A Game of Thrones, a MP game

[Swuul]

This game is the newest attempt at the "Sunday morning games". With 1.03b out and the core of this gaming-group having stepped into the most obvious stupidities of MP, we hope *this* time we have it right

The game discussion thread can be found here, which also includes the discussions which led to the scenario we use.

The character-making rules we use can be found here.

PLAYERS
=======
Burgundy Sterkarm
England Jarkko
France Hyzenhok
Germany Patrucio
Hungary Solmyr
Poland Byakhiam


Gametime: Sunday 0300 GMT (which during daylight savingtime mean Saturday 2300 EST, or 0500 CET)


THE SETUP

In short, this scenario uses a slightly altered history. Germany has been split up, Gaels are united under one flag, Naples emerges as a power to be reckoned.

 

[Swuul]

England, the Before Action Report

In 1016, Knut, King of Denmark, had seized the kingdom of England by exploiting the bitter rivalries between king Aethelred Unraed (without counsel), his son Edmund Ironside and his closest advisors. Knut's takeover had not been unexpected: many English magnates had been aligning themselves for just such an eventuality - most important among them being Eadric, ealdorman of Mercia, whose treachery at the Battle of Ashingdon handed Knut the throne.

Eadric did not get quite the reward he expected. At the Christmas court of 1017, Knut stunned the English with the murder of ealdorman Eadric, his supporters and every member of Aethelred's royal family he could get his hands on. Only Edward and his brothers, the younger sons of Aethelred, survived. They fled to Normandy, where they took refuge with Duke Richard, father of their mother Emma.

In place of the murdered magnates, Knut installed his own men, both Danish and English, loyal to himself. The most prominent of these were Earls Leofric and Godwine, who prospered under the new Danish régime. They and their families had learned two valuable lessons from the Danish conquest: traitors were never trusted, but collaboration paid. Knut also secured his external position by marrying Emma, maintaining a link to the old régime and ensuring that the Duke of Normandy would not come out in favour of the dispossessed Edward.

Edward spent the next 30 years in exile under the protection of his grandfather, Duke Richard I of Normandy and his successors. Whilst there, he made several friends, among them Eustace of Boulogne and the Breton Ralph the Staller. On his return to England in 1042, as Edward the Confessor, he promoted many of these Frenchmen into positions of influence, as a counterbalance to the overweening power of the Godwine family.

The Godwines had prospered greatly while Edward was away. Under Knut and his successors, they had amassed so much land that they were second only in power and wealth to that of the King. So when Edward returned after the death of Knut's son, Harthaknut, he found his position hamstrung by Knut's old Earls. He tried to offset this by allying himself with Earls Leofric and Siward, the enemies of Godwine, and by promoting his own friends, a notorious group called the 'Frenchmen' who were made up of the Norman and French nobles with whom Edward had shared his young adulthood.

Meanwhile, Normandy was embroiled in its own succession crisis. Duke Richard's grandson, Robert, emerged in 1047 at the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes as the dominant power in Normandy, with his capital at Rouen, a prosperous trading settlement much like Viking Jorvik (York). Robert died in 1052, leaving a 5-year-old son, William as his heir. Roberts will was theat William would be sent to the monastery of Rouen, where Robert believed William would be safe from assasinations. However, William's early years were immersed in assassination and revolting vassals. Already at the age of 13 he directed the defence of the monastery of Rouen against the rebelling count Bernards assault. William learned to be suspicious. He very soon understood that reckless men died where temperate men emerged.

William was a large man, of exceptional strength and appearance. He was remarkably tall for a medieval man, standing at 5'10". He had inordinate strength, he could draw a bow that no other man could draw, whilst spurring on a horse.

He was also ruthlessly efficient, and thanks to his childhood valued personal loyalty and the unbreakable ties of the family above all else. To this end, he promoted his two half-brothers into key positions. Robert became Count of Mortain and Odo became Bishop of Bayeux.

In January 1066, King Edward "the Confessor" died. He was succeeded by the Earl of Wessex, Harold. Duke William of Normandy usurped the title, as he did have a legitimate claim on the title. Despite having seen a lot of action William of Normandy was only 19 years old when he set sail across the English Channel on 28th September 1066, with a fleet of knights, archers and horses.

