posted 17 December 2007 18:59 EDT (US)
Foreword: Wow, I never thought I'd be writing an AAR (HSR). After reading many over the years, it just didn't sound very fun to me; that is, until I read Saintheart's Spanish AAR (HSR). It had never occured to me to write it in such a way, and it inspired me to write one of my own. Thank you Saintheart, and I hope you don't mind me doing this. I'm not trying to steal your thunder.
I have set only one rule for myself : No cheating. Other than that, no limits. We'll just see how it plays out.
I have put it to a poll with some friends of mine, and Russia was the winner, so I will be following the Russians in this, my first AAR. I will be playing on Medium/Medium, because I'm not very good at this game. And so, without further ado, I present to you: Ne Plus Ultra!
Ne Plus Ultra
The Road to Russian Greatness
Russia in the late eleventh century was in a state of pure chaos, plagued with violence and turmoil, and lay almost completely barren and largely unclaimed by the Russian Royal Family. Indeed, only one city, the grand city of Novgorod, lay within Grand Duke Ysevolod’s - the rightful ruler of Russia - territory. And under Ysevolod’s rule Novgorod and the surrounding areas prospered and Ysevolod was able to unify much of northern Russia under his banner. The rise and subsequent fall of Grand Duke Ysevolod is perhaps the single most important event in the history of medieval Russia. Through his acts of courage and selflessness he inspired the populace, and took the first step on the road to Russian greatness.
Chapter One: The Expansionist Era Part One (1080 - 1088)
At this time Russia, indeed, all of northeastern Europe, was a very fragmented place. Small time warlords and self-proclaimed kings ruled much of North Eastern Europe and present day Russia, squabbling over the land with, for the most part, poorly trained armies consisting largely of peasant rabble. Even the greatest and most stable of nations were noted to be at an unprecedented level of strife, and few countries could claim ownership of more than a few territories. But of all of these, one nation stands out from the rest, maybe for it’s strong and competent leaders, or maybe for it’s relatively quick expansion when compared to the other powers in Europe. But I digress.
At this time in history, Russian influence did not reach far beyond the walls of the capitol, Novgorod. That is, of course, until Grand Duke Ysevolod - Leader of the Russians - seized his chance for power and began a phase of rapid expansion which would continue for the next twenty years and would instill in the Russian peoples a great pride and loyalty to Ysevolod which would cause much war and bloodshed in later years; but more on that later.
The Russian empire in the year 1080 is depicted in this drawing below. The army almost directly south of Novgorod is led by Mikhail, the youngest of Ysevolod’s two sons. The army to the east is led by Grand Duke Ysevolod himself. Prince Vladimir, not pictured here, is residing in Novgorod as Governor. Ysevolod, putting his plan into action, immediately ordered Mikhail north to Helsinki while Ysevolod marched east toward Moscow. While this was going on, Prince Vladimir began construction of a port in Novgorod, a decision which would greatly benefit the Russian treasury in years to come and sparked the creation of a navy years later. In fact, Prince Vladimir did wonders for the early Russian economy with many of his building plans and tax policies, and would be hailed as one of the greatest governors in Russian history until his departure in 1088. With his plans under way and a spring in his step, Ysevolod turned his eyes toward Moscow.
But the Council of Nobles had other ideas. After hearing of his ambitious plans, they feared that the Polish, an ambitious Catholic power to the south-west, would be able to conquer Novgorod quite easily without the support of her armies. And so they ordered Ysevolod to halt his Eastern advance and instead put the pressure on the Polish by marching south to Smolensk, where Ysevolod could then continue to Vilnius and keep a close eye on the Polish. As an incentive, they offered two thousand and five hundred gold pieces for the capture of Smolensk. Ysevolod, hard-headed but in dire need of money, altered his plans and turned his army to the south and began the long trudge to Smolensk, grumbling all the way. Ironically, and unbeknownst to Ysevolod, despite the apparent need for money, Russia was considered the richest faction in the known world; due largely to Prince Vladimir’s acumen.
