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Three more Retinue companies were raised in February 1045, this time bolstering the archer and light infantry components, for more balance. One skirmish and two light skirmish companies began training in Holmgarðr.
I'm not 100% sure, but this is a suboptimal decision. One never lacks archers or LI in any flanks, and LI don't bring useful battle events and prevent some good ones. You may want to release them and raise others (heavy cav if possible for example).

Then the plot against Hakon culminated in early February: it would be Hroðulfr’s favourite ploy – the manure bomb! But the success turned to ashes in the cruel Fylkir’s mouth: his part was revealed and he would henceforth be known not just as a murderer but a familial kinslayer at that! His large extended family would not be impressed.
:eek:


love the new format!
 
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I'm not 100% sure, but this is a suboptimal decision. One never lacks archers or LI in any flanks, and LI don't bring useful battle events and prevent some good ones. You may want to release them and raise others (heavy cav if possible for example).

:eek:
I thought about this, up till now I have focussed the retinue on heavy infantry, pikemen and cavalry for those reasons. But with the Retinue now often operating independently or in combination with the Jomsvikings, I'd noticed they are often a bit short of archers during the skirmish phases, so was hoping to address that with the two lighter skirmish retinues. I think I'll stick with them for now (I'd played on past the point the last chapter finished and they were already largely trained and in combat by the time I started the next session). In future, I'll probably revert to the heavier, pikeman and cavalry focus once again.

As for the Fylkir, his cruelty and nasty streak will continue to feature in game events and role-play decisions in coming years!
love the new format!
Thanks! :)

To All: Next chapter will be up soon.
 
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Chapter 4a: Crusade and Conquest (April 1047 – March 1054)
Chapter 4a: Crusade and Conquest (April 1047 – March 1054)

AuthAAR’s Note. This chapter is split into two for thematic purposes and to keep the episodes at a reasonable length. Part A covers Imperial wars, raids and assistance rendered to vassals through ‘complementary raiding’ activity in support of their wars. The next episode will cover vassal wars, diplomacy, dynastic and domestic matters for the same period.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

2nd Catholic Crusade for France (July 1047 – February 1048)

After their harsh winter experience, the Imperial Army had recovered in Verdun before fanning out to raid the Christian enclave in eastern France in June 1047 in two armies of around 6,400 men each. This activity was interrupted by another attempt by the Pope, this time Caelestinus II, to arrest the decline of Christianity in France with another Crusade.

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The main army was soon heading to the ships in Boulogne – to make the now time-honoured ploy of attacking Rome to force the Pope into capitulation.

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And the four new retinue companies in Holmgarðr were soon heading to the other fleet in the Gulf of Finland. By late August the Imperial Army was on its way to Rome by sea.

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Soon after, 11,600 levies in France were summoned to repel any Crusader armies that might appear there. Another 3,500 would gather in Osnabruck in case anyone tried to come via Holland. By mid-November, the Knights Hospitaller, Bavaria, Venice and Spoleto were the only powers that had rallied to the Pope’s cause.

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Only two major field battles were fought in southern France during the campaign. An army led by the Pope himself was engaged and defeated at Nevers on 11 December 1047.

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Then an Army led by the Doge of Venice was met at the Battle of Mâcon just a few weeks later, with another decisive victory won by 13 January 1048.

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Magni’s army landed in Rome the same day the Battle of Mâcon began, assaulting the castle of Roma for supplies, taking it the next day. The four new retinue companies joined them on 9 January, after which a series of five assaults over the next month saw the “Weakling’s Folly”, as the Rurikids called it, fail in ignominy in just seven months.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

The Burgundian War (February 1048 – August 1050)

As the Weakling’s Crusade ended, the Rurikid’s Empire had continued to grow steadily over recent years, thanks to the efforts of its marcher lords.

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None more so than the last Jarl of Lothian. In February 1048 his son Knut tried to expand his French holdings into Nice, owned by Duke Bernard of Burgundy. And with far fewer troops than his father Frirek had commanded. He would need help, and the Imperial Army was sent straight from Rome to Provence to provide that help.

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By 30 March one army of around 7,000 men was besieging Nice and another of similar size under Magni was in Forcalquier by late April. They would be raising revenue as well as paving the way for Knut.

Over in Finland, a Burgundian army of around 1,800 was spotted in Tavastehus on 10 April. Hroðulfr’s personal levy of just the four home provinces – which now numbered over 10,600 men – was sent to chase them off.

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The chase would last all the way to Denmark, with no battle and the levies dismissed in November.

But by the end of September 1048, the war was going against Knut. The reason was discovered: a Burgundian army had landed in Lothian itself and had fully occupied Knut’s capital county and was now reducing the holdings of Teviotdale.

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In response, a new fleet of around 90 boats was raised and sent to the Straits of Dover. An army under the new leading commander Eormenric was sent north to Boulogne, with the mission of relieving Lothian to get the war back on track.

They took ship in early February 1049 and by the time they landed on 11 March, the war effort had deteriorated further (-50%). Even before they were fully organised, Eormenric (a Germanic Saxon) led his army into battle, defeating the Burgundians at the Battle of Melrose in Teviotdale by 18 April 1049 in the largest engagement of the war.

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In Nice, the veteran commander Magni the Conqueror died bedridden at the age of 70 on 3 April 1049. But there were always talented replacements to take up the commands, new man Momchil taking charge.

