French Lions: A Capetian France AAR
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Oh yes, there certainly was a dilemma. While Navarra wasn't exactly strong it could also play into my hand, as it would taking it easier. Ingrid of Denmark was ultimately decided as her brother could be very helpful against the Holy Roman Emperor, rowdy vassals or even a certain King of England. Thank you very much for commenting.
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June 1067
June 1067
King Phillipe sat in his chambers, miserable as he spoke with his regent, and asked,”Étienne, has the hospital I commissioned been finished yet?”
“No, not yet. Of course it is hard to build something in the middle of an epidemic.”
Phillipe rolled his eyes,”Well I know that. But I gave money out of the royal treasury to help save the lives of the people of Paris, and the hospital may not be ready on time? Why France, of all the places to suffer?”
Étienne mumbled,”These things happen, it is but a matter of chance your majesty.”
Phillipe shook his head,”I just hope this Camp Fever business ends by the time of my wedding and coronation.”
“I certainly hope so, your majesty.”
“Has your wife adjusted to court yet Étienne?”
His regent nodded,”Yes Helvis has, I think she’s happy to marry me, as your regent, and she enjoys the atmosphere of court.”
“Good, hopefully the Court Physician won’t have to treat cases of Camp Fever within court. We sealed it off as soon as we heard of Paris’s first cases.”
“We should be safe your majesty, but nothing is certain.”
As a few minutes passed in companionable silence Phillipe asked,”Has the bastard Duke of Normandy responded to my proposal that his second youngest daughter Constance should marry my brother?”
“He has agreed.”
“Good, hopefully this keeps from meddling in factions to leverage me to do as he wishes. However, if he does indeed succeed in conquering England I will break the betrothal and marry my brother to another girl.”
“Very well, I will monitor the situation your majesty,”
“You have my thanks, my lord regent.”
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Phillipe all but jumped out of his seat in surprise,”Come in, if you must.”
As the door opened Phillipe looked at the visitor, and he noticed that her eyes were red, and her dark hair was matted, alarmed he asked,”What is wrong mother?”
The woman sighed,”It’s your sister, she has taken ill, and we fear it may be camp fever.”
The teen grimaced and nodded,”Very well then, take me to see Emma.”
The two then walked through the halls, silent for they did not want to tempt fate by speaking of a potential recovery, and within a few minutes they stopped out of Princess Emma’s chambers.
“How is she mother?”
“As well as can be expected, she seems optimistic at least.”
Phillipe nodded and pushed the door to his sister's chambers open, where he found five people within it. His sister laid in her bed, and despite the pain on her face weakly smiled. There were also two servants, standing by the extinguished fireplace ready to wait upon the princess’s needs, while the new Court Physician Orvar stood by a window in the left side of the room. Phillipe and Emma’s younger brother Hugues was also in the room, sitting in a chair to Phillipe’s right. The king rushed to his sister’s bedside and kneeled,”Emma, I’m so sorry, I thought that I shut the gates in time.”
The pale girl nodded and responded in a shaky voice,”I think you did the best you could brother. Besides, this is no death sentence, I’m sure the physician will be able to help, and that I will survive this.”
“I hope so as well dear sister. Think of it, if you can make it through this, in a few years you will be the Queen of Castile, and the mother to it’s future monarch.”
King Phillipe sat in his chambers, miserable as he spoke with his regent, and asked,”Étienne, has the hospital I commissioned been finished yet?”
“No, not yet. Of course it is hard to build something in the middle of an epidemic.”
Phillipe rolled his eyes,”Well I know that. But I gave money out of the royal treasury to help save the lives of the people of Paris, and the hospital may not be ready on time? Why France, of all the places to suffer?”
Étienne mumbled,”These things happen, it is but a matter of chance your majesty.”
Phillipe shook his head,”I just hope this Camp Fever business ends by the time of my wedding and coronation.”
“I certainly hope so, your majesty.”
“Has your wife adjusted to court yet Étienne?”
His regent nodded,”Yes Helvis has, I think she’s happy to marry me, as your regent, and she enjoys the atmosphere of court.”
“Good, hopefully the Court Physician won’t have to treat cases of Camp Fever within court. We sealed it off as soon as we heard of Paris’s first cases.”
“We should be safe your majesty, but nothing is certain.”
As a few minutes passed in companionable silence Phillipe asked,”Has the bastard Duke of Normandy responded to my proposal that his second youngest daughter Constance should marry my brother?”
