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It seems that even Mongols cam find their nemesis sometimes ...Your expansion seems unstoppable mate

Oh, it sadly was stoppable.
As foreshadowed, the largest the Empire extended was in 1268.

To date I have shared the steady climb to the heights of power. Now begins the decline.
 
Godfrey I

Godfrey ‘The Scots’ Emperor of Francia was a... complex man.
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He wore the scars of his strong physique and determined personality proudly. He was cruel, particularly when in his cups (which by all accounts was frequently). He was ambitious, gregarious, and a host of other descriptors which, all told, combined to make him perhaps best suited to take on the task of ruling the Empire at this time. But it was not to be an easy task.

A key consideration for Godfrey as he took the throne was that during the reign of Frederick the Great a generational change had occurred within the rulers of Corrino Europe:
  • Barral III took the throne of Aquitaine in 1260
  • Doumenge took the throne of Mauretania in 1254
  • Carles, great-grandson of Rogier the Conqueror, took the throne of Wales in 1255
  • Berenguer, grandson of Rogier the Conqueror, took the thrones of León & Castille in 1252
  • Ebles, grandson of Rogier the Conqueror, took the throne of England in 1257

So, within an eight year span nearly all the Corrino Kings had come to sit fresh upon their thrones. Ugues, King of Jerusalem, was the only real outlier having inherited his throne in 1240, and as such was more a contemporary of Frederick, who inherited in 1232, than of the new generation.

So, an active and determined generation of Kings came to their power at about the same time. They had been allowed to rule relatively undisturbed by the previous Emperor while he was largely embroiled in British adventures and a Crusade in central Europe. These kings were well removed from the main Corrino family tree, running strong kingdoms, and their own family legacies. Their ambitions and desires were not constrained by the same loyalties of father-son that bound their parents, and so we find that they legacy of Rogier was fading history. Now, here was the backwoods cousin (a minor count from Scotland) arriving to tell the people in the big city (the greatest kings of Occitan Europe) how things would be. Could
Godfrey come into his own and hold the family together?

That, ultimately, was the question that mattered for all of Europe.

As Godfrey took the reins of the Empire, his only son and heir, was the young (17) Uhtred. He was an ambitious young man, but generally considered kind and promising, despite a limiting club foot when it came to some physical activities. He was also Scottish, as his father, but there was something to work with here, and the court was hopeful that future rulers could return to the Occitan fold to bring cultural stability to the Empire.
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B1278.6 Emperor Godfrey decreed that the title Kingdom of Brittany was valid within the realm and granted it and all its holdings and privileges to Eustache Corrino, Duke of Normandy in addition to to his own.
(Player’s Note: as a Scotsman, I was able to create the title where the Occitans in the past could not. Doing so, and granting it to Eustache in Normandy should give him some power (Brittany and Normandy), while limiting the strength of any future French King (should I assign that), and make Eustache think favorably upon me to keep his aid/loyalty if there were any crisis.)

B1278.7 Uhtred Corrino - heir to the Empire left the court for the Duchy of Poitou.

B1278.9 Caliph Nurradin I surrendered his jihad, and the Emperor announced a grand tournament in celebration of the victory.
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B1278.11 The honor, lands, and feus of the Duchy of Ascalon were estranged from the imperial demesne and granted in full to Ugues Corrino, First of His Name, King of Jerusalem.
(Player’s Note: another loyalty play to try and keep the favor of critical subjects.)

B1278.12 Aznar de Wyre was crowned winner of the grand tournament.

B1279.2 The Emperor has deemed it worthwhile to commit the troops of the realm to join in a war in Scotland.
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B1279.3 King Doumenge of Mauretania presented a demand to leave the Empire as an independant lord. He was backed in this by 3 Kings of the realm - a sizable portion of the Empire. The Emperor acceded to their request.

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(Player’s Note: England, Ireland, Mauretania, and 8 dukes and two earls. They had enough of the realm to face me in the field - greater than 100% faction strength - and would likely call others to their cause. I let them go without fighting. I probably freaked out unnecessarily but my confidence that I could win was low, and there were other disruptive forces at work. I was trying to cut my losses and manage through it best as I could. And Godfrey probably made the decision drunk anyway.)

