The Kingdom of Aarquitania- Alternate History with DVIP

[Count Lake]

Good day and welcome to my second ever attempted aar. My first was trashed after a single update by corrupt files, but those are problems of the past and I am ready to present you with what I think will be an interesting and unique experience.

First off, the start date will be 1107, as I have already played the game for 40 years. I started as the Duchy of Toulouse, ruling the southeastern corner of the French Kingdom. My first update, hopefully later tonight if Photobucket cooperates, will be a lightning quick round leading up to my forming the Kingdom of Aquitania of July 26th of 1107. This kingdom is one of the many included in Jordarkelf's excellent DVIP More Kingdoms addon. It covers most of what was southern France with one overseas province, the fruit of a successful Crusade.

My goals in the short term include consolidating my rule, securing an ally and figuring out a potentially deadly succession crisis. All will be revealed soon, so stay tuned!

Table of Contents



A History of the Formation of the Kingdom of Aquitania

The World of 1107 and Aquitania's place in it- France and Spain, England and Ireland, Germany and Italy, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, The Near East and Byzantium, Inhabitants of the Realm 1107

Threats and Opportunities part 1, 2, 3

A Son and A Crusade

The Crusade Takes Shape, The Spanish Crusade part 1, 2, 3

The Consequences of Success

The Bitter Fruit

Somber Return, Interlude 1- King Zavie and the Letter

Treason Most Foul part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The Genoan Intervention part 1, 2, 3

Domestic Indiscretions part 1, 2

A Catalan Campaign

Defense of the Spanish March part 1, 2

World Update 1117- Spain and North Africa, England and Ireland, France and Aquitania, Germany and North Italy, Italy, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Byzantium and the Near East

World Update 1117- Aquitanian Economic Overview, part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Interlude 2- Deceptions and Consequences part 1, 2, 3, 4, Interlude 3- Deceptions and Consequences part 5

A Short Victorious War

Time's March

The Twilight of Kings

Interlude 4- The Passing of an Era part 1, 2, 3, 4

Opening Moves part 1, 2, 3

Flexing Stiff Muscles part 1, 2

Shock, Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Interlude 5- Depression, Testing, Acceptance

A Breton Holiday part 1

And then it ends, sadly.

[Count Lake]

I forgot to mention that I was inspired in my approach by performer and his excellent " A Storm Over Tintangle" aar. Credit where credit is due. good luck to both of us!

[Count Lake]

The formation of the Grand Kingdom of Aquitania is a classic study in medieval politics, war, intrigue, and betrayal. While we will, of course, delve into the many nuances of this engaging period throughout the length of this book, its main purpose is to educate the reader on the history of the Kingdom after its inception. Therefore, a quick and efficient summary is in order to bring those unfamiliar with the subject up to speed.

Most historians trace the root of Aquitania's founding to the momentous marriage of Agnes d'Aquitaine, the only daughter at the time of Guillaume d'Aquitaine, Duke of Aquitaine, and Guillaume de Toulouse, Duke of Toulouse in 1068. Both realms were considerable regional powers and each saw advantage in the match, with d'Aquitaine gaining a solid ally to his east and de Toulouse enjoying the chance to have his progeny hold title over the entirety of southern France. The Duke of Aquitaine had never sired a son and therefore his extensive holdings were understood to be the property of his only heir, Agnes herself.

The matrimony was purely political and stayed that way, as there is abundant evidence in manuscripts and letters from the court that the two newlyweds were constantly at odds. Both traveled in separate carriages when visiting vassals and generally stayed away from each other as much as propriety allowed. Their union represented the hope for a consolidated southern France, however, and the thought of divorce never seemed to be a viable option.

The marriage proved fruitful after only a year, with Agnes giving birth to a girl, Agnes de Toulouse. This was only half a victory, since, while the young female babe could be placed in the line of inheritance for the Duchy of Aquitaine, she would be unable to hold the Toulouse title due to succession laws in that court. Two years passed before a boy was born to the couple and christened Zavie. The Duke of Toulouse had achieved his desire to produce an heir to both the Aquitaine and Toulouse.

