Ultima Ratio Regnum : The Final AARgument of Kings

[wilcoxchar]

Finally, an update.

Part 14: From the Chronicles of Henri I de Flandre (by Jean Froissart), 1156-1167​

Now that the Duchy of Flanders was free of the yoke of England, Henri felt that he and his realm needed a couple years of peace. So, from 1156 to 1162, Henri focused on internal improvement. Construction began on a glass blowing facility in Nieuwpoort. Henri had forgotten that typhoid still plagued the region, and soon afterward the project was abandoned. There wasn’t much else that could be done to improve Henri’s realm for a long time besides attracting moneylenders, but he did not as it would go against the church’s whim. Finally in 1161, some knights templar from the chapter house in Brugge came to Duke Henri. They stated that they were establishing a new chapter in Pressburg, closer to the Holy Land, and requested financial assistance in constructing it. Henri, being the pious man he was, gladly agreed to help, as it would provide more soldiers in the future.​

Independence did bring its dangers, however. One such danger almost occurred early in the era of Flemish independence. In 1160, the warmongering King of Denmark, Ludolf Billung, declared war on the County of Holland. Henri had to abandon his loyal vassal or else become involved in a war that he would surely lose. If Denmark were to declare war and invade Flanders itself, Henri would be at a fifteen thousand-man disadvantage in terms of army size. The County of Holland was quickly destroyed and annexed into Ludolf’s realm, while the court of the County, including the boy king Gerhard von Wetterau, fled to Flanders for safety. Ludolf, in a message to Henri, claimed it was revenge for invading and taking the County of Guines from Saxony after his uncle Adolf inherited the County.​

For three years after the Denmark-Holland war the Kingdom of Denmark constantly threatened Henri and stated many times that he would soon wipe the Duchy of Flanders off the map if Henri did not agree to become a vassal of Denmark. Henri was not foolish, however, and did not submit to this pressure as the other northern German duchies had done after the German Civil War and as Bavaria would do later. But he would need protection from this menacing beast to the north and east. In February of 1163, Henri submitted and became a vassal, of France. After three years of threats, Henri decided enough was enough and that he had better find protection. Henri traveled to Troyes to visit his son, Guy. While he was there, he requested that Guy take Flanders in as a vassal to protect his father’s realm, one that Guy would hopefully soon inherit. Guy was glad to take his father under his leadership, as he would be able to see his father much more often.​

The Kingdom of France in 1163, after Flanders became their vassal.

Now that the Duchy of Flanders was a vassal of France, Henri could feel good that he was being protected from the wrath and pressure of the Kingdom of Denmark. Hneri, now 45, continued to work on provincial improvements. In 1165, the typhoid in Yperen finally diminished and because it wasn’t a problem anymore, the people could start work on the glassworks there. It was completed in 1166. Also in 1165, some peasants in rural Pressburg rose up in revolt and advanced on the city because they believed the burghers were not paying them enough for their crops before being sold on the market. The local army was called in to quell the rebellion, which was squished quickly.​

One day in May of 1167, Henri fell down the steps of his palace as he was heading downstairs to a royal feast. He was bedded for the next two weeks while some minks from the nearby monastery came to diagnose and treat him. They recommended leeching in the wound, and this treatment was given to Henri. Despite the doctors’ best treatment, Henri, at age 46, died within two weeks later in his bed and was given a burial in the cemetery of the church in Brugge. The Duchy of Flanders then passed to direct control of the King of France, and the de Flandre line moved up a rung on the ladder of nobility.​

And a new one, Guy upon his inheritance of the Duchy of Flanders.

 

[unmerged(60276)]

@Ccbasin: That Bertrand has very nice stats! I guess you wouldn't mind Nicolau croaking and him inheriting. Unless you'd miss the prestige. Certainly a nice recovery of your reputation in the Crusade, and good going getting those vassals before KoM does. As for your question, I really can't think of anything you could add. Your writing is very readable and informative, if you wanna go for something more artistic then by all means do it, but I like it as it is.


@wilcoxchar: You still have a lot of catching up to do! But nice to see you updating again. I can't help but wonder if it would have been wiser for you to pledge to your duke's son earlier, and maybe not loose Holland. I guess the years of peace were expected, now I'm anxious to see what you did with all the might of France behind you.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Pics posted.

EDIT: When I became France it looked pretty much like what it is in the 1163 picture.

