Prince of Peace (edited) by Faeelin
- Thread starter G.Bone
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Faeelin
Banned
There sits, on the shores of a Baltic, a harsh land. It is a land with a flat, sandy coast wrapped in fogs, and a land of rolling plains. A land of steep hills and wide and shallow lakes. It is a land that is covered with forest, and there were few areas suitable for cultivation. It was considered ironic by some that it was this land was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.
And yet, surprisingly, men came there, to trade and to settle, and to fight for God. Hartwig, the Archbishop of Bremen, was a loyal supporter of the Staufen family in the war with the Welfs in the late 12th century. Hartwig journeyed on the crusade, but returned home early in 1197 to attend to matters ahead of Henry’s return. He appointed a Cistercian monk to be the Bishop of new converts in Uexküll, on the east end of the Baltic.
Alas for the poor monk, he was killed by the Livonians, which made it clear that it would take more than occasional assaults to subdue the pagan tribes there. Hartwig looked for a successor to the martyred Bishop, and chose Albert of Buxhoevden, who just happened to be a relative of his and as a canon in the church of Bremen.
The next step for Albert was to ensure friendly neutrality from King Waldemar, who agreed, and from Emperor Henry VI, who promised a portion of the imperial revenues for the process, and confirmed, as Holy Roman Emperor, that all conquests would be part of the Kingdom of Germany[170]. The Emperor also confirmed that all who took the cross in the Baltic would receive an Imperial pardon for any past injustices, a convenient way to get the Welf supporters to redeem themselves and get out of Germany for a while.
The first campaign was successful, and in May of 1201 Albert founded a new city on the Baltic to be the gateway to the region, which was christened die Stadt von Heinrich. [171]. The city, however, soon became known simply as “Henry’s city,†Heinrichstadt. A chapel there was soon dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who became the recruiting symbol for the land. It is because of this that the Livonia became known as “The Land of the Virgin Mary,†or Reinermarialand, in German.
Albert was also responsible for introducing the Fratres Militiae Christi, the Militia of Christ, into Livonia. A crusading order similar to those that operated in the Levant, the order would prove instrumental in the development of the region.
Development of the crusading state in Livonia continues, and by using a policy of dividing and ruling, the Militia of Christ soon become a force to be reckoned with. By 1206, Livonia is felt by many to have been won for Christ, Caesar, and Mary.
But, understandably, certain people were a bit uncomfortable with the idea of a German colony on their doorstep, and one of such people was the Prince of Polozk, one of the Rus. He had long claimed to be the overlord of the Dvina basin, and demanded justification from the Bishop Albert about just why the Germans were building a city on his lands.
Albert send one Abbot, known as Theodoric to the prince with presents, but he was robbed enroute and was imprisoned while the prince negotiated with the Livonians. The negotiations were soon complicated when Albert sent another ambassador inquiring as to why his abbot was being imprisoned, and things escalated when the prince had the ambassador returned with the head of Theodoric. Albert returned to Germany for help, but meanwhile the Russian prince had sent a force downriver to attack a German castle at Holm.
It was a slaughter. Twenty knights were able, thanks to crossbows and Western designs for fortifications, hold off an army of hundreds [172]. When Albert returned with an army, the Russians were defeated and their sovereignty over Livonia was lost.
Meanwhile, the Estonians were restless, as Estonians are wont to be. While Albert had restrained from attacking the Estonians, for fear that Waldemar of Denmark would fight for control of it, and that the Sword Brothers would demand land there. The Sword Brothers began to demand 1/3 of all land that was conquered, while Albert was only willing to give them 1/3 of the land currently taken. Both groups appealed to Henry VI, who, in a decision comparable to Solomon’s, decided that the Sword Brothers would have 1/3 of the current land, but the Bishop would give him, as Emperor, 1/3 of all future conquests, of which the Sword Brother’s would administer half of that as a direct fief from the Emperor.
But there were other dangers. By 1210 the Esotnians, Lithuanians, and the Kurs had joined forces to capture Riga. A desperate attack on Heinrichstadt itself was repelled in the winter of 1211, and in the following spring the Germans set out to take the war to the stronghold of the Saccalian tribe, a town known as Fellin.
It is while besieging Fellin that another advantage, according to a chronicler in the 13th century, became apparent.
â€The Germans built a machine and, by hurling stones night and day, they broke down the fortified places and killed men and innumerable beasts of burden in the fort. Since the Estonians had never seen such things, they had not strengthened their houses against the force of such missilesâ€.
Fellin was sacked, and the city was taken for the glory of God and the Germans [173]. The Saccalians submitted to the Christian faith, Fellin was garrisoned, and it was now the turn of the Estonians. To avoid boring anyone, the battle itself will not be discussed, save to mention that the slaughter was so great that it would be almost two decades before a native force would face the Christians in the open again.
It is during their wars against the Estonians that the crusaders discovered that winter was the best season for warfare. Because, unlike in Germany, the ground and rivers froze, and the forests were covered with snow, it was easier to fight the natives then. More than 4,000 Germans would, over the winter of 1211, use the frozen rivers as roads into the heartland of Estonia.
Understandably, the neighboring Russians were concerned by the massive conquests. Novgorod sent an army into Estonia, albeit briefly, and Pskov, subject of Novgorod, sent an army to help defend the Estonians.
It was at this point that the Estonians promptly pillaged now undefended Pskov Needless to say, the citizens of Pskov decide to do nothing when, in 1213, the Militia of Christ put down a few pagan rebellions with ruthless force.
By 1215, things in Germany were under control, England was collapsing into civil war and anarchy as Frederick II marched on Runnymede and Henry, now an elderly man, can turn his eyes on the Baltic coast. It is well he does, for Estonians from Oesel, Rotalia, and Ungannia invade Livonia, and attempt to block the mouth of Dvina. Henry took the cross, and, feeling that Germany was secure, sailed for the Baltic coast.
His crusade in 1216 was one of legends, although the disease he caught there probably helped to kill him. The tribes of Estonia were humbled, King Waldemar of Denmark acknowledged Imperial fealty (again), and, more importantly, led a German army into Russia. It is well he had, for the Prince of Pskov had called for Novgorod for assistance in 1214, and together they had invaded Estonia.
The Russian army was massive; perhaps, in hindsight, too massive. When it besieged the German castles, supplies soon ran short, and disease broke out, decimating the Russian armies. Henry’s army, in contrast, joined the forces of Waldemar and himself, and marched upon Pskov, obtaining its surrender. The new prince of Pskov acknowledged that he was a vassal of Henry, and became known throughout Russia for his unjust rule. Henry’s return to Germany, and his death, prevented the crusaders from marching on Novgorod, but there were many who feared for the fate of that city. It is no coincidence that it was around this point that the princes of Vladimir-Suzdal were acknowledged as overlords of Novgorod, and began to take the constellation of princes of Northern Russia into their sway.
Waldemar, a bit nervous about upsetting the large power to his south unlike OTL, decided it was safer to focus on conquering Finland and dominated Sweden, in addition to his OTL overlordship of the King of Norway. Denmark, unfortunately, misses out in the visions that Waldemar had at Reval, and so does not gain the flag it has today.
Marialand continued to prosper, and as time went on the various revolts by pagans were subdued. Thanks to stronger Imperial support, there are noticeably more crusaders for the Militia of Christ than there were historically, numering a thousand mounted warriors. Heinrichstadt gained its own advocate, and became a town numbering some 5,000 hardy souls. The outlook seemed bright for Marialand, and its citizens looked forward to the dawn of a new age.
But, as always, there are those who see themselves at the head of that new age. To the east, the Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal covets the Baltic coast. To the west, Waldemar’s son, Christopher the Great, looks at the German lake that the Baltic has become in dismay, and has begun discussing with the Emperor of Britannia just what he can use his navy for.
And Frederick II, of course, surely has his own plans for Marialand, even if no one but him knows what they are.
[169] A cynical person might ask what part of the Baltic shore is not harsh and desolate, but out of respect for the Finnish posters to SHWI I won’t say it.
[170] OTL it wasn’t until 1205 that the conquests were decreed to be part of the Empire, and the Kingdom of Germany was never specifically mentioned. Henry declared that it’s part of Germany because it gave him a rather concrete overlordship over it, rather than the nebulous claims that the Emperor would posses.
[171] See part 39
[172] You can’t make this stuff up.
[173] OTL the town surrendered conditionally, but I’m assuming that with greater German presence the city would fall.
And yet, surprisingly, men came there, to trade and to settle, and to fight for God. Hartwig, the Archbishop of Bremen, was a loyal supporter of the Staufen family in the war with the Welfs in the late 12th century. Hartwig journeyed on the crusade, but returned home early in 1197 to attend to matters ahead of Henry’s return. He appointed a Cistercian monk to be the Bishop of new converts in Uexküll, on the east end of the Baltic.
Alas for the poor monk, he was killed by the Livonians, which made it clear that it would take more than occasional assaults to subdue the pagan tribes there. Hartwig looked for a successor to the martyred Bishop, and chose Albert of Buxhoevden, who just happened to be a relative of his and as a canon in the church of Bremen.
The next step for Albert was to ensure friendly neutrality from King Waldemar, who agreed, and from Emperor Henry VI, who promised a portion of the imperial revenues for the process, and confirmed, as Holy Roman Emperor, that all conquests would be part of the Kingdom of Germany[170]. The Emperor also confirmed that all who took the cross in the Baltic would receive an Imperial pardon for any past injustices, a convenient way to get the Welf supporters to redeem themselves and get out of Germany for a while.
The first campaign was successful, and in May of 1201 Albert founded a new city on the Baltic to be the gateway to the region, which was christened die Stadt von Heinrich. [171]. The city, however, soon became known simply as “Henry’s city,†Heinrichstadt. A chapel there was soon dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who became the recruiting symbol for the land. It is because of this that the Livonia became known as “The Land of the Virgin Mary,†or Reinermarialand, in German.
Albert was also responsible for introducing the Fratres Militiae Christi, the Militia of Christ, into Livonia. A crusading order similar to those that operated in the Levant, the order would prove instrumental in the development of the region.
Development of the crusading state in Livonia continues, and by using a policy of dividing and ruling, the Militia of Christ soon become a force to be reckoned with. By 1206, Livonia is felt by many to have been won for Christ, Caesar, and Mary.
But, understandably, certain people were a bit uncomfortable with the idea of a German colony on their doorstep, and one of such people was the Prince of Polozk, one of the Rus. He had long claimed to be the overlord of the Dvina basin, and demanded justification from the Bishop Albert about just why the Germans were building a city on his lands.
Albert send one Abbot, known as Theodoric to the prince with presents, but he was robbed enroute and was imprisoned while the prince negotiated with the Livonians. The negotiations were soon complicated when Albert sent another ambassador inquiring as to why his abbot was being imprisoned, and things escalated when the prince had the ambassador returned with the head of Theodoric. Albert returned to Germany for help, but meanwhile the Russian prince had sent a force downriver to attack a German castle at Holm.
It was a slaughter. Twenty knights were able, thanks to crossbows and Western designs for fortifications, hold off an army of hundreds [172]. When Albert returned with an army, the Russians were defeated and their sovereignty over Livonia was lost.
Meanwhile, the Estonians were restless, as Estonians are wont to be. While Albert had restrained from attacking the Estonians, for fear that Waldemar of Denmark would fight for control of it, and that the Sword Brothers would demand land there. The Sword Brothers began to demand 1/3 of all land that was conquered, while Albert was only willing to give them 1/3 of the land currently taken. Both groups appealed to Henry VI, who, in a decision comparable to Solomon’s, decided that the Sword Brothers would have 1/3 of the current land, but the Bishop would give him, as Emperor, 1/3 of all future conquests, of which the Sword Brother’s would administer half of that as a direct fief from the Emperor.
But there were other dangers. By 1210 the Esotnians, Lithuanians, and the Kurs had joined forces to capture Riga. A desperate attack on Heinrichstadt itself was repelled in the winter of 1211, and in the following spring the Germans set out to take the war to the stronghold of the Saccalian tribe, a town known as Fellin.
It is while besieging Fellin that another advantage, according to a chronicler in the 13th century, became apparent.
â€The Germans built a machine and, by hurling stones night and day, they broke down the fortified places and killed men and innumerable beasts of burden in the fort. Since the Estonians had never seen such things, they had not strengthened their houses against the force of such missilesâ€.
Fellin was sacked, and the city was taken for the glory of God and the Germans [173]. The Saccalians submitted to the Christian faith, Fellin was garrisoned, and it was now the turn of the Estonians. To avoid boring anyone, the battle itself will not be discussed, save to mention that the slaughter was so great that it would be almost two decades before a native force would face the Christians in the open again.
It is during their wars against the Estonians that the crusaders discovered that winter was the best season for warfare. Because, unlike in Germany, the ground and rivers froze, and the forests were covered with snow, it was easier to fight the natives then. More than 4,000 Germans would, over the winter of 1211, use the frozen rivers as roads into the heartland of Estonia.
Understandably, the neighboring Russians were concerned by the massive conquests. Novgorod sent an army into Estonia, albeit briefly, and Pskov, subject of Novgorod, sent an army to help defend the Estonians.
It was at this point that the Estonians promptly pillaged now undefended Pskov Needless to say, the citizens of Pskov decide to do nothing when, in 1213, the Militia of Christ put down a few pagan rebellions with ruthless force.
By 1215, things in Germany were under control, England was collapsing into civil war and anarchy as Frederick II marched on Runnymede and Henry, now an elderly man, can turn his eyes on the Baltic coast. It is well he does, for Estonians from Oesel, Rotalia, and Ungannia invade Livonia, and attempt to block the mouth of Dvina. Henry took the cross, and, feeling that Germany was secure, sailed for the Baltic coast.
His crusade in 1216 was one of legends, although the disease he caught there probably helped to kill him. The tribes of Estonia were humbled, King Waldemar of Denmark acknowledged Imperial fealty (again), and, more importantly, led a German army into Russia. It is well he had, for the Prince of Pskov had called for Novgorod for assistance in 1214, and together they had invaded Estonia.
The Russian army was massive; perhaps, in hindsight, too massive. When it besieged the German castles, supplies soon ran short, and disease broke out, decimating the Russian armies. Henry’s army, in contrast, joined the forces of Waldemar and himself, and marched upon Pskov, obtaining its surrender. The new prince of Pskov acknowledged that he was a vassal of Henry, and became known throughout Russia for his unjust rule. Henry’s return to Germany, and his death, prevented the crusaders from marching on Novgorod, but there were many who feared for the fate of that city. It is no coincidence that it was around this point that the princes of Vladimir-Suzdal were acknowledged as overlords of Novgorod, and began to take the constellation of princes of Northern Russia into their sway.
Waldemar, a bit nervous about upsetting the large power to his south unlike OTL, decided it was safer to focus on conquering Finland and dominated Sweden, in addition to his OTL overlordship of the King of Norway. Denmark, unfortunately, misses out in the visions that Waldemar had at Reval, and so does not gain the flag it has today.