Guillaume, Duke of Toulouse and his wife, Agnes d'Aquitaine

Trouble appeared on the horizon as reports filtered through de Toulouse's court regarding the Duke of Aquitaine's wife, Matheode de la Marche. Surprisingly fertile for her age, she was constantly pregnant by her husband, but continuously produced only daughters, a total of 4 including Agnes. The Duke of Toulouse was constantly on edge in the fear that his plans might be ruined by an unfortunately timed direct male heir to the Aquitaine duchy. His personal correspondence with certain shady courtiers suggest that assassination was considered a viable option should the need arise, such was his ambition. This fear came to a head in 1073, when Matheode delivered a baby boy, only to have it die in infancy. Soon afterwards, she seemingly entered menopause and produced no more children. Still, de Toulouse was constantly afraid that an illness or accident could befall Matheode and open the door for a younger bride capable of producing heirs.

On the domestic front, times were tranquil for de Toulouse. He engaged in a variety of building projects throughout his personal fief in Toulouse and is even shown to have gifted money to his most loyal vassals so that they may also improve their lands. A second daughter, Beurenguira was raised alongside her siblings in their parents care. Truthfully, times were prosperous for the Duke of Toulouse and his ambitions.

Throughout the 1070's, the Duke of Toulouse was on edge over the rapid advance Muslim armies were making in Spain. Attacking the divided Christian Kingdoms of Leon and Castille, various Muslim princes tore through the northern provinces of the Iberian peninsula. Each county folded in turn until only the Duchy of Barcelona stood between the rampaging armies of Islam. de Toulouse wrote his support to the de Barcelona head, offering sanctuary if his holdings were overrun and promising a concerted defence along the Pyrenees, but refrained from sending troops into Spain. Further details on the Kingdom of Aquitainia's dealings in Iberia will follow in the middle of this text.

In early 1083, the Duke of Toulouse showed his aggressive side by occupying and instituting his rule over the province of Forez, nominally property of the Count of Forez. The count had rebelled against his former master, the King of Germany, and left himself vulnerable and friendless. A quick campaign and the efficient forging of several documents secured the title for de Toulouse. This scene was repeated when the Duchy of Provence rebelled from that same master in 1086 and de Toulouse captured the fief of Viviers. Each time, no great uproar was raised considering the Duke's prestigious bearing and generally modest behavior.

The Duke of Toulouse attacks and defeats the Provençal army at Viviers

It was also in 1086 that Guillaume d'Aquitaine was slain while leading a charge against the rebellious Count of Lusignan. The battle was eventually carried by the loyalist forces and Agnes d'Aquitaine, in the absence of a legitimate male heir (Guillaume had several bastards), attained the title of Duchess of Aquitaine. The accession proceeded smoothly and the Duke of Toulouse, in the warmest existing correspondence between himself and his wife, congratulated her on the achievement.

1087 saw the unfortunate marriage of the Duke's son and heir, Zavie de Toulouse, to his maternal aunt and the countess of Auvergne, Raisenda d'Aquitaine. The marriage seems to have been a move towards insurance of his son's Aquitaine claim, but the fates and nature would conspire to wreck the union. Their marriage was generally warm and produced a total of 5 children, but with only 1 surviving infancy. It was recorded that nearly all the children suffered dibilitating birth defects, generally thought to be caused by the parents close relationship. Gervais, who survived until he was 13, was cursed at birth with a humped back and later developed leprosy, truly an unfortunate soul. In 1097, Raisenda died of consumption and was buried next to her children.

Zavie's second marriage was to Marguerite Capet, the youngest of six daughters the French King Phillipe sired. Sadly, this marriage was a mirror of his father's, being generally loveless and full of quarrel. Nothing could reconcile the two to be in the same room. This complicated the issue of the continuation of the de Toulouse line's dominance. Both of Zavie's sisters had been married to minor noblemen and borne sons, who were now directly behind him in the succession order for the Duchies of Toulouse and Aquitaine. Zavie and his family needed a son soon.

His father's death in 1098 left Zavie in control of a sizeable and prosperous realm, little troubled by internal turmoil and external strife. Marguerite bore three daughters in quick secession, but this did little to alleviate the problem the new Duke of Toulouse faced. He needed a son to ensure his father's ambition became a reality. In the meantime, events half a world away would drive Zavie de Toulouse to action.

