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Aleta (or Hel) could be playing the long game... what if she trained her children to aid in bringing about a Reign of Darkness?
The Spanish will get used to Russian rule soon enough.
The Catholics are raging against the dying of the light. Maybe they could attempt to flee to new lands and start over (new ridiculous justification for Sunset Invasion - pissed off Catholics fled their loss of Europe and swore revenge)?
*Feedback Pt 1: it's not letting me post with either quotes or smilies in the text!!
So, been away on and off for a couple of weeks and then the other AARs to go through, but back in the saddle now and ready with the next update, which will cover a shorter time period but a key one in Ottarr's early reign.
Once they collapsed into smaller realms, it was easier than ever for the marcher lords to keep picking them apart.
if the current focus isn't very important maybe switch to carousing? that helps losing stressed and or depressed Events overtook him faster than expected!
who's the spare?
arrghh the moment the heir turns out to be a complete stubborn weak wastrel idiot the monarch dies
He will need a lot of support. The big difference so far is in military skill and the number of troops he can summon.
Too many young folks dying early in this one... tough times...
The Reaper was busy
Ah... yes... the trouble-some half-brother is no more. Perhaps that will extinguish that meme from this AAR, for the time being.
For now. Though Ottarr has a record number of brothers (half or otherwise) and we'll see if any of them get really troublesome, such that the 'half' needs to be italicised!
Too bad the fylkir would never get the chance. These drunken council meeting events definitely yield some interesting results.
They do - another 15-20 years of this reign would have been a powerful period. We'll have to see how the Rurikids go with a less accomplished Emperor & Fylkir. Still, they can get good advice and sometimes remedy weak spots through self-development via focus. If they live long enough to get the chance.
Aleta is gone too! Seems your game is cleansing out all the troublemakers.
Quite right. Though new weeds will no doubt sprout in the Rurikid garden before too long!
But I was sorry to see this Toste go too early. His wastrel son definitely needs some work. We'll see if his lack of skills will have any impact on the empire, which appears to have a lot of momentum of its own.
I'm hoping the negatives will be relatively marginal. Per above, the big reduction in total troop strength makes some of the larger GHW options a little riskier if the pacts mobilise fully in response.
Yes, perhaps a bold choice for my first ever (and so far only) CK2 game, being done as an AAR! Still going approaching the seven year mark.
An ominous title. And one that proves to be very true...
Perhaps the gods had a hand in Asclettin's death? It was certainly a sign of things to come.
The Gods are notoriously fickle and arbitrary with mere mortals. More than luck at play there, without doubt
Again?!
Do the Holy Orders have any land?
The Teutonic knights have Krain (which they took over after I conquered their previous barony years back). The others are all sub-baronies within various counties. It seems to be like whack-a-mole. You evict one only for them to pop up somewhere else! Not sure how the landed part of the holy order mechanic works.
Probably the only "good" death in this period. I'm sure many Russians will sleep easier at night knowing she's gone.
Without doubt. I've cautiously assumed that any hellish traits don't pass on to the children, having sought one of her genius daughters as a betrothal for one of Ottarr's brothers. Either way, it may prove a good plot point!
Time to prune the vassals by giving the most odious counts and jarls to top-line jarls and kings. Some of the marcher-lords have hideous borders.
Indeed. He just hasn't got around to it yet (in part waiting to see how the new wife affects things). He'll get there eventually.
Where do the Catholic Holy Orders find manpower with no Catholic realms especially officer corps with no second/third sons?
Mechanically, I'm not sure. I'm thinking (narratively) they must be attracting the remnants of unreconciled Catholics (of which there would still be very many) from the fallen Christian realms to keep small Order contingents going.
Aleta (or Hel) could be playing the long game... what if she trained her children to aid in bringing about a Reign of Darkness?
I'm kinda hoping they do! Hence bringing one back to court if possible. Mwahaha!I'm kinda hoping they do! Hence bringing one back to court if possible. Mwahaha!
The Spanish will get used to Russian rule soon enough.
The armies come first, then soon after the Godis, then eventually the culture turns Norse. Until the Aztecs come, anyway!
The Catholics are raging against the dying of the light. Maybe they could attempt to flee to new lands and start over (new ridiculous justification for Sunset Invasion - pissed off Catholics fled their loss of Europe and swore revenge)?
Haha, nice segue! We'll see where the Aztecs strike (perhaps with a bunch of vengeful Christian refugees as guides)!
Next ep up soon. Thanks everyone for the continuing support.
