• 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.

Solmyr

Field Marshal
115 Badges
Mar 12, 2001
3.837
23
enothril.awardspace.com
  • Arsenal of Democracy
  • Age of Wonders II
  • Hearts of Iron IV: No Step Back
  • Hearts of Iron 4: Arms Against Tyranny
  • Victoria 3 Sign Up
  • Hearts of Iron IV: By Blood Alone
  • Cities in Motion
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne
  • Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome
  • Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods
  • Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India
  • Crusader Kings II: The Republic
  • Crusader Kings II: Sons of Abraham
  • Crusader Kings II: Sunset Invasion
  • Crusader Kings II: Sword of Islam
  • Darkest Hour
  • Deus Vult
  • Europa Universalis III
  • Europa Universalis III: Chronicles
  • Divine Wind
  • Europa Universalis IV
  • Europa Universalis IV: Art of War
  • Europa Universalis IV: Conquest of Paradise
  • Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations
  • Europa Universalis IV: Call to arms event
  • For the Motherland
  • Hearts of Iron III
  • Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour
  • Hearts of Iron III Collection
  • Heir to the Throne
  • Europa Universalis III Complete
  • Magicka
  • Europa Universalis III Complete
  • Europa Universalis IV: Res Publica
  • Victoria: Revolutions
  • Europa Universalis: Rome
  • Semper Fi
  • Victoria 2: A House Divided
  • Victoria 2: Heart of Darkness
  • Europa Universalis IV: Pre-order
  • Pillars of Eternity
  • Cities: Skylines - After Dark
  • Europa Universalis IV: Cossacks
  • Cities: Skylines - Snowfall
  • Europa Universalis IV: Mare Nostrum
  • Stellaris
  • Stellaris: Galaxy Edition
  • Crusader Kings II: Reapers Due
  • Stellaris - Path to Destruction bundle
My new AAR is thus underway, as the House of Hohenstaufen. Starting in 1066, they are the rulers of just one tiny county. Will I be able to match their historical record? It remains to be seen. ;)
And if you are wondering about the title of this AAR, see here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Part I: Claims and Wars

This is the story of the House of Hohenstaufen and its fortunes and fates.

In 1066, the House of Hohenstaufen was but a minor noble family like so many others in Germany. Its roots were in Swabia, the mountainous areas south of the Rhine. The head of the family was Friedrich, ruler of the small, mountainous county of St.Gallen just west of the Tirol, and a vassal of Duke Rudolf of Swabia. Having recently turned eighteen, the Count was nonetheless an able ruler, skilled in administration of his lands. His only unfortunate (according to some) characteristic was his penchant for intrigue and deceit, though opportunities for such were few and far between in the small county. Even so, the Count was not a vengeful man, and cheerfully forgave even very bad slights against him.

HOHEN01.gif

Count Friedrich

Friedrich knew that to ever achieve something greater, he would have to take his family on an international arena and to expand his lands. Thus he began to plan for expansion. His advisors said that he should seek a wife at once, to continue his dynasty. But Friedrich assessed the situation in southern Germany and decided to wait, for reasons that will soon become apparent.

A word must be said about the Count's mother, Hildegarde von Bonngau. Though well into her thirties, she was still a woman of great beauty and influence, having come from the large Bonngau family which held various lands along the Rhine. It was through his mother that Count Friedrich had several important family connections. In particular, he was in line of inheritance for the counties of Nordgau and Pfalz, along the western bank of the Rhine. The count of Pfalz was one Herman von Bonngau, a young man of eighteen who had no children of his own; he was also a distant cousin of lady Hildegarde. According to the rules of succession, Friedrich Hohenstaufen was next in line to inherit Pfalz... provided that Herman sired no other heirs. And thus, when on January 5th, 1067, count Herman died in a hunting accident, some fingers pointed at Friedrich... but there was no proof, and Friedrich was recognized as the rightful count of Pfalz.

In the meantime, war was erupting around Europe. Of most relative importance to St.Gallen was the war declared on January 6th, 1067, as Heinrich King of Germany declared a crusade against the pagan chiefdom of Slupsk and the Pomeranians. The King's armies marched north, fighting the pagans, but at first St.Gallen stayed out of the war. There were yet matters to attend to at home, and the count financed the building of forestries in his lands to aid future construction and income.

