Felix Austria

[Brickie]

1 January 1072
We hear of a small victory for the king - the Duke of Meissen has capitulated. However, the forces of the Duke of Lorraine besiege Nuremberg even now and the king loses supporters by the day.

5 January 1072
The Count of Bern is the latest to declare independence.

13 January 1072
My father-in-law Dedi is the new Duke of Meissen, and remains fiercely loyal to the King. I hope this does not cause friction when the inevitable break comes, but I fear that my wife has already fallen out with me over my lack of support for the King.

21 January 1072
The Archbishop of Franconia has been captured and a Countess put in charge of his former territories. She will also remain loyal to the King but the regency council must be running out of capable men to put in charge.

17 February 1072
The farmers around here have begun keeping chickens in larger numbers, so much so that eating their meat as well as their eggs has become commonplace. It’s quite tasty, really.

25 February 1072
My hands shake as I write this because I have this day lost patience with the King’s advisors and declared the Duchy of Austria no longer a fief of the King of Germany. God grant I have done the right thing and that my family and their lands may be kept safe. And now I must organise our defences. The Duke of Bohemia remains loyal in name but I do not believe he will act agaisnt me, for in truth he feels as I do.

8 March 1072
I can scarcely credit it, but the King’s council have simply ignored my declaration. In order to win recognition of my independence, I must therefore manufacture a claim on the County of Württemberg and declare war on the King - and his ally the Duke of Kärnten.

12 March 1072
Marshal Walram leads his forces from Brescia against the Royal fortress of Ferrara, and I and Count Ulric of Passau saddle up once more to go on campaign. Just before I left, Adelheid gave birth to a daughter, Gertrude, and both were well. I have left instructions for her to be brought up in the Monastery at Melk. I also hear that the Republic of Genoa is the latest to break away - if the Kingdom survives at all, it will be markedly smaller, I feel.

6 April 1072
The Duke of Bohemia has broken free at last. Ulric has also sent word to me that he has engaged a small Royal army under the Duke of Meissen. I hope old Dedi is not harmed...

25 September 1072
I have been separated from my diary during the campaign, but have returned now to Vienna. The King has made peace with and accepted the independence of a number of his former vassals; Bohemia, Brandenburg, Lorraine, Aargau, Leiningen, Montferrato and more. I offered to renounce my (spurious) claim on Württemberg in exchange for his recognition of me, but although everyone agreed this offer was more than generous, it was declined.

Most of my army has returned to winter quarters, but Marshal Walram now marches on Franconia.

8 October 1072
With more counties rebelling daily, the regency council have finally agreed to my terms and Austria is free. I have no liege, no higher responsibilities to anyone on Earth except His Holiness the Pope.

10 October 1072
As if to confirm our new status, a monk has arrived in Vienna bearing what he claims to be a fragment of the True Cross on which our Saviour was crucified. This is truly a miraculous sign indeed and I have ordered the relic to be guarded at the royal palace until a church can be built to house it. Alas, that will take money which is in short supply after a campaign...

16 November 1072
We hear that the Pope now teaches that all clergy should be celibate. Clergy with existing wives will be allowed to keep them, but no priest may now marry. This is to prevent dynasties occurring within the church. Makes sense, I suppose.

26 December 1072
This, the sixth year of my chronicle, draws to a close with a new dawn for the Babenberg dynasty as masters of our own destiny, even if we expended not only our treasury but our good standing in the world to achieve this. Alas, I fear only the worst when my sons succeed...

 

[Brickie]

1 January 1073
I will say one thing for the Bishop of Usti nad Labem; he chooses excellent women Stewards. Since Leopold has still unsurprisingly not produced an heir through his older-than-his-mother bride, I have been looking for a bride for Adalbert and the Bishop’s new Steward, Elisabetta, seems to fit the bill. I have sent to him asking for her hand in marriage.

16 January 1073
Bishop Arnulfo sent Elisabetta along by way of reply, and the royal wedding was held in the palace chapel here in Vienna. Adalbert will definitely need some land of his own now. I will invest him as Count of Brescia tomorrow.

26 March 1073
The Count of Mantua is the latest noble to declare independence from the King; his realm shrinks by the day. The powerful Duke of Saxony remains loyal in the northwest and, inexplicably, my father-in-law as Duke of Meissen. It is a source of constant pain for Adelheid that she can no longer visit her father and she seems to resent me more every day for it. I fear there may be no reconciliation this time.

