Chapter 165: A Lesson in Diplomacy (September 1035 – June 1039)
Previously, on Blut und Schlacht … Fylkir Hroðulfr’s early reign saw a succession of small wars fought to expand the borders of the realm and build the ‘German bridge’ between Father Russia and its French-centred holdings. While this went on, the raiding program was maintained mainly in the Mediterranean: by September 1035, Amalfi had been secured as a Russian outpost and raiders were in the lands of the Tulunid Revolt at Bizerte. King Þorolfr’s Holy War for Franconia had started in April 1034 had started to swing against the Swedes as the enemy’s allies brought their superior numbers to bear. Meanwhile, a few remaining invading hosts were being chased across Sweden.
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1. Swedish-Franconian War – September 1035 to December 1037
The Fylkir had sent a large force to assist the Swedes in what to that point had been a losing war. Unable to participate directly, this assistance would be in the form retaking lost holdings, raiding enemy ones and engaging Duke Szilveszter’s troops and allies as they were made hostile to the Russian raiders, led by the formidable Jarl Frirek of Lothian.
A series of four successful assaults on enemy occupied Swedish holdings in Pfalz and Trier from 5 to 24 September 1035 saw 268 attackers killed
[and the warscore reduced from -70 to -42]. In October Frirek moved over the Rhine towards Leiningen via Mainz and would arrive on 25 October, where the Swedes had defeated a similar sized force from Spoleto.
But around 7,000 hostile Bavarian and allied troops were on their way from the east by then. While the Swedes stayed behind to besiege Leiningen, the Russians and Bavarians began to converge on Baden to the south. The first major Russian battle of the war was fought there when Frirek and Count Landolf both arrived on 22 November, ending in a major Russian victory on 18 December.
A small force of Brandenburger troops was destroyed in Vestergautland in January 1036 after unluckily landing near the passing army of Vechkas as it finished chasing hosts and was heading through Sweden to Germany.
Frirek headed back to Mainz next, taking Eppstein in an expensive assault on 10 March (879/10,973 killed, 88 gold looted). He then moved to Leiningen, where the Swedes used the Russian raiders to support a series of four assaults from 4-20 April (602 total Russian & Swedish losses,
warscore to +1%). A similar exercise was conducted in Mainz, with three more Swedish-led assaults from 1-11 May (281 total Russian & Swedish losses,
warscore to +32%).
After Mainz was fully occupied, Frirek swung south to destroy a small force that had slipped in Pfalz at the Battle of Kaiserslautern (29 May-6 June) before swinging back towards Leiningen to confront the returning main enemy allied army, still led by Count Landolf.
Vechkas’ army, down from Sweden, was diverted to the ships on 2 June to confront a peasant revolt that had broken out in Kent (the rebellion will be covered later). This left Frirek’s gradually shrinking army to fight the Battle of Lorsch in Leiningen against the Bavarian Alliance from 20 June to 2 August 1036. The enemy were reinforced on 1 July by around 1,200 troops but Frirek also got help by around 3,000 friendly passing raiders from Brugge, with another heavy Russian victory resulting.
About 7,500 fresh Russian levies took ship in the Gulf of Finland on 19 July to reinforce the war effort as the latest battle raged. After his victory at Leiningen, Frirek took his 8,300 remaining men east to reinforce the Swedish siege of Bamberg, arriving there on 30 August. The Swedish war effort was riding higher
[+35% warscore].
Leaving the Swedes staying to besiege Bamberg, Frirek swung back towards Leiningen where a smaller Bavarian army had arrived to start liberating its holdings. Another battle was fought at Lorsch over December 1036, resulting once more in a big Russian victory. But by then the Bavarian Alliance had started to retake ground in Mainz, where a fresh force under Ulfr (now commanding the army returned from Kent) had arrived assist. He would win a quick skirmish there from 9-12 December, wiping out the enemy company.
