Kept you waiting, huh?
Update (on myself and the story) coming this weekend. Good to be back.
Update (on myself and the story) coming this weekend. Good to be back.
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Wings of Faith, Wings of Fury - A Slavic Pagan Revival AAR
- Thread starter Superstorm
- Start date
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Great to have you back.
While I'm here, just wanted to congratulate you on placing in the recent 2023 Quarter 3 AARland Choice Awards (the ACAs).
Well done!
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A Brief Aside - What were the effects of the Black Death on Europe? (Part 1)
A Brief Aside - What were the effects of the Black Death on Europe? (Part 1)
We have already explored some of the more immediate effects of the Black Death at the beginning of Strasz's reign, as well as the impact it had on his conquest of England. With that conquest now complete, I feel it would be valuable to pause and take a detour to explain in a little more detail how the Black Death affected not just the Gryfita Empire, but medieval society as a whole.
This detour will be divided into three sections. Firstly, the effects it had on the wider surviving population of Europe in a more socio-economic sense. Secondly, the impact it had on 3 key areas, some of which we have explored, but all of which deserve further discussion. Finally, I hope you will allow me to indulge in the effects it had on religion. As a theological historian, such a subject intrigues me to no end, and I hope to foster that intrigue in the reader.
Note that each of these three topics is a book in itself. As such, I will keep my exploration largely within Europe - and I accept that this work as a whole is rather eurocentric. This means that I will not be exploring the effects of the plague in China or the Middle East, and I encourage those of you who are interested to do so, for there are few events in history that affect so much of the world as the Black Death.
With that disclaimer and admission of bias, let us explore the effects of the Black Death on Europe.
On the Peasants
It should go without saying that the Black Death was a horrendous experience for contemporaries. Entire villages succumbed to the plague or were abandoned in fear of not only the plague but also bandits or other refugees desperate for food. Communities of all sizes were devastated, some beyond repair, and this was the general pattern for much of Europe.
Yet, as always, humanity endured. After the plague, conditions and rights for peasants would gradually improve in a demonstration of supply and demand.
Much of medieval society survived on a subsistence lifestyle, even as up to 90% of the population worked in agriculture. However, due to small improvements in agriculture over the previous century, Europe had begun to see sustained population growth.
Trade had also expanded, both to more distant regions, especially in the Mediterranean due to advances in sailing, and to new routes, such as the Gryfita Empire's trade route through Hungary. In short, the world was becoming more populous and more connected - two conditions that provided the perfect environment for the spread of the Black Death.
Somewhere between ⅓ and ½ of Europe died after the first and deadliest wave of the plague, which lasted roughly 10 years. In our modern world of global trade, the loss of half of Europe's population would almost certainly lead to societal collapse, and in a sense that's what the Black Death did, sounding the death knell for serfdom as a concept wherever it struck. After all, what happens if half of the available labour force dies in a few years? That labour becomes more valuable.
The death of so much of the population meant that the surviving peasants could demand better working conditions in return for their labours, which were now in demand far in excess of supply. We can see from the period after the Black Death that the arrangements between lord and serf were inexorably shifting in the serfs' favour. The demands varied, but usually took the form of paying less tax, working fewer unpaid days on the lord's estate, or even receiving a small salary themselves.
This begs the question of why the lords were willing to negotiate when force was an option. To use a modern term, it was a buyer's market.
Without men to work the fields, the wealth and status of the nobility was at risk. It was therefore common for a local lord to entice serfs to work for him by offering favourable contracts. This was largely illegal, but in the turmoil of the plague it was a law that was ignored by those in power (another modern concept). If your lord was unwilling to offer you a better deal, someone else would.
The phenomenon of 'poaching' contracts arose, which often contained even more lenient terms, along with the promise of protection against retaliation by a serf's former lord, some even offering to free a serf from bondage after a generation or a set period of service.
Before the Black Death, landowners held much of the power over their serfs. After, the serfs would turn the tables, albiet at horiffic cost in life.
At the same time, these landlords also saw a decline in profits, as the demand for food was greatly reduced by the massive decline in population, and profits under the serf system were often based on quantity. In response, landlords switched to the system of manorialism, where serfs were given land to farm in return for fixed rents. This allowed workers and serfs to enjoy higher wages, greater social mobility and an otherwise unheard of freedom of movement.
For landowners, profits began to come more from rents and extra charges, such as for the use of their mills or granaries. It also became common for landowners to waive certain obligations to wealthier workers/tenants in return for additional payments. This subtle shift away from volume-based income, which was prone to fluctuation, also increased economic stability for the wealthier. The reduced availability of labour also encouraged investment in less labour-intensive food sources such as cheese, milk and meat; this was profitable and allowed the now wealthier workers to diversify their diets away from cereal products alone.
