Siege of Goderecht
| Siege of Goderecht | |||||||
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| Part of the Wars of Valahandian Ascension | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Valahandian forces | Iasgier forces | ||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 300 killed or wounded | 600-700 killed or captured | ||||||
The Siege of Goderecht was a protracted military altercation between the Kingdom of Valahandia and the Iasgier Clan which resulted in the subjugation of Iasgieria and the fall of Goderecht Citadel. As a result of the capitulation of Chieftain Aike V of the Iasgier, the entire Eonedíc world was effectively unified and brought under the authority of the Valahandian throne.
Background
Upon the death of Prince Heinrich of Doundain in 1347 with no heir-apparent, two possible successors emerged to inherit the Valahandian throne, Heinrich's nephew, Cesan, and Heinrich's brother-in-law, the Chieftain of the Iasgier people. Due to Heinrich's brother, Cesan's father, being a legitimized bastard, Cesan held no title, and was working as a soldier of fortune at the time of his uncle's death. Aike was crowned King of Valahandia in 1348 and named Cesan a pretender to the throne. Despite this, Cesan managed to garner the support of a number of influential lords throughout the Eonedíc world and pressed his claim in the spring of 1350. Through a string of small victories that summer, Cesan's forces razed and looted most of Aike's lands, but had to fall back to Steinstadr, Cesan's base of operations, as the harsh Liberalian winter set in. In March of 1350, Aike struck back, successfully marching on and seizing the Valahandian capital of Doundain, which surrendered without a siege.
Course of Battle
With Aike's troops busy securing Doundain in April of 1351, Cesan boldly abandoned his position in Steinstadr and marched on Goderecht, the well defended Iasgier stronghold, which was at the time under the watch of Lourens, the eldest son and heir-apparent of Aike. Cesan initially attempted to breach the walls of Goderecht Citadel in an all out assault on April 12, but was repelled. A siege began.
By late April, news of the siege reached Aike, who left a garrison in Doundain and rushed to Goderecht. Due to extreme rainfall, the road leading to Goderecht flooded out and Aike's forces were stalled just outside of the city, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Capitalizing on the situation, the Duke of Steinstadr was sent with a detachment of cavalry to ambush Aike's forces on the morning of May 2. The attack seriously weakened the Iasgier morale and resulted in a number of desertions over the following days, but resulted in few fatalities on either side. Once the rain cleared, Aike sought higher ground and had his troops congregate on a hill overlooking the fortress, forcing Cesan to attack uphill or wait for Aike to strike. The situation quickly devolved into a multi-day stalemate, with neither party willing to attack, but the Valahandian troops proved more resilient, stood their ground, and continued the siege of Goderecht, despite dwindling food supplies and increasingly unforgiving weather. On May 11, Aike withdrew his forces to the town of Âldrinne (around 30 km away from the fortress) in order to resupply, ending the standoff.
At the same time, Cesan ordered a number of his infantrymen to begin tunneling under the west wall of the Goderecht Citadel in order to bring the fortifications down, but spies reported the plan to Lourens, who ordered the digging of a number of vertical shafts to intercept the saboteurs. Historical records indicate that Goderecht was well supplied at the time of the siege and likely could have held out for months before running out of food. Aike seems to have been counting on his son repelling Cesan's assaults, and planned to take the Valahandian army as it retreated from Goderecht. However, no such retreat occurred. Despite the countermeasures, the west wall was successfully brought down on June 3, leading to a bloody skirmish between the garrison and Cesan's sick and waterlogged forces. Lourens surrendered in the early hours of June 4, by which time his father had already begun a desperate march from Âldrinne to Goderecht to assist the defending army. Aike arrived the next morning, far too late to save the citadel, and was left with no choice but to meet the Valahandians in pitched battle that afternoon.
By all accounts, the battle itself was a chaotic free-for-all. Due to intense rainfall and smoke from the burning Goderecht keep, visibility was reduced to less than a hundred feet. Theodoard of Eros, a Iasgier knight and survivor of the battle, recorded that he attempted to organize his men for a unified push against the Valahandian line within the first hour or so of battle, but they had already abandoned their pikes and polearms and were attempting to flee the battlefield. By the early evening, a full Iasgier retreat began, but the Duke of Steinstadr rallied his heavy cavalry and was able to run down the fleeing Iasgier infantry. The remaining Iasgier troops either surrendered or were cut down by that evening. Aike was among the captured.
Aftermath
Although both armies were decimated by the siege and battle, with Aike and Lourens captured, Cesan was able to ascend to the Valahandian throne. In exchange for the release and fair treatment of their Chieftain and his heir, Cesan obtained an oath of fealty from Iasgieria, the last independent Eonedíc clan. On November 9, 1351, Cesan declared himself Cesan I, the King of Valahandia and first Emperor of the Eonedíc Peoples.