Hello. I have been thinking about doing an AAR for awhile and have settled on doing a CK2 -> EU4 -> Victoria2 AAR where I try to grow as historical and organically as possible. The hope is to have an at least somewhat plausible great war scenario come Victoria 2 time. I grew somewhat bigger than I expected to on my first character, so we will be mostly skipping over the first couple decades.
Rules:
1. No restarts.
2. NO restarts.
3. I will seek to act according to the traits of my characters (holy war more if zealous, plot more if devious, etc.)
4. Marriages must make cultural or, more importantly, political sense.
5. I can only conquer so much. Uniting all of Europe or conquering the whole Baltic in 100 years is NOT realistic.
6. Alliances must make sense. Can't be allying France as a lowly count. (Though this could theoretically be possible if I was an HRE count bordering France which served both political interests)
7. Above all, role play.
The House of Ascania. Historically, rulers of Anhalt, as well as Saxony. The main force behind conversion to Christianity in Brandenburg and a major player
in the politics of the northern borders of the Holy Roman Empire. Their Brandenburgian line went extinct in 1320 – but what if it hadn't?
Table of Contents
Prologue
Johannes I (1095-1101)
Chapter I, part I
Chapter I, part II
Chapter I, part III
Chapter I, End
Regency of Otto I (1101-1117)
Interlude I
Otto I (1117- )
Chapter II, part I
Map Update - 1117
Prologue
January 13th, 1092
Ramparts of Brandenburg Keep
Johannes looked out upon the lands that surrounded him. Winter’s frost had left a white haze covering the countryside. It was flat, for the most part; flat, black, desolate, grey—altogether a dreary place. The forest to the east, thick and impenetrable, seemed to have almost a sense of foreboding to it. There were probably hordes of barbaric Wends in there somewhere, along with their filthy idolatries and hairy, whooping woman, or so he imagined. In comparison, this tiny bergfried and its half-constructed protection of wooden walls seemed tiny and insufficient to the task.
The layout of a typical bergfried, though by the 11th century this often included surrounding fortifications, such as earthen mounds and wooden ramparts.
His father, Adalbert, second duke of Sachsen-Wittenberg, first of the Askanien line, and guardian of the northern mark, was always going on about it. “This is our future, Johannes,” he would often say, “the east, the lands of the pagans ripe for conversion, away from the intricacies and dangers of the empire.” All he could see, though, was mud and shit. It made him long for the comforts of home, his familial estates back in Zeitz, where at least there were tendrils of civilization and even a full on hohenburgen in which he could at least pretend that he was someone important. Here he felt like nothing more than a northern hick, laughed and scoffed at by the richer lords to the south and west. But his father had forced him to visit while saying something about how you can’t govern properly unless you have a real feel for the land and thus he was here.
“It’s cold. And the people smell. And they don’t speak German. Surely, we can go home now?”
“Ah, but this is your inheritance, young lord Askanien. The “future” of your house, as your father so often exclaims. Surely, a more…lengthy stay is required to fully take in the great fortune that will soon be yours.”
Johannes looked up sharply at the man next to him who had spoken. The condescension and derision in his words were palpable, something that would usually force a rough response from Johannes thanks to his temper. However, this man was his tutor and future heir to county of Brehna, Walther von Torgau. He was untouchable. Anything he tried to do would just get reported back to his father, earning him a good beating and some bruises. Better to keep it in and remember it…later.
“Do you wish to provoke me, Walther?”
“Hah! The only thing I’d like to provoke you in is your studies, but that small head of yours seems incapable of retaining any knowledge,” he exclaimed. “Now, if you’re bored, try reminding me of all that we discussed yesterday on the nature of warfare. Let’s see how much you actually remember, shall we?”
Johannes rolled his eyes, but wearily answered anyways.
“We discussed the importance of overall strategy to the outcome of a war or conflict.”
“…That’s it? If that’s all you remember, I fear for your house's future,” said Walther. “Give me all the details please.”
“Very well. Then first we looked at the campaigns of both the bastard and Harold in the attempted conquest of England…”
“…in essence, we are presented with two different strategies. Both William and Harald Hardrade followed a direct course of simple siege and conquer. There were no feints, no tricks, and no attempts to throw off the forces of Saxon England through intricate maneuvers. Hardrade landed in the north-east, near Stamford Bridge, and William landed directly at King Harold of England’s home estates of Wintanceaster in south-west England. Both simply hoped to draw out Harold for a decisive battle.
“Everyone expected Harold to first repel the direct threat to his power base in the south by attacking William first, but Harold did what no one was expecting. He went north and fought a mostly decisive battle against Hardrade, whose forces were broken up and could only attempt ineffectual sieges in Northumbria afterwards. Then, instead of moving south to take on William, he bypassed the Norman forces completely and invaded western Normandy, trusting in the vigor of his countrymen, as well as the strength of his own defenses to hold in his stead.