 

[Ccbasin]

Have no fear faithful readers!! We have taken a holiday hiatus and are now back this week to continue our wars of Europe.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Damn, school has struck another hard blow to my AAR writing. Oh well, I'm only 50 years behind and two dead rulers behind. With semester finals I can probably catch up this or next week! In fact, writing the next update as we speak. Look for another update by me soon, and I mean it this time. o

 

[wilcoxchar]

Part 15: From the Chronicles of Guy I de Flandre (by Jean Froissart), 1167-1172

When Guy inherited the Duchy of Flanders, he had already had much experience with royal life. He had been the King of France since near-birth. While King of France, the realm had prospered greatly due to efficient rule. However, Guy was eager to finally inherit the lands for which his dynasty was named.​

Upon accession to the throne of the Duchy of Flanders, Guy moved his court to his ancestral city, the port of Brugge. The trip took only one week by ship from Bordeaux, because the weather in the English Channel was unusually calm. When Guy arrived in his new capital, he went over what titles he and his vassals held. Guy noted that he only had one King title. In order for his dynasty to become more prestigious, Guy determined, he must have yet another kingdom title. But where could he claim one? He did not have enough prestige to stake a claim on an existing kingdom title. Therefore Guy would need to create one that did not yet exist or had existed but had fallen. This meant looking toward the south at the heathen lands.​

There were two places that kingdom titles could be claimed. These were Iberia and North Africa. In Iberia, there were four kingdom titles: those of Portugal, Leon, Castile, and Aragon. He knew that previous rulers of Flanders had ventured into Portugal but had failed to keep land there, so that was not a wise option. Leon and Castile were dominated by the Emirate of Sevilla, which had risen from its ashes to once again become a great force. That left Aragon, which was the most likely prospect. The lands of Aragon, however, were mostly divided between numerous Christian powers. Guy decided against going for Aragon because the Pope would surely frown upon fighting in the conquered heathen lands instead of converting them. This left the lands of northern Africa. Of the lands here, Guy saw that France controlled much territory in the land known as Mauretania. However, his holdings were not enough to claim to be the king of the entire region, as there were also some English holdings in the area. Guy thought that if he were to assert his power and drive the heathen kingdom of Zenata out of the region, the English king would back down and accept Guy as King of Mauretania. Thus it was decided that Guy would invade and conquer the lands of the kingdom of Zenata using local forces in Guy’s demesne in Morocco, so as to conquer the lands quickly and not spend money transporting troops across the Bay of Biscay or the Mediterranean.​

In 1168 the regiments in Tangiers, Infa, and Massat were mobilized and war was declared on the Kingdom of Zenata. All the forces advanced on the Zenatan capital of Fes, where the defending army was defeated. The French armies began to besiege the city in early 1169. A slightly larger force led by the marshal in the Kingdom of Zenata marched to Tangiers and set up a siege there. The counties of Anti Atlas and Ifni also sent their armies up toward Zenata. Fes was taken in the fall of 1169, but Tangiers was lost around that time as well. The army in Fes was split so two regiments would besiege El Rif while the other regiments would go retake Tangiers. Meanwhile, a Zenatan army snuck through the English County of Marrakech and took the County of Anti Atlas. They then advanced on Massat. The plan to take El Rif and Tangiers worked, as the Tangiers army had already retreated from the city by the time the French army reached the city.​

The army in El Rif then marched to Figuig while the regiments in Tangiers went to Massat to meet the Zenatan army. Both armies met the Zenatan armies, which outnumbered them almost two to one. They were soundly defeated, and the heathens quickly took Massat. Seeing the war going so badly, the counties of Canarias and Ifni broke off from the kingdom of France and became independent. The newly granted county of Infa defected and became a vassal of the Kingdom of Norway, which caused them to declare war on Zenata as well. In desperation, armies in Bordeaux and Nantes were mobilized and sent to Mauretania to take back Massat. With the help of the County of El Rif, Massat was retaken and granted to Berard de Flandre, Count of El Rif and a distant cousin of Guy. A peace ended hostilities between France and Zenata was drafted and signed in the spring of 1171. In the summer of 1171, Louis de Flandre, Count of Infa and Berard’s father, died causing Berard to become a vassal of Norway.​

Humiliated by the defeat in Mauretania, Guy would devote himself to peace and prosperity throughout his realm. He improved trade efficiency to accommodate the amount of trade in the Flemish ports by expanding the harbor in Nieuwpoort to the same extent as the harbor in Brugge. Guy also increased the value of cloth manufactured in the area by ordering the construction of a dye-works to supplement the spinning mill already in Brugge. With the construction of the harbor and dye-works under way, Guy traveled to the rest of his demesne to examine the rest of his realm. His first stop was Nantes, where he prayed for his son, Philippe, who had recently died of pneumonia. He then commissioned the construction of a monastery in the hills around Nantes in remembrance of Philippe. After spending a few months in Nantes, Guy traveled to his former capital of Bordeaux, where he authorized the building of a templar house. After only a week there, Guy left the city and went Toulouse to visit the Pope. The Pope talked with Guy, and agreed to pay for an expansion of the church in Pressburg, where Guy was headed next. After nearly a month, Guy arrived in Pressburg and gave the Papal order to the priest there, who started construction on the church right away.​

The church at Nantes.

On the way back to Brugge, Guy passed through Pavia, a city known for its support of heretics. While passing through the city, Guy noticed a great amount of dead bodies piled up and a marked desertedness in the streets. Three days after staying overnight in Pavia, Guy became sick and was hurried to Brugge. Almost upon entering the city, Guy started shaking, as if possessed by the devil. When some town guard rushed to help, Guy coughed up a greenish- yellow liquid. He fell off of his horse onto his knees, and began to cough up copious amounts of blood. Guy started to breathe heavily, clutching his chest and writhing in pain. He died a few minutes later, as the town guardsmen were carrying him into the city. Because he died at the age of 32, Guy would be known as Guy the Young.​

The summary pics will go up tomorrow.

