Discord and Conquest - The Story of the Ruling House of Salerno

unmerged(525461) · Jul 8, 2013

I am starting another AAR after my last one ended prematurely due to stupidity (I erased the save file). This time I intend to take the AAR through to the end, or pretty far at least. It will mainly be a Gameplay style AAR with a bit of misguided attempts at comedy thrown in for good measure. I am playing vanilla CK2 with the Republic, Legacy of Rome, and The Old Gods DLC on Hard. I am using the Stamford Bridge starting date (September 1066)

For this AAR I am returning to vanilla CK2 after spending a long time playing only the Game of Thrones Mod (which I highly recommend). I will be playing as the ruling House of the Duchy of Salerno, the di Salerno family (which is a pretty lame name). I will be trying to update this AAR frequently, but there may be extended breaks because I am busy with work, school, or family stuff. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

Table of Contents

The Rule of Gisulf I di Salerno
Part 1 - Family, Rebels, and the Grand City of Amalfi
Part 2 - Aggressive Expansion

*The title is a reference to the book Kinship and Conquest: Family Strategies in the Principality of Salerno During the Norman Period, 1077-1194 by Joanna H. Drell. I haven't read the book, I just thought the title was nifty.

unmerged(525461) · Jul 8, 2013

Part 1 - Family, Rebels, and the Grand City of Amalfi

Part 1 - Family, Rebels, and the Grand City of Amalfi

My Glorious and Expansive Realm

Don't I look pretty?

This is me, the Glorious Duke Gisulf di Salerno, Duke of a one county duchy in southern Italy. Duke Robert de Hauteville borders 2/3rds of my county, being one of the most powerful men in Italy and my biggest threat. But enough about threats, let’s talk about me. I was trained to be a great warrior, and the training stuck a little bit. Some call me just, but also proud and envious. I am also very cynical of all that church and god stuff. My real interests lie in the intrigues of the court, but I am only moderately talented at them.

My Oldest Brother and Heir

My parents decided to reproduce like rabbits, leaving me with 7 siblings, four of whom are men who have a very strong claim to everything that I have. But, my family loves me and there will probably never be any real arguments over silly things like titles (spoiler: yes there will be). My oldest brother and current heir is Landolf. Landolf is mediocre at just about everything, but he is my brother and we get along somewhat.

My darling bride you have a great ... alliance

So, that’s me and my family. Now it is time to start the journey to my rightful place as ruler of all Italy! First I need a fertile wife to bear me some hearty and healthy sons. My council points me to Denmark, where the King has a nice 16 year old daughter for me to marry. This will also secure me an alliance with the growing nation of Denmark. However, she is a legitimized bastard but my council seems to believe the King will honor our alliance anyways. So I go through with the marriage and in a few short months we are a loving married couple.

He doesn't look so tough

With my line secure, I set my sets on the Grand City of Amalfi. Amalfi is ruled by an independent Lord Mayor, though it should pay fealty to me. I kindly remind the Lord Mayor of this and he promptly tells me to shove off. So I rally my men for war and send a letter to my brother-in-law Duke Robert of Apulia asking for his support in the war (Oh, I didn’t mention that he was my ally? That’s my bad). It doesn’t matter anyways because the Duke also tells me to shove off.

At least he was polite

Turns out I didn’t need any help at all, my armies completely crush those of Amalfi. It is not long before Salernian flags flew over the city and Lord Mayor Giovanni Musco agreed to swear fealty to the Duchy of Salerno.

Yay! A new vassal who despises me!

Soon after the war my first child was born. Against my wishes the baby was a girl(whom my wife named Maddelena).

Wait... You're not a boy?

A year went by in relative peace. Then I heard some troubling news. It seemed my brother Guido had convinced Giovanni Musco to rebel against my rule in his name. Amalfi would fight for my Duchy in Guido’s name! However, this rebellion lasted less time than the first war and before long the Mayor was in my dungeons. I revoked his title and kept it for myself, leaving Giovanni to rot in the dungeons forever.

Take that, Unfriendly Person!

My advisors told me that I shouldn’t hold on to Amalfi, something along the lines of “it’s the wrong holding type.” I could care less about this jibble jabble, so I gave rule over the city to my oldest brother Landolf because he is my brother and would never rebel against me. Also, there’s never any trouble when giving significant power to the person second in line for your title when he was just replaced in the line of succession by a 2 year old girl (another spoiler: yes there is).

Then in August, thing really got rough. My middle brother Ioannes had gathered a large host of outlaws, brigands, mercenaries, and exiles in order to steal my title and take it for himself. Apparently I was warned about this a year earlier, but I ignored it because he was my brother (that doesn’t sound like me at all). Ioannes and his merry band of rebels began besieging Salerno while I strategically relocated to the nearby duchy of Apulia with the levy from Amalfi (I most definitely did not run away in fear).

Why new DLC, why?

From there I hired a Bulgarian band of mercenaries (don’t ask me why Bulgarians were in Apulia). With this new force I rode out and defeated Ioannes, giving him a titty twister in retribution for his rebellion.

