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Crusader Kings III Available Now!
The realm rejoices as Paradox Interactive announces the launch of Crusader Kings III, the latest entry in the publisher’s grand strategy role-playing game franchise. Advisors may now jockey for positions of influence and adversaries should save their schemes for another day, because on this day Crusader Kings III can be purchased on Steam, the Paradox Store, and other major online retailers.
I'd guess about a quarter were left dead or missing, with the upper bound being a third. Many probably scattered, moving south to cities like Thessaloníki or Athens.Ah, I forgot that Kiten was Vishly's father. Both reigned for too long.
How much did the population of Konstantinopol drop?
Also:
New update here.
Bastions
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 29
Bosnia was quickly crushed by the combined might of the Caliphate and Prussia, the new conquests were attached to the Kingdom of Hungary and provided access to the Mediterranean without a threat of the Romans cutting off trade. But for Kiten, it proved that the Prussian people craved war. They craved conquest and for the riches of their vanquished foes to pour into Memelgrád. Kiten was quick to take up this feeling in Prussia and use it to his own ends. So while Prussia under a general often meant peace, Prussia under a diplomat often meant war. Targets included Pskov, Germany, the remains of Bosnia, and Mordvia. Germany was only on the list because the Caliph had warned his counter-part in Prussia that Germany was on the verge of crumbling and that the Caliphate would soon annex the remains. Germany was to be partitioned into a Christian controlled east and a Muslim controlled west. Kiten started with Pskov, incorrectly believing it would be the easiest of the wars. The invasion ground to a halt with the death of the commanding general, long winters and the city's strong fortifications all led to it being a surprising pain in the ass for the Prussian army.
In the west, Kiten started his war against Germany regardless of the situation in Pskov. In 1288 Germany was in another one of its many civil wars. The ruling Zähringer dynasty tried to hold onto the whole thing. The attack from the east managed to unify Germany, but it was too little too late. The Prussian army was able to quickly push westward conquering large swathes of land. The whole region was hastily organized into the Brandenburg March. The March was put under the leadership of the Luxembourg dynasty, who were becoming rather powerful themselves. Their domains included both the March and Bohemia, where they ruled with little interference from the King. With the surrender of Pskov in 1289, The Empire was divided into three Kingdoms: Prussia, Bohemia and Hungary; to make things easier to rule. In an apparent reversal of his old centralization policies, Kiten divided Prussia further into Grand Duchies and Marches. The Marches were meant for border territories while the Grand Duchies represented stable territories within the Kingdom. Though Grand Dukes had little actual power (especially outside of their territories), they still gained prestige. Prussia was beginning to show signs of distress. She was too big, to bloated, and the growth spurred on by Kiten's conquests were not settling well.
The solution, in the minds of most Prussians, was more conquest. They were excited to see Croatia vanquished and Mordvia conquered. Their goals all lied in the short-term. They had no idea they were setting up a deadly chain of civil wars that would leave Prussia shrunken and aching. In 1291 Mordvia converted to Orthodoxy, though it was just the beginning of Kiten's plans. He hoped that he could bring all of Mordvia under his rule peacefully. Kiten controlled the flow of information in and out of Mordvia, especially in and out of Europe. By feeding them false information of Prussia's exploits, he hoped to scare them into submission. But the plan would take time. In the mean time, 1291 also saw the first ambassador from the Yuan Empire to enter Europe. The Yuan were a massive Asian Empire that rose to power after the native Chinese dynasty (the Song) were overthrown by the Mongolian Yuan. The Yuan then went about uniting much of Asia including China, Mongolia, Korea, Indochina and India. The Yuan converted to Hinduism sometime in the mid to late 1200's and forced their religion on many people (though it never caught on in northern China). The Yuan would later give rise to the so-called Persian Hordes and Persian dynasties that would spread Hinduism into Asia and nearly into Europe.
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 29
un se ærţ ábifánáfást lajá se futæs uw ándrætáósánd próŝjæn káráwursæs, próŝjádus márŝ uz kárs.
And the Earth did tremble under the feet of a hundred thousand Prussian soldiers, Prussia's march to war.
And the Earth did tremble under the feet of a hundred thousand Prussian soldiers, Prussia's march to war.
