• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
A rather unwelcome side affect of modding in a new sovereignty is that all of the CoA's are jumbled around. A constituent county/duchy/kingdom's CoA will take the place of the original one. For example, Frisia becomes the HRE. Very often, England will change to Northumberland, and Hungary will become Pecs, IIRC.

Maybe I am just an old V2 modder who last edited a file two years ago but IMHO deleting the content of C:\Documents and Settings\...\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Crusader Kings II\gfx\flags (or sth like that) should do the trick. Maybe.
 
Maybe I am just an old V2 modder who last edited a file two years ago but IMHO deleting the content of C:\Documents and Settings\...\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Crusader Kings II\gfx\flags (or sth like that) should do the trick. Maybe.

I have seen that suggested before, though I've never tried it myself - it is meant to work.

As for V2 modding, I actually tried my hand at it for the first time today. I'm now the proud ruler of my own little insignificant-European-nation-cum-sort-of-colonial-power :)
 
grumphie - my stack is bigger! :p And you can even sort out troops like that? Didn't even know it was possible...

no, you cant. but you CAN go through a giant list of your levies and just throw out all church and town levies and castles low on heavy inf. throw in some more shock retinue's and you got a flank thats very heavy on heavy inf and thus has a very good chance on a roll on shieldwall. not really worth the hassle in singleplayer at your size(defeating the mongols head on) but a very nice trick in a even fight in MP or just when fighting someone who outnumbers you. its especially effiecient for the russians and irish, and very effiecient for saxons and scandinavians as well: they get a 500heavy inf retinue(irish and russians with +60%defence). throw in armies of 10000 heavy inf with maybe 1000-2000 cav from the cav retinue and you got an almost guaranteed good tactic(feint or shieldwall), an army that annialates most levies in direct combat and with a decent number of cav for the chase. in your case you can assemble a few shock retinues so you get 2000 heavy inf, 500 archers(very good shieldwall combination) a flank and add your heavy cav retinue for utter destruction in the melee fase.

another fun trick is simply buying a shitton of the cheapest retinue(bonus points for the ethiopian light inf) and mindlessly throwing them at castles and armies not minding the costs(so have some gold ready) so your opponent simply gets overwhelmed by sheer numbers. grabbing the skirimish retinue gives 500 troops for 600 points and some gold and a few stacks of them can be really effiecient in diveritng attention when fightng someone like the HRE or emp. of persia. sneak one or two in the back, run one into the hart of his empire in a mad dash where you attack his personal demene and small armies while you move your real army into position can really help, especially when youre caught of guard. if they neglect them you can grab some lands behind his back and kill some armies. if he goes chase them he cant bother you at the real front. you win anyway. also helps with factions as they look at the % troops,and with 100k retinue points that almost 100k as well, in addition to regular levies.
 
Fighting for the Catharism. Kind of...

Taking rest of Portucale


As Kaiser Leopold was happily embracing Catharism, his vassals shared a mixed reaction to it. Some, seeing the Catholic fate was at it’s low point, Catharism rising and quickly on it’s way to become prominent faith it Europe, joined the Kaiser. Some were shocked, retreated to praying or drinking (in some cases, both). It was said that the poor Pope had a heart attack. Some vassals on the other hand thought it to be a perfect chance to get rid of the Kaiser. King Renauld of France was the first amongst them- along with the King Vojtech I of Bohemia and Count Norbert of Braganza and Castelo Branco. Vojtech was of no interest to Normans, as for two others...

Armies of Adelise were already on boats, sailing to Ireland, when an order came to change course. The original plan was to send up one army to Portugal while other two go to France, but something made the Normans to change their minds- 18 000 soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire (well, let’s be honest, not really Holy or Roman anymore) were sieging Castelo Branco.

