Crossroads of Fate

[Jossar]

Chapter 5, Part I - Never Go In Against A Sicilian When Death Is On The Line

The first official act of Prince Sergios was to note that despite all of his efforts, the Sheik of Palermo had only increased his strength, to the point where he was now regarded as the unquestioned Muslim Lord of Sicily. To counteract this, Sergios sent a note to the Count of Reggio: arguing that because of Sergios' claims, the Prince ought to be the unquestioned Christian Lord of Sicily. In short, telling the Count to pack up his things and surrender his claim to Messina. Of course, this was politely refused. A Royal Post is completed in Salerno, the project of the former Count of Salerno. Sergios takes note of its improvement in communications efficiency, and decides to copy the design for use in several other provinces.

Kosmas becomes old enough for a formal education. However, seeing as he has no military talent whatsoever, he is kept at court in the hopes that he will develop proficiency in some other skill. Konstantinios sends his father a letter asking why people die, no doubt influenced by what he has already done in the army at a very young age. Writing back from experience that he too obtained in blood, the Prince tells his son that sometimes people need to die in order for God's will to be done. Of course, Konstantinios takes this a bit too literally, and starts believing in full out predestination, arguing that he doesn't have to hide what he plans on doing because his acts are either divinely sanctioned or won't happen anyway. In December, Sergios begins construction on a Royal Post in Siracusa.

Events then take a turn of parallel prosperity and tragedy: By the end of the month, the Byzantine Empire has finally achieved peace, although it has lost most of its Anatolian provinces in doing so. In January, the Trapani Quarry Method spreads to Capua, but the royal family is too busy mourning to notice, as Sergios' youngest son Nikephoros catches a cold and dies without warning.

Nikephoros (the marshal that is, not the deceased infant) complains that he has nothing to do in a time of peace. Sergios responds to this complaint by telling the Marshal that he is now responsible for overseeing the construction of a Royal Post in Napoli. Unsure of whether he has just been insulted or granted his wish, Nikephoros leaves to fulfill the order.

Over a year has passed since the revolts in Capua have ended, but several people wish they were still in existence: to compensate for the loss of their power and wealth after the people of Capua gave in to Sergios' general demands, the former rebel leaders form a thieves guild in the midst of the province's largest city. This spreads to Trapani, and Sergios begins construction on another Royal Post there to try and restore order. Nevertheless, the daily tasks of running a Principality have worn him down, leaving the Prince very depressed.

Around Christmas time, an old beggar woman manages to slip past the palace guards and sneak into the Princess' isolated room. She asks for a bit of change, and Sophia personally gets out of bed despite her illness to retrieve some for the woman. In response to the Princess' generousity, the beggar woman blesses her, then promptly leaves the room. The following evening, much to the surprise of the royal doctors, the Princess is revealed to be in perfect health.

Showing good old fashioned entrepenurial spirit, the people of Salerno sell their excess manure to Napoli... unfortunately they discover that they ended up overestimating the total stockpile of manure in the county, leaving them ill-equipped for this year's harvest.

Sergios plays a game of chess with Diocese Bishop Georgios, but knowing that he has no chance of winning, moves the pieces around when the holy man isn't looking. The holy man notices, but all he says to the Prince is:

Sire... I know that you have a great deal of experience with knights in the field, but I am afraid that in chess they do not move straight.

This is met with laughter, the first to come from the Prince in several months.

As March approaches, Sergios tries to distract the people of Salerno from the imminent lousy harvest of this year by having them build a training field and adding men to the army. With less mouths to feed, it is hoped the harvest will be the same as it has always been, at least proportionally. In addition, to further give hope to the people of said province, designs for a castle are drawn up, to make it seem like the capital has a chance of moving there.

Sergios is gloomily sitting at his desk, working on plans for the state when he gets a very unlikely April Fools' Day surprise: His son Konstantinios, having heard about his father's condition, found his own way to request a leave of absence from the army, and came back home to cheer Dad up. The two catch up with each other: Sergios spends some quality time with his eldest son teaching him about life and what he will need to know as a member of the royal family, and by the time Konstantinios leaves, the Prince once again feels like he can look towards the future with hope. With both of the rulers in prime condition once again, the Prince and Princess go for a walk around the capital. Sophia becomes enamoured by a diamond necklace and asks Sergios to buy it: he agrees, but wishes he hadn't after looking at the price tag (it leaves the kingdom bankrupt once again, and is expensive enough that it is considered the first part of the Spartenos Crown Jewels).

Courtiers in Sergios' court argue that he should swear a vendetta against the Count of Bari and heir to Apulia, Roger Borsa de Hauteville, for his friendship with his brother and Sergios' mortal enemy Bohemond. The Prince refuses, although the incident relights the spark of vengeance in Sergios' heart towards Bohemond.

By August, the Royal Post in Siracusa is complete. The Seven Liberal Arts also spread to Capua during this time period, and a number of nobles agree to pay off the debt and then some in exchange for a library in Capua. Sergios agrees, and uses the leftover money to pay for the construction of a monestary in Siracusa. The only other event of the year comes in October, when Sergios' stepmother and the demesne's Spymistress is honored in recognition of her 12 long years of loyal service to the Principality, even after her husband died in the first year of marriage.

The Royal Post in Napoli finishes construction under the guidance of Marshal Nikephoros and work on a fishing wharf begins (albeit without his overseeing: the Marshal is a military man, and desires to remain such from now on). February continues with this blissful turn of events with the completion of a training ground in Salerno, Scalemail being introduced to Trapani from Naples instead of the other way around, and talented sculptors coming to Napoli and working for whoever can afford their commision. Of course, life wouldn't be life if things always went well, and Sophia falling ill once again proves this to be true. Nevertheless, Sergios goes on with construction of a sawmill in Salerno: although he does make a deal with the clergymen that he will grant them a portion of the mill's profits as a tithe if his wife shows signs of miraculous recovery.

Somehow, despite the illness, Sophia manages to become pregnant in May. People hope that the newborn won't be adversely affected by her mother's condition, but the decision is out of the hands of mortal men. In addition to this, an extended member of the Spartenos family dies, leaving the Prince vast estates in Salerno and Tarento: enough that Sergios can make a justifiable claim that he owns more of Tarento than its current Count does!

With royal authority pressing into the province, the thieves in Trapani are successfully driven out of their hiding places and hanged.

In Siracusa, people realize that because they hold an even more central position in the Mediterranean than the capital, going on annual sailing voyages to reap the area's wealth is just as profitable for them, if not moreso. While rummaging through various stockpiles of books, looking for something to sell in the first voyage, a Siracusan merchant happens upon a lost play of Aristophanes. He sells it to interested nobles on the mainland and makes a great deal of money. Of course, even if they didn't have the money, the nobles would probably have forced the merchant into giving the text to them, what with their "divinely appointed status" (which was a lie invented by Sergios to placate them. He then started to look for a way to better placate the clergy).

The Royal Post in Trapani is finished, but ironically enough, just announcing the construction of the thing was enough to get its job done. Work begins on a forestry to bring up revenue, although mainly because the spirit of construction has been in the air for a while, and no one wants to stop building at this point. As a part of their journey, sailors on the annual voyage from Siracusa pick up knowledge of Slinged Javelins from other parts of the principality and bring them home to their own soldiers. The year ends with the fishing wharf in Napoli finishing construction, and Sergios dusting off his old plans for a road network and setting them into motion.

