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Velasco

Meddler Sublime
2 Badges
Apr 9, 2005
398
7
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Crusader Kings III
Prologue
The fortunes of the House of Maurienne were founded by Humberto Biancamano, a nobleman from Burgundy or Provence, who claimed descent from the Carolingian royal house. He supported Rudolph of Burgundy during his campaigns in Italy, supplying him with soldiers and provisions. His reward was the mountainous region of Aosta and the northern Viennois, in 1003. After the fall of the Ottonian empire, Humbert’s lands became almost autonomous within the empire. He continued his policy of loyal service to the Emperor, and in 1032 Conrad II granted him the county of Maurienne.

Humbert married Ancilla, or Auxilia, daughter of the Master of Ceremonies of the House of Burgundy. She bore him at least four sons, Amadeo, Aimone (died 1055), bishop of Sion, Burcado (died 1068), bishop of Lyons, and Oddone.

Humbert died in 1048, and his lands passed to his eldest son Amadeo. Amadeo ruled from 1048 to his own death in 1056. He had two sons, Humbert, and Aimone, bishop of Belley, but both of them predeceased him, and he was succeeded by his brother Oddone.

Oddone further expanded his lands by marrying Adelaide, heiress of Turin. Such was his status, that his eldest daughter Bertha was bestowed in marriage to his liege Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, whilst the other Adelaide, later married Rudolph, duke of Swabia. Oddone died in 1060, and was succeeded by his eldest son Peter.

Peter I married Agnes of Aquitaine, and had one daughter by her, Alix. There seems to have been no question of her inheriting his lands. Peter I ruled jointly with his younger brother Amadeo, and was succeeded by him when he died in 1078.

Amadeus II ruled alone only for two years. He married Joan, or Giovanna, of Geneva, and had three children by her: the male heir Humbert, and two daughters, Adelaide (died 1090) and Ausilia, who married Umberto de Beaujeu.

Humbert II, called “the Fat”, ruled from 1080 to 1103. He married Gisela, daughter of William ‘the Great’ of Burgundy, and Stephanie de Longwy. She bore him four children: Amedeus, William (who became bishop of Liege), Agnes, who married Arcimboldo VI of Burgundy, and Adelaide, who married Louis VI, King of France.

It is with Amadeus III that the story of Savoyard greatness truly begins. He styled himself duke of Lombardy, Burgundy, and Chablais, and vicar of the Holy Roman Empire (a title once given to his father by Henry IV). He was also abbot of St Maurice of Augane, until 1147. In 1123, he married Matilda d’Albon, sister of Guy (Guigues) IV of Dauphinois. The marriage proved fertile, and she bore him ten children. A daughter, Mathilde, married Alfonso, first King of Portugal, whilst her sister Agnes married Guillaume (William), count of Geneve.

In 1128 he extended his lands, which were called the “Old Chablais” by adding to it the entire region from the Arve to the Dranse d’Abbondance, which was called the “New Chablais”.

He also fought against his brother-in-law Guigues, who was killed at the Battle of Montmeillan. This lead his other brother-in-law, Louis VI, to attempt to confiscate Savoy, but Amadeus was saved by the intercession of the famed Peter the Hermit, and by a promise to join the oncoming crusade.

In 1147 he accompanied his nephew Louis VII (who had succeeded his father) on the Second Crusade. He was accompanied by the lords of Faucigny, Seyssel, La Chambre, Miolans, Montbel, Thoire, Montmayeur, Vienne, Viry, La Palude, Blonay, Chevron-Villette, Chignin, and Châtillon, and financed his crusade with a loan from the abbey of St Maurice. Amadeus fell ill in Cyprus, and died at Nicosia in April 1148, and was buried at the church of St Croix there.

The new count of Savoy, Humbert III, was a boy of 12, and so the county was ruled for some time by Amadeus, bishop of Lausanne. Humbert was not suited to the live of a prince, and longed for the quiet seclusion of a monastery. He first married Faidiva, daughter of Alphonse I, count of Toulouse, but she died young, and his second marriage, to Gertrude of Alsace, sister of Philip, duke of Flanders, ended in divorce. Humbert was affected so much by this that he gave up and became a monk, but soon after returned when his nobles begged him to remarry and beget an heir.

He married Klementia of Zahringen, whose family had once ruled vast lands in northern Italy. She bore him three daughters: Alicia, who was betrothed to John Lackland of England, and died young at the English court, Sophie (born 1165), and Eleonore (born 1166). Klementia died in 1160, and Humbert (having first attempted to return to his beloved monastery) was prevailed upon to remarry for a fourth time, Beatrix d’Albon, or of Viennois, who bore him a son, who was named Tommaso (Thomas) after St Thomas Becket, in 1178.

But the best was only yet to come.
 
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Chapter 1: Of Duke Humbert, his conquests, and his family
Duke Humbert had a large family. He had three brothers (John, Peter, William) and six sisters (Elisa, Marguerite, Isabella, Mathilde, Agnes, and Juliana), of which Marguerite, Agnes, countess of Geneve, and Mathilde, Queen consort of Portugal, were dead by 1187. By his third wife Klementia of Zahringen he had three daughters, Alicia (died young in 1174), Sophie, and Eleonore, who was married to Bonifacio, son of count Guglielmo of Montferrato. He also had one son, Thomas, by his fourth wife, Beatrix d’Albon. All of these resided at his court, except Eleonore, who lived amongst her husband’s kin in Montferrato.

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Duke Humbert

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the Duchess Beatrix

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The heir, Thomas

Humbert's daughters:
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In February 1187 Humbert III entertained envoys from the Republic of Ancona, and signed an alliance of mutual protection with them. Having thus secured protection for his lands, Humbert rallied together his barons and sailed with them to the Balearic Islands, to fight the Emir Abdul-Fattah. Although he was not a warlike ruler, he had resigned himself to life as a temporal prince, of which warfare was integral. By capturing the Balearic islands, he hoped to provide Savoyard merchants with a base from which to participate in the lucrative Mediterranean trade, and to gain a base for later crusades in Iberia and North Africa.

The Savoyard army easily overcame the native force, and quickly captured the two mains islands Mallorca (January 1188) and Menorca (June 1188). The Moslem natives were unhappy about the change of rule, although Humbert was supported by the thousands of Christian slaves he freed. However, Humbert enforced his royal prerogative in the Balearics as in Savoie, and was supported by the Moslem prince Khudayar al-Yahwar, a rival pretender to the Emirate against Abdul-Fattah.

Upon his return to Savoie, Humbert was forced to sell many important books in his library, and also his hunting rights to his great forest. He also enforced his rule in Piemonte, exiling the powerful count Lorenzo, and confiscating all his property. Despite this, he remained deeply in debt to Genoese merchants, and to the abbey of St Maurice, to the sum of -585©.

It appears the duchess Beatrix had accompanied Humbert III on his campaign, as not long after their return she bore a daughter (October 22nd), who was christened Clotilde after the Saint Queen of that name.

At that same time news filtered back to Savoie from abroad. King Guillaume II of Sicily, together with Bonifacio of Monteferrato, had gone on a crusade against the Almohads. The crusaders had some initial success, making considerable conquests in north Africa, but were vastly outnumbered. Several noblemen seized the newly conquered lands, and declared themselves independent from King Guillaume II, and were supported in this by the Almohads.