20 April 1073
Our marshal displayed our latest siege weapon today; a large battering ram to knock down any city gate.

28 June 1073
Ulric of Passau has sent his daughter Brunhilde to me as a fosterling. I will be delighted to return the favour he has done me with my daughter.

4 July 1073
Hunting with the King of Hungary again. Still a nice boy.

26 December 1073
An uneventful year for me, which saw the German king surrender his claims on Holland and Lower Lorraine, and continue to unsuccessfully contest those in Switzerland and Italy.

24 January 1074
My daughter Adelheid returned today from being a Fosterling at the court of Ulric of Passau. Brunhilde adores her.

15 March 1074
My Marshal tells me that our troops are now more adept at using the terrain to their advantage when attacking.

23 April 1074
It is time for my youngest boy Albrecht to be schooled. I have arranged for him to go to the military. Hopefully he will prove more use than his brothers.

1 May 1074
Young Adelheid officially finished her formal education today, and has become a talented negotiator. The search for a suitor begins...

30 July 1074
Little Gertrude departed for Melk today. I hope she will be happy there.

24 August 1074
I have stopped reporting every county and duchy that secedes from the Kingdom of Germany, but the declaration of the Count of Ulm fills me with a certain Schadenfreude. Count Ernst von Helffenstein was, after all, the Royal Marshal for many years before being given the County of Ulm in place of its rebellious Countess. The council clearly have no clue how to govern.

27 September 1074
The merchants inform me that they have begun making an annual trade sailing along the Danube to the Black Sea, while Ulric has sent his youngest son Stefan to me as a fosterling. Still no suitors for Adelheid.

16 October 1074
Ulric of Passau has always been a great friend to me but he has been stretching it recently, trying to interfere with the way his children are being brought up at our court. Out of respect for our friendship, I nodded and smiled, and allowed that he might have a point. Hopefully I didn’t come across as too weak-willed.

8 December 1074
There’s nothing for it - I’m going to have to swallow my pride and call the Estates General. I need to refill the coffers, and a small contribution from them should pay off our debts

26 December 1074
Well, as the year closes we are back in credit, but I fear my prestige has suffered even more from the need to beg for money.

 

[Brickie]

15 January 1075
I have arranged to marry Adelheid to the son of the Duke of Holland, and received some money from him in exchange for my eldest daughter. The Duchy is just about solvent once again.

20 January 1075
The King has finally abdicated, dividing his remaining lands between the Dukes of Brandenburg and Meissen. Well, I say “abdicated” - he retains the Royal titles of Germany, Italy and Burgundy, but with no demesne, he is in no position to assert any of those titles.

20 June 1075
I have rejected many offers of marriage for Ida von Cham, who has turned into a very able spy master, but never thought when she was an irritating young girl in the court that I would receive an offer from the King of England - or that I would reject it. After what happened to poor Margrethe in Norway, I have no wish to lose a very able courtier , and she had no particular desire to head to that strife-torn land.

9 July 1075
The King’s party are not defeated yet. His rebellious former marshal has been defeated, and the King has set up court in Ulm, also claiming Chur as part of his Demesne. His list of allies grows thin indeed, however. The Dukes of Schwaben and Sachsen remain loyal, but his other ever-loyal vassal, my father-in-law Dedi von Wettin, Duke of Meissen, is dead and his son, also named Dedi, has rebelled and left the King’s party.

28 October 1075
I hear that the ringleaders of the Thieves’ Guild here in Vienna have finally been rounded up and hanged. Perhaps now some real prosperity will return.

23 December 1075
News has come to court of a great predatory beast that roams the Austrian countryside. The people implore me to do something about it, and how can their greatest servant deny their request? I would send Marshal Walram, but would be accused of cowardice. No, I must go myself. God grant speed to my horse and true flight to my spear.

26 December 1075
The year has again been quiet, as we watch the death throes of the German Kingdom from afar, and rally our strength for the future. The great wolf I killed the other day provided great eating for the people of Vienna when roasted in the square.

1 February 1076
The King has somehow defeated the Count of Schwyz and added his lands to Chur as part of the Royal demesne.

16 March 1076
My courtiers tell me that the principles of Aristotelean Logic have spread to our domain, whatever that may mean.

3 July 1076
The old Duke of Schwaben has died, and his 8-year-old son has succeeded. The old man’s body was still warm when the regency council declared independence from the Kingdom of Germany. One child ruler against another.

