Blood and Empire: A Clash of Civilisations

Bullfilter · Dec 7, 2022

Chapter 0: AAR Introduction

Welcome everyone to this new CK2 AAR. It follows the Rurikid dynasty from 1041 AD, taking the story of 'Part 1' of this game forward from the first instalment of the series, Blut und Schlacht (Blood and Battle): A Learner’s Saga, which began on 17 September 2017.

This AAR is designed to be readable completely separately to that earlier version, which at the time was (and remains) my first and only game of CK2, designed as a bit of a learning vehicle for both me and readers. Time, the trajectory of the game and the advent of CK3 since then all made that old format a little unwieldy from my view. It had outgrown its format, so I decided to start this anew: new scope (far shorter, more strategic chapters covering longer periods) and format (still gameplay based, but more broadly historical in perspective).

The aim is to make the story more accessible to new readers and, for those who followed Blood and Battle faithfully, be able to barrel the story forward to finish it in a reasonable time, given how much more complex a sprawling empire is to manage and write about.

For those who may not be familiar with that AAR and may wish to read it, I won't spoil its story too much in this first post. So spoiler alerts from Chapter 1 onwards, where the first few entries will very quickly show how Rurik's founding of the Petty Kingdom (Jarldom) of Holmgarðr in 867 AD became first the Kingdom of Garðariki and then the (Norse, Reformed Germanic) Russian Empire that bestrides Eurasia as we start this part in November 1041.

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First, some basic game information. This game version has most of the DLC that preceded the big update of CK2 to version 3.0. At that point, I had to continue the game via a beta version (build 2.8.3.4) because the accompanying map update at that time broke the game.

Of most significance for this story going forward and one of the main reasons for the new sub-title 'Clash of Civilisations' are the two 'invasion settings' selected way back when I started the game more than five years ago. Both the Mongol and the Aztec 'Sunset' invasions are due to hit from the early 13th century onwards, to create a bit of mid-game excitement! That and the fact it remains an Ironman play-through, so no save-scumming, replaying difficult periods, reversing errors or testing out moves in advance.

The four civilisations I anticipate being integral to the story as it moves forward (and are featured in the AAR banner) are the two current 'old’ empires: the Russian (Rurikid) and East Roman (Byzantine) and these two later invaders. And perhaps others may arise including any revived Muslim caliphate, something emerging from India or the Timurids may also emerge as mid- to late-game super power contenders.

So, welcome aboard, I hope you will follow along. The first chapter will briefly summarise Rurikid Russian history from the dynasty's founding by Rurik in 867 to the succession of the current Emperor in 1032. The second chapter will focus on some key recent events from his reign and then quickly outline the starting position in November 1041.

Bullfilter · Dec 8, 2022

Chapter 1: Early Rurikid History (867 - 1032)

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King Rurik and the Founding of Holmgarðr

Early Russian histories mention an earlier petty kingdom (or Jarldom) of Holmgarðr as having existed from 760 to 800 AD under a Slavic ruler named Rodislav, likely of the locally well-known Slovensky family.

In any case, this tribal entity had lapsed into apparent anarchy for over 60 years until Rurik appeared in the historical (semi-legendary) record to found a new Norse Germanic realm in northern Russia, just south of Lake Ladoga. A Germanic Viking ruling class among largely Slavic Russian common people and minor nobility.

Nothing is known of Rurik’s previous family background, just that he had a son and heir named Helgi. But his abilities were reputedly great – a brilliant man and a great military leader.

Rurik used these skills to ruthlessly build his petty kingdom into a true one. The Kingdom of Garðariki was proclaimed in 879 – just over 12 years after he had founded the Rurikid dynasty.

Rurik ‘the Just’ died of natural causes another ten years after that. His almost 23 year reign had its setbacks and tragedies – including a madness induced by his imprisonment and ‘gelding’ after being captured and cast into a dank dungeon while raiding in Italy. Exacerbated by the death of his first son and heir Helgi just before his own death.

Not that much was expected of his successor, second son Eilif. But the new King would eventually defy those lowly expectations.

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Eilif I: Fylkir and Emperor

Eilif I was regarded as a rather dull man. After reaching his majority he had been packed off to lead a mercenary band, bankrolled by his father, while his far older brother Helgi was groomed to take over from the great man. But Helgi’s death saw Eilif thrust into the role. Well advised and with a strong drive for self-improvement, Eilif saw two great ambitions for the dynasty in the coming years.

The first aim was to reform the Germanic Faith into a modern, organised religion that would be able to withstand the challenges of the other heathen faiths whose challenge was already being felt. A number of foreign missionaries were expelled and some unauthorised proselytisers burnt at the stake before his first great objective was finally achieved in 911 with the founding of the Reformed Germanic Fylkirate.

Eilif's second and concurrent objective was to see the kingdom he had inherited turned into an empire. This would help ensure its components, including Sviþjod which was conquered during his reign, would not be split asunder when the next Rurikid succession came. This was finally achieved in the 40th year of his reign … by which time no-one thought of Eilif as ‘dull’.

The new Rurikid Empire was becoming a force to be reckoned with, stretching from holdings in Ireland and Brabant, most of the Russian heartland and east into the steppe lands of Cumania.

When his 44-year reign ended in January 934, Eilif I’s legacy as the second great Rurikid ruler was firmly establish and he passed a strong state religion and secure empire onto his son, Styrbjörn I.

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Styrbjörn I: A Tragic Figure

Although he succeeded in steadily expanding and developing the empire through conquest, raiding and building – recurrent themes in Rurikid history – Styrbjörn never scaled the heights of fame and success that many of those who came before or after him did.

His most notable achievement was to begin the conversion of Russia into a feudal realm, starting with his own demesne in March 938. Some of his western vassals – especially in Brabant – were already practising this form of government at this point, but this would begin the process of its wider dissemination throughout the empire.

Others would follow in coming years, beginning the serious transition of Russia from a purely tribal land whose main income depended on raiding, to one increasingly able to gain significant income and development through taxation and wealth building at home. By 1041, most though not all Russian vassals would have shifted from tribal to feudal administration.

As the strains of rulership and personal loss ate away at him, he decided to break Rurikid tradition and cast himself upon the whims of the Norns by seeking out many dangerous combats as a field commander, despite his mediocre military skills. This saw him become to only Rurikid ruler to die in battle during this first era of the empire.

His 18 years at the helm saw no spectacular successes, but he handed over a strong and modestly expanded realm to his son Eilif II in September 952. Russian holding in north Germany had began to slowly expand, another long term trend as successive Rurikid emperors sought to directly link their eastern and rich western holdings.

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Eilif II: The Dark Fylkir

After succeeding to both the Fylkirate (an hereditary office) and the Empire, Eilif II wasted little time in seeking out the dark mysteries of the feared Fellowship of Hel to aid (as he saw it) his quest for ever greater power. By April 953 he had become an initiate in the Fellowship and an eager participant in its evil, murderous and demonic activities.

He soon began working his way up the ranks and just nine years later had risen to the very peak of the Fellowship as Trollmaðr, all while keeping his horrible activities a secret to the outside world, though at times dark suspicions about him circulated.

Another long-standing Rurikid objective was achieved in June 963 when Eilif oversaw the changing of Russian Imperial inheritance law to primogeniture succession, yet another pillar in the securing of decisive Rurikid control under a single powerful ruler whose demesne should remain largely intact at each handover.

Either because or in spite of his many dirty deeds, the rest of Eilif II’s reign saw some more major successes. He founded the subordinate Kingdom of Finland in May 964 in order to assist Russian expansion in that region. But his great endeavour was launched in March 991: he sought to massively increase the western holdings of the Empire by declaring a Great Holy War for France.

Many countries and lords from both the Germanic and Catholic faiths would do battle over the next year and a half, but the evil old man would not live to see the end of the war. He died in March 992 at the age of 61, his black soul eaten away by all the horrors in possession, depression stress and alcoholism.

Known to the general public at the time as Eilif II ‘the Wise’ but to history always as the Dark Fylkir, once the records of his deeds were uncovered by modern historians, many marvelled at how he had managed to live that long. His son, Styrbjörn II, despite not knowing the full reality of his father’s double life, was determined to be a very different man and ruler.

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Styrbjörn II: A Tenacious and Successful Man

The new emperor was lucky in taking over a winning war that would deliver enormous gains, riches and bounty to distribute to happy vassals, thus helping to quickly cement his new regime.

The once-powerful and feared Catholic Kingdom of France was left gutted and the western empire vastly expanded, including rich new lands in and around Paris being absorbed directly into the emperor’s personal demesne.

The Russian Empire was well on its way now to becoming a behemoth – but the threat it posed to other realms was growing, as were the defensive pacts forming against it. These would increasingly lead to further reliance on power ‘marcher lords’ who would expand the empire through their own efforts, vassalisation deals an opportunistic conquests of vulnerable smaller realms that fell out of pacts.

The Jarldom of Valois was formed as an imperially held title in December 992 to help consolidate the powerful new holdings kept by Styrbjörn in Paris and Rouen.

But this successful 15-year reign was cut short in 1007 with the emperor’s untimely death due to stress. Tenacity could only take him so far, but he handed over a very well secured realm to his son Helgi.

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Helgi the Lionheart

In March 1010 the new Fylkir decided to create a new Kingdom within the empire in Volga Bulgaria, to aid in regional expansion by persuading a number of the local chieftains to join willingly as his vassals.

But as he was enmeshed in some border wars far away on the eastern steppe, Helgi was surprised in 1014 by the declaration of a Crusade for France by Pope Stephanus V, presenting a serious Catholic challenge to Germanic dominance in the west.

As this long conflict progressed, in April 1017 Helgi struck a diplomatic and political blow by usurping the French crown from the successor to unfortunate former-King Valeran, who had died just a couple of months before.

Then just a few months after this, the invasion and occupation of Rome itself by a Russian expeditionary force made the new Pope Hadrianus II agree to a humiliating and punitive peace treaty.

This resulted in Helgi becoming known by the grand sobriquet of ‘the Lionheart’, while the Pope was driven to despair and madness due to this apparent abandonment by God of his own Pontiff.

Because France was an existing kingdom when usurped, it still retained its old inheritance laws, unlike the other kingdoms directly founded by the Rurikid emperors, which conformed to the imperial primogeniture succession law. This risked the hiving off of the French imperial demesne holdings to a second son on succession.

It took until June 1024 for Helgi to finally push through the necessary amendment after jumping through all the legal hoops. A single heir would again take all the currently held imperial demesne titles.

At this time, the Russian Empire had expanded further into Bulgaria due to the actions of its marcher lords, had expanded the ‘land bridge to the west’ by Imperial action and now dominated France and most of Sweden, Ireland and southern Finland.

The realm continued to slowly expand, develop and prosper in the over the next few years as raiding and taxes once again swelled the Imperial coffers, funding the long-term building program and expansion of the now many imposing companies of the Imperial Retinue. Along with the ‘permanently retained’ legion of the Jomsviking Holy Order, these formed the backbone of the Russian Army.

But another successful reign was cut short by a bad case of dysentery that proved beyond the skills of the best healers of the day to cure.

Helgi’s very promising son and heir Hroðulfr would take up the Fylkirship and imperial mantle while still quite young, but already a man grown and ready to take up the challenge of leading once of the great powers of the medieval world. He would remain in that office when this story starts in November 1041.

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Summary

By 1032, the key props of absolute Rurikid dynastic power were firmly in place:

Imperial rule.
Personal leadership of a Reformed Germanic Faith with great moral authority.
Primogeniture inheritance laws at the imperial and kingdom levels.
A strong standing professional army of Retinue and Jomsviking troops.
Powerful and highly developed core imperial demesne baronies in both France and Russia.
Strong and growing domestic tax and trade revenue augmented by lucrative raiding.
Powerful marcher lords who did not have the power to challenge the Emperor but had enough to keep steadily expanding the Empire's borders without triggering anti-Russian defensive pacts.

The question remained as to whether these would be enough to sustain and advance Rurikid hegemony in the decades and centuries to come, against both domestic and foreign challenges and the ravages of epidemic disease.

Bullfilter · Dec 9, 2022

Chapter 2: Hroðulfr’s Early Reign (1032 - 1041)

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Hrodulfr’s Accession and First Year (1032)

The current Emperor took up the Six Crowns* on 20 March 1032 at the age of 24.

These are the Imperial Russian crown, the four kingdoms of Garðariki, France, Finland and Volga Bulgaria and the Fylkirate. The Kingdom of Sviþjod, while still subject to Imperial sovereignty, had passed out of the main imperial line of succession some generations ago, before inheritance laws were changed, and then out of the Rurikid line entirely.

He already had a small family and an heir of his own, the six year old Prince Toste, plus a daughter and a formidably skilled wife, Empress Beata af Vendel.

Something else Hroðulfr brought with him to the Imperial purple was a great architectural project which would be completed later that year, bringing him lasting renown and prestige for the rest of his life.

At this time, the Byzantine Empire was the only nearby power that came close to the size and military strength of Rurikid Russia. Catholic power in Europe had been shattered, while the Islamic world had split into four or five sizeable but definitely second echelon powers, often plagued by internal wars. England and Denmark were the next two most powerful Norse Germanic kingdoms, who generally tended to gravitate towards Russian hegemony and were in turn tolerated by the Rurikids as fellow faithful. So long as they ‘behaved’.

In the east, the Indian sub-continent was also dominated by five major powers, of whom the Pala Kingdom was the ‘first among equals’. The Cumans, Afrigids and Samanids ruled the eastern steppe, though not strongly, the Samanids being the pre-eminent among the steppe lords at that time.

Norse culture had spread more slowly than the Germanic religion, but was found in pockets all the way from the west of Ireland to the central Steppe.

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Highs and Lows (1033-36)

Unfortunately for Hroðulfr, Empress Beata was taken way too soon. His three young children would soon have a young stepmother: a scandalously (to some) low-born girl by the name of Ylva.

She was chosen for her renowned intellect rather than any noble title – or indeed personal habits, it seems. The Rurikids cared little for those: ability and the capacity to support the Emperor and bear talented children counted for more in their eyes.

Undaunted by this upheaval at home, Hroðulfr gained the accolade ‘the Sword of Tyr’ later that year after winning another holy war that expanded the realm further into Poland – and towards the must-sought German land bridge.

But as the year ended, a matter of personal honour that would rankle for years and cause a bitter rivalry occurred. It is understood a relatively minor nobleman who fancied himself as a 'Cocksman' tried (but failed) to seduce the young (and by then pregnant) Empress Ylva.

Not willing to let the matter lie (so to speak) Hroðulfr initiated a murderous plot to remove this odious stone from his shoe. The plot was slow to gain momentum but his determination never waned. As it happened, this would not be the last, or most significant assassination Hroðulfr would plan.

The following couple of years were not quite so eventful as the first two of his reign. But in a watershed moment that would have repercussions for years to follow, the Jarldom of Brabant, long one of the most powerful, stable and expansionist of the marcher lord demesnes, was wracked with unrest. Its long-serving, famous and very successful - but also rather horrible - Jarl, Bertil ‘the Sword of the Thunder’ was overthrown in a coup. The deranged, pox-ridden cannibal lord’s ouster saw House Skáld ejected from their ancestral seat by Hrörekr, of a branch of the royal Norwegian Yngling dynasty.

While Bertil nursed his wounded pride and made his plans, a project close to Hroðulfr’s heart was enacted. Amalfi had left the safety of the Christian defensive pact and found itself pounced upon and conquered by Russian Vikings. In January 1035, it became the Russian outpost in the Mediterranean, the ‘Bank of Amalfi’ where raided loot could be easily deposited and conscripts safely stood down when the need called.

But a year later, despite his successes, the melancholy of depression settled to bow down the shoulders of the Fylkir, to suck some the pleasure out of his life and dull his ruling abilities for the following years.

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The Rurikids Against the World (1037-39)

In 1037, the instability in Brabant would worsen. Jarl Hrörekr Yngling sought to revoke Bertil’s ancestral county seat of Brabant chiefdom. He thought he now had the numbers to do it, but did not count on the support of the powerful Jarl Öysteinn ‘the Great’ of Champagne who soon came in to support Bertil’s cause. The Fylkir despaired at this infighting between some his most powerful western lords: they should be off fighting heathens and expanding the empire, not each other!

One shining example of the marcher lord ideal was found on the steppe, where the Rurikid scion Jarl Bersi II Rurikid of Bolghar, thenceforth known as ‘the Brave’, completed a great conquest against the Afrighid Shahdom in May 1038, pushing the empire’s border even further east.

A few months later, a diplomatic blunder by the Russians saw them attack what they thought was the isolated small realm of Yatvingia, lying astride the north German land bridge. Though there were no other pagan pact members at the time, they were able to enlist the aid of all the other active religious pact members around the known world.

This would test the strength and strategy of the Rurikid Empire, whose strength was not so mighty it could face all these enemies, including the Byzantine Empire, in a prolonged war. It was Russia against the world, except for the other Norse realms with which it had non-aggression pacts.

As Hroðulfr sought to put the situation right as quickly as he could, before the full force of the enemy could concentrate against him, his new wife Ylva gave birth to a second son for the Emperor – a brilliant young boy named Helgi. A very suitable ‘spare heir’ indeed.

Fortunately, after some adroit manoeuvring and a few large and decisive victories, the Russian strategy of concentrating solely on the war’s objectives saw it won by April 1039. The north German land bridge was coming close to full completion, with usually friendly Danish territory now the only thing separating the eastern and western halves of the Empire.

The Germanic faith had spread even wider still after the conquests and subsequent conversions of recent years. Catholicism had shrunk to a second-tier religion, confined mainly to southern France, northern Italy and pockets southern and western Germany. The four major (known) world faiths were now Germanicism, Sunni Islam, Orthodox Christianity and Hinduism in the east.

As 1039 limped into 1040, the Troubles in Brabant flared again. Realm peace had been enforced to stop the last civil war inconclusively and had prevented many such since. But in November 1039, Bertil Skáld managed to stage a successful counter coup against Hrörekr Yngling. But his glee was short-lived as a new Yngling claimant, Hroðulfr, first tried to launch a revolt in January 1040. When that was thwarted by the realm peace, the next month he staged yet another palace coup to once more oust Bertil and take the Jarldom for himself.

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To the Present (1040-41)

Despairing of these shenanigans, the Fylkir kept up with a busy raiding program using the professional Retinue and Jomsviking troops (normally numbering around 14-15,000 in total). Already known as a Viking, his reputation became that of a fearsome Ravager.

Crown Prince Toste came of age in August 1040. He appeared to be a competent enough young man, though his father had not yet found a wife for him.

In the east, Jarl Bersi completed yet another spectacular conquest on October, joining his previous acquisitions from the Afrighids by seizing a large part of the remaining Cumanian Khanate in a holy war.

By early November, all active imperial Russian wars having been concluded, the elite raiding army was again assembled and made for Italy. It was once again time to boost the state treasury, let the levies replenish themselves and allow ambitious marcher lords to do their Fylkir’s work for him.

In recent years the Empire had fleshed itself out in Scandinavia, France and along the north German land bridge, in addition to Bersi’s startling expansions in the east.

The Imperial demesne baronies, three of them in the home county of Holmgarðr (the capital Nygarðr, Chudovo and the newer Okulovka), were all well developed. The trade outpost in Tana, a Silk Road terminus, was also producing significant trade income by that time.

The 10 Imperial demesne baronies in November 1041, ranked by levy size.

The moral authority of Germanicism remained sky high, with all five holy sites now under Germanic control, Paderborn in Germany having been recently added. Hroðulfr was the sixth Fylkir to hold the office.

He was also the sixth wearer of the Imperial Russian crown, with Toste the heir apparent.

Of the civic and religious realm laws available, there was room to move if desired (and feasible) on viceroyalty for kingdoms and to marginally increase the status of women.

Council laws of the time gave it significant review powers, though for many years successive Emperors had had little problem getting their way through political means. Though perhaps there was some potential for a more absolutist approach in some areas in the future.

In the kingdoms, all those directly controlled by the Emperor now had the same inheritance laws. Garðariki, the oldest of the eastern thrones, traced its lineage all the way back to its founding by Rurik in 879, making Hroðulfr the seventh holder.

France, as we have seen, had been usurped by Helgi in 1017 and its inheritance laws ‘fixed’ before Hroðulfr (rather than his brother) inherited it in 1032.

Finland’s title dated back to Eilif I in 964, with Hroðulfr now its fourth king.

While the newest title for Volga Bulgaria, created by his father Helgi, made the current Emperor its second king.

So stood the Russian Empire on 2 November 1041, as this new Rurikid chronicle begins its story.

Bullfilter · Dec 10, 2022

Chapter 3: Feast and Famine (1041 – 47)

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A Wedding, Two Funerals, Two Births and a Blot (1041-43)

Hroðulfr’s next priority was to find a bride for young Crown Prince Toste. This he did as 1041 was ending. Ingibjörg was considered ‘the best filly of a poor herd’. She was a young widow who already had a son from her first marriage – which proved she was fertile. Toste would be expected to ‘get cracking’ soon to produce a new heir.

The first funeral of 1042 was of the despised Suni ‘the Seducer’ of Danzig. In the end, a murder plot wasn’t needed: his own dissolute habits saw him die a young man – from gout, rather than a vengeful husband.

The new Italian Raid began on 1 May 1042 when the Imperial army landed in Rome to sack the Pope’s home – again. His garrison had taken the field, but Sigbjörn’s raiders cared little. The Papal troops were massacred.

Many thought the formidable old Jarl Frirek had this time bitten off more than he could chew when he launched a prepared invasion of Aquitaine in mid-1042. Queen Tiburge fielded a large army. But they were all of them deceived!

In Rome, the sacking of the Pope’s castle yielded a very fine artefact in late June. Had it not been for the even better ‘Champion’ armour already crafted by the Rurikids some years before, it would the splint mail armour would have been equipped promptly. Instead it would be kept in reserve and perhaps bequeathed to a Rurikid son if he ever had need of it.

Two births came at once for Toste, with Ingibjörg (herself a twin) producing twins in January 1043. However, the boy Arni was sickly at birth and there were concerns the possible future emperor may not survive his infancy.

As Frirek continued to prosecute his ambitious war against Aquitaine, in early 1043 King Þorolfr of Sviþjod brought his own holy war for Lower Lorraine to a successful conclusion, reducing the Christian enclave in eastern France still further, bringing Metz under his and Rurikid control. Þorolfr soon created a new Jarldom to fold his conquest into.

The following month, Jarl Hroðulfr Yngling of Brabant succeeded in his conquest of Kleve as his rival and vassal Bertil sought to do the same to neighbouring Münster.

This must have all been too much for the jealous Jarl, who then turned his wrath once more on his mortal enemy, thus perpetuating the Brabantian Troubles, the enforced Realm Peace having expired some time before.

Having looted 612 gold out of Rome from May 1042 to May 1043, the raiders next turned their attention to Venice, once more attacking and easily defeating a defending army before settling down to their work.

Despite being attacked by his own liege, Bertil still managed to win his holy war for Münster in August 1043. His army then turned to confront his Jarl’s similarly sized host then besieging Hainaut to the south-west.

And the reports from Jarl Frirek in Aquitaine were very promising. Despite Queen Tiburge’s sizable army and six allies having come to her aid, Frirek had mustered a force of over 30,000 men, most of them adventurers. He currently had three large armies ranging through Aquitaine against little opposition.

On the diplomatic front, the Fylkir decided to reach out to the Roman Basileus in Constantinople that September, seeking to improve relations by sending his Chancellor Jarl Bersi the Brave to the capital of the other great empire as a resident ambassador extraordinary.

In France, the danger of disease reared its head in Mortain, with the outbreak of an epidemic of consumption in October 1043, even as the force of Jarl Öysteinn the Great of Orleans mustered to once more come to the aid of his old friend Bertil Skáld of Hainaut.

But just the following month, old Bertil would finally die – another victim of a depraved and dissolute lifestyle. His very young son Ormr inherited Hainaut from him, his other holdings being dispersed among two of his even younger brothers. But Jarl Hroðulfr’s war continued, as did the Brabantian Troubles.

At court, late 1043 had seen the once-in-nine-years celebration of another Great Blot, ending without incident at the end of December.

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Marcher Lords Rule (1044-45)

The next marcher lord success in France came to Warchief Surt, whose holy war for Bourbon saw Duke Raimbaut evicted in March 1044.

