Medieval II: Total War Part VI

"Honour and Glory await England!"


- His Royal Highness, King Toby of the House Robin, The First of his Name, King of England, Scotland and France, Protector of Wales and Ireland, Prince of Aragon and Doge of Genoa

Current affairs


In the year of our lord, 1282, The Kingdom of England is divided into eighteen areas, which are ruled by either cities or castles. There are fourteen capital cities and four castles. London remains the political centre of the empire. There are seventeen male members of the Royal Family who have come of age. the Royal Family consists of multiple house. House Norman, descended from William the Conqueror and is currently led by George the Cuckold. House Roose, led by Charles. The current King comes from House Robin descended from Morcar the Wrathful and currently led by his eldest son King Toby.

England is currently the largest country in Europe in terms of area and population, and second only to the Mongols in wealth and military size. The English are currently at war with Venice, Denmark, Spain and Portugal. Venice is considered the most dangerous threat, as it is the third strongest power in Europe. While the English armies go unchallenged on land, the Venetian and Danish navies control the seas. Military efforts are divided into three Campaigns. The south-west front is led by King Toby himself as he fights against the Portuguese and Spanish in unison. In the north, the armies are led by a coalition of nobles against Denmark. the south-east front is led by Robin Robins, the king's youngest brother against the Venetians.

Domestically, two more members of Henry's cable have fallen. Morcar the Wrathful passed away while visiting the Irish and Leonard died while down south. This is a worrisome situation for the British Isles. The last governor of London is also ageing, and it is feared that he will die before any are able to take the threes place. while there is no worry of the islands actually rebelling against the King, the lack of anyone to enforce his will could pose a problem. Neither Godwine or Robin wish to return and claim their father's territory, and Leonard left no descendants to take his place.

Events


At the fall of France, two cities were under siege. Antwerp in the north by the Danish, and Marseilles in the south by the Venetians.With the end of the French threat,  units that had taken serious casualties were being sent back west in order to recruit new soldiers, while newly trained troops were heading to the fronts. The English armies present were divided into three parts. the smallest was as a garrison for the freshly conquered town of Dijon. Half of the army went with Robin down south to Marseilles. the other half went north to lift the other siege. They were to be led by Edgar, younger brother of George. Meanwhile, Toby would march south to link up with his forces heading to Portugal.

The North


Before reinforcements could arrive, the enemy armies decided to lead an assault on Marseilles and Antwerp. Edgar defended Antwerp valiantly, despite being outnumbered 3 to 1. While he took heavy casualties and lost a third of his men, he was able to repel the assault by holding the Danes at the gate. reinforcements arrived soon after, but at first mostly composed of siege equipment that arrived in anticipation of the coming assault.

Actual soldiers appeared soon after. However, even by combining their forces, too many of their units were depleted. Fearing another attack that they wouldn't be able to repel, they were forced to call from reinforcements from nearby towns. When they arrived, they were finally able to send the veterans away from the front and give them time to find more members. This delayed any action in the north for a significant amount of time, as they tried to deal with the logistics of shuffling soldiers and nobles around.

The situation at sea didn't help at all. The enemy navy was too strong for England's. They had numerical and technological superiority. This prevented the transfer of any troops over the water, which would've been a significant time saver. Instead the soldiers were forced to march constantly. Ports were constantly blockaded which significantly cut into the trade income necessary to fund the armies. Luckily, due to England financial advantage, they were eventually capable of building enough to forces them to retreat. The army has finally moved out and entered Denmark. However the pope threatens the King with excommunication if he attacks the Danish over land for the next while. Thus, progress has stagnated.

The Southeast

Jasper in Marseilles decided to sally forth. He faced the near opposite of Edgar's situation. He outnumbered the enemy, but his forces were mostly composed of untrained militia men and peasant archers while the Venetians had a professional army. Nevertheless, he was able to drive the enemy away. He lost about a third of his forces. Unfortunately for him, the he was soon under siege again by yet another army.

This time, Robin was in position to come to his rescue. Proving himself worthy of his brother's name, He defeated an army twice the size of his own forces, without taking significant casualties. Seen as a hero he entered Marseilles and saw what happened to Jasper. Jasper had turned into a paranoid dysfunctional man, who was doing more harm to the city than good. Years of attempted assassination attempts and the stress of the constant threat of uprisings had taken its toll. the The city was turning into a hellhole. He managed to convince Jasper to leave the city, and left his cousin by marriage, Robin of Berwick, in charge of city. He hoped to take Jasper to war, where he could face a heroic death in battle without harming more of the people.