Bosnia was quickly crushed by the combined might of the Caliphate and Prussia, the new conquests were attached to the Kingdom of Hungary and provided access to the Mediterranean without a threat of the Romans cutting off trade. But for Kiten, it proved that the Prussian people craved war. They craved conquest and for the riches of their vanquished foes to pour into Memelgrád. Kiten was quick to take up this feeling in Prussia and use it to his own ends. So while Prussia under a general often meant peace, Prussia under a diplomat often meant war. Targets included Pskov, Germany, the remains of Bosnia, and Mordvia. Germany was only on the list because the Caliph had warned his counter-part in Prussia that Germany was on the verge of crumbling and that the Caliphate would soon annex the remains. Germany was to be partitioned into a Christian controlled east and a Muslim controlled west. Kiten started with Pskov, incorrectly believing it would be the easiest of the wars. The invasion ground to a halt with the death of the commanding general, long winters and the city's strong fortifications all led to it being a surprising pain in the ass for the Prussian army.
In the west, Kiten started his war against Germany regardless of the situation in Pskov. In 1288 Germany was in another one of its many civil wars. The ruling Zähringer dynasty tried to hold onto the whole thing. The attack from the east managed to unify Germany, but it was too little too late. The Prussian army was able to quickly push westward conquering large swathes of land. The whole region was hastily organized into the Brandenburg March. The March was put under the leadership of the Luxembourg dynasty, who were becoming rather powerful themselves. Their domains included both the March and Bohemia, where they ruled with little interference from the King. With the surrender of Pskov in 1289, The Empire was divided into three Kingdoms: Prussia, Bohemia and Hungary; to make things easier to rule. In an apparent reversal of his old centralization policies, Kiten divided Prussia further into Grand Duchies and Marches. The Marches were meant for border territories while the Grand Duchies represented stable territories within the Kingdom. Though Grand Dukes had little actual power (especially outside of their territories), they still gained prestige. Prussia was beginning to show signs of distress. She was too big, to bloated, and the growth spurred on by Kiten's conquests were not settling well.
The solution, in the minds of most Prussians, was more conquest. They were excited to see Croatia vanquished and Mordvia conquered. Their goals all lied in the short-term. They had no idea they were setting up a deadly chain of civil wars that would leave Prussia shrunken and aching. In 1291 Mordvia converted to Orthodoxy, though it was just the beginning of Kiten's plans. He hoped that he could bring all of Mordvia under his rule peacefully. Kiten controlled the flow of information in and out of Mordvia, especially in and out of Europe. By feeding them false information of Prussia's exploits, he hoped to scare them into submission. But the plan would take time. In the mean time, 1291 also saw the first ambassador from the Yuan Empire to enter Europe. The Yuan were a massive Asian Empire that rose to power after the native Chinese dynasty (the Song) were overthrown by the Mongolian Yuan. The Yuan then went about uniting much of Asia including China, Mongolia, Korea, Indochina and India. The Yuan converted to Hinduism sometime in the mid to late 1200's and forced their religion on many people (though it never caught on in northern China). The Yuan would later give rise to the so-called Persian Hordes and Persian dynasties that would spread Hinduism into Asia and nearly into Europe.
I chose Hinduism because I found it more entertaining (such are the wonders of writing fiction). Especially because it would later create friction within China.
It was nice to hear that Hinduism is finally getting some respect (as most AAR writers ignore eastern religions) but where does that leave Buddhism? Did it peter out in the face of the Hindu advance? Or is it still clinging to life? I would also like to take this time to thank you, Mr. Capiatlist for giving me the inspiration needed to start my own AAR.
~Sheep
~Sheep
Buddhism is still around. It still has two sects, as in real life. The more populous one is based in Tibet and the less popular southern is based in Thailand. I cannot spell their actual names, sorry. I'll edit that when I am home. Shintoism and Confucianism are also still around, so don't think Hinduism reigns supreme. Only southern China converted, so China ends up having religious civil wars after they overthrow their mongol over lords.
I am always happy to hear i've brought new writers into AARland. So good luck, I'll be lurking un the background.