The extraordinary run of marcher lord success continued when in October of that year, Chief Ivar of Mâcon won a feeding frenzy among his colleagues to take Forez and a nice new nickname. He had been lucky enough to capture Duke Bernard IV of Burgundy in battle at the end of September, leading to his capitulation soon after.

But the biggest windfall came to Jarl Frirek when he emerged victorious against Aquitaine, carving five rich counties out of that unfortunate Kingdom. Small Lothian had suddenly become a major power in southern France and added a new raiding base for the Rurikids in the Western Mediterranean. All without the Emperor needing to lift a finger.

The peaceful vassalisation of Frirek into the Empire some years before and the recent policy of letting the marcher lords do the heavy lifting of expansion was paying very handsome dividends. Meanwhile, the raiders in Venice emerged with another 566 gold there in March 1044 and would secure another 386 from Padua by the end of December.

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.

The Emperor was still growing his own brood of children, with another son – his eighth child and seventh still living – that March. Young Borkvard was to be prepared for a life of struggle.

In April, the Fylkir used his sizeable contingency fund to support a charitable donation for the poor. This magnanimous gift from the public purse was well regarded by his vassals.

The end of May brought yet more marcher lord success, the ever-active King Þorolfr this time adding Mainz to his demesne as the Rurikid infiltration of Germany continued.

Chancellor Bersi’s mission to Constantinople bore some initial fruit in July 1045, though the improvement in relations came with Basilissa Dorothea rather than her husband; Bersi would persist.

With no event of great note recorded for the rest of the year, the main interest was on the raid, where Segna Jan-Jul, 307 gold) and Istria (Jul-Dec, 343 gold) were both thoroughly looted before the raiders headed to Ferrara for the last part of their great raid.

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A Bitter Winter (1046-47)

The year 1046 began with yet another episode in the long-running sore of Brabantian in-fighting. This time, one of Hrodulfr’s vassals declared a revolt in the name of the Jarl’s brother Guðröðr – though apparently without his permission. Guðröðr sided with his brother against the revolt.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a rare marcher lord failure followed, with the bellicose Jarl Hroðulfr of Brabant losing his holy war for Upper Lorraine on 11 May. Then in June, a legend passed with the death of Jarl Frirek. His son Knut inherited the significant (though still war-ravaged) holdings in France but not his father’s huge army.

Ferrara yielded 249 gold to the Rurikid raiders in May, after which they took to their ships for the return to Amalfi. They would arrive on 2 July with a massive 2,463 gold in their treasure chests. The fleet then split, about 150 ships taking the army back to northern France, while the other 120-odd headed to the Gulf of Finland via the Russian river system to be ready to pick up the retinue troops preparing there. With another round of building commenced, the Imperial demesne was thriving in mid-1046, including the trade post in Tana.

The new Jarl of Lothian decided he would follow in his father’s footsteps, declaring a conquest of Nice in September. The raiding army was nearing northern France by then, meaning it would be an overland march to assist Knut, rather than a more convenient landing in friendly Provence. The raiders would skirt the continuing and expanding consumption outbreak and head to the staging area in Bourgogne.

The Emperor was greatly irritated when word came that November that a cousin, Hakon, was planning to raise an army for a claim on the imperial throne. Whispers at court that an ‘accident’ might befall Hakon appealed to Hroðulfr’s notorious cruel streak. A murder plot was soon under way – and heavily subscribed with willing accomplices.

Alas, one of the conspirators carelessly leaked news of the plot. Despite this, the Fylkir pressed on. He wanted the impudent Hakon – who he had come to detest – dead and his adventure snuffed out before it could cause any damage.

The raiding army, now under Magni’s command, arrived in Bourgogne on 9 December with 15,000 men and headed straight to Neuchatel, meaning to pass quickly across to Savoy, to assist Jarl Knut’s campaign. But the customary Rurikid care for logistics was neglected and, too late, the terrible conditions and lack of food in the snow-laden hills were recognised. On 1 January 1047, Magni turned his men around but it was too late. Three days before they made it back to the safety of Bourgogne, around 3,500 (22.5%) of the Empire’s elite soldiers had perished.

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.

The only unequivocally good news to emerge from this bitter winter was that Hroðulfr’s grandson Arni, now aged three, add overcome his sickly infancy and was now as healthy as the next toddler. Finally, sick of the distracting Brabantian Troubles, the Fylkir spent some prestige and a favour that was never likely to be called in by forcing the revolt leader Tyke to end the war and submit himself to Jarl Hroðulfr’s custody.

So ended a somewhat bitter winter after a run of bountiful years.

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Annex A: Religious Conversions. From December 1041 to September 1046, eight more counties were led to Odin’s light. Four in the steppe lands (Kyzyl-Kum, Karluk, Kazakh and Ili), two in Poland (Galindia and Plock) and one each in Finland (Finnmark) and France (Auxerre, converted by Seer Ale from the Waldensian heresy).

Annex B: Building. From May 1043 (three projects), April 1044 (two), August 1045 (one) to July 1046 (three more, after the end of the latest raid) a total of nine new buildings were paid for; thousands of gold from a mixture of tax income and loot. Three of these were for improved housecarl training grounds, the rest one each of a keep, barracks, militia training ground, castle shipyard, stables and training grounds. As an indication of the largesse that had gone into the long Rurikid building program, four of the Imperial demesne baronies were at the maximum development capacity for the technology of the time.

Bullfilter · Dec 15, 2022

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Bullfilter · Dec 19, 2022

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.

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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.

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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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.

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.

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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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 …

… 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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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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.

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.

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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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.

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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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

Bullfilter · Dec 26, 2022

Chapter 5: Remember Thou Art Mortal (April 1054 – December 1057)

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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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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.

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.

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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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.

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

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 …

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.

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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.

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.

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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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.

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bullfilter · Dec 29, 2022

Chapter 6: Fathers, Sons and Valkyries (January 1058 – 1 April 1060)

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Italian Wars: February 1058 – June 1059

By February 1058, Eormenric’s raiding army was in Brescia to support the Rostovan invasion of Italy but was suffering from the cold and lack of provisions. With the Rostovans nowhere to be seen, they began heading back to Nice to recuperate.

But at the end of March, they had been briefly diverted to Mantua in Venetian territory, to engender hostility with the Doge. This would allow Imperial forces to engage a Venetian army of 3,700 men making a nuisance of itself in southern Russia, where Imperial levies had been raised to deal with them and the main Rostovan army of around 2,200 headed east from Bulgaria.

Eormenric then counter-marched back towards Nice. But the measles outbreak in Genoa had spread to Provence by early April, so Eormenric diverted once again, looking for a safe way through the Alps to Bourgogne instead.

Over in southern Russia, in late June a levy army commanded by Baldr ran down the Venetians in Oleshye, defeating them heavily and capturing the Doge of Friuli into the bargain! Hroðulfr would have to wait for the Doge to gather large sum he needed to ransom himself.

Then on 1 February 1059, as Eormenric’s army recovered in Bourgogne, Jarl Knut of Lothian launched yet another bid to expand his territory – a conquest of Genoa, own by Duchess Anna of Lombardy, who was already fending off the Rostovan invasion and trying to revoke the County of Lombardy from Count Simone.

By April, Eormenric was in Saluzzo to assist the Lothians – and gather some loot. By December, four holdings would fall and 140 gold in 'pocket money' was sent into the treasury.

However, Knut would not see the end of this war – the Emperor’s son-in-law and Chancellor succumbed to his personal battle with consumption on 12 June 1059, leaving the prosecution of the war to his 16-year-old son Jarl Frirek II.

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Polish Wars: January 1058 – June 1059

In January 1058, young Prince Helgi was promoted to army commander of the raiders then in Lorraine and was ordered over to support the Jomsvikings’ latest war in Poland.

But by the time the army reached Poland in late July, Helgi had left his command to begin a new adventure (covered in the next section). Instead, the makeshift commander Inzhay (a Jomsviking officer) led a victory with around 7,800 Imperial troops and another 1,600 of Warchief Surt’s troops, wiping out a Polish for of 750 men in Surt’s county of Kujawy by 10 August. The two combined to rid the county of all Polish occupation by 3 October.

Baldr had taken over the army in Poland, moving to Polish Kalisz next to assist. But by then, the ambitious Brabantian vassal Count Þorolfr of Stolp was also prosecuting his own war against the Poles. Two holdings fell to joint assaults between 6 to 13 December.

In the end, after several more months of Imperial raiding assistance, it was Þorolfr who won out the following year, adding two counties and a prestigious nickname to his now extensive titles.

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The Adventures of Prince Helgi

As Helgi headed over from France to Poland in charge of the Imperial raiders in early 1058, Marshal Anundr grudgingly reported that his young princely rival had significantly improved his martial skills.

Whether it was coincidence or not, less than a week later the unlanded second son abandoned his command to take on the life of an adventurer. He soon appeared in Holmgarðr with over 2,000 men and many ships in the Baltic following him on his own Viking adventure.

Despite initial reports, he would not raid any Russian lands but was soon heading south. By 7 April, even while still on the road out of the capital, Helgi renounced his betrothal with Princess Asa of England but paradoxically also announced his ambition to groom an heir. His father was none too pleased, as this dissolved the non-aggression pact with England that had come with the marriage.

Next, Hroðulfr’s agents reported in October that Helgi had initiated a murder plot against his dangerous arch-enemy Marshal Anundr ‘the Accursed’, High Chief of Kola.

It wasn’t until April 1059 that word came of Helgi’s arrival in Hungary to begin his plundering adventure.

But just a couple of months later, the promising young prince had died in battle against some Hungarian general. His brief and dangerously lived adulthood was over, as the age of just 20. His body was never recovered, presumably buried in a mass grave with many of his dead adventurers, the rest of whom soon dispersed. Hroðulfr was left to wonder whether he should have given the young man a minor title after all.

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French Wars: August 1058 – January 1060

Eormenric’s army was resting in Bourgogne after fleeing Italy due to attrition when a peasant revolt broke out in neighbouring Chalons on 1 August 1058. The rebels’ poor timing would see them in big trouble soon after, despite the fact the raiders were still nowhere near back to full strength.

By 18 August Imperial troops were charging the rebel lines where they had fled to Mâcon and it was all over by early September. The young rebel leader was shown what by now was known as Hroðulfr’s Rough Justice, a wild boar being employed once more.

The next activity in France began in March the following year, when Jarl Sigurðr of Brabant sought to conquer another piece of the shrinking Lorraine Enclave. Sumarliði was given command of one of the two Imperial armies who by then were helping the Emperor’s vassals in Poland and sent over to assist this latest gambit.

Sumarliði arrived in Bar in early September and helped the Brabantians siege or assault four holdings there during November before moving onto Santois for more of the same by 22 November. Two more ‘assault assists’ by mid-December had the young Duke Guilhem’s regent suing for peace, which saw Bar pass to Brabant on the first day of 1060.

The raiders then moved across to Neuchatel in Aquitanian lands for some old-fashioned raiding, arriving there on 28 January.

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Realm Matters: January 1058 – December 1059

There was hope the long-running Brabantian Troubles may be calming down, when the Chief Ormr Skáld of Hainaut disbanded his own Brabant faction on 6 January 1058.

A few days later, the faithful old Steward Guðröðr died in his sleep. The Emperor went for loyalty over pure ability, appointing his nephew Kolbjörn to the job to help maintain Loyalist strength on the Imperial Council. Nepotism indeed!

Jarl Knut was still Chancellor in March 1058 when he reported further success in swaying the young Baliseus Eustratios. At that time, Knut was recalled to the capital to use his skills primarily to reduce the ever-present threat the Emperor was seen to pose to the rest of the known world, still almost completely united in defensive pacts against him.

Having recently performed so well as Court Physician, Ofeig’s request for funds in May 1058 to aid his medical studies was gladly supported. By the end of June, he had returned with improved skills: money well spent was the Fylkir’s happy response to this news.

Around this time, England joined the Pagan Defensive Pact against Hroðulfr due to the repudiation by the ill-fated Helgi of his betrothal with Princess Asa. Six months later, the Emperor reached a new agreement with the King of England that saw the second-in-line to the Imperial crown, Hroðulfr’s grandson Arni, betrothed to Asa, who was just a year younger.

In May 1059, the ambition to see the realm prosper under five years of peace once again became available to the Emperor, who took it up.

As mentioned earlier, Jarl Knut died of consumption in June 1059. The young Jarl Frirek II commanded a large army but was known to be militarily incompetent – an unfortunate failing given the militancy of the Lothian Jarldom.

The old Mayor of Paris was eventually appointed as the new Chancellor – a promotion for merit this time. If a legal vote was sought, he or others should be quite persuadable with some gold if necessary as the Loyalist faction shrunk.

Another change became necessary on the Council in September when the turbulent Marshal Anundr died of cancer, having not outlived his rival Helgi by much.

His son inherited his titles, but not his appointment. It went to a talented Bulgarian commander and distant Rurikid kinsman, Kettil. The same day, the Fylkir’s grandson Arni came of age and was given a ‘birthday present’ of a small bag of gold (15 gold) to improve his opinion of his distant Grandfather (+44).

The year ended with the maimed Fylkir, by then just a little estranged from his Empress due to all the ‘baggage’ he carried these days, seeking solace in the arms of a new lover, a married courtier named Linda. It was, at moment such as these, still good to be the Fylkir.

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Italian Wars Part Two: July 1059 – 1 April 1060

From 1 July to 30 August 1059 Eormenric’s raiders, who had returned to Italy from France by then, had taken down two holdings in Saluzzo, the last assisting the Lothians. By 21 September, a Lothian army of 2,800 was taking on a Lombard (Duchy) led allied army of 2,700 in the County of Lombardy. Eormenric broke his siege in Saluzzo to march across to their aid.

When he arrived in mid-October, the battle was still going. The raiders’ entry soon broke the enemy’s line in a fierce melee. To the east in Brescia, another Lothian army was taking Count Simone’s Lombard army and seemed to have them on the run.

When Eormenric headed back to continue his raid of Saluzzo in November 1059, he found an army of local troops without specified commanders there trying to liberate the holdings. He fell on them savagely, inflicting a heavy defeat on the Saluzzians.

He barely had time to resume the siege however when word came that the blundering Jarl Frirek had been captured in battle by Count Simone over in Brescia! The Lothian war seemed to continue unaffected by this setback but Eormenric broke his siege lines to see if he could effect a rescue of the Emperor’s nephew from Simone’s dungeon in Lombardy [not sure if that is possible, but thought I’d try, anyway].

Eormenric arrived in Lombardy in January 1060, but a series of assaults by mid-February had failed to spring Frirek from his captivity. The Imperial general gave up this ‘wild goose chase’ and return once more to Saluzzo, where another Lombard (Duchy) army had turned up. He outnumbered them by more than six-to-one and an easy victory was obtained by the end of March.

By 1 April, the complex situation in Italy (even not counting some separate wars not involving Russia or its vassals) saw the Rostovan invasion in decline and Duchess Anna only marginally ahead of Count Simone in the revocation war, where each occupied large swathes of their opponent’s lands. Despite Frirek’s continuing captivity by Simone, it did not affect his war against Duchess Anna (hiding somewhere in Brescia), which was still proceeding quite well.

Eormenric remained in Saluzzo while Sumarliði was raiding Neuchatel, to the north. A Lothian army of around 2,400 had rallied up in Forez and seemed to be making its way back south after rallying and re-combing after its earlier defeats in Lombardy. Maybe a donation to Frirek may allow him to ransom himself. Though the Emperor was unsure whether that would be a worthwhile investment.

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Realm Matters (Part Two): January – 1 April 1060

Arni’s marriage to Asa was celebrated soon after the English princess came of age on 8 January 1060. Not only was it diplomatically valuable, but Asa looked to be a very talented young woman – especially in matters of intrigue, which could be very useful for the likely future heir. Arni himself was revealed to be a brilliant strategist and very capable military leader.

Then there was great celebration at the court when Crown Prince Toste finally returned from his years in the Varangian Guard. He had lost an eye and become chaste and stressed but had brought back a good haul of gold and many commendable skills and attributes during his time with the Romans. He was warmly welcomed back by his proud father.

In the hope that it would tie Arni to the court and after the tragic example of Prince Helgi, the young man was made Imperial Marshal at the tender age of 17.

Arni was one of the two Loyalists on the Council by the start of April, when Hroðulfr had ordered a comprehensive survey of his realm and personal demesne as the ‘Sword of Tyr’ entered the 29th year of his reign.

The treasury had ample reserves, the annual balance (not counting periodic additional raiding income) was very healthy resting heavily on feudal taxes and Imperial demesne revenues. The main recurrent expense was the upkeep of the powerful Imperial Retinue. The Emperor's prestige was at historic highs and his piety to the Old Gods was unquestioned.

The line succession currently passed through Toste to his son Arni, then to the Fylkir's second surviving son Borkvard, through two of his half-bothers and then his nephew and Steward Kolbjorn.

In terms of his demesne infrastructure, the consumption epidemic that struck Rouen with depopulation in 1057 was abating by January 1058. A few months later, the healthy treasury was used to help support Rouen’s continuing recovery.

Dating back to December 1054, 3,690 gold had been spent on mainly military buildings in Holmgarðr (Nygarðr, Chudovo and Okulovka), Paris (Meaux), Rouen, Toropets (Starya Russa) and Torzhok (Yamsky Gorodok). The Imperial Stocktake showed almost all possible construction had been completed in most Imperial baronies by 1 April 1060, contributing greatly to the relative power of the Emperor compared to his vassals, along with the Retinue and Jomsvikings.

The capital of Holmgarðr was the most heavily developed and richest county in the Rurikid Empire, with Nygarðr itself at its maximum possible level of development at that time.

In Paris, the Baronies of Melun and Meaux were also highly developed and the county also very rich.

The trade hub at Tana was also as highly developed as it could be then.

Rouen too was recovering, with Norse housecarl training grounds being developed to replace the abandoned jousting lists.

Rurikid technological research was also well advanced by the standards of the time.

Also dating back to 1054, eleven counties had converted to Reformed Germanicism in the last six years, from France (2), through Brabant (1), Germany (3), the Baltic Coast (1), Bulgaria (3) and over to the steppe (1). The ‘Big Four’ religions still dominated the known world.

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The Rurikid Empire as at 1 April 1060

The Emperor commanded a potential army of 60,000 by 1 April 1060. Despite his lost leg, stress and love of the mead bottle, Hroðulfr was a skilled ruler with a very effective spouse to assist him in his duties, a large family (albeit with the recent loss of Helgi) and a wealth of titles he could create or claims to be prosecuted – should his threat ever decrease enough to avoid going to war with the rest of the world.

A few more minor gains had been secured in the last few years and none of the larger neighbouring realms had posed any direct threat to the vast Rurikid realm.

Measuring by realm size, Brabant and Sviþjod (even divided in two by civil war) remained the two most prominent vassal demesnes within the Empire. The Jarldoms of Bryansk, Champagne and Bolghar (also currently divided by civil war), Moldau, Warchief Surt’s Jomsvikings, Pereyeslavl and Lothian ranked next.

King Botulfr of Sviþjod face two separate rebellions (one for increased council power, the other a claim war), while Kettil (briefly the former Marshal of Russia) was commanding a revolt against Jarl Sumarliði of Bolghar.

Bullfilter · Jan 11, 2023

Chapter 7: Suspicious Minds (April 1060 – March 1066)

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1. War in the West: 1060-62

In early May 1060, Fylkir Hroðulfr was harbouring covetous thoughts about the powerful Orthodox kingdom of Hungary. He would like to smash them with a Great Holy War, as had been done with France way back in 992.

But the degree of Russian threat and comprehensive defensive networks (including Orthodox Byzantine support) limited the realistic prospects for that any time soon. Smaller fish would have to be fried for the time being.

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Italy

In Italy, the Rostovan invasion of Italy limped on, but to little effect. But the Lothian War for Genoa that had begun in February 1059 was more likely to succeed, so Eormenric’s raiding army (around 7,000 men at that time) moved to assist in early April 1060. He looted five holdings from April to September for around 300 gold, while the Lothians (2,000 men) intercepted and defeated a Salluzzian army (1,500 men) to the north in Dauphine during May.

The Lothians then joined Eormenric in Genoa in late July to help and all five holdings were occupied by successive easy assaults from 26 September to 6 October. Duchess Anna quickly sued for peace with the still-imprisoned (by Count Simone of Lombardy) Jarl Frirek II.

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‘Commercial’ Raiding: 1060-62

While Eormenric support Frirek in Italy, the other army under Sumarliði had kept its raiding up in Neuchatel, sacking four holdings between January and August 1060, losing 447 men for 238 gold. During that time, Doge Giorgio of Venice finally saved the 145 gold for his ransom, one of the largest ever taken by the Rurikids. Sumarliði moved to Baden next, sacking five holdings for no loss and 325 gold from October 1060 to August 1061. He then headed off to support the Jarl of Brabant in a short war during 1061-2.

With Genoa taken, Eormenric headed across for another chevauchée in eastern Aquitaine, which had recovered enough from the last raid to be worth looting again. By late December 1060 they were in Rouergue, where they would raid until September the next near (212 gold), moving next to Narbonne (239 gold) from October 1061 to May 1062; then Gévaudan (272 gold) from Jun 1062 to April 1063. After his short campaign in support of Brabant, Sumarliði moved onto Nassau, taking 291 gold from May 1062 to January 1063. All bonuses for the already overflowing treasury.

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Brabantian Conquest of Thüringen

Young Jarl Sigurðr of Brabant was an enthusiastic but barely competent soldier. It did not stop him from launching many wars and often commanding a flank in battle. His latest war for Thüringen against its independent Count Hartwig was launched in August 1061. Sumarliði soon interrupted his ‘commercial’ raiding mission to offer support, raiding two holdings in Thüringen for 146 gold in late 1061 to early 1062.

He then slipped across to engage a Thüringian army of 1,600 men investing Brabant itself, destroying over half their army by 12 March 1062 at the Battle of Leuven for the loss of only 31 Russian raiders. He then headed east, winning another skirmish in Kleve on 5 April. But the same day, Sigurðr claimed his victory, allowing the Russian raiders to head back to resume business in Nassau.

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2. Domestic and Foreign Affairs, 1060-62

1060-61 – Drinking Time

This was a busy period back at the Imperial court in Nygarðr. In April 1060 King Leopold of Denmark, though with a great opinion of the Fylkir, still refused a non-aggression pact due to ‘political concerns’ and no dynastic marriage was available to clinch one that way.

The old Chancellor, Mayor Styrbjörn of Paris, died of stress in April 1060 and was replaced by the highly competent and well-disposed Jarl Bertil ‘the Wise’ Rurikid of Belo Ozero. Mid-year, word came back that the Roman Basileus Eustratios II had come of age, known as a flamboyant schemer who wanted to groom an heir but did not yet have a wife. He retained a decent opinion of Hroðulfr due to past diplomatic influence.

The Rurikid ‘cancer cluster’ continued in September with the death of the Fylkir’s brother Hakon Helgisson at the age of 49 in September that year. There were worries it had begun to ‘run in the family’. Then more bad news came with the discovery of Hroðulfr’s lover Linda by his angry wife Empress Ylva in November. The Fylkir countered by taking an official concubine instead, without missing a beat!

Early the next year, Hroðulfr decided to do some carousing, inviting old Jarl Refr of Yaroslavl for some feasting to see if he could improve relations. Even though King Botulfr tried to ‘harsh the vibe’ with a baseless accusation, the Fylkir ignored the slander; he and Refr became great friends. The weeks of feasting also boosted his diplomatic credentials, though couldn’t lift the depression he had suffered for years now.

In good diplomatic news, Denmark was ready to accede to a non-aggression pact in February 1061 after a change of heart by Leopold. And young Prince Borkvard came of age the next month, marrying his betrothed Norwegian princess in a good dynastic match.

By May, Basileus Eustratios Makedon became known as ‘the Mutilator’ – which Hroðulfr rather approved of – but still had no wife. The rest of 1061 was quieter at court, the main excitement being an unsuccessful attempt at some hawking leading instead to a late blooming of Hroðulfr’s poetic streak – from the mews to the muse!

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1062 – Legal Eagle

By February 1062, Hroðulfr would become recognised as a genuine court poet in his own right. At which time, a door closed with the murder of King Leopold of Denmark (like Hroðulfr, himself a notorious kinslayer). Only for another to open: the new King Ivar was unmarried at 26 and it so happened that one of the Fylkir’s daughters was available to be his wife, cementing Danish-Russian relations even more closely.

