how in heavens way did burgundy get so awefully powerfull?
besides i like the way you handled your excommunication
besides i like the way you handled your excommunication
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Burgundy has gone through tough times occasionally, but with all those Kingdom titles, their vassals keep rejoining. Things would have been different had I had a more aggressive ruler during the last round of rebellions against the Von Frankens.
Diary of Talal de Lomagne (1317-1374) – King of Aragon, Leon and Portugal, Duke of Ascalon, Cordoba and Toledo, Count of Viscaya, Asturias de Santillana, Asturias de Oviedo, Compostela, Santiago, Molina, Cordoba, Aracena, Badajoz, El Bierzo, Zamora, Burgos, and Narbonne.
January 14, 1357. The timing of my father’s death was fortunate, in a sense, as I was in damp, chilly Viscaya for the annual Christmas visit. As father’s health was failing, I stayed a little longer than usual, so the transition of power should be a smooth one. Naturally, Father and I talked in his last days about our future plans for the Kingdom. One particular concern is the alliance of Croatia and Burgundy—I agreed with Father that it was a serious problem and that it would be one of my principal objectives to break it up and free our hand to deal with Croatia. I did not add that my plans for doing so are somewhat devious. Father never was much for the more subtle tools of statecraft, and I fear he wouldn’t approve having the King of Croatia murdered. I must discuss the idea with Spymaster Josu as soon as possible.
I have learned from the bishop that father is to be beatified. How typical of the clergy that they wish to honour a man noted for slavish obedience to the Inquisition. His treatment of my poor mother still outrages me. While I know there was no malice in him, his almost child-like trust in the clergy allowed him to be manipulated to wicked deeds. I truly believe the charge of witchcraft was motivated by hatred for her Moorish origins. If Aragon is to be a great kingdom, we must put aside this foolish prejudice. Yes, the Arabs were misled by the false prophet Muhammad, but they are a noble race, skilled in scholarship, architecture and commerce. It is so absurd to equate respecting their language and customs to heresy. Why, at one point the inquisitors were imprisoning people for eating coos coos, as if this had anything to do with one’s faith. In any event, Islam is a dying religion, hardly practiced in North Africa anymore, let alone Europe.
One of my first acts as King will be to move the capital to Cordoba. Though the de Lomagne line has tried, the city of Viscaya will never rival the splendor of glorious Cordoba, sparkling in the sunshine of Al Andalus. The Mezquita is surely the most beautiful catholic church in the world, an equal to Hagia Sofia in Byzantium, even if it was built to honor Muhammad.
I shall also make a few changes to my court. I have been impressed by my sister Luixa, as she has grown into a lovely and vivacious young woman. I think I shall make her the new Chancellor. I also suggest that Jourdan al-Ayyubi, who is a forthright yet quiet and restrained young man, will be a fine husband for her. I am sorely tempted to make my wife of My youngest son Dhiyab, Inas Guthkeled my steward, but he should have land of his own, so I will make him Count of Narbonne. I make my third son Malik the Count of Zamora. My other sons are already esconced in Granada and Calatrava.
October 13, 1357. I have spent the summer sorting moving and sorting out the new court, and paying visits to my various vassals. Now I feel solid enough in my power to make a move. Josu has made inquiries and learned that Teczi Seljuk, a muslim in the court of the King of Croatia, is a highly skilled spymaster. I decided to eliminate her first and then go after the King himself. Unfortunately, though we succeeded in both assassinations, the one on the spymaster was rather unsubtle. Still, the King of Croatia is now dead, and hopefully this will put an end to the alliance with Burgundy.
I begin to get ready for a war against Croatia. I call up the troops in Badajoz and Aracena to come to join my forces in Cordoba. I muster most of the rest of my forces in my demesne to gather in Molina and Salamanca.
Croatia Campaign of 1357-1359
December 27, 1357. I declare war on the Prince of Viseu, one of the King of Croatia’s vassals. The King of Croatia, Prince of Slavonia and Prince of Croatia declare war upon me. I lead approximately 16,000 men on Mertola, while Frantzes leads 15,000 from Molina to Cuenca. The regiments gathering in Salamanca have not yet arrived.
Just as we are mobilizing our regiments, I receive a very troubling message from my son, Faruk, in Granada. I had been hearing reports for some months of a terrible pestilence called “The Black Death” in the East, named after the dark boils that erupt on the skin of the victims. I did not think long on it, as those lands are so far away. However, it has now ravaged Byzantium and Venice, and a ship from Venice arrived with a crew of the dead and dying in Malaga a month ago. Now, reports are that this dreadful disease is spreading into Granada. This is not a good time to be fighting a campaign. I had been planning on calling up the troops from Granada, but I don’t think I want them now. Instead, I shall call on the counts of Silves, Faro and Niebla to gather their forces and move to Niebla to counter any northward push from Cadiz. Cordoba will be defended by troops from Alcacer do Sal and Evora, rather than Granada as I had originally planned.
January 10, 1357. We lay siege to Mertola and Cuenca.
February 1, 1357. As expected, Croatian forces are moving northward from Cadiz. I dispatch messengers to Sanc de Lomagne, the Count of Niebla, to lead 8400 men from Niebla to Aracena counter.
February 16, 1358. Etienne has sent word from Salamanca that the is commencing his march toward Toledo with 20,000 men.
March 3, 1358. The siege of Mertola is successful. The Duke of Viseu is forced to capitulate and concede the county of Mertola. I decide to move my troops to Cadiz.
April 2, 1358. The Count of Cadiz.offers tribute in return for peace, so I will leave his lands alone and head for Murcia, which is part of the Croatia’s demesne. Meanwhile, Sanc has been vitorious in Aracena, and the siege of Cuenca by Frantzes has also succeeded. I instruct Frantzes to continue on to Valencia.
May 10, 1358. I receive word that Frantzes has captured the province of Valencia. However, not all news today is so good. As we were following the road along the Rio Guadalquivir, one of the scouts spotted a body floating down the river. In times of war, this might not seem so remarkable, but the body in question had the telltale black boils in its armpit and groin. The plague has reached Cordoba. I decide to take a more northerly route through the Sierra Morena, as I cannot risk an outbreak among my men.
July 28, 1358. Following the fall of the castle in Toledo, Luixa has been able to make a sweet deal. Not only am I now Count of Toledo, but he has also relinquished his claim on Molina, and pays me a substantial sum of gold in tribute. Having achieved my main objectives for the war, I will now settle with Croatia and his other vassals. My new provinces are Orthodox. I will need to fund a significant influx of catholic clergy in order to sway the people to the Roman faith.
August 1, 1358. The prince of Slavonia recognizes me as Count of Toledo.
August 13, 1358. The prince of Croatia concedes that I am the rightful Count of Cordoba.
August 22, 1358. The King of Croatia is forced to recognizes me as Count of Molina, Toledo and Mertola. We are at peace. I create the title Duke of Viseu, a new title which I will bestow upon Ramon Berenguer de Lomagne, the Count of Evora. My court has relocated to an estate in the mountains north of Cordoba in the hopes of avoiding the plague.
September 5, 1358. I am back in the province of Cordoba, though not in the city. Reports from there are terrifying—thousands have died, and there are not enough healthy to bury the dead. But alas, the plague has followed us. My sister, Batirtze was one of the first to fall ill; her son, Josu is horrified by her suffering. Strangely, though rumor describes the plague as killing its victims in days, the courtiers who have fallen ill have remained alive for some time, though in agony. As life must go on, I recommend that my marshal marry Itziar de Lomagne, but the ceremony is much smaller than a normal court wedding.
January 18, 1359. The Pope is attempting to reignite the crusade on Antiochea again, saying that God will spare us of this plague, if we drive the muslims out. But I dare not go to war when my forces are so greatly reduced and morale so low.
April 22, 1359. My father’s widow, Ausilia, is the fourth member of the court to fall ill, though none have died yet among the nobles.
June 11, 1359. Poor Josu has become increasingly edgy in these difficult times. His mother still suffers with the plague, and as spymaster, he has to travel and has more direct experience of the horrors.
July 20, 1359. Josu has foiled a fiendish attempt by the King of Croatia tried to assassinate my eldest son, Al a’Addin, the Count of Calatrava. My son’s new chef turned out to be a Croatian agent. I must retaliate against him. Josu tells me he has already sent word for countering measures.
July 26, 1359. My son has been murdered! He was ambushed by Croatian thugs while riding in the morning. His county seat falls now to his newborn son. As I did two years ago, I will eliminate both the King and his spymaster. This shall not go unopposed.
August 1, 1359. Chancellor Luixa has pulled off a diplomatic coup. She persuaded the King of Burgundy to ally with me, after the murderous plots of the now deceased King of Croatia. I believe she convinced him that my assassination of his spymaster two years ago was in response to plots on my life that I had uncovered. A lie, of course, but Luixa presented it with great conviction.
August 2, 1359. The Croatians, perhaps furious at my successfully pulling their ally away, have attempted to kill Luixa. I am tempted to retaliate again, but it was unsuccessful, and doubtless planned by the late King and spymaster. The new king is merely an infant, and can’t really be held responsible.
October 24, 1359. I decide to replace my diocese bishop with Kelemen de Lomagne, young but extremely scholarly and with a subtle mind.
December 10, 1359. My daughter, Nafisa has come of age and I have arranged a marriage to my new ally’s brother, Stefane von Franken. Nafisa should consider herself lucky to be escaping this plague ridden region.
March 5, 1360. The clerics want me to to financially back a push to make my Father a saint. I’m not interested in promoting his reign’s pattern of legitimating wild, unsubstantiated accusations of witchcraft as a model for Christian rule.
September 12, 1360. My marshal Aimery passed away this morning, though not of the plague that has taken several others in my court this year. Most of southern Iberia is now infested with this terrible scourge. Mass hysteria is rising. All kinds of wild cures are being attempted. My sister has a half-dozen live pigeons stuck to her in various places. As if the plague wasn’t killing enough people by itself, there is this wild theory emerging that the Jews are poisoning water supplies to spread the plague. Don’t they have to drink the same water the rest of us do? I have heard stories of terrible massacres in Italy. It is not as likely here, as most of them were driven out during my father’s time. In fact, I had hoped to reestablish moneylenders in our cities to give us an economic boost, but it is clearly impossible until things settle down.
In any event, I shall need to find a new marshal. I think I will employ Tierri de Toulouse, Matilda’s younger brother in the position. He’s not a vocal leader of men, but his planning and execution of military strategy are excellent.
October 1, 1360. Perhaps I erred in my choice of Kelemen as diocese bishop. In his zeal for guiding us in the true way of Christ, he has brought his older brother to me on charges of heresy. His own brother! I don’t press a secular sentence; the last thing we need in these troubled times is to be turning on each other like caged rats.
November 18, 1360. Josu’s wife, my sister has contracted the plague, no doubt from trying to take care of his sick mother. All of this sickness around him is really weighing on poor Josu.
July 16, 1381. Citing a need to defend himself from Muslim counterattacks triggered by the Pope’s crusade, Frantzes de Lomagne, the Count of Irbid has declared independence. There’s little left of the lands Estebe II won in the Jerusalem crusade, now, but it was never a very profitable part of the Kingdom.
October 7, 1361. The plague is beginning to spread into Galicia. Is there no end to it? While I and my closest associates have been fortunate so far, we all have family members suffering from it. My grandmother passed away earlier in the year, and two of my sisters continue to suffer. Josu has a sick wife and sister. Tierri and Matilda have a grievously ill sister, and the Bishop has lost a child.
The Pope has issued a proclamation from Novgorod Seversky that the Jews are not responsible for the plague, noting that they are dying of it, as well. Perhaps this will cool things off. On a happier note, a scholar digging through the library in Cordoba has discovered evidence that a similar plague ravaged the East in the 6th century. It eventually ended and life resumed as normal, so we can realistically hope this plague too shall pass.
November 21, 1361. My brother-in-law has fled to Algeciras where it is rumored the plague has abated, leaving my poor sister to suffer alone.
March 4, 1362. My youngest sister, Urraca has the plague.
March 16, 1362. Mertola has converted to catholicism.
March 26, 1362. My chancellor, Luixa died in labor. My wife is not in perfect health, but she still seems the best candidate for the position, with her still exquisite beauty and charm, despite advancing age.
August 9, 1362. A rare point of good news—it appears that the plague in Mertola has ended. Almost the entire realm is now rife with plague, but perhaps this means the end is in sight.
January 10, 1363. While much of the news has focused on the chaos in the city, the country is suffering as well. Entire villages have disappeared in the province of Cordoba, and other areas of the Kingdom. Combined with the increased needs for alms in these troubled times, our treasury is slowly being whittled away. It is fortunate that my forebears managed our finances so well that we need not fear bankruptcy, even if the plague should last 1000 years.
April 4, 1363. Otakar of Nitra, the Count of Darum in the Holy Land has asked to pledge fealty to me. While I don’t see much profit to it at the moment, he’s not currently involved in any annoying wars, so I decide to accept his vassalage.
March 14, 1364. Though we get little news from abroad these days—most are avoiding travel because of the plague—it seems Iberia is far from alone in facing this scourge. Von Franken himself is rumored to be afflicted, as is the King of Scotland. The King of Naples died in the first wave of infection a couple of years ago. Though many are claiming that this dreadful sickness is a punishment for our sins, it seems to me that the wicked and the righteous perish in equal numbers.
June 14, 1364. After a long struggle, my little sister Urraca has succumbed to the plague. She was only 15.
January 12, 1365. Taking advantage of the fact that Soria is still unaffected by plague, the Count has declared war on his liege the Duke of Catalonia. Although the Duke of Catalonia has been driven mad by this crisis, I will not allow Soria to use it to secede from our realm. I decide to declare war on Soria. I may simply take the land for myself, however, as the Duke is in little condition to administer it.
January 22, 1365. Tierri leads the regiments of Molina and Toledo—the only parts of my demesne where the plague is finished—into Soria. I would have gone myself, except that my daughter Nasiba is to be married this month.
June 10, 1365. Soria is mine. He also is forced to relinquish his claim on Compostela.
June 15, 1365. Shortly after the peace is signed, the plague strikes Soria, apparently following my army.
January 20, 1366. Our troubles seem to mount daily. A new scourge has struck Badajoz, that seems to kill its victims even faster than the Black Death. The victims cough up blood and often die in less than a day.
April 12, 1366. An emissary from Burgundy arrived this morning. Apparently, old von Franken has died of the plague, but his son Bernhard wishes to renew our alliance, which I quickly agree to do.
May 24, 1366. The young von Franken appears to be having difficulties with his vassals. It may be because of his lisp that everyone has been mocking. I would have thought people would have more serious concerns in this dark time, but I suppose they need a little levity. In any event, among others, the Duke of Provence has rebelled. As we have a legitimate claim on Provence through my grandmother Raisenda de Toulouse, I decide to declare war. I am tired of hiding in this castle in the hills north of Cordoba, and it seems the plague is as likely to strike here as anywhere. I call up my regiment here and begin marching toward Molina. I shall muster the forces from Molina and Toledo as well. Molina seems like the best location to gather in, as it appears free of disease at the moment.
June 24, 1366. With nearly 10,000 men I set out for Provence. Reports are that that new coughing plague is spreading into Molina behind us.
December 9, 1366. I receive a very sharp message from Novgorod Seversky. The pope claims that he has heard of my so-called “skepticism” and is insisting I recant. I see nothing for which I need to beg forgiveness. No, I have not punished errors of faith with execution or banishment—the objective is to lead people back to the true faith, and that is best served by showing Christian mercy. I defy the pope to prove my skepticism.
December 16, 1366. Though it may be more out of fear of the plague than anything, I am told the bulk of the population of Toledo has converted to Catholicism. I write the Pope showing how my approach to the faith is already gathering the lost sheep back to the true chuch.
January 15, 1367. Finally arriving in Nice, I ay siege there while forces led by the Count of Kohistan fight the Duke of Provence in Provence.
March 13, 1367. Nice is captured. I decide to join the siege of Provence.
April 4, 1367. The King of Burgundy has subdued Provence. I get nothing out of this, unfortunately, but the thanks of Von Franken. Ah, well. It was good to escape the castle for a while, although things in the south as France are as grim as Spain.
August 13, 1367. The bishop wants to try Edorta de Lomagne as a heretic. Within a few minutes of speaking to him, I realize that technically he is in heresy, but the poor man has completely lost his mind. He has no understanding of what he is saying. Shouldn’t we show compassion for this drooling idiot?
July 8, 1368. I decide to make my spymaster’s daughter, the energetic and financially gifted Bogona al Ayyubi my new steward. That poor family needs something to cheer, as they have been among the hardest hit by the plague. Two of Josu’s children have died, and his mother wife and another daughter are still afflicted.
August 1, 1368. Poor Josu simply couldn’t take anymore, I guess. I received the sad news that Josu took poison and died. So many funerals these days. I think I shall appoint diocese bishop Kelemen in his place. Kelemen has the requisite skill, his connections in the clergy throughout Europe could prove useful informants, and I think I will be able to find a bishop more tolerant of open discussion on theological issues. Perhaps Petri al Ayyubi?
December 16, 1368. Josu’s widow and my sister, Maite, has died of the plague. Such a terrible toll in that one family.
January 19, 1369. The family of my late spymaster seems cursed. The plague has now struck my stewar Bogona. I hope Matilda bears me no ill will for removing her from the position, for I will require her services again. I also decide that my wife, who has been ailing and frail for some years, needs a break. Prospero de Thouars, who has recently recovered from plague will take over as chancellor..
November 21, 1369. Spymaster Kelemin has gone to Albarracin. I guess he preferred his former position as Bishop. For the moment, my new spymaster will be the diocese bishop’s older sister, Geraxane.
December 22, 1369. Bogona, who was briefly my steward has now died of the plague. What an unfortunate family, both parents dead, and only one healthy member left of the five children.
March 5, 1370. My wife has the plague. She has not been well for some time, so perhaps her illness will be mercifully short.
April 21, 1370. My daughter Zainab has the plague—and she was with child, too.
August 7, 1370. My daughter Zainab has died of the plague and her baby is lost.
January 30, 1371. One spark of good news: Aracena appears to have recovered from both varieties of plague. Let us hope this is a sign that the plague will run its course
July 29, 1371. The Pope calls the crusade a success, as Antiochea has fallen to the King of Sweden. However, the promised deliverance from the plague has not come. Aside from Aracena, nearly my whole realm is still afflicted.
August 10, 1371. That poor sick madman of a cousin of mine, Edorta de Lomagne has been excommunicated. Have they no compassion, even in such times as these?
November 10, 1371. Edorta has fled for Leon. How he intends to get there in his plague-ridden state, I do not know.
November 21, 1371. The black death continues to ravage my court. Spymaster Geraxane is the latest to fall ill. I shall have to replace her with Beti de Lomagne, at least for the time being. Perhaps she will recover. Some people do.
November 2, 1372. The plague kills my younger brother, Galindo. This constant parade of death is numbing. It is impossible to mourn anyone properly any more.
August 4, 1373. It has been some decades since the Kingdom has enjoyed the services of a truly gifted steward, but I believe Petri Al Ayyubi has the wisdom and skill to put the Kingdom’s finances on a solid footing, even in these difficult times. I decide to marry him into my family, to Sastiana de Lomagne.
August 30, 1373. My wife passed away in great pain from the plague this morning. I wish that I could mourn her properly, but all I feel is a certain relief that her terrible suffering hs come to an end.
My wife’s illness distracted me from larger events. Apparently, the County of Barcelona has somehow fallen to some minor Polish vassal of the King of Naples. As Naples is currently at war with the Duke of Tejo, he will be unable to defend. Despite the ravages of plague, I cannot let this opportunity go to waste. I will lead the 1700 men I can currently muster in Cordoba to Tarragona to meet with Tierri who will bring the forces from Santiago, which has recently become free of plague. Tarragona is not suffering plague either, though like many coastal areas, the air is bad. Since I will likely have to deal with the King of naples as well, I instruct forces from Toledo, Badajoz, Aracena and Mertola to gather there and await further instructions.
October 22, 1373. My former spymaster, Geraxane dies of plague.
January 11, 1374. Yet another of my sisters has contracted the plague, Tota.
March 8, 1374. I declare war on the Count of Barcelona. Kabilia and Naples declare war on us. The 7,000 men I have gathered in Aracena will make for Sicily. I had originally planned to move on the King’s forces in Morocco, but the Duke of Tejo has already captured the fortresses there. I lead my own force of nearly 5000 men into Barcelona.
July 5, 1374. The count of Barcelona surrenders the county to me. I still have 4000 men and decide to sail to Sicily to confront Naples on his home ground, in case the troops already en route are insufficient.
July 24, 1374. I guess am too old for the exertions of warfare. Over these three weeks of preparing the ships to sail to Sicily, I have grown steadily weaker. I fear Faruk will have to finish this war for me, as I have run out of time.
I had such hopes of returning Cordoba to the prominence in Europe that it held four hundred years ago. It was the greatest center of culture and learning in the west, and I felt it could be so again, but instead my reign will be remembered primarily as a time of death and chaos.
January 14, 1357. The timing of my father’s death was fortunate, in a sense, as I was in damp, chilly Viscaya for the annual Christmas visit. As father’s health was failing, I stayed a little longer than usual, so the transition of power should be a smooth one. Naturally, Father and I talked in his last days about our future plans for the Kingdom. One particular concern is the alliance of Croatia and Burgundy—I agreed with Father that it was a serious problem and that it would be one of my principal objectives to break it up and free our hand to deal with Croatia. I did not add that my plans for doing so are somewhat devious. Father never was much for the more subtle tools of statecraft, and I fear he wouldn’t approve having the King of Croatia murdered. I must discuss the idea with Spymaster Josu as soon as possible.
I have learned from the bishop that father is to be beatified. How typical of the clergy that they wish to honour a man noted for slavish obedience to the Inquisition. His treatment of my poor mother still outrages me. While I know there was no malice in him, his almost child-like trust in the clergy allowed him to be manipulated to wicked deeds. I truly believe the charge of witchcraft was motivated by hatred for her Moorish origins. If Aragon is to be a great kingdom, we must put aside this foolish prejudice. Yes, the Arabs were misled by the false prophet Muhammad, but they are a noble race, skilled in scholarship, architecture and commerce. It is so absurd to equate respecting their language and customs to heresy. Why, at one point the inquisitors were imprisoning people for eating coos coos, as if this had anything to do with one’s faith. In any event, Islam is a dying religion, hardly practiced in North Africa anymore, let alone Europe.
One of my first acts as King will be to move the capital to Cordoba. Though the de Lomagne line has tried, the city of Viscaya will never rival the splendor of glorious Cordoba, sparkling in the sunshine of Al Andalus. The Mezquita is surely the most beautiful catholic church in the world, an equal to Hagia Sofia in Byzantium, even if it was built to honor Muhammad.
I shall also make a few changes to my court. I have been impressed by my sister Luixa, as she has grown into a lovely and vivacious young woman. I think I shall make her the new Chancellor. I also suggest that Jourdan al-Ayyubi, who is a forthright yet quiet and restrained young man, will be a fine husband for her. I am sorely tempted to make my wife of My youngest son Dhiyab, Inas Guthkeled my steward, but he should have land of his own, so I will make him Count of Narbonne. I make my third son Malik the Count of Zamora. My other sons are already esconced in Granada and Calatrava.
October 13, 1357. I have spent the summer sorting moving and sorting out the new court, and paying visits to my various vassals. Now I feel solid enough in my power to make a move. Josu has made inquiries and learned that Teczi Seljuk, a muslim in the court of the King of Croatia, is a highly skilled spymaster. I decided to eliminate her first and then go after the King himself. Unfortunately, though we succeeded in both assassinations, the one on the spymaster was rather unsubtle. Still, the King of Croatia is now dead, and hopefully this will put an end to the alliance with Burgundy.
I begin to get ready for a war against Croatia. I call up the troops in Badajoz and Aracena to come to join my forces in Cordoba. I muster most of the rest of my forces in my demesne to gather in Molina and Salamanca.
Croatia Campaign of 1357-1359
December 27, 1357. I declare war on the Prince of Viseu, one of the King of Croatia’s vassals. The King of Croatia, Prince of Slavonia and Prince of Croatia declare war upon me. I lead approximately 16,000 men on Mertola, while Frantzes leads 15,000 from Molina to Cuenca. The regiments gathering in Salamanca have not yet arrived.
Just as we are mobilizing our regiments, I receive a very troubling message from my son, Faruk, in Granada. I had been hearing reports for some months of a terrible pestilence called “The Black Death” in the East, named after the dark boils that erupt on the skin of the victims. I did not think long on it, as those lands are so far away. However, it has now ravaged Byzantium and Venice, and a ship from Venice arrived with a crew of the dead and dying in Malaga a month ago. Now, reports are that this dreadful disease is spreading into Granada. This is not a good time to be fighting a campaign. I had been planning on calling up the troops from Granada, but I don’t think I want them now. Instead, I shall call on the counts of Silves, Faro and Niebla to gather their forces and move to Niebla to counter any northward push from Cadiz. Cordoba will be defended by troops from Alcacer do Sal and Evora, rather than Granada as I had originally planned.
January 10, 1357. We lay siege to Mertola and Cuenca.
February 1, 1357. As expected, Croatian forces are moving northward from Cadiz. I dispatch messengers to Sanc de Lomagne, the Count of Niebla, to lead 8400 men from Niebla to Aracena counter.
February 16, 1358. Etienne has sent word from Salamanca that the is commencing his march toward Toledo with 20,000 men.
March 3, 1358. The siege of Mertola is successful. The Duke of Viseu is forced to capitulate and concede the county of Mertola. I decide to move my troops to Cadiz.
April 2, 1358. The Count of Cadiz.offers tribute in return for peace, so I will leave his lands alone and head for Murcia, which is part of the Croatia’s demesne. Meanwhile, Sanc has been vitorious in Aracena, and the siege of Cuenca by Frantzes has also succeeded. I instruct Frantzes to continue on to Valencia.
May 10, 1358. I receive word that Frantzes has captured the province of Valencia. However, not all news today is so good. As we were following the road along the Rio Guadalquivir, one of the scouts spotted a body floating down the river. In times of war, this might not seem so remarkable, but the body in question had the telltale black boils in its armpit and groin. The plague has reached Cordoba. I decide to take a more northerly route through the Sierra Morena, as I cannot risk an outbreak among my men.
July 28, 1358. Following the fall of the castle in Toledo, Luixa has been able to make a sweet deal. Not only am I now Count of Toledo, but he has also relinquished his claim on Molina, and pays me a substantial sum of gold in tribute. Having achieved my main objectives for the war, I will now settle with Croatia and his other vassals. My new provinces are Orthodox. I will need to fund a significant influx of catholic clergy in order to sway the people to the Roman faith.
August 1, 1358. The prince of Slavonia recognizes me as Count of Toledo.
August 13, 1358. The prince of Croatia concedes that I am the rightful Count of Cordoba.
August 22, 1358. The King of Croatia is forced to recognizes me as Count of Molina, Toledo and Mertola. We are at peace. I create the title Duke of Viseu, a new title which I will bestow upon Ramon Berenguer de Lomagne, the Count of Evora. My court has relocated to an estate in the mountains north of Cordoba in the hopes of avoiding the plague.
September 5, 1358. I am back in the province of Cordoba, though not in the city. Reports from there are terrifying—thousands have died, and there are not enough healthy to bury the dead. But alas, the plague has followed us. My sister, Batirtze was one of the first to fall ill; her son, Josu is horrified by her suffering. Strangely, though rumor describes the plague as killing its victims in days, the courtiers who have fallen ill have remained alive for some time, though in agony. As life must go on, I recommend that my marshal marry Itziar de Lomagne, but the ceremony is much smaller than a normal court wedding.
January 18, 1359. The Pope is attempting to reignite the crusade on Antiochea again, saying that God will spare us of this plague, if we drive the muslims out. But I dare not go to war when my forces are so greatly reduced and morale so low.
April 22, 1359. My father’s widow, Ausilia, is the fourth member of the court to fall ill, though none have died yet among the nobles.
June 11, 1359. Poor Josu has become increasingly edgy in these difficult times. His mother still suffers with the plague, and as spymaster, he has to travel and has more direct experience of the horrors.
July 20, 1359. Josu has foiled a fiendish attempt by the King of Croatia tried to assassinate my eldest son, Al a’Addin, the Count of Calatrava. My son’s new chef turned out to be a Croatian agent. I must retaliate against him. Josu tells me he has already sent word for countering measures.
July 26, 1359. My son has been murdered! He was ambushed by Croatian thugs while riding in the morning. His county seat falls now to his newborn son. As I did two years ago, I will eliminate both the King and his spymaster. This shall not go unopposed.
August 1, 1359. Chancellor Luixa has pulled off a diplomatic coup. She persuaded the King of Burgundy to ally with me, after the murderous plots of the now deceased King of Croatia. I believe she convinced him that my assassination of his spymaster two years ago was in response to plots on my life that I had uncovered. A lie, of course, but Luixa presented it with great conviction.
August 2, 1359. The Croatians, perhaps furious at my successfully pulling their ally away, have attempted to kill Luixa. I am tempted to retaliate again, but it was unsuccessful, and doubtless planned by the late King and spymaster. The new king is merely an infant, and can’t really be held responsible.
October 24, 1359. I decide to replace my diocese bishop with Kelemen de Lomagne, young but extremely scholarly and with a subtle mind.
December 10, 1359. My daughter, Nafisa has come of age and I have arranged a marriage to my new ally’s brother, Stefane von Franken. Nafisa should consider herself lucky to be escaping this plague ridden region.
March 5, 1360. The clerics want me to to financially back a push to make my Father a saint. I’m not interested in promoting his reign’s pattern of legitimating wild, unsubstantiated accusations of witchcraft as a model for Christian rule.
September 12, 1360. My marshal Aimery passed away this morning, though not of the plague that has taken several others in my court this year. Most of southern Iberia is now infested with this terrible scourge. Mass hysteria is rising. All kinds of wild cures are being attempted. My sister has a half-dozen live pigeons stuck to her in various places. As if the plague wasn’t killing enough people by itself, there is this wild theory emerging that the Jews are poisoning water supplies to spread the plague. Don’t they have to drink the same water the rest of us do? I have heard stories of terrible massacres in Italy. It is not as likely here, as most of them were driven out during my father’s time. In fact, I had hoped to reestablish moneylenders in our cities to give us an economic boost, but it is clearly impossible until things settle down.
In any event, I shall need to find a new marshal. I think I will employ Tierri de Toulouse, Matilda’s younger brother in the position. He’s not a vocal leader of men, but his planning and execution of military strategy are excellent.
October 1, 1360. Perhaps I erred in my choice of Kelemen as diocese bishop. In his zeal for guiding us in the true way of Christ, he has brought his older brother to me on charges of heresy. His own brother! I don’t press a secular sentence; the last thing we need in these troubled times is to be turning on each other like caged rats.
November 18, 1360. Josu’s wife, my sister has contracted the plague, no doubt from trying to take care of his sick mother. All of this sickness around him is really weighing on poor Josu.
July 16, 1381. Citing a need to defend himself from Muslim counterattacks triggered by the Pope’s crusade, Frantzes de Lomagne, the Count of Irbid has declared independence. There’s little left of the lands Estebe II won in the Jerusalem crusade, now, but it was never a very profitable part of the Kingdom.
October 7, 1361. The plague is beginning to spread into Galicia. Is there no end to it? While I and my closest associates have been fortunate so far, we all have family members suffering from it. My grandmother passed away earlier in the year, and two of my sisters continue to suffer. Josu has a sick wife and sister. Tierri and Matilda have a grievously ill sister, and the Bishop has lost a child.
The Pope has issued a proclamation from Novgorod Seversky that the Jews are not responsible for the plague, noting that they are dying of it, as well. Perhaps this will cool things off. On a happier note, a scholar digging through the library in Cordoba has discovered evidence that a similar plague ravaged the East in the 6th century. It eventually ended and life resumed as normal, so we can realistically hope this plague too shall pass.
November 21, 1361. My brother-in-law has fled to Algeciras where it is rumored the plague has abated, leaving my poor sister to suffer alone.
March 4, 1362. My youngest sister, Urraca has the plague.
March 16, 1362. Mertola has converted to catholicism.
March 26, 1362. My chancellor, Luixa died in labor. My wife is not in perfect health, but she still seems the best candidate for the position, with her still exquisite beauty and charm, despite advancing age.
August 9, 1362. A rare point of good news—it appears that the plague in Mertola has ended. Almost the entire realm is now rife with plague, but perhaps this means the end is in sight.
January 10, 1363. While much of the news has focused on the chaos in the city, the country is suffering as well. Entire villages have disappeared in the province of Cordoba, and other areas of the Kingdom. Combined with the increased needs for alms in these troubled times, our treasury is slowly being whittled away. It is fortunate that my forebears managed our finances so well that we need not fear bankruptcy, even if the plague should last 1000 years.
April 4, 1363. Otakar of Nitra, the Count of Darum in the Holy Land has asked to pledge fealty to me. While I don’t see much profit to it at the moment, he’s not currently involved in any annoying wars, so I decide to accept his vassalage.
March 14, 1364. Though we get little news from abroad these days—most are avoiding travel because of the plague—it seems Iberia is far from alone in facing this scourge. Von Franken himself is rumored to be afflicted, as is the King of Scotland. The King of Naples died in the first wave of infection a couple of years ago. Though many are claiming that this dreadful sickness is a punishment for our sins, it seems to me that the wicked and the righteous perish in equal numbers.
June 14, 1364. After a long struggle, my little sister Urraca has succumbed to the plague. She was only 15.
January 12, 1365. Taking advantage of the fact that Soria is still unaffected by plague, the Count has declared war on his liege the Duke of Catalonia. Although the Duke of Catalonia has been driven mad by this crisis, I will not allow Soria to use it to secede from our realm. I decide to declare war on Soria. I may simply take the land for myself, however, as the Duke is in little condition to administer it.
January 22, 1365. Tierri leads the regiments of Molina and Toledo—the only parts of my demesne where the plague is finished—into Soria. I would have gone myself, except that my daughter Nasiba is to be married this month.
June 10, 1365. Soria is mine. He also is forced to relinquish his claim on Compostela.
June 15, 1365. Shortly after the peace is signed, the plague strikes Soria, apparently following my army.
January 20, 1366. Our troubles seem to mount daily. A new scourge has struck Badajoz, that seems to kill its victims even faster than the Black Death. The victims cough up blood and often die in less than a day.