On August 15th, 1189, Humbert’s eldest daughter Sophie was married, to Guillaume, son of Bonifacio, who had married her sister Eleonore, from his first marriage. However, not long after Guillaume and his father Bonifacio quarrelled with Conrad, count of Montferrato, and applied to Humbert for help. Not wishing to disregard his duty to his daughters and their husbands, Humbert began a march into Montferrato in November 1189. Humbert completely defeated Conrad, and on January 14th Conrad, in return for his life and freedom, ceded Monferrato to Humbert, who henceforth held it on behalf of his son-in-law Bonifacio. However, Conrad’s liege King Guillaume II of Sicily was infuriated, and at once declared war on Humbert, and sent word to his ally, the King of Poland, to attack Humbert. The King of Poland was marching south with a huge army, but the landing of a huge Moslem army in Sicily forced both kings to accept a white peace with Humbert, and concentrate on the Infidel.

In September, Humbert’s daughter Eleonore, who had returned with her husband to her father’s court, bore her fourth child, a daughter, who was named Marcella, to her husband Bonifacio. They had two other daughters, Agnes and Fosca; the son, Bernardo, had died young.

On October 20th 1190, the duchess Beatrix bore Humbert a second son, who was named Robert. The name Robert was unusual choice for a prince of Savoy, and it was probably in honour of Robert, ancestor of the French royal house, who had risen to the throne, although he was not of royal blood. This may perhaps give us insight into the growing ambition of the House of Savoie.

Around this time, Humbert publicly pressed his claim to Pisa, which was then a republic. However, he was unable to do much about this, as soon after the peasants of Mallorca revolted, refusing to obey a ruler of a different faith to them. Humbert, who from his education as a monk had developed a deep dislike of all non-christians, crushed the opposition, and enforced his rule over the Moslems, only to return home, and find that thousands of Cathars had settled in Piemonte. He stopped this mass exodus of heretics into his lands in March 1191, but the Cathars had already taken root, and settled amongst his lands.

In July 1191, Humbert was forced to sell his rights to his mines to pay off the interest of his debts, yet even so he remained deeply in debt.

Back in 1188, the Count of Vaud, who ruled considerable lands north of Lake Geneve, had died, and his lands and titles were sold to the lord of Baugey, who strengthened his claims to those lands by marrying Agnes, bastard daughter of the last lord. However, the lord of Baugey died soon after in early 1190, leaving Agnes destitute. Humbert III at once laid claim to both lordships, whilst Agnes did the same. Having born her second daughter (the posthumous child of the lord of Baugey) Agnes began the hazardous journey north to Paris, to seek King Philippe’s support, only to be kidnapped and raped by Otto, count of Besancon, the Emperor’s son. Having been thus impregnated, Agnes was cast aside by Otto, and attempted to make her way to a monastery in Lyon, where her mother had long ago become a nun. On the way there, she was intercepted by Humbert, and the two made their peace with each other. Humbert took Agnes with him to Turin, where she bore Otto of Besancon a daughter, who was named Adelaide (a name popular for princesses of Savoie). It was not long before she was once again with child, and sometime in 1191 she bore Humbert a son, who was named Umberto.

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On February 19th 1192, Humbert’s elder sister Elisa died, aged 69, and was buried in Turin, alongside their mother and father. Despite Elisa’s death, Humbert continued with his preparations for the marriages of his brothers, all of whom were to be married. On the 27th he granted the hand of Agnes of Vaud to his brother William. Humbert (who had become hugely rich by the expulsion of several of his lords believed to have converted to the Catharic faith, although he refused to sell these lands to pay off his debts to the Genoese) provided for a lavish wedding ceremony, and gave Agnes many sumptuous gifts, including many of the lands he had confiscated. Although it was expected William would rule Agnes’ lands on her behalf, Humbert contravened tradition, and allowed Agnes to act independently in her own lands, which comprised the county of Lausanne (which was to be the inheritance of the boy Umberto), a life-tenure of the lordship of Baugey (which would devolve upon her two daughters by the previous lord) and the county of Vaud (for her heirs by William, or by any other union she might contract, failing that to the child Umberto). Only the girl Adelaide of Besancon was left without an inheritance, but as the granddaughter of the Emperor Humbert knew she would not be without suitors, and she may even have been betrothed to his young son Robert. Soon after, on March 1st, his second brother Peter married Livia Zeno, a young Genoese heiress, and was made count of Turin, after ceding back to Humbert his previous fiefs of Rivoli and Racconigi.

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Elisa before her death

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Now all that remained was Humbert’s younger brother John. Humbert had arranged a marriage for John to Ida, eldest daughter and heiress of Marie, countess of Boulogne, which union was duly solemnised by proxy in Boulogne. Ida and her retinue at once set off for Savoie, and arrived there in good health, only to discover that John had kidnapped and married a wealthier heiress: Agnes, only legitimate child of Konrad, duke of Franconia. Furthermore, this marriage had been consummated, and Agnes was the niece of the Emperor. However, the Pope refused to grant John an annulment from Ida, and so it came to be that John lived with both princesses, and consummated both unions, and looked forward to the day he might appropriate both inheritances.

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The ensuing scandal caused Konrad of Franconia to at once call upon his brother, the Emperor, and his nephew, the King of Italy. The Emperor demanded Humbert hand over his brother John for punishment, the princess Adelaide (son of Agnes of Vaud and the prince Otto) and Agnes of Franconia. When Humbert refused, the Emperor repeated these demands, and also ordered Humbert to hand over Ida of Boulogne (so that the widowed Emperor might secure her rich inheritance for himself and press her claims to the crown of England, after he had executed John) and all his lands; in return Humbert would be allowed to keep the city of Turin and the Balearic Islands as a Imperial fief. Humbert refused, and rode into Pavia with a large Savoyard force. He was soundly defeated, and withdrew back into his own lands. It was here that Humbert grew increasingly lonely, and consoled himself with the camp followers.

Humbert at once realised the terrible situation he was in. He considered applying to Guillaume II of Sicily against the Emperor, but he knew that much of the fighting would still be done on Savoyard soil. Therefore, he at once sent word to his kinsman Philippe Auguste, King of France. Philippe, weary of the growing friendship between his Angevin enemies and the Emperor, and now faced with the loss of his hitherto friendly neighbour and kinsman Humbert, and with Imperial possession of the strategic western Alpine passes, at once hurried to Humbert’s aid. Humbert even agreed to pay Philippe homage for his lands, and it was proposed that Humbert’s heir Thomas marry Philippe’s eldest daughter and heiress, to provide the French royal house with a male heir. The Emperor at once marched into France, and soon reached the Ile de France, where he was thoroughly routed.

Nevertheless, Humbert had become trapped in Savoy, and in late June was captured by the enemy. The Emperor and the King of Italy repeated all their previous demands and also a large ransom for Humbert, which the empty Savoyard treasury was unable to pay. The Savoyards sent an embassy, lead by the Bishop of Lausanne, to attempt to placate the Emperor, and buy some time, but they were too late: the Emperor and the King of Italy, tired of waiting for the ransom, had beheaded Humbert on July 2nd 1193.

His heir, Thomas, looked forward to an uncertain future as duke of Savoie, under the yoke of the French king.
 
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Chapter 2: Of Duke Thomas, and his many exploits

The situation of Duke Thomas was desperate, but there was little he could do. In August 14th 1193 Livia Zeno finally gave birth to her child by Peter, who was christened Hugues, allowing the court to flee from Turin to the relative safety of Aosta.

On the 23rd news arrived that King Guillaume II of Sicily had made peace with the Almohads, who two days later attacked the King of Castille, and launched a full scale invasion of that kingdom.

The Emperor took Monferrato on the 27th, and Piemonte and Savoie fell soon after, on September 9th and 17th respectively. In January, 1194, the cathartic heretics in Piemonte began an unprovoked revolt, laying waste to the entire region.

On January 10th, Thomas’ sister Eleonore bore her fifth child, who was called Henri. Nevertheless, by February 6th, Thomas had descended into a deep depression, and led the life of a recluse, feeling ashamed and disgraced for having failed to hold on to his patrimony. It was then that news arrived from Paris: King Philippe had made peace with Heinrich, who had succeeded his father as emperor, and now needed the war to end to allow him to secure the imperial throne.