Meanwhile, the Burgundian army chased out of Sweden the year before reappeared in Grodno in mid-May, obviously bound for Holmgarðr itself. They were watched but allowed to proceed unhindered – until the would draw close.

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The imperial levy of Holmgarðr county was called out at the end of June and under another new commander, Botulfr, began chasing down the faster-moving Burgundians through Pskov to Ingria.

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The Burgundians in Russia were finally trapped there and heavily defeated at the Battle of Nyen on 23 September, when Botulfr’s levies joined a smaller Yaroslavian force’s attack upon the invaders.

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In Skotland, A series of quick assaults in Teviotdale by the end of May saw a little done to improve the war’s balance, but not enough. Eormenric moved back to Lothian, completing the siege of Stirling on 5 August only to be called back to deal with the returning Burgundians in Teviotdale. The 2nd Battle of Melrose saw all 800 Burgundians killed for the loss of just 10 men on 30 August.

Back in Burgundy, the new commander Momchil was raiding in Forcalquier when news came at the end of June of the Lothians being attacked by a Burgundian army in Nice in a fairly even match. Momchil decided to lend them a hand, arriving on 21 July with the Lothians already holding the upper hand. The added strength saw the entire Burgundian army destroyed by 2 August 1049 at the Battle of Nizza.

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Momchil then assisted the Lothian army’s assault on Monaco in Nice in early September, finally switching the war into Knut’s favour (+19%). More sieges and assault were won in Lothian and Nice (warscore +43%), until Eormenric was able to re-embark for the continent on 7 October. Two more successful Lothian-Imperial assaults in Nice by mid-October rapidly swung things more heavily in Knut’s favour.

After defeating a raiding host in north Germany in December, by March 1050 Eormenric’s army was raiding in the Bavarian border county of Leiningen, with Momchil back raiding in Forcalquier by June. He broke that siege on 3 August when a returning Burgundian army was seen advancing on Nice. But no fight eventuated, as Knut achieved his objective on 15 August 1050 and Nice was absorbed into the Empire.

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Over this period, small scale raiding in southern France had yielded 345 gold in ‘pocket money’ for the Empire.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Interlude in Aquitaine (August 1050 – January 1053)

Needing something useful to do, in mid-August Momchil headed to Aquitaine to begin a few years of raiding.

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In July 1051, there was some alarm when large Aquitainian armies were raised. As a precaution, Eormenric was ordered down from Santois to supplement the raid and be ready in case an Aquitanian attack developed.

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But while ostensibly hostile, they would be solely engaged in a civil war to the north-west and never assailed the Rurikid raiders.

Joined by Eormenric after his raiding in Germany and the French enclave was finished, this period of raiding netted a total of 1,718 gold from sacked holdings, let alone that won from looting the countryside and ransoming many hostages. In addition to Leiningen, the French county of Santois and the Aquitanian border counties of Gevaudan, Rouergue, Auvergne, Narbonne and Lusignan were all thoroughly sacked. Queen Tiburge of Aquitaine, embroiled in her own civil war, never tried to interfere.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

The Gallurian War (October 1052 to March 1054)

A new Lothian adventure was launched on 14 October 1052, when Knut decided to grab Galluria in Sardinia, owned the by the Christian Queen Marguerita of Africa. By November, African troops had adopted the standard playbook and were besieging Lothian, who Knut didn’t have the power to repel with local troops. Another rescue mission was organised, this time Momchil would make to Rouen from Lyon, when a newly raised fleet would ferry him over to Scotland.

Meanwhile, Botulfr had taken charge of the army in Lusignan, which by early January 1053 had finished its raiding and headed to Nantes, where another fleet would pick them up. They would sail to Sardinia to offer Knut direct support there in February. The Lothians already had an army there besieging Galluria as the Africans returned the favour in Lothian. The key difference would be Rurikid raiding support.

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Because of the quaint raiding customs of the time, Momchil arrived in Lothian on 23 January but had to stand by helplessly as the small Lothian company there was attacked and destroyed by the African army of Mayor Merigo. They would siege down the occupied holdings of Lothian while Botulfr triggered ‘legal’ hostility with the Africans by landing in their homeland.

Botulfr duly arrived in Arborea in early May. Hostility triggered, a well-rested Momchil attacked and decisively defeated Mayor Merigo the 3rd Battle of Melrose in Teviotdale on 11 June 1053.

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Botulfr was surprised by getting in the middle of a local rising by Cathar heretics in Arborea as Momchil fought Africans in Teviotdale! The Battle of Oristano was won but at the cost of 600 elite Rurikid and Jomsviking soldiers. A good-sized Lothian army was meanwhile besieging Galluria itself.

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Three rapid-fire assaults by Momchil in Lothian during August reduced Queen Marguerite’s previous advantage in the war (to-11%). Botulfr finished his raid of Arborea (53 gold) on 7 September and immediately swung north to aid the Lothians in Galluria. Nuoro fell on 20 October (warscore to +35% in Knut’s favour) and Posada to assault on the 29th. Botulfr followed the Lothians to support three more assaults in Ogliastria in November, with five more to follow in Logudoro from January to mid-March, bringing the Africans to the brink of surrender (+99% warscore).

The final blow was struck while the Lothians fought the Africans in Ogliastria on 25 March. Marguerite had had enough and another Mediterranean outpost was secured for Knut and the Empire.

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Busy Jarls are keeping on the expansion!
 
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Busy Jarls are keeping on the expansion!
And there is even more in Part B, which covers vassal wars over the same period the empire wasn’t directly involved with. Though their strike rate for victories lowers a little bit from their recent peak!
 
