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CrackdToothGrin

Mercenary Face Builder
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Mar 18, 2007
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crackdtoothgrin.designbinder.com
  • Crusader Kings II: Horse Lords
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This is my very first AAR. In fact, after purchasing Hearts of Iron 2, and reading the AAR's on this forum, I was spurned to purchase all Paradox Interactive titles on alternative history (Save for EU3, alas, my coputer can't handle it!). I hope this is enjoyable, and I would appreciate any support I can get, seeing the immense support for other AAR's as I 'ghosted' these forums until finally deciding to create my own AAR. Enjoy!

On another note, I would like to give thanks to thrashing mad and his excellent blank map, which proved to be invaluable in the creation of this AAR, as well as literAARy influences from several prominent members of these boards.
Under the Eagle’s Wings
Part 1- The Legacy of Boleslaw II Piast

Boleslaw.jpg



When Boleslaw II Piast (Also known as Boleslaw Bardzo or Boleslaw the Mighty) inherited the title of the King of Poland in 1066 from his father Kazimierz, Poland was less of a country and more of a dream. It was at this time that the newly crowned king of the “Pearl between the Two Rivers” decided that it would be his mission to fully free himself, as well as his posterity, from the yoke of the heavy-handed Holy Roman Emperor, and to form an empire under the wings of the Great White Eagle that would rival the other European powers as one of the greatest dominions ever created on European soil.

As a child, Boleslaw adored his father, who took his time to teach the young Piast the lessons necessary to rule an empire. In particular, he focused on the martial aspects of kinghood, versing the child with active and brutal lessons in combat that would one day prove to be invaluable against the enemies of the Polish. It was the birth of a power that would be feared across the whole of Europe. His constant focus on his martial prowess would lead to his training at the hands of his father’s best soldiers. Before accepting the crown of King he would prove to be invaluable as an officer on the field of battle, earning his place as one of the best commanders in his time.

All of this, however, would have its detriments, as he displayed an unusual temper against slights and insults. He was not a man to be crossed. His saving grace may have been, in fact, the heavy-handedness in which his father forced the young Boleslaw to study the scripture. Despite this, Boleslaw would not be known for his mind, but he learned the value of generosity and valour on the field of battle, where he consorted with other members of the Druzhina, forming strong bonds that would allow him to understand the toil and suffering of combat and the bounds of human intolerance.

Upon the death of his father, the title of King passed to Boleslaw, as the title of Duke of Mazovia passed on to his brother. The two were not very close, as Boleslaw was the favored son, but the succession passed without incident. The stage was set for a period of rapid advancement onto the forefront of the European stage.

Seeing his brother as a possible threat, and armed with the knowledge that only through his children would his line continue, Boleslaw married Eufemia von Steutzlingen from Brandenburg in February of 1067. Ignoring warnings against her supposed “unchaste” nature, Boleslaw couldn’t resist her wiles, despite her unusual outward appearance. Boleslaw wasted no time, and his first son, Janislaw Piast, was born in March of 1068. At about the same time, Boleslaw was approached by the Republic of Venice in order to form an alliance. Impressed by the mercantile prowess of the Venetians, Boleslaw accepted.

Seeing the rich Pommeranian lands to the north, Boleslaw could not help but recall to his mind his ancestors, who in times past had the very same lands he wanted for himself. He declared war in June of 1068, sending a force of 6,500 men north to attack and sieze Danzig, an important port on the Baltic sea. He reached the city in July of 1068.

He sent his forces in pursuit of the fleeing Pommeranians, scoring decisive victories against the numerically overwhelmed enemies, finally meeting with Domenico of Venice and his 4,000 men in Stettin. Despite the harsh winter, The combined Venetian-Polish alliance forced the city to surrender, claiming the Count titles of Danzig, Slupsk, and Stettin for himself, while rewarding the Venetians with remunerations for their assistance. He later divided the titles amongst his court, granting Slupsk and Stettin to Janusz Odrowaz and Danzig to Eufrozyna Wlostowic, Countess of Opole.

PolandafterPommeranianWar.jpg



The time afterwards was relatively peaceful for a few years, despite localized revolts in the newly conquered provinces. Boleslaw immediately regretted his decision to hand out the titles of Slupsk and Stettin, but preferred to maintain the status quo to avoid insurrection by his vassals. The Pope sent Czibor Grot to be the Diocese Bishop in King Boleslaw’s court and Boleslaw’s first and only daughter, Scholastyka Piast, was born in January 1070.