“He has agreed.”
“Good, hopefully this keeps from meddling in factions to leverage me to do as he wishes. However, if he does indeed succeed in conquering England I will break the betrothal and marry my brother to another girl.”
“Very well, I will monitor the situation your majesty,”
“You have my thanks, my lord regent.”
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Phillipe all but jumped out of his seat in surprise,”Come in, if you must.”
As the door opened Phillipe looked at the visitor, and he noticed that her eyes were red, and her dark hair was matted, alarmed he asked,”What is wrong mother?”
The woman sighed,”It’s your sister, she has taken ill, and we fear it may be camp fever.”
The teen grimaced and nodded,”Very well then, take me to see Emma.”
The two then walked through the halls, silent for they did not want to tempt fate by speaking of a potential recovery, and within a few minutes they stopped out of Princess Emma’s chambers.
“How is she mother?”
“As well as can be expected, she seems optimistic at least.”
Phillipe nodded and pushed the door to his sister's chambers open, where he found five people within it. His sister laid in her bed, and despite the pain on her face weakly smiled. There were also two servants, standing by the extinguished fireplace ready to wait upon the princess’s needs, while the new Court Physician Orvar stood by a window in the left side of the room. Phillipe and Emma’s younger brother Hugues was also in the room, sitting in a chair to Phillipe’s right. The king rushed to his sister’s bedside and kneeled,”Emma, I’m so sorry, I thought that I shut the gates in time.”
The pale girl nodded and responded in a shaky voice,”I think you did the best you could brother. Besides, this is no death sentence, I’m sure the physician will be able to help, and that I will survive this.”
“I hope so as well dear sister. Think of it, if you can make it through this, in a few years you will be the Queen of Castile, and the mother to it’s future monarch.”
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One can only hope she survives to marry the king of Castile securing a strong ally.
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Ah, pandemics. Never can escape them until you have pretty good hospitals. Hopefully Emma recovers.
Philippe might want to reconsider breaking that betrothal. Could be useful to have a claim on Normandy in some manner. Be a Philippe Auguste eh?
Philippe might want to reconsider breaking that betrothal. Could be useful to have a claim on Normandy in some manner. Be a Philippe Auguste eh?
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Yes once can hope, the emotional consequences of her death would probably be very bad as well. Thank you very much for commenting.
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Pandemics can indeed be annoying, not to mention the very real dangers posed to people themselves. Hopefully she does recover, but one never knows. My main concern with keeping the betrothal after William(presumably) wins is that the non-agression pact would keep me from taking Normandy. Also I believe Phillipe will get a strong claim on it anyways. Thank you so much for commenting.
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You are certainly right, as many a ruler could attest to. Thank you for commenting!
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William is such a weird figure in this start because he has that obscenely large army that technically allows him to become a one-man faction. And if he joins any others, like Robert the Old, it's a guaranteed rebellion. Of course, it ends up being a weird rebellion, since William's armies are all in England, but still. It's a good idea to do the betrothal, and then cancel it if he wins England. You'll want to take Normandy back if he wins.
Hopefully Emma pulls through, but also hopefully no one else comes down with it. Even when the gates are closed you aren't completely safe.
I will say, you inspired me to play around with Philippe the other day and this start is trickier than I originally gave it credit for. The inability to revoke titles is a real pain, given there's a real opportunity to bait Robert into rebelling. But if you can't take Burgundy, what's the point? And you probably made the right decision not to marry Matilda. You want her as an alliance, since an extra 3k-5k is really useful, but she drags you into a bunch of conflicts.
Hopefully Emma pulls through, but also hopefully no one else comes down with it. Even when the gates are closed you aren't completely safe.
I will say, you inspired me to play around with Philippe the other day and this start is trickier than I originally gave it credit for. The inability to revoke titles is a real pain, given there's a real opportunity to bait Robert into rebelling. But if you can't take Burgundy, what's the point?
And you probably made the right decision not to marry Matilda. You want her as an alliance, since an extra 3k-5k is really useful, but she drags you into a bunch of conflicts.- 1
William is such a weird figure in this start because he has that obscenely large army that technically allows him to become a one-man faction. And if he joins any others, like Robert the Old, it's a guaranteed rebellion. Of course, it ends up being a weird rebellion, since William's armies are all in England, but still. It's a good idea to do the betrothal, and then cancel it if he wins England. You'll want to take Normandy back if he wins.