"Miraculous Invention" is the watchword of January, as both Capua and Salerno develop military technologies within a day of each other (The shortsword and longspears respectively). Optimists claim this is the beginning of another Year of Discovery. Cynics start to put on their boots in anticipation of the next war.

A healthy baby girl is born to the royal couple (who name her Eirene), with no complications involved in the birth itself. Even more fortunately and astoundingly, the same beggar woman from 3 years ago returns to heal Sophia of her illness again. She is given a generous amount of gold.

In April, a war begins, but surprisingly Sergios is not involved: The Sheikdom of Palermo and the Duke of Apulia both declare war on the Republic of Pisa. In other news, Siracusa's economic prosperity has attracted clever thieves who extort a large amount of money from the city's merchants. The monks at the local monestary tries to discourage this behavior, but only manage to succeed in very small ways.

Arnoldo Trovato, a master of intrigue from Salerno, offers to teach his trade to Kosmas. Sergios nearly accepts, until he sees the pricetag. At that point, the Prince then proceeded to personally remove the man from his court, calling him an Italian thief the entire time. It is at this point that Sergios realizes that he has been off the field of battle too long, and heads off to Sicily, calling for troops in Siracusa and Trapani to join him in grabbing the lands of the Sheik of Palermo while he was busy in Piombino. Nobles on the mainland had no idea what was going on, and frankly didn't care: the library that they had pestered Sergios months ago had finally been completed! Furthermore, the sawmill in Salerno and forestry in Trapani were going to provide them with interesting business opportunities as well, so in their minds, the Prince had the leeway to do whatever he wanted.
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Over the next few months, Sergios conducted a lightning campaign, sweeping Sicily from top to bottom: Despite having to sell a fishing wharf in Siracusa to fund the campaign, the Prince was successful in ensuring that when the Sheik of Palermo returned home to break the sieges, there was no Sheikdom for him to come home to, only territories belonging to Salerno.

Of course, the Sheik did note that the extended road network that he had ordered was everything that he had hoped it to be and more: bringing the scalemail armour that had allowed his enemies to remain safe to his former capital, bringing the battering rams that had allowed his enemies success to another one of their cities (probably in the West of Sicily). And in the distance he could see construction beginning on a Royal Post that would signify Sergios' domination over the land for all time...

And he wept.
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OOC Note: I've finally figured out Sergios' personality: Underneath it all, he wants to be a nice guy who does the right thing... unfortunately years of experience seem to have proven that he can only get things done when A - He acts like a cold manipulative tyrant to ensure economic prosperity or B - He flips out, and while in the grasp of madness, goes off a-conquering. So much so that now he's acting like a tyrant by default and now only appears to be a decent human being to his close friends and family. Kind of sad if you think about it, and he still has at least another 9 years of this to deal with, plus however long he lives afterwards.

 

[JDMS]

So you've conquered all of Sicily?

 

[Jossar]

As of this point in the story, Sergios has conquered enough of Sicily to proclaim himself Duke of Sicily, which is what the next part of the update starts with. By the point where I am in the real game, he controls all of Sicily except Malta (Which in one sense shouldn't count because it's a seperate island, but on the other hand was historically conquered by the Normans as a part of their Sicilian campaign. I just didn't want to mess with the Zirids at this point over such a dirt poor province).
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Chapter 5, Part II - The Neverending Stuggle

On April 2, 1081, Sergios was officially recognized by all the world as the Prince of Sicily. However unlike many of his other events, there was no lavish spectacle: the Prince had already proclaimed it so, it just happened to be that he was only taken seriously after he had defeated the last major Muslim power on the island.

A Royal Post in Agrigento is completed. Oddly enough no one, not even the previous Sheik, had ordered its construction. Sergios chalked it up to divine providence blessing Salerno, just as it had allowed his wife to concieve once again. Of course, when the harvest in Napoli turns out to be poor due to low quality seeds, Sergios realizes that maybe he has been bragging too much, and tries to get back into God's good graces by granting the clergy parcels of land.

In July, Sergios finally gets around to replacing the fishing wharf in Siracusa that was sold off to pay for his Palermo campaign. The advancement of scalemail continues its inexorable march across the island as it reaches Agrigento, and as the month turns, field efficiency is increased in Salerno and Capua.

The people of Napoli desire a library, complaining to the Prince that the capital should have facilities at least equal to those of the surrounding provinces. Sergios agrees, but begins casting his eye towards finding a grander province to serve as his capital, perhaps Palermo (which seems to have grown quite well under Salerno's guidance).

Supported by the Napoli trade guild, a bank begins construction in Siracusa, to take advantage of all of the new merchantile opportunities there. Sergios considers putting his foot down, but the burghers point out that it will make money for the Prince as well, and Sergios reluctantly agrees. The burghers somehow manage to sneak in permission to build a guild-controlled tile factory into the deal as well, leaving Sergios worried that he might have just restarted the development of a powerful middle class (which had stopped after Sergios began supporting noble enterprises more heavily in their place, but then that methodology had to be realtered to avoid another mess like the Salt Refinery Monopoly, leaving the burghers room to slowly rebuild their influence up until this point). His fears are justified when they begin putting up a bank in Capua, although they keep trying to compensate with gifts, such as outfitting all of the royal Capuan regiments with scalemail.

The Count of Belgrade tries to convince Sergios to be just like him in supporting the Emperor. Sergios sees what the man has failed to accomplish, and worriedly states that he isn't like the Count: he only meant to swear loyalty to the previous Emperor, not Basileios.

Terrain that allows for more effective counterattacks against besiegers, or Offensive Terrain, spreads to Napoli. In addition, a baby girl is born to the royal family, and she is given the name Pulcheria. Finally for the month of March, Sergios orders work to begin on a road network in Salerno, hoping to progress in his younger dream of uniting all of his demesne's territories by roads.

Something... odd happens in May: After the reopening of the Siracusan fishing wharf, Diocese Bishop Katrares turned to Sergios and announced that his work in Salerno was done, and that he was needed elsewhere. All attempts at convincing the holy man to stay were unsuccessful, and one night while everyone in the palace was sleeping, he got up, left, and was never heard from again (At least no one in Salerno ever heard from him again - a letter from this time period seems to indicate that he might have gone off to preach Orthodox Christianity in Saluces for his own odd reasons). In an attempt to honor the man, Sergios declared that the road network that was to be constructed in Siracusa would forever be known as the Path of the Wandering Bishop.

The nobles of Salerno, wanting to prove that they are just as good as those in Napoli, proclaim themselves to also be divinely appointed above their peasants. They then try to give a show of generousity by introducing advanced handaxes to the people of Capua and sponsoring the construction of a school in Palermo (following the completion of the Royal Post there). The nobles in Napoli have no idea why their bretheren in Salerno are so worked up, and continue to ignore them as usual.

Peasant farmers in Napoli figure out how to better contain and establish long term care for animals. Having done so, the leaders of the community ask Sergios to provide them with the money to buy enough goats to get things started for the new year. Seeing as the peasants are the only group of people who haven't bothered him in a very long time, Sergios agrees to this request. A battering ram decorated with Islamic prayers is wheeled to Agrigento as a very non-literal, belated present for Eid al-Adha from the only other Muslim city left in the Principality, Palermo (you see, Sergios wouldn't allow them to send animals across the island for an Islamic holiday, the meat of a sacrificed animal would go bad after several days, and just sending the money would likely result in highway robbery: So the people in Palermo decided to pay out of their own pockets for something that could be easily transported across the island, wouldn't be attacked, and could be sold to the local branch of the royal army for enough money to buy sheep for the community).