The Franconian War dragged into 1037 with no immediate end in sight. Another victory was won by Ulfr in Leiningen on 12 March (Russia 72, Bavaria 520 killed) as Frirek tried to regain strength by resting in Trier. By that time, Thüringian troops had retaken all the holdings in Mainz and Ulfr was forced to march north to their home county to trigger (as raiders) the hostility Russia needed to be able to attack them. Meanwhile, Frirek had travelled to Bar, both for plunder and to trigger hostility with the Burgundians (who also had men in Mainz).
Hrane (a new commander who had replaced the incapacitated Prince Hemming) took over from Ulfr in Thüringen on 7 April and prepared to head back south, as the 7,500 newly arrived Russian levies followed them. Hrane destroyed a Bavarian regiment in Leiningen on 17 June as they returned to the fray (Russia 14, Bavaria all 619 killed). In early July a detachment under Vechkas tangled with another Bavarian army at Landshut in Neiderbayern, while Hrane tidied up another enemy incursion in Leiningen on 4 July (Russia 9, Bavaria all 595 killed).
Hrane was back in Mainz again on 16 July, completing another ‘wipeout’ against a Venetian force there (Russia 5, Venice all 502 killed). But the Swedes were having trouble holding onto their gains, and the war was in stalemate again
[warscore +1%]. A detachment under Sigbjörn assisted a Swedish army investing Bamberg as four Russian and two smaller Swedish armies tried to plug all the gaps that would open up to the Bavarian Alliance.
With the fall of Ansbach in Bamberg on 21 August, the balance shifted again in Sweden’s favour
[+11% warscore]. Later that month, Hrane joined an extant battle being fought at Heidelberg in Leiningen, helping the Swedes to a victory that
did contribute to the war’s balance.
But by November the Swedes were being beaten in Mainz by an Alliance field army of almost 4,000 as Hrane rushed from Leiningen to try to assist. He was delayed by a Burgundian company, which was soon beaten while another contingent arrived in Münster on 5 November to provoke hostility with Russia. When Hrane arrived in Mainz on 18 November, the Swedes had been defeated and he could only engage the small Bavarian part of Alliance army, because the bulk were from Venice who remained neutral to Russia. All 200 Bavarians were wiped out within two days.
On 20 November, another Russian contingent arrive in Kleve to provoke Luxemburg. Those raiders ambushed an Alliance force in Nassau on 18 December as they headed back south, for another easy Russian win (Russia 13, Alliance 301 killed).
But over three years of active Russian raiding support were not enough to see Sviþjod to victory. Though at least it had prevented a defeat. King Þorolfr concluded a white peace with Duke Szilveszter on 28 December 1037.
The four Russian field armies were then directed to a range of ‘ordinary’ raiding targets in the vicinity. They would also see if any opportunity arose to help Jarl Hrörekr of Brabant in his conquest of Weimar (which was going quite well). But Hrörekr was by then also engaged in a nasty internal war again the former Jarl Bertil, who had support from the powerful Jarl Öysteinn of Champagne. This led the Fylkir to make a declaration of enforced realm peace, that would take effect in three months. He wanted those lords fighting to expand the realm, not each kill other. More will be said of the Brabantian Troubles later.
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2. ‘Policing’ Operations – November 1035 to August 1036
During the Franconian War, a large peasant revolt (over 3,600 strong) broke out in Kent in November 1035. Meanwhile, an earlier revolt in Novgorod Seversky saw its main castle fall on 8 November, just before a relieving column could relieve it. On 3 December, in Sweden Åke’s Host was run down and destroyed by Vechkas at the Battle of Kalmar in Möre (Russia 19/4,313; Åke all 800 killed). Vechkas would later wipe out a small invading force before heading to Holland overland.
The peasants in Novgorod Seversky were defeated on 23 December after a two day battle, ending the revolt and seeing those levies stood down.
It took until 26 June for Vechkas’ army to be assembled, reinforced, put on ships and sent over to Sussex, where Ulfr took command and Vechkas retained a wing. They recovered organisation in Sussex after landing on 7 July 1036. They were ready to go by August, where they hit the rebels on the 11th and were later joined by around 1,000 Brabantian reinforcements. After a single sharp battle, the revolt was extinguished.
