Battle of the Rhine (Battle of Belusium)

The Battle of the Rhine was a battle during the Fifth Crusade, and took place on July 9, 1359, between the legions of the Roman Republic, and the forces of the Egyptian Empire, and Norse Kingdom. In this battle, the combined Egyptian-Norse forces, commanded by Pharaoh Setnamset and High Queen Elsa, crossed the Rhine and defeated the Romans, commanded by General Marcus Claudi. The crossing is considered one of the greatest military engineering feats in history, and was one of the first examples of a fully multinational war effort.

Background
In response to the Norse conquest of Finland, the Russian Tsardom appealed to Rome for aide, who granted it, leading the Christian Church to declare it the "Fifth Crusade". However, by the time the Romans arrived in the East, the Norse had left Russia. The Norse forces, commanded by High Queen Elsa Isshond, then successfully conquered Denmark, and began pushing through Germania with little oppostion. With much of the Roman legion deployed in the Eastern provinces, to assist Russia, they were forced to turn and redploy.

During all of this, the Egyptian Imperial Army left Egyptian territory, and crussed into Russia. After defeating a Russian army in the Ukraine, Setnamset marched West, to link up with his Norse allies. The two forces met in Southwestern Germania (neither side fully knew the exact location), and joined up, before advancing East towards the Rhine, where they intended to cross into Gaul.

In response, the Romans managed to gather another twenty legions, mostly from the Southern provinces, and deploy to meet the threat. It is held that during this time, the Senate was in a panic, as the pagan army was moving at a faster rate than the legions, and if they crossed the Rhine, they could potentially enter Italy at their leisure.

Command
The battle was noted for its three different commanders, each from three distinct nations. Commanding the Romans was veteran general Marcus Claudi, who had been a centurion in the Fourth Crusade decades prior. Accoridng to sources, Claudi was described as a "stern, blunt man" who had a very strict, disciplinary policy with the legionnares. A devout Christian, he was said to have openly challenged the pagan gods to prove their existence by defeating him. After the battle, blame did not fall on him, but he still resigned, possibly to avoid such blame.

High Queen Elsa Isshond commanded the Norse armies, with her younger sister Princess Anna being her second in command. The Egyptian commander was Pharaoh Setnamset of the 26th Dynasty. They were held to be in their late twenties and early thirties respectively. Its said that the two had a good working relationship, and regularly engaged and consulted each other before going into battle. Its been suggested that Setnamset may have been attracted to Elsa (or possible Anna).

Under order, the other Egyptian and Norse commanders were to be in constant communication with each other

Prelude
Knowing that the pagans were nearing the Rhine, Claudi decided to set up at the river, though he decided not to cross it, fearing it would hamper any potential retreats. Instead, he set up camp at the river's narrowest point, where it was believed the pagans were have to cross. Claudi is said to have attempted to build fortifications throughout the bank, but it proved to long, and he couldn't be sure where exactly they'd land. The hope was that they could at least delay the pagans long enough for the Eastern reinforcements to arrive, where the Romans would be able to attack on two sides.

The Egyptian-Norse force arrived at the opposing river bank, where they also made camp. Scouts traveled up and down the river, looking for an ideal place to cross, though both monarchs decided that the current bank was the best they could hope for. Neither of them wanted to wait on the bank longer than necessary, and to cross as soon as possible, because they couldn't be sure how far away the Eastern forces were.

Crossing
Both Setnamset and Elsa knew that if they tried to row across, they would be vulnerable to Roman artillery and ranged weapons. To that end, they sought means of crossing that would be faster, and more efficient. Row boats were immediatly stricken, as they were too small, and left the soldiers vulnerable. Rafts were considered, but were refused for a similar reason. Ultimately, Elsa ordered shipwrights she had brought with her to collaborate with the Egyptian engineers under Setnamset to find a way to cross.

Armies
As both the Romans and the Egyptians kept diligent records, at least a general estimation of the troop size can be made. According to Roman records, the Roman army consisted of twenty legions (one of the largest Roman forces ever deployed in a single battle), totalling approximately 120,000 men. This consisted of 95,000 infantry and 25,000 calvary.

While in total, they outnumbered the Romans, the indiivual pagan armies were notably smaller. The Egyptian numbered at about 80,000, consisting of 70,000 infantry, 10,000 calvary, and about 50 elephants. The Norse army numbered at 70,000, consisting primarily of infantry, with only about few thousand calvary.