Confessing Their Apostasies (A Mildly Interactive AAR)

[HistoryDude]

“The fight was glorious. Count Herbert defeated his first opponent quickly, killing him with a single stroke of his blade. The feeling of victory felt better than anything that he had ever felt before, but he had no time to focus on that. He continued onwards, cutting down his opponents like a scythe cuts down wheat. He killed many men, but there were always more to fight.

His enemies attempted to retreat, but he refused to allow that. Letting them regroup could allow them to utilize strategy and make a formation, which would remove any advantage that the ambush had given his men. That would almost certainly mean a loss for his forces, who didn’t have a formation despite having had adequate time to make one because his army’s commander was too lazy to even do his job.

Unfortunately, Count Herbert couldn’t take out his anger on his incompetent subordinate because he remained useful. Fortunately, there were thousands of other people to take out his anger on, and they were even allies of unjust usurpers, so he didn’t even need to feel guilty about it.

Soon, Count Herbert was covered in blood, but he was given no rest. His enemies had apparently realized his military prowess and continued to attack him. He had no room to maneuver, and all he could do was kill one enemy after another. No matter how many he killed, there was always more to fight… and he loved it. The feeling of justly killing servants of the man who had usurped his throne was amazing.

Sadly, it was also tiring, when the enemy attempted to retreat a second time, he let them. He needed a second to catch his breath… and a second to figure out where his army was. He looked around, and he discovered that there was a great distance between himself and his army. Thankfully, no natural barriers were visible in the space between them, so he could retreat at any time…

His men seemed fine, although they were scattered across the battlefield. Many of them looked winded, but he saw no dead bodies. The mercenaries didn’t seem like they had moved from their initial position and were forming a line around the battlefield. Count Herbert figured that they would deal with any stragglers from the enemy. All in all, there didn’t seem to be a single reason to stop his rampage, and every moment that he wasn’t adding to his blade’s crimson hue was a moment that his foes could use to regroup.

He turned back to where the enemy army had once been, and he found that only a few men remained within his sight. He briefly shut his eyes and considered what this meant. He briefly considered that the few men were meant as bait to draw him in that direction, but he quickly dismissed that thought. After all, surely there wouldn’t have been time to set up such a plan during the short period where he had been checking on his men.

Under his breath, a single whisper escaped Count Herbert’s lips. 'I hope I don’t regret this.'

He also decided to command his soldiers because, clearly, his chosen commander had been too lazy to do even that. Against his better judgement, He went with the oldest tactic in the book - he raised his blood-soaked blade and yelled, 'we have them on the defensive! We can annihilate them completely now! Charge!' " - The Valois War

 

[HistoryDude]

"The charge went well at first. His men followed him into the fray, and their blades met many human bodies. Initially, it appeared as if they had won easily. Corpses littered the field of battle, and the few survivors on his enemy’s side seemed to be engaging in a disorganized retreat. They shouted at one another, attempting to find a route to escape from the conflict. His enemies were faced with chaos within their own ranks, and the sight made Count Herbert smile.

He sensed victory at hand, and he led his men towards his enemy’s command. That was the most likely place for the commanders of the opposing force to be - and, if he could capture them, he could easily use them as leverage - perhaps even leverage to end the war in his favor. If he managed to capture the Count of Valois himself, the war would be over that day.

This sense of victory was all he thought about, and that caused him to stop paying attention to his surroundings. He didn’t notice when he had walked too far ahead of his men, and he initially failed to notice that he was in danger.

It was only when his sword met another blade and he simultaneously felt pain in his back that he noticed what was going on. That sensation ended his feelings of victory very quickly, and he quickly glanced at his surroundings, which revealed exactly how screwed he was.

His closest allies weren’t very close, and he was completely and utterly surrounded. Men blocked every possible escape path. No matter which direction he looked, all he could see was men, and he recognized none of them. He felt as if he was looking death himself in the eye.

Against all odds, Count Herbert didn’t panic. He knew that he was screwed, so there would be no point in panicking. Instead, he felt a strange calmness. Although he knew that this confrontation wouldn’t end well for him, he did know the only two ways that it could possibly end - either he died or he was captured.

He also knew exactly which of those outcomes was preferable. If he was captured, then this war would be over. He would be forced to surrender, and the cause of his glorious dynasty would have suffered a setback - perhaps an irreversible one. He had no idea if the circumstances that had allowed this war would ever occur in the Kingdom of France again. If he was killed, on the other hand, his relatives could avenge him. They could take over the war effort - and they would be motivated to continue his dream - they would be motivated to continue the dream that he had died for.

Yes, death was preferable to capture, and it was that conviction that caused Count Herbert to scream in rage and attack the men who had him surrounded. He fully intended to take as many of his foes down with him as he could.

At first, his strategy succeeded beyond his wildest dream. Apparently, his opponents weren’t expecting him to be quite that bold since their initial response was to freeze in shock, which allowed him to cut them down.
Unfortunately, that reaction didn’t last, and he quickly found himself trapped dueling multiple people at the same time. Merely dodging all of their attacks quickly became tiring, much less actually striking back, but he continued for as long as he could. He refused to allow his exhaustion to end his chances of avoiding capture." - The Valois War

 

[HistoryDude]

"He fought on as long as he could, but it wasn’t enough. A sword hit his right arm - his sword arm - and drew blood, although it wasn’t a deep cut. Therefore, his movements became sluggish, and Count Herbert felt his life flashing before his eyes. He felt something hit his chest, and then he blacked out.

For a brief moment, Count Herbert could’ve sworn that he heard beautiful singing, and he thought that he saw a speck of white light. Then, he felt his body being shaken, and his eyes snapped open.

The singing stopped, and his location remained the same as where it had been - a place of battle. There was no trace of white anywhere. The most prominent color was crimson, as it was on most battlefields. He looked down at his arm, and a crimson liquid dripped down from it. He supposed that was blood.

He looked around. He was still surrounded by enemies, but they had seemingly ceased their attempts to kill him. Indeed, many of them seemed to have expressions of shock on their faces. He looked back at the man who had woken him up and blinked. He recognized this man - it was one of his men. It was actually his spymaster, one Jaspert.

He turned to face his ally. ‘How did you get here?’ Then, he blinked. That really wasn’t the important question right now. ‘Actually, never mind that. How do you expect us to escape from this trap? In case you didn’t notice, I was surrounded by our enemies, and I’m sure that they’ll escape from their shock at any moment now. What, exactly, do you intend to do now?’

Jaspert merely smiled. ‘I have a plan. I’ll cover your escape. You are far more important than I am in the grand scheme of things. You need to survive - and, no matter what happens, you cannot surrender.’

Count Herbert blinked. Wait, he didn’t seriously intend to? He couldn’t actually expect that he would be that ungrateful? Only a single word escaped his lips. ‘How?’

He meant ‘how do you intend to escape?’, and Jaspert clearly understood that because his response was to place his hand, positioned in the perfect position to chop - on his own throat. Then, he moved it across. The Count of Vermandois understood the meaning well enough.