That same day, Thomas rode triumphantly back into Turin. With him, was the princess Erzebet, who he married that very same day in the cathedral there. Erzebet was the daughter of King Bela III of Hungary, and the sister of the Empress Margit, who had married the Emperor Isaakios Angelos. Her mother was Agnes, daughter of the famed warrior Renaud de Chatillon, and Constance, princess of Antioch; therefore Agnes was the sister of the prince Bohemond III. Constance was the daughter of Bohemond II, grandson of another famed warrior, Robert Guiscard de Hauteville, and Alice, daughter of Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem. All in all, Erzebet’s lineage read like a who’s who of Crusader royalty. In addition to her dowry, he also asked for her father and brothers to cede to him all their pretensions to Jerusalem and Apulia, and right to inheritance in Antioch.

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In October, the infant Hugues, son of Thomas’ uncle Peter, succumbed to a debilitating disease. He would remain a weak and unhealthy boy throughout his lifetime.

On December 22nd, Agnes of Vaud bore her husband William’s first child, who was christened Richard. Thomas held his first real Christmas court that year, and the festivities lasted for several weeks.

On January 17th 1195 Thomas’ uncle John, he of two wives, died, leaving no issue. Not long had John been buried, than the duchess Erzebet, who had always been a sick child, died of her sickness, on February 1st. Thomas sunk further into depression, but knew he must sire a male heir for his duchy, and so he quickly married Ida of Boulogne, not even having waited for papal dispensation for the union (which was duly obtained).

The duchess Ida now stepped into the foreground of things. She at once took the reins of the court, elevating her favourites, and disgracing her enemies. For the first time in her life she was not sidelined to the shadows, as she had been during her first two marriages, and during her youth, when her younger sister Mathilde had been preferred. However, Ida was the daughter and heiress of Marie, countess of Boulogne, who had been made Duchess of Picardy by King Philippe, and Mathieu of Lorraine, brother of Philip, duke of Flanders. Furthermore, Marie was the only surviving child of Stephen of Blois, King of England, and as such had inherited his claims to the throne. Thomas was greatly besotted with Ida, who was twice his age (he being a young impressionable boy of 16, she a mature woman of 34 full of frustrated ambitions and hopes), and by March 10th he was fully recovered from his depression.

In late February, Thomas’ uncle William, who had been made the lay Bishop of Savoie, advised him that the Pope frowned upon Christian rulers allowing heathens to hold positions of authority within their lands. Thomas at once had the prince Khudayar al-Yahwar, who he had put above all his armies, and consequently thousands of good Christian soldiers, publicly executed.

On May 12th, Richard, son of William and Agnes of Vaud, died. It appears the boy’s death greatly affected his mother, and together with the strains of being a known fornicator and bastard at a Christian court caused Agnes to descend into utter madness by June.

In August Thomas received a gift of 1000© from a papal nuncio, who hoped to buy Thomas support for a Crusade to free Jerusalem, which was announced on September 1st. Thomas was greatly optimistic and at once agreed to join the crusade, although only when it was convenient to him (he had not dropped the usage of the styles King of Jerusalem and Duke of Apulia, even after the death of the princess Erzebet). In November the nuncio, on behalf of the Pope, bestowed upon Thomas the title “duke of Mallorca” and recognised him as Duke of Savoie (the ducal title, first adopted by his father, had never been fully recognised by an outside power) and Count of Montferrato, which lands many felt he had unjustly usurped.

On December 7th, Ida bore a daughter, who was named Marguerite, after a sister of King Philippe. However, the babe did not live long, and died on February 1st, 1196.

On June 8th, 1196, Thomas’ uncle Peter died, leaving behind a young pregnant Genoese widow, Livia Zeno, and a son by her, the sickly Hugues. Peter’s posthumous child would be a daughter, born on October 13th, who was given the name Eustachie, after the eldest daughter of King Philippe.

On August 9th 1196, Thomas’ aunt Juliana died, leaving him her fief of Menorca. The fief was duly granted to the child Hugues, who was sent to the island together with several capable officials (who would rule it for him during his youth). Thomas hoped the island’s hotter climate would be better suited to the young boy’s metabolism.

On December 6th Ida bore a son, who was named Renaud (in honour of the crusade Renaud de Chatillon, grandfather of Thomas’ first wife Erzebet). On the 27th news arrived of the death of Ida’s mother Marie, duchess of Picardy, whose lands passed to her three week old grandson. The boy was at once dispatched, together with a great retinue, for the north of France, where he might be raised at King Philippe’s court.

On January 5th it came to be known that the duke Thomas had grown tired of Ida, and now wished to repudiate her. It was even whispered that he planned to do away with her, and the duchess’ guards even caught several ruffians near her chambers. On the 18th, Ida was found dead in her chambers. It was given out that she had died of food poisoning, but many blamed Thomas for her death. Although no evidence was ever discovered, the duke’s reputation was forever tarnished, and he was branded a kinslayer.

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In late February/late March 1197 Thomas’ niece, Agnes, daughter of his sister Eleonore and Bonifacio of Monferrato, married Amanieu, count of Albret.

On March 15th Thomas kidnapped and married Berenguela, widow of Cornelio Mastropiero, Magistrate of Modena. She was also the eldest daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castille and Eleanor, daughter of King Henry II of England and the famed beauty Eleanor of Aquitaine. As such, Thomas could well aspire to inheriting the kingdom of Castille, and also the duchy of Gascony (which had been promised by Henry II as the dowry of his daughter, after the death of her mother). Berenguela was a girl of 17, while Thomas was 19. King Alfonso had little option than to approve the union, but he made clear he would never accept Thomas’ son as his heir. On April 3rd Berenguela bore Cornelio’s posthumous child, a daughter, who was given the name Mencia Mastropiero.

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The Duchess Berenguela in later life

On October 21st, Thomas’ aunt Isabella, countess of Mallorca, died. The county then passed to the loyal knight Simon de Mallorca, the son of a Muslim sheik and a Christian slave girl.

On March 18th 1198 King Philippe II declared war on King Richard of England, uncle of Thomas’ wife Berenguela. Thomas refused to join the conflict, and did not provide Philippe with men or provisions. King Philippe was greatly angered, as King Richard had been joined by the Emperor Heinrich, so that the French now faced war on the two fronts.

On May 23rd, 1198, Berenguela bore Thomas a daughter, who was given the name Jeanne. She was suckled by a certain Aremburga, who originated from Provence, and whom Thomas later rewarded with several manors near Aosta.

On July 11th King Philippe made peace with the Emperor, and moved east into Normandy and Poitou. The two sides were evenly matched, but the well-timed rebellion of several English nobles gave Philippe the edge he needed.

On March 21st, 1199, Berenguela bore another daughter, who was called Adelaide. This name was a common choice for the princesses of Savoie, being the name of the girl's great-aunt Adelaide, queen consort of France.

On April 10th, news arrived that the King of the Ayyubids had attacked Menorca. Infuriated, Thomas at once rallied his men, and, leaving his uncle William as regent in Savoie, set sail for Malta, which was owned by the Emir of Medina. The island fell to him on November 20th, and he then sailed to the African coast, where he took Benghazi (May 18th 1200).

The Duchess Berenguela had accompanied Thomas on campaign, and was soon with child. Unable to cohabit with her, and tired by the campaign, Thomas sought solace amongst the camp-followers, and in January 21st 1200 was presented with a bastard son, who was given the name Louis ‘of Malta’, after his birthplace. On May 23rd, at Benghazi, Berenguela bore Thomas their third daughter, who was given the name Adèle ‘the Tunisian’.