Efforts to curb the growing power of the lower classes were attempted through laws and regulations imposed by various realms, but these were largely ineffective and even some landlords resisted them due to the steady sources of income provided by the growing class of tenant farmers. Attempts to use force often led to rebellion, and social unrest became common in the years following the first wave of the plague as these attempts to legislate or force a return to 'normal' failed.
Ultimately, the Black Death led to greater freedom for rural and urban labourers and a decline in the power of the nobility. The Church and the Slavic shamans were also badly affected too, losing much of their local influence due to the death of many clergy and monks, although we will discuss this in more detail later.
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And we back.
So, where have I been? Why only a thousand word update?
As mentioned, needed some time to sort out my mental health a bit. Sadly, this is a bit of a repeat pattern for me the last few years as meds and problems IRL wax and wane. I've been seeing professional (thank lord for workplace medical insurance) help which seems to be working. General Anxiety Disorder and Recurrent Depressive Disorder combined suck - I knew that for a while - just now have a formal diagnosis outside of 'just' anxiety and depression.
Adjusting to new meds suck and I've been drained to no end and lacking motivation. Still do to some extent, but I have been coming back to this and picking away at it. Cause I WILL finish this project and finish it right.
That being said, I've planned roughly how I want the story to end and seriously considering carrying over the campaign to EU4 - though that would be after a bit of a break and learning how to edit the map. I still want to provide a good conclusion for the story though as cliffhangers are a pet peeve of mine so don't worry.
Updates will be coming but slowly. Can't really promise/stick to schedules atm between meds and a busy period at work AND keeping my physical health in check.
I know I shouldn't apologise for my health, but I do feel bad for having to take so many breaks and so I will apologise. This was really to get the ball rolling again and we shall be picking up with Strasz once more.
Thank you again for all your support and for reading - here we go.
So, where have I been? Why only a thousand word update?
As mentioned, needed some time to sort out my mental health a bit. Sadly, this is a bit of a repeat pattern for me the last few years as meds and problems IRL wax and wane. I've been seeing professional (thank lord for workplace medical insurance) help which seems to be working. General Anxiety Disorder and Recurrent Depressive Disorder combined suck - I knew that for a while - just now have a formal diagnosis outside of 'just' anxiety and depression.
Adjusting to new meds suck and I've been drained to no end and lacking motivation. Still do to some extent, but I have been coming back to this and picking away at it. Cause I WILL finish this project and finish it right.
That being said, I've planned roughly how I want the story to end and seriously considering carrying over the campaign to EU4 - though that would be after a bit of a break and learning how to edit the map. I still want to provide a good conclusion for the story though as cliffhangers are a pet peeve of mine so don't worry.
Updates will be coming but slowly. Can't really promise/stick to schedules atm between meds and a busy period at work AND keeping my physical health in check.
I know I shouldn't apologise for my health, but I do feel bad for having to take so many breaks and so I will apologise. This was really to get the ball rolling again and we shall be picking up with Strasz once more.
Thank you again for all your support and for reading - here we go.
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No apologies necessary. Good to see you back.
From experience with family and friends, I know the modern healthcare system system still doesn't have it right when it comes to mental health issues and unfortunately new medicines can take weeks and months to have a real impact. (Not to mention the new side effects.)
Thanks for this update. The new update is like a page from a modern history of the plague. A lot to consider.
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What Chac said! Many of us have similar life experiences either ourselves or with family members or close friends, so it’s all about getting through stuff the best way possible, however long it takes. We can all wait and really appreciate your dedication to return to the story. When you really are ready to do that, it will likely be an indicator of returning health and motivation in general: so looking forward to that my friend, but also don’t push it on our account if it’s not quite there yet. Please make it a celebration, not a chore! <3
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Whatever you give is a bonus. Please do whatever makes you the happiest and healthiest. Thanks
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Szaman-Cesarz Strasz of the Gryfita Empire - The Authorative (1351-1353)
Szaman-Cesarz Strasz of the Gryfita Empire - The Authorative (1351-1353)
"I do not have friends — only subjects, assests and enemies." - A quote often attributed to Strasz, though the orign is debated.
For only the second time in the nation's history had England been conquered by a foreign power.
In any other circumstance, such a feat would have been cause for celebration. Indeed, after both the First and Second Great Holy Wars, won by Spytko and Konrad respectively, we have numerous accounts of celebrations on a grand, state-funded scale. Not only would it be celebrated as a great moral victory, but it could very easily cement the conqueror's political position through religious support as well as the riches of new lands.
It is significant, then, that no such accounts exist after the Third Great Holy War.
The reason is plain: few have an appetite for revelry when the corpses of their children are left in the streets for wild animals to feast on. It is a scene of which we have ample record.
Such was the state of the empire (and much of Europe) when Strasz left England in 1351 that no imperial records have ever been found to mention the conquest.
Imperial records pick up again in September 1351, presumably after Strasz had returned to the capital. Further evidence of the generally muted reaction to the conquest is the lack of response from his noble vassals. None would even mention England until years after its initial subjugation; like everyone else, they were more concerned with the plague, which some felt Strasz had (arguably correctly) left them to deal with.