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Russia is expanding a lot.

If attacking the Pope is all that's needed to defeat Catholicism, why isn't a Great Holy War declared and won by occupying the city?
 
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Ouch...a failed Holy War will hurt the Catholic Church.
And they were already hurting after losing the original Rurikid GHW for France and a 1st Crusade to try to retake it.
Russia is expanding a lot.
Yes, very steadily, albeit almost all recently via marcher lords (supported by the Fylkir or not).
If attacking the Pope is all that's needed to defeat Catholicism, why isn't a Great Holy War declared and won by occupying the city?
It was the Pope who attacked this time, so defeating him required Rome to be taken. At the moment, if I was to declare a GHW on anyone who was a member of any pact, every pact in the world would join against me. And except for a few Norse allies, they are all in pacts.

Also, afaik, such a war would only gain me the county of Roma, not defeat Catholicism per se. Perhaps not worth it? Other more expert players than me may have more informed views.
 
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Enjoyin this new Saga! I particularly liked the begining chronicle of the empires beginings since I joined in on the AAR a little late and you did a nice job of explaining how things developed to what they are now. The Pope really needs to find some prime vacation real estate far away (is there anywhere that is too far for the Rurikid raiders) and relocate there immediatly. I misread the CB and thought that Jarl Frirek was going to conquer all of the Queen of Aquitane's holdings....that would have been a conquest. Nevertheless probably best that he only gained a little land and died shortly after, it must have been a little concerning for the Fylkir to see one of his vassals assemble an army of 30k men, even for expansion purposes.

The expansion to the east seems to be going great, though I have a feeling these new eastern provinces may not get to enjoy peace and prosperity for long, and the further east the empire pushes the less time they have to react to the coming thundering of hooves.
 
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Enjoyin this new Saga! I particularly liked the begining chronicle of the empires beginings since I joined in on the AAR a little late and you did a nice job of explaining how things developed to what they are now.
Thanks, glad you are! Also happy that quick history at the start from the preceding AAR worked for you. For me, it was interesting reviewing stuff that I'd played and written back to more than five years ago.
The Pope really needs to find some prime vacation real estate far away (is there anywhere that is too far for the Rurikid raiders) and relocate there immediatly.
If he could, he should. But no matter where he runs to, I'll track him down with the Retinue and Jomsvikings! On the other side of the coin, Holmgardr of course takes a little more getting to and the Russian-based levies (Imperial and vassal) are now pretty big, even if the professional standing army is off somewhere else. And with a healthy reserve in the treasury, mercenary support can be raised too.
I misread the CB and thought that Jarl Frirek was going to conquer all of the Queen of Aquitane's holdings....that would have been a conquest. Nevertheless probably best that he only gained a little land and died shortly after, it must have been a little concerning for the Fylkir to see one of his vassals assemble an army of 30k men, even for expansion purposes.
Yes, it was a prepared invasion, which must have given him a huge event spawned army (not sure exactly how that works), and he already had a fair few from previous adventures. It was a bit eye-opening, but he was always loyal and a bribe would have been paid if necessary. Now his son has become dependent on Imperial support for his wars while the conquered Aquitanian lands regenerate. Eventually he should be a bit more self-sufficient.
The expansion to the east seems to be going great, though I have a feeling these new eastern provinces may not get to enjoy peace and prosperity for long, and the further east the empire pushes the less time they have to react to the coming thundering of hooves.
True, but given it's the vassals doing the lifting, I suppose it means there's a lot of steppe for an enemy to conquer before they get to the heartland. And maybe time to wear them down a bit, even if it means we're likely to be drawn into war with the Mongols earlier as a result. Still, I have a few thoughts in mind for both them and the Aztecs in due course. Including the possibility of the powers of Hel being invoked to strike them down! We shall see ...

To All: second part of Chapter 4 will be posted shortly.
 
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Chapter 4b: Home and Away (April 1047 – April 1054)
Chapter 4b: Home and Away (April 1047 – April 1054)

AuthAAR’s Note. This Part covers vassal wars, diplomacy, dynastic and domestic matters for the same period as Part 4a, which dealt with imperial wars and raiding.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Diplomatic and Foreign Affairs

Denmark. Old King Þorbjörn ‘the Bewitched’ of Denmark died naturally aged 51 on 22 May 1047. His son Eilif, 22 and married to Hroðulfr’s half-sister Vidyava, inherited the throne – and a troubled political landscape. The Fylkir soon secured a new non-aggression pact - after a small bag of gold helped ease its acceptance. But by April 1048, a major civil war had broken out in Denmark. Eilif controlled the bulk of the territory, but the rebels had the larger army.

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Eilif would ultimately lose his throne to the new King Leopold II in November 1050. Gold would have to stand in for marriage ties in this case. And even with the gift, Leopold would not agree to a renewal of the non-aggression pact.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

England. Old King Guðmundr ‘the Wise’ died by suspected foul play in July 1047, succeeded by his son Alfgeir but seeing Scotland split away into a separate realm.

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England splintered further when rebellion broke out in Skotland in 1049, while Alfgeir simultaneously fought to depose King Sigbjörn from the Skottish throne, which he succeeded doing on 1 January 1050. He then took on the Skottish rebels, who held the initial advantage at that time.

