Arthur's Tale

Item: KINSLAYER

Kinslayer! How I hated that word. It seemed that everywhere I went or turned, people were whispering that word. Kinslayer! Truly, I became paranoid. My vassals’ loyalty started to plummet, for, fools that they were, they chose to believe the worst of their liege lord. How their foolishness hurt my treasury, for short of going to war with them, and truth to tell I had no suitable candidates to replace them as my vassals, I had to pay to maintain their loyalty.

It was unseemly for a Duke of Brittany to be unwed, but it seemed that all my attempts to find a new wife were doomed. Kinslayer! Count Alain had a fair and capable daughter of marriageable age, but despite my repeated approaches, he refused to countenance a match. Such disloyalty! One day, his time would come, I promised myself. But for now, I had to find a bride, and then hopefully beget an heir.

Bavaria is a distant land in the kingdom of Germany, and was ruled over by its duke, Ludwig. He had a 17 year old daughter of good breeding and even better ability, especially as steward where rumour had it she was Midas-touched. Indeed, her only negative feature seemed to be that she was hare-lipped. Nonetheless, Duke Ludwig did not rebuff my initial approach, but instead he returned a picture of the young lady, Heilwiva von Wittelsbach. This showed her in profile, chosen presumably so as to avoid her harelip, and she seemed comely enough. I decided to act sooner rather than later, before any mischievous rumours reached Germany, and the good duke accepted my offer for his daughter’s hand with alacrity. She set off on the long journey across Germany and France, arriving in Brittany in May, and we were married in June.

I had to use the Byzantine cheat as every single marriage approach, even to lowly courtiers in far-distant lands was rejected by the AI. I was worried that I still had no heir (apart from Dad Geoffrey) so an early marriage seemed essential. Did it work? You’ll have to wait and read on to find out!

Item: HEILWIVA

At first, Heilwiva found life very strange in a foreign court, surrounded by strangers, and married to a husband she barely knew. She spoke reasonable Norman French, for she was after all the daughter of a duke and had been well-educated, but with a Germanic accent, not made any easier by her harelip. David in particular found it difficult to accept her presence – he still mourned his real mother – and by July 1213 he had made himself ill with worry and anxiety. My younger daughter Alix also found the transition difficult. Chastised by Heilwiva over some matter, her response was to fill Heilwiva’s bed with toads and other creatures, knowing by now that her step-mother despised such animals. When her formal court education began later that ear, I asked her tutors to pay close attention to her newly found vengeful streak.

Despite his falling ill, in November I appointed my step-son David, now grown to maturity, to be Marshal of Brittany. His early promise had been fulfilled and he had grown into a mature and sensible young man, and if he had any suspicions over his mother’s untimely death he hid them well.

In August of that year, Heilwiva had announced that she was pregnant. We were both delighted and prayed that the child that was growing inside her would be the longed for male heir. The days could not go by fast enough for me, but I could no more hasten nature’s progress than Cnut the Dane could sway the tides, but as the lengthening days marked the slow but inexorable march of time, I became more and more excitable as the birth loomed.

It was Thursday 19 May 1214, the feast of the Ascension no less, when Heilwiva gave birth to her first child and my third daughter, Ide. Her disappointment was as nothing to mine. Two wives and neither of them capable of giving me a son! Heilwiva sank into a deep depression, and looking back now, I wonder if this was the true cause of an incident that occurred 8 days later as she was churched after childbirth.

The priest of the chapel in the castle of Nantes was the same individual who had married Heilwiva and me, Father Gilles. He was a young man of no more than 30 summers, tall, slightly stooped, with fine sandy hair that did its best to resist his tonsure. He had pale watery blue eyes set above a large aquiline nose beneath which lay a mouth of such exquisite delicacy and beauty that never failed to startle. It was, and still is, custom within Holy Mother Church for a woman to be churched after having given birth, that is to say, she is ritually cleansed and received back into the bosom of the church, from whose saving Grace she is temporarily excluded after the unclean process of childbirth. This ceremony normally takes place on consecrated ground, in church or chapel or cathedral. Such was Heilwiva’s state of mind however, that she refused to leave her chamber, and thus it was that poor Father Gilles ministered to her in private.

