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I Think I Conn: The Little Duchy That Could

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@ Rivus: That foul stench of Normans will indeed cause me a bit of bother, I fear.

@ Enewald: I wish I could. I hate English intervention in Ireland as much as the next man, but there's nothing I can do right now. Maybe in a couple decades or if old Willy the Conqueror gets some realm duress issues...

@ Murmurandus: His cunning is snake-like and his guile unmatched. I can't wait for him to die.

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24 December, 1073,

Today a courier arrived from the County of Dublin, offering alliance. I probed the situation a bit, and found that the Count of Dublin is the eight year old cousin of the one year old Duke of Leinster. Strange stuff is happening there in the east, it is. I'm very grateful to Leinster for aiding in the war, but they did abandon the alliance shortly after, which was something of a slap in the face. Dublin held its own in the war against Leinster, and is in fact occupying Laigin as I write this. I doubt they'll be able to make a push on the Isle of Man, though, so the combat part of the war is done.

This comes across as a family issue, one in which I'd rather not be involved. That being said, on this isle it is madness to be without an ally. Who knows, maybe the winds are shifting in Dublin's direction?

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14 January 1074,

Good news- William the Conqueror is no longer papal controller!



1 May 1074,

It's time my grandson receives an education. I would generally allow his mother to choose, but she wants him to go study with the monks. That is entirely unacceptable. I think I'll send him to the court - that way his mother can keep an eye on him and he can learn the subtle courtly arts, which will greatly aid him when he eventually succeeds me.

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10 January 1075,

I was wrong about County of Dublin. It's not satisfied with grinding down Leinster - they launched a cheeky attack on the Isle of Man and are now attempting to occupy the whole of the Duchy of Leinster! If anything they should be lauded for their bravery, or foolishness. How interesting, but I do believe I made a sound decision in accepting their offer of alliance.


12 January 1075,

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, I might have to retire early for the night. I'll sketch out a map of Ireland before I go to bed, though.


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So is he dying or just ill? ;)
 
@ Enewald and Rivus: North, eh? Ulster sure can be a pain, though... Duke of Mide might be an easier title to grab, especially with Dublin being independent of Leinster. Either way it'll be a while, as I don't have near enough prestige to claim any title.

@ Murmurandus: In the 1070s it was more or less the same thing, wasn't it? Anyways, he's just got a sickness, hopefully he'll get over it and pop right back up, but for a man of almost 60 it's never that easy.


Update within 24 hours
 
20 January 1075,

Today is my 60th birthday! Hooray! I can now get senior citizen discounts at the meat and fish markets, which, I will not lie, is exciting. To think, I've been alive since 1015 - so much has changed in my lifetime - notably over in England, where that agent of nightmares William has set up his court...


29 March 1075,

There are ill winds blowing here in Connacht. There are elements in my court, elements that are better off unnamed, that are concerned with my lack of a son. I was taken aback when someone suggested I kill my beloved wife Derbail and marry a younger woman that may still bear children! What a horrid proposition! Another person came to me suggest I have an affair with an anonymous woman of the court and attempt to legitimize the ensuing bastard child. I refused to hear such an argument. I'm more than confident that my grandsons are under fine tutelage and that either one of them would make a fine heir. Besides, I don't plan on dying soon anyways - I'm in no rush.

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2 July 1075,

My vassal, the Count of Galway, has been showing signs of disloyalty lately. The other day an agent in his court told me that he told a bawdy joke at my expense, and it was well received down in Galway! This is wholly unacceptable, and the situation will soon be rectified. He cannot continue as the Count of Galway and as my vassal if this behavior continues. Revoking his title is a very real possibility in the future, I'll have to keep an eye on that situation.




1 September 1075,

A group of peasants came to me today petitioning for the creation of a forestry in Mayo. I was more than happy to agree with them and to invest 100 gold in the creation of said institution - it will hopefully help Mayo's economy and create more jobs for the peasants, most of still live in squalor despite my best efforts to alleviate their suffering.


1 November 1075,

I cannot stand the continued disrespect from Galway. I have revoked the Count's title. It remains to be seen how he will react.


24 November 1075,

Aedh Count of Galway refused to surrender the title. I have mustered my army and declared war - the disloyal pig will be brought to his knees and Galway restored to my rule.


23 January 1076,

Today the forces of Galway were crushed, driven right from the county. The siege will start immediately, although I expect it to be long and perhaps expensive. I do not, however, doubt that I made the correct decision in going to war to dislodge a disloyal vassal.

