Ne Plus Ultra: The Road to Russian Greatness

[Dash-7]

Foreword: Wow, I never thought I'd be writing an AAR. After reading many over the years, it just didn't sound very fun to me; that is, until I read Saintheart's Spanish AAR. 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!

[Dash-7]

Ne Plus Ultra

The Road to Russian Greatness

Russia in the late eleventh century was in a state of 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 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. 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 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 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 and raised the tax levels to a more suitable level for a growing empire such as Russia. 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.

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, and 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)

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Chapter One: The Expansionist Era Part Two (1088 - 1100)

In the last chapter, we discussed the beginning of the Expansionist Era and the capture of Helsinki and Smolensk, as well as the economical and military achievements of the nations leaders. Today we will discuss the climax and abrupt end of the Expansionist Era.

When we left off, Mikhail had taken his army, now almost on par with his father’s army, south from Helsinki and was making his way toward Riga, a town which held huge potential for the Russians. Grand Duke Ysevolod, hero of the Russian people (for the most part) was leading his battered army west toward Vilnius, reinforced by newly trained Boyar Sons. With these reinforcements, Ysevolod believed his army was well strong enough to continue, and did so at the fastest rate he could, leaving his infantry straggling behind as his cavalry pushed forwards. He believed that the Polish would attempt to take the castle, and he would not allow it, though it was later discovered that the Polish had made no effort to do so. Prince Vladimir continued his long march to Moscow, leaving Novgorod without a governor. As a result, the city was not pulling in quite as much money as it previously had, though it did not seem to matter. Russia was once again hailed as the richest of all the nations as it surpassed Hungary, the former bearer of the title.

In the year 1094, Ysevolod’s scouts sent word of an abnormally large garrison in Vilnius, and advised him to await further reinforcements. Ysevolod considered this, but opted instead to starve them out, an idea which many others considered to be a cowardly decision, but they understood his circumstances and kept quiet. Grand Duke Ysevolod, fearing a sally, hired a band of mercenary spearmen to make up for his lack of infantry, having left his surviving woodsmen a Smolensk. Not long afterwards, Ysevolod began the long siege of Vilnius. Meanwhile, in Riga, Mikhail’s troops were preparing for battle. Having hired a few mercenaries, Mikhail pushed forwards.



The battle began as Mikhail’s archers pelted the enemy from the side streets, taking few casualties in the return fire. Encouraged by his initial success, Mikhail ordered his infantry forwards. However, due to miscommunication, the Spear militia charged the enemy too soon and found itself taking heavy casualties. Panicking, Mikhail ordered an immediate charge. While his own bodyguards did well enough in the melee that ensued, the Spearmen did not, and routed. Without their support, Mikhail’s other troops began to waver. Seeking a quick victory, Mikhail ordered the missile units to join the fray. It was a desperate and hasty order, but it got the job done. In the end, the body count was not as bad as expected, but the wear and tear on his army was beginning to show.



However, there was little rest for Mikhail. Directly after the occupation, his father had ordered him further west to secure the new border with Poland. Mikhail obeyed, dragging his tired men along with him after a short rest in Riga. In the next few years, Mikhail would build a system of watchtowers along the boundaries of the Russian territories, ever fearful of a Polish invasion. And rightly so; A Russian princess had recently opened negotiations with the Polish in hopes of a trade agreement, map information, and possibly even an alliance. Ysevolod and his Council of Nobles agreed that establishing good relations with the neighboring countries was essential to the wealth and prosperity of the Russian populace; at least, until Russia was ready to declare war. However, the negotiations took a sour turn, and Poland only agreed to a trade agreement under great duress. The Russians and Polish could agree on nothing else, and both parties left insulted at the other’s behavior. What followed was a cold war of sorts which would continue over the next six years until the end of the Expansionist Era.

