Reforging Burgundy - The Chronicles of Little House de Forez

Yeah I'm still trying to decide what way to take it...I'm leaning towards independence and a possible invasion cb later but no idea. At least one de forez is about to call himself emperor of the ERE.

The Build Up to War


The year Twelve Hundred Six would be the beginning of a hard fought war of survival for the new Kaiser Reginar the III. For the many powerful and weak vassals would arise throwing their individual bids for Independence starting with the Duchy of Barcelona. Barcelona's bid for freedom would be the first and also the first to be put down, but the bravery of their lords would lend courage to men of lesser heart to take the risk. During this time King Miquel II de Forez would sit in his castle brooding over the possibilities wondering what course of action would be the best. Instead of jumping into the foray too soon though he used this time to further consolidate the Duchies of Lotharingia by marching to war against Lower Lorraine, claiming the small duchy for a vassal Agnes von Metz.

The wars of independence in this year would follow as such:

Barcelona
Vasterbottnian Independence
Hollan
Trondheim
Corsica
Ancona

It was also during this year of marching men revolting against the homosexual Kaiser that the last and final member of the Zagwe Dynasty would die in exile in King Miquel's court. The descendant of the Kings of Abyssinia would finally succumb to old age, thereby putting an end to the family's hopes of ever returning to their native lands.

As the sieges were put up in Lower Lorraine and the war all but promised to end favorably to King Miquel he received word that Duke Miquel II of Burgundy died in his dungeons in Lyon, no longer willing to struggle to survive after treating his King in such a treasonous manner. It was also during this fateful year that the new Kaiser's wife the Countess of Shrewsbury would rise in rebellion against Prince Catone I Duke of Hereford, in a futile attempt to claim the duchy. She assumed her husband would come to her aid in this war, but alas the Kaiser had abandoned his wife the Kaiserin to fight her own battles, and face the Justice of the de Forez family.

The year 1207 would finally begin but would only see two more new realms break off from the empire:

Lincoln
Pisa (would end inconclusively a few months later)

This year would remain somewhat quiet on all fronts as the Kaiser continued to raise men from Burgundy to march them off to fight his rebels. And Miquel would stay in Lower Lorraine overseeing the subsequent sieges, but it would not be King Miquel's actions this year that take center stage but that of his brother the Duke of Hereford.

For Prince Catone had arrested Kaiserin Godgifu of Shrewbury, and much like his older brother Miquel was none to happy about rebellious vassals. On a crisp spring morning in Hereford the Kaiserin was marched from her cell, dressed in her full regalia and even wearing the jewels befitting a Kaiserin. She was marched through the town's proper to the square and marched up the platform Catone had ordered built that day. And all the lords and ladies and men of dignity and lesser morals all gathered as the Archbishop of Canterbury said a few prayers for the Kaiserin and stepped away.

Prince Catone then stepped forward as Kaiserin Godgifu was knelt down low placing her neck on the chopping block. "Good lords and ladies who swear allegiance to my brother the gracious King of Burgundy, England and Lotharingia, acting as his Lord and Governor of England, I give to you a site of what will become of any vassal who betrays the trust of a de Forez. For this lady before you felt she could grab all she wanted since her sorry husband ascended to the Imperial Throne in Luxembourg. Even though her husband is Kaiser does not give her the right to challenge the laws set forth by God in our realm. She broke the sacred trust between vassal and liege, and so as a gift to her dear husband Reginar we shall give him her pretty little head," the crowd murmured as the church bells began to ring and as Catone stepped away he continued. "For not only will this be a sign to our Kaiser to never turn his back on a de Forez, but this shall be a sign to him that God no longer wishes Burgundy to kneel to the homosexual man who dares to call himself Kaiser!"

And with that the executioner would lift his sword and in one smooth slice send the Kaiserin's head tumbling off the dais as her body writhed in its last final convulutions of life.

So 1207 would end the drums for war beating ever heavier and quicker. Rumors spreading amongst the peasantry wondering what Miquel would do and fearing the Kaiser's reaction when Catone's emissaries delivered his wife's head. Rumor has it that the Kaiser merely laughed when he saw the head and went to take solace with some strong dashing hedge night that he kept close at hand and who it is said was a frequent visitor to the Kaiser's bed chambers.

1208 would bring in more wars of independence this time four such rebellions:

Holstein
Karelia
Second Pisan War of Independence
Parmian Independence

Half way through 1208 King Miquel would once again celebrate victory as he successfully occupied Lower Lorraine and forcing their Duke to surrender the duchy to Agnes von Metz at last.

After the surrender King Miquel the II de Forez would return to Lyon to meet with the Privy Council as the debate would once again turn its focus towards the Kaiser and the state of Imperial affairs. For the King of Burgundy held claims on the Empire through his grandfather Kaiser Ludwig the Great, and in some ways he desired the Imperial regalia, but at the same time had some disdain for what it could mean to hold the actual title.

