Story of the Little Kingdom - Wales AAR

[Janha]

Chapter 16: Iwerddon
1190-1206​

Conamail quickly forgets the Mongols. Not just because he doesn’t believe that there could be a horde stronger than his Kingdom somewhere in the East, but also because one his co-conspirators has come up with a plan how to kill Conamail’s wife, Queen Leonor. One abandoned inn will be converted into a trap. Once she is seated inside the building, the floor under her will explode!

And the plan works! Leonor dies with the explosion, just as planned, and nobody can trace the assassination back to Conamail. He’s happier than ever... or is it just the demon living inside him?

Before Conamail could arrange himself a new, better, marriage, he is informed that new traces of the legendary white stag have been found. Conamail quickly gathers a new hunting group and goes after the beast. Sadly even after weeks of searching, they still don’t find the animal. Luckily this time though, the solitude in the woods doesn’t cause harm to Conamail’s mind.

A priest unknown to Conamail meets him back in the castle of Dinefwr. He tells that he can expel the demon from Conamail. Firstly, probably under demonic possession, Conamail turns down the offer, but with the pressure of his court, he later lets the priest attempt an exorcism. And to everyone’s surprise, the priest succeeds! Even weeks after the exorcism took place, Conamail has not acted weird. The priest is praised in the Welsh court!

Conamail is so happy that he is no longer possessed. He doesn’t remember everything he has done under the devil’s influence, but he apologises to many people his earlier behaviour. Conamail was known to be a kind person before the demon showed up, and now once again he’s just that. The court is even more happy once news from France arrive. Meurig, the uncle of Conamail who killed his father, has passed away because of cancer.

Conamail wants a spouse badly, but unfortunately he doesn’t find anyone good enough to be married to the King of Brythoniaid. Thus, he decides to continue with his other dream, dream that he has not talked much about. Becoming the King of Ireland. He still is partly Irish as he was raised as one. In the summer of 1191, Conamail declares a war against the Earl Niallgus of Airgíala. Conamail has had a claim on the county for some years now.

As Conamail is gathering his armies for the first war of his reign, a letter arrives from Scotland. Conamail’s ally, the King Alan of Scotland and Jerusalem, asks Conamail’s help in the just begun civil war of Scotland. Conamail promises to come help after he has conquered Airgíala.

The first battle takes place in the plains of Ireland. It is an easy victory for Conamail, thanks to the massive number of the Welsh warriors. Next Conamail leads his men to lay siege to the enemy capital.

During the siege, a letter arrives from the Kingdom of France. The King Antoine of France proposes a betrothal between his eldest son and Conamail’s aunt, both aged fourteen. Conamail accepts, but doesn’t form an alliance with the French as he doesn’t want to be dragged into wars of the Continental Europe.

Little after the response to the French proposal is sent, Conamail receives another letter from the mainland of Europe. Lambert, the Holy Roman Emperor, asks the permission to marry his oldest son to Conamail’s second aunt. Conamail allows this marriage, but doesn’t sign an alliance with the German ruler neither.

After capturing the castle Cluain Eois of Airgíala and annihilating the enemy army, Conamail sends his demands to the Earl Niallgus. The pathetic Earl surrenders and hands over his former lands to Conamail. Conamail has won his first war!

Airgíala is more important province that most might think. With it under Conamail’s control, he rules over half of the Irish lands! Because of this great achievement, Conamail crowns himself the King of Irish people, the King of Iwerddon! Conamail is the first Dinefwr to rule two Kingdoms!

But the dual-King has no time to rest. He still has to help his ally in the north. Once Conamail’s warriors from Iberia meet with the main army in Iwerddon, Conamail leads them to the Scottish lands.

It doesn’t take long to find the Scottish rebels. Conamail’s army charges at them in the hills of Scotland! The battle is rather long, but with Conamail’s great tactics and vast number of warriors, the Welsh overwhelm the enemies. Over 2000 rebels die in the battle! It is another great victory for Conamail, even though he is wounded in the battle. Luckily the wound heals quickly as it wasn’t even a bad one. Everything seems to be going well!

The war continues with the Welsh army killing another thousand of rebel warriors and after that capturing one of the rebellious provinces. It doesn’t take long for the uprising to surrender. King Alan is most grateful to Conamail.

As Conamail finally gets back home, more news about the Mongols have arrived. They call their leader Genghis Khan, the greatest Khan of history. Under his rule, the Mongols have seized an enormous amount of land. At the moment, their Empire is one of the greatest in the world! Conamail finally admits that the Mongols are indeed great warriors and conquerors, but doesn’t worry about them that much. Their Empire is so far to the east that there are almost no maps in Brythoniaid of the lands they occupy.