On June 3rd Thomas made peace with Ramadam, Emir of Medina, and gave him 74© for Benghazi and Malta. On July 29th peace was reached with Abdul-Haleem, King of the Ayyubids, after Thomas had defeated a small Egyptian force in Cyrenaica.

Leaving the knight Charles de Bage as count in Benghazi, Thomas returned to Malta, where he defeated a revolt of the peasantry. At the same time, another heretic revolt took place in Piemonte, which was put down by his uncle William, who was captured, and had to be ransomed. After the defeat of the rebels, the capable Arnaud d’Appiano was made count of Malta. These conquests ushered in a new age of prosperity for Savoie, whose merchants were growing rich on the Mediterranean trade, transporting goods from the Moslem east and the Byzantines to Benghazi, and from there to Malta towards Italy and Germany, and the Balearics to Iberia and western Europe.

On November 27th, 1201, Agnes of Vaud bore William’s second child, a daughter, who given the name Yolande.

In December Thomas made a secret alliance with Guy of Thouars, “Duke of Poitou”, in order to guard his wife’s interests in southern France.

On December 17th 1201, Thomas finally took up the Cross, and set sail to wage war on the Abbasid Empire. In June, 1202, he and his Queen Berenguela stayed in Rome, and it was said no decision was made at the Palace of St Peter with Thomas’ consent. Furthermore, the Savoyard merchants were given an unprecedented control of the Papal Curia, making huge profits along the way. In October, Thomas truly felt that God was urging him to take the cross, and was heard to cry “Deus Vult!” several times a day.

Thomas soon landed in Acre, and at once marched on Jerusalem, deigning to join the other crusaders, lead by Bohemond III, Prince of Antioch, who now ruled most of Tyre, Palestine, and Galilee. Jerusalem fell on April 12th, after which Thomas assisted the prince Bohemond, and (when Bohemond died during a siege) his successor Raymond.

On July 11th, Queen Berenguela, who had accompanied Thomas on crusade, bore a son, who was given the name Aymar. The child was born in the Holy City, and was called “Le Hierosolymitain”, the Jerusalemite. It was said the child was blessed, and that many good things would come of him.

On August 26th, 1203, Thomas met with the Moslem sheiks and emirs and made peace with them, and allowed Moslems free access to their holy sites in the holy city. In November, the Pope called the Crusade to an end, and much honour was brought upon Thomas for having fulfilled God’s will. He was heard to say, “Deus Vult!” often, whenever anything, good or bad, happened.

The Third Crusade had left Thomas as one of the most powerful and respected princes of Christendom. However, he had been severely wounded, and the wound caused him much aggravation. He soon developed an illness, which was soon identified as pneumonia. Many felt that the Duke did not have long to live, and he feared for his life.

In 1203 Europe was being ravaged by war. The Kings of Navarra and Aragon were at war with the Almohads, who had already engulfed the Kingdom of Castille (which now comprised Cordoba and the county of Narbonne). Consequently, Thomas was no longer as devoted to his wife Berenguela, and abandoned his hopes of inheriting Castille and Gascony. Meanwhile, the Emperor, the Kings of France, Naples, and Poland, together with their vassals, had joined the prince of Antioch against the Abbasids. Thomas, liberator of Jerusalem, was unable to leave Savoie due to his wounds, and so the Savoyard lords were saved from yet another expensive and tiring crusade.

On December 3rd, 1203, three marriages took place in Turin. First was Thomas’ seven year old son Renaud, duke of Picardy, who married the thirteen year old Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of King Richard of England. Her dowry was the Vexin, and her potential inheritance made her the greatest heiress in Christendom, surpassing even her famed grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine. Renaud was the direct heir of King Stephen of Blois, who had usurped the english throne from his cousin Matilda, whose direct heiress Elizabeth was. Consequently, the marriage united the two rival claims to the crown, and also facilitated Thomas and King Richard to come to an agreement over Gascony (which was to be held by Richard for his lifetime, after which it would pass to his niece Berenguela).

Second, was Thomas’ bastard brother Umberto, count of Lausanne, and Ghunayya, eldest daughter and heiress of Raymond II, prince of Antioch. Umberto was twelve, Ghunayya fifteen. Although it is not mentioned in any chronicles, Ghunayya (originally Petronilla, she took the Arab name Ghunayya at a young age, having been raised by Arab nurses) probably left Antioch with Thomas after the conquest of Jerusalem, as there is no record made of her leaving Antioch for Savoie. Thomas hoped to give Umberto the city of Jerusalem, and by obtaining for him the principality of Antioch (which now included those of Palestine, Galilee, and Tyre) hoped to recreate for Umberto the kingdom of Jerusalem, whilst strengthening his own position in Savoie with the acquisition of Lausanne.

Lastly, Thomas’ full brother Robert contracted an advantageous union with Violante, countess of Zaragoza, daughter of Ferdinand II of Léon, and his third wife Berenguela. Violante was thus the half-sister of King Alfonso III of Léon (son of Urraca of Portugal) and Fernando, duke of Salamanca (son of Teresa Fernandez de Trava). She was also the granddaughter of King Sancho VI of Navarra, through her mother Berenguela, countess of Jaca, who had married Alfons, count of Lleida and Provence, brother of King Pere of Aragon, by whom she had one daughter, Guilinda. Thomas hoped to secure for Robert the counties of Jaca and Zaragoza, and he also betrothed his infant son Aymar to Guilinda, to obtain for him Lleida and Provence.

In February, 1204, news filtered to Savoie that William, King of Scots, had made peace with Sverre, King of Norway, who now ruled Atholl and Caithness in Scotland. Thomas heard such news with keen interest, as he had a deep desire to know all that was going on in the world.

In March King Richard finally made peace with King Philippe. Philippe received Arques, Maine, Touraine, and Auxerre, and Richard was forced to cede his claims on several other French lands. Over the next few years, Richard was troubled by rebellious lords, and England descended into a continous state of civil war, which period was later known as The Second Anarchy (the first being the civil war between king Stephen and the Empress Matilda).

In April, Thomas, in an attempt to bring about a cure for his ailments, atoned for his sins, at the church in Turin. It was remarked his atonement seemed to worsen his condition, not improve it.

In May, the Savoyard nobles, who had come to see Thomas’ feudal contract as an agreement between equals, ordered him to change the laws of his lands to elective, so that at his death they might convene and chose the strongest of themselves as the new duke. Thomas was greatly infuriated, and refused; they were still his vassals, and he their ruler.

In 1204 news arrived that the girl Violante had been driven out from Zaragoza by the Infidel, and fled to Léon, whilst the boy Robert returned to Savoie with his men. Thomas was greatly disappointed by this news, as he had hoped to secure vast lands in Catalonia for Robert.
 
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Interesting AAR thus far, but I'm confused on a couple points. Whatever happened to the marriage that Thomas had that was supposed to produce an heir for the French throne? When I read that, it sounded like if a son was produced, Savoie would be Kings of France now.

Also, how were you able to marry a 7-year old with a 13-year old, or was that taking a marriage that happened at maturity and changing it in terms of story? :D
 
erm.. Thomas marriage to the French princess had to be got rid of due to consaguinity (Thomas was the greatgrandson of Humbert II of Savoie, who was also greatgrandfather of Philippe Auguste). (LOL! pheww! i actually just forgot about the french princess, and no, the French only allow succession in the male line anyways, so i would have been disappointed) :D

The 7 year old and 13 year old was just a bit of save game editing, to represent the medieval custom of betrothing young children to each other to secure their inheritances. :D
 
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Chapter 3: Of Duke Thomas, and much diplomacy

In July 1204 a formerly lost Greek treatise on medicine, which had been rediscovered in Jerusalem, arrived in Savoie, allowing the girl Alys of Vaud to be healed of her illness.