Marialand continued to prosper, and as time went on the various revolts by pagans were subdued. Thanks to stronger Imperial support, there are noticeably more crusaders for the Militia of Christ than there were historically, numering a thousand mounted warriors. Heinrichstadt gained its own advocate, and became a town numbering some 5,000 hardy souls. The outlook seemed bright for Marialand, and its citizens looked forward to the dawn of a new age.
But, as always, there are those who see themselves at the head of that new age. To the east, the Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal covets the Baltic coast. To the west, Waldemar’s son, Christopher the Great, looks at the German lake that the Baltic has become in dismay, and has begun discussing with the Emperor of Britannia just what he can use his navy for.
And Frederick II, of course, surely has his own plans for Marialand, even if no one but him knows what they are.
[169] A cynical person might ask what part of the Baltic shore is not harsh and desolate, but out of respect for the Finnish posters to SHWI I won’t say it.
[170] OTL it wasn’t until 1205 that the conquests were decreed to be part of the Empire, and the Kingdom of Germany was never specifically mentioned. Henry declared that it’s part of Germany because it gave him a rather concrete overlordship over it, rather than the nebulous claims that the Emperor would posses.
[171] See part 39
[172] You can’t make this stuff up.
[173] OTL the town surrendered conditionally, but I’m assuming that with greater German presence the city would fall.
Faeelin
Banned
Durnstein (Austria), March 1240
Henry stood on the walls of the castle of the former Duke of Austria, peering out on the river before the castle and town. Henry swore as he saw knights bearing the Imperial banner galloping up the trail. “Well,†he muttered, “I suppose it was too much to hope that Frederick would remain in Italy for a few more years.†He looked at Elisabeth, and smiled for a second. “Whatever do you think they want, Duchess of Austria?â€[174]
Elisabeth remained silent for a moment, and then said, at last, “I think, my brother, that they want you.â€
Henry laughed. “Well then, I can hardly keep the servants of our father waiting, can I?†Henry walked down the steps on the wall into the courtyard, where the men he believed were Imperial messengers were waiting. He walked over to them, calling out greetings.
It was then, as Henry could get a good look at the Imperial messengers, that Henry stopped in his tracks. “Hello, father,†he said at last. Henry quickly bowed before the Emperor. “You have, err, traveled light. Where is your baggage train and court?â€
“They are going to Nuremberg, as they should. As we are.†Frederick was clearly tired from the ride. “But first, we must talk.†Frederick paused for a moment. “Get your sister too. She should hear this as well.â€
Henry was about to speak, but Frederick cut him off with a gesture. “Do it. Now.â€
Frederick and his children, last of the true Staufen, met in a room with a window overlooking the Danube. Frederick had ordered the servants to leave after setting out wine and food, and they were alone.
Frederick looked at Henry, who was standing as if he was ready to spring at him. “Now, you will tell me why you decided to oppose my demands for new levies and taxes from Germany.â€
Henry stared back at Frederick. “Because,†he said at last, “I do not think Germany should pay for Italy’s wars, and I do not approve of you trying to sell the regalia of my future kingdom to anyone with money or men in Germany.â€
Frederick rubbed his temples. “Please tell me that you are jesting. You do not seriously believe that it’s unjust for the Caesar to use revenues from one part of the Empire to pay for a problem in another part of the Empire.â€
Henry thought about drinking some wine before continuing but decided against it. He always needed a clear head to deal with his father. “Put that way, no. But,†said Henry, “when the Emperor starts ignoring his duties to pursue a vendetta, and threatens the Empire, when he begins to act as a despot, then yes, he is unjust.â€
“This is not the reception I was hoping to receive from my son on returning victorious from Italy,†said Frederick.
Now Elisabeth spoke up. “You have taken Milan?â€
Frederick laughed. “Close enough, close enough.†He then proceeded to explain the terms he had achieved in Lombardy.
“You could have had those long ago,†commented Henry, “if you had been willing to negotiate.â€
Now Frederick began to lose his calm demeanor. “Oh, in the name of God, has the Devil taken leave or your senses? You have done nothing but oppose me in Germany for months, you insult me in this room, and now you complain because I am firm?â€
Frederick visibly calmed himself down. “Now, there is a pressing matter. Do you remember the Tartars?â€
Elisabeth nodded. “Of course, Father. The barbarian tribe which was devastating Byzantium, until their recent defeat by our cousin.â€
Frederick grimaced. “They are rather more than that, as we know.†Elisabeth nodded; perhaps few other Christians were aware of them, but Frederick had contact with men as far east as Persia, and even sent men to China. “They crushed Persia with ease, and it was only after years of battle that Alexander saved Byzantium.â€
Henry looked at Frederick oddly. “Why do I feel,†he asked, “that you fear that something awful is going to happen?â€
Frederick smiled at his son. “Because, my boy, something awful probably will happen. I have received word, you see, from my spies in the east.â€
Near Trebizond, October, 1239
Batu, Khan of the West, was not a man to show suffering easily. He had not shed tears at the death of his mother; he had stood impassive at the death of his father. But now, as he watched his dreams shatter, his tattered army retreat, he felt like weeping like a woman.
Thousands of Mongols, irreplaceable warriors that had served his clan, were now dead. He was left with thirty thousand men, out of the vast horde that had once served him. He drank a skin of kumiss, and restrained the urge to call for more. The only chance he would have to restore his dreams was to cut a deal with this Greek, this Alexander.
Alexander, for his part, leaned back in a chair of purple silk and mahogany, impassively staring at Batu. At long last, he spoke to his interpreter, who translated. The words were quick, and to the point. “Your men fought well.â€
Batu grunted. At long last, he responded. “Yours, evidently, fought better.â€
Batu could have sworn that Alexander smiled for a second, but he betrayed no emotion when he spoke again. “Of course. But, unfortunately, good warriors are hard to find.â€
Batu leaned forward and growled, drinking more kumiss. “No Khan will serve as a mercenary!â€
“Oh, by no means,†replied Alexander, waving his hands through the air. “But, you see, there is something you might find interesting.†At Batu’s nod, Alexander continued.
“To the north and west of me lies a king, known as the King of Germany. You may have heard of him.â€
Batu nodded, smiling. At least the Greek didn’t know just how much Batu knew about Europe. Alexander brought out a map of the continent. “To the south lies a land called Sicily, which he rules, and a land called Italy which is in rebellion against him. I have been supporting the rebels, as they were the subjects of my forefathers, and I seek to make them my subjects again. And I desire the island of Sicily, to rule as my own.â€
Odegei smiled. “But,†he guessed, “you cannot take Sicily and acquire Italy, as he will call down an army from his lands in Germany. And the Italians will rebel against you unless they are afraid of something worse.â€
Alexander smiled for the first time at the meeting. “Exactly.†He gestured at the map. “If one traveled along the shores of the Black Sea, you could invade through the lands called Poland and Hungary, and take Germany. You would rule a vast empire stretching over rich and fertile lands, I would have regained the lands of my forefathers, and, in time, the two of us could divide the rest of the lands of Christendom.â€
Odegei was not convinced. Squinting at the map, he asked, “You were able to defeat me, and yet you claim I can beat the King of Germany. How is this so? Why do you not take all these lands for yourself?â€
Alexander smiled demurely, as he pointed at the map. “In the name of God, my friend, would you not rather live in Constantinople than in Nuremberg?â€
In the years to come, as word of the treachery of Alexander became known, it would be said he had made a pact with the devil. Some men, defending him, would say he did not know what he had unleashed. For he had done one of the most abominable acts in history, which would darken the legacy of Byzantium for all time. The Italian poet Dante would place him besides Judas in the mouth of Satan, for like Judas, he had done an unspeakable deed.
Judas had betrayed Man’s Savior. Alexander had betrayed the world.
Kiev, June, 1240
Sitting on the banks of the Dnieper, Kiev had prospered as a trading city. Although it had been sacked by the princes of Vladimir in 1169 and 1203, and was not the city it had been at its height, Kiev was no mean city. It had grown fat on river trade, and had prospered, as much as one could in troubled times.
Now that was at an end. Batu’s army had marched north quickly, driving through the Ukraine like a whirlwind. The much reduced Horde was driven by a man who was not focusing on subduing all of Russia, but on taking the lands to the south and to the west.
The Khan’s army was angry, and their fury would fall upon the inhabitants of Kiev like the apocalypse.
The city fell in two short weeks, and there are simply too many atrocities and horrors to list here. When the city was excavated in the reign of the Tsar of all Russia, Vladimir the Great, the archeologists would be horrified by what they would find.
They would find two girls, huddled together, hiding in an oven. Their bones were burned, as the Mongols had set them aflame for sport. There was a pot of porridge with a spoon stuck in it, left by a family fleeing their house as it was set aflame. A collapsed tunnel was found, dug by men desperate to escape the town. They too perished under the Tatar sword. Kiev had been raped, and gutted. It would not recover for generations.
By the time the Mongols were finished, there was no one left to weep for the dead.
The Mongols would sweep west, sacking Galicia and destroying the power of Galicia-Volynia. The devastation for Russia would be great, and for the Byzantine support for the Tatars, the Greeks would never be forgiven.
But out of the ashes would arise a new power, in the snow covered forests of the Rus. For Batu lacked the forces to invade Northern Russia, and there, the Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal survived, defiant, and waiting. With the fall of Kiev and Galitch, there was only one great Russian state left.
On the shoulders of Mikhail, Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, the fate of Russia was laid.
Tver, March, 1242
From across the lands of the Rus, they had assembled. The vyeche of Novgorod had sent its delegates, the princes of Chernigov, Smolensk, and Pinsk had arrived, and even Kiev, battered, broken Kiev, had sent a delegate.
They had come, for one simple reason. They sought to avoid listen to the council of Mikhail, and decide what to do about the Tatars.
Mikhail looked over the men before him, and idly considered whether it would have been best to have become an ally of the Tatars. Probably not, but….
Mikhail cleared his throat as he looked over the men. “For centuries,†he said, “the peoples of Russia have been divided. The title of Grand Prince, long claimed by my forefathers, has been ignored.â€
The prince of Smolensk laughed. “Why do you deserve the title to the crown? You are of the same lineage as I am, or, for that matter,†he said, gesturing, “any of us.â€
Mikhail looked at the prince of Smolensk, and smiled smugly. “Perhaps,†he said, “but I am already the protector of the Rus. It is my armies who keep the Danes and Germans from sacking Novgorod.â€
“Consider,†continued Mikhail, “what has happened to the Rus, divided. Pskov was taken by Germans; Prince Mstislav of Kiev was slain at Kalka, and now the city itself lies in ashes. How much longer can this go on, until our sons drink the blood of horses and speak German?â€
There was silence in the hall, as Mikhail son of Vsevelod’s words sunk in. The Prince of Smolensk drained a cup of beer. “What do you ask for, then?â€
Mikhail waved genially around him. “Nothing more than is required, of course.
So it came to pass that in the Cathedral of St. Demetrius, during the Feast of Protection, that Mikhail, Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, Protector of Novgorod, became Mikhail, Grand Prince of all Russia. An age had finished, with the sacking of Kiev. But a new one was just beginning.
Nuremberg, March 1241
The Mongols invaded Europe with the force of lightning, committing great slaughter, and slaying thousands. Ten thousand Mongols were marching towards Silesia and Northern Poland, while twenty thousand more mere marching on Hungary. Men said that it was the end of days, claiming that the apocalypse had begun, and claimed that the Tartars were servants of Satan. Any who doubted it merely had to speak to the refugees who fled before the Mongols, who spoke of horrors that seemed unimaginable.
The Emperor of Rome, Frederick II, had called for a Diet in Nuremberg, for all who wished to oppose the Mongols to come together. It was there, beneath the pieces of the Holy Cross, and the Holy Lance, that Frederick II gave what is considered the greatest speech of his life.
Frederick looked over the men who had journeyed to Frankfurt to discuss the coming threat to Europe. He looked over the men, and smiled. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was a chance to triumph here.
Frederick looked before him. “We will be truthful. Christendom, the Empire, faces its darkest hour. The King of the Greeks, the new Judas, has helped the race of Tartarus attack our Empire. They have slain thousands, and may kill thousands more. It is not unimaginable to believe that we live in the End of Times.â€
“The Tartars,†said Frederick, scanning his audience, “are a wild, lawless people. They fight for their lord, who they call the Lord of Earth. These Tartars,†said Frederick, are most astute at war,†Frederick paused to smile, “as is natural after forty years campaining. They have smashed the armies of Persia, of Russia, and were only driven from Greece after Alexander bribed them.†[175]
There was a groan from some one in the audience. “But,†said Frederick, lifting his voice, “the Empire has faced great disasters before. The Magyar raids, the attacks of the Vikings, of Attila, and of the Saracens. Each time, the Empire has triumphed. We can do no less than our forefathers.â€
“This is no mere war,†said Frederick. “This is a crusade. We fight for nothing less than the continued existence of Christianity, and let it be known that all who die will die as martyrs.â€
Frederick lifted a hand, encompassing all present before him. “Therefore, let us join together, that we might hurl the Tartars back to the wasteland from which they have come. Each and every nation should dispatch her greatest warriors to fight under the eagles of the Empire and the banners of the cross. Germany, fiery and furious in arms, France, the mother of chivalry, Burgundy, with warriors from the peaks of the Alps, untamed Italy, unacquainted with peace, icy Norway, and all the other realms of Christendom shall send their mightiest warriors together. This will be a great crusade.â€
Frederick smiled as he watched the men in the Diet regain confidence, as all the petty quarrels and disputes in Germany began to dissolve. “The Roman Empire has lasted for over a thousand years, and it has never faced a peril this great. Should we triumph, it will last for another thousand years. And over that thousand years, men will look back, and realize that now, as we defend our lands against the hosts of Tartarus, as the fate of the world rests with us and with God, is its finest hour!â€
Frederick’s plan for facing the Mongols began to develop, based on what he knew of them and the way that Alexander opposed them, and the old response to the Magyar raids. Fortifications were to be stocked with provisions and weapons to last for months. Infantry were to be furnished with crossbows, and, as Frederick taught, they were to avoid open battle. Crops and fodder were to be burned if they could not be taken into castles and fortified towns. Preparations lasted throughout 1241 and into 1242.
While the lords of France squabbled like jackals over the crown, while the Emperor of Byzantium carved up the world, and while the King of Denmark prepared to take advantage of the coming chaos, Frederick II, Wonder of the World, took up the Cross, and prepared to defend the Empire.
Near the Oder, March 1242
Buri smiled as he crossed the river. This land, Germany, seemed to have good prospects for loot. The pickings the past few years had been poor, but the wealth that awaited him would make it worthwhile.
Buri took a swig of kumiss as his men crossed the bridge, thankful that they’d found a survivor from the area to direct them to the bridge. It made things so much simpler than having to swim across the river. He was leading a hundred men across the stone bridge, and beyond he could see an abandoned farm house. Buri heard a cattle moo from inside the barn, and smiled at the thought of eating cow again.
