Furor Normannicus
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Noooo, it cant be true Serlo getting the anger of god, cant say that luck are going his way 
poor man
poor man
Enewald said:Serlo must become the king of Africa!
Seconded! Just caught up with everything Guiscard and I am impressed and awed by your skill as always. You deftly handled the wars in Africa and brought about a decent peace with the vile Queen of Germany to the North, bravo!
Can't wait for more exciting adventures and twists! With little Godfrey down there are so many ways things can go!
phargle: Yeah, it almost seems like Serlo is finding the power he enjoys increasingly hollow, finding no joy in his family life and having to carry out Bohemond’s ruthless commands. I tried to have a hint of this weariness show through in serlo’s conversation with Charles.
But then maybe you have been reading too much into Serlo all along.
Oh, and by the way – tripe is cow’s stomach, not pig’s stomach, so you’ve got no excuse not to try this particular delicacy.
Coinneach: Holy moly, a Gaelic reader from the Hebrides! I thought the lot of you had been hunted to extinction well before the onset of the digital age.
Which makes me all the more glad to have you reading and commenting. Welcome aboard!
Enewald: Laws in Europe were different, but basically the marriage duty would have to be paid by the same guys who have money squeezed out of them in the ‘estates general” event – all the lord’s vassals, the towns and monasteries/dioceses. Historically, there were a number of similar duties, for instance when a lord’s eldest son was knighted (theoretically to pay for his knightly equipment).
And I have slight doubts that Bohemond would just bend over and take it while Serlo seizes an African kingship.
Alfred Packer: I find it interesting that you laud my dialogue, of all things. Actually, I find dialogue rather hard to write and usually don’t think too highly of my efforts at it. But maybe that’s why you feel it flows smoothly. Having such a hard time to write dialogue and wanting to pack as much gameplay information as possible into it, I give lots of thought to my dialogue beforehand and plot its course out quite meticulously.
In the previous chapter, I myself like the short passage where I sketch the landscape through which Serlo and Charles are riding – I feel (delude myself?) that I managed to convey a rather concise idea what the area is like without going over the top with the description. I am only middingly content with the rest of the chapter, though, so I am quite surprised at your praise – and of course highly pleased.
Morsky: I don’t yet know who the next king is going to be. My gameplay is on hold to allow the AAR to catch up a little more and consequently has not yet advanced past Bohemond.
General_BT: I think I do not give away too much when I say that the gameplay, even though it has a crusade to Jerusalem on for quite some time now, has not yet seen any crusaders in Africa or Asia, let alone crusader realms. If the Fatimid realm (which has swallowed Nubia) is going to disintegrate in the next decade or so, it will have to be due to other reasons.
And Bohemond does indeed own eight of the fifteen provinces required for “King of Tunisia”. The other seven are all owned by the Hammadids. Who are allied with the Fatimids.
Fulcrumvale: You’ve prophesized it, now you’ve seen it happen.
Scavenius: I may embarrass myself by welcoming you as a new commenter, but I do can’t remember having heard of you before – so welcome aboard, Scavenius!
As to Serlo’s luck – I guess this character has (in-game) an awfully low fertility value. It took him ages to produce a first child, and now that Godfrey’s dead and Serlo turning fifty, the prospects are really grim. While playing I was pretty pissed off to notice that Serlo was once again without child, meaning that Arsenio stood to inherit a second duchy. Which wouldn’t make Bohemond happy, with Arsenio being a pretender to the throne.
Count Lake: Thank you for the undeserved high praise. The plot twists at least are nothing I can take credit for or be blamed with. And as to that King-thing I can only repeat that Bohemond is neither likely to stand by while his title is stolen nor to give a title that powerful away to a vassal.
But then maybe you have been reading too much into Serlo all along.
Oh, and by the way – tripe is cow’s stomach, not pig’s stomach, so you’ve got no excuse not to try this particular delicacy.
Coinneach: Holy moly, a Gaelic reader from the Hebrides! I thought the lot of you had been hunted to extinction well before the onset of the digital age.
Which makes me all the more glad to have you reading and commenting. Welcome aboard!
Enewald: Laws in Europe were different, but basically the marriage duty would have to be paid by the same guys who have money squeezed out of them in the ‘estates general” event – all the lord’s vassals, the towns and monasteries/dioceses. Historically, there were a number of similar duties, for instance when a lord’s eldest son was knighted (theoretically to pay for his knightly equipment).
And I have slight doubts that Bohemond would just bend over and take it while Serlo seizes an African kingship.
Alfred Packer: I find it interesting that you laud my dialogue, of all things. Actually, I find dialogue rather hard to write and usually don’t think too highly of my efforts at it. But maybe that’s why you feel it flows smoothly. Having such a hard time to write dialogue and wanting to pack as much gameplay information as possible into it, I give lots of thought to my dialogue beforehand and plot its course out quite meticulously.