So, in May 1276, Norman forces arrived in Iberia and war was declared on Count of Braganza. Normans spit into two- one smaller army to siege Braganza while two armies marched to Castelo Branco, in order to defeat the Imperial troops there. With success- in June, the Battle of Castelo Branco took place and in the battle, 14 000 Germans were killed. One army was sent to hunt up stragglers while the other assaulted the province.

sicily424.jpg

The Normans marching on Kaiser's forces

By the end of July 1276, Count Norbert had lost everything he had, gave up both Braganza and Castelo Branco and fled to Savo in Finland. First results of Kaiser’s Catharism were in.

sicily425.jpg

More advances in the Iberian front

Normandy for Normans

The Duchy of Normandy originally consisted of 5 provinces. Only three were currently in Norman hands, the main ones- Rouen, Evreux and Mortain. Two more were considered to be part of the Norman duchy- Eu and Vexin, currently held by King Renauld of France. So, is it really a surprise when Normans thought France as their next target?

In September, the Norman forces had arrived in Normandy and declared war on Renauld. Special caution was given- try not to engage the French. Better to keep the French alive and fighting the Kaiser then to lose them in a silly useless battle against the Normans who will win anyways. French did also not move- their main force was sieging Paris, personal holding of Queen Peronelle and did nothing to move against the Normans.

Slowly, Normans took the provinces and then, started the waiting game, until in June 1277, the French gave up and the Duchy of Normandy was whole again.

sicily426.jpg

Proper Norman Normandy

Thus far, the conversion of the Kaiser had cost the Germans 4 provinces and provoked one rebellion. Let us see how that works out for him...

Templar War

While Hospitallers were kicked from Holy Land for good, two Templar outposts still remained- Caste of Belfort in Tyrus and Castle of Beit DeJean in Jaffa. It was once again time to reduce their holdings- while the war in France was slow, Adelise declared war on Grand Master Blasco, a Croatian Grand Master of the Order in October 1276. Adelise mobilzed the host of King Silverster of Jerusalem, totalling to about 20 000 soldiers.

Result- Belfort fell by November, while Templars mobilized an army of 4000 soldiers in Jaffa. In December, the forces of Jerusalem approached Jaffa. Realizing the futility of the fight, Grand Master Blasco gave up. By December, the Templars had lost yet another holding in the Holy Land, leaving them with just one more. The age of Holy Orders was quickly coming to an end...

sicily427.jpg

Kicking the Templars out of the Holy Land
 
For a change, series of easy wars. Oh, and by the way, Adelise had finally reached age of 50! Long live the Empress!

SirkTheMonkey - little good did it do to Kaiser- yet another 4 provinces to Normans! Though yes, moral authority of Catholics is kinda low and no wonder he converted. Well, as long as he has current heir, future Kaiser Otto will have an interesting time... :p And one more Horde to go- have Golden Horde and Il-Kagnate

Athalcor, DensleyBlair - Yes, the flags of HRE and Byzantium are off after i made Hauteville Empire. The rest of them are nicely in place, so i'm too lazy to find out what exactly went wrong. I'll just try to reduce HRE down to Frisia! :p And deleting the flags didn't help.

Chief Ragusa - Horde needs a bit more to collapse, i think. But i've torn out their teeth, so they're almost harmless. :) And you were right about the Kaiser

Nikolai- as you can see, not much! And when he dies, HRE will be in total disarray!

Ricardo Rolo - hope Leopold dies, it takes the fun out of being Cathar if i can't just dow HRE! And hired blade might be a good idea, i'll just wait a bit to see how the situation develops there.

DensleyBlair, Ricardo Rolo - no Taurica unfortunately. Still sitting back in 1.08 and all the land is part of Kingdom of Khazaria (uncreatable)

grumphie - good to know :) But mostly multiplayer tactics, i lack the need to be so subtle in single player :)
 
I'd like to see an Hauteville recreation of the Angevin Empire ("from the Arctic to the Pyrenees" ;).) I think it would make for lovely borders, and wonderful reading.
 
I've probably missed it or forgotten it but where is the Pope actually hiding these days?
 
So, another beating to the HRE: a handful of conquered provinces and a army destroyed without even warring them directly. BTW how are the warsof the ex-vassals with the Kaiser going in terms of warscore ? And, BTW, what kind of wars are them? It would be extremely nice if France regained it's independence ( and immediately fall in petty rebellions :D ).