17 October 1076
Will the troubles of poor Germany never end? I understand that the Duke of Brandenburg has been forced to abandon his family seat at Potsdam to the depredations of the Baltic Pagans and move his court to Stuttgart, in Württemberg. Even then, the Pagans have followed him south, treacherously allowed passage by the Duke of Thuringia, and captured Nuremberg before marching south.

6 December 1076
Fed up of not having a position to speak of, nor finding a suitor, Adela von Habsburg has asked to retire from my service and I have agreed.

26 December 1076
Another quiet year. I do feel somewhat sidelined by the great events going on in Germany, and I find it difficult to see where any expansion of my realm may come from. Without much income from my tiny demesne and surrounded by powerful neighbours, the future does not look rosy.

28 December 1076
The King has defeated the Countess of Nassau and added her land to his demesne, but Ulm has fallen once again, this time to the forces of the Duchess of Franconia. What concessions will she demand.

17 February 1077
Disaster has overtaken us again. The Baltic Pagans of Mecklenburg now defile the former Royal capital of Nuremberg with their savage court. The Duke of Brandenburg has fled, we know not where. While Germany tears itself apart over the actions of the King’s regents, the heathen and pagans press in from all sides.

2 March 1077
The Duke of Bavaria has declared war on the King of Germany, and the King’s ally (even though no longer a vassal) the duke of Kärnten has come to his aid. I should watch with caution, ready to seize any opportunity.

9 August 1077
No real action in the Bavaria-Carinthia war. The Count of Steiermark has raised an army of neary 4,000 men and this seems to have deterred the Bavarians. Paying them must be costing him a fortune though. In other news, the King of Sweden wants to marry my spymaster, but I still don’t want to lose her...

17 September 1077
Bohemia has been elevated to the status of a Kingdom. I am pleased for Vratislav, but this worries me even more for my own little Duchy.

2 November 1077
The Pope has called a great armed pilgrimage to aid the Greeks and capture the Holy Places of Jerusalem from the heathens. My heart burns within me to go, but I simply cannot afford to make the journey. All I can offer are my prayers.

22 November 1077
The Bavarians sent a small army into Styria to try and capture Graz unawares, but they were set upon by a larger army and destroyed. My friend Heinrich does not appear to have been there, but the news will go hard with him.

5 December 1077
We hear that Kempten has been captured by Carinthian forces and Heinrich has fled to his summer residence in Munich. I wish there was more I could do to help my friend.

26 December 1077
Heinrich has been forced to kneel before the King and is once more a vassal of the Crown of Germany. The King has also taken Kempten for his own personal demesne. It appears that we may have been hasty in writing off the King of Germany.

 

[Brickie]

1 July 1078
The Bishopric of Innsbruck has broken away from Bavaria and Germany - and I could claim the title for myself and invade. However it is a poor province, and I do not believe it would be worth the loss of money, life and prestige.

2 September 1078
This year’s chronicle has been sparse. This is partly as it has been another quiet year here in Vienna, but also as I have been frequently ill. Today I seem to have taken a turn for the worse...

3 October 1078
Albrecht Count of Tirol has declared war on the German king and laid claim to the titles of Chur and Ulm. We shall see how this turns out. I also hear that in the north, the armies of the boy Count of Anhalt have turned back the Pagans and liberated the Altmark.

26 December 1078
The Duchy continues to grow slowly in prestige and prosperity, and I am considering reinvesting some of the money in a better road network to assist trade over the long run.

26 February 1079
A so-called “miracle worker” came to the court today offering to heal me, but I sent her away with a flea in her ear and told her I would continue to pray for my recovery.

25 March 1079
My illness is still no better. Yet I must have faith. My people have recently rediscovered the art of wooden ox-ploughs, which will help with farming.

14 April 1079
The foolish Albrecht of Tirol has been executed and his land confiscated. King Dietmar is now ten years old and amassing quite a demesne for himself - yet he is also excommunicated by the Pope. I feel so inadequate - I can neither journey to the holy land nor strike at the heretic and heathen here at home. Instead I lie in bed and retch.

27 April 1079
A great reversal in the north. The Mecklenburg pagans have overrun the County of Anhalt and killed the boy Count. The Duchy of Thuringia now stands between them and the heart of Germany.

