Battle of Lowencraic
| Battle of Lowencraic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Lowencraic1.jpg Part of the Lowencraic Tapestry depicting General Shah's last charge | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Brytene | Template:Country data Bahariyan Caliphate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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| Template:Country data Bahariyan Caliphate General Rahib Shah † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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15,000 | 18,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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approx 1,500 killed |
approx 3,400 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Lowencraic was a battle between The Kingdom of Brytene and the Baharyian Caliphate, following a year-long occupation of eastern Anglaland by Baharyian forces under the command of General Rahib Shah. The battle ended in a tactical and strategic victory for the forces of Brytene, marking a turnaround in their fortunes after the disastrous defeat in the Siege of Lundene in the spring of the previous year.
Background
A year previously, a large army under General Rahib Shah had invaded south-eastern Brytene and lain siege to the capital, Lundene, in response to a call for jihad made by the religious leadership of the Caliphate. Though the handful of defenders stationed in Lundene backed by the Fyrd and townspeople, held out against the invaders for almost a month, the Baharyians eventually broke through the defenses at Suthwark and sacked the city. Contemporary chroniclers reported widespread butchery, looting, and rape, spurred by religious tension between the pagan population and the Islamic conquerors, heightened by the bitter nature of the preceeding fighting. Estimates of civilian casualties range from 8,000 to 120,000, and the political impact on Brytene was staggering. The elderly King Aelle I was killed in the fighting and the survivors scattered, leaving Lundene and the surrounding area firmly in the hands of the invading forces.
Prelude
It took nearly a year for the Saxons to mount an effective response. Gathering in Eoferwic under the banner of Ealdorman Aelfric of Nortymba, an army of roughly 15,000 trained warriors marched south on the 3rd of March 1344CE, hoping to catch the enemy army in the field and deal a decisive blow.
Meanwhile, General Rahib Shah had sent portions of his army home to deal with unrest in their native provinces, whilst others had left the army to settle the land. Combined with the casualties suffered the previous year, General Shah could muster only 18,000 warriors to counter this renewed threat from the North.
Landing in Anglaland on the 7th, the Saxons stole a march on the Baharyians, catching the assembled Caliphate army at a field outside the small mining town of Lowencraic on the evening of the 9th March, 1344CE. Heralds from both sides met in the gathering dusk and decided to meet in battle the following morning, agreeing to name the battle after the nearby town and settling on certain terms pertaining to the battle.
Battle
Order of Battle
The Saxons Saxon warfare was largely outmoded in the 14th Century. They still relied on heavy infantry wielding spears and axes, backed by a scattering of hunters using longbows in lieu of dedicated skirmishers or ranged troops. Thegns, free spearmen in leather and iron, made up the bulk of the army, with mailed and armoured huscarls serving as the retinue troops for leaders and nobles. A small contingent of 200 heavy cavalry was provided by the aging King Ua Neill of Dyflin and led by his daughter Synnove, but otherwise the Brytons fought on foot.
The Baharyians In contrast to the Saxons, the Bahariyans were a nation of cavalry. Using heavy cataphracts and powerful Mamluke lancers, as well as camel cavalry and skirmishers, their army relied on mobility and speed to punch through enemy lines and weary enemy soldiers. Their infantry were much more lightly armed than the Saxons, with virtually no mailed foot soldiers and men fighting primarily with javelins and longswords, trained to double as skirmishers. A heavy retinue of cataphracts led by General Shah himself remained as a strategic reserve.
Battle
Deciding to seize the intiative, the Saxon warbands marched into the Silver Caldera, a former meteor crater which was at the time a hive of mining activity. Surrounded by steep hills on all sides, and with only one way in or out, it appeared that the Saxons had trapped themselves. Accordingly, General Shah moved the bulk of his heavy cavalry down the single inlet valley, sending light infantry and skirmishers around the tops of the hills to seal off the enemy escape.
The battle opened with scattered skirmishing between the Saxon hunters and their Baharyian counterparts, a difficult and confused skirmish thanks to the steep terrain and high winds. The main Saxon warbands drew themselves into a defensive posture across the Caldera, anchored by mining works to the south and a shallow tarn at the north, with open ground to their front.
General Shah's charge
Seeing that the Saxon infantry were not going to move from behind their defensive position, and frustrated by the slow progress of his skirmishers, Shah ordered his cavalry to charge. In the cramped hollow of the Caldera, the flanks of his assault were forced inwards, resulting in a loss of impetus that took its toll as the horses refused to drive home the charge against the Saxon shieldwall.
The Baharyian cavalry wheeled and charged several times, taking heavy losses before General Shah personally led his cataphracts into the fray. Taking advantage of the turmoil the cataphracts punched a hole deep into the Saxon shieldwall, threatening to rout the Saxons until Ealdorman Aelfric himself led his huscarl infantry in a counter-attack. The bearded axes carried by the huscarls were well-suited to taking on armoured cavalry, and took a heavy toll on the cataphracts. In the melee General Shah himself was unhorsed and killed.
The Dyflin contingent of cavalry, led by the Princess Synnove, supported the action by charging from their hiding places just inside the entrances to the Caldera mines, attacking the flank of the Bahariyan centre and cutting off their attempts to reinforce General Shah. At the end of the fighting only a dozen of the Dyfliners were left unwounded, and only forty-six made it home to Dyflin, but the delay they caused to the Bahariyan support was a key factor in General Shah's defeat.
The failure of this final assault turned into a rout as the remaining enemy cavalry began to retreat, followed by their infantry and skirmishers.
Aftermath
With their leader slain and almost a third of their fighting force dead, wounded, or captured, the Bahariyans quickly began to disperse as nobles sought to preserve their retinues. Saxon forces began the process of mopping up, liberating small towns that had been occupied by the invaders until, on the 19th of March, they marched into London and ousted the final Bahariyan garrison in the Isles.
The Bahariyan defeat led to a complete destruction of the famed al-Harb Fleet when it was caught in a storm whilst returning home. This led to the fate of the remaining 500 to die. When the news reached the Empire, widespread chaos occured, and the Bahariyan Sultanate was plagued in a period of war against a group of rebel Emirs, who held out until the Treaty of Husseinabad. The Empire survived on until 1913, when it was overthrown.
The invasion left a permanent scar on the psyche of the Brytisc public and led to an increase in the persecution of Abrahamic faiths and the secularisation of the government. Although tragic, this laid the foundations for the principles of liberty and equality which guide the government to this day.
Today
The battle is remembered every year on the 10th of March, and is a popular choice for reenactors. It is typically attended by members of the government and monarchy, and is a state holiday across the country.
Foreign dignitaries often attend, including regular appearances by Hudian and Sacheyeynan officials and royalty.