The war between King Heinrich and the pagan Pomeranians dragged on, and finally count Friedrich decided to try his luck. Mustering the forces of St.Gallen and Pfalz, he marched north, and in late January of 1070 crossed the border of Pomerania. His liege, Duke Rudolf of Swabia, also joined the campaign, and Friedrich was somewhat concerned that between the Duke and the King, there would be little left for him. Nonetheless, he led his army to the Baltic forests. Passing through Wolgast, he then invaded the lands of Slupsk in early May. While King Heinrich and the Duke of Swabia fought in the lands of western Pomerania, Friedrich besieged Slupsk. It was a long and hard siege, but in February of 1071 the province fell and was added to the Hohenstaufen lands. In the meantime, Duke Rudolf of Swabia had conquered the rest of the Pomeranian lands, and soon added the duchy of Pomerania to his titles.

Friedrich, content with his gains for now, waited for his opportunity. In summer of 1073, it came. The firstborn daughter of Duke Rudolf, Adelaide, had come of age. Immediately envoys were sent to the Duke's court, asking for her hand on behalf of count Friedrich. The Duke accepted, and on August 6th the wedding was held in Augsburg.

HOHEN02.gif

Countess Adelaide

His marriage secured, Friedrich nearly spoiled everything. In October, he had an affair with a common woman in Pfalz which resulted in the birth of his bastard son Albrecht. Friedrich's new wife Adelaide, a vengeful woman, was terribly offended and refused to even sleep in the same room with him. Things looked grim for the family's future. Fortunately, Adelaide's father Duke Rudolf was a more merciful man, and finally convinced his daughter to relent after several months. So as the summer of 1074 ended, Friedrich and Adelaide were expecting a child.

In the meantime the development of the Hohenstaufen lands proceeded well. New forestries and sawmills were built, and fishing was sponsored on the coast of Slupsk. It was difficult to rule the three widely dispersed counties, but Friedrich managed it with the aid of skilled stewards.

On May 23rd, 1075, Adelaide gave birth to a boy who was named Hartmann, and by the end of summer she was again pregnant. Friedrich, happy with this turn of events, now tried his best to resist extramarital affairs, though his lust was notorious. But now he devoted much of his time to the upbringing of Hartmann, and for good reason. Not only would Hartmann inherit the Hohenstaufen lands, but he would also be the heir to the old Duke Rudolf of Swabia, who had no male children of his own. Now Friedrich's strategy in marrying Rudolf's eldest daughter became clear, and his family's rise in Swabia prepared.

HOHEN03.gif

Heir of the Duke of Swabia

On April 3rd, 1076, Friedrich and Adelaide had a daughter, who was named Maria. A year later, on May 4th, 1077, another son was born, named Adolf; and on February 24th, 1078 a second daughter, Amalberga, was born. The dynasty of the Hohenstaufen looked secure for the moment.

Soon, Friedrich began to plan another expansion of his lands. To prepare, he had training grounds built in all his provinces, and ordered the research of improved siege technology. Albrecht, his bastard, was sent to the army to train, away from Adelaide's sight. In September of 1080, Friedrich was ready. Calling up his armies, he spent one last night with his wife and then marched to Saxony, and from there invaded the lands of the Wends. As before, King Heinrich and Duke Rudolf saw an opportunity, and also sent their armies north. But Friedrich was already there with almost 2500 men, and he was determined to come out of this war with a profit.

First he marched on Lübeck, defeating the pagans there and liberating it by February 1081. Meanwhile, King Heinrich was besieging Mecklemburg, but his army had suffered severe losses and the siege dragged on. At the same time, the pagans had inflicted a defeat on Duke Rudolf and were attacking his Pomeranian holdings in Wolgast. Friedrich next marched on Rostock, taking it in June. By that time the King had lifted his siege of Mecklemburg and was retreating, and Friedrich quickly moved to resume the siege there. In October Mecklemburg was his, while Duke Rudolf had lost Wolgast and was also in retreat. Quickly, Friedrich marched east. The winter of 1081 was hard, as the pagans attacked Friedrich's army in Werle in waves after waves. But the count pressed on.

