The Carolingian Restoration: A Crusader Kings II AAR

[Rickefariel]

CHAPTER X – FRONTIERS

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Guilhem was an ambitious man, he desired the Crown of France from the moment he became Duc of Normandie. His relative, Sigismond ‘The Monk’, was considered a fine King, and even expanded the power of the Crown moderately, but he didn´t conquer the throne by himself, he was put there by Eudes. Guilhem and Eudes felt like the Monk King was ungrateful, and their relation to him was far from ideal. After Sigismond had Raimbaut, Guilhem felt even more angered, even if the promise was that he was still the heir. Obviously once the little Raimbaut became older, his father would choose him over Guilhem.

After Sigismond died and left a child on the throne, a perfect opportunity arose for Guilhem to become King, but he was cautious, and also busy with the Norman lords who constantly rebelled. Raymond was quicker and soon become King after dethroning the child. Guilhem then no longer had to face a child, but a man. Despite the power he had as Duc of Normandie and Comte of Rethel, he was still afraid it wouldn´t be enough, and he acted to forge alliances, small as they were, to face the Usurper in a civil war. Once Raymond simply resigned the insecurities and doubts of Guilhem vanished, giving way to a sincere belief that God acted on his behalf.

With his new position, Roi Guilhem started to look beyond to the frontiers of France. The Holy Roman Empire had faced civil war recently, the main reason for the war was the loss of authority over Burgundy and Italy. The Emperor would get himself in a struggle against the pope over who should appoint the bishops. The controversy was so polarizing that many vassals of the Empire decided to rebel, no longer recognizing the legitimacy of the Emperor. Most of them were in the Kingdom of Burgundy and Italy, regions that bordered France. In Spain the Saracens fought against Christian brethren and would welcome any help from the French.

The well-intentioned advisors urged Guilhem not to enter into any of these regions, France was still suffering a succession crisis, with the old King alive and well, if Guilhem decided to wage war and take advantage of the weakness of his neighbours, Raymond could find success in coming back to the throne. Roi Guilhem was restless, he wanted to flex his power and show that true authority came from Paris, since he could not enter Italy, Burgundy or Spain, he decided to look for an internal opportunity. The Comte of Urgell, one of the Spanish rulers who swore fealty to the French Crown, had recently sheltered heretics, some say he went as far as converting to heresy himself, and so his court chaplain. The Pope had pressed Guilhem to solve this situation for some time, and he saw the chance to gain reputation with the church and his vassals.

The scholars debate over religious matters in Urgell
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After his representatives were sent to the court of Urgell they got to an agreement, the Comte would peacefully resign his heresy, and so all of his vassals and members of the court. No persecution would come from the Crown, as long as they showed to be true in their apostasy and allowed papal envoys to preach on his lands. This was a victory for Guilhem and showed he could solve his problems with diplomacy if necessary. In reality many felt like he was a diplomatic King, after all his ascension to power was peaceful, and so was his solution to the Spanish problem, the desires of Guilhem however, included many incursions into all of the neighboring realms.

In 1126 Roi Guilhem felt that a war wouldn´t disturb the order of France, and he decided to invade the Duchy of Dauphine, one of the breakaway states of the Holy Roman Empire. He sent his own levies and after a quick victory in the battlefield, the Duc of Dauphine was imprisoned, accepting to swear fealty to the King of France, thus ending the war. No sieges were necessary, and Roi Guilhem celebrated in Paris the quick expansion of the Carolingian Kingdom. Once again Roi Guilhem was extremely lucky, slowly more people really believed he was chosen by God.

At this time Guilhem introduced his oldest son Eudes to the court, making clear that he would be the only heir. The Prince would soon become and adult, and his succession seemed to be free of trouble, with the only opposition being Raymond and his allies. Guilhem decided to take advantage of the current peace and started to revisit old laws and documents to claim some of the lands inside the Duchy of Valois, the historical royal lands. After a few quick wars he ruled everything between Paris and Vermandois, expanding the income of the Crown and the number of soldiers it could raise.

