Fall of the Novgorod Republic is the second scenario of the State to Empire chapter and the fifth scenario of the The Rise of Moscow campaign in Age of Empires IV. It depicts the final conquest of the Novgorod Republic by Ivan III of Moscow in 1478.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
While Moscow bowed to the khan, not all Rus bowed to Moscow. The Republic of Novgorod would defend its independence to the last chime of its symbolic council bell.
Opening cinematic[]
In the century following the Mongols' vengeful attack on Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy's son and grandson clung to the Rus throne. Amid old rivalries and fragile alliances, Dmitry's great-grandson, Ivan III, set out to consolidate Moscow's control over all the Rus.
But one independent republic would not yield to Moscow: the wealthy commercial center of Novgorod.
Loading screen[]
Ivan III aspired to unify all the Rus territories under Moscow's control. But the independent republic of Novgorod would not submit without a fight.
Start of scenario[]
In the bitter winter of 1478, Ivan III arrived at the doorstep of the wealthy republic of Novgorod: the last remaining independent Rus province.
With his army of allied Rus forces, Ivan would not stop until Novgorod belonged to Moscovy.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Age:
Castle Age - Units:
Ivan III- 2 Warrior Monk
- 4 Knight
- 4 Horseman
- 4 Crossbowman
- 4 Archer
- 8 Man-at-Arms
- 8 Spearman
- Resources: 150 food, 150 wood, 400 gold, 70 stone
Objectives[]
- Conquer Novgorod
- Enter Novgorod
- Destroy the Veche Bell
- Conquer the outlying towns
- Capture Kuklino
- Capture Soltsy
- Eliminate the People's Militia
Players[]
- Ivan III: Ivan and his forces begin in the south of the map, and must capture the outlying towns of Kuklino and Soltsy before taking on Novgorod itself. Their starting forces include a good mix of infantry, archers, and cavalry, a couple of Warrior Monks, as well as Ivan III himself. They will receive additional Villagers whenever they capture one of the outlying towns.
Enemies[]
- Novgorod Republic (Novgorod Republic): The Novgorod Republic controls the city of Novgorod itself, and the two outlying towns of Kuklino and Soltsy near the south and west corners of the map respectively. They also have a large Militia camp on the road between Soltsy and Novgorod. Although represented as their own civilization, the Novgorod Republic is functionally identical to the Rus, and their forces will consist of a typical mix of infantry, such as Spearmen and Men-at-Arms, Archers, and cavalry, such as Horsemen and Knights, while their larger settlements will be defended by Wooden Fortresses. They will periodically send groups of units to attack any settlement captured by the player.
Strategy[]
A simple progressive build and destroy scenario, made even simpler by the fact that the player and their enemy will have only one avenue of attack towards each other throughout the entire scenario. This is therefore an ideal scenario for players who enjoy Turtling.
The first task is to capture the town of Kuklino, which is accomplished by killing all of its defenders, including its belligerent Villagers. The player will now have a base from which to build their forces, as well as several Villagers of their own. At this point, the only direction from which the enemy can attack is from Soltsy, across the bridge to the northwest. The player can therefore position their units defensively by the bridge, with the cavalry to the side so as to flank any incoming Spearmen, while they build up their forces and economy. There are no Gold Mines near Kuklino, but there are ample woodlines on which to build Hunting Cabins, as well as Deer and Wolves which can be hunted to increase the player's Bounty level. There are also several Sheep which, in campaign scenarios, provide Bounty when killed as well. Additionally, there are two Relics and two Sacred Sites that can be captured, one each just to the west of the bridge and north along the land path leading from Kuklino respectively.
The next town of Soltsy is walled and has a sizeable garrison, so the player should build up a considerable force of Spearmen, Archers, and cavalry before attacking. Ivan III's special ability significantly increases the work rate of production buildings, so can be helpful in massing units quickly. This will be particularly useful if ever the player should feel overwhelmed by enemy numbers; however, that is unlikely to happen in this scenario. With Soltsy taken, the player will have access to a Gold and a Stone Mine, as well as several more production buildings, including a Monastery. Their next task will be to take out the base of the Novgorod People's Militia to the northeast. Once again, there is only one avenue of attack, so the player can take their time to build up and upgrade their forces. If the player has not aged up yet, they should do so now. The High Armory is a good choice for the landmark due to its unique improvements for siege engines. There is another Sacred Site to the north of Soltsy that can be captured, guarded by a large number of Wolves that should be taken out by Scouts for their Bounty bonus. There is also another Relic to the east.
The People's Militia base contains several Wooden Fortresses and a Keep, so the player should construct some siege engines, especially Counterweight Trebuchets and Battering Rams, as these will also prove useful later. With the Militia base destroyed, the player will be directed next to break into Novgorod's outer city, further along to the northeast. Note that even though the objectives for destroying the Militia base and Novgorod's outer city will be marked as complete before all of their military production buildings are taken out, these will continue to produce units until they are destroyed. With the outer city eliminated, the player's last objective will be to break the Novgorodians' morale by destroying the Veche Bell (Town Center) in Novgorod's inner city. The inner city is protected by Stone Walls, with Stone Wall Towers and guarded by a sizeable force. The player should therefore take out the defenses using their Trebuchets before rushing their forces in to defeat the garrison and destroy the enemy landmark.
With the Veche Bell destroyed, the scenario is complete.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
As the fires of Moscow's wrath burned across the snow-laden city, the last remnants of the great republic fell to ruin. Ivan III's vision of gathering all power to Moscow was almost complete.
Post-game screen[]
Novgorod's independence had come to an end, with its lands and wealth now falling under the control of Moscow.
Page From History: Marfa the Mayoress[]
| “ | Marfa "the Mayoress" of Novgorod is recorded by history both as a legendary people's hero... and a treasonous heretic. as Novgorod withstood a decade of attempts to bring it under Muscovite control, it was Marfa - the widow of Novgorod's mayor - who was elevated as the charismatic leader of the republic, standing in defiance to the rule of the all-powerful tyrant of Moscow, Ivan III. Meanwhile, the Russian Orthodox church feared the spread of catholicism into Muscovy, and so balked at Novgorod's friendly dealings with western lords. The church needed a real world demon on which to blame this devilry. Marfa, being a wealthy and powerful woman, became their target. After Novgorod finally fell to Moscow, Marfa was exiled, her lands confiscated, and she faded from the historical record. Little is known about the real Marfa, but her twin legends live on in folklore. |
” |