With a huge treasury surplus, in April Hroðulfr decided to issue ‘bonuses’ to four of the members of the Imperial Council in 1062. By May, three of the four so rewarded counted themselves as Loyalists: important to enable some more council law reform to be pushed through.

In late June 1062, King Botulfr had about 1,800 troops of his own in place in Vestmannaland when a peasant revolt with 2,600 rebels broke out. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the King of Sviþjod had crushed the rebellion on Hroðulfr’s behalf by 1 August after a hard fight. Later that month, the Rostovan prepared invasion of Italy was formally lost by Jarl Hroðulfr. Despite considerable early help from the Empire, it had never looked like succeeding.

The Fylkir used his numbers in the Council to pass a law change to restore full Imperial control over the revocation of titles on 6 October. He would need to wait another five years before moving onto the next one after this first clawing back of powers to the Crown. At that time, Jarl Frirek was still in prison to the now Duke Simone, so Hroðulfr sent a gift of 92 gold which he hoped might allow the jarl to ransom himself when added to the 75 gold he already held.

By November 1062, all the top 16 Russian vassals had a positive view of their Emperor except for the powerful Jarl Öysteinn of Champagne – who it was noticed still carried a mystifying grudge about raised levies. It was finally tracked down on 1 December to a small flotilla of ships that were never physically located but remained ‘on the books’ from past raiding years before [malus of -54 by then]. With them dismissed, his anger would slowly dissipate.

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3. France and Germany, War and Raid: 1063-64

3rd Brabantian Holy War for Brunswick

Jarl Sigurðr was at it again in December 1062, declaring war against the Teutonic Knights again, this time effectively for Lüneburg. Thrashing the Teutons was always good sport, so Sumarliði was soon marching up from his raid in Nassau to lend a hand. After winning a short skirmish against some Teutonic Knights on 25 February, they settled in for some siege work. A week or so later, one of Sigurðr’s armies was giving an outnumbered Teuton force led by Hochmeister Baldewin himself a beating in Münster.

But by early May an allied enemy army of over 5,000 was thrashing a smaller Brabantian force to the west, so Prince Arni (see later on how he ended up swapping positions with Sumarliði) broke his siege of Lüneburg to take them on. The enemy (mainly Bohemians) were engaged in the Battle of Osnabrück on 27 May. Over the next four days, Brabantian contingents reinforced the line successively to see the enemy outnumbered by two-to-one and beaten in the decisive engagement of the war.

By the time Arni got back to Lüneburg, the Brabantians were in place, so his troops were able to assist the sieges and assaults that saw the four holdings occupied from 9 July to 25 September. Sigurðr – now known as ‘the Dragon’ in honour of his latest victory, had further expanded his demesne and the realm’s borders. The Russian threat level was slowly decaying, despite these periodic vassal conquests.

His work done in Lüneburg, Prince Arni was sent all the way around to Bulgaria for his next raiding mission.

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‘Commercial’ Raiding: 1063-64

In mid-April 1063 Eormenric finished his raid of Aquitaine to engage a sizeable host that was ravaging Provence. And as mentioned above, Prince Arni took over Sumarlidi’s raiding command in the north on 22 April 1063, before leaving Nassau to help Brabant in Lüneburg.

Eormenric (8,800 men) eventually ran the raiding host (3,000) down in Venaissin, heavily defeating them at the Battle of Carpentras on 11 June. He then marched around to Limousin to continue the interrupted raid of Aquitaine. He had sacked one holding there (87 gold) by 2 December 1063. Prince Arni would arrive in Bulgaria in mid-April 1064 to begin a raiding campaign in southern Hungary, to both gain some revenge for his uncle Helgi’s death their some years before and to start “softening them up” for the future.

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Jomsviking Conquest of Thouars

The Aquitanian exclave of Thouars was held by the rebel Lollard Count Payen ‘the Bold’, when Warchief Surt declared war on him in September 1063. Botulfr had taken over the southern raiding army by December when he moved over from Limousin to assist Surt in his reduction of Thouars. Four holdings were taken down between then and 24 February 1064, though 1,200 attacking troops were lost in the assaults. The lightning war was won very quickly.

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Brabantian Holy War Thüringen

On 26 November 1063 Jarl Sigurðr launched a new war for a part of the Duchy of Thüringen he didn’t already control: Göttingen, owned by the independent Count Gottfried. It seemed Brabant would not need much assistance with this conquest, but during a routine engagement (won by Brabant) in Göttingen, the Jarl fell gallantly in battle.

His young son Sumarliði inherited both the largest Russian sub-realm after the Emperor himself and the holy war now being fought in his name. This also provided an excellent opportunity for Hroðulfr to bind the Brabantian branch of the Ynglings to the Imperial family and to see his bastard granddaughter Hafrid to an excellent match to which the young Jarl’s regent quickly agreed.

Five months later the war was all over and at the age of just 3, the toddler jarl already had a nickname for life and the Rurikid empire had expanded further yet into western Germany.

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Southern France – War and Raid

As those events played out, one of Jarl Frirek’s vassals managed to usurp the county of Forcalquier from a very careless Dauphine lord, who seemed to have just left it lying around to pick up! Even so, Russian threat levels continued to trend down overall.

In mid-May 1064, Chief Ivar ‘the Sword of Odin’ (imposing nicknames being a must-have for your aspiring 11th century Viking Rurikid magnate) of Macon launched a holy war for Dauphine. Some assistance looked advisable, so Botulfr broke a raid he was conducting in Lusignan in early June to head across.

He had helped Ivar take one of the holdings in Lyon when – for reasons now lost to the historical record – the war lapsed due to the casus belli becoming ‘invalid’. Finding rich pickings in Lyon, Botulfr stayed on to raid, sacking five holdings by mid-June 1065 for 340 gold and the loss of 873 raiders.

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4. Domestic and Foreign Affairs, 1063-64

1063: Love, Hate and Marriage

Suspicion, infidelity, Lollard rebellion, tragic accident and the sinister scourge of cancer were recurrent themes for these two years. But this was contrasted with increasing prosperity, fulfilled ambitions, celebrations and the return of a prodigal grandson to the Imperial family’s heart.

First, Prince Arni, second in line to the Imperial throne, saw the same lure as his uncle Helgi and took up the adventurer’s mantle in April 1064. It seemed an appointment as Imperial marshal was not enough to keep an ambitious but unlanded Rurikid scion at home! Even though he wasn’t actively raiding Russian land, while he remained in the realm Hroðulfr could negotiate with him.

The price of bringing Arni home would be gifting him the trading hub of Tana. At first this appeared a high price, but the treasury by this stage was massively over-filled (over 5,000 gold and growing with not enough to spend it on) and the county would return to Imperial hands anyway if Arni inherited one day.

The offer was made and accepted after just a week of Arni’s expedition. But it seemed Arni could not be reappointed Marshal yet after having just relinquished the post, so the experienced general Sumarliði took on that role, while Arni took the role of Imperial commander and leadership of the raiding army in Germany, to gain some direct battlefield experience.

But the Norns are notoriously fickle and early next month the brilliant Empress (and Seer) Ylva was diagnosed with cancer. Ofeig once more gave excellent treatment but could not offer a cure. He also reported to Hroðulfr the alarming news that she had the lovers’ pox! While the Fylkir pondered how she had contracted that, he paid Ofeig both for his good work and silence.

In August, Hroðulfr’s promiscuous daughter Freyja, who had already given birth to the bastard daughter now betrothed to the infant Jarl of Brabant, this time bore a son to that infamous cocksman Buðli the Lecher. Freyja, 29, was quickly married off to an obscure courtier named Grimr, who was happy to take her despite the matrilineal terms, her racy history – and her case of lovers’ pox! The blow to Imperial prestige [-400] hardly mattered to the imposing Fylkir and Emperor [then at around 25.5k prestige].

In October 1063, Sigurðr (not yet having met his fate with the Valkyries) created the additional title of the Jarldom of Flanders for himself. Hroðulfr had no objection to this: it seemed fair recognition for a successful marcher lord. Shortly afterwards, Sigurðr’s short term as Marshal came to an end. His place was taken by one of Hroðulfr’s militarily inclined half-brothers, the deal sweetened with a small bag of gold.

But the Empress, mother of seven of the Fylkir’s children, lost her fight with cancer in the same month. Hroðulfr quickly needed a competent spouse to help him manage his sprawling realm and his ‘talent scouts’ discovered a young provincial noblewoman named Ingrid Hjalmarsdottir Styr as the most suitable available. She did seem to have many good virtues.

The marriage was held a week after Ylva’s funeral. Incidentally, this changeover reduced the Emperor’s demesne management limit by one, further mitigating the earlier granting of Tana to Arni.

A new Seer was also needed and none other than the very loyal and talented Court Physician Ofeig was further rewarded for his sterling service with promotion to Council in November 1063. He would later prove his value in this role, too.

The loss of Ylva’s management skills had also forced Hroðulfr to reduce his vassal numbers. He aimed to do this by creating the Jarldom of Burgundy and awarding it to Chief Ottarr of Bourges. But even though the ‘levy malus’ for Jarl Öysteinn was slowly decreasing [only down to -48 by then] he was now a malcontent presence as Advisor, while the rest of the Council (despite being dominated by Loyalists) were all beholden to him through favours.

So Öysteinn used his influence to turn the rest of the Council against the proposed grant. Nor would he consent to see it given to King Botulfr of Sviþjod – who was forced to vote against his own interests! Seeing where this was going and not wanting to be branded a tyrant, the Fylkir offered the title to Öysteinn himself. And filed away this as the next area for legal reform!

Of course, this time the vote to approve was unanimous. It did have the benefit of making the great magnate a far happier camper to counteract his residual ‘levy-angst’. And it gave him a kingdom-sized demesne within central France, in between Brabant to the north and the Jomsvikings to the south.

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1064: An Eventful Year

Jarl Hroðulfr ‘the Chaste’ of Rostov was the next victim of the Russian cancer cluster, succumbing in February 1064 at the age of 58. Was it too much red meat? The mead? If so, then the Great Blot held from February-April 1064 wouldn’t have done the assembled vassals any good! Though the hangman proved a more immediate threat to life for the four long-term prisoners sacrificed as part of the ceremony.

Old Refr got another of a series of favours as he arrived at the Blot: 200 gold to help fund some fight he was engaged in. The old Jarl was overflowing with gratitude as the friendship stayed as strong as ever. Which could not be said of the Fylkir’s relationship with his new wife, who had both the lovers’ pox and a child on the way – which she claimed was Hroðulfr’s. He was doubtful and acted on those suspicions, even though the first investigation turned up nothing incriminating. He dug deeper.

Soon after the Blot ended, the Emperor’s ambition to see the realm prosper came to pass after five years of technical peace (aggressive raiding aside).

But that was soon overshadowed by the spies’ latest report on Empress Ingrid: a sordid affair with Chief Asbjörn of Chernigov had been uncovered. This treason would not be swept under the carpet, with the “unfaithful harlot’s” transgression made public and used as grounds for divorce. As for Asbjörn, he would ‘keep’ but was now surely a marked man.

This time, Hroðulfr took the “safe” path by taking an older previously unmarried provincial Seeress as his fourth wife. Alvör was generally competent, had no known scandals to her name and would help manage the realm as the Fylkir got his more physical needs catered for by his concubine Ingrid (not the ex-Empress).

Seer Ofeig did more good work when he apprehended none other than Buðli the Lecher, ravisher of Hroðulfr’s daughter Freyja, in July 1064 as an open devotee of the Fellowship of Hel. The Fylkir watched on with joyful satisfaction as the man’s sins were repaid with cleansing flame! One down down, one to go.

A Lollard-led Polish liberation revolt broke out on 1 September with over 4,000 rabble infesting Gnesen on the Vistula. Sufficient Imperial levies were mustered from the core counties of Russia and sent on their way, but the reckoning would not occur until the new year.

In excellent news, the Gods provided their own punishment to Asbjörn ‘the Lecher’ of Chernigov, self-proclaimed master seducer (including of the former Empress Ingrid). He died of ‘severe stress’ on 7 October 1064 aged just 30. Thinking on it over the next month, Hroðulfr resolved to simply let it go. The relief at last removed the feelings of depression that had haunted the Fylkir for so many years.

By November, Rouen had fully recovered from its earlier consumption epidemic and was prospering once more. And Birger of Pereyslavl fulfilled a great ambition by creating a sixth kingdom and seventh crown (including the Fylkirate) of the Empire on 15 May 1064.

The Gods rewarded King Birger’s achievement in typical fashion, just 12 days later.

His two major holdings were split up between his two young sons.

As 1064 ended, the most powerful magnates in the realm were all on good to excellent terms with their Emperor, factional activity was minimal and Hroðulfr’s power still comfortably outmatched the six next most powerful lords combined. And he held an enormous treasury which could easily be used to hire mercenaries at need.

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5. Sword and Sack: 1065-66

‘Commercial’ Raiding: 1065

Prince Arni raided in Hungary at Temes, losing 189 men and grabbing 206 gold up to February 1065. By late April he was in the Hungarian exclave of Terebovl in Galich, sacking one holding for just 52 gold before being called away for other duties in Poland. Of interest, Arni still retained his personal raiding host of almost 2,400 men and 110 ships from his brief time as an adventurer. As he finished the raid on Terebovl Castle on 22 June, he discovered another of those strange locked chests: it was sent straight to his father’s treasury for safe keeping, until a key could be found for it.

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Champagnan Holy War for Auvergne

One of Russia’s most powerful marcher lords exercised his increased resource in February 1065 with a very ambitious play: holy war against the still-formidable Aquitaine, ruled by old Queen Tiburge. Both sides were able to muster over 10,000 men in total from demesne or allies. Öysteinn could call on at least 13,000, including over 4,000 mercenaries hired for the campaign and almost 3,700 from his vassals.

Queen Tiburge ‘the Just’ Karling would die aged 70 in early July, succeeded by her son King Adrien – of house de Vasconia. By late October, each side had large armies of similar sizes in the other’s lands.

Prince Arni was sent down from Poland to assist Champagne, as the war was predicted to be an extended one. By March 1066, Champagne had defeated the main Aquitanian host in a battle not recorded in the annals of the time, but that had left Champagne with around 8,800 men and Aquitaine with just under 6,700: it must have been a bloody affair. On 3 March, the far larger Champagnan main army was in the process of routing a Templar army in Auvergne, which Öysteinn had partly occupied, while Arni approached Bourgogne from the north.

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Lothian Conquest of Lucca

In parallel to this, Jarl Frirek II – finally released from prison – sought to expand down the Italian coast to Lucca, declaring war on the 11-year-old Queen Laura of Italy in March 1065. Botulfr’s raiding army was sent from their completed raid in Lyon to assist in mid-June. He would arrive on 1 September, assisting the Lothians to occupy all three holdings by 24 December, mainly by assault.

Botulfr followed the Lothian army to Modena, but the county became badly overcrowded, making them flee back to Lucca by mid-January 1066 due to the severe winter attrition. Botulfr went next to Parma and by 17 February 1066 had set up his siege works for some ‘commercial raiding’, as well as indirectly assisting Frirek.

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6. General Events and Summaries, 1065-66

Domestic Events

Gnesen’s main holding fell to the Polish rebels on 31 December 1064, just as the relieving Russian levy army was approaching from the north, after crossing the Vistula into Danzig. The Battle of Lekno followed soon in the new year. The old campaigner Momcil led a host double the enemy’s size in a one-sided battle that ended the rebellion at a stroke. Its leader received Hroðulfr’s usual mercy for rebel leaders. That is, none.

On 11 January, the Empire’s coffers reached 6,000 gold for the first time as tax and raiding revenue outstripped what it could be spent on. Things soured on 9 February when the Fylkir discovered a letter from one Chief Kaarle – evidence of an attempt to seduce Hroðulfr’s concubine Ingrid. Will these impudent cocksmen never cease their depredations!? he thought to himself. He hoped he could protect Ingrid from such bounders and cads.

But his suspicions were once again stirred when in June 1065 Ingrid gave him the happy news she was pregnant. The now jealous and wary Fylkir couldn’t quite believe it was all above board. He didn’t want to confront Ingrid directly and sent two sets of spies instead to get to the bottom of things.

Rather than relief when nothing untoward was discovered, the old Emperor was left with nagging suspicion instead. His mood was hardly improved when news of a second Lollard revolt in Gnesen was received in July, this time with a little other 4,000 rebel scum infesting the county. As mentioned previously, Prince Arni would respond from Terebovl, so the levies would not need to be called out, saving time and expense.

As in the first rebellion, Gnesen’s fort fell as the relief column approached. Arni struck from the south on 5 October and prevailed after a hard fight by 2 November. After his capture, the rebel leader proclaimed Hroðulfr to be an evil tyrant, among other things.

It was decided that a slow flaying to death would be the suitable response to such a futile insult. Arni was then off to help Öysteinn in France after this enjoyable entertainment.

The Emperor was saddened to hear of the death of Jarl Refr on 27 October, though he had passed away peacefully after a long life of 73 years, the last few as one of Hroðulfr’s closest confidants.

On 29 January 1066, Ingrid gave birth to a presumed legitimate daughter, cleverly named after the latest Empress, Alvör, ending the period on a high note.

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Economy and Infrastructure: 1060-66

Apart from general one-off things like roads, guard posts and funding local festivals, which we are sponsored during this period, as much building as the Imperial demesne baronies were eligible for were built continuously over this six-year period. Most of this was in the capital county of Holmgarðr, at Chudovo and Okulovka. Yamsky Gorodok in Torzhok got a new barracks (IV); Okulovkaka keeps (I and II), training grounds (II) and stables (IV); Chudovo stables (IV) and barracks (IV). All this cost a total of 2,444 gold, with 6,023 gold in the treasury on 13 March 1066.

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Religion: 1060-66

The conversion of Braunschweig to Germanicism in March 1061 brought the holy site of Paderborn fully under Germanic supervision. Three counties in France (Bar 1061, Nantes 1065 and Nice 1066); two in Germany (Braunschweig 1061, Göttingen 1065), and one each in 1064 on the Baltic Coast (Samotiga) and the Steppe (Turgay) saw seven more conversions of recently acquired lands over the six-year period.

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Summaries

The two extant vassal wars in Aquitaine and Italy were both going in favour of the attacking marcher lords, with some Imperial help already delivered or on the way. Queen Laura also faced a squabble with Kraine and Venice over a city holding, with a side battle in progress in Lucca as Lothian tried to make progress in Modena, where Jarl Frirek was (perhaps a little unwisely) again personally leading troops.

Fylkir and Emperor Hroðulfr of the now Seven Crowns was nearing 60 but remained in decent health (considering) and at the height of his powers.

Bullfilter · Jan 20, 2023

Chapter 8: A Pale Horse in the Distance (March 1066 – December 1067)

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1066 – And All That

Hrörekr’s raiding army, sent to support Champagne’s war against Aquitaine, arrived in Bourgogne on 16 March 1066. But they would have to double down to Gevaudan and back again to trigger hostility and be able to relieve the occupied holding they had been sent to liberate. They would not return to begin the siege until the end of June. In the meantime, the young Jarl Sumarliði of Brabant had another war launched in his name on 27 May, against Duke Guilhelm II of Upper Lorraine for Santois, the last county in the old French enclave.

The hotbed of Polish dissent in Gnesen erupted again on 1 June, with the Lollards at it again. Something would have to be done to curb the infidel and heretical influences there or these rebellions would just keep happening, even when savagely defeated. Styrbjörn was despatched on the long march with around 7,000 Imperial levies from the Three Baronies of Holmgarðr plus the three cavalry retinues still being raised in the capital.

By the end of June, Russian threat was lower (just below 80%) than it had been for years. The Champagnan Holy War for Auvergne (90%) and Lothian Conquest of Lucca (60%) were both well progressed, while the new Brabantian one for Santois remained in its early days.

Slow fever (typhoid) was raging through almost all of England and had crossed the Channel into Flanders (where consumption was also present).

In Italy, consumption was also entrenched in Modena, where the Lothians were besieging to help bring the Italian Queen Laura to the bargaining table. The Rurikid raiders in Parma, who had started their supporting raid in February of that year, were safe for now. But disease seemed to be an increasing threat in the world at this time.

The Parma raid would end in mid-July, with the Botulfr’s raiders risking entry to the epidemic zone to intercept a hostile Lombard army that was approaching the Lothian siege works from the north in Cremona. Three holdings had been sacked, 214 gold taken and 432 raiders lost since February.

Over in Aquitaine, on 16 July the main Champagnan army of around 8,300 men attacked an Aquitaine-led army of around 4,900 in Gevaudan. They looked to have scored a massive win and sent the enemy packing by 10 August. That war looked to be entering its final stages.

In Italy, the Battle of Cremona Botulfr on easily defeated the Lombards on 3 August. His army was soon marching west again out of the epidemic zone.

Jarl Öysteinn wrapped up his Holy War a few days after the Rurikid raiders regained Besançon in Bourgogne on 18 August. The two counties gained now provided a very useful land corridor to the Lothian holding in southern France.

The Italian raiding army was in Monferrato by 12 September to begin a purely commercial looting and remain on hand if needed to support the Lothians again. But in central France, a large enemy army under Bishop Humbert of Upper Lorraine had assembled, while the Brabantian forces (which would be larger in total) were still concentrating. In response the southern raiding army was sent north, the Imperial levies of Rouen and Paris were called out and the large vassal contingents of Brabant and Champagne were also summoned: which only seemed fair given the support Hroðulfr had been providing them.

In Poland, Styrbjörn finally arrived to attack the rebels in Gnesen from the north in late September. It was done in four weeks and this time the losing rebel leader was walled up, to expire slowly in misery of thirst and starvation. Even with this latest revolt suppression, a fair risk of a repeat remained, but the levies were disbanded.

In Saintois, by the end of October the approaching Russian and Brabantian armies had scared Bishop Humbert off without a fight as they fled south-east towards Sundgau. From 1-13 November, 9,400 levy troops, now excess to requirement, were disbanded – the vassal levies included.

The short raid of Monferrato was ended on 5 December (one holding, just 47 gold) when an Italian army of 3,000 men slipped into Lothian-owned Genoa, just to the south. Eilif (now in command after Botulfr was transferred to Saintois) was soon on the march to eject them. He would arrive on 14 December and would heavily defeat the Italians by early in the new year.

In Saintois, the imminent arrival of the main Brabantian army (now 11,000 strong) would cause supplies to run short, with the Russian raiders (almost 11,000 with the remaining Imperial levies attached) heading out on 10 December. The levies were safely disbanded in Bourgogne on the 21st, to end another successful year.

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1067 – Pale Horse, Dark Rider

1 January 1067 marked the bicentenary of the founding of the Rurikid Dynasty. It seemed a time of great prosperity, strength, success and boundless potential for the Rurikids. Hroðulfr looked through the court chronicles relating all the way back to those times and the relatively modest beginnings that Rurik and his successors had built upon to get here they were today.

There were of course hearty celebrations held in the Imperial capital of Nygarðr.

In France, it was celebrated by Botulfr’s raider arriving back in Saintois to support the Brabantians as Eilif was pursuing the defeated the Italians in Genoa. Brabant was soon using the Imperial troops to conduct a series of assaults. During the earlier looting siege in October 1066 and four ‘assists’ to Brabant by 24 January, five holdings were taken, 68 gold looted and 728 (total, including from Brabant) casualties suffered.

Strangely, rather than trying to defend Saintois, Humbert's army had made it all the way to Italy to attack the Lothians in Modena! Having just got back to the raid in Monferrato, Eilif’s army was soon doubling back via Genoa to aid the outnumbered Lothians.

The Battle of Modena began on 24 January, with Eilif in Genoa by then and in Parma by 3 February as the Lothians held out quite well, despite being outnumbered by around 1,500 men.

But before that drama could be played out, worrying news arrived along the Silk Road from the Far East. On 1 February 1067, what we now know as the deadly bacterium yersinia pestis, hitching a ride in fleas on plague rats and passing it to humans, had reared its very ugly head. But it was so far away – what was the real danger?

All was well in France, with Saintois absorbed soon after Sorcy-St-Martin fell on 24 January. A far tidier border and only a minor elevation in threat resulted. As the new cavalry retinues approached after their blooding in Poland, Botulfr took his army towards the border with Hungarian Germany.

While the arrival of Eilif in Modena on 17 February soon turned the battle heavily against the enemy who had been attacking the Lothians, smashing into their flank and securing a decisive victory by 1 March. Jarl Frirek’s war was very nearly won.

