Well, this is my first CK MP game, so I thought I'd celebrate this by starting my first AAR too... Tell me what you think.
Pereyaslavl was actually my 3rd choice for what Duchy to play, but as I hope you'll see, they rather grew on me.
fasquardon
Game Of Kings
Princedom of Pereyaslavl, December 1066 - April 1077
Lament, lament, oh people of Ruskaya, when Princes play the game of Kings...
Act III, scene IV of Shakespeare's "Vsevolod the First"
The Great Reformation of 1067: 1067 AD
The lands of the court at Pereyaslavl in 1066
The foundations of the modern land of the Rus were built by the Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich of the Rurikovich dynasty, who dwelt in a fine court in Pereyaslavl. Vsevolod Yaroslavich was a wise ruler, who had already sat on Pereyaslavl's throne for some 13 years, but after these many years of rule, he was little more secure on his throne than he had been when he had first ascended to the exalted office, and it was in no-wise certain that his son would inherit even a fraction of the power that Vsevolod Yaroslavich held. Thus the Vsevolod Yaroslavich called together the wisest persons in his court, and made them his council, and together Vsevolod Yaroslavich and his privy council re-wrote the laws of the Princedom of Pereyaslavl, so that the most able man of his male line would succeed to the totality of his power, which would be great, for Vsevolod Yaroslavich degraded the power of his vassals, and made himself the highest law in the land. Also Vsevolod Yaroslavich would increase the rights of the abbeys of the land, that he might thereby prove his love of Christ, and God's mercy would flow freely in his domains.
Furthermore, Vsevolod Yaroslavich and the able persons of his privy council would encourage the development in the techniques of road-building, siege-craft, and education. That armies and trade should move swiftly in the land, and the fortresses of their enemies should become weak to their war-hosts, and that the holy-men and nobles should be well-versed in stories of the Bible and the Rus.
Vsevolod Yaroslavich greatly subdivided his lands, sending out all those courtiers that he found un-needful to keep by his side to administer his domains. It is said that the jesters of Polotsk would tell of how one might tell a fool in Vsevolod Yaroslavich's lands by the possession of the title of count. But Vsevolod Yaroslavich worried not, for by putting even his fools to work, he attracted many able men and women to his court.
Within what lands still directly administered by the court in Pereyaslavl, Vsevolod Yaroslavich instituted the first postal system in the lands of the Rus, that they should be easy to administer, and his revenues might be great.
But Vsevolod Yaroslavich was not content to rest there, for he paid many hundred-weights of gold to the troubadours, that when they sang of him, they did not sing of merely the Prince of Pereyaslavl, but the Prince of Pereyaslavl and many other lands besides. In such wise, his prestige became great, and likewise did the authority he held over his vassals.
Even so, his vassals were greatly dissatisfied, particularly Dimitrii of Suzdal, a cruel, vengeful man, overly fond of the ways of deceit, who hated Vsevolod Yaroslavich simply because he was wise and virtuous. And Vsevolod Yaroslavich's vassals did cry out (as Dimitrii did direct them to do): "Vsevolod Yaroslavich, wherefore dost thou overthrow the laws of our fathers? Was not your own father well known for his wisdom? If you accept this is so (and surely you must, as your father's son), what has made his wisdom insufficient for you?"
To this Vsevolod Yaroslavich simply replied: "My father was a giant among men, and I stand upon the shoulders of his greatness. In such wise do I see further than him."
And most of his vassals found these words good, but Dimitrii of Suzdal still plotted Vsevolod Yaroslavich's downfall, which Vsevolod Yaroslavich knew full well, but nonetheless, he did not worry. For Dimitrii still ruled his lands fairly, and paid his scot to the prince, and if Dimitrii was fool enough to seek open confrontation, then putting him down would be as a child's game.
But as it would happen, Dimitrii and Vsevolod Yaroslavich would never have their final showdown.
By the end of Vsevolod Yaroslavich's reforms his prestige was so great that even the mighty King of Poland sought him as an ally, and this Vsevolod Yaroslavich embraced, for he knew he might face dangers greater than Dimitrii of Suzdal. And in time the wisdom of this bond-making would be well-proven.
The Crusade of Merya: 1070 AD
Vsevolod Yaroslavich was both wise and cautious, and he was by nature a peaceful man. But he was by no means humble, and it is said that he had made an oath to God that he would be second to no other Prince on Earth. And so when rumour arrived in his court of the crusades in Spain, and Sicily and the Volga delta, he was sore vexed, for he ached to achieve such glories himself, but he had no wish to spill the blood and treasure of his land.