Bastions
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 30
Many things came to an end between 1291 and 1296. Christian rule of Germany was one of them. The Zähringer dynasty converted to Islam so that they could keep their lands as vassals of the Caliph. Their holdings included Holstein, Styria (which was restored to them), Tirol, Southern Baden, and Thuringia. It was a painful process for many to give up their religion, but if it meant keeping their authority; too many were more than willing. Those that were not willing left and headed into Sweden and Norway or into the Prussian dominions of Bohemia, Hungary and Wallachia. Kiten was urged by many to organize a crusade to conquer Germany and end the Caliphate's rule over much of Western Europe. What these people didn't see was that in much of the Caliphate the peoples were Muslim, even when a hundred years ago they would have been Christian. In Iberia the Caliphate reserved Galacia as a special "Christian" realm; similar practices were offered in Italy. Even so the numbers of Christians in these areas continued to fall to conversion and immigration. In Prussia the Polish language was in full retreat toward Silesia. Pinsk, once a Polish border city, was now completely devoid of the language. Eventually a statue was erected in Pinsk of the last Polish speaker of the city. It was in his favorite pub and showed a happy man at the bar, bent over a drink and happily listening to the person next to him. It remained untouched for many years though eventually an anti-slavic fascist added the phrase "átistitájám" meaning "We have progressed". Despite the phrase's connotation, it was hard to disagree; Prussia had changed and was still changing.
However, this did not end the Infinite War, which waged on as Revisionists fought against Muslim rule and the Islamization of Europe. Their tactics and the message they preached slowly distanced themselves from more mainstream forms of Christianity, preventing any hope of support from abroad to be realized. Many Christian nations, such as Prussia and Rome, normalized their relations with their new neighbors giving them a hand up against their competition who refused. With Germany conquered and Italy being subdued after years of bloody conflict, the hope of the Revisionists turned to their remaining allies, the Norse Rites Christians. The Norse Rites are closely related to Revisionism though took much of their practices from Celtic and Scandinavian Christianity. But the Norse were less intolerant of other Christian faiths. Early on, Norse Churches existed across most of Sweden, Norway, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. But by the turn of the XIV Century, Norse Rites were falling out of favor and the King of Sweden hoped to spur the growth of his religion by taking up the mantles of Defender of the Faith, and promised to liberate Germany and unite Revisionism and Norse Rites.
Meanwhile, Prussia continued to try to settle down its new conquests in the Balkans. It was hard to pump blood into the extremities of the Empire, and Kiten found it increasingly difficult to justify further expansion. Prussia needed something new. She could continue to centralize at the expense of the nobility required to keep the dominions in line; or she could begin to decentralize at the expense of the monarchy required to keep the Empire united. The Empire was running out of options. It was obvious to some that she was too big. But many wanted to think that was just fatalism, including the King. The stage was being set for the two factions to finally get their chance to fight and watch Prussia implode. However; there was one last major expansion for Prussia, into the East with the surrender of Mordvia.
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 30
átistitájám.
We have progressed.
We have progressed.
Many things came to an end between 1291 and 1296. Christian rule of Germany was one of them. The Zähringer dynasty converted to Islam so that they could keep their lands as vassals of the Caliph. Their holdings included Holstein, Styria (which was restored to them), Tirol, Southern Baden, and Thuringia. It was a painful process for many to give up their religion, but if it meant keeping their authority; too many were more than willing. Those that were not willing left and headed into Sweden and Norway or into the Prussian dominions of Bohemia, Hungary and Wallachia. Kiten was urged by many to organize a crusade to conquer Germany and end the Caliphate's rule over much of Western Europe. What these people didn't see was that in much of the Caliphate the peoples were Muslim, even when a hundred years ago they would have been Christian. In Iberia the Caliphate reserved Galacia as a special "Christian" realm; similar practices were offered in Italy. Even so the numbers of Christians in these areas continued to fall to conversion and immigration. In Prussia the Polish language was in full retreat toward Silesia. Pinsk, once a Polish border city, was now completely devoid of the language. Eventually a statue was erected in Pinsk of the last Polish speaker of the city. It was in his favorite pub and showed a happy man at the bar, bent over a drink and happily listening to the person next to him. It remained untouched for many years though eventually an anti-slavic fascist added the phrase "átistitájám" meaning "We have progressed". Despite the phrase's connotation, it was hard to disagree; Prussia had changed and was still changing.