The following spring, construction on a tile factory finishes in Trapani, only for work to begin immediately thereafter. The library in Napoli is completed, and is frequented by Kosmas, who begins to quote outrageously chauvinistic sayings from ancient sources. Worried that his sons are wasting their education on disturbing lines of thought, Sergios retrieves both his sons and pronounces them Counts under his authority (With Konstantinios recieving Agrigento and Kosmas recieving Capua). He then tells the new Counts that they have the authority to do whatever they want with their provinces, but that the boys will be best served by trying to actually make the land productive. Only time will tell how wise this decision was...

Road networks in Siracusa and Salerno are completed, with a training ground in Napoli set up to ensure that the foundation of the royal army will continue to have the best soldiers in the army. Along these lines, the army there is also provided with a supply of longbows.

November 25, 1083 - After many long years of service, Chancellor Zoe Balantes dies peacefully in bed. She is difficult to replace, but Sergios attempts to do so by appointing a Greek refugee named Anastasios Assen as the new chancellor.

The following month, the Pope pronounces a glorious Crusade to liberate the holy city of Burgos! Unfortunately for him, all of the monarchs of Europe are too self-involved to answer his call, leaving things up to the rulers who already have a stake in the region. Speaking of glory, Sergios goes on a hunting trip with the nearby Count of Benvento, and tries to overshadow the Count in an attempt to gain respect as befits his princely status. He impresses the Count of Taranto, who wishes to seek the Prince's aid against Bohemond de Hauteville, but Sergios stubbornly refuses to assist, seeing as he has plans on Taranto as well.

Seeking once again to prove that they are equals in status to the people of Napoli, the peasants in Salerno begin to hold their own small fairs. The nobles promote the completion of the school that they sponsored in Palermo, although they are puzzled as to why the Prince is following up their efforts in that region with a Court of Justice. Their plight is overshadowed by royal concern over Spymistress Euphrosyne falling ill and royal sponsorship of a school that is to be built in Siracusa.

A nobleman in Trapani dies, leaving land that that is out in the middle of nowhere to the Principality. With nothing better to do with it, Sergios grants parcels of the land to noblemen in the surrounding area, who as a result have room for more peasants.

It seems that when the Napoli regiment was experimenting with longbows, they had no idea how to use them. This is revealed to be because they never had any experience with Shortbows, as odd as this may sound. Sergios swears that the weapon had been introduced in the capital, but the generals merely shrug their shoulders and say that they were never properly distributed to the army. The Prince smacks his forehead in frustration and tells the generals to try introducing their men to the concept of shortbows, and THEN moving up to the longbows. Fortunately, the people of Napoli are capable of understanding siege equipment, and reinvent ladders for use in climbing onto city walls. Sergios then sarcastically asks the army planners to double check that the men at least have swords, and if so to provide them with better ones. Upon recieving an incredibly long list which states the name of every member of the Neapolitan Royal Guard and confirms that each one has a sword, Sergios orders construction on a court of law so as to ensure that the bureaucrats will have something better to do with their time.

Salerno joins the list of provinces with battering rams. One can only wonder what all of these are going to be used for...

The Prince's youngest daughter, Pulcheria, is sent to be raised by the nannies. The people in Trapani learn how to make a bigger, better church, to compete with the designs for such a church in Capua.

Palermo is beset by thieves, smugglers, and highwaymen, who all believe that Sergios can not enforce his will on the city because he dwells in a palace on the mainland. This completely disrupts the Prince's plans for making the city his new capital, and he orders it sacked in an attempt to clear out the ruffians. When that doesn't work, Sergios begins to look for other options, allowing bankers to have their way in Trapani in an attempt to bring the city up to what Palermo once was.

In April, Spymistress Euphrosyne is miraculously cured. Doctors ask if she saw an old beggar woman before hand, but the spymistress denies such. However, she does claim to have heard an old man laughing outside her window in the middle of the night.

The Court of Justice in Palermo is completed, with the hope that it will bring some law and order into the region. It doesn't: the city recovers from the sacking in a month, but the criminality remains, so Sergios orders the city sacked again. He even orders the people in Siracusa to begin setting up housing for religious soldiers so that he can try and convert the city to Christianity as he rids it of its undesirable elements.

Oddly enough, despite being older, Eirene matured slower than Pulcheria and only now is considered ready to be sent to the nannies. Somehow, despite all of the lootings, traders still manage to spread the Trapani Quarry Method to Palermo. More battering rams are brought to the city in an attempt to threaten the people of Palermo into giving up their criminal ways. Construction finishes construction on a court of justice in Napoli, where it isn't really needed.

Eventually, Sergios realizes that force just isn't working: Palermo has been sacked two times, has had the army deployed, and is still a wretched hive of scum and villainy. With all of this in mind, Sergios agrees to stop attacking the city and use economic means of winning over the criminals in Palermo, building a forestry so as to improve the general wealth of the area.

Eirene, having spent only a short amount of time with the nannies, is sent to a convent in Salerno. Of course, having grown up in Napoli she has heard of all the church designs around the Empire, which she recounts to interested parties.

By this point, the trade guild wants a bank of their own in Napoli, and Sergios is willing to listen to their demands, considering that more money in the hands of the royal family is always a good thing. This coincides with the completion of the bank in Trapani and development of a road network there, Palermo returning to relative normality, and scalemail finally making it across the island to Siracusa. Things are looking up. Even more good news comes in november when Annual Sailing voyages start occurring in Trapani and one of the three criminal institutions in Palermo is broken up.

On the Feast of Theophany, merchants can be seen selling their wares publicly in the middle of church squares in Napoli. Sergios decides that the burghers have gone too far and forces them to leave. Fortunately, they agree to do so without incident after a bit of grumbling and complaining. Further showing his support of the Church, Sergios later demands that the merchants make up for this event by paying for the construction of a monestary in Palermo. This also passes without incident, although one's opinion on this can vary considering that the entirety of the royal guard was with Sergios when he made this demand.

By showing his willingness to intervene in events as necessary for the good of Salerno, the people of the principality become a little more content under Sergios' rule. Sergios completely contradicts this new stability by claiming that Roger Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, has one foot in the grave and that the territory of Apulia should belong to him. People in Trapani prepare for this by acquiring longbows for their army.

 

[Jossar]

Chapter 5, Part III - Rex Sicilia

Pulcheria is sent off to the same convent as her sister, partially because she's old enough, partially because Sergios doesn't want the inevitable war to reach her so easily. She quickly becomes rivals with her older sister as a part of the famous "Glorious War of Sister Rivalry" (which started in ancient times and is still being fought this very day). In happier news, Sergios celebrates the birth of a grandson and the birthday of a granddaughter (Zeno and Zoe), both Konstantinios' children.

The bank in Napoli finishes completion. One merchant is reported to have swam around in piles of gold, and collapsed from sheer exhaustion. He somehow managed to sink into the money, and the bank's opening had to be delayed for a day as they retrieved the hapless man. Another grandchild is on the way, but this time it will be Kosmas who is responsible. Sergios is relieved to see that his son has gotten over his chauvinism at least to some degree, although he does notice that the Count is slightly stressed out from his workload.

