Ottoman siege of Sarai
After spending the Ramadan and shawwal 868 crossing the steppes, the Ottomans under Sultan Muhammad came across Sarai. The weather was still on their side until then, when strong wind blew away 4 of their galleys carrying artillery. The exact number is known as chroniclers have put a date and time for the event. Despite this the Ottomans were poised to take Sarai and they didn’t have much time until winter came. The siege of Sarai began on 17 Shawwal 868 (23 June 1464). The Ottomans had around 25,000 troops as well as 10,000 allies while the Tatars had 12,000 troops defending the Capital. The Tatars defended fiercely as Ottomans were beaten back in 2 assaults. But with no scope of sending any messenger and a last ditch attempt at defeating the Ottomans in the battle of Akhtuba resulting in failure, Temur knew his time was limited. But the thought on fate of his family kept him in the fight.
Image: battle of Akhtuba river( circa 1400 AH)
The Ottomans were desperate for a victory before winter settled down. Which led them to adopt unorthodox methods in breaching the city. On its north and east, there was a moat ditch or a glorified canal. Iskandar Pasha wanted to use attackers on boats to assault the walls from there. Accordingly Ottoman soldiers on small boats began sailing to the northern wall. Tatars realised it and quickly dispatched their artillery which made short work of this detachment. Though some dozen janissaries were able to climb they were quickly overwhelmed by the Tatars. Digging tunnels was nigh impossible and a detailed reconnaissance further proved the point as soils all around were found the same, muddy and fragile. Ottomans were thrown off guard when an envoy approached them with the proposition of a cease fire for 3 days. The reason was Qizil Hatun,the reason of all this mess had passed away. Temur, as a son and not as the Khan of Tatars asked Muhammad for a ceasefire so that he can properly grieve his mother's death. Muhammad at first was skeptical but he acquiesced later. But the gears in head was turning as he thought of a crazy plan. As the battlefront lay quiet, he ordered his troops to cut down every available tree nearby. It wasn’t enough so Kalik noyan was sent to grab more timber. He planned to use grease and oil on these logs and use them as wheels to move some of the war galleys to the north canal. All his commanders were baffled at this idea but not Iskandar. He understood that there was little left to do for them other than continue the siege and hope that the Tatars starve.
Image: Galleys being moved through lands( circa 1100 AH)
So Muhammad carried out his plan. It was crazy but it was successful as Tatars were surprised when their northern walls were being hit by cannon fire. Seeing Ottoman ships in the narrow canal, the already disheartened Temur Khwaja sent terms for surrender if he and his family were spared. Specifically he wanted security for his son Albag who had come of age now. Sultan Muhammad agreed to this without much fuss from Aslan and on 28 Shawwal 868 ( 4th July 1464), the Allied Turko-Tatar forces entered Sarai as Temur surrendered with his retinue. Meanwhile Albag was on his way north and reached Muscovite principality. But it would not be his last stoppage. Aslan,as promised spared Temur but exiled him under the pretext of Hajj,which will be the very first and the very last for the former Khan. Thus began the reign of Khan Aslan Batyr, a true Jochid after 2 decades of usurpers . After leaving some 3000 troops including 200 Janissaries in Sarai, Sultan Muhammad hurried back to Konstantiniyye before winter fell and reached Moldavia by Muharram 869( September 1464). But here the prince Vlad III Dracul's nonchalant behaviour to his suzerain and the horror stories of his torture upon civilians would make Muhammad reconsider whether letting this man grab Moldavia was a wise choice......
