This is my first AAR (in progress), and I hope you like it. I have played a bit further than I'll post just now, since I am still rewriting. I lost (!) some images, so this is a little too text-heavy, next installments should be better.
Setup: CK 1.04a (June 6 beta) + Kingdom of Lotharingia mod + Birgers's shields
Scenario: Hastings 1066
Country: Lotharingen (Lorraine)
Difficulty: normal/normal
Goals: Become Lotharingia by any means necessary
----
It is the year of our Lord 1066, and Gerhard de Lorraine is ruler over the two province duchy of Lotharingen, protected by the German crown under the young merciful king Heinrich von Franken.
Gerhard and his immediate family
Gerhard inherited the title from his brother Adalbert at his death in 1048, and has four vassals: Dietrich of Bar, count of Verdun; Folmar of Metz, count of Metz; Hermann von Bonngau of the Pfalz; and Siegfrid von Saffenberg is the bishop of Mainz, another part of Gerhard's duchy.
Gerhard is married to the slightly naïve Hedwig of Namur, and she has given him three children: sons Dietrich and Gerhard Jr, and daughter Beatrix, the baby. Both sons are training to become soldiers one day, as their father did in his youth.
Lotharingen and its vassals
While Lotharingen is certainly not a poor duchy, it is a far cry from the ancient Kingdom of Lotharingia, which stretched to the north, including the lands now under control of the Duke of Lothier, and various minor counts.
Gerhard's first order of business is to assign his wife and currently only courtier as the spymaster, and her first order of business is to keep an eye out for promising new courtiers. Within a day four promising courtiers have been singled out: Richard von Geroldseck, a knowledgable tactician, is assigned the new marshal, the charismatic negotiator Gunthild of Lorraine is the new chancellor, and the crafty merchant Amalberga von Geroldseck is assigned steward. Since no males with suitable education can be found, the position of court chancellor is left vacant for now.
The fastest way towards the vacant title of Lotharingia is by annexing the duchy of Lothier, but Gerhard lacks the prestige to do so. Therefore the first order of business is changing the laws: Royal Preorgatory and Regal Supremacy replace the old laws, which unfortunately upsets the realm a bit. Royal Preorgatory is rare in the Kingdom of Germany, but interestingly enough Lotharingen's sister duchy of Lothier follows the same laws.
Various marriage offers for Gunthild are declined in the following years, as there is simply no replacement to be found for her excellent skill. Steward Amaberga on the other hand is allowed to marry Hermann de Luxembourg to the north, and she is replaced with the last remaining courtier Witta von Vinstingen, an amateurish pettifogger. Shortly after a new member of the remarkable Von Geroldseck family is noticed at the court, and the intricate webweaver Margarete replaces fair Hedwig as the spymaster. All offers for her hand are of course denied.
The next two years the infrastructure of Lotharingen and Saintois is slowly built up, and in november 1068 the Pope finally sends a bishop to the court of Lotharingen, and while installing him with a home and lands sends the duchy into debt for the first time, Duke Gerhard is delighted to make August von Vinstingen his diocese bishop.
As 1069 arrives, Dietrich of Verdun claims that Gerhard's rule is too heavy handed under Royal preorgatory, but relationships are hardly strained. Gerhard finds it none of his concern, but his prestige suffers slightly. This makes it impossible to begin claiming back his rightful lands just yet. When Konrad de Luxembourg to the north declares himself Duke of Luxembourg, the problem worsens.
In January of 1071 Gerhard's oldest son Dietrich finally comes of age. As no suitable heiresses are to be found to the north, he is wed to the slightly older but skilled Margarete, Gerhard's spy master. Dietrich becomes a brilliant strategist, and replaces Richard von Geroldseck as the marshall. Dietrich gets to show his skills shortly after, as war breaks out between Germany and the treacherous French. Both Gerhard and Dietrich take the command of armies for their liege Heinrich von Franken. White peace is signed after Heinrich dies in battle and the borders remain the same, but Dietrich promises a golden future for Lotharingen when he displays great skills on the battlefield.
Gerhard Jr comes of age in early 1073, but once again no promising heiress can be found. Then Gerhard notices Bertha of Holland, the sister of the count of three dutch counties. Her husband is killed in the night, and she is soon wed to Gerhard Jr. Hoping for male heirs, the duke intends to keep a close eye on Bertha's brother, to make sure no male heirs survive there. The midas touched Bertha is now made the new steward.
It is the 23rd of July, 1075, when Gerhard can finally claim the land of Troyes from the usurper, the duke of Champagne. An army is raised, and war is declared the next day. Fortunately Gerhard's liege backs him in this war, as the French king decides to join in the war as well. First open hostilities are on August 28, between Gerhard's vassal Moritz of Verdun, and the Champagnese army. Other Lotharingian forces join the affray as fast as possible, but alas so does the army of Philippe, Roi de France. The battle continues into September, but on the 16th Philippe is slain in combat, and on the 20th the French armies are routed and siege commences. The main German armies distract the French long enough for the siege to succeed at the end of November. A peace is offered, and on December 26 Troyes is once again in Lotharingian hands!
Troyes back in Lotharingian hands at last
As war with the French king continues, Bertha tragically dies in childbirth. A new suitable bride can only be found in the distant realm of Strathclyde, and Swannoc joins the court. As the war continues, it takes the conquering of the entire French demesne before the infant king accepts peace, relinquishing his claims to Troyes.
Lotharingian conquered lands before signing peace
Dietrich is made the new Count of Troyes, and his brother Gerhard Jr. takes over as the marshall. Lotharingia is one step closer to glory!
