Chapter 28: New Wars and Old Wars

“Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War.” – Plato

Rome, Papal States. October 1073

Even though winter was coming, the Papal States invaded Sardinia on 1 October. They invaded the island in two places: in the south at Cagliari and in the north at Olbia. This attack was meant to neutralize two of the four kingdoms on the island. Once they were secure, the other two could be taken. If everything went to plan, the island would be in Papal hands by the summer of 1074.

When Papal troops hit the beach, they were met with confused Sardinians. While the Sardinians knew of the coming invasion, they had assumed the Papal States wouldn’t be foolish enough to launch the invasion in the fall.

During the first day, 15,000 Papal troops landed at the two invasion points and, within a day, had secured the nearby towns and their harbors. The attack had been so sudden that the people had no chance to evacuate the city, so Papal troops captured the city treasury and were able to take much loot from the city’s richer residences. The wealthiest prize, though, was both the kingdom’s treasuries and rulers were captured.

The capture of the kingdom’s rulers effectively ended the war before it began. Events were happening much faster than the Papal generals anticipated. They figured the realms of Cagliari and Gallura would fight longer, but the capture of both kingdoms’ capital cities and the rulers cut the heads off both snakes.

This left two independent kingdoms on the island: Logudoro and Ardorea. They would be a much tougher target since the Papal forces wouldn’t have the element of surprise, and the rocky island made it difficult for a large army to move. If the army broke into smaller units to make movement easier, they would be easier targets for ambushes.

After three days of looting and rape, the Papal soldiers settled to count their booty. Many soldiers came out of the campaign well off, although most blew it in the whorehouses and taverns, recycling the plunder back into the city. The city and kingdom treasuries were hauled back to Rome, where they were added to the Papal treasury.

Three weeks after landing, both kingdoms were secure, so the Papists began plotting their next move conquering Logudoro and Ardorea. After hearing of the successful Papal invasions, a new player had also entered the game on the side of Sardinia.

The Republic of Pisa was alarmed at the Papal capture of half of Sardinia. If they captured the rest of the island, they could cut Pisa off from their newly conquered territory in North Africa. Without support from Pisa, these territories would be swiftly reconquered by the Muslims. In particular, they were worried about a resurgent Fatimid Caliphate.

After the British raided the North African coast, the Fatimids reconquered Tripoli and Algiers while Carthage was under siege, although nobody expected it to last long. Even the pope didn’t care about the few Christians in Carthage, reaching out to the Fatimids to secure safe passage for them back to Sicily.

Another worry of the Republic was that if Papal power weren’t checked in Sardinia, they would continue to move up the peninsula, eventually threatening Pisa. For these reasons, 100 Pisan ships arrived in Porto Torres a month after the successful Papal invasion, carrying 7,000 soldiers. Their goal was to liberate the island and secure Pisan influence.

When they arrived, the commander, General Giuanne Selvaggio, was disgusted by the appalling condition of the Logudoroan Army. Their army could only field 1,200 men, and none had recent experience. What was worse was their equipment was old and dirty. General Selvaggio seized control of the Logudoroan Army and put Pisan officers in command within the first hour with orders to whip them into shape quickly. He knew the Papal Army wouldn’t take long before they pushed on to capture the rest of Sardinia.

What he didn’t count on was the Papal Navy arriving behind his fleet just as the last of his soldiers left their transport. The general could only watch as the small Papal Navy tore the larger Pisan fleet to shreds. Although the Pisan fleet was larger, they had no ships armed with cannons. The leadership in Pisa didn’t believe in gunpowder and banned it from being used by their armed forces. By the time the smoke cleared, 42 Pisan ships were sunk, and 48 were captured, leaving only 10 to escape to tell the tale.

General Selvaggio was trapped in Sardinia with his 7,000 soldiers. If they wanted to make it home, they needed to win a decisive victory over the Papists. His immediate concern was for supplies since they were still on the ships. The Pisan soldiers knew what was at stake, and they began drilling the local soldiers hard while other soldiers searched everywhere for food, drink, and weapons. Every blacksmith that could be found was pressed into arms manufacturing, as many local soldiers didn’t have adequate swords or armor.