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25 March 1076,

Sad news reached me at the army encampment last night. My wife, my wife of almost 35 years, passed away last night. She'd been ill, and the cold spring winds exacerbated her ailments. I must return to Mayo for the funeral - I could not forgive myself if I didn't. What a decade this has been, filled with grief and pain for the Ua Conchuir family. It will be with heavy heart that the rest of my years will be lived.



29 May 1076,

My chancellor arranged a marriage for me a bit ago, and my wife has no arrived in Mayo. She is the widowed mother of the current Count of Dublin, and is well beyond her childbearing years, much to the dismay of certain members of my court. The marriage should help cement relations between Connacht and Dublin, who are still at war with Leinster and appear to have the upper hand. I harbor no love or fond feelings towards my new wife, but that is to be expected. We both knew that this marriage was purely for diplomatic reasons. I do not wish to share a bedroom with her.

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12 November 1075,

Galway has been returned to the realm. I wish I could write more about it, but I am wracked with grief. I must retire to my chambers now, goodnight.
 
He's not worried of not having a heir? How unmedieval... ;)
 
I like this AAR, cant wait for an update. :)
 
Thanks for the kind words, Iron_Skull

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21 December 1076,

My grandson is ill with a foul stomach ailment. He's seven years old - hardly an infant - but still fragile. I fear that the tense and stressful mood that has settled in over the hill-fort is harmful to his wellbeing. Perhaps I should send him somewhere nice and calm to mature. Getting an international education might help him develop into a well rounded ruler, too.


5 January 1077,

The Pope has called a crusade to liberate Jerusalem from the Muslims. Connacht is unable to crusade, and I highly doubt the Pope (or God himself) will hold it against me - we simply do not have the funds nor the manpower. I have no doubt that others - maybe the French or the English or even one of the kingdoms from the Norse world will take part in freeing the Holy City.

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6 April 1077,

The war in Leinster has come to an end. The County of Dublin successfully captured the Isle of Man, the last bastion of the Duchy of Leinster, and forced a peace. Dublin became the Duchy of Leinster, while the former Duchy of Leinster was reduced to the County of Laigin. Fascinating, it is.

Ireland after the Leinster War:
iogm11.jpg




10 July 1077,

I sent my grandson Muircheartach over to the Duchy of Leinster for his education. Hopefully the change of scenery will be good for him, and Dublin has Ireland's best doctors. Such a move also builds relations with the Duchy, which is Connacht's ally and closest friend on this island.



24 December 1077,

Today my grandson wrote me a letter asking what is more important to a ruler - emotions or rationality. I told him it's better to adopt a middle of the road approach - balancing rationality with emotions.

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It's time for me to go to midnight mass. Merry Christmas, diary!
 
6 June, 1078

My youngest grandson is in need of a good education. I was really unsure what to tell him - he's too fragile for the military and not clever enough for the court. Perhaps he should go to study with the monks. They'll teach him to read and write and maybe someday he'll be a bishop, or if he works hard enough, the Pope. Aye, a bishop he'll be.

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25 October, 1078

This is Bean-Mhumhan writing, Spy Mistress of Connacht and the daughter-in-law of the late Aed. The Duke of Connacht, may the Lord on high look with favour on his soul, passed away this morning. He was 63 years of age and lived a full life, but one cannot help feeling the devastating loss suffered by Connacht. Many people here have not known another liege than our Aed.

The title Duke of Connacht and Count of Mayo, Galway, and Sligo passed to my eldest son, Muircheartach, who was being groomed to be the Duke someday, I just never thought it would be so soon. He is only nine years old! He has been in the County of Dublin the past few years, but he will come back to Connacht immediately for the ascension ceremony.

Being only nine, he is hardly fit to rule by himself. I will act as regent in his stead for matters of state and receiving guests to the court for the next seven years, until he comes of age.

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28 October, 1078

Today was the funeral for the late Aed, Duke of Connacht. His priest-confessor gave a short but eloquent eulogy, and respects were paid from various representatives from other courts in Ireland (and much to my surprise, the nephew of the King of Scotland was in attendance!). Aed will be remembered as a just man with a strong sense of honor and devotion to his family. Perhaps he didn't have the strongest backbone and was prone to being more cautious than is prudent, but all in all he was a sound and competent ruler. History books will remember him as Aed I, Patriarch of the O'Conchuir Clan.


2 November, 1078

There has been no rest for me the past few days. My son arrived this morning for the ascension ceremony. With him came the chancellor from the newly formed (in Dublin, if one recalls) Duchy of Leinster. A meeting was held, good relations were reaffirmed, and we agreed to maintain our military alliance, for the mutual good.


