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Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Twenty-Four : Power Houses of 783 AD
Islam In Spain
Chapter Twenty-Four : Power Houses of 783 AD
Islam In Spain
Let us leave the Queen and the Kingdom behind, for the moment, to see what the rest of the known world is up to. So let us, once again, list the top seven military powers. Are you ready my readers? Hold on to your hats.
It is December, in the year 783 AD, and the first military power we will be visiting is the Byzantine Empire! Looks like they jumped up in the world. Oh my, the Emperor has seen better days. He is on his third wife and involved in two wars. Both war seem to be revolts but only one seems to be a revolt against him.
Only fourteen thousand soldiers under his command. Think about how much more powerful he would be if his realm was not split in two pieces. Now, let us move to the Middle East, not too far away, to visit the Arabian Empire.
The Caliph Al-Mansur, "The Mutilator", has about twelve thousand soldiers and is in a war to force another ruler to pay him tribute. If he doesn't do something about all the sinning in his family there is going to be some problems. But let us leave him and move on to the next power house of the known world the Byzantine Revolt.
Yes, a terrible ruler on paper. Theoktistos is incapable with a blind regent and under two thousand warriors. But remember, with revolts, is it what they could possibly call up that is important for our list. If he was a better ruler and better liked he could call up at least seven thousand soldiers.
Opinions matter when it comes to taxes and levies. His eleven vassals are just not giving him the men he needs. And he has no skills for....anything.
Now on to Spain where we find Sultan Abd-al-Rahman trying to win a war against Saadid. They are fighting for their independence and you would think against Analusia's almost seven thousand soldiers they would not have a chance. But they have an ally.
We move north to greet their ally and number five on the list of military powers. West Francia still ruled by King Karl who has five thousand soldiers and is mad. And when I say mad I do mean totally unhinged.
He is in two wars. One of which is helping Saadid gain their freedom. Too bad the Sultan is winning. The other war is against a West Francia Revolt which King Karl, and his ally the King of Lombardy, IS winning. Maybe that is where most of his troops are focused?
Now we move in a strange direction. Deeper into Europe. We travel to this jigsaw puzzle of colors and shapes to find King Mnata. Known as "The Butcher" of Bohemia. A Tribal Kingdom in which the King has almost six thousand soldiers, a wife, three concubines, and seven surviving children.
He is in a war with one of the local Khans over a piece of land called Nita but it is a MASSIVE war as both leaders called in all their allies. There are fourteen realms involved in this conflict. "The Butcher" seems to be winning but with so many rulers on both sides fortunes can change as quickly as the winds.
Now, let us move to the last power on our list. Let us return to India! The Maharaja Vajrayudha of Ayudha Kingdom. A neighbor of Pala (in fact they had a war with them) this Great King has five thousand plus warriors under his command, thirty-five vassals, four children, and you don't want him plotting against you. He is in a war with a different Kingdom ( Pratihara there to the west) to force them to pay him tribute. And he is winning.
So, looks like we have some new powerful realms on the list. Well, things change, Kingdoms rise and fall, armies are defeated, and Kings are assassinated. So let us, in our next chapter, return back to the Kingdom of Kamarupa and to the Queen. For now, farewell my readers!
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Children making their own decisions and... choosing their own spouses??? Here's to hoping he doesn't end up marrying some chaste, 43-year-old lowborn woman.
And the Queen is 55... I've enjoyed her reign quite a bit. I'm going to be sad when she goes. Hopefully it's not for another decade or so.
And the Queen is 55... I've enjoyed her reign quite a bit. I'm going to be sad when she goes. Hopefully it's not for another decade or so.
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If Byzantium were to awaken and try to expand, the neighbours would be toast.
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Thanks for the overview
Being the neighbour to the Roman State was never an entirely tranquil experienceIf Byzantium were to awaken and try to expand, the neighbours would be toast.