April 12, 1366. An emissary from Burgundy arrived this morning. Apparently, old von Franken has died of the plague, but his son Bernhard wishes to renew our alliance, which I quickly agree to do.
May 24, 1366. The young von Franken appears to be having difficulties with his vassals. It may be because of his lisp that everyone has been mocking. I would have thought people would have more serious concerns in this dark time, but I suppose they need a little levity. In any event, among others, the Duke of Provence has rebelled. As we have a legitimate claim on Provence through my grandmother Raisenda de Toulouse, I decide to declare war. I am tired of hiding in this castle in the hills north of Cordoba, and it seems the plague is as likely to strike here as anywhere. I call up my regiment here and begin marching toward Molina. I shall muster the forces from Molina and Toledo as well. Molina seems like the best location to gather in, as it appears free of disease at the moment.
June 24, 1366. With nearly 10,000 men I set out for Provence. Reports are that that new coughing plague is spreading into Molina behind us.
December 9, 1366. I receive a very sharp message from Novgorod Seversky. The pope claims that he has heard of my so-called “skepticism” and is insisting I recant. I see nothing for which I need to beg forgiveness. No, I have not punished errors of faith with execution or banishment—the objective is to lead people back to the true faith, and that is best served by showing Christian mercy. I defy the pope to prove my skepticism.
December 16, 1366. Though it may be more out of fear of the plague than anything, I am told the bulk of the population of Toledo has converted to Catholicism. I write the Pope showing how my approach to the faith is already gathering the lost sheep back to the true chuch.
January 15, 1367. Finally arriving in Nice, I ay siege there while forces led by the Count of Kohistan fight the Duke of Provence in Provence.
March 13, 1367. Nice is captured. I decide to join the siege of Provence.
April 4, 1367. The King of Burgundy has subdued Provence. I get nothing out of this, unfortunately, but the thanks of Von Franken. Ah, well. It was good to escape the castle for a while, although things in the south as France are as grim as Spain.
August 13, 1367. The bishop wants to try Edorta de Lomagne as a heretic. Within a few minutes of speaking to him, I realize that technically he is in heresy, but the poor man has completely lost his mind. He has no understanding of what he is saying. Shouldn’t we show compassion for this drooling idiot?
July 8, 1368. I decide to make my spymaster’s daughter, the energetic and financially gifted Bogona al Ayyubi my new steward. That poor family needs something to cheer, as they have been among the hardest hit by the plague. Two of Josu’s children have died, and his mother wife and another daughter are still afflicted.
August 1, 1368. Poor Josu simply couldn’t take anymore, I guess. I received the sad news that Josu took poison and died. So many funerals these days. I think I shall appoint diocese bishop Kelemen in his place. Kelemen has the requisite skill, his connections in the clergy throughout Europe could prove useful informants, and I think I will be able to find a bishop more tolerant of open discussion on theological issues. Perhaps Petri al Ayyubi?
December 16, 1368. Josu’s widow and my sister, Maite, has died of the plague. Such a terrible toll in that one family.
January 19, 1369. The family of my late spymaster seems cursed. The plague has now struck my stewar Bogona. I hope Matilda bears me no ill will for removing her from the position, for I will require her services again. I also decide that my wife, who has been ailing and frail for some years, needs a break. Prospero de Thouars, who has recently recovered from plague will take over as chancellor..
November 21, 1369. Spymaster Kelemin has gone to Albarracin. I guess he preferred his former position as Bishop. For the moment, my new spymaster will be the diocese bishop’s older sister, Geraxane.
December 22, 1369. Bogona, who was briefly my steward has now died of the plague. What an unfortunate family, both parents dead, and only one healthy member left of the five children.
March 5, 1370. My wife has the plague. She has not been well for some time, so perhaps her illness will be mercifully short.
April 21, 1370. My daughter Zainab has the plague—and she was with child, too.
August 7, 1370. My daughter Zainab has died of the plague and her baby is lost.
January 30, 1371. One spark of good news: Aracena appears to have recovered from both varieties of plague. Let us hope this is a sign that the plague will run its course
July 29, 1371. The Pope calls the crusade a success, as Antiochea has fallen to the King of Sweden. However, the promised deliverance from the plague has not come. Aside from Aracena, nearly my whole realm is still afflicted.
August 10, 1371. That poor sick madman of a cousin of mine, Edorta de Lomagne has been excommunicated. Have they no compassion, even in such times as these?
November 10, 1371. Edorta has fled for Leon. How he intends to get there in his plague-ridden state, I do not know.
November 21, 1371. The black death continues to ravage my court. Spymaster Geraxane is the latest to fall ill. I shall have to replace her with Beti de Lomagne, at least for the time being. Perhaps she will recover. Some people do.
November 2, 1372. The plague kills my younger brother, Galindo. This constant parade of death is numbing. It is impossible to mourn anyone properly any more.
August 4, 1373. It has been some decades since the Kingdom has enjoyed the services of a truly gifted steward, but I believe Petri Al Ayyubi has the wisdom and skill to put the Kingdom’s finances on a solid footing, even in these difficult times. I decide to marry him into my family, to Sastiana de Lomagne.
August 30, 1373. My wife passed away in great pain from the plague this morning. I wish that I could mourn her properly, but all I feel is a certain relief that her terrible suffering hs come to an end.
My wife’s illness distracted me from larger events. Apparently, the County of Barcelona has somehow fallen to some minor Polish vassal of the King of Naples. As Naples is currently at war with the Duke of Tejo, he will be unable to defend. Despite the ravages of plague, I cannot let this opportunity go to waste. I will lead the 1700 men I can currently muster in Cordoba to Tarragona to meet with Tierri who will bring the forces from Santiago, which has recently become free of plague. Tarragona is not suffering plague either, though like many coastal areas, the air is bad. Since I will likely have to deal with the King of naples as well, I instruct forces from Toledo, Badajoz, Aracena and Mertola to gather there and await further instructions.
October 22, 1373. My former spymaster, Geraxane dies of plague.
January 11, 1374. Yet another of my sisters has contracted the plague, Tota.
March 8, 1374. I declare war on the Count of Barcelona. Kabilia and Naples declare war on us. The 7,000 men I have gathered in Aracena will make for Sicily. I had originally planned to move on the King’s forces in Morocco, but the Duke of Tejo has already captured the fortresses there. I lead my own force of nearly 5000 men into Barcelona.
July 5, 1374. The count of Barcelona surrenders the county to me. I still have 4000 men and decide to sail to Sicily to confront Naples on his home ground, in case the troops already en route are insufficient.
July 24, 1374. I guess am too old for the exertions of warfare. Over these three weeks of preparing the ships to sail to Sicily, I have grown steadily weaker. I fear Faruk will have to finish this war for me, as I have run out of time.
I had such hopes of returning Cordoba to the prominence in Europe that it held four hundred years ago. It was the greatest center of culture and learning in the west, and I felt it could be so again, but instead my reign will be remembered primarily as a time of death and chaos.
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I just added a campaign map of Talal's Croatian war, although I don't know how much people are getting out of those maps. I created it some time ago, but was having some ftp issues.
Incidentally, I have thought about the web hosting solution, but I think I'll wait and transfer the files to that when I have the AAR finished, which should be before Christmas. I'll probably do some text revisions and add some other pictorial material when I'm done with the game.
For you Burgundy watchers, the Von Franken realm disintegrates again during the next reign. You'll see some startling changes by 1385.
Incidentally, I have thought about the web hosting solution, but I think I'll wait and transfer the files to that when I have the AAR finished, which should be before Christmas. I'll probably do some text revisions and add some other pictorial material when I'm done with the game.
For you Burgundy watchers, the Von Franken realm disintegrates again during the next reign. You'll see some startling changes by 1385.
Diary of Faruk de Lomagne (1337-1385) – King of Aragon, Leon and Portugal, Duke of Cordoba, Ascalon, and Toledo, Count of Viscaya, Asturias de Santillana, Asturias de Oviedo, Compostela, Santiago, Molina, Cordoba, Aracena, Badajoz, Mertola, El Bierzo, Calatrava, Toledo, Burgos, Soria and Barcelona.
I set out with a small group of guards on the fastest horses available from Granada, but reached Barcelona too late. When the messenger came two weeks ago, I assumed Father wanted me to rally my troops to his banner, perhaps to go after Naples’ lands in North Africa. As I received military training as a youth, I was itching for some action, though I understand why Father was loathe to call upon his vassal’s forces while the plague raged in their lands. When I finally reached Barcelona, Father was already gone. I considered boarding the ships for Sicily, but Chancellor Prospero persuaded me that my Kingdom needed me here to organize the realm. Nonetheless, this war must go on until the Kingdom of Naples is forced to yield. Although in retrospect it may have cost him his life, I was glad to see Father taking action again, instead of simply trying to wait out the plague. While there are some signs that this pestilence may be past its worst, we simply have to carry on.
There has been some suggestion of moving the capital to Barcelona, but it’s too far from much of my demesne and I’m more comfortable in Father’s palace in Cordoba. In fact, I think I will grant the county of Barcelona to the Guifre de Lomagne, the Duke of Algarve, as it is adjacent to his lands in Empuries. I think I will also make Count Jalaaddin of Granada, my eldest son, Duke of Cordoba.
August 7, 1374. Although I offered to extend the alliance, King Bernard von Franken of Burgundy has chosen to ally with England instead. While this is a disappointment, it does not suggest that he has plans to move against us.
October 3, 1375. I receive word from Sicily, that Marshal Tierri has contracted the plague. I will replace with my son, Mikal, for the time being. I do intend to find Farouk a wife and grant him some land, but I have not been able to fully attend to this matter yet.
February 6, 1376. After my forces captured Palermo and Siracusa, the King of Naples agreed to give the province of Figuig to Frederic de Donges, a man of my court, and a small amount of gold in return for peace. We are at peace.
March 21, 1376. It appears our peace will be a short-lived one. The Holy Father in Kasogs has sent a messengers to all of Europe that there is to be another Holy Crusade. Jerusalem has again fallen to the infidels, and is controlled by the Sheikh of Beirut, a vassal of the Sheikh of Tripoli. Certainly this occupation of the Holy City cannot be tolerated, and I must again go to war. Besides, these lands were once de Lomagne holdings, so it is natural that we lead the crusade to return them. Fortunately, Spymaster Beti informs me that their forces are not numerous, so we may not need a massive mobilization. We have four healthy provinces in our demesne—Aracena, Santiago, Compostela and Viscaya. To those four, I will add the regiment from Cordoba, though we still struggle with the plague here. I send word to all regiments to gather in Tarragona. I think we will probably sail out in two groups. Meanwhile, I leave Prospero to find an appropriate wife for Mikal.
May 24, 1376. As I am travelling with the forces toward Tarragona, I receive the news that Steward Petri has the plague and will likely need to be relieved of his duty. I send a message back to Prospero to appoint Lore al Ayyubi as steward.
June 28, 1376. I call up the Tarragona regiment. As I now have over 11,000 men, I decide to set sail for my vassal’s lands in Darum, which will be our first staging point for the crusade. The remainder of the regiments will sail to Darum later under the leadership of my son, Marshal Mikal.
May 1, 1377. Our ships finally docked in Darum today, following a long and difficult voyage. There is a great deal of news from home, much of it bad. Three key members of my court—Bishop Petri, Chancellor Prospero, and Steward Lore have all contracted plague; the bishop has already passed away. Their duties have been taken over by Bishop Xabier al Ayyubi, Chancellor Catarina de Lomagne and Steward Matilda de Toulouse respectively. They will have to do for the present. On a more cheerful note, prior to his illness Prospero was able to negotiate a marriage of Mikal to the eldest daughter of the Count of Albret. The count has only one son, and he is a sickly child, so there is a fair chance of acquiring some land here. When Mikal arrives in Darum, he is to receive the message that he will be Count of Molina and Duke of Toledo. My new Marshal will be Marko al Ayyubi, the new bishop’s son, who is a vigorous and pious man, perfect for a crusade against the infidel.
I declare war on the Sheikhdom of Beirut and begin to march my forces toward Acre. The sheikhdom of Tripoli declares war upon me.
July 3, 1377. My troops arrived in Acre today with nearly 10,000 men, and begin to lay siege to its castle, unopposed by the muslim forces. The sheikhs have gathered their forces in Jerusalem and Tiberias, and are planning to defend there.
August 6, 1377. A messenger came from Durum today, with Mikal expressing his gratitude for his new titles, and accepting my apologies for missing his wedding. I send back word that he should march to Tiberias. I think I can take Jerusalem by myself, once Acre falls.
September 23, 1377. Acre is ours. At last, I can march upon the Holy City. Long have its sacred and historic sites haunted my dreams.
October 21, 1377. After a fierce battle, we have defeated the troops defending Jerusalem, and Mikal has been similarly successful in Tiberias. Joyously, we set fire to the Dome of the Rock. The flames from that heathen shrine to the wicked Mohammedan faith now light up the night sky, symbolic of the light of Christ returning to the Holy City. The inner fortress has not yet fallen, however, and we still have weeks of siege ahead.
November 27, 1377. Tiberias has fallen, but we still have not captured Jerusalem. Some of my generals wish to storm the castle, but it will fall soon, regardless. I can’t see them holding out for more than a few days, so why risk further losses?
December 1, 1377. Jerusalem is ours! I tell my son to push north to Tyre, while I will attack the troops in Beirut. I leave the Tarragona regiment under the Duke of Zaragoza’s leadership to defend Jerusalem, in case of a muslim counterattack. After a short visit to the Holy Sepulchre, we march for the north.
February 16, 1378. Shortly after my forces arrived in Beirut, a messenger from the north hailed us today, and brought the news that the Bey of Adana had declared war upon us. I was initially alarmed, not having the foggiest idea of who the Bey of Adana was, and I worried that we had precipitated a large-scale counter-crusade. However, after making inquiries, I learned that the bey is simply another vassal of the Sheikh of Tripoli, so he’s not really a new enemy of consequence.
February 24, 1378. After several skirmishles I begin to besiege Beirut. The Sheikh of Tripoli has been able to assemble several waves of attack. Fortunately, they haven’t been able to coordinate their forces terribly effectively; they actually outnumber us at this point, but their morale has been reduced by repeated failures in battle.
April 17, 1378. I settle with Bey of Adana for a small amount of gold. Maybe he’ll send some of his troops home. The Sheikh has assembled a sizable force…slightly larger than our own, but with morale damaged by repeated failures to defeat us.
May 2, 1378. The past two weeks have been absolutely hellacious, with vicious Saracen attacks on an almost daily basis. Yesterday, it seemed likely that our troops were broken and would soon flee. I was only able to hold the line by riding around the battlefield to each of the front line divisions and fight alongside them in turn. I am utterly exhausted, but I am being compared to Jordan the Lionheart, the English King who smashed the power of the Fatimids two hundred years ago. However, this was a horrendously costly victory; only 1500 men still stand with me.
May 19, 1378. I decide to make peace with the Sheikh of Tripoli. Unfortunately, we were not able to capture Beirut, but my son Malik was able to take Tyre. I felt that with our forces so depleted and reinforcements so far away, it was wisest to end this war. We captured several provinces, and most importantly returned the Holy City of Jerusalem to Christian hands. Furthermore, there are events back in Iberia that need my attention. In particular, the Duke of Asturias has rebelled against Burgundy and I must hasten to take advantage of the situation. I intend to get Valladolid back under our controlMalik has already added Tiberias and Tyre to his own realm. It is time to return home.
July 21, 1378. As I land back in Spain, I learn that the duke is already seeking peace, but I do not intend to give it to him until Valladolid is mine. The Count of Albret has also rebelled against Burgundy—actually there are many revolts going on. There was some rumor of Von Franken killing his younger brother, and that seems to be the source of much of the discontent. I believe I have a legitimate claim on Albret as well, and will deal with him as soon as I finish with Valladolid and can round up some forces again.
October 10, 1378. Valladolid has fallen. I instruct the forces from Viscaya to head for Bourges to go after the last of Asturias’ lands. Meanwhile I gather up forces from Cordoba and Santiago again to move to Viscaya, in preparation for an attack on Albret.
March 25, 1379. I make peace with the Duke of Asturias in return for Valladolid and money, though in order to end the conflict quickly, I had to make the concession of recognizing his right to reign in Bourges. Bourges is far from my sphere of interest, anyway. . I decide to make Luk de Lomagne the count of Acre and Jerusalem, as it will be too hard to directly control these lands from Cordoba, and also grant him the title Duke of Palestine. In onor of our victory here, I also resurrect the old title of Duke of Salamanca and bestow it upon my brother Malik, the Count of Zamora.
It is time to deal with the Count of Albret…and now I see that Armagnac is up in arms as well. I may be able to capture more of these rebellious vassals of Burgundy. We do have a claim on Armagnac’s lands in Foix through the de Toulouse family ties. I think I will send Godfrey’s troops, that had been headed for Bourges, back south in case an attack on Foix looks attractive.
April 4, 1379. I receive ill tidings from Cordoba. My former Chancellor, Prospero has succumbed to the plague, and my daughter Munawwar is suffering from it as well. However, I will not be distracted from my obejctives. I declare war on Albret and march northward from Labourd.
May 14, 1379. I have agreed to an alliance with Burgundy. Some might see this as an opportunity to pursue some longstanding claims upon him, but the Von Franken’s have rebounded from severe setbacks in the past, so I’d rather keep him friendly.
May 25, 1379. We lay siege to Albret. Oddly, the Count’s forces are not here and we have little opposition—apparently, Godfrey encountered the Count’s regiment in Montpelier as he moved southward.
June 15, 1379. There has been some unfortunate fallout from a little fun I had with my cousin Sastiana when she visited Valladolid. I was celebrating the fall of the city, and I guess I got a little carried away. Anyway, she has borne a son, Aram, that she claims is mine. Surely, if I shell out enough money to the right people we can ensure that this story does not become general knowledge? It would not do for my reputation as a pious crusader to become known as a philanderer.
June 22, 1379. Albret is easily captured and forced to surrender control of the county to me. Now, I can go after Armagnac.
July 13, 1379. I enter the province of Foix, with nearly 10,000 men still to my command. The Duke of Armagnac has less than 4,000. I believe I will be able to use my superior numbers to flank him and drive him to the base of the cliffs south of town, from which there can be no retreat.
August 12, 1379. The Duke’s forces are trapped and massacred, though the Duke himself anticipated my plan and fled before I was able to close the noose. The Duke infuriates me by declining my very reasonable offer of peace in return for the County of Foix—I didn’t even ask for tribute. I shall not be merciful again.
September 26, 1379. I captured the last stronghold of the Duke when the castle in Armagnac fell today. In response to his earlier stubbornness, I have added Armagnac itself to my claims—who will gainsay the hero of the crusade? The Duke is forced to accept me as count of both Foix and Armagnac, and yields several longstanding claims his family had made on lands on the other side of the Pyrenees. I am tempted to continue on this aggressive path, as the Duke of Toulouse is now in rebellion against Burgundy, but I think I have had enough of war for the time being. I need to attend to duties at court and distribute these new lands. I have decided to make my 25-year old daughter Jahaira, for whom I never found a suitable husband, the Duchess of Armagnac, and give her his former titles to Foix and Armagnac. I give the Count of Albret title to the Count of Labourd, Eztebe de Lomagne. It is time to go home to Cordoba. I’ve learned my efforts to suppress the knowledge of my bastard son have not been successful, which will be a source of stress for me in the court, but there is nothing to be done about it.
December 23, 1379. I received a rude shock this morning. Instead of the traditional Christmas visit from my family, Mikal sent a messenger from his seat in Tiberias with a declaration of independence! I am furious. I realize communications between here and the holy land are slow, but he should remember what happened to the old Duchy of Palestine after it seceded from the Kingdom of Aragon. This past crusade would not have been necessary if he had been mindful of his loyalties to my great-grandfather. However, it makes little sense to declare war on your own heir.
September 26, 1380. Spymaster Beti’s plan to eliminate Sastiana’s little brat has failed comically, as the idiot he hired kidnapped and murdered the wrong infant. Fortunately, the child was only the son of one of the chambermaids, and no one suspects my involvement in the murder.
October 9, 1380. The one constant in my reign seems to be the unending parade of plague victims, Diocese Bishop Xabier being the latest. It occurs to me that my children have never known a world without the plague…to them, the carts carrying corpses away each morning are as normal as the carts selling dried fruits from the Algarve in the market. I suppose I shall have to find a new bishop. I was quite impressed by Perrando al Ayyubi’s fiery speeches, energy and bravery during the crusade. As I believe he has ecclesiastical training, I think he will make a solid bishop.
November 14, 1380. As I feared at his advanced age, poor Xabier did not survive as long with plague as many others, and passed away this morning.
December 9, 1380. I was startled to have an unexpected visit from my daughter Munawwar this morning. The bouquets of posies that she had decked out her dress with could not conceal the stench of decay of a plague-sufferer. Incredibly, she came to argue that she should be chancellor in the place of her cousin Catarina , whom she dismissed as too careless and self-indulgent. While Munawwar is an intelligent girl and has a certain facility with words, I can hardly have a chancellor who’s rarely strong enough to emerge from her rooms and emits a foul odor. Ridiculous. If she can recover from the plague, then we’ll talk about a position at court.
January 11, 1381. With the duchy of Poitou now in open rebellion nearly all of western France has slipped from Burgundy’s grasp.
February 9, 1381. Von Franken has sent me a desperate letter, begging me to assist him with his latest war. As if he was not having enough troubles with his vassals, he has now succeeded in embroiling himself in a war with England. I am not inclined to go to war with any major powers while so much of my land is still struggling to recover from the Black Death.
March 22, 1381. The Papal Envoy sends word that the Pope has finally recognized our capture of Jerusalem. I guess it takes a long time for news to reach Kasogs. I am thrilled to learn that he is planning to visit Cordoba this fall to congratulate me in person for our conquest of Jerusalem. It is certainly a remarkable thing to merit a visit from the pope. I may recommend a different meeting site, however. Perhaps the old capital in Viscaya or St. James in Compostela would be better, as I’d rather the Holy Father was not exposed to the ongoing fury of the plague here in Cordoba. In view of the upcoming visit, and the fact that I am at last at peace, perhaps I should see about finding a new wife. I’ve been alone for many years now.
June 5, 1381. Catarina has arranged a marriage for me to Mencia d’Anduze, eldest daughter of the Count of Leon. She seems a thoughtful girl, if a little timid. Her most salient quality however, is that her father has only one son…an inheritance is definitely a possibility here.
December 4, 1381. Von Franken’s woes continue, as Hungary has now declared war upon him. He should consider himself lucky that I, have not opportunistically decided to press my claim on the Kingdom of Germay.
February 14, 1382. A lovely young lady in waiting has been pressing her service on me at every opportunity, but after that fiasco with Sastiana’s brat, I have learned my lesson.
June 7, 1382. After years of conflict, Von Franken is at last beginning to make peace with enemies, though at great coast. The King of Hungary has forced him to yield Brgundy, though he remains nominally King of France, Germany and Italy.
August 14, 1382. To the inquisition with Chancellor Catarina de Lomagne for Black Magic. New chancellor: Matilda’s sister, Agata de Toulouse.
September 23, 1382. I make my spymaster’s son, Todor de Lomagne, Count of Valladolid. He’s a child, of course, but I’m sure Beti can find someone to manage his lands for him until he comes of age. I have decided that it is in our best interests to take advantage of the chaos in Von Franken’s former realm once again. The Count of Caceres has become independent, and I believe I can manufacture a reasonable claim upon him, as the King of Leon. I will also claim the title of Bearn—it is ruled by Gaskon de Lomagne, part of the renegade branch of my own family after all, and I will declare war upon them as soon as I am ready. Gaskon’s liege, the Duke of Poitou is still at war with von Franken, and I should be easily able to capture it. I should be able to manage these wars with just the troops from the healthier parts of my demesne, plus my own trusted regiment from Cordoba. I will lead my own troops to Calatrava and call up their regiment; we shall invade Calatrava itself. I send courtiers to Viscaya and Aracena to rally the troops there and march for Narbonne. When the time is right, they will be sent to northern Italy, to attack the Count’s posessions there. Finally, the troops from Compostela, El Bierzo, and Santiago are to head to Labourd. They will be my lead forces against Albret.
October 16, 1382. A messenger from Cordoba brings the joyous news that my young wife, Mencia has had a son. I am pleased that she has chosen to name him Mustafa, in my native tongue, rather than her own. As this son is second in line for the county of Leon. I will watch developments there very closely. In fact, I think I shall have Beti look into removing Mencia’s baby brother before he can come of age and have sons of his own.
November 16, 1382. I arrived in Caceres this morning and was readying my declaration of war on Caceres, when my spymaster came galloping into the camp. Urgently, he informs me that the Count’s regiment from Modena is not in Italy but is marching westward across Toledo. I cannot risk losing Toldo, so I must delay the declaration of war. Furthermore, the forces that I’ve gathered here may not be sufficient to win the battle, so I will send word that the Aracena regiment should join my forces here, rather than to Narbonne as originally planned.
January 16, 1382. I declare war and march 7500 men toward Caceres. For some reason, the Count spent the winter bringing his regiment to Calatrava only to send them east again. They are now in Cuenca. I expect he will bring those troops back west to try and break my siege, but in case he attempts to take one of my provinces instead, I am ready to call up additional regiments as needed. A messenger from Matias tellse me that he is ready to lead 5000 troops from Narbonne toward Modena.
February 2, 1383. Having received word that Alphonse de Donges has readied12,000 men under his command in Labourd, I make the declaration of war upon Bearn. The Duke of Poitou and another of his vassals, the Count of Bordeaux declare war upon me.
February 16, 1383. On my way through Badajoz, I am harrassed by a tiny force from Caceres. This will only delay us by a day or so.
February 26, 1383. We arrive in Caceres and besiege the castle. Messengers inform me that Mathias encountered a force of one of the Duke of Poitou’s vassals in Montpelier, but was able to fight it off with minimal losses and will continue on to Modena, while Alphonse is now besieging Bearn.
May 7, 1383. Our victorious forces capture the castle in Caceres. The count agrees to peace and cedes the province to us. It appears that attacking his lands in Modena was unncecessary. As Alphonse has been having some difficulties with attacks from various forces under the Duke of Poitou, I will lead my troops north to assist him. Realizing that my demesne is quite large and complex enough to manage as it is, I have decided to grant my new lands in Caceres to Ramon Berenguer de Lomagne, the Duke of Viseu.
June 2, 1383. Before I even reach Labourd, Alphonse sends the happy news that Bearn has fallen and the count has agreed to forfeit his province and his paltry treasury. All my objectives for this war are complete. All that’s needed is peace with Poitou.
June 28, 1383. Although I am clearly winning the war, I magnanimously agree to a white peace with the Duke of Poitou. I am tired and wish to return home.
August 1, 1383. I returned to Cordoba this morning to receive a mixed bag of tidings. The most wonderful news is that no new cases of plague have been reported in the city for several months. It is finally spent and I can move the court back to the palace in the city. However, a number of people in my court continue to suffer, and my poor daughter Munawwar died last winter. The other major event is that Beti succeeded in eliminating my wife’s brother in Leon. Unfortunately, his assassin was caught and revealed who was paying him, which will harm my reputation, but it’s worth it to gain control of that province. I will make my son Mustafa, who will inherit the county of Leon, the Count of El Bierzo. Needless to say, I will need to find some advisors to run it for him until he is old enough on his own. I am so pleased with Mencia, I grant a title to her as well, Countess of my new lands in Bearn. I may not be as admired in the courts of Europe as I was five years ago, but I am certain that I am more feared.
September 1, 1383. As I was walking down the hall in my palace today, I heard a small child coughing his guts out. I was most pleased to note that it was my bastard son, Aram.
May 15, 1384. Alphonse de Donges has been making derogatory remarks about my spymaster Beti and his bungled assassinations. Clearly, he wants the position for himself, and feels his service in the Bearn campaign merits reward. I have to admit that I was tempted, but Alphonse is thirty years older than Beti and not in good health. Despite his mistakes, I will stick with Beti for the time being.
June 12, 1384. Aram recovers from his illness. Damn!
August 12, 1384. Plague finally ebbing out, though Mertola, Burgos and the Asturias’ still affected. Some plague still at court.
November 29, 1384. I suppose I should have given more thought to making Alphonse spymaster, as Beti has inherited the Duchy of Palestine from his grandfather. As he is sailing across the Mediterranean, I consider my options. Alphonse pops to mind immediately, of course, but I no longer trust him. I think I will offer the position to the perceptive Judith de Normandie.
February 23, 1385. How the past 11 years of my life have flown! It seems I have spent my life on horseback, leading men hither and thither. Still, despite the ongoing suffering from the plague, I think I have managed to carve a considerable name for myself. I expanded our lands both north and south of the Pyrenees and rescued the good Christian people of Palestine from their muslim oppressors. As to the plague, most of my demesne is finally free of the scourge, though Mertola, Burgos and both provinces of Asturias continue to suffer. Perhaps my sons will live to see a world without plague again, the world I knew in my youth.
The Kingdom will pass now to my rebellious son, Mikal. I have not spoken with him in over five years and have little idea what to expect. Perhaps I should have lobbied for Jalaaddin instead, as I fear Mikal may be too self-centered and lack an innate sense of justice. However, his battlefield prowess during the Crusade apparently won my vassals over to him, and they are prepared to swear fealty to him. It’s in God’s hands now, as I am.
Western Europe in 1385. Things have changed a little.
I set out with a small group of guards on the fastest horses available from Granada, but reached Barcelona too late. When the messenger came two weeks ago, I assumed Father wanted me to rally my troops to his banner, perhaps to go after Naples’ lands in North Africa. As I received military training as a youth, I was itching for some action, though I understand why Father was loathe to call upon his vassal’s forces while the plague raged in their lands. When I finally reached Barcelona, Father was already gone. I considered boarding the ships for Sicily, but Chancellor Prospero persuaded me that my Kingdom needed me here to organize the realm. Nonetheless, this war must go on until the Kingdom of Naples is forced to yield. Although in retrospect it may have cost him his life, I was glad to see Father taking action again, instead of simply trying to wait out the plague. While there are some signs that this pestilence may be past its worst, we simply have to carry on.
There has been some suggestion of moving the capital to Barcelona, but it’s too far from much of my demesne and I’m more comfortable in Father’s palace in Cordoba. In fact, I think I will grant the county of Barcelona to the Guifre de Lomagne, the Duke of Algarve, as it is adjacent to his lands in Empuries. I think I will also make Count Jalaaddin of Granada, my eldest son, Duke of Cordoba.
August 7, 1374. Although I offered to extend the alliance, King Bernard von Franken of Burgundy has chosen to ally with England instead. While this is a disappointment, it does not suggest that he has plans to move against us.
October 3, 1375. I receive word from Sicily, that Marshal Tierri has contracted the plague. I will replace with my son, Mikal, for the time being. I do intend to find Farouk a wife and grant him some land, but I have not been able to fully attend to this matter yet.
February 6, 1376. After my forces captured Palermo and Siracusa, the King of Naples agreed to give the province of Figuig to Frederic de Donges, a man of my court, and a small amount of gold in return for peace. We are at peace.
March 21, 1376. It appears our peace will be a short-lived one. The Holy Father in Kasogs has sent a messengers to all of Europe that there is to be another Holy Crusade. Jerusalem has again fallen to the infidels, and is controlled by the Sheikh of Beirut, a vassal of the Sheikh of Tripoli. Certainly this occupation of the Holy City cannot be tolerated, and I must again go to war. Besides, these lands were once de Lomagne holdings, so it is natural that we lead the crusade to return them. Fortunately, Spymaster Beti informs me that their forces are not numerous, so we may not need a massive mobilization. We have four healthy provinces in our demesne—Aracena, Santiago, Compostela and Viscaya. To those four, I will add the regiment from Cordoba, though we still struggle with the plague here. I send word to all regiments to gather in Tarragona. I think we will probably sail out in two groups. Meanwhile, I leave Prospero to find an appropriate wife for Mikal.
May 24, 1376. As I am travelling with the forces toward Tarragona, I receive the news that Steward Petri has the plague and will likely need to be relieved of his duty. I send a message back to Prospero to appoint Lore al Ayyubi as steward.
June 28, 1376. I call up the Tarragona regiment. As I now have over 11,000 men, I decide to set sail for my vassal’s lands in Darum, which will be our first staging point for the crusade. The remainder of the regiments will sail to Darum later under the leadership of my son, Marshal Mikal.
May 1, 1377. Our ships finally docked in Darum today, following a long and difficult voyage. There is a great deal of news from home, much of it bad. Three key members of my court—Bishop Petri, Chancellor Prospero, and Steward Lore have all contracted plague; the bishop has already passed away. Their duties have been taken over by Bishop Xabier al Ayyubi, Chancellor Catarina de Lomagne and Steward Matilda de Toulouse respectively. They will have to do for the present. On a more cheerful note, prior to his illness Prospero was able to negotiate a marriage of Mikal to the eldest daughter of the Count of Albret. The count has only one son, and he is a sickly child, so there is a fair chance of acquiring some land here. When Mikal arrives in Darum, he is to receive the message that he will be Count of Molina and Duke of Toledo. My new Marshal will be Marko al Ayyubi, the new bishop’s son, who is a vigorous and pious man, perfect for a crusade against the infidel.
I declare war on the Sheikhdom of Beirut and begin to march my forces toward Acre. The sheikhdom of Tripoli declares war upon me.
July 3, 1377. My troops arrived in Acre today with nearly 10,000 men, and begin to lay siege to its castle, unopposed by the muslim forces. The sheikhs have gathered their forces in Jerusalem and Tiberias, and are planning to defend there.
August 6, 1377. A messenger came from Durum today, with Mikal expressing his gratitude for his new titles, and accepting my apologies for missing his wedding. I send back word that he should march to Tiberias. I think I can take Jerusalem by myself, once Acre falls.
September 23, 1377. Acre is ours. At last, I can march upon the Holy City. Long have its sacred and historic sites haunted my dreams.
October 21, 1377. After a fierce battle, we have defeated the troops defending Jerusalem, and Mikal has been similarly successful in Tiberias. Joyously, we set fire to the Dome of the Rock. The flames from that heathen shrine to the wicked Mohammedan faith now light up the night sky, symbolic of the light of Christ returning to the Holy City. The inner fortress has not yet fallen, however, and we still have weeks of siege ahead.
