rex Hispaniarum

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Hello, and welcome to my first ever AAR! After reading many AAR's ranging from Europa Universalis 3 to Victoria 2: AHD, I have decided to try my hand at writing one, choosing Crusader Kings II as my platform.

I will be playing as King Alfonso IV of Leon.

My reasons for this choice are quite simple. It is easy to play, makes for great drama with various flavors and agitators throughout, and I am very fond of Spanish culture. Oh, and I find Leon/Castille to always be GREAT FUN!

The style of this AAR will be presented in a mix of roleplay/historical fiction vs. gameplay format, with slight emphasis on the former over the latter,
but will still make use of a good degree of screenshots and, to a more minor degree, historical pictures relative to the times,
in hopes of achieving an involved atmosphere, all the while continuing to depict the action and nature of the world as I play along.

There will be instances where a picture will compliment a piece of writing, and a piece of writing may compliment a picture.

As I am not tied to a predetermined drama (or comedy!), and, being armed with only an overarching sense of what I wish to achieve that will undoubtedly be heavily impacted and influenced by various uncontrollable factors,
some of my game play decisions may come off as too 'gamey' to some. My aim is atmosphere over acquisition, as thus I will do my best to achieve results which are believable to not only the goals I hope to achieve,
but also with the characters I have created, and the feel of the story that is being crafted as I go along.

Comments of any nature are appreciated, and I very much enjoy replying!

Without further ado, a short introduction to this AAR.

~~~

A Brief History Concerning House Jimena

The founding of the House of Jimena can be traced back to the Duke Ximeno Jimena 'the Strong', becoming ruler of the Navarrian capital of Pamplona after displacing the line of Arista in 905.

While much of his machinations have been lost to time, with both details of his life and origin shrouded in mystery, it is well-established that his line ruled Pamplona for generations,
until his son, Sancho (Antso) II of Pamplona, on the occasion of a donation of the villa of Alastue by Sancho to the monastery of San Juan de la Peña in 987,
titled himself 'King of Navarra', marking the first time this title had come into use:
he would be known thereafter as King Antso II of Navarre.

Sancho II of Pamplona. From the Codex Vigilanus​

While the reign of Antso II's son, King Garcia(Gartzia)'the Trembler', would prove tumultuous (tradition holds he freed all of the Muslim captives being held in Navarre under duress),
it would be through his heir, King Sancho (Antso) III, that Navarra would reach the peak of it's power.

The first in the Jimena Dynasty to be stylized 'the Great', King Antso III saw to the growth of his kingdoms' reach through conquest and political machinations.
By the time of his death, he controlled the majority of Christian Iberia, and bore the title of rex Hispaniarum, or, Imperator totius Hispaniae:
Ruler of All Spain.

Burial stone of Sancho III, bearing his effigy

Ironically, the greatest undoing to his legacy was, when on his deathbed, he divided his domains shortly before his passing to provide for his sons.
Navarre would never again be as powerful as it once was,
and the male heads of House Jimena would soon find themselves in political strife for the uncontested title of rex Hispaniarum in both Catholic and Moorish Iberia;
a chain of events which would last for decades.

La Reconquista​

My father, King Fernando I 'the Great', was the Count of Castile from his uncle's death and then King of León after defeating his brother-in-law in 1037.
It was he who first crowned himself Emperor of Spain;
my brothers and I having carried on this tradition, to much contention.
My father continued the will and legacy of my grandfather in that he inaugurated the rule of the Navarrese Jiménez dynasty over western Spain,
with my brothers coming to reign west and east of Leon as King Garcia II of Galicia, and King Sancho II of Castille, respectively.

Fernando I of Leon with wife Sancha

~~~​

I am Alfonso Fernandez Jimena,
or,
more formally,
King Alfonso VI of Leon, of House Jimena.

I am a Crusader King.

This is not my story.