Together, they headed east to Venetian lands when they ran into Genoa, only lightly defended by the Doge of Venice himself. They quickly lay siege to the city, hoping to be able to attack it before reinforcements arrived. Unfortunately, an army did arrive, led by a family member of the Doge. They were forced to engage in battle. During the battle, the Doge came out of the city to reinforce his ally. Robin was able to take out the crossbowmen with a cavalry charge from behind and his own missile units. He killed the Doge's relative before he went after the Doge. While the bodyguard put up a brave fight, they eventually fled. The whereabouts of the enemy leader is unknown. While he did not die in the battle, he was not found in the now defenceless city. Angered at the missed opportunity, Robin took a page from his brother's book and had the city sacked in revenge. Now what's left of his forces must decided whether to hold or abandon the city while a Venetian siege army approaches.

South-West

The war against the Portuguese was long and hard. They were the current lords of the kingdom of Aragon, holding the city and castle of Zanagoza and Pamplona. While they were reasonably defended, the true challenge was crossing the Pyrennes mountains and getting to them. Toby was still far behind his forces, and reinforcements were coming from the north as well. Eventually, the army made it through, while Toby linked up with the reinforcements.

The first army laid siege to Zanazoga, unaware that a Portuguese army was coming from behind. Toby showed why he had earned the crown and managed to slay most of the army before they were able to get to his assaulting army. It was a glorious victory, as he was outnumbered and lacked a significant cavalry force. It was there that he learned of the joy of using catapults on enemy soldiers. He had all the prisoners executed for opposing him, before continuing to Pamplona, the seat of Portuguese power. After a siege and a night assault, He claimed victory. In a moment of cruelty that had become expected of him, he ordered his soldiers to exterminate the population of the castle. Thousands died as he solidified his rule and his reputation as a brutal, merciless conqueror. His enemies now tremble at his name. It is believed that due to his sense of justice, Toby performs many of the executions himself and he uses assassins to eliminate those that could potentially bother him.

Once his other army finished their siege, he claimed the title "Prince of Aragon" to show his commitment to keeping his new lands. He intends to march further into Spain,  and continue his reign of Conquest, and surpass William the Conqueror as the greatest commander the English had ever seen. He is military genius, a competent ruler who inspires dread in any who would dare oppose him.

The Borders after the recent conquests

Medieval II: Total War Part V

Robin's Rise

While the continental part of the English empire was in constant battle, the islands were relatively peaceful. There were only two governors for the four kingdoms. None of the citizens were being sent to fight wars, and taxes kept flowing into the treasury. there were two senior members of the Royal Family who actually lived on the island, but three would soon come of age. 

Toby, Godwine and Robin were the three sons of Morcar Robins, Grand Duke of Scotland and Ireland. While they were nice enough lads, living with their angry alcoholic father was enough to change them. Toby knew that unless they all left their fathers care as soon as possible, they would become exactly like him. On his sixteenth birthday, Toby left Edinburgh and travelled to France. He knew his family's connections would help him, and soon enough, he was placed in charge of a small task force with the purpose of eliminating rebels and vagabonds that terrorized the countryside. It was not a glamorous position, but he did manage to prove himself in battle against the rebels. He rose in prominence as a brilliant commander, but still had much to learn. He was soon deployed against the French. The war effort was in shambles and disunited. There was no clear leader and all the generals were attempting their own strategies without coordination. While the early days of the war had gone well, progress had stalled. Allies of the French like Venice and Spain had also declared war on England. King Louis was travelling with the French army to defend Bordeaux, currently under siege. Marseilles was constantly under assault, and the last French city was too heavily guarded to siege. But Toby saw an opportunity to turn the war around. In a risky maneuver, he took the entire garrison of Angiers, and took it to to Bordeaux. He realized he could engage Louis and his entourage in a decisive battle. He could cripple the French war effort. 

He attacked the French King as he attempted to defend a strategically important bridge. Despite the limited space to deploy, he distracted the King with a squad of Infantry sent to attack the French forces across the bridge. While outnumbered, the advantage was negated by forcing the French troops into a bottleneck. Toby's archers whittled away at the enemy while they were engaged. When the English established a foothold on the other side of the bridge, Toby's Cavalry charged across and overwhelmed the enemy. The sheer force of their charge broke the enemy lines, and the enemy routed. Louis and his heir were killed in the fight, and their army had dispersed. The French were finished as a military power. Their castles and cities were cut off from each other, with all their soldiers were trapped under siege and could be taken care of whenever the English willed it. Toby gained enough respect and authority to be declared the commander of all English Military forces.Another perk was his marriage to one of King Robert's daughters. With his new powers and prestige, he had his brothers retrieved from Scotland and brought to him. 

