Was this Otto's plan all along? He must have wanted Godfreid to meddle. I suspect Otto is trying to change overlord, which will involve Godfreid in a war that he's not likely to win and Otto can gain some territory off whomever he decides to aid.
The County that was forgotten, a county of Zutphen AAR
- Thread starter Veldmaarschalk
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Well at least he decided not to try and knock off the Duke. That's a start. 
Now what is this new plan?
Now what is this new plan?
Lambert is quite a funny character, if not really smart he still likes to kill people. Otto should watch out. He is already too careless and made his mother as enemy. She won't be such a fool as his brother and given the fact both Goz and Lambert are potentially dangerous...
well i have to second csk that spymaster is both funny and a bit to trigger happy as is the duke. and somehow i think goz may be killed soon if he stays disagreeing
Chapter 9 ‘Otto at the height of his power’
‘................I am thankful that you have agreed to this marriage and I am certain that this will improve the ...’
Knock, knock.
Otto stopped writing and looked up from his desk and saw one of his personal servants standing in the doorway and behind him in the shadow stood a dark figure with a hooded head.
‘Yes !’
‘My lord, there is a visitor to see you.’
‘Let him in and close the door, Henrick !’
‘Yes, my lord.’
The man stepped in and after the door was closed behind him, revealed his face.
‘Lambert, good to see you back, did everything go as I planned ?’
‘Yes, m’lord.’
‘So ‘The Young Hunchback’ is now my new duke ?’
‘Yes, m’lord, though for how long, nobody knows.’
‘Where is chancellor Theodoricus ?’
‘He will arrive back tomorrow, m’lord.’
‘Did someone suspect anything ?’
‘No, m’lord. But you may want to read this letter, that I have intercepted’ and Lambert handed over the document he had in his hand to Otto
‘It is the seal of Theodoricus ? Is it a letter to Goz ?’
‘Read it m’lord.’
Otto rolled open the paper and started to read, it was indeed a letter from Theodoricus but it wasn’t addressed to his son, but to his brother and sister-in-law. In the letter, Theodoricus wrote about his doubts about what had been told to him in Andernach and he expressed his fear that what Adalheid suspected was true.
‘So Theo is in a secret correspondence with my mother !’ Otto thought.
‘Good work, Lambert.’
‘Do you want me to finish the job, m’lord ?’
‘No, the days of my mother and my chancellor are already counted, but not in the way you think.’
‘You are to kind for them.’
‘I am not the monster that some people believe I am, Lambert.. Now go back to your own quarters and don’t let anybody see you, I don’t want the people to know that you have arrived back before Theodoricus.’
‘Yes, m’lord.’
The next day, chancellor Theodoricus and the rest of his delegation arrived in Zutphen and were greeted by Otto and his mother and the rest of the council in the Great Hall of the castle.
‘You took your time, chancellor ! But now that you are back, please tell me, what did this guard have to say ?’
Chancellor Theodoricus looked very stressed and with a rather weak voice he started to speak
‘My lord, terrible things have happened in Andernach while I was there. First of all I want to inform you of the fact that you now have a new liege and that duke Godfried is dead.’
After these words all the people in the hall started to speak and some even started to shout.
‘SILENCE ! Let my father, finish !’ shouted marshal Gozewijn.
‘Thank you, Goz, and I want everybody to be quit and only speak when you are asked to’ said Otto ‘Now, Theo continue, what has happened ?’
‘Well, my lord, in the first night after our arrival in Andernach, the castle was suddenly full of armed men who where arresting the men from duke Godfried. I and the rest of my delegation where told to stay in our quarters and not leave them or we might get killed. The next day, I was brought to the chamber of Adolf d’Ardennes, the eldest son of duke Godfried. Adolf told me that he had arrested his father and had that he had declared himself duke of Lower Lorraine and Brabant.’
‘Duke Godfried arrested ? For what ?’
‘My lord, it sounds unbelievable but duke Adolf told me that his father was a vicious and cruel man and that he was ashamed to say that his father was the one behind the killings of count Ekbert, count Giselbert and your brother Gebhard !’
‘NO !’ this time it was steward Adalheid who stood up from her place with a white face ‘NO ! This ....’
‘MOTHER ! PLEASE ! Sit down ! Chancellor continue.’
‘Well, I asked duke Adolf of course how he knew this and what kind of proof he head. He then brought before me a man, who was obviously tortured, and duke Adolf told me that this man could confirm the story and that if I wanted to question him I could.’
‘And what did this man have to say, my brother ?’ asked Otto’s stepfather, Hendrikus.
‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing ?’
‘Nothing, the man’s tongue had been cut out so he couldn’t speak anymore.’
‘So all we have is Adolf his word ?’
