Stnylan: Makes a lot of sense. Im starting the feel the same way. Robert may be more overtly cruel, but I dont think he would be capable of strangling a woman. But who knows? Im no longer in charge 
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Journals of the Chancellor - 1077-1080
The Journals of William de Hauteville, Chancellor
William de Hauteville, Chancellor
April, 1077
With the sudden accidental demise of my sister-in-law, Judith Evereaux, I am once more forced to act as a matchmaker, this time for my brother Roger. With the growing power of the Duchy, it is easier to find appropriate candidates for his wife. The bride-to-be should be of noble, preferably royal, blood. It is to be a strategic alliance between houses, and in the near future, kingdoms.
After much scouring of the genealogical scrolls, I have chosen three likely brides.
Adele de Normandie
The first is Adele de Normandie, daughter of our dear ‘cousin’, William de Normandie. As the King of England, our Norman brother is of little use in the immediate Mediterannean context, but the immense manpower at his disposal should not be ignored. Adele is regarded as a great beauty, which is hard to believe given her mothers infamous features.
Zoe Dukas
The second candidate is Zoe Dukas, the youngest daughter of our once-enemy, Konstantinos Dukas, Emperor of Romania. A marriage to Zoe would serve to ease the tensions between us – at least until such time as we no longer find that useful.
Ludmilla Premyslid
The final candidate is Ludmilla Premyslid, daughter of Wratislaw Premyslid – the erstwhile King of Bohemia. Bohemia might seem an odd duck in a list that includes England and Romania, yet considering the Duke’s eventual goal of a united Italian kingdom, it would serve us well to have a friendly ally capable of threatening the Holy Roman Empire from within.
Envoys have been dispatched in order to negotiate for the hands of the prospective brides. I expect this shall take a few months, as the details are arranged.
May, 1077
As was expected, our initial offers to England and Romania were rejected. Yet, in a surprising turn of events, King Wratislaw has accepted to wed his daughter Ludmilla, barely sixteen, to Roger de Hauteville. I had expected months of negotiations, and now this. I wonder if perhaps I have made a mistake and there is something wrong with her? She shall be thoroughly inspected upon her arrival, to ensure that she is not – as my charming brother Robert has put it – ‘damaged goods’.
She and Roger do not share a common language, but that is hardly an insurmountable barrier. Roger does not need to talk to her after all, merely to get a child on her. The quicker the better, Robert has already asked me to begin setting funds aside for the war with the remaining Sicilian emirates.
Thankfully I share none of my brothers problems. My son, the Count of Consenza, is happy with his wife, Margaret, and they have two fine boys, Ealdred and Aubrey. Ealdred will make a fine Count some day. Hopefully when I am long gone.
August, 1077
The Princess Ludmilla has arrived at court, and has surprised us all with her fluent grasp of both French and Italian. It seems that she and Roger will be able to talk after all. I wonder what Roger thinks of that?
Ludmilla Premyslid
The Princess is lively, with a keen wit which sadly only a few can appreciate. She is much beloved of the court servants, and is quickly winning the locals due to her humble and generous nature. She has twice now interceded on the behalf of servants to be punished, literally begging for mercy. I applaud her for her Christian ways, but wonder if perhaps her manners are too refined for this wild court.
I do believe she would have preferred to spend her life as a nun, disregarding her royal heritage. But what else can one expect of the young these days?
December, 1077
Robert has approached me regarding a bride for his firstborn son, Bohemond. He is of an age to marry, it is true, and the Duke seeks to arrange a good marriage for him. If I didn’t know him incapable of it, I would suspect Robert felt guilty in someway for putting the boy aside as a child.
He has suggested that Zoe Dukas, the daughter of the Roman Emperor, would be an adequate match. Adequate were the words he used. I know that he once considered placing Bohemond on the throne of Constantinople by force, before concentrating on creating a Kingdom here in Italy. Perhaps those dreams have not entirely abated.
Nevertheless, I have dispatched envoy’s to Constantinople. Let the negotiations begin!