At the same time news came from home. Friedrich's daughter Maria was sent to study in a convent, and his wife gave birth to another son, Rupprecht. Meanwhile, his eldest legitimate son, Hartmann, had not yet begun his education but was already known as a vengeful, grudge-holding boy.

On New Year's Day of 1082, the Pope declared a holy crusade against the pagans and infidels. Friedrich, already at war, paid it little heed for now. In February he took Werle, and moved east to the fallen Wolgast. By July Wolgast was taken and added to the Hohenstaufen lands despite protests from Duke Rudolf. But Friedrich played the King against the Duke. On November 26th, 1082, Friedrich was created Duke of Mecklemburg, and was made a direct vassal of King Heinrich. Thus did the Hohenstaufen family first rise to importance.

HOHEN04.gif

Friedrich the Duke
 
Last edited:
Solmyr said:
The pagan hordes of Pomerania somehow infiltrated the heart of Germany and took by assault the fort of Franken, burning it and driving out King Heinrich. Cravenly, the King fled Germany, taking refuge with his uncle the Duke of Aquitaine. Germany now had no King, as the various Dukes asserted their rights, jockeying for power
Now that's something I haven't seen before. Interesting.

At least we get a nice-looking map of the different duchies out of it. :)
 
Hey Solmyr! Great, I waited for a Hohenstaufen AAR for a long time, deserves a big sympathy bonus :D . Keep the dynasty alive...

BtW: The title of the AAR is well chosen, Frederick II. of Hohenstaufen is my favourite medieval character

Edit: For all those who wonder what I´m talking about --> use Solmyrs link ;)
 
Last edited:
Duke of Saxony said:
Hey Solmyr! Great, I waited for a Hohenstaufen AAR for a long time, deserves a big sympathy bonus :D . Keep the dynasty alive...

BtW: The title of the AAR is well chosen, Frederick II. of Hohenstaufen is my favourite medieval character

Yes, he is one of my favorites too. ;)
We'll see how well I do. Friedrich von Staufen (the count in 1066) was already duke of Swabia in 1079, I don't think I can quite match that. :D
 
Solmyr said:
Yes, he is one of my favorites too. ;)
We'll see how well I do. Friedrich von Staufen (the count in 1066) was already duke of Swabia in 1079, I don't think I can quite match that. :D

I´m very interested in seeing how you manage yourself in a fragmented germany. Its bad that it broke apart, it will be extremly difficult if not impossible to restore it, otherwise you could maybe someday have taken over the throne in some way. Tell me a story please... :D
 
Duke of Saxony said:
I´m very interested in seeing how you manage yourself in a fragmented germany.

Badly. :D Shortly thereafter, I had two Dukes claim my county and declare war on me, crushing me utterly. This happened no matter how many times I reloaded (here's that AI's lack of randomness again). So, since my AAR was still in the beginning, I decided to restart anew and hope that Germany would survive intact. My first post has been edited to contain the new fortunes of the Hohenstaufen, now having fared considerably better. :D
 
Solmyr said:
Badly. :D Shortly thereafter, I had two Dukes claim my county and declare war on me, crushing me utterly. This happened no matter how many times I reloaded (here's that AI's lack of randomness again). So, since my AAR was still in the beginning, I decided to restart anew and hope that Germany would survive intact. My first post has been edited to contain the new fortunes of the Hohenstaufen, now having fared considerably better. :D

Yes it really looks much better now, and what an ugly bride you catched :D , but the dynasty is more important and marriage to a girl of the Rheinfelden family was an excellent choice me thinks. If I got the timeframe right, you managed to make him duke just a little later than historically: congrats, even if its the wrong area :p . I wish you good luck, and I´m eagerly waiting for news from the Staufers...

Edit: I liked that bedroom story, I can almost see that furious thing with some wooden stick in her hand knocking the old Staufers head when he came a little too close after his affair... ;)
 
Last edited:
Duke of Saxony said:
If I got the timeframe right, you managed to make him duke just a little later than historically: congrats, even if its the wrong area :p

It'll be the right area as soon as my son inherits both me and the Duke of Swabia. ;) Now I just need to ensure that old Rheinfelden doesn't somehow produce a son of his own (fortunately his wife is well past childbearing age).