November 27, 1377. Tiberias has fallen, but we still have not captured Jerusalem. Some of my generals wish to storm the castle, but it will fall soon, regardless. I can’t see them holding out for more than a few days, so why risk further losses?
December 1, 1377. Jerusalem is ours! I tell my son to push north to Tyre, while I will attack the troops in Beirut. I leave the Tarragona regiment under the Duke of Zaragoza’s leadership to defend Jerusalem, in case of a muslim counterattack. After a short visit to the Holy Sepulchre, we march for the north.
February 16, 1378. Shortly after my forces arrived in Beirut, a messenger from the north hailed us today, and brought the news that the Bey of Adana had declared war upon us. I was initially alarmed, not having the foggiest idea of who the Bey of Adana was, and I worried that we had precipitated a large-scale counter-crusade. However, after making inquiries, I learned that the bey is simply another vassal of the Sheikh of Tripoli, so he’s not really a new enemy of consequence.
February 24, 1378. After several skirmishles I begin to besiege Beirut. The Sheikh of Tripoli has been able to assemble several waves of attack. Fortunately, they haven’t been able to coordinate their forces terribly effectively; they actually outnumber us at this point, but their morale has been reduced by repeated failures in battle.
April 17, 1378. I settle with Bey of Adana for a small amount of gold. Maybe he’ll send some of his troops home. The Sheikh has assembled a sizable force…slightly larger than our own, but with morale damaged by repeated failures to defeat us.
May 2, 1378. The past two weeks have been absolutely hellacious, with vicious Saracen attacks on an almost daily basis. Yesterday, it seemed likely that our troops were broken and would soon flee. I was only able to hold the line by riding around the battlefield to each of the front line divisions and fight alongside them in turn. I am utterly exhausted, but I am being compared to Jordan the Lionheart, the English King who smashed the power of the Fatimids two hundred years ago. However, this was a horrendously costly victory; only 1500 men still stand with me.
May 19, 1378. I decide to make peace with the Sheikh of Tripoli. Unfortunately, we were not able to capture Beirut, but my son Malik was able to take Tyre. I felt that with our forces so depleted and reinforcements so far away, it was wisest to end this war. We captured several provinces, and most importantly returned the Holy City of Jerusalem to Christian hands. Furthermore, there are events back in Iberia that need my attention. In particular, the Duke of Asturias has rebelled against Burgundy and I must hasten to take advantage of the situation. I intend to get Valladolid back under our controlMalik has already added Tiberias and Tyre to his own realm. It is time to return home.
July 21, 1378. As I land back in Spain, I learn that the duke is already seeking peace, but I do not intend to give it to him until Valladolid is mine. The Count of Albret has also rebelled against Burgundy—actually there are many revolts going on. There was some rumor of Von Franken killing his younger brother, and that seems to be the source of much of the discontent. I believe I have a legitimate claim on Albret as well, and will deal with him as soon as I finish with Valladolid and can round up some forces again.
October 10, 1378. Valladolid has fallen. I instruct the forces from Viscaya to head for Bourges to go after the last of Asturias’ lands. Meanwhile I gather up forces from Cordoba and Santiago again to move to Viscaya, in preparation for an attack on Albret.
March 25, 1379. I make peace with the Duke of Asturias in return for Valladolid and money, though in order to end the conflict quickly, I had to make the concession of recognizing his right to reign in Bourges. Bourges is far from my sphere of interest, anyway. . I decide to make Luk de Lomagne the count of Acre and Jerusalem, as it will be too hard to directly control these lands from Cordoba, and also grant him the title Duke of Palestine. In onor of our victory here, I also resurrect the old title of Duke of Salamanca and bestow it upon my brother Malik, the Count of Zamora.
It is time to deal with the Count of Albret…and now I see that Armagnac is up in arms as well. I may be able to capture more of these rebellious vassals of Burgundy. We do have a claim on Armagnac’s lands in Foix through the de Toulouse family ties. I think I will send Godfrey’s troops, that had been headed for Bourges, back south in case an attack on Foix looks attractive.
April 4, 1379. I receive ill tidings from Cordoba. My former Chancellor, Prospero has succumbed to the plague, and my daughter Munawwar is suffering from it as well. However, I will not be distracted from my obejctives. I declare war on Albret and march northward from Labourd.
May 14, 1379. I have agreed to an alliance with Burgundy. Some might see this as an opportunity to pursue some longstanding claims upon him, but the Von Franken’s have rebounded from severe setbacks in the past, so I’d rather keep him friendly.
May 25, 1379. We lay siege to Albret. Oddly, the Count’s forces are not here and we have little opposition—apparently, Godfrey encountered the Count’s regiment in Montpelier as he moved southward.
June 15, 1379. There has been some unfortunate fallout from a little fun I had with my cousin Sastiana when she visited Valladolid. I was celebrating the fall of the city, and I guess I got a little carried away. Anyway, she has borne a son, Aram, that she claims is mine. Surely, if I shell out enough money to the right people we can ensure that this story does not become general knowledge? It would not do for my reputation as a pious crusader to become known as a philanderer.
June 22, 1379. Albret is easily captured and forced to surrender control of the county to me. Now, I can go after Armagnac.
July 13, 1379. I enter the province of Foix, with nearly 10,000 men still to my command. The Duke of Armagnac has less than 4,000. I believe I will be able to use my superior numbers to flank him and drive him to the base of the cliffs south of town, from which there can be no retreat.
August 12, 1379. The Duke’s forces are trapped and massacred, though the Duke himself anticipated my plan and fled before I was able to close the noose. The Duke infuriates me by declining my very reasonable offer of peace in return for the County of Foix—I didn’t even ask for tribute. I shall not be merciful again.
September 26, 1379. I captured the last stronghold of the Duke when the castle in Armagnac fell today. In response to his earlier stubbornness, I have added Armagnac itself to my claims—who will gainsay the hero of the crusade? The Duke is forced to accept me as count of both Foix and Armagnac, and yields several longstanding claims his family had made on lands on the other side of the Pyrenees. I am tempted to continue on this aggressive path, as the Duke of Toulouse is now in rebellion against Burgundy, but I think I have had enough of war for the time being. I need to attend to duties at court and distribute these new lands. I have decided to make my 25-year old daughter Jahaira, for whom I never found a suitable husband, the Duchess of Armagnac, and give her his former titles to Foix and Armagnac. I give the Count of Albret title to the Count of Labourd, Eztebe de Lomagne. It is time to go home to Cordoba. I’ve learned my efforts to suppress the knowledge of my bastard son have not been successful, which will be a source of stress for me in the court, but there is nothing to be done about it.
December 23, 1379. I received a rude shock this morning. Instead of the traditional Christmas visit from my family, Mikal sent a messenger from his seat in Tiberias with a declaration of independence! I am furious. I realize communications between here and the holy land are slow, but he should remember what happened to the old Duchy of Palestine after it seceded from the Kingdom of Aragon. This past crusade would not have been necessary if he had been mindful of his loyalties to my great-grandfather. However, it makes little sense to declare war on your own heir.
September 26, 1380. Spymaster Beti’s plan to eliminate Sastiana’s little brat has failed comically, as the idiot he hired kidnapped and murdered the wrong infant. Fortunately, the child was only the son of one of the chambermaids, and no one suspects my involvement in the murder.
October 9, 1380. The one constant in my reign seems to be the unending parade of plague victims, Diocese Bishop Xabier being the latest. It occurs to me that my children have never known a world without the plague…to them, the carts carrying corpses away each morning are as normal as the carts selling dried fruits from the Algarve in the market. I suppose I shall have to find a new bishop. I was quite impressed by Perrando al Ayyubi’s fiery speeches, energy and bravery during the crusade. As I believe he has ecclesiastical training, I think he will make a solid bishop.
November 14, 1380. As I feared at his advanced age, poor Xabier did not survive as long with plague as many others, and passed away this morning.
December 9, 1380. I was startled to have an unexpected visit from my daughter Munawwar this morning. The bouquets of posies that she had decked out her dress with could not conceal the stench of decay of a plague-sufferer. Incredibly, she came to argue that she should be chancellor in the place of her cousin Catarina , whom she dismissed as too careless and self-indulgent. While Munawwar is an intelligent girl and has a certain facility with words, I can hardly have a chancellor who’s rarely strong enough to emerge from her rooms and emits a foul odor. Ridiculous. If she can recover from the plague, then we’ll talk about a position at court.
January 11, 1381. With the duchy of Poitou now in open rebellion nearly all of western France has slipped from Burgundy’s grasp.
February 9, 1381. Von Franken has sent me a desperate letter, begging me to assist him with his latest war. As if he was not having enough troubles with his vassals, he has now succeeded in embroiling himself in a war with England. I am not inclined to go to war with any major powers while so much of my land is still struggling to recover from the Black Death.
March 22, 1381. The Papal Envoy sends word that the Pope has finally recognized our capture of Jerusalem. I guess it takes a long time for news to reach Kasogs. I am thrilled to learn that he is planning to visit Cordoba this fall to congratulate me in person for our conquest of Jerusalem. It is certainly a remarkable thing to merit a visit from the pope. I may recommend a different meeting site, however. Perhaps the old capital in Viscaya or St. James in Compostela would be better, as I’d rather the Holy Father was not exposed to the ongoing fury of the plague here in Cordoba. In view of the upcoming visit, and the fact that I am at last at peace, perhaps I should see about finding a new wife. I’ve been alone for many years now.
June 5, 1381. Catarina has arranged a marriage for me to Mencia d’Anduze, eldest daughter of the Count of Leon. She seems a thoughtful girl, if a little timid. Her most salient quality however, is that her father has only one son…an inheritance is definitely a possibility here.
December 4, 1381. Von Franken’s woes continue, as Hungary has now declared war upon him. He should consider himself lucky that I, have not opportunistically decided to press my claim on the Kingdom of Germay.
February 14, 1382. A lovely young lady in waiting has been pressing her service on me at every opportunity, but after that fiasco with Sastiana’s brat, I have learned my lesson.
June 7, 1382. After years of conflict, Von Franken is at last beginning to make peace with enemies, though at great coast. The King of Hungary has forced him to yield Brgundy, though he remains nominally King of France, Germany and Italy.
August 14, 1382. To the inquisition with Chancellor Catarina de Lomagne for Black Magic. New chancellor: Matilda’s sister, Agata de Toulouse.
September 23, 1382. I make my spymaster’s son, Todor de Lomagne, Count of Valladolid. He’s a child, of course, but I’m sure Beti can find someone to manage his lands for him until he comes of age. I have decided that it is in our best interests to take advantage of the chaos in Von Franken’s former realm once again. The Count of Caceres has become independent, and I believe I can manufacture a reasonable claim upon him, as the King of Leon. I will also claim the title of Bearn—it is ruled by Gaskon de Lomagne, part of the renegade branch of my own family after all, and I will declare war upon them as soon as I am ready. Gaskon’s liege, the Duke of Poitou is still at war with von Franken, and I should be easily able to capture it. I should be able to manage these wars with just the troops from the healthier parts of my demesne, plus my own trusted regiment from Cordoba. I will lead my own troops to Calatrava and call up their regiment; we shall invade Calatrava itself. I send courtiers to Viscaya and Aracena to rally the troops there and march for Narbonne. When the time is right, they will be sent to northern Italy, to attack the Count’s posessions there. Finally, the troops from Compostela, El Bierzo, and Santiago are to head to Labourd. They will be my lead forces against Albret.
October 16, 1382. A messenger from Cordoba brings the joyous news that my young wife, Mencia has had a son. I am pleased that she has chosen to name him Mustafa, in my native tongue, rather than her own. As this son is second in line for the county of Leon. I will watch developments there very closely. In fact, I think I shall have Beti look into removing Mencia’s baby brother before he can come of age and have sons of his own.
November 16, 1382. I arrived in Caceres this morning and was readying my declaration of war on Caceres, when my spymaster came galloping into the camp. Urgently, he informs me that the Count’s regiment from Modena is not in Italy but is marching westward across Toledo. I cannot risk losing Toldo, so I must delay the declaration of war. Furthermore, the forces that I’ve gathered here may not be sufficient to win the battle, so I will send word that the Aracena regiment should join my forces here, rather than to Narbonne as originally planned.
January 16, 1382. I declare war and march 7500 men toward Caceres. For some reason, the Count spent the winter bringing his regiment to Calatrava only to send them east again. They are now in Cuenca. I expect he will bring those troops back west to try and break my siege, but in case he attempts to take one of my provinces instead, I am ready to call up additional regiments as needed. A messenger from Matias tellse me that he is ready to lead 5000 troops from Narbonne toward Modena.
February 2, 1383. Having received word that Alphonse de Donges has readied12,000 men under his command in Labourd, I make the declaration of war upon Bearn. The Duke of Poitou and another of his vassals, the Count of Bordeaux declare war upon me.
February 16, 1383. On my way through Badajoz, I am harrassed by a tiny force from Caceres. This will only delay us by a day or so.
February 26, 1383. We arrive in Caceres and besiege the castle. Messengers inform me that Mathias encountered a force of one of the Duke of Poitou’s vassals in Montpelier, but was able to fight it off with minimal losses and will continue on to Modena, while Alphonse is now besieging Bearn.
May 7, 1383. Our victorious forces capture the castle in Caceres. The count agrees to peace and cedes the province to us. It appears that attacking his lands in Modena was unncecessary. As Alphonse has been having some difficulties with attacks from various forces under the Duke of Poitou, I will lead my troops north to assist him. Realizing that my demesne is quite large and complex enough to manage as it is, I have decided to grant my new lands in Caceres to Ramon Berenguer de Lomagne, the Duke of Viseu.
June 2, 1383. Before I even reach Labourd, Alphonse sends the happy news that Bearn has fallen and the count has agreed to forfeit his province and his paltry treasury. All my objectives for this war are complete. All that’s needed is peace with Poitou.
June 28, 1383. Although I am clearly winning the war, I magnanimously agree to a white peace with the Duke of Poitou. I am tired and wish to return home.
August 1, 1383. I returned to Cordoba this morning to receive a mixed bag of tidings. The most wonderful news is that no new cases of plague have been reported in the city for several months. It is finally spent and I can move the court back to the palace in the city. However, a number of people in my court continue to suffer, and my poor daughter Munawwar died last winter. The other major event is that Beti succeeded in eliminating my wife’s brother in Leon. Unfortunately, his assassin was caught and revealed who was paying him, which will harm my reputation, but it’s worth it to gain control of that province. I will make my son Mustafa, who will inherit the county of Leon, the Count of El Bierzo. Needless to say, I will need to find some advisors to run it for him until he is old enough on his own. I am so pleased with Mencia, I grant a title to her as well, Countess of my new lands in Bearn. I may not be as admired in the courts of Europe as I was five years ago, but I am certain that I am more feared.
September 1, 1383. As I was walking down the hall in my palace today, I heard a small child coughing his guts out. I was most pleased to note that it was my bastard son, Aram.
May 15, 1384. Alphonse de Donges has been making derogatory remarks about my spymaster Beti and his bungled assassinations. Clearly, he wants the position for himself, and feels his service in the Bearn campaign merits reward. I have to admit that I was tempted, but Alphonse is thirty years older than Beti and not in good health. Despite his mistakes, I will stick with Beti for the time being.
June 12, 1384. Aram recovers from his illness. Damn!
August 12, 1384. Plague finally ebbing out, though Mertola, Burgos and the Asturias’ still affected. Some plague still at court.
November 29, 1384. I suppose I should have given more thought to making Alphonse spymaster, as Beti has inherited the Duchy of Palestine from his grandfather. As he is sailing across the Mediterranean, I consider my options. Alphonse pops to mind immediately, of course, but I no longer trust him. I think I will offer the position to the perceptive Judith de Normandie.
February 23, 1385. How the past 11 years of my life have flown! It seems I have spent my life on horseback, leading men hither and thither. Still, despite the ongoing suffering from the plague, I think I have managed to carve a considerable name for myself. I expanded our lands both north and south of the Pyrenees and rescued the good Christian people of Palestine from their muslim oppressors. As to the plague, most of my demesne is finally free of the scourge, though Mertola, Burgos and both provinces of Asturias continue to suffer. Perhaps my sons will live to see a world without plague again, the world I knew in my youth.
The Kingdom will pass now to my rebellious son, Mikal. I have not spoken with him in over five years and have little idea what to expect. Perhaps I should have lobbied for Jalaaddin instead, as I fear Mikal may be too self-centered and lack an innate sense of justice. However, his battlefield prowess during the Crusade apparently won my vassals over to him, and they are prepared to swear fealty to him. It’s in God’s hands now, as I am.
Western Europe in 1385. Things have changed a little.
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Diary of Mikal de Lomagne (1358-1410) King of Aragon, Leon and Portugal, Duke of Ascalon, Galilee and Toledo, Count of Viscaya, Asturias de Santillana, Asturias de Oviedo, Compostela, Molina, Santiago, Cordoba, Aracena, Badajoz, Mertola, Calatrava, Toledo, Burgos, Soria and Tiberias
February 24, 1385. I received word from the Chancellor of Aragon, Agata de Toulouse that father’s health was failing him in December, and that I should return to Iberia as soon as possible. However, I didn’t leave until after the annual celebrations at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It took almost two months to get to Tarragona across the stormy winter sea, and I am not certain whether Father is still alive. The courtiers sent to meet me in port could not say, other than that he was alive but very weak when they left Cordoba. I am disappointed to learn that much of northern Iberia has still not shaken off the plague; it subsided several years ago in the Levant.
I know that Father never forgave me for declaring independence, but it did not make any sense to me to depend on troops in faraway Iberia for security. I’ll have to find someone to take care of the posessions in the East, now.
March 15, 1385. I entered Cordoba to find that father passed away several weeks ago. It is a shame that I missed the funeral, but I suppose they couldn’t wait so long. Chancellor Agata met me to brief me on the state of the Kingdom immediately upon arrival. Things have changed a great deal since last I was here. The plague swept through the court while we were fighting the Crusades, killing many of my father’s closest advisors. However, with the exception of the spymaster Judith de Normandie, whom I have never met before, the key members of the court are known to me. I think I will retain father’s advisor’s for the time being, but I am concerned that all of them except my good friend Marshal Marko al Ayyubi are over 40 years old. We will need some new blood soon. The political situation in Europe has changed drastically as well, with the collapse of Von Franken’s vast kingdom. While still nominally King of France and Italy, all his vassals have taken arms against him and most of western Europe is a patchwork of independent duchies and counties. The Staden family are now the Kings of Germany. Father has been worming his way into the Pays d’Oc, and as we still hold claims on lands there, I may pursue a similar strategy.
I am quite excited to move into the Alcazar in Cordoba. The gardens and bathhouse are really very beautiful, and I never saw much of Cordoba in my youth as the court was sequestered in the hills north of the city in hopes of avoiding the plague. Little good did that do. Cordoba is a remarkable and impressive city, even larger than Damascus, although a fair number of buildings stand empty and abandoned as the city is still recovering from years of plague.
One of my first concerns is that I simply don’t think I can adequately control the vast demesne I have inherited from my father. I will have to grant titles to some of these lands. I will give my old home in Tiberias to my bastard half-brother Aram, add Mertola to the lands of Count Gaitska de Lomagne in Silves, make Belascuza de Lomagne Countess of Soria and have my wife Blanche administer Calatrava and Aracena. After some thought I decide to grant Santiago to Bona de Thouars. I would prefer to keep things in the family, but the de Thouars have been faithful, and there are simply few close relatives in court aside from my small children. Given that I have hardly enough trusted people to grant lands to as it is, I may not try to expand the realm much until my sons come of age.
January 11, 1386. Blanche gave birth to my fourth son and eighth child, Jabir. I must say that my father certainly chose a fertile wife for me—we have nearly one child for every year of our marriage.
February 15, 1386. I have found my first young replacement for my aging court, in Alix of Bornholm, who shall be my new steward.
August 12, 1386. Spymaster Judith has died. I replace her with Aethelthryth de Brevere, whose wise counsel and subtle mind should be assets in the post.
November 26, 1386. Alas, my infant son Jabir passed away. He had never been a healthy child and it seems the change of weather was too much for him.
December 12, 1386. My spymaster’s brother, Arnoul de Brevere has brought a number of suspicious “errors” in Matilde’s bookkeeping to my attention. I begin to understand how she supported her extravagant lifestyle; the vintages at her table rivaled the Duke of Navarra’s. He might just be a better steward, too. He should, at least, be more honest.
January 16, 1387. My second son, Shihab has been complaining of weakness and stiffness in his limbs for some time. Unfortunately, the doctors tell me that he is unlikely to recover from this condition, and will never be strong and healthy. All I can do is pray for God’s mercy to heal him.
August 21, 1387. Arnoul discovered an old love letter in the rooms of the late Abdul-Gafar de Milly, who was my spymaster in Tiberias. Shockingly, the letter is from my wife Blanche—it is her own hand, no forgery, and it dates from 1381. Arnoul says he is nearly certain that Shihab is not my son—just look at his enormous nose, so like that of Abdul-Gafar. I should have realized no son of mine would be so sickly. I should punish Blanche, but recalling that I had to deal with a bastard son of my own that year, think better of it.
October 18, 1387. I received a delegation of burghers from Badajoz complaining that our traditional feudal law in Aragon is too restrictive. How dare they criticize the way I run this Kingdom. I will crush them!
April 2, 1389. The irritating revolt in Badajoz has been ended. Catriana negotiated a peace in return for a slight reduction in the olive oil tariff.
June 3, 1389. I have a fifth son by Blanche, Zubeyr.
January 14, 1390. I have decided to lay claim to Lisboa. Lisboa was once part of Aragon, but it fell into the hands of the wicked, notorious kinslayer Benkamin de Lomagne, a vassal of the Duke of Bordeaux and Poitou. I don’t intend to go to war just yet, but I want to be ready.
April 26, 1390. Blanche’s bastard Shihab dies.
September 10, 1391. I am worried about Bishop Ferrando. He had always been such a fiery and enthusiastic preacher, but lately he seems to barely be able to summon the energy to speak at all. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.
November 4, 1391. My second son, Randolph, has been pallid and frail lately, not as lively as a six-year-old should be. I do hope it isn’t serious.
December 27, 1391. I was making a Christmas visit to Molina when this ill-mannered peasant girl emptied a chamberpot upon the Royal Carriage! Naturally, I had her flayed for this outrageous act. Agata seemed to think this was excessive, as she was probably unaware of who was passing under her window, but one needs to make an example of people who show disrepect for the crown.
January 11, 1392. My youngest daughter, Anali, 7, had a dreadful accident yesterday afternoon. It appears she found some of the sweet wine that the Count of Narbonne sent me in the pantry and drank a good deal of it, causing her to stagger and fall down the stairs. The poor girl broke both her legs, and is uncertain whether she will ever walk fully normally.
February 19, 1392. I was looking at the map yesterday and it occurred to me that all the lands south of the Garonne are ours, except for the province of Bordeaux. As I plan to make war on the Duke of Bordeaux anyway for Lisboa, I shall get Agata to look into how we can lay claim to those lands. The de Lomagne family came from not far from there, there must be some old land deeds.
March 7, 1392. While I am not displeased with Alix, I have decided to replace her with her younger brother, Beltrano of Bornholm as steward. He shares many of her gifts, and at the same time has greater enthusiasm and creativity—an admirable willingness to take well-calculated risks.
August 1, 1392. Blanche continues to churn out the children, this time a daughter, Badiat.
September 12, 1392. Unwelcome news came from Burgos last night. It appears Spymaster Aethelthryth, who was investigating some rumored sedition by petty barons there, has come down with the plague. Burgos is the only province in my demesne still suffering that scourge. Clearly, he is in no shape to continue his duties, so I will appoint Gaston de Thouars, the son of my father’s late chancellor Prospero, in his place.
December 28, 1392. Our Christmas celebrations were interrupted by the totally unexpected news that my eldest son, Ya’qub has inherited the county of Evreux from my father-in-law, Waleran de Vassy. I guess I never really thought through the implications when my wife’s younger brother William died. I had really hoped to keep Ya’qub here in Cordoba until he came of age so I could handpick a wife for him. He’s a promising boy, vigorous, stern and skilled at arms. Unfortunately, this makes him a vassal of the Duke of Normandy for the time being.
January 11, 1392. I make Spymaster Gastone’s little brother, Barral de Thouars, my new marshal. He leads quietly, but he’s very thoughtful and clever.
August 12, 1393. Blanche has another daughter, Halima. Her twelfth child.
October 22, 1393. My little daughter Badiat dies. Unfortunately, while my children are numerous, they are not all healthy.
May 26, 1394. I decide to marry my eldest daughter, Hadiya, the Count of Toulouse, a vassal of the King of Hungary.
July 28, 1394. Ill health continues to plague our family, as my 10-year-old daughter Andali dies.
January 22, 1395. Although Gastone has served me quite well as spymaster, he still yearns for military action. He was trained in the army, but I am happy with his brother in the marshal position. Besides, a spymaster has some need of weapons training, too.
February 14, 1395. My daughter Anisa has come of age, and frankly I’m eager to get her out of the kingdom before the impious and dishonest child spends us in to bankruptcy. Fortunately, the King Nicholas of England is in need of a wife and has agreed to take my luxury-loving daughter off my hands.
June 13, 1395. Apparently, the fishing has been poor in Asturias de Oviedo this year. Well, I can’t control where the fish are biting. Let them fish somewhere else.
August 23, 1395. My wife Blanche died in childbirth yesterday evening, leaving her properties in Calatrava and Aracena to my eldest son, the Count of Evreux. Unfortunately, as he remains irritatingly loyal to the Duke of Normandy, that places them outside our realm for the time being.
September 12, 1396. Bishop Perrando came to me with evidence yesterday that Jean Jimenez is a heretic. His daughter Raymonde has tried to intercede, claiming that Jean doesn’t understand the meaning of what he says, but that’s immaterial to me. If he’s as crazy as she says, he’s a danger to our court. I won’t be soft on heresy. To the stake!
March 4, 1397. That young lady with whom I consoled myself after my wife’s death on a few wine-soaked evenings has had a son, Husseyn. She claims he’s mine.
March 18, 1397. Gastone has failed me. He had hatched a plan to eliminate Husseyn through a nurse-maid, but his mother is breastfeeding him herself and never lets him out of her sight.
September 9, 1397. It occurs to me that young Marshal Barral is a dashing young man with no wife, so I offer him my favorite daughter Philippa. He should be happy to have such a sweet-natured, kind and considerate wife. I still haven’t found a suitable wife for myself, however.
October 6, 1397. I marry the older sister of the Duke of Languedoc, Mathilde Castracani. She seems a crafty and perceptive girl.
December 29, 1397. I have had reports of a fiery young priest preaching sedition against the crown in Toledo. I will have his head!
February 2, 1398. After all Gastone’s foolish efforts, Hussayn dies a natural death.
April 27, 1398. My bishop has found that Jean was not the only heretic in the Jimenez family. His cousin Hanifa has similarly unorthodox ideas and will meet the same fate.
June 1, 1398. My poor son Randolphe has never been a strong child, and he has a steadily worsening cough. I had hoped the spring would cure him, but the converse seems to have been the case.
December 22, 1398. I am entirely too frustrated with playing chess with Perrando. It’s all very well for him—all he needs to do is make speeches once a week and he can practice chess the rest of the time. I have a kingdom to rule and cannot waste time on such trivialities.
January 14, 1399. The time has come to lead my kingdom in war against the vassals of the Duke of Anjou and Poitou. It should be quite easy as the Duke is already at war with Tejo. I will lead the forces of Badajoz and Cordoba to Evora, from which we will launch an invasion of Lisboa, while I send word to mobilize the troops in Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana to march to Albret in preparation for an attack on Bordeaux.
February 16, 1399. As my troops are passing through Badajoz, the burghers there are assailing me again about feudal contract. They are in my kingdom and they shall abide by my laws and not pester me when I am running a campaign.
March 6, 1399. I declare war on Lisboa and invade with 26,000 men.
March 28, 1399. I have learned that the Duke of Tejo has completely overwhelmed Anjou, and that both Lisboa and Bordeaux are his vassals now. Immaterial to me. I do not fear Tejo.
Apil 2, 1399. I assault the count’s troops in Lisboa, but his 2500 men will not hold long against me.
April 18, 1399. I proclaim my upcoming invasion of Bordeaux. Tejo and his vassal in Anjouleme retaliate with declaration upon us.
June 15, 1399. After a long siege, Lisboa has at last fallen to my forces. The count is forced to accept my rule here. I board ships to take me north to Bordeaux to assist Barral in conquest if necessary.
June 28, 1399. By the time I arrive, the garrison in Bordeaux has already surrendered. I make peace with Tejo in return for tribute. My cousin Sastiana de Lomagne will be the Countess of Bordeaux. Meanwhile, I have decided to make my half-brother Aram Duke of Galilee.
July 15, 1399. My young wife Mathilde was short-lived, dying in childbirth this morning.
August 1, 1399. I was sitting in the shade of the garden in the Alcazar this morning when I received the most astonishing news. King Michele von Franken of France and Italy has declared war upon us after centuries of peace between our peoples. Although he has managed to persuade a number of his father’s formal vassals to join up—the Dukes of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Bourgogne, for example—this still seems rather reckless on his part. I believe he’s already fighting a war with Hungary.
Barral and I discussed our strategy for the war this afternoon. We agreed that it was dangerous to move all of our forces out of southern Iberia, as we do not want to invite a Croatian invasion. We decided to make our main invasion force to assault his demesne from the northern parts of my own demesne while moving all the forces of our vassals north of the pyrenees and in Aragon proper (except those still struggling with plague) up to the northern frontier provinces, Narbonne, Foix, Armagnac and Bordeaux.
My objectives for the war are fairly modest. Some of the courts of Europe have looked askance on our recent expansion to southwestern France. However, we do have a longstanding claim on the Duchy of Toulouse which I would like to press, and perhaps we can get France to relinquish his claims on parts of Iberia.
October 1, 1399
As our other forces assemble on the frontier, Tierri de Thouars leads 16000 men from Asturias de Oviedo for Venice, Marshal barral leads 14,000 out of Viscaya for the capitol in Brugges, and I march with 14,000 from Cordoba to Tarragona. From there, we will sail to the von Franken properties in Cagliari. He has property in faraway Byzantium as well, but I am hoping to make peace without shipping troops that far from home.
November 6, 1399. Before leaving port, I realize I should grant Randolphe some land despite his ill health—I will make him Count of Lisboa. I also grant the title Duchess of Toledo to Countess Belascuza de Lomagne of Soria.
December 22, 1399. It appears a large force is massing in Saintonge. The troops assembled in Bordeaux and Armagnac will move north to assault it. Meanwhile I declare war on the Duke of Toulouse and move the forces from Narbonne and Foix.
April 7, 1400. I arrive in Cagliari and anxiously receive news of the campaign. In response to a large troop build-up in Saintonge, Count Galindo de Lomagne of Labourd led the forces that had been assembled in Bordeaux and Armagnac northward. This led to a fierce battle of 19,000 of our troops against 13,000 of theirs in Angouleme that lasted nearly a month. We were victorious but casualties were heavy, in part because of difficulty feeding the forces. The Duke of Tejo has over 10,000 men training in Angouleme for some unknown reason—he’s not at war with anyone. Meanwhile further east Count Mubarak de Lomagne of Narbonne has defeated the forces of the Duke of Toulouse in Rouergue and is besieging the castle. Finally, Barral de Toulouse is besieging the French Capital of Brugges. It seems as if all goes well. Here in Cagliari, I am opposed only by a small garrison trying to hold the castle.
June 3, 1400. Cagliari surrenders to me and the news from abroad is mostly good as well. Tierri has defeated a large force of men led by the King of France in Verona and is pressing onward to Venice, and Rouergue has surrendered. My forces there are now headed for Agen, the Duke of Toulouse’s last bastion.
June 10, 1400. The Duke of Toulouse surrenders that title, and his vassals in Perigord and Toulouse have agreed to swear fealty to me. My principal objectives obtained and half of von Franken’s demesne captured, I decide to offer peace.
June 15, 1400. France has declined my generous peace proposal. All I asked was that he recognize me as Count of Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana, titles we have held for hundreds of years. I begin to make arrangements to sail for Byzantium,as there may be no other way to force his surrender. I had thought perhaps Hungary would capture it, but it appears Hungary’s forces are occupied in another war with Sweden.
July 15, 1400. While still preparing to set sail, Galindo has sent an urgent message that a very large French force is being assembled in central France. I decide to sail to Montpelier instead, to provide support.
September 23, 1400. I docked in Montpelier and received the most terrible news. Galindo’s forces were destroyed in a catastrophic battle in Perigord. Nearly all the troops assembled to defend the northern frontier were annihilated—24,000 men lost! France also took heavy casualties, but still has 16,000 left. I fear to directly assault such a force, and call for reinforcements from Toledo. It will take too long for forces from any further south to arrive, and anyway I fear to be too inviting for the Croatians.
On a happier note, our forces captured the fortress in Venezia. Although we control three quarters of his demesne, von Franken remains stubborn and will not even agree to a white peace. Though I am reluctant to take too many forces from the south, I send messages to Badajoz to assemble a force to sail for Byzantium in case that is the only way to obtain peace.
May 22, 1401. Our misfortunes continued over the winter. I had fully expected von Franken to bring his large force south against me, but instead, he headed back north to fight Barral in Brugges. Barral was trapped between two French armies advancing from north and south and has lost control of Brugges.
May 29, 1401. I agree to a white peace with France. Objectively, I suppose the war was a success for us. We gained new lands and no French troops ever approached the Pyrenees or took any castles from even our northernmost vassals. The common people were spared the horrors of war in my lands, not in von Franken’s. However, the casualties were dreadful—perhaps numbering 50,000 men.
June 4, 1401. Diocese bishop Ferrando has the plague. New bishop Marko Al Ayyubi (chaste, energetic, vengeful, zealous).
June 10, 1401. As part of our pledge of peace, I decided to marry Arsenda von Franken, older sister of the Count of Toulouse. Bishop Ferrando was unable to attend, because he came down with the plague while visiting the parishes in northern Spain. I decide that when I return, I will proclaim Marko al Ayyubi to be my new bishop. He was once the marshal, but he did receive ecclesiastical training, and is a fiery and energetic preacher.
