AH Vignette: Ascension of Arberia

The year is 1205, one year after the sack of Constantinople by the Latin knights, and the splitting of the Byzantine Empire into the Empire of Trebizond and Nicaea, along with the Despotate of Epirus. The Latin Empire currently is the most powerful entity in the Balkans, but is engaged in the Battle of Adrianople with Bulgarians and Cumans.

The result of the battle was a decisive Latin victory, as it had rained that day and led to the knights finding Cumans digging into wolf pits. The resulting battle led to Tsar Kaloyan being captured by the Latin Emperor, and the majority of the opposing army being massacred the next few weeks. This secured Baldwin his place as Emperor of all Greeks in the east.

The Principality of Arbanon (or Arberia as we will call it) is now relatively autonomous, however it still was between two minor powers, Epirus and Serbia. So, in response to this issue, the current Princi of Arberia, Gjin Progoni married Komnena Nemanja. Who was the daughter of Stefan Nemanja, the Grand Prince of Serbia. This led to them securing an alliance with the Serbian.

Along with that, he married his younger brother to Princess of Hungary, which led to an even greater ally in the north. Gjin and the majority of the Tribal nobility then converted to Catholicism, in response to the Latin victory in Thrace. The Pope was pleased, and offered the protection of Arberia by the Papacy to his realm.

The coast of Arberia however was not secure, as the Venetians have threatened to expand inland, something that Gjin accounted for in his plans. He wished to secure the interior heartlands, which he did in a campaign against the Epirotes in the beginning of 1206; encouraged by the Greek defeat in Messenia.

The result was the capture of Peqin by the Arberian army, which consisted of Arberians and Serbs, along with German and Frankish mercenaries. This worried the Venetians, who knew that Gjin took a major route in the path of the via egnatia trade route. Thereby, a Venetian emissary demanded that they allow passage towards the east, which Gjin accepted as long as Venice retreat their influence and promise not to interfere in any pushes by Gjin to his neighbors.

Due to a Hungarian victory in the battle of Vidin against the Bulgarians, Gjin led another campaign in 1207, which led to a push east into Diber, which led to the city being captured and a a member of the Clan Gropa being appointed count of the local area.

In Epirus, the capital of Arta was under siege by Latin knights, with a naval blockade by the Genoans. Which led to the city falling in 1209, and the Despot Michael Komnenos being forced to retake the city by another siege, which led to a Pyrrhic victory for the Epirotes in Arta in late 1209. Epirus lost the city of Berat to Arberians, who appointed a local Arberian as lord of the region.

War continued between Bulgaria and Hungary, until the Hungarians battled with Serbian forces in what is considered western Serbia today. The result was a great defeat for the Serbs, and the Hungarian push south into the Serbian realm. Venice took the opportunity and captured several coastal cities in Serbia, which led to more losses for the Serbians.

As a result of the decisive defeat the Serbians faced, many in their royal family took refuge in the Bulgaria and Arberia, that did not deter Gjin from officially declaring war with Serbia in 1211, and using an ancient trade route as a way to besiege the city of Shkoder. King Stefan of Serbia officially battled with Gjin in the battle of Lezhe in 1211.

The battle seemed like a certain loss for the Arberians, but was intervened by the Venetians, who helped annihilate the Serbian army, leading to the siege of Shkoder by both Arberian and Franco-Venetian mercenaries. The city finally surrendered when news of King Stefan’s escape to Bulgaria were show, and the gates were open to the victorious troops.

The treaty of Kruja was signed, which gave Hungary control over a huge amount of territory, Venice control over the Serbian coast, and Arberian control over all of current day Northern Albania. Gjin died in 1213, which led to Dhimitër Progoni becoming the Princi of Arberia, and overseeing the birth of a great nation.

By 1215, the Arberians, who were mostly shepherds and farmers had exploded in population and began to increasingly look into duties as mercenaries for the Latin Empire and Venice. Many, now began to encroach further south into the increasingly destabilized Epirus, with some shepherds reaching the foothills of the Chaonian mountains by 1223.