Finally a spouse for Conamail is also found. Princess Konstanze, a 12-years-old daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, is betrothed to him.

Many would think that Conamail will expand his Kingdom of Iwerddon by warfare, but that’s not the case. Conamail’s intimidating power makes all of the three independent Earls of Iwerddon to peacefully become vassals of him. There are now only three Irish provinces that are not under Conamail’s control: two of which belong to the Petty King of Mumu and one which belongs to the Scots. Because most of the Northern Ireland is under his control, Conamail creates the ducal title of Ulster, which he gives to one of the vassalised Earls.

In June 1198, the wedding between Conamail and Konstanze is held. Konstanze is a pretty young lady, who is not only shrewd but also brave! Some call her little shy and paranoid, but Conamail doesn’t care about that: she’ll be a great wife. Especially compared to the former one.

Things in Scotland are getting out of hand. The King Alan has given the Kingdom of Scotland to his little brother due to the demand of the Scottish nobility. Alan still holds the title of Kingdom of Jerusalem though, but the borders of these two Kingdoms are messy.

Even more interesting developments take place abroad in October 1200. Some North German cities have formed, with the blessing of the Holy Roman Emperor, the Hanseatic League. Its goal is to someday dominate all of the trade in Baltic and North Seas.

Two years after the formation of Hansa, Konstanze is pregnant. Conamail is going to have his first child at the age of 36! Before the child is born, Conamail starts a new hobby, games. That’s thanks to his new good friend, the Duke of Ulster. The child is born on 12th January 1203. It is a girl and she is given the name Newlyna.

The Duchess of Toulouse and the Duke of Leinster have been a married couple for years now. They are both Dinefwrs, each other’s second cousins, but that isn’t a problem, obviously. What is troublesome is the fact that they both have their eldest son as their heir. This means that it is possible that one day the duchy of Leinster ends up in the control of the Kingdom of France. Conamail doesn’t want this to happen and so he bribes the Council to make it illegal for a title, that’s de jure part of the Kingdom of Iwerddon, to pass to a person loyal to another liege than the King of Iwerddon.

With the Council bribed, Conamail decides to make a second alteration to the law. Conamail’s modification changes it so that the sovereign can revoke titles from his vassals without the approval of the Council.

White stag. Traces of it has been found once again. Conamail readies his hunting party and they go after the animal. Sadly, it is another useless trip. Conamail’s group doesn’t find any more signs of the magnificent animal.

Back home Conamail receives a letter from his good ally King Alan of Jerusalem. He is accusing the Welsh for pirating his realm’s shores. Little offended by this recrimination, Conamail responds with not so friendly letter. Strangely no apologies from Alan arrive. Later Conamail is informed that Alan gave up the ghost shortly after writing the letter. It haunts Conamail a little that he had not written a nice letter to a dying man, but perhaps he died before reading the unkind message. Conamail writes to Alan’s son Evander, the new King, his condolences and also an offer of alliance, which Evander accepts.

In June 1206, Konstanze informs the court that she is pregnant for the second time. It is a happy summer for all of the court. Sadly the commoners of the Kingdom do not share the delight of the gentry and nobility. A large outbreak of consumption has taken over all of the southern parts of the isle. Even couple of Welsh provinces in Brythoniaid and Iwerddon have come under the reign of illness. Luckily, with the most grand hospital in the whole known world, at least according to the Welsh, Dyfed has not been affected by this disease. The thousands of gold coins spent in the building might have been worth it.

To celebrate the well-being of his Kingdom... well, of his capital, Conamail organises a grand tournament to take place for the people of Dyfed! Let the best knights of the Kingdom fight until only the best of them is standing!

Extra Note:

• The Teutonic Order has been formed and the Swedish King gave them a province in the Estonian lands to rule over.

 

[stnylan]

Ah, the King is sane again! Let us hope he never relapses!

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

Good news for the King's soul and the dual-kingdom! At least until the consumption rolled in.

 

[Janha]

Ah, the King is sane again! Let us hope he never relapses!

I was little surprised that the exorcism actually worked. I am not usually that lucky.

Good news for the King's soul and the dual-kingdom! At least until the consumption rolled in.

Let's hope that the grand (level 3) hospital of Dyfed keeps the epidemic out of the capital. Wouldn't want the fighting knights to fall sick during a tournament!

