Age of Conflicts[IC/AH/OPEN]

[South Vict]

Age of Conflicts

RP Year: May-September, 1453

[Longstrip]

On 29 May 1453 Ottoman Sultan Mehmet conquered Constantinople so can I play as the Ottoman in this RP also.

[Cuprum]

The King wanted to establish the first regular standing army in Western Europe since Roman times partly as a solution to marauding free companies. The mercenary companies were given a choice of either joining the Royal army as companies of ordenance on a permanent basis, or being hunted down and destroyed if they refused. The realm gained a total standing army of around 15,000 men, which was sent out to gradually eliminate the remaining mercenaries who insisted on operating on their own. The new standing army had a more disciplined and professional approach to warfare than its predecessors.

The English began using lightly armoured mounted troops, known as hobelars. Hobelars tactics had been developed against the Scots, in the Anglo-Scottish wars of the 13th century. Hobelars rode smaller unarmoured horses, enabling them to move through difficult or boggy terrain where heavier cavalry would struggle. Rather than fight while seated on the horse, they would dismount to engage the enemy.

Most men-at-arms and squires were drawn from the landowning gentry and aristocracy, although not necessarily titled nobility. This tendency became more pronounced as time went on, and the companies gradually grew more 'aristocratic' in character. The archers were more typically commoners at first, in part to integrate the considerable pool of experienced soldiers who were not gentry or aristocracy, into the framework of the new army. The men-at-arms and squire were both mounted on heavy war-horses (destriers), and full-equipped with plate armour and visored helmet. The archers were generally less well-armoured, and typically mounted on decent riding horses. They were not at first expected to engage in mounted combat, but that distinction later faded, and the archers became nearly indistinguishable from the man-at-arms, as did the squire. As non-combatants, the two pages were not generally armoured, and armed only with a dagger or small sword for personal protection. The pages' horses, like those of the archers, were not warhorses. The status of the pages remained largely unchanged throughout the development of the compagnies d'ordonnance.

This professional army was supported by a new class of militia, the "Free Archers" who were not paid, but were exempt from paying the main taxes in recognition of their service. As volunteers and part-time soldiers, they were often drawn from the military fraternities which existed at the time in many english counties. Toulouse was a very large city, heavily fortified and much richer than many cities of the time. It was of strategical importance as it is between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. The County of Toulouse was the largest state of the Kingdom of France with its large access to the Mediterranean Sea itself, and included significant cities like Narbonne, Cahors, Albi, Nîmes and Carcassonne.

Henry V attacked from the north while other of his allies opened a different front. Henry V marched towards Cahors though as well as various castles in the Garonne valley in the Quercy region to reconquer the ancient County of Toulouse for the English Crown. He wasn't afraid that his army only has 15,000 men who advances along the highway like a giant serpent, after Agincourt he remembered quite clearly how to destroy a French army thrice his size. The villages in the vicinity have not seen such a large army before, and there were two types of reactions: staring at us in amazement or running away in fear.

The English did not at that time have a purpose-built navy; however, this was resolved by the prevalence of the cog, a type of merchant vessel, among English traders. Cogs had a deep draught and round hull that was driven by a single great sail set on a mast amidships. These ships were requisitioned from the merchant service and converted into warships by the addition of wooden "castles" at the bow and stern, and the erecting of crow's nest platforms at the masthead, from which archers could use bows or drop stones on to enemy craft alongside. The cogs weighed two or three hundred tons and were well able to carry many fighting men. Their high freeboard made them superior to the oared vessels in close combat, particularly when they were fitted with the castles. By common law, the king was required to compensate the owners of ships impressed into service.

This vessels were used to blocked the French trade routes in the mediterranean sea and stop the arrive of Italian mercenaries from that route.

[Nitu-Lime]

Chris was watching the war progressing in France with more and more worry in his eyes. He was worried that after one side lost or won, the other would attack him, looking for more land, and finding it in waitron Iberia, his Generals told him that it was very unlikely that Iberia would be invaded.

Chris thought he knew better, and so, that was why his trained, and well-oiled army was performing exercises on the Iberian-French border. He would show whoever won that conflict that Iberia was watching, and was standing ready to defend her wealth and prestige.

[Hothnia]

The Teutonic Order was strong and mighty and would never fall. Formed as a protection service for German pilgrims heading to the holy land during the crusades, the Teutonic Order soon morphed into an order destined to grow in power and wealth and bring the word of God upon the heathens to the east. And the word of God was brought. The Lithuanian Armies fell apart under the discipline and training of the Knights of the Order. The Teutonic Order reached its height in power in 1350.