Too bad about no Taurica :( Anyway, you do not need much of reasons to beat the Mongols out as long as they don't go Cathar, right ? :D ( P.S They are still Tengri or they already converted to something ? )
 
Anarchy in the UK

Murdering the Kaiser

In August 1277, the war between King Renauld of France and Kaiser Leopold ended. Both sides agreed to as they were proposition. Meanwhile, the authority of Kaiser converted several of his vassals to Cathar faith. It seemed like the great religious rift in Europe was coming to an end and the Cathars would come out winning.

That did not please Adelise. In her mind, the Cathars and Normans were synonymous and she had planned for Cathar Europe, yes. But Norman Cathar Europe. So the Kaiser was not really helping. The simplest solution- Kaiser must die! Adelise sent envoys with gold and gifts to several dignitaries in the Holy Roman Empire, including the Kaiserin Trude. Being a good Catholic as Trude was, she thought it would be best to use the distant Cathars to get rid of the clear and present local Cathar threat and agreed to join. Though the Kaiser was popular, there were still several other high-ranking nobles as well, including King of Bohemia. The best ally was Duke Lambert of Mecklenburg, renowned all over the world for his intrigue skill.

The plot was well underway when the Kaiser Leopold fooled everyone- by dying of natural causes at the age of 66, in January 1278. It was only half a year after the plot was started, planes were only waiting to made and then, the old man just died on his own! Anyways, Bruno I, son of Leopold, took the throne as Kaiser. Being still single and having no heirs, the next one in line was Prince Dietrich, currently held in dungeons of the Hauteville Empire.

sicily428.jpg

Death of the Kaiser

sicily429.jpg

...and the New Kaiser

Kaiser Bruno had his usual suspects testing the strength of the new Kaiser, but in a few years, he achieved peace in the realm. At least, he was Catholic...

Holy War for York

Meanwhile, Norman armies entered the ships and sailed towards England. The truce between King Nicholas of England and Normas was about to end and Normans wanted to continue their adventures in the island. War for York was declared in October 1277.

The sieges continued as planned, but a bit unexpectedly, all the other rulers came to the aid of King Nicholas. Both King Halkjell of Ireland and Queen Mabille of Wales came to aid of England. Though traditional enemies, they all felt threatened by Norman invasion to the islands and thus, the common enemy made them forget old hatreds and combine their forces. They managed to get total 23 000 soldiers under their command. Quite big, but not enough to beat the Normans.

In Battle of St. Peters, in province of York, taking place in February 1278, 30 000 Normans attacked the combined force of British armies. Though the Norman losses were high as well, they beat the combined armies of three rulers, plus they managed to maim King Nicholas.

sicily430.jpg

Normans marching to St. Peters and the result

In March, Nicolas gave up, giving York to Normans.

Holy War for Ulster

King Halkjell of Ireland was next. He still held two provinces of province of Ulster and these were now the targets. War was declared in May 1278. Since bulk of Irish force had perished in battle of St. Peters, King was unable to offer any resistance and was forced to give up the provinces in August 1278.

Holy War for Lothian

One side effect of the battle of St. Peters was the loss of royal troops for all the monarchs in British Isles, making them weaker and thus, luring their vassals to fight for the whatever cause they thought was good idea. For example, Duchess Bethoc of Lothian thought it would be good idea to become independent and started war against Queen Mabille.

Normans also thought it was a good idea and in July, they declared war against Bethoc. The only province of the Duchess was quickly put under siege and by October 1278, Bethoc was reduced from Duchess to a beggar while Normans celebrated in her halls.

Holy War for Hereford

In Summer of 1278, King Nicholas of England died from the wound he received in the battle of St. Peters. He was succeeded by his son, a 14-year old boy now known as King Matthew of England. Normans thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass and in December 1278, they declared war on England, claiming the Duchy of Hereford.

sicily431.jpg

New King and his lands

English still had some fight in them, when they gathered an army of nearly 11 000 soldiers, but the army was soundly defeated at Battle of Droitwich, March 1279. As a result, King Matthew gave up in April 1279. Hereford was Norman and the Crown of England was just one province away. Hereford was given to the third son of Adelise, Prince Radolf.

