- ARCHIVE - Royal Court of Poland

[Sterkarm]

Royal Court of Poland

Wawel Castle


Nation: Poland
Head of State: Stephan Malachi Jagiello, King of Poland
Player: Sterkarm
Religion: Catholic
Culture: Polish, Lithuanian, Ruthenian
Stats: 3/0/3/4/2 --> [3/0/3/4/2]
Provinces: 6
Ports: 0
Owned: Krakow, Mazovia, Podlasia, Galizien, Podolia, Wielkopolska


The seat of royal power since 1000 Anno Domini, Wawel Castle remains the great center of Polish rule. It is here that a new succession struggle has struck Poland. The fate of Poland lies here and here alone, amidst the feuding noble houses.

Currently, the two houses of Piast and Jagiello are vying for control of the throne. They are represented by Boleslaw James Piast, Duke of Sandomiersk, and Stephan Malachi Jagiello, Duke of Krakow.

Stephan's sons include, in order seniority (as all my courtiers names, first name is regular, second is confirmation name):
-Kazimierz Tiberius
-Jan Wolfgang
-Wladyslaw Maximillian
-Henryk Simon
-Andrzej Julian
Daughters:
-Helena
-Adelajda
-Danuta

Boleslaw's sons are listed the same:
-Krystyn Ignatius
-Ryszard Augustus
-Jakub Donald
-Stanislaus Denis
-Zygmunt Marcus
Daughters:
-Anna
-Lucja
-Ryksa

 

[Sterkarm]

The Royal Council

Grand Marshal-Kazimierz Tiberius Jagiello
Grand Chancellor-Stanislaw Sobieski
Chancellor-Miroslaw Olelkowicz
Constable-Krzeslaw Glogowski
Warden of the Royal Estates (Spymaster)-Ivan Ostrogski
Keeper of the Royal Treasury-Karol Leszczynski
Grand Chamberlain-Jacek Radziwill

The Significant Polish Sejm (Nobles)

-Boleslaw James Piast, Duke of Mazovia
-Alexander Czetwertynski
-Ivan Czetwertynski
-Stanislaus Olelkowicz, Count of Lodz
-Wladyslaw Lubomirski, Duke of Wielkopolska
-Zbigniew Lubomirski
-Dobromir Lubomirski
-Mateusz Lubomirski
-Bartosz Lubomirski
-Jakusz Lubomirski
-Mikolaj Ostrogski, Duke of Podolia
-Henryk Ostrogski
-Jerzy Radziwill, Duke of Galich
-Przeclaw Radziwill, Count of Czersk
-Jacek Radziwill
-Jakub Leczczynski, Count of Lviv
-Wojciech Glogowski, Count of Radom
-Maslaw Glogowski
-Lambert Czartorski, Count of Cieszyn
-Michal Czartorski
-Janos Bathory, Duke of Podlasia
-Laszlo Bathory
-Istvan Bathory, Count of Peremyshl
-Jan Chodkiewicz, Count of Piotrkow
-Leszek Chodkiewicz
-Krystyn Chodkiewicz
-Pawel Firlej
-Marcin Firlej

 

[Sterkarm]

Stephan Malachi Jagiello

Born April 7th, 1415, Stephan was raised to rule. Even his name, Stephen, means king or crowned. Stephan has 5 sons and 3 daughters, and is married to Rycheza Piast. He is the foremost claimant to the throne of Poland, challenged only by Boleslaw and his supporters.

Kazimierz Tiberius Jagiello-Born May 25th, 1434,

Kazimierz was the firstborn of his family. He is a great commander, and currently, at the age of 20, is the Grand Marshal of the Polish Army. Kazimierz is an intelligent heir, as well as a master warrior and general, with a talent for governance. He, along with all his brothers, is currently in Krakow, helping their father create a solid base of power during this succession crisis.

Ryszard Augustus Piast-Born April 26th, 1434

Ryszard is the most promising of the sons of Boleslaw Piast, yet he is not trusted by Boleslaw. Ryszard has a strong sense of loyalty to his country, and that outweighs his loyalty to his family. He is a great warrior and an excellent leader.

Zygmunt Marcus Piast-Born August 10th, 1443

Zygmunt, while young, shows promise. He is quite witty and diplomatic for his young age.

Boleslaw James Piast-Born January 9th, 1414

Boleslaw is the foremost claimant of the house of Piast to the throne of Poland... or at least the only one who is willing to step forward. He is a rather suspicious man, who trusts none, except possibly his sons.