Hopefully Emma pulls through, but also hopefully no one else comes down with it. Even when the gates are closed you aren't completely safe.
I will say, you inspired me to play around with Philippe the other day and this start is trickier than I originally gave it credit for. The inability to revoke titles is a real pain, given there's a real opportunity to bait Robert into rebelling. But if you can't take Burgundy, what's the point?
Yeah William certainly is a pain, and I do hope he wins England so that I can break the betrothal and attack him, adding Normandy to the royal demense. As for Robert the Old I haven't given him a council seat so that I can goad him into rebellion and then eventually defeat him and pass a law to revoke titles. Of course things may not go exactly that way but it would be ideal. I too hope Emma pulls through and dosen't spread the disease but one never knows what may happen. Yes Matilda would definitely have been a little helpful, but also a liability as well. Thank you so very much for commenting, I appreciate your insight.
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January 1068
January 1068
Phillipe shook his head,“This doesn't feel right, going on with this like nothing has changed.” Phillipe chugged some wine from a goblet, hoping it would help. Much in fact had changed, namely the fact that his sister Emma died as a result of the Camp Fever epidemic in September. He remembered telling his mother that her daughter would soon die, when he entered her chambers she asked,”What is it?” in a shaky voice, and Phillipe told him that it was time for them to say goodbye to Emma. His mother broke down in tears, and Phillipe joined her, yet after a couple minutes they collected themselves to visit Emma’s deathbed. Fortunately Emma was not in much pain when she died, as the heathen court physician had given her a small amount of wine, and ensured she was comfortable in her bed.
Phillipe’s gloomy thoughts ended when his mother put her hand on his shoulder and said,”She’ll arrive soon, my son.”
“Thank you mother, I am glad that you will be in attendance, and that you recovered from Adele’s birth so quickly.”
Anna smiled slightly,”I too am glad, though you understand that she has to remain in Amiens until this disease ends, and that I may go there after your wedding as well.”
.PNG "Adele de Vexin-Amiens 1(January 1068).PNG")
The king nodded,”Of course mother, your safety and that of Adele are of paramount importance. Hopefully there won’t be any other cases of the illness in court.”
“If there are, hopefully Étienne will do a better job than the heathen at treating them.”
.PNG "Orvar fired (January 1068).PNG")
.PNG "Etienne is Court Physician(January 1068).PNG")
“Yes I have no reason to doubt his competence.”
As they continued to stand in the main hall, listening to the chatter of those nobles in attendance, waiting for Princess Ingrid, Phillipe reached into his pocket and gave his mother a small coin purse,”Take this mother, buy yourself some jewelry or use it for your own enjoyment, you deserve something to comfort you in these trying times.”
His mother smiled and took the coin purse,”Thank you Phillipe, the past few months have been hard, but this and little Adele have helped make it less terrible.”
“I am glad to have helped you.”
As they stood silent for a moment suddenly the double doors burst open and a lean, young blonde woman emerged, alongside many guards, servants and other retainers. Phillipe took half a dozen paces forwards and asked,”Princess Ingrid of Denmark I presume?”
The young woman bowed a little and spoke in good, yet heavily accented french,”Yes it is, and I assume that you are my intended, King Phillipe of France?”
“Yes I am.”
Ingrid walked forward a little,”Then it is good to meet you husband.” She then turned to a middle aged woman wearing a grey gown to her right,”This my mother, Lady Rannveig av Aurland.”
Phillipe nodded,”It is nice to meet you Lady Rannveig.”
The woman smiled,”Likewise your majesty.”
 January 1068.PNG "Rannveig(Phillipe's mother in law) January 1068.PNG")
Princess Ingrid turned to a blonde teen boy to her left,”This is my brother, Prince Erik, our father decided he would rather spend time bedding his wife then come to my wedding.”
.PNG "Prince Erik of Denmark(January 1068).PNG")
Phillipe raised his eyebrows,,”That’s interesting… But at least your brother is here.”
The young prince bowed,”And it is an honour to be in France, you have a fine realm King Phillipe.”
“Thank you, should you or your mother ever be in need of refuge you can stay in court.”
“You have my thanks, though hopefully Denmark stays stable enough.”
After a lull in the conversation Princess Ingrid took several steps forward, her attendants moved aside, and Phillipe took a few tentative steps as well. As he stepped closer to her he reached into one of his pockets and grabbed a necklace that he bought a week ago, looked at the shimmering sapphire in the middle and murmured,”They say that sapphires go well with ladies of fairer complexion, so I think this will be perfect for you.”