The Journals of William de Hauteville, Chancellor
William de Hauteville, Chancellor
April, 1077
With the sudden accidental demise of my sister-in-law, Judith Evereaux, I am once more forced to act as a matchmaker, this time for my brother Roger. With the growing power of the Duchy, it is easier to find appropriate candidates for his wife. The bride-to-be should be of noble, preferably royal, blood. It is to be a strategic alliance between houses, and in the near future, kingdoms.
After much scouring of the genealogical scrolls, I have chosen three likely brides.
Adele de Normandie
The first is Adele de Normandie, daughter of our dear ‘cousin’, William de Normandie. As the King of England, our Norman brother is of little use in the immediate Mediterannean context, but the immense manpower at his disposal should not be ignored. Adele is regarded as a great beauty, which is hard to believe given her mothers infamous features.
Zoe Dukas
The second candidate is Zoe Dukas, the youngest daughter of our once-enemy, Konstantinos Dukas, Emperor of Romania. A marriage to Zoe would serve to ease the tensions between us – at least until such time as we no longer find that useful.
Ludmilla Premyslid
The final candidate is Ludmilla Premyslid, daughter of Wratislaw Premyslid – the erstwhile King of Bohemia. Bohemia might seem an odd duck in a list that includes England and Romania, yet considering the Duke’s eventual goal of a united Italian kingdom, it would serve us well to have a friendly ally capable of threatening the Holy Roman Empire from within.
Envoys have been dispatched in order to negotiate for the hands of the prospective brides. I expect this shall take a few months, as the details are arranged.
May, 1077
As was expected, our initial offers to England and Romania were rejected. Yet, in a surprising turn of events, King Wratislaw has accepted to wed his daughter Ludmilla, barely sixteen, to Roger de Hauteville. I had expected months of negotiations, and now this. I wonder if perhaps I have made a mistake and there is something wrong with her? She shall be thoroughly inspected upon her arrival, to ensure that she is not – as my charming brother Robert has put it – ‘damaged goods’.
She and Roger do not share a common language, but that is hardly an insurmountable barrier. Roger does not need to talk to her after all, merely to get a child on her. The quicker the better, Robert has already asked me to begin setting funds aside for the war with the remaining Sicilian emirates.
Thankfully I share none of my brothers problems. My son, the Count of Consenza, is happy with his wife, Margaret, and they have two fine boys, Ealdred and Aubrey. Ealdred will make a fine Count some day. Hopefully when I am long gone.
August, 1077
The Princess Ludmilla has arrived at court, and has surprised us all with her fluent grasp of both French and Italian. It seems that she and Roger will be able to talk after all. I wonder what Roger thinks of that?
Ludmilla Premyslid
The Princess is lively, with a keen wit which sadly only a few can appreciate. She is much beloved of the court servants, and is quickly winning the locals due to her humble and generous nature. She has twice now interceded on the behalf of servants to be punished, literally begging for mercy. I applaud her for her Christian ways, but wonder if perhaps her manners are too refined for this wild court.
I do believe she would have preferred to spend her life as a nun, disregarding her royal heritage. But what else can one expect of the young these days?
December, 1077
Robert has approached me regarding a bride for his firstborn son, Bohemond. He is of an age to marry, it is true, and the Duke seeks to arrange a good marriage for him. If I didn’t know him incapable of it, I would suspect Robert felt guilty in someway for putting the boy aside as a child.
He has suggested that Zoe Dukas, the daughter of the Roman Emperor, would be an adequate match. Adequate were the words he used. I know that he once considered placing Bohemond on the throne of Constantinople by force, before concentrating on creating a Kingdom here in Italy. Perhaps those dreams have not entirely abated.
Nevertheless, I have dispatched envoy’s to Constantinople. Let the negotiations begin!
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The AI is less eager to marry bastards in my experience. But there's always marriage-spamming. Just keep asking till you get the answer you want!stnylan said:
Works with real girls too!