‘It is DUKE Adolf, FATHER ! And there is no reason to believe that he is not telling the truth, I mean why would he ever say such things about Godfried if it wasn’t true ? What happened to Godfried ?’
‘He is dead, my lord, beheaded on the square of the castle the next day.’
‘Well everything is clear then, all though it is not easy for me to accept the fact that the father of my liege has murdered my brother, I will acknowledge duke Adolf as my new liege. His firm action in dealing with his father has showed me that he is a man of good will and justice.’
‘You may accept this, my son ! But I don’t ! I don’t believe a word of it ! Duke Godfried, murderer of my son ? No, we will have to bring this case before the emperor.’
‘Mother ! Please, calm down. I know that this news must have effected you very dearly. But we will just have to accept this, I will not bring this case before the Imperial Court. I also think that it is better for you to step down as steward, you aren’t the youngest anymore and I want you to enjoy your final days in peace and rest. I also want to teach my eldest son what it takes to govern the land, I therefor have decided that Ludwig will from now on be my steward.’
‘Otto, you can’t .....’
‘Mother, I am the COUNT so I can !’
‘My lord, I am not finished yet’ said chancellor Theodoricus.
‘What ? More news from Andernach ?’
‘Well sort of, I have reason to question the story of duke Adolf. In Andernach I have heard a rumour that duke Godfried was planning to disinherit Adolf and in stead of that announce that his younger son, Ludwig d’Ardennes, was to be his heir. And that this is the reason that Adolf arrested and murdered his father.’
‘Chancellor Theodoricus, that are some very serious rumours, do you have any proof for that ?’
‘No, my lord but maybe spy-master Lambert can, he was with the delegation as you know, but the moment we arrived in Andernach he was gone and I only saw him again when we left for Zutphen but just a few days ago he left again, god knows where.’
‘Lambert is away on a special mission for me, chancellor, but what he told me doesn’t support your story at all. I have a feeling that you, are getting a bit to old for being a chancellor, Theo. You start to make up stories because you fail to find out the truth about things, I also can’t have a chancellor who openly accuses my liege of terrible things. Therefor, you are hereby dismissed of your duties as chancellor.’
‘But Otto !’
‘No, Goz. I know he is your father, but it is impossible for me to have him as my chancellor any longer.’
‘And who will be the new chancellor ?’
‘Ah yes, I wanted to wait a bit longer for making this announcement but since everybody is here, I will announce it now. There will soon be a marriage between my son Ludwig and the youngest daughter of Magnus Billung, duke of Saxony and Brunswick. It has been told to me that this girl, Mathildis, is a very charming young lady, well educated and though young of age, well experienced in the work of diplomacy, she will be the new chancellor. As soon as she arrives here from Göttingen.’
Again a lot of noise broke out in the hall
‘Well it seems like this meeting is over’ said Otto to no one in particular and then asked marshal Gozewijn to come and meet him in his private chambers later that day.
That evening Otto, Gozewijn and Lambert had their meeting.
‘Everything worked out great don’t you all think ?’
‘But why does my father have to go, Otto ? He has been a good man.’
‘I wanted to tell you earlier, Goz. But your father, may be a good man, but he isn’t a very good chancellor and I also have reason to suspect that he has joined the camp of my mother.’
‘I can’t believe that, Otto, my father would never betray you.’
‘No ? Here, read this then.’
Gozewijn read the letter that Lambert had intercepted.
‘Mmm, well still this is not enough evidence to .....’
‘Goz, your father can be thankful that he gets away with it so easily. Now it is time for celebration, I have ordered the cook the make us a nice dinner and Lambert has brought with him some nice wine from the Moselle-river.’
As the three of them enjoyed their meal, Otto turned towards Lambert
‘Lambert, I have another very important job for you.’
‘Who is it this time, m’lord? Adalheid ? Theo ? Or duke Magnus ?’
‘No, none of that for now, it is something different. I want you to be the tutor of my youngest son, Sigfried. I want you to teach him everything that you know.’
‘I don’t like children, m’lord.’
‘And I don’t care that you don’t like children Lambert, you just do what I tell you to. Is that clear ?’
‘Yes, m’lord.’
‘Your mother will not stop with investigating, Otto, what if she finds other evidence that ....’
‘I don’t think I have to be afraid of that anymore Goz, now that she is no longer the steward. Her powers and abilities have become limited.’
‘But aren’t you afraid of what duke Adolf might do once he has secured his position ?’
‘It will be a long time before his position is secure, remember his fathers friends won’t easily forgive him and he also has to watch out for his younger brother Ludwig. Lambert here, has made contact with some of the local nobles in Andernach, with a little funding from my side, they will support young Ludwig in his claims.’
‘Very clever, Otto.’