January 6, 1402. The annual epiphany visits were splendid this year. Randolphe had been in such poor health last year that I had not really expected him to make the trip from Lisboa in mid-winter, but it appears he is far more hale than he has been in years. Perhaps the sea air has done him good. I also have a new grandson by him. Of course, I still expect Ya’qub to inherit the Kingdom, but it’s always best to have a backup.
April 24, 1402. My daughter Anisa is ill. She came back from London this winter after her husband’s death, hoping that our milder winters would help, but it appears she continues to suffer from chills.
October 22, 1402. My young wife Arsenda has produced a daughter, Thana.
May 18, 1403. I am shocked to learn that my marshal, Barral de Thouars, has been practicing black magic. I must maintain my reputation as a god-fearing ruler, so I send him to the Inquisitor. As my former steward, Arnoul de Brevere, is as talented at arms as he is clever with money, I decide he will make my new marshal.
June 24, 1403. Now I understand why Raymonde de Jimenez was so passionate in her father’s defense. It has been revealed that she too is a heretic. This is the third member of that family that has needed the stake. I must keep an eye on Louis Jimenez as well.
July 6, 1403. My long-time chancellor Agathe de Toulouse passed away this morning. My new chancellor will be Batirtze Al Ayyubi.
September 1, 1403. Marko is starting a campaign to make my father a saint and requests my support. Naturally, I will support such a worthy undertaking, and my father was instrumental in saving the Holy Land from the infidels.
October 21, 1403. I have a son, Fayiz. As so many of my children seem to have poor health, I feel I can never have too many sons.
December 27, 1403. The Count of Prusa has sent me a number of ancient greek medical manuscripts as a Christmas present. One of them may have a cure for Anisa’s ailment—her doctor is all excited!
July 3, 1404. My daughter Philippa has gone to the County of Castellon. She had always wanted to be Chancellor, and I think she thought that I would appoint her to the position when Agathe died. Ah, well.
September 17, 1404. I have another son, whom I name after my brother, the Count Mustafa of El Bierzo.
October 5, 1404. Somehow the county of Carcassonne has become independent. It is a realm riddled with plague and surely will not be able to defend itself. I will call up my forces from Cordoba and move north.
December 1, 1404. By the time I reach the Pyrenees, I learn that Carcassonne has pledged allegiance to France. As I am not interested in fighting France again at this time, I consider other options, as it seems a waste to have brought my forces so far only to disband them. The Count of Auvergne is now at war with Hungary, and I already have a longstanding claim to his title. I think I shall go there, and if I am too late and Hungary has won, I may consider pressing claims on the Duke of Tejo. I will need more forces, if it comes to that, however.
March 18, 1405. I declare war on the Bishop of Auvergne and invade with 16,000 men.
April 18, 1405. I arrive in Auvergne and engage his paltry forces. This will not take long.
July 17, 1405. Auvergne capitulates and is added to my realm. I will grant the title to my son Zubair as soon as I can find a suitable wife for him. Meanwhile I learn my spymaster Gastone has inherited the province of Santiago from his grandmother and will need to be replaced. I decide upon a cousin of my first wife, Charles de Vassy.
July 28, 1405. Batirtze has found an excellent wife for Zubair in Azalais de Toulouse, the older sister of the Count of Agen. Zubair is another of my frail children, but perhaps marriage and his own lands will improve his health, as it did for Randolphe.
August 9, 1405. A terrible fire has swept through the grand shipyard in Asturias de Oviedo. I dispatch Charles to Asturias immediately to investigate who is responsible for this disaster, and approve the substantial sum for its rebuilding.
February 1, 1406. The elderly duchess of Toledo has died and her heir is Mikel de Lomagne, a couriter at the court of the Duke of Algarve. I am outraged to learn that he is refused to take the oath of fealty to me and has declared war. I cannot understand this, as the man was always said to be something of a coward. He shall pay dearly for this mistake. Arnoul is in Molina at the moment, so he can muster the forces there to attack, as it will take me some time to get there from Cordoba.
March 17, 1406. It is fortunate that I am in Molina and heading north as Arnoul is in trouble. Mikel has hired 5,000 mercenaries to assist in the defense of Soria.
April 2, 1406. I arrive in Soria at last, but too late to save Mikel. Some dastardly plan caused Mikel’s forces to abandon him. However, I outnumber the troops of the Duke by 3:1 and he cannot hold out against us for more than a few days.
June 4, 1406. The Duke is forced to surrender and yield all claims. I give his titles to my daughter Halima. In the meantime, a scandal has rocked my court as my youngest son Mustafa has been shown to be a bastard. I guess it was a mistake to marry another woman from the south of France. Clearly, it is a land of loose morals. These Occitan girls are perverting our locals as well, I see, as my daughter Anisa is quite obviously pregnant, though she’s been sequestered so few know. I tell my spymaster to deal with this; I don’t want to know anything about it.
January 24, 1407. I have another son, Jawdar.
February 21, 1407. I returned from Burgos with a painful, bloody cough and difficulty breathing. My doctor tells me it is the plague. I guess it was a mistake to go there, but I have been around the plague so often in my life, I had thought myself immune.
February 23, 1407. As I may not be long for this earth, I decide to stake one last major claim for my children to pursue. I declare myself the rightful Prince of Slavonia. It sounds absurd, and I have no interest in his lands in Eastern Europe, but he has four vassals in Spain and I hope my children can seize control of them.
April 27, 1407. While I have been lying in bed, my daughter Anisa has returned from Castellon, and usurped the steward position. I will not allow this incompetent girl to take over. While I still live, Beltrano is steward, no matter how sick I become. I In an effort to lighten my burdens, I grant the title to Compostela to the Duke of Galicia, Zavie de Lomagne.
November 8, 1407. Ironically, it appears the plague has finally dissipated in Burgos. My case is one of the last in the demesne, though it still persists in scattered parts of the realm.
July 11, 1409. My wife Arsenda is ill. It serves the lying bitch right.
September 25, 1409. Anisa is again demanding a place in court. Why doesn’t she leave her poor father alone. I decide to have her stripped, flogged and dragged through the streets of Cordoba. Some are calling me cruel, but I want to make absolutely clear that I still rule this Kingdom and will, until my death.
June 6, 1410. The end comes at last. I leave this earth confident that I will be remembered as a strong ruler who upheld the laws of the church, expanded his realm, and defied von Franken’s aggression. My son Xa’qub must be summoned from Evreux. He is a tremendous swordsman, but I think he fails to see the larger picture sometimes. I hope that he can defend our lands as well as I have.
Western Europe in 1410
February 24, 1385. I received word from the Chancellor of Aragon, Agata de Toulouse that father’s health was failing him in December, and that I should return to Iberia as soon as possible. However, I didn’t leave until after the annual celebrations at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It took almost two months to get to Tarragona across the stormy winter sea, and I am not certain whether Father is still alive. The courtiers sent to meet me in port could not say, other than that he was alive but very weak when they left Cordoba. I am disappointed to learn that much of northern Iberia has still not shaken off the plague; it subsided several years ago in the Levant.
I know that Father never forgave me for declaring independence, but it did not make any sense to me to depend on troops in faraway Iberia for security. I’ll have to find someone to take care of the posessions in the East, now.
March 15, 1385. I entered Cordoba to find that father passed away several weeks ago. It is a shame that I missed the funeral, but I suppose they couldn’t wait so long. Chancellor Agata met me to brief me on the state of the Kingdom immediately upon arrival. Things have changed a great deal since last I was here. The plague swept through the court while we were fighting the Crusades, killing many of my father’s closest advisors. However, with the exception of the spymaster Judith de Normandie, whom I have never met before, the key members of the court are known to me. I think I will retain father’s advisor’s for the time being, but I am concerned that all of them except my good friend Marshal Marko al Ayyubi are over 40 years old. We will need some new blood soon. The political situation in Europe has changed drastically as well, with the collapse of Von Franken’s vast kingdom. While still nominally King of France and Italy, all his vassals have taken arms against him and most of western Europe is a patchwork of independent duchies and counties. The Staden family are now the Kings of Germany. Father has been worming his way into the Pays d’Oc, and as we still hold claims on lands there, I may pursue a similar strategy.
I am quite excited to move into the Alcazar in Cordoba. The gardens and bathhouse are really very beautiful, and I never saw much of Cordoba in my youth as the court was sequestered in the hills north of the city in hopes of avoiding the plague. Little good did that do. Cordoba is a remarkable and impressive city, even larger than Damascus, although a fair number of buildings stand empty and abandoned as the city is still recovering from years of plague.
One of my first concerns is that I simply don’t think I can adequately control the vast demesne I have inherited from my father. I will have to grant titles to some of these lands. I will give my old home in Tiberias to my bastard half-brother Aram, add Mertola to the lands of Count Gaitska de Lomagne in Silves, make Belascuza de Lomagne Countess of Soria and have my wife Blanche administer Calatrava and Aracena. After some thought I decide to grant Santiago to Bona de Thouars. I would prefer to keep things in the family, but the de Thouars have been faithful, and there are simply few close relatives in court aside from my small children. Given that I have hardly enough trusted people to grant lands to as it is, I may not try to expand the realm much until my sons come of age.
January 11, 1386. Blanche gave birth to my fourth son and eighth child, Jabir. I must say that my father certainly chose a fertile wife for me—we have nearly one child for every year of our marriage.
February 15, 1386. I have found my first young replacement for my aging court, in Alix of Bornholm, who shall be my new steward.
August 12, 1386. Spymaster Judith has died. I replace her with Aethelthryth de Brevere, whose wise counsel and subtle mind should be assets in the post.
November 26, 1386. Alas, my infant son Jabir passed away. He had never been a healthy child and it seems the change of weather was too much for him.
December 12, 1386. My spymaster’s brother, Arnoul de Brevere has brought a number of suspicious “errors” in Matilde’s bookkeeping to my attention. I begin to understand how she supported her extravagant lifestyle; the vintages at her table rivaled the Duke of Navarra’s. He might just be a better steward, too. He should, at least, be more honest.
January 16, 1387. My second son, Shihab has been complaining of weakness and stiffness in his limbs for some time. Unfortunately, the doctors tell me that he is unlikely to recover from this condition, and will never be strong and healthy. All I can do is pray for God’s mercy to heal him.
August 21, 1387. Arnoul discovered an old love letter in the rooms of the late Abdul-Gafar de Milly, who was my spymaster in Tiberias. Shockingly, the letter is from my wife Blanche—it is her own hand, no forgery, and it dates from 1381. Arnoul says he is nearly certain that Shihab is not my son—just look at his enormous nose, so like that of Abdul-Gafar. I should have realized no son of mine would be so sickly. I should punish Blanche, but recalling that I had to deal with a bastard son of my own that year, think better of it.
October 18, 1387. I received a delegation of burghers from Badajoz complaining that our traditional feudal law in Aragon is too restrictive. How dare they criticize the way I run this Kingdom. I will crush them!
April 2, 1389. The irritating revolt in Badajoz has been ended. Catriana negotiated a peace in return for a slight reduction in the olive oil tariff.
June 3, 1389. I have a fifth son by Blanche, Zubeyr.
January 14, 1390. I have decided to lay claim to Lisboa. Lisboa was once part of Aragon, but it fell into the hands of the wicked, notorious kinslayer Benkamin de Lomagne, a vassal of the Duke of Bordeaux and Poitou. I don’t intend to go to war just yet, but I want to be ready.
April 26, 1390. Blanche’s bastard Shihab dies.
September 10, 1391. I am worried about Bishop Ferrando. He had always been such a fiery and enthusiastic preacher, but lately he seems to barely be able to summon the energy to speak at all. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.
November 4, 1391. My second son, Randolph, has been pallid and frail lately, not as lively as a six-year-old should be. I do hope it isn’t serious.
December 27, 1391. I was making a Christmas visit to Molina when this ill-mannered peasant girl emptied a chamberpot upon the Royal Carriage! Naturally, I had her flayed for this outrageous act. Agata seemed to think this was excessive, as she was probably unaware of who was passing under her window, but one needs to make an example of people who show disrepect for the crown.
January 11, 1392. My youngest daughter, Anali, 7, had a dreadful accident yesterday afternoon. It appears she found some of the sweet wine that the Count of Narbonne sent me in the pantry and drank a good deal of it, causing her to stagger and fall down the stairs. The poor girl broke both her legs, and is uncertain whether she will ever walk fully normally.
February 19, 1392. I was looking at the map yesterday and it occurred to me that all the lands south of the Garonne are ours, except for the province of Bordeaux. As I plan to make war on the Duke of Bordeaux anyway for Lisboa, I shall get Agata to look into how we can lay claim to those lands. The de Lomagne family came from not far from there, there must be some old land deeds.
March 7, 1392. While I am not displeased with Alix, I have decided to replace her with her younger brother, Beltrano of Bornholm as steward. He shares many of her gifts, and at the same time has greater enthusiasm and creativity—an admirable willingness to take well-calculated risks.
August 1, 1392. Blanche continues to churn out the children, this time a daughter, Badiat.
September 12, 1392. Unwelcome news came from Burgos last night. It appears Spymaster Aethelthryth, who was investigating some rumored sedition by petty barons there, has come down with the plague. Burgos is the only province in my demesne still suffering that scourge. Clearly, he is in no shape to continue his duties, so I will appoint Gaston de Thouars, the son of my father’s late chancellor Prospero, in his place.
December 28, 1392. Our Christmas celebrations were interrupted by the totally unexpected news that my eldest son, Ya’qub has inherited the county of Evreux from my father-in-law, Waleran de Vassy. I guess I never really thought through the implications when my wife’s younger brother William died. I had really hoped to keep Ya’qub here in Cordoba until he came of age so I could handpick a wife for him. He’s a promising boy, vigorous, stern and skilled at arms. Unfortunately, this makes him a vassal of the Duke of Normandy for the time being.
January 11, 1392. I make Spymaster Gastone’s little brother, Barral de Thouars, my new marshal. He leads quietly, but he’s very thoughtful and clever.
August 12, 1393. Blanche has another daughter, Halima. Her twelfth child.
October 22, 1393. My little daughter Badiat dies. Unfortunately, while my children are numerous, they are not all healthy.
May 26, 1394. I decide to marry my eldest daughter, Hadiya, the Count of Toulouse, a vassal of the King of Hungary.
July 28, 1394. Ill health continues to plague our family, as my 10-year-old daughter Andali dies.
January 22, 1395. Although Gastone has served me quite well as spymaster, he still yearns for military action. He was trained in the army, but I am happy with his brother in the marshal position. Besides, a spymaster has some need of weapons training, too.
February 14, 1395. My daughter Anisa has come of age, and frankly I’m eager to get her out of the kingdom before the impious and dishonest child spends us in to bankruptcy. Fortunately, the King Nicholas of England is in need of a wife and has agreed to take my luxury-loving daughter off my hands.
June 13, 1395. Apparently, the fishing has been poor in Asturias de Oviedo this year. Well, I can’t control where the fish are biting. Let them fish somewhere else.
August 23, 1395. My wife Blanche died in childbirth yesterday evening, leaving her properties in Calatrava and Aracena to my eldest son, the Count of Evreux. Unfortunately, as he remains irritatingly loyal to the Duke of Normandy, that places them outside our realm for the time being.
September 12, 1396. Bishop Perrando came to me with evidence yesterday that Jean Jimenez is a heretic. His daughter Raymonde has tried to intercede, claiming that Jean doesn’t understand the meaning of what he says, but that’s immaterial to me. If he’s as crazy as she says, he’s a danger to our court. I won’t be soft on heresy. To the stake!
March 4, 1397. That young lady with whom I consoled myself after my wife’s death on a few wine-soaked evenings has had a son, Husseyn. She claims he’s mine.
March 18, 1397. Gastone has failed me. He had hatched a plan to eliminate Husseyn through a nurse-maid, but his mother is breastfeeding him herself and never lets him out of her sight.
September 9, 1397. It occurs to me that young Marshal Barral is a dashing young man with no wife, so I offer him my favorite daughter Philippa. He should be happy to have such a sweet-natured, kind and considerate wife. I still haven’t found a suitable wife for myself, however.
October 6, 1397. I marry the older sister of the Duke of Languedoc, Mathilde Castracani. She seems a crafty and perceptive girl.
December 29, 1397. I have had reports of a fiery young priest preaching sedition against the crown in Toledo. I will have his head!
February 2, 1398. After all Gastone’s foolish efforts, Hussayn dies a natural death.
April 27, 1398. My bishop has found that Jean was not the only heretic in the Jimenez family. His cousin Hanifa has similarly unorthodox ideas and will meet the same fate.
June 1, 1398. My poor son Randolphe has never been a strong child, and he has a steadily worsening cough. I had hoped the spring would cure him, but the converse seems to have been the case.
December 22, 1398. I am entirely too frustrated with playing chess with Perrando. It’s all very well for him—all he needs to do is make speeches once a week and he can practice chess the rest of the time. I have a kingdom to rule and cannot waste time on such trivialities.
January 14, 1399. The time has come to lead my kingdom in war against the vassals of the Duke of Anjou and Poitou. It should be quite easy as the Duke is already at war with Tejo. I will lead the forces of Badajoz and Cordoba to Evora, from which we will launch an invasion of Lisboa, while I send word to mobilize the troops in Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana to march to Albret in preparation for an attack on Bordeaux.
February 16, 1399. As my troops are passing through Badajoz, the burghers there are assailing me again about feudal contract. They are in my kingdom and they shall abide by my laws and not pester me when I am running a campaign.
March 6, 1399. I declare war on Lisboa and invade with 26,000 men.
March 28, 1399. I have learned that the Duke of Tejo has completely overwhelmed Anjou, and that both Lisboa and Bordeaux are his vassals now. Immaterial to me. I do not fear Tejo.
Apil 2, 1399. I assault the count’s troops in Lisboa, but his 2500 men will not hold long against me.
April 18, 1399. I proclaim my upcoming invasion of Bordeaux. Tejo and his vassal in Anjouleme retaliate with declaration upon us.
June 15, 1399. After a long siege, Lisboa has at last fallen to my forces. The count is forced to accept my rule here. I board ships to take me north to Bordeaux to assist Barral in conquest if necessary.
June 28, 1399. By the time I arrive, the garrison in Bordeaux has already surrendered. I make peace with Tejo in return for tribute. My cousin Sastiana de Lomagne will be the Countess of Bordeaux. Meanwhile, I have decided to make my half-brother Aram Duke of Galilee.
July 15, 1399. My young wife Mathilde was short-lived, dying in childbirth this morning.
August 1, 1399. I was sitting in the shade of the garden in the Alcazar this morning when I received the most astonishing news. King Michele von Franken of France and Italy has declared war upon us after centuries of peace between our peoples. Although he has managed to persuade a number of his father’s formal vassals to join up—the Dukes of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Bourgogne, for example—this still seems rather reckless on his part. I believe he’s already fighting a war with Hungary.
Barral and I discussed our strategy for the war this afternoon. We agreed that it was dangerous to move all of our forces out of southern Iberia, as we do not want to invite a Croatian invasion. We decided to make our main invasion force to assault his demesne from the northern parts of my own demesne while moving all the forces of our vassals north of the pyrenees and in Aragon proper (except those still struggling with plague) up to the northern frontier provinces, Narbonne, Foix, Armagnac and Bordeaux.
My objectives for the war are fairly modest. Some of the courts of Europe have looked askance on our recent expansion to southwestern France. However, we do have a longstanding claim on the Duchy of Toulouse which I would like to press, and perhaps we can get France to relinquish his claims on parts of Iberia.
October 1, 1399
As our other forces assemble on the frontier, Tierri de Thouars leads 16000 men from Asturias de Oviedo for Venice, Marshal barral leads 14,000 out of Viscaya for the capitol in Brugges, and I march with 14,000 from Cordoba to Tarragona. From there, we will sail to the von Franken properties in Cagliari. He has property in faraway Byzantium as well, but I am hoping to make peace without shipping troops that far from home.
November 6, 1399. Before leaving port, I realize I should grant Randolphe some land despite his ill health—I will make him Count of Lisboa. I also grant the title Duchess of Toledo to Countess Belascuza de Lomagne of Soria.
December 22, 1399. It appears a large force is massing in Saintonge. The troops assembled in Bordeaux and Armagnac will move north to assault it. Meanwhile I declare war on the Duke of Toulouse and move the forces from Narbonne and Foix.
April 7, 1400. I arrive in Cagliari and anxiously receive news of the campaign. In response to a large troop build-up in Saintonge, Count Galindo de Lomagne of Labourd led the forces that had been assembled in Bordeaux and Armagnac northward. This led to a fierce battle of 19,000 of our troops against 13,000 of theirs in Angouleme that lasted nearly a month. We were victorious but casualties were heavy, in part because of difficulty feeding the forces. The Duke of Tejo has over 10,000 men training in Angouleme for some unknown reason—he’s not at war with anyone. Meanwhile further east Count Mubarak de Lomagne of Narbonne has defeated the forces of the Duke of Toulouse in Rouergue and is besieging the castle. Finally, Barral de Toulouse is besieging the French Capital of Brugges. It seems as if all goes well. Here in Cagliari, I am opposed only by a small garrison trying to hold the castle.
June 3, 1400. Cagliari surrenders to me and the news from abroad is mostly good as well. Tierri has defeated a large force of men led by the King of France in Verona and is pressing onward to Venice, and Rouergue has surrendered. My forces there are now headed for Agen, the Duke of Toulouse’s last bastion.
June 10, 1400. The Duke of Toulouse surrenders that title, and his vassals in Perigord and Toulouse have agreed to swear fealty to me. My principal objectives obtained and half of von Franken’s demesne captured, I decide to offer peace.
June 15, 1400. France has declined my generous peace proposal. All I asked was that he recognize me as Count of Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana, titles we have held for hundreds of years. I begin to make arrangements to sail for Byzantium,as there may be no other way to force his surrender. I had thought perhaps Hungary would capture it, but it appears Hungary’s forces are occupied in another war with Sweden.
July 15, 1400. While still preparing to set sail, Galindo has sent an urgent message that a very large French force is being assembled in central France. I decide to sail to Montpelier instead, to provide support.
September 23, 1400. I docked in Montpelier and received the most terrible news. Galindo’s forces were destroyed in a catastrophic battle in Perigord. Nearly all the troops assembled to defend the northern frontier were annihilated—24,000 men lost! France also took heavy casualties, but still has 16,000 left. I fear to directly assault such a force, and call for reinforcements from Toledo. It will take too long for forces from any further south to arrive, and anyway I fear to be too inviting for the Croatians.
On a happier note, our forces captured the fortress in Venezia. Although we control three quarters of his demesne, von Franken remains stubborn and will not even agree to a white peace. Though I am reluctant to take too many forces from the south, I send messages to Badajoz to assemble a force to sail for Byzantium in case that is the only way to obtain peace.
May 22, 1401. Our misfortunes continued over the winter. I had fully expected von Franken to bring his large force south against me, but instead, he headed back north to fight Barral in Brugges. Barral was trapped between two French armies advancing from north and south and has lost control of Brugges.
May 29, 1401. I agree to a white peace with France. Objectively, I suppose the war was a success for us. We gained new lands and no French troops ever approached the Pyrenees or took any castles from even our northernmost vassals. The common people were spared the horrors of war in my lands, not in von Franken’s. However, the casualties were dreadful—perhaps numbering 50,000 men.
June 4, 1401. Diocese bishop Ferrando has the plague. New bishop Marko Al Ayyubi (chaste, energetic, vengeful, zealous).
June 10, 1401. As part of our pledge of peace, I decided to marry Arsenda von Franken, older sister of the Count of Toulouse. Bishop Ferrando was unable to attend, because he came down with the plague while visiting the parishes in northern Spain. I decide that when I return, I will proclaim Marko al Ayyubi to be my new bishop. He was once the marshal, but he did receive ecclesiastical training, and is a fiery and energetic preacher.
January 6, 1402. The annual epiphany visits were splendid this year. Randolphe had been in such poor health last year that I had not really expected him to make the trip from Lisboa in mid-winter, but it appears he is far more hale than he has been in years. Perhaps the sea air has done him good. I also have a new grandson by him. Of course, I still expect Ya’qub to inherit the Kingdom, but it’s always best to have a backup.
April 24, 1402. My daughter Anisa is ill. She came back from London this winter after her husband’s death, hoping that our milder winters would help, but it appears she continues to suffer from chills.
October 22, 1402. My young wife Arsenda has produced a daughter, Thana.
May 18, 1403. I am shocked to learn that my marshal, Barral de Thouars, has been practicing black magic. I must maintain my reputation as a god-fearing ruler, so I send him to the Inquisitor. As my former steward, Arnoul de Brevere, is as talented at arms as he is clever with money, I decide he will make my new marshal.
June 24, 1403. Now I understand why Raymonde de Jimenez was so passionate in her father’s defense. It has been revealed that she too is a heretic. This is the third member of that family that has needed the stake. I must keep an eye on Louis Jimenez as well.
July 6, 1403. My long-time chancellor Agathe de Toulouse passed away this morning. My new chancellor will be Batirtze Al Ayyubi.
September 1, 1403. Marko is starting a campaign to make my father a saint and requests my support. Naturally, I will support such a worthy undertaking, and my father was instrumental in saving the Holy Land from the infidels.
October 21, 1403. I have a son, Fayiz. As so many of my children seem to have poor health, I feel I can never have too many sons.
December 27, 1403. The Count of Prusa has sent me a number of ancient greek medical manuscripts as a Christmas present. One of them may have a cure for Anisa’s ailment—her doctor is all excited!
July 3, 1404. My daughter Philippa has gone to the County of Castellon. She had always wanted to be Chancellor, and I think she thought that I would appoint her to the position when Agathe died. Ah, well.
September 17, 1404. I have another son, whom I name after my brother, the Count Mustafa of El Bierzo.
October 5, 1404. Somehow the county of Carcassonne has become independent. It is a realm riddled with plague and surely will not be able to defend itself. I will call up my forces from Cordoba and move north.
December 1, 1404. By the time I reach the Pyrenees, I learn that Carcassonne has pledged allegiance to France. As I am not interested in fighting France again at this time, I consider other options, as it seems a waste to have brought my forces so far only to disband them. The Count of Auvergne is now at war with Hungary, and I already have a longstanding claim to his title. I think I shall go there, and if I am too late and Hungary has won, I may consider pressing claims on the Duke of Tejo. I will need more forces, if it comes to that, however.
March 18, 1405. I declare war on the Bishop of Auvergne and invade with 16,000 men.
April 18, 1405. I arrive in Auvergne and engage his paltry forces. This will not take long.
July 17, 1405. Auvergne capitulates and is added to my realm. I will grant the title to my son Zubair as soon as I can find a suitable wife for him. Meanwhile I learn my spymaster Gastone has inherited the province of Santiago from his grandmother and will need to be replaced. I decide upon a cousin of my first wife, Charles de Vassy.
July 28, 1405. Batirtze has found an excellent wife for Zubair in Azalais de Toulouse, the older sister of the Count of Agen. Zubair is another of my frail children, but perhaps marriage and his own lands will improve his health, as it did for Randolphe.
August 9, 1405. A terrible fire has swept through the grand shipyard in Asturias de Oviedo. I dispatch Charles to Asturias immediately to investigate who is responsible for this disaster, and approve the substantial sum for its rebuilding.
February 1, 1406. The elderly duchess of Toledo has died and her heir is Mikel de Lomagne, a couriter at the court of the Duke of Algarve. I am outraged to learn that he is refused to take the oath of fealty to me and has declared war. I cannot understand this, as the man was always said to be something of a coward. He shall pay dearly for this mistake. Arnoul is in Molina at the moment, so he can muster the forces there to attack, as it will take me some time to get there from Cordoba.
March 17, 1406. It is fortunate that I am in Molina and heading north as Arnoul is in trouble. Mikel has hired 5,000 mercenaries to assist in the defense of Soria.
April 2, 1406. I arrive in Soria at last, but too late to save Mikel. Some dastardly plan caused Mikel’s forces to abandon him. However, I outnumber the troops of the Duke by 3:1 and he cannot hold out against us for more than a few days.
June 4, 1406. The Duke is forced to surrender and yield all claims. I give his titles to my daughter Halima. In the meantime, a scandal has rocked my court as my youngest son Mustafa has been shown to be a bastard. I guess it was a mistake to marry another woman from the south of France. Clearly, it is a land of loose morals. These Occitan girls are perverting our locals as well, I see, as my daughter Anisa is quite obviously pregnant, though she’s been sequestered so few know. I tell my spymaster to deal with this; I don’t want to know anything about it.
January 24, 1407. I have another son, Jawdar.
February 21, 1407. I returned from Burgos with a painful, bloody cough and difficulty breathing. My doctor tells me it is the plague. I guess it was a mistake to go there, but I have been around the plague so often in my life, I had thought myself immune.
February 23, 1407. As I may not be long for this earth, I decide to stake one last major claim for my children to pursue. I declare myself the rightful Prince of Slavonia. It sounds absurd, and I have no interest in his lands in Eastern Europe, but he has four vassals in Spain and I hope my children can seize control of them.
April 27, 1407. While I have been lying in bed, my daughter Anisa has returned from Castellon, and usurped the steward position. I will not allow this incompetent girl to take over. While I still live, Beltrano is steward, no matter how sick I become. I In an effort to lighten my burdens, I grant the title to Compostela to the Duke of Galicia, Zavie de Lomagne.
November 8, 1407. Ironically, it appears the plague has finally dissipated in Burgos. My case is one of the last in the demesne, though it still persists in scattered parts of the realm.
July 11, 1409. My wife Arsenda is ill. It serves the lying bitch right.
September 25, 1409. Anisa is again demanding a place in court. Why doesn’t she leave her poor father alone. I decide to have her stripped, flogged and dragged through the streets of Cordoba. Some are calling me cruel, but I want to make absolutely clear that I still rule this Kingdom and will, until my death.
June 6, 1410. The end comes at last. I leave this earth confident that I will be remembered as a strong ruler who upheld the laws of the church, expanded his realm, and defied von Franken’s aggression. My son Xa’qub must be summoned from Evreux. He is a tremendous swordsman, but I think he fails to see the larger picture sometimes. I hope that he can defend our lands as well as I have.
Western Europe in 1410
Diary of Xa’qub de Lomagne (1380-1434), King of Aragon, Leon and Portugal, Duke of Ascalon and Toulouse, Count of Viscaya, Asturias de Santillana, Asturias de Oviedo, Molina, Cordoba, Aracena, Badajoz, Calatrava, Toledo, Burgos and Evreux.
Father passed away last night. I really didn’t know him all that well, since I haven’t lived in Cordoba since I was twelve. It was fortunate that I was able to see him before the end. Normally, I only spend the winter months in Aracena and return to Evreux in March, but his chancellor warned me that Father might not last the year. I had forgotten how intense the summer heat is down here, but I guess I will get used to it.
I expect that I will continue Father’s policy of expanding our land holdings north of the Pyrenees, but there are a few things I need to attend to first. I am not well known to most of my vassals, so I will need to do a grand tour of the Kingdom this year and shall look into buying impressive gifts to help secure their loyalty. I think I will reduce scutage, as well. Our own demesne is wealthy enough to supply the needs of the Kingdom adequately, particularly if I raise taxes slightly, which seems feasible.
I have a number of trusted advisors from Evreux that I will rely on. Marshal Ma’sud Guthkeled’s plain-spoken and quiet leadership has served me well for many years. Chancellor Anisa al-Ziyar combines extraordinary beauty and grace with exceptional perceptiveness and creativity. I also will bring my trusted spymaster Main Ui Cannanain. I will retain the current bishop and steward for the time being. I think I will also have my wife, Badiat Dunkeld, take over duties as Countess of Evreux. While that will mean spending some time apart, she has already borne two sons, so the succession seems secure enough.
August 29, 1411. My wife bears a third son, Burhanaddin.
December 9, 1411. The Diocese bishop Marko al-Ayyubi has brought charges of heresy against one of my courtiers, Geoffrey de Vassy. I am really not interested in pursuing a secular sentence against him. Let the clergy tend to the spiritual well-being of the kingdom; I will stick to the temporal.
December 15, 1411. The discontented burghers of Viscaya are complaining about the limitations of feudal contract law. I shall crush any opposition to the law of the land; it has been good enough for two centuries of prosperity and I see no reason to change. However, it does occur to me that the Nobles in Viscaya are perhaps a little too authoritarian, and I may make some adjustments to the power structure there.
February 15, 1412. I am very disappointed to learn that my marshal has been excommunicated for borrowing a small sum of gold from the moneylenders. I do wish the clergy was a little more understanding; the poor man was broke and too proud to come to me for help.
November 25, 1412. Marko is pestering me about Geoffrey de Vassy’s supposed heresy. Personally, I think the man just has a loose and speculative tongue when he’s had a little too much wine. I warn Marko that I have already given my opinion on this matter and that if he continues to interfere with my rulership of the Kingdom, he can be replaced.
January 20, 1413. My daughter Manaira has come of age (energetic, reckless, proud, valorous, ill).
February 2, 1413. I have a daughter, Rafiqa.
February 12, 1413. No sooner has one daughter been born than I have given up my eldest Manaira. She is to marry Godafres de Toulouse, the marshal and brother of the Duke of Provence. In normal circumstances she would need a vigorous and valorous husband to keep up with her, though her health has been poor lately.
June 21, 1413. Now Marko thinks Chancellor Anisa is a heretic, based on some chance remarks. I’m tired of this. I will appoint Raimond de Toulouse as bishop in his place. Raimond is very concerned with spiritual matters, but a man of more generous and tolerant spirit than this Marko. Why my Father put up with him I can’t imagine.
October 22, 1413. I am so pleased with Raimond. He has succeeded in getting my poor marshal reinstated in the church.
March 10, 1414. I have a daughter, Khadija.
April 30, 1414. My tiny new daughter seems a sickly child. She is not gaining weight as fast as a normal infant, and is always crying.
July 4, 1414. My secons on, Uways, took a very serious fall from a horse this morning. His doctors are very concerned that he may never make a full recovery. Such a shame, he’s always been such a healthy and lively child.
January 14, 1415. As I feel secure in my kingship now, I decide the time has come for a campaign continue the expansion of Aragon. Limousin is one of several conties that was stripped from a branch of the de Lomagne family line that is currently held by the Duke of Tejo. I think we can also generate a reasonable claim on the county of Angouleme, held by one of the Duke of Tejo’s vassals. Ma’sud and I have drawn up plans for a summer campaing.