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But by early 1054, England had been reunited under Alfgeir’s rule, the British Isles once again divided between the Germanic Hvitserk English and Rurikid Russians.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Byzantine Diplomacy. During these years, the diplomatic mission to Constantinople continued to curry favour with its ruler, Basilissa Dorothea Makedon ‘the Just’. Her head of the Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Euthymios, was successfully influenced in April 1048, June 1049 (by then known also as ‘the Wicked!) and yet again in June 1052. More importantly, the young Basilissa herself was influenced in October 1050 …

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… and again in August 1053 (to opinion +45), overcoming the Fylkir’s reputation as an infidel and known murderer and familial kinslayer. Which was good, because bribing the Basilissa could be afforded but only at great cost.

Defensive Pacts. In April 1054, the defensive pacts against the Rurikid Emperor were as pervasive as ever. Noregr was not a member of the Pagan pact as it had a non-aggression pact with Russia.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Marcher Lord Wars

This period did not prove as successful for the various marcher lords as the previous one. Jarl Bersi of Bolghar had a rare loss in a Holy War for Sibir against the Darabid Satrapy in August 1048. Sweden’s Holy War for Pruthenia against Poland ended inconclusively in February 1049. Then two holy wars for Galich ended in defeat for Jarl Þorbjörn of Moldau in March 1049 and Jarl Birger of Pereyaslavl in February 1050. Then Jarl Alfr Rurikid of Polotsk was defeated, wounded and captured in battle in Burgundy in March 1050 against the Latins, forcing him to pay reparations and abandon his prepared invasion of Burgundy.

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Jarl Bersi then reversed his early defeat with victory over the Darabids in his 2nd Holy War for Sibir in February 1051, adding two more counties to the steppe territories.

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Then Brabant returned to form with the conquest of Köln in April 1051. Even with this, some years of peace since the 2nd Crusade saw the Rurikid threat remain lower than it had been for many years.

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More victories for Russian vassals continued with a long war between the Jomsvikings and their perennial enemies of the Teutonic Order ended in Surt Bloodaxe’s seizure of Kujawy and Schieratz in December 1052.

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Followed by a Brabantian vassal usurping Lower Silesia in April 1053 – thus frustrating a Swedish attempt to conquer it through a holy war.

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But Chief Yngvar of Guines (another Brabantian vassal) lost his holy war for Brunswick against the Teutonic Order in January 1054.

By April 1054, with the assistance provided to Jarl Knut of Lothian in Nice and Galluria and these latest marcher lord conquests, the Rurikid Empire had continued to spread further than ever before.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Dynastic Events

A ninth child, a daughter named Þora, was born to the Fylkir through Empress Ylva in April 1047. Hroðulfr later sought to repair his damaged diplomatic influence – by taking to carousing from February 1048.

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Crown Prince Toste’s fourth child, a second daughter, named Inga, was born in Nygarðr in June 1048. But early the following year, he sought to strike out on his own by asking permission to join the Varangian Guard in Byzantium. Not wishing to attract his son’s displeasure nor to lose prestige in the eyes of the court, and also hoping it would improve the heir, Hroðulfr agreed to release him. And he had a good spare in hand should something happen to Toste during his service.

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Toste became a commander in the Varangian Guard in June. But in Nygarðr, Hroðulfr’s cruel streak was on show again in March 1050 when he went the ‘nasty route’ again in tormenting one of his hapless prisoners: the unpleasant anecdote comes down to us through the Rurikid Chronicles.

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Another daughter, Maer, was born to the Fylkir and Empress in September 1050. Then the ‘spare heir’ Prince Helgi turned 12 in December 1050 and the brilliant young man was confirmed in a martial education. Baldr, one of the Emperor’s best commanders, was assigned as his guardian to assist.

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After many years of sustained raiding, Hroðulfr became the first Rurikid ruler to be hailed as a ‘Sea King. A title he revelled in just as much as his territorial kingdoms. By this time, in November 1051, territorial expansion and the great building campaign in the imperial demesne had grown Rurikid military strength to over 58,000 men.

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The following year, reports from the Chancellor in Constantinople recorded that Prince Toste had been promoted to Sakellarios of the Varangian Guard.

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By November 1052, the Fylkir was ready to begin a new ambition: once more, he hoped to see the realm (or the Imperial House, anyway) prosper in peace for another five years.

In April 1054 he ruled over by far the largest realm in the known world. The Byzantine Empire was next largest, by number of holdings.

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He also had the largest potential army but in this case the Byzantines were a far closer second.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Politics and Law

Throughout this period, the Emperor’s supremacy at home went largely unchallenged, with factions activity minimal and none ever reaching more than 10-15% of his strength in terms of power. In late 1051, even the most powerful of the top vassals could only match 22% of their emperor’s strength and most remained supportive, despite Hroðulfr’s murderous reputation.

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The Fylkir did want to see some modest legal reform though, hoping to broaden the talent pool available for high offices by increasing the legal status of women in the empire. Only one loyalist councillor, Steward Klas, supported granting marginal status to women when he sent it for initial consideration in July 1050. Some financial inducements offered to his Spymaster Alfgeir and Seer Ale in September began to gradually sway opinion.

By June 1051 Ale was on board and in July 1052 Alfgeir became the third loyalist councillor to support the law. A vote was started, but fate intervened: Klas died at the ripe old age of 75, thus aborting the vote. His replacement was selected more for loyalty than outright financial ability, with Godi Guðröðr immediately expressing his support for the new law. It was passed just few weeks later.