In the east, Prince Vladimir, having just erected a watchtower in the seldom seen area of Novgorod, lay siege to Moscow and prepared the rams for the upcoming assault. Prince Vladimir’s forces were modest, and very undermanned, but capable nonetheless. Consisting mostly of militia from Novgorod. Though his forces outnumbered the enemy by only sixty men, Vladimir did not feel the need to hire any mercenaries, nor would he have been permitted them if he made the request.

Russia was experiencing yet another economic drought, and construction plans nation wide were brought to a halt; due in no small part to Vladimir’s absence from the capitol. That’s not to say that Russia was without money, however. The Russian coffers were still filled with gold. However, the expansion had taken its toll on the Russian Treasury, and the government found that they currently had only half as much gold as they recently had. While they still held a good lump of gold, they began spending much more conservatively. Many factors led to this change, chief among them were the Polish threat, the rising unrest in the areas close to Novgorod, and the enormity of the land left to conquer according to Ysevolod’s plan. They feared that if they continued as they did, they would soon run completely out of money and be unable to pay upkeep for the armies defending the homeland, nor pay for a new army to be raised, should the need arise. This recent change in policy seems uncharacteristic of Ysevolod and his aggressive mindset, and many historians have fathomed his reasoning. It is in this author’s opinion that he was unsure about his ability to continue with his plan, and that he was hoping to settle down for a while to recuperate and consolidate his forces before moving onwards.

The next year, in December of 1099, Prince Vladimir was ready to begin the assault of Moscow. With his spear militia manning the rams and his archers ready to open fire, he gave the order.



What followed was a short and decisive battle, and one of the most successful assaults in early Russian history, losing less than fifty men in the battle and eliminating the enemy completely. Eager for money, Vladimir sacked the settlement and settled in to recruit more soldiers for the conquests to come. Pleased with his victory, Vladimir immediately began a building program, ignoring the new spending policy, Vladimir considered it more important for the fledgling province to have necessities such as roads. Most historians will agree that the capture and subsequent sack of Moscow was the climax of the Expansionist Era, myself included. But that’s not to say that the events that followed were unimportant, quite the opposite, in fact.

Starving to death and with no other choices, in the Spring of the year 1100, the forces in the wooden castle of Vilnius sallied against the Grand Duke Ysevolod’s army. Ysevolod, far from reinforcements and having come so close to victory, had no choice but to stand and fight. The battle that ensued would change the course of Russian history forever.



Ysevolod deployed in a defensive stance, with the mercenary spearmen spread very thin to meet the three formations of woodsmen. The archer militia were stationed directly behind the spearmen. The Kazaks formed up on the left flank, and Ysevolod and his Boyar Sons on the right. Ysevolod’s only hope was if the spearmen could hold long enough for Ysevolod to fight through the opposing cavalry and flank their infantry. Meanwhile, the Kazaks and archers would try to keep the enemy archers busy until Ysevolod and the Boyar Sons were through with the infantry. It was a risky plan, and depended too much upon the cavalry, but it was all they had.

As the battle started, the esteemed Captain Janus, leader of the Livonian forces, led his cavalry straight towards Ysevolod, not giving his Boyar Sons a chance to throw their javelins before being thrust into melee. Janus then ordered his woodsmen to charge the Russian spearmen before they could even form up properly. While this was only a small advantage, it allowed the Russian spear line to hold momentarily. Before long, Janus was forced to withdraw his cavalry or face complete annihilation at the hands of Ysevolod, and withdraw he did. Ysevolod had no time to celebrate, however, as the spearmen were wavering and threatened to break. Ysevolod charged his cavalry into the flank of the Livonian woodsmen, causing a rout of most of the enemy infantry. It did not take long for the rest of them to run for the safety of the gates, where they reformed and prepared for another attack. Allowing himself no rest, Ysevolod’s remaining bodyguards and Boyar Sons chased down the Livonian archers, allowing only a few of them to escape. But now Ysevolod faced a threat renewed: The Livonian cavalry were coming back for another round, with their infantry close behind. Fearing that the mercenaries would break if attacked again, he ordered a charge. The Livonian cavalry were quickly engulfed and routed, but not before the woodsmen entered the fray. Ysevolod, busy chasing the fleeing cavalry, was struck from behind by a Livonian woodsman and died. The Livonians fled soon after, and the battle was won. But the cost was far greater than could be imagined.