Now at this time the Prince of Chernigov was making war upon the heathen Mordvinians, and it was evident that Christ was with them, as they drove the armies of the heathen before them, and the Princedom of Chernigov gained many rich lands. At this time it came to Vsevolod Yaroslavich's ears that Prince Svyatoslav of Chernigov had, in a fit of over-confidence, remained in his court, while his servants carried out his will in the war.
Moving as swiftly as he could, Vsevolod Yaroslavich moved to his fortress at Nizhny Novgorod, where he raised a mighty army 800-men strong, decking them out in fine cloth and gleaming metal and including a great parade of priests and monks. He then marched this gleaming war-band, himself leading proudly at the head, dressed in the full robes of his office, at a brutal pace to meet the war-band of Chernigov at Merya, where they were laying siege to the Mordvin fortress there. And Vsevolod Yaroslavich came to Sviatoslav of Pronsk, captain of the Chernigovian host, and also to Adam Dulo, who captained the force late arrived from the Emirate of the Bulgars - whose Emir was likewise to Vsevolod Yaroslavich acquisitive and had sent armies to pick lands from the broken Mordvinians.
But Vsevolod Yaroslavich was not discouraged by the mighty forces disposed by is competitors, and invited them to view the great service he would hold for his troops that night. And, as Vsevolod Yaroslavich was charming and seemed without guile, even the heathen captain of the Bulgars accepted this invitation. Now, as the day before the night passed, Vsevolod Yaroslavich was not idle, and set his army to make an impressive display for the Chernigovians and Bulgars, and lo, many did say: "Is this the war-host of Vsevolod Yaroslavich? Or the guard of the Emperor of the Romans? Truly, the land of the court at Pereyaslavl must be rich, and her ruler wise!"
Now by and by night did fall, and the war-host of Vsevolod Yaroslavich set their camp in which to rest. Then Vsevolod Yaroslavich called for the holy-men to do their part, and to perform a great service in honour of St. Elias the Thunderer, in the course of which, it is said, a great bold of lightning split the heavens, even though the sky that night was most perfectly clear. Now at this their was great commotion, and Sviatoslav of Pronsk and Adam Dulo both exclaimed: "A sign from God! The Thunderer makes his preference clear, we must raise Vsevolod Yaroslavich above us, that he may lead our hosts, and bring the favour of God to our lands!"
Thus it was for Vsevolod Yaroslavich that Chernigov's war-host was effectively his, and so to was the war-host of the Bulgars.
In such wise did Vsevolod Yaroslavich gain the lands of Merya and Grassland Cheremisa, without spilling hardly a drop of his own vassal's blood, and spending only as much as was needed to buy the requisite trinkets.
The Dalliance of Princes: 1070 AD
Now Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich was a temperate man for a great lord, but when he did dally with the womenfolk, he was unabashed about it. In his time Vsevolod Yaroslavich would have two wives, both of which would bear him strong children, and at least two mistresses, each of which bore him a son.
Alexandr Vsevolodovich, bastard by an unknow mistress.
Vladimir Vsevolodovich the younger, son of Vsevolod Yaroslavich and Rostislava the steward.
The most famous of these mistresses was Rostislava the steward, mother of Vladimir Vsevolodovich, who would in time be named countess of the Lower Volga, though that was after her lover had been felled in battle.
Now Rostislava was a lusty woman, and Vsevolod Yaroslavich doted on her greatly. By the time she left the court of the Prince of Pereyaslavl, she was the richest woman in the lands of the Rus. Indeed, so rich was she, that she could have paid to fortify the entire border with the Bulgars with her own money, and still have enough left to live on for the rest of her days.
Rostislava the steward, richest woman in Ruskaya.
The Cuman War 1072-1077 AD
Now, to the south and east of the great capital at Pereyaslavl there lay the lands of the Cumans and the Pechenegs. The Pechenegs were well know to the court at Pereyaslavl, as they had raided and warred with the Rus for many generations, before being smashed by the father of Vsevolod Yaroslavich, Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise, and driven from their lands by the Cumans, who proceeded to raid and war with the Rus in the same manner as the Pechenegs.
Now, despite the emnity between them for the wars of the previous generation, both of these barbaric horse-peoples had made common cause together while Vsevolod Yaroslavich had been attending to his mighty reforms, so the knowledge of this had passed him by for a time. But it would for much longer.
