pavia was too preoccupied with its own matters to invest much interest in the intrigues of Aistulf’s court, meaning that Hotimir had to turn to the clergy for support and even then had to primarily rely on his own intuition to survive. From a safe distance he kept a close eye on his captor, and in doing so was able to learn much in the way of warfare, political maneuvering, and the internal struggles of the Lombard Kingdom.
In 749 two events massively changed the prevailing situation. The Pope had intervened in the Lombards’ latest war against the Grecians[2] and upon agreeing to back down the “Italophile” King Ratchis was promptly deposed by his dukes and replaced by Aistulf. Aistulf promptly reoriented his goals towards an aggressive campaign to drive the Grecians from Italy and at least temporarily lost interest in wiping out Borut’s line of succession.
The second event of note was the death of Borut. Upon hearing of his uncle’s death Hotimir hurriedly set out for Krnski Grad[3] with a veritable army of priests. There he stood atop the Prince Stone and was inaugurated in a mostly traditional manner. He then took up the duty of entrenching Christianity in his lands and preparing the forces he had inherited for the clash with Aistulf that he believed to be inevitable.
The priests quickly found places as a literate technocracy, however the spread of Christianity was a slow and difficult task that would not be completed within his lifetime. However Hotimir possessed other traits that made him acceptable to the old believers. Particularly the friction between him and the Lombard King and his desire to avenge his cousin, who though baptized was viewed as something a martyr. As a result the conflict that began in 751must be viewed in two lenses, one Christian, and one pagan.
In 751 Aistulf had taken Ravenna and now dared to threaten Rome, and by extension the Pope. Citing his duty as a Christian, Hotimir launched his revolt. To his predominantly pagan subjects however the revolt was explained in anti-Lombard terms, a matter that not only ensured their support but ensured that the Carniolans who had been fuming under Lombard rule flocked to his banner. The Lombard garrison in Carnium quickly opted to change sides when faced with the prospect of defending a city full of the same pagans that were besieging them. This defection was aided by the fact that the Lombard commander knew Hotimir from Aistulf’s court and his men as Italians rather than Lombards themselves felt more loyal to the Pope than to their king. Thus Hotimir lead a sizable pagan host out onto the Padan Plain, ostensibly to save the Pope.
Aistulf’s response was quick and he marched his much larger army north to meet his former hostage. After wintering the two sides met southeast of Verona, and Hotimir deployed his army with their backs to the Adige and oddly their unguarded camp in front of them. The location forced Aistulf into a frontal attack and eliminated opportunities for flanking maneuvers, yet he attacked anyways believing his force to poses sufficient numerical and qualitative advantages to make the attack work. After an exchange of arrows the Lombard army advanced, and quickly found its formations broken up by the earthworks, tents, and carriages within the camp. Worse, to bolster his power in preparation for his expansionist campaigns Aistulf had greatly expanded the army and opened it up to Italians.[4] Many of these new soldiers turned out to be more interesting in looting the camp than participating in the march. As a result the Lombard force engaged the defending army piecemeal, reversing any advantages it should have had.
An approximation of the two commanders' deployments with with Hotimir's forces (black) deployed behind their camp.
The battle dragged on for hours with relatively high losses on both sides. However, wishing to preserve his numerical advantage for a later engagement on more even terrain, Aistulf sounded the retreat. The Carantanians pursued and extracted a heavy toll on the enemy, particularly those preoccupied with looting. Hotimir’s plan had won the day but with much of his supplies stolen and his army badly maimed he had to remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Of the engagement Paul the Deacon wrote:
The Wends of Carantanum fell upon the retreating Langobards with great fury and murderous intent. The grass was watered with their blood and it is said that that evening they performed human sacrifices to their gods while their prince prayed in the nearest church. Prince Hotimir may be the most pious of men, but his people are by far the least.
The winter of 751/752 provided minor breathing space for the two commanders. For Aistulf the situation was destined to become worse. North of the Alps Pepin the Short had overthrown the Merovingians and proved quite eager to support the Pope and assert the Frank’s position as the foremost kingdom in Western Europe. As much as Aistulf would have loved to simply wait where he was as Hotimir’s horde starved on the riverbank he had to march west to prepare for a confrontation with a far more dangerous opponent. Aistulf fell back to Pavia and rallied a great army for a forward defence in the Susa Valley.
Hotimir meanwhile took up the roll of the beggar for a time and after a lengthy process of threats, negotiations, and intercession by the city’s Bishop, managed to convince the city of Verona to open its granaries to his army. As soon as spring broke both sides made their moves. Aistulf moved northeast with great haste and Hotimir moved to encamp along the Via Francigena between Pavia and the valley,[5] his idea being that depending on the outcome of the battle he could cut off Aistulf’s retreat or fight a significantly weakened if victorious enemy.
The great clash between the Lombards and the Franks took place in the shadows of the Graian and Cottian Alps. The Lombards had long been well known for their traditions of fighting on foot, however the relatively flat valley proved ideal for the Frankish army which had a large component of mounted infantry. The Lombards proved unable to match this mobility and were eventually outflanked. Facing the possibility of being over run and completely defeated on the spot, Aistulf initiated a hasty disengagement and retreat. Within the week he would halt his retreat when the riders he had sent ahead to warn Pavia returned with news of Hotimir’s location. Aistulf halted his retreat and surrendered to the pursuing Franks, as with good reason he believed Pepin would be a kinder captor than the vengeful Hotimir.
---
[1] OTL he made the same agreement with the Bavarians, who at the time were a more centralized and expansionist power than the Lombards.
[2] An archaic alternative to “Greek”, and in this case it refers to the Byzantines/Romans. I like the idea of alternate timelines also using alternate terminology.
[3] OTL it’s now Karnburg.
[4] As by this point the difference between Italians and Lombards was a matter class, (the upper social stratas being Lombards and the lower ones being Italians) so it is likely that the "Italian" actions at Carnium and the Battle Near Verona is the result of people who have traditionally not been soldiers being forced to serve with little training and little potential for social advancement through service.
[5] He’s not a mind reader, it’s just the logical invasion route (which is also why Aistulf choose to mount his defense there both OTL and TTL)
Anyways I hope that what I have presented is enjoyable and not too wild. I’ll admit that my readings for this first part have been very sparse so if you think I screwed the pooch on something (travel times? everything?) please be brutal with your criticism.
The title is a reference to two things. One is the heraldic Black Panther that has been claimed to be an ancient Carantanian symbol (the evidence for it may be questionable, but it certainly has rule of cool on its side). The other is the Ljubljana Gap which is the space between the Eastern and Dinaric Alps, and is the homeland of the Slovenes.
Also next update will include the establishment of Hotimir’s realm, and I wanted to know what you think the Franks and the Pope would see fit to give him. I was thinking Austria and Neustria north of the Po, but then I realized that that would put Pavia (the Lombard capital!) in his domain. It seems a bit much to deprive Ratchis’ rump Lombard Kingdom of the old Lombard capital. So let me know where you’d place his new western border.
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