Chronica Burgundiae

[MelloHero]

Well, here's my first AAR. I began this game as the Count of Sundgau in 1066. From there I became the Duke of Alsace, which was my goal, since Alsace was the land of my ancestors. Some expansion into Germany, and before long my leader had several ducal titles, as well as vassals out the wazoo. I can't upload any maps right now, but my personal demesne consists of Alsace and Baden in Germany, as well as parts of Barcelona, Toledo, and the Algarves in Spain and Portugal. The chronicle proper will be in the next post, and in an in-universe style. It will be amended as time goes on with notes and references, of various sorts, as well as other, OOC posts in the thread for discussion and such.

[DumBMan]

Well, then hurry up, it looks damn funny. I'm looking forward to it!

[MelloHero]

Behold, the glory of the Kingdom of Burgundy!
Capital: Strossburi

Red = vassals; dark red = personal demesne

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CHRONICA REGVM BVRGVNDIÆ

(Pre-1066 history)

660 Saint Odile was born this year.
668 Adalrich, Duke of Alsace and father of Saint Odile, came to power this year.
672 Saint Odile fled to the convent this year.
689 Adalrich, Duke of Alsace, died and was succeeded by Adalbert of Alsace, who built Koenigshoffen in Strossburi and the abbeys at Honau and Strossburi.
720 This year the blessed Saint Odile recounted the beauties of Heaven to her sister religious, and entered into that rest.
722 Adalbert of Alsace died this year and was succeded by Luitfrid I of Alsace.
723 Eticho II of Nordgau, Duke of Swabia, died in this year and was succeeded as Count of Nordgau by Alberic I of Nordgau.
735 Alberic I died and was succeeded by Eberhard I, his son.
747 Rhutard of Nordgau, son of Luitfrid I of Alsace, becomes Count of Nordgau.
765 Rhutard I died this year. Eberhard I took up the comital office again.
767 Luitfrid I of Alsace died this year.
778 Louis the Pious was born this year.
800 Charlemagne was crowned emperor in Rome this year by Pope Leo III. Eberhard I of Nordgau died this year and was succeeded by Alberic II.
813 Charlemagne crowned his son Louis King of the Franks on the thirteenth of September.
814 This was the year of Charlemagne's death, on the twenty-eighth of January.
816 Alberic II of Nordgau died this year and was succeeded by Eberhard II, son of Eberhard I.
817 Louis the Pious crowned his son Lothair Emperor of the Romans this year.
840 Louis the Pious died, and the war between Lothair I and his brothers began.
841 Lothair I was defeated at Fontenoy.
843 Lothair I and his brothers divided the kingdom of their father at Verdun this year.
864 Eberhard II of Nordgau died this year and was succeded by his son Eberhard III.
920 Eberhard II of Nordgau died this year and was succeded by his son Hugo I.
940 Hugo I of Nordgau died and was succeded by Eberhard IV.
951 Eberhard IV retired to Àldorf. Hugo II succeeded him as governor.
972 Eberhard IV died this year, and Hugo II inherited the title of Count of Nordgau.
984 Hugo II died and was succeeded by his eldest son, Eberhard V.
996 Eberhard V died and was succeeded by his son, Hugo III.
999 Hugo III died this year without children. His brother, Eberhard VI, succeded him.
1027 Eberhard VI died without children and was succeeded by his uncle, Hugo IV of Nordgau, son of Hugo II. The county was ravaged by Ernst II, Duke of Swabia.
1048 Hugo IV died and was succeded by his grandson Heinrich I.
1065 Heinrich I died and was succeeded by his cousin Gerhard of Nordgau, son of Gerhard of Egisheim, son of Hugo IV.

(in-game history)
1092 St. Ernest of Strassburg was born.
1096 Gerhard of Nordgau died in his forty-sixth year. He was succeeded by his eldest living son, Anselm.
11-- In this year, Anselm Duke of Alsace and Baden joined Bruno King of Germany against the Count of Aargau. The King of Germany died in the Battle of Aarau. Subsequent to this, Anselm took the province for his own and gave it to the Count of Breisgau, his loyal retainer. He renounced his fealty to the new King of Germany and made war on him in Upper Burgundy, Bavaria, and Franconia.
1129 Anselm Duke of Alsace died. His son Ernest succeeded him.
1153 In this year, Ernest led an army to capture Silves from the Moors, where he sustained his grave wound.