But to tell of that, we must turn our eyes away from the horse-barbarians, and far to the east and south, where lay the Princedom of Alania, which, for some years, had exchanged polite missives with the court at Pereyaslavl. Now to the south of even the Alans, there lay the Kingdoms of Georgia and the Emirate of Derbent, and as time passed, the Emrirate did conquer the Kingdom, subject it utterly, and forced the royal house of Georgia to flee to Alania. And in these times Prince Durgulel of Alania sent messengers more often to the court at Pereyaslavl, where they would converse with Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich of the terrible threats to the south, their dreams of breaking the Cuman and freeing themselves from their pernicious raids, and their efforts to bring Christianity to the lesser heathens about them. And Vsevolod Yaroslavich would sent messengers back with tales of his rebelious vassals and of weak heathen lands that the Alanian Prince had no knowledge of, but were yet vulnerable to his armies. Eventually their came a day when a messenger came from Alania saying: "Vsevolod Yaroslavich, honoured Prince of Pereyaslavl and many lands besides, I have grown fond of our conversations, and might, I think, persume to call you a friend, and though you rule a distant land, I would that I made a common cause with you, my friend, for we share the faith of Christ, as well as heathen enemies close to us both. Would you swear to such a pact in the name of St. Vlasü and St. Elias the Thunderer?"
At this Vsevolod Yaroslavich did exclaim: "I shall swear to this here and now, in the name of St. Vlasü and St. Elias the Thunderer, I shall make common cause with Prince Durgulel of Alania against any enemy that may threaten my friend, if he shall do likewise, and make common cause with me against any enemy that may threaten his friend. Now go now, messenger, do not rest, and take the fresh horse I shall provide for you, for this momentous news must reach the ears of my friend posthaste!"
Now it was then that the horse-barbarians re-enter our tale, in the person of a messenger of the Kagan of the Pechenegs, who, even as the messenger of Alania turned from Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich to undertake his mission, and boldly announced that the Pechenegs were joining their brothers, the Cumans, in war against the vile Princedom of Alania. And then, in a show of peerless arrogance, the Pecheneg emissary announced: "Thus be assured, while our hosts will march to war, it is not a war against the Prince of Pereyaslavl, and you need not call up your hosts that they may cower behind your walls for the fear of us, for we will march past the fortress of Pereyaslavl, without even a side-long glance, so we may fall upon the Alans far to the east."
Now at this Vsevolod Yaroslavich paused for a moment, and who knows what doubts and deceits danced through his mind in that instant, but this is what he said: "I am Vsevolod Yaroslavich, Prince of Pereyaslavl and *many* other lands besides, and you would do well to remember it, dog-man of the Pechenegs. In truth Alania is my ally, so to fall upon them, you shall be obliged to make war upon me. But I doubt that you can, for I shall carry the fires of death to you first! Go now Pecheneg dog-man, and warn your Kagan that he should quake in his bed, for the Rus are coming for you!"
And then Vsevolod Yaroslavich let the Pecheneg messenger go, but not before he had his horses gutted, so that he would be obliged to walk, and Vsevolod Yaroslavich then said: "Go messenger of the Alans, and warn your Prince of these events, and that Vsevolod Yaroslavich stands with him, and bid him pray to God it is enough, for he shall have to hold out for many moons before my armies may reach him!" And then Vsevolod Yaroslavich turned to his marshal, and said: "Send out the recruiters among my lands and the lands of my vassals, yea, even the lands of Dimitrii of Suzdal, for we shall need everything in this war!" And the marshal and the messenger of the Alans both hurried to their tasks, that things should be ready in their proper time.
Now as it happened, the recruiters were swift, and all of Vsevolod Yaroslavich's vassals raised their hosts to add to his, even the rebellious Dimitrii of Suzdal. Yet much of the first great host was far to the north of the Cumans and the city of Pereyaslavl, separated by the bulk of the lands of the court at Chernigov. So it was that the Pechenegs were able to fall upon Pereyaslavl itself with a great portion of their strength, when Vsevolod Yaroslavich had gathered only a small fraction of his to him. Thus it was that Vsevolod Yaroslavich decided to retreat, the better to preserve his army for other battles. Yet in the confusion of battle, he found himself turned around, and instead of retreating to neutral Kiev or Chernigov, he headed straight into the lands of the Pechenegs, where an even greater portion of their strength lay massed. So again Vsevolod Yaroslavich retreated, and again, he headed deeper into the lands of the Pechenegs, where he would be defeated again. After three defeats in a row, Vsevolod Yaroslavich decided it would be better to disperse his armies, and exfiltrate from the Pecheneg lands in small bands.
Now when Vsevolod Yaroslavich returned to Pereyaslavl, he found that it had fallen to the Pechenegs, and been re-taken by the count of Moscow, and was thus no longer his. But his court yet survived, his wife Veleslava the spy-master had led the courtiers in a daring escape with the documents and regalia of rulership, fleeing across Chernigov, to set up a new court at Vladimir, far to the north.
