Well, he managed to grow his realm. That's always Priority #1 for a small vassal. Duke Jurgen's still in a dangerous position, though. Going to be interesting to see how his reign goes.
From Very Humble Beginnings: A CKII+ AAR
- Thread starter Geckolord I
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Auribus Teneo Lupum:
Now one of the two or three most powerful men in the Kingdom of Neustria, Duke Jürgen's position was hardly an enviable one. It was well known since early on in his childhood that he was not especially blessed where mental faculties were concerned. What skills he had included a mediocre proclivity for administration, and slightly above average talent with a sword.
He did have children, a son and a daughter, and was a secret follower of the Germanic faith, having been inducted by Duke Baldur in his youth. That said, he had never taken up membership in the Oathkeepers, but he quickly expressed interest in joining them upon finding a letter from his predecessor in his inheritance. In the letter, it was explained that the Oathkeepers had grown to a substantial size, and that with the proper leadership, they would likely be able to come out of hiding within a generation. Within a few short months, a Germanic faithful by the name of Loup had officially inducted Jürgen into the order, helping to carry out the legacy of Duke Baldur the Wise in the process.
The growing size of the cult, while certainly welcome, did present something of a challenge to the duke. He firmly believed that it would be madness to publicly adopt the Germanic faith while still a vassal to the King of Neustria, and thought that declaring his independence before such a time as the herald saw fit to begin the conversion was the only sensible thing to do. However, the duchy of Austria would not survive long on its own, Germanic or otherwise. To the North and South, it was bordered by the powerful Kingdom of Austrasia. The the West, by the crown holdings of the Neustrian King, and to the East by the Slavic and Tengri hordes. Growing powerful enough to fight off these threats was certainly a priority, and Jürgen immediately made it his ambition to become a grand duke.
This ambition was actually not nearly as difficult to achieve as the Duke imagined. The Duchy of Nyitra was already entirely within the borders of Jürgen's tribal vassals, though the title itself was still held by the Khan of Pannonia. Outright war with the powerful Tengri kingdom would be suicidal, but by slowly accumulating wealth and biding his time, Jürgen was eventually able to diplomatically usurp the title for a paltry sum of some 200 pieces of gold. With Baldur having managed to institute elective succession laws before his death, the realm was not especially shaken by the acquisition of the Nytrain ducal title, and Jürgen was satisfied in the knowledge that his rule over the tribal vassals to east now bore some semblance of legitimacy.
But a duchy, even a grand one, is not likely to last long as an independent state, especially when positioned so uncomfortably by much stronger realms, all of whom would be religious enemies of the von Österreich family after their conversion. What Jürgen wanted (and perhaps even needed), more than anything else was a king's crown. The simplest option as he saw it would be to acquire more land from the weaker Slavic tribes to the North, acquire a third ducal title, and immediately upon secession from Neustria form his own Kingdom of Austria. It was fortunate, then, that Baldur had already begun the expansion into Moravia in the last few years of his life, an expansion that the new duke was all too eager to cement.
Like his predecessor, Jürgen knew that to declare a war in the name of Christ while secretly a member of a Germanic cult would be unwise. Instead, he did what Baldur had done, and spent years meticulously planning, fabricating his claims on the County of Hradec. Eventually, a valid justification for war was achieved, and the early years of peace that Austria had enjoyed under Jürgen's rule came to an abrupt end. Over 2,000 brave Austrian soldiers marched off to Moravia to do battle with the Slavs, and they were met by a force of some 4,000 enemies, coming from three distinct tribes to the North. Needless to say, this would've gone incredibly poorly for the Duke, but his skill as a duelist and no small amount of luck allowed him to achieve victory, by besting the high chief of Moravia in personal combat and taking him prisoner.
Because of this stroke of luck, the war was over almost as quickly as it had begun, and Jürgen found himself one step closer to being able to usurp Moravia from the filthy Slavs once and for all. While the next war might not be so lucky, Jürgen was nonetheless sure that he would one day achieve victory.
(Duchy of Moravia outlined in red)
Now one of the two or three most powerful men in the Kingdom of Neustria, Duke Jürgen's position was hardly an enviable one. It was well known since early on in his childhood that he was not especially blessed where mental faculties were concerned. What skills he had included a mediocre proclivity for administration, and slightly above average talent with a sword.
He did have children, a son and a daughter, and was a secret follower of the Germanic faith, having been inducted by Duke Baldur in his youth. That said, he had never taken up membership in the Oathkeepers, but he quickly expressed interest in joining them upon finding a letter from his predecessor in his inheritance. In the letter, it was explained that the Oathkeepers had grown to a substantial size, and that with the proper leadership, they would likely be able to come out of hiding within a generation. Within a few short months, a Germanic faithful by the name of Loup had officially inducted Jürgen into the order, helping to carry out the legacy of Duke Baldur the Wise in the process.
