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will the AAR be in Portuguese or the title is just to cause an effect?/vai ser em portugues ou o titulo é só pra causar efeito?

It's in the English forum, so guess.

IIRC didn't you write a Bourbon Vicky II AAR about a year ago queenimperiale? I remember it was quite good, but sadly you abandoned it very early. If so, I hope this one is just as good and ten times as long! :)
 
Good luck queenimperiale.:)
 
Subscribed, sounds fun. :)
 
Since I picked the same county as my first dive-in to CK series, I'll have to subscribe and see how things work out from your perspective (and maybe pickup some hints along the way :) )

Good luck!
 
I'm playing the Bragança dynasty in my game too :p But unfortunately they're all swedish culture now :(

In case you're interested for the AAR, this is the coat of arms of the house of Bragança (note that this dynasty is different from the one that later would get the portuguese throne). It's very obscure, even in specific portuguese sources ;)

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Thanks everyone for the (good) luck! Yeah, I was working on a Bourbon Vicky II but that one crashed (I blame Mac porting!). This will be entirely in English and will have a post this weekend!

UPDATE: I wanted to apologize if the screenshots look a bit distorted. When cutting and pasting for some reason the pics darkened the faces, particularly around the spots where certain parts could be "inherited" by the later generation (I don't know the proper term of it so forgive me). To ensure continuity I decided to edit them all. Hope you and enjoy...and sorry if you go blind! ;)
 
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Introduction

How do you measure the glories of a ruler? Is it among the holdings he possesses, the riches in his coffers, his devotion to the Church, or his ability as a diplomat? Where history remembers one or indeed a few of the his or her triumphs, those who receive such epithets of ‘le Grand’ or ‘the Merry’ or ‘the Good’ are those who carefully mastered several qualities - personally and politically. But when history - and, for many historians - it is difficult to measure the man known as Ferñao of Braganza. We must remember that many tales of the earlier medieval period were part truth but mostly tales. We must also remember that, despite the lack of media such as newspapers and radio, rulers of this period were quite adept at propaganda. But from the records written by his contemporaries and courtiers, it is sometimes baffling to separate fact from fiction. Or, for that matter, his virtues from his sins. Where chroniclers wrote of his triumphs over the Moors in the 1070s, praised as “an excellent knight in all of Christendom”, it is met with tales of his devious behavior, murdering his infant son to ensure his estates were not divided. Where he is praised for his Christian virtues, tales of his affair with the wife of his most trusted advisor survived. Miserly versus monkish, pious versus political - who was the real Ferñao of Braganza?

Regardless of the tales and chronicles, Ferñao is seen most importantly as a nationalist. A Portuguese serving a Catalan, Ferñao is described as a man who understand the anger and plight of his fellow “countrymen” - as such a term is unfamiliar in those days - and fought for their rights. In one tale, originating during the late years of Count Nuno II of Portugal, wrote how the count himself regretted not rising up against the Garcia II ‘the Unready’, becoming nothing more than a puppet. Such was the destiny of Ferñao of Braganza. When he died in 1088, the 50-year-old Ferñao would be described as “a man born of small wealth and little notice, but died in great splendor.” As he never received an epithet - surprisingly, neither positive or negative - he had several titles: Count of Braganza, Lord of the Algarves, and, most importantly, King of Portugal. He may not have been the most pious or most popular, but his ability to rally men blindly behind his cause certainly shows he was a politician of great prestige. And on his deathbed his kingdom, and his royal dynasty, was becoming a dominant player in the peninsula.

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From Portuguese noble to Portuguese King - Ferñao I of the House of Braganza
 
Nice start.:) What makes a man? Such an universal question.
 
Much better start than my first run at the Count of Braganaca --- the infidels from the south swept up and overran the entire western coast of the iberian penninsula --- it was game over in about 10 years! My second start (post-patch, might have something to do with it) is going better...a few wars between the various brothers in the penninsula, but the muslims are busy fighting amongst themselves too...so other than assisting my liege in a few battles, I've been allowed a bit of time to grow....good luck on your continued run!
 
Ferñao I of Braganza, Part 1


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Ferñao I of Braganza

Born: 1038, Braganza Castle ; Crowned: 1086, Chapel of All Saints, Braganza Castle; Died: 1088, Braganza Castle; Buried: Chapel of All Saints (transferred to Nossa Senhora Cathedral, 1095)

Married: 1067, Coruña: Maior, daughter of Garcia IV, King of Navarre: 2 children (1 survived childhood)

Titles: King of Portugal & Lord of the Algarves, 1085; Duke of Beja, 1069; Lord of Braganza, 1048​

There is no particular element which gave this minor nobleman the opportunity to establish the kingdom of Portugal. The ineffective rule of King Garcia II ‘the Unready’, the great fatigue of war, and the influence of the other Iberian kingdoms did have their part. But we must also give credit to Ferñao’s personality. Whether the chronicles are accurate is hard to discern, but they no doubt lend us some background.

Little is known on the actual background of the first undisputed King of Portugal. He inherited his possessions from his father at a young age, and was greatly influenced by his mother. According to a thirteenth century manuscript, his mother hailed from Eastern Europe; his maternal uncle was a King of Georgia (although this claim is still disputed). Evidence suggests he was a ward of Count Nuno II and would later serve as his right-hand man on the battlefield; despite his youth, he received the loyalty of any and all men under his command. The legend was already maturing.

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The making of a King? Ferñao's marriage to Princess Maior of Navarre may have aided in legitimizing his influence and possibly setting his future as the first King of Portugal.


What has been a mystery in the mythos is the peculiar marriage to Maior (b. 1046), younger daughter of King Garcia IV of Navarre. As there are no details into the dowry she brought with her, what we can assume is this was an arranged marriage - although uncertain if this was for political reasons. As a member of the Navarre branch of Jimenez, the princess was a cousin of the king of Galicia, Garcia II, thus strengthening the bond between the noble and the king. Equally peculiar was the latter’s marriage to one Ava de Castelo Branco, whom historians believed was a Braganza kinswoman, but there are no extant records to confirm. Regardless, what we can confirm is a more intimate relationship with Garcia II; although the role of knight-marshal was filled by Count Nuno, we could assume Ferñao was at his side. But when the king declared war on the emir of Badajoz on 8 March 1067 command was given not to Nuno but his right-hand man. Just a few days after Ferñao himself formally declared war on the emirate.

Ferñao’s “personal” declaration of war, if actual, is an interesting notion. While feudal lords by custom could do as they wish, the fact a lord-tenant of a tenant-in-chief was able to make his own declaration would explain the ineffectual rule of the Galician King. Nevertheless, his unofficial appointment as commander of the forces benefited the king and his country, carrying out successful campaigns over the course of several months. While one chronicler wrote the territories of Beja were under his command by the end of 1067, a surviving tapestry commissioned sometime in the 1080s - perhaps celebrating his accession as King - showed Ferñao fighting at the Battle of Guadeloupe in late 1067. This battle was significant for the war as Galician forces utterly destroyed the Emir’s army. At the end of the Guadeloupe Tapestry it shows Emir Abu-Bakr supplicating before Ferñao, where he offered the lands west of the famous victory “to the most Excellent Lord Ferñao.” Within two years Galicia - and Ferñao’s influence - grew tremendously.


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Cessation of Beja Holdings, 1067-8



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Western Iberia, 1068