B1279.4 Duke André of Aragon swears fealty to the Crowns of Francia and Aragon.
Duke Bernad of Berry swears fealty to the Crowns of Francia and France.
Duke Clotaire of Anjou swears fealty to the Crowns of Francia and France.
Duke Barthélémi of Valois swears fealty to the Crowns of Francia and France.
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B1279.5 Duchess Bòna Corrino beseeched the Emperor for aid in a war against Mauretania. The Emperor could not be roused from his solarium to hear the plea.
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B1279.6 Duke Bernad of Berry is known to be advocating for independence for more lords of the realm. Confronted by the Chancellor he openly refused to stop his actions. The men-at-arms were called to arrest him, and he raised his troops in war. The Emperor beseeched the Pope, and Duke Bernad was excommunicated.
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B1279.8 A faction in the court and realm presented the Emperor’s council with a demand that his kinsman Aznar be placed upon the throne. The claim was refused, and the call for faithful levies to face this treason went out across the realm.
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B1280.2 Battle was engaged at Alhame de Aragón where the slaughter of the rebels was great.
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B1280.3 Siobán Ua Ruairc, of the Emperor’s court was wed, with a suitable dowry, into the Republic of Pisa.
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(Player’s Note: much needed cash.)

B1280.4 Despite the travails of the realm, Godfrey’s spirits seem much improved about the court.
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B1280.10 After dread fighting, Aznar’s claim has been defeated and Godfrey is secure upon his throne.
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(Player’s Note: time to clean up this nest of vipers.)

His Grace has revoked the titles of the Duchy of Poitou of Gaston de Poitou, the Duchy of Aquitaine of Robert de Poitou, the Duchy of Bourbon of Stéphane de la Marche, and the County of Empuries of Thierry Corrino. Hasimir Corrino, Duke of Dauphine was ransomed of his freedom.

B1280.11 Girvais Corrino, Duke of Champagne, was ransomed of his freedom. King Barral IV of Aquitaine was freed of the dungeons by Imperial Mercy, and then granted the Duchy of Aquitaine.

B1281.1 Earl Aymeric de Luisgnan named Duke of Poitou.

B1281.3 The Duke of Berry, Bernad, surrendered his war, was made familiar of the Emperor’s dungeon, and was revoked of his Duchy. Count Adriens of Tours named Duke in his stead.

B1281.4 Empress Morag of Galloway fell asleep at 52 and did not awake.

B1281.5 Emperor Godfrey was wed to Geneviva Corrino. Duran Corrino was named Count of Teviotdale.

B1281.10 A victory for the realm at Rosemarkie.
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(Player’s Note: that troublesome little war up in Scotland...)

B1282.10 Earl Humbert of Limousin named Duke of Bourbon.

B1281.12 Crown Prince Uhtred Corrino returns to his father’s court, to the delight of many.

B1283.1 Prince Godfrey - grandson to the Emperor - betrothed to Princess Brunissenda Corrino of Mauretania.
(Player’s Note: I may have let Mauretania slip out of the Empire, but I am going to keep their fate bound up in mine tightly.)

B1283.3 The Emperor’s calm continues to pervade his thinking, and the realm benefits.
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B1283.12 The Empire declared war on Scotland to press Princess Deidre’s claim for the throne.

(Note: a peculiar gap in the record opens in this period. Clearly the realm was generally quiet, and Francia had not put it’s full weight behind the fighting in Scotland. This was key to understand because King Aulay I Dunbar of Scotland passed in 1284.2. He was inherited of Eva Dunbar and she ruled until 1285.3 when she was assassinated. At that time she was inherited by Walter Corrino, the Emperor Godfrey’s nephew.)

B1285.5 The Emperor declare peace between the Empire and King Walter II of Scotland. Walter then beseeched the Emperor for aid in a war against a rebellious Duke, and the Emperor agreed.
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B1285.11 King Walter II of Scotland has been secured upon his throne at the surrender of Moray.
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B1286.1 Frederick Corrino, 2e son of the Emperor was born.

B1286.4 The Empire has joined a war to defend King Walter II of Scotland against a claim from England.

B1288.10 Celebration as King Walter II of Scotland has been secured upon his throne at the surrender of England.

(Note: 1289-1290 again saw Francia protect the rights and privileges of Walter II as King of Scotland, but elsewhere the realm was peaceful and the Chronicles silent.)