Commentator's note: "his grave wound" (vulnus gravem sui) refers to the Life of St. Ernest, wherein his wounding at the Battle of Silves brought about his conversion. He also adopted two of his bastard children, Bernhard the Elder and Leopold, as true sons and heirs.

1154 This was the year of St. Ernest of Strassburg's repose in the Lord, the sixty-second of his life. His adopted son Bernhard the Elder succeeded him as Duke of Alsace, and Leopold was given lands in the north.
1194 The Saracens made war upon Venice. Duke Bernhard fought alongside the Venetians in Spain and Portugal, and there was declared Duke of the Algarve.
11-- The war in Spain concluded this year. All Venetian holdings in Spain were taken by the Saracens, but Bernhard's holdings were maintained.

Commentator's note: Contemporary Turko-Persian records indicate that Alsace negotiated peace the year before, effectively leaving the Venetians to fight the Turks themselves.

11-- The Count of Mide swears fealty to Bernhard Duke of Alsace.
1192 Ida, daughter of Ulrich von Nordgau, and Oda, wife of Albrecht von Nordgau, heir to the county, were murdered by Albrecht this year.
1194 Marshal Wilhelm was murdered by Albrecht von Nordgau this year.
1197 Bernhard's heir Albrecht was sent into exile after his madness was manifest and his crimes made known, and died later in the year. Masses were offered for him, as well as for his wife Oda, his niece Ida, and Marshal Wilhelm, by his son the new heir Friedrich.
1194 In this year, the King of Burgundy and Italy retreated to Breisgau, his last home, having lost his holdings in those lands. Bernhard attacked and was crowned King of Burgundy. Celebrations in Strossburi lasted for days.
1196 Neuchatel and Schwyz were conquered and given to the Count of Aargau.
1202 Expansions were begun in the spring of the year to Strossburi Cathedral, including a chapel to St. Ernest. Tancred Prince-Bishop of St. Gallen rebelled against the King in this year, and he was conquered. Castles were completed in Bade and Àltkìrech. The Saracens in Faro took up arms against the Christian rulers in this year.
1203 The Saracens revolted in La Mancha in this year, as the expansions to Strossburi Cathedral were completed. Bernhard was taken ill shortly after.
1204 A castle in Friburg was completed this year, and King Bernhard joined the Venetians against the Saracens in Africa.
1205 Bernhard was delivered from his illness, and the Count of Hainaut and the Duke of Ulster pledged fealty to him this year.
1207 War was joined with Croatia and her vassals on behalf of the Venetians. Cuenca was conquered, and Bernhard was named Duke of Toledo. Bern was also captured and given to the Count of Besancon.
1208 The slow fever swept all the Algarve, and Toledo was captured by King Bernhard.
1209 The war turned against Burgundy, and all of Spain was ravaged by Croatian invaders and the slow fever.
1210 King Bernhard of Burgundy died at Strossburi on the twenty-sixth of April, in his seventy-second year. It was his sixteenth year as King, and his fifty-sixth year since succeeding his father St. Ernest. King Friedrich acceded the throne of Charlemagne in July of the same year. The Counts of Genoa and Mide refused to swear fealty to him, and Genoa took up arms to this end. Great stresses were laid upon the kingdom as the new king struggled to maintain order within the realm and fight the war without. He eventually acquiesced to the Croats' demands, surrendering the provinces of Toledo and Cuenca to the King of Croatia. Peace was made with the Saracens in Africa soon after. Peace restored, he turned his attentions once more to the vassals which had broken free. He approached Mide as the lost sheep and graciously offered the protection of vassalhood to the Count of that province. The Count accepted, and was readmitted to the kingdom happily. Genoa, however, he approached as a judge. Sending the best soldiers he had, fresh from Croatia, he laid siege to the city and would not hear the Count's supplications to be left alone.
1211 Genoa was conquered and returned to vassalage to Friedrich King of Burgundy in this year. Strains and rebellions against the Turks in Spain caused several Moorish counties to rebel, and King Friedrich made war against Almansa and Alcacer do Sal. Almansa was conquered the following month. The King of Norway allied with King Friedrich.
1212 Alcacer do Sal was captured at the beginning of this year. Shortly thereafter, Otto the Bastard was born to King Friedrich. Friedrich joined Norway in war against Livonia, Vodi and other pagan tribes. The Count of Aargau declared war on the King of Croatia, and King Friedrich did not join his vassal.

