AARgau - The beginning of the Habsburgs (screenshot heavy)
Part One:
The good old days of the Habsburgs
Foreword:
This is my first time playing Crusader Kings II. I’m a total newb so I have no idea how anything will turn out. I’m gonna roleplay and try to do stuff that my character would have. So this will be interesting
Habsburg in the county of Aargau:
Habichtsburg, which means Hawk Castle, were in 1066 a power-center in this little germanic county, where the river Aar flows through the fertile valleys surrounded by many woods. The castle was built by Radbrot my father, who has passed away. It’s close to the upper parts of the Rhein which floats between Basel and Schaffenhausen. Peasants are living in small huts around the countryside where they are growing crops, and sometimes growing angry.
The Aargau county is ruled by my family, the Habsburgs, and we have two vassals within the county. The bishopric of Basel who is ruled by the church under Bishop Ebenhard, and in Schaffenhausen Mayor Amadeus, an influential local noble who owns most of the town, has appointed himself and pledged allegiance to the Habsburgs. Traders are frequently traveling in and out of this town on the muddy paths that leads to other counties.
Historical note:
This is how it looked like in the real world rather than the game map.
Pink are the possesions of Habsburg dynasty around 1200 AD though.
- Hello I am Werner and I’m the boss around here. Everybody looks up to me, so don’t imagine anything. I am going to tell you the story about me and my family. Here is my family tree:
A proper introduction might be in order:
Werner von Habsburg, Count of Aargau
- I am 41 years old and a kind and patient guy, and some say that I am a tough guy with decent military and diplomatic skills. Some people think I can be a bit cynical at times, but thats just them being jealous. I have a wife and two kids, Otto at 6, and little Ida at 2. They are my most precious possessions. I also have a sister and she is married to the Count of Bern , the head of the Lenzburg family. This alliance is good to have I think.
- I am married to Reginlind, and I know she would be most displeased if i didn’t introduce her as well, so here you go. About your questions about her deadly sins I just have one thing to say: No comment! She is a very cunning lady and I dare not have her upset. She is educated and smart. I cannot even read, so I have another guy writing this story for me. Countess Reginlind:
- Well, to be honest I am not the real boss.
The real boss is my liege, the 16 year old Kaiser Heinrich IV and perhaps his boss again is the 18 year old Kaiserin Bertha? Who’s really running things in todays politics are not easily answered, but I regard the Kaiser as very honourable! His regards of me are not so good, but not bad either. How much this matters in our case remains to be seen.
- We have several dynasties around here, and my dynasty needs to be the strongest. However, we have the duchies of Lorriane and Carinthia to north of us and several other counties all around us. My boss would surely want us all to work toghether nicely within his empire and not make any trouble, and of course I agree with him, but I am not so sure because there are many ambitiuos people around here.
September:
- First off, I decided to arrange a marriage for our 2 year old daughter. It can never be too early to plan ahead could it? Rudolf my nephew, is the eldest son of the count in Bern, a 22 year old intrigeous guy. He will have to wait 14 years however before he can marry her. If both of them survive that long they would have children who would be heirs to the county of Bern, our neighbours. The are cousins, so it would work out well I think!
- While I am at it, I proceed with arranging a marriage for our eldest son with the daughter of an austrian duke, Adelheid von Babenberg. This is a very prestigeous thing, and having some relations in Austria could perhaps be a good idea. Who knows?
- Ok, I will tell you the truth about my wife. I really don’t like her!
She is gluttonous and envious, sitting up all night eating, or sneaking around in all kinds of places when I hide the food. She doesnt seem to hate me though and she gave me me 2 kids, but soon she is getting to old to have anymore kids, and I have no idea what I should do.
October:
The Empire goes to war:
Kaiser Heinrich IV has declared a holy war on these pommeranians on the northern coast.
Heathen scum under high chief Siemomysl, are now marching directly into the empire! This is a far away war and the emperor havent requested anything of me so I suppose it will be handled swiftly and I would not have to worry about it.
- So instead I managed my own staff and focused on policies of the county.
Chaplain Baldermar was sent off to improve relations with the bishop of Basel.
Marshal Amadeus of Schaffenhaus was ordered to train troops in case of any trouble, while Steward Jacob was ordered to collect local taxes.
I sent my most trusted spymaster Siegfried von Aargau to look for any suspicious activity going on inside our county. He asked me particulary about my wife and I did not reply directly. Instead I shrugged and told him to ”do whatever you think is neccessary”, and gave him permission to investigate my closest circle.
November:
Chancellor Sieghart von Laufenberg seemed highly anxious to get something done, and I had not found a proper task for him, but today I sent him to our neighbours in Neuchatel to forge some claims on titles there which are held by Count Ulrich von Neuenberg, a nobleman who we have no relation to at all. I suspect him of being a rival so it’s best to have some leverage. I hope this does not lead to a war. He could just give me some holdings and I would be thankful.
Not much else happened during this year.