Image: Aslan Batyr is coronated as Khan of the Golden horde
( From '
History of the Ottoman empire' by Hayat Arghiros)
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Muscovy Suzdal war of 869-870 and the return of Tatars
Following the inconclusive results of the brief Tatar campaign of 858, the Rus principalities were now independent. But as soon as the Tatar threat diminshed, so did the tenous alliance between Muscovy and Suzdal. In 862 (1458), Vasily died of poisoning and with him the fragile truce as well. The suspects were many, his rival Dmitry, the Poles and even his own son Andrei Goryai. Ivan, Vasily's successor did little to maintain the stability and openly accused Muscovites of treachery, which was swiftly denied by Dmitry. Modern historians give more emphasis on Poles as the latter saw Vasily as a uniting factor in Rus lands. Soon the Rus states were at each other's throat again with Dmitry's heir Ivan of Moscow enlisting Lithuanian support for his cause in 868 (1463) after the former’s death. But hostilities reached new heights when Muscovites under Ivan III besieged Yaroslav in 870(1465). A hastily assembled army under Ivan I of Suzdal arrived after two weeks to relieve the siege. It was here where Dmitry's light cavalry
Bystrye proved effective against his Rus counterpart.
Image: Muscovite siege of Yaroslav(circa 1200AH)
Unable to do much, Ivan I had to watch as his Muscovite namesake finally overcame the defences and sacked the second largest city in the principality. He retreated to Suzdal and anticipated a siege of the city. Entrenching themselves, Ivan awaited the reinforcements to arrive. Meanwhile Boyars from Volgoda who gathered a decent force of 10,000 under Andrei Menshoy called out to Ivan to lead them.The troop size of Suzdal after uniting with remnants of Ivan's army reached 18,000 which was still outnumbered by the 20,000 Muscovites. The two forces met near modern day Kruvav
[1] after Suzdal forces crossed the volga river. In 23 Rajab 870( 11 March 1466) the battle began as Muscovites repelled an early Suzdal assault led by Andrei Bolshoy while one wing was destroyed by artillery fire. The Suzdal forces regrouped under Ivan I and quickly forced the advanced Muscovites to retreat. However the main cavalry of Suzdal which was under Andrei Menshoy( youngest sibling of Ivan and Andrei) overextended itself and soon a flank attack from one Muscovite wings saw it cut off. 3,000 Suzdal troops were killed, including Andrei Menshoy as Muscovites now Marched to Suzdal itself. Ivan I fled to Galich as Andrei Bolshoy defended the capital from Muscovites. Muscovite troops were forced to withdraw as an outbreak of plague happened which killed many of their troops.
But upon his arrival, Ivan I was denied entry to the capital as Andrei thought of him as a coward and inept leader. But the boyars who supported the deceased Andrei Menshoy now plotted against Andrei. Andrei Goryai was able to escape with his life as Ivan I remained the Grand prince of Suzdal. Meanwhile the Tatar refugee Albag was in Moscow with his few hundred followers who were granted safe passage after Temur's promise of surrender. The prince Ivan III received him cordially as a family member owing to his relation to his distant Grandfather Samiu'n. Albag however was not content with a guest status and wanted to rule. So he asked Ivan if there was any land nearby where he could settle his followers. Ivan pointed to the land of Karelians which was bordering on his and the recently Polish acquired Novgorod lands. This was in part Ivan III's strategic thinking regarding the relation between his realm, the Tatars and the possible future state of Albag. Perhaps he thought of Albag's realm as a possible ally against further Polish Lithuanian expansion. Albag would go on to establish the Karul khanate which will act as the pioneer of spreading islam during the subsequent centuries amongst various tribes such as Saami, Vespi and others in
Ydre Finski [2].
Image: Tatar troops in Karelia fighting Izhorians( artwork by Gregory Puskin)
Andrein Goryai ended up in the court of Khan Aslan as the latter was preparing for a campaign against the unruly Rus. To compound his cause ,Andrei told the Tatars that his brother Ivan I usurped his throne and declared himself the Tsar, a title reserved solely for the Khan. He converted to Islam and took the name Akmet Gorgay. Perhaps skeptic at his enthusiastic behavior, Aslan ordered him to remain in Kazan as he sent Gregory to Suzdal with a retinue of 10,000 troops. Tatars quickly razed the countryside as Suzdal troops were still exhausted from the war with muscovites. In Shaban 870(April 1466), the Tatars captured Suzdal. The Muscovites, sensing the changing political wind retreated to their own territory. Troops under Gregory kept advancing until they were in front of Vladimir. Tatars besieged Vladimir for a month until finally sacking it in Saffar 871 ( October 1466). The ineffectiveness of artillery frustrated the Tatars and Toqtay, now a chronicler accompanying his son in law informed the Khan about this. Ivan I survived and escaped to Lithuania in disguise.