Guilhem introduces his son at court (he was a bit bigger than that by then)
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To make his family more powerful he decided to make his cousin the Comte of Rethel, and his son Eudes the Duc of Normandie. The youngest Prince was already betrothed to the Comtesse of Provence and no land was promised to him. The only family matter to solve was his marriage, his wife had after all left his court a few years before after she was caught trying to murder him. With a new Pope ascending he finally got the permission to divorce and look for a new marriage. Roi Guilhem married the Comtesse of Charolais, a woman too old to have kids but very skilled in matters of governance. The other good news was that Raymond of Orléans mysteriously died after an explosion during a trip, no evidences were found of Royal involvement, but his death certainly benefited the King. The fact that the Royal Spymaster had been around days before Raymond died was a mere coincidence. There were now no serious claimants to the throne anymore and no troubles within the Carolingian dynasty.

In the same year news came from Jerusalem, the Crusade led by children was over, they miraculously arrived in the holy land but were slaughtered by the Fatimids, the surviving ones were enslaved, and everyone presumed Princess Aurengarde to have met one of these fates. The King wept for his daughter, but not much could be done from so far.

In 1127 Reina Mayor of Aragón had inherited all the Christian Kingdoms in Spain, uniting the divided Crowns into a powerful realm. She used her newfound power to invade the Emirate of Toledo. Recently she had found success in her holy war, spreading a religious fervor all over Christian Europe. The new Pope was ambitious, and he decided to take advantage of the recent enthusiasm, thus calling all Christian Lords to a Crusade, to avenge the children and to repeat the successes of Reina Mayor, to sail to the Holy Land and retake Jerusalem from the Fatimids.

​

They had two years to prepare. Roi Guilhem agreed to join the war, not so much for the money but more for the glory. He dreamed of entering the places where Jesus once walked in, to become a hero for the Christians and to avenge his daughter who perished there. In Germany, a new Emperor ascended to the throne, he was a relative to the daughter-in-law of Guilhem, Comtesse Regina of Provence, this made an approximation easier between the two realms, and soon the two rulers signed a non-aggression pact. This was against the desires of Carolingian expansion that Guilhem envisioned, but the prospects of a Crusade in the future made Guilhem turn his eyes away from France and into the Holy Land.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Guilhem is a God Blessed King. Thanks for updating

 

[dmurgell]

The other good news was that Raymond of Orléans mysteriously died after an explosion during a trip, no evidences were found of Royal involvement, but his death certainly benefited the King.

Oh yes, the classical unexpected explosion leaving your path clear.

In 1127 Reina Mayor of Aragón had inherited all the Christian Kingdoms in Spain, uniting the divided Crowns into a powerful realm.

A new threat on the south.

the prospects of a Crusade in the future made Guilhem turn his eyes away from France and into the Holy Land.

He should always keep an eye in France, just in case...

 

[dmurgell]

Hey! I just nominated you for an AARland Choice Awards award for this last quarter. I hope that everyone who follows will participate by voting.
It’s also a great way to learn about other high quality AARs that you haven’t read. See here the details: Q2 2025 ACAs.

 

[Rickefariel]

Hey! I just nominated you for an AARland Choice Awards award for this last quarter. I hope that everyone who follows will participate by voting.
It’s also a great way to learn about other high quality AARs that you haven’t read. See here the details: Q2 2025 ACAs.

Thank you! I will try and nominate some AARs too!

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

Guilhem's piety may be more dangerous than his ambition, it seems to me. No doubt the crusade will be a bloody affair.

 

[Austregisel]

And here we go to the land of sand, perhaps in this campaign the AI with your help can succeed as Outremer.

 

[jak7139]

Piety and ambition make a dangerous combination. Is Guilhem about to lose his whole army?

 

[stnylan]

Hopefully his dreams turn not into a nightmare

 

[Rickefariel]

Guilhem is a God Blessed King. Thanks for updating

He definitely believes in it!

Oh yes, the classical unexpected explosion leaving your path clear.

A new threat on the south.

He should always keep an eye in France, just in case...

Certainly Raymond´s death was a divine act.
A united Spain could be a threat but it also relieves some of the responsability France has to fight the Muslims.
There are vassals constantly joining factions to undermine the King, so certainly

Guilhem's piety may be more dangerous than his ambition, it seems to me. No doubt the crusade will be a bloody affair.

Yes, especially to the muslim side

And here we go to the land of sand, perhaps in this campaign the AI with your help can succeed as Outremer.

Unfortunately they have a lot of issues to deal with, as you´ll see in the next chapter

Piety and ambition make a dangerous combination. Is Guilhem about to lose his whole army?

Hopefully his dreams turn not into a nightmare

Well, surprisingly not!

