Khan Wars

Bulgarians

The period between 7-8 century is of great importance to medieval Bulgaria. Khan Asparuh was the first to defeat the Byzantines and to rule a united Bulgaria in 681. It was the most stable “barbarian” political structure in the European southeast and was based on the pact between Bulgarians and slavanians about a mutual confederation. In the end of the 7th century an another Bulgaria appeared on the map in Macedonia- the one of the Kubert’s Bulgarians. In a short time the Bulgarian khans became the principal power on the peninsula. During Khan Tervel’s domain Bulgaria made impressive progress and managed to create its own politics and to bind them with the ones of Byzantine.In 718 Tervel fought back the arabs at the gates of Carigrad and this way protected the whole Europe from a Moslem invasion. In the next decades many great leaders and politics passed the Bulgarian throne. That was the dynasty of Khan Krum(803-814), that ruled Bulgaria till the Byzantines captured them in slavery. Under this dynasty leadership Bulgaria became a genuine medieval monarchy. The only thing that separated them from the rest of the Europe was their religion that under the rule of Knqz Boris I christened the Bulgarian nation in 865.

Titles

Khana Siuvigi
Khan
Kavkhan
Ichirgu boil
Bagatur
Bagain
Tarkan
Bori Tarkan

Special Unit: Tangra priest

The nation gets the following bonuses:

+10% gain of Gold;
10% cheaper Archers;
Opportunity to heal wounden soldiers, when there are 150 at the field (200 for other nations)

Franks

The Franks or the Frankish peoples were an ever-changing confederation of west Germanic tribes, that came to be subdivided into Salian Franks, living near the sea, and Ripuarian Franks, living along the Rhine. The Salians, later preeminent among the tribes, were a "proto-Dutch" (Old Low Franconian) speaking people. The Franks first appeared in history around 260. Sometimes the Franks allied with non-Old Frankish speaking tribes, such as the Frisians and occasionally the Saxons. They were not originally grouped into one tribe, but "as with the other barbarians, they belonged to much smaller groups that would join constantly changing confederations. Most of the Frankish peoples were living at the northern borders of the Rhine about the Insula Batavorum, in a region the Panegyrici Latini called "Francia" . They exerted a constant pressure on the Roman borders, but also took active service in the Roman army, climbing up the ranks like the late fourth century the Frankish general Arbogastes. They slowly replaced the Batavians in their native domains and, according to Ammianus Marcellinus, expanded their territory on Roman soil to the delta of the Scheldt, where the Salians blocked grain supplies for the Roman army. With later invasions of the Salians Chlodio and Childeric they moved up the Scheldt and homed around Tournai, from where those Salians finally conquered the Roman army, that was supported by other Franks. The Merovingian family of Childeric united all Franks in Gaul and slowly expanded their influence to other territories until a new dynasty called the Carolingians took over and conquered a major part of western Europe. The location of Francia moved with the Franks until finally around the year 1000 it came to be known as France. But a great number of Franks also lived in Eastern Francia, which later developed into Germany. These Franks preserved more of their Germanic roots, while the Franks of Francia merged with the indigenous population much more. Because of the name similarities the Franks are often incorrectly more associated with France than with Germany or the Netherlands.

Titles

Emperor
Recks(King)
Baron
Graf
Hersog
Markgraf
Vikont
Delegate (diplomat)

Special Unit: Battle-axeman

The nation gets the following bonuses:

+10% gain of Wood
10% cheaper Cavalry(including Archer Cavalry)
Trading bonus - traders can carry 10% resources more (1100 and 1000 for other nations), iternal market coefficient 0.03 (0.02 for other nations), which meant that with the highest Marketplace build they trade 100 units for 75 units (100 for 50 for other nations). Also more offers at the market - other nations can release 3 offers by 1st level Marketplace and then another one by every 5 levels (which means 4 by level 6, 5 by level 10 etc). With the bonus there will be another possible offer by every 4 levels, which means maximum of 10 offers by level 10.

