PART V: Hartmann the Unready
Duke Hartmann, the most powerful man in Germany
With the consolidation of Swabia and Mecklemburg, new courtiers were appointed to important positions on the Ducal Council. The first appointment was Ludwig von Württemberg, a man of 36 and a distant relative to the former counts of Württemberg who were ousted from their lands by the King. Ludwig was a skilled plotter and diplomat; his trusting nature put people at ease, while his ability to lie when necessary made him successful in politics. He was made the realm's Chancellor.
The second appointment was Wilhelm von Rätzeburg, a man from Saxony and a longtime companion of the Old Wolf. Though he was of quite advanced years, his shadowy schemes and suspicious nature made him an ideal Spymaster.
The third appointment was Gozelo von Pommern, a middle aged baron who was widely respected as a wise and knowledgeable tactician. He was made Marshal.
The fourth appointment was a young man named Rudolf von Güstrow, scion of a relatively new noble family from Mecklemburg. His generosity and just nature combined with his ability to seemingly turn anything he touched into gold made him an ideal steward.
For the chaplain's position, Duke Hartmann appointed an elderly martial priest named Arelis of Wolgast. Not only was Arelis somewhat irreverent of existing religious authority, he was also infamous for his lust. What's more, he was a converted pagan from Prussia. All this caused the Church to condemn his appointment, but Hartmann persisted. It looked like the new Duke would have no more respect for the Church than his father, particularly when in December of 1112, he removed the Bishop of Chur and took his lands back for the Duchy.
To be honest, Hartmann saw no reason to listen to the words from Rome. The current Pope, Robert de Hauteville, was a cousin of the Duke of Apulia, and after the Duke's death claimed Apulia for himself as a Papal fief. The European nobility condemned this blatant act of abuse; it certainly did nothing to engender any respect for the Pope.
With the Hohenstaufen family thinning out, Hartmann finally decided to take a new wife. His choice was Cecile von Nordheim, daughter of Duke Robert of Bavaria. The Bavarian court, having recently broken with Germany, became dominated by French culture and traditions, and Cecile was no different. The Duke agreed, and the wedding was held on January 3, 1113. Cecile was a friendly, forgiving woman, and soon turned out to be a wise one as well. Soon, she was expecting a child.
Hartmann's second wife
Having spent the required time with his wife, Hartmann decided to expand his holdings in the north. Gathering the northern levies, he marched to Danzig, his intent to attack the pagan Prussians east of the Vistula. But his plans were cut short when in June 1113, his vassal Count of Fürstenberg raised the banner of rebellion. King Heinrich immediately sent an army of his own in a blatant attempt to grab more lands. Unwilling to abandon his northern campaign, Hartmann sent word for the Swabian armies to conduct the war against Fürstenberg.
In the north, Hartmann marched on the Prussians, but had misjudged their strength. Meeting a force double his own, the Duke suffered an ignominious defeat in early August, losing almost his entire force. It was fortunate for him that a power struggle was going on between the heathen chiefs, and he was able to make a white peace with the high chief, who was having troubles of his own. From that time, the Duke became known as Hartmann the Unready.
In Swabia, the war went considerably better. In October, Fürstenberg fell to the armies of Swabia and King Heinrich. Though the King wanted the county for himself, nobody recognized his claims on it, and thus Hartmann was able to absorb it into his Duchy. The rebel count was sent to exile in Chur. To forestall unrest from other vassals, Hartmann granted the counties of Wolgast and Chur to his two bastard nephews, both named Eberhard.
Hohenstaufen family life was picking up again as on December 28th, Cecile gave birth to a daughter who was named Gerberga. Of course, not everyone was as rational. Wilhelm, bastard son of the late Duke Rudolf Rheinfelden of Swabia, was also living at the Swabian court, and had become quite notorious for his mad schemes and babblings.
Wilhelm the Insane
The year 1114 passed mostly quietly as new roads and tile factories were built. In November, Hartmann attempted to extend his protection to the counts of Besancon, Aargau, Neuchatel, and Plauen, but was refused by them all, as his prestige was not that great after his recent war. It did not help that he employed recently converted Prussians as his advisors. In May 1115, his spymaster Wilhelm von Rätzeburg died, and his replacement was one Ekkelis of Wolgast, a notorious schemer and webweaver.