This is my legacy.​

~Signed and sealed, King Alfonso VI the Valiant,
victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia,
Emperor of All Spain​

 

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Table of Contents

Part One: Thy Brother's Keeper

Chapter One: Keep Your Friends Close, And Your Siblings Closer (x) (!) (!) ​

Legend: (!) - Main Story (x) - Side Story​

 

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A Paltry Sum

~~~​

The stranger made no effort to conceal his presence.​

Wrapped in illustrious robes, the basque nobleman stood patiently, leaning against the only ailing tree in the wide expanse of field before him. "Hopefully the fool hasn't turned tail so early," muttered the pale man under his breath. Atop this hill, glancing over towards the west provided a clear though distant view of the city of Toro.

Anxiously, many times he found himself casting glances in the general direction; patience was not a virtue he possessed. Turning his gaze over towards the sky, he took in the majesty of the clouds before uttering a prayer. "Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos, santificado sea tu Nombre, venga tu reino, hágase tu voluntad, en la tierra co...", startled, the stranger caught sight of a slim figure through the corner of his eye, clutching tightly their mantle of thick cloak and hood, all the while approaching hastily.

"Hold! Reveal yourself, or come no further!" There was a hint of alarm on the part of the stranger's demand. Seemingly eager to dispel any notion of danger, the slim figure cast aside his robe. The stranger immediately recognized the informant.

"Ah, truly, you have kept your word in arriving! Yet, I have right mind to deny you a portion of the pay even if you indeed fulfill your end of the bargain; travel has been most perilous, and choosing to meet here in Zamora by Valladolid province way has led to complications in my health." Holding a cuffed hand towards his mouth, the stranger let out a light succession of coughs; to his slight dismay, the informant seemed unfazed. The stranger recomposed himself quickly and upright.

"Well then, it is about time you do the talking. Tell me of him, then."

The informant shifted his weight a little, staring past the stranger into a noticeable nothingness. With a dazed, far off look in his eyes, the informant spoke:

"He is just. His righteousness has been proven time and time again, gaining him the respect of the vassals and courtiers of..."

"Fool!", interrupted the stranger. "I care not of his benevolence! Tell me what I came here for, or begone with ye and allow me to return to my liege with your failure and your gold!"

The informant winced ever so slightly. After a few moments of silence, the informant continued:

"He is... an elusive shadow. He has mastered the art of intrigue, and is in constant plotting motions. Indeed, many say he is entirelydeceitful by nature."

The stranger smirked at the sudden openness of the informant.

"Good, very good... tell me, what is his nature in relation to the Church?"

"He is a devout cynic. Indeed, both his bishops side and pay their tithes with Pope Alexander II who, in turn, does not hold my liege in very... high regard."

Overjoyed, the stranger bellowed out a thunderous laughter, with bouts of snorting in between.

"Yes! Yes! Now tell me, what of his family, his heirs!?"

"In those matters, he is a childless bachelor. Heir to his titles are his brother Sancho II of Castille, followed by King Garcia II of Galicia, and finally Princess Urraca, Countess of Zamora."

"Of course! I now see why you chose this realm as our area of rendezvous! I must admit, this information is worth the glory of an entire kingdom! It is a shame, then, I only have this lowly sack to provide to you!"

Reaching deep into his long pockets, the stranger quickly produced a tattered leather pouch, filled with gold coins, and tossed it at the informant.
In a flash, the pouch struck the surprised man in the chest, tore open, and the coins fell to the ground, scattered; some rolling off the hill, some into nearby bushes, and others into a nearby pond.
The stranger raised his head and gave a huff of triumph in the direction of the informant, who was now on his knees, grasping at the earth for coin.

"Such rich information, for such a paltry sum! 62 gold, the cost of your client's kingdom!" The stranger, seemingly victorious, began to take his leave.

"I must also mention," peeped the informant, stopping the stranger in his tracks.

"That my king, is a patient king. This, in conjunction with his devious nature, are aspects not to be tempted."

"Ah, but they are, dear Chancellor, they are." The stranger assumed an ardent stride.

"Fare thee well, Pedro of Valladolid! I am sure we shall not be meeting again!" And with that, the stranger quickened pace towards the east, beyond the hill, and out of sight.

Count Pedro of Valladolid stood up and wiped the dirt off his mantle. He counted the gold he had managed to retain. 34 pieces. 34 pieces of gold.

He would spend the rest of the afternoon looking for the remaining sum, to no avail.

~~~​

 

[Robert Wyatt]

Good start, look forward to reading more.

 

[loki100]

nice opening ... very atmospheric

 

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Very well written! I will keep an eye on this.