Germans

A German as opposed to generically Germanic ethnicity emerges in the course of the Middle Ages, under the influence of the unity of Eastern Francia from the 9th century. The process is gradual and lacks any clear definition. After Christianization, the superior organization of the Roman Catholic Church lent the upper hand for a German expansion at the expense of the Slavs, giving the medieval Drang nach Osten as a result. At the same time, naval innovations led to a German domination of trade in the Baltic Sea and Central–Eastern Europe through the Hanseatic League. Along the trade routes, Hanseatic trade stations became centers of Germanness where German urban law (Stadtrecht) was promoted by the presence of large, relatively wealthy German populations and their influence on the worldly powers. This means that people whom we today often consider Germans, with a common culture and worldview very different from that of the surrounding rural peoples, colonized as far north of present-day Germany as Bergen (in Norway), Stockholm (in Sweden), and Vyborg (now in Russia). At the same time, it is important to note that the Hanseatic League was not exclusively German in any ethnic sense. Many towns who joined the league were outside of the Holy Roman Empire, which wasn't by far entirely German itself, and a number of them ought not at all be characterized as German. It is only in the late 15th century that the German empire comes to be called Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, and even this was not in any way exclusively German, notably including a sizeable Slavic minority. The Thirty Years' War, a series of conflicts fought mainly in Germany, confirmed the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Napoleonic Wars gave it its coup de grace.

Titles

Emperor
Recks(King)
Baron
Graf
Hersog
Markgraf
Vikont
Delegate (diplomat)

Special Unit: Teutonic knight

Only in Worlds 2 and 3 the nation gets the following bonuses:

+10% Gain of Iron
10% cheaper Cavalry(including Archer Cavalry)
Trading bonus - traders can carry 10% resources more (1100 and 1000 for other nations), iternal market coefficient 0.03 (0.02 for other nations), which meant that with the highest Marketplace build they trade 100 units for 75 units (100 for 50 for other nations). Also more offers at the market - other nations can release 3 offers by 1st level Marketplace and then another one by every 5 levels (which means 4 by level 6, 5 by level 10 etc). With the bonus there will be another possible offer by every 4 levels, which means maximum of 10 offers by level 10.

Goths

The only written source for early Gothic history is Jordanes' Getica (finished in 551) a condensation of the lost twelve-volume history of the Goths written in Italy by Cassiodorus around 530. Jordanes may not even have had the work at hand to consult from, and this early information should be treated with caution. Cassiodorus was well placed to write of Goths, for he was an essential minister of Theodoric the Great, who apparently had heard some of the Gothic songs that told of their traditional origins. Several historians, including Peter Heather and Michael Kulikowski, argue that Jordanes' Getica presents a fictional genealogy of Theodoric and fictional history of the Goths for ancient propaganda purposes, and cast doubt on the Scandinavian origin, on the supposed royal dynasties, and on the supposed 4th-Century Kingdom of Ermaneric. Other major sources for later Gothic history include Ammianus Marcellinus' Historiae, mentioning Gothic involvement in the civil war between emperors Procopius and Valens of 365 C.E. and recounting the Gothic refugee crisis and revolt of 376-382 C.E. and Procopius' de bello gothico, describing the Gothic War of 535-552 C.E.. According to Jordanes, the Goths originated in Scandinavia (Scandza). Their more specific place of origin was most likely Gotland or possibly Gotaland in present day Sweden. They would have become separated from related tribes, the Gutar (Gotlanders) and perhaps the Gotar (Geats, referred to as Gautigoths and Ostrogoths by Jordanes), who are sometimes included in the term Goths in about the 1st century (but the Gutasaga leaves open the possibility of prolonged contact). They migrated south-east along the Vistula during the 3rd century (Jordanes' Gothiscandza; see Wielbark culture), settling in Scythia, which they called Oium "waterlands", from the 3rd century (see Chernyakhov culture). According to the legendary account of the Hervarar Saga, the capital of this kingdom was Arheimar, at the Dniepr. One of the floor mosaics excavated at the Great Palace of Constantinople and dated to the reign of Justinian I. It is presumed to represent a conquered Gothic king. Though many of the fighting nomads who followed them were to prove more bloody, the Goths were feared because the captives they took in battle were sacrificed to their god of war, Tyz, and the captured arms hung in trees as a token-offering. Their kings and priests came from a separate aristocracy[citation needed] and their mythic kings of ancient times were honored as gods. In the 3rd century, the Goths split into at least two groups, the Thervingi, and the Greuthungi. The Thervingi launched one of the first major "barbarian" invasions of the Roman Empire from 263, sacking Byzantium in 267, A year later, they suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Naissus and were driven back across the Danube River by 271. This group then settled north of the Danube and established an independent kingdom centered on the abandoned Roman province of Dacia. Both the Greuthungi and Thervingi became heavily Romanized during the 4th century by the influence of trade with the Byzantines, and by their membership in a military covenant centered in Byzantium to assist each other militarily. They converted to Arianism during this time. Hunnic domination of the Ostrogoth kingdom began in the 370s, and under pressure of the Huns, Therving king Fritigern in 376 asked the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens to be allowed to settle with his people on the south bank of the Danube. Valens permitted this, and even helped the Goths cross the river, probably at the fortress of Durostorum, but following a famine the Gothic War (376-382) erupted, and Valens was killed at the Battle of Adrianople. The Visigoths under Alaric I sacked Rome in 410. Honorius granted the Visigoths Aquitania, where they defeated the Vandals and by 475 ruled most of the Iberian peninsula. The Ostrogoths in the meantime freed themselves of government of the Huns following the Battle of Nedao in 454. At the behest of emperor Zeno, Theoderic the Great from 488 conquered all of Italy. The Goths were briefly reunited under one crown in the early sixth century under Theodoric the Great, who became regent of the Visigothic kingdom following the death of Alaric II at the Battle of Vouille in 507. Procopius, writing at this time, interpreted the name Visigoth to mean "western Goths", and the name Ostrogoth as "eastern Goth" which corresponded to the current distribution of the Gothic realms. The Ostrogothic kingdom persisted until 553 under Teia, when Italy briefly fell back under Byzantine control, until the conquest of the Langobards in 568. The Visigothic kingdom lasted longer, until 711 under Roderic, when it had to yield to the Umayyad invasion of Andalusia.