Holy War for Albany

Meanwhile, the truce with Queen Mabille ended and thus, the Norman forces marched north. The target was Duchy of Albany, a four-province Duchy in the North. War was declared in July 1279. Small Welsh armies were quickly defeated and Normans continued their sieges almost without any opposition. By December, Queen Mabille I gave up, giving the big Scottish Duchy to Normans.

2nd Holy War for Lothian

After the battles of St. Peters and Droitwich, Earl Randolph of Dunbar, subject to King Matthew, thought it was a good idea to fight for his independence. Failing to notice that there were people with bright ideas like he had and they had failed, for Normans came knocking on their doorsteps, he declared independence. In September 1279, the Normans declared Holy War on him and in November, the County was overrun.

Holy War for Connacht

Duke Cellac I of Connacht also thought it would be a good idea to rebel against his King- with an intention to lowering crown authority in Ireland. He was actually winning the war because for now, he was more powerful then the King of Ireland. Until the Normans came. In January 1280, Adelise declared Holy War on Connacht and by May, the Duchy was Norman.

Holy War for Meath

Though the truce between King Halkjell of Ireland and Adelise still existed, the Norman rulers of Ireland saw an opportunity and took it. Both Doges of Leinster and Ulster declared war on Halkjell, claiming the last non-Norman province in the Ireland. By August, the war was over and King Halkjell driven out of Ireland. The only province that was left for the King was the Island of Shetland, where he reigned, still calling himself the King of Ireland.

Holy Wars for Northampton, Oxford and Somerset

A host of English vassals, lead by Earl Nicholas of Northampton, started their fight to lower the crown authority for the Kingdom of England. Normans thought it would be a good chance to intervene once again, and claimed counties of Northampton and Suffolk and Duchy of Somerset in 3 Holy Wars. In August 1280, Normans crossed the English borders once again.

Rebels were strong enough to beat the King of England, but not strong enough to face three armies of Adelise. In January 1281, all three rebels were defeated by Normans, with another 4 provinces claimed.

That was also quite enough to usurp the title of King of England from poor Matthew who had just came of age, thus splintering the realm.

sicily432.jpg

The remains of England

Holy Wars for Cornwall, Gloucester and Bedford

What was left of England was now at the mercy of Normans, except for the Duchy of Bedford that was still under rule of former King Matthew and with whom Normans had the truce. Cornwall, Glouchester and county of Bedford, ruled by Duke of Kent, were still independent, rest were holdings of Matthew.

In January, Normans declared war on the last of independent vassals of England and by July 1281, the wars were over. This was as much as Adelise could gain from British Isles at this time, so the hostilities were ceased. Adelise crowned his own son, Duke Radolf of Hereford, as the new King of England.

sicily433.jpg

King Radolf and Norman British Isles

In total, wars for British Isles lasted for almost four years, from October 1277- July 1281. During that time, Normans fought total 14 wars and gained total 27 provinces. The British Isles were almost Norman.

Crusade of Italy

In November 1280, somehow thinking that Norman forces are busy in Italy, Pope Evaristus II thought it would be good idea to call a Crusade for Italy- yet again. Yet again forgetting that it is not such a good idea when you live in Trapani, Sicily. Though this time, the Pope also had one holding in Auvergne, a bishopric of Aurillac, the Normans took them both by January 1281 and once again, the Crusade failed.

sicily435.jpg

At least they keep on trying

Catholic church was at it’s all-time low. Evaristus took up drinking heavily, further discrediting the Papal institution.

As for the rest of the world, Il-Khanate had converted to Shiite.

sicily434.jpg

Muslims are back on track!
 
Ehhh, that's a lot of wars to be put into one update. Even when i was really-really short about it. Anyways, i almost have the Isles! And well, the realms crumble oh so nicely when you reduce the military power of the monarch to nothing.
Next time, 3 years overdue- coronation gift to the new Kaiser!

DensleyBlair - well, i almost have all the lands. Still bits of Wales and Scotland to go, but basically, i should own the lands of the Angevin Empire. And it turned out to be... well, crazy wars story at least! :p

SirkTheMonkey - poor Pope is still in Trapani, under Norman heel. As you can see, that doesn't stop him from trying. Oh, and Catholic moral authority is 10.4%!

