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adriankowaty

Monarchist Social Democrat
104 Badges
Nov 15, 2012
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Earldom of Berwick
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Current Head: Adrian of Pless, 20
Current heir: none
Titles: Earl of Berwick, Earl of Roxburgh
Vassal of: Duchy of Lothian
Dynasty: of Pless​
Adrian "of Pless" (about his 20s) - young, quite eccentric nobleman with ancestry amoung Silesian low nobility. His Grandfather, Casimirus was taken as hostage by Francian troops in campaign in Slavic borderlands in Silesian principalities. Little is known about who they're before, even their name, as they always considered themselves unworthy of any attention and decided to focus on their properties or loyal service among Silesian nobility.
After being captured, Joseph decided to stay in Francia. Given time, he has managed to improve his lifestandard and get low nobility title in Brenwick area. He was rather popular in his new home because of rather benevolent attidute and pure honestity. His son and Adrian's father, Henrik, followed Casimirus' way of life and spend his life on helping Berwick's lord managing state of the domain. Soon it was followed with intermarriage between Of Pless and of Berwicks and mutual friendship. Adrian was one of "results" of those intermarriages, being son of Henrik himself and Agatha Leofricsdohtor, youngest daugther of last of Berwick's earl of Beorwick, Leofric.
Adrian was raised as rather nervous, socially weak, shy, patient, stubborn and diligent person. Expected to serve as administrator or treasurer of of Berwick's county, Adrian spent most of his younghood on studying local law, how to calculate incomes and expenditures, basics of domain management and anything which would help him in his future designation. In fact, he always was passionated in those kinds of activities and showed interest in studying about those.
Adrian is, as I've written earlier, rather eccentric and unsociable person. Noone was interested to spend his time with him those, which was considered as blessing by him, because he centrailly disliked any kind of typical child activities. His only world was management - calculating incomes and expenses, planning what to do with domain and what not. As a child, he was known as someone who'd come to his mentor several times in a day, just to ask him as many questions as possible, state his own suggestions on those matters and discussing. It was considered weird even by his most diligent mentors, and as Adrian was problematic person each time, the earl of Berwick decided to teach him pesonally about domain's management affairs, in hope of turning him useful for his family's property.
When Adrian was 16 years old, something unpredicted has happened in the earldom of Berwick. Due to illness, earl Leofric died. To make thing even more spicy, he didn't had male heir, and as result there was problem about succesion in the Earldom. There was major quarrel about the council what to do. Somebody from council proposed to invite Adrian into council meeting to tell him about successy problem. He was youngest daughter's son, so he'd have nearly no chances to claim the throne, but the council was interested if Adrian would serve as administrator for time to choose new earl.
Adrian, being rather stubborn and rebelious said in response:
- I know that I've little to do in Earldom's politics and I'm considered as weird person, but why do you waste your time on personal fights for Earlship, while there's plenthora things to do NOW? What do you do, cause civil war there? What else? Plague? Peasant rebellion? Maybe we should give this land back to the Scottish? No, no and no. I'm weird, useless person from foreign low nobility family, that's true. I've little power nor authority over you and I'm considered as exotic character which could be easily calmed down permamently using a poison, hidden shortsword or so, but I won't allow you to ruin this Earldom. We're on borderlands, with Scots looking for to send their raiding party sooner or later, other nobles wishing to take down this Earldom by force or anything so wasting our strenghs on something as unimportant as who'd be Earl of this Earldom is last thing, which we should worry about. I DEMAND from you to elect an Earl to make sure there's someone. Do it now. Otherwise we all be died within following months. Just because someone will decide to kill ous all to get this crown.
Whole debate turned into stress for longer while due to Adrian's unpleasant reaction, but after a while, chancellor of Berwick said:​
- If you demand from ous to find someone suitable for Earls' crown, maybe shall it be you? You're weird indeed, eccentric and so, but I think that you should get your chance as a ruler. You're taught since childhood for management of domain, so let ous test your capabilities in practice. You're also only one of ous who already has last Earl's blood.
- Hm, I don't think that I've capabilities for being a Earl, but may I ask if you would advise me being a one? I don't want to ruin this earldom at all, and I think that I'm rather terrible in politics.
- Yes, you're. But there's no alternative except of you from legal sense. Leofric didn't have any male heir and all of his daughters were either sent to closter or died without childs. Agatha was only one to make a child, and you're only male descedant of of Berwick's family. We'll guide you in politics, but let you do whatever you want in terms of managing this Earldom.
- Ach, I understood I think.

This discussion, although weird and upredictable, even considering whole unpleasantness of Adrian and his straighforwarded answers was followed with placing Adrian as new Earl. Being young and rather unexpirienced, he still rellies on his council's suggestions, but tries his best to do something with the Earldom.




Sæthryd is the third daughter of a minor London noble. She joined Æthelheard's entourage at a young age, when he was still seen primarily in the light of his rebellious father. After he suddenly became heir to the throne she remained on staff at the insistence of Æthelheard himself: Her patience and kindness had endeared her to the king-to-be, and her genuine lack of ambition made her acceptable to Earl Leofræd, who was increasingly taking control of Æthelheard's life.

Shortly after Æthelheard's coronation, she was presented to Earl Adrian as a potential wife at Leofræd's suggestion. While she was hesitant to leave the king's side, just as he was hesitant to surrender such a loyal servant, she quickly grew fond of of the young Earl and eventually both she and the king would concede that it was meant to be.
 
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The court is finally open and foreing dignitaries are allowed to come.
I'd ask where to place orders for development, management or so. They're not supposed to be hidden, rather official, and I plan to plainly develop Berwick mostly.
 