We have already mentioned how the Black Death of Strasz had led to the subtle erosion of central authority. However, the decline of something as nebulous as power is rarely a smooth progression. Though a warrior first, Strasz was not blind to his weakening hold over the Empire, and the man was not as stubborn as some would have us believe. Lack of training and lack of initiative are two very different things.
For example, when the viceroy of his ancestral homeland of Pomerania died in September 1351, Strasz chose a tactic as old as time itself to secure power - nepotism.
With our focus on the individual rulers of the entire Empire, it can be easy to forget how vast the Gryfita line was. As is often the case in royal lineages, distant relatives and those distant in the line of succession often led normal, if private, lives. Fortunately for Strasz, one such relative had recently married into the Pomeranian nobility; those of the Gryfita line often made prestigious marriage partners.
Kornelia Gryfita assumed the ducal titles of her late husband, and Strasz jumped at the opportunity to appoint her vicerene. At the same time, he had her betrothed to an even younger cousin to cement the family's ties to the land and keep Pomerania in the Gryfita line.
Even as his lands became increasingly deserted.
By the end of 1351, the plague had reached its peak in the western and northern parts of the empire, and there is evidence that it was beginning to die out in the south. Only the eastern part of the empire remained unaffected, as it was less densely populated.
Unfortunately for the east, the effects of the Norman naval invasion during the Third Great Holy War began to be felt.
Recall that when Count Gerbert invaded, mercenaries were used to defeat them. A small detail that is often overlooked is that a large proportion of these were Eastern Horsemen. When these companies returned to their bases of operations, they brought the plague with them - either in their bodies, or from plunder and baggage trains.
The slower spread is attributed to the lower densities in the east, but once the plague reached the denser population centres, they suffered the same fate as their western counterparts.
What began as an offshoot of the Champions of Perun - the warrior lodge of Havel and Wojslawa fame - had grown into a force to be reckoned with, albeit one independent of secular affairs. With this family collection, Strasz saw another opportunity.
Because of the plague, the religious order had not taken part in the Great Holy War for England. Indeed, it is suggested, but not proven, that they refused to take up arms and risk the Black Death because of the devastation in the realm. Whether this was out of fear of death or to offer support to the regions that sheltered them is debatable, and the likely answer is a combination of the two. For Strasz, the simple calculation was he had returned with only 3,000 of his original invasion force of 30,000, and the plague made it impossible to gather more manpower in the short term, and repopulation would take time. The Champions of Perun presented a mostly unblemished retinue on demand and he would soon be in need of such a force.
The Warriors of Perun were allowed to act with some autonomy, but this was never officially codified, creating a loophole that Strasz intended to exploit.
What happened next is not clear. According to Imperial records, Strasz offered Warchief Maslaw vassalage, which was accepted with 'grace befitting a Gryfita'. There is no further mention of the vassalage contract in any official record, which has led some to question the extent of the acceptance.
Due to Strasz's limited manpower, the possibility of the order being forced into vassalage was non-existent. It is probable that the holy order had more warriors under their control than the emperor had at his disposal, even when accounting for their scattered locations throughout the empire. Although this is mere speculation, it is suspected that the order's independence was secured through bribes and concessions. Prior to the Twenty Years War in 1402 and their subsequent 'rebellion', the order's warchiefs constructed castles without opposition, collected taxes from a wider area beyond their order halls, and enjoyed greater autonomy compared to other vassals. Maslaw himself was later made marshal of the realm and granted numerous privileges.
With this vassalage secured, Strasz had the necessary force to further shore up his authority in the short term. The most immediate issue was one of his vassals, King Piskla of Ruthenia, who had just come into power. Piskla was a prime example of bad (or good, depending on your viewpoint) dynastic luck when it came to inheritance.
Nobility within the Gryfita Empire had limited avenues when pursuing marriages compared to Christian nobility of Europe. Although a noble in Aquitaine could secure an alliance by marrying off their son or daughter to a powerful family in the HRE, the pagan nobility of the Gryfita Empire could only marry within their own ranks. While civil wars were largely avoided due to the central authority of the emperor, inheritance through the death of the previous title holder was common. The Black Death wiped out entire lines of nobility, exacerbating this issue.
As a result, Piskla controlled approximately one-third of the empire, but his lands were not contiguous. He held territories of varying sizes in Luthiana, Novgorod, Galich-Volyina, and Ruthenia. To say this would be an administrative burden would be an understatement, and the potential for factionalism with a young child in control over such vast tracks of land was a concern Strasz was not willing to countenance.
As Piskla was not a viceroy, Strasz had no legal authority to do so. This point was raised by one of the child regents, who is said to have remarked: "By what right do you renounce his claim, which is bound by blood?"