 

[Janha]

Chapter 17: Tar and Feathers
1206-1219​

The great tournament has started! The best knights of the whole Kingdom have gathered in Dyfed to face one another. In the end there will only be one warrior: the most fearless, the most brave, the most brawny and the most swift.

While the first duels are being held, Conamail receives a most nettlesome letter. The King Evander of Jerusalem asks Conamail’s help in a war against the Holy Roman Empire! Evander holds one castle in the Empire’s lands and the Kaiser obviously wants it. Conamail can’t decline the call to arms and thus his Kingdom is in a war against the most powerful realm on Earth. This doesn’t interrupt the tournament though, as Conamail decides to not send any warriors to the war. Evander must survive on his own.

The tournament is most grandiose and even though everyone is enjoying their time, the joy must ultimately end. As the cold temperatures of winter are returning to Brythoniaid, the tournament comes to an end. The day after the last fight, the best knights are announced. Third place goes to Conamail’s great friend, the Duke Ere of Ulster. As second came in a knight previously unknown to the Welsh court, named Gudbrand. But the best fighter of the whole realm is Duke Sior of Meath, a second cousin of Conamail. Everyone who participated in the tournament is glad that they did so and many are talking about holding a second tournament sometime in the near future.

Two months after the grand tournament ended, Konstanze gives birth to her second child. The child is yet another girl, who is given the name Lowry. Conamail is little disappointed that Konstanze has not yet produced any boys.

Luckily little better news reach Conamail. The big outbreak of consumption has mostly disappeared. The evil disease never took over Dyfed, thanks to the great infirmary of the capital.

Once a new summer rolls around, Conamail goes after the white stag again. Becoming a tradition, the mystical beast is not found. Conamail starts to become stressed with the fact that he is unable to find one animal.

Konstanze becomes pregnant again and in October 1208 she brings forth her and Conamail’s first son! Conamail is most happy that he finally has his own male child. For the rest of the realm this isn’t so important news. The two Kingdoms get their next King through elections as implemented by Conamail’s late grandfather Hywel. Nevertheless, the boy is named Mihangel. He has the unfortunate attribute of clubfoot.

Conamail learns one day that he has earned a nickname amongst the commoners. A nickname that has been used for years already. He just has never heard anyone use it though. Kinda strange actually. Luckily the nickname isn’t bad. Even though Conamail has even been possessed by a demon for years, he is called “the gentle” because of his good nature. On a different note, Conamail tries his luck with the confounded animal of white stag once more. Again, his group of hunters doesn’t find the animal. During the searching though, they meet a lone hunter who’s looking for the same beast. He’s not been lucky either. After being impressed with his skills, Conamail invites him to his court and makes the hunter one of his lower military commanders.

In June 1209 the good friend of Conamail, Duke Ere of Ulster, passes away. The day Conamail hears the news is a day filled with sadness. Conamail demands his whole court to mourn Ere’s death for a period of four days.

In February of the following year, Konstanze bears another child: a third girl. She is named after Conamail’s late grandmother, Ínes. The departed Ìnes was the first wife of Hywel, and after her saddening death, her Duchy of Connacht came under Dinefwr rule.

Conamail has never feared for his life more than in November 1210. The court physician of Conamail diagnoses him with the great pox! His body is filled with many sores and abscesses, not only making him rather sick but also repulsive to look at. Luckily Conamail’s great doctor is able to make the malady less painful with a medicine of his own.

Unfortunate development takes place in the Byzantine Empire in March of 1211. The Seljuk Sultanate seizes a vast area from the Byzantines in Anatolia after winning a devastating war. The whole muslim world is celebrating the victory, while the Orthodox Empire is most worried about its future.

The next year Conamail proposes one of the Kingdom’s many laws to be changed a little bit. Earlier the sovereign could grand titles only with the approval of the Council, but with this change, the sovereign wouldn’t have to care about Council's opinion on the matter. For the first time in decades, a law is changed without bribery. Conamail is happy that his Council trusts in him so much that they even give away some of their own power!

In February 1213 the war between the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Jerusalem is over. The war was prolonged because of a huge revolt in the Empire, but in the end, the Kaiser still won. Many in Brythoniaid had even forgotten that this war existed and nobody really cared about these news. Sadly, the King Evander calls Conamail into a second war, this time against the Shia Caliph, who’s trying to conquer half of his holdings in the Holy Land. Conamail agrees to join in the war, but once again doesn’t send any help. Once this war is over, he will break the alliance with Evander.