In the east, the Latin Empire was badly defeated by the the Empire of Nicaea. With the emperor taking most of the Latin Empire’s Asiatic lands. In retaliation, the Latins oversaw an invasion of Rhodes with the Genoans, which was a success. Nicaea was invaded by the Sultanate of Rum in 1217, and Latins retook the land they had lost, and gained even more territory in the eastern coast of the Aegean.

The Ayyubid Caliphate had also taken over southern Armenia, which led to the Georgians and Trebizonians funding a massive revolt in Armenia, which led the east of Rum and the north of the Ayyubids revolting.


This led to Henry I of the Latin Empire, several Catholic rulers, and the Pope to formulate a new crusade that would not only extinguish the Nicaeans, but also push the borders of Catholicism to Armenia, where they would assist the Armenians against the Ayyubids.

In 1215, all of Christendom was united against the oriental forces in Anatolia, a massive army of over 100,000 men was amassed and transported either through Hungary or through Naples. Participants in the 5th crusade also passed through Durres, which hosted a port large enough to handle such an army. Mbreti Dhimitër promised some soldiers of his own, but only so little as to keep as many people as possible.

In a stroke of genius, he recommended the crusaders march into the Despotate of Epirus, which the zealous crusaders happily obliged to, with a small portion of the army brutally defeating the Epirotes in Vlora, and sieging the Castle of Kanine, slaughtering the mostly Greek population of the south, until finally stopping in the port of Vlore, and turned back to the via egnatia to continue their crusade.

Dhimitër got what he wanted, and easily raised an army to take over whatever land was not found in the east. He eventually took over the city of Pogradec in 1214, and fought again against Epirus in 1215, which pushed them up and beyond the Chaonian Mountains, establishing the border Arberia would have with the Greek strongholds in the south.

With that out of the way, Dhimitër sent soldiers to the east after news came about the fall of the Empire of Nicaea, and the continuation of the crusade against the Kaykaus of Rum. Soon the Armenians were supported by the Georgians, who pushed against Rum and the Ayyubids in 1218. The Ayyubid army finally appeared in 1218 and battled against the forces of Georgia, Trebizond, and Armenian rebels. This led to a decisive victory for the Christian forces, and the retreat of the Ayyubids and Rumi from the Armenian highlands. Now was the task of who would retain Armenia, which would be settled when they stopped the Azerbaijani invasion from the east.

The crusaders in Anatolia faced a minor loss, but for the most part successfully destroyed the Turkish army of Kaykaus, so badly were the Turks beaten, that they were forced to the Cappadocian highlands, while the crusaders slaughtered and pillaged Turkish cities, and forcefully converted all whom they lived through it. Anatolia became a war-zone in which the Latin Empire, and the major part of the war ended with the sacking of Iconium by the Christians.

The Sultanate of Rum fractured into hundreds of petty Beyliks and tribes, each vying for power over one another. All were being crushed one by one by zealous Crusaders, so much so that Francis of Assisi (who had also journeyed to Albania) became appalled by the treatment of the Turks and asked to end the crusade in the east of Anatolia. The commanders however would not listen, they demanded that they reach at least Antioch before thinking about ending the crusade.

1219 marked the year when Genghis Khan invaded Persia, and became known by the crusaders, however there was initially no fear from them. They regarded Temujin as “Prester John” coming over to assist his fellow Christians. It wasn’t until the battle of the battle of Kalka River in 1223 where the crusaders - who had recently linked with Antioch- realized the situation they were in.

News of the demons sighted in Armenia shocked the crusaders in Antioch, and they decided to send an emissary to wherever the Khagan resigned in. Thus, the Christians met the Mongols for the first time in Maragheh, and concluded a mutual alliance against the Saracens. When the topic of Georgia was brought up, the Christians offered it in return for a mutual peace. Thus, the Mongols attacked Georgia, and Baku being taken over by the Azerbaijanis.

Back in Arberia, the Epirote army had gathered to retake Kanine and Vlora, only to be surrounded in the plains of central Albania by the Arberian army. The Greek problem was solved when the Venetians invaded and occupied the ports of Butrint and Himare, which led to Chaonian highlands being isolated from the outside world. In turn, the Latins entered into the Epirote south and annexed enormous parts of their territory.