In the previous chapter, I myself like the short passage where I sketch the landscape through which Serlo and Charles are riding – I feel (delude myself?) that I managed to convey a rather concise idea what the area is like without going over the top with the description. I am only middingly content with the rest of the chapter, though, so I am quite surprised at your praise – and of course highly pleased.
Morsky: I don’t yet know who the next king is going to be. My gameplay is on hold to allow the AAR to catch up a little more and consequently has not yet advanced past Bohemond.
General_BT: I think I do not give away too much when I say that the gameplay, even though it has a crusade to Jerusalem on for quite some time now, has not yet seen any crusaders in Africa or Asia, let alone crusader realms. If the Fatimid realm (which has swallowed Nubia) is going to disintegrate in the next decade or so, it will have to be due to other reasons.
And Bohemond does indeed own eight of the fifteen provinces required for “King of Tunisia”. The other seven are all owned by the Hammadids. Who are allied with the Fatimids.
Fulcrumvale: You’ve prophesized it, now you’ve seen it happen.
Scavenius: I may embarrass myself by welcoming you as a new commenter, but I do can’t remember having heard of you before – so welcome aboard, Scavenius!
As to Serlo’s luck – I guess this character has (in-game) an awfully low fertility value. It took him ages to produce a first child, and now that Godfrey’s dead and Serlo turning fifty, the prospects are really grim. While playing I was pretty pissed off to notice that Serlo was once again without child, meaning that Arsenio stood to inherit a second duchy. Which wouldn’t make Bohemond happy, with Arsenio being a pretender to the throne.
Count Lake: Thank you for the undeserved high praise. The plot twists at least are nothing I can take credit for or be blamed with. And as to that King-thing I can only repeat that Bohemond is neither likely to stand by while his title is stolen nor to give a title that powerful away to a vassal.
There's nothing else for it: Arsenio must be stripped or assassinated.
Serlo is a damned hero. Imagine Apulia minus Serlo. It's overrun by Muslims and Roger Borsa is fleeing to Byzantium.
Serlo is a damned hero. Imagine Apulia minus Serlo. It's overrun by Muslims and Roger Borsa is fleeing to Byzantium.
Alright, some reflections after reading through this.
It's not tripe, nor is it anything else that phargle might want to put in his mouth, or any other orifice for that matter.
I'll try and do a rundown on the characters and let you know what I found especially good or uncharacteristically bad.
Serlo: He's a bit like Mick Jagger in that you could accuse him of selling out if not for the fact that he wasn't much of a rebel to begin with. He's certainly not a the traditional hero-type, particularly not since he claims to have loved his dead wife and then cheated on her. Still, even if his fight to overcome his low sperm count might not be a traditional one, it's certainly stirring.
My guess: He'll get Blanche pregnant again, she'll give birth to a daughter, and he'll die the next day.
In conclusion, he seems weaker as a duke than he did when he was just a marshal.
Zuhayra: The least likeable of all characters so far. Her hatred of her husband for being an apostate is ridiculous in that she's done more to hurt Islam than he could ever dream of doing.
Her happiness at going after the Sunnis of Malta for being the wrong flavour of muslim was particularly disgusting in my opinion.
Add to that her being a dirty old lady who goes all mushy just by looking at Bohemond and she's really starting to seem freaky.
One problem with her role as chancellor is why didn't pope Victor go after Bohemond by attacking her?
Duke/King Robert: A complete and utter bastard, but at least he possessed a certain honesty about his character which made him strangely likable.
The ambivalence of whether he bestowed Bohemond with all those titles on account of a guilty conscience or because he saw Roger Borsa as unfit to be king was a nice narrative touch.
Helen: Underemployed, both as a character in her own right or as someone which could have added more depth to Serlo.
Roger Borsa: A desperately tragic figure. An update from his viewpoint would potentially be a very nice addition to the story.
Bohemond: Hello Mr. Psycho! The most jarring fact about him is that he isn't even particularly cruel. Nor does he seem a very good strategist, more like a schoolyard bully. Hopefully he'll die on the toilet, Alfred Packer style!
Sancha: Was she just using Serlo for some sort of twisted revenge against Bohemond? I admit to hoping that one chapter will feature her telling her estranged husband that his cousin's twice the man he is where it really counts, preferably at the same time as doing a Mrs. MacArthur by waving a cocktail weenie at him and asking him if he's envious of its size.
I can't decide whether she's likeable or seriously unpleasant, which is a complement of your writing.
One final good thing about this AAR is that it doesn't suffer quite as badly from the Pretty Woman Syndrome which seems to afflict a lot of the CK narratives. Christ, even today there are few female royalties who wouldn't look more attractive if you put a brown bag over their heads.
It's not tripe, nor is it anything else that phargle might want to put in his mouth, or any other orifice for that matter.
I'll try and do a rundown on the characters and let you know what I found especially good or uncharacteristically bad.
Serlo: He's a bit like Mick Jagger in that you could accuse him of selling out if not for the fact that he wasn't much of a rebel to begin with. He's certainly not a the traditional hero-type, particularly not since he claims to have loved his dead wife and then cheated on her. Still, even if his fight to overcome his low sperm count might not be a traditional one, it's certainly stirring.