 

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For Love or Lust

~~~

Independence of spirit. A gift, and a curse.​

King Alfonso IV of Leon had pondered upon the matter time and time again, over the various years. Now, at 26 years of age, it grew to be an issue that consumed his mind on a nightly basis. The most outwardly apparent manifestation of the problem: he was without wife, without seed.

The court was pushing for a direct heir, a son, to continue the reign of Alfonso. And those who weren't pushing, were plotting. King Sancho II of Castille was next in line to the throne of Leon, and the pretenders were no less dangerous...

Throughout his days, Alfonso came to see marriage as merely a tool for gain; his father, in fact, had not betrothed the child to any faction, nor payed much mind to it, busy as he was. On Alfonso's part, there indeed was an air of desire for the opposite sex, but this was satisfied in less "courtly" manners. Still, the nature of the problem was becoming troublesome, as the court would fill with whispers and stares whenever the King's presence was made seen. The King had now made it his new ambition to find a suitable mate, and arrange a marriage, with the aim partly to quell dissent.

While many a noblewoman (and their fathers) vied to attain the marital blessing of the King, there were only two woman in the world whom Alfonso put any amount of serious thought towards; even if one was only of his consideration, and no one else's.

Adelheid, Princess of the Holy Roman Empire, sister of Kaiser Heinrich IV, Heir to the Duchy of Franconia: this was the more obvious choice.

The highest ranking unwed Princess in the Catholic world, with an alliance to the great Holy Roman Empire to be attained in the exchance; only a political fool with no ambitions would deny such a bounty.

Indeed, in the matters of love and courtship, Alfonso was something of a fool.

See, there was another, a young princess who had captivated his heart since he was but a teenager... his young cousin, Sancha of Aragon.

Alfonso had enjoyed a lasting and exciting youth with her brother, King Sancho I of Aragon. In truth, to this day, Alfonso's cousin's Sancho I and King Antso IV of Navarre remained the only other kings in Iberia which he maintained a fair, if not amicable, relationship with.

It is worth mentioning, though, that her father King Ramiro I of Aragon, had been an early educator of Alfonso, and had afforded for him many instruments to further young Alfonso's claim and tools in which to rule Leon. This, of course, led to prolonged contact with young Sancha.

One of Alfonso's fondest memories of the child came at the age of 13, when a 5 year young Sancha braved much rain and harsh weather a few yards from the castle, only to return some time after she was officially announced missing with the most beautiful flower in all the Kingdom, gifting it to Alfonso. While the stewards and guardians scolded her harshly, he lifted young Sancha high in his arms, proclaiming, "She shall be Queen of all Spain one day!", with dimpled grins and laughs from both of them, to the stunned observations of the onlookers.

Much time had passed since those days, with many memories Alfonso would just as soon wish to forget, including the untimely death of King Ramiro I, at 45 years of age. It was no mystery that after the man's passing, Aragon fell into a state of turmoil, with Sancho I remaining only in direct control of the province of Alto Aragon, the other provinces in the kingdom being split between a treacherous duke and the various Muslim sheikhs and emirs.

Regardless, the matter remained. If not for the chance at love, would Alfonso marry for prestige and politics? If not for power, would Alfonso marry for production of a rightful heir? Or maybe neither... a remedy, then, for his loneliness.



It took all of three days to decide; a marriage was arranged, and accepted, leaving the kingdom with much rejoice.

Spoiler

~~~​

 

