Freedom is Relative: A MegaCampaign Focused on the Balkans

Kurt_Steiner said:

This compulsive desire to rebuild the lost Roman Empire...

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Obsessive-Compulsive, to be exact. At least he isn't digging holes...

Lord Valentine said:

An interesting development! However I fear your king has disillusions of grandeur. Either he will fail grandly or become the greatest Croatian monarch ever.
By the way I like the flag you made. You should ask in the CoA Grand Request Thread if someone can make you a CoA for the game.

~Lord Valentine~

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It might take a few more kings for his dream to come true.....or not to...

JimboIX said:

The champion of popular sovereignty in CK..that should work otu well.

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The "Popular Sovereignty" was just a ruse to buy time. I honestly don't expect him to just give back what he captured.

Olaus Petrus said:

I'm impressed that you managed to defeat the Empire.

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Well, they WHERE being attacked by France and Sweden. One on one I would have been creamed...

The Veneto-Italian Wars
Part Two: 99 problems, but a son ain't one​

Andrija had roughly five years to resolve his internal problems before Germany would demand its provinces back. Andrija started by reforming the laws; giving more powers to the Dukes and Counts at his expense.



These changes where to last only twenty years, but that would be long enough for Andrija. He did everything from sponsoring miracle plays, to raising taxes on the peasants, in order to keep his vassals loyal and restore his reputation. He had his wife, who was the (increasingly disloyal) Count of Verona killed, and installed her brother in her place. He remarried another von Franken, Elisa, a young diplomat from Genoa. They had a son, Bogdan, in 1306.

In November, 1307, Andrija refused to allow the Venetian provinces to leave the Croatian Empire. Germany moved to liberate them by force. The defense went very well, and other armies seized much of the King's Demesne. The war lasted for nearly four years, however, until the King relented. In the end, he relinquished his claim on Venice and the ownership of Steiermark in exchange for gold. Few records exist over the fighting itself; however, the German armies, long tired from combat in Denmark and France simply could not hold back the Croatian Army and its well-paid mercenaries. In March, 1312, Andrija expanded his claims to include even more of Northern Italy.

By this time, the death of the Holy Roman Empire seemed inevitable. Beset on all sides, collapse seemed imminent.

Then they got VERY lucky....

A tall man in his mid thirties sits in a throne stage right. To his right sits a older man, in his late fifties, in a basic desk and chair. He holds several papers, occasionally shuffling between them. Some ways in front of them is a monk in his early fifties, in a simple, brown tunic.

Courtier: "Next, my Lord, Ljubomir Sokolovic, Grandmaster of the Order of St. Draskin."

Arndrija: "Since when was Draskin Trpimirovic a saint?"

Ljubomir: "My liege, the Pope is incorrect to assume that the most glorious Draskin was not immediately welcomed into Heaven. He has shown us the path to salvation; all I ask is for the funds to restart the Grand Excavation Project."

Andrija: "Why was this man allowed in here? Take him away!"
[[Ljubomir is escorted out stage left by two guards]]

Courtier: "Next, my Lord, we have Luka Radenos, Count of Chalkidike."
[[A man in his early thirties enters stage left. He is escorted by one guard, differently dressed than the others. His clothes look battered, but he carries an aura of authority and self-importance]]


Luka: "Thank you, o powerful King Andrija, for this chance.."

Andrija (interrupting): "Get on with it..."

Luka: Of course, King Andrija. My poeple recognize your greatness and I humbly petition you to assert your rightful authority over my County.

Andrija: "Request denied; I have far better things to do that go cavorting around in Hellas. (Turing to Courtier) Is that the last of them.

Courtier: Yes, my Liege

Luka: Then who was that cloaked gentleman in the hallway?

[[The large double doors swing open quickly, revealing a man in his early forties. He is wearing a heavy cloak to cover his figure and face, and carries a small crossbow in his right hand. He walks forward towards Andrija]]

Andrija: Guards! Seize this intruder! Quickly!

[[The guards make for the cloaked man, who removes his hood. They immediately stop once the see his face; that of a balding man with a few thin scars from war.]]
[[Andrija immediately rises from his throne]]

Andrija: "Aleksander....I thought I had you killed...."

Aleksander: "You WISH you had me killed. Luckily, I escaped Belgrade before your hired assassins arrived.

Andrija: "Quite a pity. I guess I must be going..."

[[Aleksander fires his crossbow, hitting Andrija just below his left eye. He falls to the floor, bleeding profusely]]

Aleksander: I don't believe you'll be going anywhere....

It's looking more and more likely that I'll have to convert to EU3 by myself. I'm going to start now; the conversion should be around 1420. If you have/know these things, I would appreciate it; it will make my job easier:

All tags for EU3

Advise on who to convert to who (ie how to convert Germany, Kiev, Seljuk, excetra)

A good "what CK province translates to EU3 province" map.

What part of what realms should be vassals of others, and other tips/advice

Culture conversion chart

This will be the first time I've tried something like this; wish me luck. Updates should speed up I hope; trying to finish this part of the AAR by August 21st.

Olaus Petrus said:

Nasty end for a great king.

BTW may I ask why you are converting in 1420s? EU3 starts from where CK ends. It would be propably be easier task to convert from that date, so you don't have to do research about the situation in 1420s outside the Europe.

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Mainly because I want to spend a little more time in EU3 than CK; Converting in 1420 would give me 354 years in CK, and 372 years in EU3.

Also, given the situation in Europe, It seems likely to have European exploration of the Americas and elsewhere earlier than historical.

That, and I've already started planning for 1420. I don't think I'll change much outside Europe; but I haven't done much research.

Aleksander Trpimirovic was, while certainly justified in killing Andrija, a very polarizing King. The peasants and clergy loved him; but the nobles and most counts and dukes despised him. Only the possibility of open revolt by the lower classes, and threats of excommunication, kept them in check for the first few years. He married a young, distant relative in 1313, who bore him several inbred sons. Pressured by nobles, Aleksander expanded Croatia's claims to northern Italy, even thought he had no intent to conquer it.

Aleksander was known mostly for two things. The first was that, being forty by the time he became king, he had little ambition and took no important actions while ruling. Secondly, his steady leadership was needed in Croatia. Europe was in a state of relative peace; a warrior king would have been looked down upon; as Andrija was. He ruled, not out of personal desire, but out of necessity; he distrusted his young sons and felt that Croatia needed to maintain the status quo, rather than try to conquer, pillage, and dominate.

Aleksander's only war was the invasion and conquest of Orvieto, a renegade province once part of Naples, in 1330. He was an effective king well into his sixties; retroactively changing the banner and coat of arms to Andrija's reign; resolving a dispute with Hungary over Wallacia. One of his more controversial decisions was to request from the pope (and receive) the canonization of Draskin Trpimirovic, in order to legitimize an organization (The Order of St. Draskin) that had formed in 1301.

He finally passed away on May 18, 1336. His death was sudden; right in the middle of dinner he relaxed in his throne, with the guests not realizing his death for several minutes. His young great-grandson Litovoi inherited the throne.


(Note: Sorry for the do-nothing king; I'm surprised he lived that long. Still trying to figure out how to set vassals in EU3, BTW.)

EmprorCoopinius said:

Hrmmm, inbreeding seems to be a trend here.

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Yes, it does. Of course, none of these inbreds actually become king, by some twist of fate

Kurt_Steiner said:

What a calm age. Perhaps to forget the end of the previous monarch?

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Exactly. Don't expect peace and flowers for the next king, of course.

JimboIX said:

They canonized Draskin?

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Actually, I did that, for...well, I don't want to spoil things for you. I DID wait until I became papal controller to do it, at least.