Strasz is said to have answered by pointing to his crown and then to the band of armed men he had brought with him from among the Champions of Perun.
"By my divine right as the voice of Perun, Regent. Or - if you prefer - I can have the blood ties severed."
It was a crude threat, the likes of which had not been seen since the days of Konrad in his efforts to centralize the empire. However administratively painful it would have been, Piskla had broken no laws or otherwise acted against Strasz that warranted this revocation. It was more a case of opportunism on the emperor’s part, to remove a potentially dangerous challenge to his authority.
Strasz risked civil war to do this and it is likely he would have fought one had it come to blows. No such conflict arose, for while the Black Death in 1353 was starting to fade from the empire’s western regions, few areas were in any state to martial men.
The regent conceded to this brazen threat and Piskla lost his eastern holdings, being "allowed" to hold on to what he possessed in Lithuania. The rest of the lands went to Strasz for redistribution.
Within weeks another boy-king was placed on the throne of Ruthenia, again a relative of Strasz. This time it went further, in that the young child ruled Ruthenia not as king, but as viceroy. If you go back to when we discussed the Inner and Outer Realms system of administration, you may recall that Ruthenia was originally intended to be a viceroyalty. It is not clear when this change was made, but technically it was Strasz who restored the proper order of government to the realm. It was only peculiar that he did this by ignoring all legal norms and by threatening murder.
When his nobles learned of this change, they were outraged. While the appointment of a relative to govern Pomerania and the vassalage of the warriors of Perun were at least bound by legality, this appointment to Ruthenia and the change of its status to a viceroyalty was not. However, as with Konrad decades earlier, a combination of factors ranging from disinterest to the ravages of the plague prevented a united challenge to the Emperor.
Strasz was well on his way to reasserting his hold on the Empire through force and swift action after the Black Death, with little appearing to be able to stop him.
Before continuing the study of Strasz, a brief detour to England under King Jaroslaw.
The plague had died out in England a few months before it would in the empire, so it was only now that many of the Norman vassals found out they had a new king. The fact they despised this installed heathen king should come as little surprise. What may be, however, is that Jaroslaw was able to quickly consolidate his power over his new kingdom with little difficulty. This was not only due to the aftermath of the Black Death, though the devastation it caused provided a shield against coordinated resistance, but it was Jarloslaw's proactivity that secured his throne.
He had not been idle in the two years since his blood-soaked coronation, skilfully winning over the populace and the lords of the south-east by emptying the royal coffers to provide food and materials to rebuild lives and property. He also offered religious toleration to those who remained loyal to him, and promised that there would be no religious persecution. In a stable empire, these offers would have fallen on deaf ears and organised rebellion would have been likely; after years of chaos and mass death from plague and civil war alike, people of all ranks were willing to listen.
When it was safe to do so, he sent messages to the other areas of England with similar terms. Many lords refused and began to bear arms in whatever limited capacity they could, but in vain. Those who resisted soon found an army besieging their poorly supplied castles and losing their lands. Curiously, many of these lands were given to shamans, either imported from the Empire or of Jarlosaw's own retiunue - this is the origin of the now famous Prince-Shamans of northern England. Opposition to the new king soon faded in favour of the domestic stability he offered.
Most important of all, this stability is the reason why the history text you are now reading is in English, rather than French.
Jaroslaw would mandate the use of English as the 'courtly' language of the realm. He would go so far as to readily adopt it himself, and by all accounts would soon become an Englishman.
Others suggest that it was more a populist move to better appeal to the lower classes, to reduce the chances of revolt, and to lead a kind of cultural revolution with himself at the forefront. There are even limited reports that Jaroslaw was a sort of proto-Anglophile, enamoured of the island's history, which would of course fit in with the man's scholarly disposition.
Whatever the reasons, this personal decision was a tacit distancing from Jaroslaw's Polish roots. In time, his family adopted English names, customs and dress. He did not force this change on his vassals, and as long as they were prepared to speak English at court, they were free to retain their own customs. England thus became a cultural and religious melting pot, with many of the Polish and Norman people assimilating into English culture over the decades.
This unexpected revival of English language and culture would mark England as different and even distant from its parent empire. While the kingdom was a considerable gain for Strasz, he would have to work to keep it within his sphere of influence, for if England could be restored to its pre-civil war, pre-plague state and not kept loyal, it would be an enemy orders of magnitude more dangerous than Ruthenia - a fact that the last emperor of our study would learn all too well.
But back on topic, Strasz would continue his efforts to centralise his empire, finding love, hate and insanity as he went.
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Good to see this update.
It seems Strasz is evolving beyond being a "strongman" ruler. Some might call him a tyrant. (Does he have a nickname?)
However, it does take a strong and steady hand to rule a large empire.
Interesting foreshadowing for what is ahead. Seems to be setting us up for King Jaroslaw's bid for independence down the road.
It seems Strasz is evolving beyond being a "strongman" ruler. Some might call him a tyrant. (Does he have a nickname?)