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Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Twenty-Five : Children Are The Future
Got To Teach Them While They're Young
Chapter Twenty-Five : Children Are The Future
Got To Teach Them While They're Young
Let us return to the Queen in January, of the year 784 AD, when it is announced that the latest war of the Great King of Pala was over.
Later that month she ordered Makarios Tarmind back to Kamarupanagara to improve relations with her local Bhikkhu Isaias of Hajo. It seemed he was not just envious of her but wanted a seat on the Council. In other words he likely wanted to replace Tarmid!
In February the Queen was having some problems within her Capital of Kamarupanagara and sent her Magistros, her husband the Despot Georgios, to better relations with her vassals in the Castle/Palace.
In late February she asked her husband for some advice. She wanted to get Prince Basileios into a arranged betrothal. But the only girl of uncommon blood was Shaykhah Santa of the House of Urabo, a ruler of a tiny realm on the other side of the Tibetan Plateau. A land ruled by the every changing borders between warring horse lords it was likely the child would not even MAKE it to womanhood. But if she did she would make a wonderful Queen for her son. And yes, the girl was willing to take Basileios as her King.(1)
"Well," mused the Despot aloud, "it would start another branch of your family outside of India. On one hand, that isn't a bad idea. On the other hand, if they expand and become powerful, their offspring could try to claim your throne as their own."
"And how would they force such a claim over the plateau?" asked the Queen with the smirk.
"Point taken," said he husband looking over the maps. "I will send the request."
An answer was received in March and was a yes. When both came of age they would marry and, if everything went well, the Prince would become ruler of his own little realm. Far away from his oldest brother - the future King.
The Queen decided to have a tiger hunt in April. She sent the invitations out on the 15th and only got one refusal. From the Count Pusyamitra. She assumed this business had to do with a maid or two. (2)
Even before the hunt started Kakanvati, Pystamitra's lover, became known as the Unfaithful. And her daughter was old enough to get a new guardian."Wait," said the confused Queen to her husband, "I thought you said children have to be twelve? This girl is six!"
"Well," said Georgios. "A guardian is not the same as changing their education. And I never had children so how would I know."
The Queen face palmed and told Kakanvati that the Despot would now be the child's teacher. The result could be the girl might end up becoming Greek. Which was the point.
The Queen enjoyed the journey to the hunting camp. Reminded her of marching to war. When they got to the old hunting camp, the servants started to unpack, the soldiers started to prepare their weapons, and the hunters debated the best region to search for the big cats.
The best part of the hunt, besides the promise of getting a new tiger skin, was the late night drinking with her vassals. During this hunt it seemed she became best friends with Baroness Eusebia of Prithiminagar.
During one of the slow periods of the hunt the Queen sent a message to her husband stating that all the children of the Court old enough to be assigned a Greek Guardian should have one assigned to them as soon as possible. Her husband assigned Himadrij, a young female courtier in the Court, to Romanos on the hopes she would become Greek AND a good fighter.
Shortly afterwards the Queen came back to the Court having failed to find a tiger. But she had gained an important friend and that was worth something.
In August Tryphon and Amritakala, one of her Greek/Native marriages, produced a baby girl named Zoe. The Queen suggested the girl learn etiquette from the councilors and courtiers.
In September the accountants reported to her that the small County of Kamatapur was prospering.
In October news leaked over the border from the Kingdom of Pala. It seems another plot against the Great King had been uncovered and one of the backers REFUSED to abandon the plot. The Great King had to go to the source of the plot and order the main plotter, Raja Kanak "The Wicked" of Malla Raj, to disband in order to end the scheme. The fact that one of the Great King's vassals REFUSED to stop backing a plot to murder him speaks volumes of the state of the Kingdom of Pala and the feelings the people have for their Ruler.
Also in October the Queen learned of the birth of a new courtier to her court. The baby, named Damayanti, was another product of the love affair between Kakanvati and Count Pusyamitra. The Queen decided the girl's earlier years should be focused on he teachings of Buddha so she did not end up called the "Unfaithful" like her mother. Poor thing was already a bastard.