Ysevolod’s death dealt a stunning blow to the empire, and unrest in the land increased threefold. There was much disagreement over who would be the next Grand Duke. The populations of Helsinki and Riga thought Mikhail should ascend the throne, for he had captured more cities and had better militaristic command skills than his brother Vladimir, and Mikhail was a very chivalric man known for his kindness on and off the battlefield. They argued that these traits better suited the Russian vision of the future. However, the citizens of Novgorod claimed that Vladimir was the rightful heir, being the oldest son. The also argued that Vladimir was much better at handling the economy, which was the only thing keeping the empire afloat. The citizens of Smolensk and Vilnius had different views entirely. They had been treated very poorly by Ysevolod and held a deep resentment for his bloodline. Their candidate for Grand Duke was an obscure one: Vasilii Malor, a very promising young man adopted into the Russian ruling family a few months after the Battle of Vilnius. But the identity of Ysevolod’s successor was never really in doubt, and before long Vladimir rose to the throne as Grand Duke Vladimir, despite many protests.



And thus the Expansionist Era came to a close.

[Dash-7]

Chapter Two: The Great Rebellion of 1102 (1102 - 1108)

The period of time directly following Ysevolod’s death was marked by unrest and general dissention among the populace. It marks the end of the quick expansion and the beginning of a more substantial and formidable Russia, though not quite as determined as it once was. This expansion lull was seen as a necessary break for the Russian military, though it is marked by battles of equal or greater ferocity as the last era. The Russian forces had been, in many respects, spread too thin, and the Great Rebellion of 1102 was just the thing Vladimir needed to pull his troops back together in order to consolidate his forces in preparation for some expansion of his own later on. During this time period there were also many new entries into the Russian Royal Family, including Sbyslav Monomakh and Grechin of Pupki. The Great Rebellion, or as it is sometimes called, the Russian Civil War of 1102, presented the Russian leaders with the opportunity to refine their battle strategies, and gave many small-time commanders a chance to be noticed. I feel it should be said that The Great Rebellion was not really ever about the contestation over the throne, but that was simply the last straw. Much like the American Civil War. It was not really about slaves; it was a combination of things, and the slavery issue was just too much for them. And just as the revolutionaries in the Revolutionary War called out “No taxation without representation!” without really wanting representation, likewise, the rebels never truly wanted their candidate for the throne to rule, for then they would have no reason to fight and gain support for their cause, and their situation would not have changed very much anyways.

That being said, the situation in 1102 was a precarious one, but not quite dangerous enough for the royalty to fret about it. Until, that is, the discovery of a very large rebel army in eastern Helsinki, on the road north of Novgorod.


As soon as the news of the rebellion reached Vladimir, it was declared a state of emergency. Vladimir himself immediately left Moscow with the majority of his army, a spear militia and archer militia formation, leaving the newly adopted Vasilii Malov in charge of Moscow under the orders to train more troops for the conquests to come. Vladimir urged his younger brother Prince Mikhail to withdraw from the Polish border and move back toward Novgorod to help fight the Rebels, Mikhail agreed, and set off at once. Vladimir was relieved, for he knew his brother was far superior to him on the battlefield, and his promise to help would surely strike fear into the rebels. Not only that, but it is believed that Vladimir asked for Mikhail’s assistance to ensure his loyalty to Vladimir’s cause. It was widely known the Mikhail was jealous of his older brother, and the idea that Mikhail had incited the rebellion for his own gain was not out of the question. Also, if these rebels truly did fight to put Mikhail on the throne, it was unlikely that they would raise arms against him, and the fact that Mikhail followed Vladimir’s orders to attack would surely send a message to the rebels that their cause was pointless. The rebels shook this off, however, and continued their war with renewed vigor.

