De Hautevilles- Can Anyone Stop the Norman Invasion?

[hjarg]

Quiet Times

The problem with the Normans had always been that there is too much to conquer, but too little time. Norman Kings and Emperors always had to make hard choices about whom to conquer now and whom to conquer later. For example, when Adelise was busy with her subjugation of England, she waited four years before giving new Kaiser the traditional coronation gift. And ignored things happening in the East.

Sayer had conquered far and wide and no longer had this problem. Now, he had run out of targets. Not like there was much left of... Golden Horde and Ilkhanate. Norway, still fighting off the hosts. Taurica, soon to be integrated to Norman Empire. Remnants of Denmark and Holy Roman Empire. Zuravid Emirate in the Arabian Peninsula. One more independent ruler there. And oh, the Kingdom of Ireland, still ruling proudly in the island of Shetland. This is it- rest of the world is Roman Empire of Norman nations. Sayer... well, Sayer had truce with everyone apart from Taurica and Ireland. What was left was small pickings.

From September 1327 to November 1327, Sayer attacked the County of Kulm, formerly part of the Duchy of Smaland. Now, attacking the Duke for some reason or another. Well, and giving Normans a chance to come and end whatever obscure reason Kulm had to rebel. The enemy was crushed quickly and after naming the County Chelmno, it was integrated to the Roman Empire.

Duke (or King, as he called himself) Torgils of Polotsk died in June 1327 at the age of 13. His father inherited the Duchy- but his father had turned Cathar. So, Sayer ordered his death and in October 1327, he was filled with so many arrows that people thought he would be oversized hedgehog. Distant relative, Bjorn, took over. As a result from November 1327 to March 1328, Normans conquered Polotsk. The two-province duchy fell quite easily.

In May 1328, Sayer declared two minor wars to gain two minor holdings: City of Russ in Scalovia, part of Duchy of Samogitia, and Castle of Malmö in Skane. Both holdings fell by the end of July.

Meanwhile, Poul Estrid had gathered his host and went to conquer Normandy. He gathered 30 000 soldiers and in August, he was attacked by 65 000 Normans outside the city of Turku in Finland. He managed to save half his men and retreat to Aland. From there, Normans attacked him once again and he fled to Uppsala. In October, Normans killed off his army, captured Poul and this was the end of his adventure.

Now a wise move- attacking the Normans. I think Poul got it wrong- No-one can stop the Norman Invasion, not No Norman can Stop the Invasion!

Another adventurer had more luck. Rolf Estrid had managed to take over Jylland. Well, luck is a strange term, for in November 1328, Sayer declared war on him, claiming county of Jylland. Also, the truce Count Halfdan of Holmgard, former Duke of Estonia, was coming to an end. It was time to relieve him of the last of his provinces. Jylland fell in January, Holmgard in March 1329.

Then, it was all peace until in December 1329, King Arne of Norway managed to beat of two hosts claiming his Kingdom. Same day, he was no longer King of Norway, for Sayer usurped that title. New King, Odo I, was the former Duke of Vestlandet. The usurpation of Norway did not splinter the realm much though. Most of it remained under King Arne, now King of Trondelag. Only Iceland broke free- and that is where the Normans went.

In December 1329, Sayer declared war on Duke Guderik of Iceland, claiming Austisland. Holy War was apparently out of the question, but since Sayer was liege of King of Norway, he had legal claim on Iceland anyway. Nearly 50 000 soldiers from Scotland and England sailed there and by February 1330, Normans had taken half of the strange island so far north, where men can not sow.

King Odo, new King of Norway, his lands. And overall view of Norman conquests in North.

In the meantime, vassals of Sayer were also busy. Germany got Bremen that was still independent, Finland attacked Kandalax and took the province and Jerusalem took Tabuk, last holding of the Futuhoid Emirate, former holders of Mecca and Medina.

