The Tales of Tyrol

[EtzelHoveri]

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With the most recent update to the game I fear that my Millennium mod of Bulgaria is no longer working and so my AAR, First and Only Bulgarian Empire, is forced to be abandoned. This time around I will be playing as the House von Tyrol of Tyrol following William the Conquerors ascension to the seat of King of England. Recently I have found myself addicted to Tommy4Ever's AAR The Serpents of the Nile and so I wished to do an AAR in his format. As I am starting out as a minor Lord within the HRE, it will be unlikely that my beginning posts will be that entertaining I fear. However, as time goes on and the power of House von Tyrol increases then we shall see how far we can go.

At the moment I have no real goals for this AAR except to survive until the end of CK2 and hopefully be able to create a megacampaign. If I am successful at making it that far then I will be buying EUIV so I can continue the story of this family. At the start of this game we have Albrecht von Tyrol as Count of Tryol and his two son's Albrecht and Otto. I hope you all enjoy and I do Tommy's AAR justice as he was kind enough to agree to let me use his format.

 

[Tommy4ever]

Well after the nice words you say about my AAR I have no choice but to follow .

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Albrecht, the Founder, von Tyrol
Lived: 1020-1073
Count of Tyrol: 1050-1073

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Albrecht was born in the year 1020 with very little ambition or for that matter, the means to achieve anything in his life. His father, Otto, was a farmer who did not even own the lands he worked. Once Albrecht came of age he found himself working alongside his father for many years. Upon the death of his father in 1050, Albrecht went before Kuno Ezzonen, Duke of Bavaria, with the request to take over his father's work. Instead, needing allies, Kuno sent Albrecht back to his home as the new Count of Tyrol.

Enjoying his newfound power, Albrecht did very little. Even when his benefactor, Duke Kuno, was relieved of his position in 1053 he did not do anything. Instead he just enjoyed his position which gave him large amounts of gold and women. These affairs resulted in two sons; Albrecht the Younger in 1055 and Otto von Tyrol in 1057, from two different women. Both of these sons he claimed as his own.

In 1061, Albrecht's whoring was put to an end by his new Duke, Otto von Nordheim. He required Albrecht to build a castle with the wealth he had collected over the past eleven years. As well as the ability to call up a minimum of five hundred levies should his Duke need them. Knowing next to nothing on warfare, Albrecht spent a portion of the taxes he had collected on a tutor in these arts. For the five years it took for the construction of his castle, Albrecht learned alongside his sons the art of warfare. The use of the sword and shield, formations, tactics, and above all the art of command. By the crowning of William the Bastard in England, Albrecht had gained a basic understanding on what his position was in the Holy Roman Empire.

During his studies he also learned of the importance of his lands. How Tyrol was the key to any invasion into or from Italy. This gave him a sense of importance which led to his invasion of Innsbruck in 1071. His first battle, at Breganz, saw Albrecht win a great victory over the Count of Innsbruck. They were evenly matched, but Albrecht made good use of his mountainous home to rout the enemy with minimal losses.

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Two weeks later, Albrecht would finish off the Innsbruck army and put their castle to siege.

As the siege wore on a sickness took his army preventing him from bringing the war to a close. With the enemy on the brink of defeat Albrecht returned to Tyrol to recruit a band of mercenaries known as the Finnish Band. While home he was also given the opportunity to meet both his daughter, Oda, and his granddaughter, Gerberga.

Upon his return to Innsbruck, with the eight hundred reinforcements, he learned that a large amount of supplies had made it into the city during his absence. Enraged by this, Albrecht wished to lead an assault on the keep but knew he would only be beaten back. With no other choice, Albrecht went about a second siege.

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A year after his return Albrecht still had not forced the enemy form their castle. The castle would surrender any day now, but Albrecht would not be alive to see it. In 1073, Albrecht von Tyrol passed away in his sleep. History books would come to call him Albrecht the Founder to distinguish him from the many other Albrechts of his line. So in 1073, Albrecht's son then known as Albrecht the Younger came to power with a war to be won.