In August of 1070, the King’s trusted marshal and close friend Bogumil died of natural causes from his battle wounds, and against the church’s best efforts, he appoints Czibor Grot to his former friend’s position. The change is short lived, as Czibor dies the next year. In his place, the king has no choice but to appoint the terribly inadequate Sulislaw Gryf in his place.

Shortly after the appointing of Sulislaw, Boleslaw was approached by an attractive woman seeking his “comforts.“ He declined the offer, but saw the instance as part of a greater plot. In April of 1071, his second son, Zbigniew Piast was born. Seeing the birth as a herald of greater power, coinciding with the northeasterly Prussian armies heading off to war in foreign lands to the east. Boleslaw quietly mobilizes 6,000 men and heads north to the western banks of the Vistula River. Boleslaw declares war in late May of 1071 and marches into Marienburg. At the request of his brother, Wladislaw Herman Piast mobilizes the Duchy of Mazovia and heads north to Chelminskie with 1,200 men.

Shortly into the siege of Marienburg, Eufemia is revealed to have sponsored a plot to force an excommunication of Boleslaw by dispatching a young woman to force Boleslaw to commit “infidelities.” At this same time, Zbigniew is revealed to be a bastard. His pride slighted, Boleslaw has Eufemia arrested and brought to the siege, where she is executed in mid-July. He marries Gunhild Banner from Denmark in late July, before the completion of the siege in early August.

Rather than wait for the campaigning Prussians in Polotsk to return, Boleslaw travels across foreign lands, meeting a force of 500 Lithuanians who aid in defeating the much smaller Prussian force. Boleslaw gives chase for over 300 miles, wiping out any resistance he encounters. Meanwhile, despite repeated attempt to lift the siege, Wladislaw causes the garrison in Chelminskie to surrender in April in 1072, ending the Pole-Prussian War.


PolandafterPole-PrussianWar.jpg



In October of 1072, Dobromir Piast was born. His birth forced the king’s bloodlust to subside, as he instead worked to lift his country out of the immense war debt he had incurred during his campaigning. Aware of the growing might of the Lithuanians to the north, the king focused on technological advancement of his people, as well as expanding the economic base in his personal lands. With great success, King Boleslaw Bardzo advanced the Polish kingdom to the point where it stood as great a threat as any other on continental Europe.

This time of peace, however, was not without strife. Internal revolts were commonplace, progressing to the point where Boleslaw made concessions to the peasants in exchange for their conversion to Christianity in Danzig. Meanwhile, in the Holy Roman Empire, internal schisms led to its splintering as Bohemia declared its independence, along with Bavaria. The French, siezing the opportunity, declare war on a weakened Emperor, seizing the core German lands, replacing the Emperor’s demense with lands directly under the King of France.

On a different note, Boleslaw’s fourth son, Przeclaw, was born in September of 1077, but died days later from an unknown illness. This time, Boleslaw took it as an omen, changing his ways from utter warlord to caring father, personally raising his sons and training them in the ways of war. While acting as a personal role model for his children, his fifth and favourite son Wszebor Piast was born in March of 1079.

At the urging of the church, Boleslaw, against his better judgement, sent Zbigniew to learn scripture at the Bishopric of Krakow. Zbigniew would never fully forgive his father, and even Boleslaw’s own brother, Wladislaw Herman Piast, pleaded with his brother for another solution. The call of the church was too strong, and Zbigniew was sent away.

Meanwhile, incessant warfare amongst the Russian Principalities split Kiev in two permanently, as the Lithuanians conquered vast tracts of territory in former Kiev and Polotsk lands. In February of 1080, Wladislaw Poraje, a former aid of the Duchy of Mazovia and former personal war advisor to Wladislaw Herman Piast arrived in King Boleslaw’s court. Spurned to action by the weakened state of a war-weary Kiev, Boleslaw set his sights on Vladimir Volynsky and Peremshyl. The gears began to turn as the shadow of the White Eagle’s wings began their eastern creep into Russia…
 
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Good luck with your AAR! We'll follow you eagerly!

(I'm also a newbie in the AAR experience so I can tell you: have a lot of patience, many copies of your current game and, againt, a lot of patience. Your readers will drive you crazy and you'll have nightmares when someone says the damned word... update... :rofl: )
 
Good luck with this, I`ll be following. It would be interesting to watch, in which direction Poland will go under your leadership :)
And cheers, but actually blank map isn`t my work but Gratianus.
Very good campaign map :D

BTW. I have to agree with EightDeer maybe you will consider changing font color? ;)
 
Oh lookie, fellow eastern european.

1. Please change your text colour. I know red is style, but it's hard to read.

2. When you do the maps, and have a light grey territory, type the name in black.

I like the court intrigue and the roleplaying; but I feel that perhaps you pay too much attention to random advisors from outside your dynasty. As you go along, you will soon get really bogged down in names.