‘Yes, but that is not all. Adolf will look for support elsewhere. I will therefor offer him my support if he agrees to a marriage between his youngest sister Ermengard and my son Sigfried. I know that Adolf is very fond of his little sister and once she is here, she will proof a powerful hostage.’
And as it turned out, Otto was right in both cases. His mother Adalheid will seemed to be broken after her dismissal from office and she died a few months later. Spy-master Lambert, though against his will became the tutor of Sigfried. And when Lambert died of a disease in 1091, Otto made his son Sigfried the new spy-master.
In 1092, duke Adolf died of natural causes and because he didn’t have any legitimate male children, his brother Ludwig became the new duke.
But Ludwig was a weak ruler who posed no threat to Otto, who was considered by many people in the empire as the true ruler of the duchy. Otto was at the height of his power, he was a duke, all but in name.
‘................I am thankful that you have agreed to this marriage and I am certain that this will improve the ...’
Knock, knock.
Otto stopped writing and looked up from his desk and saw one of his personal servants standing in the doorway and behind him in the shadow stood a dark figure with a hooded head.
‘Yes !’
‘My lord, there is a visitor to see you.’
‘Let him in and close the door, Henrick !’
‘Yes, my lord.’
The man stepped in and after the door was closed behind him, revealed his face.
‘Lambert, good to see you back, did everything go as I planned ?’
‘Yes, m’lord.’
‘So ‘The Young Hunchback’ is now my new duke ?’
‘Yes, m’lord, though for how long, nobody knows.’
‘Where is chancellor Theodoricus ?’
‘He will arrive back tomorrow, m’lord.’
‘Did someone suspect anything ?’
‘No, m’lord. But you may want to read this letter, that I have intercepted’ and Lambert handed over the document he had in his hand to Otto
‘It is the seal of Theodoricus ? Is it a letter to Goz ?’
‘Read it m’lord.’
Otto rolled open the paper and started to read, it was indeed a letter from Theodoricus but it wasn’t addressed to his son, but to his brother and sister-in-law. In the letter, Theodoricus wrote about his doubts about what had been told to him in Andernach and he expressed his fear that what Adalheid suspected was true.
‘So Theo is in a secret correspondence with my mother !’ Otto thought.
‘Good work, Lambert.’
‘Do you want me to finish the job, m’lord ?’
‘No, the days of my mother and my chancellor are already counted, but not in the way you think.’
‘You are to kind for them.’
‘I am not the monster that some people believe I am, Lambert.. Now go back to your own quarters and don’t let anybody see you, I don’t want the people to know that you have arrived back before Theodoricus.’
‘Yes, m’lord.’
The next day, chancellor Theodoricus and the rest of his delegation arrived in Zutphen and were greeted by Otto and his mother and the rest of the council in the Great Hall of the castle.
‘You took your time, chancellor ! But now that you are back, please tell me, what did this guard have to say ?’
Chancellor Theodoricus looked very stressed and with a rather weak voice he started to speak
‘My lord, terrible things have happened in Andernach while I was there. First of all I want to inform you of the fact that you now have a new liege and that duke Godfried is dead.’
After these words all the people in the hall started to speak and some even started to shout.
‘SILENCE ! Let my father, finish !’ shouted marshal Gozewijn.
‘Thank you, Goz, and I want everybody to be quit and only speak when you are asked to’ said Otto ‘Now, Theo continue, what has happened ?’
‘Well, my lord, in the first night after our arrival in Andernach, the castle was suddenly full of armed men who where arresting the men from duke Godfried. I and the rest of my delegation where told to stay in our quarters and not leave them or we might get killed. The next day, I was brought to the chamber of Adolf d’Ardennes, the eldest son of duke Godfried. Adolf told me that he had arrested his father and had that he had declared himself duke of Lower Lorraine and Brabant.’
‘Duke Godfried arrested ? For what ?’
‘My lord, it sounds unbelievable but duke Adolf told me that his father was a vicious and cruel man and that he was ashamed to say that his father was the one behind the killings of count Ekbert, count Giselbert and your brother Gebhard !’
‘NO !’ this time it was steward Adalheid who stood up from her place with a white face ‘NO ! This ....’
‘MOTHER ! PLEASE ! Sit down ! Chancellor continue.’
‘Well, I asked duke Adolf of course how he knew this and what kind of proof he head. He then brought before me a man, who was obviously tortured, and duke Adolf told me that this man could confirm the story and that if I wanted to question him I could.’
‘And what did this man have to say, my brother ?’ asked Otto’s stepfather, Hendrikus.
‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing ?’
‘Nothing, the man’s tongue had been cut out so he couldn’t speak anymore.’
‘So all we have is Adolf his word ?’
‘It is DUKE Adolf, FATHER ! And there is no reason to believe that he is not telling the truth, I mean why would he ever say such things about Godfried if it wasn’t true ? What happened to Godfried ?’
