Nice going. Good to see Duke Nikola trying to expand his dominions (and yours as well) and succeeding. Wars are fun, but messy... expanding that way is so more civilized.
Which means you need a war. Now.
Which means you need a war. Now.
The Grand History of Croatia - A Mega Campaign AAR
- Thread starter CountArach
- Start date
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
@ Capibara - Yup, it will be a pleasant change from smashing Balkan Duchies.
@ Wolfox - I'll see what I can do
@ Wolfox - I'll see what I can do
Just started reading but I wanted to chime in and let you know I'm really enjoying it so far.
I'm very pleased to hear that! Welcome aboard!VILenin said:Just started reading but I wanted to chime in and let you know I'm really enjoying it so far.
just caught up with the latest update even though I've lurked here for ages
great AAR!
great AAR!
Chapter 12 – 1133 to 1134
One of the most telling events in regards to the personality of King Trpimir occurred in May of 1133. The past year had been a poor one for fishermen, which in turn had meant that seaside towns were forced into poverty. Some of the nobles from these regions (Themselves likely suffering from the economic effects) petitioned the King to help to alleviate the burden on them. King Trpimir told them to simply “put up with it. You are Croatians, not weakling Greeks.” No emotional argument could sway him and this is an often overlooked part of his personality – an overwhelming cruelty.
Moving on to June 11th 1133, King Trpimir decided that it was once again time to declare a Duke of Bosnia and the most logical choice was Count Kresimir Trpimirovic of Rama. The proper arrangements were made and thus a new Duchy was reclaimed. The Southern half remained independent, though the newly raised Duke vowed that he would bring them back into the fold, or die trying. This proved to be nothing more than sabre rattling and nothing came of it.
Later in June King Trpimir’s new wife Radana gave birth to a daughter named Agata. She would fall pregnant again by August, showing that King Trpimir never lost his love for younger women. The child born this time was named Ninoslav and he was the first legitimate male heir that had been borne by Radana. He was still a long way down the line of succession, especially considering King Trpimir’s first children were marrying and having their own children. He was born on May 26th 1134.
King Trpimir had not fought a major war in many years by this time, not since the Civil War. This was all to change. On September 3rd 1134 an envoy arrived from the French King informing King Trpimir that they had attacked the Holy Roman Emperor. There was a request for King Trpimir to join in this. King Trpimir needed to only think a moment before accepting because as his reign wore on he had looked to the north more and more often for new territory to conquer. As such, when he accepted he also declared that he would seize Karnten and Steiermark, better known as the Duchy of Carinthia.
War begins with the Holy Roman Empire.
It is not known how many men the Holy Roman Empire would be capable of putting in the field. Most estimates place it at just over 100 000. The French could probably muster somewhere around 60 000 to 70 000 and the Croatians could raise around 35 000 soldiers. However, the Croatians had the advantage of the Holy Roman Empire being distracted on their west; meaning only local forces could be raised. These still amounted to over 10 000 men.
The diplomatic situation.
King Tprimir’s first order was to mobilise all of the western territories, amounting to almost 12 000 men – more than enough to seize the first targets. The campaign for Karnten began on September 22nd, with Count Tvrtko of Krain leading his men and those of several other counties over the border. They were facing off against 1700 Carinthians and the Count had approximately 3000 men at his disposal. To further ensure the outcome he was looking for, King Trpimir arrived with his personal force to bring the numbers up to 7000. The slaughter was great and the Carinthians were forced to retreat. Meanwhile, the siege of Steiermark had begun without being contested. The siege of Karnten began on October 13th.
October 13th – The Carinthians are beaten back from Karnten.
By November 12th both Steiermark and Karnten were in the hands of the Croatians and a peace treaty was quickly arranged with the respective Counts. Further, King Trpimir earned enough gold to finance the rest of the war. He had now succeeded in conquering Germany to the point where he shared a common border with the Bohemian Kingdom and the Bavarian Duchy.
The annexation of Carinthia.
Southern Germany and Croatia after the annexations.
A peace treaty was sent to the Emperor Friedrich during November, however by the end of the month it had been refused. The western front had become something of a stalemate and the Emperor believed that meant he had a chance of reclaiming some of the territory in Southern Germany. Indeed a minor attack lead by the Lambert, Count of Wurttemburg, was successfully repulsed with very low causalities on December 10th. Lamberg signed his treasury over to King Trpimir two days later. Another attack from the Duchy of Franconia would meet the same fate.
The final acts of December 1134 would see more expansions to the territory of Duke Nikola, the King’s legitimate heir. He was granted the entire Duchy of Carinthia, including both of the Counties in it. This now put him in chart of five separate counties, as well as having another Count as his own vassal. What some have theorised is that King Trpimir was feeling regret at changing the laws of succession to mean that his eldest son was disenfranchised. As such he decided to do what he could to ensure that his legitimate heir still had the greatest power available to him if it were to come to Civil War.
Duke Nikola’s lands are further expanded.