Finally, in February 1330, something happened. Khagan Aguchu of the Ilkhanate died comatose in bad. Incapable for god knows how long, gods finally had mercy on him and he passed away at age of 38. His 12-year old son Tamachi was the next Khagan and Normans begun sharpening their swords, for true war was about to begin...

The new Khagan

Still, since the war with Ilkhanate ended in July 1327, Normans had spent 2,5 years going practically nothing. That was about to change now.

 

[hjarg]

Again, we work under strange meaning of the word "Quiet". In this case, "Quiet" obviously means 8 wars fought by Sayer, 3 more by his vassals and total of 9 provinces and 2 minor holdings gained, plus one invasion fought back. But truly, there is nothing to write about them. All wars were fought under same logic- declare war, overwhelm, bring peace, rinse and repeat.

Nikolai - aye, i'm mighty proud of that myself!

MondoPotato - thanks a lot!

SirkTheMonkey - Well, i think that falling on a safety knife 20 times and dieing is more painful... And since there is soon nothing more to do then wait for other rulers to die, then- yes, that tradition will be extended.

DensleyBlair - Taking over the world is a good possibility, though i'm not 100% certain i'll manage to pull it off. To make it happen, i have to kill Khagans right and left. Though i think i'll pull it off. And Sayer- well, you can be unscrupulous when you are the Emperor of the Empire that dwarfs the former Roman Empire. As for more- the wars take up so much that i haven't really written about him, have i? I'll think about it.

 

[Ricardo Rolo]

I *think* you can do a WC, but you will need to fracture the Khanates to do so and maybe get some help from the Timurids ( suposing that they come near 1360 and not in the 1400s ). I strongly suggest you start sending knifes left and right since that if you let the Khagans die of old age, you really don't have a chance. You had the big bonus of becoming a heretic when you became strong enough to tackle the catholic world, a thing that surely helped you a lot compared with staying catholic ( thus not being able to blitz Europe with Holy wars), so you are clearly on schedule for a WC ( TBH I am 100% sure it would be almost impossible to get a WC as a Catholic unless you luck out in the mariages and grab kingdoms left and right instead of munching them piecemeal ) ... if you only had started the flood in , let's say, 1350, it would surely too late.

On this update, one more kingdom, some minor squabbles ( really, the Old Gods adventurers should look like mosquitoes to you ) ... yeah, nothing out of the ordinary at this point. Just keep doing the good job

 

[DensleyBlair]

I haven't got TOG yet - these 'hosts' look like an interesting feature.

Wonderful to see conquest of (half of) Iceland! Surely nothing can stop the Normans taking over the world now? I'd agree, though - you need to be sending some daggers out thick and fast. That Horde won't eat itself

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

I have to agree with Densley, Hosts do look like they'd be an interesting feature, if you weren't a continent-spanning empire. I'm glad that your boredom didn't lead you to turn on the poor 'Irish' 'king'. What's your gold situation like? Could you afford to keep assassinating Khagans or somehow seeding civil wars so that the Norman war machine doesn't need to sit in neutral?

 

[grumphie]

i bet that with a realm THAT size, you can easly pay for a LOT of assasinations. if only because your holdings are fully upgraded and the onl real money sink is retinues

you really need to make some haste grabbing the eastern part of the world. there are a lot of duchies left, and once the northern and southern conqusts dry up you'll be fighting mongols full time.

 

[hjarg]

To the Unknown Seas!

Persian Gulf

It was in April 1330, when Sayer decided it would be good time to give Khagan Tamachi the traditional coronation gift. Three Norman armies were already in position and the target this time was Basra. Four provinces in the Persian Gulf, and just enough to create Kingdom of Mesopotamia. Again, the provinces were not what would be most comfortable to conquer- desert, high attrition and of course, heavily defended fortresses. Two armies were sent to siege while another did a quick tour in the neighbourhood to crush nearby armies.

First conquest happened actually in June 1330, when one of the northern armies crossed the borders and took the new home of Khagans in Don Portage.