Edit: I liked that bedroom story, I can almost see that furious thing with some wooden stick in her hand knocking the old Staufers head when he came a little too close after his affair... ;)

:D Gotta love those wives with the vengeful trait. ;)
 
Solmyr said:
It'll be the right area as soon as my son inherits both me and the Duke of Swabia. ;) Now I just need to ensure that old Rheinfelden doesn't somehow produce a son of his own (fortunately his wife is well past childbearing age).

Will the "Schwaben" coat-of-arms be your own when you inherit it or will it still be the one of mecklenburg, because it was your first ducal title? The coa of Schwaben as far as I know is that of emperor Friedrich II., and I´ve read about some discussions going on if there is some relationship with the one from denmark. Anyway, good read so far :D ...

Ps.: Yes, one has to love those women with the vengefull fire (thats what I call hot :rofl: ) ...
 
Duke of Saxony said:
Will the "Schwaben" coat-of-arms be your own when you inherit it or will it still be the one of mecklenburg, because it was your first ducal title? The coa of Schwaben as far as I know is that of emperor Friedrich II., and I´ve read about some discussions going on if there is some relationship with the one from denmark. Anyway, good read so far :D ...

I suspect I'll keep the Mecklemburg CoA (there seems to be some confusion over what happens when your son already holds a title equal to your own and you die). In any case, I will probably edit my save to make Swabia my primary title (at least while I am a Duke ;) ) to be more historical about it. IMO that's an "innocent" cheat. :)
I also hope my son doesn't inherit Swabia before I have a chance to marry him to someone good... otherwise the AI will probably marry him to some 40-year old crone. :D
 
Part II: Heirs and Rebels

Having won his duchy, Friedrich now set about strengthening it. Foresters and fishermen were sponsored in the rich forests of Mecklemburg. Unfortunately, the people were still mostly pagan, and many of them did not accept Friedrich's rule. They formed bands of thieves and smugglers, plaguing the realm. However, in March 1085, the people of Slupsk, the first pagan province conquered by the Hohenstaufen, converted to the true Catholic and Apostolic faith and now began thinking of themselves as German. Friedrich's efforts in bringing the salvation of Christ to the pagans were widely lauded in the Christian world. Soon, he began constructing courts of justice to reduce criminal activity, and the pagan smugglers and thieves were dealt major setbacks.

Friedrich's family had mixed fortunes. His son Hartmann was already notorious for his cruelty to pets and servants, and his younger brothers seemed to take after him as well. On the other hand, Friedrich's younger daughter Amalberga, though still a young girl, always tried to protect and help the weak, and her mercy was much beloved by the common people. In September 1085 Friedrich's wife Adelaide, though not too young anymore, gave birth to another son, who was named Friedrich for his father and grandfather. Friedrich was so happy that from then on he never looked at another woman again, though he was tempted many times. A less happy occurance was the illness of his mother, the lady Hildegarde, who was now quite advanced in years. Also, in an effort to tighten the familial bonds with the Duke of Swabia, Friedrich asked for the hand of his second daughter, Gertrude, on behalf of his distant cousin Hartmann; the wedding was held in April 1086.

The year 1086 saw the final buildup before the storm that would soon come. In September Mecklemburg saw some financial difficulties as the fisheries were experiencing bad times. Friedrich lent them help like a dutiful liege should, but it caused him bankruptcy and the fishery had to be sold anyway. Fortunately, the sawmills produced more profit than expected, and the fishery was soon restored.

Meanwhile, King Heinrich of Germany was getting more and more despotical in his rule. His sons were coming of age, and demanded lands of their own to rule. So the King started revoking the titles of his vassals, first the county of Aargau, then the county of Nassau, only to give them to his sons. At the same time he increased his demands for scutage on his vassals to extreme levels, such that the net income of Mecklemburg decreased tenfold. Many German vassals started grumbling in discontent at the King's heavy-handed measures, but none yet rose in open revolt.

