Siege of Almadinat Almuqadasa
| Siege of Almadinat Almuqadasa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Creeperian Crusade and the Second Campaign of Miguel I | |||||||
 Taking of Almadinat Almuqadasa by the Crusaders | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Creeperopolis |
 Deltino | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Miguel I Roberto Curtosé Cortéz Carlos Martel Hernández |
Selim VI  Iftikhar al-Dawla Abdallah al-Mahdi Ibn al-Hafiz † Yusuf al-Dhahir | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Modern sources: Medieval sources: 17,000 |
Modern sources: Medieval sources: 3,400,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Modern sources: Medieval sources: Very Low |
Modern sources: Medieval sources: Very High | ||||||
The Siege of Almadinat Almuqadasa (Creeperian Spanish: Asedio de Almadinat Almuqadasa, Arabic: حصار المدينة المقدسية) was a siege which occured during the Creeperian Crusade from September 1, 1324 to June 13, 1326. The siege of Almadinat Almuqadasa, the capital city of the Caliphate of Deltino, was the climax of the Creeperian Crusade. The cpature of the city brought an end to the Caliphate of Deltino and fractured it into three rump states: the Emirates of Abdan, Helam, and Jakiz. The fall of the city allowed Creeperopolis to expand its territory south down the Southern Landmass and led to the domination of Creeperian Catholicism in the Southern Landmass. Almadinat Almuqadasa was renamed to La'Victoria following its capture.
Background
The Caliphate of Deltino (734AD-1326) had difficulties establishing full control over Creeperopolis as the Creeperian inhabitants were overwhelmingly Creeperian Catholic and refused to be subjects of the Islamic caliphate following the Deltinian-Creeperian War fro 744AD to 745AD. The Creeperian inhabitants also wished for their kingdom to continue, free from Deltinian control. As soon as the Old Kingdom fell, the Deltinians established the Emirate of Rabadsun as a Creeperian client state with Rodolfo I as the Emir of the emirate to appease the Creeperans.
In 1231, Caliph Suleiman II died and was succeeded by his son, Suleiman III. Suleiman III reinstated laws revoked by his predecessors which allowed the practicing of any religion other than Deltinian Islam in 1231. He replaced the laws he revoked with the "One-Religion Decree," a decree which mandated that only Deltinian Islam could be legally practiced. This was met by resistance the Creeperian Catholics of the Emirate of Rabadsun. Then Emir Alfawnasu III used the basis of the "One-Religion Decree" to declare independence for the Emirate of Rabadsun as a Catholic Creeperian kingdom, called the Kingdom of Creeperopolis, on February 8, 1231.
From 1231 to 1301, the Creeperans were lead by Alfonso I (1231-1264), Alfonso II (1264-1273), Salvador I (1273-1285), and Manuel I (1285-1301). With the death of Manuel I, his son, Miguel I became King of Creeperopolis and continued the crusade against the Deltinians. He immediately began to rally up an army to fight against the Deltinians who he said, "...[have] been a thorn in the side of the Holy Creeperian nation for too long." He began his campaign, known as the First Campaign of Miguel I, in 1305 and pushed west into Deltinian territory. From 1305-1313, he continually pushed hard into northern Deltino. In 1317, Pope Juan XXII consecrated three archdiocese in the territory Miguel I had conquered: the Archdiocese of Salvador, which included the Papal State, the Archdiocese of San Romero, and the Archdiocese of San Miguel.
Prelude
Miguel I launched a second campaign in 1321 with the end goal of advancing on Almadinat Almuqadasa, the capital of the Caliphate of Deltino, and effectively annex the entire caliphate. Miguel I pushed south from what is present-day La'Libertad del Norte into present-day La'Unión. He and his army pushed to Almadinat Almuqadasa, the capital city of the Caliphate of Deltino. His army set camp outside the city walls of Almadinat Almuqadasa on September 1, 1324, beginning the siege.