So yes, I'm going to follow this, and best of luck. Hopefully the commenters will be kind to you and comment often.
 
Ahhh! Okay, fixed the color.

RGB- Okay, map point noted. (Also, never save in JPEG, looks like crap now... :mad: ) The maps were done hastily, in fact. This is more of a trial run. The last attempt at doing this (Which sadly never made it past the Mongols...), was so bad I didn't even transcribe my game notes to an electronic medium.

thrashing mad- Gratianus you say? Noted.

Anywhoo, the next segment is already done, save for some tweaking, should be up tonight or tomorrow depending on my evening's activities. :D
 
No, the maps are very nice. I use Gratianus' maps as well but yours look put together with more detail.

Anwyay, waiting for the next update now.

Cheers.
 
An admirable start, good luck to you. Hopefully Poland prospers.
 
Under the Eagle’s Wings
Part 2- The Beginning of the End

Throughout the spring months, King Boleslaw Bardzo mobilizes his armies, as well as the neighboring armies of Opole, as well as his brother’s. During this time, using his immense dynastic prestige, he had claims to the provinces of Vladimir Volynsky and Peremshyl manufactured, citing ancient Polish lineage. Taking command of 7,000 men, and his brother Wladislaw with 1,500, Boleslaw declares war on May 5th, 1080. In response, the Principality of Kiev and the Bishopric of Torki declared war and began to send their troops westward.

In late May, Boleslaw reaches Vladimir Volynsky and fights the Kievan general Georgii, easily defeating his scant 1,000 man force. Boleslaw detaches Jan Skarbek and his 2,000 men to follow the remnants of Georgii’s army. Meanwhile, in the south, with his lower number of troops, Wladislaw has a more difficult time, finally defeating Ivan of Kiev in mid-June of 1080. Two days later, Jan Skarbek destroys the remnants of Georgii’s army in Czersk as Boleslaw fights off a sally attempt by the arrival of Vasilko Rurikovich. After this defeat, the Bishopric of Torki offers peace, paying a significant sum in war indemnities to Boleslaw. Throughout June and July of 1080, both Wladislaw and Boleslaw fight back attempt to lift the sieges, but Kiev finally yields the claims, ending the war on July 8th, of 1080.

PolandafterKievanWar.jpg

Installing Wladislaw as Count of Peremshyl and his courtier Agnieszka Gryf as Countess of Vladimir Volynsky, Boleslaw continued his task of expanding Polish economic domination. Eleven days after the declaration of peace, the marshal Wladislaw died of unknown circumstances. Seeing an unusual trend with his warmongering and the death of his marshals, Boleslaw swears to avoid war for at least ten years. In fact, it would be over fifteen years before he felt the desire to carry a sword against a foreign enemy.

The next fifteen years were not entirely peaceful, as Boleslaw Odrowaz, the Count of Slupsk and Stettin, became increasingly unable to put down pagan rebellions, with Boleslaw heading north no less than three times. Despite internal warfare, Boleslaw increased the technological capacity and economic base of his lands immensely, making the Poles the most advanced in the world, particularily in warfare and agriculture. He built numerous stone castles and small manufactories, earning massive amounts of capital for his treasury.

On the dynastic side, at the maturation of Janislaw Piast, he was given the title of Count of Marienburg, and married to Cecilia Stenkilsätten of Sweden in 1085. Scholastyka was married as well, to Macko Dabrowa, a courtier in Wladislaw Herman Piast’s court. Boleslaw Odrowaz and Wladislaw Herman Piast both demanded elective law, to which the King responded by giving his bastard son Zbigniew the title of Count of Poznanskie, causing immense anger for both nobles. At the news of his acquisition, Zbigniew renounced the hatred for his adopted father and liege, instead becoming one of his most valued ‘sons’ and allies. Finally, in early 1089, Boleslaw married his now matured son Dobromir to Sopie Knýtling, daughter of the Count of Skåne and granted him the lands of Gnieznienskie.

Meanwhile, the Holy Roman Empire and Hungary were both disintegrating rapidly, the Germans from within, and the Hungarians from the Seljuk Turks, who had sacked Constantinople and had taken control of the virtually all Byzantinian lands. In the north, the might of the pagans had forced the Russians south, where Rurikovich, Prince of Novgorod siezed control of Kievan Lands. The pagan success was short-lived, however, as the Principality of Pereyaslavl gobbled up weak pagan states, creating a sinewy, snaky empire across the Kievan Rus’ lands. Sensing his end, and at the urging of the church, Boleslaw organizes a final war, a Grand War, to crush the pagans threatening his borders.