However, this did not end the Infinite War, which waged on as Revisionists fought against Muslim rule and the Islamization of Europe. Their tactics and the message they preached slowly distanced themselves from more mainstream forms of Christianity, preventing any hope of support from abroad to be realized. Many Christian nations, such as Prussia and Rome, normalized their relations with their new neighbors giving them a hand up against their competition who refused. With Germany conquered and Italy being subdued after years of bloody conflict, the hope of the Revisionists turned to their remaining allies, the Norse Rites Christians. The Norse Rites are closely related to Revisionism though took much of their practices from Celtic and Scandinavian Christianity. But the Norse were less intolerant of other Christian faiths. Early on, Norse Churches existed across most of Sweden, Norway, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. But by the turn of the XIV Century, Norse Rites were falling out of favor and the King of Sweden hoped to spur the growth of his religion by taking up the mantles of Defender of the Faith, and promised to liberate Germany and unite Revisionism and Norse Rites.
Meanwhile, Prussia continued to try to settle down its new conquests in the Balkans. It was hard to pump blood into the extremities of the Empire, and Kiten found it increasingly difficult to justify further expansion. Prussia needed something new. She could continue to centralize at the expense of the nobility required to keep the dominions in line; or she could begin to decentralize at the expense of the monarchy required to keep the Empire united. The Empire was running out of options. It was obvious to some that she was too big. But many wanted to think that was just fatalism, including the King. The stage was being set for the two factions to finally get their chance to fight and watch Prussia implode. However; there was one last major expansion for Prussia, into the East with the surrender of Mordvia.
Nein nein nein!
Not Mordvia!
Who shall now be the wall against Mongols?
Right, what Mongols?
The Mongols come, they are just a century or two late.
Bastions
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 31
Mordvia did not need to be conquered, nor forced, nor prodded to join Prussia. Once the greatest pagan Kingdom in Europe; Mordvia was now one of the most powerful states within the Prussian Empire. Mordvia was feeling the pressure of the Turkish tribes on her southern border, and though none at the time knew it, this pressure was a sign of times to come. The Turkish tribes were restless. Their ancestral homes on the steppes were often threatened by the expansion of other states. In the south, Persia (formerly a Turkish Kingdom) began to push upwards; while in the Far East the Yuan Empire continued to expand at the expense of the Turkish tribes. The Cumani especially were without the proper amount of living space. So as they were pushed one way, they tried to force themselves into Mordvia. But the Yuan were on the verge of collapse; their Empire was far larger than any in Europe, especially in population. But as it fell apart it would be eat from within by warlords, warlords who had their own dreams of conquest and would soon set the world ablaze. For now Mordvia and Prussia were safe.
It was around this time, with one year left in the XIV Century, that Vishly grew closer with his future wife, Ziedás. Vishly abhorred his father's lifestyle, so it was that Ziedás would be his first and only wife and would survive him, a rare occurrence in the time period. Vishly's authority in his father's court was rising. He had been trained by one of the masters of intrigue, only to show that he had surpassed his master by having him killed. Vishly's place in the court was secured, his succession flaunted in the face of many who feared the rise of the ultra-centralist. In 1305 Vishly would play an important role in another war against Norway and Sweden. The Norwegian King had been married to one of Kiten's daughters, but when he saw a chance to unite the thrones of Norway and Sweden he divorced his Prussian wife and took a Swedish one, but not before executing his ex-wife. In Prussia this was a huge insult, and soon the Prussian war machine was headed back into Scandinavia. It was Vishly's methods of information extraction that made the war an easy win for Prussia. After the dust settled, Finland was free of Scandinavia influence, but a creeping tide of Prussian influence was not hard to see.
Prussia was reaching its medieval zenith. From within she was ready to be torn apart. The nobles were divided into those who supported centralization and those that supported decentralization. There was also a growing movement in the upper middle classes demanding an end to the nobility's dominance over positions in the court. While King Kiten continued to maintain the status quo, Prince Vishly made allies in the centralist and middle classes. He planned to overhaul the entire system from the ground up. His biggest ally was his wife Ziedás, but as Vishly became more and more vocal about his opinions and plans, he further and further isolated himself from his father. Few knew it, but in 1306 Kiten's days as Kings were numbered. The King grew old and frail; he was the oldest living monarch at the time at 71. Things were turning in favor of Prussia's hated son.