Norman armies doing their business in Basra and surrounding lands

By September, Khagan had managed a small army of 10 000 soldiers to cross the border of Mesopotamia from the North. They were defeated quickly outside Rutbah. Also, the Norman armies sieging had made a few assaults, so some of the holdings were in Norman hands. But not enough to even call one Duchy their own... So, when Khagan made a proposition in November 1330 to give up, all were surprised. Of course, Sayer accepted gladly.

Basra was Norman and thus, Sayer created Kingdom of Mesopotamia. The title was given to eldest son of Sayer and King Ferant now ruled over the eastern map of the Empire. With that war, Normans had managed to push their borders further into east then Normans had ever did and now, Normans washed their feet in the Persian Gulf to celebrate.

Sayers firstborn, King Ferant- and his new lands!

Brotherly Love

Simon de Hauteville was not a happy man. Son of Simon, grandson of Adelise. And his brothers... Well, Sayer was the Augustus of the Roman Empire. Wymund was the King of Sweden. Guntard was a King of Poland. Oswulf was at least Count of Bari. He was... nothing. Just another courtier in the Roman Empire and that is it. So no wonder that in desperation, Simon decided to do something stupid. Like talking around the capital that he should be the Emperor and how he would reward people who would be loyal to him and so on. And people listened. Especially that rewarding part. So, by July 1330, Simon had enough followers to bring his plan to action.

Palermo, the capital of the Roman Empire of Norman People had been quiet and peaceful. Last time the enemy had managed to put their foot on the island was back in 1188, during time of Bohemond, the first Emperor. Bohemond was still and King when Gerbert, Duke of Galilee raised his flags in rebellion and sailed to siege Palermo. Since that, no enemy had put their foot in the Island and Sicily had prospered.

Now, suddenly, 30 000 hostile troops appeared around the capital. Simon had hoped to take Monreale, the seat of Sayer, in a quick surprise assault, but he forgot how awesome the castle was. High and thick walls, moats, towers and lots of garrisoned troops. With the surprise, he managed to take the forecastle, but then he was stopped, driven back from forecastle and had to start siege.

When Simon held Palermo under siege, it also meant that he got the better part of the Sayer’s troops locked in the province. Of course, that didn’t stop Sayer much and by August, he had gathered a force of 65 000 soldiers, both from his personal levies and from nearby vassals. By September, soldiers of Simon. Well, these soldiers of Simon that survived the massacre, were on the run. Nearly 17 000 had been killed, rest run to Girgenti where in the end of September, they were killed to the last man.

Simon trying his best, but failing miserably...

In the end, Simon managed to get to Monreale. But only to the dungeons part.

Manure Explosion

When Norman envoys went to Khagan to sign the peace treaty, they did their best to find out how accidents could happen to Khagan Tamachi. With a lot of gold to spare, they found plenty of friends who were willing to help the new Khagan to depart from this world. And new Khagan would die in the most strange way- manure was placed under the floorboards of the inn Khagan frequented. And when he sat down, boom! The manure was ignited and Tamachi was in small pieces.

Now, there is a strange way to go. Plus, the new Khagan.

New Khagan was Nahku, uncle of Tamachi and son of the Badai the Conqueror. Besides him, only two living members of the Badai Dynasty were left.

 

[hjarg]

Another war, another kingdom. It also means i have about 20k extra troops i can draw from Middle East with one click of the button. And... poor Simon. No wonder he doesn't rule over anything.

Ricardo Rolo - Should be manageable, yes. I still have about 110 years left, meaning if i conquer Duchy every now and then but more often then every 10 yeas, i'll be more then on schedule. As for daggers- well on my way, as you can see. Or i'd like to differentiate- manure this time!
As for catholic WC- it should be doable. But you need to play lot of attention to the claimant game. Should be easier once you reach the Emperor title- then you can take on Kingdoms, not just Duchies. But i've managed quite a few Italian conquest before i turned Cathar on claims alone. The pace was slower, yes. Mostly because the claimant game is a true chore. Same way, i expanded into Byzantion though.