10 September 1079
I have given the order to build the roads. Why did I wait so long when the money was there?

14 March 1080
I have missed so much. Leopold is at my side now, writing this for me. Though in truth there has not been much of import to record. My sickness worsens and I fear I may not live much longer, so I try to educate Leopold in the running of the Duchy and make my wishes known for when he inherits. I am sure that the Duchy will be in safe hands once I am gone, though it would put my mind at rest to know that Leopold had an heir. Barbora is a wonderful asset to the court and the best Chancellor I could wish for, but she will never bear Leopold a son.

13 August 1080
King Dietmar has begun a righteous campaign against the pagans who infest Germany. I hope I live to see its success.

6 June 1081
The King’s campaign goes well. Württemberg is recovered, and Ansbach. I ail more every day, yet the Lord does not see fit to end my suffering.

18 July 1081
I thought the old man was going to linger forever. It might be fun to keep up this chronicle thing, I suppose, though I’d better write more often than my dad did near the end. The coronation was yesterday, and I’ve begun making some changes already. I’d managed to get quite a nice little court together up there in Moravia, and some of them will do very nicely for the Duke of Austria instead. Still can’t beat young Ida for subterfuge or the missus for diplomacy, but dad’s Steward wasn’t much cop so I’ve promoted my man, Viktor von Wangen. The bishop - well, frankly, I don’t give a toss. Made all the right pious noises, of course, and the old man was such a God-botherer we’ll see if we can’t get him sainted or something. He’d have liked that, and it won’t reflect badly on me either.

Right, everyone, there’s a new Duke of Austria in town, and things are going to change a bit.

- Leopold von Babenberg, Duke of Austria, Count of Niederösterreich and Moravia.

 

[Brickie]

Thus ends the chronicle of Ernst, Duke of Austria for 15 game years until his death of illness at the respectable age of 54. He is succeeded by his eldest son Leopold.

 

[Brickie]

Quick question, by the way. Is anyone actually reading this or shall I cease cluttering up the forum?

Sorry, that sounds all passive-aggressive and "hey, someone, please tell me how great it is", but as I said at the start, I've not done this before, I have no real "angle", no "story" and so on so it's probably not that interesting...

 

[Ruwaard]

Since you're asking so nicely, I've read it. One thing to nitpick about: Charlemagne was crowned on Christmas day in the year 800.

26 December 1071
Five years to the day since I started this chronicle, and great change is afoot in our land. It seems inevitable now that the Kingdom of Germany is doomed to fall, just seventy years after Charles the Great was crowned ruler over all Christendom. The heathen Turks knock at the gates of Byzantium and push back the Christians in Spain. I wonder what kind of a world I bring a new child into.

So I think you meant 270 years?

 

[Brickie]

*cough* yes.

Dunno why, I had it in my head that it was Christmas Day 1000.

 

[Brickie]

1 August 1081
I’ve done a little reorganising in the court. I’ve appointed a new Steward and Marshal from my court in Morava, but the wife is still the best chancellor I could wish for.

Damn the woman. Why, why did I agree to marry her? Was I that desperate for my father’s favour? I’m 31 years old, I can still have an heir, but not while I’m married to a 52-year-old. I refuse to leave the Duchy to that wastrel Adalbert. My father couldn’t stand him and neither can I. I have the money and the connections to have Barbora killed, but … my own wife? An able courtier and a good woman? Besides, if it didn’t work out I doubt I would ever live the act down...

27 August 1081
Hmph. Marshal Wilhelm, who led my Moravian forces well, has died less than a month into his new posting. I guess I will have to reinstate Walram instead.

3 October 1081
Stefan, Ulric of Passau’s whelp who lives at my court, is turning into a right goody two-shoes. Twelve years old and he takes a vow of chastity? Puh-lease.

3 November 1081
Tragic news, my wife has been assassinated by persons unknown. Oh no. Where will Austria find a new chancellor as good? At least I can find a younger wife to give me an heir... to every cloud there must be a silver lining, eh?

4 November 1081
I have appointed Lutbert, my old Moravian chancellor, as our new chancellor. Not a patch on Barbora, but who is? Maybe my new wife will also be a good diplomat...

13 March 1082
My messengers have offered marriage to an Icelandic noblewoman by the name of Thorborg, apparently not only a real nordic beauty but an accomplished diplomat. At 25, she is young enough to give me an heir as well as providing some entertainment in the process...