While on the topic of Vladimir, it should be mentioned some of his other advances in the field of business. Under Vladimir’s orders - and close inspection - the newly trained merchant, Semyon Zhinoslav, began a lucrative amber trading business in 1184 which would later migrate to the eastern Riga region and would bring the Russian crown much gold in years to come. At the same time, Vladimir began clearing land for new farms, having completed the port and already receiving merchant ships at the docks. Sensing the vulnerability of the fledgling port and the need for naval protection abroad, Vladimir, with his father’s permission, commenced construction of the Russian Navy with a small vessel called a Lad’Ya, which would go on to win many victories against the unsuspecting local pirates.
A few years later, in the years 1085 and 1086 respectively, Helsinki and Smolensk were besieged by the father and son duo: the battle hardened but aging Ysevolod and the young but inexperienced Mikhail. Having already discussed Ysevolod’s plan, Mikhail set about building the exact siege equipment his father had recommended: two identical battering rams for breaching multiple holes in the walls and coming at the enemy from two or more sides. In 1088, Mikhail and his loyal troops assaulted Helsinki.
Mikhail split his troops into two groups, group one consisted of two units of spear militia, two units of archer militia, and himself, and would enter from the east gate. Group two was the smaller of the groups, led by his faithful Kazaks and supported by a spear militia formation. Group two would breach the south gate and assist group one if necessary, otherwise, it would push onwards and harass their archers and attempt to take the square.
At first, the plan worked wonderfully; group one was able to knock down the gates and gain ground against the defenders while the Kazaks and the archer militia peppered the enemy from afar. Group two was able to enter the fortification with little to no resistance, and the spear formation advanced on the square while the Kazaks fired into the flank of the defenders holding back group one. However, as the spear militia from group two entered the square and hacked away at the archers stationed there, the enemy infantry with drew to the square and held it well. With little cavalry support, many Russian spearmen lost their lives in the bloody stalemate that ensued. It was not until Mikhail’s archer militia was able to lure the enemy infantry from the square that the tide of the battle truly turned to the Russians. Victory was achieved, but not without a cost.
With Helsinki under Russian control and the fate of the settlement in his hands, Mikhail opted to merely occupy the settlement and was hailed as a chivalric conqueror from that point on. Now that he was in a seat of power, so to speak, in Helsinki, he ordered the Motte and Bailey to be upgraded to a wooden castle, though it would later be converted to a town in 1136 due to economic problems. Mikhail did not stop long to oversee the construction, however, as Ysevolod’s plan required him to stay on the move and conquer as much disputed territory as possible. And so Mikhail marched to the shore, where the flagship of the Russian Navy would carry him south toward Riga.
Meanwhile, Ysevolod was having similar problems at Smolensk using nearly the same plan as Mikhail, but fine tuned a little more. The result was not as expected, but not horrible; it was no Pyrrhic Victory, and the plan could still be brought to fruition, though with greatly reduced effectiveness.
The battle started out well enough, with the odds tremendously in Ysevolod’s favor. But as the battle wore on, the Russian woodsmen were singing another tune as they ran for the hills.
Ysevolod, as he had taught his son, split his forces into two groups. In this circumstance, however, the two groups were more even; each had one infantry formation (woodsmen), one foot archer formation (archer militia), and one cavalry formation. The main difference between the two groups was that group two was led by the Kazaks, while group one was led by Ysevolod and his bodyguards. The battle began much the same as the battle for Helsinki, and ended much the same, with the enemy making their last stand in the square and fighting to the last man. However, what Ysevolod failed to realize was that his woodsmen were not meant for prolonged battles and were killed at an alarming rate after the initial charge, especially when the enemy does not rout. Eventually, the battle was won, but not without severe losses to his infantry. Ysevolod did not worry much about it at the time, but the lack of infantry played a key role in the disastrous battles to follow in Ysevolod’s expansion campaign.
Smolensk was sacked immediately after the battle, and shortly after Ysevolod left with the remainder of his army, leaving the castle very poorly defended and supervised, which may have had a direct effect on the rising unrest in the surrounding area. But Ysevolod had bigger things on his mind: Vilnius.
Back at Novgorod, the beloved Prince Vladimir was given orders from his father to take some militia units and march east towards Moscow, to tie up the loose ends to Ysevolod’s ongoing plans. Grudgingly, Vladimir obeyed, and left his darling town by way of parade, to the cries of the townspeople and many wishes of good fortune. And it would not be long before that fortune was realized, as Vladimir came upon a small rebel army just east of Novgorod and destroyed it with minimal losses. Vladimir, realizing his true potential as a great general, regained any loyalty he might have lost and showed all of Russia that he really was a competent strategist, not just some fat politician with a keen eye for economics.(Authors Note: +2 Command, +1 Loyalty)
"I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. "-Edgar Allan Poe
Tsar Wars
My Russia HSR
I have set only one rule for myself : No cheating. Other than that, no limits. We'll just see how it plays out.