The growing size of the cult, while certainly welcome, did present something of a challenge to the duke. He firmly believed that it would be madness to publicly adopt the Germanic faith while still a vassal to the King of Neustria, and thought that declaring his independence before such a time as the herald saw fit to begin the conversion was the only sensible thing to do. However, the duchy of Austria would not survive long on its own, Germanic or otherwise. To the North and South, it was bordered by the powerful Kingdom of Austrasia. The the West, by the crown holdings of the Neustrian King, and to the East by the Slavic and Tengri hordes. Growing powerful enough to fight off these threats was certainly a priority, and Jürgen immediately made it his ambition to become a grand duke.
This ambition was actually not nearly as difficult to achieve as the Duke imagined. The Duchy of Nyitra was already entirely within the borders of Jürgen's tribal vassals, though the title itself was still held by the Khan of Pannonia. Outright war with the powerful Tengri kingdom would be suicidal, but by slowly accumulating wealth and biding his time, Jürgen was eventually able to diplomatically usurp the title for a paltry sum of some 200 pieces of gold. With Baldur having managed to institute elective succession laws before his death, the realm was not especially shaken by the acquisition of the Nytrain ducal title, and Jürgen was satisfied in the knowledge that his rule over the tribal vassals to east now bore some semblance of legitimacy.
But a duchy, even a grand one, is not likely to last long as an independent state, especially when positioned so uncomfortably by much stronger realms, all of whom would be religious enemies of the von Österreich family after their conversion. What Jürgen wanted (and perhaps even needed), more than anything else was a king's crown. The simplest option as he saw it would be to acquire more land from the weaker Slavic tribes to the North, acquire a third ducal title, and immediately upon secession from Neustria form his own Kingdom of Austria. It was fortunate, then, that Baldur had already begun the expansion into Moravia in the last few years of his life, an expansion that the new duke was all too eager to cement.
Like his predecessor, Jürgen knew that to declare a war in the name of Christ while secretly a member of a Germanic cult would be unwise. Instead, he did what Baldur had done, and spent years meticulously planning, fabricating his claims on the County of Hradec. Eventually, a valid justification for war was achieved, and the early years of peace that Austria had enjoyed under Jürgen's rule came to an abrupt end. Over 2,000 brave Austrian soldiers marched off to Moravia to do battle with the Slavs, and they were met by a force of some 4,000 enemies, coming from three distinct tribes to the North. Needless to say, this would've gone incredibly poorly for the Duke, but his skill as a duelist and no small amount of luck allowed him to achieve victory, by besting the high chief of Moravia in personal combat and taking him prisoner.
Because of this stroke of luck, the war was over almost as quickly as it had begun, and Jürgen found himself one step closer to being able to usurp Moravia from the filthy Slavs once and for all. While the next war might not be so lucky, Jürgen was nonetheless sure that he would one day achieve victory.
(Duchy of Moravia outlined in red)
Jürgen may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but by Odin he's an effective one!
A very useful war. But matters religious are going to prove more difficult I imagine.
New Heights:
A great deal of Jürgen's adulthood was rather uneventful. He spent decades waiting, biding his time until the Oathkeepers could reveal themselves to the world. A few minor border skirmishes took place between the Neustrian king and the surrounding tribes, but the Duke of Austria did his best not to concern himself with these matters. Of course, the passage of time brings with it growing older, and it was not long before the Jürgen's firstborn son, Udalrich, came of age. He was a find young lad, strong as an ox and at least as smart. He was brave, just, and ambitious to boot. In short, he was the ideal ruler, showing that on occasion, the apple does fall rather far from the tree.
This analogy of apples and trees brings us back of course to Jürgen's unfortunate reputation, which around this time would tarnish even more. It is well known that vassals scheme and plot, always trying to get ahead based on the latest git of gossip from their lieges court, but never in his life did the Duke think that someone would call into question the legitimacy of his birth. It is unknown who first started telling the tale, but in just a short while, it was accepted as fact that Duke Jürgen von Österreich was not actually the child of Udalrich, and by extension, no nephew of Duke Baldur. The stain of bastardy was placed upon him, and to add insult to injury, subjects throughout his realm and beyond had begun referring to the Duke as "Jürgen 'the Ill-Ruler'"
Aside from these unfortunate allegations, the realm remained unusually quiet for quite some time. However, that peace was quickly shattered when a series of untimely deaths and successions reunited the Frankish realms under the banner of Fulcrad of the Dutch Empire. Against all odds, it was the Kingdom of Holland that had managed to emerge victorious from the squabbles following the partition of King Karl's realm, and they now sought to assert their dominance over the rest of the European continent.
However, many of Emperor Fulcrad's subjects saw him as nothing more than a pretender to the legacy of the Karlings. Indeed, no imperial title of any sort had been held in the west for some 200 years, since the time of the great Empire of Francia. In a few short months, the vassals had begun to form factions, and Jürgen, seeing an opportunity to gain the independence he had dreamed of for decades, flocked to the banner of the Separtist faction.