Jan Wolfgang Jagiello-Born April 14th, 1435

Jan is the most underhanded of the five Jagiello brothers. His second name meaning "path of the wolf", he is a cunning fellow, but is often too arrogant and lets himself be trapped by his own ego.

Wladyslaw Maximillian Jagiello-Born May 30th 1436

Wladyslaw is much like Kazimierz. He is a warrior at heart, but is also an adept ruler. A good leader, Wladyslaw had yet to develop his skills as far as Kazimierz has.

Henryk Simon Jagiello-Born November 18th, 1438

Henryk is still considered to be inexperienced, and he is. Yet what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in loyalty. Henryk is a man devoted to his family, and has showed on countless occasions that his loyalty lies with his father and brothers.

Andrzej Julian Jagiello-Born December 14th, 1442

Andrzej is a young man and mainly attends meetings and is involved in court affairs only to ready him for the responsibilities of being a duke under his father or brother.

Helena Maude Jagiello-Born July 27th, 1437

Helena is an intelligent woman who has spent all her life learning of court intrigue. While she, along with all her other sisters, is currently unmarried, she still is quite active and helps keep her family informed about the peasants, nobles, etc. and any dissatisfaction in the Kingdom.

Adeladja Cara Jagiello-Born August 2nd, 1439

Adeladja is a kind, caring person, and watches over her younger relatives, though she herself is quite young.

Danuta Mercedes Jagiello-Born January 21st, 1441

Danuta is but a child, only 14 years old, yet still older than her brother, Andrzej.

 

[Sterkarm]

Current Ruler: Stephan Malachi Jagiello, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Duke of Krakow, Patriach of the House of Jagiello, and Flame of Catholicism in the East

 

[Sterkarm]

Claims of the Kingdom of Poland

Stephan Malachi Jagiello, King of Poland, and all his descendants who hold the same title hold claims on:

The duchies of Silesia, Poznan, and Kustrin, the margraviate of Gdansk, and utmostly, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and all territories within that title held.

 

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[Sterkarm]

10-COURT OPEN

 

[Sterkarm]

Stephan Malachi Jagiello, foremost claimant to the Polish throne, sits down to dinner with his sons. Yet this is not a dinner for familial joy and happiness. If it were, all of Stephan's family would be there. But it was just his five sons and his spymaster (Ivan Ostrogski).

Andrzej speaks up, "So, Boleslaw has made another stab at us. Yet this time he has the support of the Sejm in lower Wielkopolska."

"No matter," Jan breaks in, "The Sejm can be bribed, coerced, but the problem is if the Piast Duke of Silesia supports him..."

"I can assure you, the Cracovian nobles will not allow Boleslaw to usurp the throne like this," Ivan states.

Kazimierz, watching all of this rather anxiously, speaks up at this, "Yes, we can be sure of their loyalty, but it is the Hungarians and Bohemians we must watch out for in Cracow, but the Pommeranians will no doubt take advantage of our disloyal nobles to the north. We cannot be assured of the loyalty of Lithuania in all of this. A succession crisis is just what they are looking for as an excuse to break away. Our action must be swift, we must find our allies and our enemies."

Stephan, watching his sons argue, steps in to moderate, "Kazimierz, you are right. I think we can find allies in Pommerania and in our local nobles, the houses of Radziwill and Ostrogski. Our enemies are most likely the Silesian Piasts, as well as the nobles of Sandomiersk and northern Wielkopolska."

"We need to formulate a plan of action," Kazimierz spat, "something to fight back at Boleslaw with besides merely saying he is wrong. Jakub is very disloyal to his father. Yet if he is disloyal to one master, who is to say he will be loyal to us...?"

 

[Sterkarm]

Boleslaw and his sons of the House of Piast are staying in the castle of their ally, Lambert Czartorski, Count of Cieszyn. They have left Stanislaus Denis, fourth of the sons, to watch over the status of their castle in Warzsawa. They have taken a considerable amount of men along with them, in case their attempt to seize the throne through proving their lineage should fail. The sons of Piast are restless, for they had been waiting in this castle to make their move, yet Boleslaw was patient, he wanted to wait.

Boleslaw plans, sitting in his room alone at night, thinking and thinking of how to dethrone the Jagiellonians.

"I suppose it is time," he muttered to himself, "time to make our bid for power. But we need allies... the Bohemians, perhaps the Bohemians will support us! Or at least the Duke of Silesia! Hungary, Moldavia, Pommerania, the list of Jagiello's enemies is long."