King Harold of England had been waiting with an army in Sussex but was forced to march his army north to defeat an invasion by Harald Hardrada of Norway at Stamford Bridge. The invading Normans landed in Sussex, King Harold rushed his army south to meet William at Hastings. The armies were quite well matched numerically but William had the advantage in terms of cavalry. William's army were also fresh. The English lost the battle and King Harold died when a Norman arrow pierced his eye.

Various revolts against William (both English and Norman) were calmed by giving out land to dukes and counts. William thus cemented his rulership. Two months later William of Normandy was crowned King of England.

William did see to a few complete changes. The new counts and dukes are devotedly loyal to William, their rule depended on Williams good will. Also, French replaced English as the official language. C'est la vie.

 

[unmerged(21937)]

I am king of Naples, one of the most powerful men in the Mediterranean. My father would never have imagined this from his third son and as he has already died, may his soul rest in peace, I can never see his astonished face. Maybe when we meet in Heaven, if I ever end up in there. Well, if my father would be so suprised, you might ask how did I end up as the king I am now? Answering will take some time, but I guess you have some time, because you wouldn't have asked about my past if you were in a hurry, now would you?

My father was a knight in the county of Perigord in southern Francia. He was a rather unimaginative and modest man who was completely happy with his small manor and his village of subjects. My eldest brother Baudoin took very much after my father and I guess he still governs the manor and village in Perigord. I guess you have met my other elder brother Boson, who came to Naples after the news of my coronation spread. He was in luck though as I needed someone to replace that pesky Hauteville in Taranto... Well I shouldn't hurry with my story. I was the third son and my mother died shortly after giving birth to me.

Both my brothers had a clear path before them, Baudoin was to be the lord after my father and Boson would join the clergy. Now although my father named me after a famous king of Francia, I don't think he ever had any high hopes on me. I was sent to tutelage in arms with many other younger sons of local nobility, under lord Henri de Gourdon, marshal of count Boson Galen of Perigord. Henri was a good tutor and he made me realize my talents in the arts of war and commanding troops. By the time I was approaching adulthood, I was already predicted a successor to Henri as marshal of Perigord. But that wasn't what the fate had in store for me.

After I reached adulthood, I left my home after a fierce argument with my father. I never met him again. I travelled southeast into the lands of Toulouse and beyond, with my sword as my only companion. Then I heard news of war in Burgundy, as the lords of Burgundy had risen up in arms against their liege Heinrich, king of Germany. I heard Heinrich had clashed up with the Pope and got excommunicated, but after serving the burgundian lords, I can say they were just waiting for a excuse. Well, as I was very skilled in warfare I eagerly joined up with the burgundians. After the burgundian leaders quickly realized my value as a commander, I got a small troop of my own to command. They were a band of brigands and cutthroats pressed into service really, but I was able to turn them into an effective, if bloodthirsty fighting force.

With my band of warriors, I earned the respect of the duke of Provence and he entrusted me with a special duty. I was to sail with my small troop into Sicily, recently captured by the kingdom of Naples and force napolitans to pull back into their homes by making progress there. Naples was allied to the king of Germany. Well, as duke of Provence promised us good reward and we had heard that sicilian lasses were far more beautiful than german ones, we set sail. That proved to be a fateful decision that would change history.

In Sicily we found little resistance as the moslems living there had great dislike of the norman Hautevilles that had conquered them not so long ago. This dislike that was brooding on the island gave me the idea to raise the moslems in armed rebellion to support me, which they did earnestly after I promised them I would let them follow their religion in peace after the normans would be driven off. This worked so well that in few weeks no normans remained in Sicily and after the orthodox greeks also living on Sicily joined us, we crossed into mainland Naples. We finally met the norman Hauteville lords in battle at Taranto, but as they were weary after their march from Lombardia, we were able to rout their forces. In the weeks that followed, we caught up with the remaining Hautevilles and put them onto sword. After the normans were rid of, we were on a turning point again.