‘He is dead, my lord, beheaded on the square of the castle the next day.’
‘Well everything is clear then, all though it is not easy for me to accept the fact that the father of my liege has murdered my brother, I will acknowledge duke Adolf as my new liege. His firm action in dealing with his father has showed me that he is a man of good will and justice.’
‘You may accept this, my son ! But I don’t ! I don’t believe a word of it ! Duke Godfried, murderer of my son ? No, we will have to bring this case before the emperor.’
‘Mother ! Please, calm down. I know that this news must have effected you very dearly. But we will just have to accept this, I will not bring this case before the Imperial Court. I also think that it is better for you to step down as steward, you aren’t the youngest anymore and I want you to enjoy your final days in peace and rest. I also want to teach my eldest son what it takes to govern the land, I therefor have decided that Ludwig will from now on be my steward.’
‘Otto, you can’t .....’
‘Mother, I am the COUNT so I can !’
‘My lord, I am not finished yet’ said chancellor Theodoricus.
‘What ? More news from Andernach ?’
‘Well sort of, I have reason to question the story of duke Adolf. In Andernach I have heard a rumour that duke Godfried was planning to disinherit Adolf and in stead of that announce that his younger son, Ludwig d’Ardennes, was to be his heir. And that this is the reason that Adolf arrested and murdered his father.’
‘Chancellor Theodoricus, that are some very serious rumours, do you have any proof for that ?’
‘No, my lord but maybe spy-master Lambert can, he was with the delegation as you know, but the moment we arrived in Andernach he was gone and I only saw him again when we left for Zutphen but just a few days ago he left again, god knows where.’
‘Lambert is away on a special mission for me, chancellor, but what he told me doesn’t support your story at all. I have a feeling that you, are getting a bit to old for being a chancellor, Theo. You start to make up stories because you fail to find out the truth about things, I also can’t have a chancellor who openly accuses my liege of terrible things. Therefor, you are hereby dismissed of your duties as chancellor.’
‘But Otto !’
‘No, Goz. I know he is your father, but it is impossible for me to have him as my chancellor any longer.’
‘And who will be the new chancellor ?’
‘Ah yes, I wanted to wait a bit longer for making this announcement but since everybody is here, I will announce it now. There will soon be a marriage between my son Ludwig and the youngest daughter of Magnus Billung, duke of Saxony and Brunswick. It has been told to me that this girl, Mathildis, is a very charming young lady, well educated and though young of age, well experienced in the work of diplomacy, she will be the new chancellor. As soon as she arrives here from Göttingen.’
Again a lot of noise broke out in the hall
‘Well it seems like this meeting is over’ said Otto to no one in particular and then asked marshal Gozewijn to come and meet him in his private chambers later that day.
That evening Otto, Gozewijn and Lambert had their meeting.
‘Everything worked out great don’t you all think ?’
‘But why does my father have to go, Otto ? He has been a good man.’
‘I wanted to tell you earlier, Goz. But your father, may be a good man, but he isn’t a very good chancellor and I also have reason to suspect that he has joined the camp of my mother.’
‘I can’t believe that, Otto, my father would never betray you.’
‘No ? Here, read this then.’
Gozewijn read the letter that Lambert had intercepted.
‘Mmm, well still this is not enough evidence to .....’
‘Goz, your father can be thankful that he gets away with it so easily. Now it is time for celebration, I have ordered the cook the make us a nice dinner and Lambert has brought with him some nice wine from the Moselle-river.’
As the three of them enjoyed their meal, Otto turned towards Lambert
‘Lambert, I have another very important job for you.’
‘Who is it this time, m’lord? Adalheid ? Theo ? Or duke Magnus ?’
‘No, none of that for now, it is something different. I want you to be the tutor of my youngest son, Sigfried. I want you to teach him everything that you know.’
‘I don’t like children, m’lord.’
‘And I don’t care that you don’t like children Lambert, you just do what I tell you to. Is that clear ?’
‘Yes, m’lord.’
‘Your mother will not stop with investigating, Otto, what if she finds other evidence that ....’
‘I don’t think I have to be afraid of that anymore Goz, now that she is no longer the steward. Her powers and abilities have become limited.’
‘But aren’t you afraid of what duke Adolf might do once he has secured his position ?’
‘It will be a long time before his position is secure, remember his fathers friends won’t easily forgive him and he also has to watch out for his younger brother Ludwig. Lambert here, has made contact with some of the local nobles in Andernach, with a little funding from my side, they will support young Ludwig in his claims.’
‘Very clever, Otto.’