My guess: He'll get Blanche pregnant again, she'll give birth to a daughter, and he'll die the next day.
In conclusion, he seems weaker as a duke than he did when he was just a marshal.
Zuhayra: The least likeable of all characters so far. Her hatred of her husband for being an apostate is ridiculous in that she's done more to hurt Islam than he could ever dream of doing.
Her happiness at going after the Sunnis of Malta for being the wrong flavour of muslim was particularly disgusting in my opinion.
Add to that her being a dirty old lady who goes all mushy just by looking at Bohemond and she's really starting to seem freaky.
One problem with her role as chancellor is why didn't pope Victor go after Bohemond by attacking her?
Duke/King Robert: A complete and utter bastard, but at least he possessed a certain honesty about his character which made him strangely likable.
The ambivalence of whether he bestowed Bohemond with all those titles on account of a guilty conscience or because he saw Roger Borsa as unfit to be king was a nice narrative touch.
Helen: Underemployed, both as a character in her own right or as someone which could have added more depth to Serlo.
Roger Borsa: A desperately tragic figure. An update from his viewpoint would potentially be a very nice addition to the story.
Bohemond: Hello Mr. Psycho! The most jarring fact about him is that he isn't even particularly cruel. Nor does he seem a very good strategist, more like a schoolyard bully. Hopefully he'll die on the toilet, Alfred Packer style!
Sancha: Was she just using Serlo for some sort of twisted revenge against Bohemond? I admit to hoping that one chapter will feature her telling her estranged husband that his cousin's twice the man he is where it really counts, preferably at the same time as doing a Mrs. MacArthur by waving a cocktail weenie at him and asking him if he's envious of its size.
I can't decide whether she's likeable or seriously unpleasant, which is a complement of your writing.
One final good thing about this AAR is that it doesn't suffer quite as badly from the Pretty Woman Syndrome which seems to afflict a lot of the CK narratives. Christ, even today there are few female royalties who wouldn't look more attractive if you put a brown bag over their heads.
Eams said:
Wow, thank you for bothering. I will try to give you my own thoughts on yours:
Serlo: He certainly had more punch to himself as marshal and count than as duke. As you say, he was never a rebel (which isn’t a bad thing in itself), but still a conscentious vassal with an independent opinion. From a purely storytelling viewpoint, I’d say that as a young man he probably wouldn’t have stomached much of what Bohemond did, but in the gameplay, he did as he grew older – for all Bohemond did, Serlo has not (yet?) developed the “Rebellious”-trait, and I feel bound by this. He may not like what his cousin does, but he does still go along with it without contemplating rebellion. In terms of the story, I interpret this as kinda selling out.
Concerning his relation with Helene – I envision the relationship not as love, but more as companionship and mutual respect, and I think that I never actually used the term “love”. And even if it would have been outright love medieval morality wouldn’t have required sexual fidelity on the man’s part, so I disagree with you in that Serlo’s infidelity detracts from his character and likeability in a medieval setting.
Zuhayra: I largely agree with your assessment of her character. She is deluding herself. But this was something I felt compelled to do to come up with some kind of explanation for the gameplay fact of her supporting Bohemond on his Muslim killing spree. So she’s deluding herself and all mushy for the King. And the Pope not attacking her is of course also a result of the gameplay, which I try to follow closely.
Duke/King Roger: I agree one hundred percent.
Helene: You are (unfortunately) right about her being sadly underemployed. Again, this was a direct consequence of creative choices of mine – to follow the gameplay closely and not go far beyond it (which Helene-chapters would most probably have done), and to strictly limit myself to a few viewpoint characters.
Roger Borsa: He certainly is tragic, a figure broken by life. Apart from a maybe a short paragraph or two, a chapter from his viewpoint would run counter to my self-limitation in viewpoints, though.
Bohemond: Psycho? Yes, maybe, even though I would rather call him a megalomaniac. On second thoughts, there is definitely something very psychotic about Bohemond. The way I played him and the way I write about him, Bohemond would rather die and destroy his dynasty and realm before backing down. He – will – not – back – down. Never. There was an incident where I accepted a 50% chance of excommunication rather than give in to the pope’s demands. So yeah, I guess that’s psychotic.
Sancha: That you can’t make your mind up on Sancha may be less a compliment to my writing but rather due to the fact that I haven’t quite made my mind up on her myself.
And as to the Pretty Woman Syndrome – I agree (also about present-day royalty). I take a look at the character portrait, and if I deem it attractive, then the woman is attractive as well (Helene, Sancha), and if not, well, then she isn’t (Blanche, Emma). Easy.
Again, thank you for taking the time, Eams. And while I am at, a tiny bit more feedback:
phargle: Stripping Arsenio might work, but assassinating wouldn’t. He’s got two younger brothers to continue his line, and these and himself all have sons of their own.
Estonianzulu: A two year old with these stats? It ain’t so. It’s a former two year old with these stats.