In the next and final chapter of this book we shall view the conclusion of the war with Germany and the final actions of King Trpimir. Truly it has been an epic journey writing up his life.
One of the most telling events in regards to the personality of King Trpimir occurred in May of 1133. The past year had been a poor one for fishermen, which in turn had meant that seaside towns were forced into poverty. Some of the nobles from these regions (Themselves likely suffering from the economic effects) petitioned the King to help to alleviate the burden on them. King Trpimir told them to simply “put up with it. You are Croatians, not weakling Greeks.” No emotional argument could sway him and this is an often overlooked part of his personality – an overwhelming cruelty.
Moving on to June 11th 1133, King Trpimir decided that it was once again time to declare a Duke of Bosnia and the most logical choice was Count Kresimir Trpimirovic of Rama. The proper arrangements were made and thus a new Duchy was reclaimed. The Southern half remained independent, though the newly raised Duke vowed that he would bring them back into the fold, or die trying. This proved to be nothing more than sabre rattling and nothing came of it.
Later in June King Trpimir’s new wife Radana gave birth to a daughter named Agata. She would fall pregnant again by August, showing that King Trpimir never lost his love for younger women. The child born this time was named Ninoslav and he was the first legitimate male heir that had been borne by Radana. He was still a long way down the line of succession, especially considering King Trpimir’s first children were marrying and having their own children. He was born on May 26th 1134.
King Trpimir had not fought a major war in many years by this time, not since the Civil War. This was all to change. On September 3rd 1134 an envoy arrived from the French King informing King Trpimir that they had attacked the Holy Roman Emperor. There was a request for King Trpimir to join in this. King Trpimir needed to only think a moment before accepting because as his reign wore on he had looked to the north more and more often for new territory to conquer. As such, when he accepted he also declared that he would seize Karnten and Steiermark, better known as the Duchy of Carinthia.
War begins with the Holy Roman Empire.
It is not known how many men the Holy Roman Empire would be capable of putting in the field. Most estimates place it at just over 100 000. The French could probably muster somewhere around 60 000 to 70 000 and the Croatians could raise around 35 000 soldiers. However, the Croatians had the advantage of the Holy Roman Empire being distracted on their west; meaning only local forces could be raised. These still amounted to over 10 000 men.
The diplomatic situation.
King Tprimir’s first order was to mobilise all of the western territories, amounting to almost 12 000 men – more than enough to seize the first targets. The campaign for Karnten began on September 22nd, with Count Tvrtko of Krain leading his men and those of several other counties over the border. They were facing off against 1700 Carinthians and the Count had approximately 3000 men at his disposal. To further ensure the outcome he was looking for, King Trpimir arrived with his personal force to bring the numbers up to 7000. The slaughter was great and the Carinthians were forced to retreat. Meanwhile, the siege of Steiermark had begun without being contested. The siege of Karnten began on October 13th.
October 13th – The Carinthians are beaten back from Karnten.
By November 12th both Steiermark and Karnten were in the hands of the Croatians and a peace treaty was quickly arranged with the respective Counts. Further, King Trpimir earned enough gold to finance the rest of the war. He had now succeeded in conquering Germany to the point where he shared a common border with the Bohemian Kingdom and the Bavarian Duchy.
The annexation of Carinthia.
Southern Germany and Croatia after the annexations.
A peace treaty was sent to the Emperor Friedrich during November, however by the end of the month it had been refused. The western front had become something of a stalemate and the Emperor believed that meant he had a chance of reclaiming some of the territory in Southern Germany. Indeed a minor attack lead by the Lambert, Count of Wurttemburg, was successfully repulsed with very low causalities on December 10th. Lamberg signed his treasury over to King Trpimir two days later. Another attack from the Duchy of Franconia would meet the same fate.
The final acts of December 1134 would see more expansions to the territory of Duke Nikola, the King’s legitimate heir. He was granted the entire Duchy of Carinthia, including both of the Counties in it. This now put him in chart of five separate counties, as well as having another Count as his own vassal. What some have theorised is that King Trpimir was feeling regret at changing the laws of succession to mean that his eldest son was disenfranchised. As such he decided to do what he could to ensure that his legitimate heir still had the greatest power available to him if it were to come to Civil War.
Duke Nikola’s lands are further expanded.
In the next and final chapter of this book we shall view the conclusion of the war with Germany and the final actions of King Trpimir. Truly it has been an epic journey writing up his life.
@ swippy - Thanks! Always good to know there is another reader out there.
@ Enewald - Yeah it is good news. Now that I think about it, Trpimir has done huge amounts for the Kingdom in terms of size. The Intrigue value of 1 has been a huge challenge though and means I have to create super-duchies like you see with Duke Nikola.
@ Enewald - Yeah it is good news. Now that I think about it, Trpimir has done huge amounts for the Kingdom in terms of size. The Intrigue value of 1 has been a huge challenge though and means I have to create super-duchies like you see with Duke Nikola.