 

[tnick0225]

Man I get nasty flashbacks to a dark period in my game when I hear Albrecht von Tyrol, he was a cause of massive headaches in my Welf game for a generation.

But good to see you back in CKII, good writing as always!

 

[Revan86]

Nice; another Tirol AAR! I'll keep my eye on this one.

 

[Tommy4ever]

Nice, liking the look of this AAR already . Shame Albrecht wasn't able to achieve much in his brief reign, but then again your dynasty is starting out from a very humble beginning indeed. Long Live Albrecht II!

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Nice, liking the look of this AAR already . Shame Albrecht wasn't able to achieve much in his brief reign, but then again your dynasty is starting out from a very humble beginning indeed. Long Live Albrecht II!

Yeah. Starting out as an OPM kind of makes this type of format AAR less exciting. Hopefully these first couple of posts I can make more interesting by the upcoming plots.

Man I get nasty flashbacks to a dark period in my game when I hear Albrecht von Tyrol, he was a cause of massive headaches in my Welf game for a generation.

But good to see you back in CKII, good writing as always!

That is actually where I left off in your AAR. Been so busy I haven't been able to read it. Seeing as how you are reading mine I should really get it together and start reading again.

Ever finish the Rome AAR I wrote? It's pretty short.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Albrecht I von Tyrol
Lived: 1055-1076
Count of Tyrol: 1073-1076
Count of Innsbruck: 1074-1076
Duke of Tyrol: 1075-1076

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Albrecht the Younger or better known as Albrecht I von Tyrol was one of the shortest reigning members of his family. However, it is his few years that would see his family rise from just minor Lords to true Lords of the Holy Roman Empire. His skills would remove the image of his family being nothing but farmers from the eyes of the other nobles. The von Tyrol's would become true players of the game.

His first task was to bring an end to the siege of Innsbruck. With winter coming, Albrecht decided to hold up in his castle until Spring. At least that was the impression he wished to give to the people of Innsbruck. When he suddenly appeared outside their castle in the dead of February with over three hundred reinforcements they had finally lost their will to fight. Impressed with how cunning the man was, Otto von Nordheim named Albrecht his Spymaster a few days later. Spending his days between his new castle and Munchen, Albrecht had little time to spend with his wife. For this reason he still lacked a proper heir as he only had the single daughter, Gerberga.

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Seeking Albrecht for his own services Kaiser Heinrich IV the great decided to create a new duchy. From 1075 onwards the House von Tyrol would now be the Dukes of Tyrol. Albrecht was also given sovereignty over the County of St. Gallen. Of the lands which would be considered part of the duchy of Tyrol only the County of Chur was not a part of Albrecht's domain. They paid their homage to the Duke of Swabia instead.

Now forced to live in Leininger, Albrecht got to spend even less time with his wife. Nevertheless she spent an extended vacation with him over the winter of 1075. As Spring rolled into Summer the Lady Luitgard von Zahringen, sister of the Dukes of Vernoa and Carinthia was nearing her time to give Albrecht another child.

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Wishing for his child to be born in the Castle Tyrol, the two made a special trip back to their home. Along the way they were set upon by bandits who were hired by Albrecht's half-brother, Otto. In an attempt to protect his unborn child, Albrecht attacked the bandits which gave his wife the chance to escape. Albrecht was not as lucky. Albrecht I served only three years as Count and only a single year as Duke of Tyrol before the betrayal of his brother. Even still his skills saw the von Tyrols start on the path to power and importance.

 

[Tommy4ever]

Despite dying so you the younger albrecht has seen Tyrol rise to the ranks of dukes. A great achievement for the plucky little dynasty.

 

[tnick0225]

That is actually where I left off in your AAR. Been so busy I haven't been able to read it. Seeing as how you are reading mine I should really get it together and start reading again.

Ever finish the Rome AAR I wrote? It's pretty short.

Ohhh there's a lot of reading and catching up to be done in mine then if that's where you left off, so hope you have enough time to catch up on it!

As far as your Rome AAR I've only made it through the first few chapters so far, I mean to read it all soon though as it looks interesting.