Also, in February 1115, Hartmann's bastard son Konrad, known as a friendly man, went insane from unknown reasons. However, many said that insanity ran in the descendants of Rudolf Rheinfelden, and there was fear that Hartmann himself and his descendants would go mad as well. Whatever would happen, it would seem that the Hohenstaufen's own curse would not relent. In March 1116, Cecile died as she was trying to give birth to a child. Hartmann's plans to sire a son who would have a claim on Bavaria were thus brought to naught.
The Duke did not relent. Now looking to Italy, he asked for the hand of Paola, daughter of Duke Amedeo of Milano, and was given it soon. Paola was soon pregnant, and in January 1117 she gave birth to a son, Hartmann's second legitimate one, who was named Adolf.
Paola, Hartmann's third wife
Meanwhile, in March 1117, King Heinrich the Greedy finally died, and his eldest son Otto of Aargau, already known as Otto the Lazy, became the new King at Württemberg. Hartmann, the King's neighbor in Ulm, spoke his vows of fealty, though there was no love lost between the two. Otto himself, already of advanced years, had no surviving children (thanks to Hartmann's father, the Old Wolf), and his only heir was his grandson Konrad - also the grandson of Hartmann. The standoff situation in Germany continued.
King Otto the Lazy
In July 1117, marshal Gozelo von Pommern died of old age. Trying to appoint the most qualified candidate, Hartmann chose his chaplain, Arelis of Wolgast, as the new marshal. Arelis took up his new duties gladly, and for now the chaplain's post remained open. At this time, Hartmann seemed to have found some piety in himself. He sponsored the acquisition of religious scrolls for the libraries and made donations to the churches. Still, his piety went only so far, and he never took any major steps to perform atonements that the clergy called for.
In August 1117, Hartmann's bastard, Konrad the Mad, finally finished his education, displaying a penchant for mercantile pursuits. Though his mind was gone, Konrad was a peaceful, kindly person, and his madness took docile forms. Hartmann decided that he would eventually give him a county to rule, regardless of protests from the clergy and the nobles.
In December, Hartmann's younger brother, Count Hermann of Rostock, died from illness and depression, leaving only bastard sons. Rostock reverted to Hartmann, and was soon given to Konrad as its new count. The strong Hohenstaufen presence in the north helped spread the German culture and the Catholic faith among the Pomeranians and the Wends.
Konrad, Hartmann's crazy bastard son
In March 1118, Hartmann accepted the services of a new chancellor, Albrecht of Ulm, who was a friendly, honest, and charismatic man. The former chancellor, Ludwig von Württemberg, was given a manor in the Schwaben Alb for his retirement.
On June 26th, Hartmann and Paola were again blessed with a son, named Baldewin. On the next day, the Pope died. The new Pope's ascension once again became shrouded in scandal. The elect was one Hallgarir, a Swede who was bishop of Avranches. It was suspected that he was an adherent of Catharism, and was even excommunicated for it, but the corrupt Cardinals in Rome seemed to be concerned only with their own aggrandizement. Even though the farce lasted less than a year, Papal prestige was irreversibly damaged. In January 1119, bishop Burchard of Piombino was elected the new Pope, but he could no longer restore the church's unity.
The Cathar Pope
Feelings became tense in Germany once more when in August 1118 King Otto raised the scutage on his vassals to extreme levels, demanding every last mark they had. Loyalty plummeted across the realm, though nobody rebelled yet. Hartmann was distracted in September, when Duke Amedeo of Milano died. Though he was succeeded by his son, Hartmann was able to make a legitimate claim on Milano on behalf of his sons Adolf and Baldewin, who were Amedeo's grandchildren. The claim would surely prove useful in the future.
In October, the new castle in Ulm was completed. It was called Löwenburg, as befit the foremost fortification in Swabia. The next year passed in relative peace, and on September 1, 1119, Paola gave birth to her third son, who was also named Adolf because Paola liked that name. Hartmann, happy with his wife, did not object. Indeed, he was soon making new plans for the advancement of his house...
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