In September of the same year, the war luckily ends and thus Conamail gets to break the alliance. Evander is no use for the Welsh.

Sadly for the whole Welsh realm, the King has started to act weirdly once again… This time it seems to not be because of a demon, the priests assure, but because of complete breakdown of Conamail. He has been stressed for years and that combined with his ailment and past experiences with a demon are probably the reason for his current condition. The future of the court doesn’t look so bright.

Interesting news arrive in Dyfed from the Holy Pope. He wants to help the Christians of Anatolia whose lands have been conquered by the Mohammedans. Thus, he declares a Crusade for the former Byzantine lands. The timing couldn’t be better as the Seljuk Sultanate is in the middle of a disastrous civil war.

Conamail doesn’t feel like going for a Crusade. Instead, he spends time with her beloved wife, who quickly becomes pregnant again. In October 1215, Konstanze bears a second boy, who is given the easily pronounced name Gwrgeneu. He is sadly sickly infant and won’t probably live long.

At the start of the new year, Conamail gets information concerning his kinsman, the duke Elidyr of Leinster. He is illegally trying to fabricate a claim on the title of the Kingdom of Brythoniaid! Conamail instantly demands Elidyr to be imprisoned, but in response to it, Elidyr takes up arms and starts a rebellion!

The war between the kinsmen doesn’t last long though. Conamail raises ten thousand men strong army and totally crushes his relative’s warriors. Once his home castle is conquered by the Conamail’s army, Elidyr surrenders. Elidyr is imprisoned by Conamail, but luckily for him, he doesn’t have to spend rest of his days in a dungeon. Conamail lets him go free… once he has been covered in tar and feathers and made walk around the capital, just to make sure everyone understands how pathetic person he is. Conamail’s whims can be quite weird, but in some ways even little funny. At least the commoners loved it.

After the ludicrous tramp of Elidyr, Conamail continues with his lunatic way of life. Little does he know that the Council has decided to repeal the law that allows the sovereign to revoke titles without the approval of the Council.

In August 1217, Konstanze yet again gives birth to a child. This time it is a boy, and to continue with the simple names, he is named Gwrfawr. Many are surprised how Konstanze is still making children for the insane King. She probably just loves to have children, as she has stopped caring about her husband a long time ago.

A letter from the new Holy Roman Emperor arrives. The new Kaiser, 12-years-old boy named Adalbert, proposes a betrothal between himself and Princess Newlyna, the eldest daughter of Conamail. Conamail gladly accepts and forms a non-aggression pact with the Kaiser.

Brythoniaid finds herself in a war in April of 1219. A French adventurer named Pasgen has been gathering troops for years, just to invade Conamail’s realm! And now he has sent a declaration of war! His plan is most ridiculous, one French guy couldn’t ever possess more warriors than the Great King of Brythoniaid! Conamail starts gathering his own forces to teach this pathetic French guy a lesson.

Extra Notes:

• Conamail went after the white stag two more times during this chapter. I didn’t want to be too repetitive so I didn’t mention those two trips in the main text. Nothing happened during the hunts.
• The King Evander of Jerusalem died shortly after the alliance was broken. The Holy Kingdom went to the King of Scotland, uniting the two titles after several years of separation.
• Gwrgeneu, the son of Conamail, actually survived his inborn frailty and is now as healthy as any other boy!

 

[stnylan]

Ah Conmail isn't of the firmest mind, but at least the peasants like him

 

[Janha]

Chapter 18: Alban
1219-1229​

As Conamail’s last soldiers, excluding the ones in Iberia, are arriving in Dyfed, information from the neighbouring province of Glamorgan reaches Conamail. The French adventurer Pasgen’s host has landed there! The enemies number over seven thousand, but Conamail isn’t afraid. He has almost double the number of soldiers.

The citizens of Glamorgan witness one of the biggest battles of the Welsh history take place near their homes. The French invaders are still organising when the Conamail’s army of over thirteen thousand soldiers launch an attack. The enemies quickly take position near the castle Cardiff of Glamorgan, but they do not have much cover. The battle is most frightening. In the end, for every Welsh soldier down, six of the enemies died. Over 3500 adventurers are killed and the eventually the rest of the Pasgen’s warriors rout in fear.

Conamail’s army chases the fleeing enemies. Eventually the French stop their retreat in Cornwall and face the Welsh one more time. The battle is even more bloodier for the French than the first one. For every dead Welsh soldier, over 35 of the French soldiers are killed! The humiliating massacre makes Pasgen surrender.