The appearance of Pisan troops caused the Papal plans to change. They would hit the kingdom of Logudoro as a combined force, and while the navy was making its mark, most of the army who landed in Cagliari were moving north. They would join the Papal forces in Gallura before striking across the island. Their movements were greatly aided by Papal control of the sea. This allowed most of the troops and their equipment to be transported by sea, saving time and energy.

Once the Papal troops were in Olbia, they moved out without rest. The generals didn’t want to give the Pisans more time to prepare. They knew their strength from documents captured by the navy, so they knew what they were in for. After leaving troops to guard Gallura and Cagliari, the Papal army numbered 11,000.

Although the march was rough, the Papal forces made the journey in three days. During the march, the navy kept the army supplied while maintaining a blockade of Porto Torres. General Selvaggio knew little about firearms but knew he was outnumbered. To win, he would need as much luck as he could make.

To that end, the general decided to use the local troops as bait to lure the Papists into a trap. Once the Papists committed to their attack, the Pisan troops would emerge from hiding on the flanks and cut down the Papists, thus ending the invasion.

The morning of the battle dawned bright and chilly, with temperatures hovering around six degrees Celsius. One factor General Selvaggio didn’t have control over was when the battle started. His army couldn’t retreat any further, so they had to give battle when the Papists demanded it, and they were in a hurry.

The sun was barely over the horizon when the Papists attacked. When the local troops saw the enemy approaching, they became nervous but, under threats from the Pisan commanders, held their ground. Their whole plan revolved around the local troops holding long enough for the Papists to commit to their attack.

Since General Selvaggio didn’t believe in firearms, he never took the time to study them. If he had, he would have made different plans because the Papal Army stopped before they entered his trap and opened fire with their artillery.

When the first rounds landed, the local troops broke and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. The Pisan commanders were left behind, screaming at their men to return to formation. General Selvaggio watched from the northern arm of the ambush and shook his head. For this reason, he hadn’t wanted to use the local troops; now, he stood alone.

The Papists didn’t pursue the fleeing locals. Instead, they turned their artillery toward the forest where the Pisan troops hid and opened fire. Although the trees did an excellent job sheltering the troops, many were still hit. General Selvaggio watched one soldier take a direct hit from a cannonball. One second, the soldier was running for cover; the next, his torso cartwheeled into a nearby gully.

Watching the aftermath of a cannonball hitting a human, Selvaggio’s face paled, and he lost his breakfast. Never in all his time as a soldier had he ever seen such carnage. He wasn’t the only one to lose his breakfast as several nearby soldiers vomited at the sight. Over the course of an hour, the Papists shot almost 5,000 cannonballs into the forest, and although they didn’t kill many Pisans, their morale was shot. Many slipped away, unwilling to face the fire any longer.

The firing ceased a little before noon, and the infantry advanced. By this time, the once proud Pisan Army was down to 5,500 soldiers, with many on the verge of running. While General Selvaggio managed to get the ones near him to settle down, he couldn’t be everywhere at once, and the Papal Army wasn’t giving him time to rally the army.

At the sound of the first rifle shots, the Pisan Army melted away, except for the small group around the general. He occupied a small hill with plenty of downed trees to give his men cover. When the Papal Army found General Selvaggio’s troops, they surrounded the general while most of the army moved on. They wanted to capture Porto Torres before the survivors had time to rally.

Soon, the fighting around the general was hand-to-hand, with General Selvaggio picking up a dead man’s sword and shield to help in every way he could. It quickly became apparent that the Papal troops preferred firepower because they stopped to reload instead of charging with their bayonets. This kept them beyond the arm’s reach of the defenders, although they managed to kill plenty of Papal soldiers.