 

[Rickefariel]

CHAPTER XI – THE SECOND CRUSADE

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In the 1090´s the Norman lords of Sicily and Southern Italy stopped their constant fighting and plotting, they banded together for a noble cause, the conquest of Jerusalem, the Holy City where Jesus lived, died and resurrected. The Pope failed to convince any major Christian Lord to take the Cross, only the adventurous Normans heard his call. The most illustrious families to participate were the Hauteville, who held Sicily and Apulia, and the Drengots, who held Capua and Naples. Duc Richard of Capua seemed to be the most blessed, for he led the Holy War and defeated the army of the Fatimid Caliph. Once the war was over, Richard returned to Capua, perhaps with the intent of using his newfound wealth and fame to fight the several Norman Lords of Italy.

Before leaving to Capua, Richard successfully installed his daughter as Queen of Jerusalem. Their lineage ended up being considered by many a cursed one, for “there was no King or Queen of Jerusalem who could enter the gates of Heaven, their sins were many, and they weighed more than their virtues in the eye of God”. [1] Queen Gaita was far from a pious woman, constantly drinking to deal with the losses in the battlefield. Her realm faced the pressure of the vengeful Caliph, only enduring with the help of the Holy Orders that constantly brought Knights from Europe.

Reine Gaita died without children, which was a bad sign to many, who considered her not worthy by God to bring anyone into this world, her kinslayer brother, Duc Jordan of Capua, was next in line, and after hearing the news of his sister´s death, quickly travelled to Jerusalem to make himself King. He barely had time to implement any change to the realm, dying after one year of inheriting the throne. Prince Goffredo became King, and soon he faced a Jihad directed by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Muqtafi. He was imprisoned in battle and forced to return to Capua, where he remained a Duc.

The Kingdom of Heaven could no longer stand the attacks of the Saracens​

After the successful Holy War conducted by Reina Mayor ‘Empress of All Spain’ against the Emirate of Toledo, the zealous knights from all over Europe were poised to take the sword against the infidels. There were Orders formed after the First Crusade, like the Templars and the Hospitallers, and after the taking of Toledo the Holy Order of the Knights of Santiago also was formed. The Pope took advantage of the current climate and started to plan a Second Crusade, this time the armed pilgrimage would count with the participation of higher-ranking nobles, like the King of France. Immediately a question arose over who should be installed as King, the obvious choice would be Duc Goffredo, but the Christians had no wish for him, many felt he came from a cursed line, and argued that his one leggedness proved this.

The South of the Peninsula was a patchwork of counties and duchies ruled by Normans, all fighting against each other constantly. They barely felt the influence of the Emperor in Germany, and much less of the Emperor in Constantinople, both barely holding any land in Italy. The Pope would play Lord against Lord, diminishing the threat of the Normans by keeping them divided. As part of this constant struggle, Goffredo was dismissed by the Pope. In the end, the Pope chose Prince Girardino as the future King of Jerusalem, still a member of the Drengot House, but a less sinful one.

Roi Guilhem agreed to fight for Girardino, but also got the permission from the Pope to install any relative of his as Lord in the Holy Land. Gilles Carolingian was chosen as beneficiary, he was a distant relative to Guilhem and married to the daughter of the late King Henri Capetian of France. After the preparations for the Crusade ended, the Lords were expected to meet in Sicily. Roi Guilhem used all the might of the Genoese fleet to ensure the secure transportation of the faithful to the Holy Land. The travel was safe and in 1130 the Royal troops landed in Jaffa, determined to conquer Jerusalem. Guilhem could not have known at the time, but his wife had just died, and so did Reina Mayor of Spain. The four princesses each inherited a Kingdom before reaching maturity, leaving the recently conquered Toledo open to Muslim conquest.

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The Caliph of Egypt responded slowly, he did not expect such a concise and direct attack against his realm. Before he realized, Jaffa was already taken, and soon served as the center of Crusader incursions. The Knights were well supplied by the Genoese and by the sacks against Muslim towns and villages. Roi Guilhem saw the victory as a good omen and led the main army to Jerusalem to storm the city, leaving behind some forces to hold Jaffa. His mighty army imposed itself upon the city, surrounding and sieging it. After an opening was found in the walls, the Crusaders entered the city, killing the Muslim garrison and liberating the Christians. Before Guilhem and his Knights could visit the holy sites and celebrate, news came that the army of the Caliph had already been gathered and that his forces had crossed the Sinai. Guilhem predicted that the Caliph would take Jaffa and cut his supplies, making an attack against the main army in Jerusalem easier. Roi Guilhem then gathered his forces and marched in the direction of the Caliph.