January:
Baldemar was very successul in his mission of coercing the Bishop of Basel, and this assures he doesn’t pay his gold earnings to the Pope, and gives them to me instead.
February:
What to do with this wife of mine? I am sure she is up to something bad, or is it just the power who is making me paranoid? I considered divorce but my envy couldn’t even enter the Vatican city. When they heard where he came from, the guard captain just told him that ”we don’t take kindly to your kind of people around here”. Sooo... I need to get rid of her somehow. I cannot let my feelings get in the way of this. If it is God’s will to take her to his heavenly kingdom then why doesnt he give me a sign?!!
March:
Small signs of the spring appeared. The snowstorms in the alps still sent gushes down to us. I was poor and earning too little to afford any grand festivities.
Now I was preparing new laws and must sort out a way to increase income.
April:
The greedy Burgermeister Amadeus in Schaffhausen has put way too much of the city tax income into his own pockets. There were reports from the town that he taxed them hard and spent the money buying expensive tapestries and genovese fashion clothes that only dukes and kings could afford to have. There were also rumors about him funneling money into his secret occult sect. He is a mystic man, but nonetheless our loyal vassal and a great asset. So it’s time to change how things work around here. In short terms: He tax them had, I tax him harder.
May:
Despite his annoyances at the new taxation laws, the mystic Burgermeister is also our Marshal and he did a great job training troops. I almost feel like giving him some compensation.
-A plot is growing!
Spymaster Siegfried approached me last night saying that he could take care of the trouble I had with my wife, if I was willing to take the sole responsibility if something went wrong. I was very troubled to start with, but he told me that she was indeed a risk to my own security and even the kids. They could perhaps come to harm, since we had no idea what she was up to. I asked him what he knew, but he had discovered no ill-doings of my wife’s designs. Nevertheless my gut-feeling was I could not keep her around any longer. We both knew she was a danger to the whole dynasty. He told me not to speak to my spiritual advisors or anybody about my qualms. I replied to him as usual that he must do ”whatever is neccessary to ensure my the security of me and my heir”, but that I didnt want to know anything. Then he bowed graciously, saying nothing, and left in a hurry.
June:
Honorary titles awarded:
Burgermeister Amadeus von Schaffenhausen is awarded Master of the Hunt. This comes with a wage increase and is surely an adequate compensation for the increased tax burden. Bishop Ebenhardt von Basel is awarded High Almonder and is now given a wage increase to use for helping the poor. I am sure he will spend the money wisely and help many orphans!
At the moment I was more concerned about my own kids. One day my 3-year old daughter came crying with a blue eye and a bleeding nose. She made a lot of commotion and I had to send the councillous home for the day. They looked at eachother with serious, yet questioning faces as they were leaving. I knew this was the works of my wife Reginlind. I tried to talk with her about it, but then she spat in my face and ran.
July:
My son was terrified today, and after lots of questioning, he told me his mother had pointed a knife at him, after he came back from a break with his tutor. Countess Reginlind had then left for almost the entire day and was spotted talking to some unknown peasants. Why would she do such a thing?
My attention was taken away from the matter by a courier who arrived with a letter and some charts from some imperial bureaucrats. It was describing the situation within the Holy Roman Empire. The letter did not make any demands, and was more of an informative note. As I cannot read, and I didn’t even dare to ask my wife, I had to call the chaplain to read it. He said that the situation within the empire is stable, but with some peasant discontent in certain parts, while the war with the heathens in Pommerania is at a stalemate. However the Swedish kingdom has entered the war, and are also trying to subdue the heathens but their armies are considered weak.
More alarmingly the chaplain went on about an warband led by the Duke of Savoy sieging the bishopric of Valais, a small province in the Alps near our allies in Bern. The prince-bishop was in fact a lowly peasant who had risen thought the ranks of the church and had no support amongst the nobilites. So the Duke of Savoy had legal claims to do so, but our chaplain said it was an unchristian thing to do and tried to encourage me to take action to help the poor cleric. I had no means to do so, but told him to monitor the situation closely.
August:
The plot grows!
My Chancellor’s wife Adelheid von Hohenstaufen approached me early this morning as I was taking a bath in leaky tub out in the courtyard. The weather was brilliant and all I could think about was how good God had been to me to give me a noble birth so I did not have to go to work like all those peasants who were now out in the fields sweating in the sun. I told her to come and speak her mind, not minding I was naked in the tub. The guards were sitting 50 paces away playing some sort of game with rocks, but threw their toys and went in upright stance as she came closer, but I just waved to them to let them continue their childish games. I knew I could throw her to the ground and disarm her, without breaking a sweat, but Adelheid was a former swabian courtier that I had arranged for my chancellor. She spoke about how much she hated my wife and suddenly my suspicions about her intentions were washed away. Almost like the water in the tub that had cleansed my concience this morning. I told her to speak to spymaster Siegfried and ask the word ”cake?” and it was like we both understood what was going to happen. Minutes after she left, a loud bang echoed between the sunny hills, and then the sky went gray. As the rain started pouring I ran inside the castle fearing only one thing: The wrath of God!
