A Grand History of the Latin Empire - Latin Empire Mega Campaign!

[Geckolord I]

Hello Paradox, this is Geckolord I, and this is my first ever AAR, as well as my first ever post!
Anyway, I'm starting a Mega Campaign as the Latin Empire! I don't have all of the newest games, so I'll be playing:
- CK II (Latin Empire Start)
- EU IV (Converted)
- Vicky II (Converted)
- HoI III (Converted)

I used the ruler designer to make my first Emperor, just to add a little bit of flavor for myself and the viewers that I probably won't have!
One last thing before I start: I'll try to write this like a textbook, but I apologize if I deviate from that at all.

Crusader Kings II Chapters:

- Emperor Xavier I, the Drunkard:
* The Dawn of the Empire.
* The Era of Four Wars.
* The Last Days of Xavier I.

- Emperor Xavier II:
* The Tragedy of Xavier II.

- Emperor Simon I, the Great:
* The Empire of a Neglected Son.
* The War for Epirus.
* The Fifth Crusade.
* The World of Simon I.
* The Wrath of Simon the Great.

- Xavier III, the Wise:
* The Unexpected Regency of the Bastard Emperor.
* The Kingdom of Greece.
* The Second Assault on Byzantium.
* The Sun Emperor.
* The Sixth Crusade.
* The Illness.

- Bruno I:
* The Age of Uncertainty.
* The Annexation of the Aegean Islands.
* The End of an Admittedly Short Era.

- Xavier IV:
* The Latin Conquest of Castile.
* The Peaceful Years.
* The War of the Empress (Part I).

- Payen I, the Apostle:
* The War of the Empress (Part II).
* The First Wars of the Boy Emperor.
* The Conclusion of the Sixteen Year Regency.
* The Camp Fever.
* The Years of Neutrality.
* The World of Payen I.
* The Bloody Annexation of Bulgaria.
* The World He Left Behind.

- Simon II:
* The Oft-Forgotten Reign of Simon II.

- Alain I:
* The New Regime.
* The Unification of Greece and the Seventh Crusade.
* The French Caesar.
* The Fall of Venice.
* The Subjugation of the North.
* The Holy Warrior.

- Géraud I:
* The Last Jihad.

 

[dolgion]

Wow, That's quite an ambitious project. Just out of interest, how reliable are the converters (unofficial as well as official)? Have you tested them out?

 

[DukeDayve]

Good luck dude. I've had tremendously bad luck playing as the Latin Empire. I've tried really hard, played about three games as them. I had dreams of conquering the proper Byzantine Empire but as a Latin Catholic. The three games went thusly:

1st game - 1204 - Pope immediately calls a crusade for Andalusia. I join with a meagre force of levies, leaving my starting event troops in Constantinople, didn't want to lose them because I knew I'd need them when the Byzantines inevitably attacked me. As my levies land in Andalusia I get a message about some peasant shepherds who are pissed off. I ignore it because it says they're in the Balkans/Hungary or something like that so I think "why should I care? Screw 'em". A couple of months later these shepherds rise up in rebellion in Constantinople. 24,000 of them, right on top of my starting event troops. They wipe my event troops out in seconds. Game over.

2nd game - 1204 - Byzantines declare war on me to press all claims immediately. They outnumber me by such a large amount that fighting is pointless. No allies, no money for mercenaries, game over.

3rd game - 1204 - Exactly the same thing as 2nd game.

I'll try again one day, it's one of the most interesting starts in the whole game.

 

[Geckolord I]

The Dawn of the Empire:

In the year of our lord 1204, the Byzantine Empire was falling. Muslim invaders, most notably the Sultanate of Rum, were seizing Byzantine lands at a rapid pace, and the Basileus found himself unable to keep control over his vassals. The Pope, an ambitious man, sought to capitalize on this collapse, and established the Latin Empire in the region of Thrace. The first Latin Emperor was a Frenchman of the House de Chivelle, by the name of Xavier.

Only 29 when he ascended to the throne, Xavier was ambitious, profiteering, and devious (Though also reportedly quite attractive). However, he was also a glutton, making him somewhat disdained by his few vassal counts. As the only member of House de Chivelle, Xavier had no heir, and taking a wife was one of the first actions he took in his reign. His chosen bride: The 18 year old Princess Markéta Premyslid.

