The Sultan

[Flo]

Istanbul, The Ottoman Empire
April 20, 1780

Sultan Selim III, the grand emperor of the Ottoman people and leader of Islam, was a busy man. He had ascended to the throne only four years ago, and already he had the empire on its collective toes with his talk of reforms which angered the clerics and various janisaries entities across the large nation.

Such a large nation required a degree of laissez-faire in terms of the mundane governing of the little people. This was something previous Ottoman emperors knew and the empire flourished. This approach was starting to slow the empire down in recent decades however. The defeat of the Ottomans by the Austrians, Venetians, and Russians in the early to mid eighteenth century were indicative of the Ottoman failures, not just in military doctrine and organization, but in society, technology, and economy. Simply put, the Ottomans, once considered the most influential state in the continent, were now being left behind. 

The Sultan's response? To change the empire from a fundamental level. The rest of Europe held the key to an Ottoman resurgence. Their armies were better equipped, better organized, and better led than that of the Ottomans. Their economies were flourishing on the backs of foreign adventures. With the advent of European colonies in asia, the Ottoman control of the flow of spice and the silk road was beginning to wane. In technology, the Ottomans were at least 25 years behind their rivals, and it showed in conflicts.

Change would not be easy however. A state as old as the Ottomans carried powerful factions. The religious elite resented any change to the status quo, and adopting infidel technologies and economic principles carried heavy consequences. The janissaries would hardly take well to reorganization of the Ottoman military, and at nearly 150,000 strong, they were not a force to be crossed lightly. Furthermore, all of this change was expensive, and while the Ottomans were not poor by any means, the wealth required to carry out what the Sultan desired was immense and would put pressures on the coffers of the empire. Even then, hungry rivals were seemingly on all sides. While the Austrians, the Ottomans age old enemy, were dispatched, it seems as though infidels have sprouted like weeds to take their place. The Russian Tsarina was not satisfied with just Crimea, and could move further south to assert authority over the Balkans. Closer to home, the Greeks, having secured a tenuous independence with Venetian assistance, are eyeing their former empire. It is not certain how the Byzantine pretenders survived all these years, but their seemingly zombified return was not something to ignore.

Still, the Sultan was prepared to drag the empire kicking and screaming into the modern era, even if it required great sacrifice.

[Flo]

Map Room, The Sultans Palace
Istanbul, The Ottoman Empire
June, 1780

"And what of Wallachia?" The Grand Vizier said with a murmur.

"What of Wallachia?" The Sultan asked.

"They stand at our gates, taunting us. They believe themselves greater than they are, do they not?"

The Sultan did agree. Ever since the Wallachians had been granted their freedom they had been a pain. Raiders would cross into Ottoman territory with regularity, typically from the Ialomita and Ilfov provinces. While the Wallachian Prince had promised many times to put an end to this, no such thing had been done.

"They have been difficult, haven't they?" The Sultan replied after some thought.

"They have, great Sultan. What better a place to test some of the new tactics those fellows from Paris have given us?"

"Test indeed" The Sultan chortled. The Anglois delegation had caused quite a stir in the military. Already many Jannisaries had taken offense to some of their advice. Perhaps this could be an opportunity to assure many in the Ottoman military that what they said was fair and accurate.

As they gazed at the map, it became clear. They would be paying a visit to the Wallachians soon enough.

[Flo]

Sultan Selim observes Ottoman troops march past towards their staging areas along the Danube - August, 1780
September 25, 1780
The Danube River

It had taken several months to prepare, but a quickly assembled army of Jannisaries and peasant militia, as well as a large number of Turkish cavalry. As well, there were several groups of Anglo-Frankish advisors assisting the Ottoman leadership, and there were some new artillery pieces from France.

This adventure in Wallachia, so the Ottoman leadership hoped, would resolve some of the friction between military leadership and the new tactics and tools being implemented by the Sultan. Shared victory, it was assumed, could cure all disagreements, and defeating the Wallachian Prince, Nicolae Caragha, would be useful in its own right. Since being granted independence of the Sultan earlier in the century, they had proven violent and aggressive neighbors. The various Princes had each promised to solve the problems and take care of the marauders coming from his borders, but these had proved to be empty promises as Ottoman subjects continued to be killed and there were those in the Sultans courts who believes the Princes were in fact encouraging the raids.

Taking Bucharest would not be easy, however. The terrain in Wallachia was difficult, and though the Ottomans had significant numbers, the Wallachians always found a way to be tricky in battle.

Still, the Sultan had high expectations for the military action. Annexing Wallachia was not necessarily the goal, though that could be a potential outcome. Instead, punishing the Wallachians and demanding retribution for years of raiding and attacking could be a more suitable solution, and probably less costly.

[Flo]

(see D20 roll in RP Discussion 2 discord: 15/20)


A courier approaches the Sultan

Early October, 1780
Somewhere north of the Danube

The Sultan awaited the messenger with some interest. His armies had met the Wallachians outside of Bucharest in a pivotal first battle that would dictate much of the rest of the campaign.

He bowed low before the Sultan before announcing his armies had been victorious and the Wallachians were fleeing. Even now, villages outside of Bucharest were being emptied as Wallachian peasants fled before the marching Turks. These villages were looted and burned as the army came upon them. It would not be too long before Bucharest itself burned.

While there were Ottoman losses, the losses of the Wallachians were much more significant. The Prince was missing and had not yet been found on the battlefield, but Ottoman leaders were already bragging about his death. It was not clear whether or not he had in fact been slain, however.

The Sultan was pleased, as were many in his court in Istanbul, when they were notified.