Chapter 58: Glory and Anguish (May 1173 to April 1174)
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Recap
Early 1173 had been a rather tumultuous time for the Rurikids. Even as a large Andalusian Liberation Revolt was being dealt with, almost 14,000 Venetians had risen in another liberation revolt on 1 February, followed by the declaration of the 5th Crusade for Italy by Pope Nicolaus III on 28 February. Then on 2 April, the seemingly all-powerful Emperor Toste III had died unexpectedly to be replaced by his somewhat underwhelming son Ottarr, who had only come of age a month before.
The Andalusian Revolt was defeated just five days after Ottarr’s elevation to the crowns of the Fylkirate and Empire. In the meantime, the twin threats of the Venetian Revolt and the 5th Crusade (relying entirely on the Christian religious orders) had seen two large bodies of enemy troops concentrated in north-east Italy while Rurikid forces needed to be assembled and brought to bear to counter them.
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The Italian Wars: Preparatory Moves, May-August 1173
By 6 May 1173, the rebels had made good progress in their siege of Padova, while a good-sized Teutonic army moved around them – ultimately bound for Ferrara, directly to its south.
In response to this, Ottarr mustered the relatively nearby vassal levies of the Kings of Germany and Lotharingia, the Jarl of Savoy and the Jomsvikings: around 44,000 troops in total. They and the Imperial Guard and demesne levies already mustered would head to northern Italy and the still ex5tant peasant revolt in Altmark to bring order to the somewhat turbulent situation Ottarr’s early reign had inherited.
Those troops began to approach the front by mid-July but were too late to prevent the rebels taking the main castle of Padova on 12 July, as the Crusaders continued to concentrate in Ferrara.
In southern France, the two main Guard armies were emerging from Spain as both they and three smaller Crusader forces all homed in on northern Italy.
On 4 August, the large Lotharingian levy army crossed the Alps into Lombardy. A day later, Tresigallo fell to the Crusaders in Ferrara, led in person by Cardinal Liudolf (Pope Nicolaus’s designated successor). King Geirr (one of Ottarr’s Imperial Commanders) commanded a larger force that arrived in Cremona on 12 August.
By 13 August the Lotharingian levies were directed to attack the rebels in Padova, while Geirr marched to assist a Sardinian-Corsican army (the Crusade had been launched for their subordinate Kingdom of Italy) skirmishing with the Teutonic Knights in Modena. Word had come that Cardinal Liudolf was preparing to raise his siege in Ferrara to reinforce Modena as well.
Before that battle began, a small Crusader army was unfortunate enough to be ambushed by a far larger Imperial Guard army (still deliberately left in raiding mode) under Þorbrandr at Marvejols in Gévaudan. The whole Crusader force was wiped out by 1 September for minimal Russian casualties.
By 24 August, Geirr had joined the Sardinians at Novellara in Modena, who had also reinforced. The Lotharingian levies were passing to the north on their way to Padua. By 28 August the battle was already over and Cardinal Liudolf had halted his own army to recommence his siege in Ferrara. The Teutonic Order force in Modena had been completely destroyed.
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The Italian Wars: Main Clashes, September-October 1173
Both wars now entered their decisive phases. On 10 September the Lotharingians, now commanded by Sigtrygg, struck the Venetian rebels in Padua in a numerically fairly even fight.
Four days later, the two quicker-moving contingents of the Sardinian army had attacked the Crusaders in Ferrara as both Imperial and more Sardinian forces followed them up.
On 22 September, King Geirr’s army and the rest of the Sardinians had joined the battle at Tresigallo in Ferrara and by the 28th the Crusaders had been crushed by this force of almost 40,000 Norsemen. The pursuit would be fully concluded by 8 October. Again, this counted as a win for the Sardinians but it meant the main Crusader army had been rendered ineffective.
Meanwhile, in Padua the fighting was more even as both sides tired. More Russian reinforcements were on their way from the north-west, but on 4 October the distinguished Rurikid General and Court Tutor Watt’as fell in combat.
The Russian reinforcements duly arrived in Padua on 9 October, in time to join the pursuit and this was of the remaining rebels as they fled the field. This fight had been far more even but the rebel cause was now badly damaged. However, the war went on: Padova would have to be retaken and it would take three days for the Russians to prepare to storm the walls against a small rebel garrison.
In Ferrara, the Sardinians commanded the siege, so any assault there would have to be conducted under their orders. One of the Guard raiding armies arrived in Cremona at the same time but would not be needed for these sieges: they would wait and if necessary respond to any Crusader contingents that made it over the Alps into northern Italy.
‘The Battle of Padua’, painted by an unknown Rurikid court artist circa the mid-16th century, showing the final Russian charge that swept the determined rebels from the field.
In the event, the assaults would go ahead at the same time, both ending on 18 October. The retaking Padova saw the Venetian rebellion defeated and its leader beheaded, with the victory considerably boosting the young Fylkir’s prestige.