7 April 1082
We have begun using scale-mail in Niederösterreich, which should give our troops a bit more protection.

23 April 1082
The bishop of West Iceland has approved the marriage, and Thorborg brings with her a decent dowry which should pay for some more investment in the Duchy.

1 May 1082
I have commissioned the building of a tile factory in Moravia, which will increase the income I receive from my old demesne once it is finished. I have also laid claim to the Bishopric of Innsbruck. Count Berthold has tried to remain independent since seceding from the Kingdom of Germany, but I’ll soon see about that.

11 May 1082
Our messenger declaring war on Berthold has been dispatched, and our army follows. I lead the Austrian contingent and Walram the Moravians. Innsbruck is a poor county and will not enrich Austria hugely, but that’s not the point; with some development it can, and it will increase the family’s lands and that’s what it’s all about. I will leave my heirs more than I inherited myself.

15 May 1082
A messenger has caught me up with wonderful news from Vienna - Thorborg is expecting a child. I pray that it may be a boy.

24 May 1082
I have met up with Walram near Salzburg and we march together against Berthold’s troops. We have the advantage of numbers and leadership, so I am confident for the fight.

 

[unmerged(216158)]

Neat stuff

 

[Brickie]

cheers. Here's the last instalment until I play a bit more game...

The Chronicle of Adalbert von Babenberg, born 1055

Duke of Austria, Count of Niederösterreich, Morava and Brescia, liege lord of Passau.

29 July 1082
Dad always said that Leopold would get himself killed one day, he was so reckless. Seems he led a cavalry charge and was cut down by arrows. Idiot. So I guess that makes me Duke of Austria. I must admit, I thought my chances of that had gone once Leopold remarried someone young enough to give him an heir. At least the battle was won, and the army continues to besiege Innsbruck.

I suppose I’ll have to continue this chronicle, but I’m not sure I can really be bothered...

29 September 1082
I went hunting with the Duke of Lower Lorraine today. Falconry, of course, not the dangerous sort. Much more civilised than that boar-hunting that dad and Leopold always preferred.

11 October 1082
Innsbruck has fallen to the Marshal’s troops, count Berthold has been executed and Innsbruck added to my demesne. Excellent news. However, the demesne is widespread and scattered, and I wonder if I should create new counts of Brescia and Innsbruck to adminster it on my behalf. I have quite a large court, after all, with my own people from Brescia adding to dad and Leopold’s courtiers. Speaking of which, dad’s old chancellor, Albrecht von Habsburg, retired today.

1 November 1082
The Duke of Swabia has declared war on the Kingdom of Germany, which seems to have rallied somewhat since the dark days at the end of dad’s rule, but has still had to contend with the Baltic pagans rampaging through central Germany.

28 December 1082
I have decided to create Viktor von Wangen as Bishop of Brescia. He is chaste and zealous, and a scholarly theologian to boot. The Pope has approved the appointment and congratulated me on an appropriate choice, and my standing in the eyes of the Church must have improved. In other news, the Austrian militia here in Niederösterreich have begun using new banded mail, which will increase our combat effectiveness.

28 January 1083
I have replaced Matthias as Bishop of Vienna with Lutbert of Moravia, who seems more suited for the role. Matthias may receive the Bishopric of Innsbruck in recompense, I haven’t decided yet.

3 February 1083
A new theological movement, asceticism, has spread in Moravia.

21 March 1083
Great news from Germany - the pagan Mecklenburgers have been entirely vanquished; their lands have been taken over by the Duke of Thüringen, while the King of Germany has recovered Franconia. The King has also taken the lands of the Duke of Swabia and extended the Royal Demesne even further.

21 June 1083
The people of Moravia have perfected the art of refining salt - I must see if I can exploit this.

3 July 1083
I have made Matthias bishop of Innsbruck as compensation for his replacement in Vienna, and also because someone needs to run all this land for me, it’s far too much work to do it myself.

23 July 1083
Some minor merchant houses are beginning to develop in Moravia.

21 August 1083
The Duke of Bavaria has broken his vasallization with the King of Germany and declared war. I don’t think this will end well for the Duke.

28 September 1083
The tile-factory in Moravia is finished, and I have ordered the construction of a Ducal post there to assist in the administration of the province.

22 October 1083
Leopold’s widow has been offered a marriage by the son of the Governor of Iceland. She’s a good chancellor, but Ursula Valente, my old chancellor from Brescia is as well. So Thorborg heads off home to the frozen north, leaving Leopold’s son Karloman behind with the nannies. Poor lad, if his father hadn't gone and got himself killed before he was born, he'd have inherited the lot. As it is, he'll get nothing.