Markéta was known to share her husband's ambition, and often coaxed him into making bold decisions, which would shape the future of the newly budding empire. Furthermore, Markéta was now destined to be the mother of an expansive dynasty of Emperors, Kings, Dukes, and the like. Additionally, she was proud, patient, and gregarious; all perfect traits for an Empress.

It was later in that year that the Pope called the 4th Crusade, to seize the De Jure territory of Jerusalem which had been lost to Muslim hordes. Xavier opted not to involve himself in this Crusade, as the potential gains seemed small in comparison to what he could lose. The Crusade was successful, but somewhat insignificant, and will likely not be touched upon again.

Despite his lack of interest in the Pope's Crusade, Xavier did not remain peaceful for long. After increasing his authority over his vassals, (which did not take long), Xavier went to war with the Doux of Thessalonike, in an effort to assert his claim on the region.

In an effort to end the war quickly, all 10,000 of Emperor Xavier's levies were sent to the Duchy of Thessalonike, split into three groups of roughly 3,300, and sent into the various counties. The war seemed to be going spectacularly. (It was around this time that one of Xavier's quick-witted courtiers began to refer to him as "The Drunkard," The nickname stuck).

The war was almost won, Thessalonika had nearly fallen to the Latin Emperor Xavier, when the Doux of Thessalonika called his Son-in-law, the Byzantine Basileus, into the war. 9,000 Byzantine troops flooded into the region, nearly devastating the Latin army. Due to quick thinking by Xavier, however, the war was saved when the 10,000 Latin troops were loaded onto galleys and ferried back to Constantinople.

The Latin Army regrouped in it's homeland, forming a new group of 13,000. These were sent south, into the disputed region, to meet with the troops of the Basileus. This became the first major battle in Latin history, an absolute victory for Xavier and his Empire.

With this defeat, the Doux and the Basileus surrendered to the Latin Empire, marking the end of Xavier's first war.

Additionally, Xavier I, the Drunkard, saw this window of peace as a chance to usurp the title of the Duchy of Thrace from the Byzantine Emperor.

Thus, the first chapter of Latin history came to an end.

 

[Bernard95]

Very nice indeed. I've been playing the Latin Empire myself in a multilayer game with a friend and we just converted over to EU4.

If you're wondering, the Latin Empire is given French national ideas provided you keep French culture.

 

[Geckolord I]

Wow, That's quite an ambitious project. Just out of interest, how reliable are the converters (unofficial as well as official)? Have you tested them out?

Nope, never tested them
but I've done basic modding for Vicky2 before, so I'll probably just go in and change around minor details that bug me

Good luck dude.

Thanks! May the odds be ever in my favor!

 

[Zhetone]

I love the Latin Empire but what do you plan to do about culture? Will you Hellenize at some point?

 

[Mikalos]

considering eu4 is gonna be on winter sale in a few weeks, you might as well buy eu4 and do the project through it, you shouldnt finish ck2's portion before you reach the end date, and either way, eu4 is the better one for a converted ck2 anyways

 

[Geckolord I]

If you're wondering, the Latin Empire is given French national ideas provided you keep French culture.

Neat! I've never actually played EU III, I'm going to be going into that part blind!

I love the Latin Empire but what do you plan to do about culture? Will you Hellenize at some point?

You see, I'm relatively poor at planning things out. I'll try to stay French if possible, but if my vassals become a problem I guess I'll have too

 

[Mikalos]

Neat! I've never actually played EU III, I'm going to be going into that part blind!

he lied

 

[Geckolord I]

he lied

No seriously, I've played through all the others, but never EU 3 or 4 or anything else.
I'd be more than happy to take advice for that part.

 

[Mikalos]

1) Get eu4, doing a run of ck2-eu3 when eu4 exists and is actually designed to take ck2 stuff makes no sense

2) limit your map painting or else you wont have anything left to do come vicky II and HOI3/4

 

[Bernard95]

My bad. I assumed you were playing EU4.

Perhaps it would follow the same rules for traditions though.

 

[imperium3]

The CK2-EU4 converter doesn't actually work at the moment though, does it?

 

[WeissRaben]

My bad. I assumed you were playing EU4.

Perhaps it would follow the same rules for traditions though.

EU3 has no traditions nor Unique National Ideas.