After almost an hour, General Selvaggio was beginning to believe they could hold out. That was crushed when a bullet entered his chest and destroyed his right lung before exiting his back. As the general lay dying, he watched as the last of his soldiers were cut down or surrendered. His final thought was he died a free man with his honor intact.

While the army surgeons cared for the wounded, most of the army continued their advance. By the end of the day, the remaining parts of the Pisan Army had been captured. After capturing the town, the Papal commanders marched the army south to finish the island’s conquest.

After the Pisan Army was destroyed, there was no organized resistance on the island, and by Christmas, the island of Sardinia was securely in Papal hands. Pisa had sued for peace and was forced to pay a large sum of gold to keep from becoming the next target.

When Pope Gregory gave his Christmas message, he was cheered by the masses of Rome. Finally, they had a leader who could return them to glory, and after mass, many young men enlisted in the military. The military got enough recruits to double in size, and the pope could afford it with Sardinia. As the recruits were training, Gregory looked around for their next target since the peace treaty with Pisa took Corsica off the table ... for now.

Frankfort, Holy Roman Empire. October 1073

The peace with Poland was fragile but holding as Henry turned his attention to his western border. Philip had mobilized and moved his small army to the border. Henry’s problem was Philip’s army was about as far from Henry’s as possible; Philip’s army was on the Mediterranean coast, opposing the recently conquered kingdom of Burgundy. If Henry were going to intercept Philip’s army, he would have to march across the Alps.

After her performance against the Poles, Brunhild was a valued member of Henry’s inner circle and had everyone’s respect. She not only won the war but was winning the peace, which was far more complicated. Her peace treaty with Poland had fleeced them but hadn’t weakened them so much they would lose internal stability.

Brunhild favored letting the French attack in the south. Once the French were solidly inside empire territory, General Roon could lead the army against Paris. Waiting for the French to attack would rally the army since they had been attacked. It would also eliminate doubt about why the empire was marching into France.

What bothered Henry and Brunhild was supplying the army while it was in France. Many regions still hadn’t recovered from the British invasion, with some roads still having shell craters. Some fields lay fallow because the unexploded British shells in them made them too dangerous to plow.

With many areas near Paris not having food, the Germans would have to bring most of their supplies. That meant either a lot of wagons or building a rail line. If they built a rail line, they would need to rip it up when they withdrew since Henry wouldn’t leave the valuable rails in France.

After weighing the options, Henry and General Roon decided to use wagons for their supplies. This meant the army needed to purchase as many wagons as possible. Brunhild suggested that all wagons purchased should be made to one plan. That way, they would be easier to repair, load, and drive since all the wagons were the same. When she made the suggestion, Henry and General Roon looked at each other.

“That makes sense, Your Majesty. The British have already proven the concept, and we use it for our firearms.”

“Thank you, Brunhild. You may have saved us a lot of money and aggravation. The only problem now is designing a wagon that can be built quickly, works for what we need, and won’t bankrupt us.”

“I may have the answer to that, too. Give me a moment; I found this while recovering in Britain.” Brunhild left the room while Henry looked at the general and shrugged. Brunhild returned ten minutes later with a large piece of rolled-up paper. She unrolled it on Henry’s desk after he moved some of his stuff to give her room. “How about something like this?” Brunhild asked once she unrolled the plans.

Henry and General Roon looked over the plans as they visualized what such a wagon would look like. The wagon had a large flat floor with foldable benches along the sides if they were hauling soldiers. Canvas would cover each wagon stretched over wire hoops that went from one side of the wagon to the other. This would keep the weather away from the cargo, and a small extension in the front would keep the worst of the weather off the driver. Under each wagon were two larger wheels in the rear with two smaller wheels in the front to make steering easier. The wagon axles were attached to the wagon by bronze bushings attached to leaf springs to smooth the ride.

“I think this will work,” General Roon stated once he had time to digest the drawing. “We must get this copied as quickly as possible and sent to every wainwright we work with. I would also suggest we make separate drawings for the leaf springs and send them to the blacksmiths, while other drawings can be sent to the wheelwrights. This should speed up their construction. Along with the drawings, we should include the only way we will accept the parts is if their measurements match the drawing. If they don’t match, we don’t accept the part, and the vendor doesn’t get paid. Too many parts don’t match; the vendor is banned from selling to the government.”