Oh yeah, I will take your gold as well

Apparently my advisors did not think that my punishment was severe enough for my brother, and they advised that I banish him from Salerno forever and seize all his gold, which numbered over 500 ducats. Amazed at how my brother gathered so much money, I greedily took it all and banished him forever. My brother relocated to the far away and foreign lands of Spoleto, in Tuscany.

After taking a very uncomfortable bath in all of my brother’s gold coins, my advisors told me that I needed to find a way to spend it. So I turned my sights on the last county of the Duchy of Salerno that was not under my control, the county of Taranto. This however, was under the control of my brother-in-law Duke Robert…

No way this will backfire, right guys? Guys?

unmerged(525461) · Jul 12, 2013

Part 2 - Aggressive Expansion

Part 2 - Aggressive Expansion

Now I am not in as much trouble as it appears. Duke Robert has just finished successfully defending himself against the Emirate of Sicily; now he is fighting a war against Venice over one of his coastal cities. So, around 2400 Venetians are besieging his provinces while Robert has only around 1700 available men. Still, I am not taking any chances.

Along with my levies from both Salerno and Amalfi, I use the money taken from Ioannes to hire a Bulgarian Company of mercenaries. This brings my army to over 3700 soldiers. I move this army to Taranto to begin besieging the holding.

Somehow, Count Abelard de Hauteville of Taranto was able to get a message to the Pope before the siege began. The Pope obliges his request and excommunicates me. However, a “donation” of 75 gold quickly changes His mind.

Nothing like a little bribery to get God on your side

In a moment of sheer military brilliance (yeah, right), I split off my levies from the mercenaries and move them to the nearby county of Catanzaro to begin besieging the Norman holdings there. Mere months after this move, both castles fall to my armies.

Took a real military genius to come up with that plan

Now that's what I like to see!!

There is much to celebrate at this time, as I have another daughter whom my wife names Ginevra. Still waiting on a son, though.

Yay... another daughter

Duke Robert is dealt a decisive defeat by the Venetians. However, this means that Robert can concentrate all of his power on me. I brace myself for a massive battle between the titans of Southern Italy…

Huh... that was easy

I guess not. Robert was only able to raise around 1000 men to bring against me. After the crushing defeat, Robert admits defeat and cedes control of the County to me. Count Abelard (the one who had me excommunicated) is now my vassal.

"Ya I know I had you excommunicated and all, but we can still be friends right?"
I don't get Normans

Now I control all of de jure Salerno and I prepare myself for a brief respite from the constant warring. During the following year, I decide to institute Primogeniture succession. After experiencing the conflict between me and my brothers I, I decide that it is best to limit the members of the Salerno family that get to hold titles. Then, right on cue, my brother Landolf rebels to try and take over the duchy.

Guess I should have seen that one coming

I guess those two are connected?

This news causes me to want more in life. In addition, I agreed to marry off one of my random courtier women to someone in the duchy of Pisa. I usually give these requests no thought and blindly agree to them, but this time I looked at the courtier after I agreed. Turns out this random woman has the highest diplomacy skill in my entire duchy. I really should vet these things more carefully.

Macgruber Hint #1 – Never agree to something without looking at the fine print.

Damn girl, you've got a nice... Diplomacy Stat

During the first battle of the rebellion, I crush my brother’s army and show my great prowess at battle. My brother, however, refuses to surrender. Looks like he is taking this till the bitter end.

POW!!!

During the siege, I receive a message from a surprising source: Duke Robert of Apulia. Apparently he considers me an ally even after our war only a few years prior and he is requesting my help in his Holy War for Sicily. I agree to help in order to improve relations with him and possibly earn some prestige, but this is bad news for me in the long run. If Robert wins any new territory in Sicily, he will have enough land and power to proclaim himself the King of Sicily. I will not be able to stop him from vassalizing me unless I gain some serious power before that point.

After reading that message, I receive another one from my wife in Salerno. We finally have a son! We name him Settimio.

Finally, after capturing the city of Amalfi for the second time in a decade, my brother surrenders and is imprisoned. For his treason I revoke his title and claim it for myself. After having both previous Lord Mayors try to kick me out of power, I decide to keep the title (See! I can learn from mistakes).

I look over the situation in Sicily. It looks like Robert has pretty much recovered from his earlier beatings and is now fielding a pretty formidable army in Sicily, sieging both provinces held by the Emir. That does not bode well for me; I need to expand quickly. For years my Chancellor has been trying to fabricate a claim in Neapolis… and he still doesn’t have one. Therefore, I look elsewhere.

Yup, that's Venice fighting with him as well. Apparently Robert's only Allies are people he fights wars with

After reading the fine print in Robert’s war for Sicily, I notice that his war doesn’t include the two single county Muslim rulers on the island. I quickly declare war on both of them and prepare my armies for battle once again.

Why only start one war when you can start two?

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Discord and Conquest - The Story of the Ruling House of Salerno

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