I'm looking forward to seeing the story continue! Might even make me consider buying Hearts of Iron when you get to that.
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Chapter 1 - Prologue 1: A Short History of House de Gael
Emperor Saxon de Gael of the Empire of Britain eats breakfast early on the 11th of November of the year 1444. He is the ninth Emperor of Britain, considered by many one of the greatest for leading the nation through the bloody Civil War of the 1430's. It was out of this civil war that was born the Parliament of Britain. As the Parliamentary system takes shape, the Empire moves away from the old system of feudalism and toward a more centralized government. Now, instead of issues being dealt with through war between vassal and liege, they are brought before the Parliament.
In the last few weeks, he hired a renowned Anglo-Saxon writer to put together a full history of his family, de Gael. It is not an easy task, for the past 4 centuries would well be dubbed 'the rise of the House de Gael'; at the moment, de Gael is the most prominent dynasty in Europe, ruling of 4 nations: Britain, Aquitaine, Galicia, and Danmark. To truly understand how de Gael became so dominant, you must look back at its ascension to ducal status, to kingship, and finally to head of an empire.
The de Gaels began in the county of Norfolk, now the capital of the Empire of Britain. Count Ralf I, the first of the de Gaels in England and a Breton, quickly rose, in his lifetime, to become Duke of East Anglia, but it was on until his grandson, Duke Ralf III, that his dynasty gained influence and prestige. Ralf III, who ruled East Anglia for 50 long years, expanded the borders of his demesne substantially, and he paved the way to de Gael domination.
(Duke Ralf III's realm)
One of the most noteworthy de Gaels is Loup, son of Ralf III. Although his early life involved filthy involvement with whores, he changed his ways, quickly gaining support throughout the Kingdom of England, then an Electoral Monarchy. At the death of the King, Loup was elected King Loup I of England. As the first de Gael, he ruled England well, but he lost much of his support by the time of his death due to his habit of rearranging the ducal outline of the Kingdom to his liking.
(King Loup I at his peak)
After Loup's death, the de Gaels lost the throne until Duke Breselueu de Gael, with the support of several vassals, declared war on the King of England to take the throne for himself. In 1176, he usurped the throne. Despite the electoral nature of the Kingdom, he and his successors managed to keep the throne in de Gael hands long enough to change the succession rules of England to Primogeniture, thus securing de Gael hegemony.
(Lloegyr, the Breton name of England during Breselueu's rule)
The next 90 years saw only conquest of smaller nations on the British Isles, and it was not until 1265 that King Æthelstan IV, after a long conquest of Southern Scotland and Ireland, created the Empire and Council of Britannia. The Council was the groundwork of the Parliament, where a maximum of 10 councilors would give the Emperor advice, voting if given the option.
(Britannia at its formation)
It was in 1324 that Emperor Loup II, son of Emperor Ecgberht, united the islands under the Britannic flag, the first time in history it has been done. With no more expansion possible on the main islands, the de Gael Emperor and his successors expanded first to the north, taking the Norwegian islands including Iceland.
(The Empire under Loup III)
After that, the rest of Europe saw the de Gael dynasty spread further from England. Under Loup III, grandson of Loup II, the first de Gael King was planted on a foreign throne in 1396. Danmark, which was in the midst of internal strife, was invaded by prince Stingrex, brother of Loup III. With the support of Britannia, Stingrex seized the throne. Earlier than that, Prince Andrew of Britannia married Queen Elisabeth II of Aquitaine and Galicia. At Elisabeth's death, the Kingdoms were split apart, each given to a different son (both of whom were de Gaels).
The spread of de Gaels continued in the 1400's, but this time it was conquest of European land. Brittany, which was the birthplace of the de Gaels, was invaded and annexed in 1402. Despite much desire for the Kingdom to be given independence under a de Gael ruler, the Councilors of Britannia voted on keeping it within the Empire. But to this day, cries for independence grow louder and louder.