He was still smiling when the bridge blew up, courtesy of a hundred pounds of gunpowder, stored beneath it by the Emperor’s men.
Liegnitz, November 1242
Henry crossed himself as he looked through his visor at the battle before him. “I am still convinced this was a mistake,†he muttered. He looked over at the Duke of Silesia. “We were supposed to avoid open combat.â€
The Duke (who is also known as Henry, but shall be referred to as the Duke to avoid confusing the reader) merely frowned. “The Mongols have skipped across Poland like a stone on a pond. We have to fight them somewhere, and this seemed as good a place as any.â€
The Duke was right, which prevented Henry from running with his army, but it was still foolish. The army of Poles at Krakow had been destroyed, and as far as anyone knew, all the Dukes of Poland were dead. At least if they fought here, they would be close to the fortress at Leignitz if things went poorly.
It still seemed unfair to Henry. He had never dealt with his father, never confronted him about his mother, because of the Tartars. He still did not know what had happened then. Looking over the host before him, Henry doubted he would ever know.
Frederick had taken the watch in Hungary, attempting to close the Carpathians to the Mongols, and Henry had been tasked to hold the Mongols in the North, along the Oder. He prayed that he could manage it, for if he could not, Germany would lie open. He had left the majority of his army behind him, but this was the largest force to take to the field against the Tartars yet.
Henry looked through his telescope at the host before them. It must have numbered twenty thousand [176], two-thirds the size of the imperial force. But all of it was mounted, with bows that, at a close range, could pierce through even German steel. Henry had ten thousand cavalry, ten thousand heavy infantry, and 5,000 bowmen. He did not like the odds.
Henry put down his telescope, and lifted his lance. He was still musing about how to approach the Tartar ranks when the Duke of Silesia began a charge.
“What,†said Henry, as he watched the army of the Duke crash into the Mongol cavalry, “does he think he’s doing?â€
The German cavalry knocked into the Mongol ranks, but the Mongols were too strong. The knights withdrew, and began to charge again, but the Mongol lines began to break.
A great cry went up from the ranks of the Duke’s knights, for they were confident that they had broken the Mongol lines. To most knights, it seemed as if victory was imminent.
Henry, however, was no fool. He had read accounts of the Crusades and battles with the Turks, and he knew how the Tartars fought. He felt his heart begin to race, as he realized what had happened. The Tartars were luring the Duke into an ambush, withdrawing
Henry looked over to his messenger. “Signal retreat.†The messenger stared at Henry for a second, as if not believing the command. “Do it!†demanded Henry.
Henry crossed himself. “The poor fool,†he said as he looked at the Duke’s forces. “He has cost the lives of himself and hundreds of others.â€
The Mongols began to circle the knights of the Duke, whose horses were tired by this point. They began firing arrows into them, shooting without ceasing.
Henry looked over the battlefield, cursing. “We withdraw,†he said to the messenger, “to Leignitz. Let us pray that we can hold there.â€
Henry just prayed that his father was doing better to the south.
Pest, November 1242
“What do you mean they’ve crossed the Carpathians?†demanded Frederick. “What happened to the Hungarian army that was garrisoning the passes?†He stared at the King of Hungary. “Answer me!â€
Bela, King of Hungary, drained a stein of beer before answering. “Bribery. You know how it is. One of my nobles betrayed us, and now their army can pour into Hungary.†Bela motioned for more beer. “Well, my Emperor, what do we do now?â€
Frederick stared at Bela for a long time, full of contempt for the man whose idiocy may very well have doomed Christendom. “I have a task for you, actually.†As Bela leaned forward, Frederick continued, “Go find a large sharp stick, position yourself gently, and sit on for several days. I have a war to plan.â€
Frederick decided to follow his traditional plan. Half of his army was sent to Austria, to guard the passes into Italy and Germany.
Did Frederick realize, even then, that Hungary could not be held? Future historians would argue that he knew that, and was preparing for its fall; but if so, why did he stay?
That was yet another question that would remain unanswered. By November of 1243, Frederick II, Wonder of the World, would no longer be around to answer it.
Lake Balaton, Western Hungary, January 1243
1243 was a cold winter, even for Hungary; Lake Balaton, the massive body of water in the western part of the Kingdom, was frozen over. The fresh snow covered it, and to a casual observer, it looked as if it was merely a flat valley.
Frederick II was counting on exactly that. He had encamped on the western side of the lake, watching and waiting for the Tartar army. The temperature, he knew, was rising, and the lake was thinner than it had been.
On the eastern side of the valley, Batu looked across the plain, and smiled. The foolish German was too confident that Batu would dispose of the Hungarians before attacking him. Batu thought about how best to attack the German camp. After a moment, Batu decided on something simple. A charge the valley, and then they would circle behind the German camp.
The Mongols poured down the valley, and galloped across the floor. The archers began to fire volleys into the German ranks, and were confident of victory. It was as they began to charge across the valley, however, that the Mongols noticed something wrong.
The valley was not a valley. The valley was a lake covered with fresh snow, and the Mongol horsemen were charging over a substance that the horses of the stepped had never experienced. The Mongol cavalry began to slide and slip, falling onto the ice. As the Mongols attempted to stop, their horses fell on the ice, and began crashing into one another.
Batu watched in horror as the center of his army fell on top of one another. It was embarrassing, watching Mongol warriors fall like children. He swore that he would make Frederick pay for embarrassing him.
It was at this point, of course, that the ice began to crack under the fallen Mongols. The ice, after all, was thin, and several thousand pounds of horse and men in a small area were disastrous. Mongols began falling into the water with their horses, and it goes without saying that nomads from the steppe cannot swim.
As Batu watched in horror as six hundred Mongols drowned, he heard a cry echo across the lake. The Germans were shouting something he could barely make out.
“Sieg und Heil!â€
Batu managed to get his other horsemen off the ice, and considered his options. He could attempt to skirt the valley, and discover where the lake ended, or he could drive his men across in careful groups, slowly. If he tried to circle the lake, Frederick could escape, and Batu could not allow that to happen. He sent the orders for the Mongols to advance across the lake, slowly and carefully, and dispatched other forces around the lake.
The wind picked up, scattering snow from the ice, and it was then that Batu saw that part of the lake by Frederick was covered with dirt and sand. Batu thought little of it, and watched as his men began to attempt to encircle Frederick’s army.
Batu watched in puzzlement as the German knights began to advance across the ice. Surely, he reasoned, they would slip as well. He was still puzzled when the knights began to reach the Mongol forces on horseback.
Dirt, of course, reduces the slipperiness of the ice. The Mongols may not have known that, but Frederick II and his nobles were well acquainted with that. Batu’s puzzlement grew into horror as the German knights finally had a situation in which the Mongol horsemen could not flee, and was forced to watch in dismay as the Germans went through them as if they were Chinese paper.
By this point Batu had lost several thousand Mongols. But his forces had managed to reach the other side of the lake, and were going to attack Frederick’s camp from the sides. Unfortunately for Batu, he had not noticed the German knights who had traveled through the forest behind Frederick’s camp, and were now behind the Mongols.
They were slower than the Tartars, true enough. But the Tartars had no place to go, unless they wished to try the ice.
For perhaps the first, and perhaps only time in history, a Mongol army had been surrounded. Batu, furious by this point, watched the carnage from afar. “Enough,†he said. “We will simply go past them.â€
Batu signaled a withdrawal, and the Germans, battered, did not pursue. The Germans had won a victory, but at great cost. The Emperor had taken an arrow to his chest.
[174] A brief digression is necessary here, I feel, since there are probably a few readers wondering just how the hell Elisabeth ended up as the Duchess of Austria. Austria was under the rule of the Babenberg dukes, and the second to last Duke, Leopold VI, was one of the legends of his time. He fought in Spain, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Baltic. He was a patron of law and poetry; he was, truly, one of the greatest Dukes of his day.
Unfortunately, his son, Duke Frederick, was what we’d consider to be an ass. As in OTL, he went to war with his neighbors, and when called before the Emperor’s regent Henry, he refused to attend. Henry’s response was to lead an army into Austria, depose him, and declare Austria to be an Imperial city. Frederick died in combat against Henry, unloved and unmourned by his subjects.
This left the inconvenient problem of what to do with Austria. Henry was initially in favor of grabbing it as a lapsed fief, but German tradition states that the Emperor cannot take territory that reverts to the crown, but must give it back after a year and a day. (Granted, Henry VI blatantly ignored that and effectively broke that tradition). Henry decided to give it to his sister, who could then use it as a dowry. This keeps it within the Staufen orbit, and keeps the nobles of Germany loyal, for whoever the Emperor favors receives Austria.
[175] While not true, it’s how Frederick interprets it.
[176] The Mongols have recruited a lot of horsemen from the Turkish tribes of Russia, notably the Cumans. This is a contrast to OTL, where the Cumans were enemies of the Tartars, and reflects Subotai’s low manpower.
Henry stood on the walls of the castle of the former Duke of Austria, peering out on the river before the castle and town. Henry swore as he saw knights bearing the Imperial banner galloping up the trail. “Well,†he muttered, “I suppose it was too much to hope that Frederick would remain in Italy for a few more years.†He looked at Elisabeth, and smiled for a second. “Whatever do you think they want, Duchess of Austria?â€[174]
Elisabeth remained silent for a moment, and then said, at last, “I think, my brother, that they want you.â€
Henry laughed. “Well then, I can hardly keep the servants of our father waiting, can I?†Henry walked down the steps on the wall into the courtyard, where the men he believed were Imperial messengers were waiting. He walked over to them, calling out greetings.
It was then, as Henry could get a good look at the Imperial messengers, that Henry stopped in his tracks. “Hello, father,†he said at last. Henry quickly bowed before the Emperor. “You have, err, traveled light. Where is your baggage train and court?â€
“They are going to Nuremberg, as they should. As we are.†Frederick was clearly tired from the ride. “But first, we must talk.†Frederick paused for a moment. “Get your sister too. She should hear this as well.â€
Henry was about to speak, but Frederick cut him off with a gesture. “Do it. Now.â€
Frederick and his children, last of the true Staufen, met in a room with a window overlooking the Danube. Frederick had ordered the servants to leave after setting out wine and food, and they were alone.
Frederick looked at Henry, who was standing as if he was ready to spring at him. “Now, you will tell me why you decided to oppose my demands for new levies and taxes from Germany.â€
Henry stared back at Frederick. “Because,†he said at last, “I do not think Germany should pay for Italy’s wars, and I do not approve of you trying to sell the regalia of my future kingdom to anyone with money or men in Germany.â€
Frederick rubbed his temples. “Please tell me that you are jesting. You do not seriously believe that it’s unjust for the Caesar to use revenues from one part of the Empire to pay for a problem in another part of the Empire.â€
Henry thought about drinking some wine before continuing but decided against it. He always needed a clear head to deal with his father. “Put that way, no. But,†said Henry, “when the Emperor starts ignoring his duties to pursue a vendetta, and threatens the Empire, when he begins to act as a despot, then yes, he is unjust.â€
“This is not the reception I was hoping to receive from my son on returning victorious from Italy,†said Frederick.
Now Elisabeth spoke up. “You have taken Milan?â€
Frederick laughed. “Close enough, close enough.†He then proceeded to explain the terms he had achieved in Lombardy.
“You could have had those long ago,†commented Henry, “if you had been willing to negotiate.â€
Now Frederick began to lose his calm demeanor. “Oh, in the name of God, has the Devil taken leave or your senses? You have done nothing but oppose me in Germany for months, you insult me in this room, and now you complain because I am firm?â€
Frederick visibly calmed himself down. “Now, there is a pressing matter. Do you remember the Tartars?â€
Elisabeth nodded. “Of course, Father. The barbarian tribe which was devastating Byzantium, until their recent defeat by our cousin.â€
Frederick grimaced. “They are rather more than that, as we know.†Elisabeth nodded; perhaps few other Christians were aware of them, but Frederick had contact with men as far east as Persia, and even sent men to China. “They crushed Persia with ease, and it was only after years of battle that Alexander saved Byzantium.â€
Henry looked at Frederick oddly. “Why do I feel,†he asked, “that you fear that something awful is going to happen?â€
Frederick smiled at his son. “Because, my boy, something awful probably will happen. I have received word, you see, from my spies in the east.â€
Near Trebizond, October, 1239
Batu, Khan of the West, was not a man to show suffering easily. He had not shed tears at the death of his mother; he had stood impassive at the death of his father. But now, as he watched his dreams shatter, his tattered army retreat, he felt like weeping like a woman.
Thousands of Mongols, irreplaceable warriors that had served his clan, were now dead. He was left with thirty thousand men, out of the vast horde that had once served him. He drank a skin of kumiss, and restrained the urge to call for more. The only chance he would have to restore his dreams was to cut a deal with this Greek, this Alexander.
Alexander, for his part, leaned back in a chair of purple silk and mahogany, impassively staring at Batu. At long last, he spoke to his interpreter, who translated. The words were quick, and to the point. “Your men fought well.â€
Batu grunted. At long last, he responded. “Yours, evidently, fought better.â€
Batu could have sworn that Alexander smiled for a second, but he betrayed no emotion when he spoke again. “Of course. But, unfortunately, good warriors are hard to find.â€
Batu leaned forward and growled, drinking more kumiss. “No Khan will serve as a mercenary!â€
“Oh, by no means,†replied Alexander, waving his hands through the air. “But, you see, there is something you might find interesting.†At Batu’s nod, Alexander continued.
“To the north and west of me lies a king, known as the King of Germany. You may have heard of him.â€
Batu nodded, smiling. At least the Greek didn’t know just how much Batu knew about Europe. Alexander brought out a map of the continent. “To the south lies a land called Sicily, which he rules, and a land called Italy which is in rebellion against him. I have been supporting the rebels, as they were the subjects of my forefathers, and I seek to make them my subjects again. And I desire the island of Sicily, to rule as my own.â€
Odegei smiled. “But,†he guessed, “you cannot take Sicily and acquire Italy, as he will call down an army from his lands in Germany. And the Italians will rebel against you unless they are afraid of something worse.â€
Alexander smiled for the first time at the meeting. “Exactly.†He gestured at the map. “If one traveled along the shores of the Black Sea, you could invade through the lands called Poland and Hungary, and take Germany. You would rule a vast empire stretching over rich and fertile lands, I would have regained the lands of my forefathers, and, in time, the two of us could divide the rest of the lands of Christendom.â€
Odegei was not convinced. Squinting at the map, he asked, “You were able to defeat me, and yet you claim I can beat the King of Germany. How is this so? Why do you not take all these lands for yourself?â€
Alexander smiled demurely, as he pointed at the map. “In the name of God, my friend, would you not rather live in Constantinople than in Nuremberg?â€
In the years to come, as word of the treachery of Alexander became known, it would be said he had made a pact with the devil. Some men, defending him, would say he did not know what he had unleashed. For he had done one of the most abominable acts in history, which would darken the legacy of Byzantium for all time. The Italian poet Dante would place him besides Judas in the mouth of Satan, for like Judas, he had done an unspeakable deed.