And as far as the most recent update, ouch that is one short reign! And a daughter to inherit that hurts...Hopefully Gerberga fares a bit longer and can get a good matrilineal marriage arranged to propel the dynasty forwards. I'm guessing your game goal is to create the Kingdom of Bavaria? Or to take the Empire over just as the Duke of Tyrol?

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Didn't really have a goal at first. Been playing for some time now and I have found myself turning towards a different path.

You will find out in three more posts.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Gerberga I von Tyrol
Lived: 1072-1113
Duchess of Tyrol: 1076-1079
Countess of Tyrol: 1076-1079
Countess of Innsbruck: 1076

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Like her father, Gerberga only held her position of power for three years. The major difference between these two reigns however was that Albrecht I was a great man and Gerberga was not only a child of four years but even worse, a girl. For centuries after her death Gerberga became the shining example of the weakness of women rulers. Even after power von Tyrol female rulers many still point out her reign of why women should not rule.

With her father's death and the disappearance of her mother, Gerberga found herself Duchess of Tyrol under the guidance of her Uncle Otto. As she was so young Otto ruled in her place. He still gave her things to sign from time to time. The first of which was in November of 1076 which named him Count of Innsbruck in her place. A position that he and his children would hold for many years. With Otto's move to Innsbruck the court members of Tyrol went with him. The only one who was left behind was 'the Duchess' Gerberga and her handmaiden, Katrina. For three years Katrina raised Gerberga with no news from the outside world or visitors.

Then suddenly, in March of 1079, Otto von Tryol appeared in her castle. Once again he brought documents for her to sign. This time it was a change of succession. Instead of her tittles going to her children it instead would go to the eldest member of the family, Otto himself. This confused her as with the current laws Otto would inherit everything unless she had children, and that was still many years away. With the papers signed Otto disappeared again and her little world went on as it had. At least for four more months. In July of 1079, a great army of four thousand people were standing outside the castle. At their head was the Countess Hedwig Hupeldinger of St. Gallen and a three year old boy.

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As it turned out the boy was her little brother, Albrecht. Unsure what was going on Gerberga was told to agree to whatever the Countess said and so she found herself signing more papers. Later in the night Katrina woke Gerberga and the two slipped away to the County of Innsbruck. After only three years Gerberga had signed away all of her lands and was smuggled to her Uncle's lands before he was able to have her killed. She may seem like a weak ruler, but her weakness in the end likely saved her life for a little longer. She would go on to have three children and hold no other titles of importance before her death in 1113, outliving her Uncle Otto and younger brother.

 

[tnick0225]

Ouch! Rough reign for little Gerberga! Should be interesting to see how the new Duke Albrecht will fare.

 

[Tommy4ever]

Not so much the weakness of women as the weakness if little kids .

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Ouch! Rough reign for little Gerberga! Should be interesting to see how the new Duke Albrecht will fare.

Indeed it was. I should have Duke Albrecht II's reign up tonight after work and after I finish some school work.

Not so much the weakness of women as the weakness if little kids .

That is true. I can't help but agree. Though you will see other von Tryol children that fair much, much better.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Albrecht II von Tyrol
Lived: 1076-1101
Duke of Tyrol: 1079-1101
Count of Tyrol: 1079-1101
Count of Osterreich: 1090-1101
Count-Consort of Weimar: 1093-1101

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Albrecht II found himself in power through the workings of another, but as he grew into a man he showed the world his strength. Only one minor province was added during his reign, but he still assisted in the ground works of what the von Tyrols would achieve. Many still considered Albrecht II to have been the finest soldier that the von Tyrols ever had.

Just as Gerberga's reign was run by anothers, so was Albrecht's starting years. With the disappearance of Gerberga in the night, Castle Tyrol was abandoned. The Countess Hedwig of St. Gallen returned to her home with Albrecht in two. For seven years Albrecht II lived in St. Gallen as he was instructed by the Countess in the affairs of state. The greatest difference between Otto and Hedwig's regencies was the fact Otto sought power and Hedwig attempted to teach Albrecht on being powerful.