The brothers all shared a talent for command. While Toby was indisputably the best of them, Godwine and Robin were not far behind. Apart from that and their hatred of alcohol, the brothers were all different.

 While Toby loved his brothers, his father had left a mark on him. Whispers of his cruelty grew louder each day.  He executed any prisoners he captured during battles and did everything he could to turn the battle in his favour. He had any who disagreed with him flogged and others tortured. He was born a conqueror and destroyed any foe he met on the battlefield. He was rumoured to be the best English general since William the Conqueror himself. He was admirably rational, and a master of logistics. While he was above average at bureaucratic matters, he was poor with taxes. He saw that the trappings of power were necessary if he wanted to keep his authority so always picked the most expensive trappings for himself. 

Living in their brother's shadow, Godwine and Robin had each found their own niche in life. Godwine was the most religious of the three, and always acted the way he thought was religiously proper. he was also quite sociable with people and was always eager to make new friends. Robin focused on athletics and was the healthiest of the three. He was also the smartest of the three on average, but lacked Toby's political knowledge and Godwine's faith. The brothers also differed in looks. Toby had the face of the average English man, and didn't stand out. Godwine was a bit rough on the eyes, while Robin was incredibly handsome and literally striking to behold. 

A New Era

While the Robins had begun their rise to power in Western Europe, King Paul was wrapping up his crusade. He sold his newly conquered lands to the Pope, disbanded his templar forces, and begun the journey home. He had taken a small part of the navy when he had left with him, but didn't expect too much trouble on the way home. After all, it's not like anyone would dare to attack the leader of the strongest nation in Europe. Unfortunately for him, not all his enemies were foreigners. His old rival for the throne, George, son of Rufus, still sought revenge. George saw how foolish Paul was being, and knew that this would be the best chance he had for vengeance. In an act of treason, he bought the aid of Venice in ridding himself of his foolish king. He gave them Paul's position and let them set up an ambush. The Venetians attacked Paul at sea and destroyed his ships. Paul and his conquering army sank to a watery grave. Paul had taken his strongest supporters with him so the death of his army was also the death of any chances his son had of succeeding him as King. Thus ended the reign of King Paul the Malevolent and his dynasty.

While it was a tragedy for some, it was an opportunity for others. Paul was relatively young for a king, and as a result there was no clear heir. While his son was technically next in line, the old arguments about bloodlines erupted once again. George and Walter were once again possible candidates. When a civil war was about to break out, Toby saw his chance. He used Paul's death as a rallying cry for justice and honour and took his men to the French capital. He assaulted the city and slayed the last French King, Henri the mean, and then his heir. Technically, due to the order of deaths, Toby had slain 4 kings in combat so he gained the nickname Kingslayer. Toby left one of his relatives on charge of the city before he returned home victorious. The English people rallied around him and started chants of "King Toby the Kingslayer". As effective head of the military and with the support of the people, he had his wife declared Queen of England and took the title of King for himself. He also took the French crown for himself. In a grand coronation ceremony, he became known as "King Toby the First, High King of England and France, Lord of Scotland and Protector of Ireland". 

Where do we go now?

It was a glorious time for the English, but there was still much work to be done. Their French rivals had been dealt with and their people and culture exterminated. Their allies were still at war with England. Spain and Portugal lay to the south-west, ripe for conquest. Denmark had recently been repelled in the North, but were readying for another attack. Venice lay to the east, and were in the possession of the second largest army on land, and the by far the largest navy at sea. The Pope had almost excommunicated the King, and the Holy Roman Empire was planning something. The English were over extended with their armies scattered. While their Kingdom had grown so had its armies. The cost of all these soldiers was immense. the treasury barely replenished itself every year, and all that money had to go to upgrading settlements or recruiting soldiers. If they lost any income, the economy would break. The English were isolated and had no one to trade with.

Fortunately, there were positives. Short of the Mongols, the English had the largest army, treasury and empire Europe had ever seen. Their enemies would soon know the consequences of messing with Brittania.

Current Borders of the English Empire.