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Jarl Alfr of Polotsk – not a fan of the Fylkir by then due largely to his familial kinslaying exploits – died in personal combat during an internecine brawl with Kola in November 1053, with his more amenable infant son Sigbjörn inheriting the powerful Jarldom.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Research, Trade and Construction

Heavy infantry (IV) and popular customs (III) advances were made in May 1049, with an important advance in castle infrastructure in March 1050 allowing the construction of more advanced stables, castle towns and housecarl training grounds (all to level IV) in the capital county.

The merchants of Livonia founded a new trade post at Ösel in July 1049, complementing the Imperial Silk Road terminus in Tana and boosting the Livonian trade zone in the Baltic.

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From 1047 to early 1054, a massive 19 new building projects were funded in the Imperial demesne, 12 of them in the three baronies of Holmgarðr. Most of these were (out of necessity) military facilities, though a castle town (II) was commissioned in Okulovka in February 1051 and expanded further in July 1052 (to III). And the recent advance in castle infrastructure saw an upgrade of the housecarl training ground (to IV) in Chudovo begun in March 1052, while the expansion of the castle town of Nygarðr (to IV) was begun in July 1052.

All this work cost a massive 7,074 gold. Over the same period, looting income (excluding countryside and ransom funds) was 2,115 gold. Despite this great expenditure, the treasury had held 3,081 gold in July 1047 and retained 2,416 in March 1054, when the Gallurian war ended. This showed Russia was no longer reliant on raiding for the bulk of its income, which now also flowed in liberally from taxes and trade.

The world’s wealth was still concentrated in a broad band stretching from Britannia in the west through Europe, Byzantium and the Middle East through Central Asia and on to the east. But in Russia, the Imperial home counties around Holmgarðr, plus the Imperial training hub of Tana and that of the Merchant Republic of Livonia had created new centres of prosperity in what had once been the poor hinterland of Russia.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Rebellion

Only one rebellion – yet another Khazarian Liberation Revolt, the 4th so far – broke out during this period, in Oleshye in June 1052, with over 3,300 peasants taking up arms. The main Russian imperial levy army had concentrated in Korsun by early October and marched on the rebels before they could seize the local castle. The rebels were attacked and defeated by a host of more than three times their number under Baldr.

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The rebel leader was captured and shown no mercy, his gory <ahem> death ending the short-lived revolt on 7 November. This reinforced the Flykir’s growing reputation as a cruel man who was nonetheless usually fair.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Religion and Culture

Religion. Recent territorial expansion had seen many of these conquered counties later convert to the Reformed Germanic Faith. By early 1048 Germanicism was dominant in Britain, western Europe, Scandinavia and Russia, while it was also spreading into the eastern steppe lands.

From 1047 to 1053, this religious expansion had continued with Penthievre (France, Aug 1047), Rygjafylki (Norway, Dec 1047), Forez (France, Mar 1048), Kola (Finland, Oct 1048), Sundgau (Germany, May 1050), Guines (France, Feb 1052), Melgueil (France, Nov 1052) and Chalons (France, Jul 1053). In April 1054, Germanicism remained pre-eminent among the great religions of the world.

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It was now the largest in front of Sunni Islam in terms of the number of counties that counted it as the majority faith, with Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity well behind in third and fourth places. Catholicism was now a distant fifth, followed by Buddhism.

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Culture. Norse culture continued to expand slowly throughout the empire. Specifically, it was growing in northern France. In February 1053, it spread to Rouen, though this meant the dying out of the chivalric military culture of jousting, replaced by preference for the Norse pursuit of heavy infantry fighting.

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Finally caught up with this new project, sir! And it is your usual thorough and fine work. I must admit that I am impressed (and not a little jealous) that your Jarls are doing so much of the expansion work (would that my Loupings had done so.) Also, I must laugh every time the Pope calls a crusade only to fail to your far superior armies. That's how you truly turn the tables on them! Overall, very well done and I'll try to keep current.
 
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Finally caught up with this new project, sir! And it is your usual thorough and fine work.
Lovely to have you aboard @coz1 - and thank you for the kind words. :)
I must admit that I am impressed (and not a little jealous) that your Jarls are doing so much of the expansion work (would that my Loupings had done so.)
They have been getting quite good at it, though sometimes still need some imperial raiding support to get there, when it can be spared. More recent policy of building them up does seem to be working. It helps when a number of them are the size of fairly large countries, but still not big enough to be a real threat to the emperor.
Also, I must laugh every time the Pope calls a crusade only to fail to your far superior armies. That's how you truly turn the tables on them!
It’s hard to get used to the Catholics being the niche third tier militant religion now, when the game is called Crusader Kings!
Overall, very well done and I'll try to keep current.
Thanks once again. I’m trying to keep the episodes shorter and more easily consumed than last time and covering longer periods. I’m actually looking forward to the Mongols and Aztecs arriving mid game to mix things up a bit.
 
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Well, that was a really interesting series of events in Britain. Events in Denmark were also interesting, even if they harmed Russia

It's nice to see that the Empire's lords can take a few losses. It helps keep them humble...

Why is Khazaria so rebellious? Were there other rebellions by people who weren't Khazars?
 
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Good news about the rights of women, it's an untapped potential and many are jobless because most realms are not as progressive. Council would be better.