C1292.11 Emperor Godfrey gone to the Lord at age 64. Long Live Emperor Uhtred I.
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I can see what you mean...But I feel sure that this drunken Scotman will neevr let them go easily !
 
Uhtred I

Uhtred took the throne relatively young. He was Scottish, as his father before him, but set about making
sure his three sons received Occitan education. He sons were Godafres (named for his grandfather - Occitan styling of Godfrey), Uhtred, and Colin the youngest. The dynasty was certainly secure for heirs.
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(Player’s Note: look at the host of claims Uhtred inherited - that is from the territories that left the empire under his father. Uhtred should have been paying more attention to things like this.)
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The initial years of Uhtred’s reign (1293 through the middle of 1294) were generally quiet. The Chronicle seems to have stopped completely with no entries, and little other court documentation found. What has been determined is that Uhtred spent money lavishly to maintain loyalty amongst his nobles, and conveyed honors and a lavish feast to try to maintain faith all that he could. There was considerable dissatisfaction amongst the Occitan nobility at their now second, Scottish Emperor. No less because the
power of the Empire had receded considerably under Godfrey. Members of the extended Corrino family sat on many thrones, so the dynasty seemed secure, but the stability of the empire was certainly shaky.

The Chronicle takes up again suddenly in September of 1294, re-establishing a run of entries that would last for decades...

B1294.9 The Emperor declared that the rights and privileges of the King of Norway were his and took the title as his own, and then made Ingjerd, Duchess of Iceland, Queen of Norway.
(Player’s Note: Francia had enough holdings in Norway to usurp the title, so I took it on a whim and then passed it out quickly.)

B1295.9 The Emperor announced a grand tournament would be held.

B1296.1 Humbert von Kärnten was crowned winner of the Imperial Tournament.

B1296.11 Crown Prince Godafres wed Brunissenda Corrino, Princess of Mauretania.

B1297.3 Francia joined in Mauretania’s defense against the claim of the Duchy of Seville for the crown.

B1297.3 Prince Uhtred was wed to Gormflaith, Princess of Ireland.

C1297.7 Emperor Uhtred, first of his name, was taken from this world too soon by treachery most foul.
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(Player’s Note: Whu? hey! dang...)
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Love Live Emperor Godafres II!
 
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Godafres II

Who killed Uhtred, and why, remains a mystery today. Historians and fiction writers have put forth many theories. The most common, and most commonly accepted, is that Godafres himself arranged his father’s death to take the throne. No concrete evidence has ever been identified to confirm that theory.

In the end, it really does not matter. Following Uhtred’s death in July of 1297, the Occitan Godafres took the throne, restoring at least cultural stability to the empire for the first time in nearly 2 decades. Occitan or not, his hold upon the empire was immediately challenged, with a faction presenting a demand and forcing warfare by year’s end.

B1297.11 A faction led by the Duke of Orleans presented demands upon the Emperor for Independence. The Imperial rejection split the realm in civil war.
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B1298.7 A clash of arms at St. Aignan where the enemy of the Empire fell in great numbers.
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B1299.3 A battle at Châtearox and another at Rond, where many fell.
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B1299.7 The Emperor celebrated the birth of his 1e son, Frederick, with a lavish mass and festival.

B1299.9 A battle at Le Mans, where King Eustache of Brittany and many others were slain.
(Note: Eustache was an incredibly popular name in the Corrino families of Normandy and Brittany. This was King Eustache Corrino, Second of His Name, ‘The Accursed’ of Brittany.)
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B1300.1 His flock in Zaragoza have turned from Rome and popularize the Lollard Heresy.
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B1300.9 A meeting of armies at Jargeau.
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B1301.8 Mauretania and Seville ended their fighting and established a white peace.
(Player’s Note: ending Francia’s involvement - or lack of involvement - in a war Uhtred joined and Godafres ignored.)

B1302.1 The 2e son of the Emperor, called Rogier, was born.

B1302.3 Prince Colin, brother of the Emperor, wed to Princess Epiphania Doukas of Bulgaria.

B1303.4 Peace established, ending the civil war in the realm. The Duke of Orleans was imprisoned and his grandson, Bernard, was made a ward of the Emperor.