He grabbed his spymaster, raised his sword, and charged at the spot where he thought the weakest opening was. He charged at the small area that was defended by only two men, and he attacked them. His spymaster followed his lead, using his own sword to attack one of the men. For the briefest of moments, time seemed to slow down. The two men managed to get over their shock and fight back against their attack, but everyone else stayed perfectly still.

The only movements there were those of the blades. The only sounds were of clashing swords and panting. The only thing that Count Herbert could taste was something that he couldn’t identify but seemed bitter and metallic. The only thing that Count Herbert could feel was his own adrenaline and desperate desire to escape.

It was a moment upon which history turned, although no one involved at the time truly knew that. The only concern anyone fighting there - except Jaspert - had was their own survival. Both Count Herbert and Jaspert managed to kill the men blocking their escape, and the Count of Vermandois even managed to get out of his previous position. He was no longer in danger of being killed by people from every direction.

He beat a hasty retreat, but, before he started doing that, he looked back at his companion - he looked back at his savior. The man was still alive, but the shock that everyone else who was surrounding them had seemed to have worn off, as he was being attacked from every direction. At the moment, he looked to be doing alright, but Count Herbert knew how untenable his position was. Jaspert caught his liege’s eye and nodded.

Count Herbert shut his eyes, turned around, and began heading back toward his camp. He hoped that the battle was at least nearing its end, but he knew better than to expect it. For his spymaster’s sake, though, he also hoped that his men were still charging towards his former position. Perhaps, if they arrived quickly enough, they could buy enough time for him to escape. He doubted things would turn out that well. This was war. There were always losses.

It didn’t take long until he encountered his amassed army and turned around and charged with them. They quickly reached the spot where he had been ambushed, and the men there quickly scattered. The battle was over, but Count Herbert still had one last thing that he needed to do.

He checked the spot where the enemy had finally been completely defeated and searched it. Unfortunately, he found what he was looking for. It seemed that Jaspert had been slain. Count Herbert picked the body up and brought it back to his private tent. This man served him faithfully in life. More importantly, Jaspert had died for him - he had tried his own life for his liege’s. The least that liege could do was grant him a proper burial." - The Valois War





Feel free to tell me how much you hate me!

 

[HistoryDude]

“At first, the Battle of Laon - and the Battle of Senlis that followed shortly after - meant very little. It was a military victory, but almost none of the larger political implications that have been attached to it by centuries of mythologization actually existed. As much as determinist historians would like to make Laon important, the truth is that it barely mattered. Contemporary observers mostly failed to notice that it happened - our only sources for it were brief mentions in letters, and even the official court records of Vermandois gloss over Laon, although they cover Senlis in slightly more detail.

Despite this, the myths are not purely lies. There is a shred of truth to many of them. Laon was not the best shot that the Capets had to stop the Carolingian Resurgence, but, if Count Herbert had been killed, it is extremely likely that the Resurgence would have been stopped in its tracks… but that’s true of Senlis as well and many other battles in the early days of the New Carolingian Dynasty besides.

In many ways, the surprising thing is that there was a Carolingian Resurgence at all. The pride of Count Herbert could easily have been a burden upon his dreams, but he managed to turn it into an asset. His deft negotiations and promises would have been impossible for a more humble man to make… and those allowed him to make many allies. Even so, his refusal to acknowledge his own mistakes would haunt him until his grave - and some say that it haunted his successors from beyond that grave.

During his early reign, though, Vermandois seemed almost idyllic - peaceful and ruled justly. Even after the first war of the Carolingian Resurgence, little suggested the horrific fate that would eventually be visited upon its residents. The count’s ambitions were obvious - but they still seemed very impractical. It was the way of the feudal system that even a little change could cause great suffering, however, and even the state borne out of the efforts of the Carolingians recognizes that now.

If anyone had bothered to look, they would’ve seen the signs. They could’ve predicted the great conflagration that the Carolingian Resurgence was… and someone might have been able to avert it. Unfortunately, the only ones wise enough to see the signs benefited from the coming bloodshed. If anyone else had been wiser… perhaps much darkness could’ve been averted. Or perhaps the feudal system would’ve produced another ambitious man willing to give up the lives of a generation in exchange for personal power. The feudal system encouraged war, after all. Still… one wonders if that urge couldn’t have been directed outward somehow. There are other continents that were far more stable than Europe at the time.

Still, it is not my duty to bemoan the past or consider how much better things could be. It is my duty to tell you what happened. The facts of the matter are simple, then - Count Herbert won the Battles of Laon and Senlis, seized Valois, and his ambition grew because of his success. That ambition drowned Europe in blood.” - Christendom’s Tragedy, A History of Europe During the Age of Interregnum



I've decided to break up the narrative before we get to Senlis. This author... has his own biases. I'll probably use him more in the future (especially if I want to cover great periods of time).

 

[HistoryDude]

“Unfortunately, that burial would have to wait until the war ended. There was hardly time to conduct a funeral without giving up far too many strategic advantages. Still, Count Herbert resolved not to forget his spymaster’s sacrifice and to grant him a fitting sendoff to Heaven once he had finally won.

In the meantime, he would just have to settle for yelling at one of the men who was most responsible for how disastrous the Battle of Laon almost was… Evrard. It was his fault that the count was so close to losing his life… it was his fault that the Capets almost gained an iron grip on France… and it was his fault that Jaspert had to give his life to save the rightful ruler of France - the rightful Emperor of Rome.

He stormed into the command tent a little after dawn. All three of his commanders were already there, which meant that he didn’t have to track down Evrard to give the man a piece of his mind. Good. That meant that this would be done more quickly.

He glared at Evrard. ‘I’m going to make this as quick as possible. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? That was the most disorganized battle I have ever seen, and it looked like our army had no plan at all. In order to ensure that this isn’t an issue during our next confrontation with the Count of Valois, we are going to make a plan right now, and you are going to follow it. I hired you to make plans, so make plans.’

Evrard shut his eyes at Count Herbert’s outburst. ‘Very well, my liege. In order to do so, I must know where our next battle will occur…’

Captain Meginhard raised an eyebrow. ‘That battle was rather disorganized. My men didn’t even get to do anything. I would quite appreciate it if we were included in these plans of yours.’

Count Herbert whirled on him. ‘And why, exactly, did you not attempt to recover the situation once it became clear that it was about to become a disaster? If you longed to fight so much, why didn’t you attempt to restore order to my collapsing army?’

The captain smiled. ‘You didn’t ask me to. I was waiting for orders from your illustrious personage. It wouldn’t do to implicitly question your authority, after all.’

Count Herbert was reassured by this, so he turned his attention upon Captain Gyrth and asked him what he had asked Meginhard.

The man’s response was surprising. ‘For a brief moment… I did consider implicitly questioning your authority. My old homeland taught me many lessons about how recklessness could lose battles, and I considered ordering your army - and asking you, by extent - to stay put as I was ordering my army not to charge as well. However, I then remembered what I had been told of you… you were proud. You wouldn’t like being ordered by someone in your employ…’

Ignoring Captain Meginhard’s whispered ‘craven’, Count Herbert stepped closer to Captain Gyrth. ‘Are you implying that I am overly arrogant? Are you implying that I am partially to blame for this debacle?’