However, it does take a strong and steady hand to rule a large empire.
Interesting foreshadowing for what is ahead. Seems to be setting us up for King Jaroslaw's bid for independence down the road.
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Great to see the story going along. Hoping you have a healthful new year and look forward to the developments you have nodded to in this latest episode. Just when it seems nothing can stop the onward march of the Gryfitas, we have hints of their vulnerability.
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Thank you for reading!
In game I he has the name 'the Glorious' but I don't always use the names the game gives me. Still, I feel like it would be a name he'd absolutely take. The pace of events does slow down a little bit as we near the end (before my end-state ideas come in around 1402 with the Twenty Years War) so it's much more about consolidation... for now. As for the foreshadowing, England will indeed play a big role in the affairs of the empire.
Thank you for reading!
To be honest, it's great to still see I get comments and feedback after long breaks like I've been taking. As for my health, it's improving but not all the way there yet. Still, I'm trucking along.
And yes, I do have the story roughly planned out now, so I can give hints to how it all goes to pot. CK2 can be a game where you steamroll easy and no-one can really stand up to you, so I like to keep it interesting and note that the health of any absolute empire often depends on the emperor (looking at you, Rome)
Also, 40k views, when did that happen lol.
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Cheer up Funny enough lately in my own AAR, one of Gryfita dynasty members become wealthy enough to make it into investor slot of my Permo-Siberian empire. They truly are doing great across multiple states of world
Funny enough lately in my own AAR, one of Gryfita dynasty members become wealthy enough to make it into investor slot of my Permo-Siberian empire. They truly are doing great across multiple states of world - 1
Hah, excellent! Thank you for reading.Cheer up
I’ve had a couple of Gryfita’s mentioned in @Midnite Duke ’s works. But good to know my characters are doing just fine even as I put them through trauma in my own world.
And I do hope you are enjoying my writing ^^
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Thank you for the update. I am glad to hear that you are on the mend. (In a current game (no AAR), I have a Gryfita King of (Crusader) Egypt.)
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Szaman-Cesarz Strasz of the Gryfita Empire - The Triumphunt, The Deranged (1353-1366)
Szaman-Cesarz Strasz of the Gryfita Empire - The Triumphunt, The Deranged (1353-1366)
'Therein lies the risk with absolute power - what happens to the state when the decider can no longer decide? Or worse, when his decisions are no longer considered worth listening to?' - 'On Authority and Statecraft', Dr. Jack Bekerley, 1995
The years between 1353 and 1361 would prove to be some of the most fruitful in Strasz's reign.
At the start of this interval, the Black Death had mostly run its course through the realm. That is not to underplay the scale of the devastation and social upheaval it had brought in its wake, as potentially up to half of the Empire's population had perished from the plague. It would take decades for that number to recover, and in some places the devastation was such that villages and towns were abandoned. Nevertheless, the turmoil was subsiding and this meant government affairs could be conducted with some degree of normalcy.
It is often ignored that since the reign of Konrad, the empire had overstretched its administration by seeking to assert control over more viceroyalties than was realistic. Not through lack of effort, but rather a simple lack of technology that made effective communication over great distances unfeasible.
To his credit, Strasz was aware of this and sought to lighten the administrative burden in favour of better control of what was practical. Having proven to himself and to others that he could act with a free hand in removing Pliska, he did just this.
He slowly began to 'trim the fat', as it were, by granting the current viceroys of the Outer Realms their titles as fully-fledged kingdoms, turning these men and women into formal royal families. This came with all the privileges - and obligations - of the title. They were granted a degree of autonomy and less frequent visits by royal officials through the Dwa System, in return for increased tax and levy obligations.
With the burden thus lightened, Strasz was able to refocus his asmiantrafion on the core regions of Poland, Pomerania and Lithuania, which were to be governed either by the emperor or by viceroys. Many of the administrators were in the capital at the time of the plague, safely isolated with minimal losses. This in turn gave Strasz a large, idle pool of manpower to direct as he saw fit, and it made sense to focus on the closest (and wealthiest) regions of the empire first.
Over time, central authority would begin to reassert itself, as it now had a few select regions to focus on first, rather than the majority of the empire. Once these were secure, they would then begin to work with the more autonomous kings and vassals to ensure that the authority of Strasz was recognised after the horrors of the Black Death.
It is safe to assume that England was saved for last in these endeavours. Not only because of its distance, but also because of its history. While England was probably the last region the emperor intended to address, Strasz did undertake one form of direct action on the island, an act for which he arguably goes unjustly unrecognised - the reconstruction of England's most famous landmark today: Stonehenge.
This prehistoric monument had stood untouched for thousands of years until the Third Great Holy War. Sources disagree on when or even how the stones were toppled, as it would take a concerted effort to do so. The most popular theory is that it was a reactionary act of mass hysteria by the local population as the plague and pagans ravaged their home in tandem. Stonehenge has Druidic roots as a place of worship and burial, and for the average peasant that was enough to condemn it.