3. Raiding – September 1035 to December 1037
From its start on 11 March until ending on 23 December 1035, five holdings in the Tulunid Rebel county of Bizerte were sacked by the mainly Retinue and Jomsviking raiding army of around 14,500 men led by Sigbjörn. The raiders lost 1,269 men and plundered 263 gold plus a large number of prisoners, some ransomable.
But pickings in Africa were getting slim, so the raiders took ship and turned to more lucrative targets in the Kingdom of Italy, starting at Orvieto, just north of Rome, on 1 February 1036. In Orvieto, then Orbetello and Pisa a total of 11 holdings had been plundered for 586 gold and the loss of 1,404 men by the end of 1037. Of greatest note was the finding of the Crown of Lilies during the sack of the castle of Livorno in Pisa in September 1037. It was soon lodged in the Imperial Treasury.
The raiders then hopped across to Venice in November to provoke their hostility for the Franconian War. That aspect was rendered moot the next month, when that war ended. But the Doge’s lands should provide rich loot in any case as the fleet sailed around Italy to be able to load it.
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4. General Events – September 1035 to December 1037
Prince Hemming of Norway, earlier recruited as a Russian commander, was no longer the heir to Noregr by September 1035. And he was suffering from a disfiguring case of leprosy. Given this, nothing further was ever done to advance his cause. He would become incapable just over a year later and disappear from the Russian chronicles.
Of more impact was the death of the Fylkir’s ‘Great Uncle’ Prince Alfr, Jarl of Polotsk, at the venerable age of 75 in September 1035. This brought his long-cultivated son Eilif to power, adding his own granted lands to those of his father. The plan was for him to become a very loyal and increasingly powerful marcher lord.
But ruling took its toll on Fylkir Hroðulfr, so that by January 1036 he was showing all the signs of depression, taking the edge off his health and many of his leadership abilities.
His mood would have been further worsened by the murder of his kinsman and Spymaster Jarl Gandalfr in April. His successor Refr may one day make a good Chancellor, but Hroðulfr sought for a skilled man from outside the court to replace him. The murderer could not easily be imprisoned and the existing murder plot against Suni ‘the Seducer’ meant that avenue was not open either.
One Ottarr Væni of Sjaelland was recruited
[Intrigue 39], considered the greatest intriguer of his generation, after a small encouragement of 15 gold was offered. Ottarr was clearly also a merciless man, having had one of his wives burnt at the stake some 13 years earlier. But thoroughly loyal to the Fylkir from the start on a Council that was skilled and pliable.
Crown Prince Toste turned 12 in August 1037 and continued his education in stewardship, where he was a conscientious student.
Around a month later, Empress Ylva gave birth to a daughter, Vigdis, the Fylkir’s fifth child (one son and four daughters).
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5. Interbellum – January to August 1038
Following the inconclusive end of the Franconian War, raids were begun in Lorraine (13 January 1038), Köln (14 January), Münster (29 January) and Kleve (10 February) by the four raiding armies. The previously announced realm peace came into force on 1 May. At that time, it was noted that Yatvingia (in northern Germany) was the only remaining member of the Pagan Pact. Thoughts turned to adding it to the German ‘land bridge’.
Good news came in May, with Chief Þorolfr of Stolp, a Brabantian vassal, adding Posen to the empire.
From mid-May, the four raiding groups began to disengage and return to Russian soil when they finished their first sacking in each county, for the levies to be disbanded. The last would be from Kleve in mid-July. Including the efforts in Bar and Saintois during the Franconian War, from Mar 1037 to Jul 1038, 10 holdings would be sacked, 1,559 men lost and 548 gold looted in these border raids.
Meanwhile, Jarl Bersi Rurikid proved very active in the east, earning the appellation ‘the Brave’ following his victory in the invasion of Turkestan against the Shah of the Afrighids in May 1038, adding five counties to his expanding holdings.
