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Golden_Deliciou

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Feb 3, 2004
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  • Europa Universalis III
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Hello, sorry this is old school CK and not DV. First CK AAR, did a Victoria one a while back and loads for non-Paradox games. Plan to extend to EU2 (again, I am sadly behind the times) if appropriate. Hope you enjoy it.

Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Duke of Gwynedd
Bleddyn had been made to flee his lands when just a child by the usurper Llywelyn. With support from the English King Harold, the Duchy was restored to him in 1063. With Harold slain on the field of Hastings 1066, and the new Norman Lords still thirsty for more lands to conquer, the House of Cynfyn could never feel secure- not until they had the strength to meet the King of England on equal terms. So begins the Farewell to Vowels.

Gwynedd's fortunes look bleak, with little wealth on the land and strong neighbours. But good fortune was found in the form of an ancient document proving the right of the House of Cynfyn to the neighbouring Duchy of Deheubarth, to whom Meriadoc in Glamorgan had sworn fealty. With William the Bastard fighting in France, this would be the Duke's one chance to unite Wales and provide a bedrock on which to build a powerful third Kingdom in the British Isles.

AAR1.jpg

[Duke Bleddyn, showing lawful claim to the Duchy of Deheubarth]

Deheubarth was swiftly overcome and the remaining Welsh Counts submitted to the rule of House Cynfyn. Maredud, the Duke's eldest son and heir, joined their number as the newly created Count of Perfeddwlad. The Duke then set furiously about preparations for a great celebration; for his coronation as King of all the Welsh.

AAR2a.jpg

[Kingdom of Wales during the reign of Bleddyn]

Bleddyn's lot was to strive for a Kingdom, not to enjoy it. He died, in 1073, mere months after his coronation.
 
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hehe.. one word... Aberffraw :p

Ill keep an eye, i did an AAR on Bledyyn a while back but my save got corrupted.Also on DV he has 10000000 ( well 10 ish ) kids from game start.

Good luck !
 
Oh my God a Welsh AAR! Will you give us some pronunciation tips!:D
Bleddyn is kind of easy for Welsh standarts but there are shure some ultra long and complicated names waiting along the way. ;)
Anyway's I'll be following this. It'll be interesting how you deal with the Norman scum across the border.
 
Hah, Wales... Time to quote the great Blackadder:

- “Have you ever been to Wales, Baldrick?”
- “No, but I've often thought I'd like to.”
- “Well don't, it's a ghastly place. Huge gangs of tough sinewy men roam the valleys terrifying people with their close harmony singing. You need half a pint of phlegm in your throat just to pronounce the place-names. Never ask for directions in Wales, Baldrick, you'll be washing spit out of your hair for a fortnight.”

;):D

And, yes, I'll be following.:cool:
 
Oh my God a Welsh AAR! Will you give us some pronunciation tips!:D

Would, but the only word I know is "crochendy". And I've probably got the spelling for that wrong. Anyway, I chose Wales after doing too well as Naples which is always swimming in cash. Barren, desolate Wales should be a little harder.

Thanks everyone else for your comments, update 2 coming up...
 
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Maredud ap Cynfyn, King of Wales
Maredud's father had broken with the ancient tradition of Gavelkind and thus at the age of 26 Maredud inherited all his lands. Like his father, he shared the goal of building a strong kingdom able to resist powerful neighbours. However, this kind and generous ruler had not the ruthlessness of his father.

AAR3a.jpg

King Maredud of Wales after his death

With Wales united, Maredud's Marshal directed his eyes across the sea to more lands to be brought under the protection of the new Kingdom. The ambition of Maredud's reign was realised in a series of expensive but successful wars which brought the Duchy of Ulster under his direct rule.

Maredud also sought to tie the Royal family to Ireland by pairing his son, Elaed, with Siobhan from the county of Galway, but not long were they settled as Count and Countess of Perfeddwlad than Siobhan died in childbirth in 1088. Seemingly unmoved, the Prince swiftly married a Basque, Ximena. Dark rumours surrounded this pairing, with a story of a child born before the marriage but drowned to conceal the affair. These were soon buried under a long series of legitimate issue.

AAR5a.jpg

"Owain Cynfyn", alleged first child of Elaed and Ximena

Distraught at the choices of his son, and believing he had failed the memory of his father, King Maredud slipped further into depression and died in 1093.
 
Elaed I, King of Wales
The new King was a marked contrast to his weak-willed father. Rather than being led by his marshals he chose his own path for the fledgling kingdom, and many of the older members of the court detected Bleddyn's energy in his actions. None of these actions was more daring than when another convenient "ancient document" was found supporting the King's claim to the Duchy of Leinster.