Veleslava the spy-master, who saved the court of Vsevolod Yaroslavich.
The three great armies of his great host were fighting hard, two against the Cumans, and one against the Pechenegs, who were much humbled now that they did not outnumber the Rus by six to one! Yet in truth Vsevolod Yaroslavich was distracting only a fraction of the strength of the Cuman/Pecheneg alliance, and as time passed, the Princedom of Alania shriveled like a grape exposed to the dry winds of the steppe.
But soon enough the Pechenegs ceased to matter, as the might of Poland, the good ally of Vsevolod Yaroslavich, smashed down upon them like the golden apples of St. Elias. Thus Vsevolod Yaroslavich was able to turn his full strength upon the Cuman dogs, quickly smashing all oposition in the west and Crimea, and establishing forts with loyal men to hold them, that the Cumans should not be able to out-flank him.
Alania at its lowest ebb in 1073.
Alexandrii of Tver, the commander of the first Rus army to reach Alania.
By the time the armies of Vsevolod Yaroslavich reached Alania, it was mostly in Cuman hands, Prince Durgulel having since died, the young Prince Yasynya commanded their armies in the desperate battle to fend off the heathen hordes. But in getting to Alania, the three armies of the first great host had shrunk to only two armies, the two weakest having been consolidated into one, and even then, each army was less than half the size of the armies that had marched to war across the lands of the court at Chernigov.
Prince Yasynya, who is fondly remembered by the Rus who fought with him.
Now at that time, the armies of the Cuman heathens were much greater, being at least twice the size of all the armies of the court at Vladimir put together. And Vsevolod Yaroslavich was sorely vexed, for he knew victory would not come if the Cuman armies could smash his hosts wherever they found them, so he sent out the recruiters onece more, so that any men who had come of age since the first great host had been assembled could be broght together and given arms. And in such wise the second great host was formed. Again every land that had men gave them up and armed them, which greatly surprised Vsevolod Yaroslavich, for even in those lands which were not in open rebellion against him, the stresses of the war had hit the common people hard, and there were many times that the harvest could not be brought in, for the men were all at war, and even though Vsevolod Yaroslavich had opened his storehouses to support his people, still their mood had turned against the war.
So Vsevolod Yaroslavich marched down to the Cuman lands in person, and this time he won three, four, five victories in quick succession, and while he manoeuvred with to avoid the main host of the Cuman barbarians (for their army was still greater than his) and yet still distract them, that the great army of the south, commanded by none other than Dimitrii of Suzdal, which fought with host of Prince Yasynya, could aid the liberation of Alania.
Now Dimitrii of Suzdal had served loyally throughout the war with the Cumans, and had garnered great prestige from his fine leadership, and his lands were much expanded, as he lay claim to forts from the Crimea to the Volga. And even to this day, there are many statues of Dimitrii of Suzdal in the lands of the Alans, for there he is fondly remembered as a friend to Alania and their Prince, Yasynya. And nor was this friendship one-sided, for the soldiers of the Rus brought back many stories of the brave leadership of Prince Yasynya, who drove back the Cuman dogs many times as he fought to regain his lands.
Now in time Vsevolod Yaroslavich, commander of the great army of the north, was directly assaulted by the main host of the Cumans, and in a little more time, Vsevolod Yaroslavich had one, and the great army of the Cumans was broken, and Vsevolod Yaroslavich and Yasynya of Alania feared the Cumans no more.
Now in the land near the sea of Azov, there was a fortress named Tana, and it had been liberated from heathen hands by Vsevolod Yaroslavich, but only fleetingly, as the great host of the Cumans had taken it back in time. Now as the moons changed, it came to pass that Prince Yasynya also laid siege to the fortress at Tana, and there were those who counseled Vsevolod Yaroslavich that he should not allow this land, first liberated by Rus blood, fall into the hands of the Alans. But Vsevolod Yaroslavich laughed, and spoke thus: "Have not the whole of the steppe-lands now been liberated by Rus blood? And while we have a sanctified claim upon the lands about Tana, we shall not ask Prince Yasynya to give it up to us, for if in time our friends in Alania seek to betray us, it will be good to have pretext that my children and grand-children may use to punish them. Let the Alans have Tana then, and be glad of it."
And all nodded at the wisdom of Vsevolod Yaroslavich's words, and were glad of it.
But still the Cumans were not defeated, and still Vsevolod Yaroslavich needed more men, so he sent out the call to form the third great host of the Cuman war, which would be the last.