September:
- The plot changes course
While I had no idea what was going on, the spymaster had been working very hard and he asked me for approval to use more trusted persons within my own circle to complete his mission. I told him as usual that he must do what’s neccessary. He told me that the easiest way would be to kill her.”Kill her??” I replied. ”Are there no other ways?” but deep inside I knew that it was my dark wish that she died. ”The plan must be changed to meet the current situation” he told me, and he would use support from both the bishop and steward to create a cover story.
The rest of the year went on with not much happening
A procession of entertainers happily marching through Schaffhaussen
January:
I was on my horseback overseeing the training of some pikemen together with my marshal, as four riders came galloping through the snowy fields. We set up our men in defensive position, and they lowered their sharp glaives standing firmly shoulder by shoulder. Our actions were of no consequence as the lead rider stopped and jumped off his horse plummeting into the snow. After he had got on his feet again, we recognized the black eagle on his tabard. An imperial envoy again. What could he want with us this time?
As he approached me he smiled in his frosted beard breathing heavily and pulled out a leather satchel. ”Gift from Bamberg!” he said and proceeded asking about lodgings in my fief. All four looked tired so I told them politely to come to my castle for supper and we rode back toghether. I was a bit excited about what was in this leather satchel but he insisted I should wait until we got back.
When we had got indoors where there was a nice hot fire prepared for us and a cask of beer, he smiled even more in his great beard and handed me the leather satchel. I pulled out alot of papers but the envoy told me it was just succession laws and judicial stuff that he understood nothing about, and pointed on a particular letter with an imperial seal on it. The envoy then asked if I could read it. ”I am sorry, I cannot read Latin” I replied. I had never got any education outside of german customs, as I was raised by military tacticians.
He looked at me slightly embarrassed saying ”Neither can I. Not many can” then I called for the chaplain who was our best scribe and after a short time he arrived and we handed him the document. ”I have never seen anything like this before” he broke out. Curiously, he started reading the title ”Imperial Edict MCCIIX” and then his eyebrows raised as he was translating for us:
”The election results regarding the succession of the Duchy of Thüringia were clear. Due to the instability, incompetence, and other unmentioned controversies of your opposing candidates, you were the only viable candidate left. It was easy for me convince the other dukes that you should have this title. Due to the complexity of the matter regarding our election laws, which you probably do not understand anything about, I have attached a series of documents for you to read. Rest assured that with this title comes both responsibilities and privilegies, and you are required to read all the documents that follows to understand how this empire works. Congratulations! Yours truely, Imperator Heinrich IV”
I could not believe what I was hearing and everybody in the room were just sitting there puzzled staring into the roof, saying nothing. Then our maiden came in and poured us another tankard of beer and we called out in choir ”Prosit!” Afterwards the bearded man came to me and put a rope on my head, and I broke out “how dare you! Are you trying to kill me?” but he just smiled and said he was measuring my head to make a fitting crown. I could not object to this. The left the next morning and told me a crown would be sent very soon.
February:
The conspiracy was increasing in strength, as several members of the court supported it.
March and April:
The following months I had my chaplain teach me about the stuff in these documents. It was some brain-twisting stuff that a warrior like me was not used to at all, but I figured a few things out of all his lectures: I was now an elector. I could, as the other dukes, also appoint a candidate as successor to the imperial throne! And give support to form new laws within the Holy Roman Empire.
I could also choose a candidate for the Duchy of Thüringia, the title that I now held. Moreover, as the newly elected Duke, I had no law-giving powers regarding my own succession yet, but in 10 years I would be granted law-giving powers. But as it is now in a decentralized empire, there will be a reelection the day I die, so I nominate my young son Otto for this.
May:
Pommeranian chieftains surrenders and give the Holy Roman Empire the province of Stettin. That place is full of heathens but I am sure the emperor has a plan for them.
However, with the new comes the possibility of new land. I would now be able to claim the holdings in Thüringen, but this would lead to war with a bigger duchy, as the count of Thüringen currently is a vassal of Duke Otto of Meissen.
June:
I sent a courier to Bamburg with the nomination of my 8 year old son Otto von Habsburg, to inherit the landless duchy. Not long after, I got the support from both local count there and the Emperor himself. Meanwhile savoyese troops are done sieging Valais and can call themselves conquerors of big big mountains! This is causing fear and debate in my council and everyone is looking at them.
July:
Spymaster proposes plan X. Which means poisoning my wife.
He informs me that his target is wary and reccommends me to take a more active role. I tell him that I don’t want to hear about it, and that he must just do whatever is needed as soon as possible.
August:
- A plot unfolds.
Duchess Reginlind was sitting in her bed eating fried pork. She had already eaten a lot, when she called for cakes. The gluttonos woman was very picky about her food and nobody got to touch it, except her personal chef Fraulein Anna. She was afraid that someone would put anything funny into it, and Spymaster Siegfried knew this.