B1303.8 The people of Zaragoza have returned to the fold of the faithful Catholic church.
We all pray in response to unseemly rumors which speak of an unchaste relationship between the Emperor and his brother’s wife.
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B1303.9 The Emperor has declared a Holy War for Alexandria. May the Light be brought to the darkness in Egypt.
(Note: Alexandria was in revolt against the Fatimid Caliph, and I sought to take advantage of this situation.)

(Player’s Note: Christianity rules in the Corrinos’ world.)
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B1304.2 The populace of Empuries are notable in their fluency in Occitan.
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B1304.5 The Holy War for Alexandria ended inconclusively. A son, Aymar Corrino, born to Gormflaith and the Emperor’s brother Uhtred.
(Note: it is commonly believed that Aymar was Godafres’ son of Gormflaith.)
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B1304.6 The Emperor declared a 2e Holy War for Alexandria.

B1305.6 A battle fought at Abukir against the Mohammedans where the slaughter was great.
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B1305.9 A clash of arms brings victory to Christ at Sidi Barrani.

B1305.11 Battle of Cara

B1306.10 A daughter, 1e girl, born to Godafres and named Irulan.

(Player’s Note: And the Corrino dynasty loses the crown of Wales.)
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B1307.12 A son, Ciaphas, born to Gormflaith. The Emperor has publicly acknowledged that the child is, in fact, his own and legitimized him as his 3e son.
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B1308.4 The Lord has granted Francia victory - the Holy War for Alexandria is won.
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The Duke of Valois presented a faction demand for independence from the Empire. The Emperor refused.
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B1308.9 Battle at Senlis
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B1311.2 The rebellion ended at the death of Duke Barthélémi.
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B1312.10 The Emperor has decreed that he holds the title Duke of Alexandria in addition to other claims and titles, right and obligations.

B1313.7 The Emperor announced a Grand Tournament to celebrate the skills and abilities of the armsmen of the realm.

B1313.10 The spymaster of the Empire was cruelly murdered in Wales.
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(Player’s Note: another portion of the realm advocating faction trouble, and the spymaster had been sent to scheme him into submission...)

B1313.10 Suen av Sola declared the victor of the Imperial Tournament.


B1314.4. King Iestyn I of Wales sent a letter of apology to the Emperor which was much appreciated.
The Emperor decreed that the Kingdom of Norway was independent and free from obligation within the Empire of Francia.
13144.jpg

(Player’s Note: I had been battling loyalty and attitude issues throughout this reign - frankly I had been surprised that there had not been overt issues by this point. I cut Norway free just to shut them up.)

B1315.8 Crown Prince Frederick wed Princess Ramona Corrino of Castille.
(Player’s Note: continuing keep the Great Houses of the dynasty bound in marriage alliances.)

B1315.10 The Emperor is known to be respectful of others, and is chaste in his faithfulness to his Lady Wife.
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B1316.1 The Emperor has declared a Holy War for Cairo. May the Lord grant his servants victory.
(Note: The Emir of Cairo was in revolt against the Fatimid Caliph, and I sought to take advantage of this situation.)

B1316.2 Battle of Heliopolis was won by Francia.

B1316.3 A clash of arms at Taufiq.
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B1316.8 The Emperor’s Chancellor presented documents, maps, and evidence of a claim upon Malaga by Godafres.
(Player’s Note: I had a cb for war with them, but wanted the outright claim to oust the ruler from power and seize the land, so forged a formal personal claim.)

B1316.9 Soldiers of Francia were foully defeated at Tinis.

B1317.2 Godafres the Monk is a faithful lord, who displays a strong Christian spirit.
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B1317.3 battle of El-bisht
The faithful spirit and strength of will of Godafres the Monk is an inspiration.
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B1317.4 A battle at Memphis.
The Holy War for Cairo ended unresolved, as Cairo surrendered his revolt to the Caliph.

The Emperor takes a public vow of celibacy. Praise the Lord for shining his light upon his wayward servant Godafres ‘The Monk’.
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B1317.6 War declared by the Emperor to execute his personal claim and privileges upon Malaga.


B1318.1 Battle of Tamisa, where Emperor Godafres was maimed. Prince Ciaphas and Duchess Bòna Corrino of Aragon betrothed.
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(Player’s Note: maimed. darn it. I even nearly made a point of leaving the person of the Emperor out of the armies marching south out of Barcelona, but figured it wouldn’t matter...)