Gaining land on the Germans is never a small feat, even if they're all scattered. Do you have any more goals in this war? Maybe one or two Italian counties?
Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about. I'm also eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
On a second note, I'm under the impression that these were rather "easy" conquests. I guess the "Germany being distracted with the West front" really worked in your favor. Well done.
I used that same technique twice now (attack when they're distracted) to expand as Count of Braganza. It worked well enough to make me Duke of Porto... who knows, I may do a "mini-AAR" of that later, since I don't have the memory or screenshots or talent to do a nice AAR like yours.
I'm also eagerly awaiting the next chapter.On a second note, I'm under the impression that these were rather "easy" conquests. I guess the "Germany being distracted with the West front" really worked in your favor. Well done.
I used that same technique twice now (attack when they're distracted) to expand as Count of Braganza. It worked well enough to make me Duke of Porto... who knows, I may do a "mini-AAR" of that later, since I don't have the memory or screenshots or talent to do a nice AAR like yours.
Attacking against Holy roman empire... pretty high-risk attempt. Fortune was truly on your side because HRE didn't pay attention to your conquest.
Great that you have managed this far with this AAR. I hope your interest in this AAR will last.
Great that you have managed this far with this AAR. I hope your interest in this AAR will last.
Wow, plenty of comments! Love it guys/gals!
@ Cecasander - At this point in the war I would have been very pleased with more territory in Northern Italy.
@ Capibara - Yep, that should keep my occupied for a while.
@ Rythmic - You probably won't have to wait for long
@ Wolfox - Yeah the conquests were much, much easier than I thought they would be. As I said though Germany was fighting A LOT of Frenchies on their West. Oh, and bring on the mini-AAR - what have you got to lose?
@ Auray - Yeah the more comments I get the more my interest will last*Hint* *Hint*
Now for a shameless plug...
If you feel that this really deserves it vote for The Grand History of Croatia as your favourite History Book AAR in the AARland Choice AwAARds 2008 Q2:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=364352
That's only if you think it really does deserve it though - I won't be offended if you think there are better ones.
@ Cecasander - At this point in the war I would have been very pleased with more territory in Northern Italy.
@ Capibara - Yep, that should keep my occupied for a while.
@ Rythmic - You probably won't have to wait for long
@ Wolfox - Yeah the conquests were much, much easier than I thought they would be. As I said though Germany was fighting A LOT of Frenchies on their West. Oh, and bring on the mini-AAR - what have you got to lose?
@ Auray - Yeah the more comments I get the more my interest will last*Hint* *Hint*
Now for a shameless plug...
If you feel that this really deserves it vote for The Grand History of Croatia as your favourite History Book AAR in the AARland Choice AwAARds 2008 Q2:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=364352
That's only if you think it really does deserve it though - I won't be offended if you think there are better ones.
Chapter 13 – 1135 to November 14th, 1137
At the beginning of 1135 King Trpimir was still at war with the Holy Roman Emperor, having seized the very South-East of the Empire for his eldest son Duke Nikola. However, before he made peace with the Emperor he had to fight off a couple of small counter-attacks which were generally poorly organised and vastly outnumbered by the almost 12 000 soldiers that King Trpimir had at his disposal. The Duchy of Franconia led one of these assaults personally, and when it failed peace was signed on January 22nd.
Peace is signed with Franconia.
At this point the negotiations with Emperor Friedrich began. Initially all that King Trpimir demanded was monetary compensation for this war. This was initially refused, yet negotiations by no means halted. This was because Emperor Friedrich was mustering soldiers for an Eastern push against the Croatians. The first campaign that was planned was a renewed push against Steiermark with 2400 men. This was still a long way below the 5500 men that King Trpimir had in the province under his personal command. Eventually the Croatian superiority in numbers and knights showed through and the Germans were beaten back and retreated through Bohemia.
April 6th 1135 - The end of the Campaign for Steiermark.
As the Germans retreated north a new assault was organised, this time however it was to strike against the weak underbelly of the Kingdom’s lands – Ancona. The Italian lands were poorly defended and the defenders who were present were local soldiers who resented having to swear fealty to a foreigner. 3000 North Italian soldiers loyal to the Emperor marched south into the territory. Duke Nikola led his soldiers who were garrisoned in Venice south to take the German force from the rear. At the same time the local soldiers were mustered under several local Barons. On June 13th the campaign began just outside Ravenna.
June 13th 1135 – The campaign in Ravenna for Northern Italy.
This was the only campaign in the entire war where the Germans were capable of mustering a numbers advantage, helped in part by the Croatians having knights with them – reducing the numbers of infantry that could be supported. This numerical advantage was used to great advantage, especially when one of the Barons (Whose name is lost to time) decided to make an unsupported charge with his retainers into a massed infantry formation. After making an initial impact, they were worn down and the rest of the army routed. Without this support Duke Nikola could not fight an effective campaign and was supported to withdraw.
July 4th – The campaign in Ravenna ends.