DensleyBlair - Yes, TOG is good. Not only because of the hosts, but also raiding. They have messed up the rebels though, now they need a bit more attention instead of duck hunt. And the fact that when you raise levies, they start at low morale makes things works. But hosts prove at least some challenge- as you can see here.
And we have manure and daggers, who could win over such a combination?

SirkTheMonkey - Hosts are at least better then rebels. And i've actually had two Hauteville hosts going for conquest. One against Golden Horde, one against Taurica. Unfortunately, both were defeated.
I think i'll leave Ireland for dessert And he just won a war against former Norway, so i'm proud of the poor bastard!
As for gold- i currently have ~6000 and i'll make a bit over 120 per month. With not much to spend on but bribes, so money hasn't been a problem for ages. I've just built shipyards, but that's about it.

grumphie - Assassinations on the way. So far, i've managed to live on plots, not true assassins though. Gives me a bit breathing time. But the Duchies in the east are huge and their number is not that high actually. We'll see.

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

I wonder what would happen if the entire Badai dynasty was extinguished. Does someone with claims automatically take the role of Khagan, does the most powerful vassal get the top spot, or just the title just go vacant?
How far away are we from getting an overview of the Empire again? I'm wondering what the western European vassals have been up to since there's nothing really left to do (and by do I mean conquer) in those parts.

 

[Ricardo Rolo]

I wonder what would happen if the entire Badai dynasty was extinguished. Does someone with claims automatically take the role of Khagan, does the most powerful vassal get the top spot, or just the title just go vacant?
How far away are we from getting an overview of the Empire again? I'm wondering what the western European vassals have been up to since there's nothing really left to do (and by do I mean conquer) in those parts.

The title will shift to the closest living relative of the Badai IIRC unless they are going pure Agnatic. If they are ... well, TBH, I'm not sure.

On, the update proper :

I would take the Simon adventuring as a warning , though. Your family has too much people with too much claims doing nothing , I assume ( I do remember the ammount of useless family members I had in my Hispania game ( that is rotting in vines since my CK II capable comp decided to fry it's graphs board :/ ) ) and I already expressed my worries with the Kings of the faraway kingdoms, especially when Ambitous and/or with claims to the Empire. remember that Sayer will not live forever and that the next ruler ( whoever it is ) will have to deal with the guys that Sayer made Kings or their sons ( neither will have a reason to feel grateful to the new Emperor ) or disgrunted nobodies with too much time and claims in the hands ... Just be careful

 

[adamclason]

After a week of slow reading at work I finally caught up and wow, what a ride. Most excellent AAR!

 

[hjarg]

To the Eastern Edge of the Known World

Turkestan is Calling

With the tragic accident involving manure and Khagan Tamachi and a lot of explosions, Sayer was yet again free to declare war on the Ilkhanate. One could say that Normans were in a really good mood, for fresh coronation gifts were becoming a yearly tradition. As was the unfortunate demise of the Khagans.

In March 1331, Norman target was the Duchy of Turkmenistan. It was one of the biggest Duchies in the world, reaching from the shores of Caspian Sea to the northern half of the Aral sea. Luckily for Normans, Mongols hadn’t settled in properly just yet. It meant that Norman armies marched to province, assaulted half-defended provinces and took over holdings quicker then Mongols could say “Damn”. Two Sayer’s armies plus one from Georgia took the Duchy with Blitz and by October 1331, Normans had won.

Normans in Turkestan

Turkestan was properly Norman and with that, Sayer achieved three things. First, Normans had reached the eastern end of the known world. From there, rumours told of strange lands, when are men with heads of the beasts and witches and evil and all that. At least, no Norman dared to march east of the line to find out. Second, Ilkhanate was cut into half. Northern part in Siberia, Southern in Middle East and Normans in the middle. Third, Sayer now had enough provinces to make Khazaria, the biggest of his vassal Kingdoms.