Image: Tatar sack of Vladimir
The Tatar retinue soon returned to Suzdal and a marriage between Anna Vasilievna, daughter of Vasily II and Hazan Kunchak, son of Gregory took place. Thus Hazan became the prince of Suzdal under Tatar protection. Akmet Gorigay was livid when he heard this but Aslan placated him by saying that he will be granted the Muscovy principality. This ascent of a muslim in Suzdal throne however, stirred up Dissatisfaction amongst boyars. However the close presence of a Tatar retinue in the capital prevented an immediate uprising. Ivan III of Muscovy declared this ascension illegal as the Prince is not an Orthodox. Polish Lithuanians received the news with glee as they began plotting their next move. Thus began the era of "Heathen Princes" in the period of Russian history.
Image: Prince Hazan Kunchak of Suzdal
[1] OTL Kubrov
[2] outer Finland, a name given by the Swedes
(Piece of "
From Vikings to Tsars: Early Russian history by Vadily Simkus)
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Timurid Shaybanid war
As the 9th century began it’s closing decades, the civil war in Persia still had no end in sight. Multiple sides with conflicting interests and changing alliances shaped the unpredictable nature of this conflict. This was an ideal atmosphere for Khaydar Makmut. He expanded his fortune from a being a prominent mercenary to becoming the emir of Urgunch under Abdullah Mirza. But as the battle in Fars plateau grinded to a standstill, Abdullah became desperate to break the stalemate. He contacted Yakub Shaybani who was currently in dire waters as Golden horde became stabilized after Ottoman intervention. These two made desperate allies but promise of aid against the Tatars was not enough to persuade the Shaybanid emir. For that Abdullah had to cede some territories, particularly from Garagum which was under Khaydar. This obviously didn’t sit well with the Jochid mercenary Emir who began plotting against his lord. He contacted the new Khan Aslan of Golden horde and implored with his origin to arrive and defeat the Shaybanids. Though Aslan wouldn’t immediately reply, this letter would have significant consequences later on.
Image:Abdullah Mirza with his family going on a hunt
But Golden horde wasn’t the only option for Khaydar. The Timurid Emir Ala Ad Dawla of I'ran, his former enemy was also a possible candidate for alliance. Ala Ad Dawla was able to persuade Khaydar by promising to make him the Emir of both Garagum and Herat. Khaydar secretly sent most of his family along with his slave turned adopted son Suleiman to Isfahan both for safekeeping and as a bargaining chip. Ala Ad Dawla would invade Khurasan again in Jumada Sani 869( February 1465). The Shaybanid allies of Abdullah Mirza joined with the Timurids of Herat. Khaydar joined up at the last time when the armies of Abdullah neared Khiva and faced the enemy in 13 Rajab 869 ( 11 March 1465). The formation of Herat forces were three segments. Main forces under Abdullah Mirza was at the center followed by a small detachment of Timurid
Bandukbachis, as the right flank was composed of Shaybanids and left flank under Emir of Urgunch Khaydar and Emir of Kabul Sayed Yusuf. It's not known whether Abdullah suspected anything of Khaydar but this usual breach from norm when Khaydar was single handedly put in charge of a wing indicated his growing apprehension with the mercenary. The opposing army was also formed up in a similar manner. Although Ad Dawla had a large contingent of cannons at the back and held a cavalry reserve.