Whatever the cause, Strasz was told of the damage to the site by Jaroslaw, who was probably aware of its history on the island and the many superstitions surrounding it. What followed surprised many. Strasz would send considerable amounts of coin to fund the repair of the site, at considerable cost to the treasury. He would go even further and declare Stonehenge to be a sacred site, with a temple to be built in dedication to Triglav. Why such a donation? The most likely explanation is that it was a demonstration of imperial authority. The order was issued from the capital, and the fact that Strasz had seen to it that funds were sent to an otherwise far-flung kingdom under his control showed his power.
His efforts to centralise and reorganise on the mainland continued apace. The methodology of these efforts varied from person to person, and the threat of force was not always necessary. Most of these efforts will be skimmed over for our purposes as an overview, however there is one notable example with a vassal whose prestigious name bears it a mention - The Rurikids.
The Rurikid dynasty famously traces its origins to the semi-legendary Varangian prince Rurik, who is said to have settled in Novgorod in 862 and, if you recall from the start of our itinerary, was the ruling dynasty of Kievan Rus. The prestige of the Rurikid dynasty collapsed along with the Rus after the death of its last ruler in the 11th century and the pressure of the nomadic hordes, most prominently the Cumanian horde that Swietopelk III famously had to deal with. It was not until Wojslawa's conquest of Novgorod, and the subsequent conquest of much of Eastern Europe, that the Ruriks reappeared in the records.
Using their prestige and quick adoption of the Slavic faith, the family regained their influence to the point that it was not uncommon to see a Rurikid viceroy in the east. Their position in power was cemented in June 1356 when Vicerene Kazimera Rurikid negotiated with Strasz to retain her lands as an official queen. Probably seeing which way the wind was blowing, she decided to pre-empt any action by the Emperor and negotiate favourable terms to retain her lands and gain favour with Strasz.
Once again, a pagan Rurikid sat on the throne and history proved to be ever unpredictable.
Strasz also sought to reassert his control over another often forgotten body, the Council of Elders. They have gone largely unmentioned due to their general irrelevance in political affairs at the time, serving as a rubber stamp for the chosen successor to the empire and little else for the last 50 years.
When the Council was officially reconvened in 1357, only two members (other than Strasz himself) were still alive. Having been isolated for years during the plague, the surviving members had been out of contact with each other and only now learned that most had died either of the plague or of natural causes. Once again, Strasz acted swiftly.
It was customary for the members to elect another into their ranks in an internal process, much like papal elections. With only two independent members left, Strasz would essentially bully and threaten the remaining two into appointing individuals who owed him personal loyalty, who would then receive regular 'gifts' and suggest other candidates more loyal to the Emperor than the Council. By packing the Council of Elders with a majority of loyalists, Strasz had another institution under his thumb, allowing him to choose his heir with impunity.
The only ‘failure’ in the eyes of many, was his son.
Strasz seems to have emulated Havel in openly scorning his children. Usciech came of age in 1358, and our first record of him is of being publicly beaten in court by his father. For what reason is not known, but acts of public humiliation of this kind were to become commonplace for the successor to the empire. He was considered a failure by Strasz and others at court. He was called many names - Gałązka 'twig', Baranek 'lamb' and Słaby 'weak'.
Strasz had a habit of hiding the more negative aspects of his reign, and remember, he was trying to consolidate his own control over the Empire; a son capable of succeeding him would go to great lengths to do just that, yet it seems he either allowed, or simply did not care, that his heir was mocked and abused.
Useich had been forced through martial training and, by his nicknames, presumably done poorly. He was quiet, unassuming, and though he possessed intelligence, he was regarded as feeble. Such public displays of beatings and contempt would do little to help him, and while he was made heir for the sake of stability, it was made clear that even as the eldest son, he was a stopgap for another child to take the helm.
It seemed that Strasz would have time to produce a new heir, as there was little threat of external challenge.
One would expect the loss of England to prompt another crusade, and indeed it did, but by 1362 such calls had went nowhere. Mainland Europe had been aware of the island's fall by the end of 1356, but the Black Death made any attempts to counterattack fruitless, and even after the plague began to recede, the mainland realms were more interested in fighting each other. Aquitaine and the HRE were quick to fight each other for the remaining scraps in Iberia and for lands in mainland Europe. This stifled any chance of a crusade, as the two most powerful Christian kingdoms in Europe had little interest in working together.
Furthermore, we have already mentioned how the power of the papacy had been growing in relation to its secular counterparts, and this had largely been the case since the 1100s. However, the end of the Black Death around 1358 is marked as the time when the scales began to shift. This was partly due to the Black Death killing off much of the clergy and the moral authority of the faith (something we will discuss in another sidebar), but also due to a series of weak popes, most notably the mentally handicapped Caelestinus II, who was later infamously tried posthumously by his successor in the Cadaver Synod in 1363.