(Dynasties of Europe in 1444, notice de Gael rule in Britain, Brittany, Denmark, Galicia, and Aquitaine)
The rest of the first half of the 1400's was void of de Gael expansion. Instead, Britannia nearly saw its doom. The tyrannical Emperor Eadric brew so much hatred from the vassals that a group of dissenters had him assassinated. This did little to relieve their unrest and the young Emperor Saxon, age 10 at his inauguration, was forced to lead his nation through its darkest hour as, in 1432, several influential vassals declared their independence. It was 9 years of bloody fighting, but it ended in victory for Britannia and the Empire remained whole. It was then that Saxon, still so young, formed the Parliament of Britain. 3 years of rebuilding follows.
(The secessionist holdings at the beginning of the Civil War)
It is there where the story cuts off. The rest will be made in time. Whether good or bad, renowned or infamous, no one can say.
NOTE:
-I got so into writing the dynasty's history that I decided to break the prologue into two parts. The next one will be an overview on the rest of the world.
-I know this is a lot of writing and no new screenshots, but this will be the only chapter like that. Promise!
Emperor Saxon de Gael of the Empire of Britain eats breakfast early on the 11th of November of the year 1444. He is the ninth Emperor of Britain, considered by many one of the greatest for leading the nation through the bloody Civil War of the 1430's. It was out of this civil war that was born the Parliament of Britain. As the Parliamentary system takes shape, the Empire moves away from the old system of feudalism and toward a more centralized government. Now, instead of issues being dealt with through war between vassal and liege, they are brought before the Parliament.
In the last few weeks, he hired a renowned Anglo-Saxon writer to put together a full history of his family, de Gael. It is not an easy task, for the past 4 centuries would well be dubbed 'the rise of the House de Gael'; at the moment, de Gael is the most prominent dynasty in Europe, ruling of 4 nations: Britain, Aquitaine, Galicia, and Danmark. To truly understand how de Gael became so dominant, you must look back at its ascension to ducal status, to kingship, and finally to head of an empire.
The de Gaels began in the county of Norfolk, now the capital of the Empire of Britain. Count Ralf I, the first of the de Gaels in England and a Breton, quickly rose, in his lifetime, to become Duke of East Anglia, but it was on until his grandson, Duke Ralf III, that his dynasty gained influence and prestige. Ralf III, who ruled East Anglia for 50 long years, expanded the borders of his demesne substantially, and he paved the way to de Gael domination.
(Duke Ralf III's realm)
One of the most noteworthy de Gaels is Loup, son of Ralf III. Although his early life involved filthy involvement with whores, he changed his ways, quickly gaining support throughout the Kingdom of England, then an Electoral Monarchy. At the death of the King, Loup was elected King Loup I of England. As the first de Gael, he ruled England well, but he lost much of his support by the time of his death due to his habit of rearranging the ducal outline of the Kingdom to his liking.
(King Loup I at his peak)
After Loup's death, the de Gaels lost the throne until Duke Breselueu de Gael, with the support of several vassals, declared war on the King of England to take the throne for himself. In 1176, he usurped the throne. Despite the electoral nature of the Kingdom, he and his successors managed to keep the throne in de Gael hands long enough to change the succession rules of England to Primogeniture, thus securing de Gael hegemony.
(Lloegyr, the Breton name of England during Breselueu's rule)
The next 90 years saw only conquest of smaller nations on the British Isles, and it was not until 1265 that King Æthelstan IV, after a long conquest of Southern Scotland and Ireland, created the Empire and Council of Britannia. The Council was the groundwork of the Parliament, where a maximum of 10 councilors would give the Emperor advice, voting if given the option.
(Britannia at its formation)
It was in 1324 that Emperor Loup II, son of Emperor Ecgberht, united the islands under the Britannic flag, the first time in history it has been done. With no more expansion possible on the main islands, the de Gael Emperor and his successors expanded first to the north, taking the Norwegian islands including Iceland.