That was a hundred years ago. Now the Teutonic Order had begun its decline. Small wars with the Polish and remaining Lithuanians was beginning take its toll on the Order. Prussian nobility was beginning to become dissatisfied. But Grandmaster Ludwig, current commander of the order, sought to reverse the tide. He would start by continuing the conquest of both the rest of the Baltics and Poland. But first he would need allies.

To: King of France
From: Grandmaster Ludwig of the Teutonic Order


Greetings Mein Freunde! Salutations to you and your people. The Teutonic Order seeks to expand west into the heathen nations of Novgorod, Lithuania, and Poland. So therefore I propose a mutually beneficial military alliance.

[Labstoska]

the imperial court, Beijing
Empror Zhu Qiyu of the Chinese empire sat before the imperial court resplendent in his regal robes, next to him was his most trusted advisor Yu Qian and in front of him were swarms of bureaucrats and officials leaning in to hear his latest decree.

"people of the court" the emperor started " China as we all know has entered a rapid state of decline for too long our borders slowly shrunk, we have also allowed our navy, once a great example of Chinese strength, has fallen into disrepair and outside our borders the barbarians our preparing to destroy the greatest light of civilization in all of Asia".Some of the younger members of the court started murmuring in and among themselves as seen as for most of their lives they had been force fed propaganda spewed out by the ministry of rites however the empror continued with his speech So in response to these grave threats we must mobilize the empire and strike at the barbarians where they are weakest, we must also regain control over regions that have drifted away from the empire over time". The court began to hum in approval of the emperors words, even the greatest adversaries of the imperial administration began nodding in approval.

"The first targets in this new imperial conquest are the Manchu tribes and the self proclaimed Kingdom of Tibet. I give this task to two of my most competent generals Chen You and Fu Youde" the two men, who were residing within the crowd, stood up and bowed. The emperor continued talking " Fu Youde you will lead 100'000 men into Tibet and bring that region back under Chinese control and as for you Chen You, the Manchu tribes are fractured and weak from fighting one another so you shall lead 25'000 men into Manchuria" both men bowed and marched out of the court and with that the imperial court disbanded to go about the day to day runnings of the empire.

[Of the Quendi]

The Kingdom of France
The French Court, in the City of Paris
The Province of île-de-France

---

Spring of the Year of Our Lord 1453

---

Come spring comes war. That had been the state of affairs of France for the past few years. Every spring the French mobilized their armies and attacked the remaining English possessions in the Most Christian Kingdom. These seasonal conflict more often went well, as they had ever since the Maid of Orléans had rekindled the bravery of the French. Since then the French had known but one major defeat, the surprising loose at Formigny, and the French had become accustomed to be on the offensive.

Hence why news of an English invasion of the mainland took French court by complete surprise. In Paris an army had been mobilized for this year's campaign against Normandy when news arrived that a large English host had departed from Bordeaux. The court scrambled to formulate a response to this surprise attack but opinions was divided on how to respond. Many a bellicose northern lord suggested ignoring the southern front and go ahead with the plan for the spring campaign, invading Normandy with the ten thousand strong host that had been gathered at Paris.

This position, supported by most of the principal commanders, however lost support when news began to reach Paris of the size of the English army invading the south. While a retreating soldier counts every soldier twice it was clear that the English had raised a host larger than any with which they had assailed fair France since the days of Edward III. Opinion turned sharply against a northern offensive with only the northernmost lords still supporting an assault on English Normandy. For few doubted that an English army so vast amounted to nearly all troops available to King Henry, and thus its defeat would mean the complete defeat of the English and the fall of not only Normandy but also Aquitaine to the French crown. Inflicting a decisive defeat on the great host raised by the English could end once and for all the long war.

So the invasion of Normandy was postponed. Instead Charles VII dispatched three armies to the south. One, the largest, commanded by Jean Bureau, consisted of five thousand men under arms and three hundred of the new deadly french cannon. Another army, four thousand strong but counting no cannon, was commanded by Jean de Dunois. These armies, counting nine thousand men, made up the lion's share of the forces mobilized for the invasion of Normandy and they where quickly dispatched. The army of Dunois, unencumbered by slow artillery trains, would move rapidly south with Bureau's forces moving slower.