The Princess smiled,”Thank you very much King Phillipe.”
Phillipe nodded,”I merely wish to engender good will between us, I’d also like to make you my keeper of the swans, all you’d really do is receive reports on the state of the royal swans and make some decisions on managing.”
”Thank you so much your majesty, I am honored to receive those gifts.”
“You are welcome Ingrid.”
One hour later…
As introductions were concluded, Phillipe did not see his wife again for another hour as they all prepared for the wedding ceremony and the two bathed and dressed with the help of their various attendants. Phillipe for his part wore black trousers, a light blue tunic as well as the usual footwear and accessories. As he stood across from Ingrid while Prince-Bishop Gervais read the wedding vows, he noted her attire, and it took his breath away, as her wedding dress was a shade of dark blue silk that accentuated her fair skin and blonde hair, which made her look positively stunning. Phillipe’s reverie was abruptly ended when the Prince-Bishop turned to him and asked,”Do you, King Phillipe of France agree to marry Princess Ingrid, promise to be true to her in good and bad times, and in sickness and in health?”
Phillipe felt like cursing, as his thoughts were interrupted but still smiled and solemnly spoke up,”Yes, I agree to marry Princess Ingrid and will be true to her no matter what.”
The clergymen then turned to Princess Ingrid and asked,”Do you, Princess Ingrid of Denmark, agree to marry King Phillipe, promise to be true to him in good and bad times, and in sickness and in health?”
Princess Ingrid smiled,”Yes I agree to marry King Phillipe and I will be true to him no matter the circumstances.”
The Prince-Bishop beamed at the young couple and solemnly announced to the small crowd in the main hall,”Then I present to you all France’s new Queen: Ingrid of Denmark, may no man tear asunder this union made in the eyes of god.”
Phillipe smiled and called out to the nobles in attendance,”Let us begin the wedding feast!”
The next few minutes passed in a flurry of activity, as the wedding guests took their seats at various tables in the grand hall, and Phillipe along with his wife Ingrid, their families and several of his councilors and their relatives sat at a table on the slightly elevated dais, overlooking the other tables. He sat at the head of the table, while Ingrid sat to his left. As he finished chewing on a piece of chicken, his marshal the Duke Thibault of Champagne asked,”Are you planning on launching a campaign soon?”
Phillipe considered this for a moment,”Perhaps, though I plan on holding off on any wars until the camp fever epidemic ends in our realm.”
“Do you mind if I ask what targets you may have in mind?”
“Perhaps I may seek to bring the Bretons to heel, though it would be preferable if they submit to me peacefully.”’
“They are a rowdy bunch, so one never knows what they’ll do. It’ll be a good opportunity to expand the realm though.”
Phillipe smiled,”Indeed it would Duke Thiabault, though more preparation will be required.”
.PNG "Phillipe education(January 1068).PNG")
.PNG "Phillipe gains craven(January 1068).PNG")
.PNG "Phillipe gains trusting(January 1068).PNG")
As the conversation concluded Phillipe took a sip of red wine and his stepsister the Duchess of Champagne asked Queen Ingrid,”I hope the journey from Denmark wasn’t too trying your majesty.”
Ingrid turned to the woman and sighed,”It wasn’t the best, the seas tossed and turned the ship that took me to Bruges. Although I am descended from the Northmen of old, I am less fond of rough seas than they were.”
“I am sorry to hear that your majesty, if there is anything you need I will be happy to help you.”
Ingrid smiled warmly,”I am honoured by your offer. I hear you’ve been expecting another child, Duchess Adelaide, I wish you the best of luck with your pregnancy.”
“Thank you, my previous ones went smoothly enough so hopefully this one does as well.”
Phillipe’s mentor Arnulf de Hesdin interjected,”I’m sure it will your grace, and hopefully our new queen will prove just as capable of having children as her father.”
The Queen raised her eyebrows at his presumption,”Yes I believe I will, but unlike my father, all of my children will be by my spouse.”
January 1068.PNG "Arnulf de Hedin(Phillipe's mentor)January 1068.PNG")
Phillipe beamed at his wife,”Good, I’m sure you will be known as one of France’s greatest queens.”
Over the course of the next couple hours Phillpe and the various guests at his wedding finished the wedding feast, and as it concluded he and his wife rose from the table and he announced,”It was a pleasure to have you all here, though it is a shame that some have been unable to come due to the camp fever, the queen and I bid you goodnight.”