Here Arthur explained in intimate detail the allegations made against Father Gilles by duchess Heilwiva. I have edited the section once again to spare your lady’s blushes. Suffice to say that they covered alleged improprieties that would have shamed any man let alone a man of God. Boniface, Prior.

Needless to say I had the bastard thrown into gaol immediately and a date was set for his trial. Being a priest, he fell outside my jurisdiction, but I pressed for the severest of penalties available under Canon Law. The case was heard by the Archbishop of Rouen, and Father Gilles was found guilty of behaviour unbecoming a priest. He was defrocked and those pale watery eyes put out and he was exiled to a place of his choosing, far away from Nantes. I heard later that he had taken refuge with the monks of St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, and later still that he had taken his own life within a twelvemonth.

Looking back now, I wonder if I or the church dealt fairly with Father Gilles. Churching of a woman required the laying on of hands, and the blessing of the womb, and I cannot help but think now that maybe in her depressed state, Heilwiva reacted more hysterically than was necessary, and that the allegations and accusations she levelled against Father Gilles were false and unfounded. May God forgive me if this be true and may He purge away the blood of this innocent man that stains my soul.

This was an unusual event that I have never seen before or since “Traumatic experience with a member of the opposite sex. Heilwiva = chaste and emotionally scarred for life”

Dead William, Thank you for your continued interest in my tale, and sorry for taking so long to reply and update. Glad you are enjoying it. I wanted to write in a different style to my magnum opus In Flanders Fields. Not sure how I'll deal with Arthur's death. Judging by the apparent lack of other interest I may even lapse ths story, but then again I might continue. I haven't played the game for a while so I need to do so to find out what happens next to Arthur and Charles. RA

Item: VARIOUS EVENTS 1215-1219

I have mentioned that my daughter Alix had acquired a vengeful streak and that I had instructed her tutors to pay particular attention to this, so I was delighted to learn of her attempts to help the poor, which demonstrated a merciful trait, never before manifested in her young character.

Marshal David finished his formal education and was pronounced a tough soldier (9,4,5,4).

The thieves guild in Vannes was broken up, its ringleaders hanged and the flow of funds into my treasury increased accordingly. This was just as well, for throughout this period I had ongoing problems with the loyalty of my vassals, and I expended untold amounts of gold attempting to keep them loyal. Consequently I had to increase the census tax and road tolls to their maximum permissible levels to help defray the costs.

After the traumatic experience of Heilwiva’s churching, it was some months before intimate relations between she and I were restored. And it was not until March 1216 that she announced that once again she was with child. This good news helped to lift her out of the state of gloom that often surrounded her in those days.

In mid 1216, news came from Ireland that my erstwhile friend and confidant, latterly my somewhat unreliable vassal, Henri, Count of Tir Connail, Tir Eoghain and Laigin had died. He was succeeded by his 2 year old son, Charles, although obviously a regency council would rule in his name until he came of age (dominated no doubt by his young mother, the Welsh hussy). Nonetheless, ever the dutiful liege lord, I sent my respects to her and her infant son, along with a suitable gift of gold to ensure the new regime’s loyalty.

My misfortune in my offspring continued, but this time with a vengeance, for in early December 1216, Heilwiva was delivered of a stillborn female child that we named Clothilde in honour of her Germanic ancestors (had she lived she would have had a more suitable Gallic name of course). This news did nothing for Heilwiva’s state of mind and she became ever more stressed.