Bishop Ebenhart had ordered everyone in the castle to attend a special ”meeting” in the courtyard, where he talked about vice and virtues, and the castle guards thought it was peculiar that they all were invited at once with nobody on shift, but did not dare to object.
Adelheid who was also involved in the plot was the in charge of food supplies and her brother was a monk and a herbalist, so when Anna had come to get ingredients for her cake, Adalheid had infected them with some of the most dangerous herbs she could find. So when Anna came in with the cakes she had baked, they were poisoned. Then something that Siegfried had not foreseen happened...
Reginlind said to Anna ”Taste this cake for me!” and Anna had no idea what was going on and no reason to refuse this order so the ate a good piece. Then her face turned pale as she said ”This taste kinda funny!” Shortly after she dropped to her knees, clenching her throat. Reginlind sprung out of her bed and screamed. She ran out the door, with Anna lying silently on the floor. The staff in the courtyard heard the scream and looked at eachother, but the steward who was also attending, said it was just a new staff member being tortured for not having attended the meeting, so everyone forgot the commotion and paid full attention to the bishop’s moralistic preach.
Inside the castle, Reginlind ran towards the stairs, but could see no guards or anybody. She did not know that Siegfried had been skulking about for while, and he suddenly appeared at the stone stairway with a dagger in his hand. He stabbed her several times until she was dead, and she rolled down the stairs.
Siegfried then went to her chambers where he found Anna’s dead body. He pulled the body out and moved it down to the main hall. Then he called ”Guards! guards! a murderer is loose!” and he drew his sword. The guards were dismissed from the meeting and ran to the hall, and everyone followed shortly after. Only the bishop was left standing, looking abit ashamed, with his hands folded. All those who came in saw Siegfried with his sword planted in Anna’s stomach, and a dagger clenched in her dead hand. ”She tried to kill me too!” he called, and announced that she had killed Reginlind and tried to make a run for it when he coincidently arrived early from the hunt.
I was with my marshal hunting the fateful day and came back to an uproar of rumors and speculations, but I explained to everyone the official story, and it was like Siegfried had told. My steward added to the story that Anna had been mad about Reginlind calling her a prostitute on several occasions, and threatened her to tell everybody how cheap she was, and this murder was the big talk in the village for the several months and most people bought the official story, and those who had other versions were blackmailed, threatened and coerced to shut up. Reginlind was buried at the family graveyard the next day, and during the ceremony a hawk landed on the coffin and screeched at us. This was a bad omen. Very bad indeed!
September:
Being without a wife was a relief, but it could not go on like this forever. Perhaps the first few months it would be nice, but in the long run I had to look for someone, and as a duke I should look for someone of great statute. However I had some other matters to attend to because the lands that belonged to my duchy were not my vassals.
- Plan W:
The Weimar dynasty under Duke Otto I has four counties as vassals, and one of them is our good man in Thüringia, which our new duchy has claims to. The emperor will not stop us from pressing this claim, but the Weimars will. And maybe their vassals, even though their relations to him are very bad. That would mean a war where they would have far more men than us. Maybe its time to let plan W rest for a while we have couriers and spies sent to Meissen to watch how things develops up there with those Weimars. They could be attacked by heathens or poles even, and that would be the right time to strike.
I have much gold in my coffers now, and today I felt like spending some of it so I ordered my peasants to collect wood and hired an architect to and make plans for new palisades. I would feel much safer on this hill with some palisades around it, especially when the peasants are having a beer-party. They are quite unruly then.
October:
It’s so quick to forget the loss of my wife, which I never loved anyway. Well, perhaps a bit in the beginning when she was new and exciting. Suddenly my thoughts were disturbed by some commotion in the hallway. ”Sacre Bleu” a man shouted, and I went out and saw a young girl nicely dressed up with an empty beer jug in her hand, and an older man beside her with beer dripping from his hair. She then went on speaking angrily at him in some strange language.
So, they have arrived I thought, the french retinue. This was something I had looked forward to, since my envoys had been sent to Paris to look for a new bride. They had come back telling me that Princess Emma would come to see me soon. And soon was now! This girl in front of me was indeed a Princess. And she had come to visit me! I ordered to arrange for a big feast and give her a new beer at once.
So there she stood, 14 years old looking at me, so I asked her ”Emma, will you marry me?” She didnt answer. Emma just looked puzzled at me while she took a huge sip from the new beer and then spat it all out in disgust, shouting ”Merdè” Obviously we spoke totally different languages. She waved her hand and the man with beer-dripping hair came and spoke with her, and he told me afterwards that everything had been taken care of by the Capets and the King himself had approved, but that she would need to go back to her guardians now because she was very annoyed with the accomodations here. He ensured me there would be a marriage in Paris in 2 years when she was 16.