From Crimea to the eastern edge, the Kingdom dwarfed every other Norman Kingdom. If it grows even more, the Kingdom will be the size of half of Europe. It was a risk, but the reward was also great- a strong host at the most troublesome part of the Empire, ready to be called on moment’s notice. Plus, though geographically, the lands were vast, the population was sparse, the provinces not the richest and some European Kingdoms, like Germany, were even more powerful.

Henry, Duke of Itil, was granted the throne and with it, newly conquered Turkestan and with that, Duchies of Crimea, Azov, Alania and Sarkel.

Now, this is Khazaria in vassal view. Mighty impressive piece of land.

War for Damman

The same time Sayer declared war on Ilkhanate, he also declared war on Damman, a two-province independent Emirate in the Arabian peninsula. There, his Norman troops were granted no easy conquest. One thing is sure- Arabs know how to build and how to make the life miserable for besieging troops. Of course, that also shows their decline, for they had forgotten how to attack. Forced on defensive, what was left of the great flood that followed Muhammed and nearly swallowed the western world was just waiting to be eaten up.

One thing is certain- your walls are never strong enough to hold off determined Normans. In December 1331, Damman was Norman. Southern Norman armies were now sent marching to Abyssinia, where (when they eventually get there), they will attack last of the Southern duchies.

Advancing into Arabian Peninsula

Last Remnants of the Holy Roman Empire

In December 1331, truces with the last two remaining Duchies of the former Holy Roman Empire had run out. Hermann von Nordheim of Smaland and Folkmar de Perugia of Uppland both received their declarations of war and as usual, Normans from all over Europe sailed to the Baltic Sea to wreck havoc on the rulers there.

Folkmar actually managed to get over 10 000 soldiers to defend himself, though of no avail. In Battle of Vaksala, his troops met in the field of battle gainst 55 000 Normans. It still took thee battles to totally defeat forces of Folkmar, but by that, the war was over.

Smaland gave up in March, ceding his two provinces to Normans. In April, Folkmar followed his suit and Uppland was also Norman. With that, Normans not only gained two Duchies, but they were finally in total control of the Baltic Sea. Finland had meanwhile taken Tavastehus and Norway was fighting in Iceland and of course, winning. In Europe, nothing remained but remnants of Denmark and Norway.

Baltic Sea has a nice shade of purple this time of a year

Yet Another Khagan Bites the Dust

Nahku had been Khagan for about a year when he met an unfortunate accident of poisoned wine. Badai the Younger, yet another son of the founder of the Dynasty, took the throne. Normans were already knocking on their doors...

Now, this is becoming a tradition fast

 

[hjarg]

Yet again, i'm ignoring the strange cultural restrictions of making Kingdoms. Basically, the game is trying to say that unless you are a Khazar (and i don't think any are left), you cannot create Khazaria. Well, following my logic, there is nothing wrong when Sayer wants to create Khazaria too. Who's the Emperor after all? And i really like the fact that you can get huge amount of soldiers with a click of the mouse!
Anyways, Normans control the Baltic Sea! Yippi!

SirkTheMonkey- Seeing as i've played a bit ahead, i can tell you that Aral dynasty just took over again. Decadence 70% for the win. And killing the last Khagan cost me about 4000 gold... Price of ninjas is on a rise in Europe, it seems.
As for the realm, here you go!

All is more or less quiet. Had some de jure claim wars and Aquitaine is currently enjoying a succession crisis, but all else is normal. The main problem is though that once the fighting starts, they can call in allies. And allies being the Hautevilles of the whole world... so minor conflict over one province becomes sport for all Hautevilles in my demesme.

Ricardo Rolo - went to strongest vassal, i think. Though i'm not sure as well.