In the first place, we did came into Sicily as retainers of duke of Provence, but after our spectacular success, we would have been fools to give the crown of Naples to duke of Provence. Thus with the support of sicilian moslems and greeks and the lombards living in the mainland, I were crowned as king of Naples, by my very own brother Boson, who had hurried into Naples after hearing the news. I know he isn't Pope or even a bishop, but he's a good lad, though a bit dull-witted one and he was tutored in the monastery to be a priest.

I have recently heard that some of the Hautevilles yet live and have slain duke of Provence and declared themselves as kings of Burgundy. I suppose it's a kind of poetic justice, but they better keep their eyes away from Naples, unless they wish to follow their fathers to the grave.

 

[Swuul]

Please, use this thread for AAR's only. The discussion to the discussion thread, thank's

 

[Swuul]

In late 11th century Burgundy tore Naples apart. France took most lands in Iberia and created a super-France; however during 1108-1109 France fell apart in a massive civil-war, the former king only holding to the one province kingdom of Navarra. England has secured the Kingdom of Portugal, but back home is struggling in a civil-war. Germany grows steadily. Poland became a power to be reckoned until its king went mad. Hungary has had a hard time to produce a heir, but holds lots of land. Italy grabbed a piece of Tunis in 1070's, but fell to inactiveness after that.

More spesific information follows soon!

West Europe in 1109

 

[Swuul]

William de Normandie married Ede of Berwick in 1067. They had in all four children, and Ede did at times act as the Steward and the Spymaster of William. William had great confidence in Ede through out his life, and often many decissions can be said have been heavily influenced by Ede.

It was most likely by Ede's suggestion that the English langauge was approved as a legal language in William's court in 1076. William himself very seldom spoke English, but he learned the language rather well. The decission to use the English laguage decreased some tensions in England, altough the heavy scutage William was taxing his vassals with was not a source of popularity.

William had allied himself with the German King and the French King. When Germany went to war against the Pomeranian infidels William did answer the call of his friend. Counties of Rostock and Werle where added to the English Kingdom in 1070:ies.

The Pope had called christian men to arms in 1068, but Williams efforts against the pagans in Germany was not seen adequate enough. In 1076 The Pope demanded William to accept Church Supremacy in his lands or be excommunicated. William accepted and began gather troops and money for a crusade. As England was a very poor country William agreed to transfer the county of Rostock to Germany for a sum of 600d.

In Iberia Burgundy and France had made strong progress against the moslem held Spain. William launched an attack towards Portugal in 1078. Lisboa was liberated quickly, but then the Emirate of Badajoz counter-attacked. William was able to counter-manouver and destroy the opponent, while back in England his vassals stopped an invasion attempt by the Emir. In 1080 the war against the Emirate of Badajoz was over, with William looking as the strong candidate to be the King of Portugal.

However, in 1080 William withdrew from actively taking part in the European matters. William concentrated in building up the infrastructure of his lands and especially Churces, a project that was probably overseen by his wife Ede. <OOC: Missed the session 1080-1091 as I was in Stockholm at the Paradox con. AI handled the period internally well, and besides the session was only 11 years so not much harm done /OOC>

In 1091 the time of outwards inactivity abruptly ended. The French King had a break off with the English vassal count Hastings of Eu. King Capet had some petty disputes with the Count, and it led to a full scale war in 1093.

English troops were slow to move over the Channel, and Eu was rapidly annexed by France. Meanwhile in Spain English troops smashed the French troops there and took all French held lands. French troops lay siege to the English holdings in Normandy. William finally arrived with the 7100 men strong army in December and immediatly engaged Raoul's 6800 men. After a tense fight English troops drove France off the field, and gave pursuit. However the less armoured French troops proved to be too fast for the Englishmen. The morale of Raouls army was however decimated, and Raoul didn't use the army after that action.

William relieved the holds in Normandy, but a subsidary force of French troops had sneaked to London itself. Immediatly on getting news that London was besieged William ordered his troops back to England. London however did fall before William arrived. His capital in hostile hands and his beloved Ede held captive by the French, William did accept peace with France in 1095. Eu was returned to England, and Raoul promised his sister to be married to the English court. William and Raoul allied to further cement their relationship.