More sad news came in February 1217, for my chancellor of more than 20 years, the lady Bonne died (of natural causes). I mourned her greatly and missed her wise counsel and guidance. Such was her goodness and reputation that the Holy Father himself, Pope Innocent, canonised the good lady. But life has to go on and in her place I appointed Adele de Donges who was the best available candidate to act as chancellor. Maybe she was keen to make her mark, but it was not long before she unearthed an old claim to the county of Périgord, whose count, Archambaut de Talleyrand was a vassal of my uncle King Richard of England. For the time being I let it ride, for truth be told my prestige was not great at this time and I had no desire to tarnish it further with what others might see as a meaningless war.

There was some good news, for in between her bouts of stress, Heilwiva and I had managed to conceive another child, due to be born later that year. I gave thanks and prayed, as I always did, that this time it would be a boy.

In October 1217 came news of the death of Pope Innocent. The cardinals elected in his place bishop Folkmar of Verdun, who would reign as Pope Honorius.

Heilwiva went into labour on St Andrew’s Day 1217, and after a long drawn out struggle when the midwife at one point feared for her life, in the early hours of 1 December 1217 she was safely delivered of her child – a boy, Charles. I was so overjoyed that I wept openly and unashamedly. At last, an heir to inherit the duchy after me. I gave heartfelt thanks to God for the safe deliverance of my son, and for the good health of my wife who had at last provided me with the one thing that would make my life complete.

My lady, I recall well that at this point Arthur was quite overcome with emotion. Although my calling has prevented me from ever experiencing the blessings of parenthood, I have witnessed enough of life to be able to comprehend the natural and obvious bond that exists between parent and child. I never cease to be amazed at the strength of this bond and the affect it has upon human emotions, even on hardened characters such as Arthur. It is a curious fact that when recalling moments of great joy, the human spirit often betrays itself by tears and other emotional signals, and Arthur was no different to any other father in this respect. Boniface, prior.

Charles was a sturdy baby who favoured me in his looks and colouring (thankfully he had not inherited his mother’s harelip for who would have welcomed a defaced duke!?). He was happy and healthy and his mother and I doted on him. He grew daily in strength and vitality succoured by the milk of his wet nurse and nurtured by the love and attention her received from both his parents. I had waited for so long for a son and heir that I was determined to waste not a second of the time available to be with him.

For the first 6 months of his life I paid scant attention to the running of my duchy, leaving matters to my counsellors. However, in May 1218, news came that the fishery in Rennes had been burnt down. No-one ever quite knew what had happened; some blamed English pirates, some said it was arson, others an accident, and yet more spoke of it as an act of God. Whatever the cause, I had it rebuilt speedily for not only did it provide fish for food and trade, but the tolls and customs dues attached to the facility were an important source of revenue.

And then in late July, the long life of spymaster Cécile came to an end. She was 70 years old, but her health had held out until the end, and it was thus a real shock to learn of her sudden death. Truly I had been blessed with able counsellors who had served me faithfully throughout my minority and into adulthood and Cécile was no exception. I replaced her with Eustachie de Nantes for she had worked closely with Cécile and knew all the ways of the chancellery.

Charles’s first birthday arrived in December and I gave heartfelt thanks to God for the precious gift of a son, and a healthy one at that. I was, however, determined that any of my sins should not be visited upon this innocent, and thus the day after his birthday I spent in silent contemplation and abasement before the altar of the chapel in the castle of Nantes. Praise be to God for hearing my supplications!

This was the “your sins have not gone unnoticed event”; it cost me 180 gold and I had a 10% chance of losing the kinslayer trait. Needless to say I didn’t!

Wow! Nice to hear from so many of you, and good to see the old suspects still lurking out there. Thanks for your words of encouragement. Needless to say I shall continue the story once I have played the game a bit more.

At long last, here is another update. For some reason my interest in the game waned, and I wondered if I'd ever write of Arthur again. But thankfully, I'm back playing again; Arthur is still alive and I've decided how to deal with the continuation of his story when he eventually dies. The game is in a bit of a lull at the time of the events about to be described so I hope you find something to interest you and hopefully to stop by again later for some more updates (I promise these won't take me so long!)

