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Emperador Spazimiliano I
May 28, 2005
96
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Hello, this will be my first AAR. :)
For this campaign I started as the Count of Naissus in 1066. My dynasty is the Nemanjic dynasty, and my goal is to create for myself a true Serbian Empire, that will, hopefully, cover all of the Balkans and at least most of Hungary by the time i hit 1453 (or 52?) my game has already progressed to around 1214 and i think it will the events so far will make for a decent AAR, so i'll be making the first post in just a little bit :)

edit: and constructive criticism is always welcome :D
 
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Stjepan Nemanjic: 1066-1075
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Our story starts with a Fat, Lazy, Count of Naissus named Stjepan Nemanjic.

In the early years of Stjepans reign, Count Stjepan became very aware of a horrible fact. All but two of the Orthodox Slavic Pincipalites were ruled by Greeks. Even Stjepans liege, The Prince of Vidin, was Greek. Stjepan wished to change this, but at the current time he was in no place to challange his Greek Masters.

And so Stjepan set out to find himself a wife so he may forge a strong Slavic Dynasty. In Janurary of 1067, Count Stjepan would marry Jelena, a courtier from the Bulgarian County of Galaz. Almost immediatly after their wedding Jelena was pregnant. Things were looking good for our fat friend Stjepan.

In the last days of 1067, Jelena gave birth to their first child, a daughter they would name Cededa. Though Stjepan did not recieve the son he so desired, he was very happy with the birth of his daughter.

During the next three years Jelena and Stjepan would produce two more daughters, and in May of 1070, Svetislav was born. Stjepan was overjoyed with the birth of his son and heir, and would chose to raise the child himself rather then have the nannies tend to him as they did with his daughters.

In 1073, Stjepan formed an alliance with the Slavic Republic of Ragusa, who he believed might be able to help him with his Greek Problems, but the Govenor of Ragusa proved to be a cowardly man, and no plans were ever formulated to free Stjepan of his Greek Masters.

During his time spent in Ragusa Count Stjepan spent a good amount of time with the local prostitutes, as he figured no one back home would be the wiser. And so it was to his surprise when nine months later one of his "friends" from Ragusa showed up with twin sons she claimed belonged to him :confused:

Though his lustful side was made public, it did little to hurt his prestige, and he still produced another daughter with Jelena. But tragically in 1075 Jelena died in the process of childbirth. Her death seems to have marked a changing point in Count Stjepans personality and actions.

(i've gotta run! i planned on posting his entire reign in one post, but it proved to be kind of long and i've got to run. I also planned on using pictures but i've run out of time for posting and will do so in the next ones, so if anyone is interested i will continue his story when i get home tomorrow :) )
 
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Seems he's not lazy about certain activities! ;)
 
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Stjepan Nemanjic: 1075-1083
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After the death of his beloved Jelena, Stjepan's outlook on life seemed to have changed a bit. Though his dislike of the Greeks was well known in the Slavic courts of Serbia, and most likely in the Greek ones aswell, Stjepan would make them all question this fact with his next actionsl, aswell as Jelena's deat..

4 days after the death of his first wife Jelena, Stjepan would marry Eirene Narbiotes, the Greek widow of the late Prince of Dyrrachion. Two quiet months after the marriage, Countess Eirene was finally with child.

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Eirene Narbiotes

But Stjepans lustful ways would catch up with him yet again. Stjepan head Spymistress Vesna with child, yet her husband died two years earlier. When the child was born, it's incredible resemblance to Count Stjepan only made the rumors gain credit, and finally in November of 1075, Stjepan acknowledged the bastard as his own.

Over the next two years Eirene would give Stjepan two more daughters, and the county would see the death of Stjepans trusted friend and ally, Aleksander of Ragusa. With his death the alliance between Naissus and Ragusa ended, as his successor Aleksander II, thought lowly of Stjepan and his many bastards.

The county would remain quiet for the remainder of the decade, with the only real activity being the end of construction on mine, and the entrance of Svetislav into martial training.

In 1081, the Byzantine Empire found itself in a civil war, as a few of the Armenian Prince's had rebelled against the Emperor, and Stjepans master was called away to fight in the Campaign. Stjepan, still angered with Aleksander II of Ragusa, would use this chance to take his revenge. And in 1082, Stjepan set claim against Ragusa and started his own war.

When the two armies clashed in the fields of Rashka, Stjepan's larger, and better armed force easily rolled over the Ragusan's. At the end of the day 350 of the original 500 Ragusans were dead on the field, and the path to Ragusa was wide open for Stjepan's army. The seige of Ragusa began in December of 1082, and lasted until February of the Next year. With the fall of last stronghold in Ragusa, Aleksander was forced into exile. Stjepan was now the Count of both Naissus and Ragusa.


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The Battle of Rashka


Stjepan would soon take measures to strengthen his postition in Serbia even further. Konstantine Bodin, the elder brother of the Grand Prince of Serbia, asked to marry Cededa, Stjepans oldest daughter. He offered Stjepan nearly fifty gold for Cededa. Stjepan could hardly resist such an offer, especially after spending the entire treasury on his recent war. And so in the final days of 1083, Konstantine Bodin and Cededa were wed.

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Young Cededa
 
An important first aquisition.
 