Judas had betrayed Man’s Savior. Alexander had betrayed the world.
Kiev, June, 1240
Sitting on the banks of the Dnieper, Kiev had prospered as a trading city. Although it had been sacked by the princes of Vladimir in 1169 and 1203, and was not the city it had been at its height, Kiev was no mean city. It had grown fat on river trade, and had prospered, as much as one could in troubled times.
Now that was at an end. Batu’s army had marched north quickly, driving through the Ukraine like a whirlwind. The much reduced Horde was driven by a man who was not focusing on subduing all of Russia, but on taking the lands to the south and to the west.
The Khan’s army was angry, and their fury would fall upon the inhabitants of Kiev like the apocalypse.
The city fell in two short weeks, and there are simply too many atrocities and horrors to list here. When the city was excavated in the reign of the Tsar of all Russia, Vladimir the Great, the archeologists would be horrified by what they would find.
They would find two girls, huddled together, hiding in an oven. Their bones were burned, as the Mongols had set them aflame for sport. There was a pot of porridge with a spoon stuck in it, left by a family fleeing their house as it was set aflame. A collapsed tunnel was found, dug by men desperate to escape the town. They too perished under the Tatar sword. Kiev had been raped, and gutted. It would not recover for generations.
By the time the Mongols were finished, there was no one left to weep for the dead.
The Mongols would sweep west, sacking Galicia and destroying the power of Galicia-Volynia. The devastation for Russia would be great, and for the Byzantine support for the Tatars, the Greeks would never be forgiven.
But out of the ashes would arise a new power, in the snow covered forests of the Rus. For Batu lacked the forces to invade Northern Russia, and there, the Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal survived, defiant, and waiting. With the fall of Kiev and Galitch, there was only one great Russian state left.
On the shoulders of Mikhail, Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, the fate of Russia was laid.
Tver, March, 1242
From across the lands of the Rus, they had assembled. The vyeche of Novgorod had sent its delegates, the princes of Chernigov, Smolensk, and Pinsk had arrived, and even Kiev, battered, broken Kiev, had sent a delegate.
They had come, for one simple reason. They sought to avoid listen to the council of Mikhail, and decide what to do about the Tatars.
Mikhail looked over the men before him, and idly considered whether it would have been best to have become an ally of the Tatars. Probably not, but….
Mikhail cleared his throat as he looked over the men. “For centuries,†he said, “the peoples of Russia have been divided. The title of Grand Prince, long claimed by my forefathers, has been ignored.â€
The prince of Smolensk laughed. “Why do you deserve the title to the crown? You are of the same lineage as I am, or, for that matter,†he said, gesturing, “any of us.â€
Mikhail looked at the prince of Smolensk, and smiled smugly. “Perhaps,†he said, “but I am already the protector of the Rus. It is my armies who keep the Danes and Germans from sacking Novgorod.â€
“Consider,†continued Mikhail, “what has happened to the Rus, divided. Pskov was taken by Germans; Prince Mstislav of Kiev was slain at Kalka, and now the city itself lies in ashes. How much longer can this go on, until our sons drink the blood of horses and speak German?â€
There was silence in the hall, as Mikhail son of Vsevelod’s words sunk in. The Prince of Smolensk drained a cup of beer. “What do you ask for, then?â€
Mikhail waved genially around him. “Nothing more than is required, of course.
So it came to pass that in the Cathedral of St. Demetrius, during the Feast of Protection, that Mikhail, Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, Protector of Novgorod, became Mikhail, Grand Prince of all Russia. An age had finished, with the sacking of Kiev. But a new one was just beginning.
Nuremberg, March 1241
The Mongols invaded Europe with the force of lightning, committing great slaughter, and slaying thousands. Ten thousand Mongols were marching towards Silesia and Northern Poland, while twenty thousand more mere marching on Hungary. Men said that it was the end of days, claiming that the apocalypse had begun, and claimed that the Tartars were servants of Satan. Any who doubted it merely had to speak to the refugees who fled before the Mongols, who spoke of horrors that seemed unimaginable.
The Emperor of Rome, Frederick II, had called for a Diet in Nuremberg, for all who wished to oppose the Mongols to come together. It was there, beneath the pieces of the Holy Cross, and the Holy Lance, that Frederick II gave what is considered the greatest speech of his life.
Frederick looked over the men who had journeyed to Frankfurt to discuss the coming threat to Europe. He looked over the men, and smiled. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was a chance to triumph here.
Frederick looked before him. “We will be truthful. Christendom, the Empire, faces its darkest hour. The King of the Greeks, the new Judas, has helped the race of Tartarus attack our Empire. They have slain thousands, and may kill thousands more. It is not unimaginable to believe that we live in the End of Times.â€
“The Tartars,†said Frederick, scanning his audience, “are a wild, lawless people. They fight for their lord, who they call the Lord of Earth. These Tartars,†said Frederick, are most astute at war,†Frederick paused to smile, “as is natural after forty years campaining. They have smashed the armies of Persia, of Russia, and were only driven from Greece after Alexander bribed them.†[175]
There was a groan from some one in the audience. “But,†said Frederick, lifting his voice, “the Empire has faced great disasters before. The Magyar raids, the attacks of the Vikings, of Attila, and of the Saracens. Each time, the Empire has triumphed. We can do no less than our forefathers.â€
“This is no mere war,†said Frederick. “This is a crusade. We fight for nothing less than the continued existence of Christianity, and let it be known that all who die will die as martyrs.â€
Frederick lifted a hand, encompassing all present before him. “Therefore, let us join together, that we might hurl the Tartars back to the wasteland from which they have come. Each and every nation should dispatch her greatest warriors to fight under the eagles of the Empire and the banners of the cross. Germany, fiery and furious in arms, France, the mother of chivalry, Burgundy, with warriors from the peaks of the Alps, untamed Italy, unacquainted with peace, icy Norway, and all the other realms of Christendom shall send their mightiest warriors together. This will be a great crusade.â€
Frederick smiled as he watched the men in the Diet regain confidence, as all the petty quarrels and disputes in Germany began to dissolve. “The Roman Empire has lasted for over a thousand years, and it has never faced a peril this great. Should we triumph, it will last for another thousand years. And over that thousand years, men will look back, and realize that now, as we defend our lands against the hosts of Tartarus, as the fate of the world rests with us and with God, is its finest hour!â€
Frederick’s plan for facing the Mongols began to develop, based on what he knew of them and the way that Alexander opposed them, and the old response to the Magyar raids. Fortifications were to be stocked with provisions and weapons to last for months. Infantry were to be furnished with crossbows, and, as Frederick taught, they were to avoid open battle. Crops and fodder were to be burned if they could not be taken into castles and fortified towns. Preparations lasted throughout 1241 and into 1242.
While the lords of France squabbled like jackals over the crown, while the Emperor of Byzantium carved up the world, and while the King of Denmark prepared to take advantage of the coming chaos, Frederick II, Wonder of the World, took up the Cross, and prepared to defend the Empire.
Near the Oder, March 1242
Buri smiled as he crossed the river. This land, Germany, seemed to have good prospects for loot. The pickings the past few years had been poor, but the wealth that awaited him would make it worthwhile.
Buri took a swig of kumiss as his men crossed the bridge, thankful that they’d found a survivor from the area to direct them to the bridge. It made things so much simpler than having to swim across the river. He was leading a hundred men across the stone bridge, and beyond he could see an abandoned farm house. Buri heard a cattle moo from inside the barn, and smiled at the thought of eating cow again.
He was still smiling when the bridge blew up, courtesy of a hundred pounds of gunpowder, stored beneath it by the Emperor’s men.
Liegnitz, November 1242
Henry crossed himself as he looked through his visor at the battle before him. “I am still convinced this was a mistake,†he muttered. He looked over at the Duke of Silesia. “We were supposed to avoid open combat.â€
The Duke (who is also known as Henry, but shall be referred to as the Duke to avoid confusing the reader) merely frowned. “The Mongols have skipped across Poland like a stone on a pond. We have to fight them somewhere, and this seemed as good a place as any.â€
The Duke was right, which prevented Henry from running with his army, but it was still foolish. The army of Poles at Krakow had been destroyed, and as far as anyone knew, all the Dukes of Poland were dead. At least if they fought here, they would be close to the fortress at Leignitz if things went poorly.
It still seemed unfair to Henry. He had never dealt with his father, never confronted him about his mother, because of the Tartars. He still did not know what had happened then. Looking over the host before him, Henry doubted he would ever know.
Frederick had taken the watch in Hungary, attempting to close the Carpathians to the Mongols, and Henry had been tasked to hold the Mongols in the North, along the Oder. He prayed that he could manage it, for if he could not, Germany would lie open. He had left the majority of his army behind him, but this was the largest force to take to the field against the Tartars yet.
Henry looked through his telescope at the host before them. It must have numbered twenty thousand [176], two-thirds the size of the imperial force. But all of it was mounted, with bows that, at a close range, could pierce through even German steel. Henry had ten thousand cavalry, ten thousand heavy infantry, and 5,000 bowmen. He did not like the odds.
Henry put down his telescope, and lifted his lance. He was still musing about how to approach the Tartar ranks when the Duke of Silesia began a charge.
“What,†said Henry, as he watched the army of the Duke crash into the Mongol cavalry, “does he think he’s doing?â€
The German cavalry knocked into the Mongol ranks, but the Mongols were too strong. The knights withdrew, and began to charge again, but the Mongol lines began to break.
A great cry went up from the ranks of the Duke’s knights, for they were confident that they had broken the Mongol lines. To most knights, it seemed as if victory was imminent.
Henry, however, was no fool. He had read accounts of the Crusades and battles with the Turks, and he knew how the Tartars fought. He felt his heart begin to race, as he realized what had happened. The Tartars were luring the Duke into an ambush, withdrawing
Henry looked over to his messenger. “Signal retreat.†The messenger stared at Henry for a second, as if not believing the command. “Do it!†demanded Henry.
Henry crossed himself. “The poor fool,†he said as he looked at the Duke’s forces. “He has cost the lives of himself and hundreds of others.â€
The Mongols began to circle the knights of the Duke, whose horses were tired by this point. They began firing arrows into them, shooting without ceasing.
Henry looked over the battlefield, cursing. “We withdraw,†he said to the messenger, “to Leignitz. Let us pray that we can hold there.â€
Henry just prayed that his father was doing better to the south.
Pest, November 1242
“What do you mean they’ve crossed the Carpathians?†demanded Frederick. “What happened to the Hungarian army that was garrisoning the passes?†He stared at the King of Hungary. “Answer me!â€
Bela, King of Hungary, drained a stein of beer before answering. “Bribery. You know how it is. One of my nobles betrayed us, and now their army can pour into Hungary.†Bela motioned for more beer. “Well, my Emperor, what do we do now?â€
Frederick stared at Bela for a long time, full of contempt for the man whose idiocy may very well have doomed Christendom. “I have a task for you, actually.†As Bela leaned forward, Frederick continued, “Go find a large sharp stick, position yourself gently, and sit on for several days. I have a war to plan.â€
Frederick decided to follow his traditional plan. Half of his army was sent to Austria, to guard the passes into Italy and Germany.
Did Frederick realize, even then, that Hungary could not be held? Future historians would argue that he knew that, and was preparing for its fall; but if so, why did he stay?
That was yet another question that would remain unanswered. By November of 1243, Frederick II, Wonder of the World, would no longer be around to answer it.
Lake Balaton, Western Hungary, January 1243
1243 was a cold winter, even for Hungary; Lake Balaton, the massive body of water in the western part of the Kingdom, was frozen over. The fresh snow covered it, and to a casual observer, it looked as if it was merely a flat valley.
Frederick II was counting on exactly that. He had encamped on the western side of the lake, watching and waiting for the Tartar army. The temperature, he knew, was rising, and the lake was thinner than it had been.
On the eastern side of the valley, Batu looked across the plain, and smiled. The foolish German was too confident that Batu would dispose of the Hungarians before attacking him. Batu thought about how best to attack the German camp. After a moment, Batu decided on something simple. A charge the valley, and then they would circle behind the German camp.
The Mongols poured down the valley, and galloped across the floor. The archers began to fire volleys into the German ranks, and were confident of victory. It was as they began to charge across the valley, however, that the Mongols noticed something wrong.
The valley was not a valley. The valley was a lake covered with fresh snow, and the Mongol horsemen were charging over a substance that the horses of the stepped had never experienced. The Mongol cavalry began to slide and slip, falling onto the ice. As the Mongols attempted to stop, their horses fell on the ice, and began crashing into one another.
Batu watched in horror as the center of his army fell on top of one another. It was embarrassing, watching Mongol warriors fall like children. He swore that he would make Frederick pay for embarrassing him.
It was at this point, of course, that the ice began to crack under the fallen Mongols. The ice, after all, was thin, and several thousand pounds of horse and men in a small area were disastrous. Mongols began falling into the water with their horses, and it goes without saying that nomads from the steppe cannot swim.
As Batu watched in horror as six hundred Mongols drowned, he heard a cry echo across the lake. The Germans were shouting something he could barely make out.
“Sieg und Heil!â€
Batu managed to get his other horsemen off the ice, and considered his options. He could attempt to skirt the valley, and discover where the lake ended, or he could drive his men across in careful groups, slowly. If he tried to circle the lake, Frederick could escape, and Batu could not allow that to happen. He sent the orders for the Mongols to advance across the lake, slowly and carefully, and dispatched other forces around the lake.
The wind picked up, scattering snow from the ice, and it was then that Batu saw that part of the lake by Frederick was covered with dirt and sand. Batu thought little of it, and watched as his men began to attempt to encircle Frederick’s army.
Batu watched in puzzlement as the German knights began to advance across the ice. Surely, he reasoned, they would slip as well. He was still puzzled when the knights began to reach the Mongol forces on horseback.
Dirt, of course, reduces the slipperiness of the ice. The Mongols may not have known that, but Frederick II and his nobles were well acquainted with that. Batu’s puzzlement grew into horror as the German knights finally had a situation in which the Mongol horsemen could not flee, and was forced to watch in dismay as the Germans went through them as if they were Chinese paper.
By this point Batu had lost several thousand Mongols. But his forces had managed to reach the other side of the lake, and were going to attack Frederick’s camp from the sides. Unfortunately for Batu, he had not noticed the German knights who had traveled through the forest behind Frederick’s camp, and were now behind the Mongols.
They were slower than the Tartars, true enough. But the Tartars had no place to go, unless they wished to try the ice.
For perhaps the first, and perhaps only time in history, a Mongol army had been surrounded. Batu, furious by this point, watched the carnage from afar. “Enough,†he said. “We will simply go past them.â€
Batu signaled a withdrawal, and the Germans, battered, did not pursue. The Germans had won a victory, but at great cost. The Emperor had taken an arrow to his chest.