Titles

Emperor
Recks(King)
Baron
Graf
Hersog
Markgraf
Vikont
Delegate (diplomat)

Special Unit: Huskarle

Only in Worlds 2 and 3 the nation gets the following bonuses:

+10% gain of Iron
10% cheaper Infantry
The Storage has 10% biger capacity.

Byzantine

The Byzantine Empire or Byzantium is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered around its capital of Constantinople. The Empire is also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, although this name is more commonly used when referring to the time before the fall of the Western Roman Empire. During much of its history it was known to many of its Western contemporaries as the Empire of the Greeks because of the dominance of Greek language, culture and population. To its inhabitants, the Empire was simply the Roman Empire and its emperors continued the unbroken succession of Roman emperors. In the Islamic world it was known primarily as ???? (Rum). There is no consensus on exactly when the Byzantine period of Roman history began. Many consider Emperor Constantine I (reigned 306–337) to be the first "Byzantine Emperor". It was he who moved the imperial capital in 330 from Rome to Byzantium, refounded as Constantinople, or Nova Roma ("New Rome"). Some date the beginnings of the Empire to the reign of Theodosius I (379–395) and Christianity's official supplanting of the pagan Roman religion, or following his death in 395, when the political division between East and West became permanent. Others place it yet later in 476, when Romulus Augustulus, traditionally considered the last western Emperor, was deposed, thus leaving sole imperial authority with the emperor in the Greek East. Others point to the reorganization of the empire in the time of Heraclius (ca. 620) when Latin titles and usages were officially replaced with Greek versions. In any case, the changeover was gradual and by 330, when Constantine inaugurated his new capital, the process of Hellenization and increasing Christianization was already under way. The Empire is generally considered to have ended after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, although Greek rule continued over areas of the Empire's territory for several more years, until the fall of Mystras in 1460 and Trebizond in 1461.

Titles

Vasilevs (emperor)
Vasileopatre
Kesar
Sevastokrator
Kastrofilaks
Magister (diplomat)
Protosevast
Despot

Special Unit: Monk

Only in Worlds 2 and 3 the nation gets the following bonuses:

+10% gain of Wood
10% cheaper Archers

Britan

After the fallback of the roman legion to the gaul ( today France) around 400 BC, the British Islands fall in a dark age. The British culture-Romano vanished almost instantly after a series of barbarian invasions. The kelts come from Ireland(a tribe of kelts named SCOTTI gave the name of the north part of the main isle-Scotland) . The SAXONS and the corners came from German lands, the FRISIANS cam from today Netherlands, the Jutes from today’s Danish lands. Until 600 BC most of the territory is ruled by SAXONS and the corners. Until 800 AC, only Welsh, Scotland and western Cornwall remains Keltish territory. The new habitants are the Aglosaxons. They named their land England ( land of an angle). In 865 the piece in England has been disturbed- Danish Vikings that have attacked France and Germany and have an enormous army now turn their look to the Islands. Most of the algosaxon kingdoms fall or give up and only one remains- the western land of the Saxons ruled by Alfred and saved by the high moral of the army earned trough the years. In 954 after many years of Danish domain over the islands finally the last Viking king was defeated and England was united for the first time by one king. In 1066 there is a furious battle over the throne of England that finally came to an end and William took the part of king of England for the next two years. From 1337 to 1453 is led the 100-year war between England and France. The war started because the English king William wanted the French throne. The Scottish independence was also an objective of the war. The French’s biggest problem were the English archer who struck enormous numbers of overprotected with heavy armored French soldiers. The English don’t stop the war and the French got activated thanks to a village woman named Jane D’arc , who inspired the army and finally the French put an end to the battles by taking over Bordeaux in 1453.

Titles

Emperor
Recks(King)
Baron
Graf
Hersog
Markgraf
Vikont
Delegate (diplomat)

Special Unit: Drummer

The nations gets the following bonuses:

+10% gain of Gold
10% cheaper Siege Machines
The Storage has 10% biger capacity.

Arabs

Archeological research show that there are ancient trading between Yemen and Africa. Its suspected that before 1000 BC Arabia was divided in the zones- Sheba and Himyar. Arabia was almost impossible to take over thanks to the natural environment that protected it – the desert. In 24 BC Rome finally invaded Arabia and soon fell back even having kept north Hejaz a long time. In the 7th century, after Mohamed established the Moslem religion the peninsula was united for a short period. His descendents help to stop the fighting between the Arabic nations and to conquer new land. These land were north Africa, Asia, Spain and the south of France when they were finally stopped by the French ruler Charles Martel in 732 and east from the Byzantium in 750. The huge territorial expansions of the Moslem made it necessary to move the Halif throne from Medina to Damask. A sect called KARMATHIANS, tried to restore the union but in the 11th century anarchy ruled once again. Many years have passed in war between the Christian Europe and the Moslem Arabs when finally in1853 they sigh a treaty with England not to attack their ship and to acknowledge England for superior power in the Persian Bay.

Titles

Halif
Magrib halif
King
Vesire
Sheih
Sanjack bei
Ulemi
Beduin

Special Unit: Mujahideen

The nations gets the following bonuses:

+10% gain of Food
10% cheaper Infantry
Trading bonus - traders can carry 10% resources more (1100 and 1000 for other nations), iternal market coefficient 0.03 (0.02 for other nations), which meant that with the highest Marketplace build they trade 100 units for 75 units (100 for 50 for other nations). Also more offers at the market - other nations can release 3 offers by 1st level Marketplace and then another one by every 5 levels (which means 4 by level 6, 5 by level 10 etc). With the bonus there will be another possible offer by every 4 levels, which means maximum of 10 offers by level 10..

Lithuanians

Lithuania was first mentioned in 1009, formed a state around 1183, and developed into a powerful empire in the 14th century. It survived and gained power in the constant fight with the Teutonic Knights, supported by almost the whole of Catholic Europe, the Tartar hordes and Muscovite Russia.

In 1386, Polish nobles had elected a pagan ruler of Lithuania – Jogaila (Jagiello), King of Poland, who was christened then. He converted Lithuania to Christianity one year later. This laid the foundation for the future Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania. Jogaila's successors went on to successfully expand their political influence all throughout the 15th Century.

At the end of the Middle Ages almost the whole of Central Europe was ruled by the dynasty of Lithuanian origin – the Jagiellonians. The lands of the three Jagiellonian brothers (Wladislas, the King of Bohemia and Hungary; John Albert, the King of Poland; Alexander, the Grand Duke of Lithuania) formed a Jagiellonian political system, which existed from 1492 to 1526.

Titles

Emperor
King
Grand Duke
Duke
Hersog
Count
Burgomaster
Elder

Special Unit: War lord

Only in Worlds 2 and 3 the nation gets the following bonuses:

+10% Gain of Food
10% cheaper Infantry
The Storage has 10% biger capacity.

Russians

The history of Russia begins with that of the East Slavs. The first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated as a state, finally succombing to Mongol invaders in the 1230s. During this time a number of regional magnates, in particular Novgorod and Pskov, fought to inherit the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus'.

Titles