Two political acquisitions were made in the north in June, with Nordland and Zyriane added peacefully to the empire, allocated to Jarl Eilif and King Þorolfr to continue the development of loyal marcher lords. And make the borders less gory.
A non-aggression pact was negotiated with Denmark in July to force them out of the Pagan Pact, which they had just joined, to keep Yatvingia isolated. By mid-July, 750 retinue troops left over from the recent levy demobilisations were in Osnabrück and heading towards the border with High Chief Bozydar ‘the Unready’ of Yatvingia. In Venice, the levy component of the raiding force – about 2,500 men – was split off and sent back to Amalfi with the loot, to also be demobilised on Russian territory.
A new Jomsviking Warchief, Surt af Hålogaland, was elected on 20 July, after Kettil died a natural death at the age of 62. Surt was deemed a lunatic and a coward, was unmarried at the age of 36 and indeed preferred the company of men. None of which should preclude a successful career in the Jomsvikings!
Another new cavalry retinue was raised in Holmgarðr on 28 July and a month later, the levy raiders landed back in Amalfi to be disbanded and 1,345 gold deposited in the treasury. The decks were now cleared for war with Yatvingia.
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6. The Brabantian Troubles – May 1037 to January 1040
But before we come to that conflict, we will deal with the latest phase of the Brabantian Troubles and the festering conflict between Jarl Hrörekr Yngling and the man he had overthrown, the former Jarl Bertil Skáld ‘the Sword of the Thunderer’. The latter was a notorious pox-ridden madman and cannibal – but had also proved a great conqueror of new land during his time as Jarl.
On 3 May 1037, Hrörekr could take the provocations of Bertil no more and launched a war to revoke Brabant on his disaffected vassal. Bertil resisted – of course – and would have been badly outnumbered if not for the fact he was able to bring the powerful Jarl Öysteinn ‘the Great’ of Champagne on his side nine days later to even the score.
As we saw earlier, it was primarily this internal conflict that eventually led to the Fylkir declaring enforced realm peace, which came into effect on 1 May 1038, ending the revocation war. Chief Hysing of Liege would subsequently attempt to declare a revocation war to reclaim the Jarldom of Brabant against Hrörekr
seven times between February and November 1039, but each time was immediately forced to desist by the enforced realm peace.
Bertil was not to be stopped, however. On 30 November, he staged a successful ‘bloodless coup’ to reclaim his ancestral title. By that time, the Fylkir did not reciprocate Bertil’s good opinion of him but he was given the vacant advisor position thus freed up, while the realm peace protected Bertil from another revolt war on Hrörekr’s behalf on 7 January 1040.
Naturally, this was not the end of the Troubles, with a new player Hroðulfr, Hrörekr’s younger brother, launching a successful counter-coup on 5 February to usurp the Jarldom once again. The Fylkir, now completely sick of the whole mess, granted the advisorship to Jarl Öysteinn instead.
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7. The Yatvingian War and Aftermath – August 1038 to June 1039
A Holy War was declared on Yatvingia for Obotritia on 24 August 1038. Two councillors voted against it, for reasons they thought obvious but didn’t speak up loudly enough about to sway the decision
[That is in my haste, I looked at the comment about nearby co-religionists joining rather than the enormous set of red flags below. Oops.]
At first, the Fylkir guffawed at the joining of King Giselbert of East Francia on Yatvingia’s side. It was only when the Chancellor pointed out the full list of participants (all the current pact members of all religions) that the rest of the Council paused uneasily. There was only one choice, the Emperor’s view: ignore all other attacks on Russian soil while concentrating as many troops as possible on crushing Yatvingia quickly and thus ending a war with poor long-term prospects for Russia.
Around 27,000 levies (all those who could be safely or usefully deployed) were called out across the Empire. But in essence, Russia was now at war with almost all the rest of the world.
The main Retinue-Jomsviking army raiding in Venice had its ships returned from Amalfi in late September. They would finish off its current raid in Padua before starting the long voyage home. By the end of October they were aboard and would sail to the east, via the Russian river system, to the Baltic.