As he and Ingrid left the main hall, and walked through the hallway to his bedchambers he started to feel quite nervous, but he hid those feelings and soon enough he opened the door for Ingrid. For a moment the two were awkwardly still, but Phillipe cleared his throat and gestured towards a jug of wine on an end table,”Would you like some wine Ingrid?”
The young woman nodded,”Yes, please.”
Phillpe nodded and quickly poured the wine into two goblets and handed one to her. The two quickly drank their wine, and as Phillipe put his goblet on the table, Ingrid walked up to him and pressed her lips against his. Phillipe ran his hands through her hair and continued to kiss her back, and as moonlight shimmered in through the window the two shared a bed for the first time.
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Epidemics are brutal. Emma rarely has a good show of things in most CK2 games I play, but this end for her is particularly tragic.
Also, the gamer in me couldn't help but look at those stats and just go. Just really unlucky there with Philippe. You got stuck with a really bad one. And then Ingrid too (yeesh "1" in stewardship). Holding France together won't be easy with that duo. You can't even expand your demesne!
But I give you credit for rolling with that and not breaking the betrothal with Ingrid (which wouldn't have been realistic) or just starting over with Philippe given how poor his rolls were for traits. That challenge could make for a compelling story if you overcome it all! Good luck!
Also, the gamer in me couldn't help but look at those stats and just go
. Just really unlucky there with Philippe. You got stuck with a really bad one. And then Ingrid too (yeesh "1" in stewardship). Holding France together won't be easy with that duo. You can't even expand your demesne! But I give you credit for rolling with that and not breaking the betrothal with Ingrid (which wouldn't have been realistic) or just starting over with Philippe given how poor his rolls were for traits. That challenge could make for a compelling story if you overcome it all! Good luck!
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Shame about Emma. This was quite an update. Honestly if I got those stats with my MC I might save scum. Best of luck to you.
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Epidemics are brutal. Emma rarely has a good show of things in most CK2 games I play, but this end for her is particularly tragic.
Also, the gamer in me couldn't help but look at those stats and just go
But I give you credit for rolling with that and not breaking the betrothal with Ingrid (which wouldn't have been realistic) or just starting over with Philippe given how poor his rolls were for traits. That challenge could make for a compelling story if you overcome it all! Good luck!
Yeah, things normally go poorly for Emma, most of the time in my games she ends up as a childless widow or dies in childbirth and dying at twelve is particularly tragic. Phillipe's stats and traits are indeed very bad, though I think his diplomacy stat is a bit higher than is presented because he is in seclusion. Still at best that means he's decent at diplomacy and awful at everything else. Ingrid's stats are bad as well but she is his equal in diplomacy and is better in terms of intrigue and martial, so we'll so how much she can contribute. All of these things will certainly make things a bit challenging but hopefully Phillipe can overcome his faults and lack of skill. Thank you so much for commenting and your insight!
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Emma's death was very tragic and untimely, though at least she was still innocent, and not sullied by the intrigues of Castillian court. Yeah Phillipe's stats are not very good, but at least his diplomacy is higher than is actually shown due to being in seclusion. Thank you very much for commenting!
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I would suggest picking a focus to boost your stats, but it appears you already have. Family is good for giving some Diplo boost, fertility boosts and making you fall in love with your wife. I use it quite a bit and it's a pretty underrated focus. The problem is that it gives you very little in actually improving your stats quickly, which Phillipe really needs to do. My advice would have been to take carousing and, if you need to be on good terms with your wife, invite her and a few other notables to a party. You not only are more likely to get a stat boost, maybe even a permanent modifier, but you can become friends with some of the high lords of the realm, a vital thing if Phillipe is to have any chance of success as a monarch.
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What is the phrase ...
"From humble beginnings" ... well, it has new meaning now
"From humble beginnings" ... well, it has new meaning now
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Thank you, I do like the family focus as well. I mainly picked it for the fertility boost as a child would help solidify Phillipe's position but I think there's a rare chance that it can make your diplomacy education level up. I think ill probably pick carousing next as war and hunting are useless for Phillipe(plus I have something against getting rid of original personality traits) so that is some great advice. Thank you so much for commenting and for your advice!
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What is the phrase ...
"From humble beginnings" ... well, it has new meaning now
Haha, hopefully Phillipe's reign doesn't go up in flames, but this is Ck2 after all... Thank you for commenting.
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