Part One:
The good old days of the Habsburgs
Foreword:
This is my first time playing Crusader Kings II. I’m a total newb so I have no idea how anything will turn out. I’m gonna roleplay and try to do stuff that my character would have. So this will be interesting
Habsburg in the county of Aargau:
Habichtsburg, which means Hawk Castle, were in 1066 a power-center in this little germanic county, where the river Aar flows through the fertile valleys surrounded by many woods. The castle was built by Radbrot my father, who has passed away. It’s close to the upper parts of the Rhein which floats between Basel and Schaffenhausen. Peasants are living in small huts around the countryside where they are growing crops, and sometimes growing angry.
The Aargau county is ruled by my family, the Habsburgs, and we have two vassals within the county. The bishopric of Basel who is ruled by the church under Bishop Ebenhard, and in Schaffenhausen Mayor Amadeus, an influential local noble who owns most of the town, has appointed himself and pledged allegiance to the Habsburgs. Traders are frequently traveling in and out of this town on the muddy paths that leads to other counties.
Historical note:
This is how it looked like in the real world rather than the game map.
Pink are the possesions of Habsburg dynasty around 1200 AD though.
Anno Domini 1066
A dinner at our house with a delicious pork head!
A dinner at our house with a delicious pork head!
- Hello I am Werner and I’m the boss around here. Everybody looks up to me, so don’t imagine anything. I am going to tell you the story about me and my family. Here is my family tree:
A proper introduction might be in order:
Werner von Habsburg, Count of Aargau
- I am 41 years old and a kind and patient guy, and some say that I am a tough guy with decent military and diplomatic skills. Some people think I can be a bit cynical at times, but thats just them being jealous. I have a wife and two kids, Otto at 6, and little Ida at 2. They are my most precious possessions. I also have a sister and she is married to the Count of Bern , the head of the Lenzburg family. This alliance is good to have I think.
- I am married to Reginlind, and I know she would be most displeased if i didn’t introduce her as well, so here you go. About your questions about her deadly sins I just have one thing to say: No comment! She is a very cunning lady and I dare not have her upset. She is educated and smart. I cannot even read, so I have another guy writing this story for me. Countess Reginlind:
- Well, to be honest I am not the real boss.
The real boss is my liege, the 16 year old Kaiser Heinrich IV and perhaps his boss again is the 18 year old Kaiserin Bertha? Who’s really running things in todays politics are not easily answered, but I regard the Kaiser as very honourable! His regards of me are not so good, but not bad either. How much this matters in our case remains to be seen.
- We have several dynasties around here, and my dynasty needs to be the strongest. However, we have the duchies of Lorriane and Carinthia to north of us and several other counties all around us. My boss would surely want us all to work toghether nicely within his empire and not make any trouble, and of course I agree with him, but I am not so sure because there are many ambitiuos people around here.
September:
- First off, I decided to arrange a marriage for our 2 year old daughter. It can never be too early to plan ahead could it? Rudolf my nephew, is the eldest son of the count in Bern, a 22 year old intrigeous guy. He will have to wait 14 years however before he can marry her. If both of them survive that long they would have children who would be heirs to the county of Bern, our neighbours. The are cousins, so it would work out well I think!
- While I am at it, I proceed with arranging a marriage for our eldest son with the daughter of an austrian duke, Adelheid von Babenberg. This is a very prestigeous thing, and having some relations in Austria could perhaps be a good idea. Who knows?
- Ok, I will tell you the truth about my wife. I really don’t like her!
She is gluttonous and envious, sitting up all night eating, or sneaking around in all kinds of places when I hide the food. She doesnt seem to hate me though and she gave me me 2 kids, but soon she is getting to old to have anymore kids, and I have no idea what I should do.
October:
The Empire goes to war:
Kaiser Heinrich IV has declared a holy war on these pommeranians on the northern coast.
Heathen scum under high chief Siemomysl, are now marching directly into the empire! This is a far away war and the emperor havent requested anything of me so I suppose it will be handled swiftly and I would not have to worry about it.
- So instead I managed my own staff and focused on policies of the county.
Chaplain Baldermar was sent off to improve relations with the bishop of Basel.
Marshal Amadeus of Schaffenhaus was ordered to train troops in case of any trouble, while Steward Jacob was ordered to collect local taxes.
I sent my most trusted spymaster Siegfried von Aargau to look for any suspicious activity going on inside our county. He asked me particulary about my wife and I did not reply directly. Instead I shrugged and told him to ”do whatever you think is neccessary”, and gave him permission to investigate my closest circle.
November:
Chancellor Sieghart von Laufenberg seemed highly anxious to get something done, and I had not found a proper task for him, but today I sent him to our neighbours in Neuchatel to forge some claims on titles there which are held by Count Ulrich von Neuenberg, a nobleman who we have no relation to at all. I suspect him of being a rival so it’s best to have some leverage. I hope this does not lead to a war. He could just give me some holdings and I would be thankful.
Not much else happened during this year.