Finally in January 1087 the storm came. Amedeo, the mad duke of Milano, repudiated his oaths of fealty and took up arms against King Heinrich. Though Amedeo's madness was notorious, he found others to join him in rebellion. Soon the Dukes of Thuringia and Lower Lorraine also rebelled, and rival armies fought across central Germany. Friedrich watched for developments.

In June 1088, Friedrich's mother Hildegarde died of her illness. The Duke was in mourning when messengers from King Heinrich came, asking him to raise his forces to help the King. But Friedrich refused them, saying that he had problems with the pagans here in the north, and could not spare any forces to fight in the south. The King was displeased, but took no further action for now, as he could not afford to alienate another of his vassals.

Of course, Friedrich had more plans than he let on. By the end of 1088, with fighting in Germany raging on, he dug up some ancient documents proving his claim to the county of Nassau, where the King currently held his court. Though he did not press the claim immediately, it would no doubt prove useful in the future should the King's rule become too unbearable. Unfortunately, Friedrich suffered a setback when his refusal to commit troops to the King was interpreted as cowardice.

In the meantime, the Hohenstaufen family went on establishing good relations with its neighbors. Hartmann had finished his education and was recognized as having some skill as a diplomat, though not as good as he could be. At the same time Friedrich's bastard, Albrecht, rose in the army ranks and was soon given his own regiment to command, being recognized as a knowledged tactician. A bride was sought for Albrecht and found at the court of Luneburg - Kunigunde, cousin of King Bretislaw of Bohemia. Though a bastard, Albrecht enjoyed some respect in German military circles and thus the match was agreed to.

On July 3rd, 1090, the old Duke Rudolf of Swabia died, and Friedrich's son Hartmann inherited his vast possessions in Swabia and Pomerania. Hartmann soon sought a bride to continue his dynasty, and another strategic Hohenstaufen marriage was made. Hartmann's new wife was Douce de Longwy, eldest daughter of Duke Thierry of Upper Lorraine. As it happened, Thierry had no sons, and thus his duchy would pass through his daughter... to Hartmann's son Heinrich, who was born in September 1091.

HOHEN05.gif

Hartmann's inheritance

Meanwhile, the war in Germany continued unabated, as in 1090 Neuchatel, Ansbach, Lyon, and Wurttemberg joined the revolt against King Heinrich. Still Friedrich waited, building up the strength of his lands. In 1092, a library was completed in Mecklemburg, and the Duke sent for scholars from all over the Christendom to staff it and fill it with tomes and scrolls.

Also in late 1092, dysentery started spreading in Mecklemburg and Lubeck, which worried Friedrich greatly as his wife Adelaide was again expecting a child. Fortunately there were no problems and in November Adelaide gave birth to another boy, Hermann. At the same time Friedrich's older children were finishing their educations. His second son Adolf also became a diplomat, though an amateurish one. His elder daughter Maria became a temperate and very religious woman, while his younger daughter Amalberga acquired a taste for intrigue.

It was time to establish family ties with neighbors again. Adolf received the hand of Eve de Longwy, a younger daughter of Duke Thierry, thus securing the Hohenstaufen succession to Upper Lorraine. Adolf and Eve were given the Hohenstaufen home county of St.Gallen to rule. Maria was given as a wife to Eberhard, son of old count Dedi of Lausitz; Eberhard inherited his father's domain in 1093.

Some of Friedrich's "family" was more unusual, though. His wife's sister Gertrude, daughter of the late Duke Rudolf of Swabia, was unstable to begin with, but after her husband's death her schizophrenia got worse. She had catatonic periods when she would not talk to anyone; at other times, she told everyone that angels were speaking to her. For the most part she was ignored.

HOHEN07.gif

Gertrude the Mad

1093 brought other developments. More German vassals took up arms: the Duke of Krain, and even the King's own sons, the counts of Aargau and Forez. Still Friedrich and Hartmann remained loyal to the King, though their loyalty was sorely tested.