Item: CONAN THE BARBARIAN
The year of Grace 1219 was marked by two conflagrations of very different kinds. Firstly, in the spring of that year, possibly caused by the unseasonably hot weather we enjoyed that year, fire consumed the fishery and the sawmill in Cornouaille. No soon had the embers been put out than I set about their rebuilding, larger and more modern than their burnt out predecessors.

And then, later on in the year, early October to be precise, word reached me in Nantes that Count Conan of Leon, he whose loyalty had always been suspect, had rebelled against my overlordship in an open act of defiance and had declared war upon me! I confess that this caught me by surprise and it was some weeks before I could mobilise my forces and bring them to bear upon the rebel vassal in his northern lands. This delay was to cost me dear. Although I won an overwhelming victory on 29 December, this was to no avail as my liege lord King Phillippe had declared war on Leon in my support, such that when the county fell, it was into his realm that the county of Leon was incorporated as demesne lands. Phillippe was the greatest king in Christendom, and his greatness was due in no small way to opportunism such as this. His actions frustrated me no end, but I simply was not strong enough to press my claim to the county by force, and thus, for the time being, I had to accept this unwelcome and unfair fait accompli.

Item: A BIRTH, A DEATH, AWEDDING AND AN ILLNESS OR TWO
I spent the first few months of 1220 brooding over the unfairness of life and the overweening power of kings. I remember thinking at the time, that I suppose counts feel the same way about dukes, and I made a mental note to steal a siege or two from some unsuspecting count, always assuming I could keep the king at bay.

My reverie was interrupted in late March when Heilwiva announced that once again she was pregnant. Her pregnancy was not a happy one and towards its end Heilwiva’s stress turned into deep depression. Relations between the two of us became ever more strained. With all these ominous signs it was no surprise to me when in early Advent she gave birth to yet another daughter, whom we named Bonne.

Earlier in the year I had decided upon a court education for daughter Ide, and with learning on my mind, I favoured the inhabitants of Cornouaille with a library.

In February 1221 news reached us from Rome that the Holy Father, Honorius, had passed away followed shortly thereafter with the news that Boleslaw, Bishop of Leibniz, had been elected by the cardinals and would reign as Pope Gregory.

Throughout this time, my treasury was placed under a great strain by a string of gifts (bribes) that I sent to my vassals to try and ensure their loyalty. The stigma of a so-called Kinslayer still attached to me, and I was worried that I might face another rebellion that had cost me Leon (I had absolute confidence in my ability to deal with rebellious traitors, but King Phillippe, as I knew to my cost, would be quick to pounce at the first opportunity of disquiet anywhere within his realm).

In July of that year I received a deputation from the Knights Templar, the great order of fighting monks who guarded the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem against the menace of the infidel. They had become a mighty Order, famed throughout Christendom for their piety, their zeal and their learning, and now they approached me with a request to found a preceptory within my lands. I was flattered with their attention and so not only did I consent, but I even found myself paying for the foundation, sited not far form the ducal castle in Nantes.

I had not been in good health throughout the spring and early summer. I coughed constantly, often ran a high fever, and my chest pained me, especially at night when I lay down. In August, the doctors said that I had developed pneumonia, which accounted for my symptoms. They insisted that I refrain from all strenuous activity, and said that my days leading my host were over, at least until I recovered. Then they bled me and applied leeches all over my body; supposedly this is a guaranteed cure.

In April 1222. my eldest daughter Yolande turned 16 years. Being the daughter of the Duke of Brittany she was quite a catch, and I confess that looking back I have reservations about giving her hand in marriage to the relatively lowly Archembaut, 3rd son of Louis, Count of Blois. However, Blois was a not too distant land whose friendship could prove useful in the years ahead. I declined to levy any marriage duty for which my subjects gave hearty thanks and raised me a notch or two in their esteem.