Captain Gyrth looked his employer directly in the eye and said, ‘I believe that you were reckless, but I can’t blame you for that. I was reckless too, once. Even so… the blame for the disorganized state of the army goes to whoever designed the battle plan.’

Count Herbert stepped back, satisfied. ‘Which was Evrard, and that mistake shall not be repeated. I’ll let you two help us make this plan, though.’

The four men created a new plan for their next battle, hoping to avoid the mistakes of Laon. They had gotten lucky once - it was highly unlikely that the Lord would allow them to make the same mistakes a second time.” - The Valois War

 

[HistoryDude]

“After the meeting, the army began to march towards the residence of the Count of Valois, Senlis. The plan was simple - a decisive strike at Senlis would force the count to the negotiating table, allowing Count Herbert to make his demands. A successful capture of Senlis would hopefully lead to Valois’s surrender.

Count Herbert had full faith in this plan, but Evrard had pointed out a complication. He argued that a smart move would be a surprise attack on the Carolingian army while it was marching to Senlis, enabling them to take advantage of the confusion to score a victory and perhaps corner the count again.

It was this potential threat to his own person that convinced the Count of Vermandois to join his scouts in checking for potential military forces. He was - perhaps justifiably - worried about an ambush. At the moment, though, he saw nothing except the open valley. It seemed as if he would encounter no resistance on the way to Senlis. He even dared to hope that the war would come down to a mere siege.

That proved to be a vain hope. When the army arrived at Senlis, they found it guarded by a great army - it seemed as if the Count of Valois had decided to make one last stand - perhaps in protection of his family.

Count Herbert led a small group of scouts back to the main army as he spotted the great army. He called an impromptu meeting with his commanders and told them the news… and ordered them to stop the army from marching while they finalized their plan. They did so, and each army barely remained outside of the vision of the other.

The meeting itself was productive. It was agreed that the Swabian mercenaries would remain in reserve on the Nonette River, watching to ensure that no ships carried reinforcements to the area. For their part, the Anglo-Saxons under Captain Gyrth would guard the rear, ensuring that the main army wasn’t sandwiched between two attacking forces. Evrard would lead the main force besieging the city.

In any normal battle, that would’ve been the end of it, but Count Herbert remained proud. It didn’t sit well with him that he would not play a main role in the first step to reclaiming preeminence in West Francia, but he managed to swallow his pride, remembering the disaster at Laon where he had fallen for a trap because he wanted glory.

The soldiers took their positions and began to advance. As soon as the enemy army spotted the Carolingian force, their archers began to fire. His archers responded with their own arrows, and the army advanced.

Even so, most of his army reached the city walls, protected by the trees all around the area. Senlis, after all, was built in the middle of a forest. Unfortunately, many of those same trees seemed to be shooting arrows at him, and he was forced to dodge. Count Herbert wanted nothing more than to move behind those trees and slaughter the archers using them as cover, but he knew that such a plan would fail. Instead, he reminded himself to focus on his own plan - a plan that would ensure that this battle was over by dawn." - The Valois War

 

[HistoryDude]

'Restraining himself from attacking became more difficult with every arrow fired, but he managed, if only just. Instead, he advanced towards the city’s walls and was caught up in the melee that began when the two armies met. He dueled many men, but he managed to avoid injury or ambush - which was the important thing.

The battle lasted past dawn, and the rise and fall of the moon did nothing to stop the fighting. Finally, after hours of waiting, he saw his opening. A small gap had opened up between enemy lines. It was not a large gap - indeed, it was barely even noticeable, but it was wide enough for a human to move through. That was enough. It was enough to let him reach the walls.

He snuck over to the walls with only a few companions to cover him. The battle itself concealed their advance, but it also cut off their retreat. They would have to fight to successfully leave the battlefield without capturing Senlis, but that was fine. Count Herbert had no intention of ending the combat with anything other than a capture of the city… and, hopefully, an end to the war.

The wall was a daunting obstacle, though. Count Herbert’s initial attempts to scale it failed, so he turned to his companions, ordering them to lift him over the barrier. Even with their aid, though, the wall was too high, and a different man might have given up there and retreated. He had come too far, though, so he turned his blade upon the ancient wall and attempted to make an opening into the city. The blade slowly chipped away at the wall, but the old structure held. Perhaps it would’ve fallen eventually, but Count Herbert was soon forced to stop his assaults when his protection vanished.

He turned to see what was up, and he discovered that their attempts had been noticed. His companions were under attack. He removed his sword from the wall and attacked the men who were assailing his companions. A chaotic duel began, and the city’s walls were forgotten… at least for the moment.

Soon, he could no longer focus on the wider picture. He couldn’t focus on his scheme to seize the palace. He couldn’t focus on his failure to secure the wall. All he could focus on was his own survival… and, perhaps, the survival of his companions. He struck his opponent’s swords, and they parried. They struck, and he parried. Swords met for hours, and there was no change. And, then, finally, he saw an opening in one of his enemy’s defenses.

This man was defending against one of his companions, but his focus on just one person proved to be his downfall. He left his undefended side open, and that made all the difference. Count Herbert drove his blade into his enemy’s neck, and one enemy was vanquished.

Then, of course, things went back to business as usual. One party struck, and another parried. Eventually, only two men remained - Count Herbert and one of his opponents. Both of the count’s companions had died, but his opponent was out of allies as well. Things became a one-on-one duel." - The Valois War

 

[HistoryDude]

"Count Herbert attacked, hoping to end this soon and figure out a new way to take Senlis. His foe dodged his blade and counterattacked, aiming for his face. Count Herbert raised his shield to block it and remained uninjured. They exchanged blows for a while, but neither landed any substantial hits. Their blades would hit the blade or the shield of the other, but it would never strike exposed skin.

As time passed, their blows grew more sluggish, and Count Herbert knew that he had to end the duel and escape as soon as possible. Unfortunately, his opponent had also reached the same conclusion. Both looked for as many openings as possible. Neither found any. It seemed as if that duel was locked in a stalemate, and neither man could focus on anything other than their immediate foe.

That was more of an impediment to Count Herbert. As far as he was aware, his opponent was not a high rank in his enemy’s army - it would be no great loss if he was ambushed and killed. If Count Herbert was killed or injured by a surprise attack, then the campaign would end. Even so, the count refused to disengage - perhaps he was too proud.

Regardless, the fight continued, and no one interrupted it. To an outside observer, it must’ve looked almost like a dance. Their blades crossed, their shields blocked, and they moved. Neither person noticed just how far they were moving away from the walls of Senlis - and neither noticed where they were going. They were entirely preoccupied with their private confrontation… Indeed, they were so preoccupied that they failed to notice when the battle stopped.

They continued fighting, heedless of any sense of time or the larger battle. Only the death of his enemy finally snapped Count Herbert out of his hyperfocus and ended the duel. It was then that he realized that he had managed to duel his way past both of the clashing armies and reached his own rear. He winced at that. His chance of surviving such a move must’ve been miniscule. Anyone in the opposing army could’ve killed him, and he would’ve barely even noticed until the deed was done.

