Battle of Cape Sovata

A great naval battle which took place off Cape Sovata on 7 October 1571, during the War of the League of Sventoji. The battle pitted the **Holy League** against a massive fleet gathered by Anitkabir. It was one of the last great battles between galleys, and presaged the rise of gunpowder-armed ships.

The Holy League was composed of Antargentina, Firocco, Liotain, Breizh, Valpo, and the Hospitaller Order. In total, they brought 234 galleys and six galleasses to battle. The Sultan of Anitkabir brought 258 galleys and other craft.

## Overview

During the early 1300s, Anitkabir constructed a sizeable fleet on the Encircled Sea. In 1325, Anitkabir won a surprising victory against the Baetican fleet, which contributed to that nation's eventual conquest in 1329. Baetican shipwrights and sailors helped swell the ranks, and further victories followed against Anitaria (conquered in 1401), Elbar (conquered in 1490), and Liotain. Kabirite pirates raided the coastline of the Encircled Sea as far north as Pictfearr and Joseon, taking slaves and burning settlements.

Anitkabir's rising naval power was initially favorable to the growing Antargentine Empire, which benefited from the military pressure placed on their potential rival of Liotain, which was re-unifying under the House of Dobis-Kanis. However, by the 1540s, Anitkabir posed an equal threat to Antargentina and its dominion Firocco.

Under Sultan Fehim II, Anitkabir opened the *Great Armament of 1560* with the goal of building the preeminent navy on the Encircled Sea. Fehim's intentions, made clear by spies, was the conquest of Liotain and the annexation of islands off the Firoccan coast, which would be used as bases for further conquests along the continent.

In March 1570, Kabirite troops entered eastern Liotain and gained mastery of the frontier, while a massive Kabirite fleet under Demir Ruzgar Bey, a talented Kabirite admiral, attacked the Liotainian fleet at the Battle of Tesalija. In response, the kings of Antargentina and Liotain met in Sventoji during April, and agreed to cooperate against the Kabirites - an alliance which would come to be known as the **Holy League of Sventoji**. The League proved a massive diplomatic victory for Liotainian king Vydmantas I, who faced invasion by land and sea.

The allied fleets joined forces in August of 1570, but the season would end without either side engaging in battle. Demir Ruzgar Bey pulled back to Anitkabir after a storm in October 1570.

In 1570, Anitkabir demanded that Syrellia contribute their own galley fleet as tribute to join the fleet. Unable to decline this demand, the Syrellians sent thirty-one galleys under Captain-General Eneko, Prince of Pamplonia.

When the campaign restarted the following May, the Holy League marshaled their fleets in the harbor of Svyturys - at that time, a minor fishing and trading port. Count Ibrahim of Cartaginesis, who commanded the ships of Antargentina's subordinate state of Firocco, was elected overall commander of the Holy League's fleet, although in practice command was shared with the Liotainian and Antargentine admirals.

Both fleets would be paralyzed by outbreaks of sickness during the summer, and remained relatively inactive until September.

### Technology

The two fleets shared very similar ship designs, building galleys derived from the bireme galleys of the Revived Reman Empire. The average galley used by the different combatants measured 120' from stem to stern, propelled by sixteen pairs of oars, each operated by two to four men. By the early 1500s, cannon were added to the forward castle, with the largest vessels carrying up to five forward-facing guns.

Between the 14th and 16th Centuries, Liotain held a strong advantage in the construction of galleys. During the City-States Era, the city of Sventoji claimed dominion of the Gulf of Argent and the Nestorian Sea on the basis of their galley fleets. The Arsenal, organized for the mass-production of galleys, was one of the largest industrial centers of the medieval world, with skilled shipbuilding crews and forges for the production of cannon. Sventoji's shipwrights maintained a large stockpile of pre-dried frames and parts, all of hand-picked Liotainian black teak, allowing them to rapidly build new fleets or replace losses.

The Kabirites learned construction of this type of ship from their conquests of Baetica and Anitaria, and continued refining the design of their vessels over the following centuries, adding cannon and increasing their size and fighting power. Kabirite galleys, called *kadirgas*, were made of black teak in a similar manner to the Liotainian ships. Kabirite shipbuilders also built a large number of very light, open galleys, called *yarisci* (racers), which were based on the Reman-era *cursors*. The Kabirite admirals used *yariscis* for coastal piracy and communication. Although they were far inferior to full size *kadirgas* or galleys, they could participate in the harassment of larger enemies.

Firoccan and Antargentine shipbuilders usually employed native oak (rather than black teak, which had to be imported) for their galleys, although lighter woods like pine was also substituted.