As the Council debated and debated and heard arguments and drew up possible battle plans depending on different circumstances, a courier came rushing into the capital with news from far to the East. He burst into the Council Chambers already short of breath and sweat beading down his balding heading. "King Miquel of Burgundy England and Lotharingia, good brother-in-law to the Empress Nikarete I, I bring the said news that your brother's wife has died," the courier puffed.

The Council Chambers erupted in noise as everyone began talking all at once. What would this mean? The King's nephew would therefore become Emperor but he was very very young, would the remaining dukes of the Eastern Roman Empire remain loyal or cast their usual Byzantine tricks. And would this mean that Miquel would throw his weight behind his nephew nominating him as his heir apparent?

The Courier continued then, "Your nephew has already been Crowned Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire by the holy Ecumenical Patriarch, and his father, has urged me to impress upon you King Miquel the importance of you severing the shackles of Imperial vassalage of which the Kaiser has you bound."

King Miquel smiled at this request nodding in agreement. It may not give him the Imperial Crown, and may forever prevent him from taking more duchies in the HRE, but the ability to have complete and total sovereignty over his ever growing realm was something that made King Miquel giddy with joy. For becoming Kaiser could be a great honor, but it would be a much harder blow to the Kaiser if his most powerful vassal said enough and walked away forever. It could potentially bring down Imperial might in Central Europe and usher in a new era of complete de Forez hegemony in Europe.

Breaking Free From the Kaiser


It was a cold wintry day on New Years Day in the year 1209, for King Miquel II de Forez sat upon his throne wrapped in a cloak of wolf hide. He surveyed his courtiers and men in armor wandering how the future would play out. Surely his young nephew Avaredo would throw Byzantine forces into the foray, but then again perhaps, Constantinople had become too week, and would be unable to aide in the coming years of war. No matter, the grand Burgundian King had the blood of the Norse in him, and he would stand tall to any army the Kaiser would throw at him.

"We will forgo the usual celebrations for this New Year," the King started. "For the of Holy Kaiser has been abused since the end of my grandfather's reign, and this, this, homosexual who thinks he rules by the hand of God while committing the sins of Sodomy at the same time...well I will now till you that I will not let this man's filth taint me anymore. For on this new year we celebrate by marching on Luxembourg! And cutting all ties once and for all with this Kaiser who defies every moral fiber known to man!"

And so the clamoring began messengers racing away from the Castle in Lyon off to the farthest corners of the realm to bring news that all forces must be mustered, additional taxes must be turned over to the proper crown authorities, and all that wonderful news that usually follows in the wake of a major earth-shaking war. But all this preparation, only to find that the Kaiser was already on his knees both literally and figuratively.

All in all it was the perfect time to jump at freedom. The main body of troops under the direction of Prince Catone I of Hereford landed at Gelre later that spring and made a direct march to Bouillon the Capital of the Holy Roman Empire itself. The remainder of the year would roll on as Burgundian reserve forces mopped up any lagging Imperial forces that entered the Kingdom. No major battles of note occurred the rest of the year. Besides the siege of Verdun, however it would be in 1210 that the Capital of Provence would be seized and occupied by the Kaiser's unholy forces.

Also in the early years of 1210, in February to be exact even more shattering news to King Miquel's hopes and ambitions, a friend and man he raised Duke Jacme of Alsace had been captured and subsequently died in the Kaiser's prisons.

However, on August 1, 1210, Kaiser Reginar III would evacuate the Imperial Capital of Bouillon allowing the Burgundian forces to rape and pillage the castle town of Bouillon and march on to Luxembourg itself.

This would completely break the Kaiser. He had lost his prized possession to the martial and blood thirsty prowess of King Miquel, for the Dauphine was once again nipping at the heals of another Gerulfing. It should be noted that the young Kaiser also had one undying fear of why he never wanted to be captured by Miquel's forces...his first wife Godgifu. For Reginar III had never paid much attention to his first wife in Shrewsbury, but the sight of her rotting head that had been delivered by a band of norseman atop a pike had left an indelible taste in the Kaiser's mouth of the fate that awaits any Gerulfing in de Forez hands.

The bad blood between the two families, and the cruelty that the de Forez brothers had shown towards the Imperial family, led Kaiser Reginar III to rely on one last ditch effort before he would grant Burgundy freedom. He went out and hired a large amount of mercenaries, and merged them into another main body creating an army of 12 thousand men that began the march north through Burgundy proper. This large force was on their way to rescue the Kaiser in Luxembourg, to try and liberate him before he fell into some sad fate.

King Miquel and his Marshal received word from this soon enough. And lifted the sieges in surrounding territories and merged all his available men together, making a force of 14 thousand soldiers, then he subsequently paid for the order of 9 thousand more mercenaries who would march at the back of the Kaiser's forces.

The armies met in Verdun, and clashed steel upon steel, cutting through into bone spraying blood. Untold numbers of horses would fall as well that day, along with countless numbers of prisoners taken. The Battle of Verdun in the War of Burgundian Independence looked to be slightly even when the soldiers all lined up on the battlefield. But once more the King of Burgundy would reign Supreme, as his men took heavy casualties nearly 5 thousand deaths when all told, but at the same time they boasted 6 prisoners, and the complete and total annihilation of the Imperial main body. For on that day only a mere thousand routed and escaped the battlefield of King Miquel's bloodthirsty soldiers.