“I like that,” added Brunhild. “We can use human greed to our advantage.” Henry nodded as he sat to write the order.

“Brunhild, can you get these plans copied with the parts separated? Make as many copies as fast as possible; I don’t care about the cost. We need these wagons quickly. Also, if we are going to be buying that many wagons, we are going to need horses and tack. General, can you see to that?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Is there anything else?”

“I don’t think so, but I want to send a letter to Philip warning him what will happen if he chooses to invade.”

“It’s a good thing your queen got us out of Poland, or we wouldn’t be able to do anything about Philip.” Brunhild blushed at the praise, and Henry laughed.

“Get used to that, my dear. The entire army views you as a hero.” Brunhild blushed brighter.

On that, the meeting ended, and everyone chuckled as they went their separate ways. Henry had a very carefully worded letter to write, General Roon had to find enough horses, and Brunhild had to get her wagon plans copied and distributed. Henry hoped they would have several months to prepare; they didn’t get one week.

Paris, France. October 1073

Philip was desperate. After paying Marion, he didn’t have enough to pay his small army and civil servants. Bertha had also reached the end of her rope since she couldn’t buy luxury goods or hire servants. They had to find money, but withholding their loan payment from Marion wasn’t an option. She had sent them a strongly worded letter a month earlier warning them not to miss a payment. Marion wasn’t giving them any slack, and the harvest had been smaller than expected.

An important decision was before Philip going into October: he could disband most of his army, go deep in debt, or go to war. Each choice carried risk and reward. Of the three options, Philip would rather go into debt, but nobody was willing to loan him money. If he disbanded his army, the kingdom would be vulnerable to external and internal threats. The path to the biggest reward was through war. Henry could recover large amounts of loot and reparations if he went to war and won. However, if he lost, he could lose everything.

Philip felt pressure from every direction. From the British, he had to keep up with his payments while his remaining nobles pressured him on taxes and the peasants in regard to food prices. The Holy Roman Empire was growing to the east, and to the southeast, the Papal States were unifying Italy. His fear was if he didn’t do something to prove his strength, his neighbors would turn on him. Of particular worry were Henry to the east and Marion to the west.

Ever since the time Henry and Bertha had spent in Britain for sex ed, Philip and Marion’s relationship had gone downhill. After the food loans were made, their relationship was barely cordial from Philip’s point of view. He was angry with Marion for demanding he keep to the terms of his loan. It seemed like every time Philip had some money, he had to make a loan payment, and that money was gone.

The Holy Roman Empire and France had once been part of Charlamagne’s Empire, and Philip feared the ambitious Henry would want to recreate that empire on a German base this time. If it hadn’t been for the foolish Frankish practice of dividing the land between their sons, Charlamagne’s Empire would still exist, and Philip would rule most of Western Europe.

Fears that Henry would advance west were not unfounded. By attacking west and taking all the land to the Pyrenees, Henry would have a solid defensive position to keep enemies from attacking while his back was turned, while to the south, he was protected by the Alps.

The perceived threat of a coming war and the lack of other options drove Philip into a war with Henry. Philip worried that with the peace between Henry and Bolesław II, German troops would overwhelm him, but he hoped Bolesław II would intervene once he saw Henry was occupied. Bertha’s brother Dirk V was the wild card. Philip promised that if he supported him in his war against Henry when Philip won and the peace treaty was signed, Dirk’s lands would be independent and include all the land of the Rhine delta from Frisia to Brussels.

This was a tempting offer for Dirk, but his honor held him back. Henry IV had stood by him immediately after he came to power, and Dirk didn’t forget. A strong force pushed Dirk toward supporting Philip; Henry hadn’t invested in his lands despite his lands being closer to Britain and straddling the Rhine River. Instead, Henry invested in Hamburg, turning it into one of the most influential cities in northwest Europe.