[174] A brief digression is necessary here, I feel, since there are probably a few readers wondering just how the hell Elisabeth ended up as the Duchess of Austria. Austria was under the rule of the Babenberg dukes, and the second to last Duke, Leopold VI, was one of the legends of his time. He fought in Spain, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Baltic. He was a patron of law and poetry; he was, truly, one of the greatest Dukes of his day.
Unfortunately, his son, Duke Frederick, was what we’d consider to be an ass. As in OTL, he went to war with his neighbors, and when called before the Emperor’s regent Henry, he refused to attend. Henry’s response was to lead an army into Austria, depose him, and declare Austria to be an Imperial city. Frederick died in combat against Henry, unloved and unmourned by his subjects.
This left the inconvenient problem of what to do with Austria. Henry was initially in favor of grabbing it as a lapsed fief, but German tradition states that the Emperor cannot take territory that reverts to the crown, but must give it back after a year and a day. (Granted, Henry VI blatantly ignored that and effectively broke that tradition). Henry decided to give it to his sister, who could then use it as a dowry. This keeps it within the Staufen orbit, and keeps the nobles of Germany loyal, for whoever the Emperor favors receives Austria.
[175] While not true, it’s how Frederick interprets it.
[176] The Mongols have recruited a lot of horsemen from the Turkish tribes of Russia, notably the Cumans. This is a contrast to OTL, where the Cumans were enemies of the Tartars, and reflects Subotai’s low manpower.
Good installments. I like how Frederick II gets payback for all the grief that he committs, thereby ending his life the very way he started it. Just curious- what is the POV of the installments? I know it's third person but it's sort of from a person's POV with little side notes that the characters would not usually have.
Admiral Matt
Gone Fishin'
I like it. I must admit I'm a bit disappointed how quickly wars go in this - there's not much time to build up suspense. Still, it's great.
Can the Mongols do much in northern Germany without first taking Liegnitz?
Can the Mongols do much in northern Germany without first taking Liegnitz?
Great thread, Faeliin.
And thanks for having Frederik bow out in a blaze of glory. It would have been sad to have him linger on the stage in his old age.
And thanks for having Frederik bow out in a blaze of glory. It would have been sad to have him linger on the stage in his old age.
G.Bone said:
If I may;
According to the legend "Danebrog" fell from the sky during "Volmerslaget" - the Volmer battle - close to Reval on June 15th 1219 (Volmer is the same as Valdemar). The danish King was promised victory if he would fight under this flag, and victorious he was...
Actually, the danish flag is derived from the ancient war flag of the HRE that showed a centered white cross on red ground (same as the Swiss flag, which just shortened the arms of the cross.)
Faeelin
Banned
Bingo, Martin. But why would the Danes adopt the banner of their neighbors?
I present to you, the history of Russia:
Since it’s been brought to my attention that people find the position of Vladimir as of 1244 a bit… unlikely, I’ve decided to write a post detailing a brief overview of the history of Russia between 1197 and 1244.
Russia, by 1200, is divided into several different states: Vladimir-Suzdal, Kiev, Smolensk, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, and Novgorod. To an outside observer, it might very well seem like the Russians were mired in pointless, endless fratricidal warfare.
This is only true, however, in Southern Russia, where the princes of Smolensk, Chernigov, and Volynia were fighting one another for supremacy in southern Russia and for control over “the mother of Russian citiesâ€, Kiev.
Northern Russia presents a very different picture. The lands of Vladimir Suzdal (which we will henceforth refer to as Suzdalia) prosper. Most of its cities are situated along the Volga or the Klyaz’ma, giving the city access to the markets of the east.
The city of Vladimir was founded in 1108 by Vladimir Monomakh, one of the many descendents of Vladimir. This small state, however, rapidly expanded; and under the reign of his son Andrei, Vladimir truly emerged as one of the great powers in Russia. Andrei drove out his brothers and the senior boyars of his father, in his desire to be a strong monarch, and pursued a ruthless policy of expansion. While he failed to set up an independent metropolitanate, it was one of his sons who sacked Kiev in 1169 and placed a brother of Andrei on the throne there.
Andrei was murdered in 1174, but his brother, Vsevolod, succeeded in reestablishing control over Suzdalia in 1176. Vsevolod continued his predecessors’ policy of expansion across Russia, and he was the first prince to be known as “the grand princeâ€. The Grand Prince would negotiate an agreement with Novgorod, in which the disputed territories in the northwest were administered jointly, and he founded towns to act as a bulwark against the Bulgars.
By 1200 AD, Vsevolod’s power was so great that he was considered to be “senior amongst the cousins in the tribe of Vladimirâ€, and poets would urge him to “fly to Vladimir, to watch over [his] father’s golden throneâ€.
Ryazan, by this point, was essentially a vassal of Suzdalia, for Vsevolod forced Ryazan’s army to fight with him against Chernigov and the Polovtsians, and he meddled in the city’s internal affairs repeatedly. Even in Pereyaslavl, far to the southeast, Suzdalia dominated, to the point where Vsevolod felt secure placing his ten year old son, Yaroslav, on the throne of the city in 1200.
Then, of course, there is Novgorod, the free and independent city to the north. It could appoint its own mayor, who was known as a posadnik, it could choose its own archbishop, and, most importantly, after 1136, it could choose its prince from any dynasty it pleased.
But the freedom of Novgorod did not, and could not last. While it is true that the boyars could choose their own prince, the boyars divided themselves into different groupings. There was the faction which supported the princes of Chernigov, there was a faction that supported the princes of Suzdalia, and there were those that supported the princes of Smolensk. This meant that the boyars could not rule without the backing of whoever was prince at the time, and the prince at the time depended on his home city for support.
By the end of the 12th century, this had led to the domination of one family: the princes of Suzdalia. Vsevolod had curbed even Novgorod’s right to choose its own prince. In the 1180’s and 1190’s, the prince of Novgorod was a puppet of Vsevolod, and in 1199 Vsevolod appointed his three year old son to the throne of Novgorod.
So powerful was Vsevolod that a Kievan chronicler in 1195 would write that “the Rus cannot exist without Vsevolod, for we have placed in him seniority amongst all our cousins in the tribe of Vladimir.†Even in the south he was feared, and he forced the prince of Smolensk, in 1195, to hand over to him five towns near Kiev which the prince of Smolensk had previously given to the prince of Volynia.
In the south, the endemic warfare continued between the princes of Chernigov (the Ol’govichi) and the other princes of southwestern Russia, notably the Rostislavichi, under the leader of their prince Ryurik, who ruled Smolensk. The death of the Ol’govichi prince of Kiev in 1194 caused the beginning of a war that would last for decades, and it was a war that would devastate all of southern Russia.
There was a truce in 1196, but war resumed in 1200, due to largely personal reasons. Roman, prince of Volynia, divorced his wife in 1196, who unfortunately happened to be the daughter of the prince of Smolensk, so that he could remarry a daughter of Emperor Isaac II of Byzantium, and a relative of the Hungarian King, who is known to us as Anna [177]. Thanks to his dynastic ties with Hungary, allowed the prince of Volynia to grab the rich principality of Galicia, uniting two of the most fertile provinces in southern Russia.
The union of the two provinces scared the other princes of the south, and it fell upon Vsevolod III to build up resistance to Roman. He persuaded the prince of Chernigov to break off relations with Roman, and persuaded Ryurik (who was already angry at the treatment his daughter had received) to go to war with Roman.
Initially, the war in the south favored Roman, who took Kiev from Ryurik in 1200. Roman placed his cousin Ingvar on the throne of Kiev, and for two years all was quiet. But Ryurik attacked Kiev with Vsevolod in 1203, and together with the Polovtsian nomads and the princes of Chernigov captured the city.
The sack was devastating; entire districts were burned, the cathedral of St. Sofia, and all monasteries, were sacked, and the Polovtsians led their captives off into the steppes, never to see their homes in Kiev again.
Ryurik, however, could not hold Kiev without support from Vsevolod, and Ryurik was obliged to do him homage and promise not to ally with the princes of Chernigov.
For a while it seemed as if there would be peace, and Roman and Ryurik went on a campaign in 1204 against the Polovtsians together. But Roman betrayed Ryurik, who was arrested and forcibly tonsured. Ryurik’s sons, Rostislav and Vladimir, were taken to Galicia as prisoners of Roman.
Vsevolod III, of course, did not stand for this, and forced Roman to release Ryurik’s sons, and Rostislav became the new prince of Kiev. In despair of ever taking Kiev, Roman turned west, and launched a massive campaign against Leszek of Krakow. He was defeated in 1205, however, and slain in battle.
The death of Roman marked the end of an era. Galicia was now wide open to invasion, and in 1205 Ryurik (who quickly abandoned the life of monks) joined with the prince of Chernigov, Vladimir, to invade Galicia. Their campaign in 1205 was a failure, but the two prepared a massive invasion force for 1206, in which all the available forces of the two princes took part. The invasion escalated into a massive international conflict, with Poles, Hungarians, and even Vsevolod taking part, by sending forces from his son’s principality of Pereyaslavl’. The end result is that the prince of Chernigov, Vladimir, was installed in the city of Galich, dominating the two principalities.
By this point, the princes of Chernigov felt that he was the ruler of southern Russia, and threw Vsevolod’s son Yaroslav out of the principality of Pereyaslavl, and for a short time Chernigov held sway over all of southern Russia. The Princes of Chernigov also took Kiev and installed one of their own, Vsevolod Chermnyy in place of Ryurik.
But the Princes of Chernigov had not counted on two things: the resilience of the princes of Smolensk and the fury of Vsevolod III. Ryurik and his family occupied the towns surrounding Kiev, and soon pushed Vsevolod Chermnyy out of Kiev. The Princes of Chernigov pushed Ryurik out of Kiev early in 1207, but just as it seemed as if they would be able to hold Kiev, Vsevolod III, prince of Suzdalia, struck. He set off in August of 1207 with a large army, when he received word that Ryazan was planning to revolt, he occupied the major cities of Ryazan. Although he was not the one who caused Vsevolod Chermnyy to be ejected from Novgorod, that prince was forced out by Ryurik, who became (again) the prince of Kiev.
This continues for several more years, with Ryurik’s nephew Mstislav taking Novgorod from Vsevolod’s son in 1208. This causes Vsevolod to ally with the princes of Chernigov against the princes of Smolensk, and the princes of Chernigov “asked for peace and submitted to him in all thingsâ€. Vsevolod Chermny’s daughter Agafia was married to Yury, son of Vsevolod of Suzdalia, on April 11 1210, and the two forces then united against the princes of Smolensk. Ryurik was removed from Kiev, and when he died, none mourned him, for “he had no peace from any direction, and was much addicted to drink and was manipulated by womenâ€.
By 1211, one would hope that Vsevolod would be able to relax. Alas, such was not to be, for his sons were already quarreling over what would happen to his principality after his death. Vsevolod had several sons, who, in order of their birth, were Konstantin, Yuri, Yaroslav, Vladimir, Svyatoslav, and Ivan. As of 1211, Konstantin was the only one who was specifically allocated titles, and had been granted the city of Rostov. Vsevolod decided that Konstantin was to be given Vladimir, and Yuri was to take over Rostov. Konstantin, however, wanted both [178]. When Vsevolod summoned him to Vladimir, Konstantin refused to go, and Vladimir decided that the issue must be dealt with. Vsevolod summoned a great zemskie zobory, a national council, embracing “all his boyars from the towns, Bishop Ioann, the abbots, the priests, merchants, servicemen and all the peopleâ€. At the session, with nearly unanimous approval, he bestowed Vladimir on his second oldest son, Yuri, and granted him seniority within the family. Konstantin was furious at the news and refused to acknowledge, but Vsevolod fell ill in April of 1212 and was prevented from moving against his son until July [179]. Konstantin was forced by Vsevolod to enter a monastery after the citizens of Rostov rose against him, and Yury’s succession to the throne of Suzdalia was confirmed.
However, Vsevolod was aware that the Rostislavichi if Smolensk had been encouraging Konstantin, and swore that he would take revenge against the Rostislavichi. While he passed away late in 1213, his son was capable of fulfilling his father’s vow, and he set his sights on retaking Novgorod.
Mstislav “The Daring†had seized Novgorod in 1208, and for a while it seemed as if Suzdalia and Mistislav were at an impasse. But Mstislav’s downfall came in 1214, when he led a campaign against the Germans to the west, and his army was devastated by disease before the walls of German castles [180]. When Henry VI’s forces took Pskov, Yuri’s agents in Suzdal orchestrated a coup and called for Yaroslav, Vsevolod’s third eldest son. Yuri sent along a Suzdalian army with Yaroslav, and the city of Novgorod was forced to accept that while they could choose their prince, he must be approved by the prince of Suzdal.
A harsh price, to be sure, but “better the prince’s crown than the German’s swordâ€, as the saying went in Novgorod.
Yuri would also prove his success in campaigns against the Bulgars to the east. Since the early thirteenth century, Bulgars had been attacking Ryazan and Murom, but in 1218 Suzdal itself was threatened in a Bulgar raid. Yuri’s reaction was swift and decisive, and in 1220 he mounted a major campaign, which took several major towns along the Volga. When combined with the devastation the Bulgars suffered after Kalka, it is no wonder that there were no Bulgar raids on Suzdalian territory for decades to come.
Yuri would also construct a town with a stone wall, Nizhiny Novgorod, at the point where the Oka and Volga meet. His reign would see the introduction of German style fortifications into Russia, as well as the beginning of the use of heavy siege weapons.
While all this was happening, the Ol’govichi and the Rostislavichi are engaging in yet another series of wars. While the Ol’govichi control, as of 1214, Novgorod, Pskov, Kiev, Polotsk, Turov, and Pinsk; for a while it appeared as if Galicia would also succumb to their domination. After Yuri ejected Mstislav from Novgorod, the two sides watched one another, each one afraid of the cost that a full scale war would entail.
Mstislav, after his ejection from Novgorod, turned his sights on Galicia, which was still racked by dissent and division [181]. He succeeded in taking the province in 1218, and married his daughter to Roman’s eldest son. Thus, it seemed by 1220 that Russia was divided between the north, under the domination of Suzdal, and the south, under the domination of the princes of Chernigov, the Ol’govichi.
Then came the Tartars. Mstislav received word of the Tartar invasion, and summoned a council in Kiev. The Ryurikovichi and the Ol’govichi united together, and sent a force east to aid the Polovtsians.
It was utterly annihilated. The princes of Kiev, Kanev, Chernigov, Turov, and Pinsk were slaughtered, and half of the Russian army was wiped out.
It would be touching to discuss how Yuri immediately sent aid and comfort to the poor people of the southern Russian states. Unfortunately, it was not what happened.