Anno Domini 1067
The bishop at work
The bishop at work
January:
Baldemar was very successul in his mission of coercing the Bishop of Basel, and this assures he doesn’t pay his gold earnings to the Pope, and gives them to me instead.
February:
What to do with this wife of mine? I am sure she is up to something bad, or is it just the power who is making me paranoid? I considered divorce but my envy couldn’t even enter the Vatican city. When they heard where he came from, the guard captain just told him that ”we don’t take kindly to your kind of people around here”. Sooo... I need to get rid of her somehow. I cannot let my feelings get in the way of this. If it is God’s will to take her to his heavenly kingdom then why doesnt he give me a sign?!!
March:
Small signs of the spring appeared. The snowstorms in the alps still sent gushes down to us. I was poor and earning too little to afford any grand festivities.
Now I was preparing new laws and must sort out a way to increase income.
April:
The greedy Burgermeister Amadeus in Schaffhausen has put way too much of the city tax income into his own pockets. There were reports from the town that he taxed them hard and spent the money buying expensive tapestries and genovese fashion clothes that only dukes and kings could afford to have. There were also rumors about him funneling money into his secret occult sect. He is a mystic man, but nonetheless our loyal vassal and a great asset. So it’s time to change how things work around here. In short terms: He tax them had, I tax him harder.
May:
Despite his annoyances at the new taxation laws, the mystic Burgermeister is also our Marshal and he did a great job training troops. I almost feel like giving him some compensation.
-A plot is growing!
Spymaster Siegfried approached me last night saying that he could take care of the trouble I had with my wife, if I was willing to take the sole responsibility if something went wrong. I was very troubled to start with, but he told me that she was indeed a risk to my own security and even the kids. They could perhaps come to harm, since we had no idea what she was up to. I asked him what he knew, but he had discovered no ill-doings of my wife’s designs. Nevertheless my gut-feeling was I could not keep her around any longer. We both knew she was a danger to the whole dynasty. He told me not to speak to my spiritual advisors or anybody about my qualms. I replied to him as usual that he must do ”whatever is neccessary to ensure my the security of me and my heir”, but that I didnt want to know anything. Then he bowed graciously, saying nothing, and left in a hurry.
June:
Honorary titles awarded:
Burgermeister Amadeus von Schaffenhausen is awarded Master of the Hunt. This comes with a wage increase and is surely an adequate compensation for the increased tax burden. Bishop Ebenhardt von Basel is awarded High Almonder and is now given a wage increase to use for helping the poor. I am sure he will spend the money wisely and help many orphans!
At the moment I was more concerned about my own kids. One day my 3-year old daughter came crying with a blue eye and a bleeding nose. She made a lot of commotion and I had to send the councillous home for the day. They looked at eachother with serious, yet questioning faces as they were leaving. I knew this was the works of my wife Reginlind. I tried to talk with her about it, but then she spat in my face and ran.
July:
My son was terrified today, and after lots of questioning, he told me his mother had pointed a knife at him, after he came back from a break with his tutor. Countess Reginlind had then left for almost the entire day and was spotted talking to some unknown peasants. Why would she do such a thing?
My attention was taken away from the matter by a courier who arrived with a letter and some charts from some imperial bureaucrats. It was describing the situation within the Holy Roman Empire. The letter did not make any demands, and was more of an informative note. As I cannot read, and I didn’t even dare to ask my wife, I had to call the chaplain to read it. He said that the situation within the empire is stable, but with some peasant discontent in certain parts, while the war with the heathens in Pommerania is at a stalemate. However the Swedish kingdom has entered the war, and are also trying to subdue the heathens but their armies are considered weak.
More alarmingly the chaplain went on about an warband led by the Duke of Savoy sieging the bishopric of Valais, a small province in the Alps near our allies in Bern. The prince-bishop was in fact a lowly peasant who had risen thought the ranks of the church and had no support amongst the nobilites. So the Duke of Savoy had legal claims to do so, but our chaplain said it was an unchristian thing to do and tried to encourage me to take action to help the poor cleric. I had no means to do so, but told him to monitor the situation closely.
August:
The plot grows!
My Chancellor’s wife Adelheid von Hohenstaufen approached me early this morning as I was taking a bath in leaky tub out in the courtyard. The weather was brilliant and all I could think about was how good God had been to me to give me a noble birth so I did not have to go to work like all those peasants who were now out in the fields sweating in the sun. I told her to come and speak her mind, not minding I was naked in the tub. The guards were sitting 50 paces away playing some sort of game with rocks, but threw their toys and went in upright stance as she came closer, but I just waved to them to let them continue their childish games. I knew I could throw her to the ground and disarm her, without breaking a sweat, but Adelheid was a former swabian courtier that I had arranged for my chancellor. She spoke about how much she hated my wife and suddenly my suspicions about her intentions were washed away. Almost like the water in the tub that had cleansed my concience this morning. I told her to speak to spymaster Siegfried and ask the word ”cake?” and it was like we both understood what was going to happen. Minutes after she left, a loud bang echoed between the sunny hills, and then the sky went gray. As the rain started pouring I ran inside the castle fearing only one thing: The wrath of God!
