God's Kingdom

God's Kingdom Part 8 - All Part of the Plan


Growing up I was always overshadowed by my brother. He was the eldest and destined to rule. I was always an after thought. Maybe I would get a minor title somewhere or serve on my brother's council. More than likely I would have been ignored. That all changed in the blink of an eye. I was always a true believer and felt God had plans for me. As I was quickly crowned King of Jerusalem and given the responsibility of keeping the Holy Land free I knew that to be true.

Things don't start out too well for me. My grandfather thought elective was a good form of succession for Jerusalem. Maybe so back in his days but in my days it proved troublesome. The Duke of Galilee had more votes than me! My first goal is to get the Kingdom of Jerusalem into primo as soon as possible. First I needed to fight off the Muslims.


Cloaked in real armor and the armor of my faith I lead my army into Madaba to drive out the infidels. In neighboring Irbid the peasants rise up to drive out the infidels as well.


Five years after the war first begun the Knights Templar finally got off their lazy asses and offered to join the war. I think the Grand Master had some sort of grudge against brother and it wasn't until after his death they joined in. No matter the reason I was happy for the help.


I was feeling pretty tough and bad-ass. We were holding off nine Muslim realms all by ourselves. Even though he pledged support the Knights Templar didn't really show up to the fight. Their empty promises wouldn't be forgotten.


Having driven the Muslim armies out of my borders I took the fight to them in Ma'an. The war had been going on for 6 years and their manpower was drained. If I could smash their army I could end the war. There was little doubt of the outcome.


Praise the Lord! Having smashed their army the infidels admitted defeat. They realized the futility of continuing on.


With the war against the Muslims wrapped up I was able to turn to internal issues. I was still forced to deal with Tancred being my heir. Thankfully he gave me a way out when he started plotting against me. While my guards failed to capture him I still got the result I wanted, a way to get Tancred out of the picture.


I realized that maybe it was better to lead from the back. Less chance of taking a sword to the chest. Leonard used to lead from the front and look where that got him. I always considered myself far more intelligent than he was and it was time I started acting it. Better craven than dead.


The war against Galilee went pretty well. I defeated their army and laid siege to their counties. Leave it to the infidels to go and screw everything up. Suddenly a Syrian army of 6,500 warriors departed Damascus on their way to Galilee. After just fighting Syria for years I just didn't have the want to keep going, this time in a proxy war over Galilee.


Putting my pride aside and doing what was right for the kingdom I offer Duke Tancred an out. We agreed to end the war on neutral terms and in doing so we denied the Sultan of Syria his holy war. While I was so looking forward to Tancred in my dungeon I can at least take a little satisfaction in ruining Duqaq's fun.


After seven years of war the armies of Jerusalem were depleted. I afforded my realm time to recover and for the levies to replenish. It was a quiet time for Jerusalem and before long I got bored. Thankfully the Shia to my west provided me an opportunity. In July, 1152 the Shia Caliphate was fighting a civil war. With them distracted fighting each other I decided it was time to strike and reconquer Ascalon. With God on our side we would free those lands or die trying.

RossN said:

Great read! I was very tempted to a Jerusalem AAR myself and I can see it is a lot of fun.

Bad luck with Leonard. looking forward to see how Phillipe handles matters.

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Thank you Ross! Yeah, Leonard didn't last too long. Always a risk when you insist on leading troops into battle yourself though.

Dirked99 said:

Great read so far!

Always felt like when i played Jerusalem, or carved out a nice chunk of land through Crusade, that I was in a precarious position.

Have the Muslim states started to unify or are they all still separate?

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Thanks Dirked! Things were really feeling dicey there for a while during that holy war. A couple times I had to turn off the game and get away from it for a bit. Stressful and I wasn't sure I was going to pull it off. I'm a fair bit past where the story is now and thankfully they haven't blobbed up too much the the Seljuks were starting to look scary.

God's Kingdom Part 9 - Family Love

Last time Jerusalem tried to free Ascalon it ended in disappointment. King Godefroy was forced to white peace when a large Shia army smashed his forces. I planned on not making the same mistake. I gathered every man who could hold a sword and marshaled them in Darum. We paused only long enough to build ladders and siege towers. As soon as our siege equipment was ready the order was given and my army swarmed the walls. There were casualties but Darum was mine.