After much prayer and reflection, Dirk decided to split the difference. He would support Philip but not openly. It wouldn’t have been an issue if Philip’s army had been stronger, but it wasn’t strong enough, and Dirk had serious doubts about whether they could defeat the Germans.

There was one point in Philip’s favor that nobody, but he knew. When Philip was hiding in Britain from Guiscard, he spent significant time with General MacDougall, during which they discussed tactics and strategy. Watching from Britain during their French campaign, Philip saw all of Guiscard’s mistakes, mainly not attacking Luke’s supply lines. He wouldn’t make the same mistake in the coming war because an army without supplies isn’t an army. Another mistake was trying to meet force with force. The trick was to deflect force and attack the soft spots until the enemy couldn’t stand.

Philip attacked on 10 October. The first stage’s goal was the city of Toulon, followed by Nice. This would give Philip control of all the Mediterranean ports between Iberia and Genoa. After the coast was secured, he would march north. He didn’t expect to see empire troops until he was north of Geneva.

The attack started according to plan, with the army advancing in two columns to avoid being bogged down on the narrow roads. The columns marched about one day’s march apart so they could reinforce each other if one ran into trouble. As the loot began pouring in, Philip knew he had made the correct decision.

Philip’s first test was at the archiepiscopal seat at Arles. When Philip arrived at Arles, Archbishop Aicard was furious. Philip’s troops had desecrated the holy site, and Aicard demanded restitution. When Philip heard what the archbishop was demanding, Philip blanched. There was no way he would pay so much, especially when there was another way. Philip turned to a nearby colonel.

“Colonel. I believe the good archbishop here is corrupt. After all, how could he obtain such wealth if he wasn’t? Please take your men and secure the abbey. Any resistance should be met with death.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The colonel began to take off.

“Wait, there’s more. Your men are not to touch any of the wealth held in its walls, but as payment, they can have free use of any nuns or novices they find.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Thank you!”

The colonel was off like a shot, and Philip smiled. He had no plans to use any nuns since Bertha told him that if she found out he was with another woman, she would cut Little Philip off and shove it down his throat. The look in her eye told Philip she was serious, and Philip wished to keep that appendage where it was.

Archbishop Aicard was furious, but Philip ignored him. After the church’s treatment of him when Guiscard forced Philip out, Philip had no sympathy for the church. Finally, the archbishop got on his nerves.

“Archbishop Aicard, if you do not be quiet, you will find yourself hanging from your cross. Do you understand?”

Before Aicard could respond, Philip walked off to see what wealth the abbey held. Seeing the wealth for himself, Philip could only shake his head. If he kept taking wealth like what was before him, Marion could be paid off early, and he would still have enough to expand his army. Walking through the halls, Philip heard a female scream ahead of him and wondered in that direction since he was in no hurry.

In the last room of the corridor, 15 soldiers were attempting to use six nuns. The nuns hadn’t given up yet and were fighting to keep their clothing on, although it was a losing battle. When Philip looked in the room, most of their clothing had been torn off. When one of the nuns saw him, she begged for help. Philip looked at her, shook his head, turned around, and left. Behind him, Philip heard the woman sobbing as she prayed for death to take her before she was violated. Philip silently wished her luck with that.

Outside, more nuns and novices were pulled out for use by the army. Philip walked through the chaos back to his tent. The men only had that day before moving out and continuing toward Toulon.

When Philip entered his tent, he sent orders for all the wealth to be loaded into wagons and taken to Toulouse. He didn’t want any of his captured loot in Paris since that would be the first target of the invading Holy Roman Empire. When the loot arrived in Toulouse, it would be appraised. If the metal was worth more than the artifact, the metal was melted down and struck into coins. If the artifact were worth more, it would be sold.

After Arles, the army moved rapidly and arrived in Marseille after two days. When the army arrived at Marseille, the city closed its gates to the advancing French. Philip didn’t care since his artillery could knock down the walls in a few hours.