Word of this devastating defeat would reach the Kaiser, who not believing it at first would soon be awaken to reality when from his tower he could see the return of the Burgundian soldiers, lined in the distance flying the Royal Flag of Burgundy, meaning that Miquel himself had shown joined in the possible siege. So Kaiser Reginar no longer a man with fight in him and also so depressed at the death of his lover at the hands of Miquel's forces he had no choice but to surrender and grant his most powerful vassal complete and total god-given sovereignty over his lands.

And so it was on May 24, 1211, the Luxembourg Peace Accords were signed and notarized by a papal legate forever gauranteeing the peace and freedom of the Burgundian Kings.

A map of the now independent Burgundy:

Just a brief note:

I'm sorry that time is slowing down in these updates. Usually they cover a more expansive time frame when I'm doing them, however King Miquel's reign seems to have needing alot more detail as there are many pieces moving along.

Originally I wanted to focus a bit on whats going on with the byzantine branch of de forez's but so bogged down by the burgundian realm that there's no way I can go pay attention over there.

But just so you know why Miquel has ate up quite a few chapters grabbing all the attention. I take notes on these playthroughs so i can better relay the facts and decisions to the readers, but my previous strings of leaders up to Miquel had only consumed roughly six pages of notes. Miquel II de Forez though has already ate up 5 pages, and is working on a sixth and he's still kicking at the ripe old age of 61, sorry if thats a spoiler alert. But I dare say there is another few Chapters that will revolve around King Miquel II de Forez. And well there will also be some rather intriguing marriages to speak about as well

Thank you kindly, but yeah I've actually read through your AAR as well was wondering how they'd compare since your taking the de Savoie family from Savoy. Was sad when I saw you had a save game issue though, hope you can resurrect what you had going on before that hiccup, and look forward to more updates on your AAR as the de Savoie's.

After Independence


Before the ink could dry on the Kaiser's treaty forfeiting freedom to Burgundy, King Miquel had already sent forth his couriers to all corners of his realm declaring months of festivities to be held in Lyon. These festivities were upon Royal Decree to be capped off with a Grand Tournament, the first of its kind seen in the grand kingdom.

But just as King Miquel II returned to his capital basking in the love and affection of the peasantry he heard news that his wife who had been pregnant succumbed to a spring cold the morning upon his arrival. He was distraught by his lustful wife's passing, and even more so that she died with what could have been another strong Burgundian boy. And so as all the great men and hedge knights seeking to become great man made their way to the Capital of Lyon they came in morning as well for the death of their Queen and Duchess of Somerset. But there would also be a ceremony that sad day as well for the Queen and King's daughter Snofrid would be anointed Duchess of Somerset inheriting the Duchy from her mother.

On the eve of the tournament beginning a young woman from Scotland would for the first time enter the Kingdom. The young sixteen year old Princess Geva Dunkeld heir to the Scottish throne had been wooed by the courtiers of King Miquel had agreed to marry the aging King. It was a marriage of strategic importance, for Ireland was becoming more and more powerful in the Isles and Scotland was ever picking up strength after their successful capture of the duchy of Normandy. In fact this young Princess who would be Queen of Burgundy and Scotland, was a Norman and therefore a good personal match to the Norwegian Miquel.

On July 28, 1211, the Royal Couple would say their vows and retire to their marital chamber where King Miquel II de Forez would prove he still had the libido and vigor of any young European Prince.

Several days later the Grand Tournament would start with jousts splintering and melees being fought, and men seeking glory and recognition from the realm. One such knight that would prove himself would be a hedge knight of no noble family, by the name of Arnold von Siders who would vanquish all the Dukes and Counts and men of renown to win the first place prize. It is said that King Miquel offered the victor his second daughter for marriage but the man refused, claiming that the money and recognition of his gracious majesty was enough for to fill his appetite.

With the Tournament over King Miquel's life returned to a bit of normalcy. Laying around the Castle content with what he had built and accomplished thus far. All he really wanted now was to impregnate his Scottish princess. But alas she was still a young lady and not quite as fertile as a grown woman should be. It was during this time that he received word from the Byzantine Ambassador that had taken up residence in the Burgundian Court that the Caliphate had successfully completed their Jihad for Armenia. Once again chopping off more land from Miquel's nephew in Asia Minor. For at this moment in time it seemed the fate of the Eastern Empire was settled, for as it appeared there would never truly be a way to reunite it ever again, unless some strong willed ruler dared to lay siege to all the independent break-away duchies.

After Miquel received this news he went back to working on getting Princess Geva pregnant. Such was the duties of a monarch of a realm that was at peace. And this time he would prove successful, but unfortunately right after the joyous news of her pregnancy word was received that Miquel's brother, Catone I of Hereford had finally faded off into the darkness of death by hanging himself after a sever bout of stress and depression. Some say his stress was a form of haunting from the ghost of Kaiserin Godgifu of Shrewsbury finally achieving the revenge that she had never been able to get while alive.