I have put it to a poll with some friends of mine, and Russia was the winner, so I will be following the Russians in this, my first AAR. I will be playing on Medium/Medium, because I'm not very good at this game. And so, without further ado, I present to you: Ne Plus Ultra!
Russia in the late eleventh century was in a state of pure chaos, plagued with violence and turmoil, and lay almost completely barren and largely unclaimed by the Russian Royal Family. Indeed, only one city, the grand city of Novgorod, lay within Grand Duke Ysevolod’s - the rightful ruler of Russia - territory. And under Ysevolod’s rule Novgorod and the surrounding areas prospered and Ysevolod was able to unify much of northern Russia under his banner. The rise and subsequent fall of Grand Duke Ysevolod is perhaps the single most important event in the history of medieval Russia. Through his acts of courage and selflessness he inspired the populace, and took the first step on the road to Russian greatness.
At this time Russia, indeed, all of northeastern Europe, was a very fragmented place. Small time warlords and self-proclaimed kings ruled much of North Eastern Europe and present day Russia, squabbling over the land with, for the most part, poorly trained armies consisting largely of peasant rabble. Even the greatest and most stable of nations were noted to be at an unprecedented level of strife, and few countries could claim ownership of more than a few territories. But of all of these, one nation stands out from the rest, maybe for it’s strong and competent leaders, or maybe for it’s relatively quick expansion when compared to the other powers in Europe. But I digress.
At this time in history, Russian influence did not reach far beyond the walls of the capitol, Novgorod. That is, of course, until Grand Duke Ysevolod - Leader of the Russians - seized his chance for power and began a phase of rapid expansion which would continue for the next twenty years and would instill in the Russian peoples a great pride and loyalty to Ysevolod which would cause much war and bloodshed in later years; but more on that later.
The Russian empire in the year 1080 is depicted in this drawing below. The army almost directly south of Novgorod is led by Mikhail, the youngest of Ysevolod’s two sons. The army to the east is led by Grand Duke Ysevolod himself. Prince Vladimir, not pictured here, is residing in Novgorod as Governor. Ysevolod, putting his plan into action, immediately ordered Mikhail north to Helsinki while Ysevolod marched east toward Moscow. While this was going on, Prince Vladimir began construction of a port in Novgorod, a decision which would greatly benefit the Russian treasury in years to come and sparked the creation of a navy years later. In fact, Prince Vladimir did wonders for the early Russian economy with many of his building plans and tax policies, and would be hailed as one of the greatest governors in Russian history until his departure in 1088. With his plans under way and a spring in his step, Ysevolod turned his eyes toward Moscow.
But the Council of Nobles had other ideas. After hearing of his ambitious plans, they feared that the Polish, an ambitious Catholic power to the south-west, would be able to conquer Novgorod quite easily without the support of her armies. And so they ordered Ysevolod to halt his Eastern advance and instead put the pressure on the Polish by marching south to Smolensk, where Ysevolod could then continue to Vilnius and keep a close eye on the Polish. As an incentive, they offered two thousand and five hundred gold pieces for the capture of Smolensk. Ysevolod, hard-headed but in dire need of money, altered his plans and turned his army to the south and began the long trudge to Smolensk, grumbling all the way. Ironically, and unbeknownst to Ysevolod, despite the apparent need for money, Russia was considered the richest faction in the known world; due largely to Prince Vladimir’s acumen.
While on the topic of Vladimir, it should be mentioned some of his other advances in the field of business. Under Vladimir’s orders - and close inspection - the newly trained merchant, Semyon Zhinoslav, began a lucrative amber trading business in 1184 which would later migrate to the eastern Riga region and would bring the Russian crown much gold in years to come. At the same time, Vladimir began clearing land for new farms, having completed the port and already receiving merchant ships at the docks. Sensing the vulnerability of the fledgling port and the need for naval protection abroad, Vladimir, with his father’s permission, commenced construction of the Russian Navy with a small vessel called a Lad’Ya, which would go on to win many victories against the unsuspecting local pirates.