Image: Battle of Khiva ( circa 1300 AH)
The battle was started by Ad Dawla's forces who advanced with arrow volleys from horse archers. The right wing of Ad Dawla's forces crashed upon the left wing where Khaydar was staying. They were beaten back however with Khaydar still not betraying . By now Abdullah's forces started their counterattack and almost pushed back the main assault if it wasn’t for the artillery volleys. Though cannons brought by Al Ad Dawla had weak accuracy and also killed a lot of their own troops. Nevertheless Abdullah ordered his left wing to crush the cannons as Shsybanids were able to surround Ad Dawla's left wing. But it was negated as Ad Dawla sent his reserve to back his embattled right wing. It was not enough however as his center was being pushed back and many of his men fell under musket fire. As Emir Sayed Yusuf was redirecting his troops to the center for surrounding the main army of Ad Dawla, Khaydar changed sides and fell upon the unsuspecting Kabuli troops as the latter attempted to encircle the enemy. The
Bandukchis, were totally crushed by an attack from the back and the center of Abdullah's army was in chaos. Soon Abdullah ordered a retreat but was killed by an arrow to the eye. The army of Herat was under fire from Ad Dawla's artillery as they scattered. Ala Ad Dawla and Khaydar marched all the way to Herat as Abdullah's Kingdom crumbled. As promised Ad Dawla made Khaydar emir of all of Khurasan. The emboldened Khaydar immediately started his campaign against Shaybanids as the latter still occupied parts of Garagum. But Shaybanids proved to be tough nut to crack for Khaydar as he was defeated in battle of Kazakdegish. This prompted Khaydar to seek aid from his overlord Ad Dawla but he refused as this time he looked east against the now vulnerable realm of Sultan Mirza after the latter's death. So Khaydar was on his own against Shaybanids. The stalemate wouldn’t last for long as Yakub got the news of Aslan's campaign to subdue the rebelious Rus principalities. Sensing his northern borders were safe for now, Yakub launched an assault on Urgunch. Khaydar quickly assembled his troops from Herat, forcing Yakub to lift his siege. Khaydar chased Yakub until they reached Beruni in Muharram 870 ( September 1465) . Here the timely flanking maneuver by his hidden reserve which pitted the Shaybanids against Amu Darya was able to secure a much needed victory for Khaydar. But he had to return to Khurasan as Abdullah Mirza died and his realm plunged into another civil war between his sons Shamsuddin Mirza and Jahanbeg.
Image: battle of Beruni ( circa 1200 AH)
At first Khaydar supported Jahanbeg who was based in Tehran and advanced west capturing upto Nishapur. But after Jahanbeg's defeat in battle of Qom and his subsequent flight to Irak and then to Ottoman lands threw a his plan in a big mess. Following Shamsuddin's triumphant entry into Isfahan, Khaydar quickly swore fealty to the new lord of Persia. Shamsuddin would prove to be more skeptical of the ambitious mercenary warlord than his predecessors. He was very much paranoid and alienated many close associates of his father including the famous gurgtug who were deployed in the east instead of accompanying him in the capital. To put a lid on dissent he started a military campaign against the fracturing realms of Sultan Mirza and Kara quyonlu, proving very successful. His alliance with Georgians was useful in this regard. The nazarene kingdom became a nominal vassal to Shamsuddin. His entry into Tabriz forced the Timurid prince Iliyas to flee to the Ottomans, where his cousin Jahanbeg was also staying. For the first time since it began, Persia seemed to be on the verge of being united under a single ruler once again. But Shamsuddin Mirza knew as long as his brother and cousin were in the Ottoman court he would never breathe in peace. Thus the Timurid ruler would turn west as drums of war were beaten once again....
(From '
Tarikh Ul Fars Wal Mashreq' Ul Fars Wal Mashreq' by Ali Adnani)
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Musings of anonymity
Saffar 870 (October 1465)
Gaza, Mamluke Sultanate of Masr
Sophia hummed as she checked the water boiling over a firepit in the early morning. She fondly looked over inside the tent over some small bedding where a small child lay sleeping.
As the water was boiled enough she put out the fire and went on to remove the pot from the pit after it cooled down. A pair of hairy arms soon joined her on the other side. She was startled but slowly a smile crept to her lips.
"Allow me, Sophia" Akmet said as the pair put the waterpot away from the pit.
"I'm just four months along and still going strong. You treat me as if I was made of glass, Sayyid."Sophia mused
"Pregnancy is a very difficult time for all females, we can never be too much careful dear. "Atrak replied.