Work on the Templar preceptory was completed in September, and the brethren were able to turn their thoughts to matters spiritual at last, having overseen the building work themselves. The foundation consisted of a small stone built church, narrow without side aisles, two transepts and a short chancel with an apsidal end, thus in an overall cruciform shape. To the south side lay the brothers’ domestic buildings. A communal refectory below the monks’ dorter or dormitory from which an external stair led down to a covered passageway that gave access to the church through a door in the south transept. Store rooms and a small infirmary were the only other significant stone buildings. An armoury, a small brewhouse and a latrine block were all built of wood. There was also a small garden wherein the infirmarian grew herbs and other healing plants as well as fresh fruit and vegetables (I speak of course with the perspective of age – at its founding the fruit trees and root crops were all immature of course). I was invited to the dedication of the preceptory which is how I can recollect its dispositions so clearly even now.

At this point I asked Arthur if his interest in the preceptory was entirely altruistic (and in no way militaristic). He seemed taken aback and gave me no answer but a hard stare and a shrug of the shoulders. Boniface, prior.

stnylan said:

Arthur must be about 40 now, isn't he?

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Stnylan, Great to hear from you again and thanks for the continuing interest. Arthur is 36 in 1222 (b. 1186 in the game). The pneumonia was a real killer. It wiped out his martial stats and he now can't lead his troops in person, so stealing sieges may in fact prove difficult for a while. Things do improve after a while, but that would be telling.....I must try and remember to take some screenies and post one or two.

Kristian Thy said:

Oi! Good to see you back. Well-written post, if a bit short for your demanding audience

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Kristian, Some people are never satisfied!! I just wanted to get something posted to show the world I'm back and that the story will continue. I promise that the next update will be longer.

As promised, a slightly longer update this time.

Item: TAKING STOCK

By now I was 36 years of age and I had ruled my duchy in person for over 20 years. Something – maybe it was spymaster Eustachie’s sudden illness on top of my own condition – prompted me to consider my realm anew and to see how equipped it was for the rigours of modern life in the early 13th century.

I spent many months having all aspects of lordship and infrastructure investigated thoroughly throughout my demesne lands. I looked into who held each manor and lordship and by what right they did so; how much their holding was worth; what level of infrastructure existed throughout the realm – nothing short of a full inventory of my demesne lands that I later reviewed with my council.

The review showed that the basic unit of landholding was the manor. This was a generic expression for a landholding that varied greatly in size and stature. Some were grand establishments, some even had stone buildings, if not quite castles, then very close. Of course, to build such structures required a ducal license, and I had Heilwiva, as steward, go through all the records to confirm that licenses had been sought and paid for, and where there was an oversight to fine the lordling for his omission. The majority of manors were relatively small affairs of a few acres in size, dotted across the rolling Breton countryside. The one thing they all had in common was fealty to me directly as their feudal overlord, for I still ruled personally in Nantes, Rennes, Vannes and Cornouaille.

Nantes was still the richest and most developed of my lands. Its fertile land supported a growing population, aided by the appearance of a new farming technique – stripe ploughing – in December 1222. This was a far more efficient means of tilling the land and allowed for greater yields and hence more cash. I was eager to encourage its use across all my lands, but these things take time, and it was several years before all my land was able to benefit from this agrarian development.

By contrast, Cornouaille was still the most backward of my lands, partly due to its topography and to its geographical situation. I oft-times thought it was the end of the earth, so tortuous were the roads and so poor the facilities there. Well, I decided to do something about this. A proper road network was begun, one that would afford travellers an easier passage, encourage trade and facilitate the easier and speedier movement of troops when necessary. Once that was done, I gave orders for a glass-blowing facility in Cornouaille. Although most dwellings still had open windows and relied upon animal skins or blankets to keep out the wind and rain, amongst the richer folk, glass was increasingly used in preference to horn) to fill in window spaces. This had the obvious advantage of admitting light too, although many older windows were so small they admitted precious little light even with glass!

