The Great Game : MP AAR

I think Flanders may still have one or two loyal vassals in North Africa, but he's concentrating on the Low Countries and northern Germany. He was only crusading for the title, so he could be a Kingdom. Hungary reached the Caspian in the obvious way, by pagan-bashing. Germany is not exactly getting constantly attacked, it is more doing constant attacking (mainly of me, for some reason) and then getting bashed by a coalition. It usually goes like this : Germany DOWs me, my allies answer, and either Naples, Bavaria or Poland (and in one case Byz) sees its chance for some extra lands while Germany is busy. They're still powerful, but a more reasonable size now.

Poland hasn't been in any really big wars recently, Sterk keeps backing down in the face of a sufficient threat. Personally I think he's biding his time until he can really smash us all.

One of the more amusing things about MP CK is how a few dynasties end up dominating such vast parts of the world. The Piasts, as noted, are in control of Poland (which also has the thrones of Lithuania and Georgia, of all places), Rus, and Jerusalem. Dom keeps accusing the van Nordlings of Bavaria of being the 'Spider Dynasty', for the way their daughters are all over the place; with the way the de Normandies are breeding in Ireland, I don't think he has any real standing to complain. And the Ynglings are rather promiscuous, too. You may recall that some generations ago I managed to install an Yngling in the Duchy of Galloway; I had given the boy Öland first, so that he remained in Norway. Alas, his son re-pledged to Scotland in the Great Rising, and was summarily chucked out of the British Isles when Dom ate the country. (There was some complex three-cornered war going on there, so I'm not sure of the details.) Meanwhile he had somehow acquired the county of Hainaut, so he moved there and pledged loyalty to Germany. His troops were all over me in the recent war, until I smashed him for a traitor. (Actually, I think we're on a grandson or great-grandson of the guy whom I installed in Galloway, so he's maybe not being very traitorous. But he's still an Yngling, curse it!) Flanders managed to grab Hainaut when they got out of that war, so the poor Galloway-Ynglings are now in control of Öland, vassals of the HRE, and their primary title is still Duke of Galloway! Now that's what I call an epic adventure. If I can manage to get them to submit, and then invade Scotland, I think I'll give them back their Galwegian lands just to reward such sheer stubbornness.

Dynasties, yes. I believe I spotted a Hohenzollern in my court the other year; chucked out of Prussia by the evil Piasts, no doubt. Didn't give him a job, though, he wasn't very competent. He probably died leading one of my regiments, or something.

I'll see if I can post some screenies of the unimportant parts of the world later today. The Muslims have lost rather badly, the only power of any consequence is the Seljuks, and they're having a major rebellion. There's a hodge-podge of independent sheiks and emirs in Algeria, Tripoli, and what used to be Fatimid Egypt; they're basically waiting for one of the Med powers to get around to killing them.

My promised geopolitical update.

The Middle East. Jerusalem is a vast sprawl, the Seljuks are dealing with a huge uprising, Egypt is gone - that yellow is Castille. Byzantium is holding the line in Anatolia, but shows no sign of expanding again - the border has not moved except to retreat within living memory.



Central Europe - seat of the action! Byzantium has absorbed Croatia and is pushing back towards Italy, which is fighting right back by absorbing a vastly enlarged Bavaria. Meanwhile Norway and Poland spar on the Oder, and a weakened but still mighty Germany tries to regain its lost lands. Note Venice held by Poland; a source of friction with Italy, but not much income, what with the awful corruption and constant revolts.



The Western Med. Iberia has almost recovered from its disastrous flirtation with Gavelkind. Flanders still holds two counties; The rest of Africa is a hidge-podge of Napolitan and Iberian holdings, with the occasional independent sheik or emir thrown in for variety.




Eastern Europe and the steppes, dominated by a powerful Kingdom of Rus. Hungary stretches to the Caspian, but is having trouble with rebels; an equally bloated Poland has just come out on the losing end of a dynastic struggle, and may find itself with troubles of its own, what with a new king and a bad reputation. The red province on the Black Sea is indeed Norwegian, my Dukes seem to have a talent for inheriting provinces at random. This one belongs to the Duchy of Bergslagen, and is in constant revolt against its distant overlords. Note also the scattered German possessions, legacies of more successful wars than the recent ones.




Western Europe. The British Isles are united, a powerful and wealthy kingdom - but no Royal Navy holds the Channel secure against invasion. Grown huge, the Duchy of Flanders (our own homegrown Big White Blob) seeks lands both in Germany and France, the latter bringing it into conflict - thus far only diplomatic - with an England that has ambitions of its own in that direction. And, indeed, Norway would prefer that no Flandern-loyal Counts pop up east of the Weser. Of course, Norway also has ambitions to recover its island possessions; the time may come when the Scandinavian kingdom has to choose between its allies.

Well, if it comes to preferences, I would prefer the Rhine, but the Weser seems a reasonable compromise. But the point may be moot anyway, if we get a German player. We've done well against the AI, but a human could probably still kick our butts; the Big Green Blob can still call up 150k soldiers, after all.

Patience, patience... At least let me get my dinner first! Unfortunately not much of interest happened, just a couple of minor German wars.

Well, I wouldn't want to steal the thunder from your AAR, which of course you are going to be writing any minute now, since you clearly have a lot of time on your hands, right?