The road network in Trapani is completed, finally putting one of the Prince's long held dreams into reality: a road spanning the entirety of Sicily. Work begins on a training ground in preperation for the war against Apulia, since the people have already done the job of importing weapons for use in the war. A royal salt refinery is rebuilt in Palermo after the last one mysteriously goes up in flames. Chancellor Anastasios complains that he isn't being given enough respect and demands a pay raise. Sergios' response to this is to fire the man and hire a refugee from Byzantium in his place. He is nowhere near as competent as Anastasios or Zoe was, but at least befitting a diplomat, he knows when to keep quiet.

Sculpture work comes to Trapani in October, as introducing Neapolitan military ideas also led to the introduction of Neapolitan art. Of course, this being the first time a non-military idea has been imported to Trapani in a few months, this is also the point at which war breaks out: the Duke of Apulia has declared war on the independent Archbishop of Spoleto, with Sergios declaring war on Guiscard in response. As the troops head into Apulia, both Marshal Nikephoros and the Church find this the perfect opportunity to ask for payment. The Prince convinces Nikephoros to wait until after the war, but the Church claims that God waits for no man, and destabilizes Salerno by grabbing land across the demesne.

Nevertheless, the war goes well with Sergios' troops quickly capturing Apulia, and then heading off to Foggia, which itself is captured in January. Troops in Siracusa are mobilized, the assembled manpower is used for a public project of draining marshes and fens in the province, and then is about to march off to war... when peace is signed. Salerno has won a complete victory, and is given Apulia in exchange for peace: People throughout the princedom celebrate at this victory over their largest foe, but it doesn't put a dent in Guiscard's forces up north as they take Spoleto. The refugees flee to (oddly enough) Palermo, and spread the idea of Annual Sailing to the people there.

Sculpture artists come to Salerno. There are a few remarked as geniuses in the field, which gives much pride to the people of the province, after having tried to compete with the capital in so many other respects. Kosmas' wife Zoe gives birth to a healthy boy who they name, Basileios, after the Emperor. After a month, the two already have another child on the way.

The training ground in Trapani finishes construction only a few months after the war has ended, and work begins on a school considering that peace has been achieved. Or has it? The Duchy of Apulia is still technically at war with the Empire of Byzantium, and a wounded 68 year old Roger Guiscard leads an army 2300 men strong into the heart of the Empire, in the hopes that he can find some way to recover from this embarassing defeat.

A monestary is completed in Palermo, and a number of scholastics arrive there to take advantage of the literature within its walls and the walls of the local library. Hearing about the exploits of Guiscard in the Empire, Sergios begins construction of a training ground in Siracusa, knowing that the war is not really over.

Surprisingly, Guiscard's troops capture Serdica, and head south to meet up with the rest of his army (who has just been shipped off from Apulia). Sergios would take advantage of this... except for the fact that he recently had to change his laws to a feudal contract system to keep Kosmas from revolting on him, and the Prince doesn't want to start a war with his vassals in disarray.

Two military men die in February - The beloved one is Marshal Nikephoros, who despite some incompetence and greed was part of the reason that Salerno has reached its current size. He is buried with full honors at a state funeral. The hated one is Roger Guiscard de Hauteville, the Duke of Apulia who had long threatened Salerno, back from its days as Napoli, and died knowing that the tide was about to turn.

Capitalizing on what may be the only chance to throw off the oppression of Apulia, Sergios declares war on the Count of Reggio in June, recieving a declaration of war from his liege lord Roger Borsa. Of course, with Apulian troops in Bulgaria, there is nothing that can be done as Sergios quickly liberates Messina and begins campaigns throughout all of Southern Italy. The new training ground in Siracusa helps with recruiting for this war, and to top it off a new marshal is found: the Spartan Georgios Crispo, banished from his own land for a crime that he had never committed.

Sergios captures Reggio. This is enough to annex the lands belonging to the Count of Reggio, which Sergios is about to do before being interrupted by the Emperor: It turns out that in order to allow Sergios to continue his war without the problem of a terrible reputation, the Emperor personally came to Sicily to negotiate the peace deal, with the same results as if Sergios would have negotiated it himself. The Prince briefly thanks his liege lord, and following his example, grants the province of Reggio to his son Konstantinos before returning to the field and overrunning Foggia and Lecce before the summer's end. This allows Sergios to start a campaign against the Count of Taranto, while simultaneously focusing on defeating the Duke.

Ironically, a castle originally meant to symbolize Roger Guiscard's domination over southern Italy is finished in Apulia. It just becomes another amongst several castles that dominate the landscape of Salerno provinces.

For a month, Sergios returned home to Napoli to ensure that the economy of the Principality hadn't fallen to pieces, and a rumor spread throughout all of his armies (and to Kosmas, the Count of Capua) that the Prince was too much of a coward to finish the war. In order to disprove this, Sergios personally went out with the Royal Guard of Napoli to fight against Apulian troops who were besieging the province, before convincing his men to march against the last Apulian province: Spoleto. Of course, the month hadn't been spent in vain, considering that war taxes then began to flow in.

In November, Marshal Georgios seizes Tarento, which is given to Kosmas along with a small amount of money to keep him compliant. Now, the final stage of the war can begin: the breaking of both the Count of Consenza and whatever strength that remained in Roger Borsa.

An extended road network finishes construction in Messina, and with a portion of the war taxes, a tile factory is set up there. Consenza falls, and Sergios actually orders his men to halt the siege on Spoleto so that he can go down to Consenza and personally exile Bohemond de Hauteville in disgrace.

After Sergios returns, the siege on Spoleto continues until February 23, 1090. At this point, the Duke of Apulia is forced to give up all of his claims on Salerno territory apart from his rightful home province (which is in Salerno hands anyway), although Sergios does not have the right to grab any of the remaining land belonging to the Duke. Massive celebrations erupt throughout the Principality, as it has now brought Apulia to its knees and become the strongest force in southern Italy. Stories of the war are so high in demand, that a number of jongleur troupes move to Siracusa, hoping that they will now have a permanent home.

Deciding that the time is right for a different sort of announcement, Sergios waits a week and then holds a grand ceremony in Messina: announcing that with the defeat of Apulia, he is the undisputed master of the land known as Sicily. No longer as merely princes in Napoli will the Spartenos family rule, but as kings from the island's shores. He and his sons are then anointed by the diocese bishop: Sergios as King of Sicily, and both of his sons as princes (Konstantinos as Prince of Sicily and Kosmas as Prince of Salerno). The audience cheers wildly, although the diplomats from other European courts are eyeing each other nervously.

Of course, all of this stops when the door to the coronation chamber opens and the Emperor is seen. For a few brief moments, it is not Sergios, but an awkward silence that reigns over Sicily as Basileios Palaeologus walks over to the new king. There is good reason to worry: after all, Sergios has pretty much just committed treason and publicly announced it to the world. He stands there, waiting for the condemnation that is to come...

Only for the 23 year old to give him the loudest approval of all, and ask for an alliance with the new kingdom. Sergios accepts, and cheers once again fill the hall. Coincidentally, it is at this time that Kosmas' wife gives birth to a second son, named Evangelos.
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Voting Time!

Getting all of these updates out was unpleasant. And there's a bonus one coming up as well to describe the general culture of the new kingdom. But that's not what i'm here to talk about, i'm here to talk about the draft...

Well, not really. This update's voting time concerns where the Kingdom of Sicily will expand next. There definitely has to be some downtime, to compensate for the fact that Sicily has a bad reputation among European states, but then...

Italy - South (Despite being broken, Apulia isn't gone. A few of their provinces still remain and it would be nice to permanently end the threat now before a more competent Duke of Apulia arises and starts causing trouble again. But there's nothing really good here apart from security.)