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A Flip of the Coin

~~~​

"My liege! Count Diego of Asturias is talking of open revolt against you!"​

Thus shouted the messenger as his horse galloped in direction of the king. Alfonso, at that moment, was surveying the field before him, the chaos of the current siege. The second siege of Zamora had been in place for days now, and the castle was almost breached. Men were scouting, foraging for goods to haul towards the main encampment, which encompassed a wide space, some yards before the castle walls.
The messenger stalled his horse adjacent to the king, and though unsure in his muteness if any attention was being given to the message, decided to continue, "Diego notes his reasons are, among others, that you have failed to grant him the Duchy of Astorias, which he considers rightfully his, and points that you have just recently fired him from the position of Marshal on the council."

Snapping his frame towards the messenger with a gaze that seemed to pierce one's soul, King Alfonso grimaced, "That insolent, overly ambitious parasite! First he makes it a grand case of not leading my armies who, in dire need of tacticians, beg me to rally them instead, so that he may suppress some kind of internal squabble within his county. And now he plans against my rule because I've fired him for his inneficiency? A spineless coward, if there ever was one!"

Alfonso was beyond livid. The transpiration of recent events should have given him much to be happy for, yet at the moment, there was much to be disappointed with.

It was the call to arms that led him to this moment in time. Only a few weeks had passed since his marriage to the Kaiser's daughter, when King Sancho II of Castille relayed an important royal document.

"Dear brother, I ask you now to fulfill your obligations to the Crown of Castille and assist us in our Holy War for Aragon.
We are to conduct war against Sheihk Muhammad of Calatayud.
We believe there is a slight chance that Emir Ahmad I of Zaragoza may join to assist against us.
Thus, we ask that you join us in this venture, to ultimately weaken our collective enemies."

-Signed, Sancho II, King of Castille​

Weaken our enemies, and undoubtedly strengthen your reign, thought Alfonso. It was well known in Iberia by Catholics and Muslims alike that Sancho II strived to be recognized as the Defender of the Catholic Faith. His aggression towards Islam over the years had increased twofold, but the consolidation of Muslim power in the south troubled him, and he was well aware that he required assistance not only to achieve control, but also to maintain it.

This fact was by no means a barrier to Alfonso in joining the holy war. On the contrary, the call to arms served as an advantageous position for Alfonso's future plans... plans that involved Sancho II at their very center.

The call to arms was accepted, and war was joined.

As was mentioned, Emir Ahmad of Zaragoza rose to oppose us. Possibly this, and personal ambition, served to also raise the banners of Sancho I of Aragon and Garcia II of Galicia on our side. Regardless of the size of the reinforcements, Alfonso made the decision to raise 2 personal levies of 425~ men each, and made way towards Calatayud. After days of marching, it was clear that Castille had, in swift fashion, established a centre of power around the province, and there was evidence of many Muslim deaths across the countryside, Calatayuan and Zaragozian alike.

~~~

It was during this time that King Alfonso IV of Leon was popularly given the mantle of 'the Cruel'. The reason behind the bestowing of this epithet remains a mystery to this day. While no records of unlawful tyranny or significant atrocities on the part of Alfonso remain, modern historians believe it was due to various factors revolving around Alfonso's more or less sinister disposition, soon becoming a myth of it's own, with a word of mouth tradition of his misdeeds arising during this time. Similarly, there are theories surrounding the possibility that Muslims in the kingdom fueled the spread of negative publicity themselves, with pious Catholics and a majority of the peasantry (and possibly nobility) picking up and shaping the message, resulting in a collective consensus on the mantle of 'the Cruel'.​

~~~​

In order to minimalize unnecesary casualties, King Alfonso set his army to march once more, returning west. Upon reaching the province of Valladolid in Leon, the levies were relieved of active service. The holy war in eastern Iberia continued.

Unknown to anyone in the kingdom but Alfonso, during this time of war, a prestigious man named Fadrique, mayor of Villablino, and also personal spymaster to the King, was in the province of Zamora, uncovering plots on the order of the king; there was news of certain subversive elements taking place, along with suspicious behavior in the court of that province.

Count Urraca of Zamora was a pretender to the throne, and having never maintained any good relations with Alfonso, was an immediate target for suspicion. The hunches seemed to prove correct: a plot had arisen to seize the Kingdom of Leon! Fadrique made a trek to Zamora's neighboring province of Vallaloid in search of the king himself. It did not take long to stumble upon, and relay to Alfonso, the message of treason.

Immediately, two options presented themselves:

Royal guards could be sent to arrest, detain, and imprison Urraca: under revelations of her plot, there would be no backlash from the vassals, as she would be branded a traitor in the realm. The downside to this plan of action was that failure to arrest would mean immediate revolt of the province, and during a time of war, it was not something to look forward to. The spymaster also mentioned that the chances of success or failure in this regard were statistically the same.

Instead, there was the option of ordering that this plot against the throne be abandoned, with any and all backers disassembled, though with this did not at all guarantee that she would refute to take up the plot again at a future time.

A coin flip within a coin flip, that was how the situation presented itself.

What was a king to do?...

Ultimately, it was decided that she should be imprisoned for her treachery. The decision was facilitated with the opinion that if anything were to happen to her during her time in the dungeon, Sancho II would be next to inherit her county, possibly leading to some intriguing diplomacy of daggers.

Nay, it was not to be.

Urraca clearly caught on before she was able to be imprisoned, and revolted against the throne.
Things for Alfonso had just become much more complicated, and the successive string of political intrigue wouldn't end there.

As for the Count of Asturias... the King would make sure to attend to that matter, in due time.

~~~​