Jump 109: Europa Universalis

Jump 109: Europa Universalis

Location: [-50] Israel, 1444
Identity: [-150] Aristocrat
Drawbacks: [+800] Import Save Game, Continental, The Final Jihad

[200/1600]  Technological Exploitation
[1000/1600] Background Knowledge
[1200/1600] Codes Of Chivalry
[1600/1600] Beloved Tyrant

The 15th century and onward marked a bit of a decline for my nation. Until now it had been prosperous - its borders stretched from the Sinai to Damascus, from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea, and former desert was undergoing a slow but steady progression of transformation to lush and green terrain. The Silk Road was not quite what it used to be, though, which is a bit unfortunate; it's still a very solid trade route, but other major nations that we'd been trading with had elected to form a colonies elsewhere instead and exploit them. And the occasional attempt at a Crusade, in an attempt for the Holy Roman Empire to take back Jerusalem, certainly didn't help... but those at least were behind us.

The imminent ascension of the Ottoman Empire on the other hand was decidedly NOT. Furthermore, however, their acquisition of remarkably advanced weaponry and equipment was a larger problem. Much larger. They cut themselves off from the world around them for a number of years, before their armies poured across the borders in a genocidal land-grab, aiming to punish all those who did not follow their interpretation of the powers that be. And so, there was really only one solution: a diplomatic envoy sent out with maximum haste to the court of the Holy Roman Empire, to inform them that the Devil has made an emergence once more in the world. How else would you explain flintlock weapons at the dawn of the age of firearms, after all? Not to mention any number of other advancements.

The casualties were pretty nasty, especially in the earliest of the battles against the Ottoman Empire as they conquered their way across Europe and pillaged the northern half of my nation. But on the plus side... the best attacks were those that were carried out in the dark of night - honorless opponents deserve honorless tactics, and targeted assassinations against their greatest generals, governors, and princes were mercilessly carried out; some defectors were taken, as well, which evened things a bit.

In the end, even with so many feet on the ground, the Ottomans couldn't stand against so many willing to fight them on the field with all the zeal of a people convinced they were ordained by the heavens to stop the apocalypse. My nation took back its conquered territories and then some, and the holdings of the Ottoman Empire were shattered and split; tragically, modern-day Turkey was absorbed by my people as well, while European colonies did their best to support rebuilding effort back on the Continent.

Just kidding, they suffered TRULY massive revolts in the 17th and 18th centuries, until Napoleon put a pin in European unity in a very final way.