Near the end of the year the Queen had more money, another friend, two sons who would be future Rulers, more children in her Court who could become locally born and bred Greeks, and a powerful neighboring Kingdom which seemed about to explode at any moment. But for the failed tiger hunt not a bad year.
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Author’s End Notes:1. Sheikh - also transliterated as Sheik, Shaik, Shayk, and so on, is a title from the Arabic language, which commonly designates a ruler of the tribe who inherited the title from their father. Sheikha (or in this case Sheykha) is given to the royal female at birth.
2. Many a author has debated why she decided to go on a tiger hunt. The two choices seem to be she decide to go on a hunt either out of boredom or to celebrate her youngest son getting a future wife.
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Can't really complain about potentially being the mother to multiple rulers, especially if they end up ruling separate kingdoms. Progress indeed.
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Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Twenty-Six : Training Grounds, Another Arranged Marriage, And More Scheming
Wheels Within Wheels
Chapter Twenty-Six : Training Grounds, Another Arranged Marriage, And More Scheming
Wheels Within Wheels
We start this chapter at the start of 785 AD, a very slow year, and our story will mostly deal with minor events that happened within the Kingdom. The first thing to happen of interest, funny enough, happened outside the Kingdom. It seems the Great King Dharmapala the Unchaste took away the holdings of Mallabhum from Kanak the Wicked. You remember the vassal (well one of many) who tried to have the Great King killed?
The Queen was too focused on her military to worry about what was happening on the outside. You see she had noticed a slight drop in her total levies. So she ordered the construction of a Militia Training Ground in her Capital Province. She sent her Sakellarios, Kumarapala, to oversee the building of the Training Ground.
Then the Queen ordered the record of every available single female Buddhist within range of her messengers be brought to her private quarters. And she went over them. And over them. And over them. And she found Jodhabai. A lowborn female Buddhist who looked like she would make the perfect wife. She was learned and VERY well skilled with the handling of money. It was said she was also just and kind. She WAS a little shy no doubt from being somewhat of a bookworm but that was a small flaw. If only the Queen's oldest son would agree to a marriage with the young woman. The Queen invited Jodhabai to court and planned her next step.
In fact she was slightly stressed out about it BUT refused to let it get her down. The bride-to-be did in fact show up in Court and the Queen suggested the match to her son, Prince Andronikos, forwarding all the wonderful facts about the young woman.
While she waited the Great King Dharmapala started a war of Subjugation on the Raja Bhavadeva of Somavamsi Raj.
The Queen dismissed this as just another war. When she got her son's reply she was very happy. He agreed to marry the Jodhabai once of proper age!
By June the Queen the decided she needed to relax and find some stress relief among the lay members of the Savaka-Sangha by joining them at one of the nearby monasteries.
Around this time the Society asked her to give them some gold to help with their holy mission. They wanted a 100 coins. The Queen refused. She loved Buddha. But she also was planning for a war and planned to win the war.
Almost as if to punish her for her failure to Buddha (or maybe it was just bad luck) Romanos died from a natural death at the age of 49 years. The Queen placed her friend Partap, in the Protostrator seat, and had him start training the armies. She then selected Iordanes, one of her Greek Freeloaders, as a new Commander to replace Partap.
She also had to give Himadrija Kamarupanagarid a new Guardian so she picked Makarios. He was always a good choice as a teacher being Greek and Buddhist.
While the Queen was at the monastery she found herself discussing the Buddhavacana with Sotapanna Vasumati but it turned out the woman wasn't as interested in the book as one would have thought.(1)
During this time she also overheard some rumors that the Raja Bhavadeva was WINNING his war against the Great King. She was shocked but also not willing to totally believe such rumors. Just because the Raja was winning NOW did not mean he would win the WAR.
In September she also found out that the Count of Srihatta had started a faction to increase Council power. Which made no sense as he wasn't ON the Council. So she decided to ignore the problem for the moment.