It took the artillery a few hours to set up, and Philip sent a surrender demand to the city before the first shot was fired. If they surrendered, the city wouldn’t be sacked. The city would be sacked if Philip had to knock down the walls.

The city leaders took Philip’s messenger and threw him from the city walls. Seeing his messenger thrown from the walls set Philip off, and he ordered the artillery to open fire.

Inside Marseille, the soldiers heard a thunderous roar and saw the rounds flying toward them. When they hit, the city walls shook to their core, and the men on the walls didn’t know how long they would hold.

The walls didn’t hold as they fell only half an hour after the bombardment began. When the walls fell, Philip was ready with his infantry, and they launched their attack before the defenders could mount an effective defense. The battle that followed was short but fierce. Ultimately, the defenders didn’t stand a chance against the French attackers, and the battle ended in an hour.

After the battle, Philip walked through the city and listened to the sounds of victory. The army would have three days to enjoy the city before they moved on. He hoped word would get around and the next city wouldn’t resist. Again, all the loot Philip took was sent back to Toulouse under heavy escort.

The army marched out three days later, although many men had hangovers. Philip had no sympathy for those with hangovers. As punishment, Philip held gunnery practice; this would be the last time the men would drink too much. The men grumbled, but Philip expected that not that he cared.

Two days later, he was looking at Toulon. This time, the city surrendered without a fight, and true to his word, Philip kept the army under control when he entered the city. The only bad thing about not sacking the city was Philip didn’t get any loot for his treasury.

After leaving 250 men to control the city, Philip left for Nice. So far, there had been no response from Henry, although Philip was expecting something before long. He sent orders to his commander in Paris. When the German Army approached, they were to abandon the city but leave a couple of volunteers behind. They were to wait until the German Army entered the gates, then burn the city to the ground. The royal treasury had already been sent to Toulouse.

The march to Nice took much longer than the march to Toulon, as the local troops were stiffening their defenses. Still, the French forces blew through the resistance. The resistance cost Philip some men but also turned them into battle-hardened combat troops.

Nice was another matter entirely. The defenders had plenty of time to prepare, and thanks to information from Britain, they prepared by digging trenches around the city. Stone walls were no defense against gunpowder artillery. The defenders also had skirmishers between the city and the approaching French. Their job wasn’t to stop the French, only to bleed them.

Once again, Philip’s British training paid off. He kept his skirmishers in front of the column, which kept the Burgundian skirmishers at bay. The French had the advantage as they had rifles while the defenders didn’t. They only had crossbows, and the French blew through them.

The French arrived at Nice, and Philip ordered an immediate assault. The defenders were waiting and undercover so they could pick off the advancing French before ducking into cover to reload. This time, it was the French on the receiving end. The French infantry showed great courage and took the outermost defenses without much trouble but couldn’t advance. They tried four times but were thrown back every time. When the defenders launched a counterattack, they drove the French out of the outer defenses and back to their lines.

Philip watched his soldiers tumble back and sighed. He had hoped not to fight this style of war, but he had to take Nice. He would have a hostile force in his rear that could threaten his supply lines if he didn’t. As the last soldiers returned, Philip returned to his tent and called for his general.

“How many men did we lose today?”

“The final reports haven’t come in, but roughly 270 men, Your Majesty.”

“Any reports of threats from Paris?”

“None, Your Majesty. Everything is quiet.”

“Damn. I wish Henry would make his move. The last thing I want is to be besieging Nice and have him advance on our rear. General, post guards five days’ ride away from us. Ensure they have fast horses and order them to report immediately if they see any advancing army.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Is there anything else?”

“Yes, have some of the soldiers who retreated report to me. I need to know what we are up against.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

The general left, and ten minutes later, 20 men from the forces that captured the outer trenches arrived in Philip’s quarters. It took several hours to debrief, but by the time they were done, Philip knew what he was up against. It surprised him that his men took the outer trenches and held them for as long as they did.