Italy - North (There are a couple of mercantile republics in Northern Italy that would really help fund/provide soldiers for future expansion. The only problem is that we'll be picking them off piecemeal, so not much in the way of titles and even so they still have really powerful armies.)

Africa (Can I state my personal opinion here for a second? Most of Africa is a dump ruled by Islamic kingdoms. However, that fact also makes it easier to fight against the kingdoms here and claim the best prizes, and possibly a good title or two if we want to sit in for the long haul.)

Egypt (You have to go farther and expend more resources to fight in Egypt, but as opposed to Africa, there are definitely provinces here which make it worth the time. Furthermore, the current Crusade isn't targeted here and the King is fighting a civil war, so we might stand a better chance than otherwise at grabbing the whole pie.)

France (Conveniently enough, France has split into three factions, four if you count Flanders since it might have been part of Germany. If the state of affairs lasts long enough, then grabbing parts of Toulouse might be an easy and profitable way to make inroads into the rest of the area. The downside is that the individual provinces are rich enough that the country poses a threat but poor enough that the other options are better risk vs. return-wise.)

 

[Serek000]

"Italy - South (Despite being broken, Apulia isn't gone. A few of their provinces still remain and it would be nice to permanently end the threat now before a more competent Duke of Apulia arises and starts causing trouble again. But there's nothing really good here apart from security.)"

I vote this. No sense leaving a potential enemy around so close to home. If you can subjugate Apulia once and for all, that's one less foe to (potentially) contend with a few decades from now.

 

[Jossar]

So i've been reflecting on the update, and it turns out that there's a basic fundamental problem...

Assuming 3 things are true:

1: I am describing nearly everything in my updates
2: Updates continue until there is something for the readers to vote on
3: Sicily and the threats faced by Sicily continue to grow

Then we are stuck with the fact that because of 3, more things are likely to happen in a month now than before (because the probability of events ocurring is the same for every province, but I have a greater number of provinces for them to happen in) and it will take longer for me to achieve a goal significant enough to justify the end of an update as outlined by 2. Which means that so long as I continue 1, updates are just going to keep getting bigger and bigger (which means walls of text).

Are you guys okay with that, or should I start cutting down on the description to keep updates at a tolerable level of readability? If so, any specific recommendations on how I should change the writing or what I should leave in?

 

[kadvael56]

Are you guys okay with that, or should I start cutting down on the description to keep updates at a tolerable level of readability? If so, any specific recommendations on how I should change the writing or what I should leave in?

The more provinces you have the more building constructions you will be able to undertake, building a court of justice if thieves are in a province may be more interesting than just building a fishery in a province because you have money and you want more but that is up to you, write what you like, it is good.

The same can be said about technology spreads, if you need to defend your kingdom and have a new castle tech or if you need to go to war and have a new bow technology it is more interesting than having ascetism spread in a poor province.

For the next move, maybe Italy Center, if you can chase the pope from Roma you will have a good province .

 

[Jossar]

Bonus Update #2

By pronouncing the Kingdom of Sicily in March 1, 1090, Sergios was finally able to unite the people of his realm through nationalism after 24 years of unsuccessful attempts through appealing to common ties. Nevertheless, the people of Sicily did have a number of common factors holding them together, which will be discussed here.

Culture and Religion

As a former Byzantine outpost and later Byzantine subject, Napoli was dominated by Greek culture, although proximity to Rome had left most of the people in allegiance with the Catholic faith. Sergios sought to change that, and to create an entirely homogenous area of Orthodox Greek peoples. This desire can be seen in the King's early years, when he burned down Capua and Trapani in an attempt to convert the populations there to Orthodoxy. Unfortunately, cultural conversion never set in, and Sergios could never convince the people of his own capital to become Orthodox. Eventually, economic precedence and rapid expansion made it nearly impossible for the King to ever settle things down and get a serious conversion movement going, so the Orthodox Greek status of Sicily was in name only: in reality being equally divided among both types of Christianity and made up of a hodge podge of Greeks, Italians, and Arabs.

However by 1090, Sicily was officially recognized by the Patriarch of Constantinople as the only Orthodox power left in the region, and therefore its Diocese Bishop was to be henceforth recognized as the Archbishop of Italy.
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Nobility

To replace the horribly convoluted system of nobility that Sergios instituted upon becoming Prince of Salerno, the new King settled on a fairly simple system based upon the numerical order of Latin.

Rex Sicilia - King of Sicily
Primus - Members of the king's family. The highest ranked among these were the king's sons, which is why they recieved the title of Prince (first citizen).

Sergios then took a look at his nobles and divided them into two categories: those who were contributing members of society/had a large amount of land and money, and those who merely had titles and family manors from inheritance.

The first among these became the Secundus, who effectively kept the same status as before.

The second group became the Tertius - minor nobles who were allowed to occupy positions that required a nobleman's touch, but only those that were too small for a Secundus, such as the leadership of a small town or bureaucratic functions.

Everyone else was just lumped under the category of peasant, although as mentioned in the thread, a sizeable group which acutally had the money to be influential had grown up during this time period, especially in Napoli.

You'll notice that there is no first estate: this is because the clergy was an institution entirely integrated into the state. Anyone could become a monk or a priest, but only those coming from nobility got appointments as the head of an influential congregation or monestary.

Greek titles were kept, but were specifically reserved as just that: titles that the King would give to people to show his favor, but with no actual position tied to them.

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Daily Life

Most life in Sicily during this time period centered around small towns, which had started to bounce back from the devastation caused by the Byzantine Empire, Lombards, Normans, and Arabs although were nowhere near as magnificent as they had once been (and as a result also served as farming communities, with plots of land existing right outside of the town, and peasants being assigned a place to live based on where their plot of land was located for easy access). People living in these small towns were technically serfs bound to their liege lord, who also served as the town's mayor - however, because of general economic prosperity and familiarity, the strictness and legal implications of serfdom were toned down and became a polite contract of "So long as you agree to till the fields for me, I agree to give you a piece of land to work on and ensure your security."

The history of cities depends on where one looks - Most of them were formerly Roman cities, however the influences on them during the interim of 600 years or so had left the cities of each province with a different atmosphere: Arabic in Western Sicily, Greco-Roman in Napoli and southern parts of Italy, and distinct Italian culture developed among formerly independent and Norman cities in the central part of Southern Italy. However all served the same purpose of gathering specialized services and the wealthier merchants and nobles into a single place, and many moved to the cities in the hope of following in the footsteps of these.

Surprisingly, there was not a great deal of courtly life: the King had a bare bones council of advisors whose opinions he considered when making decisions, and a few friends and refugees were kept at the palace constantly, but spectacle was kept in reserve for special occasions (like coronations and weddings). One reason for this is because most of the nobles were out performing their required services in the country, but it should also be taken into account that the King was a military man, and liked to keep his house the way he kept his army and his name: Spartan.
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Military

Speaking of the army, the Sicilian army, which had won so many victories in a relatively short period of time, followed several procedures.

The army was relatively advanced technologically speaking, at least as much as its European neighbours, if not slightly more. This was because it had always been a small army even during wartime (despite constant recruiting amongst the peasantry and promises that if they served well they could go up in station), and thus tried to acquire through trade any possible method of equalizing the imbalance of forces.