30 December 1083
The Bavarians are doing better than I thought, and have captured the counties of Tirol and Kempten and even occupied the royal capital of Ulm.

4 February 1084
Unbelievably, the Duke of Bavaria has not only forced the German king to acknowledge his secession, but has also acquired Schwaben, Kempten and Ulm. The king has moved his capital to Ansbach. The art of salt refining has also spread to Niederösterreich.

25 March 1084
The King of Germany’s war with Saxony goes badly, and I wonder if it might be worth trying to grab the County of Tirol from him. It’ll cost me some prestige as I’ll have to blatantly manufacture a claim, but it will be worth it.

30 March 1084
The documents are signed and I have set out at the head of my army. I hope there should not be too much fighting.

10 May 1084
Excellent news - my steward has made huge profits on some business venture and donated a proportion to the Ducal coffers. That will help pay for the campaign.

17 June 1084
We have arrived in the Tyrol and found Bishop Matthias already besieging Schwaz with his small force. Intelligence advises of a small force of about 50 Swiss heading east through northern Italy, but if they show up in Austria, Ulric of Passau’s troops should be able to deal with them easily.

25 July 1084
Siege work is dull but at least relatively safe. Marshal Markward has shown some innovation in tackling the walls and Schwaz is nearly ours. We hear that those Swiss are en route here, but we outnumber them so convincinly I’m sure it won’t be a problem. I shouldn’t say that really, I’m reminded of my idiot brother’s last entry in the chronicle.

30 July 1084
Schwaz has fallen and we now await the arrival of those poor Swiss troops.

2 August 1084
They came not with weapons but with an offer. The king of Germany recognises me as Count of Tirol in exchange for peace - which is exactly what I had hoped for, so I accepted.

9 September 1084
Apparently fed up with being unprotected, our Austrian peasant levies have begun wearing soft leather armour which provides a degree of cheap protection.

16 November 1084
Oh, for goodness sake. Ursula, my chancellor, has defected to the County of Breisgau. I’ve appointed my younger brother Albrecht in her place.

4 January 1085
The Crusades do not go well, by the way. The King of Croatia has launched an offensive into the Holy Land and taken Hama, Palmyra and Damascus, but in return a heathen army has landed in the Balkans and captured most of the Duchy of Slavonia. The King of Bohemia has declared war and prepares to recapture Slavonia for Christendom.

10 January 1085
The Duke of Croatia has come to me for an alliance, and I have accepted - this could work to my advantage.

8 February 1085
We have declared war on the Emir of Damascus and I ride today at the head of 2,200 troops to “liberate” Croatia for myself.

 

[Brickie]

11 April 1085
We have begun to besiege Zagreb. I hope this will go as smoothly as the siege of Schwaz last year.

29 April 1085
Wonderful! My great friend Hugues d’Este, Duke of Lombardy, has paid for a regiment of 3,000 German mercenaries, who are underway to support me now.

1 June 1085
Damn these Balkan politics. I’ve found myself dragged into a war between the Duke of Croatia and his liege, the King of Croatia. Truth be told, the King has been remiss in organising the defence of his realm, but I wish I didn’t have to be fighting Christians as well as Saracens. Zagreb has fallen, and I have moved on to besiege Krizevci.

6 August 1085
Our mercenaries have arrived outside Zagreb just in time to defeat a royal army arriving to relieve the city, and they have proceeded to pursue them all the way to the royal capital of Senj.

24 August 1085
The long siege of Krizevci is over, the heathen have been defeated. I can now prosecute my war against the King of Croatia at the same time as crusading against the heathen, for there are two Croatian provinces that are currently occupied by the Saracens. On to Rama...

11 September 1085
I receive notice that we have won another victory against the King’s army in Senj, and that we now besiege the capital of the Croatian king.

21 September 1085
Alas, our victory was in vain. The Duke of Croatia has been captured and executed, and I now find myself still at war but without a cause. I have sent immediately to the King to offer peace.

17 October 1085
The army of one of the King of Croatia’s lackeys arrived bearing his defiance and joined us in battle. Despite their slightly larger numbers, we prevailed. I have sent envoys to the King of Croatia offering peace once again, and to the Emir of Damascus claiming the titles of Zagreb and Krizevci. If I can gain these titles from the Emir and offer them to the King of Croatia in exchange for peace, I may yet extricate myself from this mess.