As Pasgen is imprisoned, Conamail learns that the French adventurer is one of his aunts’ bastard child! So disgusted by the fact that such a puny man is his relative, Conamail shows no mercy. Pasgen is walled up in a tight space, left to die. In addition his best commanders are executed.

Once home, Conamail receives news from the East. The Crusade for Anatolia seems to have failed, badly. No land is gotten back to the Christian hands, even though the Seljuk Sultanate is still fractured.

In December 1220, Conamail orders a whole new town to be build in the province of Dyfed! He wants to really make the capital one of the greatest cities of Albion. Once the foundations of the village are complete, Conamail will give it to his eldest son, Mihangel, to rule over. Mihangel is also betrothed to the countess of Léon, a young Breton girl.

While the town’s foundations are still unfinished, the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire reaches adulthood. As he’s been betrothed to Conamail’s eldest daughter, Newlyna, the young couple is married. Newlyna has a great honour to be called the Kaiserin of the Holy Roman Empire!

Finally in August of 1222, the town’s basis is built. It is named Conamail, after the grandiose King of Brythoniaid. Under-aged Mihangel is made the mayor of the new village. He will surely do fine. The following years Conamail would spend his gold on the city rather than the castle Dinefwr, as the fortress is up to date.

Couple of months later the second offspring of Conamail, Lowry, reaches womanhood. She is betrothed to the Duke Anselm of Holstein, who will reach majority in two years.

In August 1224 Conamail does something nobody would have ever expected. He declares a war to the Kingdom of Scotland! And his war goal is… the very same Kingdom! Conamail has a very strong claim on the title thanks to his late mother Agnes Dunkeld. Dunkelds have been ruling Scotland for over a century, but now things will be different!

Conamail gathers his men to Iwerddon, where he assigns the two flanks of his grand army to his best commanders and takes the main part of the army under his direct control. Once the army of 13 thousand soldiers is organised, they march straight to lay siege to the enemy capital Gowrie and couple other nearby provinces. The Scotts are fighting a war against the Norwegians, so nobody is defending their homeland.

Before any of the enemy holdings have been captured, an army of eight thousand enemies seems to have appeared out of nowhere! Conamail doesn’t understand where did the enemy King get so many soldiers, but nevertheless the two sides shortly meet in the battlefield. The battle is over really quickly, as it seems like the enemies weren’t really ready for an attack. It seems like the enemies were... Knights Templars? The Scottish King has hired a Catholic holy order to fight against the Catholic Welsh!

After beating the not-so-holy warriors, Conamail’s army captures the castle Cupar. Before laying siege to any other castles, information from Iwerddon reaches Conamail. The Scots have landed in the province of Oriel and are besieging it!

Sadly the enemies are quick enough to capture the castle Clones of Oriel. Conamail’s army attacks shortly after the fortress has surrendered. Luckily the Scottish army of 2000 warriors doesn’t fit inside the castle, and so they have to face the Welsh in the battlefield. The fight isn’t a long one, as Welsh overwhelm the Scots with their superior number. Sadly the horrors of the fighting makes Conamail little more coward than before… He doesn’t charge at the enemies like he used to before.

Once the enemy army is beaten up, Conamail quickly captures the castle Clones back. Around these times he also gets news from the neighbouring province that the local Irish people have risen up in an open revolt. Before leading his army back to Scotland, Conamail quickly kills the Irish rebels.

Unhappy with the massacre of the Irish warriors, Conamail decides to introduce a law that forbids any type of violence. While he himself is killing thousands and thousands of Scots… Conamail’s vassals just ignore the law as just one of Conamail’s many whims, and even the King himself quickly forgets it.

As reinforcements from the Iberian holdings arrive and Conamail leads his men to lay siege to the Scottish holdings once more, a letter from the French King Antoine also gets to Conamail. The foreign ruler proposes a betrothal between his 18-years-old uncle and the daughter of Conamail, under-aged Princess Ínes. Conamail accepts the proposal and forms a non-aggression pact with the French.

While the Welsh soldiers lay siege to the enemy holdings, Conamail requests treatment for his great pox from his court physician. After some time he comes up to Conamail with a new type of potion, that should help him. And it sure does a little bit. The daily pain Conamail experiences is little smaller than before drinking the medicine. Conamail is grateful to his physician.