In early October, Yatvingia had around 5,000 men in the field and crossing the border into Russian territory after calling up a tribal host, while their allies began to make their way to the front through Germany.
A skirmish was fought in Livland against a small Brandenburger detachment attacked by marching Russian levies from 26 November to 13 December in the first battle of the war (Russia 4, Brandenburg 150 killed).
On 12 December, the main Russian Army of the West (around 8,300) was in Holstein and making for Weligrad, where they would arrive on 25 December. The eastern levies were ordered to gather in Stettin, where the Cavalry Retinue detachment had set up camp behind a river, two provinces east of the siege of Werle by Yatvingian allies (around 3,200), while 6,000 Yatvingian troops besieged Rügen to its north. Frirek soon built a siege fort and settled into his work.
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By early January 1039, three Byzantine armies of around 24,000 men in total were ranging around Crimea and southern Russia. They were ignored and left to cause whatever mischief they could. In the main theatre, forces on both sides were gathering in a race to see who could bring the biggest numbers to where they mattered.
The Victual Brothers (3,600 men) were hired on 12 January ‘just in case’, for 600 gold and a monthly fee of 25 gold and started marching to Stettin from Holmgarðr. On 21 January, the main Silesian army (now around 10,600 men) broke their siege of Werle and began marching east towards Wolgast and another Silesian-led army of 3,000 was just to the south of Stettin (which only had around 2,600 Russian troops by then) in Posen. But the Russian kept to their plans.
The main Silesian army, now with 13,700 men, attacked a friendly local Pomeranian army of 5,000 in Wolgast on 2 February. This was a useful diversion, but the Russians in Stettin (now about 4,100) were still not in sufficient strength to aid Jarl Hroðgar of Pomerania, a Swedish vassal. Around this time, Byzantine sieges in Crimea and Amalfi and by others in France began but were ignored
[warscore -5%].
The castle of Weligrad fell to Frirek on 23 February
[warscore +7%], by which time the raiders were disembarking after their long voyage back from Venice. The Pomeranians fought on grimly in Wolgast, but only had 1,700 men left, while the Silesians now numbered 22,000, with at least another 10,000 allied troops approaching from the south.
The Silesians had won in Wolgast by 6 March and began a siege of the castle there with over 26,000 men, while another 7,500 had settled to besiege Werle. Frirek now had 19,500 men, including most of Russia’s elite troops besieging Weligrad and Vesimer fell to him the next day after a quick assault that cost on 53 men
[warscore +30%]. Further assaults followed on 11-12 and 14-15 March (only 112 more total casualties,
warscore +58%] to see Weligrad fully occupied. Frirek moved next on the other Obotritian county of Rastokú, while Ulfr took the army now gathered in Stettin to advance on Wolgast, in an attempt to distract the enemy between them and ensure Frirek was not hung out to dry.
This seemed to work, as an army led by Mayor Boguchwal of Silesia moved to attack Ulfr from Wolgast three days later. Ulfr stood to take advantage of the river defence and await more reinforcements, as another army under under Duke Odon of Silesia broke their siege of Werle to join Boguchwal in Silesia. Together, this meant over half the enemy armies in the area were diverted east, while Frirek advanced north try to finish the war quickly.
Frirek arrived in Rastokú on 24 March, the enemy having withdrawn to the north, avoiding a pitched battle. Another siege fort was constructed to avoid attrition in the tribal lands. Over in Stettin, Ulfr’s 11,300 men now faced an enemy force of over 20,400, due to arrive between 30 March and 9 April. He made to retreat west to Stolp where more Russian levies were heading but would not be able to avoid battle.
The first phase of the Battle of Stettin saw the initial enemy force out numbered and attacking across a river and soon at a tactical disadvantage as Ulfr fought a delaying defence. Meanwhile, Frirek began successive assaults of the Yatvingian holdings in Rastokú at some cost, to hasten the end of the war. By 12 April, when Pentzellin fell, the second enemy wave had arrived in Stettin and Ulfr was now under enormous pressure. But if he could hold on, the war might be won soon.