The armies of Novgorod, Suzdalia, Ryazan, and Murom were mobilized and sent into a south that was still reeling from the devastation at Kalka, and Yuri began a campaign to annihilate the Ol’govichi. He set up his brother Yaroslav in Kiev, his brother Vladimir in Smolensk, his brother Ivan in Pinsk, and Galicia regained its independence under Daniil, Roman’s eldest son.
Chernigov, surrounded on all sides by the forces of Yuri, acknowledged Yuri as the Grand Prince of the Rus; and when he died in 1229, his son Mikhael succeeded, for perhaps the first time in the history of the Rus, without a violent civil war.
Mikhael’s reign sees growth and prosperity for the lands of the Rus, and the adaptation of several technologies of the west. Russians adopt the use of crossbows from the Germans, and several cathedrals are built in Romanesque style across Russia.
But the Mongols come again; and when they ravage Russia, in 1242, the reaction is devastating. Only the northern states are spared.
This disaster, harsh as it was, was incredibly beneficial for the Rus. In the wake of th devastation, a new Empire is born.
Mikhael, the Grand Prince, makes a fateful decision in the aftermath of the disaster. While Batu and his army are battling with the Emperor’s forces, he adopts the title which will be used for all of Russia’s future rulers. The Byzantines had formally been, in Russian eyes, the holders of this title, but with their perfidious actions that unleashed the Mongol horde, the title fell to Mikhael. It was decided, in the presence of a national counsel, that Mikhael would earn a new title, emphasizing his place in the world.
He would be known by a title that would, in the centuries to come, strike fear in the hearts of all Russia’s neighbors.
Tsar.
[177] Unfortunately, the poor Emperor would soon be dead, but such is life, no?
[178] Note that it is only around here that events diverge from OTL. Suzdalia was really this powerful. Its downfall occurred after Vsevolod died and Konstantin allied with the princes of Smolensk and Vladimir was burned, and even then Yuri was able to retake Novgorod in 1221.
[179] This is the first major change in Russian history, stemming from the butterfly effects of the POD.
[180] Another point is that the Russians, at this point, lack siege equipment or any true experience with stone castles. This changes when it becomes clear that this will be an endemic problem. Since such fortifications are more existent in northern Russia than southern, it is another reason that the Mongols bypassed Suzdalia.
[181] While the Hungarians never took over Galicia as they did OTL, Anna’s rule is still rather weak, and she had barely driven out Vladimir when Mistislav attacked the province.
I present to you, the history of Russia:
Since it’s been brought to my attention that people find the position of Vladimir as of 1244 a bit… unlikely, I’ve decided to write a post detailing a brief overview of the history of Russia between 1197 and 1244.
Russia, by 1200, is divided into several different states: Vladimir-Suzdal, Kiev, Smolensk, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, and Novgorod. To an outside observer, it might very well seem like the Russians were mired in pointless, endless fratricidal warfare.
This is only true, however, in Southern Russia, where the princes of Smolensk, Chernigov, and Volynia were fighting one another for supremacy in southern Russia and for control over “the mother of Russian citiesâ€, Kiev.
Northern Russia presents a very different picture. The lands of Vladimir Suzdal (which we will henceforth refer to as Suzdalia) prosper. Most of its cities are situated along the Volga or the Klyaz’ma, giving the city access to the markets of the east.
The city of Vladimir was founded in 1108 by Vladimir Monomakh, one of the many descendents of Vladimir. This small state, however, rapidly expanded; and under the reign of his son Andrei, Vladimir truly emerged as one of the great powers in Russia. Andrei drove out his brothers and the senior boyars of his father, in his desire to be a strong monarch, and pursued a ruthless policy of expansion. While he failed to set up an independent metropolitanate, it was one of his sons who sacked Kiev in 1169 and placed a brother of Andrei on the throne there.
Andrei was murdered in 1174, but his brother, Vsevolod, succeeded in reestablishing control over Suzdalia in 1176. Vsevolod continued his predecessors’ policy of expansion across Russia, and he was the first prince to be known as “the grand princeâ€. The Grand Prince would negotiate an agreement with Novgorod, in which the disputed territories in the northwest were administered jointly, and he founded towns to act as a bulwark against the Bulgars.
By 1200 AD, Vsevolod’s power was so great that he was considered to be “senior amongst the cousins in the tribe of Vladimirâ€, and poets would urge him to “fly to Vladimir, to watch over [his] father’s golden throneâ€.
Ryazan, by this point, was essentially a vassal of Suzdalia, for Vsevolod forced Ryazan’s army to fight with him against Chernigov and the Polovtsians, and he meddled in the city’s internal affairs repeatedly. Even in Pereyaslavl, far to the southeast, Suzdalia dominated, to the point where Vsevolod felt secure placing his ten year old son, Yaroslav, on the throne of the city in 1200.
Then, of course, there is Novgorod, the free and independent city to the north. It could appoint its own mayor, who was known as a posadnik, it could choose its own archbishop, and, most importantly, after 1136, it could choose its prince from any dynasty it pleased.
But the freedom of Novgorod did not, and could not last. While it is true that the boyars could choose their own prince, the boyars divided themselves into different groupings. There was the faction which supported the princes of Chernigov, there was a faction that supported the princes of Suzdalia, and there were those that supported the princes of Smolensk. This meant that the boyars could not rule without the backing of whoever was prince at the time, and the prince at the time depended on his home city for support.
By the end of the 12th century, this had led to the domination of one family: the princes of Suzdalia. Vsevolod had curbed even Novgorod’s right to choose its own prince. In the 1180’s and 1190’s, the prince of Novgorod was a puppet of Vsevolod, and in 1199 Vsevolod appointed his three year old son to the throne of Novgorod.
So powerful was Vsevolod that a Kievan chronicler in 1195 would write that “the Rus cannot exist without Vsevolod, for we have placed in him seniority amongst all our cousins in the tribe of Vladimir.†Even in the south he was feared, and he forced the prince of Smolensk, in 1195, to hand over to him five towns near Kiev which the prince of Smolensk had previously given to the prince of Volynia.
In the south, the endemic warfare continued between the princes of Chernigov (the Ol’govichi) and the other princes of southwestern Russia, notably the Rostislavichi, under the leader of their prince Ryurik, who ruled Smolensk. The death of the Ol’govichi prince of Kiev in 1194 caused the beginning of a war that would last for decades, and it was a war that would devastate all of southern Russia.
There was a truce in 1196, but war resumed in 1200, due to largely personal reasons. Roman, prince of Volynia, divorced his wife in 1196, who unfortunately happened to be the daughter of the prince of Smolensk, so that he could remarry a daughter of Emperor Isaac II of Byzantium, and a relative of the Hungarian King, who is known to us as Anna [177]. Thanks to his dynastic ties with Hungary, allowed the prince of Volynia to grab the rich principality of Galicia, uniting two of the most fertile provinces in southern Russia.
The union of the two provinces scared the other princes of the south, and it fell upon Vsevolod III to build up resistance to Roman. He persuaded the prince of Chernigov to break off relations with Roman, and persuaded Ryurik (who was already angry at the treatment his daughter had received) to go to war with Roman.
Initially, the war in the south favored Roman, who took Kiev from Ryurik in 1200. Roman placed his cousin Ingvar on the throne of Kiev, and for two years all was quiet. But Ryurik attacked Kiev with Vsevolod in 1203, and together with the Polovtsian nomads and the princes of Chernigov captured the city.
The sack was devastating; entire districts were burned, the cathedral of St. Sofia, and all monasteries, were sacked, and the Polovtsians led their captives off into the steppes, never to see their homes in Kiev again.
Ryurik, however, could not hold Kiev without support from Vsevolod, and Ryurik was obliged to do him homage and promise not to ally with the princes of Chernigov.
For a while it seemed as if there would be peace, and Roman and Ryurik went on a campaign in 1204 against the Polovtsians together. But Roman betrayed Ryurik, who was arrested and forcibly tonsured. Ryurik’s sons, Rostislav and Vladimir, were taken to Galicia as prisoners of Roman.
Vsevolod III, of course, did not stand for this, and forced Roman to release Ryurik’s sons, and Rostislav became the new prince of Kiev. In despair of ever taking Kiev, Roman turned west, and launched a massive campaign against Leszek of Krakow. He was defeated in 1205, however, and slain in battle.
The death of Roman marked the end of an era. Galicia was now wide open to invasion, and in 1205 Ryurik (who quickly abandoned the life of monks) joined with the prince of Chernigov, Vladimir, to invade Galicia. Their campaign in 1205 was a failure, but the two prepared a massive invasion force for 1206, in which all the available forces of the two princes took part. The invasion escalated into a massive international conflict, with Poles, Hungarians, and even Vsevolod taking part, by sending forces from his son’s principality of Pereyaslavl’. The end result is that the prince of Chernigov, Vladimir, was installed in the city of Galich, dominating the two principalities.
By this point, the princes of Chernigov felt that he was the ruler of southern Russia, and threw Vsevolod’s son Yaroslav out of the principality of Pereyaslavl, and for a short time Chernigov held sway over all of southern Russia. The Princes of Chernigov also took Kiev and installed one of their own, Vsevolod Chermnyy in place of Ryurik.
But the Princes of Chernigov had not counted on two things: the resilience of the princes of Smolensk and the fury of Vsevolod III. Ryurik and his family occupied the towns surrounding Kiev, and soon pushed Vsevolod Chermnyy out of Kiev. The Princes of Chernigov pushed Ryurik out of Kiev early in 1207, but just as it seemed as if they would be able to hold Kiev, Vsevolod III, prince of Suzdalia, struck. He set off in August of 1207 with a large army, when he received word that Ryazan was planning to revolt, he occupied the major cities of Ryazan. Although he was not the one who caused Vsevolod Chermnyy to be ejected from Novgorod, that prince was forced out by Ryurik, who became (again) the prince of Kiev.
This continues for several more years, with Ryurik’s nephew Mstislav taking Novgorod from Vsevolod’s son in 1208. This causes Vsevolod to ally with the princes of Chernigov against the princes of Smolensk, and the princes of Chernigov “asked for peace and submitted to him in all thingsâ€. Vsevolod Chermny’s daughter Agafia was married to Yury, son of Vsevolod of Suzdalia, on April 11 1210, and the two forces then united against the princes of Smolensk. Ryurik was removed from Kiev, and when he died, none mourned him, for “he had no peace from any direction, and was much addicted to drink and was manipulated by womenâ€.
By 1211, one would hope that Vsevolod would be able to relax. Alas, such was not to be, for his sons were already quarreling over what would happen to his principality after his death. Vsevolod had several sons, who, in order of their birth, were Konstantin, Yuri, Yaroslav, Vladimir, Svyatoslav, and Ivan. As of 1211, Konstantin was the only one who was specifically allocated titles, and had been granted the city of Rostov. Vsevolod decided that Konstantin was to be given Vladimir, and Yuri was to take over Rostov. Konstantin, however, wanted both [178]. When Vsevolod summoned him to Vladimir, Konstantin refused to go, and Vladimir decided that the issue must be dealt with. Vsevolod summoned a great zemskie zobory, a national council, embracing “all his boyars from the towns, Bishop Ioann, the abbots, the priests, merchants, servicemen and all the peopleâ€. At the session, with nearly unanimous approval, he bestowed Vladimir on his second oldest son, Yuri, and granted him seniority within the family. Konstantin was furious at the news and refused to acknowledge, but Vsevolod fell ill in April of 1212 and was prevented from moving against his son until July [179]. Konstantin was forced by Vsevolod to enter a monastery after the citizens of Rostov rose against him, and Yury’s succession to the throne of Suzdalia was confirmed.
However, Vsevolod was aware that the Rostislavichi if Smolensk had been encouraging Konstantin, and swore that he would take revenge against the Rostislavichi. While he passed away late in 1213, his son was capable of fulfilling his father’s vow, and he set his sights on retaking Novgorod.
Mstislav “The Daring†had seized Novgorod in 1208, and for a while it seemed as if Suzdalia and Mistislav were at an impasse. But Mstislav’s downfall came in 1214, when he led a campaign against the Germans to the west, and his army was devastated by disease before the walls of German castles [180]. When Henry VI’s forces took Pskov, Yuri’s agents in Suzdal orchestrated a coup and called for Yaroslav, Vsevolod’s third eldest son. Yuri sent along a Suzdalian army with Yaroslav, and the city of Novgorod was forced to accept that while they could choose their prince, he must be approved by the prince of Suzdal.
A harsh price, to be sure, but “better the prince’s crown than the German’s swordâ€, as the saying went in Novgorod.
Yuri would also prove his success in campaigns against the Bulgars to the east. Since the early thirteenth century, Bulgars had been attacking Ryazan and Murom, but in 1218 Suzdal itself was threatened in a Bulgar raid. Yuri’s reaction was swift and decisive, and in 1220 he mounted a major campaign, which took several major towns along the Volga. When combined with the devastation the Bulgars suffered after Kalka, it is no wonder that there were no Bulgar raids on Suzdalian territory for decades to come.
Yuri would also construct a town with a stone wall, Nizhiny Novgorod, at the point where the Oka and Volga meet. His reign would see the introduction of German style fortifications into Russia, as well as the beginning of the use of heavy siege weapons.
While all this was happening, the Ol’govichi and the Rostislavichi are engaging in yet another series of wars. While the Ol’govichi control, as of 1214, Novgorod, Pskov, Kiev, Polotsk, Turov, and Pinsk; for a while it appeared as if Galicia would also succumb to their domination. After Yuri ejected Mstislav from Novgorod, the two sides watched one another, each one afraid of the cost that a full scale war would entail.
Mstislav, after his ejection from Novgorod, turned his sights on Galicia, which was still racked by dissent and division [181]. He succeeded in taking the province in 1218, and married his daughter to Roman’s eldest son. Thus, it seemed by 1220 that Russia was divided between the north, under the domination of Suzdal, and the south, under the domination of the princes of Chernigov, the Ol’govichi.
Then came the Tartars. Mstislav received word of the Tartar invasion, and summoned a council in Kiev. The Ryurikovichi and the Ol’govichi united together, and sent a force east to aid the Polovtsians.
It was utterly annihilated. The princes of Kiev, Kanev, Chernigov, Turov, and Pinsk were slaughtered, and half of the Russian army was wiped out.
It would be touching to discuss how Yuri immediately sent aid and comfort to the poor people of the southern Russian states. Unfortunately, it was not what happened.
The armies of Novgorod, Suzdalia, Ryazan, and Murom were mobilized and sent into a south that was still reeling from the devastation at Kalka, and Yuri began a campaign to annihilate the Ol’govichi. He set up his brother Yaroslav in Kiev, his brother Vladimir in Smolensk, his brother Ivan in Pinsk, and Galicia regained its independence under Daniil, Roman’s eldest son.
Chernigov, surrounded on all sides by the forces of Yuri, acknowledged Yuri as the Grand Prince of the Rus; and when he died in 1229, his son Mikhael succeeded, for perhaps the first time in the history of the Rus, without a violent civil war.