Ah, my mistake for reading too much into his unwillingness to remarry despite the pressing need to do so.The_Guiscard said:
However, I would still claim that his relationship with Sancha reflects poorly upon his character; he might not love his wife and marital fidelity might not have been a big thing back then (people in general must have interpreted the bible with a pretty hefty dose of creativity) but he's still putting them both at risk (though admittedly, he would have to pay more than she if discovered), as well as any offspring which they might have produced, particularly by being so indiscreet as to sleep with Sancha aboard a ship.
Gratz for becoming a member of the so-called tempus society which stands for something yet unknown for too many people!
The_Guiscard: Congratulations on your excellent and promising AAR. Furor Normannicus has been selected as winner of this week's Weekly Showcase . Head on over there and say a few words!
First of all my apologies for my prolonged absence. The past two weeks have been very busy, but this hectic time is over for now, and the next update is already half written and should be up within no more than two days.
Then I would like to thank TheHyphenated1 for chosing “Furor Normannicus” for the Weekly AAR Showcase. I am not shy to say that I guessed that I could write HALF decently (I wouldn’t have started an AAR otherwise), but the kindness with which my AAR has been received and the awards it has been granted do still surpass its somewhat dubious quality by far. Thank you, TheHyphenated1, and thank you all you other readers and supporters.
And now for some feedback:
Eams: If you look at the events after the death of Helene, you will see that Serlo felt some reluctance at remarrying after his wife’s death, but that this reluctance obviously didn’t go to deep – he remarried about a month after learning of his wife’s death. I envision his sentiment on Helene’s death as akin to somebody’s feelings at a close friend having died surprisingly without an opportunity to say good bye. Serlo was sad and mourned and felt genuine loss, but he could pull himself together soon.
And considering his affair with Sancha I agree that he has endangered himself and her with his dalliance, and while this is certainly a weakness of character, I don’t see it as grave. Serlo fought with temptation, and though he did eventually succumb, he did soon come to his senses once more. In the scene where Sancha tried to win Serlo’s support for an expedition into Iberia we learn that Serlo has for years meticulously avoided being alone with Sancha so as to avoid a temptation he feared he might be unable to resist. Serlo feels strong passion for the Queen, and he was overpowered by this passion once, but he has always known how wrong this was, and he has subsequently suppressed struggled with temptation and denied his passion. In my opinion this does make him human and sympathetic.
Deamon: Some philosophers claim that the supreme good is notto be born at all, or to die die as soon as possible if you happen to be born, so maybe Godfrey’s fate wasn’t so bad after all? :wacko:
Enewald: Thank you for your felicitations. And fear not, the Normans are right around the next corner. Coming soon in a thread near you.
phargle: Don’t have your fury explode quite yet, we need you sober to count the votes and announce the winners of the ACAs. And you might also miss the next chapter over the throbbing of the veins in your temples.
Maver1ck: *chants back* COMING COMING COMING COMING
Then I would like to thank TheHyphenated1 for chosing “Furor Normannicus” for the Weekly AAR Showcase. I am not shy to say that I guessed that I could write HALF decently (I wouldn’t have started an AAR otherwise), but the kindness with which my AAR has been received and the awards it has been granted do still surpass its somewhat dubious quality by far. Thank you, TheHyphenated1, and thank you all you other readers and supporters.
And now for some feedback:
Eams: If you look at the events after the death of Helene, you will see that Serlo felt some reluctance at remarrying after his wife’s death, but that this reluctance obviously didn’t go to deep – he remarried about a month after learning of his wife’s death. I envision his sentiment on Helene’s death as akin to somebody’s feelings at a close friend having died surprisingly without an opportunity to say good bye. Serlo was sad and mourned and felt genuine loss, but he could pull himself together soon.
And considering his affair with Sancha I agree that he has endangered himself and her with his dalliance, and while this is certainly a weakness of character, I don’t see it as grave. Serlo fought with temptation, and though he did eventually succumb, he did soon come to his senses once more. In the scene where Sancha tried to win Serlo’s support for an expedition into Iberia we learn that Serlo has for years meticulously avoided being alone with Sancha so as to avoid a temptation he feared he might be unable to resist. Serlo feels strong passion for the Queen, and he was overpowered by this passion once, but he has always known how wrong this was, and he has subsequently suppressed struggled with temptation and denied his passion. In my opinion this does make him human and sympathetic.
Deamon: Some philosophers claim that the supreme good is notto be born at all, or to die die as soon as possible if you happen to be born, so maybe Godfrey’s fate wasn’t so bad after all? :wacko:
Enewald: Thank you for your felicitations. And fear not, the Normans are right around the next corner. Coming soon in a thread near you.
phargle: Don’t have your fury explode quite yet, we need you sober to count the votes and announce the winners of the ACAs. And you might also miss the next chapter over the throbbing of the veins in your temples.
Maver1ck: *chants back* COMING COMING COMING COMING
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The_Guiscard said:phargle: Don’t have your fury explode quite yet, we need you sober to count the votes and announce the winners of the ACAs. And you might also miss the next chapter over the throbbing of the veins in your temples.
