War of Grythshead Independence
War of Grythshead Independence | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Grythshead | Ramubad | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Duncan of Kamoine | Abdul Emin Pasha † |
The War of Grythshead Independence was a war fought in 1301 between the Prodavan Sultanate of Ramubad and Vionnan rebels from the region of Grythshead under the leadership of Lord Duncan of Kamoine. The war lasted from the Siege of Chick in May 1299 until late summer 1301 when the Battle of Grythshead and the subsequent Diktat of Kamoine established Grythsheader independence. Grythsheader victory marked a turn in the fortunes of the Andyist and Christian kindgoms of southern Vionna and the muslim Prodavan incursions into the region, which had been continuous since the 10th century, were decisively ended and remained unattempted for three centuries.
Background
Starting in the 10th century AD with the Fanfoss Jihad and the Ramubadic Conquest of Trensmere, the Muslim nations of northern Prodava spent much of their time warring with the Kingdoms and lordships of Southern Vionna - conquering large swathes of the frontier. Though partly religiously motivated (the majority of Vionna-Frankenlisch was, and remains, Andyist or Christian), these conflicts were primarily wars of aggression with conquest as the main goal. The Sultanate of Ramubad, a rich trading kingdom which controlled a vast area of northern Prodava, had reached its peak by 1260 under Mehmet II. The annexation of neighboring Loukussa in 1241 had significantly increased Mehmet's influence in Prodava and many of the small sheikhdoms along the River Khal pledged their allegience to him. The feared Marcher Prince of Grythshead, Simon II died in 1244 leaving the region crippled militarily. Other Vionnan nations in the region used the opportunity to take parts of the Princedom and this only exacerbated the decline. In 1249, to the surprise of few, Mehmet invaded Grythshead at the head of an army of 30,000 men. Grythshead, once a fierce military power in the area, could offer only token resistance. At the so-called Humiliation of Inchwick in 1250, the young Prince Stephen swore fealty to the Sultan of Ramubad and was forced to marry Aaliyah, the Sultan's eldest daughter. The marriage was (at the Sultan's insistance) an Andyist ceremony and legally matrilineal - binding Grythshead to the Sultan's family. To ensure Stephen did not outlive his wife and render the arrangement null, Mehmet II's vizier had the Prince assassinated in 1253 at the age of 21 and Aaliyah inherited the Princedom.
Grythshead remained under the regency of Mehmet II until his death in 1262. The regency passed to his son and successor, Mehmet III, and the new Sultan inherited the Princedom when Aaliyah died in 1265 - possibly assassinated.