Mikhael’s reign sees growth and prosperity for the lands of the Rus, and the adaptation of several technologies of the west. Russians adopt the use of crossbows from the Germans, and several cathedrals are built in Romanesque style across Russia.
But the Mongols come again; and when they ravage Russia, in 1242, the reaction is devastating. Only the northern states are spared.
This disaster, harsh as it was, was incredibly beneficial for the Rus. In the wake of th devastation, a new Empire is born.
Mikhael, the Grand Prince, makes a fateful decision in the aftermath of the disaster. While Batu and his army are battling with the Emperor’s forces, he adopts the title which will be used for all of Russia’s future rulers. The Byzantines had formally been, in Russian eyes, the holders of this title, but with their perfidious actions that unleashed the Mongol horde, the title fell to Mikhael. It was decided, in the presence of a national counsel, that Mikhael would earn a new title, emphasizing his place in the world.
He would be known by a title that would, in the centuries to come, strike fear in the hearts of all Russia’s neighbors.
Tsar.
[177] Unfortunately, the poor Emperor would soon be dead, but such is life, no?
[178] Note that it is only around here that events diverge from OTL. Suzdalia was really this powerful. Its downfall occurred after Vsevolod died and Konstantin allied with the princes of Smolensk and Vladimir was burned, and even then Yuri was able to retake Novgorod in 1221.
[179] This is the first major change in Russian history, stemming from the butterfly effects of the POD.
[180] Another point is that the Russians, at this point, lack siege equipment or any true experience with stone castles. This changes when it becomes clear that this will be an endemic problem. Since such fortifications are more existent in northern Russia than southern, it is another reason that the Mongols bypassed Suzdalia.
[181] While the Hungarians never took over Galicia as they did OTL, Anna’s rule is still rather weak, and she had barely driven out Vladimir when Mistislav attacked the province.
That...was a confusing post. Although I have looked through the history of the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms, this post blows it out of the water. Some of things that I was confused on:
1.
So the city is named Vladimir as well as the people? I know that the area is known as Sudzalia, but the phrase "Vladimir turly emerged as the one of the great powers in Russia" is truly confusing" as well as the phrase "...one of the many descendents of Vladimir". This is what is in my brain:
Vladimir (founder of dynasty) => Vladimir Monomakh (founds Vladimir)=> Andrei (sucessor)
If so then the peoples before the establishment of Vladimir were ...Vladimir?
2. The whole matter within the "early period" on where Galicia is fought over by Roman and his enemies is over that provence as well as Kiev? If so, then how are the Northern states (which I assume is Vladimir) are invovled?
3. The whole complexity over the names and wars are very hard to follow. Am I correct in assuming:
a. Northern states founded
b. Northern states fall into civil war
c. Northern states unite under one crown
within the same era as-
a. Southern states fight against each other in two factions: one in Kiev and the one not
b. The one not in Kiev marries into the Byzantine line and gains Galicia, thereby giving him the amount of troops to conquer Kiev
c. Much wars over Kiev, the one with Galicia kicked due to civil war
d. More wars; this time international factions within it
then followed by -
a. Northern states get invovled
b. Northern states grab territory but not the entire of the Southern states
c. Much wars- an alliance between victorious faction over the southern states
d. Mongols come in; northern states spared because they have been fighting so long (as well as experiencing the Germans to the W.), southern states trashed
e. Mongols concentrate on Hungary area with the Northern factions inbreeding with the Baltic states and Vladimir of the previous installment attempting the fortification of the Northern states not trashed/invaded as well gaining some territory that borders the river with the Byzantines
Is this the order?
1.
So the city is named Vladimir as well as the people? I know that the area is known as Sudzalia, but the phrase "Vladimir turly emerged as the one of the great powers in Russia" is truly confusing" as well as the phrase "...one of the many descendents of Vladimir". This is what is in my brain:
Vladimir (founder of dynasty) => Vladimir Monomakh (founds Vladimir)=> Andrei (sucessor)
If so then the peoples before the establishment of Vladimir were ...Vladimir?
2. The whole matter within the "early period" on where Galicia is fought over by Roman and his enemies is over that provence as well as Kiev? If so, then how are the Northern states (which I assume is Vladimir) are invovled?
3. The whole complexity over the names and wars are very hard to follow. Am I correct in assuming:
a. Northern states founded
b. Northern states fall into civil war
c. Northern states unite under one crown
within the same era as-
a. Southern states fight against each other in two factions: one in Kiev and the one not
b. The one not in Kiev marries into the Byzantine line and gains Galicia, thereby giving him the amount of troops to conquer Kiev
c. Much wars over Kiev, the one with Galicia kicked due to civil war
d. More wars; this time international factions within it
then followed by -
a. Northern states get invovled
b. Northern states grab territory but not the entire of the Southern states
c. Much wars- an alliance between victorious faction over the southern states
d. Mongols come in; northern states spared because they have been fighting so long (as well as experiencing the Germans to the W.), southern states trashed
e. Mongols concentrate on Hungary area with the Northern factions inbreeding with the Baltic states and Vladimir of the previous installment attempting the fortification of the Northern states not trashed/invaded as well gaining some territory that borders the river with the Byzantines
Is this the order?
Faeelin
Banned
G.Bone said:
Yes. No wonder they kept having trouble forming a state; the frigging thing kept collapsing whenever people were ordered to go Vladimir.
Yes.
If so then the peoples before the establishment of Vladimir were ...Vladimir?
Vladimir was founded by the sons of Vladimir, one of the first monarchs of the Rus. It was named after him, in much the same way Virginia was named after the Virgin queen.
They don't want to see one state too strong in the the south.
Yes.
And the Mongols were merely doing a reconnaissance.
Basically, although Vladimir has no territory anywhere near Byzantium.
Faeelin
Banned
We return to Al-Andalus, to see the physician Ibn Ammar, his merchant comrade Tashufin, and the Lord of Al-Andalus, Ibn Hud.
“Many who devote themselves to the study of logic are accused of committing heresy. But these foolish accusations come from those who have no idea what logic is, and accepted things because they came from a previous authority. Why would a wise man listen to the certitude of the weak?â€- Ibn Tumlus, Muslim philosopher in the early 13th Century.
Seville, April 1238
Ibn Ammar ambled through the marketplace of the city, oblivious to what was going on around him. The cries of the vendors, hawking everything from spices from the east to the cloths of the Firanji to the north. He had come to the market, supposedly, to look for a work by Ibn Rush, but he had mostly come to think.
He should, by all accounts, be a content man. He had a beautiful wife, an infant son, money, and property. He was the physician to the emir of Al-Andalus! And yet… he was troubled. Lost in his thoughts, Ibn Ammar strolled bought an al-Tulaytuliyya and sat down to eat it by the banks of the river [184]. He sat down by the bank of the Guadalajara, and thought, munching on the pastry as he watched boats sail down the river. He saw fishermen returning with a catch, a Genoese merchant vessel, and boys who had probably sneaked away from their lessons or work to enjoy a fine spring day by the river.
It was, decided Ibn Ammar as he finished off the pastry, peaceful. Perhaps it was because the scene beside the river reminded him of his childhood. But he was still left feeling dissatisfied. Something was still troubling him.
Seville, March 1230
Ibn Hud, Al-Sayyad [183]of the armies of Al-Andalus, Guardian of Valencia, Seville, Cordoba, Almeria, Emir of Valencia, listened to the merchant thoughtfully. “You are saying, Teshufin, that with the way things are, the Firanji have control of the Mediterranean.â€
Tashufin and Ibn Hud sat across from one another on carpets, a sign of the respect the sayyad had for the merchant, each one drinking a glass of juice. Save for servants, no one else was present in the room, and the two men were essentially alone. Tashufin, therefore, had no problem speaking freely.
“Of course, my sayyad,†replied Tashufin as he waved his cup about, spilling juice on the carpet. “Look at a map of the seas. The Firanji rule the northern coast, they hold Sicily, the shore, and they have taken Egypt. Now their merchants spread into the east, taking control of the spice trade from the Faithful.†Tashufin drained his glass, and wished the Emir had allowed him to have some wine instead. “There was a time when my ship might have arrived from Cairo bringing cinnamon, pearls, wheat and flax, and return with a load of silk, paper, and coral. But now much of the trade is in the hands of the Christians, and they charge us tenfold what Muslims would have charged.â€
“It’s that canal,†said Ibn Ammar thoughtfully. “The Firanji can trade directly with the pagans to the east, control the spice trade. They can cut off the flow at a stroke, should they desire.â€
Ibn Hud placed his cup down and looked at Tashufin. “You have traveled extensively. How strong is the rule of the malik [185] of Egypt?â€
Tashufin grunted. “Too strong. I have not met him, but I do have a friend who has, and has the couage of a lion and the mind of a fox. With things as they are, I cannot see him deposed.â€
“Yes,†said Ibn Hud meditatively, “as they are.It seems to me that, with the world that Allah has given us, the only hope for the merchants is to find new markets.â€
“And,†said Ibn Hud, smiling, “it would also let us strike a blow at the remnants of the Almohads, by depriving them of the source of their power.â€
Tashufin was no fool, and the look on his face as he realized what Ibn Hud meant was a mixture of respect and fear. “The gold of Mali.â€
“In the early stages of a state, taxes are light in their incidence, but fetch in a large revenue...As time passes and kings succeed each other, they lose their original habits in favor of decadent ones. Their needs and exigencies grow...owing to the luxury in which they have been brought up. Hence they impose fresh taxes on their subjects...[and] sharply raise the rate of old taxes to increase their yield...But the effects on business of this rise in taxation make themselves felt. For businessmen are soon discouraged by the comparison of their profits with the burden of their taxes...Consequently production falls off, and with it the yield of taxation. This problem has long vexed all societies, and led to the downfall of the pagans of Rome, as well as the Umayyads of Al-Andalus. [186]
The Sayyads of Spain may have developed, through the necessities imposed upon them by Allah, a way to prevent this cycle. It was necessary for the first sayyad, Ibn Hud, to summon a shura [187] of the cities of Al-Andalus in order to lead them against the hosts of the infidels. But it was the shura which paid the army of Ibn Hud, and it is the shura, which the sayyad must summon each year, that must approve of all taxes not sanctioned by the Qu’ran. Unlike a king, it has a vested interest in keeping taxes low, and may, if Allah wills, keep the taxes of the state in line.
The shura is chosen not merely by the cities, but by the jama’s, communities of the Faithful who farm the land that they own, and it was these villages that provided many of the soldiers for the Sayyad’s army in the last war with the Infidels [187]. In this way, if Allah is merciful, the Faithful will endure in Al-Andalus until the time of judgment. â€- Ibn Ammar, Al-assad wa al-Humar: Makara Sultanu (The Lion and the Ass, the Best Deceiver is the King)
Seville, October 1240
Ibn Ammar looked over his patient and shook his head. “Al-sayyad, you should know that you must take better care of your diet, if you wish to avoid such problems.â€
Ibn Hud laid on a bed, covered in sheets of silk, fanned by a slave who was desperately fanning him in an attempt to cool the Sayyad of Al-Andalus. “It is,†said Ibn Hud through his teeth, “a minor pain.â€
Ibn Ammar smiled. “A minor pain, is it?†He began to walk for the door. “Well then, if you wish to pass a stone while attending business at court, I will take my leave of you.â€
The rest of Ibn Ammar’s life would be shaped by the events of that day, although as he prepared a medicine of aloes to help a man control his pain he would have found that absurd.
It was the day, of course, that the ships returned from Mali.
Ibn Ammar had been about to give a pain medicine to Ibn Hud when a messenger arrived from the docks. The messenger ran into the room panting and said, when he caught his breath, “the ships have come in!â€
Ibn Hud leaned up in his bed, taking ragged breaths. “Go,†he said, “since I cannot.â€
“But, my sayyad!†protested Ibn Ammar. “You are not well!â€
Ibn Ammar collapsed back in his bed. “Fear not, my physician. I will still be ill when you return.â€
Ibn Ammar hesitated for a moment, and then ran out the doors, down to the docks.
By the time Ibn Ammar reached the docks, there was already a great crowd assembled. Carpenters, painters, scribes, merchants, farmers, even a few Christian traders were all standing by, looking at the ships as they were unloaded. Ibn Ammar saw Tashufin standing on the edge of the crowd, and went over to him. The fat merchant was wearing his finest silks, including a stunning vermillion cloak. “We appear,†said Tashufin, to be rich.
Ibn Ammar’s gaze turned back to the ships. “Do you mean that you reached the Gold Coast?â€
By way of reply, Tashufin pointed to the ship, where men began to unload a pile of gold equal in size to small house. “And that,†said Tashufin, “is but the beginning.â€
Later that night, the Sayyad declared that there would be a grand celebration, and had also passed his stone. A sign of Allah’s benevolence, all agreed.
Ibn Ammar sat on a carpet, drinking a cup of juice, as a poet sang.
“By your life, there is no telling
if the wind’s bluster of the camel’s back
put the speed under my saddleâ€
Tashufin came over and sat by him, drunk on wine and happiness. “Do you have any idea,†he asked over the din of the celebration, “how rich we are?â€
Ibn Ammar smiled. “As rich as the Caliph in Baghdad?â€
Tashufin laughed. “Not quite. But close enough.â€
“And night everlasting proves
False the dawn,
False the foretelling of itâ€
The drummers began to play along with the music as well, and the music began to play faster to go along with the words of the song. A thought occurred to Ibn Ammar as he listened. “We have spoken before about the hold that the Firanji have on the trade to the east. Could you, perhaps, find a way around them?â€
“Black dreadlocks of night eternal
Trail behind me
Always I hug such bright hopesâ€
Tashufin thought for a moment, and took a sip of wine as he eyed the dancing girls appreciatively. “How so?â€
“Then I came to a mountain
Reaching up and up
Its peak achieved the meridianâ€
“Could you sail, perhaps, the Circumambient Ocean to reach the East?†inquired Ibn Ammar. “After all, if the seas in the east are joined to Circumambient Ocean, and so is the Mediterranean….â€
“Arched over desert a mountain
Like some thinker
Weighing all the consequencesâ€
Tashufin laughed as he repositioned himself on the carpet. “I suppose, if Allah was merciful, you could do it. But it would leave you out of sight of land for weeks.†Tashufin scratched his beard, thinking. “I remember hearing a story about that, actually.â€
“Clouds like turbans, black, wrap him
Lightning fringed them
With tufts of crimsonâ€
At last, Tashufin snapped his fingers. “Khaskhash, that’s it!â€
Ibn Ammar, took a handful of grapes from a passing servant and looked at his friend oddl. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Turkic.â€
“No, no,†said Tashufin. “Khaskhas is a hero in Cordoba. He supposedly set sail, in the year 240 (895 AD) to search the Circumambient Ocean. Returned eventually to Seville with a great treasure. Every boy in a sailor’s family grows up hearing the story.â€
“How often the wild winds
Whacked my flanks and emerald
Oceans crowded me inâ€
“Do you think there’s anything to that story?†asked Ibn Ammar.