My apologies to anyone who was actually interested in my AAR, I kind of got sidetracked with wanting to finish the game (still havent, just hit 1340's) and doing a few other things. Aswell I realized it would take ages to write out the entire AAR in 9 and 8 year blocks, so for the rest of Stjepans reign, im just going to post events, I probably will go back to my older style in the next one.


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Stjepan Nemanjic: 1083-1106
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Autumn 1084: Stjepan fatherd his fourth bastard son, this one he named Aleksii.
Winter 1087: Svetislav, Stjepans first born, and only legitimate son finished his Martial Education. He developed nicely into a Knowledgeable Tactician.
Summer 1087: Elisabeta, Stjepan's second daughter, married Count Kocelj of Tyrnovo.
Winter 1088: Stjepan fartherd yet another basted, this time with an unwed courtier. The childs name would be Boris.
Spring 1088: Svetislav married Anastasia Skleros, Eldest sister of the Grand Prince of Vidin.
Autumn 108*: Countess Eirene died of "Old Age", as she had no sons with Stjepan, her son from her first marriage recieved the inheritance. The same day Stjepan was wed to Agathe, mother to his bastard son Boris.
Summer 1089: Kera, Stjepans third daughter, married Rogvolod the Count of Bjarma.
Winter 1089: The Bastard Twins, Dimitar and Sulvan come of age. Aswell Agathe gives birth to Slavich, Stjepans second legitimate son thus far.
Summer 1090: Sulvan, another one of Stjepans Bastards, came of age.
Autumn 1090: Dimitar married Theophano, Agathe's younger sister.
Winter 1091: Vicious Slander spread by Stjepans enemies convinces everyone Stjepan is a coward.
Summer 1092: Seslav comes of age, and gets a miaidservent pregnant. Stjepan pay's to have the child done away with.
Autumn 1092: Dimitar asks Stjepan to allow him into the succession line, Stjepan refused.
Winter 1092: Young Slavich contracted an illness.
1093: Nothing Happened.
Winter 1094: A Vengeful Dimitar entered Stjepans bedroom as he slept, and attempted to kill the Count, but he failed. As Dimitir attempted to flee the County, Stjepan had him assassinated. Seslav marries Dimitar's wife too make sure Dimitar's son Ulfo remained in Naissus.
Spring 1095: Stjepan got the Steward pregnant, but during labor she died, and Stjepan was left with yet another bastard, this one named Kocelj.
Winter 1096: Sulvan, Dimitar's twin brother, asks to be allowed into the Succesion line, Stjepan yet again refuses.
Autumn 1096: Seslav aswell asks to be allowed into the Succession line, for an unknown reason Stjepan agrees (it was an accident :p)
Winter 1097: Sulvan, who is now the Diocese Bishop, tells his father he is close to converting the heathens in Ragusa. Stjepan gives him his full support, and Ragusa is converted to Orthodoxy without bloodshed. Very soon after Sulvan announces he has completely devoted himself to further improve the worship of God.
Spring 1097: Kera returned to Naissus, her Husband the Count of Bjarma had died in Battle with the Duke of Novgorod. Just days after returning home Kera commited suicide.
Summer 1097: Svetislav begins to show stress due to Kera's suicide, and soon goes into a deep depression.
Summer 1098: Sulvan, who had supposedly devoted himself to god, managed to get a maidservent pregnant. Stjepan paid to have the "evidance" done away with, but Sulvan was forever known as the Lustfull Monk.
Winter 1099: Petar, Svetislav's oldest son, enters into Martial Training. Aswell Sulvan finally gave up his grudge against his father for not recognizing him.
Autumn 1099: Bozidar, Svetislav's second son, dies due to poor health. And just days later Svetislav commits suicide.
Winter 1100: Aleksii comes of age, and just as his brothers before him, gets a maidservent pregnant. But Aleksii chose to keep his child, and named him Berbat.
Summer 1101: Aleksii married Siran Pahlavuni, eldest daughter to the sonless Prince Aboulgharib of Belgrade. Days later Seslav demands to be made Chancellor to the Court, and in return Stjepan exiles him to Greece.
Autumn 1102: An assassination attmept on Aboulgharib fails, and the assassin tells of Stjepant involvment. In return Aboulgharib sends an assassin and kills Slavich.
Winter 1103: Phillipios, Stjepans Liege, demanded that Stjepan give up Ragusa. Stjepan refused, and interestingly Philipios did nothing.
Summer 1103: Sulvan continues in his work and is seen all across the realm preaching Stjepans "virtues" to the flock.
Autumn 1103: Prince Philipios peacefully broke away from the Byzantine Empire, shortly after Aboulgharib did the same.
Autumn 1104: Boris came of age, and developed into a Mastermind Tactician, and so Stjepan saw fit to arrange for him a marriage with Simonis de Hautville, daughter of Duke Bohemond of Apulia.
Autumn 1105: Prince Aboulgharib dies naturally, and Dionisii inherits the Principality of Belgrade. As his father Aleksii was still considerd a bastard, Prince Dionisii's heir was Stjepan.... And so Stjepan had Dionisii killed, and became the new Prince of Belgrade.
Summer 1106: Less then a year after killing his own grandson to become Prince of Belgrade, Stjepan The Old Finally dies, he was 67 years old.
 
Well a very full and active life - you got your money's worth from him.
 
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