In a few short months time, the war for independence had begun. While the loyalists did slightly outnumber the separatists, Duke Jürgen remained unshaken, and raised his own personal levies to bolster the separatist army. The duke himself was offered command of the largest pro-independence force, an honor which he readily accepted despite his now advanced age. The bulk of the war was fought in the north of Italy, where the border of the mostly pro-Dutch lands met that of the Austrian and Italian separatists. The outnumbered separatist armies used the mountainous terrain to their advantage, lying in weight in regions where the loyalists would have to fight a literal uphill battle to reach them. This tactic proved successful, and in time, Pavia, Trent, and a few smaller counties had been seized by separatist forces.
By this point, a victory for the independence league did seem to be the most likely outcome of the war, though to say it had gone entirely well would be premature. A few weeks after the occupation of Pavia, the Austrian army was crushed in battle by a substantial force of loyalists, who not only set back the war effort significantly, but captured Duke Jürgen in battle. With loyalist forces readily advancing into separatist territory, swelling in numbers as they did, it was only the bold capture of the Dutch capital by the Italian army that eventually forced Emperor Fulcrad to concede defeat. While the threat posed by the Dutch would likely continue to loom overhead for some time, and Jürgen himself continued to rot in a prison cell in the far north, the Grand Duchy of Austria was officially an independent state, a status that with any luck it would hold on to for years to come.
A great deal of Jürgen's adulthood was rather uneventful. He spent decades waiting, biding his time until the Oathkeepers could reveal themselves to the world. A few minor border skirmishes took place between the Neustrian king and the surrounding tribes, but the Duke of Austria did his best not to concern himself with these matters. Of course, the passage of time brings with it growing older, and it was not long before the Jürgen's firstborn son, Udalrich, came of age. He was a find young lad, strong as an ox and at least as smart. He was brave, just, and ambitious to boot. In short, he was the ideal ruler, showing that on occasion, the apple does fall rather far from the tree.
This analogy of apples and trees brings us back of course to Jürgen's unfortunate reputation, which around this time would tarnish even more. It is well known that vassals scheme and plot, always trying to get ahead based on the latest git of gossip from their lieges court, but never in his life did the Duke think that someone would call into question the legitimacy of his birth. It is unknown who first started telling the tale, but in just a short while, it was accepted as fact that Duke Jürgen von Österreich was not actually the child of Udalrich, and by extension, no nephew of Duke Baldur. The stain of bastardy was placed upon him, and to add insult to injury, subjects throughout his realm and beyond had begun referring to the Duke as "Jürgen 'the Ill-Ruler'"
Aside from these unfortunate allegations, the realm remained unusually quiet for quite some time. However, that peace was quickly shattered when a series of untimely deaths and successions reunited the Frankish realms under the banner of Fulcrad of the Dutch Empire. Against all odds, it was the Kingdom of Holland that had managed to emerge victorious from the squabbles following the partition of King Karl's realm, and they now sought to assert their dominance over the rest of the European continent.
However, many of Emperor Fulcrad's subjects saw him as nothing more than a pretender to the legacy of the Karlings. Indeed, no imperial title of any sort had been held in the west for some 200 years, since the time of the great Empire of Francia. In a few short months, the vassals had begun to form factions, and Jürgen, seeing an opportunity to gain the independence he had dreamed of for decades, flocked to the banner of the Separtist faction.
In a few short months time, the war for independence had begun. While the loyalists did slightly outnumber the separatists, Duke Jürgen remained unshaken, and raised his own personal levies to bolster the separatist army. The duke himself was offered command of the largest pro-independence force, an honor which he readily accepted despite his now advanced age. The bulk of the war was fought in the north of Italy, where the border of the mostly pro-Dutch lands met that of the Austrian and Italian separatists. The outnumbered separatist armies used the mountainous terrain to their advantage, lying in weight in regions where the loyalists would have to fight a literal uphill battle to reach them. This tactic proved successful, and in time, Pavia, Trent, and a few smaller counties had been seized by separatist forces.
By this point, a victory for the independence league did seem to be the most likely outcome of the war, though to say it had gone entirely well would be premature. A few weeks after the occupation of Pavia, the Austrian army was crushed in battle by a substantial force of loyalists, who not only set back the war effort significantly, but captured Duke Jürgen in battle. With loyalist forces readily advancing into separatist territory, swelling in numbers as they did, it was only the bold capture of the Dutch capital by the Italian army that eventually forced Emperor Fulcrad to concede defeat. While the threat posed by the Dutch would likely continue to loom overhead for some time, and Jürgen himself continued to rot in a prison cell in the far north, the Grand Duchy of Austria was officially an independent state, a status that with any luck it would hold on to for years to come.