Fed up with the Scottish castles being so hard to capture, Conamail comes up with a new “great” law, The Hole in the Wall Act. It demands that every castle in the world should have a hole big enough for soldiers to get in from. This would help the Welsh capture enemy castles. It seems like Conamail might have forgotten that the enemies won’t likely follow his rules… Neither does his vassals, in fact.

While Conamail’s army is still besieging Scottish fortresses and towns, the Chancellor of Brythoniaid fabricates a claim on the province of Cornwall! It was some decades ago considered to be a de jure part of the Welsh Kingdom, but not anymore, sadly.

The sieges are going well for Conamail. The Scottish King is now at war with some muslims, and so he has send his men to fight in the Scottish Holy Land. For some reason he values his Kingdom of Jerusalem more than his homeland!

Not long after the first claim in the English lands, the Chancellor of Brythoniaid also fabricates another claim, this time on the other province of the duchy of Cornwall. It seems like the next war will likely be against the Anglo-Saxons.

But no. The next war is against the Castilians. Just as Conamail beat up a three thousand men strong army of Scots that came back home from the Holy Land, the Queen Constanza of Castille declared a war against Conamail! She desires the province of Zamora, which is in the middle of her Kingdom, but held by Conamail.

in January 1229, a month after the declaration of war came from the Queen Constanza, the King of Scotland finally surrenders. He still holds the Kingdom of Jerusalem and some land in both Scotland and Norway, but the Kingdom of Scotland (in Welsh known as Alban) is now Conamail’s! Conamail has conquered two great Kingdoms for his dynasty thus far!

 

[Janha]

I am on holiday this week, so I will likely update this AAR more than usually!
I think we can finish the second quarter of the game before next week.

 

[stnylan]

England is still a stain on the island ... and must be removed

I have to say I rather like Conmail, for all his travails.

 

[Janha]

England is still a stain on the island ... and must be removed

I have to say I rather like Conmail, for all his travails.

The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom has been weaker than the Brythonaid for years now! The only reason we have not attacked is a lack of good casus belli. Well, maybe some day we are able to drive off those foreigners!

I also like Conamail, he's quite a character to be honest.

 

[Janha]

Chapter 19: Aquitanian Army
1229-1231​

The Welsh army has just beat the Scots in a long war, but Conamail’s men still have another conflict to win. The Queen Constanza of Castille has declared a war for one of Conamail’s provinces. Like that wouldn’t be enough, she has also called her good ally, King of Aquitaine, to the war. While the Castilians are besieging their war goal, Conamail leads his army back to Dyfed, where they embark on a grand fleet.

The fleet brings the Welsh forces to the lands of Aquitaine, where they quickly reorganise and lay siege to the castle Saintes of Saintonge. In the middle of the siege, Conamail receives a letter from his son-in-law, the Kaiser Adalbert of the Holy Roman Empire. He is proposing an alliance between the two great realms. Conamail sends an affirmative reply and also a request for aid in the war. Luckily Adalbert promises to send help as soon as possible! What a great Kaiser. While the siege is still on-going, news arrive from home that Konstanze has passed away. Conamail is little sad about his wife’s passing, but the two never really were that close. Conamail decides to not marry again, because at the moment it would be too much a hassle and he won’t live long anyhow. He’s already 63 and the great pox doesn’t help at all.

It doesn’t take long for the castle Saintes to surrender. While the Welsh continue besieging Aquitanian holdings, the German warriors have finally come to help. They go straight to the Castilian lands to fight the main enemy. Even with this huge war going on, Conamail still finds time to implement great laws! He introduces a new spectacular act that makes the use of pants punishable by death!

After capturing a little town and a church in the province of Saintonge, Conamail gets urgent information from Alban. The Aquitanians have sailed to the north and disembarked at the Scottish shores! Conamail orders his navy to pick his forces up and transport them to defend the newest part of his realm.

When the Welsh warriors arrive in Alban, the Aquitanian army of about ten thousand men has already almost captured one fortress. Conamail lets his army rest for a little while, before he leads his men to an attack. They do not charge through the shortest route, over a big river, but instead they take a longer route, that does take some extra days. Conamail wants to be sure of his victory in the battle.

Finally the Welsh see their enemy, the huge Aquitanian army. Sadly Conamail’s army doesn’t have the advantage of surprise as an enemy scout had spotted them earlier. The Aquitanians have been waiting for the Welsh. Neither side does know how well the other one fights. It will be an exciting battle.