By 1224, the entirety of Epirus was divided by Arberia, The Latin Empire, and The Republic of Venice. The borders of Arberia were extended to what is considered Gjirokaster. Another turn in demographics was also followed, as the Greek and Slavic farmers were either assimilated or displaced by Albanian farmers, who found the rich, forested mountains of the south to be too good to leave behind.
 
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Map of the east by 1225. Some things to note:

1. The ever expanding Arberia under the Progon dynasty.

2. Mongol influence and the Armenian revolt.

3. Thriving Latin Empire.

4. Sultanate of Rum rump state.
 
Nice to see a Italian in AH.com, how's it going on the other side of the pond?

Well I guess I am going enough good, thanks.

I guess the pond TTL is going to be Arberian dominated soon or later... Because an Albanian wank can only lead to an Italian screw, without doubt.

I guess is fair after all.

Regardless, without an Italian platform Arberia won't make much. Besides, the Venetian assistance and the submission to the Pope proves Arberia is already entangled since her rise into Italian affairs.
 
[/QUOTE]
Well I guess I am going enough good, thanks.

I guess the pond TTL is going to be Arberian dominated soon or later... Because an Albanian wank can only lead to an Italian screw, without doubt.

I guess is fair after all.

Regardless, without an Italian platform Arberia won't make much. Besides, the Venetian assistance and the submission to the Pope proves Arberia is already entangled since her rise into Italian affairs.

Not necessarily, Arberia's navy won't be really good for a good century, so it cannot invade Italy. Arberia will just be content in sending emissaries to Rome as a counter to Venice.
 
Arberia and Latins

Ever since the conversion of Gjin into Catholicism, many in the Principality were becoming discontent with the change, especially the Greeks and Orthodox Arberians. This led to a faction of Albania under Grgur Kamona, a Greco-Albanian nobleman, to demand a shift back to Orthodoxy.

Of course, this would be considered suicide by Dhimitër and his advisers. However, he took interest in the exiled Archbishop Konstandin Mesopotam, who he reappointed as leader of Arberian Orthodox church. Thus Kamona was pacified for the most part and Gjin returned to administering his land. Golem of Kruja was also another worry for Dhimiter, as he was a young and ambitious chieftain willing to take over Arberia in his name. Dhimiter had to deal with the increasing tensions between the two religions in Arberia. In 1225, the first and oldest law code was established by Dhimiter and the Christian clergy of both sects. Called the Codex Arbanum or Ligjet e Mbretit Dhimitër, it outlined the tribal laws that all Arberians would follow. It also established general Christianity as the state religion of Arberia, not mentioning the specific sect it would be. Dhimiter did this on purpose, as switching between sects could prove useful for future Princes of Arberia. Both sides of the argument took the new law coldly, but eventually they would accept it as tradition.

In 1226, king Dhimiter died, which resulted in the crown of Arberia being under an interregnum. Epirus took the opportunity to launch another attack and siege the port of Vlora, however their supply lines were soon cut off by the Pisan navy. Leaving the new Prince Golem of Kruja to take control of Arberia. In the decisive battle in the ruins of Apollonia, Golem's army was nearly destroyed, but it was able to pull of a victory that destroyed any hopes of a Greek reconquest of their lands. In fact, Golem, who was an Orthodox Christian married to a distant relative of the Komnenos dynasty, declared Epirote Christians of all types to be his subjects. A new army was amassed in Kanine castle, and marched towards the Chaonian highlands. gaining access to the city through Venician-controlled Himare and marching his army as far down as the city Janina, which was captured by Golem after locals angry with the influx of aristocratic refugees opened the gates for the Arberian army. For this, the Aromanians were appointed as rulers of the city by Golem in 1229.

Golem had now annexed the territory of Epirus, and in response to his achievement, he officially declared himself Mbret (King) of all Arberians, and Kryetar (Leader) of Epirus. The title change was mostly ceremonial, but it served as an example to the Latins of who was in power now. An Orthodox Christian, this change in rule certainly angered the Pope, but he soon got a notice from Golem that stated his loyalty to Rome. Thereby, the Pope overlooked the Arberians' religious flip-flopping and blessed Golem with many titles.