‘Yes, but that is not all. Adolf will look for support elsewhere. I will therefor offer him my support if he agrees to a marriage between his youngest sister Ermengard and my son Sigfried. I know that Adolf is very fond of his little sister and once she is here, she will proof a powerful hostage.’
And as it turned out, Otto was right in both cases. His mother Adalheid will seemed to be broken after her dismissal from office and she died a few months later. Spy-master Lambert, though against his will became the tutor of Sigfried. And when Lambert died of a disease in 1091, Otto made his son Sigfried the new spy-master.
In 1092, duke Adolf died of natural causes and because he didn’t have any legitimate male children, his brother Ludwig became the new duke.
But Ludwig was a weak ruler who posed no threat to Otto, who was considered by many people in the empire as the true ruler of the duchy. Otto was at the height of his power, he was a duke, all but in name.
stnylan said:
shuma said:
Coz1 said:
Otto was lucky, that duke Godfried died from natural causes right at this moment in my story
Chief Ragusa said:
There is no need yet, to switch lieges
CSK said:
Dhimmi said:
Lambert has outlived his usefulness (he died of old age) and luckily Otto's second son as a good intrigue rating
Veldmaarschalk said:
I have a feeling that was directed at us readers.
A really good wrapping up of the story thus far. Loved the scene with Otto's confrotation with his mother and the chancellor! Bah, the whole update was great!
Otto certainly did put his mother and Chancellor in their place. A certain amount of good fortune with both mother and spymaster dying. Hopefully neither did a letter before they died to be sent to interested parties, namely the emperor.
It does rather feel that something like that is about to happen. Otto is certainly at a pinnacle, but (paraphrasing Evita I think) when you are the top of the world there is a long long way to fall.theusje said:nice, very nice, so now we'll get the decline of Otto ??
A nice little ambush of domestic opposition, and with Lambert dead as well things do look good (no blackmail possibilities, for example).
A very good update, Veld. Otto is quite the long-term thinker. I think that is what is helping him succeed so much. He is looking at the big picture. None of his courtiers get what he's doing because they all seem to be focused on the here and now, and not thinking three or four steps ahead like Otto.
Why do I so often miss new great aars? Oh right, I'm too little in the aar forums searching for new ones. But now I've found you Veld, I'm subscribed.
I certainly hope there is no decline involved for our dear count except death of old age, I like him in a way.
But now I've found you Veld, I'm subscribed.I certainly hope there is no decline involved for our dear count except death of old age, I like him in a way.
The familytree of the van Zutphens, 1066 - 1137
Chapter 10 ‘Count Bruno van Zutphen’
Zutphen, March 1137 AD
‘Bruno ! Where are you ? Come here, when I call you’ Mathildis Billung walked into the chamber of her grandson
‘Grandma ! I am the count now, you can’t just call me anymore like if I was a little child’ said Bruno.
‘You are still a my grandchild, Bruno, being a count doesn’t change that.’
‘But what will people think of me when they see how you treat me ?’
‘We don’t have to care what people think, we are the rulers of this place. Now let me take a look at you.’
‘Bruno ? What is the matter, why do you look so pale ?’
‘Huh..... I am sorry grandma, I just have a feeling that we have done this already.’
‘Don’t be silly, boy. This is the first time that you are getting married ! You haven’t been drinking with uncle Franz have you ?’
‘No, I haven’t, grandma.’
‘Good, now I understand that you aren’t yourself today, marriage is an important thing in someone’s life.’
‘Yes, grandma.’
Chancellor Mathildis now took a good look at her grandson
‘It is allowed to smile, Bruno, a wedding is a happy occasion.’
‘Yes, grandma’ and Bruno’s mouth formed, what some people might call a smile.
‘Ah, there is my boy !’ an elderly man now came walking into the room, it was chaplain Franz van Zutphen, but most people called him ‘uncle Franz’, he was only still living son of count Otto II van Zutphen, ‘The Great Count’.
When he came closer, Bruno could smell that his breath reeked after cheap beer and wine. Uncle Franz was a renowned drinker but more importantly he also had been the tutor of Bruno.
‘You are getting married today boy, a big day for all us’ he gave Bruno a wink ‘and we both know why !’
‘Oh my god, Franz, you are drunk again’ chancellor Mathildis shouted out ‘are you sure that you are fit enough to perform the wedding ceremony ?’
‘Of course I am not drunk. I just had some glasses of wine this morning with breakfast and some beer to flush it all away.’
‘You better make sure that you can stand on your own feet, this afternoon Franz or else we need to find another chaplain.’
‘Yeah, yeah, now can I have a few minutes alone with the lucky boy ?’
‘All right, but don’t start drinking you two !’
‘No, grandma.’
And after this confirmation, chancellor Mathildis left the room.
‘Phh, finally just us men, Bruno ! Now where is the wine ?’
