Art De La Guerre

[Joey Miller]

Deus Vult !
ADLG Demo Game Nashcon 2025, 28 mm
Saturday Evening 8 pm, August 16th
Beginners get priority, 8 slots, will have some experienced players as observers
Crusaders are taking the coast road to Jerusalem see below
Battle of Ephesus
Autumn 1147, Louis VII’s Crusader army—part of the grand Second Crusade alongside the German forces of
Conrad III—had endured a grueling march across Europe and Asia Minor. After crossing the Bosphorus into
Seljuk territory, the French contingent, numbering perhaps 20,000, including knights, infantry, and camp
followers, trudged through hostile lands. Their goal was to reach Antioch and join the broader campaign to
reinforce Christian holdings in the Levant.
The Seljuk Turks, masters of the Anatolian plateau, had other plans.
Sultan Mesud I, a seasoned warrior-king, knew his lightly armored, horse archers held the advantage
in the broken terrain of Asia Minor. The Seljuks, likely fielding a force of 10,000–15,000, relied on mobility and
hit-and-run tactics, avoiding pitched battles in favor of wearing down their heavily armored foes.
Mesud’s scouts shadowed the Crusaders, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
That moment came near Ephesus, where the Cayster River valley and its surrounding hills offered ideal ground for an ambush.
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When the eagles go silent, the parrots will jabber.
-Winston Churchill