Count Hastings had escaped from Eu to Iberia. He was disappointed with William, and he loathed Raoul. He would eventually rise throught the ranks to become the count of Calatuyd.

In 1101 Ede died. William mourned his wife long. Williams advisors suggested William to get a new wife, but William didn't listen. His beloved Ede was gone, nothing could replace her.

In 1104 France mobilized troops and decided to unite all of Christian Spain under French flag. Raould Capet invaded Spain and took county after county. Guillaume Hastings ws plotting against Raoul, but Guillaume died in 1104 just before he was about to get his revenge. His son Jordan continued his fathers work however, and much mistrust was built against Raoul amongst his vassals.

On the field Raoul was unstoppable. County after county fell to him. William saw this as the moment to further his desire to become the King of Portugal. William joined his ally in the war against Spanish Galicia, and soon William controlled 8 of the 11 counties of Portugal, the last three being in moslem hands. Spanish Galicia however refused peace with William, and thus English troops took the lands of Spanish Galicia too. William was crowned as the King of Portugal and Spanish Galicia in 1107.

Raoul was the mightiest man in Europe. Jordan Hastings however complotted against him, and in 1107 France fell into an escalating civil-war. In England the dukes decided to follow the French example, and the duchy after duchy rebelled against William.

William had found an absolutely excellent marshall in the young Saracen called Ismail Salman. The fact that William put a moslem at the charge of his anti-rebellion troops was not greeted well. However William was already old of age, and he did trust the brilliant strategical and tactical advises of Ismail. William granted most of his lands to his sons, who remained devotedly loyal to their father. William led his troops and crushed the rebellers one after one, altough at one point the situation did seem bad when London was besieged by the duke of Cumberland.

King of Italy decided to help his ally William, and they called their ally Byzantium to their side. With horror Willia recieved the word that thousands of Italians and Greeks were seen disemarking from their ships in York. William doubled his efforts, but despite that Derby was taken by Italians.

In 1109 William was clearly winning the civil-war. Only remnants of Cumberland and the bishop of Avranches were resisting anymore. Raoul capet had not survived as well. Raoul had lost the crown of France to his brother, who had no longer any holdings in France itself. France remains in total anarchy.

 

[Sterkarm]

OOC: Sorry about no screens, and this is kind of old since I missed last session (router can't connect via IP).

The Kingdom of Burgundy has developed since the de Hautevilles took power. We have taken lands from moslems in Iberia, including Cadiz, Sevilla, Algeciras, Murcia, and others. I, William, have had many sons and daughters, and, the eldest, Osmond, has shown great military skill. Unfortunately, with all his training, he has become distraught and stressed. I fear it may worsen... however, tension has now grown greater between the Kingdom of Italy and our kingdom. Claims have been discovered on Lombardia and on their vassal's land, Lucca. Finally, the tension came to a head, and we invaded, with Osmond and I leading two seperate armies, one to Lucca and one to Lombardia. After overrunning the forces of Italy, the provinces were taken, however many men were lost at the massive battle of Lombardia, as I lead the troops into battle, seeing that we were outnumbered greatly.

Soon after marrying Berta of Frankonia, Osmond became depressed. It was a dire time for us all...

Then, the King of Naples declared war on the Pope himself. I had warned him before that taking Rome meant war. He did not heed that warning. Soon, a massive campaign was launched to re-instate the Papacy in Rome. Again, myself and Osmond lead the two armies. I went down to Naples itself, and Osmond laid siege to the county of Livorno, a posession of the King of Naples. Just when the siege was about to be complete, the Army of Naples landed on the shore of Livorno. The ensuing battle was both a great and a dark hour for Burgundy. Osmond lead the troops into battle, quickly punching through the numerically superior Napolians. The King of Naples himself lead them. After days of battle, the Burgundians and Normans had the upper hand, and they were nearly victorious.