A month later my army overran the defenders of Ascalon and the war was won. After years of war against Syria the Jerusalemite Army was working like a well oiled machine. With the defeat of Syria and their allies and then the quick and decisive victory over the Shia Caliphate I was feeling real good. I began insisting that everyone refer to me as The King. While I felt I was on my way to being one of the greatest kings ever, other people had a different opinion of me.


Uncle Louis always gave me uncomfortable looks at the family gatherings. I think he resented the fact that I became King of Jerusalem and he became ruler of a county that's best purpose is a buffer between my lands and the infidels. Tired of me only thinking of him as a speed bump Uncle Louis decided he'd had enough.


Uncle Louis somehow conned his neighbor Payen into supporting him. Maybe Louis promised a sea-side county far away from the Muslims. Of course in the end all they would find was a dungeon cell. Out of loyalty to the family I did give Uncle Louis a window.


Uncle Beoit and Uncle Louis were always close as kids. So after Louis got sent to my dungeon I guess Benoit felt he should join him. I mean... why else would he have thought he could defeat me? I beat two of the largest Muslim armies in the world. I was pretty confident I could crush whatever small army Benoit could muster. I was gracious enough to give him a cell with a window next to his brother.




The family love-fest continued when my brother started plotting my murder. I had five sons so I don't know what he hoped to gain by my death. Maybe he just wanted me dead out of jealousy that I got to be king when our brother died and he only got one county to rule. He was quickly defeated and put in prison with our uncles. At this rate the next family reunion will be in down in my dungeons.


With many of my vassals out to kill me or break away I realized how dangerous being a king could be. Throw in all the unfriendly neighbors and life in Jerusalem could be rough. I decided to secure myself a haven I could flee to just in case things really fall apart. Malta looked like a great little haven. It's ruler only owned the single county and had no allies. If I wouldn't come along and free it from the infidels some Italian noble would. In fact I was doing the people of Malta a favor.


Thinking I was preparing to abandon the kingdom and seeing his chance the Duke of Tripoli tried to win his independence. I was slightly relieved by the fact that finally someone who was raising an army against me wasn't family. There was less guilt involved when I tossed him in the dungeon for the rest of his life. Also I was out of cells with a window.


The war against Tripoli ended just in time to celebrate my eldest son's 16th birthday. We celebrated his complete mediocrity and absolute lack of talent. Raise a toast to the next King of Jerusalem. God save us.


King Philippe the Holy had quite the ring to it and I found it fitting. I was after all the ruler of God's Kingdom on Earth. I rivaled the Pope himself as His living representative. And after hearing some of the rumors coming out of Rome... lets just say only one of us deserves to be called 'the Holy'. Of course it's pretty easy to look pious when you spend your life killing infidels.

God's Kingdom Part 9 - Through Struggle

What was I going to do with Mathiue? How could I turn my kingdom over to him someday knowing he would be hard pressed to survive? Being king is hard enough, even more so when you aren't all that capable as a man. Finally I had an idea, I would find him a good wife. Someone who would do all the real ruling and decision making for him. I found the perfect woman in England and sent for her at once. Geva would be the saviour of Jerusalem.


Of course things never go smoothly. Every time you start to think things are looking up God comes along and tests you further. It's just His way. Just when I think I've found some answers to what to do with Mathieu he gets himself excommunicated. Dammit! The future king of Jerusalem needs to be seen as one of the holiest men alive. I personally penned a note to the Pope asking him to lift the excommunication.


The next year and a half was a quiet time for Jerusalem. I patiently waited for an opportunity to open up so I could expand the Holy Land further. I had sent my chancellor to Cyprus after they broke free from the Byzantine Empire. I wanted him to find some proof that the island in fact rightfully belonged to me. It took him a little while to convince the right people but finally he did. With my levies replenished and my coffers full of gold I sent ordered my armies to go free Cyprus from the Orthodox rulers.


Cyprus had exhausted their forces fighting for their freedom and were unable to put up much of a fight. That was fine by me because the Hospitallers refused to come help me fight. Apparently they will only kill Muslims. I tried explaining that Orthodox is almost as bad but they wouldn't listen to me. Two years of slow sieges got the results I wanted though. Cyprus was now a part of my kingdom and because I could I decided to call myself King of Cyprus.


There must have been something in the water in Galilee that lead ruler after ruler to rebellion. Abdul-Wahad took exception to me having two crowns and raised his flag in rebellion. Having finished the war in Cyprus I was able to replenish my levies and raise a new army to crush him.