Four months after Catone's death the Countess of Lincoln would swear fealty to Miquel II, and would join her county with the Duchy of York. This would be a short lived union, for a strange and unfortunate string of succession in Lincoln would once more see the County fall into the German Duchy of Thuringia once more.

King Miquel was beginning to fret about a spending eighteen months cooped up in his castle, he needed a war, he needed something to kill and fight and slash with his broadsword. He needed to feel the collective power of his massive armies at his back and the sounds of siege weapons being built and the cries of his enemies filling the night. In short his Norwegian blood was getting the better of him and made him target the Prince Bishop of Trier in a minor war for sure, but a war nonetheless, and another de Jure county to be added into the hold of his Lotharingia Crown.

On Christmas day of 1212, his wife wife would finally go into labor as he was marching north to meet with his Captains in Metz. Their daughter would be named Constanza after Miquel's grandmother, for it was feared that this child could very well be Miquel's last and what better name for a future Queen of Scotland then one named after the Grand Kaiserin of Burgundy.

The War for Trier would last slightly longer then Miquel had anticipated. As his men were not all that thrilled about laying siege to some poor monks church city. It would drag on until February of 1214 when the Bishop finally had enough and surrendered his lands to the Duchess Agnes I.

It was then that the Count of Finnmark that far away territory that somehow the King still held onto, far far to the north where the summers are more cold then the Burgundian winters, decided to declare independence against Burgundy. Miquel was literally flabbergasted when he heard the news. In fact he had basically all but forgotten that he owned a county up there, in fact he had never even thought of calling the levies from that far north, so why would such a Count desire independence? Probably because he felt forgotten by his lord, and merely wished to remind him of the existence of Finnmark. And so King Miquel delegated his kinsman Aleramo Duke of Norfolk to set sail with four thousand men to go remind Count Haldor that the Crown was none to happy with rebellious vassals.

Later on that spring as Aleramo's forces met in battle with Count Haldor's quaint levy on the battlefields of the north, King Miquel discovered a plot by the Duchess Agnes of Savoy in which she was plotting to kill his eldest son Miquel. And well living up to his younger days of dealing with people who would try the patience of the de Forez family, he would through her in prison and subsequently the Oubliette where she would die on September 3, 1214.

Two weeks later, on the 17 of September, Count Haldor would finally see the error of his ways and surrender, turning himself into Royal Authorities and being dragged in chains to a dungeon in Kent to rot like a good traitor should.

The remainder of the year would pass of nothing else of note save for the whispers of some new terror in the East making its approach. Some heathen horde that was on the rampage. King Miquel often worried about these rumors wondering what it would mean for his nephew who could barely fight off a few rebels, let alone face the onslaught of some heathen horde. But time would tell for the year 1215 had begun, and King Miquel II continued to rule with his cruel and wroth but oddly just fists. In his old age though he seemed to be softening, no longer the brutal monarch he started out to be. Perhaps it was the luxurious life in Forez-Lyon that had finally softened his heart. It was in the years after this point that the peasantry's mind of King Miquel II de Forez turned from outright fear to loving adoration. The adoration that would eventually bequeath upon him the honorific of King Miquel II "the Great" de Forez.

Loderingo said:

Another very interesting update. I always wondered what "died of stress" meant and thought it must mean a heart attack but maybe suicide is a possibility too. You seem to be doing very well to keep England under control. Aren't you having problems with the distance penalty? Are you planning to move into Italy at some point or just keep chipping away at France?

My Savoy game will not come back if I never saved it in the first place(I suspect so)! It makes my game progress a bit slower but maybe the story a bit more interesting.

Click to expand...

I was kind of thinking he had a bad case of PTSD personally and just went batshit crazy one night and found a rope

But England, there are a few vassals who like to get testy trying to say they desire the Kingdom and such but I have enough money to buy their loyalty and plus the entire southern half of England is ruled by members of my dynasty through some well planned inheritances. I dare say on my next succession there will be a crisis in Britain more then likely the Yorkian and Lancastrian Dukes will rise up but that gives me cause to get dynasty members installed there as well so in a way I'm secretly hoping they revolt one day. Also England has been ruled by Norwegian lords for a long time so perhaps thats helping out a bit, maybe the Norwegians beat the peasantry of England into such a state of submission that they know better then to revolt against their sovereign

As far as expansion, I have eyed Italy but feeling its my duty to swallow France first. They're getting weaker by the minute through several generations of corrupt apostates that the Pope has hated. And well the Iberian Muslims are slowly swallowing lands in southern France so I'm thinking the time is about ripe for the Burgundians too step in and take over. And since Scotland will be falling into de Forez hands all that would be left in that portion of Europe is Ireland and Brittany and Wales.

So those are the current plans there's also talk in Miquel's court of pressing a de Forez kid's claim on the Swedish Crown as well. So really not to sure what all will happen can say this the French question will be answered in the next update for you and everyone else that is reading

Jerusalem

King Miquel's first 20 years on the throne had a lot of actions being taken during that time. The next twenty years of his reign would almost seem quiet compared to his younger days. The Great King would spend these years defending marriage alliances and trying his best to reinforce Emperor Avaredo's hold on the Eastern Roman Empire. This would through the years be a strenuous hold as Avaredo the First was not only the first of his name but also the First Catholic Emperor to sit on the Byzantine Throne. Not to mention one other grand notation that Miquel would attach to his biographies, would be a successful Crusade during these next 20 years.