In 1103, the Pope called a Crusade on the Seljuk Turks occupying the sacred Christian city of Antioch. Knowing that the Byzantine Empire was hardly able to maintain the ground it still possessed, Pope Manuel called the Catholic princes to action. Zavie, always a pious man by nature, received a Papal envoy with pleasure and was elected one of the principal leaders of the Crusade. He gathered his army and vassals at the port of Montpelier and set off to lead a vanguard action. This rapid response surprised the Turks so that, in the middle of 1104 when he landed, the Duke of Toulouse met no resistance as he quickly sieged the Tarsos fief neighboring Antioch. A quick storming of the citadel led to its capture and Zavie led his force on towards the holy city.

He faced a much more determined defense her, led by the local sheik and other Muslim area rulers. A hard fought battle scattered the foe, but at a terrible cost. Zavie now had barely enough men to effectively siege the city. A Turkish relief army was only days away when the keep fell and the Toulousians were in command of the city. Thankfully, reinforcements in the form of German and Norwegian crusaders beat off the force and secured more territory in the area. In the end, after more than a year and several battles in Syria, a peace deal was reached where the Duchy of Toulouse would administer Antioch and the other crusading states would gain territories around it.

King Phillipe of France sails to the Holy Land and leads troops to the relief of the Duke of Toulouse

Zavie de Toulouse returned in 1106 to his home duchy considered by many as the finest prince in Christendom, renowned for his piety and prestige. His wife was not impressed. Marguerite grew more and more wearisome on the returned hero, so much so that she publicly insulted him during a council meeting for pushing her aside for "veiled Outremer whores." It is not known whether the Duke indulged in such actions while on campaign, but it is known that he had one bastard by a minor noblewoman, the scandal of which never truly took off as most knew the shrewish nature of his wife. Named Doumenge, this bastard would be the center of attention in the coming years .

It is not exactly known what single event caused the divorce of Zavie and Marguerite in late 1106. The ecclesiastical court records were destroyed when a fire swept through Rome's library and no copies have surfaced. It was generally not well received, with King Phillipe personally riding to Toulouse to demand an explanation. Pressures on producing an heir and general distaste for one another seem to be the most reasonable explanations. Nonetheless, the annulment was announced on November 11th, 1106. Marguerite died of a mysterious ailment shortly thereafter, but one can safely assume it was not a broken heart.

Three days after his annulment, Zavie inherited the Duchy of Aquitaine from his mother who finally succumbed to age. The Duke now controlled a vast stretch of land, from the Pyrenees to central France. At this time, relations with his liege Phillipe began a sharp decline, focused generally on Zavie's refusal to allow Phillipe the use of his troops against northern rebellions. The effect quickly snowballed, with Phillipe threatening forcible action. As time passed into 1107, Zavie remarried to a relatively minor noblewoman from his new holdings, Rosa of Bordeaux. Still seeking insurance for his families continuation, Zavie instituted Salic Primogeniture law in his lands, ensuring that his lands will pass to a de Toulouse member.

The defining moment of the Kingdom of Aquitania occurred on July 26th of 1107, as Zavie proclaimed himself the sole and independent ruler of his demesne. News of King Phillipes death had been greeted with cheers instead of mourning and his son was powerless to stop the charismatic and popular Duke. His direct vassals, tired of northern overlordship and taxes, followed their new liege without fail and no large scale counter-rebellions developed. The Kingdom of Aquitania had made its appearance on the world stage, and the world would never be the same.

Stained glass of Zavie, King of Aquitania produced shortly after his proclamation

Prologue of "No Rule But Our Own- A Comprehensive Study Of Aquitania's Middle Ages" by Gervais Terceil

[Count Lake]

Alright, so thats the part leading up to where I'm at, I will post today or tomorrow an overview of the situation and the key personalities of the Kingdom! Sorry for the long winded intro, but I didn't have any screenshots since I didn't think I would be turning it to an AAR. Please stick with me though and we will be in for a good ride!

[Count Lake]

The new realm of Aquitania is situated over all of southeastern France (outlined in black), almost equal in size to the now reduced French nation. It generally has decent productivity from its provinces, leading to large tax gains and a significant army for its size. King Zavie de Toulouse has many options when considering his next move.

The Kingdom of Brittany is situated to the extreme northeast of France and Aquitania and only comprises six provinces that are generally poor. Nonetheless, it is a possible target for Aquitanian diplomacy, as an alliance there would cause any overly aggressive French monarch to combat a two front war. The Kerne family rules here.