Meanwhile, Jaroslaw's reign had stabilised England, and to the shock of pagans and Catholics alike, there had been mass conversions to the Slavic faith, to the extent that some counties were majority Slavic.
This, only 11 years after a conquest during the mass upheaval caused by the plague, seems shocking. While true belief can never be quantified, it is not entirely unsurprising given the efforts of Jaroslaw and Strasz. Jaroslaw had quickly become popular and had seen to it that any men of rank who did not support him were removed. Catholics were treated fairly, although the Slavic faith quickly became an unofficial requirement for the upper classes and the wealthy to advance.
Strasz had not been idle either. Though not the focus of his efforts, he spent considerable sums transporting grain and livestock to the island as a form of relief and to ingratiate the population with their new rulers. With the shipments he sent over loyal shamans and their retinues to minister to the people. We have accounts of these shamans offering sacrifices to the Osiem in major population centres throughout England.
Combined with the Black Death, which also played a part in people seeking answers in various forms, the island would see a gradual shift to paganism until it became the dominant faith - a trend that continues to this day.
Success seemed to follow success for Strasz. The sudden death of Jaroslaw on 24 June 1363 seemed to confirm this idea.
The cause of death was, in a morbid irony, illness. Flu is thought to have been the killer, although many have suspected, and still suspect, that Strasz had a hand in Jaroslaw's death. This will never be proven, and the accusation is largely unfounded, except for the perceived benefit it brought to the Emperor.
Jaroslaw's eldest son, the soon-to-be-famous Maurice 'Hand-taker' Mykulyn, was only 6 years old and unmarried at the time. This presented an opportunity seized by Strasz, who quickly betrothed Maurice to a young daughter of his, the soon-to-be equally famous Danuta. This marriage tied the Mykulyn dynasty and the Gryfita dynasty together by blood, theoretically securing the loyalty of the island dynasty through marriage, and Strasz is said to have taken over the education of his daughter (before his descent) to prepare her for the role of keeping Maurice in line.
This renewed interest in his offspring did not last long. While Strasz was taking responsibility for little Danuta, Usiech suffered further humiliations. In late 1362, it is reported that father and son engaged in arm-wrestling among the Champions of Perun. At some point Usiech had joined the Warrior Lodge, though it is unclear whether he was forced to or chose to join for some other reason.
If it was an attempt to win over his father, it was unsuccessful. Usiech was severely beaten by his father, first in competition and later in public, for his perceived weakness. He was reportedly verbally taunted by others in the lodge during and after the 'friendly' bout, and that the Emperor's eldest son could be treated in such a manner without retribution.
Sadly, things were to get worse for Usiech.
For Strasz, things were only going to get better.
By 1365, the western, most populous regions of the Empire had begun to recover from the Black Death. Thanks largely to Strasz's brutal methods of isolation, the Crowland had survived almost untouched. In fact, it is said to have grown due to immigration and Strasz turning a blind eye to fleeing serfs from the surrounding countryside. For all his brutality, he catered to the growing power of the peasantry by offering generous terms to those who would work his lands. This was perhaps more pragmatism than compassion, though the standard of living for those within the Crownland had improved dramatically. As a consequence, wealth began to flow into the region and into the coffers of the crown.
And then, the final triumph for Strasz. Final being the operative term.
After years of abortive attempts to distance Lithuania from the central authority, Viceroy Lambert finally saw the writing on the wall. In August 1365, he arrived in the capital in person and swore homage to Strasz. The emperor was remarkably merciful and allowed Lambert to keep his viceroyalty in return for this submission, if only because it served as an example to all: Those who obeyed, were rewarded.
With the return of stability and prosperity, the empire became increasingly secure. The Black Death had the potential to permanently weaken the central authority of Strasz, as it had done in other regions of the world. But in the Gryphon Empire, the Emperor's word was increasingly ironclad. The Crownland was flourishing, the plague-ridden conquest of England would soon pay dividends, and Strasz would have time to father a more suitable heir.
And what better way to celebrate such achievement than with a feast?
The affair was grand and full of the trappings of an emperor's celebration, though that is not our interest. Nor was Strasz's, for his eye was fixed on Princess Agnieszka of Denmark, a gifted, intelligent debutante.
And Usiech's wife.
I must warn you that we have little concrete information about the events leading up to Strasz's notorious descent into perceived madness. What follows is a brief summary of what we do know, followed by an extrapolation from this to suggest, rather than define, what exactly happened.
On 23 December 1368, Strasz informed the court officials that he would be undergoing an operation, to be performed by his court physician Wojuta. This was standard procedure, done so that no one would question his absence from his duties. Wojuta arrived later that day with his assistant, who was carrying a so-called 'potion' that he had made especially for this. The operation would have taken place inside the palace and, as we later learn, with guards nearby. You may recall that Wojuta was the one to cure Strasz of the Black Death by way of bees - None could claim to be more qualified. As such, he held the emperor's total confidence.