Before the forces could face, the Lord of Hebron had surrendered the city to Guilhem, who used the new position to entice the Caliph into a confront. The Christians had less men, but Guilhem took advantage of the hills to funnel the armies of the Caliph. Under the blazing sun of Hebron, the men fought, at the end hundreds of crows flew over the Muslim side to feast upon their fallen soldiers. After the victory in Hebron, Guilhem prayed with his army then took most of them to the North, leaving some to garrison the city. Most Muslim Lords submitted to the Crusaders, avoiding the sacking, with the exception of Acre, which was then sieged by the French and later given to Gilles, who was made Duc of Acre. In all the cities that Guilhem went, the Christian slaves were freed and all the young girls were shown to him. Guilhem expected to find his daughter Aurengarde, but he failed to.

The Crusaders arrive at the Holy City, Roi Guilhem kneels in admiration​

After most of his army was massacred in Hebron, the Caliph surrendered the Levant to the Christians, Girardino was then made King of Jerusalem, the Genoese got the rights to direct commerce in the coast and Roi Guilhem left back home with ships filled to the brim with gold and the fame of a true Christian knight. He lamented that he could not find his daughter, but he was also happy to return home and meet his sons again. After arriving in Southern France, he visited the court of Provence, where he congratulated his youngest son for marrying the Comtesse, forging an alliance with her.

When Guilhem found out about his wife´s death he wasn´t particularly sad, after all he didn´t have much intimacy with her, but she ruled in Paris with Prince Eudes after he had left to Jerusalem, and they did a good job of keeping the peace in the realm. Eudes was recognized for his skills and was made Advisor to the King, the Prince was also recognized as Regent and was expected to rule when Guilhem was away. The entourage of the King was greeted all the way from Provence to Paris, with people coming from nearby villages and cities to greet them, some even tried to touch the King, with stories going around that his touch could cure all sorts of illnesses.

After arriving in Paris, the biggest concern came fourth, a new Queen had to be chosen, and after pondering a lot, the King surprisingly chose Heresenda, the widow of Raymond ‘the Usurper’, the last King of France. She was an extremely skilled woman, and would certainly help Guilhem to govern. She could also guarantee peace with Baudouin, the son she had with Raymond, and thus claimant to the throne of France. At this time, the first wife of Guilhem died, she was away in the court of a German Lord, but no one wept for her in Paris, considering she had tried to kill the King years ago.

Birds​

Guilhem used his prestige to try to expand even more his royal demesne, there was still a county in the Duchy of Valois belonging to Geoffrey de Bourgougne. After he ordered the transfer of land, Geoffrey denied it, arguing his family had inherited it legally, and the rose his troops to fight the King. Duc Tristan of Bretagne joined Geoffrey as an ally and they were both eventually defeated, but mercifully, Guilhem decided not to imprison them. This war soured the relations with Bougougne and Brittany, and also raised the ears of other French Lords, who were afraid of future Royal interventions. Prince Eudes however, assured the other Lords that his father had no more intention to expand his internal power, instead wishing to project his forces into other realms.

It was true that Guilhem had constantly been dreaming of expanding his realm into Burgundy, Spain and even Italy, and he was constantly receiving letters about the political situation in these regions, even if his victory in the Crusade had quenched some of his thirst for victory in the battlefield. In the aftermath of Reina Mayor´s death, Toledo was invaded by the Emir of Cordoba, Guilhem finally saw an opportunity to defend Christendom and then sent troops to defend the city, helping the young Queen of Castile. In the summer of 1133 the armies met in Siguenza, the result was a small victory for the Christians, who managed to open their way to Toledo.

The opposing sides met a second time at Molina, the Andalusi had more mounted soldiers, specially Bedouin camel riders. Despite losing more men, the Saracens won the battle, blocking future entrance of Christian forces into Toledo. To avoid further Muslim incursion, the Regent of Castile agreed to a peace, setting the frontiers at the central mountains of Iberia. This victory fortified the rule of Cordoba over Andalusia, and surely invited further incursions into the Christian Kingdoms.