Just as a note since independence the Kingdom of Burgundy had fallen out of tough with its former cousins in the HRE, and really had no idea what had been going on within the Kaisers realm as late. But news would come that the Pope Romanus II had been captured by the Kaiser, the very same pope that had excommunicated him, and well the Pope being an old man died within the Kaiser's dungeons.

During this time the King would also look towards learning and the sciences and order two universities to be built one in Lyon and the other in the County of Province. Several years after the groundwork had begun the King's daughter Gyrid de Forez is sent off to Poland to marry the Polish King Janusz I on the 11 of February 1219 and another intriguing marriage between Miquel's heir and the heir of the Queen of Brittany.

Just days after the marriage of Miquel and Princess Gerberga of Brittany, Miquel's young Scottish wife would be given the sad news that her father was dead and that she was hearby to be crowned Queen of Scotland. Miquel was saddened by this, he was aging and really didn't want his young comforting wife to leave him for those far away lands of Scotland. But nevertheless he relented and would many would say regress into his old bloodthirsty ways. As he would set sail for the County of Archa, his nephews Imperial seat, to aid him in a war against a rebelious vassal. But the King would discover his nephew had been a bit dumb on choosing a wife, and picked some old hag of 45 years. Miquel about slapped his nephew when he discovered this, but decided that in a court surrounded by Byzantine Dukes slapping their Imperator probably was not the best of ideas.

So he would remain calm plot against the young man's wife behind the scenes. And to Miquel's surprise Avaredo and his father both wanted to join in on the plot. As luck would have it the Empress was successfully killed. Which would lead Avaredo to marry a young fertile Swedish Princess, and in the future the two would bear forth many many sons.

But then another opportunity would appear. For as Miquel returned from Asia Minor he discovered that there was a 13 year old on the French Throne. A girl of the Van Vlaanderen family, and not yet promised to anyone. So Miquel would sit and think this through, luckily his Spymaster accompanied him back from the Byzantine courts, and could therefore be dispatched quickly if necessary. The two stayed up fairly late speaking and plotting trying to decide the best course of action to take. It was decided that Brittany was only a minor holding compared to that of France. So the Spymaster nodded slipped his hood back on and stealthily walked from the room. And the next morning news that Gerberga had apparently fallen from her balcony that night perhaps while sleepwalking or possessed by some demon we will never know, but needless the murder if we will call it that left a suspicions that perhaps Miquel's son was more cruel then otherwise thought.

While in mourning and well quiet celebration, King Miquel II de Forez received a letter from the teenage Queen of France offering her condolences to the Prince's deceased wife, and offering her hand in betrothal. It was a sweet gesture and accepted immediately for the opportunity to forever bind the lands of France and Burgundy and England and Lotharingia together was more then a dream and aspiration, but something that needed to be achieved to offer a balance of power in the West to the might of the HRE.

The wait for the Queen to come of age was a quick one luckily, as everyone had hoped it would be. For on October 21, 1223, Prince Miquel de Forez would say his vows and take his new wife, the Queen Swanhildis van Vlandaaren of France. Nothing more would happen for another year when the King of Burgundy would finally plant a male sire in the Queen of Scotland's womb, a boy whose name would be Artau de Forez the future King of Scotland.

On February 14, 1225, King Miquel would officially be labeled "the Great" for the first time. A year later a Grandson Miquel de Forez heir and Prince of France is born.

The year Twelve Hundrend Twenty-eight would arrive with the new Pope Lando II calling on all Christian Kings to begin their march on Jerusalem in a Crusade to once again try and claim the Holy City. And so King Miquel the Great, feeling that since he is free from Imperial shackles should at least do his part and offer his men up in honor of the Lord. On June 19, 1228, Burgundy begins to muster its forces to set sail for the Holy Land.

(note: Image below apparently my king has dementia from old age because he thinks he's crusading against the Queen of Sweden!!!)

While Burgundian Forces were setting sail to cross the Meditteranean Sea, Princess Haldora died of pnuemonia, and at the same time Duke Jacme II of Alsace is sent to Genoa to fabricate claims upon the Great and illustrious city. It would be on the 19 of January of 1229 that King Miquel II the Great de Forez would finally arrive in Jerusalem to lend a hand in the siege of the Muslim lands.

A month later horrible news from Genoa that the Chancellor Duke Jacme was killed while fabricating claims. In fact 1229 would be a horrible year for Chancellors in general as Jacme's successor would die of pnuemonia five months later as well.