9 November 1085
Excellent news, the Emir has recognised my claims and I will now offer peace to the King of Croatia with the titles of these lands.

23 November 1085
Peace at last. I have ordered the mercenaries to disband, my own army is headed home and now begins the process of rebuilding our treasury. That’s absolutely the last time I get involved in the Balkans.

25 November 1085
I have asked my younger brother Albrecht to marry a rich older woman from the court of the Kingdom of Germany. Agathe von Bamberg is 52, and Albrecht only 17 - so he can inherit her money and then still have many years of procreation after she has passed on. Rebuilding my shattered prestige may take a little while longer.

30 June 1086
It has been an uneventful sevenmonth since last I recorded anything in the journal, for which I am deeply thankful. Young Dietmar, King of Germany, still hangs on and is in his majority now and ruling for himself. Almost all his lands bar only Schwyz and Chur are in the hands of the Duke of Saxony now, though, and I wonder how much longer he will last. History has shown, though, that the Kingdom of Germany is more resilient than it appears.

1 August 1086
Apparently my subjects in the Tirol are using new written contracts when they do business. Unfortunately, the region is so stricken with Typhoid as well as having been pillaged by enemy troops in the recent wars, that I gain almost no income from them at all. Ihave given the county of Tirol to the Bishop of Innsbruck, so that I may concentrate on administrating the Lower Austrian lands.

25 October 1086
Albrecht’s marriage may turn out to be not as simple a matter as we thought. The woman is crazed, appearing passionately in love with him at one point, and then ranting and raving about monsters and demons inhabiting our bodies at the next moment...

15 February 1087
The teaching of the Seven Liberal Arts; the Trivium of Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic, and the Quadrivium of Arithmetic, Astronomy, Music and Geometry, has spread in our realm. I look forward to the benefits that this will bring.

13 February 1087
What did I say about discounting the Kingdom of Germany? The Saxons have made peace in exchange for a couple of counties, when they could probably have had much more.

27 March 1087
Walram, my brother’s old Marshal, has defected to the King of Hungary’s court. Good riddance to him, frankly.

21 April 1087
Viktor, who I created Bishop of Brescia, has declared independence. We’ll see about that.

28 July 1087
While paused in Innsbruck en route to Italy, I hear news that my mother has died suddenly. I have sent back instructions for her funeral, and will visit her tomb upon my victorious return.

1 August 1087
I also hear that the Duchy of Bavaria is having some trouble; the Wittelsbach count of Oberbayern has already broken away and it is said that others may also defy the boy Duke, Berthold von Nordheim.

12 January 1088
The wayward Bishop has been defeated and executed. The contents of his admittedly meagre treasury will help us to recover from the Croatian wars, and I dare say I have gained some prestige from the experience as well. While I have been gone, I hear some minor merchant houses have set up in Vienna, while the Moravians are experimenting with a new technology of even longer bows for use in war. The Bavarian Duke has also recaptured Oberbayern.

23 March 1088
My wife seems to be unhappier by the day - I wish I knew how to lift her out of this depression.

13 December 1088
Marshal Markward has defected to the King of Bohemia. I understand he wished to go on crusade to the holy land, which I have not the money to do. I wish him well, of course, but I do not know where I will find a new Marshal as good. I have appointed my brother Albrecht for the time being.

22 September 1089
This has been a distinctly dull year. Today our hoped-for inheritance has been dashed; Albrecht’s wife Agathe died last week, but there is no sign of her fortune and we fear it is either spent, sent away to get it away from us “demons” or hidden where no-one knows. Still, Albrecht is at least free to marry once more...

19 December 1089
A new marriage for Albrecht has been agreed, a young Norwegian prodigy called Ragna, sister of the Count of Telemark. She is incredibly talented and a real asset to our court. I have straightaway appointed her as Steward, which should give my wife Elisabetta a break.

5 May 1090
My daughter Sybille has matured into quite the intriguer, and I have decided to make her spymaster in place of old Ida von Cham, who has served my father and my brother before me.

3 August 1090
I’ve authorised construction of a Ducal Post here in Niederösterreich, which Ragna thinks will improve the tax revenues. Leaves the Ducal coffers a bit sparse, but we’re in the black again and with another few uneventful years we’ll be fine.