The Crusade would go on and would have to be defeated by other means, given the Pope did not control any home territory that could be occupied. It looked like a long and laborious process of picking off small Crusader armies would be required.
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The 5th Crusade: Mopping Up, November 1173-April 1174
These mopping up actions commenced in November 1173, with Þorbrandr chasing down a combined Calatravan and Templar army at Saluzzo. They would be defeated after 20 days. A smaller action was fought down in Urbino with a small Crusader regiment wiped out in just 9 days from 10-19 November.
By that time, the main Templar army under Cardinal Liudolf had rallied and re-formed at their base in Krain. Another Russian army was closing in on them from the north-east.
General Tyke took control of that levy army, which attacked Cardinal Liudolf at Krainburg on 3 December. The fighting did not finish until 30 December, producing a major victory on the battlefield – and an even larger diplomatic triumph.
The Cardinal was captured during the final stages of the pursuit, his captivity suddenly bringing the end of the Crusade into site, as the ‘Shadow Vatican’ was clearly desperate to get the Pope’s heir back safe from the clutches of the Evil Emperor Ottarr.
But Pope Nicolaus was not yet quite desperate enough nor horrified at the continued slaughter of Crusader armies to capitulate. He seemed to be hoping for some kind of miracle, despite the seemingly obvious (to the Norsemen, anyway) proof that their Old Gods were the stronger on the battlefield.
Mid-February 1174 saw another small Crusader contingent tracked down and wiped out at Sopron, as they fled through Hungary [95% warscore]. At that late stage, Old King Gandalfr of Noregr – despite not getting on with Ottarr – offered to join the defence against the Crusade. The diplomatic nicety was accepted with the same cool politeness. At least it was a fair gesture.
The last action of the 5th Crusade was the smallest of all, with a company of Teutonic Knights surprised and destroyed during a skirmish outside Brinje in Senj.
That, plus the continuing full control of Italy by Ottarr, was the final straw. Pope Nicolaus finally acknowledged the inevitable on 7 April 1174. The prestige of the young Fylkir was rising rapidly, which would help to further cement his early reign. And this latest glorious triumph saw Ottarr acquire an early and very complimentary nickname.
While his adversary reputedly implored the heavens to ask the classic question: “Oh God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
“The Anguish of Pope Nicolaus” by the Norse-Italian painter Helgi Caravaggio, c. 1600.
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Vassal and Foreign Affairs
Smaller vassal internecine and border wars went on through 1173. In October, King Gnupa of Irland won another big victory against ‘Western’ Mali, slicing two more counties from Farbas Musa’s shrinking domain.
Then in January 1174, there was another defiant but daft attempt by Caliph Bannu of ‘Eastern’ Mali to reclaim lost lands. An suitably insulting declaration of war was issued, both its words and futility causing some merriment in the Rurikid court when it was received.
With the end stages of the 5th Crusade still dragging on and Rurikid forces concentrated in Italy, two more vassal levy contingents were called out a few days later, the bulk of which would be provided by Jarl Folki II of Dauphine. They began their long march south.
In March 1174, two more counties fell to Russian marcher lords in quick succession. The first, for Faro, had not been tracked with the county going to a ‘third level’ vassal, Hrolfr of Seville.
Ten days later Jarl Falki of Hlymrek expanded his Spanish holdings further with the conquest of Shlib (now known as Silves) after a little less than two years of fighting.
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Court and Domestic Affairs
Back in April 1173, Ottarr had entered a betrothal arrangement with the most eligible young woman of similar age available at the time. Skuld Totilsdottir Hede of Göttingen would turn 16 in December 1173, so Ottarr had around six months to wait before he could conclude the marriage bargain.
In July 1173, the peasant revolt in Altmark ended after a passing Swedish army defeated the rebels in Werle, less than two weeks after one of the designated Imperial army had arrived in Altmark to retake the rebel-occupied castle. Ottarr’s previous (limited) mercy for captured rebels was not extended to the unfortunate peasant leader this time: the ultimate Viking punishment was administered.
The latest Jomsviking Warchief Bo ‘the Unready’, a kinsman of Ottarr’s, died a natural death on 3 July 1173. But the personal loyalty of their realm and Holy Warriors was unaffected.
After the previously noted death of Watt’as in battle against the Venetian rebels, Imperial Steward Bonga ‘the Eunuch’ was appointed to the additional role of Court Tutor on 6 October 1173.
A week later, a new peasant revolt broke out, this time at Don Portage in southern Russia. A contingent of around 9,000 men was sent east from Hungary in case they were needed. But local troops would defeat the rebels in February 1174 without the need for Imperial intervention.
At the end of the Andalusian Liberation Revolt in April 1173, its talented commander Ahmad Ahmadid had been released by Ottarr in return for his pledge of service. But he never got to fulfil that undertaking, dying of some unknown cause of ‘poor health’ just seven months later. So much for the ‘mercy experiment’.