As for civil war, i'm well aware of the problem. Sayer is not getting younger and all that and there is good chance that some Kings decide to take his heir on. But! There comes good upbringing. Good stats, positive traits. The prestige bonus (you'll get +20 in no time, hell, if you marry another de Hauteville, you're almost there) is nice and you get +15 for being Augustus too. I think that born to purple also accounts for something. Plus, imperial diplomacy alone makes eyes of most people shine. And if all else fails, there are bribes and daggers. So, i think i'll handle the problem.

adamclason - whoa, it's not long as Robert Jordan, but by now, it's still quite a read. Glad you liked it!

Next time: (heavy, heavy, heavy spoilers ahead- kicking Mongols in their privates!)

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

My inner cartographer weeps at seeing that giant map name ruined, but my inner graphics aficionado is happy that it's no longer blown up large enough to see the pixels of the original image. I can't believe that anyone would want to be a Khagan now given how quickly they have 'accidents'. Thanks for the image of Europe. Is southern Spain made of republics or is there another reason that there's no Andalusia?

 

[Ricardo Rolo]

Andalusia is only creatable ingame if you are of Arabic culture. Not that the OP couldn't have done the exact same that he did with Khazaria, though ... but given he also destroyed the Aragonese crown, I'm not sure that he actually wants more kingdoms in Iberia.

On the update: well, I think that the Badai should thank Sayer for helping them to keep decadence in check ... *devil* BTW the badai have no originaly in the names: just look at the new Khagan, Badai Badai Notthat he will live much longer to suffer the deserved mocking a name like that entails

BTW and as we are talking of Mongols, I sense a lack of flying daggers to the catholic ones. I agree that in average the southern horde lands are better to take, but you need something to do in between now that only a couple of provinces west of the Vistula are to be taken. Besides , there seems to be a couple of duchy-sized independent realms in between you and GH, so a quick war or two could be useful ...

 

[DensleyBlair]

It seems I missed an update – I do apologise.

In any case, all you need to do now is control Finnmark – then you can style yourself as 'Emperor of the Four Corners of the World.'

You've got a good heir, it would seem – it must be the slug balancing

Looking forward to the next one.

 

[hjarg]

Yet Another Sea

Further North

Badai Badai, the new Khagan, had a gift coming to him. Normans were not shy and Aktobe, a three-province Duchy north of Turkmenistan, was the next target. Sayer declared war in April 1332. Besides two Norman armies a host from newly formed Kingdom of Khazaria was recruited to join the fun. Total 27 000 Normans from a fresh Kingdom- not bad.

Two Norman armies attacked the Duchy while Khazarian soldiers took Don Portage, the capital of the Khanate. By November, the Badai felt bloodied enough to give up. The same night, poor Badai felt the power of ninjas as the was stabbed to death. This was becoming quite usual already.

Pushing further North

His 14-year old brother, Ajinai Badai, took over. Unfortunately, Khagan Nahku had managed to get one of his wifes pregnant. A son was born and now, Badai had a new heir. Still, with Ajinai and his cousin, the Badai family was down to two.

News From All Over the World

King Odo of Norway finished his conquest of Iceland, making the island totally under Norman control. They still cannot sow there, but i’m sure they will learn to do so under enlightened Norman rule.

A mercenary called Horkhudagh took over Oman, one of the Duchies from Zuravid Emirate. Now, the Emirate was down to Harare in the Abyssinian lands, and three Norman armies were marching to that direction. Horkhudagh soon celebrated his conquest by declaring war on Mongols, claiming the last remaining province of Oman from them.

Also in April 1332, Sayer declared war on Baron of Theiheim, in the county of Würtzburg. He was a vassal of Duke of Uppland and was now free. In May, the castle was Norman and with that, Sayer had finished his conquest of Germany.