September:
- The plot changes course
While I had no idea what was going on, the spymaster had been working very hard and he asked me for approval to use more trusted persons within my own circle to complete his mission. I told him as usual that he must do what’s neccessary. He told me that the easiest way would be to kill her.”Kill her??” I replied. ”Are there no other ways?” but deep inside I knew that it was my dark wish that she died. ”The plan must be changed to meet the current situation” he told me, and he would use support from both the bishop and steward to create a cover story.
The rest of the year went on with not much happening
Anno Domini 1068
A procession of entertainers happily marching through Schaffhaussen
January:
I was on my horseback overseeing the training of some pikemen together with my marshal, as four riders came galloping through the snowy fields. We set up our men in defensive position, and they lowered their sharp glaives standing firmly shoulder by shoulder. Our actions were of no consequence as the lead rider stopped and jumped off his horse plummeting into the snow. After he had got on his feet again, we recognized the black eagle on his tabard. An imperial envoy again. What could he want with us this time?
As he approached me he smiled in his frosted beard breathing heavily and pulled out a leather satchel. ”Gift from Bamberg!” he said and proceeded asking about lodgings in my fief. All four looked tired so I told them politely to come to my castle for supper and we rode back toghether. I was a bit excited about what was in this leather satchel but he insisted I should wait until we got back.
When we had got indoors where there was a nice hot fire prepared for us and a cask of beer, he smiled even more in his great beard and handed me the leather satchel. I pulled out alot of papers but the envoy told me it was just succession laws and judicial stuff that he understood nothing about, and pointed on a particular letter with an imperial seal on it. The envoy then asked if I could read it. ”I am sorry, I cannot read Latin” I replied. I had never got any education outside of german customs, as I was raised by military tacticians.
He looked at me slightly embarrassed saying ”Neither can I. Not many can” then I called for the chaplain who was our best scribe and after a short time he arrived and we handed him the document. ”I have never seen anything like this before” he broke out. Curiously, he started reading the title ”Imperial Edict MCCIIX” and then his eyebrows raised as he was translating for us:
”The election results regarding the succession of the Duchy of Thüringia were clear. Due to the instability, incompetence, and other unmentioned controversies of your opposing candidates, you were the only viable candidate left. It was easy for me convince the other dukes that you should have this title. Due to the complexity of the matter regarding our election laws, which you probably do not understand anything about, I have attached a series of documents for you to read. Rest assured that with this title comes both responsibilities and privilegies, and you are required to read all the documents that follows to understand how this empire works. Congratulations! Yours truely, Imperator Heinrich IV”
I could not believe what I was hearing and everybody in the room were just sitting there puzzled staring into the roof, saying nothing. Then our maiden came in and poured us another tankard of beer and we called out in choir ”Prosit!” Afterwards the bearded man came to me and put a rope on my head, and I broke out “how dare you! Are you trying to kill me?” but he just smiled and said he was measuring my head to make a fitting crown. I could not object to this. The left the next morning and told me a crown would be sent very soon.
February:
The conspiracy was increasing in strength, as several members of the court supported it.
March and April:
The following months I had my chaplain teach me about the stuff in these documents. It was some brain-twisting stuff that a warrior like me was not used to at all, but I figured a few things out of all his lectures: I was now an elector. I could, as the other dukes, also appoint a candidate as successor to the imperial throne! And give support to form new laws within the Holy Roman Empire.
I could also choose a candidate for the Duchy of Thüringia, the title that I now held. Moreover, as the newly elected Duke, I had no law-giving powers regarding my own succession yet, but in 10 years I would be granted law-giving powers. But as it is now in a decentralized empire, there will be a reelection the day I die, so I nominate my young son Otto for this.
May:
Pommeranian chieftains surrenders and give the Holy Roman Empire the province of Stettin. That place is full of heathens but I am sure the emperor has a plan for them.
However, with the new comes the possibility of new land. I would now be able to claim the holdings in Thüringen, but this would lead to war with a bigger duchy, as the count of Thüringen currently is a vassal of Duke Otto of Meissen.
June:
I sent a courier to Bamburg with the nomination of my 8 year old son Otto von Habsburg, to inherit the landless duchy. Not long after, I got the support from both local count there and the Emperor himself. Meanwhile savoyese troops are done sieging Valais and can call themselves conquerors of big big mountains! This is causing fear and debate in my council and everyone is looking at them.
July:
Spymaster proposes plan X. Which means poisoning my wife.
He informs me that his target is wary and reccommends me to take a more active role. I tell him that I don’t want to hear about it, and that he must just do whatever is needed as soon as possible.
August:
- A plot unfolds.