Our troops in Badajoz, Aracena and Cordoba will gather in Niebla under my leadership to sail to North Africa, where the Duke of Tejo has a number of posessions. The troops in Viscaya, Asturias de Oviedo and Burgos will head for Perigord. I had initially planned to launch from Bordeaux, but Ma’sud reminded me that there is plague in Bordeaux still. I will also call on my northern vassals in Perigord, Toulouse, Armagnac, Bearn, Foix, Narbonne and Albret to gather their troops in Auvergne.
March 22, 1415. I sail for North Africa with nearly 23,000 men. We will launch our offensive from our vassal’s territory in Figuig.
June 9, 1415. I declare war upon Tejo and Angouleme. Maurice de Brevere leads 22,000 men from Perigord to Angouleme, Jalaladdin, Duke of Armagnac leads 20,000 from Auvergne to Limousin.
July 1, 1415. Battle of Angouleme begins
July 12, 1415. Battle of Limousin begins, Siege of Angouleme begins.
July 26, 1415. Victorious in Angouleme.
August 23, 1415. I come to Figuig and call on my vassal’s troops. We lost many men in the hot sun crossing Morocco, but we march for the Atlas Mountains now. I should have planned this invasion for later in the year when water is more plentiful. I send a message to request more reinforcements from Iberia—the troops in Granada and Calatrava should come to north Africa as well. Elsewhere, it appears the war goes well, as messengers tell me that both Angouleme and Limousin are under siege by our forces now.
September 7, 1415. I receive the wonderful news that the Count of Angouleme has surrendered his title. I instruct Maurice to continue on to Poitiers, to put more pressure on the Duke of Tejo.
September 18, 1415. Limousin falls to Jalaladdin’s forces and Tejo sues for white peace. As if I would accept such a peace. Ha! Onward to Bourges.
September 23, 1415. Tejo agrees to cede Limousin to me. I make peace, satisfied that I have achieved my aims. I also note that during von Franken’s civil wars a few decades ago, the rebel branch of the de Lomagne land lost their titles including Duke of Asturias. That title has a proud history in our family, and I decide to revive it.
October 13, 1415. While I never actually engaged any troops in battle in North Africa, the trip was not a total loss. I made the acquaintance of the Ridwan Cynfyn, the brother of the Duke of Morocco, and have arranged for my daughter Fatima to marry him.
February 14, 1416. The time has come for my eldest son, Abdul Majeed, to marry. Perhaps a good woman will restrain his carelessness and love of carousing. Wulfhilde Staden, the older sister of the boy King of Germany seems to be a nice, restrained, honest girl. I hope she will be a good influence upon him. As a wedding present, he receives the titles to our new lands in Angouleme and Limousin, as well as the title Duke of Toulouse.
January 18, 1417. The court is all in uproar over the trial of my Marshal Ma’sud for black magic. I still cannot believe that he was convicted in a fair trial. Why would he turn to the dubious benefits of witchcraft when our army is superior to any of our neighbors? It is incomprehensible. I guess I shall have to make Robert de Normandie my new marshal.
May 18, 1417. For some reason, I continue to struggle with the merchant classes over my rulership. Now it’s in Burgos; there is rioting in the streets and refusal to pay tolls. I will destroy them!
November 29, 1417. My wife has produced another son, Roger. I allowed her to name him in her native tongue because I was so pleased—and surprised—at her having a son at such an advanced age.
January 18, 1418. I have found a good husband for my daughter Hafsa. She was so worried no one would want her because of her slight speech impediment, but she’s really quite a delightful girl, and skilled at courtly arts. My good friend William de Normandie, who fled to our court after his crazy brother Martin becae King of England, has agreed to marry her.
March 19, 1418. The unruly burghers in Burgos have made peace with me in return for trivial concessions.
April 12, 1418. I have received an interesting proposal from King Gelasio de Hauteville of Naples. He wishes to ally with us, and I am inclined to accept. Naples is a fairly strong Kingdom, controlling much of the rich lands of Italy and Sicily and parts of North Africa. Furthermore, they have a history of conflict with both Croatia and France, our own enemies. This could be a fruitful alliance.
October 14, 1418. My little infant son Roger died last night.
November 3, 1418. Mustafa de Normandie, a bastard in my court, is complaining of ill treatment. Why should I change the rules to suit this one young man? His father, Aziz, left my court for Barcelona last summer, so he’s of no consequence. Mustafa decides to run off to Castelo Branco. Boo Hoo.
November 9, 1418. My four-year-old daughter Khadija is very sick with a terrible cough.
January 11, 1419. Crystal balls and tarot cards were discovered in my spymaster’s room. Unfortunately, I was forced to try him for black magic, and it seems the evidence is clear. In all honesty, I’m now relieved to be rid of him, as I was alarmed to learn that some of the information I was being fed may have been based on these doubtful sources.
I have learned that the King of Naples has become embroiled in a war with the Emirate of Luristan, which has captured a number of provinces in Italy through its ongoing war with France. After some reflection, I decide I would like to participate in this war. The Emir is fairly strong, but the combined strength of France, Naples and Aragon will surely overwhelm him. Italy isn’t my primary area of interest, but the emir’s vassal, the Sheikh of Corsica controls the island of Corsica and the county of Nice. I would like to capture those territories. I am a little concerned this war may endanger my vassals in the middle east, but I think most of the Emir’s army is in Europe now. Thus, I declare war on Corsica and Luristan.
Given the Emir’s other opponents, I don’t think a full mobilization will be necessary. I call up my own troops in Cordoba and request that the regiments from Calatrava and Aracena meet me in Tarragona. We will sail to Corsica from there. Meanwhile, I send a message to Abdul-Majeed to gather his troops and march to Narbonne, where he will meet the regiments from Toledo, Molino, Burgos, and Viscaya. From there, he is to invade Nice when I give the word. Finally, I call upon the Duke of Armagnac, my uncle Jalaaladdin to lead the forces of the other vassals north of the Pyrenees. They will gather in Foix.
February 2, 1419. While I am still on my way to Tarragona, Jalaaladdin sends word that ’s 23,000 men in Foix are ready to march. I tell him to march eastward, but cautiously, I avoiding dangerous battles until reinforcements are near.
March 28, 1419. Jalalaaddin sends word that he has stopped his advance in Provence, as around 20,000 Emirate troops can be seen in Nice, Monferrato and the Ligurian Sea.
April 19, 1419. I sail with 19,000 men for Corsica. I send word for Jalaladdin to wait for further instructions as I don’t know whether additional troops will be needed for my siege of Corsica or my son’s attack on Nice.
May 4, 1419. Jalaladdin forced to move east ward by overpopulation with French and other troops. Meanwhile my son sets out from Narbonne toward Nice. Jalalladdin will make For San Luces and provide reinforcements to my son in Nice as needed.
September 7, 1419. My forces docked in Corsica. No troops are stationed here, so we begin the siege immediately. Abdul-Majeed has begun his advance toward Nice, but Jalaladdin was forced to leave Provence for San Luces. Too many troops from France were entering the area, and the land was being rapidly stripped of forage for the horses. In San Luces, he was attacked by the Emir’s forces fleeing from Nice, which is besieged by the Count of Cremona, a vassal of Naples.
September 16, 1419. My son has arrived in Nice and taken leadership of the siege there.
October 10, 1419. My son captures Nice, but losses due to attrition were heavy. Too many forces from Naples and France have been traversing the area. Jalaaladdin has sent a report that another large force of the Emirate 10,000 is gathering in Pavia. I request that he return to Nice to bolster the force of my son, who has only 7500 men left.
November 19, 1419. The Sheikhdom of Corsica’s last castle fell today. As my objectives for this war have been achieved, I will see if the Emir of Luristan will accept peace.
December 29, 1419. I exact a small amount of tribute from the Emir in return for peace.
January 15, 1420. While I have been away at war, my second son Uways has come of age. I have arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of the Count of Quzistan—I am sure she will be pleased to return to Europe, as she grew up at the court of the Duke of Francia. I grant Uways the new lands in Corsica. I have also approved a marriage between my sister Thana and Steven de Conteville.
February 12, 1422. My ally, King Gelasio died this winter. The wounds he has suffered in the war over the past few years took their toll, and he was not a young man. His son, Arcibaldo, is eager to continue our alliance, and I assent to that, though I do not intend to go to war against Luristan again at this time. Instead, I think I would rather expand our posessions elsewhere. The de Lomagne family has an old claim on the Duchy of Provence, and I think I can realistically lay claim to the County of Provence, as well.
In preparation for war, I gather the forces of Cordoba, Aracena, and Calatrava. I will lead them to Nice, while I send the forces in Asturias, Burgos and Viscaya to Narbonne.
March 7, 1422. Our old enemy, King Michele von Franken of France has treacherously declared war upon the King of Naples, despite their common enemy in Luristan. As I have not yet declared war on Provence, I decide to support my ally against France, instead. I have a number of claims to French lands that I can press. In particular, I will aim to capture Carcassonne and Agen. Both of these are held by minor vassals of von Franken.
However, France is a much stronger foe than Provence, and will require a larger scale mobilization. I will bring my forces to Armagnac, instead of Tarragonna. I will also call on a number of forces from my northern vassals to defend our lands. The forces of Albret, Armagnac, Angouleme and Labourd will gather in Limousin, those of Bearn, Foix, Toulouse and Perigord in Auvergne, and those of Navarra, Zaragoza, Soria and Catalayud in Angouleme. I hope that will be sufficient to handle this war. I am still wary of Croatia, though we have been at peace for over sixty years.
June 15, 1422. I have yet to see any signs of French troop movements, which seems strange. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Naples is having difficulty with his vassals. In retrospect, my alliance with him was hasty. Unfortunately, Arcibaldo has lost his mind, and will be of limited use as an ally. As I can have little expectation of help in this war from him, I will call on a few more forces. The regiments from Zamora, Valladolid, Molina and Salamanca are to go to Bearn, while those of Rossello, Urgueel, Barcelona and Empuries are summoned to Foix. These groups will provide reinforcements if ncessary.
July 3-, 1422. I declare war on the Count of Agen. Marshal Robert invades with 22,000 men from the South. The Dukes of Francia, Macon and Bourgogne declare war upon me. As I have heard that there is a small force under the Count of Macon in Macon, I ask Jaufret de Toulouse, the Count of Perigord to bring the forces gathered in Auvergne—approximately 9200 into Macon.
August 27, 1422. My vassals are besieging Agen and Macon, while my own forces hurry northward to the front.
September 6, 1422. The count of Macon has offered gold in return for peace, which I decide to accept. Jaufret can return to Auvergne.
September 15, 1422. Having arrived in Armagnac at last, I declare war on the Count of Carcassonne and lead nearly 20,000 men into their territory.
October 7, 1422. Word has come that Agen has fallen to Robert. I send a message urging him to lead his forces to Rouergue, the Count of Agen’s last stronghold. Meanwhile the troops in Foix will move to Agen to prevent it from being retaken by French forces. Jauffret attacks a small force of the Count of Carcassonne assembled in Macon.
October 22, 1422. Jauffret is concerned about French forces moving westward from Chalons, so I call upon the troops assembled under Jalalaadin to move to Auvergne and reinforce Jauffret in Macon, if necessary.
November 19, 1422. After a lengthy siege, the massive fortress of Carcassonne has at last fallen. The Count of Carcassonne not only is forced to grant me Carcassonne, but also yields his absurd claims on Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana. The Count’s forces defeated, I decide to head for the southernmost part of the demesne of the King of France in Chalons. Meanwhile, Marshal Robert reports that he has begun to besiege Rouergue.
January 11, 1423. Moving eastward, I was surprised by a small force from the King of France in Forez. Now that the initial shock of the assault is over, I am confident we will overcome him easily.
January 14, 1423. Robert captures Rouergue and the Count has little choice but to surrender Agen to me. I am willing to offer peace to France now. I hope that I have done enough to impair his assault against Naples.
January 20, 1423. We beat back the King’s forces in Forez. I shall move onward to Chalons if he fails to accept my offer to end the war.
January 24, 1423. I make peace with the Duke of Bourgogne.
January 27, 1423. The King of France has accepted my generous peace offer. I add Carcassonne to the holdings of my son Uways, the Count of Corsica. My brother Fayiz will be Count of Agen.
May 16, 1423. The Duke of Tejo has captured the throne of England! This may not swing the balance of power in western Europe quite as much as I initially thought. England has been struggling in a protracted war against the Seljuk Turks, who have overwhelmed their posessions in the East and captured parts of England.
August 10, 1423. My unfortunate daughter Hafsa has died in labor, leaving her husband with three young children.
February 28, 1424. As the King of Naples continues to struggle, Rome has fallen to the Sheikh of Venezia, who has carved out a considerable kingdom in Italy and Sicily. The Pope in Avignon has called for a crusade to rid Rome of the Saracens. It may, in fact, be time to beat back this wild counter-crusade that has been harassing western Europe in recent years. I really think the King of France is largely to blame for it, as he could have concentrated his efforts on Luristan instead of turning on Naples. I shall see about putting together an invading force.
My own forces in Cordoba, Calatrava and Toledo will head for Tarragona, from which we will sail for Rome. Meanwhile, I order my troops in Molina, Burgos and Viscaya to march for Barcelona. They will sail to Corsica to meet up with Uways’ forces.
June 24, 1424. I have been so impressed with the information young Alix de Vassy has brought me concerning troop movements in Italy that I decide to make her my new spymaster. As I have now reached Barcelona, I declare war on the Sheikhdom of Venezia, who has seized control of Rome and make arrangements for ships to carry my army of 22,000 to Rome. The Emir of Luristan declares war upon me to protect his vassal.
July 24, 1424. A number of my vassals have joined the crusade. I am concerned about the Duke of Palestine, because he is vulnerable to an assault from Luristan. Just to be on the safe side, I send messages to my regiments in Badajoz, Aracena, Granada to sail for the Holy Land and reinforce him.
November 27, 1424. . I lay claim to Castellon.
December 27, 1424. I land in Rome and begin the siege. My chancellor sends word that an old claim on Castellon, controlled by the King of Croatia has surfaced . As we have lost a fair number of troops, I ask the Duke of Mallorca to gather his forces to reinforce me.
January 15, 1425. I receive a message from Uways that he is ready to bring his forces to Italy. I send word for him to land at Livorno and make for Orvieto.
January 23, 1425. The emir sends four thousand men attempt to break my siege of Rome, but they shall not succeed.
February 13, 1425. My chaplain died today. I decide to replace him with Diocese bishop Pierre de Normandie. He’s rather elderly, but I don’t have time to seek a long term bishop while I’m fighting a war, and at least he seems unlikely to harass me with endless charges of heresy like that damned Marko Al Ayyubi.
February 23, 1425. The eternal city with all its marvels has at last fallen into my hands! We broke thrrough the walls of the Castello Sant’Angelo last night and slaughtered its last defenders.
May 1, 1425. Another of the Emir of Luristan’s vassals, the Sheikh of Azerbaijan has declared war upon us. Whatever.
May 10, 1425. Upon the death of the mad King of Naples, the new King of England, Philippe de Cournouaille suggests an alliance. As Naples appears to be dying, I decide to join up with England. Surely with the added troops from his posessions in France and North Africa, he will be able to beat back the Turks on his own.
May 26, 1425. My reinforcements arrive from Mallorca. I decide to head for Benevento, as my son should be able to defend Roma, if necessary.
June 15, 1425. Over the past week, I have won a glorious battle over forces of the Emir of Luristan in Capua. The mountainous terrain made for some tricky situations, but we were able to use it to our advantage, trapping him and destroying his army. Onward to Benevento!
August 4, 1425. I arrive in Benevento and prepare to lay siege. Uways sends word that the siege of Orvieto goes well and he hopes to capture the fortress within a month.
September 28, 1425. Now that both Benevento and Orvieto have fallen to our forces, I will see if the Emir is willing to make peace. Surely he can see that he cannot defeat us.
October 3, 1425. We are at peace. I make my brother Jawdat the Count of Benevento. I will continue to administer Roma myself for the time being. I also learn the Duke of Zaragoza captured the province of Deir in faraway Mesopotamia and has placed a vassal in charge of it.
October 26, 1425. My bastard brother the Duke of Galilee has declared independence, arguing that he can defend the lands from the infidels better if he is not relying on faraway Aragon. I guess he must have forgotten the fate of the old Duke of Palestine. It is irritating, but not worth going to war over that faraway land.
November 19, 1425. Now that I have returned to Cordoba, I am able to arrange a wedding for my daughter Zainab to Khaireddin de Normandie. Although he’s the brother of the Count of Kaliopolis, he makes his home here in Cordoba as do many of his family since the fall of the Kingdom of England.
November 25, 1425. Several of my children suffer from ill health. It must come from my wife’s family, since none of my own brothers or sisters have these chronic problems with breathing, coughing and wheezing. My son Wahab and daughter Rafiqa are particularly weak.
December 2, 1425. Continuing on my family-building, I marry my daughter Salaama to Aleardo von Franken, son and spymaster of the King of France. Perhaps we can improve relations with the von Franken’s. They are not so strong currently, but history shows that you can never count out the von Franken dynasty.
July 3, 1427. I welcome Pope Kresimir Trpimirovic to Cordoba. He decided to come down from Avignon to personally congratulate me on the success of my crusade. All the courts of Europe are watching, and Alix has even suggested that I could use this and my new posessions in Italy as a pretext for seizing the Kingdom of Naples. Naples is weak, she says, and could easily be captured. However, the King’s father and grandfather were friends of mine, and I will not turn upon the unfortunate young man.
October 16, 1427. Hoping to solidify relations with my new ally, the King of England, I offer to marry my son Burhanaddin to his sister Isabelle de Cournouaille. He happily accepts. Burhanaddin will be Count of Roma.
December 9, 1427. I decide that the crusade over, it is time to bring Provence under my control. I follow the same plan as before. Hopefully, fate will not intervene again.
March 19, 1428. I prepare my forces to sail to Nice, while Godfrey de Normandie gathers the forces in Narbonne.
September 21, 1428. I arrive in Nice and declare war on Provence. I march into Sanluces from Nice with almost 20,000 men; while Godfrey de Normandie marches 20,000 men eastward from Narbonne. I gather that Pope Kresimir, drunk on the success of the last crusade, now wishes to expel the muslims from Byzantium. I wish him well in that endeavour, but I have no interest in sending troops halfway across the world at the moment.
October 17, 1428. Godfrey battles the Duke in Provence, while I engage the forces of his vassal in San Luces..
November 5, 1428. Wonderful news from Provence. The Duke is routed and slain in battle, losing over 5,000 men, while Godfrey loses only 1,000 and begins the siege.
November 10, 1428. I crush the Count of San Luces losing barely 100 men and move to Fourcalquier.
November 15, 1428. Scarcely a year after coming to Cordoba himself to congratulate me on my services to all Christendom, the Pope now accuses me of skepticism and orders me to repent. What, I’m a heretic because I don’t choose to send my armies upon his every whim? I defy the pope to prove my skepticism. How dare he question the leader of a successful crusade!
January 13, 1429. We have utterly destroyed Provence, and I am Count and Duke of Provence. The Duke’s vassals swear fealty to me. I will grant these titles to Uways, who despite his delicate health is more energetic, more trustworthy and more skilled at intrigue and management than his brother. I think he should probably be my heir.
August 16, 1430. It seems my reign has been equally divided between warfare and weddings. The latest is my daughter Khadija, who will marry Robert de Conteville.
April 25, 1431. Alix brought me information that suggested that some of my Burghers in Viscaya had been planning an envoy to try and persuade me to change the tolls. I will brook no resistance to my law, and I have the leaders rounded up and their heads displayed on the ramparts of the old Royal Palace. Some see this as excessively harsh, but if I need to be harsh to prevent further uprisings like the one in Burgos a few years ago, so be it.
October 17, 1431. Xarles de Lomagne, Duke of Palestine declares independence, using the same idiotic pretext as the Duke of Galilee. If he wants his lands there, that’s one thing, but I do not intend to let him get away with his posessions in Valladolid and Bordeaux. I march for Molina, Marshal Khaireddin to Albret from Viscaya. I will also ship troops to the East from Badajoz, though I’m guessing we will be done with this war before they arrive.
December 13, 1431. I declare war on the Duke of Palestine and march 14,000 troops into Valladolid.
February 14, 1432. I crush the enemy in Valladolid and I hear that my marshal Khaireddin has defeated the troops from Bordeaux in Albret and is moving North. The Duke offers gold for peace, but I am not satisfied.
April 13, 1432. The Duke is forced to give up Valladolid and Bordeaux. He keeps Palestine, but that’s of far less import.
April 15, 1432. My son Wahab marries Elena di Canossa, eldest sister of the Count of Cremona. I will make him Count of Bordeaux.
May 28, 1434. The bishop passed away yesterday. It was no great surprise, as he was more than a decade older than me, and I feel older and slower every day. I don’t think I have another campaign in me. I will make Pau Arpad my new bishop.
December 30, 1434. The end of my days comes swiftly, but I am fortunate that I will pass in the presence of my family and friends who have gathered here to celebrate Christmas. I was able to build on my father’s foundations north of the Pyrenees, and we are clearly the strongest power in the Western Mediterranean. While I urge him to continue this policy, as I think the biggest long-term threat to us is a reestablishment of the old Von Franken empire, it appears Uways wants to pursue a more aggressive stance against the muslim states that are harrying Naples, France and England. I caution him about becoming too overextended in the East, as we cannot necessarily trust our Christian neighbors. Despite the accident he suffered in his youth, Uways has the forthright and energetic character of a warrior King.
Western Europe in 1434
Father passed away last night. I really didn’t know him all that well, since I haven’t lived in Cordoba since I was twelve. It was fortunate that I was able to see him before the end. Normally, I only spend the winter months in Aracena and return to Evreux in March, but his chancellor warned me that Father might not last the year. I had forgotten how intense the summer heat is down here, but I guess I will get used to it.
I expect that I will continue Father’s policy of expanding our land holdings north of the Pyrenees, but there are a few things I need to attend to first. I am not well known to most of my vassals, so I will need to do a grand tour of the Kingdom this year and shall look into buying impressive gifts to help secure their loyalty. I think I will reduce scutage, as well. Our own demesne is wealthy enough to supply the needs of the Kingdom adequately, particularly if I raise taxes slightly, which seems feasible.
I have a number of trusted advisors from Evreux that I will rely on. Marshal Ma’sud Guthkeled’s plain-spoken and quiet leadership has served me well for many years. Chancellor Anisa al-Ziyar combines extraordinary beauty and grace with exceptional perceptiveness and creativity. I also will bring my trusted spymaster Main Ui Cannanain. I will retain the current bishop and steward for the time being. I think I will also have my wife, Badiat Dunkeld, take over duties as Countess of Evreux. While that will mean spending some time apart, she has already borne two sons, so the succession seems secure enough.
August 29, 1411. My wife bears a third son, Burhanaddin.
December 9, 1411. The Diocese bishop Marko al-Ayyubi has brought charges of heresy against one of my courtiers, Geoffrey de Vassy. I am really not interested in pursuing a secular sentence against him. Let the clergy tend to the spiritual well-being of the kingdom; I will stick to the temporal.
December 15, 1411. The discontented burghers of Viscaya are complaining about the limitations of feudal contract law. I shall crush any opposition to the law of the land; it has been good enough for two centuries of prosperity and I see no reason to change. However, it does occur to me that the Nobles in Viscaya are perhaps a little too authoritarian, and I may make some adjustments to the power structure there.
February 15, 1412. I am very disappointed to learn that my marshal has been excommunicated for borrowing a small sum of gold from the moneylenders. I do wish the clergy was a little more understanding; the poor man was broke and too proud to come to me for help.
November 25, 1412. Marko is pestering me about Geoffrey de Vassy’s supposed heresy. Personally, I think the man just has a loose and speculative tongue when he’s had a little too much wine. I warn Marko that I have already given my opinion on this matter and that if he continues to interfere with my rulership of the Kingdom, he can be replaced.
January 20, 1413. My daughter Manaira has come of age (energetic, reckless, proud, valorous, ill).
February 2, 1413. I have a daughter, Rafiqa.
February 12, 1413. No sooner has one daughter been born than I have given up my eldest Manaira. She is to marry Godafres de Toulouse, the marshal and brother of the Duke of Provence. In normal circumstances she would need a vigorous and valorous husband to keep up with her, though her health has been poor lately.
June 21, 1413. Now Marko thinks Chancellor Anisa is a heretic, based on some chance remarks. I’m tired of this. I will appoint Raimond de Toulouse as bishop in his place. Raimond is very concerned with spiritual matters, but a man of more generous and tolerant spirit than this Marko. Why my Father put up with him I can’t imagine.
October 22, 1413. I am so pleased with Raimond. He has succeeded in getting my poor marshal reinstated in the church.
March 10, 1414. I have a daughter, Khadija.
April 30, 1414. My tiny new daughter seems a sickly child. She is not gaining weight as fast as a normal infant, and is always crying.
July 4, 1414. My secons on, Uways, took a very serious fall from a horse this morning. His doctors are very concerned that he may never make a full recovery. Such a shame, he’s always been such a healthy and lively child.
January 14, 1415. As I feel secure in my kingship now, I decide the time has come for a campaign continue the expansion of Aragon. Limousin is one of several conties that was stripped from a branch of the de Lomagne family line that is currently held by the Duke of Tejo. I think we can also generate a reasonable claim on the county of Angouleme, held by one of the Duke of Tejo’s vassals. Ma’sud and I have drawn up plans for a summer campaing.
Our troops in Badajoz, Aracena and Cordoba will gather in Niebla under my leadership to sail to North Africa, where the Duke of Tejo has a number of posessions. The troops in Viscaya, Asturias de Oviedo and Burgos will head for Perigord. I had initially planned to launch from Bordeaux, but Ma’sud reminded me that there is plague in Bordeaux still. I will also call on my northern vassals in Perigord, Toulouse, Armagnac, Bearn, Foix, Narbonne and Albret to gather their troops in Auvergne.
March 22, 1415. I sail for North Africa with nearly 23,000 men. We will launch our offensive from our vassal’s territory in Figuig.
June 9, 1415. I declare war upon Tejo and Angouleme. Maurice de Brevere leads 22,000 men from Perigord to Angouleme, Jalaladdin, Duke of Armagnac leads 20,000 from Auvergne to Limousin.
July 1, 1415. Battle of Angouleme begins
July 12, 1415. Battle of Limousin begins, Siege of Angouleme begins.
July 26, 1415. Victorious in Angouleme.
August 23, 1415. I come to Figuig and call on my vassal’s troops. We lost many men in the hot sun crossing Morocco, but we march for the Atlas Mountains now. I should have planned this invasion for later in the year when water is more plentiful. I send a message to request more reinforcements from Iberia—the troops in Granada and Calatrava should come to north Africa as well. Elsewhere, it appears the war goes well, as messengers tell me that both Angouleme and Limousin are under siege by our forces now.
September 7, 1415. I receive the wonderful news that the Count of Angouleme has surrendered his title. I instruct Maurice to continue on to Poitiers, to put more pressure on the Duke of Tejo.
September 18, 1415. Limousin falls to Jalaladdin’s forces and Tejo sues for white peace. As if I would accept such a peace. Ha! Onward to Bourges.
September 23, 1415. Tejo agrees to cede Limousin to me. I make peace, satisfied that I have achieved my aims. I also note that during von Franken’s civil wars a few decades ago, the rebel branch of the de Lomagne land lost their titles including Duke of Asturias. That title has a proud history in our family, and I decide to revive it.
October 13, 1415. While I never actually engaged any troops in battle in North Africa, the trip was not a total loss. I made the acquaintance of the Ridwan Cynfyn, the brother of the Duke of Morocco, and have arranged for my daughter Fatima to marry him.
February 14, 1416. The time has come for my eldest son, Abdul Majeed, to marry. Perhaps a good woman will restrain his carelessness and love of carousing. Wulfhilde Staden, the older sister of the boy King of Germany seems to be a nice, restrained, honest girl. I hope she will be a good influence upon him. As a wedding present, he receives the titles to our new lands in Angouleme and Limousin, as well as the title Duke of Toulouse.
January 18, 1417. The court is all in uproar over the trial of my Marshal Ma’sud for black magic. I still cannot believe that he was convicted in a fair trial. Why would he turn to the dubious benefits of witchcraft when our army is superior to any of our neighbors? It is incomprehensible. I guess I shall have to make Robert de Normandie my new marshal.
May 18, 1417. For some reason, I continue to struggle with the merchant classes over my rulership. Now it’s in Burgos; there is rioting in the streets and refusal to pay tolls. I will destroy them!
November 29, 1417. My wife has produced another son, Roger. I allowed her to name him in her native tongue because I was so pleased—and surprised—at her having a son at such an advanced age.
January 18, 1418. I have found a good husband for my daughter Hafsa. She was so worried no one would want her because of her slight speech impediment, but she’s really quite a delightful girl, and skilled at courtly arts. My good friend William de Normandie, who fled to our court after his crazy brother Martin becae King of England, has agreed to marry her.
March 19, 1418. The unruly burghers in Burgos have made peace with me in return for trivial concessions.
April 12, 1418. I have received an interesting proposal from King Gelasio de Hauteville of Naples. He wishes to ally with us, and I am inclined to accept. Naples is a fairly strong Kingdom, controlling much of the rich lands of Italy and Sicily and parts of North Africa. Furthermore, they have a history of conflict with both Croatia and France, our own enemies. This could be a fruitful alliance.
October 14, 1418. My little infant son Roger died last night.
November 3, 1418. Mustafa de Normandie, a bastard in my court, is complaining of ill treatment. Why should I change the rules to suit this one young man? His father, Aziz, left my court for Barcelona last summer, so he’s of no consequence. Mustafa decides to run off to Castelo Branco. Boo Hoo.
November 9, 1418. My four-year-old daughter Khadija is very sick with a terrible cough.
January 11, 1419. Crystal balls and tarot cards were discovered in my spymaster’s room. Unfortunately, I was forced to try him for black magic, and it seems the evidence is clear. In all honesty, I’m now relieved to be rid of him, as I was alarmed to learn that some of the information I was being fed may have been based on these doubtful sources.
I have learned that the King of Naples has become embroiled in a war with the Emirate of Luristan, which has captured a number of provinces in Italy through its ongoing war with France. After some reflection, I decide I would like to participate in this war. The Emir is fairly strong, but the combined strength of France, Naples and Aragon will surely overwhelm him. Italy isn’t my primary area of interest, but the emir’s vassal, the Sheikh of Corsica controls the island of Corsica and the county of Nice. I would like to capture those territories. I am a little concerned this war may endanger my vassals in the middle east, but I think most of the Emir’s army is in Europe now. Thus, I declare war on Corsica and Luristan.
Given the Emir’s other opponents, I don’t think a full mobilization will be necessary. I call up my own troops in Cordoba and request that the regiments from Calatrava and Aracena meet me in Tarragona. We will sail to Corsica from there. Meanwhile, I send a message to Abdul-Majeed to gather his troops and march to Narbonne, where he will meet the regiments from Toledo, Molino, Burgos, and Viscaya. From there, he is to invade Nice when I give the word. Finally, I call upon the Duke of Armagnac, my uncle Jalaaladdin to lead the forces of the other vassals north of the Pyrenees. They will gather in Foix.
February 2, 1419. While I am still on my way to Tarragona, Jalaaladdin sends word that ’s 23,000 men in Foix are ready to march. I tell him to march eastward, but cautiously, I avoiding dangerous battles until reinforcements are near.
March 28, 1419. Jalalaaddin sends word that he has stopped his advance in Provence, as around 20,000 Emirate troops can be seen in Nice, Monferrato and the Ligurian Sea.
April 19, 1419. I sail with 19,000 men for Corsica. I send word for Jalaladdin to wait for further instructions as I don’t know whether additional troops will be needed for my siege of Corsica or my son’s attack on Nice.
May 4, 1419. Jalaladdin forced to move east ward by overpopulation with French and other troops. Meanwhile my son sets out from Narbonne toward Nice. Jalalladdin will make For San Luces and provide reinforcements to my son in Nice as needed.
September 7, 1419. My forces docked in Corsica. No troops are stationed here, so we begin the siege immediately. Abdul-Majeed has begun his advance toward Nice, but Jalaladdin was forced to leave Provence for San Luces. Too many troops from France were entering the area, and the land was being rapidly stripped of forage for the horses. In San Luces, he was attacked by the Emir’s forces fleeing from Nice, which is besieged by the Count of Cremona, a vassal of Naples.
September 16, 1419. My son has arrived in Nice and taken leadership of the siege there.
October 10, 1419. My son captures Nice, but losses due to attrition were heavy. Too many forces from Naples and France have been traversing the area. Jalaaladdin has sent a report that another large force of the Emirate 10,000 is gathering in Pavia. I request that he return to Nice to bolster the force of my son, who has only 7500 men left.
November 19, 1419. The Sheikhdom of Corsica’s last castle fell today. As my objectives for this war have been achieved, I will see if the Emir of Luristan will accept peace.
December 29, 1419. I exact a small amount of tribute from the Emir in return for peace.
January 15, 1420. While I have been away at war, my second son Uways has come of age. I have arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of the Count of Quzistan—I am sure she will be pleased to return to Europe, as she grew up at the court of the Duke of Francia. I grant Uways the new lands in Corsica. I have also approved a marriage between my sister Thana and Steven de Conteville.
February 12, 1422. My ally, King Gelasio died this winter. The wounds he has suffered in the war over the past few years took their toll, and he was not a young man. His son, Arcibaldo, is eager to continue our alliance, and I assent to that, though I do not intend to go to war against Luristan again at this time. Instead, I think I would rather expand our posessions elsewhere. The de Lomagne family has an old claim on the Duchy of Provence, and I think I can realistically lay claim to the County of Provence, as well.
In preparation for war, I gather the forces of Cordoba, Aracena, and Calatrava. I will lead them to Nice, while I send the forces in Asturias, Burgos and Viscaya to Narbonne.
March 7, 1422. Our old enemy, King Michele von Franken of France has treacherously declared war upon the King of Naples, despite their common enemy in Luristan. As I have not yet declared war on Provence, I decide to support my ally against France, instead. I have a number of claims to French lands that I can press. In particular, I will aim to capture Carcassonne and Agen. Both of these are held by minor vassals of von Franken.