That realization made him feel… some weird cross between humbled and annoyed. He decided not to think about it too much. Instead, he turned to Captain Gyrth. 'What’s going on with the battle right now? I… sort of got distracted.'

Captain Gyrth looked amused, but he answered his temporary liege’s question all the same. 'The battle will likely resume at sunrise or a bit after that. It is far too late for anyone to want to fight at the moment - except you, I suppose.'

He winced. 'I lost track of time - I was too busy trying to stay alive.'

Captain Gyrth shrugged. 'Regardless, you should sleep - and maybe avoid putting yourself in danger for little reason?'

Count Herbert raised an eyebrow. 'I have a better idea, actually. If my plan works, I will never have to put myself in danger again. If it works, this war will be over by dawn.'

Captain Gyrth frowned. 'Wasn’t that the point of your private mission that landed you here in the first place? Why do you expect this plan to work any better than that one did?'

For a brief moment, Count Herbert was tempted to tell Captain Gyrth the plan and have him double-check it. He dismissed that thought, though. For a mercenary captain, Gyrth had many morals. It was likely that he would see the count’s plan as dishonorable and cowardly. Therefore, he settled with a verbal, 'you’ll see' and walked away." - The Valois War

 

[HistoryDude]

“Many men would later call Count Herbert’s plan insane and audacious. It was, however, just insane and audacious enough to work, and that was all that mattered.

Under the cover of the moonless night, he snuck back to the walls. This new plan carried elements of his old plan, but Count Herbert liked to think that he had improved it. For one thing, no one should attack him before he could get the walls down - everyone would be asleep.

Reaching the walls was easy, and even doing so unnoticed was relatively easy. The hard part was finding the specific portion of the wall that he had attacked before. That took many minutes, and it made more noise than he would’ve liked. Thankfully, it did not make enough noise to wake either of the sleeping armies.

Unfortunately, the army of Valois was not quite as stupid as he had hoped. They had placed sentries to keep guard over their camp, and these sentries heard his attacks upon the wall. They moved to confront him, and he was forced to kill them.

The sight of their blood proved surprisingly helpful, as it reminded Count Herbert that he had fought a battle at the spot where his sword had struck the wall. He thus realized that there should be blood there, and so he searched for the color crimson. Eventually, he found it, and he attacked the wall that was stained by that color.

The wall didn’t take long to break, and he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw an unguarded opening to the city. After spending a while staring at his goal, he snuck in quietly and headed straight towards the largest building.

It was nothing as ostentatious as a palace, but it was recognizable enough as the dwelling of a rich and mighty man. Count Herbert figured that the Count of Valois was there… but, even if he wasn’t, useful pieces of leverage were.

He searched the bedrooms, and he found the Count himself, his wife, and his heir there, undefended. He smiled at his luck.

Then, he drew his sword and placed it softly on the lady’s neck. Shortly thereafter, he slapped the count himself with his shield. The man twitched but refused to wake up. Annoyed, Count Herbert kicked him.” - The Valois War

“That did get him to wake up, which allowed the Carolingian to offer his terms. Count Herbert called the resulting conversation ‘peace negotiations’. The Count of Valois called it ‘an illegal demand that couldn’t be refused’. Regardless, the title of Count of Valois was transferred to Count Herbert, as was the land associated with it. Count Herbert then forced his fellow count to wake his wife up, and he took her as a hostage at bladepoint.

He made her follow him out of the city and justified it by saying that she would be returned if the peace terms were kept. Legend has it that he also made at least one threat about what would happen to her if they weren’t, including the famous story that he would make her fight in the amphitheater near Senlis. There is no evidence that this threat was ever uttered, but the point illustrates how much leverage Count Herbert had over his foe.

When the sun rose the next day, both counts announced the news to their armies, and the war ended.

Once he was secure in his power over Valois, Count Herbert did keep his promise, returning the spouse of his old adversary to the man who was now reduced to Count of Amiens.

The moment wasn’t a moment too soon, either. The rebellion that had permitted his aggression ended mere days afterward.” - Aggressive Negotiations: A History of Dishonor

 

[HistoryDude]

“The theory was that the end of the two internal wars would lead to a new age of peace or, perhaps, an age of expansion. The rivalry of France and the HRE remained, and a new war over who was the true successor to Charlemagne could easily have erupted.

What nobody expected was what actually happened. King Philippe of France decided to celebrate his realm’s newfound unification by intervening in a civil war in a small kingdom in Ireland. That war didn’t last long, as one might expect.

Count Herbert was left unpunished for his aggression, and this encouraged his ambition. He sent his spymaster to Flanders in an attempt to fabricate a claim on that duchy. He extended the contracts of both of the mercenary companies that he had hired. All signs indicated that he was preparing for war.

The surprising thing wasn’t that he declared war soon after his victory in Valois. What was surprising, though, was his target. Instead of attacking Flanders or backstabbing his old friend in Clermont, the Count attacked his other neighbor - the Duchy of Champagne.

There were pragmatic reasons for this, admittedly. Both of these campaigns were symbolic. The city of Senlis in Valois had been an old capital of France. In fact, it had been the first center of the Capetian regime - it was in Senlis that the West Francian nobles first elected Hugh Capet as the king of France.

The symbolic significance of Reims was heavier, though. Senlis hadn’t betrayed the Carolingians, but Reims had. The archbishop of Reims, one Alberon, had asked the assembly of nobles to choose Hugh Capet as their king. Count Herbert thought that seizing the city (and the archbishopric) would avenge this. By extent, it would also help renew Carolingian legitimacy… and weaken the legitimacy of the Capets. Control of Reims would allow Herbert to appoint an archbishop who might be willing to back him in a struggle for the French crown itself.

The attack on Reims marked the beginning of Count Herbert’s attempts to seize supremacy within France.” - Capets and Carolingians: A Brief History of France





Short update today! I promise that the Flanders war will come soon. I just got a claim on Reims and felt that it made more in-universe sense to attack them first. Next update should be longer.

 

[HistoryDude]

“The war for Reims was the first time that the weakened Carolingians fought against a duchy, and it was thus an effective demonstration of their returning power. Indeed, even the Capets took note of this - Count Herbert was invited to be King Philippe’s spymaster after Herbert seized the city.

At first, there were doubts about the war, even within the Carolingian family. Duke Thibault of Champagne, the nominal overlord of Reims, was Count Herbert’s brother-in-law, and Pierre, the Carolingian chancellor of Vermandois, had hoped to ally with him against more threatening enemies (such as the weakened rulers of Normandy or even the Capets themselves). Count Herbert knew of this discontent, and he intended to silence it quickly.

He thought that the best way to quiet such whispers was to win a quick victory. He thus ordered his army to march to Reims itself, hoping to take the symbolic area and force a quick peace. Initially, this appeared to be a viable strategy - Reims was under siege as soon as the army could reach it, and it seemed as if it would fall quickly. In the end, it did, but there was a brief scare. As Count Herbert attacked Reims, Duke Thibault had personally led his men in an attack on Vermandois itself, probably hoping to draw his foe away from his lands.