With his new bride not due to arrive until the end of the year, Ottarr’s private journal reveals he began an affair with his relatively young Seeress, Yrsa, in November 1173. This happened while she was off in Dax, bringing Odin’s light to the heathens there.
Relations with Sviþjod were reinforced in November when Ottarr’s agreed to one of his many sisters being betrothed to a young Prince there.
As the year came to a close, the Fylkir’s betrothed was called to Nygarðr. A major event was held on 1 January – a very auspicious day as it coincided with the anniversary of the founding of the Rurikid dynasty. Skuld had blossomed into a talented young lady who advice would add to Ottarr’s statecraft in many areas.
Weddings for sitting Emperors were a comparative rarity and this one was celebrated in high style from Ottarr’s own pocket, further adding to his growing prestige.
With his wedding completed, Ottarr could now retain all ten of his remaining demesne baronies without attracting vassal disfavour. But his span of direct vassal management would need to be further trimmed – something he put off for now.
His troop base remained around 50,000 fewer than his father Toste III had been able to command at the height of his reign, in part because of his inferior military skills. But his prestige was growing and it was still a far larger army than any of his imperial counterparts commanded. That said, it would now be easier for a combination of them – such as that caused by the triggering of a ‘universal pact’ – to match the Rurikids for total numbers.
Ottarr’s journal reveals Gydja Yrsa was still his lover when she managed to personally convert Dax to Reformed Germanicism in late February 1174.
Not much more had changed by early April, just after Fylkir’s 17th birthday and his triumph in the 5th Crusade for Italy and his designation in all subsequent Imperial propaganda as ‘the Glorious’.
A mid-17th century (and clearly romanticised) official Rurikid statue entitled ‘Ottarr the Glorious’, which still stands at the Imperial Palace in Nygarðr.
The temporal Rurikid Empire in April 1174.
The Fylkir’s Reformed Germanic 'Empire of the Spirit' at the same time, noting conversion over the previous three years.
Have to agree here with @Midnite Duke . You've had better fylkirs but at least he has some stewardship skills.
It really isn't propaganda that Ottarr is Glorious. What 17-year-old can say his armies defeated the pope, and that he carried on a torrid affair with a Seeress, plus then had a huge royal wedding? That is a glorious life for a teenager!
P.S.: Marvelous artwork in this edition. The pope's painting, the statue... the battle art... all top notch. Looks like Bing/Copilot to me.
I wonder if there's a way to stop this for good, like would it end if no catholic characters remain in game? the pope doesn't have any location, right?
A mid-17th century (and clearly romanticised) official Rurikid statue entitled ‘Ottarr the Glorious’, which still stands at the Imperial Palace in Nygarðr.
Have to agree with @Chac1 about the excellent artwork in this chapter! I especially love the Fylkir's massive beard in this statue, even though he is still a clean-shaven 16 year-old!
I wonder if there's a way to stop this for good, like would it end if no catholic characters remain in game? the pope doesn't have any location, right?
I think the only way to stop the Crusades would be to make sure no Catholic holds a landed title (even a barony). Titular titles like the Papacy are fine. So since there is still Catholic land in places like Krain, the wars will continue.
I think the only way to stop the Crusades would be to make sure no Catholic holds a landed title (even a barony). Titular titles like the Papacy are fine. So since there is still Catholic land in places like Krain, the wars will continue.
Another nice long session completed, with the first of two reports on it coming up soon. Thanks for all those who wished well on the travels. They were great trips and all negotiated safely and without incident.
Agreed. He's not stellar and the stewardship study was a disappointment, but he'll do. The 'weak' characteristic will, however, become a bit of a narrative trope with him on the RP side of things ...
It really isn't propaganda that Ottarr is Glorious. What 17-year-old can say his armies defeated the pope, and that he carried on a torrid affair with a Seeress, plus then had a huge royal wedding? That is a glorious life for a teenager!
Good point. It won't stop him developing a thin skin about 'weakness' and still being in his father's shadow, though. It may lead him to make both bold and perhaps rash decisions down the track (there will be some RP-driven event choices made along the way).
Have to agree with @Chac1 about the excellent artwork in this chapter! I especially love the Fylkir's massive beard in this statue, even though he is still a clean-shaven 16 year-old!
Thanks to you both. I had a few spare pic slots in that last chapter so went to a bit of extra effort to get the art work done. I was particularly pleased with the Pope one: it gave me at least three good versions - some may get used later if there's ever another of these forlorn Crusades.
Yes, I'm just using Bing for AI at the moment, though am likely to branch out a bit in the future, it's doing enough for me for now. The rest is just googled of the web, looking for the right image.