B1318.2 Prince Rogier wed to Princess Áine of Ireland in a mass at the Cathedral of Sanctus Columbae. The Emperor’s wound left him unable to attend, and we pray for him.

B1318.4 Godafres died a maimed cripple
(Player’s Note: ...it mattered.)
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The Legacy of Godafres I
Of the Emperors of the Great House of Corrino - that is, the main line descended directly from Frederick, Count of Narbonne - Godafres II is a favored whipping boy of historians. (Frederick III is another, but let us save that for our next chapter). And, in no small part, we can thank François de Barcelona and his Un Traité Relatif à l'Histoire de Francia (1611) for Godafres’ position in history.

François’ Un Traité Relatif singles Godafres out extensively for being tentative, cautious, and slow to act. Historians since have generally used François’ work as an authoritative basis for all further analysis and commonly repeated his assumptions. Frankly, this seems to not be the case. It was Emperor Godfrey I who failed to prevent the departure of large portions of the empire as independent kingdoms and then Uhtred who took no action at all in response. Godafres inherited a position created by those who came before him, and it would have required considerable effort and deliberation to recover.

In contrast to François’ opinion, it seems Godafres II aspired to being a Corrino ruler in the old style - aggressive in public and private life. Granted, he publicly mellowed as he aged, and his vow of celibacy styled him Godafres ‘The Monk’. But today we know he had plans in place to begin re-incorporating regions that had left the Empire under his grandfather’s rule. Rebellion and then efforts to build a reputation as champion of the faith by battling Muslims delayed these plans, but Godafres was clearly active and not just letting time pass with indecision. The war in Malaga was the first in a series of efforts that Godafres’ council planned to restore the glory of the empire. But the question remains of why Godafres decided to begin with the holy wars and then a relatively unimportant Malaga rather than going after a more important target, Ireland perhaps or more boldy Mauretania.

Regardless, Godafres’ legacy remains what it is based on results. And those results come from his untimely death from an injury sustained in a minor war. A death which cut off Francia’s direct claims upon the departed kingdoms for good, and left his heir Frederick with an even weaker position than that his father had inherited.
 
I can see what you mean about decline but I shall never lose my hope ! Long live the new Emperor!
 
Frederick III
His Imperial Majesty, Frederick Corrino, Third of His Name, Emperor of Francia, King of Aragon and France, Duke of Barcelona and Alexandria, Count of Barcelona, Empuries, Tarragona, etc. etc. etc. How many times did Frederick get to hear his full titles listed aloud?

While seemingly an unremarkable man in his own right, he had few faults... but his father had never fully quelled rebellious thoughts among various vassals. Compound this with only a daughter for an heir,... and he probably had little real chance.
13184.jpg



Godafres passed in April of 1318. In May Duke Leopold I of València initiated a succession crisis and declared war to replace Frederick with his brother Rogier.

B1318.4 A strong faction advocating Rogier for the throne has thrust the realm into civil war. May The Lord bring peace to the Empire.
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By July, the realm was in flames.
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The pressures did not end there. Other strong factions existed - one to put Prince Uhtred (Frederick’s other brother) on the throne, and an independence faction that would have divided the realm into a much smaller size.
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Frederick refused to give in, however, and a second war was begun that quickly weakened his forces due to those that abandoned his side, and then crushing defeats of the loyal forces that were in the field.

B1318.11 A grim battle, where many died, at Lydda.
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The Chronicle stops completely for a period when Sanctus Columbae fell to a rebel siege, in early 1319. There is no other entry until later that year with a scribbled notation...

B1319.9 Rogier Corrino was crowned Emperor of Francia.
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At least the crown remains to family ....Rally your supports for the retaliation when the opportunity arises!
 
Events and activities within the realm largely fall silent with the primary sources we have been following. Entries in the Chronicles are few, and far between. What we can determine, Frederick Corrino, King of Aragon was known to have spent months in quiet solitude at the Castle of Salusa in Barcelona. Emperor Rogier was embroiled in fighting the independence rebellion he inherited from his brother.