Strangely the Germans chose not to push their advantage and instead they took a much more risky option. They embarked on some vessels from various ports and prepared to launch an assault on Senj by sea. Upon hearing this King Trpimir ordered two things. Firstly he mobilised the County of Usora (Which it will be remembered also included the territory of Zachlumina) and secondly he sent a messenger to the envoys who were negotiating peace. Their new orders were to push for a white peace with regards to the current boundaries. Upon the arrival of this messenger the Emperor Friedrich jumped with joy and gleefully accepted. His campaign in Northern Italy had proven worthwhile after all.
October 3rd 1135 - The war with Germany ends.
Thus King Trpimir’s final war came to an end and almost simultaneously the French ceased hostilities and signed a peace treaty. This is not to say that the last years of King Trpimir’s life were totally eventless however. Indeed, some have theorised (See esp Thompson 1986) that it was largely due to what would occur in the last few years that he did die.
There is evidence that throughout July 1135, while garrisoned in Steiermark, King Trpimir fostered several bastard children to various mistresses. It would not be surprising to find that this is true, given his history of taking mistresses (Including his then wife Radanna at one point, it will be remembered). Unfortunately, what is not often commented on is that these mistresses were once Prostitutes who the King had taken a liking to. As often happened with Prostitutes, they had several diseases and it is possible that King Trpimir attracted at least one STD from one of them. However, this can not be proven and is merely a hypothesis.
King Trpimir takes several prostitutes into his court and sires bastards.
On October 1136 King Trpimir renewed the alliance with the French as the new King, Philippe, ascended to the throne. This renewal was to last until one of them died – a clause that King Trpimir’s successors would regret. Of course, King Trpimir was only 51 at this time, and given how long King Petar lived for, it seemed likely he would have another 10 years left at least.
However, he was not destined to live that long and in July 1137 he started to exhibit signs of chronic fatigue. Throughout August his condition further deteriorated and he started to vomit at least twice per day. This would make him into what his Doctor would later describe as, “A corpse – constantly restricted to his bed, always gaunt and perpetually motionless.” Finally, on November 14th his heart gave out and he died at the age of 52. His wife Radanna was at his bedside, as were his many children (Though his bastards were barred from entering).
While the body was still warm Duke Nikola was making arrangements for his own coronation. He knew that he would need to have any advantage possible on his side when it came to dividing up his father’s titles. However, we shall view the results of the inheritance negotiations at the beginning of the next book. For now we shall look at the summary of King Trpimir’s life.
At the beginning of 1135 King Trpimir was still at war with the Holy Roman Emperor, having seized the very South-East of the Empire for his eldest son Duke Nikola. However, before he made peace with the Emperor he had to fight off a couple of small counter-attacks which were generally poorly organised and vastly outnumbered by the almost 12 000 soldiers that King Trpimir had at his disposal. The Duchy of Franconia led one of these assaults personally, and when it failed peace was signed on January 22nd.
Peace is signed with Franconia.
At this point the negotiations with Emperor Friedrich began. Initially all that King Trpimir demanded was monetary compensation for this war. This was initially refused, yet negotiations by no means halted. This was because Emperor Friedrich was mustering soldiers for an Eastern push against the Croatians. The first campaign that was planned was a renewed push against Steiermark with 2400 men. This was still a long way below the 5500 men that King Trpimir had in the province under his personal command. Eventually the Croatian superiority in numbers and knights showed through and the Germans were beaten back and retreated through Bohemia.
April 6th 1135 - The end of the Campaign for Steiermark.
As the Germans retreated north a new assault was organised, this time however it was to strike against the weak underbelly of the Kingdom’s lands – Ancona. The Italian lands were poorly defended and the defenders who were present were local soldiers who resented having to swear fealty to a foreigner. 3000 North Italian soldiers loyal to the Emperor marched south into the territory. Duke Nikola led his soldiers who were garrisoned in Venice south to take the German force from the rear. At the same time the local soldiers were mustered under several local Barons. On June 13th the campaign began just outside Ravenna.
June 13th 1135 – The campaign in Ravenna for Northern Italy.
This was the only campaign in the entire war where the Germans were capable of mustering a numbers advantage, helped in part by the Croatians having knights with them – reducing the numbers of infantry that could be supported. This numerical advantage was used to great advantage, especially when one of the Barons (Whose name is lost to time) decided to make an unsupported charge with his retainers into a massed infantry formation. After making an initial impact, they were worn down and the rest of the army routed. Without this support Duke Nikola could not fight an effective campaign and was supported to withdraw.
July 4th – The campaign in Ravenna ends.
Strangely the Germans chose not to push their advantage and instead they took a much more risky option. They embarked on some vessels from various ports and prepared to launch an assault on Senj by sea. Upon hearing this King Trpimir ordered two things. Firstly he mobilised the County of Usora (Which it will be remembered also included the territory of Zachlumina) and secondly he sent a messenger to the envoys who were negotiating peace. Their new orders were to push for a white peace with regards to the current boundaries. Upon the arrival of this messenger the Emperor Friedrich jumped with joy and gleefully accepted. His campaign in Northern Italy had proven worthwhile after all.