However, a great blow was struck both to me and my country... Osmond was killed in the midst of battle. Not by Napolian soldiers, he was far too great of a warrior for that. He died from an assassin, shooting him with an arrow from a great range. The Napolians had to pay for this atrocity. Immediately, all counties under my control were pillaged. I flew into a rage, however, once Jordan, Osmond's brother, took control, the battle was still won, and the Napolians were left without an army. After taking control of all of Naples, de Turenne, King of Naples died and we were forced to re-occupy the provinces.

However, in the end, we took the titles of King of Naples, Count of Livorno, and Count of Roma, however, we gave Rome back to the Papacy. Little else happened, until I thwarted an assassination attempt on myself, by the King of Hungary. I doubt, though, that he wanted me dead. He was known as a mercenary assassin...

 

[Sterkarm]

I am growing old, and my sons are almost all dead. My grandsons are skilled, yet not in the art of war as I am... I must marry again, and perhaps that son can take the throne. If not, my line may fail.

 

[Solmyr]

The ascension of Istvan II, youngest brother of the late Salamon, to the Hungarian throne was initially greeted with enthusiasm. Though obviously ruthless and selfish, the new King was expected to increase Hungarian power. In this, the nobles were absolutely correct.

Istvan began his reign by establishing amicable relations with his powerful neighbor, the German Kaiser Wulfgang. He was thought to also have contacts in many other European courts. Istvan soon became infamous for maintaining a cadre of secret agents for missions of espionage and even assassinations. The death of the heiress of Leon, married to a son of the King of Naples, was only one event among many that were blamed, rightly or wrongly, on Istvan "the Knife".

But the King, though not a great military leader, was no fool on the battlefield either. His first crusade was an unparallelled success, seeing the destruction of the pagan Pecheneg khanate and incorporation of its lands into greater Hungary. A few years later, seeing an opportunity in the German-Neapolitan attack against Italy, Istvan seized the rich city of Venice, making it the greatest city of his kingdom. Even later, Istvan pressed Hungarian claims on Moravia, taking the county of Ostrava from Bohemia and adding it to his royal demesne.

But the curse of the sons of Andras I seemed to plague Istvan as well. His Croatian wife, Neda Trpimirovic, gave him only two children, a son Andras and a daughter Eszter. At a young age prince Andras made a journey around the realm, but in the Pecheneg lands he caught an illness, which soon developed into pneumonia. Though Istvan tried to secure his inheritance by arranging marriages between Andras and the German princess Heilwiva, as well as between Eszter and Albrecht, the German heir-apparent, fate was evil to him. Prince Andras died, having sired no children of his own, and Istvan himself became very depressed. Many whispered that it was God's punishment for his evil actions. Increasingly, it looked like Markvard, grandson of the new Kaiser, would become the next Hungarian King, and the country would become yet another part of the Empire.

But the nobles of the realm had other ideas. They pressured for the Arpads to remain on the throne. In particular, two factions formed to support the two main claimants.

The first, Duke Ansuro "the Spaniard" of Slovakia, had the best claim by virtue of Arpad primogeniture (he was the eldest grandson of Geza, King Istvan's late cousin). However, his case was weakened because of his preference for Spanish culture, his lack of sons, and his infestation of worms. Also his brother and closest heir, Nikifor, favored Russian culture far too much, and many nobles were wary of allowing foreign influences into Hungary.

The second claimant was Laszlo "the Old", Duke of Temes, also a cousin of King Istvan. His claim was boosted by his many sons, grandsons, and even soon-to come great-grandsons. He was also an excellent military leader, and would have the skill needed to maintain and expand the Hungarian lands. However, he was fifteen years Istvan's senior, and many thought that he would not live to inherit the throne; and many of his sons did not measure up to his skill.

Finally, another of Istvan's cousins, Duke Lampert "the Mad" of Moldau, was not considered to be a serious claimant.