A few years later, in the years 1085 and 1086 respectively, Helsinki and Smolensk were besieged by the father and son duo: the battle hardened but aging Ysevolod and the young but inexperienced Mikhail. Having already discussed Ysevolod’s plan, Mikhail set about building the exact siege equipment his father had recommended: two identical battering rams for breaching multiple holes in the walls and coming at the enemy from two or more sides. In 1088, Mikhail and his loyal troops assaulted Helsinki.
Mikhail split his troops into two groups, group one consisted of two units of spear militia, two units of archer militia, and himself, and would enter from the east gate. Group two was the smaller of the groups, led by his faithful Kazaks and supported by a spear militia formation. Group two would breach the south gate and assist group one if necessary, otherwise, it would push onwards and harass their archers and attempt to take the square.
At first, the plan worked wonderfully; group one was able to knock down the gates and gain ground against the defenders while the Kazaks and the archer militia peppered the enemy from afar. Group two was able to enter the fortification with little to no resistance, and the spear formation advanced on the square while the Kazaks fired into the flank of the defenders holding back group one. However, as the spear militia from group two entered the square and hacked away at the archers stationed there, the enemy infantry with drew to the square and held it well. With little cavalry support, many Russian spearmen lost their lives in the bloody stalemate that ensued. It was not until Mikhail’s archer militia was able to lure the enemy infantry from the square that the tide of the battle truly turned to the Russians. Victory was achieved, but not without a cost.
With Helsinki under Russian control and the fate of the settlement in his hands, Mikhail opted to merely occupy the settlement and was hailed as a chivalric conqueror from that point on. Now that he was in a seat of power, so to speak, in Helsinki, he ordered the Motte and Bailey to be upgraded to a wooden castle, though it would later be converted to a town in 1136 due to economic problems. Mikhail did not stop long to oversee the construction, however, as Ysevolod’s plan required him to stay on the move and conquer as much disputed territory as possible. And so Mikhail marched to the shore, where the flagship of the Russian Navy would carry him south toward Riga.
Meanwhile, Ysevolod was having similar problems at Smolensk using nearly the same plan as Mikhail, but fine tuned a little more. The result was not as expected, but not horrible; it was no Pyrrhic Victory, and the plan could still be brought to fruition, though with greatly reduced effectiveness.
The battle started out well enough, with the odds tremendously in Ysevolod’s favor. But as the battle wore on, the Russian woodsmen were singing another tune as they ran for the hills.
Ysevolod, as he had taught his son, split his forces into two groups. In this circumstance, however, the two groups were more even; each had one infantry formation (woodsmen), one foot archer formation (archer militia), and one cavalry formation. The main difference between the two groups was that group two was led by the Kazaks, while group one was led by Ysevolod and his bodyguards. The battle began much the same as the battle for Helsinki, and ended much the same, with the enemy making their last stand in the square and fighting to the last man. However, what Ysevolod failed to realize was that his woodsmen were not meant for prolonged battles and were killed at an alarming rate after the initial charge, especially when the enemy does not rout. Eventually, the battle was won, but not without severe losses to his infantry. Ysevolod did not worry much about it at the time, but the lack of infantry played a key role in the disastrous battles to follow in Ysevolod’s expansion campaign.
Smolensk was sacked immediately after the battle, and shortly after Ysevolod left with the remainder of his army, leaving the castle very poorly defended and supervised, which may have had a direct effect on the rising unrest in the surrounding area. But Ysevolod had bigger things on his mind: Vilnius.
Back at Novgorod, the beloved Prince Vladimir was given orders from his father to take some militia units and march east towards Moscow, to tie up the loose ends to Ysevolod’s ongoing plans. Grudgingly, Vladimir obeyed, and left his darling town by way of parade, to the cries of the townspeople and many wishes of good fortune. And it would not be long before that fortune was realized, as Vladimir came upon a small rebel army just east of Novgorod and destroyed it with minimal losses. Vladimir, realizing his true potential as a great general, regained any loyalty he might have lost and showed all of Russia that he really was a competent strategist, not just some fat politician with a keen eye for economics.
"I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. "-Edgar Allan Poe
[This message has been edited by A different city (edited 07-05-2008 @ 03:01 PM).]