But given the enormous size of the English host Charles VII, the Most Christian King, dared not place his trust in just those two armies. He instructed the Constable of France, Arthur de Richemont to raise a third army of Bretons and men from northern France to rush to the aid of the southern provinces. Further Jean Poton de Xaintrailles was ordered to lead an all mounted force south immediately to reinforce any local forces to come under attack by the English before the arrival of the three armies raised.

In all of these military preparations a letter from the Grandmaster of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, or the Teutonic Order as it was more commonly known, almost went unanswered. But in a quiet moment Charles VII found the time to write back to the grandmaster.

Charles, By the Grace of God, Most Christian King of France; Dauphin of Viennois, Duke of Berry, Duke of Touraine Count of Valentinois and of Diois, Count of Poitou, Count of Ponthieu to his German friend Ludwig, Grandmaster of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, sends wishes of health and sincere affection.

Friendship between Christian and Catholic faithfuls surely delights out lord in Heaven and never have We, Charles, nor any of our majestic forebears, failed to provide aid to the Christian orders of chivalry defending Christendom from the scourge of paganism and heresy. Alas in this age my kingdom is beset by perfidious English foemen seeking only the destruction of fair France and We can provide little aid to your excellency's most worthy enterprise.

But what aid We can offer We gladly do offer. We welcome heartily your excellency's offer of alliance and friendship and pray that it may delight our Father in Heaven. Before year's end We shall send to your order a subsidy with which to finance your crusade and as many troops as We can spare. But We implore your excellency to not hesitate to return the favor for once more the English has assailed fair France and We have great need of the friendship of the Teutonic Order in this hour of need.

As soon as you can worthy Grandmaster, dispatch as many knights of your order as you can, to Our aid. Send at the very least those knights and soldiers which man your fortresses in Germany, or even in Our own kingdom of France. For should the English be successful in their vile enterprise We fear We may not for a long time be in a position to offer your order any aid of significance. But should on the other hand the English be crushed by French and German arms from France shall then a mighty host rise to march east and aid your order in its just struggle against heathenry and heresy in the east.

We pray for Your Excellency's health and prosperity.

Given at the Paris, in the year of our Lord 1453.

---

The Kingdom of France
The City of Cahors
French-controlled Guyenne

---

Spring of the Year of Our Lord 1453

---

Cahors was one of the larger cities of French Guyenne, or Aquitaine. Seat of the Diocese of Cahors, home to a university, founded in 1331 by the most famous son of Cahors, pope John XXII, it had a somewhat sinister reputation for its interest charging banker community. Though no Toulouse or Bordeaux the city was prosperous and home to a population of nearly ten thousand souls. Yet not many soldiers.

For Ghillebert, seigneur de Lanferelle, this last fact was deeply troubling. The garrison of Cahors counted not two hundred men under arm. Sieur de Lanferelle and the other prominent nobles of the region had brought with them more than twice that but that still left Cahor with around six hundred soldiers with which to resist an English army that rumors had it numbered in the tens of thousands.

Patrolling the walls of Cahor Sieur de Lanferelle could not help but wonder if his life was nearing its end. He was not strictly speaking fearful of it but he had experienced being under siege once before in his youth, before a peasant girl from Barrois changed the fortunes of the Kingdom of France for good. The experience had been haunting. Death in battle was one thing, but the slow hellish struggle of a siege was another matter entirely.

But that, the seigneur de Lanferelle decided, was in gods hands. The nobleman steeled himself and gazed of the northern walls of Cahor defiantly, looking for the English. Cahors, fortunately was not a difficult city to defend. Surrounded by the waters of the river Lot on three sides Cahors could be attacked only from the north, where de Lanferelle stood with most of the city defenders, or across the heavily fortified Pont Valentré held by seigneur de Goulard. The defenders of Cahors had already arranged their defenses behinds their walls. Now there was nothing to do but wait for the English to make their dispositions and for the siege to begin.

[Cuprum]

Cahors

The camp spread out around Cahors was massive in size, the banners of Talbot, Percy, and Montacute prominent among the assembled forces, although some minor Lords had sent forces and the unique sigils of hedge knights were often visible in the crowd. The day was clear, the weather warm and comfortable with nary a cloud in the sky and the men worked swiftly.