Tashufin thought about it as he continued to admire one of the dancers. “It would require courage, and fame, but if there’s a current out there, you could just follow it. But still, the distance would be great.â€
“Till what time must I contemplate
Stars that rise and set
Forever and ever and on?â€
Ibn Ammar thought about that for a moment, and then he too, was focused on the dancer. The topic did not arise again that night.
However, although Tashufin had forgotten much of the conversation by the next day, thanks to too much wine, Ibn Ammar had not. He spent the next several months reading books and acquiring information. He read the works of the philosopher al-Farghani, who explained that the earth was much smaller than commonly thought. Ibn Ammar had now found a goal in life, as a mere past time developed into a conviction.
The merchants of Al-Andalus could, and would, break the back of the Firanji spice monopoly. They would sail to the east by sailing west.
“Such was the sermon I heard
One should not obey whims and desires
But follow the compass of a lifetime.
[183] It’s an Andalusian pastry, consisting of a half moon shnaped piece filled with cheese, mint, and aniseed, and when baked, coated with honey, butter, and cinnamon sugar.
[184] Sayyad was a title given to members of the Almohad dynasty, and was adopted by Ibn Hud as part of his challenge to them. .
[185] King.
[186] A lot of this is Ibn Khaldun.
[187] Andalusi villages are actually fairly interesting. The traditional view, held up until fairly recently, was that peasants lived under economic and social domination of the cities which exploited them. However, a ver different view has been put ofward, based on archaeological data and Araagonese sources from the tiem of the conques of Valencia. There are repeated references to strong rural communities called aljamas, which dealt directly with the king of Aragon and forced him to enforce a relatively light system of taxation. Furthermore, the castles and fortifications that exist in the countryside do not seem to be designed in a manner similar to feudal structures, but rather to serve as temporary refuges for rather large populations.
The poetry was taken from Ibn Khafaja, 12th century Andalusi poet.
“Many who devote themselves to the study of logic are accused of committing heresy. But these foolish accusations come from those who have no idea what logic is, and accepted things because they came from a previous authority. Why would a wise man listen to the certitude of the weak?â€- Ibn Tumlus, Muslim philosopher in the early 13th Century.
Seville, April 1238
Ibn Ammar ambled through the marketplace of the city, oblivious to what was going on around him. The cries of the vendors, hawking everything from spices from the east to the cloths of the Firanji to the north. He had come to the market, supposedly, to look for a work by Ibn Rush, but he had mostly come to think.
He should, by all accounts, be a content man. He had a beautiful wife, an infant son, money, and property. He was the physician to the emir of Al-Andalus! And yet… he was troubled. Lost in his thoughts, Ibn Ammar strolled bought an al-Tulaytuliyya and sat down to eat it by the banks of the river [184]. He sat down by the bank of the Guadalajara, and thought, munching on the pastry as he watched boats sail down the river. He saw fishermen returning with a catch, a Genoese merchant vessel, and boys who had probably sneaked away from their lessons or work to enjoy a fine spring day by the river.
It was, decided Ibn Ammar as he finished off the pastry, peaceful. Perhaps it was because the scene beside the river reminded him of his childhood. But he was still left feeling dissatisfied. Something was still troubling him.
Seville, March 1230
Ibn Hud, Al-Sayyad [183]of the armies of Al-Andalus, Guardian of Valencia, Seville, Cordoba, Almeria, Emir of Valencia, listened to the merchant thoughtfully. “You are saying, Teshufin, that with the way things are, the Firanji have control of the Mediterranean.â€
Tashufin and Ibn Hud sat across from one another on carpets, a sign of the respect the sayyad had for the merchant, each one drinking a glass of juice. Save for servants, no one else was present in the room, and the two men were essentially alone. Tashufin, therefore, had no problem speaking freely.
“Of course, my sayyad,†replied Tashufin as he waved his cup about, spilling juice on the carpet. “Look at a map of the seas. The Firanji rule the northern coast, they hold Sicily, the shore, and they have taken Egypt. Now their merchants spread into the east, taking control of the spice trade from the Faithful.†Tashufin drained his glass, and wished the Emir had allowed him to have some wine instead. “There was a time when my ship might have arrived from Cairo bringing cinnamon, pearls, wheat and flax, and return with a load of silk, paper, and coral. But now much of the trade is in the hands of the Christians, and they charge us tenfold what Muslims would have charged.â€
“It’s that canal,†said Ibn Ammar thoughtfully. “The Firanji can trade directly with the pagans to the east, control the spice trade. They can cut off the flow at a stroke, should they desire.â€
Ibn Hud placed his cup down and looked at Tashufin. “You have traveled extensively. How strong is the rule of the malik [185] of Egypt?â€
Tashufin grunted. “Too strong. I have not met him, but I do have a friend who has, and has the couage of a lion and the mind of a fox. With things as they are, I cannot see him deposed.â€
“Yes,†said Ibn Hud meditatively, “as they are.It seems to me that, with the world that Allah has given us, the only hope for the merchants is to find new markets.â€
“And,†said Ibn Hud, smiling, “it would also let us strike a blow at the remnants of the Almohads, by depriving them of the source of their power.â€
Tashufin was no fool, and the look on his face as he realized what Ibn Hud meant was a mixture of respect and fear. “The gold of Mali.â€
“In the early stages of a state, taxes are light in their incidence, but fetch in a large revenue...As time passes and kings succeed each other, they lose their original habits in favor of decadent ones. Their needs and exigencies grow...owing to the luxury in which they have been brought up. Hence they impose fresh taxes on their subjects...[and] sharply raise the rate of old taxes to increase their yield...But the effects on business of this rise in taxation make themselves felt. For businessmen are soon discouraged by the comparison of their profits with the burden of their taxes...Consequently production falls off, and with it the yield of taxation. This problem has long vexed all societies, and led to the downfall of the pagans of Rome, as well as the Umayyads of Al-Andalus. [186]
The Sayyads of Spain may have developed, through the necessities imposed upon them by Allah, a way to prevent this cycle. It was necessary for the first sayyad, Ibn Hud, to summon a shura [187] of the cities of Al-Andalus in order to lead them against the hosts of the infidels. But it was the shura which paid the army of Ibn Hud, and it is the shura, which the sayyad must summon each year, that must approve of all taxes not sanctioned by the Qu’ran. Unlike a king, it has a vested interest in keeping taxes low, and may, if Allah wills, keep the taxes of the state in line.
The shura is chosen not merely by the cities, but by the jama’s, communities of the Faithful who farm the land that they own, and it was these villages that provided many of the soldiers for the Sayyad’s army in the last war with the Infidels [187]. In this way, if Allah is merciful, the Faithful will endure in Al-Andalus until the time of judgment. â€- Ibn Ammar, Al-assad wa al-Humar: Makara Sultanu (The Lion and the Ass, the Best Deceiver is the King)
Seville, October 1240
Ibn Ammar looked over his patient and shook his head. “Al-sayyad, you should know that you must take better care of your diet, if you wish to avoid such problems.â€
Ibn Hud laid on a bed, covered in sheets of silk, fanned by a slave who was desperately fanning him in an attempt to cool the Sayyad of Al-Andalus. “It is,†said Ibn Hud through his teeth, “a minor pain.â€
Ibn Ammar smiled. “A minor pain, is it?†He began to walk for the door. “Well then, if you wish to pass a stone while attending business at court, I will take my leave of you.â€
The rest of Ibn Ammar’s life would be shaped by the events of that day, although as he prepared a medicine of aloes to help a man control his pain he would have found that absurd.
It was the day, of course, that the ships returned from Mali.
Ibn Ammar had been about to give a pain medicine to Ibn Hud when a messenger arrived from the docks. The messenger ran into the room panting and said, when he caught his breath, “the ships have come in!â€
Ibn Hud leaned up in his bed, taking ragged breaths. “Go,†he said, “since I cannot.â€
“But, my sayyad!†protested Ibn Ammar. “You are not well!â€
Ibn Ammar collapsed back in his bed. “Fear not, my physician. I will still be ill when you return.â€
Ibn Ammar hesitated for a moment, and then ran out the doors, down to the docks.
By the time Ibn Ammar reached the docks, there was already a great crowd assembled. Carpenters, painters, scribes, merchants, farmers, even a few Christian traders were all standing by, looking at the ships as they were unloaded. Ibn Ammar saw Tashufin standing on the edge of the crowd, and went over to him. The fat merchant was wearing his finest silks, including a stunning vermillion cloak. “We appear,†said Tashufin, to be rich.
Ibn Ammar’s gaze turned back to the ships. “Do you mean that you reached the Gold Coast?â€
By way of reply, Tashufin pointed to the ship, where men began to unload a pile of gold equal in size to small house. “And that,†said Tashufin, “is but the beginning.â€
Later that night, the Sayyad declared that there would be a grand celebration, and had also passed his stone. A sign of Allah’s benevolence, all agreed.
Ibn Ammar sat on a carpet, drinking a cup of juice, as a poet sang.
“By your life, there is no telling
if the wind’s bluster of the camel’s back
put the speed under my saddleâ€
Tashufin came over and sat by him, drunk on wine and happiness. “Do you have any idea,†he asked over the din of the celebration, “how rich we are?â€
Ibn Ammar smiled. “As rich as the Caliph in Baghdad?â€
Tashufin laughed. “Not quite. But close enough.â€
“And night everlasting proves
False the dawn,
False the foretelling of itâ€
The drummers began to play along with the music as well, and the music began to play faster to go along with the words of the song. A thought occurred to Ibn Ammar as he listened. “We have spoken before about the hold that the Firanji have on the trade to the east. Could you, perhaps, find a way around them?â€
“Black dreadlocks of night eternal
Trail behind me
Always I hug such bright hopesâ€
Tashufin thought for a moment, and took a sip of wine as he eyed the dancing girls appreciatively. “How so?â€
“Then I came to a mountain
Reaching up and up
Its peak achieved the meridianâ€
“Could you sail, perhaps, the Circumambient Ocean to reach the East?†inquired Ibn Ammar. “After all, if the seas in the east are joined to Circumambient Ocean, and so is the Mediterranean….â€
“Arched over desert a mountain
Like some thinker
Weighing all the consequencesâ€
Tashufin laughed as he repositioned himself on the carpet. “I suppose, if Allah was merciful, you could do it. But it would leave you out of sight of land for weeks.†Tashufin scratched his beard, thinking. “I remember hearing a story about that, actually.â€
“Clouds like turbans, black, wrap him
Lightning fringed them
With tufts of crimsonâ€
At last, Tashufin snapped his fingers. “Khaskhash, that’s it!â€
Ibn Ammar, took a handful of grapes from a passing servant and looked at his friend oddl. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Turkic.â€
“No, no,†said Tashufin. “Khaskhas is a hero in Cordoba. He supposedly set sail, in the year 240 (895 AD) to search the Circumambient Ocean. Returned eventually to Seville with a great treasure. Every boy in a sailor’s family grows up hearing the story.â€
“How often the wild winds
Whacked my flanks and emerald
Oceans crowded me inâ€
“Do you think there’s anything to that story?†asked Ibn Ammar.
Tashufin thought about it as he continued to admire one of the dancers. “It would require courage, and fame, but if there’s a current out there, you could just follow it. But still, the distance would be great.â€
“Till what time must I contemplate
Stars that rise and set
Forever and ever and on?â€
Ibn Ammar thought about that for a moment, and then he too, was focused on the dancer. The topic did not arise again that night.
However, although Tashufin had forgotten much of the conversation by the next day, thanks to too much wine, Ibn Ammar had not. He spent the next several months reading books and acquiring information. He read the works of the philosopher al-Farghani, who explained that the earth was much smaller than commonly thought. Ibn Ammar had now found a goal in life, as a mere past time developed into a conviction.
The merchants of Al-Andalus could, and would, break the back of the Firanji spice monopoly. They would sail to the east by sailing west.
“Such was the sermon I heard
One should not obey whims and desires
But follow the compass of a lifetime.
[183] It’s an Andalusian pastry, consisting of a half moon shnaped piece filled with cheese, mint, and aniseed, and when baked, coated with honey, butter, and cinnamon sugar.
[184] Sayyad was a title given to members of the Almohad dynasty, and was adopted by Ibn Hud as part of his challenge to them. .
[185] King.
[186] A lot of this is Ibn Khaldun.
[187] Andalusi villages are actually fairly interesting. The traditional view, held up until fairly recently, was that peasants lived under economic and social domination of the cities which exploited them. However, a ver different view has been put ofward, based on archaeological data and Araagonese sources from the tiem of the conques of Valencia. There are repeated references to strong rural communities called aljamas, which dealt directly with the king of Aragon and forced him to enforce a relatively light system of taxation. Furthermore, the castles and fortifications that exist in the countryside do not seem to be designed in a manner similar to feudal structures, but rather to serve as temporary refuges for rather large populations.
The poetry was taken from Ibn Khafaja, 12th century Andalusi poet.
a linguist's question:
I read The Crusades through Arab Eyes and it documents the Franks as referred to as the Franj. Yet in here (I assume) they are referred to as the Firanji. Is this a simple corruption of the term "Franks"?
It's a great installment and I like the little reference they have for the guy in Egypt. Just how much of the Middle East is in (direct) Muslim hands? What about that doctor that was floating around in the previous installments and the bit about the Mu'adib?
I read The Crusades through Arab Eyes and it documents the Franks as referred to as the Franj. Yet in here (I assume) they are referred to as the Firanji. Is this a simple corruption of the term "Franks"?
It's a great installment and I like the little reference they have for the guy in Egypt. Just how much of the Middle East is in (direct) Muslim hands? What about that doctor that was floating around in the previous installments and the bit about the Mu'adib?
Admiral Matt
Gone Fishin'
Well, if you check my message, you'll see why I think this unlikely, but I don't pretend to know everything. Do you really think a non-stop Iberia to China voyage would be seen as feasible?
Anyway, a voyage to Mali is certainly quite a good way to get them started.
Anyway, a voyage to Mali is certainly quite a good way to get them started.
Faeelin
Banned
We tend to forget that Columbus was not pulling numbers out of his ass (forgive me for being blunt).
The legend of Khashkash is a real Muslim legend from Al-Andalus, going back to the 10th century.
Ibn Rushd, the man we know as Averroes, wrote in a 12th century commentary on Aristotle's work On the Heavens in which he argued that the earth was rather smaller than believed. As an Andalusi, his work would be among those read by Muslims in Spain.
Al-Farghani, a writer in the 9th century, argued also for a small Earth.
So there's certainly precedent for the idea.
The legend of Khashkash is a real Muslim legend from Al-Andalus, going back to the 10th century.
Ibn Rushd, the man we know as Averroes, wrote in a 12th century commentary on Aristotle's work On the Heavens in which he argued that the earth was rather smaller than believed. As an Andalusi, his work would be among those read by Muslims in Spain.
Al-Farghani, a writer in the 9th century, argued also for a small Earth.
So there's certainly precedent for the idea.