Duchess Reginlind was sitting in her bed eating fried pork. She had already eaten a lot, when she called for cakes. The gluttonos woman was very picky about her food and nobody got to touch it, except her personal chef Fraulein Anna. She was afraid that someone would put anything funny into it, and Spymaster Siegfried knew this.
Bishop Ebenhart had ordered everyone in the castle to attend a special ”meeting” in the courtyard, where he talked about vice and virtues, and the castle guards thought it was peculiar that they all were invited at once with nobody on shift, but did not dare to object.
Adelheid who was also involved in the plot was the in charge of food supplies and her brother was a monk and a herbalist, so when Anna had come to get ingredients for her cake, Adalheid had infected them with some of the most dangerous herbs she could find. So when Anna came in with the cakes she had baked, they were poisoned. Then something that Siegfried had not foreseen happened...
Reginlind said to Anna ”Taste this cake for me!” and Anna had no idea what was going on and no reason to refuse this order so the ate a good piece. Then her face turned pale as she said ”This taste kinda funny!” Shortly after she dropped to her knees, clenching her throat. Reginlind sprung out of her bed and screamed. She ran out the door, with Anna lying silently on the floor. The staff in the courtyard heard the scream and looked at eachother, but the steward who was also attending, said it was just a new staff member being tortured for not having attended the meeting, so everyone forgot the commotion and paid full attention to the bishop’s moralistic preach.
Inside the castle, Reginlind ran towards the stairs, but could see no guards or anybody. She did not know that Siegfried had been skulking about for while, and he suddenly appeared at the stone stairway with a dagger in his hand. He stabbed her several times until she was dead, and she rolled down the stairs.
Siegfried then went to her chambers where he found Anna’s dead body. He pulled the body out and moved it down to the main hall. Then he called ”Guards! guards! a murderer is loose!” and he drew his sword. The guards were dismissed from the meeting and ran to the hall, and everyone followed shortly after. Only the bishop was left standing, looking abit ashamed, with his hands folded. All those who came in saw Siegfried with his sword planted in Anna’s stomach, and a dagger clenched in her dead hand. ”She tried to kill me too!” he called, and announced that she had killed Reginlind and tried to make a run for it when he coincidently arrived early from the hunt.
I was with my marshal hunting the fateful day and came back to an uproar of rumors and speculations, but I explained to everyone the official story, and it was like Siegfried had told. My steward added to the story that Anna had been mad about Reginlind calling her a prostitute on several occasions, and threatened her to tell everybody how cheap she was, and this murder was the big talk in the village for the several months and most people bought the official story, and those who had other versions were blackmailed, threatened and coerced to shut up. Reginlind was buried at the family graveyard the next day, and during the ceremony a hawk landed on the coffin and screeched at us. This was a bad omen. Very bad indeed!
September:
Being without a wife was a relief, but it could not go on like this forever. Perhaps the first few months it would be nice, but in the long run I had to look for someone, and as a duke I should look for someone of great statute. However I had some other matters to attend to because the lands that belonged to my duchy were not my vassals.
- Plan W:
The Weimar dynasty under Duke Otto I has four counties as vassals, and one of them is our good man in Thüringia, which our new duchy has claims to. The emperor will not stop us from pressing this claim, but the Weimars will. And maybe their vassals, even though their relations to him are very bad. That would mean a war where they would have far more men than us. Maybe its time to let plan W rest for a while we have couriers and spies sent to Meissen to watch how things develops up there with those Weimars. They could be attacked by heathens or poles even, and that would be the right time to strike.
I have much gold in my coffers now, and today I felt like spending some of it so I ordered my peasants to collect wood and hired an architect to and make plans for new palisades. I would feel much safer on this hill with some palisades around it, especially when the peasants are having a beer-party. They are quite unruly then.
October:
It’s so quick to forget the loss of my wife, which I never loved anyway. Well, perhaps a bit in the beginning when she was new and exciting. Suddenly my thoughts were disturbed by some commotion in the hallway. ”Sacre Bleu” a man shouted, and I went out and saw a young girl nicely dressed up with an empty beer jug in her hand, and an older man beside her with beer dripping from his hair. She then went on speaking angrily at him in some strange language.
So, they have arrived I thought, the french retinue. This was something I had looked forward to, since my envoys had been sent to Paris to look for a new bride. They had come back telling me that Princess Emma would come to see me soon. And soon was now! This girl in front of me was indeed a Princess. And she had come to visit me! I ordered to arrange for a big feast and give her a new beer at once.
So there she stood, 14 years old looking at me, so I asked her ”Emma, will you marry me?” She didnt answer. Emma just looked puzzled at me while she took a huge sip from the new beer and then spat it all out in disgust, shouting ”Merdè” Obviously we spoke totally different languages. She waved her hand and the man with beer-dripping hair came and spoke with her, and he told me afterwards that everything had been taken care of by the Capets and the King himself had approved, but that she would need to go back to her guardians now because she was very annoyed with the accomodations here. He ensured me there would be a marriage in Paris in 2 years when she was 16.
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