Originally, Vladimir’s plan had been to engage the rebels in eastern Novgorod as Mikhail was making his way toward western Novgorod to take on the rebels plaguing that area. Then the two armies would merge to fight the rebels in Helsinki. But this plan left out one thing: Smolensk; and it did not go unnoticed. Captain Grechin of the Smolensk garrison sent messages to the Grand Duke requesting reinforcements. When they did not come, Captain Grechin took matters into his own hands. On January ninth, 1103, Grechin gathered his men and set out to handle matters himself for the safety of Smolensk. And thus began the first battle of the rebellion.



As the battle began, captain Grechin, leading the Kazaks, cut around the right flank of the enemy woodsmen and began showering them with arrow fire as the Druzhina, the new heavy cavalry trained in Smolensk, crept around the left flank to run down the rebel archers. They routed in seconds, and the Kazaks finished mopping them up as the Druzhina raced to the fight already in progress between the Russian and rebel infantry. The rebels fled en masse shortly afterward, and none of them escaped the battlefield with their lives. The battle was won, and the rebels were utterly defeated.



Grechin was hailed as a hero in Smolensk, attracting the attention of Prince Mikhail. Mikhail, impressed by Grechin’s bravery and skill, offered to adopt Grechin into the royal family as his son, for he had none of his own. Captain Grechin accepted, and became Grechin of Pupki, and was put in charge of a small army and ordered to march south and east to capture Ryazan and Kiev before the Polish or Byzantines could. Grechin hated to leave Smolensk so poorly defended, but he dared not disobey a direct order so soon after his adoption, so march he did.



At around this time, the Russian princess Antonina entered negotiations with the Holy Roman Empire in hopes of securing trade rights, maps, and possibly an alliance. The results far surpassed her expectations; the Holy Roman Empire gladly accepted the offers of trade, and willingly bought the Russian maps. When Antonina offered an alliance, it was proposed that the princess marry Prince Henry, the heir to the Holy Roman throne, to strengthen the alliance and ensure its longevity. Antonina accepted, and they were wed. The Russians were thrilled to have an ally in central Europe, especially one as strong as the Holy Roman Empire, and the Holy Roman Empire surely appreciated the mutual gain. In a gesture of good will, Vladimir sent a small sum of money to the Holy Roman Empire as a gift, which was gladly accepted.



Back in Russia, Grand Duke Vladimir was confronting the rebel forces in eastern Novgorod, a place seldom visited by the Russian military, and a very likely place for rebels to hide out. It brought them no advantage, however, as they were set upon by Vladimir and his small band of militia. Vladimir attempted to surprise the rebels by attacking at night, but they were expecting trickery and were prepared when he arrived.



When the battle started Vladimir was horrified to find that the enemy had claimed the only high ground available, and was forced to fight most of the battle uphill. But his loyal troops were undeterred and fought valiantly. The short fight was a simple and straightforward one; archers lure out archers, cavalry kills archers, infantry holds infantry, cavalry kills infantry. It was a sound victory, and few of the enemy lived to tell of it.



It is during this time that the first hint of Vladimir’s possible resentment of Mikhail is shown. Shortly after the battle was won, when a messenger arrived with news of Mikhail’s addition to the family, Grechin of Pupki, Vladimir, possibly in answer to his brother’s adoption, adopted a distinguished noble from Novgorod, Sbyslav Monomakh, into royalty as his son, and sent him to assist Mikhail alone in his place while he returned to Moscow, leaving Mikhail to fight the rebels virtually on his own. This alone did not necessarily indicate any bad blood between the brothers, but it certainly sent that message to Mikhail, who felt he was being cheated and suspected Sbyslav to be a mere spy for Vladimir. To this day, Vladimir’s intentions are unclear, though most historians will agree that Sbyslav was not spying on Mikhail.

Mikhail, after having bolstered his army with reinforcements from Helsinki and the newly inducted Sbyslav, readied his men for the upcoming battle with the western Novgorod brigands. In May of the year 1106, Mikhail, under the cover of darkness, launched an attack against the unsuspecting rebels.