The next morning, Boleslaw arises to wake his sons and the troops early. It is time to make a show of force against Jagiello.

"Awake, awake, my sons, our time is at hand!"

"We are finally leaving?" asks Krystyn Ignatius, first son of Boleslaw.

"Yes, we must show the Jagiellonians that we are serious. This is just the beginning of the struggle, but we will come out of it the victors, Jagiello has many enemies."

Boleslaw and his sons quickly move to the tent set up on the fields outside the keep. Around them, the soldiers are being awoken, everything is being made ready to depart.

"We have on our side many nobles. Most notably, we have the houses of Glogowski, Czartorski, and Czetwertynski. Jagiello has only the Ostrogskis and the Radziwills, as well as a few Bathory nobles. However, he has more support with the Lubomirskis and Chodkiewiczs than we do. Those two houses will determine the fate of Poland. Hopefully if we strike now we can gain more support."

"Very well," said Ryszard, the second son, "we should move as soon as the troops are ready, no need to wait around any longer. We march straight to Krakow and there we will challenge Jagiello for the crown. Send out runners, contact our allies, bring them all to Krakow, we leave at once!"

 

[Sterkarm]

The procession of nobles continued to pour into Krakow. A great conference was being assembled, for all knew what Boleslaw planned to do. Soon, Stephan Jagiello would be challenged for the Crown of Poland. On his side were the Ostrogskis, Radziwills, and a few Bathory nobles, led by Janos. The Piasts were favored by the Czwertynskis, Glogowskis, and Czartorskis. In between lay the houses of Chodkiewicz, Firlej, Leczczynski, and the mightiest house of all, Lubomirski. Lubomirski and Chodkiewicz lean slightly more towards Jagiello, and the others are completely undecided. Lubomirski was to determine the fate of Poland.

Then, standing out amongst the other nobles, came Boleslaw James Piast, Duke of Mazovia and claimant to the throne of Poland. His grand army, led by his sons, assembled just outside the gates of Krakow, and many nobles flocked to his banner. Piast's herald stepped forward, and pronounced,

"All hail, Boleslaw James Piast, King of Poland, Duke of Masovia, last descendant of Kazimierz III Piast, and patriarch of the House of Piast!"

Then, after much discussion amidst the Cracovians and the Jagiellonians, the Piasts and all other nobles were allowed into the great hall at Wawel Castle, but their armies were forced to stay outside, while the army of the Jagiellonians and their supporting nobles were allowed in the city.

Inside the great hall, Boleslaw spoke up first, "My Polish countrymen, I should be King of Poland, descended from the noble Piast line, and it is here that I claim my rightful crown, for Poland is mine! This foreigner, Stephan Malachi Jagiello, is not a true Pole! The Jagiellonian line is Lithuanian, so I say let them claim the crown of Lithuania!" At this a large cheer erupted from the Piast-supporting nobles. But Stephan would have none of it.

"I am the one true King of Poland, unquestioned, as I have proved time and time again! We must oust this traitor, and ensure that he does not disturb our sovereign process again! This is a heinous obstruction of Polish monarchy. He is working to destroy Poland from within, he disrupts our governance, he disregards the will of the people and the nobles and his only claim is that he is descended from the great Kazimierz III! He lies, he lies, and he blasphemes, saying that Poland is his, not God's nor the people's! Let us rid ourselves of this traitor to Poland!"

At this the hall erupted in shouts and accusations. It took a while to subdue the chaos, but once it was, the many noble houses retreated to their own corners and decided who they would throw their support behind. Poland's future rested on the edge of a knife. It could still flourish, but one wrong step, one mistake, and it would plummet...

 

[cccino]

A messenger arrives at the King's court bearing a letter.

Onto His Majesty Stephan Malachi Jagiello, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania,

It pleases me to hear from your once anarchic land. Your wish to establish good relations is one that I, too, share, for my family has always been close to Poland - Piasts and Jagellions alike. As you know, William von Cilli was married to the daughter Anna of King Kazimierz III, and their daughter Anna von Cilli married the great Wladislaw II, although sadly she died during childbirth and the Jagiello was forced to remarry to procure an heir. The point I make is that friendship between us is not without precedent.

Also, as you say, we have common allies and enemies, and I would be happy to pursue this matter further in the future.