The fighting is fierce and the battle lasts for days! First it seems like it would end in a stalemate, but then one pack of Welsh warriors is able to break the enemy’s defensive line and ensure a victory for Conamail. The Aquitanians still try to fight back, even though many of them have already started fleeing. Eventually the enemy commander calls the whole army to retreat and so the battle is officially won by Conamail! For every dead Welsh soldier there’s two dead Aquitanians.

The enemies flee to the north, but eventually they are met by the sea. The Aquitanians have to face the Welsh warriors again. And this time they lose even more badly. The Aquitanians are not a problem anymore, but the Castilians are still in the game. The German allies fought the Castilians couple of times but then went to help the French in their war!

The rest of the Aquitanian army surrenders after being caught routing in the Scottish countryside. Conamail calls his great fleet once again, this time to transport his army to Hispania. It is time to face the real enemy, the Queen Constanza.

But God has different plans for Conamail. The old Welsh ruler has had his share of the earthly life. Conamaiö passes away on 19th day of September 1231, at the age 65, leaving the Welsh realm in quite the problematic times.

 

[stnylan]

I am sad to see him pass. What flair he had!

 

[Janha]

I am sad to see him pass. What flair he had!

Conamail sure was a great man. Mayhap even more magnificent than Hywel?
The next King will be having a lot pressure to do as great things as his predecessors.

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

Conamail cut quite the figure!

The Most Serene Republic of Alban eh?

 

[Janha]

Conamail cut quite the figure!

The Most Serene Republic of Alban eh?

Conamail's eldest son Mihangel was a mayor when he inherited the Kingdom of Alban. So of course, instead of becoming a normal King, he formed a merchant republic and crowned himself the Prince Mayor.

 

[Nikolai]

Conamail's eldest son Mihangel was a mayor when he inherited the Kingdom of Alban. So of course, instead of becoming a normal King, he formed a merchant republic and crowned himself the Prince Mayor.

Oh, CK2...

 

[iisbroke]

Conamail's eldest son Mihangel was a mayor when he inherited the Kingdom of Alban. So of course, instead of becoming a normal King, he formed a merchant republic and crowned himself the Prince Mayor.

I never knew that could happen. I'll need to game that at some point.

 

[Janha]

Chapter 20: Suzerain
1231-1242​

With the passing of Conamail, Dinefwrs are going to have some strange times ahead of themselves. Firstly, the three kingdoms previously under Conamail’s control are no longer united. The Kingdom of Alban has a succession law called ultimogeniture, which makes eldest son of the ruler the next sovereign, while the Kingdoms of Brythoniaid and Iwerddon have a system called tanistry, which lets the ruler and most of his vassals vote who’s the heir.

Conamail’s eldest son is a young, just and proud man named Mihangel. He’s rather unsuitable for ruling a large realm, but the rules can’t be changed, and so he inherited the Kingdom of Alban. What makes this situation even weirder though is the fact that Mihangel decided to not call himself the King of Alban, but rather Prince Mayor. Like that wasn’t enough, he made the Kingdom of Alban Most Serene Republic! He explains this by saying that he must respect the republican ways of his capital holding, the city of Conamail. It is actually his only holding and thus he is reigning the Scottish lands from Dyfed!

The man who was elected as the new ruler of both Brythoniaid and Iwerddon is Conamail’s only living uncle, Casnar. He was previously a Count of one Irish province, but thanks to his charming character and strong appearance, he was able to gather almost all of the votes. In the later days of his reign as a count, Casnar sadly become excommunicated after having a dispute with the Holy Pope. Because of this he is unfortunately known as Casnar “the Monster”.

Casnar’s reign doesn’t start peacefully, no. His Kingdom is still at war with the Castilians. Casnar takes control of the army that Conamail had lead for several years, and orders his navy to transport it to Hispania.

Once there, the Welsh forces go and liberate the province of Zamora, the war goal of the Castilian Queen Constanza. The Hispanian defenders surrendered as soon as they saw the huge Welsh army. It doesn’t the the Welsh even a week to get the whole province back in their control. This is enough for Constanza, and so she finally surrenders. Casnar has finished the war during which Conamail had sadly passed away.

Back home with his retinues, Casnar doesn’t waste any time as the new King. First he pays of his old debt to Jewish moneylenders with some of the money he inherited from his dear nephew Conamail. After that he accepts to betroth his second daughter, Cristin, to a juvenile prince of Navarra, after the King of Navarra proposed such. Next Casnar contacts the current Pope, Nicolaus V. Casnar sends him one of the greatest weapons of his collection, a gorgeous battle axe. With the gift he also sends a letter asking Nicolaus to lift his excommunication. The stubborn Pope still doesn’t do it.