Upon the Countess Hedwig's death in 1086, the ten year old Albrecht returned to Castle Tyrol. His new Regent was the stable master of Tyrol, the only man who never abandoned the great keep. Not of noble birth, he was given monthly instructions from Albrecht who had travelled south to the County of Krain where he would be instructed by the Count Ulrich von Weimar on combat. During his studies in the south, Albrecht had the stable master, Hugh, to lead a campaign east against the Duke of Austria in 1087. Hugh was questionable about this at first, but after winning a great victory at Appenzall, he felt more comfortable. It would still take a number of months to crush the remainder of the Austrian army.

Arriving in Osterreich in December of 1088, Hugh realized he would need many more men to complete the siege of Wien. Before Hugh had even finished the letter to his Lord, the two thousand man Saxon Band arrived to assist him from the south. Even with the additional soldiers Wien was not captured until February of 1090. Once it fell the Duke of Austria gave up all claims on the land and went into exile in the east with his family.

After learning all he could from Count Ulrich, Albrecht moved on to learn under his Uncle Hermann von Zahringen, Duke of Carinthia and now Verona, following his younger brother's death. For the next year and a half, Albrecht learned of the ways of being a Duke. Upon his return to Castle Tyrol, Albrecht II was ready to lead his lands in name not only in guidance. His first action was to marry the great niece of his second instructor, Amalberga von Weimar, who had become Countess of Weimar. Days after the wedding Albrecht set off behind an army of 2500 men to bring the County of Chur under his rule from that of the Duke of Swabia. Duke Rudolf von Rheinfeldon was the second most powerful Duke in all the Holy Roman Empire. He should have been able to easily prevent Albrecht II's attempt on claiming Chur. However, at this same time Duke Rudolf was losing a war against the most powerful Duke, Hermann von Zahringen.

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Using this distraction to his advantage, Albrecht began the siege of Chur in January 1094. It still took Albrecht until January of 1096 before Chur was in his control. Then another month after that before the new Duchess of Swabia agreed to give up control of the province to Albrecht II. The remainder of his life Albrecht led the Holy Roman Empire's armies in one battle after another. During this time he brought the rebellions of Lucca and Saxony down as well as assisted the King of Sicily in removing the last of the Muslim rulers from southern Italy.

Leaving north to assist the King of Sweden in expelling the King of Denmark from Scandinavia in the year 1100, Albrecht II missed out on the birth of his only child, a daughter named Hildegard. The war would be won, but at a great price. More then half of Albrecht's army would die on the field. Even Albrecht II lost his right arm in the war. Seeing the fatal injury of the General of the Holy Roman Empire and the death of so many soldiers, the King of Bohemia and the Dukes of Savoy and Dauphine broke away from the Empire.

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Returning home Albrecht II never truly recovered from his grievous injury. By October of 1101 the Duke of Tyrol's body finally gave out on him, leaving his holdings and titles to his only child, Duchess Hildegard I. Albrecht II's life was cut short, but he is still remembered as a strong leader who would likely had become the Kaiser of the Empire if he had only lived a few more years.

 

[Tommy4ever]

Your rulers keep dieing so young and living so briefly. I wonder when you will be able to find a Duke who will have a long reign.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Sadly as of right now I still haven't had a long reigning Duke and I'm into the 1160s.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Hildegard I von Tyrol
Lived: 1100-1159
Duchess of Tyrol: 1101-1159
Countess of Tyrol: 1101-1159
Countess of Osterreich: 1101-1145
Countess of Steiermark: 1116-1118
Countess-Consort of Sopron: 1121-1159
Part 1

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Hildegard I von Tyrol is the longest reigning von Tyrol thus far, and she used this time to great effect. Where some people use the young Gerberga I as an example of weak, female rulers, the counter-point to this argument is most certainly Hildegard I. She had never spent any time on the battlefield, but she is still considered to be on of the great warrior women of the age.