 

[unmerged(21937)]

Today we will be learning about kings of Poland in late 11th century and early 12th century. As we learned in our last lecture the reign of Boleslaw "the Bold" Piast was a time for new polish improvement and prosperity. Unfortunately Boleslaw's children weren't quite as talented as Boleslaw. When Boleslaw died in 1091, he was succeeded by his eldest legitimate son, Mszczuj the Mad. His madness wasn't apparent right away and he embarked on several small crusades in Prussia and southern Lithuania, but some time after the formation of Teutonic Knight Order, Mszczuj succumbed into madness in his mid twenties. Luckily as church was the biggest landowner in Poland those days, his zealous actions in the past were sufficient to keep the realm intact. Only somewhat rebellious lord was his very own bastard brother, eldest son of Boleslaw, Stefan the Leper.

Mszczuj wasn't without any heirs though, as his first marriage with the daughter of Wulfgang of Frankonia bore him three children and his second marriage with a daughter of the Arpad family in Slovakia bore him even more. Thus the reign of Mszczuj the Mad wasn't too destructive to Poland, when we remember that during his times the kingdom of France was shattered by a mighty civil war. The greatest works that still remind us of Mszczuj the Mad are the three Towers of Babylon he built in Krakow to honor his passed first wife.

During our next lecture we will look into the successors of Mszczuj the Mad, please don't miss that lecture either.

Mszczuj the Mad, a painting from 1109.

Stefan the Leper, a painting from 1109.

 

[Hyzhenhok]

The Fall of the Capets​

In the year of our Lord, 1066, a young king sat on the throne of France. His name was Bertrand, and was as yet unproven, save his skills in accounting. In his reign, he would lead France to becoming the most powerful nation in Europe. At his death in 1092, at the age of 47, he was dubbed 'Bertrand the Wise'. Indeed, he did bring much strength to France.

Bertrand the Wise

Nothing lasts forever. Bertrand's son, Raoul, would inherit the throne upon his father's death. Bertrand was quite an able ruler, despite being an admittedly hopeless spender. He waged successful war against England and advanced France's infrastructure. However, his ambition would destroy what was the great Kingdom of France.

Raoul the Ambitious, Raoul the Cursed, or Raoul the Fool

His actions would cause his father's legacy to fall apart. After annexing the Kingdoms of Castille and Leon, France's vassals were in an uproar. Not much later, Raoul was revealed to have assassinated his own flesh and blood. In short, the Kingdom of France, Navarra, Aragon, Castille and Leon quickly fell. Raoul's uncle, the Duke of Cordoba, even managed to wrench the title 'King of France' from Paris, despite only holding muslim territory around Cordoba. Within a year of the first revolt, Capetian France was gone. In its place was a mess of independent Dukes. In desperation, Raoul had given his son Almaric the Kingdom of Aragon, but it too fell apart. In a single generation, France had gone from the most powerful nation in Europe to nothingness.

The fall of a great legacy

(Sorry, it was much longer, but the internet ate it. )

 

[Swuul]

In early 12th century Burgundy followed the steps of France (take too much christian land + get kinslayer = go the way of dodo). England continues the horrible civil war for the third generation, but have still succeeded to smack back invasion attempts from Germany, Croatia and Hungary. Poland underwent a pesonal union with Lithuania for a Poland-Lithuania under the Piasts. Hungary and Germany keep growing. Italy consolidated itself as a great power amongst the great powers under the ruling if d'Este. Moslems pushed back to Iberia into the power-vacuum left after the collapse of the France of Capets.

Stay tuned for more information!

Europe in 1124
(sorry, forgot the forts, noticed them only after I had uploaded the file already, I'll make a new one without them at some point)

 

[Solmyr]

The first quarter of the twelfth century saw the nobles of Hungary pressuring the King to allow the election of one of the Arpad dukes to succeed him. Some question just how much Istvan was "pressured" to do it. Still, the German Kaiser Wilhelm, whose grandson Markvard would have otherwise inherited the Hungarian throne, seemed not to press the matter, especially after his own conflicts with Burgundy and England, rebellious vassals, and Markvard's excommunication.

Though depressed, Istvan continued his power plays in European politics. Joining the German attack on the disintegrating Burgundy, he forced the Hautevilles to renounce their claim on the Hungarian throne, though he was cheated out of his claim on Livorno, which the Hautevilles gave to Italy. Some time later, Hungarian assassins disposed of Stefan Piast, leprous brother of the Polish king, most likely with the latter's consent.