As it happened, Jarl Öysteinn was not given long to enjoy his latest victory in France. It was all too much for him, it seems. His two older sons having pre-deceased him, young Rikulfr II inherited all his fathers titles. The recently victorious Jarl Frirek was later appointed to the vacant Advisor’s position on a very loyal Council.

With Modena now fully occupied by Lothian on 7 March, Eilif followed them across to Parma to support the final phase of the Italian campaign. A few weeks later, Seer Ofeig was sent across from his preaching work in France to see if he could bring Odin’s wisdom to the nest of infidels and heretics causing all the trouble in Gnesen.

With France at peace again, Styrbjörn had taken command of the raiders who now descended on the Hungarian-owned county of Baden on 29 March to begin raiding for loot. There were quite a number of hostile troops in the general area, including a Hungarian army of over 10,600 men up in northern Germany – and now starting to head south.

Momchil (now in charge of the southern army) was sent all the way north and would eventually arrive in Baden in early August, by which time the Hungarians were approaching the Bavarian border.

On the home front, Hroðulfr’s first great-grandchild – a daughter to Prince Arni of Tana – was born on 17 April. A month later, Hroðulfr’s concubine Ingrid announced she was pregnant – and this time the old emperor is not recorded as having any doubts about the parentage.

After a slow start, the spread of the Black Death had picked up by August 1067 as it spread along the Silk Road towards Central Asia. Holmgarðr’s hospital was the best money could buy at that time. With a huge reserve in the treasury, as a precaution the Fylkir decided to fund a massive expansion of hospital coverage in his other five demesne counties and in Tana, a Silk Road terminus on the Black Sea coast. It would take about ten months for the initial works to be done and this first round of construction would cost a total of 534 gold.

Jarl Frirek finally finished his conquest of Lucca on 27 August as his demesne continued to creep along the Ligurian coast.

The latest plague warning came from Kyzyl-Kum in mid-September. Refugees and merchants had “witnessed indescribable horrors” and people began to flee ahead of its approach to the borders of the Empire.

Another type of more familiar epidemic finally claimed Jarl Frirek of Lothian after a long illness on 22 October, aged just 23. His younger brother Karl inherited the main title to add to one he already had, while the youngest brother took two other chiefdoms. This all diminished the dynasty’s strength somewhat – the conquest of Lucca had been won just in time.

Brabant and Champagne remained the two greatest western fiefdoms, followed by the holdings of the Jomsvikings in Normandy and central France. Sviþjod, more spread out, also retained lands in France and northern Germany. The very loyal Jarl Vagn Ironside (of Smolensk, Lithuania and Kurland) took over the vacated Advisor position.

Meanwhile, the pace of the plague’s advance had increased: by mid-November it had passed south of the Caspian Sea and was approaching the eastern borders of the Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

Hroðulfr was busy however, getting his now largely compliant Council to approve a further resumption of powers to the crown for the granting of titles.

More momentous news came in mid-December with yet another kingdom being created within the Empire. After long years of relentless expansion and a few upsets along the way, the Boy-King Sumarliði ‘the Holy’ became the ruler of Lotharingia, with widespread lands and an army of his own to make most other nations take note.

The year was capped off by the birth of another daughter for the Fylkir. Alfrið was his 13th child and 9th daughter. Two of her four brothers had died early.

Bullfilter · Jan 25, 2023

Chapter 9: Hel’s Prophet (January 1068 – May 1070)

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1068 – Death Stalks the Land

Even as disease and pestilence seemed to be approaching from many quarters at the beginning of 1068, especially the horrendous black death (or “Hel’s Breath”, as the Norsemen started to call it), the general life and business of the Rurikid Empire carried on much as usual.

Only a few years after the bicentennial of the Rurikid dynasty’s founding, the Kingdom of Sviþjod was formally acknowledged to have become part of the de jure Russian Empire.

To add to the concerns of disease in the realm, a new outbreak of slow fever, already raging in England, Normandy and the Low Counties, broke out in Nantes.

As Hel’s Breath, already overrunning Persia and Mesopotamia, approached the borders of the main Byzantine Empire.

Byzantium, powerful as it remained, was by now also attracting a heavy raiding presence by various Norse chieftains and adventurers. Prince Arni became the latest of many, landing in Smyrna in early February 1068.

The raid of Baden had finished on 6 January, with five holdings looted for 337 gold with 1,338 raiders killed. The whole force then headed south back to Italy for the next expedition.

In mid-February, Ivar ‘the Sword of Odin’ started a powerful revolt to increase council power on the child-Jarl Rikulfr II of Champagne. With Ivar commanding 10,500 men and Rikulfr 7,400, Hroðulfr wanted nothing that was going to weaken one of his most powerful and active marcher lords for no good reason. For the loss of a little Imperial prestige, Ivar was forced to yield his cause, which he did with good grace and no further demand a few days later. A couple of weeks later, the Emperor announced realm peace would be enforced, to come into effect in three months.

The fairly recently installed Jarl Anlaufr of Bolghar was doing good work again, fighting the right kind of foe in mid-February. The Orthodox Duke Asalup of Kimak did not look likely to be able to put up much resistance.

As if there wasn’t already enough pestilence in the world, a new outbreak of the deadly small pox erupted in Rurikid Bulgaria at the start of May. If it spread north, it could soon be making inroads into southern Russia, while the plague still advanced towards the Byzantine heartland and all along the eastern Arabian coast and into northern India. Slow fever still raged in the west.

Avoiding the nearby consumption outbreak, the next big looting raid began in May 1068 when the entire professional standing army fell on an unfortunate Pisan force, who were entirely wiped out for the loss of just a couple of Rurikid soldiers. From then until the following January, five holdings would be sacked for 358 gold and the loss of 624 men.

In early June Warchief Surt was the next to launch a conquest bid, with Aquitaine once again the target.

Momchil’s army was detached from the Pisan raid a few days later and marched west to aid the Jomsviking’s latest adventure. Then enforced realm peace came into effect on 3 July 1068.

By early August, Basileus Eustratios II ‘the Mutilator’ had nine different raids striking his lands and two wars in progress, with the plague now penetrating into eastern Anatolia. The smallpox outbreak in Bulgaria had spread south and hit Constantinople. The Byzantines looked to be in for a hard time of it in coming months!

With the threat of disease and old age on his mind, in October Hroðulfr decided to shift from carousing to a more family-oriented lifestyle, hoping the health benefits may help to shield him from Hel’s sinister approach.

A week later, Momchil’s army had arrived in Marsan to support the Jomsviking effort and Surt immediately used them to start assaulting Aquitanian strongholds. Between October 1068 and February 1069, four holdings fell for the combined loss of 803 men.

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December 1068 – Hel Comes Calling

The month began with news that yet another outbreak of slow fever had hit the Empire, this time to the north in Austerbotn. By 2 December, the first round of six new hospitals had been completed and sick houses (costing 2,085 gold in total) were commenced in each to get some serious disease protection in place.

But the very next day, far more momentous news signalled the arrival of Hel in Nygarðr: Hroðulfr fell not to the sword or disease, but simply the passage of time. Though his more than 36-year reign would be considered favourably by most later historians, at the time many complained about his revenue policies, which had nonetheless made the Empire strong and prosperous.

Fylkir Toste came to power, a man grown and of acknowledged abilities. What was not widely known at the time was that the previous rumours of apostasy covered a far more sinister secret: he had already fallen under the influence of the Fellowship of Hel in his younger years! His ascension also created four vacancies on the Imperial Council, which the recently resigned Councillors were legally unable to fill.

It seemed Toste had joined the Fellowship all the way back in 1053, during his time with the Varangian Guard. He was eligible for promotion to the rank of Visendamaðr, which he immediately requested. History does not record what dark deeds he may have committed to get to that level, but from that point forward a dark journal exists of his secret career. He would become known to history as Hel’s Prophet: in a time when Helheim seemed to be coming to the land of men.

He now sought to publicly focus on family matters and privately on advancing within the Fellowship, hoping to one day head it as his ‘illustrious’ forbear Eilif II ‘The Dark Fylkir’ had. With a Council yet to be appointed marring his administrative capacity and an initial lack of authority depleting the size of the vassal forces he could call upon, the early days of his reign were a bit disorganised.

But the Empire was more widespread than it had ever been and faced no mortal threat – except perhaps for the deadly touch of disease. The Abbasids were facing a major revolt, Catholicism had been humbled, the marcher lords kept expanding and the Byzantines remained preoccupied with internal matters.

Four new appointments were made to a Council that would be generally discontented and a bit unruly for a while yet. King Botulfr, one of two Advisors retained from the old Council, was currently disaffected but Toste hoped he could be brought around – without needing to resort to dark powers! Gifts were sent to improve loyalty where they would do some good and weren’t too exorbitant.

Toste’s son and heir Arni was made Marshal, which would get him out of the heat of battle. Old Surt would make an excellent Spymaster and Jarl Klas of Vladimir a well-qualified Steward. A competent Seeress was appointed and sent to Gnesen to continue the work of converting it to Germanicism. None of the new appointees were Hel Fellows. At this time, Toste was keeping a low profile on the darker side of his life.

The clock was reset on any Council law changes Toste may wish to make, but at present not a single member would support a vote if advanced. He would have to wait until he could get a Loyalist clique to support him.

One thing he could do to get his reign off to a favourable start was to call a Great Blot. He wasted no time in doing so. From then until the end of January the usual ceremonies and festivities were conducted, the prison emptied of another four ‘useless’ inmates and the traditional benefits gained, especially the welcomed temporary boost to vassal opinion and army morale.

Having now gained the titles he had desired for so long, Toste took the only other ambition available to him - to see the realm prosper.

A fully functioning Council and improved vassal opinion had soon increased his ruling capacities in most areas and the number of vassal levies he could call on. As the month drew to a close, Toste also took on three concubines: “As long as they’re young, healthy and can bear children, I don’t care much who they are,” was his dismissive attitude.

The day after the Emperor’s death, the leading Rurikid general Botulfr died while leading his raiders in Pisa, meaning new commanders were also being recruited and assigned.

Needing to trim his vassal span by one, Osnabruck was transferred to young King Sumarliði of Lotharingia in mid-December, making that internal border less gory and ensuring the loyalty of that powerful vassal for years to come.

When considering his wife, the Empress Ingibjörg, Toste may have harboured thoughts about ‘trading up’ for a spouse who may better support the administration of such a vast empire, but no record exists of such thoughts from that time.

Crown Prince Arni, now Imperial Marshal as well as chief of the rich trade terminus of Tana, was by then a renowned military commander, though not so skilled in the other areas of leadership. Unfortunately, like his grandfather, he had picked up the black mark of being a kinslayer, having had an old cousin of Hroðulfr’s murdered a year before, for reasons now lost to the mists of time. This had badly tarnished his diplomatic reputation, so important for a great ruler.

In a final development for the busy month of December 1068, Toste’s promotion was approved by Trollmaðr Holmger. Of the 77 active Fellowship members at that time, Toste now ranked fifth. Of course, his aim was to become the heir apparent as soon as possible.

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1069 – War and Pestilence

The new Emperor tried to bed down his reign and keep doing ‘business as usual’ as Hel’s footsteps seemed to approach from all directions and 1069 initially saw him seeking to remake disrupted diplomatic relations among the Norse kingdoms. On 4 January, King Ivar of Denmark had joined the Pagan defensive pact. This was soon reversed by the conclusion of a new non-aggression pact, signed on 11 January 1069. King Alfgeir of England refused to sign one for now but King Knut ‘the Bold’ of Noregr was happy to do so, concluding an NAP on 19 January.

Anlaufr had his victory in Kimak by mid-February, adding another little piece to the eastward expansion on the steppe, earning a handsome nickname in the process.

But another advance was moving even more steadily. Plague was now stalking the land just south of Tana and advancing through Anatolia on a broad front. Dire warnings continued to be received from the east of the empire.

But this did nothing to daunt the ambitious marcher lords in the west, with Lotharingia next moving against Bavaria to conquer Nassau.

With the raid on Pisa finished, Hrörekr (now commanding the late Botulfr’s army) was ordered up to provide some support, even though young King Sumarliði was likely to be able to handle the war well enough himself.

Various battles between the Jomsvikings and Russian armies and those of Aquitaine would continue through the first half of 1069. Momchil continued to run interference for Warchief Surt as he tried to subdue enough Aquitanian territory to force them to surrender Marsan. Marsan was fully occupied by 19 February and Bordeaux (again with Imperial assistance) by 13 April.

After a skirmish in Perigord from 10-20 July, Momchil would head north to confront a medium-sized Aquitanian army at the Battle of Angouléme from 26 July-15 August, winning another clear victory, while the Jomsvikings besieged Agen [masked behind that raiding force].

At the same time in Byzantium, the ‘two plagues’ had joined together along the Black Sea coast. Worrying reports of smallpox having killed half the population of the great city of Constantinople were being received. And that was before the black death had struck!

Despite recent vassal expansions, by mid-September Russian threat was now below the significant 75% mark, one piece of good news in these dangerous times. But, showing the rich and powerful were not immune to the ravages of the plague, in October news came that the father of the Basileus had succumbed to Hel’s Breath. It was the first detailed description in Nygarðr of the horrors of the buboes that were the hallmark of this terrible pestilence.

Between 9-27 October, the six new sick houses were finished, with five new leper colonies (another 2,093 gold) commenced in the imperial demesne counties, though not in Tana.

In Aquitaine, the siege of Angouléme was ended after just the main castle had been taken on 25 October: Momchil was headed south-east to Perigord to head off a new threat to the Jomsviking siege of Agen, with 7,500 men under Mayor Hugues reported to be heading to Toulouse.

Up in Germany, Hrörekr was on his way to assist the Lotharingians in Bamberg when he essentially rode over the top of an incautious Bavarian army that got in the way.

Momchil reached Perigord in time to divert to Agen as Mayor Hugues was descending on it. It would be enough to scare them off.

Hrörekr struck another Bavarian army in Bamberg in support of Lotharingia on 5 December and by 14th had won the day there, heading back west again, planning to raid Leiningen.

Then on 19 December, King Botulfr of Sviþjod declared an ambitious holy war on Hungary to gain the de lure duchy of Brandenburg, which was at that time losing a war to take Holstein from Denmark. And the year ended with the death of the venerable Jarl Þorbjörn ‘the Cruel’ of Moldau at the age of 80. He had been less aggressive in recent years and his inheritance was split upon his death.

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January-May 1070 – Threats and Opportunities

Northern Germany had become a busy place in recent months, with Botulfr’s new war in late December and the continued Lotharingian conquest of Nassau, which they had well in hand. The Danes closed off their defence of Holstein as the northern raiders, now under the command of Birger, moved up to assist the Swedes in Brandenburg.

Then for the first time in living memory, the Romans found themselves embroiled in a major civil war, even as raiders and epidemics engulfed them. A revocation attempt gone wrong saw a revolt led by Narses gain around twice the support Basileus Eustratios could count on. Covetous Rurikid eyes were turned on the Duchy of Itil, for which a holy war would be a tempting ploy if the circumstances could be played right: conquering it from the rebels without incurring the wrath of the pacts and while the civil war continued.

The new Fylkir also had good news on 27 February when one of his new concubines, Bothildr, announced she was pregnant. The same day, Birger arrived in Brandenburg only too find it overcrowded with the Swedes already there. By 2 March, he was ordered all the way across to the border with Itil, in case an action against the rebels was initiated.

Back in France, by 10 March Momchil was encamped in Limousin, doing some raiding while keeping watch on the flanks of the Jomsviking siege of Agen. Birger had still not left Brandenburg. In Bavaria, Lotharingia was comfortably on top in their own war of conquest.

Byzantium was now in a bad way, ravaged by civil war as the black death spread ever further west towards Constantinople, which had already been ravaged by smallpox. To top it off, the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch had excommunicated Basileus Eustratios on 11 March!

A new conquest was declared in the name of Jarl Karl of Lothian in April 1070 to conquer the rich county of Pisa, which remained badly weakened by the Russian raid of the year before.

In France, Aquitaine was on the march again in April, sending a large army towards Toulouse. Momchil broke his siege of Limousin to intercept them and once more protect the Jomsviking flank in Agen.

The main Aquitanian army stopped short on Momchil’s approach on 9 May, leaving a smaller force to his not-so-tender mercies. They were heavily defeated by the 25th.

And Nassau was absorbed into Lotharingia and the Empire on 19 May, another victory for the young King, who had not even come of age yet. The Swedes were currently untroubled in their siege of Brandenburg.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Building and Religion - 1066-1070

In addition to the hospitals (6), sick houses (6) and leper colonies (5) purchased during the period, Chudovo got new castle fortifications (III) in 1066, Okulovka a keep (III) in 1068 and Rouen training grounds (II) in April 1070. In all, in these four and a half years, 5,541 gold was spent by the Imperial treasury on infrastructure improvements.

Only the one conversion to Germanicism happened, in Eu (France) in September 1069. On the Dark Side, now secret reports were being received by the new Emperor Toste, from his ascension on 3 December 1068 to April 1070, four Fellows of Hel were burned at the stake and two more captured and imprisoned. With new inductees over the same period, this left 73 active fellows as the period ended.

The first year and a half of Toste’s reign had so far been quite successful, while he eyed the developing situation in Byzantium with predatory interest and Birger’s elite force made their way across central Russia.

Bullfilter · Jan 31, 2023

Chapter 10: Under the Shadow of Death (June 1070 – July 1071)

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June-December 1070: Blind Luck

The shadow of the black death hung over all people by now as it broke out of Asia Minor into Thracia by June 1070. In Constantinople, it had merged with smallpox to afflict the East Roman capital, even as rebellion tore that empire in two.

By then, Toste was aware the rebels had large armies in southern Italy (10,500) and southern Thrace (12,600), while Basileus Eustratios had two armies of 7,000 and 8,600 in the northern Balkans. The whereabouts of any other major armies or battles was not known.

By 25 July, the larger Rebel army had engaged one of the Loyalist forces south of the Danube in central Bulgaria: the Loyalists were outnumbered by almost two-one and would be heavily defeated.

Toste’s Dark History recorded the first of his known Hellish escapades from August 1070: as usual, dark power and friendship was balanced against the damage done to a small part of his vast realm. The Fylkir didn’t seem to care much about that.

He also took on a formal mission from the Trollmaðr but did not act on it immediately and it soon slipped his mind in the rush of events. He was not as madly committed to Hel’s cause as Eilif II had been, it seems.

The self-sufficient Jarl Anlaufr, undaunted by the threat of plague, launched yet another campaign for Sibir against Cumania in early September 1070.

Even as Hel’s Breath spread into Greece and along the Black Sea coast, as one (of increasingly many) reports of Russian noble deaths came in.

Currently far from any spread of the great plague, Warchief Surt completed his conquest of Marsan on 10 September, leaving the Rurikid raiders to continue heir raid for plunder in Toulouse with impunity.

At the end of the month, Toste had good news with the birth of a daughter – his fourth child – to his concubine Bothildr. Though he would have preferred a second son as a ‘spare heir’ in these perilous times.

Not long after, Momchil was forced to cut his raid of Toulouse short when called to respond to a large Catholic uprising centred in Münster (one holding, 93 gold).

Then on 11 October, Birger’s army reached the Itil border. Toste decided to throw away his ambition for realm peace and growth for an opportunistic land grab while the one-sided Byzantine Civil War still continued. A Holy War for Itil was launched the next day, as the Imperial levies from the core Russian counties were called up.

The main Loyalist army in Bulgaria (around 10,200 men) was heading south from the Danube, so no direct threat to the Russian heartland was anticipated, though Amalfi could be in danger if either of the Byzantine sides turned their attention that way.

Birger crossed over the Volga into Saray in Itil on 7 November. From there, the Rurikid invaders would besiege the larger tribal forts but assault the less well defended holdings whenever they could. Meanwhile, the plague crept closer, striking Tana by 22 November and forcing the heir Prince Arni into seclusion the next day.

As the Byzantine Rebels continued to gain ground, another 5,000-odd vassal levies based in Russia and the steppe were called up to help speed the invasion of Itil – before it was too late.

Then in early December 1070, a seemingly trifling incident in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace in Nygarðr threatened the stability of the whole Rurikid empire at one of its pivotal points in its history. Rather than risk appearing weak in front of his court and vassals, Emperor Toste tried to turn a small mishap into an opportunity for bravado.

Given his hubris and worship of Hel, it seems highly likely that Odin did hate Toste and sent the rock to where it would do the most damage. Not only was the Emperor now fully blinded, but the newly emptied eye socket became infected, leaving him severely injured.

In Saray, the first siege ended on 13 December with a small haul of gold rather than occupation of the holding: Birger had neglected to call on a priest to revoke the Sacred Raiding Toggle before arriving! He did so now and set to work with a series of assaults to reduce the weakened Roman garrisons. Saray’s three holdings would be fully occupied by 11 January 1071 for the loss of just 51 Rurikid troops.

The turbulent year ended with Toste wondering whether he might be able to attain the next level in the Fellowship and access some dark healing. It may not restore his sight but may at least alleviate his suffering. But this remained out of his present reach.

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January-June 1071: More War and Pestilence

The Catholic rebels in Münster were finally confronted in January 1071. Falki had charge of the army that decisively defeated them at the Battle of Dortmund. The rebel leader was shown what was now the standard harsh Rurikid justice for rebels. But given Toste’s secret beliefs, the rebel scum suffered a particularly horrifying end.

After this victory, Falki would proceed to Würzburg in Germany by 7 March for some commercial raiding to help replenish the coffers.

Reports of the rise of the Shi’a sect of Islam were received later that month, but as with previous similar reports no evidence could be found of their substantive presence in any known lands.

With Saray fully occupied, Momchil moved onto Uzen next, destroying a small force (545 men) they found there by 4 February to start the next siege. Uzen’s two holdings would be subdued by 18 March for the loss of only five Rurikid soldiers.

As the holy war for Itil slowly built momentum, the Black Death had moved rapidly along the Adriatic coast and then down to infect most of the Italian peninsula. For example, a young member of the extended imperial family fell victim in Amalfi in February 1071.

By the end of the month, it had encircled the whole of the Black Sea coast, but reports from the east indicated it was beginning to abate near the source of the pandemic. A levy army under Hrörekr had just begun to besiege Lower Volga and another smaller force commanded by Prince Borkvard was in Pecheneg.

With the Middle East ravaged by plague, the end of March saw it having moved across into the Lothian holdings of southern France and poised to spread into Egypt.

In mid-April, Hel’s Breath was being felt in Sarpa, just to the south-west of the war in Itil.

On 25 May, spies from the court of the Basileus reported he had lost all hope of winning the civil war led by Narses and the Ecumenical Patriarch Polyeuktos II [-100% warscore]. The Rurikid forces threw themselves into gaining as much ground in Itil as quickly as they could.

Lower Volga had been fully occupied by 1 May (three holdings, 80 attackers lost). Momchil had moved from Uzen to Itil itself on 10 April and would finish its occupation by mid-June (three holdings, 347 casualties).

As June drew to a close, one holding in Pecheneg had been occupied (113 casualties) and Hrörekr had moved onto Atryau. The plague was now spreading rapidly north through Hungary and expanding into southern France and north-east Spain, but was barely advancing in the sparser lands of southern Russia.

The month ended on a high note among the growing avalanche of plague death reports among the minor Russian nobility, with Sviþjod winning its holy war for Brandenburg against Hungary. This formally completed the long-awaited land corridor between the western and eastern halves of the Rurikid Empire.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

July 1071: Hel Waits for No Man

Momchil moved onto Kuma on 5 July, looking to take more territory to force the Byzantine Rebels to the bargaining table.

But at the capital, Toste had never recovered from his blinding injury and died a miserable death on 6 July 1071. Those writing his epitaph at the time had no idea of his secret life: he was more likely down in Helheim than in Valhalla with Odin! Toste had reigned for only two and a half years, his death undoubtedly sparing the Empire from the tender ministrations of another Fellow of Hel.

The commentators were optimistic about his son Arni, who would carry forward the dashing golden locks of his father into yet another new reign.

Once more, the inheritance laws ensure all holdings transferred seamlessly to Arni, added to his possession of Tana. Arni had just one child, a daughter, and one concubine. His personal demesne was increased to ten, while his ability to control them without dissent was limited to eight. He would soon have to decide what he did about both that and the number of vassals reporting directly to him.

Empress Asa, a daughter of the King of England, was also a well-qualified consort who boosted Arni’s ruling abilities, which were modest away from his strength of martial pursuits.