The Capet's of France were the most powerful monarchs of Christendom before Aquitania's split. Led by their prodigal King Phillipe, they were at the forefront of a successful Crusade from 1103-1106. Various rebellions from minor northern dukedoms and counties plagued the last years of Phillipe's life, but the seeming betrayal by Zavie de Toulouse split the country he worked so hard to maintain. His son, Louis Capet, is a talented man who no doubt has dreams of reuniting his father's realm. They are allied to the Kingdom of Germany.

In Iberia, Islam rules with only a few paltry Christian states clinging to survival (outlined in red). There can be little doubt that these Muslim rulers will come into contact with the Kingdom of Aquitania before too long. Zavie de Toulouse has continued his father's non-interventionist approach to the Iberian crisis, but that may soon change.

[Snugglie]

Ah, Aquitania! I've got a weak spot in my heart for fictional kingdoms, so I will definitely follow.

[Count Lake]

Chaos rules in the British Isles. The King of England, Robert Courtehouse de Normandie, is fighting for his very survival as his vassals rise against him and challenge his rule. He had made the mistake of going to war against a Papal controlling Irish minor and found himself excommunicated for his trouble. Now, he barely maintains an armed presence on the island itself and instead hunkers down in his Normandy holdings.

Nearly a dozen petty earldoms and duchies now compete for domination over the corpse that was the English Kingdom. None can be said to be stronger than the others and each has its own agenda.

Seemingly serene above this turmoil is the stable realm of Scotland, which has experienced none of the problems that England is undergoing. If so inclined, the Scottish King could easily expand his holdings in the wake of this disaster, securing his spot as the most powerful single entity on the island.

Ireland is also relatively calm, with none of the duchies there seeking to expand beyond their initial holdings. They are likely to remain a sideline observer to any events in Britain.

[Count Lake]

Good to have you on board Snugglie. I will be updating with various around the world items today and hopefully play some tonight to get a start on a game play update tomorrow. Again, thanks for commenting!

[Snugglie]

Wow. I've never seen England that trashed that early in the game!

[Count Lake]

The Kingdom of Germany has maintained itself respectfully given it's size and the multitude of vassals its lord must reign over. Dietmar von Franken rules what is perhaps the largest Christian realm geographically, with holdings reaching from central Italy to the Baltic coast. Allied with France, they are a powerful force that no other single nation could hope to stand against. The Germans were among the most successful crusaders and even now continue their war against the Seljuk Turks.

The Kingdom of Sicily occupies the boot of Italy and maintains itself as a regional power. The de Hautville dynasty is ambitious and there have been several minor wars that have broken out between them and the Byzantines but with no real gain for either side. It would not be surprising to see them take to the sea and attack the various North African Muslim principalities.

Genoa, Bavaria, Bohemia and Austria have all broken ties with the German state in previous years. Individually, they are no match for the behemoth should it come to reclaim its former lands. Luckily, the von Frankens seem content with their slightly reduced stable of vassals and the breakaway republics/ duchies have not had to go to war for their survival

[jordarkelf]

Cool, a DVIP:MK AAR. What version are you playing? Based on the female inheritance it should be a recent version, but it's amazing to see Scotland actually managed to take care of Lothian!

Nice recap of the pre-AAR events. Glad to see someone managed to pull Aquitaine off without a civil war against France

[phargle]

Boo, Aquitaine! I eagerly await your sound thrashing at the hands of the Capets. Any king named Zavie is not to be trusted. If the Muslims jihad you into oblivion, it will be a magical moment!

[Snugglie]

When Germany irreversibly will fall apart -- because sooner or later, it will -- Bavaria might get a chance to grow for real. That can be interesting.

And what have you got against Aquitaine, phargle?

[Capibara]

Aquitaine, interesting, I like your style, I'll be following

[Count Lake]

Poland has been the big winner in East Europe, holding on to many lands claimed from the pagan tribes that once ruled the area. There is little but divided and weak tribes preventing them from establishing a united Poland-Lithuania and it seems that the Piast dynasty is eager to make that dream a reality. They are allied with Hungary and there is an Arpad family member first in line to the Polish throne.

Hungary has made far less progress, but is still a stable and united kingdom with a strong ally in Poland. They have been showing increased interest in the Balkans and it would be unsurprising if they decided to flex their military muscle against the remaining pagan chieftains there.