Ulrich II von Cilli, Duke of Carinthia, Margrave of Carniola, Margrave of Slovenia and Slovenian Lord, Princely Count of Celje, Ortenburg, Sternberg, Ban of Croatia and Slavonia

 

[Sterkarm]

Stephan, reading over the letter, calls his son, Henryk, to him. The noble houses are currently debating amongst themselves over whom they shall throw their support behind, Jagiello or Piast. "This is good, this is excellent, Kazimierz! We have an ally in Carinthia, and that is a useful ally. Between our two countries lie Bohemia and Hungary, both overconfident and controlling far too much land for their own good."

"Yes Father, but I am a little concerned about how long Olelkowicz is taking in Pommerania. He hasn't sent any word as of yet. The Greifs are descended from the Piasts, perhaps they're hostile towards us..."

"Yes, but the fact that they're descended from the Piasts may mean that they disdain this upstart Boleslaw."

"He's older than you are," Henryk remarked.

"In years yes, but not in experience. I've been the heir apparent to the crown of Poland my whole life, and I've now reached the crown. It has been the whole point of my existence, and other lords respect that over being descended from a line that has been diluted over many generations."

"Well, now that Carinthia has expressed their desire for friendly relations, who do you think they will support?"

"They too," said Stephan, "are linked to the Piasts. Yet they have said they wish for friendship with Poland whether it is Piast or Jagiellonian ruled... it is likely they will simply remain neutral, but considering their former relation to the Piast line, that is something we want."

 

[Sterkarm]

At their own table, the Lubomirskis are debating amongst themselves. Wladyslaw Lubomirski is the patriarch of the House of Lubomirski, and his heir apparent is Zbigniew.

Jakusz, eating a chicken leg while he speaks, says, "It is obvious to me... that Jagiello is the most powerful candidate-"

"Which means," yells Zbigniew, "that he can compromise our power! We can't let him take away our rights!"

Angered by this, Wladyslaw reprimanded his son, "Zbigniew, our duty is to determine who is the better king for Poland, NOT FOR US! We were given the privileges in the first place to better serve Poland, not to abuse them for our own power! Know your place, our do not be in that place at all!"

"Brother," Bartosz calmly says, "he is but a boy, quite an audacious one, but a boy all the same. He does bring up a good point though, Jagiello may be too strong. Though it is good to have our country unified, foreigners may see that as a threat. We must remember that, currently, we are weak. We have lost Lithuanian support and friendship, and we now stand alone against our enemies, a group which may increase if a strong king of Poland ascends to the throne."

"So we are to be bullied by the Germans and, God forbid, the LITHUANIANS?! We may not be in a golden age, but we shall never be as low as those traitorous Lithuanians. Without us they are nothing, in fact, I admire that Jagiello is still called Grand Duke of Lithuania, he is the rightful holder of that title, after all!" Wladyslaw was in a rage, and it was obvious. His will was the most dominant among all the Lubomirskis, and he was imposing it upon the rest of them.

Mateusz was the other dominant Lubomirski, Wladyslaw's nephew and the late Boleslaw Lubomirski's son. He had kept his choice to himself as of yet, but now decided to reveal it. "Piast may be descended from Kazimierz III, but his line has been severely diluted by foreign, peasant, and non-Piast blood. He is Piast only in name, but Jagiello is grandson of the great Wladyslaw II. Only he has a claim to the throne of Lithuania, and if we give him the chance, he will seize it! Piast has only a claim, and quite a distant one, on the Duchy of Silesia. Jagiello can make Poland great once more. I for one am willing to give up my privileges for a strong, unified Poland-Lithuania."

 

[Sterkarm]

Like the Lubomirskis, the House of Chodkiewicz was in turmoil over whom to support. It was a matter of importance, and it was pushed at the table.

Krystyn was the first to speak on the matter, nearly as soon as they had sat down to debate the issue. "Piast is willing to make concessions to us, we can take advantage of his weak position, and he is certainly more Polish than that Lithuanian Jagiello. Can we really trust him to not side with Lithuania?"

The patriarch, Jan Chodkiewicz, was quick to react, favoring Jagiello. "Yes, we can, and furthermore, we can trust him to conquer the Lithuanians. Piast has no claim whatsoever to the throne of Lithuania, Jagiello is the foremost claimant-"

"Lithuania is worthless, merely full of grain and barbarous orthodoxes! Piast holds claim to Silesia, a rich land with good, catholic, Polish nobles, and receptive to Polish rule," Krystyn broke in.

"RECEPTIVE?! It has rebelled countless times and then finally broke away under protection of the Bohemian crown! Silesia is nothing compared to the vast territories of Lithuania!"