AAR6.jpg

King Elaed showing the rightful claim to the Duchy of Leinster

Duke Mordha of Leinster had stolen a diplomatic march on Wales by allying with the Kingdom of Scotland. But Scotland's armies were marching across Yorkshire. Elaed gambled that they would not bother with a dispute over Irish titles. He was right. A difficult war saw Mordha's men lay siege to Ulster, but in due course Wales triumphed and the title was won. More vassals knelt before the King than ever before. Wales was becoming a force to be reckoned with.

With Scotland entwined with Irish enemies, Wales instead allied with England, now weakened by wars against France and Scotland, to maintain the balance of power. Elaed then set about improving the infrastructue of the realm. His father had begun some minor projects but Elaed went beyond to establish a complete system of courts throughout the Kingdom, along with other works to ensure the wellbeing of his subjects. These works were nearing completion in 1105 when England called on her ally to join them in war against the Scots.

The Scottish army was far too large for Elaed to face alone. Further, the development of the Kingdom had left the coffers all but empty. The King therefore resolved to watch the English and Scots fight to exhaustion before intervening to take what land he could from the Excommunicated Scottish King Duncan II. But in November Duncan died and was succeeded by the God-fearing Malcolm IV denying Elaed a chance to claim his lands, leaving nothing to gain but glory. This was duly won when a Scottish force invading Wales was repulsed, forcing Malcolm to settle peace with Elaed. England then concluded the war, holding Edinburgh in a harsh peace.

This happy event was joined by another, as Elaed's eldest child, named after his father, was married to Esa Meriadoc of Gwent. As a wedding gift the King created him Duke of Ulster. To his second son, Iago, was given the title of Bishop of Wales, and to his third, Cadwal the Duchy of Gywenedd. When Cadwal died without issue, this was given to the fourth son, Cynfyn. For the fifth son, Gywdion, there was nothing, as Elaed's issue exceeded his lands.

AAR7.jpg

Legitimate issue of King Elaed

With the Kingdom and the succession secured, Elaed determined to expand the realm, taking County Mayo from the Duchy of Connaught. Thus satisfied, Elaed died peacefully in 1117.

AAR8.jpg

Extent of the Kingdom of Wales at the death of King Elaed
 
King Cynfyn ap Cynfyn
Due to the prevailing law of Wales, Cynfyn, being of martial training as well as Duke of Gywnedd, succeeded in place of his elder brother Elaed. Sadly Cynfyn's administrative talents were as absent as the vowels in his name, but being King agreed with him, and put an end to the dark depression which had marked his early years.

AAR9.jpg

King Cynfyn shortly after his accession

Elaed, Duke of Ulster and the eldest surviving brother, was not so satisfied however, and this was not helped by the obvious pleasure Cynfyn took in being his elder's liege. Elaed poisoned the minds of the King's other vassals and declared war.

AAR10.jpg

Ulster rises in rebellion

The King could call on thousands of men in Wales, but his poor administration had left the treasury bare and he could not bring them in force to Ireland. Thus it was only local levies that marched under the Royal Standard, but even so Ulster was hard pressed and the Duke's men forced to withdraw. Yet, with Wales seething with hostility to the crown, Cynfyn could not risk further souring his reputation with a harsh peace. Elaed bought his Independence for the entire contents of Ulster's treasury.

No sooner were the regiments demobilised than Brychan, Duke of Deheubarth and father-in-law to Elaed of Ulster, sought to follow his son's example and win his freedom. But Cynfyn would not accept the sundering of Wales itself. He mustered a strong army and took to the field against his former vassal. By the New Year of 1120 the King had

seized control of Brychan's lands and stripped him of his titles. But to display the King's magnamnity, Brychan's eldest son Iago, Count of Glamorgan, was created Duke in his father's place. Iago, the King's brother, was given the Duchy of Gwynedd, intended as a bulwark against less loyal vassals. Yet this, too, proved ill-fated as in less than a year Cynfyn found himself once more at war with his own brother.

Again, the rebels proved no match for Royal Armies on the field of battle, but again concern for stability at home forced the King to recognise his brother's independence. It seemed though Bleddyn's dream of a united Wales was at an end.

However Cynfyn resolved not to allow the Kingdom to collapse completely. He set about restoring faith in the crown, by treating his remaining vassals fairly, naming his charismatic younger brother Gywdion as Chancellor and engaging in prestigous public works projects. By 1124, the stability of the realm had been restored.