Close Friends Part 1

A courtier arrives in Berwick hailing from the neighboring court of Lothian, his clothing splendid and barely faded from the journey. He holds an aura of conviction about him, as he bears the duty of bringing one of his lords most important letters to an unfamiliar face. After being searched by guards, the courtier is brought into the court and his letter is handed to Eorl Adrian himself. After spending a while eyeing the odd Silesian, truly an unfamiliar sight in England, he retreats from the court, awaiting to return a letter to his lord.

To the most noble Eorl Adrian of Berwick,

I shall not lie, your family is unknown to me. To my knowledge, you have no great legacy in England, no long standing family, and are a foreigner in our vast realm. As well as this, the land you rule over is weak and close to the Northern Barbarians. This shall make the future times of trouble and uncertainty particularly dangerous for you, and I fear you may even fall to the ruthless savages. However, I have sent my fair delegate to propose an alternative, vassalage underneath my realm. When our fair King dies, and his uncertain heir takes over, times will be dark, and the new King will need powerful allies. Your vassalage, and the realms surrounding yours, will allow for a strong duchy, capable of supporting our fair king and repulsing the barbaric Scots. If you choose to serve underneath me, you and your subjects shall be treated as a friend and I will vow to protect your holdings from the ravages of war. As such, I hope you will agree to join me as a vassal and friend, and help petition our fair King for the creation of a Northern Duchy.

Please consider my offer, your fellow vassal and hopeful friend, Regent Alfred of Lothian​
 
The Earl welcomes messenger openly and with kind of, somewhat naive, honestity. He asks politely about the letter and takes it from the messenger. He asks his scriptor for a piece of pergamin and a pen with incaust.
Your Serene Highness,
I'm honored with your noble proposal. I'm interested in joining your petition for enstablishing Lothian as Duchy.
In fact I feel more securer when I'm under your control. You're stronger noble than me so you can keep me secured from external threats.
I agree with that, that young king should be kept alive and ruling. In fact I think that wasting time on fighting among themselves for bribery is something weird in terms of civilized politic.
Actually, economists only care about multiplying numbers. Nothing more.
What I direktly want to do is to just build this economy in terms of suppliying your subjects.
I know that I can't speak properly. In fact, I only want, or rather need, to make it simply working.
Rulling over realm isn't simply placing money there or else. In fact, most important is to just supply subjects with what they need: food, tools, clothes, candery and all. I know that most export economics tend to work simply on conquering the market, but in fact I just want to make sure that Englishmen will be able to teach themselves about how to make those things.
I know that every other merchant wants simply money, but I actually only need a chance.
Because whole time all what I want to do is to just teach the people about building themselves.
I'm weird, I know that. But all what I want is to just make the country functioning, without being flooded in spirale of debt. In terms of my family I just want to have a teach myself a bit.
Loyal to English cause,
Earl Adrian.​
 
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A letter arrives from Buckingham:

To Earl Adrian of Pless,

I send this regarding the ill news from the royal court. Although I have no doubt word has long since reached your realm, I fear that news of the king's sudden illness still has yet to truly take hold in most of England. His reign has been ongoing for longer than most of us have been alive, and even in my own court there's almost a sense of denial: No-one will outright say it, but there seems to be this unspoken assumption that he will recover shortly and bless us with another hundred-years of rule.

I, however, fear this is not the case, and with Prince Æthelheard's elevation to heir being so recent I fear he may not be ready to hold the crown. It's for this reason that I write to you, hoping to find an ally in my attempts to keep this realm united should the worst take place and we lose our dear king: The prosperity that Æthelbald's reign brought us has made us far richer than any of our predecessors, and I believe we owe it to him to keep his kingdom united even after his passing.

Sincerely,
Leofræd, Earl of Middlesex​
 
A letter arrives from Buckingham:

To Earl Adrian of Pless,

I send this regarding the ill news from the royal court. Although I have no doubt word has long since reached your realm, I fear that news of the king's sudden illness still has yet to truly take hold in most of England. His reign has been ongoing for longer than most of us have been alive, and even in my own court there's almost a sense of denial: No-one will outright say it, but there seems to be this unspoken assumption that he will recover shortly and bless us with another hundred-years of rule.

I, however, fear this is not the case, and with Prince Æthelheard's elevation to heir being so recent I fear he may not be ready to hold the crown. It's for this reason that I write to you, hoping to find an ally in my attempts to keep this realm united should the worst take place and we lose our dear king: The prosperity that Æthelbald's reign brought us has made us far richer than any of our predecessors, and I believe we owe it to him to keep his kingdom united even after his passing.
To quiet Earl Leofræd of Middlesex:
I'm definetely in support for keeping young grandson of King as his succesor. Causing overall anarchy in the Kingdom isn't what I'd apply for, as there's a need for enstablishing stable relations in the North aswell. I'm on borderline with weak earldom to mantain and I definetely don't want to have my subjects suffering from civil war nor Scottish invasion at all. I'd propose - if that's not a problem - for enstablishing borderline Duchy of Lothian as administrative distinction in North to reunite the Duchy and stabilize border with Scots and Straghlycyde Picts. I know that it's demanding, but supporting Regent of Lothian in enstablishing Duchy would help ous keeping control of the North. I'd advise for keeping an eye on Wulf's family, as I definetely don't want to have any war with Northern neighbours, no matter how poor they're. In fact, I'm interested in enstablishing stable and foremost relationships with the Scots and Welsh, because trading with them will be far more profitful and secure for country, than notoriously riding and fighting them.
Sincerely,
Earl Adrian of Pless, Earl of Berwick.