(The Empire under Loup III)
After that, the rest of Europe saw the de Gael dynasty spread further from England. Under Loup III, grandson of Loup II, the first de Gael King was planted on a foreign throne in 1396. Danmark, which was in the midst of internal strife, was invaded by prince Stingrex, brother of Loup III. With the support of Britannia, Stingrex seized the throne. Earlier than that, Prince Andrew of Britannia married Queen Elisabeth II of Aquitaine and Galicia. At Elisabeth's death, the Kingdoms were split apart, each given to a different son (both of whom were de Gaels).
The spread of de Gaels continued in the 1400's, but this time it was conquest of European land. Brittany, which was the birthplace of the de Gaels, was invaded and annexed in 1402. Despite much desire for the Kingdom to be given independence under a de Gael ruler, the Councilors of Britannia voted on keeping it within the Empire. But to this day, cries for independence grow louder and louder.
(Dynasties of Europe in 1444, notice de Gael rule in Britain, Brittany, Denmark, Galicia, and Aquitaine)
The rest of the first half of the 1400's was void of de Gael expansion. Instead, Britannia nearly saw its doom. The tyrannical Emperor Eadric brew so much hatred from the vassals that a group of dissenters had him assassinated. This did little to relieve their unrest and the young Emperor Saxon, age 10 at his inauguration, was forced to lead his nation through its darkest hour as, in 1432, several influential vassals declared their independence. It was 9 years of bloody fighting, but it ended in victory for Britannia and the Empire remained whole. It was then that Saxon, still so young, formed the Parliament of Britain. 3 years of rebuilding follows.
(The secessionist holdings at the beginning of the Civil War)
It is there where the story cuts off. The rest will be made in time. Whether good or bad, renowned or infamous, no one can say.
NOTE:
-I got so into writing the dynasty's history that I decided to break the prologue into two parts. The next one will be an overview on the rest of the world.
-I know this is a lot of writing and no new screenshots, but this will be the only chapter like that. Promise!
- 2
Don't apologise! it is a nice start! really setting the scene.
Thanks silentsam
Thanks silentsam
- 1
I don't think that's possible. I think to form the USA you have to colonize the North American coast (like, the Thirteen Colonies area).
The decision could be modded, or an alternate decision modded in.
Also, subbed.
A good and informative prologue, that highlights the reign of the three Loup in a satisfying way, as well as their fathers and sons in the De Gael destiny.
Chapter 2 - Prologue 2: An Overview of the Known World
The last couple centuries saw the fall from grace of many nations, as well as the rise of several others. France, once a powerful Kingdom, is now surrounded from the north, the west, and the south by de Gael enemies, and it seems most likely that very little potential is left. Aquitaine, while losing several provinces in the split with Galicia, is still a nation to be reckoned with, especially with its dynastic allies Britain, Galicia, and Danmark. In Iberia, The Teutonic Order quickly became the top nation in the region after seizing Andalusia during a Crusade. Although the peninsula was nearly completely controlled by Muslims not 2 centuries ago, the Christian reconquest has nearly pushed the infidels entirely out. Now, only the small nations of Beja and Seville remain Muslim.
The HRE, which at its strongest covered all of Central Europe and most of Anatolia, is a shell of its former self. The dissolution of the Union between Germany of Byzantium ended in a fracturing of borders. The dominating power within the HRE is Lotharingia, which rose to great strength during the 1300's. It is closely contested by Carinthia and Bohemia. The current Emperor is Meinhard Billung of Genoa. At the moment, the Byzantines control much of Italy, Provence as a vassal nation, several holdings in Croatia, and its historical capital of Constantinople.
The Muslim world is full of mostly small realms, but Iraq, Turkestan, and Persia stand out as large kingdoms. The Abbasid sultans of Iraq led it through the chaos of the last century to become a power to be reckoned with. Turkestan lost territory since its height, but has managed to retain its Anatolian possessions; it current suffers from a strong independence movement in Anatolia. Persia, a nation not much is known about in Britain, has to deal with chaotic borders with Iraq and its neighbors to the East. It is the chaos of the last century in this region, as well as Iraq's and Persia's high trade taxes, that has made trade along the Silk Road much more difficult.