AAR11.jpg

The divided realms of Cynfyn. Note Ulster expanding against Connaught

The following year, England settled a harsh peace with their northern neighbours, leaving Scotland shorn of much of its richest land. With stability restored, Cynfyn resolved to restore the Kingdom's strength, as well as to revenge himself upon his enemies. First, his eyes turned to the reunification of Wales by the subjugation of his brother Iago, Duke of Gwynedd. His allies deserting him, Iago was shorn of his lands in a campaign that lasted only a matter of weeks. Cynfyn granted these titles to the one brother who had served him loyally, young and talented Gwydion, who was replaced as chancellor by the King's sister. The Duchy of Ulster would have to wait.

Whilst Wales was in turmoil, the Mohammedans had been gaining ground in France. Each of the powers had fought their battles against the heathen, now Wales resolved to take her turn.

AAR12.jpg

Sheikdom of Cornouaille, 1126

The King personally led an expedition to Brittany and drove out the Moslem claiming their lands for Wales. Cadwagan, second son of Bleddyn Cynfyn, was recognised for his many decades of service by being given the title Count of Cornouaille to rule in the King's stead. But again Cynfyn was to be betrayed by his own family. After barely a year Cadwagan had severed all ties with his great nephew and declared independence. Cynfyn would settle that matter later. For now his priority was to develop the lands still under his control in the hope of leaving some kind of positive legacy from his reign. To ensure security for the Kingdom in the meantime, he entered into an alliance with England, now triumphant over France as well as Scotland.

With the home front secure, Cynfyn struck against the Duchy of Munster, a powerful rival for domination of Ireland. Galway was quickly seized and added to the Kingdom. Munster then begged for peace, filling the Royal coffers with their tribute. To celebrate the victory, the youngest son of Elaed, Cadwaladr, was created Count of Mayo and the King declared himself Duke of Connaught.

In May 1133 King Louis of England determined to crusade in Spain against the Emirate of Granada, and called on his ally Cynfyn to support him. The prospect of rich Iberian lands attracted the King and he immediately set sail with 1,000 men for the coast of Portugal. A small local force was overwhelmed and the army laid siege to Coimbra.

Granada was not Ireland, however. A force of 3,000 Moors marched from the south to lift the siege. Initially they were repulsed, but the numbers of Cynfyn's force dwindled with each attack. Finally, the Moors shattered the Welsh siege lines and slaughtered the remainder of the King's men. Cynfyn, badly wounded, barely escaped with his life.

On his return to Wales, Cynfyn's condition worsened and he contracted Pneumonia. Barely seen outside of his bed, once again his brothers began to plot against him, most cruelly Duke Gwydion of Gwynedd who had been loyal to the King during his darkest days before. However the King's eldest son, Pwyll, proved to be the salvation of Wales, as with talents beyond his years he convinced his uncles of the wisdom of remaining within the Kingdom.

AAR13.jpg

Prince Pwyll as Chancellor of Wales

Within a few months, his father died in misery and agony, and Pwyll was crowned King of Wales.
 
Huge cock-up with that last reign. I had intended the fairly decent Elaed to succeed as King but failed to realise that due to being on Salic Cosanguinity, I would instead get bloody Cynfyn with his high martial skill (and lack of anything else). This is a mistake which would haunt me for generations but it did serve to make the game interesting and I didn't want to reload over it. I then compounded the mistake by failing to cut off the succession from Cynfyn quickly, making it difficult to regain Ulster by inheritance... but there I'm getting ahead of myself.
 
Now that was definitely a cool and interesting turn of events. Makes me want to play Wales again myself soon.:)

It gets more interesting. I'm struggling to kill off my current branch of the family for a while so I get one or two quite dubious kings along the way.
 
King Pwyll ap Cynfyn

Pwyll's accession ot the throne in 1136 could not have come at a better time. With murmurs of dissent from all corners, only a true master of diplomacy could hope to hold the Kingdom together until the crisis had passed. Pwyll was just such a master. Nevertheless, it took considerable bribery to keep the King's uncle, Gwydion, from declaring himself indepedent.
By 1140 the realm was stabilised and Pwyll could spare Royal funds for other endeavours. His eye fell on the county of Cornouaille, stolen from his family by a German, Rudger. This was swiftly rectified by the King's Army, and the county given to the King's brother, Emrys. It would not be long before the Royal Regiments were called once more into action.
In April 1143 Louis, King of England, attacked the Scottish Duchy of Galloway, embroiling them in war with the Scottish King. Dutifully Pwyll threw his lot in with his father's ally.