Elsewhere in Christendom, matters were no less confusing. Back in 1089, Pope Anselm had died, and the College of Cardinals had announced the election of one Teodoro Saragat. In June 1093, a huge fraud came to light, as it was discovered that Teodoro Saragat had in fact died already in 1086, and what is more, he was a heretic during his life. The guilty Cardinals were forced to retire and the bishop of Csanad was properly elected as the new Pope. But this scandal had hurt Papal prestige throughout the world, and many temporal princes now felt that they could do as they pleased without listening to the Vicar of Christ.

HOHEN06.gif

The fraudulent Pope

On the final day of 1093, Friedrich's wife Adelaide, now 35 years old, died while trying to give birth to yet another child. The Duke was left to mourn her while Germany was falling to pieces...
 
Oh no, germany again breaking apart, I hope this isn´t going to happen when I´ll have the game. However, you´ve built up quite a considerable power base (not to speak of, if you could also control your son, it would be really enormous) and you´re waiting patiently for the right moment to act, as I understand it. Thats definetly also my stile to play the paradox games. Heinrich is in deep trouble... :D . Oh and don´t forget to change the shields when your son inherits everything, if possible :cool: . Good luck in the comming wave of flames over the HRE, which will ultimatly fall I fear.

BtW.: Dedi of Lausitz, thats I think the good old family of "Wettin"
 
Last edited:
I think Germany falling might actually make my task easier, because then I won't have to grab/usurp the King's title (ca 19000 prestige cost as of this writing), I'll just have to control enough provinces to create it. At most I'll need to usurp some dukes. ;)

And yes, Dedi is (well, was) a Wettin I believe.

I also think CK should allow you some measure of control over your children. I've actually briefly loaded the game as Hartmann to get him a nice marriage. Maybe it's "cheating", but IMO it's within good taste. :)
 
Solmyr, I am enjoying your AAR very much. It is very interesting how you plan patiently and think ahead even two generations in order to arrange for proper inheritances for your son and grandson (well, I mean Friedrich's descendants, not yours :rolleyes: ).

I guess that Gertrude wasn't married for her looks :eek: or her brains :eek::eek: so you have to wonder how some poor Count or Duke somewhere fell for her. Good thing it didn't happen to your family. :)
 
jwolf said:
I guess that Gertrude wasn't married for her looks :eek: or her brains :eek::eek: so you have to wonder how some poor Count or Duke somewhere fell for her. Good thing it didn't happen to your family. :)

Yes, I definetly second that. Leaves open the question if you (ok, old Friedrich) marry again (no real question) and especially to whom? There must be a nice young thing for such an honorable man like the old Staufer... ;)
 
Solmyr said:
Part II: Heirs and Rebels
On July 3rd, 1090, the old Duke Rudolf of Swabia died, and Friedrich's son Hartmann inherited his vast possessions in Swabia and Pomerania.

How did you manage this?

I've been trying to play as the Habsburg's (count of Aargau) and as in your game, Rheinfelden has only produced a daughter so it looks like a good marriage to make.

However, the Duchy of Swabia is supposedly under Salic Inheritance (primogeniture) in my game so one of his brothers is set to inherit?

Was it set to semi-salic in your game or is this perhaps a bug - I know some have reported salic inheritance mistakenly tracing through daughters at times?
 
Bodders said:
How did you manage this?

I've been trying to play as the Habsburg's (count of Aargau) and as in your game, Rheinfelden has only produced a daughter so it looks like a good marriage to make.

However, the Duchy of Swabia is supposedly under Salic Inheritance (primogeniture) in my game so one of his brothers is set to inherit?

Was it set to semi-salic in your game or is this perhaps a bug - I know some have reported salic inheritance mistakenly tracing through daughters at times?

Ahem, well, my games tend to incorporate user-made mods for more historical correctness. Hence I edited most everyone in Germany to have Semisalic inheritance (which is historically correct). ;)

Btw, someone should make a Habsburg AAR. The Habsburgs were my neighbors for a while, until their ignominious expulsion by the King (who put his eldest son in Aargau). :D

jwolf: I had Gertrude married to one of my country cousins. Their daughter actually isn't too bad. ;)

Duke of Saxony: Already had a second marriage in my game last night, though this one wasn't for inheritance but for family connections. It only produced girls, anyway. :)