If that was his plan, it almost worked. Many members of the army were from Vermandois or owned lands that supplied the capital, and all of them were worried about their family members. Others who were less attached to the area (especially the new recruits from Valois) favored staying in order to ensure that the war was over as soon as possible. For a moment, it looked as though the army of Vermandois might split.

Count Herbert saw this, and so he took quick and decisive action. He declared that any troops caught deserting would be denounced as traitors and executed. Faced with a choice between an ignoble death and a possible honorable death, most of the soldiers doubled their efforts in their assault on Reims. The city fell in November, and Count Herbert took prisoners and had his army march back to Vermandois. The siege of the capital had only strengthened Pierre’s calls for peaceful negotiations, and Count Herbert intended to end any doubt about the wisdom of this war.

Once they arrived at their destination, he sent a letter to Duke Thibault, demanding overlordship of Reims and an end to the war. The duke refused, and, fearing that he could not defeat the Carolingian armies in battle, ceased his siege of Vermandois and fled. The Carolingian armies chased their foe across most of Valois and Vermandois until they finally cornered them at Marle.

Two battles, separated by half a year, occurred at Marle. Both were victories for Count Herbert, but Duke Thibault continued to refuse to surrender. His private letters indicate that he thought that King Philippe was raising an army to come to his aid against the king’s ‘treacherous vassal’. Unfortunately for him, King Philippe was unwilling to intervene in this war, insisting that border disputes weren’t any of his business. Thankfully, the victories did manage to silence Pierre’s calls for a peaceful resolution, and they ended any doubt about the war back in Vermandois and Valois, as everyone saw that victory was inevitable.

Even so, by the tail end of 1072, Count Herbert was getting tired of his brother-in-law’s intransigence, so he moved the battlefield back to the Duchy of Champagne itself by attacking Chateau-Thierry, a castle located near Reims. Duke Thibault followed them there, and, in October, the final battle of the war was fought. Chateau-Thierry was a resounding victory for the Carolingians, and the castle was put under siege.

It held out for a while, but, as 1073 dawned, it fell. In that castle was Duke Thibault’s son, and the ruler of Champagne finally saw that the war was lost. He surrendered Reims and its surrounding territory.

The successful end of the war meant that Count Herbert was already considering his next war. He thought of many targets - Flanders, as his family kept advising him, a betrayal of his old ally in Clermont, or even a brazen attack on the Capets themselves. Then, he read his mail, and none of that mattered. Some things mattered more than the temporal concerns of monarchs - and the news that was coming out of Provence was one of those things…” - Capets and Carolingians: A Brief History of France



Also, it's voting time again! The Flanders War still hasn't happened yet, but events created interesting scenarios, so here are the new options! Voting ends on September 17.

Here are your options:
Wait for an in-game claim and attack Flanders, hoping to get a claim to the duchy.
Try to change the succession so that my realm isn't shattered when Count Herbert dies. Attack Flanders after that's dealt with.
There are heretics near my realm! It is my holy duty to destroy them, root and stem!

 

[HistoryDude]

“To the glorious and mighty Count Herbert of Vermandois, Valois, and Reims,

I have made a great discovery that left me questioning all that I believed I knew, and so I traveled east, seeking enlightenment. I found out a terrible truth, and I knew that I must share it, especially with a man of a dynasty as esteemed as your own… but also with as many men as I could get to listen.

The teachings propagated by the man who proclaims himself a representative of an omnipotent deity are a lie. On my journeys to the east, I have discovered the true will of the creator of the universe. He does not desire that we mindlessly serve him and obey the arbitrary whims of his representative on Earth. Instead, he desires that we search for knowledge and truth in order to escape this sinful and material world…

Should you acknowledge this truth, you will gain much. You will gain freedom from the man who dares claim divine backing for his temporal interests. His Church has already wronged your house by giving away its throne. Together, we could right that wrong and restore your renowned dynasty to the throne of France… and, in time, to the imperial throne. We can make an empire that is truly holy. We can bring peace to the whole earth…

Should you reject the authority of the Pope, I shall ally with you in defense of the true faith…

Sincerely,
Duke Bertrand of Provence”

“Dear my friend and ally, Count Renaud of Clermont,

I have attached a fascinating letter from the Duke of Provence. For the most part, he appears to have embraced heresy of some kind, but he makes a decent point about the overwhelming power of the clergy in our lands. In addition, his alliance offer is tempting… but surely the Lord would have spoken to me if I was not honoring him correctly?

What do you suggest I do? What would you do? I do not wish to unnecessarily make enemies… especially given how many enemies I have made in recent years.

Love,
Count Herbert of the Tripartite Counties”

“Dear my friend Count Herbert,

Duke Bertrand has sent me a similar letter, and my current plan is to ask for more information about his new… “discoveries”. His letter was vague and does not contain enough information to help me determine the truth. I suggest that you do the same.
As for your concern about divinity… we both know that the ways of the creator are mysterious. Were you not the man who denied his interest in earthly affairs? It is possible that our new acquaintance is correct in his beliefs. He is certainly convinced by them.

If we determine that he is not, though… our rejection should be vague and inconclusive. We should give him hope that we will change our minds and avoid attacking him without just cause. If we do that, he shall not be inclined to make us enemies… especially given how many foes he shall surely make with such… strange declarations.

Love,
Count Renaud of Clermont” - Letters Concerning the Mandaeans




Thus do the heretics enter our tale. The vote continues, so you can have them attacked. As a reminder, here were the options:

A. Wait for an in-game claim and attack Flanders, hoping to get a claim on the duchy
B. Try to change the succession to ensure that my realm isn't shattered after Count Herbert dies. Attack Flanders after.
C. There are heretics near my realm (the Mandaeans)! It is my holy duty to destroy them!

At the moment, we have a vote in favor of Option B and a vote in favor of Option A.

 

[HistoryDude]

“And the great and pious duke of Provence sent out letters detailing his revelation to the princes of the world, hoping to bring spiritual wisdom to them. And yet the rulers were deceived by Ruha and Ptahil and did not wish to acknowledge the truth. They preferred to believe in a cruel god who hated them. They were comforted by the thought of knowing that their enemies would be tormented… They were cruel men.

Even so, two of their number were touched by the Truth and wrote back to the enlightened Duke of Provence. They expressed interest in the true word of the divine. Immediately, the wise duke saw that they were not free from the evil that permeated men’s hearts. He saw that they had temporal reasons to wish to know the great spiritual Truth, but he knew that such ephemeral concerns could lead men to the true deity. Thus did he send out a response to the two counts, inviting them to meet with him in Provence to discuss that which had been revealed to him…

The two counts demurred, insisting that they had responsibilities in their own counties. Instead, they proposed communicating by correspondence alone. At this, the duke’s heart was filled with terror, for he knew that preaching heresy would earn him an execution, especially in the empire that the deluded princes dared called holy. He began to write down a refusal, but his quill ceased to work.