As to the statue - we must remember that it was sculpted well after the end of Ottarr's reign, so would have been of him as an older man rather than at the time of the victory. Plus a bit of poetic license being taken by some sycophantic Rurikid court sculptor. And also ... there's a little sidelight to this which you will see in the next episode.
I wonder if there's a way to stop this for good, like would it end if no catholic characters remain in game? the pope doesn't have any location, right?
Done. Here are some vassal maps from early in the next chapter. Slight Spoiler: There are a couple of new subordinate Kingdoms (Konugardr and Wallachia) that will be explained early on in the next episode.
European vassal realms, as at May 1174. Many of them have outposts in Spain now, by either conquest or award. Note, Irland originally grew up from the Ukrainian area holdings, then expanded in Ireland after a seaborne conquest, thence to northern Italy, Spain and Africa.
Eastern and Steppe realms, very much dominated by the Rurikid branch ruling Volga Bulgaria.
North-West Africa, dominated by various Irish vassals in King Gnupa's name, with a Swedish outpost on the west coast.
I think the only way to stop the Crusades would be to make sure no Catholic holds a landed title (even a barony). Titular titles like the Papacy are fine. So since there is still Catholic land in places like Krain, the wars will continue.
We'll see what happens as this unfolds. Noting that the Holy Orders seem to be given random land grants (baronies) around the place after they've been evicted from their current holdings by the Emperor or a vassal. Whack-a-mole time!
Not sure there, though taking Rome and making it Germanic was too great a temptation to pass up!
To All: Thanks all for the support, like me don't forget to vote for all your favourite AARs in the Q1 2024 ACAs (I promise to do so myself soon ). Next chapter out soon.
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Chapter 59: Blóð eða Gørsimi (April 1174 to December 1176)New
Chapter 59: Blóð eða Gørsimi (April 1174 to December 1176)
“Blóð eða Gørsimi” (Blood and Treasure), a romanticised latter-day celebration of the legendary days of plunder by the raiders of Fylkir Ottarr the Glorious in the late 12th century. With horns. [Bing/DALLE.3 insisted on including them even when I tried putting in specific prompts to not use them!]
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The Malian War for Timbuktu
Caliph Bannu had launched his quixotic war to retake Timbuktu on 31 January 1174. From May that year until January 1175, his small army had been besieging Aoudaghost without taking a holding and periodically losing troops to sorties and disease.
There were only a thousand left when the leading general Hubert arrived in mid-January 1175 with his levy army. At odds of over 6-1, the battle was a predictable walk-over – but not nearly enough to persuade Caliph Bannu to desist.
The fight was carried to his new capital at Gao, where the siege of Bourem yielded a windfall on 26 April that would drastically shorten the war.
Taking the castle (at considerable loss to the assaulting force) and with it Bannu’s heir and another son almost forced Bannu to the bargaining table; but still he brandished a middle finger in forlorn defiance.
The fall of Gao-Saney (for no more Rurikid loss) on 26 June was enough to end it. Huberts troops would return to Timbuktu and be safely demobilised by mid-July.
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Raiding in Italy
The end of the 5th Crusade for Italy in April 1174 saw all armies in the theatre on Russian territory, so all levies except those in Spain on their way to Mali were disbanded straight away. The ‘New Guard’ contingent was ordered to Italy, where the Jomsvikings under King Geirr of Lotharingia were resting and another raiding Guard army was heading to its next pillaging target.
The other raiding army Guard army in Provence was ordered to Spain and the Jomsvikings would follow them in mid-May: a new task had arisen that required their attention over there.
Neapolis was the first to be ransacked in this latest raiding sweep through Italy, with a nice but lower quality engraved sword found and added to the Rurikid Imperial Treasury in August. By this time, despite his weak physical stature, Fylkir Ottarr was very well equipped for personal combat. He would fear issuing or receiving very few personal challenges if they came up.
Neapolis would provide a nice haul of treasure though at a large troop cost in the year from May 1174, with Gaeta the next raiding target as the New Guard joined the force as a separate contingent (being unable to perform the Sacred Toggling Ceremony while Ottarr remained at war with Mali).
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Spanish Campaigns
The main combat action for this period would take place in Spain, with a mixture of raiding and conquest attempts by both the Emperor and his very active vassals in the region. As mentioned earlier, on 7 April 1174 Þorbrandr’s raiding army (which had also not ‘de-toggled’ during the recent Crusade) was sent back to Spain, to Valladolid. There, a Suhailid revolt by the aptly named Yassir the Ill-Ruler had left his main seat isolated from pact protection.