[MelloHero]

It's 1211 now, and DAMN, was that a rough three years. The war against Croatia went well at first and I captured some good land. Made myself Duke of Toledo, got some more land in Burgundy...and then it all blew up in my face. Croatia started sending stacks of 23,000 soldiers into Spain and wreaking havoc, revolts popped up all over, and then Realm Duress hit. Genoa broke free and declared war on me, Mide declares independence, and right then, and no freaking later, the king dies. Friedrich takes over... and is a complete moron. Military 8 (raised in the army, mind you), Diplomacy 9, Intrigue 11, Stewardship 10. What?!

With everything threatening to fall apart, I finally gave in to Croatia's demands and made peace in exchange for Cuenca and Toledo. I'm no worse off in Spain than when I started (less a few buildings), I'm still the Duke of Toledo (until Croatia decides to usurp), and I still have Bern under my belt (might wanna see a doctor about that). I get "The heathens are splintered" regarding a war in north Africa that I'd forgotten all about, so I WP out of that, and then turn to Mide and Genoa.

I go with Mide first, and choose "offer vassalization," thinking I might as well try, though I held no hope for it. Miraculously, they accepted! I was getting ready to summon up the troops and send them in, but the count saw the light!

Genoa didn't seem to have anybody home at the time, so when my 5000 troops come, they just knock the walls down and call it a day. I chose to vassalize them instead of annex; might as well get rid of some of the BB points I've accumulated from this war.

[MelloHero]

Ernest, from erro because of his roving from woman to woman and from battlefield to battlefield; and nexus, for he bound himself to the Lord after repenting of his sinfulness. He was born in 1092 to Anselm of Nordgau, son of Duke Gerhard of Alsace. His youthful life was mischievous indeed, and though he married young, he was adulterous through and through. Over the course of his warfaring, Ernest begat three bastards: Bernhard the Elder, Leopold, and Bernhard the Younger; while giving his wife no heirs. In 1153, he led his army to Silves for gold and glory. During the battle that followed, Ernest sustained a grievous wound which cost him his right arm. During his recovery, he read much of St. Benedict and was moved in his heart to atone for the sins he had committed. Presently he asked his chaplain for the Sacrament of Absolution, and having confessed to him, dedicated the city he had captured to God as an expiatory offering, and set about building churches and abbeys in the land, and doing much to help the poor there. Upon his return to Alsace, Ernest immediately visited the monastery of St. Stephen in Strossburi. There he pledged himself to lead a life of holiness as an oblate, as far as his duties allowed. He set about reconciling himself to his sons and adopted the two who would have him for their father. He attended Mass and the Hours daily, and gave all he had to the poor. As his health began to fail in the following year, he called his two sons to himself and divided up his land between them. He called the Archbishop of Strossburi to administer Extreme Unction, and the following morning Ernest and his whole household attended and communed at Mass in St. Stephen's. Ernest addressed his two heirs hereafter and exhorted them never to neglect the Sacrament which they had just received, and to seek always the will of God, and all these things would be added unto them, as the Savior said. He entered into the rest of the blessed the following evening, in his sixty-second year. His relics are enshrined in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Strossburi, and miracles are wrought through them to this day.
Life of St. Ernest, Thomas of Wuerzberg

[MelloHero]

Well, good news! I noticed in the history ticker a lot of little places declaring war on the Seljuks. Turns out a few of them were next to mine, so I decided to help myself. I declared war on Almansa and Alcacer do Sal, and had both by January of 1212. They don't combine with my current provinces to grant me any more titles, but I do now have half of the two provinces that make up the duchy of Murcia. I just have to wait for the right time to strike for the rest, as it's still in Turkish hands.

Also, alliance offers from England and Norway. Since Norway is doing better than England right now, I've decided to go with them. England also has a claim on the King of Scotland title, and Scotland is mighty close to my provinces in Ireland. If it comes to war there, I'd much rather sit and watch from across the North Channel and then pick up the pieces.

With all his antics, I always have to wonder what King Freddy will get himself into next?
Today's answer: a woman! Little Otto was born just after Alcacer do Sal was captured. Fitting for a Reckless and Indulgent king, Friedrich sent him to be raised by a noble. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I suppose, and St. Ernest wasn't much different from his grandson at this age.

[DumBMan]

Nice, nice...