The Timeline, part 4

Casca’s story continues from 1189. This page continues his story up to 1590

1189 – 1219. Casca 22: The Mongol


Fighting as a chained beast in arenas, Casca is rescued by a young Mongol called Temujin. Casca readily agrees to help the young man in his quest to regain his place in his tribe, and the two slowly build an army, Temujin learning how to fight wars from the teacher Casca. Temujin takes a wife and dominates the tribes he conquers, forming them into a vast army. Victorious at the deciding Battle of Baljuna, Temujin is shortly afterwards proclaimed Genghis Khan – Great Leader – and begins to build an empire. His work done, Casca decides to leave.

Main points 1189-1219

  • 1189 Temujin frees Casca from slavery (page 31)
  • 1190
  • 1200
  • 1204 Battle of Baljuna (page 114)
  • 1206 Temujin proclaimed Genghis Khan (page 162)
  • 1210
  • 1219 Casca slips away on the eve of the Mongol invasion of Khorezm (page 170)

1219 -1236. Theoretical and Mentioned

Crossing over into India, Casca is captured by soldiers of the Delhi Sultanate and taken to the capital where he is made into a personal slave of the Sultan. Proving his prowess in battle, Casca is enrolled into the Sultan’s army and rises in rank, although still a slave, until he is commander of the Palace Guard. When the Sultan dies, the successor his daughter Raziya, takes a dislike to him and Casca flees, pursued by soldiers loyal to her.

Main points referred to in Casca books 1219-1236

None

  • 1219
  • 1220 Taken captive by the Sultanate of Delhi
  • 1230
  • 1236 Escapes from the Sultanate of Delhi

Casca 34: Devil’s Horseman 1236-1241


Casca escapes from India and is rescued by a Mongol patrol. He is escorted to Samarkand where he learns of a new campaign in Russia, and also that the Mongol unity is beginning to fracture. Given a precious coronation stone to guard by Subedei, Casca has to ward off attempts to steal it by one of the Mongol factions. He takes a Russian woman, Tatiana, as a slave, and frees her when they fall in love. Finally in Hungary, Casca takes part in the great Battle of Mohi and leaves the stone with a trusted friend before leaving for Nicea with Tatiana and a Swedish mercenary guard, Lars.

Main Points 1236-1241

  • 1236 Arrives in Samarkand, agrees to join Mongol army in Russia
  • 1240
  • 1241 Climactic Battle of Mohi in Hungary. Casca leaves Mongol Horde

1242-1271 Theoretical and Mentioned

The Empire is fragmented and in disarray, but Casca helps the general Michael Palaeologus gain the title of Emperor and they retake the lands lost to the Latins and rival Byzantine forces, and ultimately the capital Constantinople. In the celebrations Casca leaves, recognizing the Empire is not strong enough to survive long.

Finding his way to the troubled Holy Land, he hires himself out as a hired sword but tires of the squabbling amongst the remaining Crusader lords and travels to Venice.

Main points referred in Casca books 1242-1271

  • 1242
  • 1250
  • 1260
  • 1270
  • 1271 Slips away from Acre on a ship to Venice

1271 – 1292. Casca 24: The Defiant


In Venice Casca saves the life of young Marco Polo and becomes embroiled in his family politics. Marco’s father returns after years of being away and they set out with Casca and a few friends eastwards to the lands of the Mongol Emperor Khubilai Khan in China. While there Casca helps thwart a coup and win a war for the Emperor. When the Polos return to Venice Casca goes with them.