Stnylan: Yes, I imagine there is - but as Deaghaidh says, marriage spamming can usually take care of that. Sometimes.
Armfeldt: Thanks, a few more updates from William's journal and then I'll try a different style again.
Deaghaidh: It does? Hot damn!
Armfeldt: Thanks, a few more updates from William's journal and then I'll try a different style again.
Deaghaidh: It does? Hot damn!
Journal of William de Hauteville, Chancellor
William de Hauteville, Chancellor
January, 1078
It has been a wearying two months, but we have finally concluded our negotiations with the Greeks for the hand of the Emperor’s daughter. My nephew, Bohemond de Hauteville, is to wed the Princess Zoe Dukas of Byzantium. When one considers that he will inherit nothing when Robert passes, it is an amazing feat. A penniless son and the daughter of the Emperor. Fairy-tales are made of such, though I owe much to the fear that the Greeks have of Robert – not too mention certain unspecified contacts of Osmond.
In other news, Ludmilla has become pregnant with Roger’s child, and we all fervently hope it will be a son. Myself doubly, for I have no wish for Ludi to meet the same fate as Roger’s former wife.
I have becoming a doting admirer of the Princess – her warm nature and lively intelligence have won her many admirer’s, though I fear Roger is a little jealous of the attention shown to his wife. He remains cold with her, and I fear he see’s her as naught but somebody to bear his children, rather than as a treasured wife. Sadly, this is a court of soldiers. The sons of Tancred were bred for war, not compassion.
February, 1078
The Princess Zoe Dukas has arrived at court, and the difference between herelf and Princess Ludi could not be more extreme. It is as the difference between night and day. Where Ludi is modest, Zoe is proud; where Ludi is merciful, Zoe is vengeful; where Ludi is warm, Zoe is cruel. I almost fear sorry for my nephew, to be married to such a harridan.
However, despite her cold demeanour, it is best not to forget that Zoe is the daughter of an Emperor. Her education has lacked for nothing, and she has come to us as one of the finest theologians in the world. Admittedly in the schismatic Orthodox faith, but she will give us a keen understanding of our Orthodox citizens, and how best to use their faith to control them.
She has made mock of Ludi as a backwater Princess – going so far as to criticise her education. For the nonce, her actions are tolerated – but her father is old, and will soon pass beyond this realm. It is unlikely that any of her brothers will become Emperor – the most likely contender at present is Georgios Palaeologus, the Prince of Epiros. At that point, she will be the daughter of nobody – and she would be well-served to remember Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall .”
March, 1078
Mathilde de Hauteville, the eldest daughter of dear Roger, has come of age. With the growing power of our family in the Mediterranean, there are several suitors for the daughter of the Grand Count of Sicily – the title Roger has adopted for himself.
Most of these were rejected out of hand – minor courtiers for minor nobles do not equal a worthy match for a Hauteville. However, one proposal did arouse our interest – that of Eudes de Bourgogne, the second son of Henri de Bourgogne, current Count of Dijon. We have maintained a close watch on Dijon since Richard de Aversa took up residence there. He has tried time and again to rouse Henri against us, but has thus far been unsuccessful.
Henri is a minor count, and can no doubt be aware that he is no match for the Duchy. He seems well aware of his place in things. I fear Richard’s desire to be revenged upon my ever-so tactful brother has driven him to madness.
However, we have decided to accept the marriage proposal. Marrying Mathilde to Eudes serves to check any and all ambitions by Richard. Whilst his son Jordan married the daughter of one of Henri’s minor, impoverished cousins; we will have a direct relation. By binding the House of Bourgogne to us through marriage, we will have nothing to fear from Richard’s naïve machinations.
Osmond Stypeiotes, the spymaster, has also provded a second scenario, one much more suited to his Greek nature. In his scenario, the wedding would be a mere pretext for creating a grandson of Roger as the Count of Dijon and Charolais. The Count of Dijon’s first son, Hugues, is the Count of Charolais – yet he has but one son, Thierry – born only last year. It is unlikely he will have any further children, as his wife – Anne of Hainaut – is thirty, nearing the end of her child-bearing years. If Thierry were ‘removed’, as Osmond put it, then Mathilde’s son would inherit both the Counties of Dijon and Charolais.