In August, Thomas used his influence in the Papal Curia to revoke the excommunication of his uncle-by-marriage and in-law King Richard. In return, King Richard recognised Thomas’ claims to the English throne, on behalf of his son Renaud (husband of Richard’s heiress Elizabeth) and of his wife Berenguela.

On October 25th, the mad Agnes of Vaud, bore her third child with William of Savoie, a daughter, who was named Cathérine.

In November, at Thomas’ behest, a new crusade was preached, to liberate Burgos from the Infidel, and return it to his father-in-law King Alfonso of Castille, whose rule was now confined to a tiny feudatory in Cordoba. Thomas, unable to himself join the crusade, also made an alliance with Pere, King of Aragon, although for the meantime Pere obstinately refused to conquer Burgos on King Alfonso’s behalf.

In December 1204 the sixteen year old Ghunayya d’Outremer, princess of Antioch, announced she was with child by her thirteen year old husband Umberto, count of Lausanne.

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On January 13th, 1205, Thomas’ uncle William died, leaving a young, mad widow, Agnes of Vaud, and two infant daughters, Yolande and Catherine. William, as Bishop of Savoie, had gained international fame as one of the most pious men of time, and even been thought of as a likely future candidate for the Papal throne, and as such he was beatified at his death. Thomas took Agnes, and her children, under his care, and provided for their education and upbringing.

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Meanwhile, Thomas had gone to Bordeaux, where he met with King Richard. On January 21st, the duchess Berenguela, announced, to the glee of her husband, uncle, and the lords assembled with them, that she was once more with child, and on 25th Thomas formally revoked his allegiance to King Philippe, and paid homage to King Richard. Before Thomas’ company left Bordeaux, another pregnancy was announced: of the girl Violante, aged seventeen, who had left Leon and gone, disguised as a man, through Muslim territory, to be reunited with her husband Robert, aged fifteen. Such was the joy at this news, and at the newfound alliance between King Richard and Thomas, that the stay at Bordeaux was further extended.

On March 20th, Thomas’s sister Clotilde was married to Robert, eldest son and heir of William, earl of Cumberland, in the great cathedral in Bordeaux. William of Cumberland, called Longsword, was the illegitimate (although he had been sometime before legitimised) son of King Henry II, and therefore half-brother of King Richard, and uncle of Thomas’ wife Berenguela. Furthermore, William Longsword, following his legitimisation, had long ago been elevated to the succession, following the legitimate heirs of King Richard, and preceding the issue of his legitimate sisters Eleanor, Queen consort of Castille, and Joan, Queen consort of Sicily.

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Following this marriage, the company disbanded, and Thomas went north to make his personal peace with King Philippe, although Philippe remained greatly dissatisfied. On April 13th, Robert, count of Troyes, whose grandmother, the aged countess of Reims, was the half-sister both of King Philippe and King Richard, married the girl Mahaut of Vaud, allowing Thomas to secure the friendship of one of the most powerful of Philippe’s nobles, and thereby pressure Philippe to keep faithful to his truce with King Richard, and his agreement with Thomas.

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On September 8th, Ghunayya of Antioch bore a son, who was named Aimery. Around this time, news arrived back in Savoie of her father, Prince Raymond II, who had lost all of the conquests of his father in Palestine, Tyre, and Galilee, and also much of the principality of Antioch itself. Furthermore, it seemed Raymond, who like all the princes of Outremer resented the interference of the princes of Occident, who knew nothing of eastern politics, had refused to acknowledge Ghunayya as his heiress, and nominated instead his brothers and nephews.

In October it became evident that Thomas was not coping with the administration of such a large feudatory inhabited by such unruly vassals. His attempts to work even harder to secure their support, during his disability, and the unpopular future rule of his son Renaud (who had been raised in far-off Paris, and was wholly unknowing of Provencal, German, and Italian culture), caused him to demonstrate the first signs of madness that would haunt him in later life.

On October 25th, the duchess Berenguela bore a son, who was named Guillaume, after her uncle, the King of Sicily. However, it seemed the birth of his son had little effect upon the crazed duke.

On November 26th, the girl Violante, who had shared Berenguela’s confinement, bore a daughter, who was given the name Julienne, after one of Thomas’ aunts. Papal dispensation was soon sought for the betrothal of the girl Julienne, in whose veins ran the royal blood of Navarra and Léon, and the babe Guillaume, in whose veins ran the most royal lineages of Castille and England-Normandy. Thomas, in his madness, had become obsessed with the blood royal which he felt he lacked, and had become determined to (as soon as he had recovered from his severe wounds and pneumonia) conquer for himself a throne, and make him king, so that he might have royal blood too. He even considered disinheriting his eldest son Renaud, in favour of his sons by Berenguela, a royal princess, and was only convinced not to do this when he was reminded Renaud’s mother Ida was the granddaughter of Stephen of Blois, a usurper who was a king of sorts.

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Following the birth of the girl Julienne, Violante was informed of the death of her mother Berenguela, earlier in 1205. The county of Jaca had then passed to her uncle, Sancho, formerly King of Navarra. Meanwhile, her stepfather Alfons, count of Lleida and Provence, had married his mistress, an Italian noblewoman from Lombardia, who had taken the exotic name Anastasia.

In early March, 1206, the mad Agnes of Vaud was reunited with her daughter Adelaide, who had long ago been sent to the court of her father Otto in Besancon, and who had now married Henri, duke of Bourbon.

On June 10th, the duke Thomas presented to his court his bastard son Robert, the son of a petty Moslem wench from Mallorca. He was his ninth child; the others were Renaud and Marguerite (who died young), by Ida of Boulogne, and Aymar, Guillaume, Jeanne, Adelaide, and Adéle, by Berenguela of Castille, and the bastard Louis of Malta. Unfortunately, the child did not live long, and died on August 21st.

On June 14th, Thomas received messengers from his ally, Louis de Senlis, duke of Sussex, who had now raised a great rebellion against King Richard, aided by several other dukes and earls in England, and also the duke of Anjou, who had now pledged allegiance to the King of Portugal. Thomas at once heeded his ally’s call, and raised up a huge Savoyard force, sending them into Gascony.

We must assume that it was around this time that news would have reached Thomas of the death of his sister, Clotilde, who died sometime before July, 1206.

On October 17th Arthur, count of Cornouaille, eldest son of Constance, duchess of Brittany, and nephew of King Richard of England, married Alys of Vaud, daughter of the mad Agnes. She was the full sister of Mahaut, countess of Troyes. This marriage was probably arranged by Thomas, as it gained for him the support of the powerful duchess Constance, who had recently defected from King Richard and now placed herself under the rule of King Philippe, and of the prince Arthur, who was nephew and potential heir of King Richard, in his campaign against Richard.

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Thomas, unable to lead his troops in battle, accompanied them in a litter, and camped nearby them as they invaded Perigord. However, he would not live to see the county subjugated, as he died of illness on November 28th, 1206, leaving a much larger and stronger duchy to his son Renaud.
 
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Chapter 4: Of Duke Renaud the Crusader, and his first ten years as duke

The boy Renaud was raised at the court of King Philippe Augustus of France, alongside the King’s children. He was betrothed for sometime to Philippe’s eldest daughter Eustachie, but plans for such a marriage had to be abandoned when the Pope refused to provide the necessary dispensation for it. From a young age, he was treated with great respect and reverence, being valued not only as the King’s kinsman, and the heir to great lands, but also as a potential rival to Angevin rule in England.