Main points 1271-1292

  • 1271 Maro Polo leaves for the east. Casca goes with him
  • 1275 Casca and the Polos arrive in Shen-Tu (p178)
  • 1278 Approximate date of revolt of traditional Mongols
  • 1280
  • 1288 Approximate year of Burmese campaign
  • 1290
  • 1292 Casca and the Polos leave China

1292 – 1414. Theoretical and Mentioned

Some of the following is mentioned in Casca 24: The Defiant. In Casca 25: Halls of Montezuma the Battle of Crecy is mentioned. In Casca 30: Napoleons Soldier, Casca 32: The Anzac and Casca 41: The Longbowman references are made to Casca serving with Tamerlane

Casca travels through Europe, stopping in an Alpine village but plague drives him away. Making his way to Scotland he fights against the invading English under William Wallace but when the war turns against the Scots Casca is forced into hiding. Hunted by superstitious Scots and the Brotherhood, Casca’s escape is helped from an unexpected source. He ends up in Wales and trains as a longbowman and when war with France comes Casca joins up as an archer and helps Edward III win at Crecy. With war petering out, Casca departs and has some time in the far north whaling and fishing.

When his friends grow old or die Casca returns to warmer climes and finds the Byzantine Empire disintegrating under Ottoman Turkish invasions. Fleeing with refugees to Constantinople Casca is recruited by the Emperor and his Court to recruit the assistance of a power that can defeat the Turks. A Mongol speaker, he’s sent to the Golden Horde but the Horde is engulfed in civil war.

Main points in Casca books 1292-1360

  • 1292
  • 1300
  • 1310
  • 1320
  • 1330
  • 1340
  • 1346 Battle of Crecy
  • 1350
  • 1360 Tamerlane begins his rise to power
  • 1363-1402 Casca 43: Scourge of Asia

casca43

Travelling to Central Asia he finds a new warlord called Tamerlane who’s building an Empire. Assisting him in building up a mighty army, finally after many campaigns Casca persuades Tamerlane to turn on the Turks and at Ankara in 1402 smash the Ottomans. But the Empire is too weak to recover.   Finally Casca finds his way to England.

Main points in Casca books 1403-1414

  • 1370
  • 1380
  • 1390
  • 1400
  • 1405 Death of Tamerlane
  • 1410

1415.  Casca 41: The Longbowman

Joining Henry V’s army at Southampton, Casca partakes in the siege of Harfleur and the Battle of Agincourt.

1416 – 1434. Theoretical

Casca fights for Henry in France until the death of the English king and then makes his way to Italy and hires himself out as a mercenary for the various city states, until he tires of the struggles and ends up in Portugal where he boards the Kuta.

1434-1440. Casca 23: The Liberator


The ship, The Kuta, is sunk by pirates and Casca spends a few years at the bottom of the sea. When he’s pulled up by fishermen, he is mistaken for Olokun, a god. They want him to free them from a despotic king, Awanoshe. When Casca reaches the capital he witnesses brutal torture and the madness of Awanoshe is evident. But Casca, as a god, is taken on by Awanoshe and goes with the army to conquer a neighbouring kingdom. But Awanoshe works to destroy Casca’s reputation and when the army is deliberately allowed to lose, the king turns on Casca. Backed by senior army generals as well as the population, Casca leads a coup that deposes Awanoshe and installs his brother Ewuare on the throne.

Main points 1434-1440

  • 1434 Casca’s ship is sunk. Spends a few years on the seabed
  • 1439 Casca pulled from the seabed by Ewuare’s fishermen
  • 1440 Part of the coup that instals Ewuare as Oba

1440-1452

  • 1440
  • 1450

1453. Casca 53: The Last Defender

Returning from Africa, Casca makes his way to Italy and learns that the Turks are preparing to conquer Constantinople. Joining up to help defend the city from overwhelming odds, he fights for the last city of the Caesars until sheer weight of numbers defeat the Graeco-Italian defenders.

1454-1461  Casca 57: The Red Rose

Wounded in spirit by the death of the last link to the Roman Empire, Casca wanders through Germany, stopping to talk to Johannes Gutenberg. Hiring out his sword to the Duke of Burgundy, he is then recruited by the Duke of Somerset to fight for the Lancastrian faction in the English civil war against the Yorkist faction.

He fights in the battles of St.Albans (twice), Wakefield and Towton.

Theoretical Timeline 1461-1485

The war of the roses lasts 30 years until the final Battle of Bosworth where the last Yorkist leader, King Richard III, is killed.