I find this scenario distasteful in the extreme. I am little given to the use of assassination as a political tool. I am aware that it is a grand tradition in the Greek court, but I see no need for us to engage in such actions all to place a child in a minor County that will not even become part of our realm. In all good conscience I cannot support this plan.
Osmond is too given to these kind of scenarios, and for that alone I find him distasteful and untrustworthy. How can you trust a man who thinks putting a knife in your back is a valid way to win an argument?
June, 1078
To Princess Zoe’s chagrin, and our own delight, the Greek community in Messina has largely converted to Catholicism, forsaking their Orthodox ways. Without the aid of religion to keep them a separate community, I wonder how many generations before they are indistinguishable from the Italians there?
One also wonders how long before we Normans become Italian? It is inevitable, and in fact must occur if we are ever to truly rule these lands.
The Princess Zoe has become pregneant, yet remains as cruel as ever. One would expect the daughter of an Emperor to be a little more polite.
October, 1078
Praise be to God! Princess Ludmilla has given birth to a healthy son. Roger is ecstatic and all we who feared for Ludmilla can rest assured. I must admit however, to wishing in some small way that it had been a daughter – if only to see my brother’s face. The boy has been named Richard – a good, strong name.
The Duke is delighted, and has begun preparations for the conquest of Sicily. It shall take a year or more to gather the necessary supplies, but Sicily at last will be ours. My brother will sit atop a throne afore his death, it seems.
William de Hauteville, Chancellor
January, 1078
It has been a wearying two months, but we have finally concluded our negotiations with the Greeks for the hand of the Emperor’s daughter. My nephew, Bohemond de Hauteville, is to wed the Princess Zoe Dukas of Byzantium. When one considers that he will inherit nothing when Robert passes, it is an amazing feat. A penniless son and the daughter of the Emperor. Fairy-tales are made of such, though I owe much to the fear that the Greeks have of Robert – not too mention certain unspecified contacts of Osmond.
In other news, Ludmilla has become pregnant with Roger’s child, and we all fervently hope it will be a son. Myself doubly, for I have no wish for Ludi to meet the same fate as Roger’s former wife.
I have becoming a doting admirer of the Princess – her warm nature and lively intelligence have won her many admirer’s, though I fear Roger is a little jealous of the attention shown to his wife. He remains cold with her, and I fear he see’s her as naught but somebody to bear his children, rather than as a treasured wife. Sadly, this is a court of soldiers. The sons of Tancred were bred for war, not compassion.
February, 1078
The Princess Zoe Dukas has arrived at court, and the difference between herelf and Princess Ludi could not be more extreme. It is as the difference between night and day. Where Ludi is modest, Zoe is proud; where Ludi is merciful, Zoe is vengeful; where Ludi is warm, Zoe is cruel. I almost fear sorry for my nephew, to be married to such a harridan.
However, despite her cold demeanour, it is best not to forget that Zoe is the daughter of an Emperor. Her education has lacked for nothing, and she has come to us as one of the finest theologians in the world. Admittedly in the schismatic Orthodox faith, but she will give us a keen understanding of our Orthodox citizens, and how best to use their faith to control them.
She has made mock of Ludi as a backwater Princess – going so far as to criticise her education. For the nonce, her actions are tolerated – but her father is old, and will soon pass beyond this realm. It is unlikely that any of her brothers will become Emperor – the most likely contender at present is Georgios Palaeologus, the Prince of Epiros. At that point, she will be the daughter of nobody – and she would be well-served to remember Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall .”
March, 1078
Mathilde de Hauteville, the eldest daughter of dear Roger, has come of age. With the growing power of our family in the Mediterranean, there are several suitors for the daughter of the Grand Count of Sicily – the title Roger has adopted for himself.