In October she heard that a Goldsmith was traveling through her Kingdom. She invited him to her court. When he arrived, with his wife, the Queen looked over the samples of his work and decided on ordering a small commission. That cost her a year's worth of income.
In November she received word that the Militia Training Ground had been finished in Kamarupanagara. Which meant the project had been finished ahead of time. This allowed her to reassign her Sakellarios to researching economic advances in the County of Haruppeswara. She really needed him to figure out how to build a Trade Post in that region.
Prince Basileios became 12 years of age in November and it was time for his more advanced education to be selected. The Queen decided that the youngest Prince should continue to learn the art of war.
Later that month she was told that the Countess Vijnayati of Srihatta was plotting to kill her rival Kakanvati the Unfaithful. The Countess already had three backers willing to help her - one of them Kakanvati's own husband. The Queen sent a request for the Countess NOT to kill people.
This reminded her of the Count of Srihatta and his own plotting. She sent the Spy Master to Srihatta to see if he could find a way to discourage the Count from continuing his own schemes.
So we end the year with a slightly happier Queen waiting for Countess's reply and for her second husband to bring her a legal claim. Running a realm could be interesting but she still wanted to feel the joy of warfare. So much simpler to use a sword than a pen. She loved Buddha but still wanted to smash something.
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1. Buddha Vandana - "Book of Devotion" - Normally a text full of chants and, sometimes, instructional information about Buddhism.
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An update of the smaller goings on of her realm, yet these small things often determine the success of larger ventures.
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Despot Andronikos of Kamarupa 786 AD
Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Twenty-Seven : Black Borders
Death Comes For All In the End
Chapter Twenty-Seven : Black Borders
Death Comes For All In the End
We will start this chapter in January 786 AD when the Queen receives a reply from the Countess stating she would end her plotting.
Finally, Raja Shurapala of Shantideva Raj was an adult and took the throne. He was the perfect steward for his realm. Also he was a just man if a bit cruel. But not much else. In fact it seemed he had already annoyed the religious authorities.
Also, in February the Queen was notified that the Raja Bhavadeva was about to win his war with Maharaja Dharmapala. It seems the Raja had taken a page from the Queen and hired over SEVEN THOUSAND hired men to help fight for him.
"Let us keep an eye on this Raja," said the Queen to her Councilors.
Then on the 17th of April, 786 AD, the Queen passed away in her sleep. And her fifteen year old son, Prince Andronikos became Despot Andronikos.
His first act, with the approval of the Regent Indrapala, was to fill his Council.(1)
Georgios Matzaris, his stepfather, was placed back into the position of Magistros and sent back to continue to work on the claim in Suvarnagram.
The next choice was to pick the Commander Warrior Monk, Bhikku Pelagios and give him the title of Protostrator. It is DOUBTFUL the Queen would have approved of such a choice - the only powerful landowner she had allowed on the Council was her first husband. Still, her son was young and not as skilled as his mother in these things. The boy assigned the Warrior Monk to training the armies.
The next choice was Susthitavarman, a relatively loyal but largely unknown person to historians, as Sakellarios and the boyordered him to work on helping the boy run the realm.
The next position of Mystikos was filled by Eustratios the Goldsmith who was sent to build a spy network in Srihatta to watch that family closely. The boy wasn't a fool and planned to keep an eye on them.
The last position of Upadhyaya was given to Vasumati, another relatively unknown lowborn from the Court courtiers, who was kept in the Capital to improve relations with the religious leaders.
His next act was to order the building of two new Trade Posts in the other two counties along the Silk Road.
So in April, we close the chapter, as the new future-King/Despot settles into his new position.(2)
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Author’s End Notes:1. A lowborn man the Queen had selected for his steadfast loyally and well-rounded set of skills
2. It isn't know what happened to Jodhabai. All evidence suggests she passed away.
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Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Twenty-Eight : The Boy Becomes The Teenager
The Heavy Crown Of POWER!