Main points in Casca books 1440-1485

  • 1440
  • 1450
  • 1453 Fall of Constantinople
  • 1455 Start of the Wars of the Roses: First Battle of St.Albans
  • 1460 Battle of Wakefield
  • 1461  Battle of Towton
  • 1470
  • 1480
  • 1485 End of the Wars of the Roses. Casca is involved in a brawl in Seville and imprisoned

1485 – 1519. Casca 10: The Conquistador

Casca travels to Spain and is arrested in a brawl. He ends up in a Seville prison at the hands of the Inquisition, and striking fear into the hearts of the Spaniards, is left for years to rot. Faking his death, he frees himself and crosses the ocean to Cuba where the new adventurers – Conquistadors – are discovering the New World. Casca joins Hernan Cortes’ expedition as he wishes to see what became of the Teotec lands since he left. Finding the Aztecs practicing sacrifice, he decides they have to go and takes part in the capture of the city, but the Aztecs rise up and drive the Spaniards out.

Main points 1485-1519

  • 1485 Interrogated by Tomas Torquemada. Left to rot in prison
  • 1490
  • 1500
  • 1510
  • 1516 Casca fakes suicide and is buried outside Seville (page 16)
  • 1519 Casca arrives in Cuba and joins Cortes’ expedition
  • 1519 Casca and the Spaniards flee Tenochtitlan

1520 – 1590. Theoretical and Mentioned

Casca 2: God of Death refers to Casca meeting Machiavelli. Casca 20: Soldier of Gideon mentions Casca seeking the new Protestant religions in Switzerland and Germany, while Casca 21: Trench Soldier has a reference to Casca fighting in the army of Charles V. Casca 25: Halls of Montezuma states Casca was in England during the reign of Henry VIII

Casca returns to Europe and joins the army of the Spanish King Charles V, who is also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles campaigns in Italy and Casca is part of the victorious campaign. He also meets Machiavelli, in his twilight years. Victory at Pavia is followed by the infamous Sack of Rome (1527) and Casca quits, disgusted at the conduct of the army. Hearing of new religions rising in Switzerland and Germany, Casca goes to meet those preaching, hoping it is Jesus returned, but finds that Zwingli and Luther are merely men with new religious ideals.

He does join Luther’s Saxon followers in a rising and fights in Thuringia. When he hears of another new religious leader in England, Casca quits his commission and crosses to find the King, Henry VIII, is the man behind it, and again not Jesus. Captured and tortured by the Brotherhood, Casca is eventually released when Henry’s army sacks the monastic order the Brotherhood is disguised as.

He returns to the Continent and rejoins the conflict there but is defeated at Muhlberg in 1547 and the survivors, Casca included, are chased well into Germany. Casca heads east away from the religious disorder. Here, he is confronted by two unruly Cossacks and Cacsa kills both with his bare hands that impresses the other Cossacks, and Casca in accepted into their community.

War looms and the Cossacks and Casca joins Ivan’s army in the conflict against Poland and Sweden, but then news reaches them that the Tsar’s army has turned on their village and destroyed it. After returning to bury the dead, Casca bids a sad farewell and travels west and eventually arrives in Spain.

He gets into an argument with arrogant Spanish troops which ends with 3 dead and 4 wounded and Casca a captive. Sentenced as a slave to the galleys, Casca partakes unwillingly in the Armada to England, and his ship is wrecked and ends up on the beaches of eastern England. Casca is the only survivor and makes it to a small village where he settles down as a fisherman.

Main points in Casca books 1520-1590

  • 1520
  • 1521 Start of the campaigns of Charles V. Spread of Luther’s teachings in Germany.
  • 1527 Death of Machiavelli
  • 1530
  • 1531 Swiss protestant Zwingli dies at Kappel
  • 1534 Establishment of Anglican Church under Henry VIII
  • 1540
  • 1546 Death of Luther
  • 1547 Death of Henry VIII
  • 1550
  • 1560
  • 1570
  • 1580
  • 1590

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