Arni’s uncle Prince Borkvard, who was actually a few years younger than the new Fylkir, was the current heir, unless and until Arni bore a son to inherit.

Arni, who would become known for his largesse with coin, quickly bribed much of the Imperial Council he had inherited, including the newly hired Marshal, selected as much for his loyalty than his military ability. For now, the cost of bribing the discontented King Botulfr was deemed too great.

But the easing of the plague from the east was gathering pace, along the same corridors it had first come in from, balanced by its gathering pace in the west.

On 14 July, Tana would be granted to the young Jarl Egill of Bryansk, who owned lands nearby and would soon come of age – if he survived Hel’s Breath. Arni would ride out the malus he would attract from keeping all nine of the core imperial baronies in Russia and France: too much had been invested in them to let them go lightly. He hoped to ‘earn the right’ to keep the extra one freely, in time. The Fylkir would also change his personal focus to rulership, so he would not be forced to shed more vassals.

The same day, Arni (now relocated to Nygarðr) opened the gates to abandon his seclusion – which he would not be able to undertake again for another year, if the plague struck Nygarðr. Arni also started recruiting more concubines, conscious of the need to produce an heir of his own if he wanted his branch of the family to maintain the unbroken line of succession since the founding of the dynasty in 867.

Despite having occupied enough territory to make Itil Russian, the lack of a major field battle victory seemed to be preventing Narses from agreeing to peace terms. A few days later, Momchil broke his siege in Kuma (two holdings taken, no casualties) and headed south looking for battle.

As the month ended, raiders that had previously been sent before Arni had become Emperor (unnoticed by the court in Nygarðr for some days) were jumped in Italy. They had attempted to evade a larger Byzantine force approaching from the south by heading to their ships, but were detained by a small holding force long enough to be badly mauled before breaking contact.

The occupation of Atyrau would be completed by Hrörekr the same day (three holdings, 275 casualties).

As the period ended, the raid of Würzburg continued in Germany. Three conversions, two in France and one on the steppe, occurred from October 1070 to May 1071.

On the building front, the five leper colonies were completed from August-September 1070, and five new soup kitchens [+4% disease resistance] plus a barracks in Okulovka (IV, February 1071) were begun at a total cost of 2,151 gold. The soup kitchens in Torzhok and Toropets would be completed during July 1071, bringing those two (level 2) hospitals to their full technological capacity in those counties.

Arni’s first task after having secured his succession as best he could was to complete the conquest and annexation of Itil. This would provide much prestige and allow him to grant landed titles to bolster his political position with influential magnates.

Bullfilter · Feb 6, 2023

Chapter 11: Itil Be Alright in the End (August 1071 – July 1072)

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1 August to 8 September 1071

The new Fylkir Arni was in a race to seal his opportunistic holy war for Itil before the Byzantine rebellion achieved its seemingly inevitable victory over Basileus Eustratios II ‘the Cruel’. On 8 August, Pecheneg’s main castle fell, with a suitably grisly artefact being added to the Imperial treasury.

Arni also went through the process of reviewing and renewing non-aggression pacts with the other Norse Germanic kingdoms after being alerted to the need when word came of King Ivar of Denmark joining the anti-Rurikid pagan defensive pact on 10 August. Both he and King Knut of Noregr were approached with new offers, both of which were accepted on 24 August. The previous hold-out under his father Toste had been England, but Arni’s marriage to Empress Ana, daughter of King Alfgeir, had automatically conferred a non-aggression pact on Arni’s succession.

Next was an assessment of the principal factions, always something a new Emperor was well-advised to keep an eye on. Two of the most powerful magnates were involved in serious factions to increase the power of the Imperial Council and to gain independence, led by the influential Chief Starkaðr of Stolp. Though not yet imminent threats, neither of these could be allowed to build much further.

In the meantime, reports were coming in thick and fast about how Hel’s Breath was afflicting both foreign lands and Rurikid territory, in addition to the many personal reports of the death of individual Russian nobles and dignitaries, especially in southern France.

Despite suggestions that he may not be completely ready to surrender, Narses of the Byzantine Revolt was approached on 17 August to see if he had had enough. It turned out he had: the entire de jure Duchy of Itil passed into Rurikid hands on 21 August 1071. The one downside was that the long diplomatic campaign to reduce Russian threat in the minds of the world’s leaders was set back almost to its starting point.

At the same time, the last three Imperial demesne hospitals (in addition to Holmgarðr, Torzhok and Toropets) was brought up to their maximum level of improvement from 18-26 August. There was little more Arni could do for now to protect his holdings from the onset of the terrible plague.

The remnants of Arni’s personal adventuring host made it safely to their ships in the Gulf of Venice on 18 August and began heading for the relative safety of Amalfi – with the added bonus of carting over 430 gold from raiding done up to that point, largely before Arni had become emperor.

And despite the ravages of plague, young Jarl Rikulfr’s still sought to gain more Aquitanian territory with a new conquest of Rouergue launched on 7 September.

In Itil, all the levies (imperial and vassal) engaged for the Itil campaign were safely disbanded by the same day. Momchil’s standing raiding army, reduced now to around 6,700 men mainly from attrition, were on their way back from rebel territory in the Caucasus to the safety of ‘non-infected’ southern Russia. The northward march of the plague seemed to have halted in Sugrov for now, where it had been for some time.

And Arni handed out the new titles gained from Itil. First, he made his uncle and heir Borkvard chief of Itil, Saray and Uzen and created and granted him the new title of Jarl of Itil. That should ensure his loyalty for the mid-term, without giving him overmuch military power, even when the counties recovered from their war damage.

Lower Volga, Pecheneg and Atryau were allocated to three different jarls whose loyalty was deemed in need of assuring. All this helped Arni to bolster the stability of his early reign. Indeed Jarl Bertil, the Chancellor and one of the recipients, was now one of Arni’s greatest supporters.

The most powerful of the top Rurikid magnates at last now had a reasonably positive view of the new Emperor, with most of the rest now also supportive. Hopefully more could be done to improve opinion (and thus the size of vassal levies when called out) over time.

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September-December 1071

The Byzantine Civil War ended on 11 September 1071, with Eustratios deemed a tyrant and deposed, the victorious rebels replacing him with another member of the Makedon dynasty: his sister and now Basilissa Maria. Arni sent her a small gift as a modest form of congratulations, which yielded a disproportionate benefit in her opinion of him.

Interestingly, Eustratios remained heir to the throne as Maria had not yet been able to marry her young betrothed and so had no child of her own yet to inherit.

Arni’s court scholars provided a report on the severe effect the plague had on economic activity in ravaged provinces. Though they did seem to recover fairly quickly in those areas where the plague had come and gone along the northern Silk Road.

Arni was well pleased with welcome boost of 435 gold that came on 19 September when his raiding fleet docked in Amalfi. He celebrated the next day by adding two more concubines to the existing Pulcheria Katakalizes – an Orthodox woman who had no love for her master. The famously charitable Arni, trying to ensure he sired an heir and to alleviate any discord (and danger) in his own household provided gold and jewellery (15 gold each) to her and Kraaka Momchilsdottir (his new second concubine) but had no need to with his third, Ingfrid Geirrsdottier, a young noblewoman who already had a high opinion of the young Fylkir.

A small Imperial fleet was despatched from northern France the same day to pick up Arni’s Host from Amalfi – the accompanying fleet had disappeared when it docked there the day before.

Jarl Karl of Lothian, a recent recipient of land in Itil, ceased his factional activity on 26 September. This left the powerful King Botulfr of Sviþjod as a dedicated plotter as well as a disruptive influence on the Council as an advisor. Arni decided to use a good proportion of his recently won loot to offer Botulfr a large ‘loyalty gift’ of 239 gold, which soon had him thinking quite well of his young Fylkir as well, though was still a member of his two factions by the end of the month.

By mid-October, the Loyalist faction on the Council was large enough for Arni to start considering legal reforms, even if Botulfr had not yet come around.

Jarl Karl of Lothian successfully concluded his latest expansion down the coast of Italy at the end of October, which ratcheted up Russia’s threat perception to the maximum once more. Even without any further conquests, it would take over 35 years to reduce this to zero.

In another by now traditional post-succession action, Arni took advantage of the reset ‘Blot clock’ to set off his new reign with a popular celebration that lasted until the end of the year.

Ever vigilant for factional mischief, when Warchief Surt joined the faction advocating gavelkind succession in Russia, Arni once again opened the purse strings, giving Surt an 87 gold ‘donation to his Jomsviking brothers’, which impressed their Chief [+57 opinion]. Arni hoped it would be enough to induce Surt to abandon his plotting.

Momcil’s army finally arrived back in Itil on 7 November and began a long trek back through Russia towards Poland. But just four weeks later they interrupted their march to respond to the outbreak of two peasant rebellions. The first, in Belo Ozero, had surprised a local army that had just been mustered for some project of their jarl’s. They would not be able to cope with this rising on their own.

By this time, the plague had spread to most of northern France and was now entering Brabant. The hospital in Paris could only offer limited resistance for the population – ironically, due to the additional commerce that brought them their prosperity. It was a similar case in Rouen, where Hel’s Breath had not yet quite spread.

In mid-December, despite the universal presence of plague in southern France, a Champagnan army was engaging the Toulousans in Rouergue, where they had more than twice the enemy’s numbers and would win a clear victory a few weeks later. Rikulfr should be able to handle this one himself.

At the year drew to a close, Arni used his numbers in the Council to push through another winding back of Council powers. The same day, King Botulfr decided to take a more pragmatic approach in Council matters and also left the Independence faction. Clearly, money spoke!

Factional activity had now shrunk in both scope and significance, with Surt now an Arni loyalist and likely to leave the one remaining faction of note soon.

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September-December 1071

The year began with the small Imperial fleet arriving off Amalfi. But Arni’s Host had been able to recruit in the intervening weeks and was now a little too large to all be transported at once. The main body was loaded and would sail to the Gulf of Finland to eventually join Momchil put down the peasant rebellions. Hrörekr would take the remaining few hundred over land through the plague lands to join the other raiding army in Germany.

In mid-January, another cavalry retinue was raised in Holmgarðr. By early February, the advance of the plague was still halted in southern Russia but had engulfed all of France, much of the Low Counties, had spread into northern Spain and was closing in on Germany from both the south and west. Despite having the most advanced hospital in the empire, the capital’s disease resistance was limited by its booming economy.

The hospitals in Torzhok and Toropets were insufficient to offset the effect of their booming economies, while that in Ladoga was only just enough to provide minimal resistance for their flourishing county. All the inhabitants prayed to the Gods to protect them from Hel’s Breath, as it appeared there was little the best efforts of men could do to protect them from catching the plague, though the hospitals may provide some protection against the risk of significant depopulation.

Some interesting intelligence was received on 18 February, with a report that King Botulfr of Sviþjod was seeking to fabricate a claim on the Sumarliði’s Kingdom of Lotharingia. It could pit the realm’s two most powerful magnates against each other if it ever came to blows. Just a few weeks later, Lotharingia was attacked by a far more immediate and deadly enemy: the plague took Queen Mother Skuld on 5 March, at the age of 48. Even the highest nobility were not spared.

The reckoning came for the rebels in Belo Ozero on 17 March, with the snow still on the ground, where Momchil had completely overwhelmed the rebel scum by 1 April. Their leader was simply hanged – nothing too elaborate for this new Fylkir.

In Germany, Hrörekr had joined up with the raiders there to take command and had moved on in advance of the onrushing plague towards Meissen after finishing the looting of Würzburg (7 March 1071-11 February 1072, 4 holdings, 238 gold, 502 men lost). By the time they arrived to sweep away a small hostile company in early May, plague had already reached the county and was beginning to take the lives of the troops.

They would flee to the north-west to try to escape Hel’s Breath as soon as the skirmish was over, because three different epidemics had made any raiding in the usually rich western Mediterranean a most unattractive prospect for the time being.

Arni’s host arrived in the Gulf of Finland on 11 May and began disembarking in Kexholm, to await Momchil’s army before taking on the almost 3,800 rebels in southern Finland.

As Hrorekr arrived in Brandenburg, the plague was racing east across Germany just behind him. With no safe or lucrative raiding to be had anywhere nearby, they started heading all the way to Poland. Plague and Arni’s new reign had decreased the amount of tax income flowing in, while the need to rebuild the retinues was demanding heavy expenditure as raiding opportunities were very limited. A monthly deficit of over 40 gold could be sustained for a while, but opportunities to save money would be sought where possible.

Eustratios 'the Mutilator's’ sad life came to an end on 10 June 1072. The former Basileus, by then a possessed husk of his former self, was burnt at the stake – perhaps for some Satanic worship, though this was not known. Curiously, this seemed to have been adjudged a ‘natural death’ by Byzantine chroniclers of the time.

Momchil picked up Arni’s Host in Kexholm on 18 June and marched immediately for the rebel stronghold of Nyland. A two-week fight ended with the defeat of the rebels and the hanging of their leader on 24 July.

In the meantime, Jarl Klas, the Imperial Steward, had secluded himself in his castle in Rügen, hoping to escape the ravages of the Black Death. This temporarily reduced Arni’s ability to effectively manage his vassals, but he would try to ‘tough it out’ for now and retain those he controlled.

July 1072 saw the plague receding along its original path, but still raging in both the east and west and not yet having affected the bulk of the Rurikid Russian heartland.

There were two more conversions to Germanicism in Germany (Thüringen) and the Steppe (Atyrau in recently conquered Itil) in early 1072, while the reports on Hel Fellows dried up after Toste’s death in 1071. No more new builds were initiated in this period. Raiding only provided about 350 gold during the period and none after February 1072 as the plague or the Byzantine civil war drove raiders away from all the most lucrative targets.

Bullfilter · Feb 13, 2023

Chapter 12: Creeping Doom (July 1072 – December 1074)

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July-December 1072

Momchil’s army had just defeated the peasant revolt in Nyland on 24 July 1072. It was ordered to head all the way to the shores of the Aral Sea in search of lands where the plague had already passed through and wealth for looting was returning.

In Western Europe, the black death had taken full hold. In the first in a series of ‘plague successions’ in this period, young King Sumarliði ‘the Holy’, so successful at such a young an age, was defeated by the invisible killer in August 1072. He was succeeded by a relative of the same age from another branch of the ruling Yngling dynasty. At least the plague had not yet done much to reduce the size of the army he could call on. This may change.

Something similar happened in Sarkel two days later, with Jarl Gorm’s demesne merged back under the rule of his older brother, the powerful Jarl Kol ‘the Drunkard’ of Moldau (who would himself die of the plague on 1 December).

Later that week, the creeping blanket of death that was Hel’s Breath began to affect Fylkir Arni’s council, with his Spymaster Warchief Surt of the Jomsvikings forced into seclusion in his Polish stronghold of Kujawy.

Amidst the terrible death toll the plague was exacting, Jarl Karl of Lothian still tried to expand his holdings with a holy war for the Duchy of Susa in northern Italy, launched on 19 August. But it would ultimately end inconclusively two years later, in September 1074.

The next significant plague succession (only the major ones will be now recounted here) came in September when old Botulfr ‘the Blind’ of Sviþjod succumbed, to be succeeded by his son Þorsteinn. The powerful magnate was given his father’s position on the council and a gift to encourage good will – but he already seemed to be a little unwell …

At least factional strife was evaporating within the empire – though part of that may have been the high rate of death and seclusions among potential plotters!

A raid of Vladimir Volynsky in northern Hungary ended on 1 November after less than two months (only one holding for 32 gold, no casualties) when the army was called to quell yet another liberation revolt in Gnesen, despite the approach of the plague to Poland. The Seeress had yet to be able to convert the local Lollard heretics.

Alas, young King Guðröðr of Lotharingia had lasted less than three months on his throne before he too fell the Hel’s Breath. He was succeeded by the mad, infected and consumptive King Yngvar, whose wife had already died from the plague. With his existing holdings added, he could command a very large army. A gift was sent, but Yngvar’s prospects did not appear to be good.

King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod was by 3 November still discontented on the Council [despite +53 opinion] but by then his illness had been confirmed as the dreaded plague. His wife, Arni’s aunt Queen Þora Rurikid, died of the plague on 8 November 1072, so it may not be an issue for much longer. Although it was starting to clear in eastern Anatolia, Asia Minor had been badly ravaged by the plague, which was edging east along the Baltic coast, into Sweden and was now affecting most of England.

Including Lothian, where it claimed young Jarl Karl in mid-December, leaving the title to his younger brother Toke, so ending a very grim 1072. Things would only get worse.

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January-June 1073

By now, the incessant individual death and broader plague reports had come to dominate the lives and chronicles of the whole of Europe and the rest of the known world. Only a few other events registered every so often beyond the miserable toll of Hel’s Breath.

Plague had by now engulfed all of Poland west of the Vistula, including nibbling at Hrörekr’s army of over 8,800 men as it closed on the rebels in Gnesen from the south in early February 1073 [1.1 % monthly attrition in Kalisz, due to the reduction in its supply limit].

Better news came from the northern Steppe, yet to be affected by the black death, where Jarl Anlaufr of Bolghar had yet another victory over Cumania in mid-February.

Soon after the Lollard rebels were engaged in Gnesen. They were defeated by 12 March and their leader executed, ending the fourth such revolt. Now caught behind the plague lines, Hrörekr tried to push his army east as quickly as possible, hoping to outrun the pestilence.

But it seems another was not so lucky: Seer Ingfrid, who had unsuccessfully been trying to convert the Lollards in Gnesen, died there from the plague later in March. Her replacement, recruited from outside the court, arrived a couple of weeks later. She was sent instead to the Orthodox county of Itil in the east, which as yet was plague free.

By the beginning of April, Russia’s luck was running out. The plague had steadfastly failed to advance from Sugrov in the south for many months, but was now washing inexorably from Poland, pushing the front line of the invading black rats into Yatvyagi and Lyubech.

The effect on southern Europe was by now also dire, as its inhabitants feared that God was surely punishing them for their sins.

But this punishment had not struck Warchief Surt of the Jomsvikings, who managed to reach the venerable age of 71 before passing away from natural causes in June 1073, after a very busy and largely successful career. He not only had a successor chosen by his brethren as Warchief, but a new Spymaster was also required. Arni entrusted this key role to his own loyal concubine Kraka Væni, daughter of the famed general Momchil and an adept schemer.

Unfortunately, Hrörekr – stalwart general and one of Russia’s valuable siege-masters – was another victim of the plague he had not been quick or lucky enough to outrun, losing his life to the silent enemy in mid-June.

Now on the eastern shore of the Aral Sea and still seeking a safe and suitable raiding target, Momchil was suffering attrition as he passed through desert wastes in mid-June, heading north to the Cuman enclave of Syr Darya.

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July-December 1073

Crown Prince Borkvard had taken command of the northern army after Hrörekr’s death and had still not managed to outrun the advance of the plague towards the core Imperial demesne counties by early July, though the army was not as yet being affected by attrition.

Even before Borkvard could reach the capital, the foul miasma of Hel’s Breath had washed over Holmgarðr, forcing Fylkir Arni to shut the gates of Nygarðr to all outsiders. The booming economy and population of the capital – and all the Imperial demesne in Russia – and Arni’s military capacity would soon be struck hard by the effects of plague. Belo Ozero and Torzhok would soon follow, forcing more of his Imperial Council into seclusion.

By mid-August Borkvard was in Holmgarðr and still heading east, try to get his men to safety beyond the plague front. Its further spread in Russia by 1 September showed how desperate a hope this was.

From this time onwards, the common folk of Europe, from Denmark and Noregr to Dauphiné had begun to fix on a vulnerable minority to blame for the plague’s onset. Arni was determined to resist such superstitious calls for vengeance, which he was convinced were both unjustified and inhumane. It would prove an increasingly difficult battle as despair and hysteria worsened.

The otherwise deranged and unhealthy King Yngvar of Lotharingia managed in October 1073 to summon the energy for a holy war against Bavaria to gain Würzburg, plague be damned!

Borkvard’s army was now clear of the plague front and heading for the north-eastern steppe by 2 November. The plague was slowly lifting from eastern Anatolia and the eastern Black Sea coast, but the relief was slow for Europe.

From 2 November onwards, Hel’s Halitosis really started to cut down a swathe of extended Rurikid family members around the empire, many of them from the younger generation. From then through to mid-Jun 1074, ten Rurikids would die just from the plague. Most were extended kin to the Emperor, one (Alfr, aged just 2) a cousin and the youngest to die. More notable Rurikid deaths in this group were Jarl Sigbjörn of Polotsk (January 1074, aged 22), High Chief Eilif II of Kola (March 1074, aged 33) and his successor High Chief Kettilmund (April 1074, aged 7) and Jarl Toke ‘the Wise’ or Yaroslavl (May 1074, aged 23).

The raid in Syr Darya had begun on 22 July but by this time plague had also slipped into the county, though not yet enough to cause troop attrition. It would continue into the new year.

But in the west, it seemed the effects of the plague had badly undermined Jarl Rikulfr’s attempt to take Rouergue from Aquitaine. By 21 November his war was in trouble and his main army was being attacked at odds of three-to-one in Bordeaux.

Europe was now fully in the grip of the black death, from Ireland all the way across to the western steppe lands north of where the plague had originally come from.

Believing they would be cornered anyway and seeking clear ground and richer pickings, the northern raiding army was ordered south, through plague lands to southern Russia, from where they may be able to raid into the now plague-free Byzantine Caucasus.

Bad news came with the death of the renowned court physician Ofeig Skál. True to his calling he had managed to avoid the plague, succumbing only to old age in December 1073 after many years of faithful and largely effective service to the Imperial Family. Outside recruitment for a successor could not be conducted due to the lockdown, so the best qualified Russian, another Ofeig, was hired for the job.

The year ended with news that the Byzantines had lost another ruler to disease, but this time it was not the plague, which had now just passed by the Queen of Cities, Constantinople. Instead, it was ’old-fashioned’ dysentery, still a savage killer if not on such vast a scale as the black death. The new Basileus, another Makedon and a dullard by all accounts, was sent a gift to make him slightly less antagonistic, before he became ‘too expensive to buy’.

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1074

As the Rurikid court hunkered down in Nygarðr, Arni had some good news on the very first day of the new year with word his Orthodox concubine Pulcheria Katakalitzes was pregnant with what would be Arni’s second child and her second: her first daughter having died in Arni’s dungeon some years ago, before he became emperor. Just one reason (in addition to having been kidnapped by someone she considered a foreigner, heathen and murderer) she disliked him so much.

In mid-January, King Guðröðr ‘the Depraved’ (it was considered a good idea at the time not to ask too many questions about this nickname) decided to launch a prepared invasion of Italy.

Factionalism had almost completely disappeared by March 1074 - along with most of the plotters, who by now were mainly dead or secluded [just one faction left with two members, only 5.9% strength].

At the beginning of April, the plague had finally cleared Asia Minor and most of India and Arabia but still raged across Europe and most of the northern steppe.

East of the Aral Sea, the raiding army was split into two in April after finishing its raid on Syr Darya on 6 January (three holdings, 74.3 gold, no casualties) to move to richer Samanid lands and avoid the plague and further high attrition.

The raid of Oshrusana began on 10 May and would last into late 1075, proving very lucrative along the way. It and the other raids carried out during this period would keep the Rurikid treasury in balance or even growing, as tax revenues evaporated in the face of the great plague.

On 15 May, the (now leaderless, as almost all commanders were in seclusion by this time) northern raiding army reached the safety of Tmutarakan on the Sea of Azov – but with only 4,000 men left of the 9,000 who had begun the trek. It was a harrowing disaster for all concerned and it would take years to rebuild the force to full strength.

The new court physician Ofeig Orming did not live long in his post, dying of the plague on 26 May, requiring another local to be recruited to the post. Before that could be done, the mad, maimed and be-plagued King Yngvar ‘the Monster’ of Lotharingia shuffled off his rather soiled mortal coil, with his very young son Oddr taking the crown next, inheriting also the war against Bavaria for Würzburg.

The other eastern raiding force arrived in Urgench (also part of the Samanid realm) on 30 May. That raid too would last into late 1075.

As if acting like a hand on a huge and flattened clock, by June 1074 the black death had circled back to just north of where it had originated in Jiuquan on 1 February 1067.

In seclusion and amid all the death surrounding them, a new life came into the world on 1 August: a second child and daughter for the Emperor – but no son yet and Prince Borkvard remained the heir presumptive.