Chapter Twenty-Eight : The Boy Becomes The Teenager
The Heavy Crown Of POWER!
The boy was in a limbo of power. He could do some things but not others. For example, the vassals were displeased due to him holding too many Duchies. But the Council refused to let him hand out landed titles - so he was stuck with it till he was crowned and formally had the power of the throne. Until then he would have to find out ways to improve his position via other means.
So he did what he could. First off, with the earlier death of Romanos, his brother's new guardian had become Indrapala. The Despot Andronikos felt the Regent, while a good man, was not skilled enough in the art of war to make Prince Basileios the general and warrior he would need to be. So the Despot suggested Bhikkhu of Madan Kamdev, the Warrior Monk, as a replacement. It was accepted.
In reviewing the opinions of his vassals he noticed the Bhikkhu Isaias still have issued.
In late April it turned out Anktsas Bharuka was thirteen years old and required the Despot to make a suggestion for his continued education. This was the son of the Queen's old Court Physician and, funny enough, this lowly Courtier felt that the Despot was HIS rival. The parents were told to give him a diplomatic education.
At the same time the Pala-Somavamsi Subjugation War ended as the Raja WON! And it seems the Great King had somehow been wounded. It was unknown if this was battle related.(1)
In October, in trying to improve one of his vassals' opinion of him he gave Major Adrianos the title of Court Musician. He realized that such titles were only useful to increase the happiest of a vassal who was already VERY happy with you. He promised not to waste the titles in the future.
Later that month Magistros Georgios came to him and reported there were whispers of a rare artifact that MIGHT be true. The Despot suggested that Georgios could search for it himself (on top of working on the claim).
A day later the Magistros asked for help with the search. He wanted some more diplomats. While this seemed reasonable the Despot turned this request down. He needed every diplomat working hard to keep his relationships with other realms as stable as possible.
In November the Goldsmith, Eustratios the Spy Master, reported he finally had something on the Count and that the Despot only had to choose how to use it against him. By the 18th the Count replied by stating he would disband his faction and did so on the 21st of November.
It allowed his Spy Master to return to the Capital to scheme, plot, and maybe get to work on those jewels the Queen had ordered? Maybe?
While this was happening the Great King declared another war on another King.
Then it was the 17th of January, 787 AD, and the boy was now a teenager. But also he was crowned the Ruler of the Kingdom.
NOW it was time to decide things and to hell with the Councilors' wishes. First, he decided to focus on working on the war chest while, at the same time, trying to focus on ruling the Kingdom properly.
Then he selected a wife. There was some problems with that. Many of the best choices were too young or did not like him or were insane. In the end he selected Lilavati, a lowborn Buddhist with four daughters and skilled in many things. He invited her to his court and she accepted. Of course, he paid for the service, which impressed the people so much he gained more honor than he had lost marrying a commoner.
So by the 29th of January, 787 AD, we had Despot Andronikos who was now married and in charge. A grown man in which the histories tell us was known for being moderate, patient, and charitable. And the perfect steward.
Would this be enough?
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Author’s End Notes:1. The Raja had captured some of the Great King's Commanders during the war and they had to pay their own ransoms as the Great King refused to pay for their freedom!
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No last war for the old Queen - shame.
Will her son follow the trail she has blazed I wonder.
Will her son follow the trail she has blazed I wonder.
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Yeah, I felt kind of sorry for her.
And yes, he will. He has to - you grow or you die. Be that your civilization, your business, or your race. The Kingdom has to grow or some other Realm will eat it up.
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Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Twenty-Nine : A New Doux
Vassals - Can't Live With Them And They're Kinda Hard To Kill
Chapter Twenty-Nine : A New Doux
Vassals - Can't Live With Them And They're Kinda Hard To Kill
So, right after the wedding with his new wife the Despot Andronikos of Kamarupa decided he needed to figure out what to do with his three Duchies. He had to give one away and he knew just the one. The Duchy of Para-Lauhitya. Just like his Mother, the Queen, had given it away to her own husband.