A major innovation which saw its first appearance at the battle was the *galleass*, an oversized galley with two castles on the bow and stern; cannons were arranged not only to fire forward, but also to the sides. The galleass provided a transitional type between the traditional galleys used for warfare and the galleons which would shortly make their first appearances in battle. In fact, the six galleasses brought by Count Ibrahim carried more cannon between them (132 cannon) the eighty-two galleys of the Kabirite Center Division (124 cannon).

The galleys used by all major combatants were decorated in the finest artistic styles of the period. Figureheads and stern galleries bore extensive gilding. Sails and hulls were often painted with national or religious themes.

In general, Firoccan galleys were more seaworthy but slower (being more heavily-built), while Liotainian and Antargentine galleys were faster. In comparison to their opponents, the Kabirite galleys carried fewer cannon, although not by a large amount.

## Order of Battle

### Holy League

Overall Commander: Count Ibrahim of Cartaginesis

* Right Wing: 77 galleys under Grimaldo Filmelchiorre
	+ Liotainian Fleet
		- Division of the Gold: 20 galleys, contributed by Neris and Eletrinai. Lead ship: *Kariskas*.
		- Division of the Black: 20 galleys contributed by Breizh. Lead ship: *Marc'heg*
		- Division of the White: 19 galleys contributed by Sventoji. Lead ship: *Dramblys*
	+ Hospitaller Order (Commander: Prince and Grandmaster Voldemaras Barsukas)
		- Hospitaller Knights of Saint Mykolas: 18 galleys. Lead ship: *Kapitonas*.
* Center: 78 galleys under Count Ibrahim of Cartaginesis
	+ Firoccan Fleet
		- Vanguard: 43 galleys, 6 galleasses. Lead ship: *Victoria*.
		- Reserve: 20 galleys. Lead ship: *Aniquilador*.
	+ Fleet of Valpo: 15 galleys contributed by the Prince of Valpo. Lead ship: *Zora*.
* Left Wing: 63 galleys under Admiral Bossman Kickass
	+ Antargentine Fleet
		- Royal Antar Squadron: 29 galleys from Antargentina. Lead ship: *Santa Margarita*.
		- Gaborian Squadron: 20 galleys contributed by Gaboria. Lead ship: *Lanza Real*.
		- Turaguan Squadron: 14 galleys contributed by Turagua. Lead ship: *Virgen de Dacken*.
* Reserve: 16 galleys under Prince Tighearnach Calbhach.
	+ Pictish Mercenaries: 16 galleys hired from Eirenn and Pictfearr. Lead ship: *Banphrionsa*.

### Anitkabir

Overall Commander: Demir Ruzgar Bey

* Right Wing: 65 ships under Hamit Fikret Bey (Hamit Reis)
	+ 38 Kabirite galleys. Lead ship: *Zaferle Taclandirildi*.
	+ 12 Baetican galleys. Lead ship: *Cilgin At*.
	+ 15 *yariscis* (light rowing craft).
* Center: 82 ships under Demir Ruzgar Bey
	+ 38 Kabirite galleys. Lead ship: *Hic Muzaffer*.
	+ 24 Anitarian galleys. Lead ship: *Asagilamak*.
	+ 20 *yariscis* (light rowing craft).
* Left Wing: 60 ships under Polat Ilhan Bey
	+ 40 Kabirite galleys. Lead ship: *Daima Cesur*.
	+ 10 Elbarite galleys. Lead ship: *Mutasabiq*.
	+ 10 *yariscis* (light rowing craft).
* Reserve: 51 ships under Gokhan Ilkay Bey
	+ 7 Kabirite galleys. Lead ship: *Ofkeli Kilic*.
	+ 31 Syrellian galleys led by Captain-General Eneko, Prince of Pamplonia. Lead ship: *Konkistatzailea*.
	+ 13 *yariscis* (light rowing craft).

## Events

Battle ensues.

Admiral Bossman Kickass brings the fleet's left wing too wide, opening a major gap. Hamit Reis exploits the gap and nearly wins the battle for the Kabirites. Prince Tighearnach brings his mercenaries into the flank of Hamit Reis' forces in order to buy time.

The Firoccan galleasses dish out some firepower and also help hold the line against Hamit Reis.

The Antargentines finally pay attention and come swinging around the Kabirite right flank.

The Liotainian and Order galleys serve as the anvil for the course of the battle.

## Trivia

* The minor Liotainian noble Arunas du Kestas, famous for authoring the epic poem *Solymitana Delivered*, served aboard the galley *Sv. Skaisté Svelnusis* in the Division of the White.
* Demir Ruzgar Bey brought along two merchant ships with 184 Mardin slave girls, to be awarded to the victorious captains of the fleet. They were instead freed by galleys from the Hospitaller Order of Svent Mykolas.
* Hamit Fikret Bey (also known as Hamit Reis), who commanded the Kabirite right wing during the battle, would be the patriarch of a long line of Anitkabir's most famous seamen, including the pirate Riza Fikret Reis and Feridun Reis.