The same day, a weak peasant revolt broke out in Lukomorie. With the county presenting a death trap if the recovering army in Tmutarakan responded, it was decided to leave the pitiful rebels to their own devices. This proved a wise choice, as the rebellion petered out without any intervention exactly three months later. As the leader gave himself up, he was spared the hangman’s noose as sent to the dungeons instead.

By mid-October, the plague had vacated the Balkans, the entire Black Sea coast and most of southern and central Italy, though its departure revealed a measles epidemic there. Spain, the British Isles and Scandinavia had however become fully engulfed.

By the end of October, a crisis had arisen with the peasant masses putting increasing pressure on the Fylkir to blame the Jews, though others counselled their protection. He said he would ‘do something’ without promising what, as professing no to care would have made the peasants furious and uncooperative for the next ten years. As it was, there was now widespread civil unrest throughout the Imperial demesne counties.

The crisis would come to a head two months later, when it came down to a choice between protecting the Jews and expelling them. The ‘easy’ path may have been to do the latter, which would have provided a windfall of cash and eliminated the civil unrest, but at the cost to Arni of a little prestige but further damaging his already poor diplomatic reputation and depressing national tax collection. He took the principled stand, whatever the cost in unrest, and repudiated the masses’ call for vengeance on an innocent group.

With the western raiding army now partly recovered, in mid-November they were sent to Imeretia, just over the border in the Byzantine Empire and safe from the plague, to conduct some looting to keep the coffers filled given the increasing monthly budget deficit from collapsing tax revenues (more on that below).

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Religion, Economy and Infrastructure

There were no religious conversions during this period: it seems the ravages of the plague had discouraged any such activity as everyone just tried to survive the Great Plague. There would be none until 1076.

The table below shows the deterioration of Imperial income between July 1072 and October 1074 as plague effects began to bite harder and harder. On 24 July 1072, income had fallen well below expenses, most of which were retinue recruitment costs. A snapshot in Paris and Rouen (the two imperial demesne counties then affected by plague, though not yet depopulated at that point) showed the terrible effect plague alone had on productivity.

The retinue replacement rate was halved, so that by September 1072 there was a small positive monthly balance. This would not last as revenues continued to plummet and after heavy attrition losses in early 1074 even half-rate retinue recruitment expenses sky-rocketed. It was the raiding program in the east that kept the treasury comparatively stable during this time. The last major build for some years was initiated on 17 January 1073, when 424.8 gold was spent on a barracks upgrade in Rouen (to IV) – hence the major decrease in the treasury by March 1073 below. Otherwise, a healthy enough emergency reserve was maintained despite large and increasing monthly income deficits throughout the period.

As the black death took hold in counties, the hospitals the Rurikids had built so assiduously in the last few years seemed powerless to prevent both infection and then population loss. This depopulation would further erode tax takes and recruitment for levies and garrisons and in some cases would increase in severity as the death rate increased.

By December 1074, all Imperial demesne counties except for Torzhok had suffered at least minor depopulation (a death rate of 20%), while in Paris it had become significant, with an estimated 40% death rate which would take several years to recover from once the plague passed.

As can be seen from the chronicle of the last few years and the above information, the Great Plague was having an increasingly profound effect on the Rurikid empire now including its Russian heartland (as well as all peoples it touched, which was most of the known world). This would get even worse for the Rurikids over the next few years.

Bullfilter · Feb 18, 2023

Chapter 13: Days of Reckoning (January 1075 – July 1077)

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1075: Hel’s Halitosis

Hel’s Breath was blanketing the capital and the rest of the Imperial demesne in a foul miasma that only seemed to worsen with time. Torzhok suffered a minor depopulation at the start of January 1075. The western raiding army of around 5,000 arrived men in the Byzantine border province of Imeretia on 1 January and laid its siege. A local army of the Duke of Kartli of around 4,000 men was in the vicinity but heading south-east, away from the Rurikid raiders.

Despite Fylkir Arni’s decree, in late January the local peasants of Holmgarðr were rumoured to be planning a pogrom against the Jews anyway. Even though it would worsen the situation in the capital even further, Arni had made a stand on principle and sent in the troops to prevent it. The peasants were furious.

The plague had now hit Northern Europe hard, with reports of terrible depopulation occurring in many counties, though some more of the earlier infected lands were beginning to recover.

While in seclusion, things were obviously going well between the Fylkir and his Empress: Asa announced her second pregnancy on 4 February. If only both she and the child could survive. A week later, against perhaps his more cautious counsel, Arni decided to trust his Steward Jarl Klas with a project he suggested regarding hidden tunnels under the castle, thinking perhaps some kind of escape route might be found for later use.

Klas may have been pleased with this show of trust. It was hard to tell whether the infiltrator was discovered because of the search, or was able to get in because of it, but ten days later traces of such were found. The safest approach may have been to just seal up the tunnels, however Arni wanted to get to the bottom of who it may have been, so an ambush was prepared.

In early March they found the infiltrator – a rather pitiful specimen by the name of Elisabet. Shying away from imprisonment or execution, she was sent for questioning. Had he shown pity, she would have become a friend for life. But this was enough for Arni: he would not risk the integrity of the seclusion any further: "If she is immune, she will be fine!"

By this time, the loss of life in Rouen had been classified as severe (60% death rate), something that would take years to repair. It was now the turn of Eastern Europe to feel the full force of Hel’s Breath, with a ‘do not travel’ order issued in May 1075. All Arni could do was sit inside the Palace and hope their seclusion would hold.

While plague was not an issue in Imeretia, inattention was. Before they could evade them, the raiders were ambushed by a larger Byzantine force, while the local Kartli army had returned and were poised to reinforce. Within a few days, the raiders would be outnumbered by more than two-to-one, and had no commander available to lead them (all spares having been confined in seclusions).

While disaster brewed in Imeretia, the lucrative siege of Oshrusana progressed. When the castle was looted another key was found to open the strange chest held in the treasury. But, naturally in these miserable times, the contents proved worthless.

Even though they had tried to escape as soon as they could, the raiders in Imeretia were savaged by the time the pursuit was over, losing over 1,800 of their most elite soldiers at a time when recruiting replacements had been slowed for budgetary reasons.

The mauled raiders would arrive in Abkhazia to recover on 23 June with only 3,364 troops left alive.

The loss of life in Holmgarðr county continued to rise to significant levels, with an estimated forty percent of the population dead by the start of August 1075. In combination with the ongoing plague and peasant fury, this reduced income in all three demesne baronies to zero. By early September, Ladoga was in a similar position. In Torzhok and Toropets, the depopulation would remain relatively minor (20%).

This run of nasty news was relieved by some joy in the secluded court when Empress Asa gave birth to a healthy son and new heir on 6 September 1075.

It was also noteworthy that with the plague biting deep across the Empire, the notional army Arni could call on at this time was around 20,000 less than it had been at its peak just a few years ago. It was only minimal consolation that most other countries would have been similarly affected.

By mid-October, the two raids of Samanid Oshrusana (4 holdings, 360 gold) and Urgrench (4 holdings, 190 gold) finished without any raiding losses. They had kept the treasury afloat since May 1074 despite recurring monthly deficits. They would next move east to raid another Samanid border province.

By early November, the plague had also lifted from most of France and Brabant, Hungary and the south of Russia.

There was cause for concern in early November when the Empress fell ill; of course, some feared the worst, but Hysing Rurikid, Chief of Amalfi and the latest Court Physician was called in, pronouncing it to be a case of the flu, not the dreaded Hel’s Breath. His recent experiences had led him to develop into a renowned physician, always good to have during such times of terrible pestilence.

Now taking a ‘no risk’ attitude to the palace seclusion, a courtier was ejected as the year was ending as soon as he showed the first signs of illness. There would be no mercy shown when the lives of the Imperial family and the longer term stability of the empire were at stake.

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January-June 1076: Rot, Raid and Ruin

A nasty situation had developed in the capital as the court’s seclusion extended into 1076. The angry commoners began piling up the bodies of the dead near the palace walls to try and ‘stink the Emperor out’. But Arni would not risk using the guard to clear the rotting corpses, much to the disgust of the rest of the court. “Wear a nosegay!” was Arni’s disdainful response. “Better a bit of a stink than suffering Hel’s Breath.”

One of the eastern raiding armies defeated a local army of around 1,300 in Khaylam on 5 February for under 50 casualties. They captured Marzoban Ehsan of Fergana after the battle and a substantial ransom of 70 gold was paid for him. But because of an intervening mountain range, the county couldn’t be looted directly. They would have to head back north to Chuy, where local foraging was ample and they could link with the other raiding force to hasten the siege work.

With the plague now lifted in France, though it was a countryside festooned with tombstones, the latest Jomsviking Warchief decided it was time to strike King Adrien ‘the Mutilator’ once more, this time trying to deprive him of his capital and last Atlantic port: Bordeaux itself. Meanwhile, Jarl Rikulfr was still clinging to his hope of taking Rouergue from Aquitaine.

The raiders who had been resting in Abkhazia since the disaster in Imeretia in June the year before were considered recovered enough (now with almost 4,500 troops) to make a long march across the north of the Black Sea to western Bulgaria. They would recruit more troops along the way and be ready for a new raid when called upon, to help replenish the collapsing Imperial revenues, which by this time had sunk to just 11 gold per month across the entire empire against just under 29 in expenses.

The effect of the plague in the Russian heartland was now beginning to approach its greatest extent in March 1076, while the northern steppe became the next killing ground, while it started to ebb in Germany, England and Spain.

Chief Hysing (also the Court Physician) who had arrived in the Samanid province of Chuy on 4 March to start the next raid. The second eastern raiding army joined him on 24 March giving almost 11,000 elite troops to start gathering the loot.

The lifting of the plague also seemed to bring out the mischief between magnates again. Young King Oddr of Lotharingia was confronted with a civil war to implement elective monarchy in mid-April 1076. And as the conflict started, he was badly outnumbered, even though he still controlled the bulk of his kingdom’s territory. Arni didn't try to intervene as yet, waiting to see what happened as his palace gates remained firmly shut.

Warchief Anlaufr must have still been already suffering from the plague when it subsided in France or had picked it up from somewhere, because in May he fell to Hel’s Breath anyway. As always, another successor was ready to take his place: Valdemar would carry forward the war against Aquitaine.

Young Oddr was at least able to get one war out of the way as May ended, with his holy war for Franconia against Bavaria finally yielding up the county of Würzburg. He still had his civil war to contend with but could at least concentrate on that.

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July-December 1076: Your Choice of Epidemic

The sharks of the Rurikid world must have smelled blood in the water, because King Oddr was soon attacked by one the other powerful magnates, fellow King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod in mid-July, who hoped to relieve him of the county of Verdun.

The bad news kept coming, with reports that despite having the best hospital in the entire empire, Holmgarðr had now lost more than half its population to the Black Death by August 1076. With the peasant fury, ongoing plague and this severe depopulation, no income was being produced by the empire’s richest province. Its population (and thus levy size and tax base) would take many years to recover.

A month later, the Steward Jarl Klas of Vladimir was the next to fall victim to Hel’s Breath. He was succeeded as Jarl by his son Bo, while the able Jarl Karl of Rostov took over as Imperial Steward. All Council members remained in seclusion, detracting from the administration of the ravaged realm.

But the post-plague thaw in the west continued, with the latest Jarl of Lothian launching a bid to expand his holdings on Sardinia in mid-September.

At that time, Jarl Rikulfr of Champagne had come of age, surviving a long regency and years of the plague to take his birthright. Unfortunately, the last few years of war and pestilence had reduced his once large army to a shadow of its former self. And the bulk of them that remained in the field near Rouergue were in the process of being defeated once more by King Adrien of Aquitaine. Up to that point, Rikulfr had been recovering some ground in the conflict, but Adrien had now been joined by the Knights Templar. Rikulfr would ultimately be forced to concede defeat early the following year.

Early October brought news that a new outbreak of consumption had occurred in Pisa. Measles continued to rage in southern Italy and the smallpox epidemic was now spreading quickly through the Balkans, into Greece and around the Black Sea. As if the weary populations weren’t already trying to recover from the greatest plague in hundreds of years.

A commander had been found for the new raid starting in southern Hungary, though Grand Mayor Refil feared the advancing smallpox more than he did any military response from the Hungarians.

To relieve the tedium of the long seclusion, when word came that a young sorceress had been discovered in an outlying farm, Arni declared it to be a positive omen from the Gods. After a period of quarantine spent in the tunnels, Yrsa was allowed into the palace to take up the role of Völva, which had not been filled for many years.

Hysing came up with what seemed a good idea and the treasury, kept healthy enough by the raiding program, was used to provide provincial apothecaries throughout the Imperial demesne counties. Anything to help the hoped-for post-plague recovery.

And despite the long confinement of the seclusion, Arni found it in himself to treat people nicely, earning him a reputation for kindness. By this time, Arni’s potential military resources had begun to recover somewhat as the effects of the plague gradually receded in the west of the empire, at least.

But the run of good news could not continue, of course, with yet another new epidemic outbreak reported on 1 November, this time a new smallpox infection spreading from Norfolk in England.

As the effects of the plague washed through the empire, from west to east, the Fylkir maintained a healthy preponderance over his most powerful magnates, but the gap had been narrowed in recent months as the heart of the imperial demesne in Russia was depleted. And in an indication of the power of Lotharingia, the leader of its rebellion now counted as the second most powerful lord in the realm, followed by Þorsteinn of Sviþjod, Jarl Rikulfr and Jarl Toke of Lothian.

The raid of Chuy ended on 25 November, having looted three holdings for 180 gold and no troop losses. They prepared for the long march over difficult terrain back to the Russian border county of Chach, which would take until late January, after which they would try to find some new raiding targets. After assisting the local lord retake an occupied holding, they would still be there in early July 1077.

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January-July 1077: Counting the Cost

By early February 1077, the plague had lifted from Poland and starting to do so in western Russia, while the smallpox epidemic was expanding through the Balkans, also crossing over from Norfolk into Brabant, while consumption spread in northern Italy.

Even as the prospect of a reopening in Holmgarðr grew, another unfortunate courtier was expelled in early March after showing signs of illness: no chances would be taken this close to the end of what had proven an effective lockdown so far.

More temptation to reopen came in mid-April, as Hel’s Breath showed signs of imminent withdrawal. But still Arni would not relax the seclusion, earning him a reputation for cowardice he greatly regretted, but decided he would live with. Rather than seeing his family destroyed so close to the end of their ordeal.

Just three weeks later, the gates were opened, though of course most people throughout the county and empire felt Arni had abandoned them. All this acted to again reduce the number of levies the Fylkir could call upon if needed. But he, the immediate Imperial Family and most of the court had survived the ordeal of Hel’s Breath.

Later in May, after two holdings had been looted in Temes for 188 gold for the loss of 438 raiders, the close approach of smallpox led the raiders, now commanded by King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod, to end the raid and head north all the way through Hungary to the safety of Uppeln. From there, new orders would be issued, whether to support the Jomsvikings in Bordeaux or conduct more local raiding in northern Hungary.

The Imperial Marshal, Godi Starkaðr of Jamborg, emerged from seclusion on 15 June to resume his duties. Now only Chancellor Jarl Bertil of Belo Ozero and the new Steward Jarl Karl of Rostov remained in lockdown, the rest of the Council resuming their full duties.

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2 July 1077: The State of Play

As at the start of July 1077, Ladoga was the last of the Russian Imperial demesne counties to emerge from the plague (its residual effect on the economy would last for another month). Of the four core counties, depopulation ranged from minor to severe. Only the baronies of Torzhok and Toropets were producing some minimal tax revenue, while in Holmgarðr (hit hardest of all) and Ladoga the local economies were still shrinking.

Despite the unrest in Russia, none of it was serious enough to generate an actual risk of revolt: the main effect was to suppress the tax take.

The Black Death still held sway over the steppe lands and continued to hem the eastern raiders into the area to the south and south-east of the Aral Sea, not wishing to take a large force through plague-infested lands. Having already raided the most lucrative local Samanid targets, they waited patiently for it to lift. And smallpox now ravaged most of the unfortunate Byzantines' heartland.

After the plague lifted in the west, conversions to Germanicism had taken off again in 1076, with two in France (Saintois and Forcalquier), two in Germany (Lüneburg and Altmark) and one each in the Low Counties (Zealand) and Poland (Laslisz) between February 1076 and June 1077). It seems they had decided to seek deliverance from a new set of Gods.

As mentioned above, the effect on population levels (noted below for the imperial demesne counties from when Paris first suffered depopulation in November 1072). In the end, it was Rouen and Holmgarðr itself that had been hit the hardest, while Toropets and Torzhok had got off relatively lightly.

After reaching a low point in May 1076, Imperial revenues began to gradually improve afterwards, though by July 1077 they were still at very low levels compared to before the pandemic. Expenses had gradually decreased as the retinue regathered its strength, so only a small monthly deficit now persisted. Raiding had kept the treasury healthy enough, with a halt to new building in recent years and only selective spending authorised.

It was now up to Arni to decide what path to take next as a battered world slowly emerged from the horror of the recent years. And for some, with war, smallpox and other epidemics now raging in some areas, the horror was not yet over.

One of the first questions to be answered was whether to let Lotharingia’s wars go on unchecked, to keep it within check, or to intervene to prevent one of the most expansive marcher lord realms being too badly weakened.

Bullfilter · Feb 27, 2023

Chapter 14: A Glutton for Punishment (July 1077 – January 1079)

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Slowly Returning to Normal: July 1077 – May 1078

On the steppe, the black death had not quite receded yet as July 1077 came to an end. The two eastern raiding armies were still stuck east of the Aral Sea in Ortrar, waiting for the plague to retreat and for supply in the ravaged lands to recover enough to sustain even small (ie more that 2,000 men) contingents to pass through without suffering severe attrition.

But in Europe, Ofeig’s raiders had finished their south-north traverse of Hungary to emerge in Uppeln in mid-August. From there, they would march west to raid Plauen in Saxony, the nearest county lucrative enough and accessible for raiding. They would arrive in late September.

Steward Jarl Karl of Rostov finally emerged from seclusion on 19 October to resume his Council duties. A week later, a dynastic betrothal was arranged between Princess Bothildr and Prince Hysing of England, the heir presumptive to the throne, to ensure long term ties would continue after the old king died. This was followed in early November by a similar arrangement with Noregr, Princess Linda being pledged to the young son of the heir to that throne, Prince Hroðulfr.

In early December, the failing Irish prepared invasion against Queen Lodovica of (consumption-ridden) Italy was given up by King Guðroðr of Irland.

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The new year started with the population starting to grow again in crown counties of Holmgarðr, Torzhok and Toropets. But no tax was being collected in the capital yet due to the continuing depopulation and furious peasantry, while the other two counties had started to contribute small amounts of revenue again, despite the lingering effects of plague in Torzhok and civil unrest (due to the suppression of the pogrom against the Jews) there and in Toropets.

On 14 January the powerful Jarl Rikulfr of Champagne was appointed to a vacancy as Advisor on the Council, and the next day he abandoned his factional plotting. Even if he still disliked the Fylkir controlling one holding too many and his ambition to be awarded the French crown.

Another ‘strange chest’ was found when Merseburg was sacked in Plauen on 8 February, to be stored away in the treasury until a key for it could be found. And it wasn’t until early March until the last of the secluded council members, Chancellor Jarl Bertil II of Belo Ozero, became the last of the Councillors to return to full post-plague duty. A few days later, Jarl Rikulfr launched his latest expansion attempt, holy war for Savoy.

Later in March, the always-rapacious Jarl Anlaufr was attacking Cumania yet again, this time for Yugra on the edge of the Siberian wilderness.

The end of winter and retreat of Hel’s Breath brought out an unwelcome sortie by the randy Patrician Hysing of Salapsils in the Grand Duchy of Livonia. He allowed his fleshly compass to point in the direction of Empress Asa himself! This earned him Arni’s undying enmity, though the attempt was thwarted with the help of a courtier’s loyalty and the Empress’s apparent propriety in the matter, as far as Arni could tell, anyway. But some ‘spending money’ was sent Asa’s way, both in appreciation and as a precaution.

In early April, the young King Oddr of Lotharingia was well on top in his defensive war against Sviþjod, but the civil war to stave off the imposition of elective monarchy in his realm remained evenly balanced.

As May progressed, tax revenue was being heavily reduced by unrest about both vassal (-80.1%) and demesne (-80%) Imperial over-reach. With broader imperial and vassal revenues recovering from the plague and no governance [ie favourable event] improvements being made, this would soon have to be addressed.

In the meantime, another of the busy marcher lords successfully extended his reach and the imperial borders in Sardinia.

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A Ghost from the Past: June-September 1078

Fylkir Arni decided to decrease his excess slate of vassals by transferring two ducal level vassals in the Russian area of the empire to young King Guðroðr of Irland, even if he was puny, wroth, stressed, pox-ridden and described as ‘Depraved’ by his subjects. Maybe he would be able to mount some more effective border wars with the increased power.

The raid of Plauen finished on 17 June (5 holdings, 215 gold, 446 casualties), after which Ofeig’s raiders began heading west again along the border to Baden. It was at this point that, at long last, the eastern raiders, now split into three groups to pass safely through still-depleted countryside, was able to start its trek west via two separate routes, to avoid overcrowding.

At the same time it was noticed that the Danes had won their war against the Kingdom of Bulgaria, forcing into tributary status: a good result for the wider Norse Germanic cause.

As July began, the over-size demesne tax penalty was still being incurred. Arni was going to do something about it soon but was soon distracted by wider events. The Pope was at it again: appearing as a ghost from a more glorious past and as Catholicism was being drowned by Germanicism and sprouting Catholic heresies in France, he decided to launch a Third Crusade for France. Ofeig’s army was soon being diverted to the south, while the imperial levies based in France, though not fully recovered in number yet, were called out to reinforce them.

The fleets were also called to gather, with Ofeig to get the task of striking Rome by sea after embarking in the south of France. The bulk of the fleet would gather in the Baltic, while more imperial levies mustered in Livland. By early August, the Pope’s army had gathered in Rome and began its march north. The question was how many other of the remaining Catholic realms would support him?

Calling out the levies did cause a large deficit in the monthly budget as troops costs increased significantly (income 29, expenses up to 71 gold). The reserve of 1,635 gold should be enough to sustain this for some time, however.

Good news came shortly afterwards, with another son (his second) being born to the Fylkir by his concubine and Spymaster, Kraka, daughter of one of his top generals.

At this time, the regular troops over in the east were still distant, not yet having passed to the north of the Aral Sea. So it was somewhat inconvenient when the small Kingdom of Bohemia decided to instigate a claim war for Brienne in Troyes. It was a distraction, though still a comparatively minor one, from the latest French Crusade.

At this point, all but the most isolated of the realm’s vassal levies were raised and began marching to various rally points in Germany, southern France or Livland.

Since the passing of the plague, Scandinavia had become a focal point for various new disease outbreaks. The latest of these was slow fever, a new epidemic beginning in Medelpad on 1 September.

By mid-September, the last of the three leaders who would join the Pope’s crusade declared war on the Rurikids: a small detachment of the Knights of Santiago. Them, and earlier the Teutonic Order and the Knights Hospitaller, were the only others who would join the Pope. A pathetic response to a rapidly fading religious leader and his farcical attempt to challenge the Rurikid dominion in France.

By that time, over 320 galleys had assembled in the Baltic to await the gathering levies.

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Two Wars, Three Fronts: October 1078 – January 1079

On 1 October, Vestmannaland was struck with a new outbreak of the deadly smallpox, which would later spread into northern Germany as well. And the Duke of Bavaria was called into Bohemia’s war, just as the vanguard of the Rurikid armies in northern Germany were approaching from the north. It may have been loyal but was otherwise a foolhardy act by the Bavarians.

On 28 October, the first main levy contingent of nearly 10,000 men embarked from Livland and were sent to the Mediterranean, the ship masters deciding it would be quickest to get there via the rivers of Russia and then through Constantinople.

The first minor skirmish of the Third Crusade was actually fought in Chernigov, where the Teutonic Knights (who had heeded the Pope’s call) maintained a small castle. The gathering Rurikid levies engaged them on 28 October and had destroyed the company by 10 November, putting their baronial castle at Kozolets under siege. [Reminder to self: I should try to do something about taking that off them one day!]