He needed somebody to take it who would be harmless. Well, mostly harmless.
He invited a lowborn named Cowaske to his court. The man was a theologian and was good at handling money. He was also said to be trusting and just. He was unwed and was somewhat old. Just the man the Despot wanted. The man arrived on the 9th of February and was greeted with two titles. He became the Count of Goalpara and then the Doux of Para-Lauhitya. He was pleased but, like many men of power, seemed to want more.
The Despot wasn't too worried about that. The Doux was fifty-seven years old. He would not live long enough to become a powerful threat. In a way the Despot was very wrong.
The Despot did find it amusing that the Count Pusyamitra of Srihatta was now the Doux's problem.
In fact, in March of 787 AD the Count founded the "Increased Council Power In Para-Lauhitya" faction. The Despot wondered how his new Doux would handle this issue?
While this was happening one of his Barons, Birapala, imprisoned his own wife for no reason that any of his courtiers or agents could find. He just tossed the Baroness into jail.
In April the Count of Srihatta decided he was powerful enough to demand the Doux increase his Council's powers and started a war when his demands were refused.
On paper both of them controlled a County and should have started on equal footing when it came to wealth and soldiers. In reality the Doux had the advantage of receiving income from both counties. So he used his larger purse to hire four thousand hired swords to add to his own small levies.
The Despot was impressed. And alarmed. This Doux was smart and aggressive.
In late April the Despot received reports that both Trade Posts, the one in Haruppeswara and the one in Kundina, were finished. At this point the Despot's income was more than a 100 gold coins a year.
In June the Doux won his little war and imprisoned Count Pusyamitra.
At this point there were more than just the Despot who started to notice how powerful the new Doux was. In fact his old liege, Marzoban Dharmawarme of Kuci, started to plot the Doux's murder. It seemed the man thought of the Doux as he rival at this point. Maybe seeing a former vassal outdo him on all levels made him jealous? This was a plot the Despot pretended to ignore.
In late July his Sakellarios reported that his work in Kamatapur had increased the infrastructure and that he motivated the people to work even harder! That was nice but the Despot received even better news just after that report - the claim he wanted, the claim his Mother had wanted, was now his for a small amount of money! Of course he paid for it and started the countdown to war.
On the 27th of July, 787 AD, the Doux revoked the County of Srihatta from Pusyamitra the Lecher. This made him even more powerful than the Despot's dead father had been. On top of that the old man had gained two concubines. If they produced an heir...
The Doux had to go. The Despot sent down the Goldsmith, his Spy Master, to start scheming right under the Doux's nose and then sent out feelers to see who would help him with the plot. Three backers joined in the plot. All of his Religious Vassals! Even Bhikkhu Isaias joined after a small bribe.(1)
At this point his Protostrator reported that Commander Balavarman, once King of the Kingdom, had improved in his military skills. The Despot also was asked if he would pay for increased security to protect his own Royal person. He agreed.
In November, wishing to take his mind of the plot and to also increase positive relations with his vassals, he decided it was time to celebrate the season! The only one to refuse was the Baron who had jailed his wife for no reason. The Despot decided a humble (cheap) gift would be good enough for his wife.
At this point the Despot remembered that Georgios was still out in the field and sent him a message to come back to the Capital to perform daily duties within the Court.
The feast began on the 19th of November after all the preparations were finished. While the official records suggest the Queen was pleased with her gift the private papers of many of the vassals and servants suggest otherwise. When the darkest night came the guests feasted on rich foods and sweet wines. As the Court celebrated the lamps kept back the darkness and allowed the Despot, for one moment, to find a silent island in a ocean of politics. The Feast came to an end in December and was reported a great achievement.
The New Year for 788 AD came and went without any news on the plot. The only change was that the Spy Master brought the Despot a guard dog to help protect his Royal person.