After failing with the Pope, Casnar decides to focus on the Kingdom… The Serene Republic of Alban. Casnar doesn’t have a legit claim on the lands of Alban, so instead of conquering the Scottish realm, he decides to make the Prince Mayor Mihangel to pay tribute. This way the Scottish lands would assist Casnar at least financially. Casnar declares a war against Mihangel and his Republic.

The Welsh ruler quickly captures the city of Conamail with his retinues and after that he gathers an army of six thousand men and leads them to the real lands of Alban. Once there, the Welsh forces lay siege to several Scottish castles and towns.

While besieging enemy fortresses, Casnar receives a letter from the Pope Nicolaus V. After the visit of the Welsh Court Chaplain, the Pope has finally decided to lift the excommunication of Casnar. The Welsh King is most happy with the news and praises both Nicolaus and the Court Chaplain who convinced the Pope of the religiosity of the house Dinefwr.

Casnar was earlier in his life wed to the oldest daughter of the Count of Tyrone, a woman named Seonaid. She is currently 28 years old, while Casnar is one year from his sixtieth birthday. No matter the age difference, she has written to Casnar, telling that she is with a child!

Before the child is born, the war is finished. Casnar’s warriors wholly conquer two Scottish provinces, after which they crush the army of Mihangel which had finally dared to come out of hiding. The Scots were severely outnumbered in the battlefield, so the victory of the Welsh was no surprise. After losing one battle, Mihangel surrenders. Casnar is now officially the suzerain of Alban!

With the surrender letter Mihangel also asks his new overlord to help him in a war against Arabs that are trying to seize his holdings in the Holy Land. Casnar declines as he couldn't care less about some little villages in the far east.

Once home, Casnar gets to see his wife give birth to his fourth child. The labour is quickly over without any bigger issues and the child is a girl. She is named Alys.

After spending couple of weeks with his family, Casnar decides to expand his personal power even further. He hires a lot of new warriors to his retinue. Most of them are either archers or cavalrymen. In total his band has about 1250 men now.

Casnar receives deprecatory letter from his vassals. They are, actually have been for years, unhappy with the size of Casnar’s personal demesne. To appease them, Casnar gives one of his Irish provinces to them. They are glad to have such an understanding liege.

Even though the vassals of Casnar are happy, the Mother Nature still punishes him. A major breakout of consumption takes over all of the Welsh lands, except for the capital which has an excellent hospital. The citizens of Dyfed are very grateful for the Dinefwrs for building such a miracle. But like the consumption wasn’t enough, soon the lands of Alban and Iwerddon were struck by slow fever! Casnar’s war plans have to wait till the epidemics are away.

While waiting for the diseases to disappear, the Queen Seonaid gets pregnant again. Nine months later, in April 1239, she gives birth to a boy. The boy is christen as Enfidaig.

Finally in the summer of year 1240, the terrible plagues have finally gone away. Luckily only couple of provinces suffered badly from the diseases and most of them survived without too many casualties. Having a lot of able warriors once again, Casnar declares a new war, this time against the Petty King of Dál Riata who controls the province of Ulaidh in the northern Iwerddon.

Casnar raises some peasant fighters to help his personal band in the war. All of these men are from the flourishing province of Dyfed. The rest of the realm is thankful to the King for not having to go fight a war after suffering from plagues.

Casnar leads his four thousand men to Ulaidh, where they crush the small enemy army of eight hundred men. After the short battle, the Welsh warriors lay siege to the enemy castle and church. Both of them surrender without a long wait, and the war would already be over if the pig-headed enemy ruler wouldn’t have escaped with couple of hundreds of soldiers and refused to surrender. Luckily he was eventually found and forced to give up the province to Casnar. The King doesn’t hold the province directly under his own control for long though, as he, after giving it to the proper name of Ulster, gives it to his underaged son Cynddelw to rule over.

The Irish population of Ulster decides to not welcome their new overlords so friendly though. Three thousand Irish men rise up in a revolt, demanding independence. Casnar has to crush the rebellion before he can continue with his next military plan: a war against the Anglo-Saxons.

 

[Nikolai]

Is it possible to integrate the serene republic into your realm further, without war?

 

[Janha]

Is it possible to integrate the serene republic into your realm further, without war?

At the moment it looks like the best way to unite the two realms would be to just wait for Casnar to die. His current tanist (heir) has a strong claim on Alban.
I'm afraid that Casnar won't ever be the King of Scots.