But back to the Crusades. Hebron was almost completely occupied by the King and his forces and Jerusalem was falling as well. And the King of Burgundy at this point completely wiped out the Emir and his allie's military forces. So it would be on the 12 of August the year 1230, that the Emir of Jerusalem would finally surrender to the Pope. Since Miquel's contributions to the effort far outweighed that of any nation the Pope Crowned King Miquel II "the Great" de Forez King of Jerusalem that evening in a grand ceremony that even the Queen of Sweden attended as her capital was only a short ways away in Beirut. Its hard looking back on it how fair it was that the King recieved Jerusalem, as the Queen of Sweden held near the entire Kingdom, but she seemed content with the arrangements and would not even attempt to usurp the title of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

And so yet another Crown will rest upon the head of King Miquel. And now he has land close to his nephew, and in the future we shall see how the dynamic spread of de Forez blood throughout Christendom will play out, and will begin to see its affects upon the Empire of Eastern Rome.

The Final Years of the Great Dauphin


The Crusade would finally reawaken King Miquel II "the Great" de Forez's heart to bloodshed and the games of war, but instead of massive conquests most of his future wars would be in defense of the Emperor and other family members. And on the day of his crowning as King of Jerusalem, Miquel would raise his son Prince Nicolau to the duchy of Pomerania, as it was a set of territories that the family had inherited from their grandfather the Kaiser Ludwig the Great, but never truly utilized the resources from the Baltic counties, and so placing someone to oversee them for the King was decided the best, since the King now had the territories of Jerusalem and Hebron to watch over.

Instead of returning after his crowning ceremony Miquel the Great decided to march north to Archa where his nephew the Emperor of the Byzantines resided. The Pope even came along hoping to lend the Emperor strength as he fought against the infidels and hopefully to tell him how important it was to convert the Empire into Catholicism.

Much as the King expected things were none too well in the Emperor's current civil war. Another duchy was gaining potential to break away, so the King Burgundy resorted to use the might of his own forces to crush the rebellions in true de Forez fashion.

After this war comes to an end King Miquel sends word out to muster the forces in Province and Savoy and to ready the English Lords in case reserves were needed, for on that day as the Kings sails were raised, was the day the Burgundian Claim on Genoa would begin April 19, 1231. And when the King lands in Provence, he hears that the Knights of Saint John had completed the Castle he had granted them to build in the County of Hebron.

A year would pass of skirmishes with the Genoese militias and laying siege to the Grand City itself. War would continue but bloodshed would begin to taper off. And finally on the 13 of August 1232 the Burgundian siege of Genoa was won, but the Doge remained elusive that day that his city fell.

But the Doge of Genoa would only run for a little while for Doge Adriano the Wise of Genoa would finally offer himself up in capitulation on November 16, 1232.

With the keys to the city in hand the King would grant his son-in-law Prince Bjorn of Sweden the title of Doge of Genoa. And from there would once again begin his return to Lyon of which he'd been absent from for quite a few years at this point. But alas his latest attempt to relax would be cut short for Queen Swanhilde I of France would send an urgent request delivered directly by Miquel's oldest and most beloved of sons, requesting Burgundian assistance to defend Toulouse from the Emir of Beja.

King Miquel understand that he needs to maintain the integrity of French Lands now that his descendants were set to inherit the Realm. So he agreed, but instead of mustering his own forces he instead sent out request to all the Holy Orders to come to Burgundy and defend the Honor of the French. The Holy Orders would come and march out meeting the armies of Beja head on in clashes that even the French historians would be proud of. It was during this war that King Miquel's reasoning for using Holy Orders was spot on this time, for the Duke of Lower Lorraine would declare independence on the 22 of September 1234 but would be utterly destroyed by the sheer weight of Burgundian forces.

A year would pass of sieges in Bejan territory trying to convince them to surrender and give up in their futile attempt to ever take more land from the French. But sad news would once more grip Miquel for his daughter-in-law Swanhildis I of France died after a period of illness on the 18 of January 1235, making the Great Burgundian King's nephew little Miquel de Forez the First French King of that Name. Later that year after the Holy Orders successfully sieged and occupied some territory in Gascogne and Aquitane the Emir surrendered and gave up his Holy War.

And then the Uprising of the Rebellious Duke of Lower Lorraine was officially ended a bit after that:

Four years would end up passing with nothing of note occurring. King Miquel was getting much too old, and his vassals were beginning to prepare themselves for the possibilities of a new reign and what a new Miquel's policies may end up being. But the Great Dauphin would have one last chance to grab even more greatness for the Byzantine Emperor requested Burgundian assistance once again this time in a Holy War to gain the Duchy of Mesopotamia.

The day King Miquel the Great set sail from Provence at the head of a large Burgundian of some fifty thousand men it would be the final time he would ever set foot upon Burgundian soil again. And would be the last time he would see and kiss his younger yet still old wife's lips. For the Great Dauphin was very old, but no one, no one at all in the realm had the ability to talk the King into staying home and letting his Generals conduct the War in the name of the Emperor Averado.

And so the King fought for the Emperor thos final years. Leading his men on to siege every possible county they could find to siege. But there would be news from Edinburgh, Scotland, that would end King Miquel's struggle against age, and make him wish to depart the world of the living as well. For on March 6, 1242, Queen Geva of Scotland the Queen Consort of Burgundy died, leaving Miquel's youngest son Artau de Forez to inherit the Scottish Crown.