Congratulations on all of your awards and inductions. As for my sobriety, I shall be posting tallies the day after real-life election day, and may be somewhat hung over. Tallyho!
Chapter Fourteen: In Which A Chancellor Is Plotting
The grand castle of Palermo was entirely of Muslim design and build, well fortified but at the same time luxurious and comfortable. Its architects had eschewed wood as building material and erected the castle completely of cut stone and burnt brick, and all the castle’s floors were carefully levelled and tiled with slabs of cut sandstone, not left bare earth as in many of the Christian fortresses. In the inner ward, were defensibility was not a prime concern, the windows were not narrow slits, but generously wide, admitting light and fresh air into the chambers. Zuhayra was presently sitting in one of the most stately chambers, small but especially lavish, with colourful tiles covering the walls and a painted ceiling that was a masterpiece of Muslim woodcutting. With the short Sicilian winter drawing to a close the shutters protecting the stately chamber from the draught had been removed from the windows a week ago, and the charcoal glowing in a small cast iron brazier placed centrally on the lush carpets covering the floor gave off enough heat to make the four present persons comfortable. The King’s council had gathered on this last day of February to hear the report of Marshall Charles.
Zuhayra only half listened to the military details the Frankish knight gave of the short campaign – to her, it was the the situation in Bari that mattered. Well over a year ago, native discontent in and around Bari had flared into armed riots and throughout the last year, while the King had been away in Africa, campaigning against Emir Zeyd, this part of the royal demesne had been in turmoil. More and more peasants had run away from their fields and joined the bands of marauders and self-proclaimed freedom fighters plaguing the area, and several Norman lords had been murdered and a few churches plundered. By and large, the insurrection had been more of a nuisance than a threat, and many of those who had joined the rebellious mob had soon rued their decision. With the prospect of facing starvation in the approaching winter, some had tried to slip into the anonymity of town life, and a few peasant leaders had even petitioned the King to be allowed back into serfdom in their villages. Zuhayra had advised Bohemond to graciously take them back into his fold, but the King had been convinced not to let them off so easily and to levy additional soccage from the peasants of each and every village from which even a single man had joined the insurrection. A few villages had accepted this additional duty, but the majority had been driven over the brink – the broiling kettle that was the peasants of Bari had boiled over into open and widespread rebellion. Two castles had been stormed by peasant mobs and the Marshall had to be sent to deal with the uprising.
Zuhayra cast a look across the charcoal brazier around which the small group was sitting at the proponent of the hard course against Bari, Princess Yolanda de Hauteville, a young woman of only sixteen, almost a girl, still with the chubbiness of youth to her pretty features. The girl looked nothing like her father but took outwardly after her mother. She wasn’t as beautiful as Queen Sancha, but still pretty, and she had inherited the Catalonian’s luxurious dark, curly hair, worn open underneath a linen coverchief denoting her unmarried state. And she had her mother’s large, dark eyes, which watched the world attentively, almost naively, as if in constant wonder.
Princess Yolanda de Hauteville
But Zuhayra had very soon come to realize that the Princess was anything but naive. Half a year ago, upon the return of the King from the conquest of Cyrenaika, he had given in to the unrelenting pleas of his daughter and admitted her to the council as a replacement of Busilla who had one night toppled to death down a staircase, at the foot of which she was found in the morning with a broken skull. Busilla had been a temperate woman and a close and valuable collaborator of Zuhayra, almost the opposite of Yolanda, who had turned out to be a constant pain in the side of Zuhayra’s policies. Zuhayra smirked beneath her veils. Not much longer, and Yolanda would be removed from the council.
“After the victory at Molfetta and the subsequent enaction of punishment, the rebellion pretty much collapsed”, Charles said in his pure un-Norman French, which Zuhayra had some troubles understanding. “The rebels lifted their pathetic sieges of Bitonto and Altamura and their bands scattered. Alone or in small groups, many have fled into the mountains, but starvation is already now driving them out again. At the time I was leaving to report, we had already apprehended many dozens of them who were trying to slip into the towns or to stow away on ships, and I do not doubt that we have by now already many hundreds of them in our custody. And this is what for I came back to Palermo. I have been given execution orders for all rebels, but technically, these people are now rather refugees than rebels, and I’m unsure wether they should be dealt with in the same way as those who met us weapon in hand.”
“The orders you were given were quite clear, Lord Marshall”, Yolanda’s clear, almost child-like voice spoke up before Zuhayra had a chance to give her own opinion. “All those who rose against their King are to be taken back to their villages, where they are to be hanged publicly and left hanging to rot, with the penalty of death for anybody taking them down for burial.”
While Charles did merely shoot the young Princess a painful glance, Zuhayra did immediately object: “These people have erred and failed their King, true, but they have seen the errors of their ways, and they have chosen not to oppose their liege any more. Many have opted to abandon their foolish uprising, even though yet undefeated in battle. Hitting them with the full force of the law seems overly harsh. I propose that each and every one of them is given a good lashing and is then sent home.”