At Molina the Christians were repeled, angering Guilhem

The aftermath of Andalusian victory​

In the next year Guilhem sent his levies to help the Comtesse of Provence to defeat a revolt, this strengthened the alliance with her and took out some of the bitter taste that had been left after the defeat at Spain. In the same year Queen Heresenda died. Her death broke the non-aggression pact with Baudouin of Orléans, but the claimant would soon die in a battle, leaving the duchy to his younger brother, who posed no serious threat at the moment. Guilhem decided to not take a wife anymore, more than three marriages were too much for the Church, and he had two male adult sons after all, having no need for more kids.

Guilhem had been suffering from great pox since he arrived in France [2], perhaps he caught it during the celebrations made in his name. After several failed treatments it seemed the disease was starting to affect his good judgment. Infirm of body and lunatic, the advisors of the King decided to call Eudes to act as Regent of France. Prince Eudes tried to hide the illness of his father at every cost. The Prince called for a grand tournament to distract the vassals, but the absence of the King was missed, with rumors going around that he had escaped the castle, with some saying he went away to Jerusalem in a one-man boat to find his lost daughter.

The cousin of the King was beatified​

The money taken from the Crusade was used to improve infrastructure and make new roads, showing that Eudes had the ambition to improve the Royal Demesne. In Spain the al-Abbádi Emirate of Cordoba attacked the Kingdom of Aragón, advancing into Zaragoza. The Prince didn´t offer much help to the Kingdom of Aragón due to the delicate situation in France, if he left who knows what could happen in his absence. The cousin of Guilhem, made Comte of Rethel by Guilhem after he became King, was beatified, showing how the relations between Crown and Church were improving, and to celebrate, Eudes ordered for two new churches to be built in Royal lands.

Huge squirrels bothered Guilhem in his final years

His neglected soul is open to demonic incursions

Jesus frees him from the demons

Guilhem assaults the Royal treasury to donate the gold to the poor, to the despair of Prince Eudes​

In his last years Guilhem delved in alchemic texts, trying to found the secret to immortality, a sign of his growing madness. He also had moments where he shouted how he was chosen by God and how he was Charlemagne incarnate. After dancing on fire, Guilhem became very wounded, eventually succumbing to his injuries. Eudes was in all but name King already, but now he would wear the crown and sit at the throne in Paris. In the funeral eulogy, Eudes talked about his father´s ascension to the throne, his fervor against the infidels and his victories against them in the Holy Land. Eudes was hardly a zealous man, but in this moment, he prayed for his father to enter in heaven.

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As Guilhem woke up he heard a screeching, metallic sound, something seemed to be scraping the floor. When he lifted his head, he encountered a dark figure at the door, he could hardly tell who it was, but he suspected it was an assassin sent for him. The stranger lifted a scythe their size, which led to Guilhem screaming, but nobody seemed to hear his plea for help. The strange figure then whispered:

— I´ve come to take your life.

— Who sent you to do this? Which enemy of mine?

— No enemy, your time simply ended.

Guilhem started to realize, the dark robe, the somber voice, the scythe. It was no assassin. — My time has come then. What happens now?

— Come with me.

As Guilhem followed the shadowy figure into the dark corridor he noticed a mirror, after looking into it he noticed his face was no longer disfigured, the deep sword cut was gone, the wounds caused by the great pox had also disappeared. The face he hadn´t seen for years was in front of him, he could barely recognize himself after so long. After admiring his long gone face he continued to walk. As he was embraced by the dark of his own castle he could hear a familiar, feminine young voice:

— Dad?

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[1] As said by a French Chronicler
[2] Great Pox, or as it´s called today 'Shyphillis', only appeared in 1500´s Europe, but in the game it´s already a thing

 

[Austregisel]

Looks like half of Iberia is going to turn blue, with holy wars popping up everywhere!

And what a turnaround for Guilhem! He finally managed to free himself from his own demons. But let me tell you... I swore he wouldn't last that long. At first, that crazy guy was insufferable!

And btw, i hate this mask! A lot of characters end up using it, and after a while, I started running my campaigns without the Reaper's Due DLC, honestly, it was such a relief.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Good job in Jerusalem. Iberia is troubling. How are relations between Eudes and the minions? The lunatic trait is as prevalent as the masks. You have great pox loons, education loons (I got two in my current games) and inherited loons (child inherits pox and lunacy from father. Thanks for updating.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

This entry reminds us all that CK2 had some bonkers event chains, god I miss them. "You have a chance to build a road"--fuck you I want to play chess against death and then give birth to the antichrist.

 

[TWR97]

guess it's a tradeoff, the Crusade is successful in the Holy Land but they lose ground in Iberia, definitely worth a struggle to push the Andalusians back