“Whereas William became bogged down in an intricate and lengthy siege of Harold’s most impregnable fortresses, suffering attrition all the while, the mostly undefended western countryside of Normandy was ravaged as Harold moved quickly east towards Rouen, sapping William’s strength. In the end, William was forced to make peace, despite still having a sizable force in England. Harold had won without a major battle.”
Walther looked impressed. “You seem to have remembered most of the lesson, but you forgot one important footnote to all of that. What happened aft—“
“I was just about to get to that,” Johannes angrily interjected. “Harold had won a great victory for Saxon England, but that same victory led to pretensions that he could easily obtain the loyalty and subservience of his subjects afterwards. That miscalculation would have a price, as he was forced to step down in favor of the House of Wessex within months. Harold’s fury at this would eventually lead to a rebellion in 1069 and competing claims between three great houses for England: Wessex, Godwin, and the old Anglo-Norse dynasty descended from Canute, the Knytlings.
The principle claimants during the English civil war. Their two dynasties have provided the last seven monarchs of England.
This rebellion would see three monarchs installed as head of England within three years, with Harold and the house of Godwin eventually reclaiming the throne. However, it’s effects would last decades, as neither side could get a decisive enough victory, resulting in seven monarchs in just two decades, three of the house of Knytling and four of Godwin. Harold’s lack of thoroughness and decisiveness in securing his powerbase immediately following the repulsion of the Normans led to chaos in England for the next 25 years. Even now it suffers the effects of its weakened state, with the king of Scotland, Duncan II, having the audacity to even mount a war against it for Northumbria as we speak.”
Walther looked rather annoyed at being cutoff before he could make his retort earlier, but, nonetheless, he nodded his head in affirmation that Johannes was correct. Still, there was more from yesterday’s lesson. “But you have only been mentioning strategy. What of tactics? What of battle? I do believe we discussed one in particular.”
Johannes replied instantly, as it was something he and every other German boy, at least those educated and noble enough to be concerned, knew.
“The Battle of Cassel! The death of Ironside!”
Walther nodded. “Yes, Cassel, where Heinrich IV ‘Ironside,’ bulwark of the west, savior of the Hungarians, and hope of our empire was cut down by the king of France, Phillipe I. I guess it’s only fitting that Phillipe himself was eventually betrayed and replaced by the bastard of Normandy in an ironic twist of fate, eh?” Walther laughed. “Tell me what happened.”
Johannes wondered why they were going through that battle again. Everyone knew it. Everyone studied it. Everyone sought to learn from the blunders of Ironside. It was brought up obsessively every week in almost every lesson. Suffice to say, the empire had learned its lesson.
“France was pressing its claims on Yperen in Flanders. It had a smaller force, but was counting on our ongoing involvement in the wars of Hungary and a rebellion in Italy to allow them to occupy it uncontested. When Ironside quickly rallied his forces and marched upon Yperen, France had two options: fight a force that outnumbered it by almost a third or retreat. With such a chance to wrest Yperen from imperial control not likely to appear in his lifetime again, Phillipe prepared his forces for battle.
“Following in the footsteps of Hannibal, Phillipe made his center the weakest area of his army, with reinforcements hidden in dead areas of the land behind the center. Ironside, confident in victory, incomparable in military prowess, but weak in matters of learning, probably was ignorant of what happened at Cannae. He ordered a full-on cavalry charge at the center, expecting it to easily fold. They attacked, the French center melted away, imperial troops rushed in, only to be met with a mass of pike men.
“Hedged in on both sides and blunted in front, the imperial forces were cut down like dogs. It’s said that the emperor, leading from the center, was one of the first to die from the jab of a lowly Flemish pike man.”
Walther smiled. “Good, you know your stuff. Though, that was probably an easy battle to re-tell. Still, it’s important to know what made both Harold in his defense of England and Phillipe in his battle against Ironside successful: indirection. Using indirection, strategically or tactically, is very useful, both on the battlefield and in politics. Harold zig-zagged and bypassed Norman forces. Phillipe did not line his forces up in a traditional way, but made use of a central feint to corner and trap the imperial forces. Indirection is not new, but it is often overlooked by the inept leader. I hope you remember that.”
Johannes looked inquisitively into the face of Walther. “That’s all well and good, but what does any of this have to do with us now, here in this godforsaken backwater?”
Walther heartily laughed. “It might not look like anything now, young lord, but perhaps it might be worthwhile to think of your father’s push into these barren lands in the north as a strategy of indirection on a grand scale. Think about it.”
The extent of the Askanien demesne in 1092.
Johannes was silent for a while after that, brooding, lost in his own thoughts. He looked out once more from the ramparts at the lands before him. Barren, destitute, away from the empire—wait. Away from the empire? Is that what father had in mind?