Eight months later the Emir of Mesopotamia would Capitulate to the Catholic Byzantine Emperor, surrendering his Mesopotamian holdings. And once again the King and his Nephew were victorious. In fact Emperor Averado I de Forez sent for King Miquel at that time wanting to speak of how more Burgundian/Imperial cooperation such as this could forever reforge the Eastern Empire into its former glories and resurrect it from this sad state of decline.

Unfortunately for the fate of the East and the rest of Europe the Great Dauphin no longer had any wide dreams for he had accomplished everything. He had almost completely regained all of Burgundy's de Jure borders, he had put an end to the Kaiser's hegemony, he Crusaded, he conquered, and he placed two descendants on two more European thrones. Securing the de Forez dynasty even further. But his one last great hope was to join his wife in the afterlife, he had no aspiration to fix the problems of the East and had no more desire to steal the Kaiser's throne either. For, King Miquel II "the Great" de Forez would die in Archa, the Capital of the Eastern Roman Empire on November 19, 1242.

The King of Stress


King Miquel III de Forez was crowned a week or so after his father died, for he had to make his way from the province in France that his son the King Miquel I of France had granted him, to the Kingdoms Capital in Lyon. But these days in the annals of the de Forez family would not be the most shining and glorious as were the days of this Miquel's father. Just days after the Coronation the Duchess of York declared a war for independence not wanting to kiss the feet of yet another Burgundian Miquel.

Even though Miquel's forces could easily dispose of the rogue duchess he grew stressed, for many of his men were still in Asia Minor after the victory of the Emperor and his father Miquel over the Mesopotamians, and these same forces were delegated to remain to help the Emperor fight against a rebellious Doux of Paphlogonia once again.

Due to this stress the Third Miquel of the Dauphins would rest in his family's castle in Kent awaiting news from his Marshal of the proceedings in York. And as suspected the Duchess Jorunn was arrested and imprisoned for her high crimes against her sovereign.

After the successful conclusion of the Civil War in the Empire, the Dauphin's troops returned home once more, and King Miquel III would order a Grand Tournament be held in honor of his successful elevation to the throne four years prior. And so once more for the first time since Burgundian Independence forty years prior, a Grand Tournament would be held outside the Royal Castle of Pusignan, Lyon.

Months later word would reach Pusignan that Miquel's half-brother King Artau I de Forez, King of Scotland, had died on the battlefield fighting off the rebellious lords that did not wish to be ruled by a Continental European Family. And so Artau at the age of 22 would pass his crown onto the 2 year daughter Gyda de Forez.

Miquel feeling sorry for his family's misfortunes sent word to his Marshal to muster Burgundy's main levies and set sail for the Byzantine Empire, as at that time the Emperor Averado I had declared a holy war for Armenia Minor. And while the Marshal led his forces back into the heart of Anatolia, the King would set sail for Kent once more to oversee the dire matters that were afflicting the British Isles.

From Kent the King would raise his English forces, which constituted roughly half of all levies the King could raise, and began marching them North to Scotland in Defense of his young niece's crown. Sadly his action would prove a bit late as the Wars of independence had gone on too long and the Queen's regent was unable to dictate sound military policy. With that the Duchy of Moray broke free along with the County of Innse-Gall, however te Southern Duchies would eventually be pacified by King Miquel's forces.

As the rebels were crushed and brought to the Queen's Court by Miquel and his men, the King of Burgundy, and son of the Great Dauphin, decided he could no longer allow such a young girl sit upon the Scottish Throne. It would seem that his father's seed had weakened somehow in his old age and that the children sired by him and the Queen of Scotland were somehow lacking in Fortitude and Power as the rest of the de Forez's. And so with his stressed nature he may have reacted a little too irrationally for people that are under great amounts of stress do from occasion snap. But this time the snapping manifested in the 5 year old Queen being hurled from a rocky cliff one night after a walk with her uncle and would forever lay in repose somewhere in the Northern Seas.

Weeks would pass and it would be decided among the Scottish nobility that sure enough some sad accident had befallen their gracious majesty, and turned the issue of Succession over to the Privy Council to be headed by the Regent. It was there that it was decided, that Scotland would pass the crown onto King Miquel III of Burgundy, for one he was the King of a mighty Realm, and two he had twenty thousand men camped out in the Scottish highlands waiting for the slightest of provocations. So the nearness of his sworn swords secured the Throne of Scotland, and were therefor turned to the newly independent Count of Cumberland and the Duke of Moray.

It should be added for historical purposes that the Kings inheritance of Scotland allowed him to pass more land off to distant members of the family. As he continued the process of dynastic gifts to those members of the family that seemed deserving. So he named a newly born baby Reinaerd de Forez Duke of Albany, and elevated Ricard de Forez to become Duke of the Isles.

And also it should be noted for the sake of posterity that before the King marched his men on Moray and Cumberland he first did what his Father had done early in his reign. He sent emissaries to Moray and Innse-Gall giving them each a final chance to bend the knee and swear undying allegiance and fealty to the crown. But sadly only the tiny Count of Innse-Gall felt threatened enough to bend his knee. The Duke of Moray however would raise his banners in War.