Denmark has expanded slightly, gaining rich territory from the Mecklembergian pagans. They are allied with Norway and would be in a good position to pounce on Sweden should the opportunity arise. They recently survived a secession crisis where the powerful duke of Skane nearly toppled the realm.

Norway is a stable kingdom with little to comment on. They did gain a province in central Anatolia during the previous Crusade and were instrumental in the Christians eventual victory. They also possess territory in north Finland, bordering the expansionist Swedes. The paths that they might take are limited, and their alliance with Denmark could set the course for war with Sweden.

Sweden itself is a strong country, having taken the majority of Finland from the pagans that resided there. There is, again, little to stop this Kingdom from achieving continued expansion into the Baltic coast. The main threat comes from the alliance of Denmark and Norway, two rivals that would equal or exceed her military strength. Sweden's own ally, the Duchy of the Western Isles, would likely be a non factor in the war. Both opportunities and danger lie ahead for Sweden.

[phargle]

And what have you got against Aquitaine, phargle?

Every part of my body, Snugglie. Every part of my body.

[Count Lake]

Thank you for all your replies!

Jordarkelf- I have you to thank personally for the opportunity to create this AAR. It is the latest version of your DVIP with the More Kingdoms addon and Bopack+ Smack (where I got the divorce event from, it was perfectly timed!) Thanks again for your support!

Phargle- We shall see what happens with the Muslims, but I am most worried about the Capets. Their alliance with the Germans makes them unstoppable if and when they decide to take back my realm. I need a strong ally (a united Castille-Leon would have been acceptable) but there simply aren't any around.

Snugglie- Germany always does right? Genoa seems to be very aggressive in this game, going on crusade and even taking a province from the Iberian Muslims. My money is actually on them to expand when Germany disintegrates.

Capibara- Thank you for stopping by and for the compliment. I will do my best to keep everyone entertained!

[Snugglie]

And for once AI Sweden is actually taking its due in Finland... I don't see that happening too often.

[Count Lake]

The fruits of the recent Crusade are readily apparent when looking at a map of the Levant. Most of the major Christian countries in Europe participated and took away lands for their efforts.

The Byzantines are doing fairly well, with Greece remaining loyal and Anatolia secured. They greatly assisted in the Crusade, striking deep into Seljuk territory to siege cities and tie up Muslim reinforcements. They enjoy good relations with the Crusaders, but would perhaps have liked it better if they had returned the conquered lands to their previous Byzantine owners. The Kingdom of Sicily is nipping at this Empire's heels, seeking land in Greece, but the Byzantines seem unlikely to fold if the current stability continues.

France (Dark Blue, red outline) has a few territories garnered from the campaign and should be in a good position to expand if another holy war is decreed.

Germany made out the best (Olive, red outline) gaining four provinces in a peace with the Turks. Their war reignited almost as soon as the other crusaders left for home, but the upper hand seems to be tilting towards the Germans who have the majority of their European army in Anatolia. The Turks are simply too disorganized and weary to mount much of a successful defense.

Aquitania has one holding in Outremer, the holy city of Antioch (black outline). Site of the famous siege and battle in the first year of the Crusade, this is that Kingdom's sole possession for hundreds of miles. Still, Zavie de Toulouse has sworn that this city will never fall into the hands of the Muslims again.

Norway has also gained a province (light blue, red outline). How useful it will be is up to debate, but the Norwegians will always have the thanks of their Christian brothers for their essential participation in the early stages of the Crusade.

Scotland (darker light blue, red outline) also got in on the fun, conquering an inland province. Again, there is debate on the usefulness of this acquisition.

The Islamic sheiks and princes around the Crusader states are generally disunified and do not present much threat. The Turks are now too far away to provide much security for their remaining vassals in the area and will most likely need time to have a chance at regaining their former possessions. They have suffered catastrophic losses in men and territory from the Crusade and other rebellions and their outlook is bleak. The Egyptian Muslims, easily the most powerful Muslim state in the region, is friendly to the Crusaders and should not cause much trouble.

[Count Lake]

Now to introduce many of the characters that will be playing a role in the coming drama.