Russia, which was once dominated by the Mongol Empire, is a patchwork of Russian kingdoms and former Mongol nations. Catholic Rus, the dominant Russian power in the world, is next to the Sunni Bulghar, also of Russian culture. Perm recently converted to Sunni Islam but still has an Animist populace.
As Britain moved towards a more centralized government in the mid 1400's, the rest of Europe remains as feudal in nature as ever, with only a few exceptions; Switzerland and Lubeck stand as the only republics. To the east, Tribal and Nomadic governments are still common, especially in the Animist nations of Lithuania and Finland and the former realms of the Mongols.
White: Parliament | Dark Red: Feudal monarchy | Red: Absolute Monarchy | Pink: Monastic Order | Light Blue: Administrative Republic | Blue: Merchant Republic | Yellow: Nomad | Light Yellow: Tribal | Green: Iqta
Religion in the world is fairly stable. Islam is still split between the Shia and the Sunni, but the Christian split of Catholicism and Orthodoxy has long been gone. Gdansk, the independent Pomeranian state, is the last Orthodox nation on Earth. To top it all off, Jerusalem is in the hands of the Christian Kingom of Jerusalem, which is ruled in a union by the King of Castille. However, although Catholicism has prospered unusually well in the last 4 centuries, the split and the weakening of the Holy Roman Empire could spell danger for the future. The last Animist nations in Europe are still in Lithuania and Finland, although, as stated before, Perm's population is Animist.
What with the trading ways to the East hampered by taxes and the general chaos of the last century subsiding, the men of western Europe, especially in the Empire of Britain, look elsewhere for new paths to riches and glory...
NOTE:
-I went with a simple graphical mod called A Revolutionary Borders Mod
The last couple centuries saw the fall from grace of many nations, as well as the rise of several others. France, once a powerful Kingdom, is now surrounded from the north, the west, and the south by de Gael enemies, and it seems most likely that very little potential is left. Aquitaine, while losing several provinces in the split with Galicia, is still a nation to be reckoned with, especially with its dynastic allies Britain, Galicia, and Danmark. In Iberia, The Teutonic Order quickly became the top nation in the region after seizing Andalusia during a Crusade. Although the peninsula was nearly completely controlled by Muslims not 2 centuries ago, the Christian reconquest has nearly pushed the infidels entirely out. Now, only the small nations of Beja and Seville remain Muslim.
The HRE, which at its strongest covered all of Central Europe and most of Anatolia, is a shell of its former self. The dissolution of the Union between Germany of Byzantium ended in a fracturing of borders. The dominating power within the HRE is Lotharingia, which rose to great strength during the 1300's. It is closely contested by Carinthia and Bohemia. The current Emperor is Meinhard Billung of Genoa. At the moment, the Byzantines control much of Italy, Provence as a vassal nation, several holdings in Croatia, and its historical capital of Constantinople.
The Muslim world is full of mostly small realms, but Iraq, Turkestan, and Persia stand out as large kingdoms. The Abbasid sultans of Iraq led it through the chaos of the last century to become a power to be reckoned with. Turkestan lost territory since its height, but has managed to retain its Anatolian possessions; it current suffers from a strong independence movement in Anatolia. Persia, a nation not much is known about in Britain, has to deal with chaotic borders with Iraq and its neighbors to the East. It is the chaos of the last century in this region, as well as Iraq's and Persia's high trade taxes, that has made trade along the Silk Road much more difficult.
Russia, which was once dominated by the Mongol Empire, is a patchwork of Russian kingdoms and former Mongol nations. Catholic Rus, the dominant Russian power in the world, is next to the Sunni Bulghar, also of Russian culture. Perm recently converted to Sunni Islam but still has an Animist populace.