October 3rd 1135 - The war with Germany ends.
Thus King Trpimir’s final war came to an end and almost simultaneously the French ceased hostilities and signed a peace treaty. This is not to say that the last years of King Trpimir’s life were totally eventless however. Indeed, some have theorised (See esp Thompson 1986) that it was largely due to what would occur in the last few years that he did die.
There is evidence that throughout July 1135, while garrisoned in Steiermark, King Trpimir fostered several bastard children to various mistresses. It would not be surprising to find that this is true, given his history of taking mistresses (Including his then wife Radanna at one point, it will be remembered). Unfortunately, what is not often commented on is that these mistresses were once Prostitutes who the King had taken a liking to. As often happened with Prostitutes, they had several diseases and it is possible that King Trpimir attracted at least one STD from one of them. However, this can not be proven and is merely a hypothesis.
King Trpimir takes several prostitutes into his court and sires bastards.
On October 1136 King Trpimir renewed the alliance with the French as the new King, Philippe, ascended to the throne. This renewal was to last until one of them died – a clause that King Trpimir’s successors would regret. Of course, King Trpimir was only 51 at this time, and given how long King Petar lived for, it seemed likely he would have another 10 years left at least.
However, he was not destined to live that long and in July 1137 he started to exhibit signs of chronic fatigue. Throughout August his condition further deteriorated and he started to vomit at least twice per day. This would make him into what his Doctor would later describe as, “A corpse – constantly restricted to his bed, always gaunt and perpetually motionless.” Finally, on November 14th his heart gave out and he died at the age of 52. His wife Radanna was at his bedside, as were his many children (Though his bastards were barred from entering).
While the body was still warm Duke Nikola was making arrangements for his own coronation. He knew that he would need to have any advantage possible on his side when it came to dividing up his father’s titles. However, we shall view the results of the inheritance negotiations at the beginning of the next book. For now we shall look at the summary of King Trpimir’s life.
Well, the body shall be warm for a while if you move it to a sauna.
Hmm, CK needs some sexual disease events...
I shall wait for that chapter to come.
Hmm, CK needs some sexual disease events...
I shall wait for that chapter to come.
Yeah STDs are one of the things that the game lacksEnewald said:Well, the body shall be warm for a while if you move it to a sauna.
Hmm, CK needs some sexual disease events...
I shall wait for that chapter to come.
So, a good war wtih Germany but no chance to enjoy the fruits of victory.
I look forward to see what results from the inheritance division.
I look forward to see what results from the inheritance division.
Yeah its a pity King Tprimir couldn't enjoy it. As for the inheritance, I can tell you that I was not happy with how it was all split up.stnylan said:
King Trpimir Trpimirovic (1090-1137)
It shall be a struggle to summarise the life of King Trpimir in one chapter, however I shall try to be brief and not dwell on the details. King Trpimir meant many things to many people and his life helped to shape Croatia as a true Central European power, rather than just a minor Kingdom living in the shadow of the larger Kingdom of Hungary and the Empires of Byzantium and the Holy Roman Empire. We shall present some more of these views towards the end.
King Trpimir was officially the first born son of King Petar, yet the astute reader will remember that King Petar could not be the father of King Trpimir, as he was conceived and born in the time that King Petar was away campaigning in the Holy Land. Nevertheless, King Petar trusted enough in his wife’s fidelity that he accepted his ‘son’. When King Petar died in 1090, King Trpimir rose to the throne at age 4. A Regency Council governed for the first 12 years of this reign, and their effect can only be described as disastrous.
The lands controlled when the Regency Council began in 1090.
The Regency Council would see several wars, and would only win the war against England. Byzantium declared war within a year of King Trpimir ascending to the throne, leading to a war that would see the loss of Zeta and Ragusa – the gains that King Petar had made during his lifetime. Soon afterwards a war with Hungary began and the Regency Council prepared for a defensive war, yet they accepted a peace treaty whereby they signed the treasury over to King Geza of Hungary. Further, the small holdings in the Holy Land that were loyal to Croatia defected to the local Emirates.
Meanwhile war with England had started and after several years of warfare and near-constant losses a peace would be signed with the English. However, these constant losses were not the most important effect they would have on the Kingdom. Instead they would also fill King Trpimir with the idea that he should entrust more power with his nobles – they even went so far as to implement Feudal Contract law. Further, they were able to persuade him that they were the ones most capable of filling their respective posts, leading to a severe shortage of talent as time wore on and they died.
Eventually, in 1101 King Trpimir rose to the throne. The Kingdom at this time was different to the one King Petar had left for him. He lacked most of the Serbian holdings, as well as having a vastly depleted treasury and no land in the Holy Land. There was a lot of work that needed to be done in order to ensure the Kingdom was sustainable going into the future.
The Kingdom when King Trpimir took over from the Regency Council.