However, France is a much stronger foe than Provence, and will require a larger scale mobilization. I will bring my forces to Armagnac, instead of Tarragonna. I will also call on a number of forces from my northern vassals to defend our lands. The forces of Albret, Armagnac, Angouleme and Labourd will gather in Limousin, those of Bearn, Foix, Toulouse and Perigord in Auvergne, and those of Navarra, Zaragoza, Soria and Catalayud in Angouleme. I hope that will be sufficient to handle this war. I am still wary of Croatia, though we have been at peace for over sixty years.
June 15, 1422. I have yet to see any signs of French troop movements, which seems strange. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Naples is having difficulty with his vassals. In retrospect, my alliance with him was hasty. Unfortunately, Arcibaldo has lost his mind, and will be of limited use as an ally. As I can have little expectation of help in this war from him, I will call on a few more forces. The regiments from Zamora, Valladolid, Molina and Salamanca are to go to Bearn, while those of Rossello, Urgueel, Barcelona and Empuries are summoned to Foix. These groups will provide reinforcements if ncessary.
July 3-, 1422. I declare war on the Count of Agen. Marshal Robert invades with 22,000 men from the South. The Dukes of Francia, Macon and Bourgogne declare war upon me. As I have heard that there is a small force under the Count of Macon in Macon, I ask Jaufret de Toulouse, the Count of Perigord to bring the forces gathered in Auvergne—approximately 9200 into Macon.
August 27, 1422. My vassals are besieging Agen and Macon, while my own forces hurry northward to the front.
September 6, 1422. The count of Macon has offered gold in return for peace, which I decide to accept. Jaufret can return to Auvergne.
September 15, 1422. Having arrived in Armagnac at last, I declare war on the Count of Carcassonne and lead nearly 20,000 men into their territory.
October 7, 1422. Word has come that Agen has fallen to Robert. I send a message urging him to lead his forces to Rouergue, the Count of Agen’s last stronghold. Meanwhile the troops in Foix will move to Agen to prevent it from being retaken by French forces. Jauffret attacks a small force of the Count of Carcassonne assembled in Macon.
October 22, 1422. Jauffret is concerned about French forces moving westward from Chalons, so I call upon the troops assembled under Jalalaadin to move to Auvergne and reinforce Jauffret in Macon, if necessary.
November 19, 1422. After a lengthy siege, the massive fortress of Carcassonne has at last fallen. The Count of Carcassonne not only is forced to grant me Carcassonne, but also yields his absurd claims on Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana. The Count’s forces defeated, I decide to head for the southernmost part of the demesne of the King of France in Chalons. Meanwhile, Marshal Robert reports that he has begun to besiege Rouergue.
January 11, 1423. Moving eastward, I was surprised by a small force from the King of France in Forez. Now that the initial shock of the assault is over, I am confident we will overcome him easily.
January 14, 1423. Robert captures Rouergue and the Count has little choice but to surrender Agen to me. I am willing to offer peace to France now. I hope that I have done enough to impair his assault against Naples.
January 20, 1423. We beat back the King’s forces in Forez. I shall move onward to Chalons if he fails to accept my offer to end the war.
January 24, 1423. I make peace with the Duke of Bourgogne.
January 27, 1423. The King of France has accepted my generous peace offer. I add Carcassonne to the holdings of my son Uways, the Count of Corsica. My brother Fayiz will be Count of Agen.
May 16, 1423. The Duke of Tejo has captured the throne of England! This may not swing the balance of power in western Europe quite as much as I initially thought. England has been struggling in a protracted war against the Seljuk Turks, who have overwhelmed their posessions in the East and captured parts of England.
August 10, 1423. My unfortunate daughter Hafsa has died in labor, leaving her husband with three young children.
February 28, 1424. As the King of Naples continues to struggle, Rome has fallen to the Sheikh of Venezia, who has carved out a considerable kingdom in Italy and Sicily. The Pope in Avignon has called for a crusade to rid Rome of the Saracens. It may, in fact, be time to beat back this wild counter-crusade that has been harassing western Europe in recent years. I really think the King of France is largely to blame for it, as he could have concentrated his efforts on Luristan instead of turning on Naples. I shall see about putting together an invading force.
My own forces in Cordoba, Calatrava and Toledo will head for Tarragona, from which we will sail for Rome. Meanwhile, I order my troops in Molina, Burgos and Viscaya to march for Barcelona. They will sail to Corsica to meet up with Uways’ forces.
June 24, 1424. I have been so impressed with the information young Alix de Vassy has brought me concerning troop movements in Italy that I decide to make her my new spymaster. As I have now reached Barcelona, I declare war on the Sheikhdom of Venezia, who has seized control of Rome and make arrangements for ships to carry my army of 22,000 to Rome. The Emir of Luristan declares war upon me to protect his vassal.
July 24, 1424. A number of my vassals have joined the crusade. I am concerned about the Duke of Palestine, because he is vulnerable to an assault from Luristan. Just to be on the safe side, I send messages to my regiments in Badajoz, Aracena, Granada to sail for the Holy Land and reinforce him.
November 27, 1424. . I lay claim to Castellon.
December 27, 1424. I land in Rome and begin the siege. My chancellor sends word that an old claim on Castellon, controlled by the King of Croatia has surfaced . As we have lost a fair number of troops, I ask the Duke of Mallorca to gather his forces to reinforce me.
January 15, 1425. I receive a message from Uways that he is ready to bring his forces to Italy. I send word for him to land at Livorno and make for Orvieto.
January 23, 1425. The emir sends four thousand men attempt to break my siege of Rome, but they shall not succeed.
February 13, 1425. My chaplain died today. I decide to replace him with Diocese bishop Pierre de Normandie. He’s rather elderly, but I don’t have time to seek a long term bishop while I’m fighting a war, and at least he seems unlikely to harass me with endless charges of heresy like that damned Marko Al Ayyubi.
February 23, 1425. The eternal city with all its marvels has at last fallen into my hands! We broke thrrough the walls of the Castello Sant’Angelo last night and slaughtered its last defenders.
May 1, 1425. Another of the Emir of Luristan’s vassals, the Sheikh of Azerbaijan has declared war upon us. Whatever.
May 10, 1425. Upon the death of the mad King of Naples, the new King of England, Philippe de Cournouaille suggests an alliance. As Naples appears to be dying, I decide to join up with England. Surely with the added troops from his posessions in France and North Africa, he will be able to beat back the Turks on his own.
May 26, 1425. My reinforcements arrive from Mallorca. I decide to head for Benevento, as my son should be able to defend Roma, if necessary.
June 15, 1425. Over the past week, I have won a glorious battle over forces of the Emir of Luristan in Capua. The mountainous terrain made for some tricky situations, but we were able to use it to our advantage, trapping him and destroying his army. Onward to Benevento!
August 4, 1425. I arrive in Benevento and prepare to lay siege. Uways sends word that the siege of Orvieto goes well and he hopes to capture the fortress within a month.
September 28, 1425. Now that both Benevento and Orvieto have fallen to our forces, I will see if the Emir is willing to make peace. Surely he can see that he cannot defeat us.
October 3, 1425. We are at peace. I make my brother Jawdat the Count of Benevento. I will continue to administer Roma myself for the time being. I also learn the Duke of Zaragoza captured the province of Deir in faraway Mesopotamia and has placed a vassal in charge of it.
October 26, 1425. My bastard brother the Duke of Galilee has declared independence, arguing that he can defend the lands from the infidels better if he is not relying on faraway Aragon. I guess he must have forgotten the fate of the old Duke of Palestine. It is irritating, but not worth going to war over that faraway land.
November 19, 1425. Now that I have returned to Cordoba, I am able to arrange a wedding for my daughter Zainab to Khaireddin de Normandie. Although he’s the brother of the Count of Kaliopolis, he makes his home here in Cordoba as do many of his family since the fall of the Kingdom of England.
November 25, 1425. Several of my children suffer from ill health. It must come from my wife’s family, since none of my own brothers or sisters have these chronic problems with breathing, coughing and wheezing. My son Wahab and daughter Rafiqa are particularly weak.
December 2, 1425. Continuing on my family-building, I marry my daughter Salaama to Aleardo von Franken, son and spymaster of the King of France. Perhaps we can improve relations with the von Franken’s. They are not so strong currently, but history shows that you can never count out the von Franken dynasty.
July 3, 1427. I welcome Pope Kresimir Trpimirovic to Cordoba. He decided to come down from Avignon to personally congratulate me on the success of my crusade. All the courts of Europe are watching, and Alix has even suggested that I could use this and my new posessions in Italy as a pretext for seizing the Kingdom of Naples. Naples is weak, she says, and could easily be captured. However, the King’s father and grandfather were friends of mine, and I will not turn upon the unfortunate young man.
October 16, 1427. Hoping to solidify relations with my new ally, the King of England, I offer to marry my son Burhanaddin to his sister Isabelle de Cournouaille. He happily accepts. Burhanaddin will be Count of Roma.
December 9, 1427. I decide that the crusade over, it is time to bring Provence under my control. I follow the same plan as before. Hopefully, fate will not intervene again.
March 19, 1428. I prepare my forces to sail to Nice, while Godfrey de Normandie gathers the forces in Narbonne.
September 21, 1428. I arrive in Nice and declare war on Provence. I march into Sanluces from Nice with almost 20,000 men; while Godfrey de Normandie marches 20,000 men eastward from Narbonne. I gather that Pope Kresimir, drunk on the success of the last crusade, now wishes to expel the muslims from Byzantium. I wish him well in that endeavour, but I have no interest in sending troops halfway across the world at the moment.
October 17, 1428. Godfrey battles the Duke in Provence, while I engage the forces of his vassal in San Luces..
November 5, 1428. Wonderful news from Provence. The Duke is routed and slain in battle, losing over 5,000 men, while Godfrey loses only 1,000 and begins the siege.
November 10, 1428. I crush the Count of San Luces losing barely 100 men and move to Fourcalquier.
November 15, 1428. Scarcely a year after coming to Cordoba himself to congratulate me on my services to all Christendom, the Pope now accuses me of skepticism and orders me to repent. What, I’m a heretic because I don’t choose to send my armies upon his every whim? I defy the pope to prove my skepticism. How dare he question the leader of a successful crusade!
January 13, 1429. We have utterly destroyed Provence, and I am Count and Duke of Provence. The Duke’s vassals swear fealty to me. I will grant these titles to Uways, who despite his delicate health is more energetic, more trustworthy and more skilled at intrigue and management than his brother. I think he should probably be my heir.
August 16, 1430. It seems my reign has been equally divided between warfare and weddings. The latest is my daughter Khadija, who will marry Robert de Conteville.
April 25, 1431. Alix brought me information that suggested that some of my Burghers in Viscaya had been planning an envoy to try and persuade me to change the tolls. I will brook no resistance to my law, and I have the leaders rounded up and their heads displayed on the ramparts of the old Royal Palace. Some see this as excessively harsh, but if I need to be harsh to prevent further uprisings like the one in Burgos a few years ago, so be it.
October 17, 1431. Xarles de Lomagne, Duke of Palestine declares independence, using the same idiotic pretext as the Duke of Galilee. If he wants his lands there, that’s one thing, but I do not intend to let him get away with his posessions in Valladolid and Bordeaux. I march for Molina, Marshal Khaireddin to Albret from Viscaya. I will also ship troops to the East from Badajoz, though I’m guessing we will be done with this war before they arrive.
December 13, 1431. I declare war on the Duke of Palestine and march 14,000 troops into Valladolid.
February 14, 1432. I crush the enemy in Valladolid and I hear that my marshal Khaireddin has defeated the troops from Bordeaux in Albret and is moving North. The Duke offers gold for peace, but I am not satisfied.
April 13, 1432. The Duke is forced to give up Valladolid and Bordeaux. He keeps Palestine, but that’s of far less import.
April 15, 1432. My son Wahab marries Elena di Canossa, eldest sister of the Count of Cremona. I will make him Count of Bordeaux.
May 28, 1434. The bishop passed away yesterday. It was no great surprise, as he was more than a decade older than me, and I feel older and slower every day. I don’t think I have another campaign in me. I will make Pau Arpad my new bishop.
December 30, 1434. The end of my days comes swiftly, but I am fortunate that I will pass in the presence of my family and friends who have gathered here to celebrate Christmas. I was able to build on my father’s foundations north of the Pyrenees, and we are clearly the strongest power in the Western Mediterranean. While I urge him to continue this policy, as I think the biggest long-term threat to us is a reestablishment of the old Von Franken empire, it appears Uways wants to pursue a more aggressive stance against the muslim states that are harrying Naples, France and England. I caution him about becoming too overextended in the East, as we cannot necessarily trust our Christian neighbors. Despite the accident he suffered in his youth, Uways has the forthright and energetic character of a warrior King.
Western Europe in 1434
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the von franken are really cats with 9 lives 
anyway i just love your AAR magritte it seems that you are the only 1 fighting with success against the mislims
anyway i just love your AAR magritte it seems that you are the only 1 fighting with success against the mislims
I don't think I've ever seen the muslim states doing so much damage in western Europe so late in the game. I think grabbing as much of France as I have is likely to prevent von Franken from reemerging as a major power, unless Aragon falls apart under my last ruler...a distinct possibility for reasons that you will see from the next reign.
Diary of Uways de Lomagne (1403-1439) King of Aragon, Portugal and Leon. Duke of Ascalon, Asturias and Provence, Count of Viscaya, Asturias de Santillana, Asturias de Oviedo, Molina, Cordoba, Aracena, Badajoz, Calatrava, Toledo, Valladolid, Burgos, Carcassonne, Provence, Corsica and Orvieto.
Father passed away quietly last night. It was a somewhat somber Christmas season, as Father was very weak, but we were able to discuss the future of the Kingdom. I feel my primary responsibility as King is to drive the muslim scourge from western Europe. This task falls to us because England, Naples and France have proven too weak to stem the tide, and Germany has shown little interest. It is a shameful thing that six years have passed since the Pope called a crusade to rescue the former seat of the Eastern Roman Empire from the clutches of the Emir of Lut, and the only realm that has answered the call is the Teutonic Order of Knights. The Emirate is a foe well beyond their strength and Aragon must take up the sword.
I am also disappointed with the quality of the houses of God in some of our provinces. I plan to build several new domed churches to celebrate His glory. I am deeply disturbed that more of our cities have vile, ungodly moneylenders than truly great cathedrals.
I am very happy with the quality of father’s advisors. I have known Beltrano and Anisa since I was a child, as they have both served in their posts for over twenty years, and I practically grew up with Marshal Khaireddin. Alix was only a girl when I left for Corsica, but my Father thought very highly of her skill as spymaster.
I have a number of properties that lie far from Cordoba and I will need to find others to take care of them. I will give Orvieto to the Count of Roma, my young nephew Ibrahim de Lomagne. Corsica, Provence and the title Duke of Provence, I bestow upon Akab de Lomagne, the brother of the Duke of Salamanca. The mighty walled city of Carcassonne I grant to Hafiz de Lomagne, the Count of Narbonne.
Although Anisa urges me to focus on internal matters, I fear the unfortunate people of Byzantium have already waited far too long for rescue. In deference to her concern for the integrity of the Kingdom, I will not call upon the troops of my vassals. I think that I will be able to capture Byzantium using only the troops from my own demesne. I muster all the forces in my demesne except Asturias and Viscaya, and order them to head for my vassal’s territory in Chalkidike as quickly as possible. That amounts to some 60,000 men. Of course, we will not all arrive simultaneously, but I will break us into different armies as we arrive.
December 23, 1435. I docked in Chalkidike at last this morning. My poor wife is now heavy with child, and the rocking motion of the boat was very hard on her. Perhaps it was a mistake to take her, but I did not want to be separated for so long.
The first wave of my troops consists of only about 10,000 men. My army suffered terrible losses in the Sierra de Cuenca last winter. Regiments from too many parts of my demesne were trying to take the passes to the coast at the same time and we were struck by freak heavy snowstorms that made it difficult to forage for food. I now only expect about 25,000 of the original 60,000 men I called upon to actually arrive here. Worse, Alix tells me her advance scouts report that the Emir’s forces have grown. However, most of the emirates posessions are on the steppes far to the northeast or in eastern Anatolia, and much of his force may be as far away as mine.
Still, there is little choice but to call upon my vassals for aid. I send messages back to my vassals in Italy, and all those in France except those bordering von Franken’s kingdom, and the mediterranean coast of Aragon to sail for Chalkidike. Naturally, I also call upon the Count of Chalkidike to march with me.
It will take these additional forces a long time to arrive. In the meantime, I declare war on the Emir and will take my small army toward Byzantium and see what size of force will oppose us.
December 28, 1435. My wife gave birth to a fifth son, Nasir. They will remain behind in Chalkidike of course. With the steady stream of troops expected over the next few months, I am confident they will be safe there.
January 24, 1436. Murtaza Omar sent word that he has arrived in Chalkidike, with about 7000 men. I instruct him to head north, where a small force led by the Sheikh of Tyrnovo, a vassal of the Emir’s, has gathered.
February 4, 1436. As we were entering the valley of the Evros River in Adrianopolis, we were surprised to encounter a force of approximately 8000 men led by the Emir of Lut. His forces were moving southward on the other side of the river. Unfortunately, he was too cowardly to engage us, and fled to Kaliopolis before us. I am tempted to pursue him, but our principle objective is Byzantium, so I make haste for Thrake. I send a horseman to ride back to Chalkidike to instruct Girard, who should have arrived from Burgos by now to join Murtaza in Tyrnovo, in case the Emir heads that way.
February 28, 1436. We arrived at the walls of the great city itself today. Surprisingly, it appears that the Emir has left it largely undefended, though its massive fortress will still take some time to capture.
April 22, 1436. While we wait outside the walls of Constantinople, good news has arrived from Tyrnovo. Murtaza and Girard have completely routed the forces of the Emirate of Lut.
June 11, 1436. As it appears I will have to fight his forces anyway, I decide to declare war on the Sheikh of Tyrnovo. Jawdat’s regiment from Benevento has arrived in Chalkidike and will head up there to assist with the siege. The Emir appears to be focusing his forces there, as a number of regiments from the steppes have arrived.
August 8, 1436. The reinforcements I requested months ago are slowly trickling in. Nasr Luzzatti, marshal of the Count of Roma, has brought over 7000 men to Chalkidike. As it appears that the Emir is bringing forces from Anatolia, I dispatch a messenger requesting that he move to Kaliopolis to intercept any additional forces arriving.
October 7, 1436. After several months of intermittent fighting, the Emir forced Jawdat’s army to retreat, breaking the siege at Tyrnovo. Valiant old Beltrano of Bornholm, steward of the relm for forty years, was severely wounded in the fighting. Fortunately, the Duke Akab de Lomagne of Provence has made it to Chalkidike now and has about 10,000 men under his command. Meanwhile, we sit and wait outside the gates of Byzantium. At least the land is rich and can easily support my forces, so I still have over 10,000 men.
November 21, 1436. Success at last. With winter approaching and their food stores diminishing, Byzantium was forced to surrender. We rejoice in our conquest
and praise God for our victory. My bishop and I will go to Hagia Sofia tomorrow to consecrate Justinian’s monument to the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, its beautiful mosaics were destroyed by the infidels, but its dome still soars majestically above the city.
More of my men continue to arrive. Duke Ramir von Bonngau of Zaragoza’s troops are in Chalkidike, and I think I will have them defend Barcelona. My own troops, and those of Nasir will travel across Anatolia toward the Emir’s properties in Teluch.
However, I still have over 10,000 men. Nasr and I will head for the Emir’s lands in Teluch while 10,000 men under the Duke Ramir von Bonngau will defend Byzantium from counterattack.
February 5, 1437. I have had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with young Richard d’Audley on our march across Anatolia, and am quite impressed. Unfortunately, he was sired by Edward d’Audley out of wedlock. However, in the case of such a gifted and creative young man, I will simply have to bend the rules a little. He may be the best replacement available for Beltrano when he passes into the next world.
March 13, 1437. We reached Teluch and lay siege to the city. I had been concerned that we might face a difficult battle in the high passes through the Taurus Mountains, but it appears his forces are very limited. I am quite concerned by the fact that we have not encountered very large forces under the Emir’s banner anywhere. Could they be assailing my homeland in Iberia?
March 20, 1437. Wonderful news arrived from the west this morning. Firstly, we liberated Tyrnovo, which will now be ruled by the Duke of Armagnac. Furthermore, Bishop Pau has succeeded in converting the vast majority of the population of Byzantium to the Roman faith! Surely, this will soon mean the end of the schism that has long divided the Holy Church. Although, I am tempted to continue the fight, the remainder of the Emir’s lands are far from our base of power, and I am mindful of my father’s advice concerning warfare in the East. I think I will see if the Emir is willing to sign a peace agreement.
March 25, 1437. We are at peace and it is time to go home. There are urgent matters to attend to back in Iberia. I have learned that Alcantara and Sevilla have broken free of the Kingdom of Croatia, and I am inclined to take them on. While now that Constantinople itself is loyal to the Pope, the Eastern church will surely wither, but it cannot hurt to accelerate the process by capturing these heretical provinces. I claim the title of the horrid kinslayer Ibrahim Kosaca, Count of Sevilla. I already have solid, established claims on Alcantara. As soon as I am back in Spain, we will declare war. My last move before boarding the ship is to make my daughter Suhaila the Countess of Byzantium. who has recently turned 16, will be Countess of Byzantium. New marshal: Eustace d’Audley: wise, skeptical, knowledgeable tactician, deceitful.
June 6, 1437. I declare war on Sevilla and Alcantara and invade with my regiment. I have selected a new marshal, Eustace d’Audley, and he will lead the regiment from Toledo to Alcantara.
October 8, 1437. Eustace has captured Alcantara. The Count of Alcantara has been forced to yield not only Alcantara, but a number of claims, including an outrageous one upon the Kingdom of Aragon.
November 16, 1437. The Count of Sevilla has surrendered the province to my army. He also drops claims on Valladolid and Aracena. With our latest conquests, Anisa tells me that we can realistically revive a couple of old titles—King of Castille and Duke of Badajoz. All the traditional Kingdoms of Iberia are now united under the de Lomagne name. Count Fortun de Lomagne of Mertola will now be Duke of Badajoz.
January 11, 1438. After a brief respite from war, I have decided that the ongoing demolition of the Kingdom of England by the Seljuk Turks is simply intolerable. We cannot stand idle while a powerful muslim Kingdom establishes itself in Western Europe. Perhaps if I can drive the Seljuks out of northern France, the English will be able to halt the bleeding in England and North Africa. My doctors urge me to rest more, but I would rather have a short life in which I accomplish a great deal than a long, indolent one.
The Seljuks have tens of thousands of men to their call. While I have more than that, I would prefer to keep the forces of most of my vassals in Spain in reserve, in case of an attack from elsewhere. However, I will call up most of my own demesne’s armies, as well as those of my vassals in France and northern Spain.
I have decided to divide my forces into four primary offensive armies which will spearhead the assault and four secondary armies of somewhat smaller size that will defend our lands and provide reinforcements as required. The primary armies will consist mostly of troops from my demesne and will be led by me, by the Count Santi de Lomagne of Albret, by Count Wahab de Lomagne of Bordeaux, and by Count Zubeyr de Lomagne of Auvergne. I have decided that the new lands should mostly go to cousins who have not wide lands of their own already. The secondary armies will gather in Carcassonne, Agen, Angouleme and Armagnac.
July 26, 1438. I am ready for war. I declare war upon two major vassals of the Seljuk Turks in Brittany: The Sheikhdom of Lut and the Sheikhdom of Hampshire. The Seljuk Turks and some of their other vassals will naturally retaliate. I begin to much northward toward Touraine, order Zubeyr to Bourges,Wahab to Nantes, and Santi to Poitiers.
It occurs to me that there is a great irony in an Arabic-speaking Christian King based in Cordoba advancing northward to Potiers to drive the muslims from France in the same lands where Charles Martel defeated the Umayyads seven centuries ago.
My vassals have informed me that the Sheikh of Hampshire already has troops in our realm, that were apparently in transit to North Africa. The forces in Agen will take him on there, while Jafar will lead the troops gathered in Carcassonne south to Rosello and try to destroy the sheikh’s forces before they can reinforce the war against England in North Africa.
August 16, 1438. I lay siege to Touraine.
September 5, 1438. The war appears to go well. The Sheikh’s forces were crushed in Agen and Rosello, and Zubeyr besieges Bourges. It appears that the Seljuks have most of their forces tied up in England and North Africa, as there has been little opposition to our progress thus far.
October 19, 1438. Bourges and Tours have fallen to our forces. I will press on to Rennes. While resistance has been quite limited thus far, a number of regiments are gathering to the east. In order to head them off, I request that Zubeyr split his forces, leaving a small contingent to defend Bourges while heading to Avranches with the remainder. That force will be reinforced by troops from Agen, under the leadership of the Count of Agen’s marshal.
November 13, 1438. The Papal Envoy caught up with me on the road through Anjou. The pope wanted to extend his congratulations and thanks for the capture of Byzantium. Apparently, he wanted to visit me in Cordoba, but had been having trouble getting hold of me.
November 18, 1438. Victory in Maine.
November 24, 1438. I arrive in Rennes, where a few archers attempted to ambush us under the control of the Bey of Cournouaille. I was initially alarmed, but it turned out they numbered only a few dozen men. Zubeyr faced rather more serious opposition from the Sheikh of Hampshire in Maine, but was victorious and is continuing north to Avranches.
December 1, 1438. Anisa has sent word that I may have a legitimate claim on the Count of Faro through a recent inheritance. However, Faro is ruled by a distant cousin of mine, Bermudo de Lomagne. I see no reason to lay claim to a title already within my Kingdom.
January 1, 1439. The campaign continues to go extremely well. Nantes and Poitiers are now in our hands. I can only assume that the Seljuks have written off their posessions on the continent and are concentrating on defeating England. I order Eudes to go from Poitiers to Vannes , and Wahab to move on to Cournouaille. I also declare war on the Bey of Cournouaille. We will drive the Turks into the Channel.
February 11, 1439. Rennes is mine, and I have also received word that Zubeyr has captured Avranches. I declare war on the Sheikh of Leon and march upon his demesne.
March 23, 1439. I am unopposed in Leon, apart from the small garrison in the castle. The last three strongholds of the Turk in Brittany are under siege.
June 15, 1439. Leon, Vannes and Cournouaille are all in our posession. In most of the new territories, we are welcomed as liberators. However, here in Leon, matters are different. Unfortunately, I learn to my shock that many of the people of Leon have endangered their immortal souls by converting to the Turk’s vile religion.
has fallen, but I learn that the populace has largely converted to Islam.
June 17, 1439. I make peace. Unfortunately, after making peace I realize that the Bey of Chester still holds Vexin, so I have not eliminated him from the continent. Still, I am weary and sick, and this was a great victory for Christendom. I have done all I can for the moment. I grant Rennes to my mother the Countess of Evreux. Tourraine and Leon, I bequeath to Ruknaddin de Lomagne.
It is time to spend some time at home. My three eldest sons are old enough now to begin learning something of statecraft, though they are still a few years from being men. It is time to rest.
August 29, 1439. Poor Beltrano, my steward has become delirious and feverish. It seems the wound he received at Tyrnovo has grown inflamed again. I myself am also feeling weak and unwell. On the positive side, my fifth son, Nasir, is a true joy. Though only three, everyone is so impressed by his strength, coordination, intelligence, good looks and charm. So much so that my courtiers think Nasir should really be my heir.
September 10, 1439. My weakness has progressed rapidly and I do not know if I can even finish this day out. While my health was always frail, I had hoped for more time than this. I am very afraid for the future of the Kingdom, and wish now that I had held out for one of the older boys as King. Talented as Nasir is, he will not be able to rule for over a decade. I love and trust Chancellor Anisa as a sister, but she is old and I know not who will replace her. I can only trust in God that he will continue to shepherd over the Kingdom of Aragon as he has in the past.
It seems my time has come. I go to my maker, hopeful that He will weigh my efforts to return the light of Christ to Byzantium and Brittany against my own failings and find me worthy to join Him in Heaven.
Western Europe in 1439
Eastern Mediterranean in 1439
Father passed away quietly last night. It was a somewhat somber Christmas season, as Father was very weak, but we were able to discuss the future of the Kingdom. I feel my primary responsibility as King is to drive the muslim scourge from western Europe. This task falls to us because England, Naples and France have proven too weak to stem the tide, and Germany has shown little interest. It is a shameful thing that six years have passed since the Pope called a crusade to rescue the former seat of the Eastern Roman Empire from the clutches of the Emir of Lut, and the only realm that has answered the call is the Teutonic Order of Knights. The Emirate is a foe well beyond their strength and Aragon must take up the sword.
I am also disappointed with the quality of the houses of God in some of our provinces. I plan to build several new domed churches to celebrate His glory. I am deeply disturbed that more of our cities have vile, ungodly moneylenders than truly great cathedrals.
I am very happy with the quality of father’s advisors. I have known Beltrano and Anisa since I was a child, as they have both served in their posts for over twenty years, and I practically grew up with Marshal Khaireddin. Alix was only a girl when I left for Corsica, but my Father thought very highly of her skill as spymaster.
I have a number of properties that lie far from Cordoba and I will need to find others to take care of them. I will give Orvieto to the Count of Roma, my young nephew Ibrahim de Lomagne. Corsica, Provence and the title Duke of Provence, I bestow upon Akab de Lomagne, the brother of the Duke of Salamanca. The mighty walled city of Carcassonne I grant to Hafiz de Lomagne, the Count of Narbonne.
Although Anisa urges me to focus on internal matters, I fear the unfortunate people of Byzantium have already waited far too long for rescue. In deference to her concern for the integrity of the Kingdom, I will not call upon the troops of my vassals. I think that I will be able to capture Byzantium using only the troops from my own demesne. I muster all the forces in my demesne except Asturias and Viscaya, and order them to head for my vassal’s territory in Chalkidike as quickly as possible. That amounts to some 60,000 men. Of course, we will not all arrive simultaneously, but I will break us into different armies as we arrive.
December 23, 1435. I docked in Chalkidike at last this morning. My poor wife is now heavy with child, and the rocking motion of the boat was very hard on her. Perhaps it was a mistake to take her, but I did not want to be separated for so long.
The first wave of my troops consists of only about 10,000 men. My army suffered terrible losses in the Sierra de Cuenca last winter. Regiments from too many parts of my demesne were trying to take the passes to the coast at the same time and we were struck by freak heavy snowstorms that made it difficult to forage for food. I now only expect about 25,000 of the original 60,000 men I called upon to actually arrive here. Worse, Alix tells me her advance scouts report that the Emir’s forces have grown. However, most of the emirates posessions are on the steppes far to the northeast or in eastern Anatolia, and much of his force may be as far away as mine.
Still, there is little choice but to call upon my vassals for aid. I send messages back to my vassals in Italy, and all those in France except those bordering von Franken’s kingdom, and the mediterranean coast of Aragon to sail for Chalkidike. Naturally, I also call upon the Count of Chalkidike to march with me.
It will take these additional forces a long time to arrive. In the meantime, I declare war on the Emir and will take my small army toward Byzantium and see what size of force will oppose us.
December 28, 1435. My wife gave birth to a fifth son, Nasir. They will remain behind in Chalkidike of course. With the steady stream of troops expected over the next few months, I am confident they will be safe there.
January 24, 1436. Murtaza Omar sent word that he has arrived in Chalkidike, with about 7000 men. I instruct him to head north, where a small force led by the Sheikh of Tyrnovo, a vassal of the Emir’s, has gathered.
February 4, 1436. As we were entering the valley of the Evros River in Adrianopolis, we were surprised to encounter a force of approximately 8000 men led by the Emir of Lut. His forces were moving southward on the other side of the river. Unfortunately, he was too cowardly to engage us, and fled to Kaliopolis before us. I am tempted to pursue him, but our principle objective is Byzantium, so I make haste for Thrake. I send a horseman to ride back to Chalkidike to instruct Girard, who should have arrived from Burgos by now to join Murtaza in Tyrnovo, in case the Emir heads that way.
February 28, 1436. We arrived at the walls of the great city itself today. Surprisingly, it appears that the Emir has left it largely undefended, though its massive fortress will still take some time to capture.
April 22, 1436. While we wait outside the walls of Constantinople, good news has arrived from Tyrnovo. Murtaza and Girard have completely routed the forces of the Emirate of Lut.
June 11, 1436. As it appears I will have to fight his forces anyway, I decide to declare war on the Sheikh of Tyrnovo. Jawdat’s regiment from Benevento has arrived in Chalkidike and will head up there to assist with the siege. The Emir appears to be focusing his forces there, as a number of regiments from the steppes have arrived.
August 8, 1436. The reinforcements I requested months ago are slowly trickling in. Nasr Luzzatti, marshal of the Count of Roma, has brought over 7000 men to Chalkidike. As it appears that the Emir is bringing forces from Anatolia, I dispatch a messenger requesting that he move to Kaliopolis to intercept any additional forces arriving.
October 7, 1436. After several months of intermittent fighting, the Emir forced Jawdat’s army to retreat, breaking the siege at Tyrnovo. Valiant old Beltrano of Bornholm, steward of the relm for forty years, was severely wounded in the fighting. Fortunately, the Duke Akab de Lomagne of Provence has made it to Chalkidike now and has about 10,000 men under his command. Meanwhile, we sit and wait outside the gates of Byzantium. At least the land is rich and can easily support my forces, so I still have over 10,000 men.
November 21, 1436. Success at last. With winter approaching and their food stores diminishing, Byzantium was forced to surrender. We rejoice in our conquest
and praise God for our victory. My bishop and I will go to Hagia Sofia tomorrow to consecrate Justinian’s monument to the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, its beautiful mosaics were destroyed by the infidels, but its dome still soars majestically above the city.
More of my men continue to arrive. Duke Ramir von Bonngau of Zaragoza’s troops are in Chalkidike, and I think I will have them defend Barcelona. My own troops, and those of Nasir will travel across Anatolia toward the Emir’s properties in Teluch.
However, I still have over 10,000 men. Nasr and I will head for the Emir’s lands in Teluch while 10,000 men under the Duke Ramir von Bonngau will defend Byzantium from counterattack.
February 5, 1437. I have had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with young Richard d’Audley on our march across Anatolia, and am quite impressed. Unfortunately, he was sired by Edward d’Audley out of wedlock. However, in the case of such a gifted and creative young man, I will simply have to bend the rules a little. He may be the best replacement available for Beltrano when he passes into the next world.