The new, greater Lotharingen
Setup: CK 1.04a (June 6 beta) + Kingdom of Lotharingia mod + Birgers's shields
Scenario: Hastings 1066
Country: Lotharingen (Lorraine)
Difficulty: normal/normal
Goals: Become Lotharingia by any means necessary
----
It is the year of our Lord 1066, and Gerhard de Lorraine is ruler over the two province duchy of Lotharingen, protected by the German crown under the young merciful king Heinrich von Franken.
Gerhard and his immediate family
Gerhard inherited the title from his brother Adalbert at his death in 1048, and has four vassals: Dietrich of Bar, count of Verdun; Folmar of Metz, count of Metz; Hermann von Bonngau of the Pfalz; and Siegfrid von Saffenberg is the bishop of Mainz, another part of Gerhard's duchy.
Gerhard is married to the slightly naïve Hedwig of Namur, and she has given him three children: sons Dietrich and Gerhard Jr, and daughter Beatrix, the baby. Both sons are training to become soldiers one day, as their father did in his youth.
Lotharingen and its vassals
While Lotharingen is certainly not a poor duchy, it is a far cry from the ancient Kingdom of Lotharingia, which stretched to the north, including the lands now under control of the Duke of Lothier, and various minor counts.
Gerhard's first order of business is to assign his wife and currently only courtier as the spymaster, and her first order of business is to keep an eye out for promising new courtiers. Within a day four promising courtiers have been singled out: Richard von Geroldseck, a knowledgable tactician, is assigned the new marshal, the charismatic negotiator Gunthild of Lorraine is the new chancellor, and the crafty merchant Amalberga von Geroldseck is assigned steward. Since no males with suitable education can be found, the position of court chancellor is left vacant for now.
The fastest way towards the vacant title of Lotharingia is by annexing the duchy of Lothier, but Gerhard lacks the prestige to do so. Therefore the first order of business is changing the laws: Royal Preorgatory and Regal Supremacy replace the old laws, which unfortunately upsets the realm a bit. Royal Preorgatory is rare in the Kingdom of Germany, but interestingly enough Lotharingen's sister duchy of Lothier follows the same laws.
Various marriage offers for Gunthild are declined in the following years, as there is simply no replacement to be found for her excellent skill. Steward Amaberga on the other hand is allowed to marry Hermann de Luxembourg to the north, and she is replaced with the last remaining courtier Witta von Vinstingen, an amateurish pettifogger. Shortly after a new member of the remarkable Von Geroldseck family is noticed at the court, and the intricate webweaver Margarete replaces fair Hedwig as the spymaster. All offers for her hand are of course denied.
The next two years the infrastructure of Lotharingen and Saintois is slowly built up, and in november 1068 the Pope finally sends a bishop to the court of Lotharingen, and while installing him with a home and lands sends the duchy into debt for the first time, Duke Gerhard is delighted to make August von Vinstingen his diocese bishop.
As 1069 arrives, Dietrich of Verdun claims that Gerhard's rule is too heavy handed under Royal preorgatory, but relationships are hardly strained. Gerhard finds it none of his concern, but his prestige suffers slightly. This makes it impossible to begin claiming back his rightful lands just yet. When Konrad de Luxembourg to the north declares himself Duke of Luxembourg, the problem worsens.
In January of 1071 Gerhard's oldest son Dietrich finally comes of age. As no suitable heiresses are to be found to the north, he is wed to the slightly older but skilled Margarete, Gerhard's spy master. Dietrich becomes a brilliant strategist, and replaces Richard von Geroldseck as the marshall. Dietrich gets to show his skills shortly after, as war breaks out between Germany and the treacherous French. Both Gerhard and Dietrich take the command of armies for their liege Heinrich von Franken. White peace is signed after Heinrich dies in battle and the borders remain the same, but Dietrich promises a golden future for Lotharingen when he displays great skills on the battlefield.
Gerhard Jr comes of age in early 1073, but once again no promising heiress can be found. Then Gerhard notices Bertha of Holland, the sister of the count of three dutch counties. Her husband is killed in the night, and she is soon wed to Gerhard Jr. Hoping for male heirs, the duke intends to keep a close eye on Bertha's brother, to make sure no male heirs survive there. The midas touched Bertha is now made the new steward.
It is the 23rd of July, 1075, when Gerhard can finally claim the land of Troyes from the usurper, the duke of Champagne. An army is raised, and war is declared the next day. Fortunately Gerhard's liege backs him in this war, as the French king decides to join in the war as well. First open hostilities are on August 28, between Gerhard's vassal Moritz of Verdun, and the Champagnese army. Other Lotharingian forces join the affray as fast as possible, but alas so does the army of Philippe, Roi de France. The battle continues into September, but on the 16th Philippe is slain in combat, and on the 20th the French armies are routed and siege commences. The main German armies distract the French long enough for the siege to succeed at the end of November. A peace is offered, and on December 26 Troyes is once again in Lotharingian hands!
Troyes back in Lotharingian hands at last
As war with the French king continues, Bertha tragically dies in childbirth. A new suitable bride can only be found in the distant realm of Strathclyde, and Swannoc joins the court. As the war continues, it takes the conquering of the entire French demesne before the infant king accepts peace, relinquishing his claims to Troyes.
Lotharingian conquered lands before signing peace
Dietrich is made the new Count of Troyes, and his brother Gerhard Jr. takes over as the marshall. Lotharingia is one step closer to glory!
The new, greater Lotharingen