As Britain moved towards a more centralized government in the mid 1400's, the rest of Europe remains as feudal in nature as ever, with only a few exceptions; Switzerland and Lubeck stand as the only republics. To the east, Tribal and Nomadic governments are still common, especially in the Animist nations of Lithuania and Finland and the former realms of the Mongols.
White: Parliament | Dark Red: Feudal monarchy | Red: Absolute Monarchy | Pink: Monastic Order | Light Blue: Administrative Republic | Blue: Merchant Republic | Yellow: Nomad | Light Yellow: Tribal | Green: Iqta
Religion in the world is fairly stable. Islam is still split between the Shia and the Sunni, but the Christian split of Catholicism and Orthodoxy has long been gone. Gdansk, the independent Pomeranian state, is the last Orthodox nation on Earth. To top it all off, Jerusalem is in the hands of the Christian Kingom of Jerusalem, which is ruled in a union by the King of Castille. However, although Catholicism has prospered unusually well in the last 4 centuries, the split and the weakening of the Holy Roman Empire could spell danger for the future. The last Animist nations in Europe are still in Lithuania and Finland, although, as stated before, Perm's population is Animist.
What with the trading ways to the East hampered by taxes and the general chaos of the last century subsiding, the men of western Europe, especially in the Empire of Britain, look elsewhere for new paths to riches and glory...
NOTE:
-I went with a simple graphical mod called A Revolutionary Borders Mod
- 1
My God, those borders are interesting. Any plans on cleaning them up a bit?
Otherwise, very much looking forward to seeing Britain reach modernity. (And the Densleys returning from Iceland, naturally…
)
Otherwise, very much looking forward to seeing Britain reach modernity. (And the Densleys returning from Iceland, naturally…
)
I like "Persian Persia". Turkestan will have a hard time keeping their different possessions. A lot of other interesting particularities, especially Jerusalem, but I have a hard time seeing it survive. Otherwise, some usual oddities of these games (but not necesarily ahistorical).
Is Bohemia an Absolute Monarchy or a Monastic Order? What is that Nomad/Tribal in the middle of the HRE?
Turkestan will have a hard time keeping their different possessions. A lot of other interesting particularities, especially Jerusalem, but I have a hard time seeing it survive. Otherwise, some usual oddities of these games (but not necesarily ahistorical).Is Bohemia an Absolute Monarchy or a Monastic Order?
What is that Nomad/Tribal in the middle of the HRE?He already did, as far as I know.
That's why I was so surprised: I thought I'd seen some talk of cleaning things up.
Ah well, such is the price we pay for using converters…
The Teutonic Order might end up ruling Spain... Well, I'm rooting for them in their little part of the world. How high can they climb without abandoning their ways?
The HRE and the Byzantine Empire still have some messed up borders, but I think that's appropriate. You need to reflect that they were once one nation and the consequences of the divide.
The HRE and the Byzantine Empire still have some messed up borders, but I think that's appropriate. You need to reflect that they were once one nation and the consequences of the divide.
My God, those borders are interesting. Any plans on cleaning them up a bit?
Otherwise, very much looking forward to seeing Britain reach modernity. (And the Densleys returning from Iceland, naturally…
I didn't want to overly change the world. I got rid of all Byzantine holdings in Germany and all HRE holdings in Anatolia, cleaned up the middle east just a bit, and got rid of some weird nations that popped up despite never having existed in this timeline
.I like "Persian Persia".
Is Bohemia an Absolute Monarchy or a Monastic Order?
He already did, as far as I know.
Persian Persia did make me laugh! Bohemia is an Absolute Monarchy. The yellow in the HRE is an Administrative Monarchy I believe, forgot to mention that.
I tried to keep their holdings in groups. For example, a large portion of Italy, a small portion of Croatia, vassalized Provence. Not this dotted possession of random provinces.
Methinks the state of the HRE is going to result in a rather interesting Reformation.
What state is it, might I ask?
Also, I assume Taulia is still around in some form? Rooting for that Central Asian Christian holdout, haha.