"So what, look how Yasmin turned out. Honestly if I was still in my Hayiz [1] state I'd have never been able to achieve this feat, which has eluded many Sultans" Sophia said as Akmet glanced at their sleeping daughter.
Honestly I was really confused at first when you said you need my 'help' to perform Hajj. I thought you had a hidden pain or something like that."
"
Too slow thinking Sayed. And I thought your history of ruining maidens would help you in this regard." at this Akmet averted his gaze in shame. He had long abandoned that chapter in his life and thought of it at some nightmares.
"
Forgive me Sayed, let's go inside and I need to- Ah!" Sophia nearly stumbled as she felt dizzy and Akmet quickly grabbed her.
"Hey, Sehzadi Gawher Khatun is married to the next caliph in line, our hajj is over and soon in less than a week we will arrive in Konstantiniyye. Don't worry, Allah will help us." Sophia gently touched Akmet's face as worry was written over his features.
A big sigh escaped Akmet's face as he helped Sophia get up and helped her carry the pot inside the tent.
After her bath was finished she woke Yasmin up and served breakfast. Akmet smiled as he saw his daughter getting excited over bread and dates. The small family sat down as they silently ate their breakfast.
Suddenly someone screamed followed by shouting of men and Sophia quickly embraced her daughter as Akmet got up.
"
Bandits! This far in Sham? Curse those bedouins. Quick, bring my gun!" Akmet exclaimed as Sophia ran inside the tent and carried a musket. She was herself armed with a sword and some arrows. Akmet ran after the commotion as she placed Yasmin on a camel in front of her and urged it to stand up.
Reaching the site of the hullabaloo Akmet found a man lying dead on the ground as a knife stuck out of his chest as men surrounded him.
"
Allah forgive him, this man came all the way from Qimir and performed his hajj. Some devil killed him either due to previous animosity or somebody paid him to do the dirty work."
"
What's his name?"
"He said his name was Reyaz but I heard one of his servants calling him Sayed Khan."
"Most likely somebody paid to kill him. He's a mongol, not from around here." Akmet concluded as he squatted by the corpse to take a good look at him.
"
Perhaps, Allah protect us. At least this man just completed his pilgrimage. He will be directly in paradise for his sins being cleansed." one man said as he began reciting his prayers.
"
Any idea where the assassin went?" Akmet asked one of the bystanders.
"
To the south. These are local bedouins who know the desert like the palm of their hand. If you give chase you’ll either die of thirst or will be forced to give up. At best we can notify the Emir of this town." the man replied.
Perhaps, he was right. There is no way Akmet can track him down. Besides he has his own family to worry about than a going on a wild hunt after an old man's killer. He spared one last glance at the corpse and walked away.
(From '
Kaiser I Rum' by Tariq Fakhruddin, translated by Wilhelm Jager)
[1] Menstruation, women in this time are ordered to avoid performing any kind of obligatory prayers.
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So Salam again guys. Thought I'd not return till October but rescheduling of my exams has allowed for a bit of respite. Even so, this update might be the last until November.
So here we have Ottomans finishing their campaign and installing Aslan as the Khan of Golden horde. Rus states are as usual in a mess and a muslim knyaz/ prince in throne of Suzdal would only make things more complex. But Russia won’t be Muslim majority. At best there will be a significant minority IF the current line can hold onto power for subsequent centuries, which again seems unlikely as Europe is already reacted and its not the good kind of reaction.
And I have great plans with Albag and his Karul Khanate. Islam will reach the fringes of Europe so the boundary might be even smaller if the west wants to exclude Muslim held territories.
Persia is still clusterfuck and things are no where near calming down. Khaydar seems to be thriving however.
And kudos to anyone who can identify the murdered man in 'Kaiser I Rum' piece. Sultan Muhammad has just made the Caliph's heir apparent marry his eldest daughter. So yeah, things will be getting more complex in regards to Mamluke Ottoman relationship.
So remarks and suggestions on the development of new scenarios? Until next time!