Maybe next time there's a conquest of a suitable duchy, we can create another merchant republic, the Livonian ones seem to be quite industrious :)
 
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Well, that was a really interesting series of events in Britain. Events in Denmark were also interesting, even if they harmed Russia
Seeing it over the perspective of 6-7 years neatly illustrated its breakdown and reunification. It remains a fairly powerful and generally friendly Norse kingdom. In RP terms as Fylkir I want to see them prosper - just not too much!
It's nice to see that the Empire's lords can take a few losses. It helps keep them humble...
Indeed. And it shows that to win against the odds, imperial support can really help.
Why is Khazaria so rebellious? Were there other rebellions by people who weren't Khazars?
I’ll have to check next time but assume it was likely to be religious and/or cultural reasons. It was the only rebellion during the reported period - quieter than usual.
Good news about the rights of women, it's an untapped potential and many are jobless because most realms are not as progressive. Council would be better.
Yes, I’ve been looking for good shield maidens to recruit as well.
Maybe next time there's a conquest of a suitable duchy, we can create another merchant republic, the Livonian ones seem to be quite industrious :)
Good idea! Though most conquests have been by vassals lately.
 
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PS:
Why is Khazaria so rebellious?
Apart from cultural or religious issues, it seems there was also a bout of peasant unrest in Oleshye at the time (the screenshot below was taken not long after the rebellion was put down, hence the positive modifier for that).

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To All: Also, I have a bit of a mystery that cropped up in the next play session (new chapter up soon). I've got a 'vassal levies raised too long' warning for Jarl Oysteinn of Champagne, but have checked and rechecked and can find no currently raised army or fleet levies of his raised anywhere. It seems to be some anomaly left over from when they were raised previously. It's now up to an opinion penalty of -22 and growing. Anyone have an idea of what this could be or how to find out its cause and/or fix it?

New post-Christmas content up soon!
 
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Chapter 5: Remember Thou Art Mortal (April 1054 – December 1057)
Chapter 5: Remember Thou Art Mortal (April 1054 – December 1057)

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

April 1054 – February 1055: War and Blot

The Rurikid army in Lothian, the job done for Knut’s conquest of Galluria, headed down towards Gibraltar in mid-April for a planned raid on the Umayyads. By early May the army in Sardinia had also boarded their ships and was headed the same way.

And then an opportunity arose to eliminate some border gore when the High Chief of Pruthenia unwisely ‘wandered from the herd’. The Fylkir soon pounced, mustering his large personal levy in Russia.

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As the various armies travelled, news came from Constantinople. The Basilissa died young in May 1054, leaving the throne to her young son Eustratios II.

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Five months later Chancellor Jarl Bersi reported he had managed to influence the young Basileus.

The same messenger also brought a report that Crown Prince Toste had been severely injured while serving with the Varangian Guard, losing an eye. He had at some point been branded an apostate and had taken on a chaste lifestyle – making an expansion of his young family less likely.

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He had recovered from the injury by the time of the next report in October and now sported a dashing scar.

In Sambia, High Chief Lutuveras had added a 2,000-man tribal host to his army by the end of May, and another 2,000 by the end of July. But a far larger Rurikid host was on its way.

When the first raiders arrived off Gibraltar in early June, they discovered an Umayyad army of almost 17,500 men attacking about a thousand Finnish raiders in Tangier. With the Tulunids able to muster an even larger army, the raiders turned around and headed for Venice. The other army on the way from Lothian would do the same when they passed Gibraltar a month later.

Around that time, it seemed the Brabantian Troubles may continue with the next generation, as young Ormr Skáld came of age as Chief of Hainaut. And immediately founded a faction against his Yngling liege, who he still considered to be a usurper of the now very large sub-realm of Brabant.

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The first and most important battle of the short Sambian War was fought and won by 26 August 1054. The second tribal host had failed to reinforce the first as they pushed into Russian territory. Eormenric, commanding the Imperial levies, smashed them in Scalovia.

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The second battle was won in Sambia itself on 21 September, with only light Russian losses. Two quick assaults to avoid attrition by seizing local supplies followed, with the war being won with no fuss by 29 September.

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This returned the Russian threat level back to the maximum (after it had dropped just below 90%) and the war had spoiled Hroðulfr’s ambition to foster realm peace. Though he didn't care much about that.

The newly renamed Samland was awarded to High Chief Anundr Rurikid of Kola, one of the top Rurikid commanders and a fairly powerful marcher lord. Renowned to be both possessed and stark raving mad. Best to have him on side!

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A few days later, the old Seer Godi Ale died and Hroðulfr took the chance to elevate his wife Empress Ylva to the position – mainly for her loyalty. He would have preferred to employ her as Steward, but such was not yet allowed despite the recent legal reforms.

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Meanwhile, the first raid in Venice had begun in Istria on 23 August. In would last until February 1055 and provide 258 gold in loot. The second raiding army landed in nearby Segna in late September, netting 223 gold by the time they finished in March the following year.

Of some interest was the looting of a holy Christian artefact – the Image of Edessa – from Brinje castle in Segna in October. It would have been very useful had its value not been restricted to Christian rulers.

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As these events unfolded, Jarl Knut was preparing his next strike against Aquitaine, declaring a war to conquer Saintonge on 1 October 1054, while an epidemic of consumption raged to it north, having started in Brittany earlier in the year.

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The promising Prince Helgi came of age in late November 1054. His father arranged a suitable betrothal with one of the daughters of the Hvitserk King of England. Helgi, having been schooled in martial matters, was considered a brilliant strategist – though having picked up a reputation for greed and gluttony along the way. He would prove to be a rather fractious teenager.