In the meantime old duke Laszlo of Temes died, and his son Imre inherited him, now becoming the strongest claimant on the Hungarian throne. Imre was a schemer of the first sort, even more so than Istvan himself. Imre's eldest son Lajos, bishop of Fejer, however, did not share his skills, having gone mad some time before. In the early 1120s, Lajos was slain by an assassin's blade. No blame could be pinned by anyone, though it was known that neither Istvan nor Imre held any love for Lajos nor wanted him to ever ascend the throne.

In early 1123, seeing his kingdom strong and prospering, Istvan became less depressed and his spirits lifted. A week later, the old King died happy. Thus passed Istvan the Knife, giving way to his successor Imre I the Shadow.

 

[Solmyr]

The short reign of Imre I the Shadow saw some increase in Hungarian power. The alliance with Germany was maintained despite the denial of inheritance, possibly because no love was lost between Kaiser Wilhelm and his grandson Markvard, the former heir-to-be to Hungary. Despite little skill at military campaigns, Imre still decided to pursue an old claim made by Istvan. In mid-1120s, he employed skilled commanders and led his army to claim the crown of Croatia. The Croatian king, faced with overwhelming might, quickly surrendered and yielded his crown; he was allowed to keep the duchy of Zara as his domain.

At first, Imre favored his second (and eldest surviving) son Tivadar as his heir. But soon, the King changed his mind, and left Tivadar only the county of Feher while making his fourth son Tamas the Duke of Wallachia and Temes and the heir-apparent.

In 1128, after ruling for only five years, Imre died of old age, leaving the throne to Tamas. The new King was in many ways the opposite of his two predecessors - a kindly, trusting man, he was soon called Tamas the Good.

Despite his nice qualities, Tamas was an excellent military commander. For several decades now, many exiled members of the Rurikovich dynasty had been living at the Hungarian court, and Tamas decided to mount a campaign on behalf of their claims. His army marched across the Dniepr, fighting the strongest Russian ruler, the Prince of Moskva. From him, the wealthy city of Pereyaslavl was soon wrested, and the Prince was forced to recognize the Hungarian claims.

In 1133, Tamas' older brothers, Tivadar and Balint, died one after the other, thus making him secure against rival claims on the throne. Balint was even beatified by the Pope for his virtuous life.

Tamas, like his father, maintained an alliance with Germany as well as Norway. This axis was countered by an alliance between Italy and Poland, and tensions soon rose along the borders...

 

[Swuul]

Europe in 1137

 

[Sterkarm]

I am William Stewart, sufferer of many illnesses... I have been wishing death upon myself for many years, so that my sons may have something to govern, and so that my pain will end. However, my guards do not believe in euthanasia, and will not allow assassins to harm me. My kingdom was torn apart when I fell ill, but my eldest son, Archibald, was given Iberia and Ireland, yet even his kingdom lies in turmoil now.

However, before all this happened, I took much territory in both England and Iberia. Hopefully now that my English allies have gained territory from my rebellious vassals, they will help me rebuild my realm, and not destroy it in its weakness. My assassination attempt on my wife started this all, but she was an excommunicated heretic who practiced the art of the druids! Alas, I can only hope that my death will come soon, so that my son may start a new kingdom in Iberia...

 

[Solmyr]

The rest of the reign of Tamas the Good passed without major events. The king's Piast wife gave birth to two more sons, Janusz and Lajos, at quite an advanced age, in evidence of the famous Piast fertility. Tamas also established some connections to the distant Gaelic kingdom, feeling pity for its sickly, weakened king.

At first, Tamas favored his eldest son Tibor as his heir. But Tibor's grandson Zoltan became quite a poor soldier, unlike Tamas himself, and the King became disappointed with him. A few years before his death, Tamas stripped Tibor of all titles and began to favor his youngest son Lajos as his heir. Upon coming of age, Lajos was married to Filippa Trpimirovic, daughter of the Duke of Zara and great-granddaughter (through her grandmother) of Fulco d'Este, King of Italy. Upon the death of Tamas, Lajos received the crown of St.Istvan in the Esztergom cathedral.