When King Trpimir rose to the throne, instead of turning south and making a rash attack on the Byzantines in an effort to reclaim land instead turned north. He looked first at the Duchy of Carniola, which he managed to subdue, thanks to some intriguing. Shortly afterwards, in an effort to assist his staunch allies France, he launched an attack on Corfu which, while successful, would ultimately be lost to a large counter-assault.
1111 saw a second war with Hungary begin – truly at this point reconciliation between the two Kingdoms was not possible. The numbers that could be mustered by both Kingdoms was roughly equal and as such the war should have been close. However, King Trpimir was successful in breaking through the initial armies and then pouring into the Hungarian countryside. The war was a resounding success and saw several counties added to King Trpimir’s domain.
At around this time King Trpimir started to set himself at odds with the Church. Initially it was because he kept a Muslim in his court at a time of Crusading, and then he went against an official Church ruling on an omen. Things would quickly deteriorate and King Trpimir was declared a heretic. This was all the opportunity that was needed for King Trpimir’s greedier vassals and as such they began a civil war. The new Duchy of Carniola was the first to revolt, followed by the recently conquered County of Ancona (Led by King Trpimir’s first wife Ambrosia). At about this point King Trpimimr joined the Crusade (Though took very little part in it) in exchange for no longer being declared a heretic.
The Civil War started well for the loyalists, and the County of Veglia was granted independence (temporary though it would prove) in exchange for the Duke of Carniola giving up the rest of his titles. The Count of Zachlumina soon declared himself independent as well and he too was made to pay for this transgression. King Trpimir also granted the County of Ancona independence, though Duke Nikola would later inherit it when Ambrosia died. The Civil War by now was putting a large strain on the Kingdom’s finances and eventually King Trpimir had to stop paying to maintain his own fortresses in Senj.
The Civil War took several years break towards the end of the 1110’s, but restarted again in 1120, when the Duchy of Slavonia declared itself independent. This was the true test of King Trpimir’s military abilities – the Duchy comprised almost a third of the land of the Kingdom. Eventually they were overcome and the Duke was forced to pledge allegiance to King Trpimir. The Civil Wars together cost more lives than any Croatian wars to that point.
Shortly after the end of the Civil War, King Trpimir made the only contribution he could afford to the Crusade. He raised a small force and took over Venice, which had recently been occupied by some Mulsims. This would prove to have a great economic effect on the Kingdom. However, all was not destined to go well with the Kingdom from this point.
In 1125 the nobility arrived at King Trpimir’s court and forced him to change the inheritance laws so that each of his sons would inherit the titles equally. This was to have grave effects on the Kingdom when King Nikola eventually ascended to the throne. It was this one act that caused another rupture in the Kingdom – the Duchy of Bosnia broke off and began another Civil War. This time vengeance came swiftly and Rama was reclaimed, though Hum was granted independence. At this point King Trpimir realised that he would not be able to achieve the goal King Petar was seeking – a unified Croatia and Serbia. As such, he decided that in good time he would turn his attention to the north. Fortunately, his vassals were more than happy to do this and Aquileia accepted the offer of vassalisation the Nikola, Duke of Carniola, would offer them. Veglia was also brought back into the Kingdom forcibly.
Late in 1134 the final war King Trpimir was to ever fight came to the fore. The Kingdom of France attacked the Holy Roman Empire, and King Trpimir honoured his alliance with them and joined the war. The war went far better than expected and King Trpimir succeeded in annexing the Duchy of Carinthia, meaning he was now in control of most of south-eastern Germany. The title of Duke would be granted to Duke Nikola to prepare him for the succession. The war with German continued for some time until the threat of a naval assault on Senj forced King Trpimir to sign a white peace.
King Trpimir would eventually die, perhaps from an STD caught from one of his mistresses. With his death he left a large set of challengers to Duke Nikola. The Duke would have to find a way to integrate the German Counties, while simultaneously keeping peace amongst much-strengthened rivals. These issues will be dealt with in the next book, where we look at the life of King Nikola.
The Kingdom at the end of King Trpimir’s reign.
Turning now to what his life meant to the various people of Croatia at various time, we see many different interpretations. In terms of religion, he was a poster child for the Lutheran and Protestant movements that would eventually arrive after the Reformation due to him being openly opposed to the church. Of course he never broke from his Catholic Faith, yet that does not mean people have assumed he was somewhat sceptical of the Pope and the established Church.
To the Nationalist movements of the 19th and 20th Century, even up to the present day, he was the man who almost doubled the size of Croatia’s lands, and who always put the good of Croatia first. Of course it is unlikely that he cared about anything beyond his own good, and that of his family. Indeed in his own day it is unlikely that many peasants liked him, given that he had a complete disregard for the plight of the average person – as evidenced by him refusing to subsidise the fishermen who had not caught anything.