Henry sat in his tent, looking over troop numbers and dispersion of his forces while he awaited Lord Neville and his brothers. He had not brought much, and as a result the tent housed only a handful of chairs sat around a table, upon which sat a map of the lands immediately surrounding Cahors. His royal pavilion was modest, even that description was generous. His brother Thomas had afforded him many luxuries that befit his noble birth but that treatment had to come to an end now that war has consumed the miserable occitanians. The tent was barely large enough to pass as a lord's pavilion, with just enough room for a cot, a trunk, and a stand for his armor. John waited dutifully for the trout as he lifted the flap and exited into the crisp of Occitanians' air.

"How goes it?" Henry said groggily rubbing the sleep from his eyes. John wore simple leathers covered by a plain black tunic, his faithful burgundian cat still trailing behind him.

"The lines have been set, my lord. The castle is surrounded, and as of yet there has been no word from his commander."

He grunted in approval as he began to walk down the tent rows towards the massive pavilion in the center flying the three lions with the fleur de lis. Henry had his fill of wine the night previous and his head pounded mercilessly with each step he took. Soldiers in plate and chain rattled past the lord-without-a-keep as he trudged steadily onward followed by John the burgundian's lover and the lad's cat. Henry's patience had been reached.

"Give me a pen and some ink, I will make the garrison leader an offer he won't reject. This rotten city is not our main objective, Toulouse is the heart of this decadent region, if that city fall then the south of France will be ours. There is no need to have bloodshed when it could be so easily avoided." Henry sat back in his chair with a grin.

He wrote and signed a couple of promissory notes. The ones for the serjeants promise to pay the bearer of the note 10 shillings, while higher-ranked officers are to be paid 1 pound and 16 shillings and the last note was for the leader of the city who was promised 30 pounds sterlings and his holdings untouched if he surrendered the city to the British army and swear allegiance to the British Monarch.

[Of the Quendi]

The Kingdom of France
The City of Cahors
French-controlled Guyenne

---

The first day of the siege of Cahors in the Year of Our Lord 1453

---

The defenders of Cahors could do little but observe as the English army invested their city. They had nowhere near enough troops to consider a sortie against the numerically superior foes and so they only watched in awe and terror as the English fanned out and completed encircled their city. For Ghillebert, seigneur de Lanferelle the deployment of English troops to the north bank of the river Lot was particularly worrisome. While the northern wall was thankfully short, not a full kilometer in length, it was the weak spot. The southern, western and eastern sections of the city walls all had the river Lot as a natural barrier agains the enemy. Not so the north wall and de Lanferelle had insisted that the lion's share of the professional troops of the city be placed there to defend the weak spot. He feared it would not be enough.

Antoine, seigneur de Goulard, was less pessimistic. The older lord that had lead a force not quite so large as de Lanferelle to Cahors, was an experienced, if perhaps not terribly innovative commander. As a young man he had fought at Agincourt nearly forty years ago and had known the days when it seemed that the end of France was nigh and had commanded men during the Loire campaign. Though it was well over a decade since de Goulard had fought a battle de Lanferelle trusted the stout veteran. "An army divided is an army vulnerable." De Goulard declared as he and de Lanferelle walked towards the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors in the eastern parts of the city. "As long as we control the bridges over the river the English cannot easily unite their troops on any one side of the Lot. Once the king's armies arrive they can attack the English on one bank of the river with little to fear from the English troops on the other bank." De Goulard insisted. De Lanferelle nodded slowly. "If the king's armies arrive." He mumbled. De Goulard pondered that for a moment. "They will come." He insisted, but de Lanferelle couldn't tell how firmly the older man believed his own promise.

With nothing more to say the two men walked quietly to the cathedral plaza. There they found the dignitaries of the city, the mayor, the rector of the university and above all his Excellency monsignor Jean de Castelnau, bishop and lord of Cahors, standing on the plaza surrounded by other prominent citizens as well as the enthusiastic militia of boisterous law students, hard-nosed townsfolk and study peasants who had sought sanctuary in the city rather than face the English without the security of strong walls. In answering de Lanferelle's question of why the bishop had summoned him and de Goulard there was also a man in the livery of the English king standing on the plaza.

The rector of the University of Cahors, a wispy looking lawyer on de Goulard's age, was the first to notice the arrival of the two lords. "King Henry is offering terms." The rector declared, in explanation for the presence of the English soldiers. "He offers money." The mayor of Cahors, a corpulent client of the banker's corps de métiers, their guild, chipped in. Worried as he was de Lanferelle winched at the prospect of being offered a bribe but before he could speak de Goulard did. "English silver cannot buy my honor." The older lord declared indignantly. De Lanferelle had noticed that his comrade had a tendency to interpret things as slights on his honor. So apparently had the leader of the banker's guild, Hugues le Puy. "How about English gold then, sieur de Goulard?" The banker sarcastically remarked. De Goulard gave him a cold contemptible gaze. "The crown and scepter of England could not buy my honor monsieur." He declared.