Zavie de Toulouse proclaimed himself King of Aquitania on July 26th of 1107 after successfully ruling both the Aquitaine and Toulouse duchies and participating in a glorious Crusade to the Holy Land. While not much to look at in the stats or traits department (I admit that I didn't role play him very well, I was focused on uniting the Aquitaine and Toulouse. I will try to do better in the coming monarchs), he is considered to be one of the foremost princes of Christendom. Rich, pious and prestigious, the sky is the limit to where Zavie might lead his newly forged kingdom. Notice that he is getting advanced in the years and desperately desires a direct male heir.

Now lets take a look at the women in Zavie's life, starting with the earliest.



Raisenda d'Aquitaine, Countess of Auvergne, was his first wife and maternal aunt. I was not paying close enough attention at the time to realize this and was soon rewarded with a batch of deformed children, five in all. Most died in infancy, but I had high hopes for Gervais, who started out a hunchback and survived until he was 13 when he became a leper and died. This left Zavie without a male heir. Raisenda died of natural causes.



Marguerite Capet, oh the hopes I had for you. She had good stats, ties to the French crown that I had hoped to use as the pretext for my rebellion, and wasn't bad looking either. Unfortunately, she became Zavie's rival almost the day after she came to court and things went downhill from there. She was always hitting me with the "buy me clothes event" and I frankly got sick of it. She was also unable to produce a male heir, only bearing 3 daughters of which two survive. The divorce event from Bopack saved me the trouble of assassinating her and added some flavor and roleplay to my game.



Rosa of Bordeaux is the hope of the future, since you can see she is pregnant! Great stats, a pretty face, and fertile. If she produces a male heir, my worries will be gone and it will be one less thing to lose sleep over for Zavie. I'm excited to see how this turns out.



Doumenge is a conundrum wrapped inside an enigma. What to do with the only living male issue from my king? Things can go a few seperate ways for this bastard. Depending on events, I might consider putting him into the line of succession, especially if I don't have a legitimate male heir in a few years. Second option is to open up the succession to women, so that the daughters I had with Marguerite become my primary heirs and Doumenge is superfluous. It will be interesting to see what happens to him.



Dolca de Toulouse would be the primary heir if I open the succession up to females. She seems up to the job and would make a decent ruler and I could always marry her to a cousin to produce pure de Toulouse children (hopefully with no inbreeding!). Events in the next few years will tell me whether I will go this path.



Azalais is my spare female heir if I open the throne up to women. Not a whole lot I can say about her other than that. She and her sister might be useful pawns to secure marriage alliances against France if it comes to that.

Now for my vassals, we can see who I have dealt out the country to.



I gave my Toulouse title to this guy, who is something like my second cousin. He is actually the closest thing to an heir I have right now under Salic Primogeniture. So he may even see the throne pass to him and his progeny. Otherwise, not much to say.



The Duke of Poitou is my cousin through a maternal aunt, one I didn't marry. Look at that Intrigue score! Yikes! Seriously though, he seems a decent enough sort and is loyal to suit me fine. I don't think we will have any trouble with him.



Raolf de Foix was a fosterling at Guillaume de Toulouse's court and fell in love with Zavie's sister Agnes. I wanted to marry the two of them, but there was a difference of six or so years. So Agnes got to marry some Italian chump and Raolf eventually got a duchy. He was a crusader as you can see and will be right behind me if the call goes out again. He is the heir presumptive of the county of Foix.



I only gave this kid the duchy because he was the only one who had territory that could be considered part of it. He seems to be a decent sort and I may marry Dolca to him if I have a son by the time they both mature. All around decent stats.



If I have a vassal that will give me problems, it will be this guy. He strangely got himself excommunicated, by event I guess. Good thing he doesn't have any vassals to rebel against him and he seems to like me enough. It wouldn't surprise me if I got a message from the Pope to take him out though.



This man is married to one of the granddaughters of Guillaume de Aquitaine, the original Duke of Aquitaine who couldn't sire a real son and passed his duchy on to Agnes, my first duke's wife (confused?) Anyway, I thought that it would be nice to have him rule under me with that title.



This man got his post after serving as my marshal during the Crusade. I got the event "You have grown close to your marshal on campaign etc...." and I decided that Zavie would reward him with custodianship of Antioch, our prize for the Crusade. The new count swiftly got the religion to change to Catholic (nice going man!) and I am feeding him money to build improvements in the province. Antioch is a really rich territory and I want to get as much out of it as possible.

So thats all folks, you met the cast of characters that you will be following for the next little while. Stay turned for a gameplay update tomorrow!