"Yet," said Leszek, quietest of the three powerful Chodkiewiczes, "Piast does hold claim to other territories, such as Poznan, Carpathia, Pommerania, and Kustrin. That's a good 6 duchies he could easily lay claim to."

"But do we want to fight the mighty Pommeranians," asked Jan, "after all, they are friendly to Poland, while Lithuania has betrayed us and lays prostrate and easy to conquer. To the east lie easy conquests, glory, and the chance to spread Catholicism! We must take this opportunity, for if Jagiello fails to take the throne, his line may fail as well, or they may abandon Poland altogether and take Lithuania instead."

 

[Sterkarm]

Wladyslaw found himself wandering the Cracovian parapets with his father, talking of disconcerting things.

"Wladyslaw, should Kazimierz be killed or invalidated, you are the heir, you must realize this," lectured Stephan, "and you must prepare yourself. I have sent Jan away to Bremen, firstly because I know he is a good diplomat, but secondly because I know he is traitorous. Not like Henryk. Jan might betray us in this crisis, he is deceiving. The Piasts are, after all, in need of staunch supporters if they should take power, and having the enemy's son on their side only strengthens their position.

I don't want Jan around when the nobles make their decision. Kazimierz and yourself must lead the house through this crisis, should I fail. No matter the outcome, a Jagiello MUST sit on the throne of Poland, as long as it is not Jan, he is cunning as a wolf, but he cannot be trusted to uphold the line. He is an excellent diplomat, yet do not let him gain power at home, where he can use his power to gain the nobles' support."

Wladyslaw was surprised at this, yet he already knew that Jan was underhanded, just not that his father felt so strongly about it. "So you expect a battle out of this succession?"

"A battle? No. I expect a civil war, at best, no matter who takes the throne. That's not counting for other countries who will most likely see this as a time to take their chunk out of Poland. We're going to have to prepare for a massive war, and I want you and Kazimierz to muster your troops, and man the walls of Krakow. The second we find out the nobles' decision, you are to surround the Piast army. Force them to surrender. Now is not a time to trust Piast, we must be prepared to fight. Tell Kazimierz of this, I want him to inform my marshals. Bring in any other troops you can, gather everyone on our side to war."

With this, Stephan went back to the keep itself to wait out the rest of the deliberations, leaving Wladyslaw to his task.

 

[Sterkarm]

Atop the high windy walls of Wawel Castle, Kazimierz watched the Royal Polish troops mobilize. All of the noble houses were gathering as well, but the non-Jagiello supporters were forced to remain outside the city gates. The neutral houses brought their troops as well, seperate from the Piast-supporters. Kazimierz could see little in the cold, dark night, but from what little he could see, he could see that nearly all of the troops were already assembled.

Kazimierz thought to himself, "It will be a long day of bloodshed should the country split. Yet that day will be followed by years of civil strife, if the Piast threat is not quickly eliminated. We must be ready by morning, the nobles will have decided by noon tomorrow, most likely. Perhaps we can surround the nobles we know have gone to Piast. My captains await, and I must prepare everything for tomorrow.

He moved quickly down the tower stairs, shoving past the guards that were coming up to man the walls. Bursting through the door at ground level, he realized the true size of the army. It expanded everywhere, and in the dark he continued to stumble on soldiers' equipment, until he finally arrived inside his main tent. The Polish Eagle flew above it, guarding the entrance along with the crest of Jagiello. Inside, Kazimierz's captains awaited him. "How many troops do we have?" asked Kazimierz.

"Around 6000, including those under Ostrogski and Radziwill. Should all the neutral houses go to Piast, we'll be facing about 8000."

 

[Longinus]

In Szczecin.

Wratislaw, Duke of Wolgast, currently residing in Szczecin while the rest of the Greifs are in Frankfurt receives Stanislaw Sobieski and his retinue.

He greets the Polish Grand Chancellor with great respect. He bows gently and speaks in Polish.

“Wasza Miłość/Your Grace,

It is great to host the Grand Chancellor of Poland here in Szczecin. Rest assured that Pomorscy Gryfici care a lot for the Polish crown and relationship with the king. I personally always held Poles in great esteem, to tell you the truth it always hurt me that the rest of the House forgets about its Slavic roots with each passing generation.

Nonetheless, I am sure that House of Jagiello and House of Gryf have a lot in common. After all, the Concord of Kroków says that we are to help House of Jagiello in regaining the authority over the misguided sheep in Lithuania.

We had signed pacts of mutual support in the past, I am sure we should continue with this tradition.”