Chapter 33 -1332 to 1361: Northern Conquests
As the war begins, 25 thousand Britannic men are raised. Scotland is set as the grouping position, and a Fleet of the Emperor begins massing in Buchan. In May, the troops and fleet are ready and 12 thousand board under the command of Emperor Loup, the Duke of York, and Scipion. The other half moves to Caithness, where it will be ferried to the island of Orkney. The next month, the army of Loup lands in Hjaltland and sets siege to its fort, Konungsborg. A month later, the southern army, under Halkell (Loup's son-in-law), Dunaden, and DKM III, arrives in Orkney.
As winter nears, half of each great army is sent back to the mainland to prevent mass attrition. Each county's castle falls as winter hits. As Hjaltland has no other holdings on the island, the rest of the army of Loup withdraws to Scotland.
As of yet there has been no military efforts against Britannia by the King of Norge, and the reason is apparent: he is midway through a civil war.
The last holdings of Orkney fall in Spring of 1333, and the next offensive is planned. Loup could well wait out the war, as he holds both objectives, but, feeling confident, he orders a direct landing on mainland Norge. His 12 thousand troops are loaded back onto the fleet and set sail in April of 1333. They land in July, and quickly defeat the small Norwegian army.
However, winter begins severely biting at the troops, and half are force to return home to prevent catastrophic losses. Loup, a rather poor military leader, is overwhelmed by the bitterly cold winds and snow. His military staff advise him to give up the offensive and return home before hundreds more of his troops succumb to death. Loup listens, and the last of the troops withdraw in January. For now, the Empire will play the waiting game.
In May of 1334, The Number 9 comes of age. She shares much of her siblings' (most of them) diplomacy skill, although she tends to become quite envious of others. She is married to a very young and very talented administrator from Germany named Hans von Oldenburg.
As the war slows down, Loup sets about with his other errands. Densley Blair, the heir without a wife, is married to young Princess Ingegerd of Danmark, who comes from a family of strong men and women. As the young couple is married, Emperor Loup sends word to the King Leif III of Danmark to come to his aid against Norge. Leif, currently at war with Sweden, promises aid if Britannia joins his war. Loup accepts.
The troops are loaded back onto the fleet and sent this time to Skåne. They arrive in November and they engage a small Swedish army in Möre. As the enemies flee before the Brits, the army besieges the castle of Möre.
The war with Sweden ends in August of 1335 as the Swedish King surrenders.
The armies of both Britannia and Danmark are redirected to Norge, where they take several holdings. As Norge is exhausted by years of civil war, the King finally surrenders in April of 1336. Orkney and Hjaltland are ceded to Britannia.
At the same time, young Attalus reaches majority. He shows little true skill, being more a jack of all trades. He is married to Princess Isabelle of Aquitaine.
In November of 1338, Dunaden dies of Pneumonia. He sired 7 children (6 of which still live) and had 4 different wives (not at the same time!). His eldest son Ealdwulf, Duke of The Isles, inherits his father's Duchy of Ulster.
BPM reaches maturity in 1339. He focuses his life mainly on the study of books and texts and lacks any knowledge of war. He is married to a princess of Brittany, forging an alliance between the once close nations.
ZZZ comes of age by the end of 1339. She, the youngest of Loup's children and the only child Loup had with Peigi, is married to a German soldier named Wigerich von Zähringen.
Pope Hadrianus IV calls for a Crusade for Andalusia in 1341. Emperor Loup accepts the call to arms, but does nothing more to help in the war, for he has lost his zeal in the past few years.
The Crusade ends in 1344 in victory for Christianity. The vast Andalusian lands are granted to the Teutonic Order. This Holy Order of Christian men is placed as the new ruler over a million Muslims, tasked with the responsibility to convert the lands back to Catholicism.
Many quiet years follow for Britannia. In 1346, Scipion dies a maimed cripple, courtesy of the war with Norge. He leaves behind no children, and his Duchy of Galloway is returned to Loup.
Another decade passes in peace. It seems Loup wants nothing more than to live the rest of his life without conflict. That is until June of 1353 when Empress Peigi, working as Spymaster in Norfolk, is murdered on the orders of Wulfrun, the daughter of Blitz the Dragon.
Fueled by rage, Loup orders the arrest of Wulfrun. Within a week, she is locked away in the dungeons. Eventually, Loup orders her thrown in the dark, dank Oubliette.
Another 8 years pass without war. On August 10th, 1361, Emperor Loup 'the Gentle' dies at the age of 73. He was the longest reigning Emperor of Britannia at 49 years. The Empire is passed on to his son Densley Blair II.
NOTE:
-I expected another outbreak of the Black Plague around 1345-50, and thus I intended to end this chapter as soon as that started. As nothing happened, I then decided to continue until Loup passed away, but that happened years later than I would have thought!
-DKM III passed away while I played, forgot to screenshot it though. His grandson, DKM IV, took over Gwynedd! But, this new DKM quickly became a giant... jerk, and his wife is much older than he is, so it is unlikely he will sire any children.
-You will notice that Galicia has been taken by Aquitaine. A short holy war saw to that! It appears that the Reconquista is underway!
-Due to Loup's many children, and their many children, and even their many children, the Dynasty of de Gael has grown to be one of the most numerous dynasties in the world! In this chapter alone it went from around 90 living members to 180!
-Tomorrow will be another intermission. 3 quarters of the way through CK2!