AAR14.jpg

Extent of the three British Kingdoms in 1143. Hatched areas are independent

2,500 men were raised in Wales and a further 1,000 from Ireland. The entire force was immediately dispatched to the seat of the Scottish King at Aberdeen, with the aim of preventing too complete an English victory over the Scots. This proved futile, however, and in October 1144 Louis had himself crowned as King of Scotland. Although England was for now the ally of Wales, this must be a great threat to the security of the Kingdom. Until Wales could stand up to England alone, there could be no security. Only a war against Gustav, the powerful King of Sweden and Norway, would distract Louis for the time being.

Pwyll turned to God during these dark hours, contributing generously to the church and establishing monasteries across Wales. This was taken a step further when Pagans seized the islands off the West Coast of Scotland. The king determined to liberate them and it was done. King Louis, too, turned to religion after crushing the Swedes. He died crusading in Spain, naming his underage grandson as successor as his children were too impious. This drove England and Scotland into uproar. Still allied to England, Pwyll watched with interest and delight.

AAR17.jpg

Louis' heretical son Guiges, and his grandson King Philippe

The Count of Hereford was one of the first to betray his King. Dutiful to his ally, Pwyll attacked and helped himself to the title. Next to turn was the Count of Ross. The Royal armies seized and held the county until England was satisfied and declared white peace. So exhausted was King Pwyll by these efforts that when England was attacked by France, Wales had no choice but to refuse any further aid, though he was able to help put down the King's own father, the Count of Cornwall, and later the Count of Lothian. Wales served faithfully and gained much. When Pywll died in 1171 he was much mourned by the Kingdom.

AAR18.jpg

Extent of Kingdom of Wales at the death of King Pywll
 
Messing things up surely made this AAR interesting... :p:D
 
Messing things up surely made this AAR interesting... :p:D

I wish it would be a bit less "interesting" for the next few generations. I am actually giving up on the dynastic reunion for now, for a couple of reasons but mainly because I got sick of having monarchs with zero stats.

...note on that last entry. Essex isn't Scottish, it's French. Actually there was a while where it was the French home province, which was interesting. The two provinces in the Midlands are Swedish, hence the English war with them.
 
King Cynyr the Worthless

King Pwyll died childless and so it was his worthless nephew Cynyr who took his throne upon his death.

AAR19.jpg

Cynyr the Worthless

Cynyr had nothing like the talents of his uncle. He was forced to give up much of the King's lands and all of the treasury to appease jealous vassals. The future of the Kingdom looked in doubt, and within the year Rogier Duke of Deheubarth had declared his independence from the King. With no power to enforce his rule, Cynyr was forced to allow the Duke to buy his freedom- but not before being seriously injured in the short campaign against him.
Depressed and crippled, Cynyr the Worthless died at the age of 26 after a reign of barely a year.

AAR20.jpg

England and France fighting a long war for domination of Western Europe
 
WOAH...

He is crap...

Good bye Stability !
Hello Realm Duress.....


Good luck with that moron, i pray you get enough money to assasinate him yourself bloody fast !

Edit: Just re read and realised he died... Happy Days!!! Bet you were gutted ;)


Actually, out of interest... how did you manage to breed something so bad ?
Who was his mother as he doesnt even apper to have one ?! What went wrong with the wife choice etc ?
Ive never actually seen someone that bad... infact Knud's youngest Daughter ( who is 1 ) has better stats than him !!! LOL
 
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WOAH...

He is crap...

Good bye Stability !
Hello Realm Duress.....


Good luck with that moron, i pray you get enough money to assasinate him yourself bloody fast !

Edit: Just re read and realised he died... Happy Days!!! Bet you were gutted ;)

Yeah. I've had my fair share of Kings who have been crippled, diseased, depressed and insane- and just would not die. Cynyr was the happy exception.

Actually, out of interest... how did you manage to breed something so bad ?

Well, to start with Elaid became a widower immediately after I set him up with a great wife and a realm of his own, and then picked up just about the worst batch of genes the Basque country could provide as his second wife. Then I screwed up the succession after him and then spent some decades trying to engineer a dynastic reunion with the Ulster branch of the family. So Cynyr just sort of happened to me. I think that whole strategy was badly flawed as it lead to Wales suffering under a string of truly dire Kings and, several updates on, still no closer to reuniting House Cynfyn.

Still don't really know how to deal with Realm Duress. Is just sitting there letting the Kingdom fall apart the best I can do?