Even so, most of the great Sicilian campaigns in the early years were fought against smaller armies, specifically those of the nearby one province Counts and Sheiks, allowing the Kingdom to slowly accumulate the land and powerbase necessary for future conquests. But tactics had to change after Sergios acquired enough land to form the predecessor state of Salerno, seeing as all of the independent Counts were too powerful or had been consolidate under his rule. The focus then became on quick military campaigns that took advantage of an opponent's moment of weakness to invade their entire demesne. This was largely successful, as in the Second Apulian War the King was acquire 5 provinces over the course of a year or two, when in the past it had taken a decade.

The actual structure of the army followed the Byzantine model, which Sergios had observed during Emperor Dukas' war against the Turks. There were only enough provinces to make up one theme, the Thema Sicilia, and instead of having a military governor who gave the men land to support themselves, Sergios required the nobles to recruit troops from among the peasantry and the Crown supplied the equipment. This theme was divided into provincial tourma which could have anywhere from somewhere around 1000 men (as in the case of the Capuan regiment) to several thousand (as in the case of the Neapolitan regiment). Finally, the turma in the capital province had a subsection of several hundred men that were always active as the royal guard, known as the Tagmata Scholai.
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Education and Art

In 1066, the only ones with a decent education were the noblemen and the clergy, and even then only the monks and bureaucrats knew how to write a proper document. However, after joining the Byzantine Empire and having new ideas introduced that improved the lives of the people, everyone began hankering after an education. Of course, most peasants had to settle for practical education that taught them how to reap a better harvest, but by 1076, noblemen and even some of the wealthiest burghers began to have their children tutored and exposed to a large amount of rediscovered Greek and Roman literature. In 1083, after the departure of Diocese Bishop Katrares, his replacement (Alexandros Triphyllios) began a crusade to reaffirm the Church's place in educating the people by establishing cathedral and monastic schools for higher learning. This was taken up with zeal by the people of Salerno and the King (albeit with not quite as much zeal), and now the first students of these schools are finally making their war into the world.

On a somewhat related subject, the opening of libraries in 1076 also caused a surge of interest in art. Most art and architecture in this time period (like everything else) were basically Byzantine works with Arabic and Italian influences thrown in for the sake of showing local pride, made solely for the sake of trying to earn a quick ducat by selling them to the nobles. The only exception to this was in Western Sicily, where artists continued to do primarily Arabic work, except replacing the subjects with Christian subject matter. Greek/Italian artists didn't really try to be creative until 1088, when a group of Salerno metalworkers decided to use the best of Eastern and Western Roman influences, as well as Arabic influences, to create a reliquary (made of gold and inlaid with semi-precious stones and mother of pearl) for the monestary in Siracusa.
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Economy

The rural Sicilian economy was, for the most part, based on a barter system: people in the smaller communities grew what they needed, and exchanged surplus of things that they had in the town market. Taxes were paid in goods, and those goods were sent off to warehouses or were sold off for their equivalent in coin.

In the larger cities however, things were slightly different: Marketplaces existed for every social level, with vendors approved by the business contracts that Sergios had imposed, and were visited frequently. On this scale coins were used, specifically a new variety called a "ducat", which could be cut into pieces for use in small transactions. Confusingly, the term ducat was also used to represent an amount of gold present in the royal treasury, so people always had to check contracts carefully to avoid being robbed or overcharged.

The main exports of Sicily were salt (and potash), marble, excess agricultural produce, pottery, and sulphur. These goods were loaded up onto ships, and then the merchants would sail around the Mediterranean looking for buyers before eventually returning home and making profits for all those involved (mainly burghers and noblemen who had sponsored the year's venture).
_________________________________________________________________

Language

Amongst the people of Sicily, three languages were spoken: Neapolitan, Sicilian, and Greek (with a bit of Arabic thrown in). The first being majorly spoken by people living in the northern part of the kingdom (Napoli, Capua, Salerno, as well as several of the newly captured Apulian provinces), the second spoken in the southern part of the empire (All of Sicily and the bottom provinces of Italy) with Greek being spoken throughout and used as a trading language. This happens to be the one thing that Sergios wants to keep from his old position as Count of Napoli: Preferably with Neapolitan eventually displacing Sicilian, absorbing a few words in the process, and keeping Greek as a trade language. It might be successful, seeing as Sergios instituted that education be given in Neapolitan, Greek and Latin (but not Sicilian), and that dialectical differences between Neapolitan in its respective areas are smaller than the differences between Island Sicilian and Italian Sicilian.

Perception

This one comes in three parts

Sicily

As a whole, the Kingdom of Sicily was seen both by its neighbours and by itself as a young, rapidly expanding, and opportunistic state, with a knack for trying out things invented by other cultures and then making them work better than their inventors had ever dreamed. Sicilians thought that this made them a clever, competitive, and lively people. Their neighbours looked and thought that Siciliy was at best, a testing ground for new ideas and a profitable trading partner, and at worst, a parasite that needed to be put down before it could spread any farther.

The World

Sicilians tended to focus on development within the Mediterranean, so that is who they thought about in terms of foreign relations.

Byzantine Empire: The opinion of most Sicilian people towards the Empire could be summed up in one word: "Presbuteros". This affectionate term in Greek meaning "elder" shows how the people of the Kingdom saw themselves as sort of a little brother to the grand old Second Rome. 20 years under Byzantine subordination, combined with a history as a Byzantine outpost had very heavily left its mark on the Kingdom, and the alliance signed between Sergios and the Emperor was a sign of continued friendship, if no longer subordinate status.

Croatia: A nation that had proved itself to be Sicily's friend several times in the past, although it had switched its focus to other borders at this point, and was now only mentioned in passing among Sicilian noblility.

Seljuk Turks: A group of Muslims that was greatly feared, but too far East to have any relevance to Sicily. Most people in the kingdom saw them as the Byzantine's concern.

Africa/Egypt/Spain: The rest of these countries were grouped together under the same heading because they all held the same status to Sicily: Muslim nations that are only a short distance away, but will remain such unless we/our neighbours come calling. Occasional trade voyages were sent out to one of the Islamic kingdoms, but results were never consistent.

France/Germany: Grouped together as trade partners/giant peaceful neighbours to the North. France has had a bit of success in Portugal (two outpost provinces on the very Western edge), but has split into several states. Germany doesn't really do anything, but it was viewed as the inevitable hurdle to be overcome if northern expansion was desired.

Papal States: As an Orthodox Italian nation, Sicily has a strange relationship with the Papacy. Sergios viewed them as a competing influence (especially since a good portion of the Kingdom is still Catholic), but made a few diplomatic overtures. But part of the problem is that before significant progress is made, the Pope dies, a new one is elected, and the whole procedure has to begin again.

Apulia: Always seen as Sicily's greatest foe, even in 1090 the people of Sicily held no great love for their broken foe (not even the people in Apulian territories, who just saw coming to Sicily as "sending the taxes to different people" and were similar enough culturally that they were willing to adopt most of the practices listed earlier), and wished to find some way to end the threat once and for all.

The Provinces

Of course, even unified under one roof, the people of Sicily were still different from one another. How each province was seen is listed here:

Napoli: The former capital, Napoli had been the center of all bureacracy and the center of attention for quite a while. With the switch to Messina, things are expected to die down a little, but the province will always maintain its slightly upper crust nature.

Capua: The revolts that consumed Capua after its population was converted to Orthodoxy permanently defined the province: as a land of Italians with fire in their blood. It is also the most agricultural, and thus poorest province of the Empire, and improvement efforts never really seemed to help it all that much.