March 13, 1437. We reached Teluch and lay siege to the city. I had been concerned that we might face a difficult battle in the high passes through the Taurus Mountains, but it appears his forces are very limited. I am quite concerned by the fact that we have not encountered very large forces under the Emir’s banner anywhere. Could they be assailing my homeland in Iberia?
March 20, 1437. Wonderful news arrived from the west this morning. Firstly, we liberated Tyrnovo, which will now be ruled by the Duke of Armagnac. Furthermore, Bishop Pau has succeeded in converting the vast majority of the population of Byzantium to the Roman faith! Surely, this will soon mean the end of the schism that has long divided the Holy Church. Although, I am tempted to continue the fight, the remainder of the Emir’s lands are far from our base of power, and I am mindful of my father’s advice concerning warfare in the East. I think I will see if the Emir is willing to sign a peace agreement.
March 25, 1437. We are at peace and it is time to go home. There are urgent matters to attend to back in Iberia. I have learned that Alcantara and Sevilla have broken free of the Kingdom of Croatia, and I am inclined to take them on. While now that Constantinople itself is loyal to the Pope, the Eastern church will surely wither, but it cannot hurt to accelerate the process by capturing these heretical provinces. I claim the title of the horrid kinslayer Ibrahim Kosaca, Count of Sevilla. I already have solid, established claims on Alcantara. As soon as I am back in Spain, we will declare war. My last move before boarding the ship is to make my daughter Suhaila the Countess of Byzantium. who has recently turned 16, will be Countess of Byzantium. New marshal: Eustace d’Audley: wise, skeptical, knowledgeable tactician, deceitful.
June 6, 1437. I declare war on Sevilla and Alcantara and invade with my regiment. I have selected a new marshal, Eustace d’Audley, and he will lead the regiment from Toledo to Alcantara.
October 8, 1437. Eustace has captured Alcantara. The Count of Alcantara has been forced to yield not only Alcantara, but a number of claims, including an outrageous one upon the Kingdom of Aragon.
November 16, 1437. The Count of Sevilla has surrendered the province to my army. He also drops claims on Valladolid and Aracena. With our latest conquests, Anisa tells me that we can realistically revive a couple of old titles—King of Castille and Duke of Badajoz. All the traditional Kingdoms of Iberia are now united under the de Lomagne name. Count Fortun de Lomagne of Mertola will now be Duke of Badajoz.
January 11, 1438. After a brief respite from war, I have decided that the ongoing demolition of the Kingdom of England by the Seljuk Turks is simply intolerable. We cannot stand idle while a powerful muslim Kingdom establishes itself in Western Europe. Perhaps if I can drive the Seljuks out of northern France, the English will be able to halt the bleeding in England and North Africa. My doctors urge me to rest more, but I would rather have a short life in which I accomplish a great deal than a long, indolent one.
The Seljuks have tens of thousands of men to their call. While I have more than that, I would prefer to keep the forces of most of my vassals in Spain in reserve, in case of an attack from elsewhere. However, I will call up most of my own demesne’s armies, as well as those of my vassals in France and northern Spain.
I have decided to divide my forces into four primary offensive armies which will spearhead the assault and four secondary armies of somewhat smaller size that will defend our lands and provide reinforcements as required. The primary armies will consist mostly of troops from my demesne and will be led by me, by the Count Santi de Lomagne of Albret, by Count Wahab de Lomagne of Bordeaux, and by Count Zubeyr de Lomagne of Auvergne. I have decided that the new lands should mostly go to cousins who have not wide lands of their own already. The secondary armies will gather in Carcassonne, Agen, Angouleme and Armagnac.
July 26, 1438. I am ready for war. I declare war upon two major vassals of the Seljuk Turks in Brittany: The Sheikhdom of Lut and the Sheikhdom of Hampshire. The Seljuk Turks and some of their other vassals will naturally retaliate. I begin to much northward toward Touraine, order Zubeyr to Bourges,Wahab to Nantes, and Santi to Poitiers.
It occurs to me that there is a great irony in an Arabic-speaking Christian King based in Cordoba advancing northward to Potiers to drive the muslims from France in the same lands where Charles Martel defeated the Umayyads seven centuries ago.
My vassals have informed me that the Sheikh of Hampshire already has troops in our realm, that were apparently in transit to North Africa. The forces in Agen will take him on there, while Jafar will lead the troops gathered in Carcassonne south to Rosello and try to destroy the sheikh’s forces before they can reinforce the war against England in North Africa.
August 16, 1438. I lay siege to Touraine.
September 5, 1438. The war appears to go well. The Sheikh’s forces were crushed in Agen and Rosello, and Zubeyr besieges Bourges. It appears that the Seljuks have most of their forces tied up in England and North Africa, as there has been little opposition to our progress thus far.
October 19, 1438. Bourges and Tours have fallen to our forces. I will press on to Rennes. While resistance has been quite limited thus far, a number of regiments are gathering to the east. In order to head them off, I request that Zubeyr split his forces, leaving a small contingent to defend Bourges while heading to Avranches with the remainder. That force will be reinforced by troops from Agen, under the leadership of the Count of Agen’s marshal.
November 13, 1438. The Papal Envoy caught up with me on the road through Anjou. The pope wanted to extend his congratulations and thanks for the capture of Byzantium. Apparently, he wanted to visit me in Cordoba, but had been having trouble getting hold of me.
November 18, 1438. Victory in Maine.
November 24, 1438. I arrive in Rennes, where a few archers attempted to ambush us under the control of the Bey of Cournouaille. I was initially alarmed, but it turned out they numbered only a few dozen men. Zubeyr faced rather more serious opposition from the Sheikh of Hampshire in Maine, but was victorious and is continuing north to Avranches.
December 1, 1438. Anisa has sent word that I may have a legitimate claim on the Count of Faro through a recent inheritance. However, Faro is ruled by a distant cousin of mine, Bermudo de Lomagne. I see no reason to lay claim to a title already within my Kingdom.
January 1, 1439. The campaign continues to go extremely well. Nantes and Poitiers are now in our hands. I can only assume that the Seljuks have written off their posessions on the continent and are concentrating on defeating England. I order Eudes to go from Poitiers to Vannes , and Wahab to move on to Cournouaille. I also declare war on the Bey of Cournouaille. We will drive the Turks into the Channel.
February 11, 1439. Rennes is mine, and I have also received word that Zubeyr has captured Avranches. I declare war on the Sheikh of Leon and march upon his demesne.
March 23, 1439. I am unopposed in Leon, apart from the small garrison in the castle. The last three strongholds of the Turk in Brittany are under siege.
June 15, 1439. Leon, Vannes and Cournouaille are all in our posession. In most of the new territories, we are welcomed as liberators. However, here in Leon, matters are different. Unfortunately, I learn to my shock that many of the people of Leon have endangered their immortal souls by converting to the Turk’s vile religion.
has fallen, but I learn that the populace has largely converted to Islam.
June 17, 1439. I make peace. Unfortunately, after making peace I realize that the Bey of Chester still holds Vexin, so I have not eliminated him from the continent. Still, I am weary and sick, and this was a great victory for Christendom. I have done all I can for the moment. I grant Rennes to my mother the Countess of Evreux. Tourraine and Leon, I bequeath to Ruknaddin de Lomagne.
It is time to spend some time at home. My three eldest sons are old enough now to begin learning something of statecraft, though they are still a few years from being men. It is time to rest.
August 29, 1439. Poor Beltrano, my steward has become delirious and feverish. It seems the wound he received at Tyrnovo has grown inflamed again. I myself am also feeling weak and unwell. On the positive side, my fifth son, Nasir, is a true joy. Though only three, everyone is so impressed by his strength, coordination, intelligence, good looks and charm. So much so that my courtiers think Nasir should really be my heir.
September 10, 1439. My weakness has progressed rapidly and I do not know if I can even finish this day out. While my health was always frail, I had hoped for more time than this. I am very afraid for the future of the Kingdom, and wish now that I had held out for one of the older boys as King. Talented as Nasir is, he will not be able to rule for over a decade. I love and trust Chancellor Anisa as a sister, but she is old and I know not who will replace her. I can only trust in God that he will continue to shepherd over the Kingdom of Aragon as he has in the past.
It seems my time has come. I go to my maker, hopeful that He will weigh my efforts to return the light of Christ to Byzantium and Brittany against my own failings and find me worthy to join Him in Heaven.
Western Europe in 1439
Eastern Mediterranean in 1439
Diary of Nasir de Lomagne (1435-) King of Aragon, Portugal, Leon and Castille, Duke of Ascalon and Asturias, Count of Cordoba, Badajoz, Asturias de Santillana, Sevilla, Viscaya, Burgos, Toledo, Molina, Aracena, Calatrava, Asturias de Oviedo, Valladolid and Alcantara.
September 11, 1439. Mommy told me daddy was gone today. I thought he was gone to war again. But she says he’s in heaven now and I’m King. I think that means I get to tell everyone what to do, but mommy says I have to listen to Aunt Anisa because I’m little. She’s not really my aunt, but she wants me to call her that. She’s the chanseler and she’s very smart. She told me I need a new stuerd, ‘cause the old one got sick. He coughs a lot, so I guess he can’t count all our money anymore. The new one is called Charles de Normandie.
November 12, 1439. The last two months there have been all these strange people coming to the palace. Aunt Anisa says they’re my “vassals”. Every time one comes we have this big dinner and I have to do this stupid ceremony. Basically they promise to do what I tell them, but it takes so long and they all say the same things. There have been so many. I can’t even count that high. It’s really boring. Then when they leave, we give them all these presents. Aunt Anisa says it’s so they’ll like me and will keep their promises. I don’t know where all these jewels and gold goblets and dishes and swords and stuff come from, but Charles says we have lots of money and I don’t have to worry.
August 26, 1440. A bunch of merchants from Alcantara came to the court and were complaining about the laws. I didn’t understand what it was all about but Anisa said I couldn’t let them convince me to change anything. She says that if I change the laws my vassals will be mad at me and they have armies, so it’s better to have angry merchants.
October 17,1440. I watched them chop off the head of Alice de Barcelona-Urgell today. It was pretty gross. She was a bad lady who murdered her father.
June 4, 1441. Marshal Eustace says it’s time for me to start learning to fight, so I’m practicing with wooden swords against my brother Sharaf and Marshal Eustace’s nephews Arnold and Reginald d’Audley. It’s fun but my brother’s bigger than me and it’s not fair. I’m quick, though and the marshal thinks I’m going to be a good soldier.
June 23, 1441. Marshal Eustace is going to lead some troops to Granada. The Count of Granada is my cousin Tibaud de Lomagne, but the Bishop says he’s a bad man who doesn’t believe in God. The church cast him out and he’s mad at his father, the Duke of Armagnac. Anyway, Cordoba is a lot closer to Granada than Armagnac, so Marshal Eustace says we should go and fight him right away. I want to come but he says I’m too young.
October 8, 1441. One of my vassals has broken his oath. Anisa says he killed somebody in his family and is really mean. I kind of remember him ‘cause he couldn’t speak Arabic or Basque and he had a funny name “Engelbrecht Billung”, Duke of Catalonia. Anyway, he wants to be King of Aragon now and we can’t let him do that. I don’t know what to do, cause the marshal’s in Granada, but Anisa says we have other armies in Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana and other people in court can lead them—Marshal Eustace is just the best.
October 23, 1441. I got to travel to Granada. The bad count had been driven out of the castle and I owned that province now It was fun because I’d never to been to the mountains before. The people in the city didn’t seem very happy, but Marshal Eustace said it was because of the siege.
May 14, 1442. The bishop says the Pope is calling another crusade to free Jerusalem from the muslims. I thought my great-grandfather did that, but I guess they came back. Anisa doesn’t think it’s a good idea to go on a crusade right now, though. She thinks we should wait ‘till I’m older.
July 1, 1442. The Pope doesn’t want us to continue our war on the wicked Duke of Catalonia. It’s hard for me to understand, because I was told the Duke wasn’t even allowed to take communion because he’s so bad. But Anisa says we have to stop fighting, because if we don’t the Pope will be mad at me.
May 28, 1444. The people of province of Sevilla have joined the Catholic church. A lot of people in southern Iberia follow the Orthodox Church because of the Croatians, but we are bringing back to the true Church.
September 13, 1445. My older brother Anwar, who had been sick for a long time, passed away today. I suppose I shouldn’t say this, but I never really liked him. He was much meaner to me than my other brothers, and very full of himself.
March 30, 1446. The new pope, Dan de Baux has declared the crusade a failure. Anisa says the time of the crusades may be coming to an end. People don’t respect the authority of the Pope the way they used to when she was a girl. Anyway, Jerusalem’s not actually muslim anymore, but Orthodox.. The Prince of Hellas, one of the vassals of the King of Croatia has captured it.
April 1, 1446. Anisa, my spymaster Alis and Eustace all think this would be a good time to make war on Croatia. Capturing all of Iberia has been a long-term goal of the Kingdom of Aragon for generations. I’m excited because Eustace says I’m old enough to participate in the planning and travel with the army now. I’m still too small to fight, but he says he’ll find safe positions for me to watch the battles and learn about how to use terrain to advantage, use of reserves to bolster key positions and so on.
It’s going to be a complicated war because to force Croatia to make peace, we’ll need to attack them in their homeland as well as here in Iberia. The plan is to put most of my demesne’s forces in Granada and Calatrava, while moving forces from my vassals in Portugal to Niebla and some of the ones in Catalonia to Calatayud. The main offensive strikes will be by the forces from my demesne and I will be with the regiment traveling to Granada. The invasion force for the eastern posessions will be mostly composed of the vassals north of the Pyrenees and northwest Spain, and will gather in several groups—Toulouse, Dauphine, Narbonne, and Carcassonne. We will not mobilize everybody, in case some more troops are needed for defense.
July 1, 1446. It took several months, but the major forces in Iberia are ready to go to war. We declare war on the Prince of Slavonia, the Prince of Croatia and the Count of Denia
Our major forces in Iberia are deployed. We are ready to go to war! Declare war on Prince of Slavonia, Prince of Croatia and Count of Denia. We hope to make good on our claims on the title of Slavonia, Denia, and the province of Almeria, held by the Prince of Croatia. Anisa says to expect the King of Croatia and a couple of vassals, probably Demetrias and Algeciras will declare war upon us.
I was hoping to be with Marshal Eustace, but the Cordoba regiment is being led by Murad de Vassy. Eustace says to pay attention to what he does, though, because he’s a good tactician. We will be marching south through the passes of the Sierra Nevada to Almeria on the coast. Anisa’s going to come with me because she says we will need to both be present for any peace negotiations. Fortun de Lomagne, the Duke of Badajoz is leading the troops from Calatrava to Denia. Meanwhile, some of the troops in France will begin the long trek eastward. The forces gathered in Dauphine are under the leadership of Fadl de Lomagne, the Duke of Provence, and those in Narbonne under my uncle Wahab, the Count of Bordeaux. I’m also told that the army gathered under Miquel von Bonngau, the Count of Lleida, will be heading toward Toledo, in case of an attack on Plasencia.
August 8, 1146. The enemy tried to bottle us up in the pass but we broke through and routed them today. They broke and ran for Malaga. I wanted to pursue them, but Murad says it’s more important to besiege Almeria. The Count of Niebla will go after the Prince’s retreating troops. A messenger from the Duke of Badajoz told us that he also won a battle in Valencia. He also brought news that Uncle Abdul-Madjeed (the one Alix always warns me about, because he’s father’s older brother and may think he should be king) , the Duke of Toulouse, is on his way east now.
August 11, 1146. It seems like the war’s going well so far. In fact, the Prince of Croatia is already offering thousands of ducats if we’ll stop attacking him! That sounds like a lot of money, but we want the land.
August 15, 1446. The Count of Demetrias has offered gold for peace. Anisa says to accept, because we don’t have any claims on his land. I don’t even know where his land is, and I thought I was pretty good at geography.
August 18, 1446. Siege of Toledo broken.
September 8, 1446. The last month has been really boring. We’ve just been sitting around hurling rocks at the walls of Almeria. I guess this is what a siege is like. We have gotten some news of what’s going on elsewhere. The last of the armies headed for Croatia is on the move under the leadership of Hafiz de Lomagne, the Count of Carcassonne. Miquel drove off the Count of Plasencia, who was trying to besiege Toledo, and Fortun has arrived in Denia and is engaged in battling his forces.
September 16, 1446. I get quite a large amount of gold from the Count of Algeciras. His troops will probably keep fighting under the banner of the Prince of Slavonia, anyway, but I’ll take the gold. It’s enough to fund a war for a year.
October 8, 1446. Good news from Fortun, who has finally defeated the forces in Denia and is beginning his siege. Murad says it shouldn’t have taken that long, but that Fortun’s not a very smart leader.
October 10, 1446. The Prince of Croatia’s marshal tried to break the siege today, but he had far too few men, but Robert de Normandie had hidden some crossbowmen on the slopes above the pass and his men were decimated. However, there are reports that peasants in parts of my demesne are being terrorized by men of the Prince of Slovenia. It’s not clear where they’re headed, but Affonso will head north to interfere with their plans.
October 26, 1446. Almeria surrendered yesterday. I guess they were running out of food. Anisa met with the Prince of Croatia and he has agreed to let us have Almeria and also that he will recognize us as the proper rulers of Aracena. We will now march on to Murcia, which is part of the King of Croatia’s demesne. We don’t have a claim on Murcia, but we need to capture as many of his provinces as possible, so he’ll give us a good peace settlement later on.
October 29, 1446. A messenger from Fadl reports that after a month and a half of heavy fighting near Cremona on the plains of Italy, he is finally able to continue marching eastward. A few regiments of Croatia are still in the area, but their morale is broken and Wahab’s army will deal with them.
November 28, 1446. We arrive in Murcia and begin to lay siege. More standing around for months. But maybe not, because it appears there are ships carrying troops from Croatian lands in Sicily. Murad sends about a third of our army back to Malaga to defend it from attack. Meanwhile, Affonso is involved in heavy fighting in Aracena. It’s important not to let the Croatian regiments gather together to form a strong force.
December 29, 1446. After nearly six months of war, things still are going quite well, though we’re just waiting around for the garrison in Murcia to surrender. Fortun has captured Denia, Affonso won the battle of Aracena, and Abdul-Majeed has been mopping up the remains of the Croatian regiments in the Po Valley. However, it seems like more Croatian ships appear every day and we’re not sure where they plan to attack.
January 11, 1447. I am now Count of Denia, and the Count has recognized me as the rightful ownder of Alcantara. We’re going back to Almeria now. Murad says Eustace’s plan is to focus on defense here in Spain, while the troops in the East capture castles and force the King of Croatia and Prince of Slovenia to give up.
February 21, 1447. A merchant ship in has brought news of our war in the East. Fadl arrived in Krizvecki unopposed and has begun to lay siege, while Uncle Wahab won a small battle in Split and is now trying to capture the fortress there. The bad news is that the lack of Croatian forces in the East likely means they’re all on their way here. Miquel, who’s been kind of fighting brushfires on La Mancha has won a battle in Castellon and says he’s going to try to take Valencia. We’re just waiting in Almeria to see what all these Croatian forces on the sea are going to do.
March 5, 1447. The first group of Croatian forces has landed in Cadiz. Affonso will go south to Sevilla. We’re still just hanging out here in Almeria. At least the weather’s nicer down here on the coast at this time of year than it is up on the plateau.
March 7, 1447. Bishop Pau died yesterday. He had been working really hard tending to the wounded. Anisa suggests Suleyman de Normandie for the new bishop. He fought really bravely in the Sierra Nevada passes, and was an inspiration to everybody. It seems like a good idea.
March 30, 1447 Good news on two fronts today. Fortun has captured Murcia and Fadl has got Krizvecki. Fadl says he’s now going to try to take Belgrade, the last stronghold of the Prince of Slavonia.
April 4, 1447. More Croatian forces are starting to arrive in Malaga. Murtaza’s forces go to Granada because Affonso’s troops will likely not be enough. We also move most of the forces from Valencia south to Murcia, in case Croatia plans to try to retake that province.
April 11, 1447. An emissary from King Sergio von Franken has come requesting an alliance. After conferring with Anisa, I decide an alliance with France is a good idea. Maybe I’ll have a chance to meet him after the war is over. He’s only two years older than me.
May 7, 1447 Asim conquers Split, onward to Zara.
June 26, 1447. Over 20,000 men have gathered under the Croatian banner in Cadiz, Malaga and on the seas to the south over the past few months. We have the forces to defeat them, but we need to know where they intend to strike. Since they may be headed for Aracena, the units under Murtaza go to Sevilla and those of Affonso to Aracena
July 9, 1447. Mixed news from the east. Asim has captured Split, but reports that the one of the Prince of Slavonia’s sons was killed in battle, allowing his father to inherit the province of Atheniai. The Prince will probably not surrender his primary title unless we capture to Atheniai, so Asim is headed there, but will take months to arrive. Conflicting reports now suggest the Croatians are headed for Sevilla with the full brunt of their forces, so we order Affonso to reinforce Murtaza there.
July 23, 1447 Aargh! Croatia is besieging Aracena, though not with a very large force. Why can’t we get better information? I consult with Murad, and he suggests we mobilize the forces in Alcantara and Evora and bring them south to break the siege.
August 9, 1447. Bad news from Valencia. We didn’t leave enough troops and the siege was broken. As it appears Croatia is planning an offensive, further south, we will leave Murcia undefended and have Miquel move back north.
August 28, 1447. As Fadl had warned in his ship-borne months ago, Croatia is throwing everything at us over here. There are now over 40,000 Croatian men in the vicinity. Murad says we still have about 20,000 men in reserve in Iberia, and it looks like we’re going to need them. I just hope they can get down here before all those Croatians get off the boats.
September 14, 1447 The Duke of Viseu has arrived in Aracena with about 7000 men and will try to break the siege. Meanwhile, the Duke of Navarra is on his way south and broke a siege that a few hundred enemy had been attempting in Toledo. A similar small force is now besieging Molina.
October 21 1447. The Duke of Viseu is victorious in Aracena, but the bulk of the enemy forces (24,000 strong) are moving northward from Malaga toward Granada. We dare not engage them directly yet. We will gather a force in Cordoba and strike south.
November 11, 1447. The Duke of Navarra reports that he has broken the siege in Molina and is on his way to Cordoba.. Meanwhile, the indecisive King of Croatia now appears to be taking his massive army towar Sevilla rather than Granada.
December 1, 1447. Our reinforcements from northern Portugal are coming south. The Count of Braganza destroyed a small Croatian force in Niebla and are on their way to join the Duke of Navarra in Cordoba. They were fleeing their defeat at Aracena. We also have learned that Miquel has finally captured Valencia.
December 13, 1447. Asim de Lomagne has sent word that he is unloading his troops in Atheniai without opposition, but warns that besieging the huge castle will take some time. Also today, we finally learned the meaning of the conflicting reports on the troop movements in Malaga. The King of Croatia has split his forces and has 8000 men besieging Granada. Our own regiment that has been sitting around in Almeria all year will move north to take them on, though it will be rough going through the high passes at this time of year. The larger force assembled in Cordoba will mostly move to Sevilla, but a small contingent will assist us in Granada and prevent the Croatians from escaping. This is probably their last gasp, and we mean to crush them.
January 11, 1448. My steward Charles has been irritable and unpredictable for some time, but seems to have snapped. He just went on and on yesterday, complaining about our ongoing war, why haven’t we made peace etc. Honestly, you’d think he was the 12-year-old. After Anisa told him over and over again the war was nearly finished, but in order to make the effort worth while, there were still things we needed to accomplish. Charles just pouted and today he’s refusing to even get out of bed. Anisa tells me that stewards don’t like wars because they’re a drain on the treasury, but didn’t she tell me we have enough gold to keep fighting for fifteen years if we have to?
February 3, 1448. We emerged out of the snows of the mountain passes into Granada just in time. The outer fortifications of the city had already been breached and parts of the city were in flames! The troops from Cordoba arrived almost at the same time. Between us we have 17,000 men to about 13,000 for them, and we had the positional advantage. They were facing opposition on two fronts and my forces command the higher ground, allowing us to crush them.
March 28, 1448. Wonderful news from Sevilla today. The Duke of Provence has broken the siege of Sevilla with a glorious victory. Croatia appears to have only 13,000 troops left in Iberia.
April 13, 1448. We began to march south back to Almeria. It appears the last major force of Croatians is going to take their stand there. We also have reports of a smaller force besieging Toledo again, but the count of Navarra is leading nearly 10,000 men south from Molina to deal with that.
May 16, 1448. As the glorious message that Atheniai had fallen arrived in Iberia, the Duke of Slavonia capitulated. I receive the title Duke of Slavonia, and the Prince yields his claims on Denia, Badajoz and Toledo and nearly 10,000 ducats. Super. I will acquile a number of the new vassals: the counts of Algeciras, Malaga, Castellon, Cadiz, Zagreb and Varadzin. Anisa says we’ll need to find some translators to help with the Oath of Fealty, because some of these ignorant Croatians can’t speak Arabic OR Latin. Imagine! After consulting with Anisa, we decide to move the capital to Almeria for the time being because of an epidemic of dysentery in Cordoba. I like the sea shore, anyway.
May 15, 1449. Another of our Orthodox provinces has been brought to the true church: Alcantara.
June 9, 1449. Sergio von Franken has declared war on Venice, though he’s already at war with Hungary. I ask Anisa and Eustace, but they think we’re better off not joining this war, at least not yet. Some people in other European courts are beginning to think we’re an aggressive, landgrabbing state after the Croatian war.
July 28, 1449. Today was a sad one, as I attended my Chancellor Anisa’s funeral. Of course, she was very old, but she was more of a mother to me than my real mother in a lot of ways. She talked a lot yesterday about how the world has changed since her youth. We agreed that Jeanne of Bornholm will be her successor, but I’m starting to feel confident in making my own decisions now, though I haven’t quite officially come of age yet.
October 18, 1449. The bishop has brought to my attention that Guy de Normandie has been making negative remarks about the monastic orders that resemble the heretical ideas of John Wyclif. It seems appropriate to drive him from our court.
February 14, 1450. My steward, Charles de Normandie has been accused of black magic. Bowing to pressure, I allow him to go to trial, and he has unfortunately been convicted and sentenced to death. Yet I remain skeptical, and wish that I had been fully of age and able to protect him. While gloomy, Charles had always impressed me as a sincerely religious man, and I find it hard it hard to imagine him falling so far as to practice witchcraft. It also seems suspicious that this happened less than six months after his cousin Guy was driven away for heresy. Could someone in the court bear a grudge against the de Normandie family? I appoint another member of the family, Alexander, to be steward in his place. The midas touch seems to run in their family.
January 1, 1452. For my sixteenth birthday a few days ago, my spymaster Alix said that she had special presents for me. At first, I wondered whether a wife had already been arranged, but that would be Jeanne’s job. Instead, she presented me with a collection of journal writings from my predecessors, a set of maps of the known world, and some notes on the histories and current status of the major realms.
What a remarkable history the de Lomagne family has had, from its origins in a minor vassal in the realm of France to the modern Kingdom of Aragon, Castille, Leon and Portugal, the dominant power in western Europe. Certainly Eudes had no thoughts of generating a powerhouse Kingdom. His successor, the mad Duke Basajaun was ambitious, but it seemed his aspirations would be smashed by the failure of his heirs to produce sons. Then there was the short reign of Estebe I, who murdered his wife in a desperate attempt to save the family line.
Despite his inexperience, my direct line ancestor Nuno proved an able Duke. I must see if I can find the little estate where he grew up before moving to the castle in Viscaya. Xabier was the first de Lomagne King, though he never recovered from the wounds he suffered in the war with Aragon. A second kingdom title, and much prestige from the first successful Jerusalem Crade came under his son, Estebe II. Then came the long years of peace and prosperity of the late thirteenth century under Luk and Matai. Much of the expansion over the past few decades was made possible by the vast treasury horded by those “lazy” kings. Matai II and Estebe III resumed the policy of Iberian expansion, and proved to be the last of the Basque de Lomagne kings in Viscaya. Since then, the de Lomagne kings have been Mozarabd, based in Cordoba.
The reign of the first Mozarab kings, Talal, was marred by the arrival of the Black Death which stalked Europe for sixty years thereafter. The plague continued through his son Faruk’s reign, but Faruk and his son began expanding the realm north of the Pyrenees, taking advantage of the Great Burgundian Civil War. And thence the line came down to my father and myself.
I have often thought about Anisa’s final words about the changes in the world. The merchants and trade guilds in the towns seem increasingly more important than the feudal manors. While we have resisted change to this point, it seems that the days of the feudal system are coming to a close. New weapons are appearing on the battlefield based on gunpowder, and these weapons may revolutionize warfare. There is rising discontent with the Papacy, both within the clergy and among the laypeople. Also, people are talking about the high cost of luxury goods from the Far East—could there be some other route to get them without all the middlemen? It seems I am to lead Aragon into a new era, and I can only trust that providence will continue to smile upon our family as it has for the past few centuries.
The northwest
North Central
Northeast
Southwest
South Central
Southeast
September 11, 1439. Mommy told me daddy was gone today. I thought he was gone to war again. But she says he’s in heaven now and I’m King. I think that means I get to tell everyone what to do, but mommy says I have to listen to Aunt Anisa because I’m little. She’s not really my aunt, but she wants me to call her that. She’s the chanseler and she’s very smart. She told me I need a new stuerd, ‘cause the old one got sick. He coughs a lot, so I guess he can’t count all our money anymore. The new one is called Charles de Normandie.
November 12, 1439. The last two months there have been all these strange people coming to the palace. Aunt Anisa says they’re my “vassals”. Every time one comes we have this big dinner and I have to do this stupid ceremony. Basically they promise to do what I tell them, but it takes so long and they all say the same things. There have been so many. I can’t even count that high. It’s really boring. Then when they leave, we give them all these presents. Aunt Anisa says it’s so they’ll like me and will keep their promises. I don’t know where all these jewels and gold goblets and dishes and swords and stuff come from, but Charles says we have lots of money and I don’t have to worry.
August 26, 1440. A bunch of merchants from Alcantara came to the court and were complaining about the laws. I didn’t understand what it was all about but Anisa said I couldn’t let them convince me to change anything. She says that if I change the laws my vassals will be mad at me and they have armies, so it’s better to have angry merchants.
October 17,1440. I watched them chop off the head of Alice de Barcelona-Urgell today. It was pretty gross. She was a bad lady who murdered her father.
June 4, 1441. Marshal Eustace says it’s time for me to start learning to fight, so I’m practicing with wooden swords against my brother Sharaf and Marshal Eustace’s nephews Arnold and Reginald d’Audley. It’s fun but my brother’s bigger than me and it’s not fair. I’m quick, though and the marshal thinks I’m going to be a good soldier.
June 23, 1441. Marshal Eustace is going to lead some troops to Granada. The Count of Granada is my cousin Tibaud de Lomagne, but the Bishop says he’s a bad man who doesn’t believe in God. The church cast him out and he’s mad at his father, the Duke of Armagnac. Anyway, Cordoba is a lot closer to Granada than Armagnac, so Marshal Eustace says we should go and fight him right away. I want to come but he says I’m too young.
October 8, 1441. One of my vassals has broken his oath. Anisa says he killed somebody in his family and is really mean. I kind of remember him ‘cause he couldn’t speak Arabic or Basque and he had a funny name “Engelbrecht Billung”, Duke of Catalonia. Anyway, he wants to be King of Aragon now and we can’t let him do that. I don’t know what to do, cause the marshal’s in Granada, but Anisa says we have other armies in Viscaya and Asturias de Santillana and other people in court can lead them—Marshal Eustace is just the best.
October 23, 1441. I got to travel to Granada. The bad count had been driven out of the castle and I owned that province now It was fun because I’d never to been to the mountains before. The people in the city didn’t seem very happy, but Marshal Eustace said it was because of the siege.
May 14, 1442. The bishop says the Pope is calling another crusade to free Jerusalem from the muslims. I thought my great-grandfather did that, but I guess they came back. Anisa doesn’t think it’s a good idea to go on a crusade right now, though. She thinks we should wait ‘till I’m older.
July 1, 1442. The Pope doesn’t want us to continue our war on the wicked Duke of Catalonia. It’s hard for me to understand, because I was told the Duke wasn’t even allowed to take communion because he’s so bad. But Anisa says we have to stop fighting, because if we don’t the Pope will be mad at me.
May 28, 1444. The people of province of Sevilla have joined the Catholic church. A lot of people in southern Iberia follow the Orthodox Church because of the Croatians, but we are bringing back to the true Church.
September 13, 1445. My older brother Anwar, who had been sick for a long time, passed away today. I suppose I shouldn’t say this, but I never really liked him. He was much meaner to me than my other brothers, and very full of himself.
March 30, 1446. The new pope, Dan de Baux has declared the crusade a failure. Anisa says the time of the crusades may be coming to an end. People don’t respect the authority of the Pope the way they used to when she was a girl. Anyway, Jerusalem’s not actually muslim anymore, but Orthodox.. The Prince of Hellas, one of the vassals of the King of Croatia has captured it.
April 1, 1446. Anisa, my spymaster Alis and Eustace all think this would be a good time to make war on Croatia. Capturing all of Iberia has been a long-term goal of the Kingdom of Aragon for generations. I’m excited because Eustace says I’m old enough to participate in the planning and travel with the army now. I’m still too small to fight, but he says he’ll find safe positions for me to watch the battles and learn about how to use terrain to advantage, use of reserves to bolster key positions and so on.
It’s going to be a complicated war because to force Croatia to make peace, we’ll need to attack them in their homeland as well as here in Iberia. The plan is to put most of my demesne’s forces in Granada and Calatrava, while moving forces from my vassals in Portugal to Niebla and some of the ones in Catalonia to Calatayud. The main offensive strikes will be by the forces from my demesne and I will be with the regiment traveling to Granada. The invasion force for the eastern posessions will be mostly composed of the vassals north of the Pyrenees and northwest Spain, and will gather in several groups—Toulouse, Dauphine, Narbonne, and Carcassonne. We will not mobilize everybody, in case some more troops are needed for defense.
July 1, 1446. It took several months, but the major forces in Iberia are ready to go to war. We declare war on the Prince of Slavonia, the Prince of Croatia and the Count of Denia
Our major forces in Iberia are deployed. We are ready to go to war! Declare war on Prince of Slavonia, Prince of Croatia and Count of Denia. We hope to make good on our claims on the title of Slavonia, Denia, and the province of Almeria, held by the Prince of Croatia. Anisa says to expect the King of Croatia and a couple of vassals, probably Demetrias and Algeciras will declare war upon us.