He looked up and saw a being of such intense and holy light that he was forced to look away. The being told him to agree to the proposal of the two counts ‘for the greater glory of the divine’. Recognizing a divine order when he received one, the holy duke agreed. His quill wrote an agreement and a short explanation of the Truth of the Light, and he told his messengers to deliver it to Vermandois and Clermont.

His messengers walked through the Kingdom of France with the letters, but no man dared approach them. They reached their destinations without difficulty, and the Truth was revealed to the two temporal rulers who would listen.
Neither immediately converted, but the topic remained on both of their minds… and neither denounced the messengers or the duke as heretics.

Divine messengers flew to Count Renaud, but they saw the evil in Count Herbert’s heart and decided that he would be unwilling to accept the glorious Truth. Thus were the ambitious and worldly Carolingians put at odds with the pious men of Provence.

Count Renaud, for his part, read the tales that the duke sent him and attempted to make an informed decision. One visit wasn’t enough to convert him… but it did make him more amenable to dealing with the enlightened men of Provence.” - The Provencal Epistles

“At the beginning of the 11th century, the Catholic Church was perhaps the most powerful institution in all of Europe. Kings and emperors answered to it, and an excommunication was feared from Ireland to Sicily and from Hispania to Poland. By the end of the 16th century, the Catholic Church was a relic. Its spiritual power was a far cry from what it had been at its height, and its temporal power was nonexistent. This book seeks to answer why the Church fell so far in those five centuries.

Many scholars insist that the Greek Schism was the first sign of the Church’s decline, but this is far from certain. The Greek and Latin Rites had been separating for centuries beforehand, and the Schism only finalized a divide that already existed.

In addition, of the two churches that emerged from the Schism, the western Church was doubtless the more influential. The Orthodox Church only existed in the Greek Empire and the small and fractured states of the Rus. By contrast, the Catholic Church proper held influence across the rest of Christendom. The Holy Roman Emperors were reliant on them for coronations, and the dynasties of Europe courted their favor.

No, the Greek Schism didn’t mark the first fracture in the Church’s dominance. That honor goes to the Provencal Conversion.” - Against the Pope: A Brief History of the Decline of the Catholic Church


A/N: Just a few looks at how the Provencal heretics will see these events - and some foreshadowing.

 

[HistoryDude]

“As Provence fell into the clutches of heresy, Count Herbert made alliances with other great dynasties. The Carolingians had fallen far from their height, but some of their prestige remained, and many houses wanted to claim that. The Count of Vermandois had no trouble finding willing suitors for his relatives.

The problem was that the list of potential allied houses was very long, and Count Herbert’s list of relatives was very short. He needed to choose which powers would make the best allies - both inside France and in Europe as a whole.

In addition, he needed to ensure that his new allies didn’t have conflicts of interest - or even potential conflicts of interest. That immediately eliminated the Capetians and the Salians (who ruled the Holy Roman Empire at this time). However, it also eliminated many more minor French dukes, as Count Herbert knew that he would need to build up a powerbase within France before he could successfully seize the kingdom.

That still left the vast majority of Italian and German royalty as possible marriage partners. In the end, Count Herbert betrothed his son, Eudes, to a de Hauteville. This move made strategic sense - it would give Vermandois an ally in Italy, which would prove useful in any potential war with the Holy Roman Empire.

Count Herbert’s other marriage didn’t make any sense at all at a glance. The man married another of his sons, Pierre, to a Welsh noblewoman. This move granted Vermandois an alliance with a small Welsh kingdom, but that wasn’t worth much. The Welsh were a divided people who lacked a unified kingdom, and England (currently in personal union with Norway) and Scotland were far more powerful nations on the British Isles at the time. A royal marriage with one of them might’ve made more sense, although marrying into British royalty at all was a strange move. On the other hand, one of Count Herbert’s mercenary captains was an exiled Anglo-Saxon… and Count Herbert was ambitious enough to take even the thinnest of pretexts to expand his power. Assuming that a Carolingian invasion of England was part of Herbert’s plans, the marriage suddenly makes perfect strategic sense, especially given the instability in that kingdom.

Regardless, the conquest of Reims clearly increased Carolingian prestige enough to allow them to marry the great leaders of the time for diplomatic reasons. It was a sign that, perhaps, the other royal families of Europe no longer viewed the Carolingians as a pitiful house clinging to past glories instead of doing anything to recover them.” - Diplomacy and Royal Marriage

“The Conquest of Reims also indicated that Count Herbert’s power within France was growing. Indeed, it had grown so much that King Philippe of the Capetians saw the need to grant his dynastic rival a seat on the Royal Council. After all, potential enemies had to be… monitored.

Interestingly enough, though, the position that the Count of Vermandois was given was spymaster… which granted him a lot of influence. It also entrusted the safety of the royal court to him. Presumably, King Philippe hoped to catch him in the act of betraying his kingdom, which would enable him to remove the last remnants of the old dynasty from his realm. If so, that plan backfired horribly. After all, the easiest way to destroy a country… is from within.” - Capets and Carolingians, A Brief History of France

 

[HistoryDude]

“Shortly after the end of the war for Reims, a man approached Count Herbert with a proposal. He wanted the many nobles of the new domain to meet and prepare for fighting together. Count Herbert considered the proposal and decided that it had merit… although his decision was almost certainly influenced by the fact that the man who had approached him was in fact one of his most influential vassals, Mayor Baudouin of Chatillon.

After the army had time to assemble and a bit of discussion, Count Herbert agreed that their war game would be a siege. He figured that being able to take castles was more important than being able to win pitched battles. Also, he wanted to prove that Vermandois wasn’t in any danger of falling during a war…

Perhaps sensing his pride, Mayor Baudouin suggested that Count Herbert be placed in charge of the attackers. He figured that this setup would place his liege out of his comfort zone and force him to adapt. His worry was that the Carolingian was to set in his ways and would fail if placed in unfamiliar circumstances.” - The Secret Life of Count Herbert

“I was gathered with my designated soldiers, including the Mayor of Chatillon. I was annoyed at being placed with the attackers, of course - I thought that his castle would be difficult to take, and proving that to those who doubted was part of the point of this exercise. Nevertheless, I decided to try to do so anyway - a successful attack would prove my tactical mettle and expose potential weaknesses in the defenses, while a failed one would show how defended my capital was. I couldn’t really lose, given the circumstances. That was one of the upsides of being put on the spot by a vassal… although the mayor definitely needed to learn loyalty and proper deference.

Anyway, I decided to begin recklessly. I ordered a charge at the castle walls, and most of my soldiers obeyed. In the war game, this move went poorly. Many of my men were ‘knocked out’ - eliminated from consideration. That left my army depleted, but it did show that Saint Quentin was not particularly susceptible to a direct attack.