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By December, Hroðulfr was able to call another blot and the usual celebrations were held without any problems: Warchief Surt’s antics were considered more entertainment than indiscretion, by the Fylkir anyway, who buried his hands in his face – to conceal his grin! The realm and the army would be happy for the next year and that’s what really counted.

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Over in France, Jarl Öysteinn’s holy war to take Upper Lorraine from Queen Tiburge of Aquitaine was going poorly [-51% progress] by February 1055. Therefore, when they finished sacking Istria on 11 February, Botulfr’s army (around 7,700 strong) started boarding their ships and would sail to northern France, to support Öysteinn – and avoid the consumption outbreak which had spread to Normandy by then.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

March – December 1055: Focus on France

The other raiding army of around 8,800 men under Momchil finished in Segna on 23 March 1055 and took ship for Lothian territory in southern France, where they were to assist the latest Lothian war on Aquitaine, which was still in its early stages.

But soon after, word came that the Imperial Marshal and formidable marcher lord, King Þorolfr of Sviþjod, had been incapacitated – the cause of which was unknown. The militarily brilliant Anundr Rurikid was elevated to the role, assuring his fierce loyalty. Prince Helgi was promoted to fill his vacated commander’s slot.

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But in Rouen, the advance of consumption had led to depopulation and the depression of its local economy, including in its Imperial Barony.

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King Þorolfr died a month into his incapacity. That was no surprise: but there were unproven rumours that his end had been hastened – by poison. In any case, his son Botulfr succeeded him and would be a good candidate for Chancellor in the future, should a vacancy arise. For now, Hroðulfr moved to ensure he would stay well-disposed by send him a small gift (which was highly appreciated) and arranging a betrothal between Botulfr’s heir and one of his own daughters.

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The main treasure fleet docked in southern France on 15 May. Momchil soon had his men heading around to assist the current Lothian siege of Lusignan.

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The same day, Jarl Birger reported success in expelling the infidel Knights Templar from the Barony of Ross in Desmond, Ireland.

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That summer, Prince Helgi’s hell-raising resulted in an unseemly brawl with the dangerous Marshal Anundr, giving the spare heir a rival he really didn’t need!

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In any case, the second raiding fleet finally docked in Breda on 4 July and Botulfr’s army was soon skirting the epidemic – which had spread to Reims – to assist Jarl Öysteinn reclaim his holdings in Bourgogne.

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By then Momcil was approaching Lusignan, from where the Lothians had moved on. He would instead head south to Limousin, arriving there on 14 July to begin a raiding siege. On and off raids there up to April 1056 would yield a handy 242 gold, as well as indirectly assisting the Lothian war effort.

The Chancellor Jarl Bersi of Bolghar the Brave lost a 3rd Holy War against Cumania for a couple more counties in Sibir on 4 August. He was 60 years old by then and his wars had brought him into debt (-204 gold), which may have contributed to his defeat.

A series of three assaults where Botulfr assisted Öysteinn between 10-23 September saw Bourgogne completely liberated form Aquitaine [warscore -10%]. Botulfr followed the Champagne army east to Aquitanian AARgau ;) .

Eormenric had taken over from Momcil in Limousin, breaking the siege on 3 October to advance south to intercept Aquitanian forces threatening to interfere with the Lothian siege then being prosecuted in Saintonge.

From 11 October to 19 February, five holdings were sieged down or assaulted in AARgau in support of Öysteinn. In Aquitaine, Eormenric easily defeated a small Aquitanian army (around 1,200 men) at Montauban in Toulouse and then headed west to drive off a larger Toulousian army in Gévaudan in a more serious battle from 25 November to 22 December.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

January – October 1056: Aquitaine and Death

Öysteinn’s war now proceeded swiftly in his favour. Botulfr’s raider helped him win a decisive victory on 10 March, the combined force of 10,000 men completely destroying a 1,500 man Bourbon army at the Battle of Grandson in Neuchatel. Sieges and assaults in Neuchatel and Bern from late March would see the war won by 20 July.

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In Aquitaine, Eormenric was back to besiege Limousin on 15 February, then on to support the Lothians in Saintonge by 31 May, with two more holdings taken there by 10 June [warscore +39%].

During this time, an anticipated Aquitanian landing in Lothian resulted in 4,200 men besieging Jarl Knut’s capital in an effort to reverse their fortunes. Ships were soon raised and sent to the Bay of Biscay, where Eormenric’s army was helping the Lothians in Saintonge.

Back home at court, Hroðulfr’s mother the former Empress Ingrid died aged 71 on 6 June. When Prince Helgi (now aged 17) retuned from his field duties for the funeral, he was sporting a scar he had picked up during his adventures.

By 23 June, Eormenric’s army was embarking from Saintonge, from where they would sail north to the Irish Sea, taking the quicker ‘back way’ to Skotland. They arrived in Teviotdale on 2 August and spent some time reorganising before setting off across country to confront the Aquitanians in Lothian. At the Battle of Stirling, Eormenric drove the enemy off and broke the siege by 8 October.

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Jarl Hroðulfr of Brabant died a natural death on 6 October 1056 but was succeeded by his older – and incapable with end-stage cancer – brother Guðröðr, prolonging instability in this vital realm to Rurikid interests in the west. King Botulfr of Sviþjod take the vacant advisor position on the Imperial Council.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

January – March 1057: Call the Doctor!

The year 1057 was an eventful one personally for the Fylkir. It began with a nasty and persistent throbbing headache and a pain in one of his legs. Court Physician Ofeig was called: the news was bad. He believed Hroðulfr was suffering from cancer and began treating him accordingly.