I was hoping to be with Marshal Eustace, but the Cordoba regiment is being led by Murad de Vassy. Eustace says to pay attention to what he does, though, because he’s a good tactician. We will be marching south through the passes of the Sierra Nevada to Almeria on the coast. Anisa’s going to come with me because she says we will need to both be present for any peace negotiations. Fortun de Lomagne, the Duke of Badajoz is leading the troops from Calatrava to Denia. Meanwhile, some of the troops in France will begin the long trek eastward. The forces gathered in Dauphine are under the leadership of Fadl de Lomagne, the Duke of Provence, and those in Narbonne under my uncle Wahab, the Count of Bordeaux. I’m also told that the army gathered under Miquel von Bonngau, the Count of Lleida, will be heading toward Toledo, in case of an attack on Plasencia.
August 8, 1146. The enemy tried to bottle us up in the pass but we broke through and routed them today. They broke and ran for Malaga. I wanted to pursue them, but Murad says it’s more important to besiege Almeria. The Count of Niebla will go after the Prince’s retreating troops. A messenger from the Duke of Badajoz told us that he also won a battle in Valencia. He also brought news that Uncle Abdul-Madjeed (the one Alix always warns me about, because he’s father’s older brother and may think he should be king) , the Duke of Toulouse, is on his way east now.
August 11, 1146. It seems like the war’s going well so far. In fact, the Prince of Croatia is already offering thousands of ducats if we’ll stop attacking him! That sounds like a lot of money, but we want the land.
August 15, 1446. The Count of Demetrias has offered gold for peace. Anisa says to accept, because we don’t have any claims on his land. I don’t even know where his land is, and I thought I was pretty good at geography.
August 18, 1446. Siege of Toledo broken.
September 8, 1446. The last month has been really boring. We’ve just been sitting around hurling rocks at the walls of Almeria. I guess this is what a siege is like. We have gotten some news of what’s going on elsewhere. The last of the armies headed for Croatia is on the move under the leadership of Hafiz de Lomagne, the Count of Carcassonne. Miquel drove off the Count of Plasencia, who was trying to besiege Toledo, and Fortun has arrived in Denia and is engaged in battling his forces.
September 16, 1446. I get quite a large amount of gold from the Count of Algeciras. His troops will probably keep fighting under the banner of the Prince of Slavonia, anyway, but I’ll take the gold. It’s enough to fund a war for a year.
October 8, 1446. Good news from Fortun, who has finally defeated the forces in Denia and is beginning his siege. Murad says it shouldn’t have taken that long, but that Fortun’s not a very smart leader.
October 10, 1446. The Prince of Croatia’s marshal tried to break the siege today, but he had far too few men, but Robert de Normandie had hidden some crossbowmen on the slopes above the pass and his men were decimated. However, there are reports that peasants in parts of my demesne are being terrorized by men of the Prince of Slovenia. It’s not clear where they’re headed, but Affonso will head north to interfere with their plans.
October 26, 1446. Almeria surrendered yesterday. I guess they were running out of food. Anisa met with the Prince of Croatia and he has agreed to let us have Almeria and also that he will recognize us as the proper rulers of Aracena. We will now march on to Murcia, which is part of the King of Croatia’s demesne. We don’t have a claim on Murcia, but we need to capture as many of his provinces as possible, so he’ll give us a good peace settlement later on.
October 29, 1446. A messenger from Fadl reports that after a month and a half of heavy fighting near Cremona on the plains of Italy, he is finally able to continue marching eastward. A few regiments of Croatia are still in the area, but their morale is broken and Wahab’s army will deal with them.
November 28, 1446. We arrive in Murcia and begin to lay siege. More standing around for months. But maybe not, because it appears there are ships carrying troops from Croatian lands in Sicily. Murad sends about a third of our army back to Malaga to defend it from attack. Meanwhile, Affonso is involved in heavy fighting in Aracena. It’s important not to let the Croatian regiments gather together to form a strong force.
December 29, 1446. After nearly six months of war, things still are going quite well, though we’re just waiting around for the garrison in Murcia to surrender. Fortun has captured Denia, Affonso won the battle of Aracena, and Abdul-Majeed has been mopping up the remains of the Croatian regiments in the Po Valley. However, it seems like more Croatian ships appear every day and we’re not sure where they plan to attack.
January 11, 1447. I am now Count of Denia, and the Count has recognized me as the rightful ownder of Alcantara. We’re going back to Almeria now. Murad says Eustace’s plan is to focus on defense here in Spain, while the troops in the East capture castles and force the King of Croatia and Prince of Slovenia to give up.
February 21, 1447. A merchant ship in has brought news of our war in the East. Fadl arrived in Krizvecki unopposed and has begun to lay siege, while Uncle Wahab won a small battle in Split and is now trying to capture the fortress there. The bad news is that the lack of Croatian forces in the East likely means they’re all on their way here. Miquel, who’s been kind of fighting brushfires on La Mancha has won a battle in Castellon and says he’s going to try to take Valencia. We’re just waiting in Almeria to see what all these Croatian forces on the sea are going to do.
March 5, 1447. The first group of Croatian forces has landed in Cadiz. Affonso will go south to Sevilla. We’re still just hanging out here in Almeria. At least the weather’s nicer down here on the coast at this time of year than it is up on the plateau.
March 7, 1447. Bishop Pau died yesterday. He had been working really hard tending to the wounded. Anisa suggests Suleyman de Normandie for the new bishop. He fought really bravely in the Sierra Nevada passes, and was an inspiration to everybody. It seems like a good idea.
March 30, 1447 Good news on two fronts today. Fortun has captured Murcia and Fadl has got Krizvecki. Fadl says he’s now going to try to take Belgrade, the last stronghold of the Prince of Slavonia.
April 4, 1447. More Croatian forces are starting to arrive in Malaga. Murtaza’s forces go to Granada because Affonso’s troops will likely not be enough. We also move most of the forces from Valencia south to Murcia, in case Croatia plans to try to retake that province.
April 11, 1447. An emissary from King Sergio von Franken has come requesting an alliance. After conferring with Anisa, I decide an alliance with France is a good idea. Maybe I’ll have a chance to meet him after the war is over. He’s only two years older than me.
May 7, 1447 Asim conquers Split, onward to Zara.
June 26, 1447. Over 20,000 men have gathered under the Croatian banner in Cadiz, Malaga and on the seas to the south over the past few months. We have the forces to defeat them, but we need to know where they intend to strike. Since they may be headed for Aracena, the units under Murtaza go to Sevilla and those of Affonso to Aracena
July 9, 1447. Mixed news from the east. Asim has captured Split, but reports that the one of the Prince of Slavonia’s sons was killed in battle, allowing his father to inherit the province of Atheniai. The Prince will probably not surrender his primary title unless we capture to Atheniai, so Asim is headed there, but will take months to arrive. Conflicting reports now suggest the Croatians are headed for Sevilla with the full brunt of their forces, so we order Affonso to reinforce Murtaza there.
July 23, 1447 Aargh! Croatia is besieging Aracena, though not with a very large force. Why can’t we get better information? I consult with Murad, and he suggests we mobilize the forces in Alcantara and Evora and bring them south to break the siege.
August 9, 1447. Bad news from Valencia. We didn’t leave enough troops and the siege was broken. As it appears Croatia is planning an offensive, further south, we will leave Murcia undefended and have Miquel move back north.
August 28, 1447. As Fadl had warned in his ship-borne months ago, Croatia is throwing everything at us over here. There are now over 40,000 Croatian men in the vicinity. Murad says we still have about 20,000 men in reserve in Iberia, and it looks like we’re going to need them. I just hope they can get down here before all those Croatians get off the boats.
September 14, 1447 The Duke of Viseu has arrived in Aracena with about 7000 men and will try to break the siege. Meanwhile, the Duke of Navarra is on his way south and broke a siege that a few hundred enemy had been attempting in Toledo. A similar small force is now besieging Molina.
October 21 1447. The Duke of Viseu is victorious in Aracena, but the bulk of the enemy forces (24,000 strong) are moving northward from Malaga toward Granada. We dare not engage them directly yet. We will gather a force in Cordoba and strike south.
November 11, 1447. The Duke of Navarra reports that he has broken the siege in Molina and is on his way to Cordoba.. Meanwhile, the indecisive King of Croatia now appears to be taking his massive army towar Sevilla rather than Granada.
December 1, 1447. Our reinforcements from northern Portugal are coming south. The Count of Braganza destroyed a small Croatian force in Niebla and are on their way to join the Duke of Navarra in Cordoba. They were fleeing their defeat at Aracena. We also have learned that Miquel has finally captured Valencia.
December 13, 1447. Asim de Lomagne has sent word that he is unloading his troops in Atheniai without opposition, but warns that besieging the huge castle will take some time. Also today, we finally learned the meaning of the conflicting reports on the troop movements in Malaga. The King of Croatia has split his forces and has 8000 men besieging Granada. Our own regiment that has been sitting around in Almeria all year will move north to take them on, though it will be rough going through the high passes at this time of year. The larger force assembled in Cordoba will mostly move to Sevilla, but a small contingent will assist us in Granada and prevent the Croatians from escaping. This is probably their last gasp, and we mean to crush them.
January 11, 1448. My steward Charles has been irritable and unpredictable for some time, but seems to have snapped. He just went on and on yesterday, complaining about our ongoing war, why haven’t we made peace etc. Honestly, you’d think he was the 12-year-old. After Anisa told him over and over again the war was nearly finished, but in order to make the effort worth while, there were still things we needed to accomplish. Charles just pouted and today he’s refusing to even get out of bed. Anisa tells me that stewards don’t like wars because they’re a drain on the treasury, but didn’t she tell me we have enough gold to keep fighting for fifteen years if we have to?
February 3, 1448. We emerged out of the snows of the mountain passes into Granada just in time. The outer fortifications of the city had already been breached and parts of the city were in flames! The troops from Cordoba arrived almost at the same time. Between us we have 17,000 men to about 13,000 for them, and we had the positional advantage. They were facing opposition on two fronts and my forces command the higher ground, allowing us to crush them.
March 28, 1448. Wonderful news from Sevilla today. The Duke of Provence has broken the siege of Sevilla with a glorious victory. Croatia appears to have only 13,000 troops left in Iberia.
April 13, 1448. We began to march south back to Almeria. It appears the last major force of Croatians is going to take their stand there. We also have reports of a smaller force besieging Toledo again, but the count of Navarra is leading nearly 10,000 men south from Molina to deal with that.
May 16, 1448. As the glorious message that Atheniai had fallen arrived in Iberia, the Duke of Slavonia capitulated. I receive the title Duke of Slavonia, and the Prince yields his claims on Denia, Badajoz and Toledo and nearly 10,000 ducats. Super. I will acquile a number of the new vassals: the counts of Algeciras, Malaga, Castellon, Cadiz, Zagreb and Varadzin. Anisa says we’ll need to find some translators to help with the Oath of Fealty, because some of these ignorant Croatians can’t speak Arabic OR Latin. Imagine! After consulting with Anisa, we decide to move the capital to Almeria for the time being because of an epidemic of dysentery in Cordoba. I like the sea shore, anyway.
May 15, 1449. Another of our Orthodox provinces has been brought to the true church: Alcantara.
June 9, 1449. Sergio von Franken has declared war on Venice, though he’s already at war with Hungary. I ask Anisa and Eustace, but they think we’re better off not joining this war, at least not yet. Some people in other European courts are beginning to think we’re an aggressive, landgrabbing state after the Croatian war.
July 28, 1449. Today was a sad one, as I attended my Chancellor Anisa’s funeral. Of course, she was very old, but she was more of a mother to me than my real mother in a lot of ways. She talked a lot yesterday about how the world has changed since her youth. We agreed that Jeanne of Bornholm will be her successor, but I’m starting to feel confident in making my own decisions now, though I haven’t quite officially come of age yet.
October 18, 1449. The bishop has brought to my attention that Guy de Normandie has been making negative remarks about the monastic orders that resemble the heretical ideas of John Wyclif. It seems appropriate to drive him from our court.
February 14, 1450. My steward, Charles de Normandie has been accused of black magic. Bowing to pressure, I allow him to go to trial, and he has unfortunately been convicted and sentenced to death. Yet I remain skeptical, and wish that I had been fully of age and able to protect him. While gloomy, Charles had always impressed me as a sincerely religious man, and I find it hard it hard to imagine him falling so far as to practice witchcraft. It also seems suspicious that this happened less than six months after his cousin Guy was driven away for heresy. Could someone in the court bear a grudge against the de Normandie family? I appoint another member of the family, Alexander, to be steward in his place. The midas touch seems to run in their family.
January 1, 1452. For my sixteenth birthday a few days ago, my spymaster Alix said that she had special presents for me. At first, I wondered whether a wife had already been arranged, but that would be Jeanne’s job. Instead, she presented me with a collection of journal writings from my predecessors, a set of maps of the known world, and some notes on the histories and current status of the major realms.
What a remarkable history the de Lomagne family has had, from its origins in a minor vassal in the realm of France to the modern Kingdom of Aragon, Castille, Leon and Portugal, the dominant power in western Europe. Certainly Eudes had no thoughts of generating a powerhouse Kingdom. His successor, the mad Duke Basajaun was ambitious, but it seemed his aspirations would be smashed by the failure of his heirs to produce sons. Then there was the short reign of Estebe I, who murdered his wife in a desperate attempt to save the family line.
Despite his inexperience, my direct line ancestor Nuno proved an able Duke. I must see if I can find the little estate where he grew up before moving to the castle in Viscaya. Xabier was the first de Lomagne King, though he never recovered from the wounds he suffered in the war with Aragon. A second kingdom title, and much prestige from the first successful Jerusalem Crade came under his son, Estebe II. Then came the long years of peace and prosperity of the late thirteenth century under Luk and Matai. Much of the expansion over the past few decades was made possible by the vast treasury horded by those “lazy” kings. Matai II and Estebe III resumed the policy of Iberian expansion, and proved to be the last of the Basque de Lomagne kings in Viscaya. Since then, the de Lomagne kings have been Mozarabd, based in Cordoba.
The reign of the first Mozarab kings, Talal, was marred by the arrival of the Black Death which stalked Europe for sixty years thereafter. The plague continued through his son Faruk’s reign, but Faruk and his son began expanding the realm north of the Pyrenees, taking advantage of the Great Burgundian Civil War. And thence the line came down to my father and myself.
I have often thought about Anisa’s final words about the changes in the world. The merchants and trade guilds in the towns seem increasingly more important than the feudal manors. While we have resisted change to this point, it seems that the days of the feudal system are coming to a close. New weapons are appearing on the battlefield based on gunpowder, and these weapons may revolutionize warfare. There is rising discontent with the Papacy, both within the clergy and among the laypeople. Also, people are talking about the high cost of luxury goods from the Far East—could there be some other route to get them without all the middlemen? It seems I am to lead Aragon into a new era, and I can only trust that providence will continue to smile upon our family as it has for the past few centuries.
The northwest
North Central
Northeast
Southwest
South Central
Southeast
Alix de Vassy’s notes on the Major Realms in 1451.
Part I. The Great Powers
Of course, our own Kingdom should be counted among these, but its history and nature are well known to you, so I will consider four other kingdoms here, in rough order of their current power.
Sweden – The Kingdom of Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and Norway is certainly the largest, and possibly the most powerful, kingdom in the known world. It’s current monarch Veli Yngling (1446-) is a direct line descendent of Svein (1075-1105). Svein inherited the throne of Norway from his father Olaf Haraldsson Yngling (1050-1103) due to the excommunication of his older brother. His son Harald , conquered most of the lands of the Tribe of Lithuanians. However, it was during the reign of Ossor the Great (1138-1181), that the Yngling dynasty emerged as a major force in European politics with the capture of the Kingdom of Sweden and Denmark. His great-grandson Hakon (1203-1236), the first King of Lithuania, expanded the Kingdom’s posessions in the Baltic region with a series of wars with the Principality of Kiev. Sweden swept across the southern steppes, nearly destroying the Kingdom of Qarakhnid, and stripping the Seljuk Turks of many posessions during the long reign of Eirik (1327-1404). Recent years have seen renewed conflict with a rejuvenated Kingdom of Qarakhnid that claimed the life of King Sigeric (1427-1449) when his eldest legitimate son was only 2.
Sweden today faces certain challenges. While as we have seen in Aragon, child rulers are not necessarily disastrous, they do commonly have difficulties controlling their vassals. There have only minor rebellions against young Veli thus far, but he has a number of very powerful vassals whose defection would be disastrous. Chief among these is Eanhere Grey, the Governor of Norrland, who would be a regional power in his own right. Aslak of Telemark, the Duke of Bergen, and Fedor de Ridefort, the Duke of Polotsk, are also quite strong. Sweden’s success in the coming years will hinge on the integrity and competence of Veli’s chief advisors while he matures. All modesty aside, I believe Aragon was fortunate here and fortunate, too, in having a young king who’s intelligence and personal charm were evident from a very young age. It remains to be seen whether young Veli will be similarly successful.
Germany – The Kingdom of Germany is today ruled by Theodore Staden (1401-). The Staden family have a long and bitter history of rivalry with the von Franken dynasty. A key figure in their history is Friedrich (1093-1153), who succeeded his father as Duke of Brandenburg in 1112. While he was initially one of Peter von Franken’s most loyal supporters, following nearly a decade of increasingly bizarre behavior on Peter’s part, he finally rebelled as did Duke Basajaun de Lomagne. He claimed the throne of Germany in 1123. However, his successors were unable to hold that claim. After eighty years of warfare with the Kingdom of Burgundy, Ernst von Franken forced Stefan the Reckless (1215-1261) to concede defeat and relinquish all his titles. However, Stefan’s wife, Klementia von Zahringen remained Countess of Steiermark. Indeed, so captivated was von Franken by the former King of Germany’s attractive young wife that he made her Duchess of Steiermark in 1240. The Staden family seemed destined to remain the obscure rulers of a minor duchy on the eastern frontier of Burgundy. Then, Gotthard Staden (1363-1387) inherited the Duchy of Steiermark when his father died of plague in 1380, at the height of the Burgundian Civil War. He refused to swear allegiance to the kinslayer, Bernhard von Franken, and successfully revived his family’s claim to the Kingdom of Germany in 1384. Within two years over a dozen vassals pledged allegiance to him, but he died of wounds sustained in war with Hungary.
Theodor Staden’s reign in Germany has been a rather quiet one with no conflicts with other significant states. He has been content to consolidate his hold on central Europe, ruthlessly crushing rebellious vassals and the Hussite heresy. Among his vassals, the most powerful is Simon von Lenzburg, the Duke of Luxembourg and Prendota Staden, the Duke of Mecklenburg and Flanders. His eldest son and heir,Adalbert, the Count of St. Gallen, is widely viewed as excessively naïve and incompetent in battle. There are those who would support his younger brother Augustin, the Count of Niederbayern, for the throne in his place.
France – The history of the von Franken dynasty is a turbulent and fascinating one, and closely intertwined with our own history. The von Frankens have been kings for over four centuries, beginning with Conrad II, who was elected king in 1024. His grandson Heinrich (1050-1080), became embroiled in a lengthy and costly war with the King of France and died in battle, leaving the throne to his 7-year old son, Peter (1073-1123). Exhausted by war and unimpressed by the small child intended to rule them, his vassals rebelled one-by-one and by 1088, he was down to his own four-province demesne and a single loyal vassal in Sardinia. But over the next fifteen years, his fortunes surged remarkably as he persuaded many vassals to rejoin and eventually defeated France and reestablished the Empire of Charlemagne. Your predecessor’s liege, the Duke of Poitou became his vassal, and when Basajaun became Duke of Asturias, he also swore fealty to von Franken. For ten years, all seemed well. Then, his madness struck and as he began to lash out unpredictably at those around him, his vassals, including Basajaun, began to rebel against him. Upon his death in 1123, his son Otto was forced to surrender the title King of Germany to the Duke of Brandenburg. He remained King of Burgundy, France and Italy but the titles seemed hollow as his realm was restricted to Burgundy. However, by 1153, most of his vassals in France and some of those in Italy had rejoined Otto and he felt strong enough to make war to try to reclaim his family’s lands in Germany. It took more than 80 years, but eventually his great-great-grandson Ernst was able to claim Germany. For nearly 150 years, the von Franken line ruled the most powerful kingdom in Europe.
Burgundy reached its apex during the reign of Bernard, 1325-1396. In 1342, he added another kingdom title, that of Venice, reducing the formerly powerful republic to a tiny realm bordering the Gulf of Syrte. By this time, Burgundy’s realm not only encompassed the Empire of Charlemagne, but also had extensive holdings in the Balkans and North Africa. But toward the end of his reign, the kingdom began to fall apart. Exhausted by decades of war, ravaged by plague, and outraged by the murder of his brother, his vassals took up arms against him. In 1379, smelling blood, England and Hungary declared war upon him. By 1382, all his vassals but two were gone and Hungary had forced him to relinquish the title King of Burgundy. A year later, the Staden family had regained the Kingdom of Germany. Shortly afterward, the eldest son of the Duke of Tuscany seized the title King of Venice. In 1385, the empire was in ruins. All his vassals had deserted him, leaving him with only three provinces and the empty titles King of France and Italy.
Upon Bernard’s death, his grandson Michele ascended the throne and began to rebuild the Kingdom. However, it proved more difficult to regain strength than it had been in the 12th century. Many of his former vassals in France and Italy had been swallowed by Naples, Venice and Aragon. Annoyed by our push into the lands on the other side of the Pyrenees, Michele broke centuries of peace between our kingdoms, but was swiftly defeated. The enmity between our kingdoms lasted for two generations until the ascension of his grandson and your ally Sergio.
Although the Kingdom of France and Italy is not the superpower than Bernard’s Burgundy was, its core provinces in northern France and Italy are wealthy, and it is stronger than its geographic size would suggest. However, like his predecessors, Sergio appears to have an excessive love of warfare, choosing to attack Venice while still at war with Hungary. You may wish to consider going after our claims upon the Duke of Savoie (a vassal of Hungary) or expanding our realm in Italy at the expense of Venice in the near future, if you wish to preserve Sergio as a useful ally. Potentially, I can envision an Italy divided between France and Aragon at Rome. Another challenge Sergio faces is that his realm is highly decentralized with several very powerful duchies who are nearly as powerful as Sergio himself. The continued support of Eudes de Donges, Duke of Burgundy and Yves de Brevere, Duke of Francia is critical for his survival. Fortunately, Sergio is an attractive and well-spoken young man and his wife has already borne him a son.
Seljuk Turks – The Seljuk dynasty has only recently become a factor in western Europe, and I am aware of only the broadest outline of their history. After Alp Arslan Seljuk (1029-1099) captured Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire disintegrated. While a number of former Byzantine principalities retained their independence, the Seljuks became a mighty force in the east, gaining considerable territory in Anatolia and the Balkans. The late 12th century brought them into conflict with another major Kingdom that of the Bolgar. They swept northward across the steppes and by 1185 had posessions almost as far north as the Baltic. Yet they were overextended. Even as they expanded ever northward, Hungary and Varna whittled away their lands in the Balkans and they lost control of some of their vassals in Persia. This process of expansion in one area only to lose territory elsewhere continued in the 13th century, as they conquered Georgia but lost much of the lands they had gained from the Bolgar. After the death of Kurboga (1220-1286), his young son Orhan was unable to hold the lands in Russia and even the core territories in Persia became a mess of small warring states.
The Seljuks remained a minor Sultanate in Persia until the rain of Kutay (1370-1438), who launched a surprisingly successful war against England in 1404. Taking advantage of civil unrest in England and a wars with Scotland and Ireland, the Seljuks took posession of all England’s Arabian posessions and captured a province in Ireland in 1420. In the early 1420’s, England found itself at war with the Duchy of Tejo. The resulting conflict was won by Tejo which seized the crown of England, but both realms were exhausted, and the Seljuks swept through Brittany, and much of England. Your Father led a largely successful effort to drive them out of Brittany, but most of the richest lands in England remain in Seljuk hands. The current Seljuk King (he has adopted Persian ways and no longer is a Sultan) is notably more zealous in his attempts to convert the English to Islam than his predecessor.
Part I. The Great Powers
Of course, our own Kingdom should be counted among these, but its history and nature are well known to you, so I will consider four other kingdoms here, in rough order of their current power.
Sweden – The Kingdom of Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and Norway is certainly the largest, and possibly the most powerful, kingdom in the known world. It’s current monarch Veli Yngling (1446-) is a direct line descendent of Svein (1075-1105). Svein inherited the throne of Norway from his father Olaf Haraldsson Yngling (1050-1103) due to the excommunication of his older brother. His son Harald , conquered most of the lands of the Tribe of Lithuanians. However, it was during the reign of Ossor the Great (1138-1181), that the Yngling dynasty emerged as a major force in European politics with the capture of the Kingdom of Sweden and Denmark. His great-grandson Hakon (1203-1236), the first King of Lithuania, expanded the Kingdom’s posessions in the Baltic region with a series of wars with the Principality of Kiev. Sweden swept across the southern steppes, nearly destroying the Kingdom of Qarakhnid, and stripping the Seljuk Turks of many posessions during the long reign of Eirik (1327-1404). Recent years have seen renewed conflict with a rejuvenated Kingdom of Qarakhnid that claimed the life of King Sigeric (1427-1449) when his eldest legitimate son was only 2.
Sweden today faces certain challenges. While as we have seen in Aragon, child rulers are not necessarily disastrous, they do commonly have difficulties controlling their vassals. There have only minor rebellions against young Veli thus far, but he has a number of very powerful vassals whose defection would be disastrous. Chief among these is Eanhere Grey, the Governor of Norrland, who would be a regional power in his own right. Aslak of Telemark, the Duke of Bergen, and Fedor de Ridefort, the Duke of Polotsk, are also quite strong. Sweden’s success in the coming years will hinge on the integrity and competence of Veli’s chief advisors while he matures. All modesty aside, I believe Aragon was fortunate here and fortunate, too, in having a young king who’s intelligence and personal charm were evident from a very young age. It remains to be seen whether young Veli will be similarly successful.
Germany – The Kingdom of Germany is today ruled by Theodore Staden (1401-). The Staden family have a long and bitter history of rivalry with the von Franken dynasty. A key figure in their history is Friedrich (1093-1153), who succeeded his father as Duke of Brandenburg in 1112. While he was initially one of Peter von Franken’s most loyal supporters, following nearly a decade of increasingly bizarre behavior on Peter’s part, he finally rebelled as did Duke Basajaun de Lomagne. He claimed the throne of Germany in 1123. However, his successors were unable to hold that claim. After eighty years of warfare with the Kingdom of Burgundy, Ernst von Franken forced Stefan the Reckless (1215-1261) to concede defeat and relinquish all his titles. However, Stefan’s wife, Klementia von Zahringen remained Countess of Steiermark. Indeed, so captivated was von Franken by the former King of Germany’s attractive young wife that he made her Duchess of Steiermark in 1240. The Staden family seemed destined to remain the obscure rulers of a minor duchy on the eastern frontier of Burgundy. Then, Gotthard Staden (1363-1387) inherited the Duchy of Steiermark when his father died of plague in 1380, at the height of the Burgundian Civil War. He refused to swear allegiance to the kinslayer, Bernhard von Franken, and successfully revived his family’s claim to the Kingdom of Germany in 1384. Within two years over a dozen vassals pledged allegiance to him, but he died of wounds sustained in war with Hungary.
Theodor Staden’s reign in Germany has been a rather quiet one with no conflicts with other significant states. He has been content to consolidate his hold on central Europe, ruthlessly crushing rebellious vassals and the Hussite heresy. Among his vassals, the most powerful is Simon von Lenzburg, the Duke of Luxembourg and Prendota Staden, the Duke of Mecklenburg and Flanders. His eldest son and heir,Adalbert, the Count of St. Gallen, is widely viewed as excessively naïve and incompetent in battle. There are those who would support his younger brother Augustin, the Count of Niederbayern, for the throne in his place.
France – The history of the von Franken dynasty is a turbulent and fascinating one, and closely intertwined with our own history. The von Frankens have been kings for over four centuries, beginning with Conrad II, who was elected king in 1024. His grandson Heinrich (1050-1080), became embroiled in a lengthy and costly war with the King of France and died in battle, leaving the throne to his 7-year old son, Peter (1073-1123). Exhausted by war and unimpressed by the small child intended to rule them, his vassals rebelled one-by-one and by 1088, he was down to his own four-province demesne and a single loyal vassal in Sardinia. But over the next fifteen years, his fortunes surged remarkably as he persuaded many vassals to rejoin and eventually defeated France and reestablished the Empire of Charlemagne. Your predecessor’s liege, the Duke of Poitou became his vassal, and when Basajaun became Duke of Asturias, he also swore fealty to von Franken. For ten years, all seemed well. Then, his madness struck and as he began to lash out unpredictably at those around him, his vassals, including Basajaun, began to rebel against him. Upon his death in 1123, his son Otto was forced to surrender the title King of Germany to the Duke of Brandenburg. He remained King of Burgundy, France and Italy but the titles seemed hollow as his realm was restricted to Burgundy. However, by 1153, most of his vassals in France and some of those in Italy had rejoined Otto and he felt strong enough to make war to try to reclaim his family’s lands in Germany. It took more than 80 years, but eventually his great-great-grandson Ernst was able to claim Germany. For nearly 150 years, the von Franken line ruled the most powerful kingdom in Europe.
Burgundy reached its apex during the reign of Bernard, 1325-1396. In 1342, he added another kingdom title, that of Venice, reducing the formerly powerful republic to a tiny realm bordering the Gulf of Syrte. By this time, Burgundy’s realm not only encompassed the Empire of Charlemagne, but also had extensive holdings in the Balkans and North Africa. But toward the end of his reign, the kingdom began to fall apart. Exhausted by decades of war, ravaged by plague, and outraged by the murder of his brother, his vassals took up arms against him. In 1379, smelling blood, England and Hungary declared war upon him. By 1382, all his vassals but two were gone and Hungary had forced him to relinquish the title King of Burgundy. A year later, the Staden family had regained the Kingdom of Germany. Shortly afterward, the eldest son of the Duke of Tuscany seized the title King of Venice. In 1385, the empire was in ruins. All his vassals had deserted him, leaving him with only three provinces and the empty titles King of France and Italy.
Upon Bernard’s death, his grandson Michele ascended the throne and began to rebuild the Kingdom. However, it proved more difficult to regain strength than it had been in the 12th century. Many of his former vassals in France and Italy had been swallowed by Naples, Venice and Aragon. Annoyed by our push into the lands on the other side of the Pyrenees, Michele broke centuries of peace between our kingdoms, but was swiftly defeated. The enmity between our kingdoms lasted for two generations until the ascension of his grandson and your ally Sergio.
Although the Kingdom of France and Italy is not the superpower than Bernard’s Burgundy was, its core provinces in northern France and Italy are wealthy, and it is stronger than its geographic size would suggest. However, like his predecessors, Sergio appears to have an excessive love of warfare, choosing to attack Venice while still at war with Hungary. You may wish to consider going after our claims upon the Duke of Savoie (a vassal of Hungary) or expanding our realm in Italy at the expense of Venice in the near future, if you wish to preserve Sergio as a useful ally. Potentially, I can envision an Italy divided between France and Aragon at Rome. Another challenge Sergio faces is that his realm is highly decentralized with several very powerful duchies who are nearly as powerful as Sergio himself. The continued support of Eudes de Donges, Duke of Burgundy and Yves de Brevere, Duke of Francia is critical for his survival. Fortunately, Sergio is an attractive and well-spoken young man and his wife has already borne him a son.
Seljuk Turks – The Seljuk dynasty has only recently become a factor in western Europe, and I am aware of only the broadest outline of their history. After Alp Arslan Seljuk (1029-1099) captured Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire disintegrated. While a number of former Byzantine principalities retained their independence, the Seljuks became a mighty force in the east, gaining considerable territory in Anatolia and the Balkans. The late 12th century brought them into conflict with another major Kingdom that of the Bolgar. They swept northward across the steppes and by 1185 had posessions almost as far north as the Baltic. Yet they were overextended. Even as they expanded ever northward, Hungary and Varna whittled away their lands in the Balkans and they lost control of some of their vassals in Persia. This process of expansion in one area only to lose territory elsewhere continued in the 13th century, as they conquered Georgia but lost much of the lands they had gained from the Bolgar. After the death of Kurboga (1220-1286), his young son Orhan was unable to hold the lands in Russia and even the core territories in Persia became a mess of small warring states.
The Seljuks remained a minor Sultanate in Persia until the rain of Kutay (1370-1438), who launched a surprisingly successful war against England in 1404. Taking advantage of civil unrest in England and a wars with Scotland and Ireland, the Seljuks took posession of all England’s Arabian posessions and captured a province in Ireland in 1420. In the early 1420’s, England found itself at war with the Duchy of Tejo. The resulting conflict was won by Tejo which seized the crown of England, but both realms were exhausted, and the Seljuks swept through Brittany, and much of England. Your Father led a largely successful effort to drive them out of Brittany, but most of the richest lands in England remain in Seljuk hands. The current Seljuk King (he has adopted Persian ways and no longer is a Sultan) is notably more zealous in his attempts to convert the English to Islam than his predecessor.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end (or nearly so). If I had to do it over again, I think I wouldn't have opted for the full four hundred years. I found it became harder to maintain the personal style of the AAR after the same events fire over and over again and the court becomes so big (at one point I had 134 adults in court!) that you don't have any idea who most of the courtiers are.
I still want to clean things up again and complete part 2 of the description of the realms at game's end. I don't know whether it's all that interesting to others, but I'm finding it interesting learning how the Arcruni's ended up ruling Croatia and the Trpimirovic's rule Scotland and explaining some curious A.I. decisions like von Franken bestowing a Duchy title on the wife of his worst enemy.
I still want to clean things up again and complete part 2 of the description of the realms at game's end. I don't know whether it's all that interesting to others, but I'm finding it interesting learning how the Arcruni's ended up ruling Croatia and the Trpimirovic's rule Scotland and explaining some curious A.I. decisions like von Franken bestowing a Duchy title on the wife of his worst enemy.
same here i enjoyed this AAR very much, and i would find it extremely intresting to see a round up of several weird AI choices