Not about to let an impromptu war council turn into an argument de Lanferelle turned to the bishop, the man who ultimately had to make the decision. "Monsignor, what say you of this English offer?" De Lanferelle asked. Bishop de Castelnau, spiritual and to not small extent temporal ruler of Cahors for fifteen years hesitated for a moment. Then he spoke, and spoke with confidence and strength. "I will not swear allegiance to the king of England." The bishop sternly informed the English envoy. "If he wants my city, a city that he has no right to, he will have to take it, and answer to god for it later, of me he shall have nothing." The bishop declared.

A couple of enthusiastic law students who had heard the bishops speech broke out in cheers, which seemed to perplex the aging cleric, and soon a good portion of the students of the two colleges of the Cahors University was in cheers. Someone began singing a ribald ballad about Henry V's father. As the English envoy departed with bishop de Castelnau's refusal de Goulard bowed reverently towards the bishop. "Well spoken monsignor, on my honor my comrade de Lanferelle and I shall serve yee faithfully in defense of your city, command us and we obey." De Goulard promised.

This seemed to confuse the bishop as much as the raucous of the university students. The bishop waved his hand dismissively at de Goulard. "I have no wish to command the defense myself, seigneur de Goulard. You and seigneur de Lanferelle had my complete confidence to make preparations for the defense as you see fit. I shall pray for you." The bishop arrogantly declared. Then he hurried back to his church followed by an entourage of clerics. De Goulard and de Lanferelle stayed on the plaza with their men and the rest of the city dignitaries. Quickly they made their final decisions on the defense of the city. Both knew that now the English would soon come.

Northern Wall
300 soldiers
100 armed citizens

Pont Valentré and the River Wall
200 soldiers
100 armed citizens

Reserves
100 soldiers
300 armed citizens

[Cuprum]

Before the siege of Cahors, it was known that the British had the ability to cast medium-sized cannons, but the range of some pieces they were able to field far surpassed the defenders' expectations. Instrumental to this advancement in arms production was a somewhat mysterious figure by the name of Urban, a Hungarian. One cannon designed by Urban was named "Basilica" and was 27 feet long, and able to hurl a 600 lb stone ball over a mile.

Urban left Hungary and approached Henry V, claiming that his weapon could blast 'the walls of Babylon itself'. Given abundant funds and materials, the Hungarian engineer built the gun within three months at Gascony, from which it was dragged by sixty oxen to the south. In the meantime, Urban also produced other cannons for the siege forces. In preparation for the final assault, Henry V had an artillery train of seventy large pieces dragged from his headquarters at Gascony, in addition to the bombards cast on the spot. He planned to attack the intricate series of walls and ditches protecting Cahors from an attack from the north, the only part of the city not surrounded by water.

At the beginning of the siege, Henry sent out some of his best troops to reduce the remaining French strongholds outside the city of Cahors. The town of Montauban near Toulouse were taken within a few couple of hours. Henry V's massive cannons fired on the walls for hours until they finally collapsed. Before allowing his troops to massacre the local populace and erase the town from the map, he send one last message to the garrison defenders with simple words written in blood ''I beg you to surrender to the true lord of this land or we will paint it with blood and make your beloved ones part of the bounty.''

After a city was conquered if not purged, Henry V made its new holdings part of the biens nationaux which were properties confiscated during the war from the Catholic Church and suspected of treason for "the good of the realm". The possessions of the Roman Catholic Church were declared national property by the decree of the king and the Parliament. The purpose of that policy was to increase the realms revenue and avoid a possible economical crisis and the main excuse was to secure the realm from the consequences of the schism between the antipope in Avignon and the pope in Rome.

The former priest became part of the local gentry and contributed with the war efforts. The Archbishops of the British isles and the French provinces were allowed to reside in the cathedrals and given a pension but were under constant surveillance of the King's men who convinced the king not to purge the upper class members of the clergy since their families were part of the gentry. Henry V was excommunicated for a couple of years until he supported his own Antipope, at the end his realm obtained a huge margin of profit.