Trapani: This province on the west of Sicily was known for military production supreme. The largest cities were dominated by blacksmiths, armorers, and weaponscrafters, and were famed for constantly redefining how war was fought. It was said, regardless of the truth, that one could not find a better instrument of war (or a man to supply them) in all of Sicily than one produced in Trapani.

Siracusa: Napoli was a big trading city, but Siracusa eventually came to fill that role even better. It was known as the "Gateway to the Mediterranean", and the marketplace in the province's capital city was renowned for having anything that could be bought within the Kingdom in one large place.

Salerno: From the time that Sergios conquered Salerno and forced its people to recognize him as their lord, the people of Salerno have had somewhat of an inferiority complex towards Napoli. In fact, several massive construction projects were sponsored by Salernitan noblemen, just to try and have the spotlight shine on them for once. The projects never seemed to take, but with Sergios having moved the capital to the more central location at Messina, it is hoped that the people of Salerno will stop trying to outdo the people of Napoli and instead focus on something more productive.

Palermo: What was once hoped for as the next capital of Sicily instead devolved into being a wretched hive of scum and villainy. It was a testament to the richness of this land that it still remained profitable as most of the other Sicilian cities during this time, but the people of Palermo then had to live with the fact that they had lost their chance at greatness. Also noted for being one of the two provinces to form the Sicilian Stripe, the middle part of Sicily which remained Muslim.

Agrigento: A quiet province. Whereas Capua was poor because it happened to focus on agriculture (and the region apparently was not well suited for it), Agrigento was a province that became a picture perfect view of pastoral beauty. In fact, things are so calm here that Sergios actually forgot to collect taxes for several months due to forgetting about the province's existence. The other part of the Sicilian Stripe.

The other provinces did not have cultural identities by this time as they had just been incorporated into the Kingdom and needed time to adjust their characters under Sicilian rule.

 

[JDMS]

Italy - South (Despite being broken, Apulia isn't gone. A few of their provinces still remain and it would be nice to permanently end the threat now before a more competent Duke of Apulia arises and starts causing trouble again. But there's nothing really good here apart from security.)

This. You need to secure the neighboring lands. After that, I think you should go for France.

 

[Hannibal X]

Egypt. Rich, has Alexandria and Cairo, in a civil war. Then South Italy.

 

[Serek000]

I wonder if Sergios will take measures to try to re-solidify the Greek lineage of his family? A mandate that all immediate family members marry only Greeks would do the trick, but it would seem to be something of a drastic measure...

 

[Jossar]

Ah, but that's the irony: at this point, the Spartenos family IS the most Greek part about the kingdom. Without their influence, the whole region would have easily become Italian, instead of the half and half position that it now teeters on.

 

[Enewald]

First South Italy, then Africa and later North Italy.

 

[Serek000]

Ah, but that's the irony: at this point, the Spartenos family IS the most Greek part about the kingdom. Without their influence, the whole region would have easily become Italian, instead of the half and half position that it now teeters on.

Are there any Italians in the Spartenos family?

 

[Jossar]

Every member of the Spartenos family and their spouses are both Greek and Orthodox. Except for the deceased Foteine Spartenos who was married off to a Bagratuni in 1067, and whose 3 remaining children are Georgian (and Orthodox) and are the Spymaster, Martial, and Chancellor of the Kingdom of Georgia.

 

[Serek000]

Oh, I see. That's good news indeed - I figured there would have been a few Italian children by now, but I'm glad to see the Spartenos are staying Greek.

 

[Jossar]

Good news and bad news, guys: The update is complete and relatively normal sized, but I'm on a trip, so it won't be up for a few days.
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Chapter 6 - Midday

Several important things happened personnel-wise in March: Adrianos of Byzantium was replaced as Chancellor by a woman named Eirene Myrelaetes, and it was revealed that Evangelos was actually born a year earlier: the child actually resulting from Kosmas and Zoe's latest fling was a girl named Christina. Konstantinos and his wife join them in celebrating the miracle of creation, as the Duke of Sicily impregnates his wife.

The summer starts off with construction on a castle in Napoli, but almost immediately thereafter, a number of peasants complain that they are being unlawfully forced by their lords to build it. Considering that most nobles would rather pay people to flatter them rather than save a little bit of money, Sergios dismisses these complaints as unfounded in reality, and sends the peasants back to work. They end up discovering a hidden cache of gold, which is promptly added to the royal treasury.

Sad news comes to the royal family as Spymistress Euphrosyne dies peacefully in her sleep at the age of 61. Adrianos is called upon to take her place, although being roughly the same age he is not expected to last long. Zoe is expecting once again, and summer finishes off with merchants spreading their influence to Consenza, as well as construction of a library in Apulia and a Court of Justice in Trapani.

Musical instruments spread to Napoli through local fairs during September, but Sergios is more interested by the development of a style of historical writing in Apulia. He approaches a man there named Antonio Bugiardini, and after much bargaining, signs a deal with him: Bugiardini will record the events of Sicilian history, starting with the life of the king's uncle as a Neapolitan count. This will continue up until the current point in time, and from that point on, Bugiardini will write the events of the Spartenos family as they happen. At some point over the course of his writings, the chronicler will obtain an apprentice, and teach said apprentice everything he knows so that when his death comes, the apprentice will adopt the scribe's name and continue where the previous one left off. In return for all of this, Sergios agrees that throughout the ages, his family will always have a portion of their earnings (really the kingdom's funds, but it all goes through the same people) marked for the livelihood and compensation of "Antonio Bugiardini". These records survive until today, and are in fact the main source relied upon for this retelling of early Sicilian history.

With his legacy assured, Sergios then tries to ensure that the history books will have something positive to say about him - by finishing the conquest of Southern Italy. He claims the title of the Count of Benevento, and heads to war with both him and the Duke of Apulia (who is still stuck fighting the Byzantine Empire). Troops in Apulia and Napoli are dispatched across the countryside to ensure that the war will be a quick one. Theodora gives birth to a son, who Konstantinos names after his younger brother.

In the month of January, Sergios loses his claim to the title of Benevento as it becomes obvious that he started the war just to grab authority away from Roger Borsa. Of course upon hearing this news, a man named William Bentivoglio flees from Apulia to Sicily, asking that when the war is won he be made the new Count of Benevento. Sergios agrees, and then goes on to sign on a white peace treaty with the uninvolved Count of Bari, signing the treaty at the same time that Foggia and Lece fall.

Sergios gets into a minor quarrel with his wife (also the demesne's Stewardess) about how the war is placing undue strain on the kingdom's finances, but Sergios promises that THIS war will be over before Sicily goes broke. Confirming those lines, Sicily is still in the black when Spoleto falls. In peaceable news, Kosmas' new son (named Antemios) is born, and a tile factory is completed in Messina.

June 25, 1091 - Benevento is captured and the war ends. William is made the new Count of Benevento, and is placed under the jurisdiction of Konstantinos as the new Prince of Benevento. Roger Borsa is forced to swear his allegiance to the King of Sicily. Of course, Sergios is no fool and realizes that Roger Borsa still plans on betraying him, so he also forces the Duke to give up his title as Duke of Calabria to Konstantinos as part of a plot to slowly remove all of the de Hauteville's power (Konstantinos is getting all of these titles, by the way, as he is the crown prince).

Over the course of the late summer and fall, local fairs come to Consenza and a library is built there. But the biggest event remaining in the year is a holiday tournament where the new Count of Benevento gets drunk and accidentally insults Sergios. Realizing what he has done, the Count kneels and begs forgiveness and Sergios obliges, although some of his nobles see the King as a coward for forgiving the man.