Years past. Rogier proved able - he won the civil war, keeping Jerusalem and all the others within the Empire. He succeeded in winning the fighting in Malaga that his father had started. And in all, the heart of the empire was well established.
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Frederick, though, was quietly biding his time, and crafting his plans in Aragon. He finally took his revenge upon Rogier in May of 1325.
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For all that Rogier managed to keep the Empire from collapsing after his coronation, he never managed to get an heir.
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And Emperor Frederick III was on the throne again, though he was known as a kinslayer.
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B1325.5 Emperor Frederick has degree that the title and crown of France is reformed, and granted the rights, responsibilities, and honors of such to his kinsman Isabèla Corrino, Queen of France.
Frederick scrambled to establish his power, and the loyalties of his new vassals. Gold flowed out of the coffers, titles were awarded, and feasts and tournaments were held. The Pope finally helped him greatly in 1327.
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B1327.1 An emissary of the Pope has visited Santus Columbae and our humble accommodations. He has also granted absolution upon the Emperor for his sins.
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But was not enough. As the realm was again soon at war.

B1327.7 Brittany and Jerusalem have banded together to challenge the Empire for their independence.
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B1328.1 The Pope has called for a Holy Crusade to free Greece of the heathens. And the Emperor has answered the call to arms.
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B1328.7 The King of Aquitaine presented a demand to the Emperor that Duke Marçau Corrino of Granada be named Emperor.
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B1328.9 Duke Marçau Corrino of Granada was slain by assassins unknown.
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The Chronicle remained lightly documented through this time, with minor entries on the limited progress of the Crusade (which Francia remained out of, committing instead to the civil war first). There was gossip that the Emperor spent considerable periods of time away from his own castle visiting the Duchess of Aragon, shortly before she gave birth to Ubert Corrino...

Francia finally became active in the Crusade in 1330

B1330.4 A battle at Kalamata, where many brave sons of the Empire fell.
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Other defeats followed, but Francia remained stubborn.

B1330.12 Achaia is besieged of Francia. All Praise for the bravery of the Emperor and his soldiers.
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And then, the calendar turned to fateful year of 1331...

B1331.1 Brittany has again risen up in rebellion. Then an emissary arrived from the Emperor’s brother, Count Uhtred, who named himself pretender to the throne of Aragon. A second rebellion has formed.
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Frederick had named Uhtred Count of Gizeh to ease the management of the far flung realm, and as a gift to his brother. It was to prove a grave mistake, as Uhtred used his title to reinforce his claim upon the Kingdom of Aragon.
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B1331.4 an emissary arrived from King André of Aquitaine and named Savaric Corrino as pretender to the throne of Francia. A third rebellion has formed.
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The breadth of the fighting engulfed the entirety of the Francia, with loyalist and rebellious nobles called from throughout the Corrino dynasty and lands. Adventurers flocked to the fighting, and chaos spiralled out of control.
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Throughout this, Frederick continued to support the Crusade, which was won in March of 1332.
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A year later, in March of 1333 Duke Savarics Corrino died, and ended one of the rebellions. But the others continued to fare badly for the Emperor.
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And in September of that same year, Brittany won free of the Empire and gained its independence.
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Little else changed, as the war for Uhtred’s claim continued in a precarious balance with no advancement of the status on either side, and no one willing to accept a quiet peace. No other business of the realm was accomplished.

And then suddenly peace came by default with the murder of Emperor Frederick III in September of 1335.
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Notification

The AAR is at 1335, but the game is at 1447.
The story will begin moving pretty rapidly now, as things wind down.

If any lurkers have any questions about favorite regions, families, or events let me know and I will see what I can discover before things wrap up.
 
Frederick, Emperor of Francia, Fourth of his Name took the throne in his minority. Three of the last four emperors to sit on the throne of Francia had been murdered. It was not an auspicious time to become the youngest crowned ruler in Europe and head of the Corrino Dynasty...

Also, as far as peace... the death of Frederick III did not really bring peace except in the ephemeral hopes and dreams of those in the realm that wanted peace on the death of the ineffectual ruler. Frederick the IV inherited the claim war of his Uncle Uhtred trying to take the crown of Aragon.

And, that was not enough for some within the empire, namely Duke Guiges Corrino of Dauphiné who initiated a succession crisis and war in October of 1335 to put Uncle Uhtred on the throne of Francia itself.
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So, Frederick the IV was promptly beset with an active war to make Uhtred King of Aragon - a war that Uhtred was well on the way to winning. And a war to make Uhtred Emperor of Francia.