‘I promised grandma, that we wouldn’t drink uncle Franz.’
‘Did you ? Well I didn’t.’
‘I forbid you to drink uncle.’
‘Hear, hear, come on, my boy ! Don’t be so hard on your friend and tutor.’
‘I am not your boy, uncle Franz. I am your count.’
‘Why the hostility, Bruno ? I thought we were friends ?’
‘We are friends, but now that I am officially and legally the count of Zutphen, Frisia and Ost-Friesland, things have changed.’
‘And you know, who you have to thank for that Bruno ? Now ? Yes, that is right, my father. Not your grandfather, father or brother. NO, my father, Otto.’
‘Yes, I know that uncle, you have said that to me almost everyday.’
‘And with a reason, Bruno. My father left behind a great legacy but neither my brother Ludwig, nor your father Otto III or your brother Hildibald have done much with it.’ And in this uncle Franz was correct.
After the death of count Otto in 1098, his eldest son Ludwig become the count, but his reign was to short for him to make any gains at all. In 1107, count Otto, the third of that name, came to power. But at about the same time, a civil war started in the empire, which lead to the fall of the d’Ardennes dynasty. The lands of the d’Ardennes family were divided amongst the supporters of the emperor and count Otto III became a direct vassal of the emperor.
But the fall of the d’Ardennes didn’t end the war, the dukes of Upper-Lorraine, Swabia and Bavaria also rebelled and when Otto was called up to support his liege, he had no other option then to obey. In 1121 AD, Otto died at the battle of Lorraine and he was succeeded by his eldest son Hildibald. Who was just a minor then, but as soon as he reached the age of 16, the emperor also expected from him to command the regiments of the Tri-counties. But just as his father, Hildibald also died on the field of battle in 1129 AD.
Hildibald had bee married to Skolasztika Árpád, a daughter of king Donát of Hungary. And they had a son, called Heilbert, but there were questions about the legitimacy of Heilbert, who was born at a time when Hildibald was away fighting in the civil war. And so when the news of the death of Hildibald reached Zutphen, his younger brother Bruno was made the new count.
But Bruno, was only 8 years old at that time, so a regency was installed. Lead by his grandmother, chancellor Mathildis and uncle Franz. And now 8 years later, this regency had ended with the coming of age of Bruno.
‘The van Zutphen’s have been counts to long, Bruno, don’t forget that once a van Zutphen was the duke of Bavaria and heir to the imperial throne.’
‘Yes, that is another thing you keep telling me each day, uncle. But I don’t think that emperor Hermann von Franken will grant me the honour of becoming the next duke of Bavaria.’
‘Who knows, Bruno, who knows. The current duke is one of the rebels against the emperor after all. It won’t be long before you will be called up to do your duty as a loyal vassal of the emperor. And then you can show the emperor what kind of man you are and then maybe....’
‘....I’ll die just like my father and brother. No, thank you ! I have something else in mind uncle.’
‘You aren’t going to choose the side of the rebels are you Bruno ?’
‘No, I am going to stay neutral.’
‘Neutral ? Hah the emperor won’t allow that, if you don’t follow his request, he will crush you like a bug.’
‘Other vassals are neutral to, uncle Franz.’
‘Yes, but those are dukes, they have much more power then you.’
‘As count of Zutphen, Frisia and Ost-Friesland I have more power then many of the dukes in the empire.’
‘But a duke-titles carries more weight, Bruno.’
‘Yes, that’s a fact, but I have been studying some ancient papers and I found some remarkable stuff, some 200 years ago there was an official in this area, called ‘the duke of the Frisian shore’. It was his duty to protect the shoreline against pirate and Viking-raids. Now I could revive that title.’
‘Duke of the Frisian shore ? What kind of silly title is that.’
‘It’s a bit long, but ‘duke of Friesland’ sounds pretty good.’
‘You can’t just name yourself duke, Bruno. Only the emperor can confirm such a title. And the emperor will never grant you this title if you stay neutral.’
‘Maybe another emperor will !’
‘Another emperor ? There is only one emperor, Bruno ! I don’t want to hear such rebel talk.’
‘This is my house, uncle Franz. I can talk the way I want to. Now listen, I have enough of the von Franken and their endless wars, I will stay neutral and to safeguard my neutrality I have drawn up a proposal, which I will offer to Marchard Billung, duke of Saxony and cousin of grandma Mathildis. I will switch my allegiance to Marchard and become his vassal, Marchard is one of the dukes who still hasn’t decided which side he will choose in this war.’
‘And how is that going to help you, in becoming ‘duke of the Frisian shore’, a shore that you are not even in full control of.’
‘It is just a beginning uncle and about your last remark, which part of the Frisian shore do I not control ?’
‘Well the Oldenburg part for example.’