By 25 September of that year, Þorbrandr had arrived for a ‘preparatory raid’. As the war with Mali was still in progress and sending a Guard detachment would have taken too long, Hubert’s levy army had been left to continue its long trek, meaning a new war could not (by the laws of war of the time) be started yet.
The plundering of Valladolid (and depletion of its garrisons) would be finished by early June 1175. Þorbrandr then moved west to Salamanca, whose forces were in the process of besieging Valladolid for their own purposes, meaning all the Russians were then doing was assisting them.
While Ottarr waited for the Malian War to end and Hubert’s levies safely disbanded, the prolific conqueror Jarl Falki of Hlymrek – a powerful vassal of King Gnupa of Irland – made his own move on Malaga in July 1175. He would complete his conquest and unseat Emir Ali of Cordoba within 13 months.
King Kettil of Germany would start a Holy War for Navarra (for the county of Nájera) against Sheikh Tifilwit a few days later on 17 July – a war still in progress by the end of 1176.
By 24 July, the way was clear for Ottarr to launch an opportunistic war on the rebels to take Valladolid. Though by that time, the Count of Salamanca (a vassal of King Raimundo of Galicia) in alliance with Zamora was well progress in his own conquest of the county.
Hence the raid on Salamanca to ensure hostility. And by this time the Jomsviking army had arrived and were currently in Toledo.
To cap off what had been a busy month in Spain (and a difficult one for their remaining independent realms) on 30 July King Gnupa himself declared a Holy War for Badajoz against the Marwanid Emir Abdullah II, who still controlled four provinces in central Spain. This would prove to be a large-scale conflict after Abdullah was able to call in some allies.
Þorbrandr had doubled back from Salamanca to attack the Salamancan-Zamoran army in Valladolid by mid-August. By that time, Hubert had taken command of the Jomsvikings and struck the enemy with a flank march three days later.
As expected, the enemy was broken for few Rurikid losses. However, three of the holdings remained in Salamancan hands. The problem (as far as the Court Lawyers could work out, even after a contingent ‘de-toggled’ from raiding) was that Russia was not actually at war with them and launching one would trigger the world-girdling defensive pacts.
This situation would persist for an extended period, while the separate prospect of the Suhailid revolt being defeated had to be considered. The Russians resorted to raiding nearby counties while keeping an eye on Valladolid in case the situation changed (with periodic attempts to besiege the Salamanca-occupied holdings with the de-toggled contingent).
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Jarl Guðmundr was another powerful Irish vassal who set his sights on Mertola (in a Holy War for Beja) in January 1176. But before he could complete his land grab, the claim would be jumped in December that year by a local vassal of the Jarl of Seville and King Ingemar of Bohemia. Hrolfr ‘the Great’ had now acquired three counties of his own, along with a wife of African ancestry.
The Irish war for Badajoz was proving quite a difficult one for King Gnupa, who in early February 1176 found himself in a tough battle with the Marwanids and their allies in Caceres. Hubert was soon ordered across to support them, though he was some way off.
As Hubert approached the battlefield in late February, both sides had taken heavy casualties and Irish morale was beginning to fail. Although Hubert arrived on 5 March, before the battle was ended, the laws of war prevented him from joining in. By that stage the Irish had the numbers but the Marwanids the morale.
It would take a week for the first battle to end – in an Irish defeat, after they had lost at least 3,000 men to around 4,000 for the Marwanids. At that point, Hubert was able to engage them at Guadalupe, though it was technically classed as a defence and was only against the Marwanid allies from Galicia and the Qasid Emirate. Sheik Sanyo’s Marwanid force of around 2,700 was not engaged. The fighting (more of a skirmish) against the exhausted enemy did not last long before they too retreated.
By early May the Irish had rallied, attacking the Marwanid army (around 3,000 men by then) in Caceres with over 8,000 men: this time, they would win, thanks to the previous assistance of the Jomsvikings.
By August 1176, it seemed the chances of taking Valladolid were remote: no progress had been made as yet by Ottarr, while Yassir’s rebellion was exhausted [-100% warscore] and the Salamancan conquest seemingly also almost complete [-99% warscore]. But for whatever reasons, Yassir fought on in both. Ottarr remained patient (in part because concluded a white peace would have damaged his reputation). The main raiding army remained plundering Navarre, where it had been since January, while the Jomsvikings waited in Toledo for any opportunity to intervene effectively in Valladolid.
As usual, Russian magnates filled in the gaps, with Grand Mayor Gandalfr of Livonia making his own bid of a prepared invasion of Andalusia against the Marwanid Emirate of Abdullah, now known as ‘the Holy’. This effectively mirrored King Gnupa’s Holy war for Badajoz, so it would be a competition to see which might gain the most, with the odds being on Gnupa’s side for now.