Vannes was somewhat more prosperous and developed than its coastal neighbour, but unlike its richer sister-lands of Nantes and Rennes it had no Royal Post, meaning that the delivery of messages and hence my administration was hampered unnecessarily. Although it hurt the treasury to build such a facility, I considered it money well spent as it eased the administration of the land and made for slightly increased yields from tolls and custom dues throughout Vannes.

This was the state of my demesne and I reflected that it was well capable of supporting growth and the addition of new lands and my thoughts turned towards how best to achieve this expansion.

Item: DAUGHTERS

I was concerned about my daughter Ide at this time, for she had developed a cruel streak in her nature, was vengeful in her dealings with others and worst of all had killed her pet cat by pushing it down the castle well (I had half a mind to send her down to retrieve the carcass, for we could not leave it there to poison the water). In short she was developing into a right little madam.

By contrast, her older half-sister, Alix, was everything that a young lady should be. Refined, demure, pretty, well-mannered, and had become a crafty merchant to boot – a perfect catch for the right sort of nobleman. Her qualities must have become known across northern France, for several suits of marriage were pressed upon me once she had turned 16. One candidate stood out above all others though. Charles, Count of Macon, was the eldest son and heir to no less a person than the Duke of Bourbon. Negotiations were swift and successful and in July 1223 Alix was married to Charles in Rennes Cathedral.

Item: THE IRISH

It was in 1223 also I believe that news came of the death of Judith O’Conghalaigh, Countess of Tir Connail. Although she died childless, some distant cousin, Mathieu of the same clan, had emerged as Count. As long as he was loyal and steadfast, I had no issue with this, but I sent 100 pieces of hard earned gold to help his thought processes along.

I sent a similar gift to the court of the infant count of Laigin, Charles (son of my old tutor Henri you will recall) for this too was a far away land and without the strong hand of an adult at the helm, who knows what sort of subterfuge was afoot, led no doubt by the boy’s mother, the Welsh harlot, Constance of Glamorgan.


My lady, I know not why Arthur was so against the lady Constance. From what I know she was a good and god-fearing Christian, whose only “fault” was to have been forced to marry a man so many years her senior. I fear that Arthur resented his old tutor finding some solace and happiness with the opposite sex in his maturity, for he was certainly not the only older man to be married to a younger bride (as will be seen…) Boniface, prior.

Item: DAVID BUCHAN

The county of Lusignan lay to the south of my lands, across the wide River Loire. Once famed for its Christian zeal, it had somehow of late become detached from its traditional spiritual and temporal lords, for it was now part of the infidel Kingdom of the Abassids. It seemed the ideal target for a military adventure. Grab some land, kill some infidels, curry favour with the Pope. Perfect!

I consulted with my council, and set spymaster Eustachie, and marshal David, the task of investigating the lie of the land and its defences more closely. They reported back that it was but lightly defended, and that being such an outpost of the Abbassid kingdom, it would be ages before any aid could be sent by King Ridwan. It being somewhat late in the year, I set about planning for the attack, which would be led by marshal David in the spring of 1224. Or at least that is what I had intended.

My stepson David and I had, over the years, become very close. He was not all that much younger than me, and despite his illness, he had proved to be an effective marshal and led the training of my soldiers well for several years. I had come to rely upon his sound advice, his hard work, and above all his friendship. They say that in the midst of life we are in death, and how true that sentiment was on 28 November 1223, for on that bleak day, my son David died, all of a sudden. No-one knew for certain what caused his death; he had been anxious and stressed for several years, but I for one had never thought of this as a life threatening condition. How wrong I was. I had seen him the night before, and he had seemed fine and in good spirits; the next day, his valet could not rouse him, and upon entering his chamber found the boy lying on his back, as if asleep. Thinking he had perhaps drunk deeply the night before, the manservant shook him vigorously, but finding him cold to the touch and unresponsive, knew immediately that the life force had passed from him.

I wept bitterly on hearing the news, and shut myself away from all consolation for the rest of the day. However, I gave orders eventually for him to be buried in the chapel of the castle at Nantes, an honour normally reserved for one of ducal blood, yet one that I was only too happy to bestow upon this young man who had shown such loyal service and fine promise, cruelly removed from my life at an early age and just when he was about to be of even greater service to me.