Tragedy strikes in February as Kosmas dies of pneumonia, leaving his 3 year old son Basilieos as the new Prince of Salerno. Of course, all of the real power is concentrated into the hands of a regency council which holds no great love for the king. In response, the King dissolves the principality, giving the title to Konstantinos.

Siege ladders spread to Trapani, heralding what is to come. However, in an attempt to avoid the war entirely, Sergios takes the Count of Taranto from the regency council and gives Consenza to Konstantinos. Unfortunately, all this does is make him look worse in the eyes of all Europe: especially in those of the Duke of Apulia.

Summer once again passes peacefully, with the peasants in Taranto learning to accept Sergios as their new liege lord directly, and the three field system coming to Napoli, but by September, another standoff ensues: Sergios gives Roger Borsa the ultimatum of giving up his hereditary title as Duke of Apulia, or else risking the entirety of his realm. Unable to give up any more of his father's heritage, the Duke refuses. Preparations begin for a campaign to commence sometime in the next year.

In a move that came out of nowhere, Archdiocese Bishop Alexandros Tryphillios demonstrated healing powers in Napoli, encouraging widescale conversion to Orthodoxy. The move was astounding for a number of reasons, including the fact that the Pope no longer had support from anyone south of Rome.

As part of a clerical error, Sergios somehow manages to get involved in a war with the Byzantine Empire. The King of Sicily tries to convince his former friend that he just put his signature on the wrong letter, but Basilieos will hear nothing of it.

In January, battering rams come to Messina, ensuring that the capital finally has siege technology. In addition, a library is completed there and work begins on a bank.

Nothing much happens until August, when Trapani hosts a conference of merchants from around the Kingdom, who like the province so much that they decide to make it the location of their central base of operations (that, when finished, is just as large and splendid as the royal palace). Of course, part of that has to do with the fact that the main trading center of Siracusa has a very large population of thieves.

Sergios' daughter Pulcheria becomes sick, and the royal family becomes concerned over what path her future will take. This only declines into pneumonia the month afterwards. Finally, just as the year is about to end and Sergios plans on storming Apulia, Roger Borsa dies, leaving his estates to his genius son Alphonse.

An extended road network finishes construction in Salerno, as does a castle in Siracusa. Defensive terrain also comes to Palermo, however this is ignored when two devastating events occur in March: Pulcheria finally succumbing to pnumonia before ever getting a chance to grow up, and Alphonse declaring that he will have his revenge on Sergios for humiliating his father.

Alphonse's threat comes true in April, when the Duchy of Apulia declares its independence and declares war on the Kingdom of Sicily. Sergios recognizes that if nothing else, the Duchy poses a massive PR threat and recruits troops for a simultaneous attack on all of Alphonse's provinces. The message in the King's mind is now clear: no one except his son can be trusted with a title above the level of Count. A bank is completed in Messina.

Within a month, all of the Apulian provinces are captured, and the Duke is forced to give up his title to Konstantinos and become his subordinate. In this way, Sergios finally has a reliable way of ensuring that all of Italy won't revolt against him. In addition, the only part of the war against the Byzantine Empire that would have long lasting effects begins, as a courtier flees from the Empire to Sicily. Nevertheless, in an attempt to ensure that the men will be ready at all times to counter the Byzantine soldiers, Sergios orders construction on a training field in Taranto.

But with no sign of Greek troops, Sergios decides he will instead focus on a different thorn in his side for the time being: Basilieos' regency council residing in Capua. Seeing that there is no other way to protect his daughter-in-law and grandchildren, Sergios orders that the province will have to be placed under Sicilian control once again and sends troops in.

As more nobles arrive from the Byzantine court, Sergios sets siege to Capua, and by September the city is once again in reliable Sicilian hands. Unfortunately, it was a pyrrhic victory as the regency council had slipped the family out of the county sometime during the siege, and Sergios had to pay a great amount in bribe money to keep his men from returning home (bankrupting Sicily more severely than ever before).

The first troops of Byzantium finally land in November... except they actually belong to the Prince of Achaea, who signs a peace treaty after a brief skirmish. Nevertheless, Sicily is still kept on high alert: Offensive Terrain spreads to Trapani and improved techniques for cavalry assaults are introduced in Apulia.

(At some point during 1093, Konstantinos' wife gave birth to a son and another one is born during 1095.)

Archdiocese Bishop Alexandros falls ill, and then several months later retires: unable to perform his duties. He was a quiet man, but his presence was still felt throughout the empire, especially by the people of Napoli who will treasure his memory forever. Of course, even public mourning has no effect on the constant stream of courtiers who breeze into Sergios' court from Byzantium with an inflappable sense of arrogance. At this point, the King suspects that the war only exists because Basilieos needs a place to exile his most annoying courtiers to.

The Patriarch wants to send a new bishop - but with the state in debt, Sergios says he can not accept one. The holy man doesn't buy it, and believes that Sergios is just trying to find a way out of his responsibilities as a leader.

Training grounds are completed in Taranto and plans for a larger castle are drawn up in Napoli. Adrianos is replaced as spymaster by Alexos Palaiologos, so that the old Byzantium native can enjoy his last few years in peace.

After many months of having a war on paper (and no more annoying courtiers to exile), Basilieos admits that the whole thing was a bit of a mistake and agrees to a white peace. Further good news comes when the Highway Band in Palermo closes up shop, although this is quickly countered by the Muslim population of the province once again rising up in revolt. Farms are abandoned, and the crops suffer as a result.

Eirene, Sergios' only surviving daughter, comes of age. The king agrees to give her hand to the man in his court who he believes will have the greatest chance of having a happy life with her, who turns out to be Andronikos Axiomatikos. Of course, the fact that the marriage duty is enough to get the country out of debt doesn't hurt either...

Wood ploughs spread throughout Taranto in the spring, making the planting easier. They are especially needed because a large number of the province's men have been recruited and sent up north for some mysterious purpose. This becomes clear a month later, when Sergios launches a surprise attack on the Pope and his vassal (the Bishop of Orvieto). For some reason, it is at this point that Sergios decided to settle the score between the Eastern and Western Church once and for all: sending the Pope into exile and forcing the Bishop to remain subordinate to Konstantinos (as the Prince of Spoleto) on June 27, 1096.

 

[Jossar]

Voting Time!

Today's voting time is...

Actually, we've finally reached the point at which unless something really interesting comes up, nothing obvious remains apart from having you guys pick a target and sending Sicily after it. Then rebuild and repeat.

That doesn't make for interesting voter participation, so instead full control of this one goes over to you: Pick a goal that's big, but not too big: It can be anything you want that's possible IG, so long as you can get the thread to agree with you, so be creative! If asked, I will supply any required information about the current game situation.

Also, experimentation proves that the Pope just seems to vanish for two years before Christendom realizes what's happened and the current Crusade in Burgos ends. So I definitely have at least a little bit of leeway (barring the necessary time to rebuild reputation) before the Pope tries to send Europe against Sicily in retribution for eating up the Vatican.

 

[Enewald]

Send a younger branch of the Spartenos family to rule the city of Tunis after conquering it and a few neighbour provinces.
Set up Duchy Tunis for the guy.
Then switch to him, and establish a sister kingdom for the Sicilian Spartans in Africa.

Playing the same kingdom for centuries can be boring, so switch to a lower level and do a new fortune somewhere else.

 

[JDMS]

Conquer the Holy Land?