 

[VILenin]

I was just about to threaten you for an update and you've posted one. Too bad about the defeats in North Africa, your next king might have to look somewhere else for his second crown.

 

[wilcoxchar]

*sigh* and homework becomes evil again. The current king is still alive so still only two kings behind.

Expect another update this weekend, and hopefully I'll actually catch up this week. I don't have school on Friday so there's a better chance I'll get something done.

 

[Ccbasin]

Germany Status Report

The State of Germany (1252)

Well, it has been 63 years in game time since my last report in this game. The New Year has not been kind to my game playing so far. Hopefully, I can get back to writing a good AAR.

As of now, this will be just a status report of where Germany is now and how it stands with the rest of the kingdoms around them.

Our Current King:

As you can see, Gaucher has been a good king for the realm. He is just the latest in a good series of kings for my realm. This has definately helped make my realm what it is today.

My Heir:

While not as good as his father, my heir compares favourably to the kings around me.The only concern I have is that he is sick.

The German Hertland:

My realm is very rich to say the least. This gives me great flexibility in funding my wars. Most of the provinces in my personal demesne have large fortresses. Genoa, Venice, Alexandria, and Byzantion are all counted among my personal lands.

German Manpower:

In this picture, my manpower is about 212,000. This is a little low right now due to a war I am in with the Fatimids. It normally hovers between 285k to 295k. This makes me second, after Denmark, in total manpower.

Titles:
King of Germany, Italy, Naples, and Burgundy.

I plan on starting a propoer AAR after next session. I just hope it gets read.

Current Players:
ccbasin - Germany
King of Men - Denmark
Wilcoxchar - France
FJ44 - Bohemia
Germax - Hungary
Corvinus - Calabria.

 

[VILenin]

Holy crap, that's a big income! Your king must spend all his time counting gold and rolling in it.

I look forward to your upcoming writings.

 

[fj44]

Holy crap, that's a big income! Your king must spend all his time counting gold and rolling in it.

I look forward to your upcoming writings.

He's got Venice, Genoa, Alexandria, and Constantinople.

I too hope to restart an AAR.

 

[Ccbasin]

Germany 1266-1275

Hi guys,

A few things have happened since my last update. Wars, deceit, and collapses just to name a few.

King of Germany:

Here is the King of Germany. For the past 100 years, the Bourgogne family has been blessed with a strong family tree. My kings have been very strong and a gain in strength is a good result.

German main lands:

There are a couple of differences from the last map you saw. One, during a war with Bohemia, I gained the provinces of Saluces, Nice, Brescia, and the Dukedom of Provence. I lost Slupsk and the Dukedom of Pommerania. The war against Bohemia was a close run thing. Afetr I declared war against Bohemia, France(AI) also attacked me. Then a week later, the Seljuks also started attacking my far flung provinces in Asia. Needless to say, I was a little panicked. Luckily, things worked out for me. The second gain was a good one. I gained Nordgau, Lorraine, Sundgau, and the Dukedom of Upper Lorraine after they broke away from Denmark during a period of weakness. Just these couple of additions have enabled Germany to become the most powerful, manpower wise, of our European kingdoms.

Here is a picture of the siege of Lorraine.

Financially, the kingdom is in good shape. There is no building project i cannot afford. Thanks to a midas touch king, it will only get better.

 

[VILenin]

It seems like the Kingdom of Germany excludes large parts of Germany. A state of affairs that you can hopefully remedy sometime in the future. With Kings like the current one it shouldn't be a problem building up your strength for expansion.

Nice to see an update.

 

[unmerged(60276)]

@Ccbasin: Good to see this going on... and you really do seem to be doing quite well.. to say the least. Was King of Men absent when that fallout in Denmark occured?

@wilcoxchar: Man, that war in Mauretania was really a fiasco! (Haven't read that update before cos I was absent). You really should have used some French troops from the start and ended it quickly. Can we look forward to an update from you as well?

 

[Ccbasin]

@Ccbasin: Good to see this going on... and you really do seem to be doing quite well.. to say the least. Was King of Men absent when that fallout in Denmark occured?

Yes, KoM was playing. To be honest, I am not sure what was causing him to have vassal problems. usually, when I playing against KoM, I am trying to figure out who they have married because he is the master of mnarrying your vassals out from undeneath you.

 

[King of Men]

My kings lately have had really bad Dip stats, and then when one of them got Realm Duress as well, ouch.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Hello again. Unfortunately I probably won't be updating this much anymore, at lease, not in the chronicle format. I'm already 100 years behind and about 4 or 5 rulers behind. I can try to catch up with small bits about what each ruler did, but I'm not sure I can continue writing the AAR in the chronicle style as I previously have been.

 

[VILenin]

Sad to hear it.