November 21, 1078

Now that I have had a few days of quiet, I think I should properly introduce myself, given that I will be the regent for the next few years. My name is Bean-Mhumhan, and I am 32 years of age. I was born in the Isle of Man and am of noble blood, as my father was a minor count for some years, before Leinster took control of Man. I was wed to Ruaidri O'Conchuir, who at that time was the heir to the Duchy of Connacht, on my 19th birthday. After several years of happy marriage, during which I birthed three lovely children, my husband perished at the hands of an assassin. I was devastated, but I knew I would better serve my husband's memory by remaining strong than by tearing up every few minutes.

That is more or less my biography in a nutshell. My character is often described as being doubtful and cynical, and I'm known to raise an eyebrow more often than most. In my younger years I was full of energy, especially in the bedroom, but that has since waned and I am approaching the age of infertility.

Here's a portait:
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8 January, 1079

For the first time in over a year my son went a day without coughing. Surely this means he is over his prolonged illness. This makes me very glad - I couldn't bear to see him with his nose running all the time and his eyes puffy.

Anyway, I have to go check on him to make sure all is as well as I hope it is.

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Timeline of Rulers:
Aed O'Conchuir - 1066-1078
Muircheartach - 1078-
 
Regency. Not so good. Watch out for evil backstabbery! ;)
 
Named you Best Character WritAAR of the Week over in the General Discussions forum. Congrats! Please don't forget to announce a new winner next weekend.

An excellent AAR you've got going here Serek.
 
A most well deserved award, I followed the link from the award and got hooked. I like the way the gameplay is referenced in the updates and I'm looking forward to the next generation taking the clan forward.
 
@ Enewald: It is indeed pretty weak. Hopefully that'll change within a generation or two.

@ Murmurandus: Quite right, sir (or madam). Regencies seem to never end well, but it's the only choice right now. Although I won't lie, the idea of a nine year old running a Duchy could have been fun.

@ Qorten: Thank you! I'll be sure to pass it along promptly when Friday night comes, I've got my eye on a few good character writers that I could pick.

@ El Pip: Glad to have you along for the ride, and thank you!


Alright, hopefully I can deliver a decent update under pressure to do well.

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13 March, 1079

My son got a letter from the Archbishop of Dublin, the highest ranking clergyman in Ireland. Evidently the Bishop of Connacht has fallen out of favor with the Church, and that does not bode well for the Duchy as a whole. I knew nothing of it, and my son is wholly incapable of handling such matters at such a young age. It really is a great shame that he'll have to take the fall for a foolish bishop that his grandfather appointed. The situation has been sorted out, though, and the troublesome bishop demoted and replaced by someone the Church will find more favorable.

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23 February, 1080

The last year or so has been fairly uneventful, as much of my time has been spent tutoring my son in courtly matters and doing menial administrative tasks. Sometimes this island can be terribly boring. The woodmen in Mayo think otherwise, though. It seems they've cleared out a bit of wood and can use the reclaimed land for farming. This is good news for all concerned.

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5 June, 1080

The bishop told me he was going to be taking a vow of complete celibacy. Why he told me, I don't know - to be honest it made me a little uncomfortable, him barging into my chambers with a big grin on his face like that. If it's what the Church wants, though, that's all the better.


27 October, 1080

Galway has been getting a lot of rain, and the crops seem to appreciate it. Reports from the county say that they'll be a sure surplus of barley, which means we can export it. Brilliant!

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1 May, 1081

I really don't know what caused it, but my son has become more and more forgiving each year. He's a good boy, that's for sure, and I'm sure he'll be a fine Duke some day.


6 May, 1081

It's time to decide where my daughter should be educated. I think sending her to a convent will be good for her. Who knows how steady the court scene will be with the transition of power to my son in a few years - that sort of thing can get messy, I'd prefer to have her safely away learning to read and write from a kindly old nun.


4 October, 1082

Not a lot has happened, and my son is almost ready to take on the full responsibilities of Duke of Connacht. I haven't been entirely idle, though. A month or two ago I noticed that Mide, something of a thorn in Connacht's side but strategically located and crucial to the Duke of Meath title, was without allies and in a bit of a hard spot as far as economics go. I felt that it was time for reconciliation and had my chancellor meet with the Count of Mide to work out a possible vassalization. To my surprise, the reply came today: Mide agreed to a vassalization!

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15 February, 1083

I authorized the construction of a fishing in Mayo this morning. It will greatly help fisherman get their catch to and from the market and hopefully this will reflect positively on the economy here in Mayo. My son is 13 now, he's rapidly become quite the young gentleman. Just today he was very nice to a peasant he saw outside the hillfort - I hope becoming the fully functioning Duke doesn't change him. In a way I hate to think of the day when I turn things over to him.

Anway, I have to go tend to some particularly dull matters of state.
 
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