“Such a misplaced show of mercy would only encourage others to forget their God-ordained duty to their lord”, Yolanda said. “We need a visible and lasting sign to remember this rabble that the King’s will is law and that any revolt against it does lead to certain and absolute ruin. A lashing is soon forgotten and doesn’t serve this end. I would like to call to attention that the King has already amply shown his mercy in allowing the wayward serfs back into his good graces in the first place, a mercy these people have spurned. Any further display of mercy would be highly unwarranted and could easily be misconstrued as weakness.”
Charles cleared his throat uneasily and addressed the King, who had up until now simply listend to his advisors: “My Lord King, allow me to point out the the great economic loss of many hundred, most likely well over a thousand, serfs sentenced to death. Bari would miss their labour force, and the royal treasury their revenue.”
“Such consequences are only superficial and short-term at best”, Yolanda interceded. “It may seem that the treasury loses revenue, but stern treatment of the malcontents in Bari will deter others and actually save the treasury from losing even more revenue in the long run. We need to blot the very possibility of opposing their lord from these people’s minds. Disobedience needs to become an outlandish absurdity.”
“I respectfully disagree with the Princesse’s assessment”, Zuhayra said, struggling to keep her disgust with Yolanda’s childish vengefulness from her voice. “The realm is huge, and an example set in Bari isn’t even noticed in its north, let alone across the sea in Africa. The thousand or more peasants to be executed at Bari would damage the treasury, but they would do nothing to deter disobedience elsewhere. To this end, many thousand exemplary executions throughout the vast realm would be necessary, certainly more than the treasury could take, and more than befits any king. The butchery in Bari would be pointless. But if we are to have a visible and lasting warning against insurrection, have every rebel be branded in the face and then sent home, my Lord King.”
“I concur”, Marshall Charles added quickly, beating Yolanda to the word. Zuhayra had already talked to the Frank and knew that the thought of becoming executioner of untold hundreds of starving peasants turned his stomach. “I beseech you, my Lord King, don’t force your faithful fighting men to become mere butchers.”
“I do see the merit of the Chancellor’s proposal and do also concur with it”, Yolanda said with an unpleasant smile at Zuhayra. “It has but one fatal weakness, that it allows those who have already risen against their rightful King to do so again. Justice and the continued safety of the kingdom demand that they be divested of this possibility. So instead of branding them, have both their thumbs taken and one their eyes put out, my Lord King. Thus, they will still be able to work the fields, but not to ever again properly wield a weapon and threaten your sovereign rule.”
Zuhayra hastened to say: “My Lord King, these men are weakened from the winter and long deprivation. Many would not survive such a treatment. I do urge you …”
Yolanda stroke like a scorpion, her nativity sign: “If so, then it is God’s will. God anointed them a King, and they rose against him. Let us now leave it to the Almighty to sort the less guilty from the more guilty ones. Those who are worthy of the Lord’s mercy will live, and the others will die, according to the Lord’s decree.”
While Zuhayra struggled to counter this, she noticed Yolanda glance at her from the corner of her eye and shoot her a little evil smile from the side of her mouth turned away from her father. The devious girl had deliberately brought religion into the argument, knowing that the Muslim Zuhayra would have to tread carefully on this ground. The Frankish Christian Charles might have said something, but he was no match for the cunning of the Princess. Zuhayra saw the barely discernable nod of the King’s majestic head and knew that she was defeated without having to hear his words: “That’s the course of action we will take. Charles, you are to return to Bari and to see to it that my royal will is carried out. Make public announcements that I mercifully spare the miscreants’ lifes, but that future uprisings can expect no mercy whatsoever. And before sending them on their way, have every mans thumbs chopped off and one eye put out.”
“As you wish, my Lord King”, Charles said with expressionless voice. He was slumping in his carved chair and his attention seemed for a moment to stray away from the further proceedings, his mind probably already on the bloody and disgusting work ahead of him.
It wasn’t long, though, and Marshall Charles was ripped from his booding and called upon to give his assessment of the military power of the Archbishopric of Toscana. Over a year ago, the tensions between Archbishop Anselm and his mistress Queen Mathilda of Canossa had reached breaking point, and the Archbishop had in an act of defiance formally expelled the Queen from the Christian community. The Iron Maiden was once again busy with her endless attempts to subdue Peter von Franken and had not yet been able to bring the rebellious communes of Firenze and Lucca to heel, and King Bohemond was intent on capitalizing on this within the year. First preliminary plans for an attack on Archbishop Anselm were laid out, and Zuhayra was charged with coming up with some form of claim which would justify Norman aggression in the eyes of the world. With these preparations for another expansion in Italy underway, the King made to close the council. Now was the time for Zuhayra to strike against Princess Yolanda.