The Duke of Carinthia was called into the Bohemian War on 6 November, but this minor realm would bring very little to the fight. That campaign got properly under way in early December. A smaller force was approaching Praha from the east, where they would soon come to the aid of an East Geatish raiding party already fighting a small Bavarian army there. The main Bohemian army approached Plzen from the south, while a larger Rurikid army was chasing a smaller Bohemian outfit to Plauen, while a third Rurikid force would drive through Bavaria to hit Plzen from the west.

As that was happening, Momchil (a siege specialist) was in Melgueil and boarding another fleet with Ofeig’s elite army, which had ceremonially de-toggled from raiding.

On 5 December, Fredrik’s army engaged the Bavarians in Praha, helping the East Geatish raiders to turn the tables and completing a victory [which did not contribute to the war score] by 18 December. A siege was laid, but by then the Bavarian armies had linked up in Plzen and would strike them in Praha before the two armies approaching from the west could intercept them.

Then just two days after that, the Papal army – since whittled down by attrition) was sighted on the border at Baden, heading for Nordgau (and probably hoping to raid across to Paris). Momchil’s army had just boarded their fleet in the south, but the rest of the troops in Melgueil were put under the command of the old Court Physician Chief Hysing Rurikid and sent north to deal with this minor Papal incursion. Momchil set sail for Rome.

The arrival of more troops in Chernigov allowed the siege of Kozolets to be ended with an assault on 18 December (466 troops lost), freeing those troops up to reinforce the Bohemian campaign, which now reached its decisive point.

Fredrik’s outnumbered army was attacked by the Bohemians and a small Carinthian contingent on 28 December. Neither of the relieving armies had yet made it to Plzen, so they would have to hold out as best they could for now, as they defended behind the Elbe River.

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The main army under Prince Falki, after suffering significant attrition as they passed through Plauen, hit the small Bavarian detachment in Plzen on 1 January 1079 and destroyed it in two days. They then continued east to Praha, where Fredrik still held on strongly enough for now. The third force under Grimr was now closing in on Plzen from the west.

Elsewhere in the empire, Rouen finally transitioned from severe to significant (40%) depopulation and despite that and continuing civil unrest, was now generating a small amount of income again. Holmgarðr’s depopulation was now only considered ‘minor’ (20%), as was that in Paris.

Grimr began the siege of Plzen on 9 January as Falki kept marching east and Fredrik began to lose ground in Praha.

The same day, Momchil landed in Rome to begin the siege of the Pope’s capital, in the time-honoured fashion.

Falki arrived in Praha on 18 January, in time to save Fredrik as he fought a desperate delaying action. He had taken some significant casualties, but Falki’s strike from behind soon set the Bohemians to flight and they took very heavy casualties during the pursuit as they fled the field. Other than a long period of siege work ahead, this spelled the effective end of the manoeuvre campaign. The rest would be mopping up.

As the battle was won in Praha, Momchil was able to start the first of a number of assaults in Rome, the first against the Pope’s relatively lightly defended seat of Roma itself. And so, the more familiar rhythm of imperial Rurikid life had resumed on familiar terms, even if tax revenues were still low.

Bullfilter · Mar 2, 2023

Chapter 15: Fools to the Left, Jokers to the Right (February 1079 – September 1080)

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A Fool Falls: February – May 1079

We resume with the main campaign in Bohemia having just seen its culmination in the Battle of Praha in January 1079, while in the 3rd Crusade for France the Papal army approaches the border of Rurikid France and Rurikid troops have landed in Rome and started to besiege and assault the walls of its holdings.

In Bohemia, the armies of Prince Falki and Fredrik were combined and then divided in half after the Battle of Praha. Falki stayed to continue the sieges in Praha, while Fredrik took the other half south to clear a small Bavarian regiment out of Domazlice. This was accomplished easily and the siege works established by 19 February.

As that was being done, Falki began a series of assaults in Praha to help speed up the process of Bohemia’s defeat.

In France, after a chase around the countryside, Hysing finally caught up with the main Papal army, supported by the Teutonic Knights, in Saintois on 24 February. At the Battle of Brixey, the only Crusader army of any size was comprehensively defeated. The Pope himself commanded the left flank but was able to escape capture during the pursuit.

The Crusade was already in big trouble, as holdings were already beginning to fall through assaults whenever the Rurikid besiegers were ready.

Fylkir Arni had recently invested a good deal of title grants in King Guðroðr of Irland. But he lived (or rather, died) up to his reputation as a puny, depraved and sickly man after succumbing to leprosy in March 1079. He was succeeded by his very young son, King Birger II. Birger’s heir was his uncle, Guðroðr’s brother Gnupa.

On 26 March, the levies sent by boat from Livland back in late October the year before arrived in Rome, adding another 8,000 men to the besiegers and making the assaults quicker and less costly. Having passed through Constantinople on their way, they were able to report that the massive smallpox outbreak in Anatolia and Thrace had largely dispersed by then, though camp fever now infected much of Greece.

By mid-April, Rome’s six holdings had all been reduced either by siege or assault since 9 January at the cost of a total of 1,473 Rurikid soldiers. When Urbanus III was approached, he knew he was already beaten and a week later was obliged to offer his capitulation, paying an indemnity and losing even more prestige and what little remained of Catholicism’s moral authority.

Arni disbanded the levies in France, leaving those still prosecuting the war in Bohemia in the field as the large force in Rome took to the ships again. On 9 May, Jarl Rikulfr of Champagne’s Holy War for Savoy ended inconclusively when his casus belli lapsed after his target became unlanded. But the Jomsviking’s conquest of Bordeaux ended in victory just four days later, linking Marsan to the rest of the empire and depriving Aquitaine of its capital and access to the Atlantic coast.

As May ended, Birger (the siege-specialist general) was in Amalfi with over 13,700 men left over from the attack on Rome. But because the war with Bohemia still dragged on, they were barred from invoking the sacred raiding toggle. They waited until they could once again go on viking: until then, it was rumoured that many a manly Norse sword was drawn (and indeed, sheathed) in the flesh pots of the wealthy Italian port!

To hasten the end of the war with Bohemia, more assaults were begun where the odds appeared reasonable.

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A Joker Capitulates: June-December 1079

By 9 June, all three holdings in Domazlice had been taken at the cost of just 396 levies. As that conflict was being brought to as rapid a conclusion as possible, young King Oddr ‘the Sword of Thor’ was living up to his name. The Lotharingian civil war had ended by 12 June and he was drawing ahead in his defence against King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod.

One may have thought that Warchief Valdemar’s recent victory in Bordeaux may have cemented his authority among the Jomsvikings but this was clearly not the case. Barely two years after succeeding he predecessor Anlaufr (who had died of the plague in May 1076), Valdemar (himself not a well man and rumoured to be a lunatic) was overthrown. By Haukr af Vendel: who suffered from cancer!

By mid-July, Arni decided to see if Bohemia had realised its pitiful claim war was hopeless, even though they were not yet fully occupied. It seems they did! In Praha and Plzen, a total of a further 5 holdings had fallen to siege and assault, at the cost of almost 2,000 levy troops. But the job was done, and quite quickly.

Two days later, the raiding toggles were ceremonially invoked and over 14,000 raiders embarked on 173 galleys. They were headed for rich Tunis, in the lands of the powerful Tulunid Sultanate, which had been untouched by the sweep of the black death.

In August, a few of the empire’s lesser lights were trying their own hands at conquest against the eastern Aquitanian enclave in Upper Burgundy, prosecuting overlapping claims.

Soon after, the last of the levies that had been employed in Bohemia were safely back on Russian territory and could be disbanded, saving money and mollifying the vassals they had been drawn from. But the force that landed in Tunis on 4 September contained a mix of levies and ‘regulars’ and would have to pay their way, as the vassal ship levies were also kept in service, a sore point for the lords upon whom this imposition fell.

At the Imperial court, Arni’s desires to continue some more legal reform were on hold due to the current attitude of the Council. With the treasury in good enough shape and raiding revenue set to return in coming months, a concerted program of ‘gift giving’ followed to those members for whom this was likely to prove beneficial.

Arni’s kinsman Anlaufr of Volga Bulgaria had proven an active and effective marcher lord over the years in the eastern steppe lands. To both decrease imperial vassal over-reach and ensure continued power and loyalty of a key marcher lord, Arni granted his crown for this region to a grateful ‘Sword of the Allfather’ in early October 1079. Together with some land grants some years before, this would more than make up for Anlaufr’s frustrations at not having a seat on the Council.

While Arni’s vassal span was now well under control again, he had never been able to expand the acceptable number of demesne titles he could hold to the desired nine, though for now he clung to the extra barony despite the opinion and revenue penalties this accrued among his vassals. On 7 October, he changed his personal focus to pursuing family life. Given the uncertainties of medieval life, he wanted more spare heirs and daughters to help secure his own branch of the by now extensive Rurikid dynasty.

Demonstrating some excellent initiative, in mid-November Jarl Toke of Lothian decided to attempt a direct conquest of the recently weakened Pope’s own seat in Rome! It looked like Urbanus would be in considerable trouble unless he could find some allies to help him. Arni was able to have a good chortle at this turn of events and let Toke get on with his good work.

By mid-December, the raid in Tunis was continuing untroubled, with no serious Tulunid response yet visible and some minor scrub war went on to the west of the raiders.

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Of Pirates and Popes: January-September 1080

The year began with further population recovery in Holmgarðr and Paris (therefore all depopulation now repaired for five of the nine imperial baronies), though minor depopulation still affected Torzhok. Despite this peasant fury or civil unrest still affected all the demesne counties in Russian and France, suppressing take takes.

By this time, a small amount was still being spent on Imperial levy upkeep, but most expenditure was for retinue upkeep, which would vary depending on losses and recruitment requirements. The vast bulk of regular income came from feudal taxes, while previously healthy demesne income remained low for the reasons highlighted above.

It was finally time to boost vassal willingness to pay more taxes by releasing one of the long-held excess baronies. The most recently established, Okulovka in Holmgarðr, was chosen. Though Rouen currently ranked below it in levy size and equal in tax income, this was due to ongoing temporary effects of the plague and it should eventually return to greater prosperity. Okulovka was granted to Arni’s son and heir, Arnfast, to keep it in the line of inheritance while removing the considerable malus of holding too many demesne titles.

This transfer immediately boosted all tax takes, adding more than 100 gold per annum to the bottom line and sending the budget from deficit to surplus (independent of any potential raiding income). This allowed retinue reinforcement to be reset to maximum after some years of economising.

More good news came when the rebellious county of Gnesen was finally converted from its Lollard heresy to Germanicism on 3 February: hopefully this should end the long series of peasant revolts that had afflicted it in previous years.

And Arni’s family focus paid off with the birth of a third son – his fifth child so far – in February 1080.

Just when the tax take was starting to recover, a pirate scourge struck all Russian port cities, affecting a significant part of the empire. Advisers blamed this on English ‘agents’, so Arni despatched a letter to the crusty old King Alfgeir of England to see if this was so.

Alfgeir resented the accusation and responded with insults. Arni was in turn similarly offended at the tone, mistrusted Alfgeir and sent a belligerent reply of his own.

Not surprisingly, this clash of wills ended in mutual recrimination and a breaking of the pact between the two realms that had been forged by Arni’s marriage to Asa, Princess of England and now Empress of Russia. “I hope the old turd chokes out his last consumptive breath soon!” was Arni’s final response. He informed his courtiers that he took pleasure in using Alfgeir’s reply "to wipe my hairy Viking arse!”

With the increased replacement rate, retinue replacement costs had ballooned and by April, as piracy continued to plague Russia’s trading ports, the budget was back into considerable deficit. By the end of May, Rouen was still suffering from significant depopulation, civil unrest and the effects of piracy, reducing tax income to a trickle in the Imperial barony and for the rest of the county.

But Arni was chuckling again when news came in early June that King Alfgeir had indeed kicked the royal bucket. He was succeeded by his son Hysing, who had earlier been betrothed to Arni’s daughter. Relations with England were fully repaired and a new pact began.

In Tunis, 6 holdings had been plundered from September 1079 to June 1080, with over 500 gold looted and only 162 raiders lost. The two raiding armies then split into two, heading north and south to continue the lucrative trade, still without any serious Tulunid threat.

The regular raiders left on the continent final pulled into southern France at around the same time. At that point, Arni decided to offer his support to Toke’s attack on Rome. As Andyamo’s army began the march to Rome, by 9 July its conquest (now under Arni’s control) was making fair progress as the Lothians continued their siege work. And unremarked until now by chroniclers, Istria had been conquered previously from the Venetians by one Sturla of Ugra, a powerful steppe chieftain who was now seeking to take Ravenna.

As these things often went, young King Birger’s time on the Irish throne did not last long. He died ‘under suspicious circumstances’ in July 1080. Lo and behold, his uncle and heir, Gnupa – whose only skill was in skull-duggery and was otherwise known as a lazy and cowardly drunkard – took the throne. But no kinslaying or murderous blame attached to him, so everyone from Arni down just shrugged, muttered and went on about their business.

The instability within the Jomsvikings continued when a revolt was launched on 31 August against Warchief Haukr seeking to return the deposed Valdemar to the leadership of the Order. For now, Arni would let them “have at it”, on the “boys will be boys” principle.

In great news, even as the war for Rome continued, Sturla succeeded in his conquest of Ravenna on 14 September 1080. This would provide an excellent land raiding base for all the surrounding counties and continued the gradual Rurikid infiltration of Italy as an active zone of expansion.

Not all the scars from the black death and its legacy of peasant unrest in the Imperial demesne counties had fully healed, but a resumption of ‘business as usual’ seemed to be well under way, at least.

Bullfilter · Mar 6, 2023

Chapter 16: Arni Ascendant (October 1080 – July 1082)

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On Viking: October 1080 – April 1081

The raid of the Tulunids in Tunisia continued with the latest sacking in Bizerte revealing a key for the latest mysterious locked chest. At least this time it wasn’t just a pile of mouldy rubbish …

In Italy, Ofeig’s army arrived in Rome on 9 October to aid Jarl Toke of Lothian’s siege. Urbanus would be made to pay further for his earlier impudent and foolish tilt at France.

The earlier funds invested in Council influencing paid off in mid-October when the Loyalist faction reached sufficient strength to send the latest legal change to a vote. The Steward, young Jarl Karl of Rostov fell to cancer. He was replaced with Arni’s very loyal (from being made Jarl of Itil after that conquest) uncle Prince Borkvard. He was only a capable rather than exception money manager, but could be thoroughly relied upon to support his similarly-aged nephew.

The most powerful magnate in the realm after the Emperor, King Oddr of Lotharingia, won his war with King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod – the third most powerful – before the month ended.

In November, the Tulunids had finally managed to assemble a force large enough to threaten the raiders in Tunisia. While they could have combined to fight them, there was no desire to risk heavy casualties, even in a winning battle. For now, the raiders would seek to finish their current well-progressed sieges and then take to the boats before the Tulunid armies could close with them.

The raid of Bizerte finished on 19 November (2 holdings, 138 gold, 918 men lost) and Mahdia the next day (2 holdings, 249 gold, no casualties). The whole raid had produced over 1,000 gold since September 1079, not including ransoms countryside pillaging along the way. By 28 November, both fleets were heading back to Amalfi to bank their loot.

The fleets docked between 11-15 December, providing a considerable boost to the treasury and helping Holmgarðr’s slow economic recovery from the plague.

By 25 December, the raiders (over 15,000 strong in total) were ready to head off again for another raid – this time headed for the other end of the Tulunid realm in Palestine.

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The new year of 1081 began with more good news for the Fylkir: the birth of his fourth son, Einarr, to his ‘cold consort’ Pulcheria.

It took the Vikings until the third week of February to reach their new targets in Palestine: the wealthy counties of Sur and Acre.

No longer faced with the hard choices of the days of Hel’s Breath, Arni lost his reputation for arbitrariness in March 1081.

By mid-April, as the raids continued in Palestine and the siege work in Rome, complaints became louder from the 14 vassals whose levies (ships and troops) had been raised (8 x -10 malus, 6 x -4). Arni decided it would be wise to rest them after the current raid and war for Rome [+66% war score by then] were over.

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Rome Falls - Again: May to December 1081

The Council vote on execution sovereignty had fizzled earlier in the year (for some arcane reason: the personnel hadn’t changed) but now, with an absolute Loyalist majority now supporting Arni, the vote was restarted in early May. By mid-June the latest clawing back of Imperial prerogatives had succeeded.

During that time, a very strange episode occurred when the Völva Yrsa burst into the Fylkir’s private bed chamber with an alarming waning.

Devoted as Arni was to the Gods in most of their manifestations, this was one rabbit hole he was not prepared to leap down, valuing his relationship with the Empress more highly. Though of course both parents would now worry for the rest of Asa’s pregnancy, in case Yrsa’s prediction became true!

On 2 August 1081, the Imperial-backed Lothian siege of Rome had not reached its final stages (3 holdings taken for Lothian, 1,473 combined casualties) yet but it was enough for the Pope to despair and offer to capitulate of his own volition. Naturally, this offer was accepted by the Emperor on Toke’s behalf. The Pope was now unseated!

While still the fifth most widespread religion, Catholicism had virtually no moral authority left. And four different heresies also fragmented and sapped its remaining strength.

King Oddr, well advised and a promising prospect even as a youth, made a betrothal proposal in mid-August that Arni was happy to accept, to an aunt who was in fact two decades his junior. This would ensure Oddr’s arm was not raised against his liege in the future, whatever other factional problems might arise.

Ofeig’s army in Rom, numbering a little over 11,000, had soon invoked the sacred raiding toggle and was soon marching north to support High Chief Falki of Kola’s prepared invasion of Italy against Duchess Margherita of Latium, joining the Kolans for some siege work in nearby Orvieto, which would begin on 30 August.

Meanwhile in Palestine, substantial Tulunid and Radhi (vassal) forces had gathered around the northern raiding army in Sur by 10 September. Birger’s larger army in Acre broke off its looting (4 holdings, 310 gold, no casualties) to reinforce their comrades in Sur.

This caused the Radhi army to break off its advance on Sur, while a smaller Tulunid army skirted around the raiders to the east.

The vassal-led expansion in Italy continued with Toke now setting his sights on Cinarca in southern Corsica on 20 September. By this time, after the recent conquest of Rome, the threat posed by Arni had run back up to near maximum again.

Two days later, a quickfire series of assaults ordered by the Kolans saw Orvieto’s 5 holdings taken between 30 August and 12 September for the combined loss of 1,049 men. After that, Ofeig had tried to raid in Firenze, but for some legalistic reason his army was not able to loot, despite bordering Russian territory. By 2 October, he was headed to Venetian-owned Bologna instead.

The next marcher lord to try his hand was Jarl Dyre of Moldau, who would attempt to wrest Meissen from the Hungarians. He may eventually need some help, given how many troops Hungary could muster, not even counting possible Orthodox allies who may aid them in the Holy War.

Arni’s seventh child – a daughter named Alfhildr – was born without any apparent problem on 6 November. No red eyes, forked tongue, cloven hoof or a tail! And the Rurikid military potential was higher than it had ever been, even if tax revenues had not fully recovered.

The raid in Bologna had started on 16 October: after the first holding fell on 3 December, the Fylkir was usefully hailed as Arni the Ravager.

The raid on Sur in Palestine was completed without further incident on 15 December (5 holdings, 385 gold, 1,364 men lost). A week later, the last of the troops and treasure were aboard the fleets and they were headed back to Italy: this time, to Rom.

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Italian Adventures: January to July 1082

After a quiet January, in early February an urgent messenger arrived from the Kolan army in Monferrato: their siege had been interrupted by the arrival of a large Latin force. By this time, the Kolans had begun to flee the field of battle and were being pursued. Ofeig immediately lifted his raiding siege of Bologna (2 holdings, 119 gold, no casualties) and made for Monferrato to preserve the Kolan gains that had been made there and deal with this substantial threat.

The same day, the raiding party returned from Palestine. By now the vassals were getting quite irate, particularly those whose fleets had been raised for so long. The money was banked and all levied ships and troops disbanded by 10 February, as Birger took the professional Retinue and Jomsviking forces north to engage a small enemy army lurking in Orbetello.

By 23 February, the reduced Kolan army was fleeing to France and a Latin-allied army of 6,000 was in Monferrato and Ofeig was marching through Lucca on his way to Genoa. The loss had set back the Kolan war progress somewhat – something Arni was keen to reverse.

To the south, on 4 March Birger fell upon an army from Parma in Orbetello as the Norwegians (fight their own Italian campaign) fought a small Italia-Teutonic force to their north. By 19 March, Birger had won a devastating victory.

Just as that pursuit was finishing, Ofeig had closed with the Italians in Monferrato. The battle was sharp enough, with over 600 of the best Rurikid troops killed, but enemy casualties were far higher and the enemy fled in disarray, losing three senior officers captured in the pursuit by 4 April.

Ofeig stayed to raid in Monferrato while Birger had headed north after his victory in Orbetello to resume raid Bologna anew. He took one holding there between 29 April to 1 June for 57 gold. But at that point a Bavarian-led army was spotted heading to Orvieto. Birger quickly picked up and headed south to ensure the Kolan gains there were not endangered.

Sadly, a few weeks later one of Russia’s best veteran generals (and siege specialist) Momchil Bleik, Kraka’s father, died a natural death.

The next day, in a reorganisation Prince Falki took over the southern army, allowing Birger – the other remaining siege specialist – to join Ofeig in the siege of Monferrato.

The Bavarian-Italian army had only recently arrived in Orvieto when Prince Falki descended on them from the north in early July with the fury of a Valkyrie. The Battle of Amelia was more of a slaughter, with the latest threat to the Kola’s Italian campaign defeated by 25 July 1082.

There was grave concern in the Imperial household when Arni’s young son Toste was diagnosed with dysentery: as Arni well knew, this was often a fatal affliction. Naturally, the trusted Court Physician Chief Hysing Rurikid was called in to ply his trade. And fortunately, the case was deemed mild: still very serious for the boy, but not as bad as it could have been.

Even better, Hysing once again produced the goods, with a successful treatment ameliorating the worst of the remaining symptoms. There was every chance Toste would survive this nasty illness, but only time would tell. Old Hysing was once again rewarded by a grateful Fylkir.

By the end of July 1082, Poitou had broken away from Aquitaine as an independent Duchy. And its Duke, Ricard, followed the Lollard Catholic heresy.

In the wider empire, factionalism had virtually disappeared.

Over the last five years, revenue had generally risen up to January 1080, after which time it had plateaued. It was unlikely to recover much further until peasant resentfulness in the Imperial demesne counties dissipated, probably in around another three years. The main feudal taxpayers were listed in a report to the Fylkir: naturally, the four subordinate kingdoms and three largest jarldoms were the biggest contributors.

Expenditure fluctuated with whether Imperial levies were called out, but mainly whether the retinue required replacements and the rate of that replacement. As at July, a modest monthly surplus was again being delivered, while raiding and war settlements and a lack of new building had boosted the treasury to just over 4,000 gold once again. The threat level had decreased slightly but would inevitably rise again once some of the magnates succeeded in their expansion attempts.

On the religious front, the end of the Black Death, Rurikid expansion and the moral collapse of Catholicism in the west had seen fourteen counties from France to the steppe convert to Reformed Germanicism over the last five years. Most of these were in France, Italy, the Low Counties and Germany. The spread of Catholic heresies (which were being gradually eliminated in the Empire) in its former heartland saw the religion ever more fragmented: the new Duchy of Poitou had entirely converted to Lollardy, for example.

While disease had retreated somewhat in most areas of the empire by mid-1082, for some reason Scandinavia had remained a hotbed of slow fever outbreaks, with three separate ones since 1079 still spreading.

The closest had started in Reval just four months before but seemed to be spreading south along the Baltic coast rather than east towards the Imperial capital. Arni had no desire to close the gates or see his demesne ravaged by disease again so soon after the Black Death.

NB: This now brings the AAR fully back up to date with game play.

Bullfilter · Mar 7, 2023

Chapter 17: The World in 1082 (31 July 1082)

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The World Situation

This chapter provides a summary of the world in mid-1082 and the Rurikid Empire’s place in it. Fylkir Arni was at this time into the prime years of his reign, after weather the relative instability of the early years and then the trauma of the Black Death, from which many areas were still recovering.

The last chapter summarised where the Empire and its ruler were up to, including military, economic and religious power. This chapter will take that outwards, review relevant current wars, pacts, plague recovery and future options for Rurikid expansion.

First, Norse culture, though spreading more slowly than Reformed Germanicism, was now widespread across many parts of the Empire and in England, though less so in France and Germany.