To Croatian nobility over the years there has always been a divide between those who believe that him ceding power to his nobles was a good thing, and those who believe that by decentralising power he compromised the good of the Kingdom. When nobility write his history (And he has had almost as many biographies written about him as his predecessor King Petar) they can usually be easily slotted into one of these camps. Both camps have several good points – it is likely that the nobility having more power helped to revolutionise the Croatian army, yet at the same time it did noticeably reduce the stability of his Kingdom.
Ultimately King Trpimir’s life cannot be easily summarised into one book alone. We must look at every view that has ever been expressed about him, and then decide which one makes the greatest arguments. For this reason no true biography of King Trpimir can ever be written – no facts could escape from the analysis of the views of other historians. Yet, if we are to succinctly summarise King Trpimir’s life we can should look no further than Jonathon Fulcrum’s famous quote about King Trpimir:
“King Trpimir was always seeking out new lands to conquer, for one reason or another and as such we should describe him as a Conqueror. His life was a constant struggle to lift Croatia up from being a second-tier Kingdom to being a true contender in the power politics of Central Europe. However, he was constantly beset by struggles, both economic and social. These struggles meant that he was constantly forced to commit wicked deeds, which would constantly overshadow the good that he did for his Kingdom. Ultimately, his life was a positive for the Kingdom as a whole, if not always for the people within it.”
Dr. Fulcrum treads the fine line of praising King Trpimir and admonishing him for the bad that he did to the world – yet ultimately this quote provides the best summary of King Trpimir’s life that could be hoped for. Now begins a new book with the life of King Nikola Trpimirovic.
It shall be a struggle to summarise the life of King Trpimir in one chapter, however I shall try to be brief and not dwell on the details. King Trpimir meant many things to many people and his life helped to shape Croatia as a true Central European power, rather than just a minor Kingdom living in the shadow of the larger Kingdom of Hungary and the Empires of Byzantium and the Holy Roman Empire. We shall present some more of these views towards the end.
King Trpimir was officially the first born son of King Petar, yet the astute reader will remember that King Petar could not be the father of King Trpimir, as he was conceived and born in the time that King Petar was away campaigning in the Holy Land. Nevertheless, King Petar trusted enough in his wife’s fidelity that he accepted his ‘son’. When King Petar died in 1090, King Trpimir rose to the throne at age 4. A Regency Council governed for the first 12 years of this reign, and their effect can only be described as disastrous.
The lands controlled when the Regency Council began in 1090.
The Regency Council would see several wars, and would only win the war against England. Byzantium declared war within a year of King Trpimir ascending to the throne, leading to a war that would see the loss of Zeta and Ragusa – the gains that King Petar had made during his lifetime. Soon afterwards a war with Hungary began and the Regency Council prepared for a defensive war, yet they accepted a peace treaty whereby they signed the treasury over to King Geza of Hungary. Further, the small holdings in the Holy Land that were loyal to Croatia defected to the local Emirates.
Meanwhile war with England had started and after several years of warfare and near-constant losses a peace would be signed with the English. However, these constant losses were not the most important effect they would have on the Kingdom. Instead they would also fill King Trpimir with the idea that he should entrust more power with his nobles – they even went so far as to implement Feudal Contract law. Further, they were able to persuade him that they were the ones most capable of filling their respective posts, leading to a severe shortage of talent as time wore on and they died.
Eventually, in 1101 King Trpimir rose to the throne. The Kingdom at this time was different to the one King Petar had left for him. He lacked most of the Serbian holdings, as well as having a vastly depleted treasury and no land in the Holy Land. There was a lot of work that needed to be done in order to ensure the Kingdom was sustainable going into the future.
The Kingdom when King Trpimir took over from the Regency Council.
When King Trpimir rose to the throne, instead of turning south and making a rash attack on the Byzantines in an effort to reclaim land instead turned north. He looked first at the Duchy of Carniola, which he managed to subdue, thanks to some intriguing. Shortly afterwards, in an effort to assist his staunch allies France, he launched an attack on Corfu which, while successful, would ultimately be lost to a large counter-assault.
1111 saw a second war with Hungary begin – truly at this point reconciliation between the two Kingdoms was not possible. The numbers that could be mustered by both Kingdoms was roughly equal and as such the war should have been close. However, King Trpimir was successful in breaking through the initial armies and then pouring into the Hungarian countryside. The war was a resounding success and saw several counties added to King Trpimir’s domain.
At around this time King Trpimir started to set himself at odds with the Church. Initially it was because he kept a Muslim in his court at a time of Crusading, and then he went against an official Church ruling on an omen. Things would quickly deteriorate and King Trpimir was declared a heretic. This was all the opportunity that was needed for King Trpimir’s greedier vassals and as such they began a civil war. The new Duchy of Carniola was the first to revolt, followed by the recently conquered County of Ancona (Led by King Trpimir’s first wife Ambrosia). At about this point King Trpimimr joined the Crusade (Though took very little part in it) in exchange for no longer being declared a heretic.