Like the two previous rulers of Tyrol, Hildegard became Duchess of Tyrol as a child. Only one years old, many feared in the Court that Hildegard would become a puppet to Count Otto like her aunt had. In an attempt to keep Otto away, the Tyrol Court named Gebhard von Appenzall as her Regent. This minor noble was the warrior which brought back Albrecht II from Sweden following his fatal injury. He had spent all his years fighting beside Albrecht II and many believe that all of his great victories was because of this one man's efforts.

Hildegard's beginning years were spent learning of the Church's attempts to destabilize the Holy Roman Empire. Just before Albrecht II's death, Pope Conon II excommunicated Kaiser Heinrich IV which led to a dual invasion by the Kings of France and England. With the sever losses the Empire had sustained in Sweden, the Holy Roman Empire was unable to withstand the enemy, resulting in Heinrich IV's removal as Kaiser and his son, Wigerich I, taking over the position in 1103. The following year, Otto von Tyrol died and Wigerich I was excommunicated by Pope Conon II, just like his father. This resulted in another dual invasion by France and England. Still outnumbered, Wigerich made good use of the lands in Holland to defeat both enemy armies. This great victory saw an end to Pope Conon II's attempts and general peace returned to the Empire.

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Then in April of 1109, Dietmar von Tyrol, eldest son of Otto von Tyrol and new Count of Innsbruck, attempted to force Hildegard to name him her heir. Just like his father had done to Gerberga I thirty year earlier. Trusting in her Regent, Hildegard refused his demand which began the Tyrol Revolt. St. Gallen, Chur, and Innsbruck all rose in rebellion when they learned of her refusal to sign the papers.

Giving full control of her army to Gebhard von Appenzall, he led an impressive campaign throughout southern Bavaria. He won at first Augsburg where St. Gallen and Innsbruck's forces were defeated. Then returning to the Castle Tyrol, he defeated the besieging Chur army. Finally, Christmas Day 1109, he met the combined army of the rebels at Andechs. With this final victory, the rebel leaders surrendered themselves on the first day of the New Year. Without Gebhard's assistance Hildegard likely would have lost the war. In thanks she convinced the King of Sweden to marry his younger sister to her savior.

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With stability returned to Tyrol, Hildegard forgave all who rose in revolt against her. Then in 1115, she marched her armies on the County of Steiermark in an attempt to connect her lands of the Duchy of Tyrol and the County of Osterreich. A few days after coming of age the Count of Steiermark gave up his lands and fled to Denmark. As another reward for his great services as Regent, Gebhard von Appenzall was named the new Count of Steiermark in 1118.

Needing a strong husband, Hildegard found herself with many suitors all wishing to gain the loyalty and power of the Duchy of Tyrol. None held rank of their own, but all were sons of very powerful men. Among them were Bernhard Salian, eldest son of Kaiser Wigerich I and future Kaiser in 1133; Jerzy Piast, future King of Poland; and Baldewin Wigeriche, future King of Lotharingia. All of these men were powerful heirs, but they all would not agree that their children would continue on with her family's name. In the end, she chose the weakest of her suitors as the most likely man she would marry.

Arriving in Esztergam, Hildegard met with King Lajos Arpad of Hungary who agreed to marry his youngest son, Gergerly, to her and that their children would continue her dynasty name and not the Arpad's. Two years later, King Lajos passed away, splitting up his lands between his three sons. The eldest, Salamon, became King of Hungary; his second son, Istavan, became Duke of Moldau; while Gergerly Arpad was only named Count of Sopron. This County bordered Osterreich which allowed the two to see each other on many occasions.

After only two years as King, Salamon II Arpad proved himself an ineffective leader. Wishing for a better man to lead them the Dukes of Hungary rose in revolt to put Gergerly on the throne. Going to her husband's aid, Hildegard sent four thousand men under Dietmar von Tyrol into Hungary. Gerhard von Appenzall had died the previous year preventing him from commanding the army in the coming war.

To Be Continued​

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Oh my God it's King Ralph!!!

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[tnick0225]

Your rulers do have short reigns but seems like Hildegard's may end up being longer and more fruitful. Definitely will be interesting to see how the attempt goes to put Gergerly on the throne.

And on a side note seems like England enjoys a good King Ralph in the game