I also fought well, leading from the front and proving that I could be a leader who held firm and didn’t flee easily. I’m not sure how much I will translate this into a battle situation - I am the hope of Carolingian restoration, and I don’t want to leave my realm to my children too early. On the other hand, leading soldiers in a charge was exhilarating, even without the possibility of death. I want to feel that thrill again… especially if I can find a way to separate it from the risk that was present when I got ambushed…

Regardless, I hoped that my reckless move also increased the arrogance of the defenders, making them more proud and less inclined to consider my next moves. I’m not sure how much this strategy succeeded, honestly. My next attack was initially far more successful, even reaching the stairs of the castle, where I ordered everyone to charge once more and all at once. I hoped that they would be overwhelmed by our sheer numbers, but my troops proved their bravery. As long as that carries over into a battle setting, I think my family’s territory will be defended very well.

Even so, I had to make another attempt to take control of the castle. I ordered the archers into position, figuring that the extra pressure would aid my attack. It did, but the brave defenders of my castle held firm.

I lost the war game, but that just proves that my castle will be defended well when a war next breaks out…” - The Court Records of Vermandois

 

[HistoryDude]

“And yet, for all his greatness, the wicked forces of this Dark World were too powerful to be overcome. They conspired to kill the pious duke, and they had succeeded. His son, who shared his name, was still deluded. He attacked the pious believers loyal to the Truth, hoping to undo his father’s revelation.

Thankfully, that revelation could not be undone. The old duke had known about his son’s delusion and worked to counteract it. He had revealed the Truth to the men who swore him allegiance, and they had known that he was correct. Despite everything, the taint of the corrupt material world only briefly brushed our duchy.

Indeed, the devoutness of the enlightened duke was so great that his messengers swayed their neighbors in France, even despite the great wars that his emperor initiated against that people. Our neighbors acknowledged our Truth, and I saw that it was good.

We had lost a great and pious man, but our faith remained powerful. We knew that we had managed to save some men, and that was enough. We did not need the support of a prince of this world.” - The Provencal Epistles

“The triumphant return of Catholicism to the throne in Provence might have averted the decline of the Church, had other men led that faith. Unfortunately for the Catholics, the Mandaeans remained powerful in the realm that they had once ruled, and their faith had spread widely on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They could still command influence.

Even so, their destruction might have been achieved if any man had been willing to attack the men that they deemed heretics. None of them were. Even the prince-bishops that had abandoned their faith were not punished in the slightest by anything except, perhaps, their own guilt. No holy wars were launched. The precedent was set.

Everyone knew that. Depending on who you ask, Count Herbert of Vermandois might have been inspired to write his Secret Testament by this de facto toleration of heresy. Many call that text a forgery, of course, but the point remains. Even if it is, his descendants would never have grown so bold as to begin forging such texts if there was some indication that they would be stopped. There was none.

It was that, more than anything else, that ensured the Catholic Church’s end. No one could’ve known that at the time, but, in hindsight, it is easy to pinpoint. The Church died as soon as it lost the Carolingians' loyalty and allowed them to gain power.” - Against the Pope: A Brief History of the Decline of the Catholic Church

“This text is the revelations and beliefs of the Almighty God to Herbert, acknowledged only as Count of Vermandois, Reims, and Valois, but truly the rightful King of all the Franks and Emperor of the Romans, Hallowed Be His Name… “ - Dedication of the Secret Testament of Count Herbert of Vermandois



A/N: The Duke of Provence is Catholic again. As noted, though, that doesn't mean much - his provinces and his vassals remain Mandaeans, and the heresy has even spread westward, into the lands of the Dukes of Tolouse...

My tiebreaker vote is for Option A. Flanders will face our might in battle... as soon as I can be sure that facing them isn't suicide. That leadup will be fun (it is a tale of intrigue, assassinations, and alliances...)

 

[HistoryDude]

“Count Herbert, naturally, used his new position of spymaster for the Kingdom of France to his personal advantage. His first act was to send agents to the Flemish court, hoping to gain leverage over Duke Boudewijn V. He failed to find anything that would justify an immediate invasion, but he did discover a useful piece of information.

That was the fact that the Duke of Flanders was allied with Duke Guilhelm VIII of Aquitaine. This changed Count Herbert’s calculations for his war against Flanders. He had been confident that he could defeat the army of Flanders alone, but he was much less confident that he could defeat a combined army of Flanders and Aquitaine, both of which were large and important duchies in France.

In order to deal with his new knowledge about this alliance, he decided to make more allies of his own. His existing allies were located on the British Isles and in southern Italy. Neither would be able to provide much immediate aid in the event of war. He needed allies closer to his own territory. He knew what his first move was going to be - finalizing the alliance with his neighbor and friend, Count Renaud of Clermont.

The problem was that he wanted the alliance finalized with a marriage, and no members of Count Renaud’s family were unmarried. Count Herbert quickly decided that this issue was a surmountable problem. All he needed to do was make one of his friend’s relatives unmarried - and he knew exactly who. He began to plot to kill the wife of Count Renaud’s heir, Hugh… so he could marry one of his daughters to him. That began one of the most famous schemes in the history of France…” - Capets and Carolingians: A History of France

“To the venerable Count Herbert of the Tripartite Counties,

I have heard of your scheme to murder my daughter-in-law. I know why you wish to do this terrible deed… and I approve. Your house would provide a far better wife for my son than the lowborn blood of his current wife. In truth, I do not suspect that my husband would have many issues with it either, although he would never admit as much.

I would like to meet with you to discuss potential actions that we may take to… hasten our official alliance. My husband wishes to discuss the recent wars in our kingdom, and we can meet then, should you approve his proposal. You would need to create some excuse, of course, but I trust that such an act would not be too difficult for a masterful schemer such as yourself.
I will give you a word of caution, however. I have tried to do this deed before. I have used poisoned wine and secret assassins in the night. None of these tactics have worked. My attempts to do this deed have failed. I hope that yours do not.

Countess Ermengard of Clermont” - An Epistulary History of France

“The scheme to assassinate Hugh of Clermont’s wife gained a supporter almost as soon as Count Herbert began it. How the Countess of Clermont discovered the plot remains unknown to this day, but she immediately began to aid it… to her own later undoing.” - Capets and Carolingians: A Short History of France

 

[HistoryDude]

“In his castle at Saint-Quentin, Count Herbert considered the letter from his friend’s wife. It appeared to contain excellent news - a potential co-conspirator in Clermont itself would be useful. Even so, the Carolingian was suspicious. What if this was a trap? What if the Countess of Clermont truly loved her daughter-in-law and merely wished to incriminate him? What if she didn’t care about the potential target but simply disliked him and wanted to break his unofficial agreement with his friend?

It was such thoughts that guided the letter he sent in response. In that, he chose his words carefully - neither confirming nor denying that he had a scheme but instead speaking of the benefits a more binding alliance would bring to both their realms. It was a delicate dance - he could not be too clear that his murder scheme existed, but he also couldn’t outright deny the countess’s aid.

His letter to Count Renaud himself was rather more straightforward. It simply accepted the meeting request. Even if Countess Ermengard was lying or attempting to trap him, a discussion on how his… diplomatic arrangement… with his old friend would continue was worth having. After all, when they had made the agreement, they had been almost equals. Now, Count Herbert had a position on the royal court and had tripled his domain. He figured that he needed to make a few concessions to his friend.