Ricardo Rolo- Kaiser is still winning. But not enough to enforce demands, they settled for white peace. And target was independence. Same with new Kaiser- French and Bohemia rose for independence while some other vassals were busy fighting for some other claimant.
As for Taurica- yea, shame. Nicer to have Kingdoms then Duchies. As for Mongols- Golden Horde still Tengri, Il-Kagnate just converted. Hope Horde doesn't become Cathar... or that would be cool on the other hand. :p
 
Though I am usually loathe to see Britannia anything other than the English red/Welsh brown, that Hauteville green really is a nice colour. I imagine it make painting the map more satisfying :)
 
Though I am usually loathe to see Britannia anything other than the English red/Welsh brown, that Hauteville green really is a nice colour. I imagine it make painting the map more satisfying :)

And how about Irish green :D? I did that in my first game as the House Mathrafal.
 
The British Isles looks so much more ordered, now.Now, another Kingdom of the empire. This king is a good one.

The Kaiser had the temerity to die before he could be assassinated and his son and heir wasn't greeted by the usual coming of age Norman party gatecrashers. Sorting out Brtiain did take up quite a lot of time and wars. 14 is rather a lot for one small island. The HRE in Spain is one grey area that would look better green.

The pope is losing authority every time he calls for war against the Normans. How's he doing with his sicilian city? Is it as well developed as its Cathar neighbours?


Doesthe Ilkhanate's changed of religion mean they are about to attack the d'Hauteville Empire?
 
I should have a go with Sicily so I can try map painting with such a pleasant colour. Nice work with the British Isles. Can you usurp the Kingdom of Ireland or do you intend on letting poor Halkjell hold onto it for a while longer? What's the next stop for the Norman war machine? Back to the HRE or perhaps another tussle with the hordes?
 
Coronation gift! Yay! :D Only Europe is Normal Europe!
 
Attack on the Holy Roman Empire

Coronation Gift to the Kaiser


Kaiser Bruno I von Nordheim had saved the Empire from his heretic father. The Empire was safely catholic again. Those who had converted, he persecuted, he claimed their holdings and after crushing the rebellions, he thought he was safe. For Normans were obviously busy in the British Isles, there was no-one to threaten his rule. He was a happy Kaiser. Who forgot one crucial matter- Normans are not going to stay in the Islands forever.

It was in January 1278 when Kaiser Leopold died. It took Normans about three and half a year to deliver the traditional coronation gift to the Kaiser. But by August 1281, Normans were ready. Their fleet of 600 ships was sailing along the shore of one of the richest Duchies in the Empire- Duchy of Flanders. Six provinces, all rich, prosperous and powerful. Quite a coronation gift.

When the war was declared, Normans made three simultaneous landings to Boulogne, Guines and Ypres. Quick assaults took the defenders by surprise and Normans took one holding after another. Before the Kaiser could even react, the war was over. By October 1281, Normans had blitzed through Flanders and poor Kaiser saw no other way then to give up.

sicily436.jpg

Normans landing. In just three month, the war was over

Holy War for Holland

Duke Ludwig the Old, King of Wales (married to the Queen Mabille of Wales) had been an old enemy of the Normans. In all the wars Mabille fought, Ludwig also sent his troops. Dutch and Welsh were a common sight in battlefields when Normans were trying to expand their holdings. Now, it was time for revenge.

As soon as the war on Kaiser was over, Adelise declared war on Ludwig, claiming Duchy of Holland. Currently, Ludwig was also at with with Duke Lambert II of Köln, Brabant and Lower Lorraine, one of the most powerful vassals of the Kaiser. He claimed the County of Holland. If fact, his troops were currently sieging the province and in November, Normans landed in Holland and in battle of Harlem, kicked Lambert’s troops out of Holland and resumed their siege.

Meanwhile, Kaiser Bruno, furious for the loss of Flanders, came to aid for the King Ludwig. This time, he was faster to react. In the beginning of 1282, two Imperial armies were sighted, one 17 000 soldiers and another 25 000. Seems like Kaiser really wanted to get his revenge- but he forgot that there would be even more Normans and Normans were quick and mobile.

sicily437.jpg

The war turns to be interesting after all...