YNGLINGA SAGA​

41. REVOLT OF TRØNDELAG (1205)

Kolbein of Kalmar hight a man, who held Trøndelag from Eirik Yngling. Now this Kolbein was a very proud and haughty man, and once when he was invited to a feast at Eirik Jarl's court, he took offense because he was only given the second-best seat - the best going to Olaf Jämtlands-jarl, who also was at the feast. So when he came home, Kolbein raised the banner of rebellion, and said he would pay no more scot to the Ynglings. And in this all the bønder of Trøndelag supported him; and so when Eirik came to subdue his rebellious vassal, he found a large host awaiting him, and his army was badly beaten.

But when King Olaf received word of this, he said, "Shall we let this Kolbein, who is not even of our blood, do as he wishes in Norway? There are Ynglings enough without land; for this upstart of Kalmar even to rule Trøndelag is an affront to them; and now he does not even pay scot?" And he called up the men of Skåne and Viken, and marched upon Trøndelag and beat the bønder swiftly into submission. Then he put Svein, son of Eilif, son of Håkon, son of that Erlend who was King of Norway, to rule over that land; and because the jarls of Norrland had let a rebel beat their armies, he made Svein jarl of Västergotland so that he should not hold the land of the Norrland-jarls, but directly of the King. In this wise did King Olaf punish rebellion and incompetence both.

42. THE GALLOWAY-YNGLINGS

Now in the days of King Torgeir, Arnmod son of Eilif the king's brother had become chief in Galloway, as has been told. When the Great Rising came, Arnmod had pledged his loyalty to Dunkeld King of Scots, for he did not wish to be tainted with the sin of Simon's murder, and thought to remove the memory of the deed by serving another king.

In this, however, he was not succesful, and soon the Scot-King fell upon him in order to put a Scot on the throne of Galloway. Arnmod was forced to flee to his holdings in Öland; but soon after this, Philip of England sent a vast host north into Scotland and took its throne for himself. Therefore Dunkeld was unable to place his own man over the Galwegians, and Arnmod retained his title at least in name; for this reason, his line was henceforth known as the Galloway-Ynglings.

Now Arnmod's sister Ragna had inherited Hainaut; and when she died without issue, Arnmod thought it best to move his court there, and to pledge his allegiance to the German Emperor; for he feared the might of King Gunnar, whose eyes had indeed sometimes fallen upon Öland. But soon Aubrey of Flanders quarreled with the Emperor, and struck against his vassals in the great war that has been told of. In this war the Galloway-Ynglings took the field against their kinsmen, and for this reason they are sometimes called the Traitor-Ynglings. But King Olaf frowned upon this use, and exiled from his court any who spoke thus; for he held that as the Galwegians were vassals of the German Emperor, it was their duty to fight in his wars; and in any case there were few Yngling lines who had not taken arms against their king in the Great Rising. Besides, King Gunnar had met the Hainaut host in battle and destroyed it, and soon after Arnmod was again forced to flee to Öland, and Aubrey of Flanders took his lands.

Here a Galloway...



There a Galloway...



Arnmod had three sons, and they were called Inge, Ottar, and Skule. When Arnmod died in sick-bed, Inge inherited his lands, and ruled peacefully for some years; but soon he, too, fell ill, and Öland fell to his son Kolbein. Now Kolbein was a strong and handsome man, light of hair and well muscled; his eyes were sharper than any man's. In his time the Kaiser-geld, the scot to pay for the German Emperor's wars, fell heavily upon the Dukes, and Kolbein felt this bitterly; for Öland is not a rich country. Therefore he became discontented with the rule of the von Thuringens, and he raised his standard against them when the word came for a war against Flanders.

Now the Germans had lost much land, and many men, in their wars against Flanders, Norway, and Bavaria; but still they were a mighty power upon the land. So when King Olaf sent emissaries to Kolbein, suggesting that he should come once more under Yngling protection, Kolbein consented, asking only that Olaf should not give the land of Galloway to any other, if it came under his power; and this Olaf gladly accepted. In this way the Galloway-Ynglings ended their wanderings away from Norway.

43. GERMAN WARS (1204-07)

Hermann von Thuringen hight a man; he was Emperor of Germany after the death of his father Johann. Hermann was a pious man, much given to burning heretics and deeding lands to the Church; but to his foes he was terrible, remembering slights even decades after they were given. In battle he was very forward, leading his men to the charge; and also he was somewhat prone to attacking kings even though they might have more men than he. Now it happened one year that Hermann fell upon Flanders with many men, and burned widely there; and Louis who was king of that land sent to King Olaf, asking him to remember the help Louis's forefathers had given to Olaf. Therefore Olaf called out the hird and the leidang both, and marched south to the Elbe; there he laid siege to Plauen and forced the city to give him allegiance. But the King of France and the King of England both took advantage of Flanders's troubles to fall upon him, and the Duchy of Normandie fell thereby under English dominion again; and Olaf could do nothing about this, for he was busy in the Elbe-land. And indeed there were some who said that he had little grief over the matter, for he had not been joyful when the Flanders kings forced the counts in Germany as far as the Weser to do them homage. But he forced Hermann to pay him a large tribute, and with this aid Louis had to be content.

Everywhere a Gal-Gal-Galloway! But of rather greater weight is the Polish acquisition of Russia. I am hoping for the Mongols to be really, horribly nasty. Let's say, just strong enough to overrun Poland, just weak enough to be stopped on the Oder.