Mikhail deployed his troops in his usual fashion, but with his missile cavalry perched farther out on the flanks than usual. Mikhail thought this would help them to encircle the enemy better, which proved to be correct. It also had the benefit of drawing out many of the rebel archers from the relative safety of their line, where Mikhail and Sbyslav rode them down and quickly routed a substantial portion of the rebel archers. As this was happening, the Boyar sons did an excellent job of distracting the enemy cavalry, leaving their infantry alone and largely undefended. It would not be long before the Russian infantry reached them, at which point Mikhail and Sbyslav smashed into their unprotected rear. In seconds, the rebel infantry fled. While the Kazaks kept the remaining rebel archers busy using a relatively new “circle-and-shoot” technique which guaranteed them minimal casualties. Mikhail and Sbyslav then converged on the rebel Boyar Sons, defeating them easily. After that, it was just a matter of catching and slaughtering what little of the rebel army could still run. No rebels escaped alive, and the body count revealed only twenty five dead Russians. Content, Mikhail led his men north to confront the last, and largest, of the rebel forces, ironically led by Captain Mikhail (no relation).

It was August of 1107 when Prince Mikhail finally confronted Captain Mikhail and his band of brigands. Mikhail decided once again to attack at night, disregarding his advisors. He felt more accustomed to the dark now, and was much more comfortable fighting at night. He came to regret that decision later, since he discovered that his archers were less effective at night. But as is the way of life: You learn from your mistakes, or you die from them.



Mikhail organized his troops into much the same formation as the last battle in 1106, with his infantry and heavy cavalry in the center, and his missile cavalry far out on the sides. The Kazaks immediately spotted high ground behind the rebel line, and made their way to it as the Boyar Sons did the same on the other side of the battlefield. As the Kazaks pelted the backs of their foes, the Boyar Sons once again proved their worth by luring the rebel cavalry and infantry out, leaving their archers completely vulnerable. Seizing the opportunity, Mikhail, supported by Sbyslav, quickly routed the enemy archers. Realizing their folly, the rebel infantrymen turned back to engage Mikhail and his young lackey, but were instead greeted with a javelin shower in the back by the courageous Boyar Sons. Captain Mikhail, by now almost completely devoid of bodyguards thanks to the Kazaks and their deadly rain, was enraged, and charged the Boyar Sons. The Boyars counter charged, and enveloped them, routing them in moments. Captain Mikhail fled the battle with a handful of horsemen, and were never heard of again. Prince Mikhail, after driving off the last of the archers, turned his attention to the infantry. He ordered his meager infantry to charge, but the majority of the rebels turned tail and fled before impact. The battle ended shortly after, and the last of the rebels were defeated.



Prince Mikhail and Sbyslav wound their way back south to Novgorod to refit and recruit new soldiers to replace fallen heroes. Sbyslav, not quite cut out for military life, happily took up governorship of Novgorod and bid his farewells to Mikhail. Prince Mikhail was eager to leave, for he had heard of a new type of horsemen being recruited in Smolensk, and wished to claim a few to bolster his army.

Though the Great Rebellion was technically already over, word of the success did not reach Grand Duke Vladimir until 1108, at which point the declared it officially over. Now that the homeland was secured and the Russian armies strengthened, Vladimir wished to expand his borders, driven in part by his father’s ambition. And so Vladimir took to the road once again, and ordered Grechin of Pupki, to do the same. Though the Great Rebellion was behind them, still more trying times were ahead for the Russians peoples.

[Dash-7]

Due to a lack of interest, or apparent lack of interest, here I stopped updating it. It was too much of a hassle to post it in two places when one of the places displayed nothing but apathy. But the other board was interested, so I continued there. It went on to win the TWH Chaucer Award for best war story of '07. If any of you are interested at all, which I doubt, you can find it here.

It was never finished due to technical problems, and it was recently archived, so I'm unable to wrap it up. Regardless, it won best war story and I consider it my best work so far.