The problem is, the CK2 to EU3 converter has been obsolete for a fair while. I don't think there's a way to make the conversion.

 

[Tufto]

Um. Should this not be in the AAR forum?

 

[Geckolord I]

1) Get eu4, doing a run of ck2-eu3 when eu4 exists and is actually designed to take ck2 stuff makes no sense

2) limit your map painting or else you wont have anything left to do come vicky II and HOI3/4

I'll check our EU 4 next time it goes on sale, thank you for the advice
And as for the second part, in the CK2 phase my goal is basically to not get destroyed.

The problem is, the CK2 to EU3 converter has been obsolete for a fair while. I don't think there's a way to make the conversion.

I honestly have no idea, I'll probably EU 4 it, but I'll try out the EU3 one first.

Um. Should this not be in the AAR forum?

Yes it should be, I sincerely apologize, I'm quite new to the forums here. I'm working on getting it moved now.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

Moved to AARland

 

[Geckolord I]

The Era of Four Wars:

Emperor Xavier the Drunkard was, after his first conquest, pleased, but not yet satisfied. His enemies were generally weak and his claims were abundant, but there was one jewel that stood out in his mind: The duchies of Nikaea and Samos, held by none other than the Basileus of the Eastern Roman Empire. He was patient in his pursuit of these new titles, as the Byzantine army was considerably larger than his own. In the meantime, Xavier sought to sire a legitimate heir to his throne. In time, he was met with success, when his wife Markéta was found to be with child.

And a few short months later, a son was born to the Imperial Family, bearing his father's name.

A second child was later born to the couple, another son, by the name of Simon. He would be the last son Markéta

His line of succession now considerably more stable, the Emperor looked once again to conquest. A golden opportunity presented itself to the ambitious young ruler: Basileus Konstantinos, involved in three simultaneous wars, was weakened considerably. War for the duchies of Nikaea and Samos was declared, and the army of the Emperor marched into Byzantine held territory, outnumbering the defending troops, and overwhelming the pitiful defense the Eastern Roman Emperor could muster.

The next few months would be full of both joviality and sadness for Xavier. First, his first daughter was born, symbolizing to her father a shining beacon of hope in his future wars. She was given the name "Étiennette"

For a month or so thereafter, the de Chivelle household was a center of festivities; the war was going splendidly, and with hope, Nikaea and Samos would be annexed within the next few years, or even sooner! Furthermore, the three young children were growing up wonderfully, and all seemed as though they would become happy, productive leaders of the Latin Empire. It was then that the first of many misfortunes struck the family: Markéta passed untimely at the young age of 30.

For months, Xavier was caught in a whirlwind of despair. The passing of his wife had emotionally crippled him, and he was finding his realm somewhat more difficult to manage. It was only when a strange people from the East began to appear that he was shocked back into productivity. These people, later known as the Ilkhanate, would affect House de Chivelle a great deal in the years to come.

Xavier also decided that, for the sake of his dynasty, he would have to remarry. His choice for a second wife was none other than Gregoria, a young Duchess from the region of southern Anatolia. (However, because of her young age of 10, the two could not yet wed)

It was then that two more wars were declared against the newly formed Latin Empire, by the King of Bulgaria, and the Duke of the Aegean Islands. Neither of these wars would've proven difficult for the Latins, were they waged at different times, or if the Latins had not been weakened from their war with Byzantium. That being said, these were not luxuries the Latin Empire was afforded. Xavier's main army, once 11,000 men strong, had been reduced to around 3,000 from constant war and attrition. As a result, the Emperor was forced to rely on mercenaries to fight these two new wars.

After a few months of what seemed like hopeless conflict against these three enemies, the Latins achieved their first great victory. The Basileus had fallen, and the duchies of Nikaea and Samos would soon be surrendered to Latin control.

In addition to greatly raising the Latin Emperor's morale, this allowed for 3,000 extra troops to be sent to the conflicts in the North. The combined army of Mercenaries and Latins, numbering around 10,000 once again, easily crushed the armies of Bulgaria and the Aegean Islands, as well as that of an upstart peasant from Nikaea.

With this, the Era of the Four Wars had come to an end, and the Latin Empire could embark into a new era of peace and prosperity
(at least for the time being).

 

[Saxon125]

Intresting AAR I will be following this. Never tried a Latin Empire Game before.