In 1203, Renaud, aged seven, met his father duke Thomas of Savoie for the first time, for his marriage to Elizabeth, the thirteen year old daughter and heiress of King Richard of England. King Philippe was not told of the marriage, which took place in Turin. Despite being motherless, and lacking a true father figure (although it seems he modelled himself upon King Philippe) Renaud grew up a strong and forceful boy, although he was dominated by the headstrong Elizabeth, with whom he lived from the time of the marriage, and who did not fail to remind him of her own worth as heiress of the Angevin empire. After short stays in England and Brittany, Renaud and Elizabeth were installed in Boulogne, and their lands (the counties of Boulogne and the Vexin, together with Amiens which was held by one of Renaud’s vassals) were governed by capable administrators appointed by King Philippe. It appears that Elizabeth began to indulge herself with Renaud as soon as he was physically mature (or maybe even before such, although we have no way of knowing), and that the two were very content together.

In late 1206, probably before Christmas, Renaud would have learnt of his father’s death. In January 1207, he was in Paris, where king Philippe confirmed him as duke of Picardy, and formally recognised him as the new duke of Savoie and Mallorca, before going south to claim his inheritance.

Meanwhile, his father’s army had continued their campaign in south France, taking Périgueux, the chief stronghold of Perigord, on December 6th. At King Philippe’s behest, Renaud ordered the Savoyards to continue to march against King Richard, and he also disgraced several Savoyard nobles who attempted to pressure him to renounce his rights to Jerusalem (whose revenues now supplied the chief source of income for the ducal treasury), so that a Crusader state could be re-established there. On January 15th, Bordeaux fell, and Renaud and Elizabeth were installed there, whilst the soldiers marched into Agen.

On March 5th, Ghunayya, who had befriended the duchess Elizabeth, bore a daughter, who was called Beatrix, after the dowager duchess Beatrix d’Albon. On the same day, the sixteen year old Elizabeth announced she was now carrying the child, of her ten year old husband Renaud. Many princes who had never met Renaud were greatly surprised at the boy’s extreme youth, but those who had met him were not so affected, as by the age of ten he had already surpassed most men of twenty and thirty in height, strength, intellect, and strength of character, and had already become renowned for his extreme muscularity and body hair!

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By May 22nd, the Agenais was fully conquered, and Renaud’s men went north to besiege Poitiers.

On June 20th, cathartic zealots at Renaud’s court disagreeing with catholic fundamentalists erupted into a full out riot, during which Renaud’s half-brother Aymar “le Hierosolymitain”, the Jerusalemite, was killed. It was said the murder of the child, who was thought of as blessed for having been born in the Holy City, by the heretic cathars, was intentional, and from then on Renaud was a staunch persecutor of all heretical beliefs.

In August, Boulogne fell to King Richard and his men, but soon after on September 9th Poitiers succumbed, and Renaud and Elizabeth hurried north to be installed in Poitiers as duke and duchess, although when they arrived no clergymen could be found who would anoint them.

On December 8th, Elizabeth gave birth, to a healthy male child, who was given the name Roger ‘the Poitievin’, after the Norman kings of Sicily of that name, and the place of his birth.

On January 12th, 1208, Renaud and his army met with King Richard at Angers, in Anjou. The cities of Poitiers and Bordeaux, together with Perigord, the Agenais, and the Limousin, together with Boulogne (which Richard had captured) were given to Renaud, who also received the earldom of Kent in England, as the dowry of his wife Elizabeth (although he had already received the Vexin as her dowry) and also as a safeguard for his future succession to England. In the meantime, Renaud renounced all his rights to the crown of England for Richard’s lifetime.

Triumphant, Renaud returned to Savoie, where he provided for the government of his realm. Bonifacio, husband of his aunt Eleonore, was finally given his patrimony of Montferrato. Two of Renaud’s household officials from Boulogne, Charles de Boves and Robert de Fontaintes, were forced to enter the clergy, and were made bishops of Limousin and Perigord respectively. Lastly, Renaud’s uncle Robert was given the Agenais, which he ruled with the assistance of his wife Violante, former lady of Zaragoza.

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On January 18th, 1208, the Pope announced the end of the Crusade for Burgos, which had been recaptured by King Alfonso of Castille.

It appears that the Papal Nuncio, sent to tell Renaud of the end of the Crusade, was somewhat angered by the young duke, and exacted his vengeance on January 23rd when he excommunicated the heretical Agnes of Vaud, who in the short time following duke Thomas’ death had become a mother of sorts to the young duke.

On February 9th, 1208, Violante bore Robert of Agen a son, who was called Philippe (at Renaud’s urging) after King Philippe, but unfortunately the child died soon after.

On the 13th, Renaud appointed his governess, and rumoured mistress Almodis, to rule the city of Boulogne in his absence. It was not long before she was once again involved in scandal, this time with Renaud’s liegeman Raoul de Coucy, count of Amiens. Sometime after, perhaps in June, Renaud also elevated two highborn noblewoman and courtesans, Aliénor de Riencourt and Cécile de Saint-Valery, to rule Kent and Poitiers in his absence.

On March 30th, the duchess Elizabeth closest friend Ghunayya bore another child, who was called Guigues. Ghunayya’s family had fled back to France after the complete collapse of the principality of Antioch (only her uncle Bohemond remained in the East, as the independent ruler of Archa), where they were landless, although they were now held in much regard there, as they were connected by blood to a great many noble houses. In 1206, her sister Isabelle, in a bid to restore her family to greatness, was bestowed in marriage to Baudoin de Montfort, duke of Normandy, but then brought shame upon herself and her family by abandoning him and marrying Gerald de St John, earl of Hereford. Ghunayya was greatly distressed by this, and refused to have any contact whatsoever with the disgraced Isabelle.

On January 4th, 1209, Elizabeth bore Renaud his second child, a daughter, who was given the name Tiburge, which was also the name of Renaud’s foster mother during his youth.

On January 29th, Renaud’s great-uncle and ally Guillaume, brother of his grandmother Beatrix d’Albon, count of Macon, was attacked by the Emperor. Renaud, however, dishonoured their alliance, and did not come to Guillaume’s aid.

On February 15th, Ghunayya bore yet another child, who was called Ferruccio; he died on March 9th.

In April 1209, the fifth crusade was preached, to liberate Antioch. Renaud was greatly excited by the Crusade, as he was greatly envious of his father’s fame as liberator of Jerusalem, yet for the meantime he was forced to remain in Turin, with the domineering Elizabeth.

On April 2nd, 1210, Ghunayya bore another child, a daughter, called Sybille, who died soon after in August, and was buried alongside her brother Ferruccio.

On March 7th, 1211, Elizabeth, who was then twenty-one, bore the fifteen year old Renaud a second son, who was christened Philippe, after King Philippe, who served as the child’s godfather.

That same month, Livia Zeno, countess of Menorca (widow of Renaud’s great-uncle Peter) renounced her ties of allegiance to Renaud, and placed herself under the support of Pere, king of Aragon. Infuriated, Renaud at once sailed to Narbonne, from where he went south to meet with Pere. However, the ever-diplomatic Pere so impressed the young duke that on April 16th, before his return to Savoie, Renaud did homage to Pere for Savoie and Mallorca.

However, upon his return to Savoie Renaud returned to his former conniving self, and in June he formed a secret alliance with Pedro, King of Léon. Renaud was being increasingly drawn into Iberian politics, although he himself harboured no territorial ambition there. In 1211 King Alfonso of Castille and King Pere of Aragon, together with the Consul of Venice, were at war with the Almohad Empire, which had already conquered all of Castille (king Alfonso being confined once more to Cordoba) and swallowed whole Navarra. The Venetians had assumed charge of the Reconquista, taking Albarracin, Molina, Toldeo, Caceres, La Mancha, and America. Meanwhile, King Richard had been deserted by all his lords, and the kingdom of England was falling apart, with more and more nobles declaring independence, or transferring allegiance to King Philippe.