‘Right ! Now and who I am getting married to, today ?’
‘Ah ! Now I see, yes of course ! You are getting married to Lutgarde von Oldenburg, sister of count Gerloch von Oldenburg. Oh Bruno, I am so proud of you as my pupil.’
Zutphen, March 1137 AD
‘Bruno ! Where are you ? Come here, when I call you’ Mathildis Billung walked into the chamber of her grandson
‘Grandma ! I am the count now, you can’t just call me anymore like if I was a little child’ said Bruno.
‘You are still a my grandchild, Bruno, being a count doesn’t change that.’
‘But what will people think of me when they see how you treat me ?’
‘We don’t have to care what people think, we are the rulers of this place. Now let me take a look at you.’
‘Bruno ? What is the matter, why do you look so pale ?’
‘Huh..... I am sorry grandma, I just have a feeling that we have done this already.’
‘Don’t be silly, boy. This is the first time that you are getting married ! You haven’t been drinking with uncle Franz have you ?’
‘No, I haven’t, grandma.’
‘Good, now I understand that you aren’t yourself today, marriage is an important thing in someone’s life.’
‘Yes, grandma.’
Chancellor Mathildis now took a good look at her grandson
‘It is allowed to smile, Bruno, a wedding is a happy occasion.’
‘Yes, grandma’ and Bruno’s mouth formed, what some people might call a smile.
‘Ah, there is my boy !’ an elderly man now came walking into the room, it was chaplain Franz van Zutphen, but most people called him ‘uncle Franz’, he was only still living son of count Otto II van Zutphen, ‘The Great Count’.
When he came closer, Bruno could smell that his breath reeked after cheap beer and wine. Uncle Franz was a renowned drinker but more importantly he also had been the tutor of Bruno.
‘You are getting married today boy, a big day for all us’ he gave Bruno a wink ‘and we both know why !’
‘Oh my god, Franz, you are drunk again’ chancellor Mathildis shouted out ‘are you sure that you are fit enough to perform the wedding ceremony ?’
‘Of course I am not drunk. I just had some glasses of wine this morning with breakfast and some beer to flush it all away.’
‘You better make sure that you can stand on your own feet, this afternoon Franz or else we need to find another chaplain.’
‘Yeah, yeah, now can I have a few minutes alone with the lucky boy ?’
‘All right, but don’t start drinking you two !’
‘No, grandma.’
And after this confirmation, chancellor Mathildis left the room.
‘Phh, finally just us men, Bruno ! Now where is the wine ?’
‘I promised grandma, that we wouldn’t drink uncle Franz.’
‘Did you ? Well I didn’t.’
‘I forbid you to drink uncle.’
‘Hear, hear, come on, my boy ! Don’t be so hard on your friend and tutor.’
‘I am not your boy, uncle Franz. I am your count.’
‘Why the hostility, Bruno ? I thought we were friends ?’
‘We are friends, but now that I am officially and legally the count of Zutphen, Frisia and Ost-Friesland, things have changed.’
‘And you know, who you have to thank for that Bruno ? Now ? Yes, that is right, my father. Not your grandfather, father or brother. NO, my father, Otto.’
‘Yes, I know that uncle, you have said that to me almost everyday.’
‘And with a reason, Bruno. My father left behind a great legacy but neither my brother Ludwig, nor your father Otto III or your brother Hildibald have done much with it.’ And in this uncle Franz was correct.
After the death of count Otto in 1098, his eldest son Ludwig become the count, but his reign was to short for him to make any gains at all. In 1107, count Otto, the third of that name, came to power. But at about the same time, a civil war started in the empire, which lead to the fall of the d’Ardennes dynasty. The lands of the d’Ardennes family were divided amongst the supporters of the emperor and count Otto III became a direct vassal of the emperor.
But the fall of the d’Ardennes didn’t end the war, the dukes of Upper-Lorraine, Swabia and Bavaria also rebelled and when Otto was called up to support his liege, he had no other option then to obey. In 1121 AD, Otto died at the battle of Lorraine and he was succeeded by his eldest son Hildibald. Who was just a minor then, but as soon as he reached the age of 16, the emperor also expected from him to command the regiments of the Tri-counties. But just as his father, Hildibald also died on the field of battle in 1129 AD.
Hildibald had bee married to Skolasztika Árpád, a daughter of king Donát of Hungary. And they had a son, called Heilbert, but there were questions about the legitimacy of Heilbert, who was born at a time when Hildibald was away fighting in the civil war. And so when the news of the death of Hildibald reached Zutphen, his younger brother Bruno was made the new count.
But Bruno, was only 8 years old at that time, so a regency was installed. Lead by his grandmother, chancellor Mathildis and uncle Franz. And now 8 years later, this regency had ended with the coming of age of Bruno.