Italy and the Archbishopric of Toscana by early 1094
A month earlier, in the private chamber of Chancellor Zuhayra Sharif in the castle of Palermo. The room’s single window is still tightly shuttered against the Sicilian winter breezes, and what light illuminates the cosy chamber is cast by some strategically spaced lamps burning pure, odourless olive oil. In this dim light, the chamber, furnished in an entirely Muhammadan fashion without any concession to European culture, does even look more exotic. Present are the Chancellor herself and a middle-aged Greek, both sitting crosslegged on thick cushions placed on the rugs covering the tiled floor and facing each other across a low table laid out with with a bowl containig candied fruit. The man with the shock of curly hair is Demetrios of the Byzantine noble house of Zarides, cousin to Konstantinos Palaiologos, young Prince of Peloponnesos. A year ago, he has tried to wrest the power over this independent Greek state in a palace coup away from its teenaged lord, and has failed and come to Sicily in a madcap flight.
“Let me assure you that I do not want to insult you”, Zuhayra says in her heavily accented Greek, “ but that I do sincerely wish to better your precarious circumstances when I ask you to please forget your pride for just one instant and tell me everything about this viscious slander against your grandfather’s ancestry. Is there any possibility that he actually wasn’t his supposed father’s son but a bastard of the great Emperor Basileios, whom men now call the Pale Death of the Saracens?”
The Greek scowls but answers nonetheless: “This is mere rumor, fabricated to discredit my father’s just claims to the lordship of Achaia. My great-grandmother was a lady at court and a famed beauty, and the young Emperor Basileios a womanizer of reknown, but there was certainly no talk of adultery during my great-grandfather’s day. These rumors are all younger, and deliberately fabricated. So no, there is no chance of this slander being true.”
“A pity. But this is still whispered nonetheless?”
“Not really”, Demetrios shakes his head. “The ploy against my father failed, and the rumor died with the ploy. Once or twice, during my youth, it has been used to insult me and besmirch my descent, but it is hardly ever mentioned anymore nowadays. I am astonished that you should have heard of it.”
“Please don’t take offence at me speaking plainly, Lord Demetrios, it is not to insult you. You came to our land a penniless refugee without prospects for advancement. If you are able and willing to swallow your pride, I shall see to your immediate elevation. If it would gain you a royal bride in marriage and the attendant lands and honours, would you refrain from gainsaying the slander against your ancestry?”
A pensive look from the Greek’s eyes tells Zuhayra that she has him hooked, even without hearing his suspicious yet rapt question: “A royal bride, you say? And lands and titles?”
“Eventually, yes. The King can hardly fail to elevate his son-in-law, can he?
And so a pact is formed.
“With your leave, my Lord King”, Zuhayra said with a slight bow of her head, “there is still one more matter I would like to bring to your attention. Her Grace Princess Yolanda will turn seventeen this fall, so it seems high time to chose a husband for her.”
“There is yet plenty of time for this”, Yolanda deflected immediately. “Especially as I don’t seem to have my sister’s good luck. There is currently no eligible king or prince available, not even a duke. In but a few years’ time, things might well be differently. But for now…”
The Princess let her voice trail and Zuhayra shot her a glance of deadly politeness before once again addressing the King: “Not abroad, no, but I have discovered that your very court does harbour a highly eligible candidate, a man of very high birth.”
Bohemond furrowed his brow and leaned forward in his carved chair: “And who might that be?”
“Lord Demetrios Zarides, the Greek nobleman you so graciously gave refuge a year ago, my Lord King.”
“You propose that I wed my daughter to a penniless Greek exile?”
“Penniless he may well be, my Lord King”, Zuhayra hastened to say, discerning the anger simmering behind Bohemond smooth brow, “but he is also a most highly connected man. His mother was a sister of the glorified Nikephoros Palaiologos, first independent Prince of Peloponessos and father to the present Prince Konstantinos Palaiologos.
Yolanda gave a derisive sneer: “And Lord Demetrios has failed most miserably in pressing this claim on the Principality. He was beaten soundly and outmaneuvred by a forteen year old – for a reason.”
“Quite so”, deflected Zuhayra, “but completely past the point. I do not counsel marriage on grounds of Lord Demetrios’ personal merits and capabilities, but on grounds of his birth. His claim on Peloponessos is undimished by his defeat, and any child of his would inherit this claim. This might be just the inroad into Greece you are looking for, my Lord King, and which already your father before you has been hoping for. If Princess Yolanda gives you a grandson by Lord Demetrios, you would in the eyes of the world be in your rights if you invaded Greece to secure your grandson’s claims.”
Was there a first crack discernible in King Bohemond’s rejection of the marriage? Zuhayra hoped so. Such a marriage would remove the troublesome Yolanda from the council, and it would eventually turn the Normans’ attention towards Greece – and away from Muslim Africa. But Yolanda objected once more against Zuhayra’s proposal: “King Bohemond” – she always spoke of him thus, never as her father – “would indeed be justified in an attack on Greece, but this would still be folly. Byzantium is growing stronger every year, and a grandson by Lord Demetrios might easily be many years in the future. Even now the might of Constantinople outweighs that of the Normans, in a few years’ time this may well be worse. And Byzantium would not sit by idly while King Bohemond invades lands right at their doorstep, lands formerly theirs, lands settled by native Greeks. Your plan would drag the King into a drawn-out and unsure war with Constantinople.”