Despite the diplomatic concerns, Count Herbert’s focus was on his plot and Countess Ermengard. That was why he thought a bit more about the actual content of his potential co-conspirator’s message, and he noticed some of the stranger details contained within it. Assuming that she was being truthful, there must be a reason why the ordinary tactics of assassination failed. Mayhaps it was simple paranoia, but Count Herbert had a strange feeling that it was more than that.

He decided to think about it more once he got a response, but his dreams did not allow him this wish. They reflected his fears. In them, he saw a thousand explanations for his target’s survival. They ranged from mundane paranoia (by any number of people) to a secret order of assassins protecting her to divine protection of innocence. He saw himself getting stabbed by a thousand distinct and hooded assailants. He saw himself being smote by the lightning of divine wrath. He saw many different ways that this scheme could go wrong.

When he awoke, he remembered his dreams, but, in the waking world, the fear that they caused was outweighed by the benefit that a successful assassination would bring. Even so, dreams of failure continued to haunt him. Under the sunlight, he refused to speak a word of them to anyone. His conscience haunted him, all the same.

Countess Ermengarde’s reply came during a beautiful summer day. The sun illuminated his castle, and birds chirped and sang beautiful songs. Count Herbert took this timing as a positive sign - indeed, as a sign of divine favor for his plan. The message itself was vaguely coded, of course, but it elaborated on why she was willing to do such a terrible deed. The information given was extraordinarily vague, of course, but it was enough to earn Count Herbert’s trust.

Thankfully, Count Renaud’s letter had arrived alongside his wife’s, and it confirmed the place and time of their meeting. Using this new knowledge, Count Herbert began to finalize his plan…” - The Assassination That Built An Empire

 

[HistoryDude]

“The Meeting at Clermont is shrouded in mystery. What was discussed in the building that would later become known as the Castle of Betrayal remains unknown to this day, though that hasn’t stopped historians, dramatists, and novelists from trying to imagine it.

What is known is simple. Count Herbert of the Tripartite Counties met with Count Renaud of Clermont and his wife, Countess Ermengard. He attended at least two separate meetings - one with Renaud over the status of their alliance and one with Ermengard of their scheme to assassinate the heir’s wife.

The results of the meeting with Count Renaud are less obscured. One imagines that this is because it didn’t have the potential to cast the Carolingian Dynasty in a bad light. Regardless, that meeting contained much negotiation and featured Renaud complaining about how he had not seen substantial dividends from the alliance, whereas Count Herbert had gained substantial amounts of land.

The eventual result was interesting. Count Herbert agreed to pay his friend some of the gold, but he also promised his friend that he or his descendants would be, at the very least, dukes in a Carolingian France. The count also agreed to use his new position as spymaster of France to gain blackmail for his friend.” - Capets and Carolingians: A Brief History of France

“One of the most important and yet obscure events in all of history was a betrayal in spirit if not in theory. That would be the Assassination in Clermont, which was actually a double betrayal - it was a betrayal of a friend and a betrayal of a husband.

The scheme began over letters, but the two main participants soon spoke with each other in person at the Meeting at Clermont. That was an egregious betrayal - not merely of Count Renaud but also of the alleged purpose of the meeting, which was to catch up with old friends.

What went on behind closed doors in that accursed castle will forever be unknown, but we can be certain it wasn’t pure. It was definitely a betrayal.

However, there weren’t many initial dividends to this underhanded scheming. The target of the assassination plot remained alive, and the initial agents were caught soon enough. In an ideal world, it would’ve ended there - they would’ve talked.

Unfortunately, this is not an ideal world. The agents refused to give up their employers, and Count Renaud refused to press the issue. According to the traditional narrative, he upped his daughter-in-law’s security but did nothing else.

Some accounts disagree and insist that Count Renaud of Clermont did get confessions under torture. These accounts say that he refused to believe these confessions, as he trusted his wife and his friend. Apparently, he believed that the agents served a foreign ruler or a rival French noble and were trying to frame his current allies and reduce his support. Of course, it is equally possible that this was also true - Count Herbert of the Tripartite Counties and Countess Ermengard of Clermont were hardly the only people on the planet who wanted Count Renaud’s daughter-in-law dead.” - Thirty Pieces of Silver: A History of Betrayal

 

[HistoryDude]

My apologies about the hiatus. It's been a busy week. In the meantime, let's jump a bit into the future...

“After the finalization of the alliance with Clermont, Count Herbert decided to wait on declaring war on Flanders. Instead, he moved to conquer Count Raoul’s last county, Amiens, in order to gain a border with Flanders. Once war was declared in early 1078, he sent a message to Count Renaud asking for military aid, which was agreed to.

The war itself was short, and the outcome was never in doubt. The only battle was fought just outside of the city of Amiens itself in May 1078, and it ended with a decisive victory for the alliance between Count Herbert and Count Renaud. A siege wasn’t even necessary because Count Renaud captured Count Raoul and forced him to surrender his last territory.

As Amiens fell, King Philippe watched. He refused to intervene and enforce peace. For centuries, historians have debated why. Perhaps he feared the power of the dukes in his realm and wanted a counterbalance to them. Perhaps he respected Count Herbert, especially given their future relationship. Perhaps he saw the conflict as too petty to be worth his attention. Whatever the case, he did nothing, and the Carolingians inched closer to reclaiming their former glory.” - Capets and Carolingians: A Brief History of France

“The fall of Amiens had repercussions far beyond that small city. Count Raoul was allied with a son of Duke Thibault of Champagne whose name is lost to history. What is known is that he was the Count of Blois and led his army to oppose the Carolingians outside of Amiens’s walls. His force was destroyed along with Count Raoul’s, and he only barely escaped.

Unfortunately, his family did not. His wife and daughter were captured by Count Herbert, who imprisoned them along with a few other courtiers. The Count of Blois soon realized this and sent a ransom offer to the Count of Vermandois, offering large sums of gold in exchange for the release of his family.

This move proved to be a mistake. It informed Count Herbert that he had valuable prisoners that he could use as bargaining chips. Furthermore, it let slip that the Count of Blois was the heir to the Duchy of Champagne. That gave Count Herbert an idea on how to increase his dynasty’s power. It was one of the most immoral plans ever made. It also worked better than anyone involved could ever have hoped… for the Carolingians. For the rulers of Champagne, it became the worst tragedy they ever experienced.

The plan relied on the fact that his daughter, Perinne, was very young and unbetrothed. She also remained a prisoner. Count Herbert offered to give her freedom in exchange for a favor, and she agreed. Soon after, the head of the Carolingian house offered to transmute her mother’s sentence to house arrest if she agreed to betroth Perinne to his son and heir, Prince Eudes…

After securing her agreement, he invoked the favor she owed him to get her to approve her own marriage. He then sent a letter to the Count of Blois telling him of these events and making it clear that he would never get any of his family back unless he agreed. Reluctantly, the man agreed to countenance the betrothal. Thus were the seeds of the Great Champagne Disaster planted.” - Butterflies of Doom: Small Events that Caused Great Destruction