Then came the screams.
When his guards were able to at last subdue him, he began to shake violently for minutes and was unresponsive. We are never told exactly what happened next, only that Strasz was taken to a 'safe' place to recover. A shaman who bore witness to his liege being dragged away, gives one last critical piece of information. He noticed that a trail of blood followed the emperor as his liely uncious form was dragged away - blood coming came from his groin.
There is a lot to unpack from this and it’s best to start from the top.
No information exists on the exact nature of Strasz’s ailment that required the fateful operation, however the affair with Princess Agnieszka have led to many concluding it was a form of herpes. This sounds remakarbly specific for so little information, however it is reasonable. Without going into detail, this STI would leave painful warts in the area that, with medieval standards taken into account, warrant removal. This would not treat the underlying infection of course and would have been medically pointless but would have been an agonislyly painful procedure.
It is therefore thought that the 'potion' was some form of herbal anaesthetic. What exactly went wrong? This is a matter of conjecture and rumour. Some say it was a real attempt on Strasz's life, either in the form of poison or sedation. It's not surprising that this would be the 'official' line given later, especially in later centuries. But it is probably wrong.
One point that is often forgotten is that general anaesthetics did exist in the Middle Ages, although they were often made with toxic herbs or were otherwise ineffective. A recent study has proposed that this 'potion' may have been dwale - an alcohol-based mixture of bile, opium, lettuce, bryony, henbane, hemlock and vinegar. This is because Wojuta's apprentice was from England, where the potion was known to have been used by doctors and housewives alike throughout the period.
This is disputed on the grounds that dwale induces a deep sleep and should not have allowed Strasz to wake up. It is my theory (and it is a theory, I warn you) that if the apprentice mixed the potion as he claimed, what if he made a mistake? What if the dosage was wrong and instead of a deep sleep, Strasz was just drugged, not unconscious? The truth is that we will never know, and the details are debated to this day.
One fact on which most people agree is the mention of tremors. You may recall another of our subjects who suffered similar effects - Skarbimir, with his epilepsy.
It is theorised - and now generally accepted - that Strasz suffered from the same temporal lobe epilepsy as his eldest brother. However, while his older brother seemed to suffer from the more typical seizures, Strasz's episodes seemed to be more violent, with long periods of lucidity in between. He also suffered from wild mood swings, irascibility, lack of impulse control and bouts of sadism - and his infamous 'laws', which he later enacted. There is also evidence that he suffered from insomnia, which led him to drink heavily to medicate himself.
All of these factors point to epileptic psychosis, which has a higher incidence in people with temporal lobe epilepsy, around 9%, compared with 4% in other types of epilepsy. Insomnia is one of the first symptoms, and the factors listed are all other signs. Some have extrapolated further that Strasz's violent murder of his doctor was born out of his experience of status epilepticus, repeated or prolonged seizures without return to consciousness, made worse by his ineffective medication, but this is difficult to prove.
What is not difficult to see is just how having a now mentally unstable man, at the height of his absolute power, could and would begin the decline of the empire.
With sadness I say to you: This is when the hourglass begins to count down on the Gryfita Empire.
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A bit late but thanks! Getting there slowly.
Updates will still be on the slow slide but steady progress. Think once a month is the best I can do at the moment.
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Thank you for the update. Strasz should have treated son better and stayed away from d-i-l (Ck does like men to put horns on their sons). If son becomes regent, a trip to Bedlam awaits Strasz.
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Nice to see them make another appearance.
Huzzah!
Oh no, that usually means exactly the opposite
It seems difficult to believe but of course you were right. You must have been role-playing heavily by now!
Or so he thought.
Very bad - but Usiech at least might have seen the hand of the Gods in this.
<winces>
This will be interesting!
Great episode. If taking your time produces this kind of result, then take as much as you need and more power to your pen!
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Thank you for reading! Poor Usiech not having the best of times - but then again, Strasz is not doing great either…
Thank you for reading! It wasn’t critical to the plot but had to mention it when I noticed it - too perfect lol.Nice to see them make another appearance.
The more things change, the more they stay the same and all that.Huzzah!
*Foreshadowing*Oh no, that usually means exactly the opposite
At this point I was. Mentioned in the past that at this size, I could roll over any target I wanted. Buuuut that’s dull and Strasz is wrathful soooo.
That dynastic luck running out.
When that event played, I laughed. Even RNG didn’t want Usiech to be happy.
Honestly this was tough to write and work out, but I hope it was believable in a history book context. If not, I always welcome advice!
Thank you kindly.
My health and life is improving and taking my time helps and helps the quality. I understand some may be disappointed with the slower updates, but we’re close to the end and I want to both enjoy the process and ensure good quality.
As always, thanks to all my readers and I welcome any and all feedback!
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