The Doux, on the other hand, had no clue about what was happening behind the scenes of his court. In fact he tried to be the best Doux he could even to the point of converting one of Mayors under him to Buddhism.
The Despot also had his own duties to carry out while the plot bubbled away. In June the Despot filled an empty Commander position with Bhikkhu Isaias. Who was now very loyal but had no idea what end of a sword to hold onto.
In July the Despot even helped educate the Baron Salasthamba to be more charitable. Unlike his Mother he had no bad history with the family and was looking just to produce a good vassal.
Also, another Greek presented himself to the Despot and the Royal Court. The Despot knew how to handle Freeloaders from Greece. Within a half-an-hour the poor man was being escorted out of the Court by his new wife.
In August the Despot's private records shown he was approached by the Courtier Kakanvati the Unfaithful. Seems she fancied him. He turned her down without a second thought. Seems he found the idea of bedding down with her disturbing.(2)
In November he decided two plots were better than one and joined the plot by Marzoban Dharmawarme of Kuci. If one failed maybe the other would not?
Later that month two things happened that forced him to rethink his decisions. One, the Doux now had a heir in the form of a new born child from one of his concubines. Even if the man was killed NOW the titles would go to the son. Second, his own Queen announced she was heavy with child. So the Despot cancelled his own plot BUT continued to back the other one. If it worked he could never be blamed for it and if it failed he lost nothing on it.
After all, the Doux seemed to like his liege and there were ways to deal with the children of vassals. If the Despot's own child was a girl maybe they could be matched up.(3)
So, by November the 26th, of the year 788 AD, the Despot and his Queen were powerful, wealthy, and waiting for their first child. And the Despot waited for the right timing for the war to begin.
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Author’s End Notes:1. Bhikkhu Isaias's increased opinion of his liege, due to the bribe, also meant he was willing to pass on more of the taxes he collected. Which meant the bribe would end up paying for itself within a few years.
2. With her former lover, the Count, having been stripped of his title it could be she was looking for another "patron".
3. The Doux's son could become the next Despot to a NEW Queen. Making him a powerful husband and ally at the same time keeping him on a short leash.
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A mistake by the young king in underestimating the man, but he seems to have a handle on how to correct the issue. Beyond that, he also seems to have a good grasp on how to handle the realm as well. Seems like his mother taught him well.
I am sad to see her go though. And she didn't even get her last war.
I am sad to see her go though. And she didn't even get her last war.
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Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Thirty : Bandits And A Full War Chest
A Bandit Problem
Chapter Thirty : Bandits And A Full War Chest
A Bandit Problem
As the Despot waited for his chests to fill up with gold coins he recalled his Mystikos to Kamarupa to keep an "eye" on the Court.
He also visited the countryside around the Castle/Palace to visit the little people, talk to the elders, and pass out some shiny coins. He remembered his mom seemed to enjoy such duties.
It seemed to help the County of Kamarupanagara greatly. The Silk Road was also just pouring coins into his Trade Posts.
In the 23rd of April of 789 AD The Pala holy War for Bandhugadha ended and the Great King won this time.
In May the Doux presented himself to the Despot and promised not to join a faction. For now.
In June rumors and reports reached the court of raiders attacking traders and travellers in the County of Kundina. The Despot sent his Warrior Monk, Pelagios, to deal with the scum. Sadly the Monk came back defeated.
On the 23rd of June his accountants brought him the happy news. The war chests were overflowing with coins.
The Despot decided that his next long term goal was to focus on his heir or heirs. But for right now...
The records say he entered his private bedroom and opened a trunk at the base of the bed. He pulled out the sword he had been given by his Mother and drew it out of its sheath. He examined the edges and then called for his attendants.
When they came he handed them the sword and said, "Prepare it." He had never liked it but he knew he would have to at least WEAR the weapon into battle. Better make sure it was ready for the job.
Then he called out, "Bring me my Councilors! And my Commanders! We go to WAR!"
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