However, in early 1093, Gunhild Banner, the wife of Boleslaw, became deathly ill. Desparate for his wife’s health, the king began calling apothecaries and healers from around the world in an attempt to save her life. It would not be without risk, as the influx of foreign travelers increased the odds of sabotage. Ignoring his spy master’s warnings for tighter security, Boleslaw was attacked by an assassin on November 22nd, 1093. Severely wounded, and partially paralyzed, Boleslaw could no longer fight, and became weary and depressed from the attempt on his life. Fearing pagans, or worse yet, his brother, Boleslaw spent most of the rest of his life in confinement with his wife (Who had been cured during that time.).

In August of 1095, growing more and more suspicious of the world around him, Boleslaw declared war on the Yatviags and their allies, as well as Rostov and Podlasie, two remnants of Russian principalities long since consumed by pagan tribes. Mobilizing his entire country’s forces, he created five main armies to attack simultaneously in all directions of advance. In addition, he gave his newly matured son Wszebor control of a regiment, promising him lands in return for strong performance in the service of God.

In early September, Bolko defeated Klukis in Galindia, while Boleslaw’s army, led by Stanislaw, defeated Alexandr in Galich, siezing the lands and following the army north, ambushing them in the Battle of the Broken, where two fleeing armies were attacked by the knights of Opole, resulting in a loss of over 1,000 men with no casualties for the Polish (September 23rd, 1095). At the same time, Wladislaw Herman Piast defeated Gerdautas of Scalovia in Podlasie, Wojciech Wlostowic defeated Alvydas of Yatvyagi in Pinsk, and Janislaw z Czamkowa defeated Ekkelis of Scalovia in Yatvyagi.

On the diplomatic front, sensing possibly the seizing of his own lands, the Prince of Novgorod accepted a vassalization offer, joining the Polish in early October. Meanwhile, throughout the winter of 1095, Boleslaw’s armies stayed stagnant, sheltering themselves from the snow while facing attempt to reclaim territory from various pagan tribes. Boleslaw successfully negotiated peace with Rostov and various far northern tribes, keeping the claims of Novgorod’s core within the Novgorod line. However, a contingent of 6,000 Lettigalian warriors, traveling across the shore of the southern Baltic Sea, attacked and seized Marienburg in January of 1096.

PolandafterGrandWarPart1.jpg


JanislawPiast.jpg

Janislaw Piast, Count of Marienburg, pleaded with his father to abandon the defenses of the newly acquired provinces in order to reclaim his lands. Boleslaw accepted, and Bolko was sent as a delaying force, holing off the Lettigalian armies long enough for the combined Polish armies under Janislaw to reach them at the Battle of Restoration on February 15th, 1096. There, the 10,000 Polish troops, with 2,000 Polish cavalrymen, attacked across snow-covered ground under Janislaw Piast against the shores of the icy Baltic, destroying all 6,500 Lettigalian troops at a cost of some 3,000 Polish lives (Most from Bolko’s delaying actions in January.). The Lettigalians almost immediately begged for peace. With scattered resistance ending in March of 1096. Janislaw was re-granted his original title, and Wszebor was given the title of Count of Galich.

PolandafterGrandWarPart2.jpg

Later, in November of 1096, Zbigniew fell to an assassin’s blade. Distraught at the loss and vowing revenge, Boleslaw’s inquiries into his adopted son’s death and the attempt at his own life led all fingers pointing straight to his own brother. Fearing the implications of accusing his own blood of such an act, Boleslaw kept his tongue silent, instead allowing his armies to train against the infrequent risings of rebels in the newly conquered lands and in former Pommerania. Slowly the years faded away, with tensions rising between the two brothers, now openly in disagreement about the laws of succession, until the last winter snows of Feruary 1098, where the banner of the Black Eagle was hoisted over the lands of the Duchy of Mazovia. The civil war had begun…
 
Oooh. Sounds serious.
 
Unfortunately, I have bad news...

I have to abandon this AAR, as I have lost my series of notes. A careless employee of mine has decided to touch my paperwork, and the notes were the victim, meaning I have lost countless hours of work in the stroke of a hat...

I'll retry again a little later, starting tonight.

Sorry if everyone is disappointed.

(If you must know, I won the civil war and executed my opponen'ts entire line.)
 
Oh damnation! What a pity! Best luck nex :( t time!
 
That's unfortunate, hope you're able to restart.
 
Actually, I decided to start on a different one, this time Nubia. I should have the first part posted by this evening...

I really need a good filing system :mad:
 
Aww, too bad.

Nubia is hard though...good luck.