When his 25 000 soldiers attacked the 14 000 Normans sieging the city of Dordrecht in Holland, he was in for the usual surprise when two nearby armies combined to come to the rescue. Soon, his troops were facing 40 000 Normans. In February 1282, Normans were victorious, killing off 16 000 Germans and losing only 3000. In March, the bigger of the Kaiser’s armies was annihilated to the last man.

sicily438.jpg

Defeating the Imperial armies

In April, two of Norman armies attacked the other Imperial army, currently marching through Gent. Battle of Oudenaarde was also victorious for Normans and in May, they other Imperial army was finished in Breda. With that, all the hope was gone for poor Ludwig and he gave up his homelands and retreated to Wales, all his dreams crushed- for his son would have been King of Wales and Scotland, Duke of Holland and Brittany, if there would have not been Normans. Now, all he could wish for is death before he sees the total decline of his plans- before Normans force him homeless and evict Mabille from her throne.

In June 1282, peace was signed and Holland was Norman. That did not end the war though. It seems like Duke Lambert still wanted Holland for himself and he was willing to fight for it. So, all Norman armies turned south and marched to Germany, looting and pillaging and conquering the holdings on their way. Lambert was powerful, yes, but he wasn’t powerful enough to oppose the Normans. In October 1282, he finally gave up, ceasing his claim on Holland and paying over 400 gold to Adelise as reparation.

sicily439.jpg

Norman troops swarming to territories of Köln. As you can see, they are plentiful

With that, Norman ventures in the North came to an end. Adelise combined two Duchies, Flanders and Holland, into Kingdom of Frisia and gave it to Anfroi of Flanders. Anfroi had came to these lands from Antioch. He was the second son of count Bohemond of Antioch and he was prepared to serve as second of his brother. Instead, Adelise recognized his talents and first gave him the Duchy, then raised him to be among the elite of the Empire- King of Frisia. From second son, he became one of the most powerful rulers in Hauteville lands.

sicily440.jpg

King Anfoi of Frisia

As for Holy Roman Empire, the defeat of Kaiser’s armies gave another hope for the vassals of the Empire and under the leadership of Duke Otto II von Nordheim of Norrland, King of France, Duke of Bavaria and Counts of Canarias and Angouleme decided to test their luck against the Kaiser.

Across the Alps

The Duchy of Upper Burgundy had been independent for some time. Lead by Simon I Habsburg, they had managed to gain their freedom from the Kaiser some 20 years ago. Now, it was time to show what happens if you are catholic with Normans next to them.

For centuries, the Germans had marched across the Alps to the fertile lands of Italy to conquer and to rule (and lately, to be utterly defeated). Now, it was time for the Normans to march the other way.

War was declared on Simon in October 1282. It was decided to let the main armies rest and instead, use the local vassals from Northern Italy and Provence to do the fighting. By January, an army of 20 000 Normans was swarming the lands of Upper Burgundy and the poor Duke did not stand a chance. By March, Normans had gained yet another Duchy, this time on the other side of Alps.

sicily441.jpg

Normans swarming across the Alps

War for Angouleme

In March 1283, Countess Patricia of Angouleme was about to find out what happens if you rebel against Kaiser. Again, to fight such an enemy, no Norman armies were needed. Instead, Adelise used the armies of King Gilbert of Aquitaine, Doge Gilbert of Brittany and Duke Rayner of Barcelona. Quite enough, and by June, the war was over. Adelise gave county of Angouleme to King Gilbert, whom it rightfully belonged.

War for the Canaries

It is unclear what Prince Kaspar of the Holy Roman Empire, son of Kaiser Leopold and brother of Kaiser Bruno did to be granted a holding that far away from everything, but obviously, it was something bad. Plus, most likely stupid, for ruling a holding that Normans actually want but don’t want to waste declaration of war on was safe. Now, giving them a clear reason for conquest, Kaspar was doomed.