A fierce melee was under way in the centre at Stettin, as Ulfr’s men inflicted heavy casualties on their attackers, holding their own well despite the large disadvantage in numbers. But yet another enemy reinforcement of over 8,400 men was due to arrive in just three days. To win, it was clear the last stronghold in Rastokú would need to be assaulted, but the attempt could not be launched until 18 April. By then, Ulfr faced over 32,000 enemy assailing his lines.
Frirek successfully stormed Malchin on 19 April 1039 and it was enough to force a Yatvingian capitulation to end the war. Ulfr had only lost around 1,400 men in 20 days of desperate defence, having bought the time needed to win the war and staged a deliberate withdrawal when the last enemy reinforcements had arrived on 15 April.
The peace saw the German land bridge almost completed. The spoils were given new Germanic names and distributed to the two most powerful regional landowners – the King of Sviþjod and Jarl of Brabant. And a diplomatic lesson had been taught that fortunately did not cost Russia too dearly.
Once more, all the levies were disbanded and so too the Victual Brothers, who had never been needed in the end. The Jomsvikings were also dismissed, to be immediately re-mustered in Holmgarðr where they could take on their new reinforcements more quickly. The Retinue troops spread through north Germany began to gather in at the newly renamed Rostock while the Jomsvikings headed to Livland, where ships would be sent to pick them up. The Russian threat level was again at its greatest height
[100%].
On 21 April part of the fleet docked in Rostock to deposit the last loot from Italy (72 gold). By 19 June, the rest of the Retinue (around 7,100 men) had gathered there, conducted a Sacred Raiding Toggle ceremony and began boarding the ships, heading into the Baltic to pick up Warchief Surt’s Jomsvikings as they headed to Livland. The Russian Empire had spread even further in the last few years. More was to follow.
8. General Events – November 1038 to June 1039
Empress Ylva gave birth to another child in November 1038, this time a boy, Hroðulfr’s second son. And from an early age, young Helgi’s brilliance was acclaimed.
And despite being the reputedly most brilliant spymaster of the time, even Ottarr the Shadow fell victim to a murder plot by a disgruntled courtier in late June 1039. He would eventually be replaced by a loyal and competent intriguer who had served as Spymaster in Finnmark.
8a. Builds
The steady influx of both tax and raiding income kept the Russian building boom going in Imperial demesne counties throughout the period. In Rouen, jousting lists (Level III) were completed on 8 October 1035, bringing that holding to its then maximum infrastructure capacity in technological terms.
Other constructions completed included stables (III) in Toropets (November 1035); now redundant jousting lists (III) in Meaux (Paris, October 1036) and an improved keep (III) in Torzhok (November 1036). In March 1038, extra funding allowed the commencement of a new keep (I) in Chudovo and castle walls (II) in Okulovka (Holmgarðr); an improved keep (III) in Toropets and stables (II) in Tana.
In July 1038, work started on expanded housecarl training grounds (III) in Torzhok. A month later, Paris saw housecarl training grounds (I) completed in Meaux and training grounds (II) commenced, while in Melun new stables (III) were completed and housecarl training grounds (II) commenced.
By April 1039 the county of Holmgarðr was one of the richest and most developed in the known world. The capital of Nygarðr had also reached its maximum technical level of development with the construction of expanded housecarl training grounds.
In May 1039, the new stables (II) in Tana were complete, with work starting on bigger barracks (II).
8b. Religion
After a couple of quiet years, conversions to Germanicism came in Trier (June 1037), Kandalax (January 1038) and by the Imperial Seer Ale of Jamborg to purge the Waldensian heresy from Évreux in March 1038, from where he was sent to do the same in Auxerre. Bourgogne converted in June 1039, so see the True Germanic Faith spread as widely (in some places further) as the Empire that promoted it.
AuthAAR’s Note. The next few years of the session were played through, so the next chapter will bring us up to date again.