Europe in 1306.
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 31
ŝis ist se land uw urins tewás, un sá in urins sunæs sieæt zoildáf.
This is the land of our fathers, and so it shall be for our sons.
This is the land of our fathers, and so it shall be for our sons.
Mordvia did not need to be conquered, nor forced, nor prodded to join Prussia. Once the greatest pagan Kingdom in Europe; Mordvia was now one of the most powerful states within the Prussian Empire. Mordvia was feeling the pressure of the Turkish tribes on her southern border, and though none at the time knew it, this pressure was a sign of times to come. The Turkish tribes were restless. Their ancestral homes on the steppes were often threatened by the expansion of other states. In the south, Persia (formerly a Turkish Kingdom) began to push upwards; while in the Far East the Yuan Empire continued to expand at the expense of the Turkish tribes. The Cumani especially were without the proper amount of living space. So as they were pushed one way, they tried to force themselves into Mordvia. But the Yuan were on the verge of collapse; their Empire was far larger than any in Europe, especially in population. But as it fell apart it would be eat from within by warlords, warlords who had their own dreams of conquest and would soon set the world ablaze. For now Mordvia and Prussia were safe.
It was around this time, with one year left in the XIV Century, that Vishly grew closer with his future wife, Ziedás. Vishly abhorred his father's lifestyle, so it was that Ziedás would be his first and only wife and would survive him, a rare occurrence in the time period. Vishly's authority in his father's court was rising. He had been trained by one of the masters of intrigue, only to show that he had surpassed his master by having him killed. Vishly's place in the court was secured, his succession flaunted in the face of many who feared the rise of the ultra-centralist. In 1305 Vishly would play an important role in another war against Norway and Sweden. The Norwegian King had been married to one of Kiten's daughters, but when he saw a chance to unite the thrones of Norway and Sweden he divorced his Prussian wife and took a Swedish one, but not before executing his ex-wife. In Prussia this was a huge insult, and soon the Prussian war machine was headed back into Scandinavia. It was Vishly's methods of information extraction that made the war an easy win for Prussia. After the dust settled, Finland was free of Scandinavia influence, but a creeping tide of Prussian influence was not hard to see.
Prussia was reaching its medieval zenith. From within she was ready to be torn apart. The nobles were divided into those who supported centralization and those that supported decentralization. There was also a growing movement in the upper middle classes demanding an end to the nobility's dominance over positions in the court. While King Kiten continued to maintain the status quo, Prince Vishly made allies in the centralist and middle classes. He planned to overhaul the entire system from the ground up. His biggest ally was his wife Ziedás, but as Vishly became more and more vocal about his opinions and plans, he further and further isolated himself from his father. Few knew it, but in 1306 Kiten's days as Kings were numbered. The King grew old and frail; he was the oldest living monarch at the time at 71. Things were turning in favor of Prussia's hated son.
Europe in 1306.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeres VISHLY!
Hope you all have your raincoats on cause there's gonna be some splatter risk here
Hope you all have your raincoats on cause there's gonna be some splatter risk here
So it is.
Thank you, very much.I'm excited for it!
Great detailed update, as usual.
oKiten ruled for 38 years including the regency for his father, Vishly for 49 years. Both lived to be 72.
Vishly takes the cake for the longest reign, the oldest King at death was Meinekinus II, at 75.
Heh, there is a dry zone about 50 meters out.Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeres VISHLY!
Hope you all have your raincoats on cause there's gonna be some splatter risk here
So we are down to 8 more updates before I can get started again. I am excited, there is much to do and Book 2 should prove to be very interesting.
And I'll get back to spamming! As you probably figured out I'd rather sit quiet than copy my posts from back when those updates were new.
Thanks, the Baltic is my favourite looking region of Europe, so Prussia compliments that.
No one is looking forward to the normal updates more than me. It might be the case that Book 2 goes right into Book 3.And I'll get back to spamming! As you probably figured out I'd rather sit quiet than copy my posts from back when those updates were new.
STOP! COOKIE TIME