To be continued…
Rules:
1. No restarts.
2. NO restarts.
3. I will seek to act according to the traits of my characters (holy war more if zealous, plot more if devious, etc.)
4. Marriages must make cultural or, more importantly, political sense.
5. I can only conquer so much. Uniting all of Europe or conquering the whole Baltic in 100 years is NOT realistic.
6. Alliances must make sense. Can't be allying France as a lowly count. (Though this could theoretically be possible if I was an HRE count bordering France which served both political interests)
7. Above all, role play.
King in the North
The House of Ascania. Historically, rulers of Anhalt, as well as Saxony. The main force behind conversion to Christianity in Brandenburg and a major player
in the politics of the northern borders of the Holy Roman Empire. Their Brandenburgian line went extinct in 1320 – but what if it hadn't?
Table of Contents
Prologue
Johannes I (1095-1101)
Chapter I, part I
Chapter I, part II
Chapter I, part III
Chapter I, End
Regency of Otto I (1101-1117)
Interlude I
Otto I (1117- )
Chapter II, part I
Map Update - 1117
Prologue
January 13th, 1092
Ramparts of Brandenburg Keep
Johannes looked out upon the lands that surrounded him. Winter’s frost had left a white haze covering the countryside. It was flat, for the most part; flat, black, desolate, grey—altogether a dreary place. The forest to the east, thick and impenetrable, seemed to have almost a sense of foreboding to it. There were probably hordes of barbaric Wends in there somewhere, along with their filthy idolatries and hairy, whooping woman, or so he imagined. In comparison, this tiny bergfried and its half-constructed protection of wooden walls seemed tiny and insufficient to the task.
The layout of a typical bergfried, though by the 11th century this often included surrounding fortifications, such as earthen mounds and wooden ramparts.
His father, Adalbert, second duke of Sachsen-Wittenberg, first of the Askanien line, and guardian of the northern mark, was always going on about it. “This is our future, Johannes,” he would often say, “the east, the lands of the pagans ripe for conversion, away from the intricacies and dangers of the empire.” All he could see, though, was mud and shit. It made him long for the comforts of home, his familial estates back in Zeitz, where at least there were tendrils of civilization and even a full on hohenburgen in which he could at least pretend that he was someone important. Here he felt like nothing more than a northern hick, laughed and scoffed at by the richer lords to the south and west. But his father had forced him to visit while saying something about how you can’t govern properly unless you have a real feel for the land and thus he was here.
“It’s cold. And the people smell. And they don’t speak German. Surely, we can go home now?”
“Ah, but this is your inheritance, young lord Askanien. The “future” of your house, as your father so often exclaims. Surely, a more…lengthy stay is required to fully take in the great fortune that will soon be yours.”
Johannes looked up sharply at the man next to him who had spoken. The condescension and derision in his words were palpable, something that would usually force a rough response from Johannes thanks to his temper. However, this man was his tutor and future heir to county of Brehna, Walther von Torgau. He was untouchable. Anything he tried to do would just get reported back to his father, earning him a good beating and some bruises. Better to keep it in and remember it…later.
“Do you wish to provoke me, Walther?”
“Hah! The only thing I’d like to provoke you in is your studies, but that small head of yours seems incapable of retaining any knowledge,” he exclaimed. “Now, if you’re bored, try reminding me of all that we discussed yesterday on the nature of warfare. Let’s see how much you actually remember, shall we?”
Johannes rolled his eyes, but wearily answered anyways.
“We discussed the importance of overall strategy to the outcome of a war or conflict.”
“…That’s it? If that’s all you remember, I fear for your house's future,” said Walther. “Give me all the details please.”
“Very well. Then first we looked at the campaigns of both the bastard and Harold in the attempted conquest of England…”
The movements of Harold’s army during the repulsion of both the Norse and Normans.
“…in essence, we are presented with two different strategies. Both William and Harald Hardrade followed a direct course of simple siege and conquer. There were no feints, no tricks, and no attempts to throw off the forces of Saxon England through intricate maneuvers. Hardrade landed in the north-east, near Stamford Bridge, and William landed directly at King Harold of England’s home estates of Wintanceaster in south-west England. Both simply hoped to draw out Harold for a decisive battle.
“Everyone expected Harold to first repel the direct threat to his power base in the south by attacking William first, but Harold did what no one was expecting. He went north and fought a mostly decisive battle against Hardrade, whose forces were broken up and could only attempt ineffectual sieges in Northumbria afterwards. Then, instead of moving south to take on William, he bypassed the Norman forces completely and invaded western Normandy, trusting in the vigor of his countrymen, as well as the strength of his own defenses to hold in his stead.
“Whereas William became bogged down in an intricate and lengthy siege of Harold’s most impregnable fortresses, suffering attrition all the while, the mostly undefended western countryside of Normandy was ravaged as Harold moved quickly east towards Rouen, sapping William’s strength. In the end, William was forced to make peace, despite still having a sizable force in England. Harold had won without a major battle.”