On July 16th, 1212, Elizabeth bore Renaud a third son, who was called John, after her uncle John, lord of Ireland.

On September 21st, 1212, Livia Zeno, the mistress of King Pere of Aragon, died, and the county of Menorca passed to her sickly son Hugues, who Renaud convinced to pay homage to him.

On November 7th, in Turin, King Philippe Auguste, who had once more been widowed, and had no surviving sons, married Eustachie of Savoie, daughter of Livia Zeno, and cousin of duke Renaud. The marriage improved relations to such an extent that on November 17th, Renaud renewed his allegiance to Philippe. With Renaud’s help, on December 11th King Philippe signed the Treaty of Aosta with the Emperor Engelbrecht (with whom he had been at war), by which the French people were forced to pay the Empire 590©, or 590,000 marks, an extraordinary sum in those days.

By the end of 1212, Philippe held all of the continental Angevin possessions, either by his own right (including Renaud), or through disaffected Angevin vassals, lead by Constance, duchess of Brittany, Guy of Thouars, duke of Poitou, and Baudoin, duke of Normandy. Only the obstinate duke of Anjou refused to acknowledge Philippe as lord, paying allegiance instead to King Raimundo of Portugal, as did the duke of Toulouse, who (having been mysteriously captured by polish crusaders during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land) now paid homage to the Polish Kings. Also, the strategic Pyrenean county of Bearn was held by the Emperor; yet nevertheless, king Philippe had more than quadrupled the size of his kingdom.

In January 11th, 1213 Renaud finally heeded the Pope’s call for a crusade to liberate Antioch, took up the cross, and declared war on Abdul-Haleem, King of the Ayyubids. To rally up support for the crusade amongst his vassals, Renaud went to Mallorca, to raise up a force of the island’s famed slingers and javelin throwers, where he learnt that Joan, who had succeeded Pere as King of Aragon, had attacked Pedro, King of Léon.

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Renaud the Crusader

As Renaud’s main force marched through southern Germany and eastern Europe, over Asia Minor, smaller forces, lead by the famed Milanese condottiere Centule Terzi, sailed rapidly across the Mediterranean. Centule took Alexandretta on June 2nd, and the prized city of Antiocheia on September 1st, and was rewarded for his service by being given rule of those places.

On September 2nd, Renaud was met with envoys from the Ayyubids, and was able to make peace with the heathens, who were splintered. Meanwhile, he had already ordered his men to march against the emir of El-Arish. On October 21st, before leaving Jerusalem, Renaud had himself crowned Prince of Antioch.

By January 9th, El-Arish was in crusader hands, and Renaud celebrated by presenting, on the next day, to his host his bastard son Charles, by an Egyptian woman, who had followed his camp. Renaud continued against the Emir, taking Farama (February 10th) Pelusia (March 24th) Sinai (May 5th) Eilat (June 17th) and Darum (July 26th). On July 27th, the day after the fall of Darum, Renaud, now calling himself “Duke of Sinai”, declared war on the Abbasids. The duchess Elizabeth, who was pregnant once more, was installed in Darum alongside Violante, countess of Agen, who on the 28th bore a son, who was named Froilán.

Renaud took Monreal (September 28th), only to leave Jerusalem open to attack, resulting in the city’s capture by the Infidel, on October 10th. Unperturbed, Renaud took Kerak (November 3rd), and turned north toward Jerusalem, which he promptly besieged, and where he learnt of the birth of a daughter, Mascarose, to his wife Elizabeth, at Darum. In February 1215 Renaud made peace, which left him in control of Jerusalem, Monreal, Kerak, and Baalbek, and allowed him to return to Savoie.

On March 9th, in Bordeaux, the marriage of Renaud’s half-sister Jeanne (daughter of duke Thomas and Berenguela) to her great-uncle John, ‘lord of Ireland’, duke of Meath, and brother of King Richard, was finally solemnised.

During the crusade, Hugues the Sick, count of Menorca, had rebelled against Renaud. King Philippe, breaking the truce of God, at once attacked Hugues, and took Menorca for himself. Renaud forgave Hugues, and after the crusade made him count in Pelusia; yet he could not bring himself to forgive the dishonourable Philippe.

Renaud also appointed other, more capable, administrators, to rule his lands in the Holy Land. Chief of them was his half-brother Umberto, whom their father had intended to make King of Jerusalem and Prince of Antioch, was given the county of Baalbek (having returned to Renaud his fief of Lausanne). His grandmother, Beatrix d’Albon, was made countess, and awarded the revenues of Bordeaux, and Piemonte, and Monreal, and Kerak. She was also made lady of Jerusalem for her lifetime, after which the city would return to Renaud.

On August 13th, 1215, Renaud’s second surviving sister Adelaide, was married in Turin to Isnardo da Romano, Doge of Venice. Isnardo was the greatest of all the Doges; by 1215 Venice ruled not only Albaraccin, Molina, Toledo, Caceres, La Mancha, and Almeria in Iberia, but also Fes, Infa, Massat, Marrakech, Anti-Atlas, Ifni, and Tharasset in Morocco. He was also sovereign over Istria and Zadar on the Dalmatian coast, and of the Greek island of Corfu.

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On December 6th 1215 Renaud’s cousin Eustachie bore King Philippe a son, who was named Thibaut, after one of his brothers-in-law. Nevertheless, Philippe admitted the child into the succession only after his eight year old grandson Ambrogio Parentucelli, Consul of Pisa, the son of his eldest daughter Eustachie.

On December 29th, 1215 Renaud formed an alliance with Isnardo da Romano, who had spent Christmas with him.

On February 22nd, 1216, King Richard renounced his throne to Guy, Archbishop of York. Guy, who claimed to be the bastard son of King Henry II, and thus Richard’s half-brother, now ascended the throne, although he did not use the style ‘King’, calling himself instead Archbishop. Supported by the Pope, Guy crushed all opposition to his rule, and set about uniting the English kingdom, even exacting homage from the prince John ‘Lackland’, lord of Ireland. Richard, disgraced and humiliated, was allowed to keep the city of Salisbury, and the style Duke of Oxford. Renaud was greatly distressed at this news, and disdained his wife Elizabeth, who was no longer the great heiress she had been, and who had grown even more controlling and jealous with time.

On April 14th, 1216 Renaud’s bastard brother Louis of Malta, married Eirene, the eldest daughter of the Emperor Theodorus. Eirene was thirteen years Louis’ senior, and had previously been married to Isaakios of Naxos, to whom she had borne three daughters: Helene and Eudokia (who died young), and Sophia (born 1212). The marriage was intended the strengthen Savoyard relations with the Byzantine Empire, and to secure a valuable trade monopoly for the Savoyard merchants operating from Bhengazi and Jerusalem in the Orient.

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In 1216 Renaud met with King Philippe at Bourges, at a great assembly of the princes of France. Also there was Henri, duke of Bourbon (who had married Adelaide Hohenstaufen, daughter of Agnes of Vaud), the young Joseba de Montcada, duke of Bordeaux (his representative being his indomitable mother Gerberga, sister of Raimundo King of Portugal), Guy de Thouars, duke of Poitou, Constance, duchess of Brittany (widow of Geoffrey, son of Henry II of England), Hugues, duke of Bourgogne, Gaucher of Hainaut, duke of Luxembourg and Flanders (nephew of Philippe’s first wife Isabella), and Simon de Montfort, duke of Normandy. Also in attendance was Philippe’s seneschal, Einion ap Daffydd, count of Angouleme, and uncle of Felipe, the independent duke of Gwynedd and earl of Hereford, who also held the county of Saintogne. Ominous by his absence was Jean de Montoire, who had inherited the duchy of Anjou through his mother, Agnes de Preuilly, who paid liege service to King Raimundo of Portugal, and the Poleophile duke of Toulouse. By 1216, King Philippe’s personal demesne consisted of the counties of Artois, Arques, Avranches, Maine, Touraine, Bourges, Orleans, Auxerre, and Sens. He had his capital at Paris, in the Ile de France.