The Civil War started well for the loyalists, and the County of Veglia was granted independence (temporary though it would prove) in exchange for the Duke of Carniola giving up the rest of his titles. The Count of Zachlumina soon declared himself independent as well and he too was made to pay for this transgression. King Trpimir also granted the County of Ancona independence, though Duke Nikola would later inherit it when Ambrosia died. The Civil War by now was putting a large strain on the Kingdom’s finances and eventually King Trpimir had to stop paying to maintain his own fortresses in Senj.
The Civil War took several years break towards the end of the 1110’s, but restarted again in 1120, when the Duchy of Slavonia declared itself independent. This was the true test of King Trpimir’s military abilities – the Duchy comprised almost a third of the land of the Kingdom. Eventually they were overcome and the Duke was forced to pledge allegiance to King Trpimir. The Civil Wars together cost more lives than any Croatian wars to that point.
Shortly after the end of the Civil War, King Trpimir made the only contribution he could afford to the Crusade. He raised a small force and took over Venice, which had recently been occupied by some Mulsims. This would prove to have a great economic effect on the Kingdom. However, all was not destined to go well with the Kingdom from this point.
In 1125 the nobility arrived at King Trpimir’s court and forced him to change the inheritance laws so that each of his sons would inherit the titles equally. This was to have grave effects on the Kingdom when King Nikola eventually ascended to the throne. It was this one act that caused another rupture in the Kingdom – the Duchy of Bosnia broke off and began another Civil War. This time vengeance came swiftly and Rama was reclaimed, though Hum was granted independence. At this point King Trpimir realised that he would not be able to achieve the goal King Petar was seeking – a unified Croatia and Serbia. As such, he decided that in good time he would turn his attention to the north. Fortunately, his vassals were more than happy to do this and Aquileia accepted the offer of vassalisation the Nikola, Duke of Carniola, would offer them. Veglia was also brought back into the Kingdom forcibly.
Late in 1134 the final war King Trpimir was to ever fight came to the fore. The Kingdom of France attacked the Holy Roman Empire, and King Trpimir honoured his alliance with them and joined the war. The war went far better than expected and King Trpimir succeeded in annexing the Duchy of Carinthia, meaning he was now in control of most of south-eastern Germany. The title of Duke would be granted to Duke Nikola to prepare him for the succession. The war with German continued for some time until the threat of a naval assault on Senj forced King Trpimir to sign a white peace.
King Trpimir would eventually die, perhaps from an STD caught from one of his mistresses. With his death he left a large set of challengers to Duke Nikola. The Duke would have to find a way to integrate the German Counties, while simultaneously keeping peace amongst much-strengthened rivals. These issues will be dealt with in the next book, where we look at the life of King Nikola.
The Kingdom at the end of King Trpimir’s reign.
Turning now to what his life meant to the various people of Croatia at various time, we see many different interpretations. In terms of religion, he was a poster child for the Lutheran and Protestant movements that would eventually arrive after the Reformation due to him being openly opposed to the church. Of course he never broke from his Catholic Faith, yet that does not mean people have assumed he was somewhat sceptical of the Pope and the established Church.
To the Nationalist movements of the 19th and 20th Century, even up to the present day, he was the man who almost doubled the size of Croatia’s lands, and who always put the good of Croatia first. Of course it is unlikely that he cared about anything beyond his own good, and that of his family. Indeed in his own day it is unlikely that many peasants liked him, given that he had a complete disregard for the plight of the average person – as evidenced by him refusing to subsidise the fishermen who had not caught anything.
To Croatian nobility over the years there has always been a divide between those who believe that him ceding power to his nobles was a good thing, and those who believe that by decentralising power he compromised the good of the Kingdom. When nobility write his history (And he has had almost as many biographies written about him as his predecessor King Petar) they can usually be easily slotted into one of these camps. Both camps have several good points – it is likely that the nobility having more power helped to revolutionise the Croatian army, yet at the same time it did noticeably reduce the stability of his Kingdom.
Ultimately King Trpimir’s life cannot be easily summarised into one book alone. We must look at every view that has ever been expressed about him, and then decide which one makes the greatest arguments. For this reason no true biography of King Trpimir can ever be written – no facts could escape from the analysis of the views of other historians. Yet, if we are to succinctly summarise King Trpimir’s life we can should look no further than Jonathon Fulcrum’s famous quote about King Trpimir:
“King Trpimir was always seeking out new lands to conquer, for one reason or another and as such we should describe him as a Conqueror. His life was a constant struggle to lift Croatia up from being a second-tier Kingdom to being a true contender in the power politics of Central Europe. However, he was constantly beset by struggles, both economic and social. These struggles meant that he was constantly forced to commit wicked deeds, which would constantly overshadow the good that he did for his Kingdom. Ultimately, his life was a positive for the Kingdom as a whole, if not always for the people within it.”
Dr. Fulcrum treads the fine line of praising King Trpimir and admonishing him for the bad that he did to the world – yet ultimately this quote provides the best summary of King Trpimir’s life that could be hoped for. Now begins a new book with the life of King Nikola Trpimirovic.