By the end of 1176, Gnupa’s war continued with another battle, this time against a large Galician-led force to the north of Caceres. The raiding casualties in Valladolid had been heavy for the amount of gold obtained. As noted, two more counties had been gained for Russia by vassals, while Kettil and Gandalfr’s wars also continued.
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Court and Domain
The decreased span of control Ottarr was able to exert over vassals, compared to his formidable father, had only been partly mitigated since his succession and marriage. In April 1174 the Fylkir embarked on a considerable reorganisation of parts of the realm. The new Kingdoms of Könugarðr and Wallachia were created and allocated, in the hope of then being able to allocate jarl-level vassals to each of them and to give them more freedom to manage their sprawling demesnes.
Thought was also given to creating the Kingdom of Aquitaine and giving the title to the powerful Jarl of Savoy but Ottarr would need to rebuild his reputation for piety before he could do that.
Ottarr had hoped to transfer a couple of more minor Jarldoms within his own Kingdoms of Finland and Garðariki to one of the new or existing kings, but this was not legally possible. Instead, five other jarldoms and chiefdoms to various vassal monarchs. The improved opinion of his chief vassals more than made up in troop numbers those he had allocated out.
And all his most important vassals now held a healthy regard for the young Fylkir. Even the one rebel among them. Eight of them were now kings, and a ninth (Dyre) would soon be promoted to the Wallachian crown.
And that in turn brought the maximum troop strength Ottarr could summon to over 234,000 – a level approaching that of his father in his heyday.
Within six months of their marriage, Empress Skuld had heard rumour of Ottarr’s pre-existing affair with Seeress Yrsa. While stubborn, Ottarr was also kind and just. Both women would be upset and Yrsa would leave the Loyalist faction on the Council in pique, but Ottarr had put the long-term relationship with his wife above that of his Seeress.
However, there was nothing stopping him recruiting a bevy of concubines, which is exactly what he did a few months later. He scoured the reachable Norse Germanic world for some suitable partners of around the right age and all were invited.
One of them, Bothildr was a good candidate for becoming a ‘traditional’ Rurikid Concubine-Shieldmaiden, though the main objective was to get some heirs, of which there were none yet on the way.
That winter, Ottarr decided he would give his face a bit of protection from the harsh winter winds of Nygarðr. He grew a beard and got his hair cut in a more traditional Viking manner: he was by all accounts very sensitive about his puny physique and boyish looks. This likely inferiority complex would lead him to some rather risky and perhaps rash decisions in the near future.
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The tragic effect of this desire for over-compensation by the young Emperor would come to a head in February 1175. His contemporary King Geirr of Lotharingia was at the time a fervent supporter of Ottarr and one of his most accomplished commanders. Both the memory of Toste III’s generosity and recent vassal transfers made him an ardent supporter. This was not enough for Ottarr, who came to harbour an intense dislike for the ‘poncing upstart’, as he secretly described Geirr in private.
It seems the main cause of the antipathy was Geirr’s desire for a couple of jarldoms Ottarr didn’t even control directly! Unlike his more patient and diplomatic father, he acted on these feelings, hoping to dispel his image as a pampered weakling and wastrel. Geirr accepted and the holmgang ritual begun. And Ottarr was well-armed and confident. But there was still a risk …
Perhaps the account that was passed down is inaccurate, or Ottarr wounded Geirr with the mighty Death Strike spear before finishing him off with the famed Neckbiter axe first found by Rurik the Founder himself.
In any case, Ottarr emerged victorious, with boosted prestige and a nice scar, while Geirr was dead, replaced by an older cousin named Oddr II. Who Ottarr disliked almost as much (for similar reasons) and who was not nearly so enamoured of his new overlord.
Ottarr’s macho quest saw further reward with his hailing as a Viking in May due to the recent raiding.
And he also supported Steward Bonga in his efforts to bring economic innovation to the capital.
Some months before Ottarr’s concubine Þyra had been the first of his four consorts to fall pregnant. A son and new heir was born on 23 December 1175 and named Toste, after his grandfather. As soon as he was able to talk, however, it would be discovered that young Toste had a mild speech impediment. He would be schooled in thrift, but unlike his father would have a skilled tutor in his early years – the steward Bonga.
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The court and country were largely uneventful for the next six months, when the death of the current physician required a new one to be hired for this occasionally crucial appointment. A Kirghizian by the name of Könçek the Wise was hired after a search at considerable expense. It was hoped he wouldn’t be needed any time soon but would prove effective if he was.
From 1174-76, three major buildings were completed and three more commenced in the Emperor’s demesne after previous technological advances in Rouen and Paris. As usual, with raiding to top up tax revenues, there was plenty saved in the treasury to fund these expensive projects. Bonga would be busy supervising new works from October 1175 onwards.