Conquest of Germany finished

In September 1332, Sayer had another son, called Joscelin. It was his 15th child and the first he could trust his Empire to. Now, Sayer only had to live as long as young Joscelin grows up. That is slowly becoming a problem, for Sayer was already 45 years old.

Finally, a worthy heir!

Next Duchy, Please

This time, the target was Tyumen, even further North in Khazarian lands. Four provinces this time. Again, it wasn’t much of a fight. Two Norman armies advanced to Tyumen, sieging and pillaging on their way while Khazarian troops marched to Don Portage and yet again plundered home of the Khagans. The war was fought from December 1332 to May 1333 and in the end, Normans had gotten themselves yet another province.

Yet another duchy...

This time though, instead of knives, Sayer decided to plot, give his armies some rest and turn his attention elsewhere.

Conquest of the Black Sea

Also in December 1332, Sayer finally decided to take care of matters much closer to his home. Despot Isaakios de Hauteville of Taurica was grand-grand-grand-grand etc son of Robert Guiscard himself. While Sayer was direct descendant of first son of Robert, Bohemond, Isaakios was coming from the line of Robert’s fourth son, Odo. Odo had been married off to Byzantium, to Duchess Chrysorgyne of Samos. Sons of Odo were Orthodox and called themselves Greek, but they were still de Hautevilles, flesh and blood.

Odo de Hauteville, the reason why there are Greek Hautevilles

Though Hautevilles ruled for quite some time and were even independent rulers of great parts of Anatolia for a while, their main line died out. Side branch of the family had ruled the Northern edge of the Black Sea though since the beginning of 13th Century.

Now, it was time to unite the families. Eldest daughter and heir of Isaakios, Adriana, was married to son of Sayer, also named Sayer. Couple lived in Imperial court in Palermo and in the beginning of 1331, a male heir was born to them. A boy called Errand. Proper Norman and proper Cathar. It was time.

In December 1332, Sayer decided to press the claim of Adriana on Taurica. Armies from Bulgaria and Georgia, some of Sayer’s personal hosts from Byzantion and from nearby Duchies sailed and marched all to Taurica. A bit over 80 000 Normans was used in taking the Kingdom. 20 000 for each of the provinces. The meager troops of Isaakios were destroyed and by March, the Duchy was overrun.

Lately, it has become easier and easier to overkill

Isaakios was forced to give up and bow to his own daughter as the next Queen. Isaakios still had most of the lands, but he will soon die and Adriana will inherit them all. And when she dies, a proper de Hauteville takes throne and finally unites the eastern and western Hautevilles. The Black Sea was Norman.

The Purple Black Sea

 

[hjarg]

More Mongols and soon, there will be none but Mongols. Norman Siberia is looking more better every day though!

SirkTheMonkey - well, to console you, here are some more big letters on the map! Roman Empire is getting even more pixellated. And better to die as Khagan then as pauper? As for Andalusia- what Ricardo Rolo said- you had to be Andalusian and by the time i decided that screw it, i'll do it anyway, i had it conquered. And yes, there are merchant republics in it too.

Ricardo Rolo - first, as you can see, i solved the Taurica case much more easily and with less blood. Now i only have to remember to educate young Errand- to keep him away from his mothers Greek ways.
Catholic ones are next. I'll give Muslim ones some rest now. As for these Duchies- truce, truce, truce. Once it's over, they will fall.

DensleyBlair - and i was worried already that no-one likes me anymore! Finnmark will come soon, the truce is about to end. Finally got the heir!

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

True Norman heir at last. I didn't realise that Taurica was only four provinces. For some reason I had assumed that it covered roughly the de jure area it should have. To continue my tradition of asking tangential questions, do you know why there are vassal armies raised in that Black Sea screenshot? Georgia seems to have a few small stacks and there are two 10+K stacks at the top left of the image.

 

[cyrileom]

Assuming Sayer dies while his chosen heir is still an infant(or someone else inherits, seeing as how your screenshot didn't show him as your heir), how large of an uprising do you expect to occur?