Zuhayra shook her head in way she hoped come across as mild and forbearing towards Yolanda: “I am afraid that her Grace the Princess is erring gravely – though it can’t of course be held against her, as she can on account of her youth hardly be aware of events that took place long before she was born. The Principality of Peloponessos seceded from Constantinople almost thirty years ago, after the Byzantine defeat at Mantzikert. It existed for a short time in the state of a lawless rebel, but when the current Emperor’s father and predecessor Nikephoros Argyros seized the imperial purple from Konstantinos Diogenes, he bought the compliance and silent support of Peloponessos by formally promising to never press Constantinople’s claims on the Principality. The claims do exist, but only in theory, in reality and by formal treaty they are in a dormant state from which they cannot be roused again. In case of a lawful Norman intervention in Peloponessos, Emperor Kyrilios would have no justification whatsoever to involve himself.”
The Byzantine Empire and the Principality of Peloponessos by early 1094
“Still”, persisted Yolanda somewhat lamely, “Kyrilios Argyros might jump at the opportunity to declare himself protector of Peloponessos and oppose Norman intervention anyway.”
“Possibly”, Bohemond weighed in, “but far from certain. And we would know how to deal with Kyrilios in any case. But as enticing as the arguments in favour of a marriage to Lord Demetrios may be, they are not outright compelling. Certainly not sufficient to have my daughter marry a Greek far below her own station, especially not as she seems herself opposed to the idea.”
Zuhayra saw Yolanda nod vigorously and smiled visciously beneath her veil. Time to deliver the crushing blow: “But, my Lord King, Lord Demetrios’ birth isn’t quite as low as you may believe, quite to the contrary. I wouldn’t even have brought him up as a candidate to become your son-in-law otherwise. My scribes drew my attention to rumors of Lord Demetrios’ illegitimate descent from a Byzantine Emperor, and I have had them look into this more closely, and it seems that these rumors are actually true and above reproach. I have taken the liberty to confront Lord Demetrios with them, and while he did hotly deny them at first he did eventually concede to what he calls ‘his family’s shame’ when I confronted him with proof. Demetrios Zarides is the direct descendant of Byzantine royalty.”
While King Bohemond looked most interested, his daughter did immediately object: “Even if this was true, it wouldn’t matter in the least. Lord Demetrios’ descent would still be illegitmate, amounting to nothing.”
“Under normal circumstances, the Princess would be right”, Zuhayra said, her grin of exultation at the girl's blunder against her father's own dubious descent hidden by her black veil, “but here, the case is different. The ancestor of Lord Demetrios, his great-grandfather in the direct male line, is no other than Emperor Basileios, revered above all other Byzantine Emperors since Justinianos. The Greeks hold him in incredible awe, calling him the Great, Bulgar-Slayer, and Pale Death of the Saracens. While rather austere and ascetic in later years and thus producing no legitimate heir, he was a womanizer in his youth. That’s when he begat Lord Demetrios’ fathers’s father – and that makes Lord Demetrios so very valuable. A son of his would be Emperor Basileios’ great-great-grandson in direct male line and thus heir of this great Emperor’s considerable prestige. In view of this forefather, any second thoughts about illegitimacy would be void – malcontents would flock to the banner of Basileios’ descendant in droves. If she marries Lord Demetrios, Princess Yolanda would give birth to a very valid pretender to the imperial purple.”
Yolanda wanted to speak, but she was cut short by the King. His interested was visibly fired and with the chair creaking audibly under his massive giant frame as he leaned forward eagerly, he asked: “And the descent of Demetrios is above reproach?”
Once again thankful for her veil Zuhayra licked her lips nervously before answering with as much conviction as she could lay into her voice: “As far as it humanly possible to ascertain yes, absolutely. If the little-known details of Lord Demetrios ancestry were to be revealed, many Greeks, high and low alike, would hail him like a saviour. Or his son, for that matter.”
The King was now too animated to remain seated, bolting from his chair and forcing all others to also stand up. Zuhayra’s dark eyes weren’t quite level with her liege’s muscular chest as he stood there like a titan out of of some legend, towering head and shoulders over even the tall Marshall Charles and exuding an almost tangible air power both terrifying and arousing to the Chancellor. For the first time, she had misled her King. But this bitch Yolanda just had to go!
“My Lord King …,” the Princess tried once more to speak up, only to be again silenced by a dismissive flick of her father’s huge hand and his own words: “I shall have to take a close look at this Demetrios Zarides.”
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Excellent plan!
And the Macedonian dynasty shall return and bring peace and glory again to peace?
A Manzikert???
And the Macedonian dynasty shall return and bring peace and glory again to peace?
A Manzikert???
Woah, looks like our Muslim councilor is now just capable of soothing conflicts, but ending them too... why is she not a spy master!!!
I likee this v. much A suitable heir to Serlo
I likee this v. much
A suitable heir to Serlo
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