Most of these were rejected out of hand – minor courtiers for minor nobles do not equal a worthy match for a Hauteville. However, one proposal did arouse our interest – that of Eudes de Bourgogne, the second son of Henri de Bourgogne, current Count of Dijon. We have maintained a close watch on Dijon since Richard de Aversa took up residence there. He has tried time and again to rouse Henri against us, but has thus far been unsuccessful.
Henri is a minor count, and can no doubt be aware that he is no match for the Duchy. He seems well aware of his place in things. I fear Richard’s desire to be revenged upon my ever-so tactful brother has driven him to madness.
However, we have decided to accept the marriage proposal. Marrying Mathilde to Eudes serves to check any and all ambitions by Richard. Whilst his son Jordan married the daughter of one of Henri’s minor, impoverished cousins; we will have a direct relation. By binding the House of Bourgogne to us through marriage, we will have nothing to fear from Richard’s naïve machinations.
Osmond Stypeiotes, the spymaster, has also provded a second scenario, one much more suited to his Greek nature. In his scenario, the wedding would be a mere pretext for creating a grandson of Roger as the Count of Dijon and Charolais. The Count of Dijon’s first son, Hugues, is the Count of Charolais – yet he has but one son, Thierry – born only last year. It is unlikely he will have any further children, as his wife – Anne of Hainaut – is thirty, nearing the end of her child-bearing years. If Thierry were ‘removed’, as Osmond put it, then Mathilde’s son would inherit both the Counties of Dijon and Charolais.
I find this scenario distasteful in the extreme. I am little given to the use of assassination as a political tool. I am aware that it is a grand tradition in the Greek court, but I see no need for us to engage in such actions all to place a child in a minor County that will not even become part of our realm. In all good conscience I cannot support this plan.
Osmond is too given to these kind of scenarios, and for that alone I find him distasteful and untrustworthy. How can you trust a man who thinks putting a knife in your back is a valid way to win an argument?
June, 1078
To Princess Zoe’s chagrin, and our own delight, the Greek community in Messina has largely converted to Catholicism, forsaking their Orthodox ways. Without the aid of religion to keep them a separate community, I wonder how many generations before they are indistinguishable from the Italians there?
One also wonders how long before we Normans become Italian? It is inevitable, and in fact must occur if we are ever to truly rule these lands.
The Princess Zoe has become pregneant, yet remains as cruel as ever. One would expect the daughter of an Emperor to be a little more polite.
October, 1078
Praise be to God! Princess Ludmilla has given birth to a healthy son. Roger is ecstatic and all we who feared for Ludmilla can rest assured. I must admit however, to wishing in some small way that it had been a daughter – if only to see my brother’s face. The boy has been named Richard – a good, strong name.
The Duke is delighted, and has begun preparations for the conquest of Sicily. It shall take a year or more to gather the necessary supplies, but Sicily at last will be ours. My brother will sit atop a throne afore his death, it seems.
I think anyone who discounts Bohemond because of his bastardy is perhaps in danger of having a little accident some time in the future. Far too much talent and ambition to ever be 'penniless'.
Good read, but I just think that William perhaps is a little too soft for the court which he lives in.
Good read, but I just think that William perhaps is a little too soft for the court which he lives in.
Stnylan: I havent played further than 84, at which point Robert is still alive, so Bohemond hasnt got up to any shenanigans yet. We will have to see after the Guiscards death how things turn out. And yes, William does seem a bit soft.
Incidentally, I wont be updating this AAR until next week - Ive an exam on Friday, and Im simply wasting too much time between playing/writing & City of Heroes. Its a bad combination...
So, bear with me, my loyal readers
Incidentally, I wont be updating this AAR until next week - Ive an exam on Friday, and Im simply wasting too much time between playing/writing & City of Heroes. Its a bad combination...
So, bear with me, my loyal readers
Not a problem. Exams clearly have to have priority. Good luck on the revising and the taking.