However, not all was good in the east, as the 5th crusade in Armenia another major battle occurred. The battle of Sebastia was between a strange alliance of Latins, Khwarezm, Armenian rebels, and Trebizondians against Seljuks and Ayyubid forces. The battle was a crusader success, and led to the Ayyubids finally retreating from the north. In 1232, the Mongols defeated the Khwarezm and finally destroyed the last Turkish presence in Persia. Due to Genghis's death a few years before, the Mongols remained quiet from 1227-1237.

In the Balkans, the Bogumil heresy expanded considerably from Bosnia to northern Arberia and western Bulgaria. This led to the Pope calling another crusade against the Bogumils, however it was not enough to block its expansion south. Some Arberians in Shkoder embraced the faith.

The year 1237 presented the time when the Mongols sacked Ryazan, and moved south towards Kiev, which they sacked. The news of the sack spread to even Europe, and caused a great worry for Europe. Almost as soon as word came about Kiev, the Mongols destroyed the Cumans and flooded into Hungary, Poland, and Bulgaria, where they easily defeated the defending forces. The Mongols advanced deep into Europe, with scouts being sighted as west as the Alps. With a succession crisis out of the question, the Mongols sacked the capital of Bulgaria and Batu Khan attacked the Latin Empire to the South. In 1242 Batu Khan reached the city of Thessaloniki, where he defeated the Latin Knights and destroyed their army east in Thrace. The result of the battle was the Mongol siege of Constantinople, which would continue for three years.

The collapse of the Latin Empire was an even that shocked many in the west, as Europe watched the Mongols easily take over the Empire of Trebizond and flood into Latin Anatolia, with only Cilicia spared as a vassal of the Mongols. Several Greek successors rose from the Chaos brought by the Latin Empire's immediate collapse, none however could call themselves "Empires" as they had nonimperial blood. Instead these petty Despotates were merely local opportunist generals who claimed to be governors for the Mongols.

The siege of Constantinople was known as one of the most important events in the century, as the Mongols smashed into the weakened Theodosian walls and assaulted the city, murdering the almost the entire population, and killing the Latin Emperor and his entire escort. The Latin "Empire" was reduced to a pitiful regency council in Athens. The Pope in response sent an emissary to Batu Khan, who suggested that they embrace Catholicism in return for support in their conquests. After a series negotiations, the Khan rejected conversion, but accepted a permanent European diplomat to his court. In turn, he withdrew his forces from Poland, and refocused his efforts on a future invasion of the Ayyubid Caliphate.
 
Military Reform and Arberian Expansion

Middle_Ages_2-68-Albanian_Cavalryman.jpg


Arberian cavalryman

Mbreti Golem had seen the horrid state of the Arberian army, which was mostly made of tribal irregulars who could fight well in mountains and hills but were not beneficial in sieges or warfare in the plains. Thereby, the Mbret of Arberia started a series of reforms in the army, modeling itself on Italian and Byzantine models. He expanded the use of heavy cavalry and bowmen, and introduced western armor and weaponry to the Arberian arsenal. Essentially, while the Arberian army was mainly based on Byzantine weapons and armor, western warfare was a major inspiration to them. The result was a relatively well-trained and small professional army that would serve as the beginning for a larger Arberian army.

The army was tested in 1242 when Golem marched on the local Despotate of Skopje(Shkupi) and sieged the capital of the small successor state. The Despot was brought to his knees before Golem, and subjugated to the ever expanding Arberian realm. He would then instate a new administrative program that would define Arberia for a long time. Called the Kryetar system, it was basically a recycled version of the Kephale system of late Byzantium. However it was extended to all territories in Arberia and covered political and fiscal rule.

In 1248 another campaign was called against the northern Serbs, who Golem labeled as "heretics" due to suspicions of their Bogumilist faith. He attacked the towns of Zvecan and Peje, which he conquered easily. Then further moving north he engaged the local Serbian tribes in the battle of Rashka, which was a resounding defeat for the Arberians, sending them back south. Be that as it may, the Arberians made first contact with Mongol raiders here, and skermished with them around the Morava river.

Further along in 1250 the town of Nikshiqi (Niksic) revolted against the Hungarians and declared the new Principality of Zeta which received Arberian support and funding. The revolt sparked another string of revolts in Hungarian-occupied Slav lands, including Bosnia and the coast of Dalmatia.