Walther looked impressed. “You seem to have remembered most of the lesson, but you forgot one important footnote to all of that. What happened aft—“
“I was just about to get to that,” Johannes angrily interjected. “Harold had won a great victory for Saxon England, but that same victory led to pretensions that he could easily obtain the loyalty and subservience of his subjects afterwards. That miscalculation would have a price, as he was forced to step down in favor of the House of Wessex within months. Harold’s fury at this would eventually lead to a rebellion in 1069 and competing claims between three great houses for England: Wessex, Godwin, and the old Anglo-Norse dynasty descended from Canute, the Knytlings.
The divisions of England during its civil war.
The principle claimants during the English civil war. Their two dynasties have provided the last seven monarchs of England.
This rebellion would see three monarchs installed as head of England within three years, with Harold and the house of Godwin eventually reclaiming the throne. However, it’s effects would last decades, as neither side could get a decisive enough victory, resulting in seven monarchs in just two decades, three of the house of Knytling and four of Godwin. Harold’s lack of thoroughness and decisiveness in securing his powerbase immediately following the repulsion of the Normans led to chaos in England for the next 25 years. Even now it suffers the effects of its weakened state, with the king of Scotland, Duncan II, having the audacity to even mount a war against it for Northumbria as we speak.”
Walther looked rather annoyed at being cutoff before he could make his retort earlier, but, nonetheless, he nodded his head in affirmation that Johannes was correct. Still, there was more from yesterday’s lesson. “But you have only been mentioning strategy. What of tactics? What of battle? I do believe we discussed one in particular.”
Johannes replied instantly, as it was something he and every other German boy, at least those educated and noble enough to be concerned, knew.
“The Battle of Cassel! The death of Ironside!”
Walther nodded. “Yes, Cassel, where Heinrich IV ‘Ironside,’ bulwark of the west, savior of the Hungarians, and hope of our empire was cut down by the king of France, Phillipe I. I guess it’s only fitting that Phillipe himself was eventually betrayed and replaced by the bastard of Normandy in an ironic twist of fate, eh?” Walther laughed. “Tell me what happened.”
Johannes wondered why they were going through that battle again. Everyone knew it. Everyone studied it. Everyone sought to learn from the blunders of Ironside. It was brought up obsessively every week in almost every lesson. Suffice to say, the empire had learned its lesson.
“France was pressing its claims on Yperen in Flanders. It had a smaller force, but was counting on our ongoing involvement in the wars of Hungary and a rebellion in Italy to allow them to occupy it uncontested. When Ironside quickly rallied his forces and marched upon Yperen, France had two options: fight a force that outnumbered it by almost a third or retreat. With such a chance to wrest Yperen from imperial control not likely to appear in his lifetime again, Phillipe prepared his forces for battle.
“Following in the footsteps of Hannibal, Phillipe made his center the weakest area of his army, with reinforcements hidden in dead areas of the land behind the center. Ironside, confident in victory, incomparable in military prowess, but weak in matters of learning, probably was ignorant of what happened at Cannae. He ordered a full-on cavalry charge at the center, expecting it to easily fold. They attacked, the French center melted away, imperial troops rushed in, only to be met with a mass of pike men.
A later artistic representation of imperial forces preparing for a charge at the French center. The armor depicted is most likely anachronistic.
Kaiser Heinrich IV, nicknamed "Ironside," was a great commander, but not a great student of history.
“Hedged in on both sides and blunted in front, the imperial forces were cut down like dogs. It’s said that the emperor, leading from the center, was one of the first to die from the jab of a lowly Flemish pike man.”
Walther smiled. “Good, you know your stuff. Though, that was probably an easy battle to re-tell. Still, it’s important to know what made both Harold in his defense of England and Phillipe in his battle against Ironside successful: indirection. Using indirection, strategically or tactically, is very useful, both on the battlefield and in politics. Harold zig-zagged and bypassed Norman forces. Phillipe did not line his forces up in a traditional way, but made use of a central feint to corner and trap the imperial forces. Indirection is not new, but it is often overlooked by the inept leader. I hope you remember that.”
Johannes looked inquisitively into the face of Walther. “That’s all well and good, but what does any of this have to do with us now, here in this godforsaken backwater?”
Walther heartily laughed. “It might not look like anything now, young lord, but perhaps it might be worthwhile to think of your father’s push into these barren lands in the north as a strategy of indirection on a grand scale. Think about it.”
The extent of the Askanien demesne in 1092.
Johannes was silent for a while after that, brooding, lost in his own thoughts. He looked out once more from the ramparts at the lands before him. Barren, destitute, away from the empire—wait. Away from the empire? Is that what father had in mind?
To be continued…
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