In June 1283, was was declared on Kaspar. The fleets of Portugal, Seville, Marrakech and Tangiers, all full of soldiers, totalling 17 000, landed in the islands. By August, the war was over and Marrakech got their last holding. If should be said that the Kaiser still has holdings in Anti-Atlas and Ifni, 2 in both, so there is still German influence in Africa.

sicily443.jpg

Normans sailing to Canaries

Mongols on the Warpath

It was Kagan Khadagh the Great Ilkhanate who once again seeked to expand his borders. For the first time, the Mongols were fighting the Byzantine Empire, claiming Byzantine holdings in the Kingdom of Mesopotamia. The war started in July 1281 and ended in December 1282. Must not come as a surprise to everyone that Mongols won and gained some lands from the Byzantines.

In March 1283, Kagan Alchi from the Golden Horde declared war on King Wielislaw I of Poland. The poor King surely didn’t need it, for his lands were already engulfed in a civil war, and he was not doing too well.

But to his relief, just one month later, the Mongols were at each other’s throats when Khadagh declared war on Alchi, claiming Kingdom of Khazaria (that means about half of the lands in the Golden Horde). Seeing as Normans destroyed the Golden Horde, but no-one has touched the Horde of Ilkhanate, the bets are... interesting.

sicily442.jpg

A new Horde to destroy? Time will tell..

Byzantine situation

Basileus Ioannikos was in trouble. Mongols from the East, Normans from the West, plus one civil war after another. He kept losing lands left and right, but even more scarier, he was forced to enforce the Elective Monarchy in the Empire. That had one unforeseen effect- much of the Norman lands were still part of the Empire. And Adelise was one of the pretenders to the crown. Would that mean peaceful incorporation or just getting a claim on the Empire? Time will tell... but the situation is not looking good if you’re Greek in the Byzantine Empire.

sicily445.jpg

That creates possibilities- two pretenders to the Byzantine throne are Adelise and Walther
 
Coronation gift- done! And what a gift, losing Flanders! As for Frisia- what do you mean i can't create a strong kingdom next to the Imperial lands? I edited the Dutch requirement out. And i'm really interested to see what happens for the Byzantium. Poor Ioannikos is 59 years old. And Basilissa Adelise de Hauteville has a nice ring to it...

On other news, de Hautevilles passed a very special barrier:

sicily444.jpg


Yay! Capets defeated! Who is now the truly greatest Dynasty of Medieval Europe!

DensleyBlair - my philosophy is that Hauteville green fits perfectly for any country!

Athalcor - I've managed Irish Isles as well. Quite a conquest that was :)

Chief Ragusa - of course the King is a good one! He's Adelise's son after all. And 14 wars, but small wars. Luckily i managed to crumble all the kingdoms, so i just had to pick up the pieces. The papal city is also developed to the max and has about 3000 soldiers defending it. Doesn't stop the Normans though. As for Ilkhanate- looks like not. They are also not stupid- last time i checked, Hauteville Empire can muster over 300 000 soldiers and even Horde would think twice before trying to take us on. Instead, they are bashing each other, and that is always a good thing.

SirkTheMonkey - it will be harder this time. When i started, Holy Wars were not something half a world can join and the success of Hautevilles depends on taking Sicily. Now it is considerably tougher. For Ireland- Halkjell can hold it for all i care. Don't want Kingdom in Ireland, then these pesky Doges will start getting the -20 whine-whine, i wanna be the king bonuses. So, what's best then King of Ireland, ruler of Shetland. I think i'll keep it and don't even conquer the island. More evil this way. And as you can see, back to the HRE

Nikolai - gift done! And Europe is becoming more Norman each war. :)
 
Nice work. You managed to beat up the Hapburgs and beat the Capets in one update. I'm not going to try guessing what the next stop for the Norman Roadshow will be.
 
Nice work. You managed to beat up the Hapburgs and beat the Capets in one update. I'm not going to try guessing what the next stop for the Norman Roadshow will be.

Hah, i like the Norman Roadshow title :p As for next target: let's say Normans will become actively involved in a kingdom engulfed in civil war. (disclaimer: active involvement in this case means taking lands of every rebel)

Anyways, does someone know what happens when elective monarch dies. Specifically, who gets the claims? Other pretenders or the usual suspects, brothers of the monarch?
 
How exactly do pretenders work in an elective monarchy? Do you get a claim on the Byzzies when the current ruler dies as under any regular succession law?