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The diagnosis was confirmed in early March, though the indications were that it was a relatively mild case – for now.

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Despite this, Ofeig was concerned the cancer could spread. He offered the Fylkir a range of options. Hroðulfr was nothing if not brave, so opted for an ‘experimental’ treatment! He had some last-minute qualms, but by then it was too late. Ofeig had the hacksaw out by then …

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It seems from the records of that time that – by luck or good management – Ofeig managed to isolate and remove the cancer successfully. But the Fylkir lost his leg and would need to recover from the severe injury; of which there was no guarantee.

The physician further burnished his reputation by curing Hroðulfr’s daughter Vigdis of a nasty case of dysentery – often fatal in those times – from 6-12 March, at the same time he was treating the Emperor. Who gratefully rewarded him with a bag of gold for his sterling service to the Imperial family.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

January – October 1057: Knut and Aquitaine

In Aquitaine, Botulfr’s raiders arrived from the east to assist the Lothian siege in Lusignan at the end of 1056. A series of sieges and assaults in Lusignan, Limousin and Perigord from January to September 1057 saw Jarl Knut closing in on his objectives. Though in early July, there was a nasty surprise when news came of a large Catholic uprising in Kleve. A large levy army began gathering to stamp it out, but it would take some time to concentrate them in Köln.

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As Knut contemplated his approaching victory, the fragility of life in those times came to the fore again. On 25 September Knut’s wife, the Fylkir’s sister Ulfhildr, was not as lucky as her brother and succumbed to cancer.

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Knut himself seemed to have picked up a nasty case of consumption, but despite this Hroðulfr sought to shore up the key relationship by marrying his daughter Gurli to the Jarl, in a ceremony held in mid-October …

… just after Knut had emerged victorious, once again due largely to Imperial assistance.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

April – December 1056: The Italian War

Jarl Hroðulfr II of Rostov had declared a rather ambitious prepared invasion of Italy against Duchess Anna of Lombardy back on 1 January 1056. The Emperor would not involve himself at that time, but would be tempted to do so later as the Aquitanian wars wound down.

Rostov’s actual invasion of Italy didn’t kick off until April 1057 when an army of 1,200 men began besieging Brescia. With Lothian rescued, on 12 April Eormenric set sail from Skotland all the way to northern Italy, where he would arrive in Lucca on 27 July and start marching north to join the Rostovan army in Brescia.

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After Eormenric’s arrival in Brescia on 3 September, the Rostovans used his troops to assist with assaults and sieges to take four holdings by 21 October. Eormenric stayed there to guard the occupied holdings while the Rostov army ventured south.

In December, the Holmgarðr levy was called out to help deal with a couple of small Lombard armies that had arrived in the east to try to cause mischief.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

May – December 1057: The Reaper Keeps Reaping

As this was happening, Brabant was once again in the news. First, Guðröðr died from his cancer on 5 May, succeeded by his son the new Jarl Sigurðr Yngling – who also inherited a war against Poland. On May 26, his army there was slightly outnumbered (4,875 to 5,113) by a Polish-led army in a battle in western Poland. Two days later, 12,000 Imperial levies were raised in Russia to assist the new Jarl.

Meanwhile, Prince Toste had healed from the loss of his eye and had developed several admirable traits during his service with the Varangian Guard, where he was reappointed as Sakellarios to the new Guard Commander on 22 June.

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The next to be summoned to Valhalla was the gallant old Chancellor, Jarl Bersi ‘the Brave’. His place on the Council was given to none other than Jarl Knut, now a thoroughly loyal man on the rise and high in the Fylkir’s favour.

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On 7 September the advance guard of the levies approaching Poland to help the Jarl Sigurðr of Brabant encountered (by accident) a similarly sized band of raiders in Kujawy. Just two days later, Brabant’s Holy War for Greater Poland ended when Sigurðr gave up, leaving the Rurikid levies to fight out a useless battle. Reinforcements arriving on 26 September helped decide the issue, with the skirmish won by 6 October for the loss of around 400 men and the rest of the levies stood down.

The Emperor was still recovering from his surgery which he turned 50 a few days after Knut’s victory against Aquitaine and the day the battle in Kujawy ended. He marked the occasion by cutting off his greying hair and beard but there was no doubt he was beginning to show his age. Making the development of his two eldest sons all the more important.

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Four days after that, the Catholic rebels in Kleve were dealt a crushing blow as almost twice the number of far better armed and trained Russian troops descended on them. It was all over by the 26th and the leader was subjected to the Fylkir’s by now standard ‘mercy’. Which is to say, none at all.

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At least as the year was ending, after what seemed like forever, Hroðulfr’s wound from his lifesaving but traumatic amputation had fully healed. He was out of immediate danger. Though in those times, it ever lurked near.
 
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Several big wins against the Teutonic Knights, the Jomsviking win more glory.

Prince Helgi is certainly promising, but thats a worrying rival to have, lets hope there are no duels in the future.

Shame about the Fylkirs leg.....and hes already 50, where has the time gone!

Prince Toste's time in the Vangarian guard has done a lot of good for him and hopefully this experience in administration will help him when he potentially inherits the beastly monstrosity that is the empire and all the 800 holdings it entails.
 
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I wonder if Toste will lose the empire because of his chasteness...

It looks like there might be expansion in Italy. Eventually, Russia will run out of Catholic enemies...
 
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