A Crusader Kings 2 AAR
Obotrite Blood and German Coins
Chapter 1
In February 867, a preacher in the service of King Lothaire V of Lotharingia arrived in Liubice to spread the gospel of his foreign faith, Catholicism, which the Obotrite tribe had known for a long time due to commercial interaction with the west. High Chief Tabomuysl decides to leave the preacher named Aldéric in his lands, perhaps this will improve relations with the lords to the west.
Without taking long, just a few months later, Aldéric's continued preaching increasingly convinced a large audience in Liubice who listened to his daily sermons, even a larger contingent of other foreign Catholics came to Liubice. Tabomuysl after much deliberation decides to convert to this foreign faith, together with his wife, Vikele Pomedi. On the other hand, the various chiefs of the Obotrites do not follow Tabomuysl in this decision, greatly deteriorating their relationship with the chiefs of the tribes under his leadership.
It was with his friend, Chief Strasz Drevani of Dannenberg, that High Chief Tabomuysl managed to convince him and his family to submit to the wise advice of converting to the Catholic faith.
From 880 onwards, all the chiefs of the Obotrites were successfully converted, with only the vast majority of the local people still unconverted, but this would take a long time and require a great effort.
Taking advantage of Norwegian success in the war against the Luticians to the east, High Chief Tabomuysl declares a Holy War on this tribe, calling on all the chiefs of the Obotrites to raise their banners in the name of the Lord. In command of the troops of the Obotrites was appointed Chief Gawel Wangria of Kiel.
With the victory in the battles of Rostock and Werle mainly, only a few skirmishes remained to be fought, while the army conquered the border settlements. Several other tribes would join in the defense of the Luticians, from Polish tribes and the Czechs, but their vast majority would not arrive to stop the forces of the Obotrites who would win the war in 10 months.
With the wealth from the looting, Tabomuysl would be able to invest in its capital, over the following months Liubice would become a market city in the region.
In 881, King Karlmann of Germany and Duke of Bavaria, founder of the Abensbergian branch of the Carolingian Dynasty, died. His son Arnulf just 4 years later in 885, would unify the lands of Germany, Bavaria, Lotharingia, Burgundy and Italy and be crowned by Pope Boniface as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at Bar-le-Duc in the County of Bar.
With the coronation in the Holy Roman Empire, High Chief Tabomuysl of the Obotrites decides to swear allegiance to Emperor Arnulf, such a decision is accepted by the majority of the tribe's council, the gains of being defended by the Emperor is very advantageous for such a border territory close to a region where the majority is hostile and pagan.
It was in the year 901 that High Chief Branimir officially came to power, after turning 16, 5 years after the death of his father, High Chief Tabomuysl. He and his brothers had been educated abroad, spending much of their youth in the courts of the imperial nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, receiving a Catholic and Low Saxon education. His brothers also became chiefs of the Obotrites; Chief Trantisek in Mecklenburg, Chief Aleksander in Ratzeburg and Wlodzislaw in Werle.
Branimir Tabomuyslssunu Obodriti
It was at the Emperor's Tournament in 916 that High Chief Branimir began an affair with Clara von der Wetterau, wife of Gunnarr Udalrichsson. The two have their romance in secret throughout the tournament, Clara openly favors Branimir in her jousts, even though High Chief Branimir did not reach the finals of the tournament.
In 921, High Chief Branimir participated in the imperial campaign to the north in the region of Denmark against King Ivar of Norway and Denmark, until the following year he would participate in the siege of several settlements and fight some skirmishes against pagan armies, he would not be the main imperial commander in important battles such as Nyburgh, Hetheby and Hiaelm, in which the most important commanders responsible for the victories would be Count Lutwig Welf, Emperor Ortolf Abensbergian and Duke Hiltebrant Welf.