The year ended with another child for Ottarr, another daughter, by the Empress herself. This child was healthy but early on acknowledged as an unusually ugly child. It was felt that the study of the Gods might be the right way for young Gerðr to go. The Gods would hopefully not care that she ‘had a face like a bucket full of smashed crabs’, as one unkind (and anonymous) yesteryear troll remarked.
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Vassal and Foreign Affairs
Other than the many moves already described in Spain, a few other events from the period are worth noting. The new Jomsviking Warchief Prince Tryggve Hvitserk of Skotland held disparate lands in France, Germany, Poland and Spain – where he was trying to expand further, as we have seen. Though only 39 years old, he was a somewhat troubled man.
In October 1174, an attempt by Volga Bulgaria to take the region of Karashar from the Ardeshirid Kingdom failed. Only for a vassal, the Jarl of Itil, to take up the same cause in July 1175. That too would fail almost three years later.
In August 1174, the internal war between Lotharingia and Sviþjod over Metz ended in victory for Geirr of Lotharingia – though he only had a few more months left alive to savour it.
In good news – and far better for Sviþjod – a war they started to throw the Teutonic Knights out of Krain was launched in September 1175 and would ultimately prove successful just over a year later, bringing the whole surrounding area under unified Swedish control.
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King Kettil of Germany came of age in 1175 and wasted little time in flexing his muscles. First came his war for Nájera in Spain in July 1175. A far more serious conflict was initiated in September of the same year, when he attacked the numerically superior King Oddr II of Lotharingia (15,300 v 21,700 total strength) over a de jure holding claim Gent. Which seems a lot of trouble for such a minor prize. That’s impetuous teens for you!
In Libya, another Muslim dynasty fell due to the decadence of its ruling family in September 1175. The Affatid dynasty succeeded to the now even more splintered Emirate.
A few months later, King Ivar II of Denmark died of the Great Pox and was succeeded by his son Arngrimr Bleik. A new non-aggression pact was soon arranged to keep Denmark out of the anti-Rurikid pacts.
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Mid-1176 saw a sideshow later named ‘The Turnu Affair’. Somehow, in early July one Åke Fróni managed to somehow usurp the Chiefdom of Turnu from its young incumbent. A few weeks later he declared independence from the recently formed Kingdom of Wallachia. Ottarr only became aware of this sloppy management by the young King Dyre a week of so later, when the report came across his desk that this Chief Åke had declared independence!
Clearly, this would not do. Ottarr demanded Åke swear fealty to him in person. Åke was duly intimidated and so swore, then being turned back over to Dyre straight away. Hopefully, this time he would remain in line.
Little more of note happened within the Empire before the year’s end, which saw Ottarr well on the way to fully establishing his relatively new reign – and a reputation for a somewhat brittle chin when it came to any perception (imagined or otherwise) of him appearing to be weak.
“I am no weakling!” Wethinks [] Ottarr doth perhaps protest too much.
Great update, glad to see that whatever problems were plaguing the boards have been rectified! The current emperor sounds a bit like some current politicians I could name who have similar issues with their self-image.
“Blóð eða Gørsimi” (Blood and Treasure), a romanticised latter-day celebration of the legendary days of plunder by the raiders of Fylkir Ottarr the Glorious in the late 12th century. With horns. [Bing/DALLE.3 insisted on including them even when I tried putting in specific prompts to not use them!]
As I have written about elsewhere, Bing insists on putting horns on Viking helmets. Too bad they have discontinued the eraser in Designer. That usually helps to get rid of the horns (and fix six-fingered Vikings too). Still an impressive image.
Done. Here are some vassal maps from early in the next chapter. Slight Spoiler: There are a couple of new subordinate Kingdoms (Konugardr and Wallachia) that will be explained early on in the next episode.
“Blóð eða Gørsimi” (Blood and Treasure), a romanticised latter-day celebration of the legendary days of plunder by the raiders of Fylkir Ottarr the Glorious in the late 12th century. With horns. [Bing/DALLE.3 insisted on including them even when I tried putting in specific prompts to not use them!]
In any case, Ottarr emerged victorious, with boosted prestige and a nice scar, while Geirr was dead, replaced by an older cousin named Oddr II. Who Ottarr disliked almost as much (for similar reasons) and who was not nearly so enamoured of his new overlord.
The court and country were largely uneventful for the next six months, when the death of the current physician required a new one to be hired for this occasionally crucial appointment. A Kirghizian by the name of Könçek the Wise was hired after a search at considerable expense. It was hoped he wouldn’t be needed any time soon but would prove effective if he was.
Clearly, this would not do. Ottarr demanded Åke swear fealty to him in person. Åke was duly intimidated and so swore, then being turned back over to Dyre straight away. Hopefully, this time he would remain in line.