As expected, with Russia’s high threat level, the three main defensive pacts opposing Arni (Christian, Muslim and Hindu) covered most of the known world and made any serious longer term war a dangerous proposition. Though, as had been shown before the Black Death, a smaller war won quickly could avoid too many adverse consequences. The Pagan pact was almost non-existent, with the main three other Germanic countries (England, Denmark and Noregr) all in non-aggression pacts with Russia.

The world map showed some larger realms that sought to rival Russia, though military potential may be a better indicator than geographical reach as to the relative power rankings.

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The Top Five Contenders

After Russia, five other powers had theoretical military strength of more than 20,000 soldiers (with the Rurikids then numbering around 61,000).

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Byzantine (Roman) Empire

As had been the case for decades, the Byzantine (Roman) Empire was the next most powerful realm. Its theoretical strength was estimated at almost 48,000 men, though their current actual strength was less than half that. They were also slightly in debt under a new ruler, Basileus Pankratios of the long-ruling Makedon dynasty.

Apart from the usual array of raiders, Pankratios faced three wars, all defensive. The most progressed was a more distant ‘side-conflict’ against the Rurikid vassal King Anlaufr of Volga Bulgaria over Yugra in the northern steppe, where Anlaufr was slightly ahead. The other two were against the two largest Muslin dynasties and were in their early days: Caliph Talib II of the Talibids (Arabian Empire) for Azerbaijan and Sultan Abdullah of the Tulunids (Egypt) for Edessa. Byzantium had its hands full, as usual.

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Tulunid Sultanate (Egypt)

Second on the contenders list by military potential was the Tulunid dynasty that ruled Egypt. And at that time, their actual strength was very close to their theoretical power at over 26,000 men. Their only current war was the one mentioned above against the Romans, which had begun just a few months before on 17 March 1082.

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Pala (Bengal) Empire

The pre-eminent empire in the sub-continent was that of the Pala dynasty, ruling the Bengal Empire. Their theoretical military strength was just over 25,000 troops, but their vassal levy base in particular was currently badly under-strength, meaning Samrajni Amrapali’s regent could currently only muster around 9,200 men on her behalf.

Pala had just one war they were participating in at the moment, as an ally (one of four) assisting their fellow Hindu Maharaja Ishtpala of the Pratihara Kingdom to defend Pratiharan lands in Zabulistan from the formidable Aurang ‘the Great’ of Kabulistan, a powerful Satrap of the Samanid (Tansoxiana) Shahdom. Aurang was currently well ahead in that war.

The de jure duchy of Zabulistan overlapped the north-central region of the Kingdom of Pratihara, not far from Aurang’s capital in Kabul.

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Talibid (Arabian) Empire

The fourth of the five contenders was the Talibid dynasty of the Muslim Caliph Talib II, Badshah of the Arabian Empire. He, like Sultan Adbdullah of the Tulunids, had a current military strength close to his theoretical maximum of around 24,500. Again as mentioned above, he just had the one war going, against Byzantium. It had started around seven months before but neither side had yet made much progress.

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Samanid (Transoxiania) Shahdom

Another young ruler with a regent, Shah Khodadad led the Samanids, a Muslim empire stretching from the eastern steppe all the way to the south-east shore of Caspian Sea. It shared borders with major powers including Russia, Arabia, Pratihara and Pala and – near the Aral Sea – even Byzantium. Khodadad could currently call on around 16,700 men, below his maximum of about 22,000. Presumably, many of those vassal levies would have been provided by Satrap Aurang of Kabulistan, then in his own border war with Pratihara.

He was involved in a parallel holy war with Pratihara over Kerman, which had been going on since March of the previous year. Shah Khodadad was well advanced in that war, too and Pala was not a party to that conflict, meaning the Samanids and Pala remained at peace with each other.

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Rurikid Demesne: Post-Plague Recovery

In the capital county, the peasants remained furious. This severely restricted the tax take in the two baronies still directly controlled by Emperor Arni (Nygarðr and Chudovo) and Okulovka (now owned by his son and heir, Prince Arnfast). At least the county no longer suffered from post-plague depopulation.

In Torzhok, the peasants were still unruly, but minor depopulation still affected the county (taxes and levies) and Arni’s barony of Yamsky Gorodok.

Toropets was a little better off, with just civil unrest depressing income.

The same applied to the Barony of Aldeigjuborg in Ladoga.

In France, the two imperial demesne baronies in Paris were also just affected by civil unrest.

But Rouen remained severely depressed, still suffering from significant depopulation, civil unrest and now also piracy (which had not yet been eradicated).

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Wars in Italy

Italy remained a hotly contested battleground, and not only by various Rurikid vassals. As we have been following, High Chief Falki (Rurikid) of Kola was doing well in his prepared invasion of Italy targeting Duchess Margherita of Latium. That war had been in progress since early 1080 and Kola currently had an army fighting a skirmish against a small Latin force in Lombardy.

Jarl Toke of Lothian had made quick progress in his conquest of Cinarca in Corsica, launched less than a year before. And Sturla of Ugra (owner of Istria and Ravenna) had been making fair progress in his recently declared war against Veglia: but his enemy had managed to assemble a large army now besieging Istria, while Sturla could muster less than a quarter of that number, and one third of them were still on the long march from the far-distant county of Ugra itself.

As mentioned previously, Noregr was conducting its own prepared invasion against Queen Lodovica of Italy. King Knut was winning that conflict, even though Lodovica had brought in a range of allies to help her. Noregr had just started a battle against an Italian-allied army in Modena where the y outnumbered the defenders by over three-to-one. And Venice was in a civil war for the increase of council powers: the rebels army – hostile to Russia due to some previous raiding – could yet get tangled up in some of the fighting.

Urbanus III had no troops and just a few gold to his name, still listing Rom as his residence in the purely titular role of Pope but not as a Russian vassal.

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Aquitaine’s Troubles

King Adrien II’s realm was much reduced by now and under multiple attacks. Emir Hakam of Jattabid (un Ummayyad vassal) was doing well in a war to take Barcelona and a peasant revolt in Urgell was also gaining ground.

The independent Lollard Duchy of Poitou had recently split off and the enclave in Burgundy was under attack from two different Rurikid vassals. Jarl Dyre of Ryazan was well advanced in his conquest of Aargau. Chief Folki of Gévaudan – a vassal of Jarl Rikulfr of Champagne and another Rurikid family member – had just commenced a conquest of Narbonne.

But Chief Buðli’s holy war for Upper Burgundy had been dented somewhat, even though he had seized Aquitanian land there. This was explained by an earlier occupation of Buðli’s capital of Boulogne by King Adrienne, which had cancelled out much of Buðli’s advantage.

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Hungary

As we saw in the last chapter, the powerful marcher lord Jarl Dyre of Moldau had begun a holy war for Meissen in November 1081. His main army had already advanced into Hungarian territory to press the claim. He was aided by the Hungarian king’s existing preoccupation with a war against Denmark for Mazovia, which had been going very well for him up to that point.

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Rurikid War Prospects

The irritation of the Teutonic Order’s Barony of Kozolets on Russian soil in Chernigov looked set to continue for now. As Hochmeister Liutpold was not a Rurikid vassal, it would take a holding war to evict him. And that would in turn bring in the entirety of the world’s defensive pacts against Russia. It could be a possibility in the future, as a quick ‘smash and grab’ assault by a force of elite Russian troops could end a war almost as soon as it began. They would need to get into position first, but it remained a possibility for the future.

Another longer term project, which would require a very large reduction in Russian threat to become workable (below 50%, so as not to trigger multiple pact intervention) could be a Great Holy War against Byzantium to take the rest of Bulgaria. This would also deal a blow to the current number one contender to Russian hegemony.

Another – and long-preferred – option would be a GHW for Hungary, which would yield a good deal more territory and would take out a large chunk of the land that sat between the eastern and western halves of the Empire.

This was probably still the favoured objective for the next major Russian war of expansion, but it may take years to be able to bring it off without risking a huge and drawn-out conflict. Even at below 50% threat, unless something could be done Byzantium would still intervene on behalf of its co-religionists, making it a dangerous and expensive prospect.

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So stood the known world and its largest powers as Arni prepared to move into the hopefully most fruitful years of his reign: heirs and spares secured, internal factional dissent quashed, military base largely rebuilt, treasury full from raiding and revenue recovering, non-aggression pacts with all the other Germanic realms locked in, expansionist marcher lords hard at work, the Imperial Council dominated by loyalists and Reformed Germanicism spreading strongly in most directions.

Bullfilter · Mar 15, 2023

Chapter 18: Taking Care of Business (August 1082 – July 1086)

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Kolan Invasion of Italy

Kola had launched its invasion of Italy in early 1080 and Arni had been assisting them in Monferrato since April 1082. After helping take three holdings there, by mid-September Kola had the effort well in hand (and would find victory a few months later). Ofeig’s raiders were instead ordered to support Ugra in its effort to take Veglia, when the Veglians deployed an army of over 4,100 men to far outnumber Chief Sturla.

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Ugraian Conquest of Veglia

Ofeig’s army was split up in early October to avoid attrition, half headed for Veglia under Prince Falki. The other half would stay in di Lucca under Ofeig to await orders. On the way over, Falki encountered and soundly defeated an army of nearly 2,000 troops from the Venetian Revolt at Concordia on 6 January 1083. This incidental interception proved most useful, as will be explained later.

With the Veglian army taking down Ugraian holdings in Istria by then, Falki had to pass through them to Veglia first to ‘establish raiding hostility’, doing so on 2 February before heading back north. The Veglians did not stay to fight Falki, heading elsewhere and not figuring in the campaign again. To retake Sturla’s holdings in Istria, Arni had to formally join the war as a participant and ‘de-toggle’ from raiding mode.

This was done and in two months from late April Istria was fully liberated with only light casualties. In just a month, Veglia (already previously weakened by Ugraian occupation) was similarly occupied with even lighter casualties. By early August it was all over and Arni had given Sturla another county on the Adriatic coast.

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Unassisted Vassal and Foreign Wars

In the four years covered here, the usual business of other Rurikid vassals went on, as did the period of significant Norwegian involvement in Italy. They will be summarised separately in this section, as they did not materially affect the other campaigns Arni became directly involved with.

The period started with a big win for King Knut in November 1082, his invasion of Italy eventually securing a large amount of territory spread across Italy.

Things would turn worse for Knut when his subsequent Holy War for Lombardy (11 March 1083 to 29 April 1085) ended inconclusively in a white peace. While engaged in Lombardy, a large Italian revolt had broken out against Norwegian rule in December 1083. By May 1086, Knut was humbled, losing all his Italian gains to the new and aptly named King Ezzelino ‘the Liberator’.

There were twin victories in February 1083 to Jarl Dyre of Ryazan over Aquitaine and Jarl Toke of Lothian in Cinarca, though this increased Russia’s threat levels.

A few months later, Toke became the fifth vassal King subordinate to the Imperial Crown of the Rurikids.

The two wars between Byzantium and its southern Muslim neighbours both ended in defeat for Basileus Pankratios in mid-1083. First, he lost against Caliph Talib II in the Marudadi Holy War for Azerbaijan in May, then to the Tulunids in their Holy War for Edessa in August. Despite the setbacks the Romans remained easily the second most powerful realm in the known world.

The period of Jomsviking instability continued, with the previous Warchief Valdemar Lade seizing the title a second time from his opponent Haukr after a successful civil war in June 1083. All this unrest inhibited the Jomsvikings’ ability to extend their borders against the heathens in southern France.

By April 1084 yet another civil war had broken out among the Jomsvikings, a revolt seeking to increase council power at Valdemar’s expense. But Jarl Rikulfr of Champagne had no such lack of focus, winning both his Holy War for Dauphiné (begun in August 1082) and an imposing nickname in December 1083.

A major play was made by King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod in late 1085 when he declared a holy war for Bohemia against the Lollard King Konrad ‘the Butcher’. This war would still be going as the period ended.

Jarl Rikulfr was at it again in April 1085 with a new holy war against another Lollard ruler, Duke Ricard ‘the Evil’ of Poitou – who commanded a sizeable army. This coincided with a skirmish involving one of Arni’s raiding armies in southern France.

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Russian Holy War for Ferarra

After departing Monferrato, Ofeig waited in di Lucca with his half of the northern army and the larger southern army of Birger lay poised in Ravenna by 23 November. A Holy War was declared on the forces of the Venetian Revolt, thus bypassing Defensive pact complications but requiring speed to ensure success.

On 1 December, High Chief Falki of Kola had his victory over Latium and became known as ‘the Dragon‘ as the two Russian armies marched to their targets in Ferrara and Bologna.

After a short skirmish with a Latin company on arrival in Ferrara, Birger’s army began its siege on 5 December. Ofeig began in Bologna on the 15th and both would start conducting assaults when ready, paying for the speedier results with heavier casualties. Meanwhile, Prince Falki’s army had encountered and defeated the main Venetian Rebel army to the north in Aquileia from 16 December to 6 January.

Between December 1082 and 1 February 1083 the Count of Siena, Patriarch of di Lucca, Count of Spoletto, King of Bavaria and (the now unlanded) Pope Urbanus would all join the defenders’ effort. But none of that would matter, their forces either too puny or far away to make any difference. The campaign lasted just three and a half months, with the one field battle and storming of five holdings costing Russia 1,812 men and the Venetian Rebels losing 6,932, including garrisons.

Crown Prince Arnfast received Ferrara and Jarl Toke Bologna, ensuring his long-term loyalty. Unfortunately, this opportunistic conquest boosted Arni’s threat back up to the maximum.

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Italian Liberation Revolt

The recently conquered Saluzzo rose in rebellion on 1 October and the large rebel army would need Imperial attention. By then, Oddr commanded the force heading back from the Veglian campaign, while Grimr now led the nearest of the two other armies that had been heading north to Germany. Both would now converge to smash the rebellion.

By early January 1084 they were both ready. Grimr’s larger army would strike first, then Oddr would join three weeks later. After a tough battle, Oddr arrived just in time to join the pursuit. This ended the revolt, with the rebel leader suffering the usual punishment.

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Commercial Raiding

Prince Falki’s army arrived in Plauen for a new commercial raid on 23 December 1083, as his colleagues dealt with the Italian revolt in Saluzzo. He would finish on 4 November 1084 after ransacking 5 holdings, losing 535 men, killing 4,626 garrison troops and bagging 261 gold.

Falki would then head over to Chernigov, where Fylkir Arni planned to evict the Teutonic Knights from their last castle holding. After finishing there in mid-1085, he would then make the long march back to the Samanid border east of the Aral Sea for some more raiding, not arriving there in July 1086.

Meanwhile, after the Italian revolt was suppressed, Ofeig raided in Piemonte for a year from May 1084 for 278 gold, losing 972 men and killing 5,074 garrison troops while sacking 5 holdings. As Ofeig raided, Oddr was helping one of Arni’s vassals to conquer Narbonne from Aquitaine (more details below).

After the war for Narbonne and the raid in Piemonte were done, both armies would then go raiding in the lands of the sorely beset Aquitaine. From July 1085 to July 1086, 9 holdings in Carcassonne, Toulouse and Rosello were looted for 672 gold at the cost of 766 raiders and 10,931 Aquitanian garrison troops.

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Murder and Revenge

As Russian wars and raids played out another more personal battle was being waged back at court. Arni was outraged when he learned of the murder of his Spymaster and pregnant concubine Kraka Momchilsdottir in February 1084. With three excellent reasons to see the perpetrator (an obscure Godi from the provinces) killed painfully, Arni began to plot his revenge even as he appointed a new Spymaster, who was lavished with a ‘sign-on bonus’ as his personal ambition was fulfilled.

The plot against the reviled Godi Yevstafiy of Pochep got off to a slow start [70% plot power], with only one conspirator willing to take part. The next best prospect of five possible would not join, even after receiving a bag of gold. Arni waited patiently for more opportunities.

Meanwhile, the search for a new concubine began. Arni considered the very attractive Völva Yrsa but baulked after discovering she had the Lover’s Pox. Instead, he discovered a brave young shieldmaiden willing to come to court. Svanhildr Spaki, a provincial noblewoman, was lavished with gold when she arrived on 21 March 1084.

By early May 1084 Yevstafiy, reputedly possessed, was plotting to kill someone else (the Chieftess of Bryansk). The murderous wretch! Arni sounded out arresting him but despite his crimes this would have been considered an act of tyranny: he continued to bide his time.

Yrsa (who had since been appointed Seeress of Russia, more on that later) indicted Yevstafiy’s Chief for being an open Hel adherent: perhaps he had caused his Godi’s possession. In any case, Chief Yeremey was incinerated. Arni hoped it might shake something loose around the plot to kill Yevstafiy.

It finally did, with two new plotters added [107.2%] on 10 July 1085 and five more receptive to bribes: all were given 15 gold each. This soon worked, doubling the plot power. By late October the ‘hatchet woman’ Maer was ready to act.

Four weeks later Yevstafiy was satisfyingly as dead as a door nail: shot down in a well-planned crossfire, which gave rise to many conspiracy theories in coming decades, though no blame was directly attributed to Arni. He would have preferred a blood eagle, but Kraka was avenged and this would do.

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Gévaudan Conquest of Narbonne

Chief Folki of Gévaudan had started a conquest of Narbonne against Aquitaine in mid-1082. It was fairly well progressed by April 1084 when Oddr’s army arrived to assist in Rouergue. Oddr had helped take 3 holdings (169 joint casualties with Folki, 3,506 garrison killed) when an Aquitanian army appeared in Narbonne to try to liberate the occupied province.

On 9 January Oddr moved to intercept the 1,900 enemy there, with another 1,200 enemy troops led by King Adrien himself approaching from the east. Battle was joined on 23 January while Adrien turned around, failing to support his main army in Narbonne. By this time, Svanhildr had been made a commander and assigned to the Rurikid left flank. An easy victory followed.

On 19 May 1085 Folki usurped Narbonne – but by that time Arni had embarked on a new adventure as both Oddr and Ofeig were called back to southern France.

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Conquest of Kozelets

As mentioned above, Prince Falki was given the task of leading the army that would take Kozelets castle in Chernigov from the detested Teutonic Knights. He arrived in Chernigov in early May 1085 and war was declared, triggering a large proportion of the defensive pact members to support the Teutons.

Even though it would take 20 days to prepare an assault, Arni ignored all the enemy armies marshalling on his borders. It should all be over before they could do any real damage. But once more the raiding rituals caused an unexpected delay. Falki had forgotten to ‘de-toggle’ his raiders, so the assault he conducted took the castle on 24 May but did not occupy it!

He was ready to assault the walls again a few weeks later and this time it was the end of the very short war, with a small skirmish being fought in Nice by Ofeig as he passed through on 2 June.

No-one had attacked or besieged the Russians in the month and a half this took. Like the Pope, the Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order was left unlanded, with nothing but an empty title. Mwahaha!

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Polish Revolt

On 1 July 1086, another revolt broke out in Poland. Five days later Ofeig had finished his latest looting in Rosello and began a long approach march to Uppeln, leaving Oddr on Viking in Toulouse.

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Research, Economy, Infrastructure and Religion

Research breakthroughs were made in all branches of study in late August 1082. Each held useful benefits or potential for the Rurikid Empire.

This soon led to new builds commencing in Holmgarðr City and its Temple at Tikhvin, including Russia’s first university. The Imperial Steward, Prince Borkvard, was sent to supervise the new construction.

Next, Torzhok finally shook off the last depopulation effects from the Black Death on 1 January 1083. A year later, Rouen improved to only minor depopulation. By mid-1085, the peasant unrest in the Imperial demesne counties finally abated, providing a boost to tax revenue. It wasn’t until 1 January 1086 that Rouen finally regained its full population. By then, the coastal piracy menace had also disappeared.

As April 1086 ended, another new round of building began in Holmgarðr; in the city and temple again and also some basic fortifications in Crown Prince Arnfast’s castle of Okulovka. In the last four years tax income had improved across the Empire with larger budget surpluses unless retinue replacement costs were temporarily increased. All conflicts were managed by the standing army alone, which also saved money, while periodic border raiding helped pay for the new infrastructure projects.

On the religious front, the period saw continued slow but steady expansion of Reformed Germanicism in more recently conquered counties. In May 1086 Germanicism continued to be the largest religion, followed by Sunni Islam, Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity as the Big Four faiths (and also those with the most moral authority). Catholicism came in as a distant fifth, closely followed by Buddhism.

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Dynastic and Court Events

From 9 November 1082 to 6 January 1083 Arni was able to kick the period off with a Great Blot, accruing the usual benefits.

Arni would see two more children born in this time, both to concubines. One in December 1082 (a girl to Ingfrid) and the other in October 1085 (a son to the Shieldmaiden Svanhildr), his ninth child. Svanhildr was eventually retired from active service as a commander (and replaced with a new siege specialist) .

Hysing Rurikid, the revered Court Physician, died of natural causes at the ripe old age of 74 in January 1083. His young son inherited Amalfi as the call went out for a new physician. One Godi Ormr was the best available at the time, though he was not as qualified as Hysing had become. It was hoped that he would be effective – despite a reputation for being possessed by a demonic spirit!

The advance of Russian civics now technically permitted increasing the status of women to ‘significant’ within the empire. But Arni had to wait until June 1086 before he could amend the realm laws again.

An important dynastic marriage was formalised on 25 April 1083 when Arni’s daughter Bothildr came of age and joined her new husband, King Hysing II of England, once more reinforcing the marriage ties between the two realms.

By May 1084, the recently recruited new Spymaster Mayor Orvar (who succeeded the murdered Kraka) became the third Loyalist on the Council, giving Arni a slim working majority.

On 21 May, Arni’s twin sister Kraka, wife to Jarl Ottar of Brunswick, died from the flu at the age of 41, the first of the four children of Toste to perish (Arni had another brother by a different father). The prominent commander Fredrik af Holmgarðr died ‘of poor health’ at just 43 on 2 October 1084.

Then in December of that year, old Plaisance de Ponthieu died at 73, which brought the promotion of Yrsa to Seeress of Russia. Arni also arranged a prestigious marriage for her with a courtier – rumours of Yrsa having a lover did not stand in the way. Yrsa was soon busy burning Hel worshippers.

Svanhildr was pregnant again by 24 February 1085, even though this time Arni had his doubts about the paternity. Still, there was no obvious evidence of a lover and the Fylkir took the matter no further.

There was excellent news in July 1085: the Crown Prince, having been given the county of Ferrara a few years before, did his father proud by declaring a conquest of his own in Sardinia. Quite how he was going to get there was not immediately clear but the Fylkir would keep a watchful eye on his progress.

Arni’s bitter rival, Hysing af Salaspils, became Grand Mayor of the Merchant Republic of Livonia shortly afterwards. This ill news was ameliorated by word that the notorious ‘cocksman’ was already incapable and reportedly dying of cancer. Arni determined to let time do its work.

Less than a fortnight later, Princess Alfrið’s betrothal to King Oddr ‘the Sword of Thor’ of Lotharingia was solemnised by marriage when the young man finally came of age after a long regency. Alas, it turned out he was a dull, stressed and cruel coward with a club foot and hardly any leadership skills! He may have had over 16,500 men to call on but it seemed Oddr owed his prestigious name to his former regent and advisors rather than any talent of his own. This did not stop him celebrating his marriage less than a week later by declaring a holy war for Swabia against the Duke of Bavaria on 22 October 1085.

In August, King Toke’s reputation for gluttony – food this time, rather than territory – led to him being commonly referred to as ‘the Fat’. While the rest of the year was quiet at court, scandal broke as 1086 began. Though Arni disbelieved it, whispers came of Empress Asa having an illicit affair with none other than his arch-rival, the old and supposedly incapable ‘withering vegetable’ Grand Mayor Hysing! Hysing was confronted and admitted to it – though it was unclear whether he’d actually succeeded in seducing Asa or was just saying this to enrage his Emperor and arch-enemy, knowing his days were numbered anyway.

In any case, Arni decided not to risk his politically important marriage nor give Hysing the satisfaction of publicity: the whole thing was largely hushed up. Arni was sorely tempted to plot Hysing’s demise, but remained patient in the hope nature would soon do the deed for him.

Meanwhile, things got even worse for young King Oddr: despite his notable lack of military prowess, he seemed to have been tempted to take the field in his first war as an adult – and had been horribly maimed in early 1086. It was unclear if he could survive. Poor Alfhilðr!

Such were the doings of Imperial Russia, at home and abroad, from August 1082 to July 1086.

Blood and Empire: A Clash of Civilisations

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