I still didn't see much point in leading men into battle myself. It is far too risky and I liked being alive. People die in battle. In my place I had Jaufre command my army as they go to battle against Galilee. He was a far more capable commander which he proved when in the first battle he slew Abdul-Wahad. While I would have enjoyed stripping my disloyal duke of his title, having him painfully die on the business end of my vassal's sword was almost as satisfying.


With my internal matters resolved for the time being I was given just enough time to catch my breath before having to deal with another war. The Shia Caliph had finished putting down numerous revolts in his kingdom and was itching to re-conquer Ascalon.

I didn't realize Allah did home remodeling

I ordered all the available levies in the kingdom raised and also made the usual invite to the Hospitallers. Can't go to war without my favorite infidel killers. Unfortunately there were a couple personal wars being fought between nobles and they rob me of precious fighting men. But I suppose it was nice that for once they were fighting each other instead of me.


To my surprise the Knights Templar offered to join in my defense right away. Last time they sat on the sidelines until things were pretty much concluded. I wasn't going to hold too much of a grudge though. That seemed rather unholy. I had am image to uphold. Also, I could always use more fodder.


As my levies slowly rallied to form a sizable host the Shia army made their way towards Ascalon. Soon enough the blood of Christian soldiers and infidel scum would be spilled.

Chief Ragusa said:

Find the best suited son and eliminate the rest. You can't have a weak king of Jerusalem. Leading from the front or assassination. This current war offers plenty of chances for unsuitable heirs to die.

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Unfortunately it wouldn't be very holy and pious of me to start assassinating children. Though shipping them off to a monastery is an option.

Qorten said:

Hey, you're writing an excellent AAR here, BigDork! Keep it up. Just make sure you get rid of unworthy sons.

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Thank you. Unworthy sons can make for good storytelling.

Dirked99 said:

Reading this really makes me want to play a Jerusalem game. Exciting to be on the edge of danger all the time.

Smart move with Cyprus! Did you also capture Malta? I wasn't sure through the screen shot.

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Glad you're enjoying it. Yep, that's Malta. It was itching for someone to come along and nab it and I wanted to beat all the Italians to the punch. I'll go back and clarify things a bit.

Thank you all for reading! Sorry for the delay in updating. I got to go home for a friend's wedding this weekend. Now I'm back and able to keep defending the Holy Land
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God's Kingdom Part 10 - Farewell My Sons

The Caliph's army was intercepted as they made their way towards Ascalon. Being outnumbered two to one the Muslims didn't stand much of a chance. Maybe in different terrain but the plains along the coast were perfect for the heavy knights of the Hospitallers. They charged again and again and every time they did the infidels died and got closer to breaking. Before long they were in a route leaving many dead behind.



Not everything was going my way though. For some unknown reason a small band of men went south into enemy territory unsupported. My main force was engaged with the survivors of the large battle in Ascalon and I was helpless to send aid. I felt bad for the senseless deaths of brave Christian soldiers but such mistakes happen in war. The plan was to make fewer mistakes than the Muslims.


A year later I was proving that God was on my side and Allah was definitely not on theirs. Not only was I able to crush the Caliphate's initial attack but I was then able to take the fight to them.


Eventually the Shia were able to scrape together another army and decided to begin freeing the lands I had taken over. Even with attrition starting to take a noticeable toll on my numbers I was still able to quickly and easily react to their efforts.


When I learned that we had captured the Caliph's second son in battle I made sure to say an extra prayer of thanks that night. I wanted to execute the prince right there on the spot but was persuaded to do otherwise. Sure it would have sent a message to the Caliph but the gold that he would pay to have his son returned would be able to help make my kingdom even mightier. I liked the idea of infidel gold improving my kingdom.


When reports came in of a Muslim army near Ascalon I was confused. My men were all through the Egyptian territories and we would have seen an army 7000 strong coming through. They never would have passed. I ordered the sieges reduced to the minimum manning they needed to continue and ordered the new army to march for home before the Shia could dig in.


Soon after I got my answer to where they came from. I had ordered the Knights Hospitaller south to put the Caliph's capital under siege. While capturing Egyptian territories was sending a message I really wanted to drive home you do not mess with Jerusalem. As the Knights arrived they spotted a small band of Shia men marching through Yemen on the other side of the Red Sea from where my men were. The crafty bastards!


I personally lead one of the flanks of the army that chased the Muslims from my kingdom. We battled hard and bravely and in the end we were victorious. Throughout the battle I tried to be where I was needed most and more than once it felt like I made the difference in if my flank held. God granted me the strength and courage and others recognized my heroism.