Bishop Duran of Sidi Barrani was regent, and a talented man, but his skills were clearly insufficient to aid in overcoming the diplomatic crisis that assailed the young emperor. In February of 1336, Uhtred won his war, and became King of Aragon and things looked grim.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem began to cause additional political pressure, leading a strong faction in an independence movement. This in the same time period as Uhtred won his claim on Aragon, In February of 1336.
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The empire decided it could not take on another rebellion and have any chance of victory, and Duran encouraged the young emperor to free Jerusalem from imperial obligations, which took place in April of 1336.
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(Player's Note: I couldn't take on another war, and I wanted to weaken Uhtred, in case I could make a move to fight back later...)

The war continued to fare poorly for Francia, however. A notable clash took place in October of 1336 at Girona. The Empire won, but the array of forces from documentation shows that the rebels were able to field a force in equal measure with the imperial army - including well outclassing them in heavy horse.
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Frederick IV reached his majority in May of 1338.
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He was able to enjoy the fruits of being emperor in his own right only briefly, as Uhtred II was installed upon the throne as Emperor of Francia in July of that same year.

Reduced to Duke Frederick V of Barcelona, the young ruler found himself in Emperor Uhtred’s dungeon.
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The astute reader would have noticed that variance from the D version of the Chronicle has not been mentioned since 1254. In fact, the D version ended and was no longer kept in 1278 with the passing of Emperor Frederick II. In the first and third editions of this work, we stopped there and proceeded to go back and analyze and evaluate the D version in greater depth and how it relates to the main understanding of history in this period.

This edition keeps those chapters at the end, but continued to follow the main line of the House of Corrino forward until the end of the B Chronicle, which bears it's final entry just before Uhtred usurped Frederick and seized the empire in 1338. In reality, the Chronicle was becoming more and more erratic and poorly documented from the end of Godfrey's reign in 1292.

For the sake of completeness, and to reflect the import of events in the waning years of the B chronicle, we will continue with a summary of events and personalities over the next several decades.

(Player’s Note: Or, said a different way, as the terrority got larger and larger, the strict chronicling approach became more and more unwieldy and overwhelming. I thought it was fun, and a little different in the early years, but eventually gave up in the chaos of the fall of the family in the last couple of reigns.

I hope people appreciated the style and it was not too difficult to follow. I will go for some more mundane historical summary style through the last years of the game, similar to the notations on the stumblings of Uhtred I and Frederick III.)
 
Duke Frederick V of Barcelona


In France, Tièrri I had inherited (in 1327) the kingdom of his mother Isabèla who Frederick III had made Queen in 1325. While his rule seemed just, he had his detractors and in 1339 the Duchess of Anjou started a civil war to in France to restore the French crown to the direct family of Rogier Corrino - Duke Frederick of Barcelona.
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Uhtred II passed away in 1339, and was inherited by his son, Emperor Aymar Corrinno

In January of 1341 a new regent for the Duchy of Barcelona was named - Salvador Corrino, brother to the imprisoned Duke and Spymaster for Barcelona. Salvador was also Frederick’s heir, so there was some concern on his part that Salvador may not have had the Frederick’s best interests at heart.
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Bishop Doumenge of Siwa, the Court Chaplain of Francia claimed Frederick had taken up with heretical ways in the dungeon. Emperor Aymar, was quick to absolve him of such claims, however.
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In July of 1345 the claim war for France ended in an inconclusive peace.
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In November of 1345 came the stunning news that the Duchy of Aragon had been granted independence from the Kingdom of Aragon and the Empire of Francia by Aymar.
This was a grievous blow for the hopes of Duke Frederick. He aspired to get free of prison and begin exerting influence within the empire to regain territories lost to him. Aymar in one swift act put those holdings even further from his reach.
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(This proved to be of little note, however, when the Duchy of Aragon again swore fealty to Aymar a few years later.)