Order of Battle
Creeperans
- Miguel I - King of Creeperopolis
- Roberto Curtosé Cortéz - Commander of the Creeperian Army
- Carlos Martel Hernández - Commander of the Creeperian Navy
Deltinians
- Selim VI - Caliph of Deltino
- Iftikhar al-Dawla - Governor of Almadinat Almuqadasa
- Abdallah al-Mahdi - Commander of the Garrison of Almadinat Almuqadasa
- Ibn al-Hafiz - Commander of the Deltinian Navy
- Yusuf al-Dhahir - Commander of the Deltinian Reinforcements
Siege
1324
Battle of Altal
The Caliph of the Deltinian Caliphate at the time, Selim VI bin Abu Arshad, called for reinforcements from the southern parts of his caliphate to fight against the Creeperans and force them to flee. Deltinian reinforcements arrived at the neighboring village of Altal and lured the Creeperans to the village. The Creeperans, however, defeated the Deltinian reinforcements in the Battle of Altal and forced the reinforcements to flee, abandoning the garrison of Almadinat Almuqadasa.
First Battle of Buhayrat Alrasul
Although the city bordered Buhayrat Alrasul ("Lake of the Prophet", present-day Lake San Salvador) which he and the inhabitants of the city could escape from, Selim VI declared that a true Muslim does not retreat and he stated that he will defend the city with his life. He called on all inhabitants of the city to resist the Creeperans and to fight if needed.
The goal of the Creeperans was to wait outside the city walls and starve the inhabitants of the city into capitulation. The Creeperans also launched 4 ships to blockade the city's port on the lake to prevent food from entering by the lake. The plan was thwarted however when the Deltinian fleet of 15 ships destroyed the Creeperian ships in the First Battle of Buhayrat Alrasul on October 1, 1324. The Deltinian control of the lake ensured that the city would remain fed and would be able to continue the resist the siege indefinately.
1325
The Creeperans knew that they had to overpower the Deltinian ships and cut the Deltinian lake supply line in order to soften the city's defenses and starve the people into submission. Throughout 1325, the Creeperans constructed 45 ships in the Bay of Salvador and sailed them into the Bay of La'Libertad (called "Bay of Adolfosburg" today) and prepared to drag the ships across the continent to the shores of Buhayrat Alrasul. The ships were completed in April 1325 and sailed to La'Libertad. From April 1325 to January 1326, the Creeperans dragged all 45 ships to just north of Almadinat Almuqadasa where the ships were launched and ready to fight and destroy the Deltinian ships.
1326
Second Battle of Buhayrat Alrasul
On March 13, 1326, the 45 Creeperian ships attacked the 15 Deltinian ships defending the city. In a second naval battle, the Creeperans destroyed all 15 ships while only losing 8 themselves. With the destruction of the Deltinian ships protecting the trade, the Creeperian ships began a second naval blockade of Almadinat Almuqadasa and began starving the people of the city.
Malaria Outbreak
With the city slowly starving, the Creeperans wanted to quicken the submission of the city. Roberto Curtosé Cortéz ordered his soldiers to collect the bodies of local villagers who recently died to Malaria. Afterwards, he had the corpses catapulted into the city to infect the people to quicken the submission. An estimated 10% of the population died to the Malaria outbreak caused by the corpses.
Miracle and Massacre of Almadinat Almuqadasa
On June 13, 1326, after nearly two years of being sieged, the west gate of the city was opened by the Creeperans and the walls of the city gave way. The Creeperian army poured into the walled city and began massacring the population against the orders of Miguel I which was to issue a no quarter on only soldiers. Caliph Selim VI bin Abu Arshad was captured by Creeperian soldiers, tortured, and burnt at the stake, effectively ending the Deltinian Caliphate. By the time the Massacre of Almadinat Almuqadasa was over, an estimated 200,000 lay dead in the streets. The southern reaches of the Caliphate heard the news and three Emirates broke away and declared their independence from the Deltinian Caliphate: the Emirate of Jakiz, the Emirate of Helam, and the Emirate of Abdan. Their Emirs, Ohmad I, Mehmed I, and Orhan I, each declared jihad on Creeperopolis and Miguel I.
Aftermath
Renaming
Miguel I celebrated the destruction of the Caliphate of Deltino and declared that the Lord had intervened on behalf of the Creeperans. Pope Juan XXII also celebrated the news in Salvador. The flag of Creeperopolis was also altered to feature the Cross of Creeperopolis, the Coat of Arms of Creeperopolis, where the Emblem of Deltino would have been. The fall of Almadinat Almuqadasa, renamed to La'Victoria, marked the end of the First Phase of the Creeperian Crusade.