Your lady, it was obvious to me how much Arthur loved David, for he found it very difficult to speak of this episode without the tears welling up in his aging eyes. It was clear to me that a special bond had existed between Arthur and his stepson, a bond broken too early and so cruelly by that grim reaper who measures all our days. My only consolation, and one that I tried to impress upon Arthur, was that the boy had his blessed reward and that we should rejoice and be happy for him in having been called early to his eternal rest, where even now he rejoices with the angels in ceaseless praise of our heavenly Father and his Blessed Son. Boniface, prior.

I could not let my loss detract from my plans (indeed I felt I owed it to David to fulfil what his military planning had started) and I moved quickly to replace him as marshal with Louis de Donges (despite his paltry military ability compared to David) [4]. I allowed him some time to settle into his new role, and then in April 1224, a herald from my diplomatic corps was sent south to Lusignan with a declaration of war on the infidel Ridwan , King of the Abassids. My army followed quickly (of course they were already at the borders of Lusignan when war was declared) and on 6 August, marshal Louis led my forces to an overwhelming victory against the far less numerous infidel defenders. Two months later, Lusignan surrendered and in gratitude I installed marshal Louis as Count of Lusignan and my humble vassal [a fait accompli by the AI of course].

Item: A NEW SPYMASTER

Towards the end of 1224 it became obvious that spymaster Eustachie’s illness was preventing her form fulfilling her responsibilities as diligently as she ought, and therefore I had her replaced with a distant relative of my former marshal, Louis, now Count of Lusignan. Euphrosine de Donges had served her time working for Eustachie and I hoped that her promotion would minimise any disruption within my spy network.

Her first test was not long in coming for barely a week after her appointment, news came from Ireland that the infant Charles, Count of Laigin had thrown off my overlordship and declared war on me! Of course, I knew that the real mover behind the scenes was the boy’s mother, Constance of Glamorgan (may she rot in hell). I considered censoring this irreligious sentiment, but decided to leave it in to show the vehemence of Arthur’s feelings towards the unfortunate lady. Boniface, prior.

This news caught me unprepared, but as there was no immediate threat to my homelands, I took my time in preparing an appropriate armed response and it was not until March 1225 that soldiers from Nantes and Rennes landed in Laigin where they crushed the rebels on 21 March and laid siege to Charles’s stronghold which duly fell two months later. I still had to deal with the resistance in Charles’s other county, Tir Connail, so my men marched north and defeated the rebels for a second time, before recapturing Tir Connail in October. Immediately, to spare my people any further harm, I sought peace with Constance on behalf of her son. In return for sparing the boy’s life, she agreed to cede all claims to the counties of Laigin and Tir Connail, and to pay 58 pieces of gold in reparation. I decided to impose what I called “home rule” on the counties, keeping the titles Count of Laigin and Tir Connail for myself for the time being. And what of the she-wolf herself? She I exiled back to her homeland in Glamorgan where she could cause me no further mischief (or so I hoped).

coz1 said:

Boy, Arthur really doesn't like Constance. But nice work taking back Lusignan. I wonder, did you mean to install the marshall there, or was that a mistake?

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Coz1, It was a mistake, but as Arthur's martial stats have been wiped out due to his pneumonia, he does not take any part in battles. Also as his stewardship stats have been hit, his demesne is already way too large so in fact a reasonable vassal is no big deal. In fact Arthur is a bit of a crappy ruler if I'm honest. Illness and then pneumonia have wrecked his stats. Thus some of what I wrote in anticipation earlier is now a bit harder to fulfil (like a glorious martial future!). But there's still plenty of material to come and I am enjoying writing in this different style to IFF, although it is slightly harder to be as fully descriptive as I'd like (you know I like to write flowery descriptive prose when I can!!) Thanks for keeping up with Arthur.