In December of 1346 Frederick received further sad news that his young wife, with whom he had barely spent any time, had died.
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Frederick continued to languish, miserably in prison. His wife had perished, he had but a single vassal, and the empire over which he had once ruled was riven by civil war and stresses that Aymar seemed barely able to control.
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Finally, after nearly 2 decades, Duke Frederick was released of the dungeons of Emperor Aymar in December of 1357.
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He promptly married, determined to get an heir and begin ruling his duchy.
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(Player's Note: in this image you can see that the empire continued to experience extreme stress during Aymar's rule.)
 
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It seems that you have caused with your family a constant up and down in Europe :laugh:

And what is funny is that at this point it is nearly all a family on family mess.

I've gone back and looked at the title history for Castille, Scotland, and other kingdoms and the usurpations and squabbling between branches of the Corrino family is complex. Even when another dynasty gets involved, their claim often comes from relations with the Corrinos.

For example, Brittany was very dynamic in this period. In 1357 the King of Brittany was Mathieu Corrino. He was the third son of Eustache II, who had usurped the crown of his brother Manassès Corrino in 1330, who had in turn taken the crown in a succession crisis from Queen Ida Corrino (her rule had been very brief - less than a year) the daughter of Gaucher 'The Cruel' who had usurped Eustache III. That is, counting Eustache III from his death in 1329, Brittany had 5 monarchs in 4 years.

The lands of Brittany were also diverse, due to intermarriage of the Corrino family and resultantly odd inheritances - Brittany, Normandy, counties in Aragon and Provence, and within the heart of France.

I personally may have been beaten back to a minor duke, but it has been one of my most successful games in dynastic terms.
 
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In April of 1358 Duke Frederick was surprised to learn that the nobles in France still sought his return. King Tièrri I had passed in 1357. Duke Thierry and other wanted to oust the new King Jordan and install Frederick.
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In 1360 word arrived of the Timurids.
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(Player’s Note: more importantly - you can see the level of chaotic violence tearing at Francia in this image.)

In May of 1361 Frederick finally had an heir born...
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...and in 1363 a daughter followed, and another daughter in 1366.
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Emperor Aymar ‘The Great’ passed away in 1364. His son, Aymar II passed away promptly in 1365. Aymar III took the throne, but the transition failed to bring peace, as the rulers of the empire continued to battle and squabble. Frederick continued to remain aloof from the fighting, taking no sides but similarly not lifting a single levy to aid. Despite this, young Aymar made Frederick his steward in 1367.
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King Thomas as a Fraticelli who had drawn too much of the Pope’s ire, and a Crusade was called for Aquitaine in 1377.
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(Thomas died a year later, however, and when his Catholic son Julien inherited the Crusade was declared victorious.)

Aymar III failed to keep the Empire intact, and allowed more vassals to leave in later 1377.

Princess Chalice wed the King of Mauretania in 1379... who died just months later. (Arnau-Miró Corrino, his nephew, inherited him and was usurped, and then inherited Castille - nearly uniting the crowns of those independent kingdoms.)
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Sadly Chalice’s next marriage was not quite so prestigious.
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Then in early 1381, again a faction tried to restore Frederick as King of France. (King Jordan had been assassinated and inherited by his son in 1365. He succeeded in drawing the ire of many - prompting a revolt to restore Frederick, and then Emperor Aymar III died in battle against Savarics in 1386. Ultimately he was imprisoned by the Emperor, to never be released.)
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Then, the same occurred in Brittany in 1382. (Adelbert was the bastard son of Duke Eustache VI of Normandy - who had been King Eustache IV before being usurped. Adelbert had pressed his claim. He also eventually found himself in the imperial dungeons of Francia to never be released.)
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These never ended well, and Frederick again watched events without interceding.


In 1382 Princess Irulan wed King Gaucher of Aquitaine.
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(Player’s Note: nope. no idea why I have screenshots of daughters’ weddings and nothing for the boys.)



And then in January 1383, Duke Frederick V passed away.
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Interlude
And so passed Frederick V of Barcelona.

The great shame of the rule of Duke Frederick was lost opportunity. His 48 years was, by far, the longest reign of any of his predecessors. On the surface this would imply that he was a robust and effective ruler. But the first 20 years of his rule was spent locked in the dungeon of Emperors Uhtred II and Aymar I. And then, he sat around watching the empire burn and never lifted a finger. Barcelona was besieged repeatedly by various revolutionaries, but he never took a role in the fighting. He was a sad and unremarkable member of the family.