Meanwhile, in the west the battle of Cingoli laid a major defeat for the battle against the centralization of the Holy Roman Empire but a victory in the death of Frederick II. However, the Arberians had officially declared themselves to the Guelph's cause and sent soldiers to fight in Italy, which had become increasingly violent as members of the factions fought in the streets of different cities. It had become so bad that the death of Frederick II (sparking a great interregnum in the HRE) Italy went into a civil war between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Albert of Austria declared himself a claimant to the title of Emperor, however many in the HRE denied him that.
 
Clash of Despots

Due to the wars with the Mongols and internal tensions, the Hungarian monarchy could not withstand anymore tensions, and collapsed outright. This power vacuum led to the Cumans (who had been previously subjugated by the Mongols) in Dacia and Crimea to push west and attack the weak Kingdom of Hungary. The end of Hungary led to the Cumans taking all hungarian lands around the Danube as their own, and establishing a new Kingdom with their capital at Bratislava. Their Pagan Kingdom was more of a lose confederation of tribes (Including the Pechenegs, Jasz, Bulghars, and any Pagan Hungarian remnants) that fought against Christian knights and raided deep into Austria and Poland.

Many in Germany were worried of the growing threat to the east and launched another Crusade against the steppe peoples who had invaded the Pannonian plain. This continuous war would lead to the Cumans gaining the help of Mongols as they battled against the German Knights. The situation in the HRE did not help, as there was no Emperor to address the issue, and Poland was in chaos and being raided by Cumans and Mongols. A coalition of Bohemian, Austrian, and Polish lords would engage the Cumans and their "allies" (Impressed Saxons and Vlachs) in the Battle of Bratislava. The Battle would end in a German victory as the Cumans retreated, leaving the city to the allies. The battle made the Pope ecstatic, who granted the Teutonic Knights the city and several Hungarian castles.

The next three decades in the Balkans would eventually be known as the Clash of Despots, as they continuously warred against each other for control over small territories, meanwhile being under the boot of the Mongol Khan. Arberia was a player, but mostly kept to Italian affairs during this time, while making friends with its neighbors and the temporary Mongol court in Constantinople.

There was quite a large amount of bloodshed between Latins and Greeks, in 1255 the Pope and Patriarch of Constantinople started to discuss a mending to the Great Schism of 1054, as a way to forgive and forget the inflictions these fellow Christians had caused to each other over the last century. The discussion was opened in Athens, and tensions were especially thick in regards to conflicts between Catholics and Orthodox Christians in recent times. However, the discrepancies between both sides were being addressed, and with the exception of some more "zealous" priests, things had become smooth. 1256 ended the meetings, and both sides began to see each other as allies against the Mongols. However it would take another half century for the schism to fully mend.

In Egypt, the Crusaders in 1255 attacked Cyrene and took over the surround area. The Ayyubids however were not able to defend their holdings due to a Mongol invasion in northern Syria. The Mamelukes in Cairo staged a coup to gain power, which led to the Ayyubid Caliphate falling into Civil war. The Crusaders then pushed east but were stopped in 1255 around Alexandria by the Mamelukes. In 1256 the Mongols sacked the city of Baghdad and moved to sack Damascus, which led to him pushing down even further into Palestine.

The battle Ashkelon was a strategic victory for the Mongols, who smashed the Ayyubid army and moved to wreak havoc in Egypt, leading to complete collapse of the Ayyubids. In 1259 the city of Cairo was opened to the Mongols by sympathetic Copts who welcomed the Mongol invaders, who they deemed better rulers than the oppressive Ayyubids and their slave soldiers. Thus, the Mongols were lenient on the city dwellers, with the exception of the nobles who were slaughtered. In the countryside, the Bedouins skirmished with the Mongols around Egypt.

The Mongols stormed into Cyrene and attacked the Hafsid Sultanate in Tripolitania, and seize the city of Tunis in 1266, leaving the city mostly alone and continuing to extract tribute from their neighbors. Meanwhile, the Mongol general Tekudur in Tunis prepared to attack Mauritania..
 
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