On June 28th, the Pope issued a papal bull launching the Sixth Crusade, to liberate Valencia from the heathen, encouraged by the success of the past few crusades. Burgos, the last goal, having been lost by the Castilians once more, now formed part of the sprawling Aragonese kingdom, which also consisted of most of historic Castille and Navarra.

On July 6th Renaud received a messenger from his ally Isnardo da Romano, Doge of Venice, asking for Savoyard help to conquer the emirates of Sevilla, Almeria, Valencia, and Constantine, and the sheikdoms of Denia and Algeciras. Renaud was not so eager about this crusade, and did not go to Isnardo’s aid, although he did give the Venetians much money to help fund the crusade (to which the Venetians replied with disdain that they did not need his gold and silver, they had plenty of their own).

On July 19th, 1216, in the Cathedral in Turin, Renaud’s sister Adèle married Henry, count of Mide, the only surviving son of John ‘Lackland’, Lord of Ireland, who had married her sister Jeanne, so that Henry might have a male heir, as by his previous unions he had only two daughters. However, in attendance was Basileios, prince of Trapezous, only son of the Emperor Theodorus, who had been sent as ambassador by his father to fully cement Byzantium’s friendly relations with Savoie. After the ceremony, Adèle, either willingly or by force, was kidnapped by Basileios, and fled with him back to Asia, where they were married according to Orthodox tradition. Renaud was greatly angered by Basileios’ treachery, as he would have willingly let him marry Adèle, and not gone through with the marriage to Henry of Mide. Basileios, either for love or for need of a male heir (he had four daughters but no sons), refused to return Adèle to her relations; on the other hand Henry of Mide refused to marry any other whilst Adèle yet lived. Renaud was not only greatly angered, but also humiliated by his half-sister’s conduct.

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On September 2nd, Renaud’s daughter Mascarose died aged two, and was buried alongside the other dead infants of the Savoie house.

As if in divine reparation, on the 16th the princess Eirene announced she was with child by Louis. Renaud did not hold against her her brother’s behaviour, and gave alms to the poor for the health of her baby.

In his first ten years as duke, Renaud greatly expanded his duchy, adding to it the important cities of Bordeaux and Poitiers, together with Perigord, Limousin, and Agen, and the earldom of Kent in England. He also enhanced his own reputation by liberating Antioch from the Infidel, and conquering much land from the Moslems in the East.
 
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Chapter 5: Of Renaud, and the conquest of his kingdom

By January 10th 1217, Renaud had announced his intention of attacking the Abbasids again. Unfortunately no details of his journey or the preparations made for this crusade where not recorded.

Centule Terzi, count of Antiocheia and Alexandretta, took Tortosa on April 4th, but on April 13th Kerak was lost to the Infidel, followed by Monreal on June 1st. On August 3rd, King Philippe (who had joined the crusade) made peace with the Abbasids, and ordered Renaud to return home. Under the pretext of administering his lands near Jerusalem, Renaud bid his time as more and more men arrived from his lands in southern France, Kent, Mallorca, and Savoie.

On September 22nd, Richard, former King of England, Duke of Oxford and Salisbury, died, a lonely and broken man. His remaining lands and titles passed to his eleven year old grandson Roger, called ‘the Poitievin’. The same messenger informed Renaud of the death of his uncle Robert, count of Agen, who had remained in France to look after Renaud’s lands. He left a widow, the feisty Violante (who, it appears, still cherished hopes of recovering her beloved Zaragoza), and two surviving children, Froilán (born 1214), who succeeded his father as count, and Julienne (born 1205; another son, Philippe, b.&d.1208).

On November 10th, Renaud once more declared war on the Abbasids, and with the added advantage of surprise and greater numbers, took Tripoli on December 21st, spending Christmas in that city.

Unwilling to rest, he next wrested Beirut from the Infidel (January 26th), adopting the title “Duke of Tripoli”, and besieged Tyrus. On February 5th, the aged Hugues, duke of Bourgogne, who had recently taken Safed from the Moslems, married Renaud’s cousin Yolande de Savoie, daughter of Agnes of Vaud, and on the 16th Bohemond of Archa, brother of the last prince of Antioch (and therefore uncle of the lady Ghunayya) visited Renaud’s camp and pledged allegiance to him.

Tyrus fell on the 28th, and the important crusader port of Acre (first captured by the Crusaders in 1104, who named it St Jean d’Acre) succumbed on April 3rd. The ports of Jaffa and Caesarea fell on May 15th, followed by Beersheb on June 27th. There, that same day, Renaud proclaimed himself Duke of Palestine and Tyre, in honour of his conquests.

On July 18th, Renaud (either by the threat of military force or shrewd diplomacy, or perhaps both) forced one of the Moslem princes to return to him Monreal and Kerak, which he duly seized and occupied.

Jubilant and triumphant, Renaud rode at once with his men to Jerusalem, where the Archbishop crowned him “By the grace of God, King of Jerusalem, Duke of Savoie, Mallorca, Picardy, Antioch, Sinai, Tripoli, Palestine, Palestine, and Tyrus, and also Duke of Lombardy, Burgundy, and Chablais, and Vicar of the Holy Roman Empire” (despite the fact he no formed part of the Holy Roman Empire). However, he would come to regret his vanity and ostentatiousness, as during this short escapade Amman and Ibrid fell to the French (who had already taken Hebron and Safed).

Marching east, Renaud took Karbala (October 16th) and one of the richest cities in the whole world, Baghdad (December 11th), where he spent that Christmas (1218).

Over the next few months of 1219 Renaud proceeded ruthlessly against the Abbasids, taking Al Amarah (February 7th) Ilam (April 7th), and Al Miqdadiyah (May 22nd). Returning east, he stopped at Baghdad and proclaimed himself duke, before going back to the Holy Land to conquer Tiberias (August 22nd; after which he called himself Duke of Galilee).

Renaud took Az Zarqa on October 22nd, and there he was presented with another bastard son, the second of his sons to be given the name Charles, on December 5th.

Al Habbariyah was taken on December 11th, and it was there that Renaud heard of the death of King Philippe, who had disinherited his young son by Renaud’s cousin Eustachie, and was succeeded by his grandson Ambroglio, consul of Pisa. This Ambroglio, who hated all things French, at once rallied all the men of France to his cause, and set about conquering southern Italy.

On February 12th, 1220 Al Nadjaf fell to the crusading Savoyards, whereupon Renaud adopted the titles Duke of Karbala and Madaba. Al Nasiryah was taken on April 14th, followed by Kufa (June 16th) and Basra (August 23rd). On October 14th the young child Charles died, and Renaud decided to take some time out, and made peace with the Abbasid Caliph, who had fled to Bahrein. Renaud was by no means finished with the Abbasids.
 
Any comments anyone?
 
sw_myers: Thanks!

I wrote over the save game, AAR unfortunately over. I had played a few more years, and conquered some more land in the East and Italy. I will probably start another AAR, not sure where yet. If anyone has any ideas, lemme know!

God bless,
Velasco
 
Velasco said:
I wrote over the save game, AAR unfortunately over. I had played a few more years, and conquered some more land in the East and Italy. I will probably start another AAR, not sure where yet. If anyone has any ideas, lemme know!

God bless,
Velasco

Well that is a bummer. You should start another one. I enjoyed this one and I'm sure i'll enjoy another.
 
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