With his army smashed and routed and his capital under siege the Caliph finally saw that there was no hope of reclaiming Ascalon. To go along with the praises of my fellow Christians for keeping the holy lands free and the satisfaction of many infidels slain I am given over 1,000 gold in reparations for the unjust attack on my kingdom. More infidel gold for me.


Things were not always glorious during the war. As I was campaigning I learned that my youngest son had passed away. It was so unjust that as I am fighting for His glory, He would take my youngest boy from me. But God is great and I know that it was all part of His plan in some way.


As I was still dealing with the grief of losing my boy I learned that my son and heir had passed as well. It turns out he had been maimed while fighting a personal war and never recovered from his wounds. I was never thrilled with him as my heir. I never thought he was sufficient to being King of Jerusalem and I feared for my kingdom. But Jerusalem has a hopeful future that layed on the shoulders of Amaury. I prayed I was able to raise him better than I raised his father.

Jape said:

Well at least Mathieu wont touch the holy throne. Now let's hope Philippe survives long enough to raise his grandson well. All these uprising can't be good for his health. A knife in the palace is as effective as a knife on the battlefield!

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I was surprised but definitely not saddened to see Mathieu die. Assassinating him would have been totally out of character and this spared me the hassle of finding some other way to kill him off. Philippe is in for some interesting times ahead.

I had a request in another forum for a map so here it is. This is from about one year after the Caliph surrenders to me.



And a look at my kingdom and the surrounding area...

Qorten said:

Let's hope Amaury turns out beter then his late elder brother. A great victory over the muslims, they should have learned their lesson now.

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You would think they'd learn their lesson but the infidels seem to be determined to re-conquer the Holy Land from me. Amaury is going to need to be a talented and skilled king if he's to survive.

God's Kingdom Part 11 - The Interwar Years

At some point while I was distracted by the Caliph attempting to steal back my lands Demetrios up in Cyprus was able to win his independence from the Duke of Cyprus and also usurp the duchy. The joke was on him though because an independent county in this part of the world lasts about as long as a lone donut in a fat camp. After maybe a year of being free from Jerusalem Deemtrios had lost his county to the Bey of Edessa.


As the quiet times of peace continue on I continued to be bored. With nothing better to do I dreamed of all the ways I could spend the infidel's gold. While others might be more skillful in certain areas I was the one with the ideas of how to grow Jerusalem into a better kingdom. Others might have seen pride as a sin but I saw it is a driving force and something that will only make me better.


"Pride comes before the fall." With all the internal strife inside my kingdom I had sent my spymaster to investigate what was going on in Tyrus. I attributed much of the disruption of peace to the ruler of Tyrus. When I was told my spymaster was killed in Tyrus I almost lost it. I didn't have proof that he had been killed by Count Stefen but that didn't stop me from plotting revenge. Stefen would pay for killing my council member. That's a right only a king should have.


Death continued to walk the land. In May of 1174 another of my children was taken from me. Praise to God that my grandson and heir is healthy and coming along well in his education. I continued to add a thanks to God every day



The family love-fest continued when my brother Loup was discovered to be plotting the murder of my grandson. I had sent Loup off to Italy a few years back to get him out of my way but apparently that wasn't effective enough. He refused to stop plotting against my heir so I did the the only though I could think of... I turned to the Pope. While an excommunication wouldn't save my son it would make life uncomfortable for my brother. Burning in Hell is just about what he deserves.


God apparently approved of my request for excommunication because soon after an opportunity presented itself that was too good to pass up. Laurentios in Cyprus usurped the duchy title back from the Bey of Edessa. This gave me the perfect reason to reclaim all of Cyprus for God. I doubt Laurentios was smart enough to realize what he was doing at the time but it worked out wonderfully for the kingdom as a whole.



I dreamed of someday reclaiming Edessa for the family. My great-uncle was once Duke before he was run off by the infidels. While the war for all of Cyprus did nothing to reclaim my ancestral lands it was a start. I ordered the levies raised and sent word to the Hospitallers that there were Muslim heads to split. Jerusalem was going to war!

Dirked99 said:

So what is your final plan?

Hold a small Kingdom under relatively strict control? Or smash your way into Syria and Egypt and expand?

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Well at this point it's just to survive. Once my survival is ensured I'll try to smash the infidels and grow the Holy Land as much as I can.