‘The van Zutphen’s have been counts to long, Bruno, don’t forget that once a van Zutphen was the duke of Bavaria and heir to the imperial throne.’
‘Yes, that is another thing you keep telling me each day, uncle. But I don’t think that emperor Hermann von Franken will grant me the honour of becoming the next duke of Bavaria.’
‘Who knows, Bruno, who knows. The current duke is one of the rebels against the emperor after all. It won’t be long before you will be called up to do your duty as a loyal vassal of the emperor. And then you can show the emperor what kind of man you are and then maybe....’
‘....I’ll die just like my father and brother. No, thank you ! I have something else in mind uncle.’
‘You aren’t going to choose the side of the rebels are you Bruno ?’
‘No, I am going to stay neutral.’
‘Neutral ? Hah the emperor won’t allow that, if you don’t follow his request, he will crush you like a bug.’
‘Other vassals are neutral to, uncle Franz.’
‘Yes, but those are dukes, they have much more power then you.’
‘As count of Zutphen, Frisia and Ost-Friesland I have more power then many of the dukes in the empire.’
‘But a duke-titles carries more weight, Bruno.’
‘Yes, that’s a fact, but I have been studying some ancient papers and I found some remarkable stuff, some 200 years ago there was an official in this area, called ‘the duke of the Frisian shore’. It was his duty to protect the shoreline against pirate and Viking-raids. Now I could revive that title.’
‘Duke of the Frisian shore ? What kind of silly title is that.’
‘It’s a bit long, but ‘duke of Friesland’ sounds pretty good.’
‘You can’t just name yourself duke, Bruno. Only the emperor can confirm such a title. And the emperor will never grant you this title if you stay neutral.’
‘Maybe another emperor will !’
‘Another emperor ? There is only one emperor, Bruno ! I don’t want to hear such rebel talk.’
‘This is my house, uncle Franz. I can talk the way I want to. Now listen, I have enough of the von Franken and their endless wars, I will stay neutral and to safeguard my neutrality I have drawn up a proposal, which I will offer to Marchard Billung, duke of Saxony and cousin of grandma Mathildis. I will switch my allegiance to Marchard and become his vassal, Marchard is one of the dukes who still hasn’t decided which side he will choose in this war.’
‘And how is that going to help you, in becoming ‘duke of the Frisian shore’, a shore that you are not even in full control of.’
‘It is just a beginning uncle and about your last remark, which part of the Frisian shore do I not control ?’
‘Well the Oldenburg part for example.’
‘Right ! Now and who I am getting married to, today ?’
‘Ah ! Now I see, yes of course ! You are getting married to Lutgarde von Oldenburg, sister of count Gerloch von Oldenburg. Oh Bruno, I am so proud of you as my pupil.’
Thank you all for the nice remarks.
As you can see I skipped a few decades, in which nothing really important happened.
Otto 'the Great Count' died of old age in 1098, he was untill the end a great character who didn't fall
Welcome on board
As you can see I skipped a few decades, in which nothing really important happened.
Otto 'the Great Count' died of old age in 1098, he was untill the end a great character who didn't fall
Nikolai said:
Welcome on board
So, after such a glorious generation the reigns of state are handed over to a Regency. Will the young Count be able to to step up and honour their memory - or not?
A grand ending to the old man though. A grand end.
A grand ending to the old man though. A grand end.
Veldmaarschalk said:
Indeed the lines preceding that one bring up memories of young Otto II. As does marriaging for a potential inheritance.
Pledging to a duke might be wise, at least the Emperor won't be able to call up your troops. As for this ducal title... you've edited some game settings again?
Yes, the starting dialogue strongly reminded me of Otto's first appearance (I guess it's actually the same apart from the names). I have a slight feeling Bruno will be quite like his ancestor, he already starts with it, if earlier though. And the van Zutphen sure have a tradition of rebelling against their lieges.
A good development in the story. I also noticed the similarity in the introductions to both Otto II and Bruno. Perhaps Bruno will outshine his illustrious ancestor?
Bruno seems to be about to follow his illustrious ancestor's guide as in Otto II's 'how to inherit counties'.
Pity the duchy isn't going to be called Zut. I'll be fascinated to see how the Emperor takes Bruno's switch of alliegance.
Pity the duchy isn't going to be called Zut. I'll be fascinated to see how the Emperor takes Bruno's switch of alliegance.
On a little side-note
Zutphen is a combination of two words (some kind of old Dutch)
Zut- = Zuid = South
-phen = Veen = Fen/bog/marsh
So the duchy of Zut. would mean duchy of South
Zutphen is a combination of two words (some kind of old Dutch)
Zut- = Zuid = South
-phen = Veen = Fen/bog/marsh
So the duchy of Zut. would mean duchy of South