During these two successive wars the King kept Court in Edinburgh, but was always fretting over minor details and growing more and more irate with the constant frustrations of Dukes and Counts and all the thousands of administrative pieces that went into running such a large realm. There has even been some journals that are attributed to the Third Miquel of Burgundy that portray his stress. And in one entry he goes so far as to say the following:

I was out walking late last night, down a familiar path. I wondered why such a path would be familiar to myself and realized with a startled and saddened heart that it was the same path I had taken my niece down just a year before.....I stopped at the cliff and looked out below at the seas breaking upon the rocks. And could hear her screams as she fell...I felt depressed that I had committed such an act of villainy, felt so guilty that these hands had gave the Queen that fateful shove. In a way I only did what many had blamed me of doing so many years ago. For this time I truly did murder for a beneficial outcome, the sad thing is I could no longer live with myself."

Click to expand...

And so only a year after being crowned King of Scotland, some would say the night he wrote that down on paper the King would disappear, the only remnant to be found of King Miquel III de Forez would be a stain of blood upon a rock that some say he had bashed his upon when he jumped.

Loderingo said:

More good stuff tnick. Could you show a world map at some point to give us an idea how far the Forez' domain stretches now?

Click to expand...

Yes indeed here is the Kingdom Map of what the world looks like a few years into the Fourth Miquel's reign it honestly isn't as impressive as other people's maps but hey its an improvement from only having two counties two hundred years ago. And another thing I think is fun, is looking at Venice...first game I've seen where the Venetians are getting aggressive and eating other's land:



It doesn't really show my holdings of Jerusalem and Hebron on there, and I still am clueless how the Queen of Sweden has not yet usurped that Crown yet, Guess she doesn't want to be responsible for the Holy Land. And also this map doesn't show my one norwegian holding of Finnmark, they finally quit uprising because I turned their count into a vassal of the Duke of Pommerania. And the Kingdom of Brittany has splintered and somehow ended up in the Duchy of Toulouse if I remember right.

Oh and here is a Dynastic map, even though we hold the Byzantine Empire, it doesn't look all that impressive since well ERE is becoming more an more nonexistant as time goes by.



I will take one of those better map screenshots in game where it doesn't really show names just is laid out in the realm specific colors its a little easier to see individual points on those ones I think.

Well once I've sat upon the throne for a bit longer I think my levies will be able to stand toe to toe with the HRE on the Kaiser's best of days, and when he's going through his headaches well usually outnumber number him by a good 20k, so I may start land grabbing soon or set up for an Invasion CB...nothing would be funner then to complete occupy the entire HRE and redistribute the lands to good de Forez members.

But then again I'm leaning towards a Burgundian Reconquista for Miquel IV, because it reestablishes the old French borders, and also will give me much more man power when the day of running the Kaisers out of town shows up.

Also been looking at Ireland but since Miquel IV my current King I'm playing was originally King of France I think it only makes sense that he keeps his eyes set on the intruding Muslims. As well as staying true to his obligations of doing his best to help the ERE Emperor, and who knows maybe their will be another Crusade or Burgundy will get called in to fight the Hordes. Not sure what will happen but the Reconquista is definitely what I'm leaning towards currently

So what will probably happen soon when I play is a double Holy War, one against Beja for Aquitaine (led by levies of French/Burgundian troops) and one against Sevilla for that Northwestern part of Iberia (led by English/Scottish troops). Also have to admit I will be pressing a claim on that annoying chunk of land in south western England called Cornwall as well.

Thank ya Bball....and oh yes the Swedish question I actually have a de Forez with a claim on the Swedish crown if I remember right he's the brother of the new Doge of Genoa. So probably be potential conflict with them. Honestly I about said no to the Pope's Crusade but then I was like what would a newly freed king from the HRE do? Oh yes impress the Pope by going on a Crusade, so thats how de Forez's in the Holy land happened.

I try and make decisions as rashly as I think a ruler of said country would make, do have to say de forez emperor is really trying my patience as he always gives land I help him conquer back. Its really frustrating the Burgundians. So starting to think I may let that branch of the de Forez's just wither and die. But the strategy sessions with the new Miquel have begun and we will see if he can reunite the lands of France, or perhaps add a Seventh Crown to his head, because he does have some proving to do as his father was a complete and utter failure. Miquel the III shortest reigning King of Burgundy thus far lol

Oh and just a few years after consolidating Scotland and France this is the manpower

I know right can match them and the HRE and still have a good 30K left, and that screen shot was taken just a few years after Miquel IV took the throne, so thats counting the various short reign modifiers. Just got done playing quite a good twenty years and well those stats are even more scary for the other realms

Think its almost to the point where the only thing that can stop us de Forez's is us de Forez's But I think the GH's problem was a fairly strong Rus, but as I was playing I had a good laugh because there was a random 500 man band from the Golden Hord just traveling around France seeing whatsup. Guess they were the local tourists coming to check out the Empire built by de Forez blood sweat and tears.