I n-Eireann iath-ghlais - Eire AAR

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I n-Eireann iath-ghlais
In Green-clad Ireland

This AAR began with a game of Crusader Kings. I started as Count of Dublin and then inherited the Duchy of Meath. It took 50 years to make myself King of Ireland. I didn't do a straight export of the game to EU2, because things in Eastern Europe were already so utterly weird by the time the 13th century began. Instead I changed bits of the new game by copying over; only Northern Europe looks different.
The main differences between the usual starting positions are these: Scotland is a vassal of Eire and doesn't have any Irish cores. England doesn't have a CB on Eire, although it does on Scotland. England doesn't own Meath. There is no Kalmar Union - in CK Norway conquered Sweden, so the game starts with Sweden a vassal of Norway, not Denmark. Denmark has a RM with Eire. Two small changes in North Africa: Eire and not Castille has a colony in the Canary Islands and Tangiers is Catholic courtesy of Norwegian crusaders.
Since since Irish unification wasn't anything to do with the O Neills of Tyrone in the CK game, I've replaced the Irish monarch file completely with Ua Mordha/O'Moore rulers, my CK dynasty.
I'm going to attempt to find a piece of poetry in Irish to accompany each king. Hopefully. Thanks to by Seán Ó Tuathail and "The Excellence of the Ancient Word"

 

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Rémhscela/Prologue
Mediaeval Ireland 1014-1419


The first serious efforts to unify Ireland under a single king were made by Brian Boru, but at the battle of Clontarf, although the last resistance to him by the forces of Leinster and the Ostmen (Scandinavians) of Dublin was decisively crushed, Brian himself was killed. For a while afterward, his former rival Mael Sechnaill, king of Tara, was acknowledged as Ard Ri, or High King, but it was largely a ceremonial title. Disunity was to prevail, and various regional petty kings laid claim to the title; chroniclers increasingly began to use the term Ard Ri co fresabra, High King with opposition, to indicate that the claim was not recognised by all.

High Kings of Ireland

Brian Bórú 1002-1014
Mael Sechnaill 1014-1022
Corcrán Claireach and Conn Ua Lochlainn 1022-1024
Donnchadh Ua Briain 1024-1064
Toirdealbach Ua Briain 1064-1067
Toirdealbach Ua Briain and Murchaid Ua Mordha 1067-1086
Murchaid Ua Mordha and Muircheartach Ua Briain 1086-1089
Donnchadh Ua Mordha and Cellach Ua Briain 1089-1115

The next, and finally successful, attempt at creating a single Irish monarchy was the work of Donnchadh Ua Mordha. His father Murchaid already had control of Dublin and had made himself king of both Leinster and Ulster. Donnchadh was thus in a position to contest the kingship with the descendants of Brian Boru of Munster. Donnchadh surrounded himself with capable allies and advisors, but more importantly had control of the more populous and prosperous eastern half of the country. The Ui Briain had hold of Munster and influence over Connacht, but their power was waning. In 1115 Donnchadh launched a decisive attack on his rival, Cellach Ua Briain and smashed the Munster army at the battle of Lios Mor. Following this, all of Connacht made their submissions: Donnachadh had no more rivals and was now High King without any opposition.
More importantly, he changed the nature of the High Kingship, recreating Irish society from the top down, as it were, along feudal lines. Recognised officially by the Pope as undisputed King of Ireland, he was crowned in two ceremonies in Dublin and at Tara, where he obliged all the nobles of the country to surrender their titles and receive them back as his subjects. There was doubtless some resentment, but nobody dared challenge his authority on the battlefield. In due course, the kingship passed smoothly to his son, Cernach.

Kings of Ireland 1115-1419

Donnchadh I 1115-1140
Cernach 1140-1153
Feargus 1153-1187
Colcu I 1187-1219
Corcc 1219-1243
Ruaidhri I 1243-1276
Broccan 1276-1304
Cummasach 1304-1321
Donnchadh II 1321-1350
Congalach 1350-1376
Fiachna I 1376-1400
Colcu II 1400-1419

The Irish aristocracy was surprisingly quiet under the rule of the Ui Mordha. There was never a serious challenge to the king's authority. The influential filidh (poets) and breitheamh (judges) clung to their particular spheres of influence for longer than the aristocracy, but nevertheless were to come increasingly under the Crown's control in the mediaeval era. In the next few decades, Irish power was extended over the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland as the power of the Scottish kings collapsed completely. A firm alliance was made with Norway which was to last through most the mediaeval period. The alliance dominated Northern Europe for 200 years as Norway absorbed Sweden and Ireland conquered and ruled over Denmark and over the important Baltic ports of Lubeck and Rostock. Only in 1340, with the assassination of the Irish Duke of Jutland, was Denmark able to reassert its independence by establishing Valdemar as king. Ruaidhri I gradually established Irish dominion over the whole of Scotland and was crowned King of Scotland at Scone in 1265. Irish control of Scotland was never unchallenged, and wars were fought through much of the 14th century as the Scots attempted to assert their independence while the Irish attempted to assert tighter control. In 1357 a sort of compromise was reached whereby Scotland was recognised as a separate realm, but subject to Irish overlordship.

 

[unmerged(10971)]

Ooh, I like this idea! Any chance we'll see a CK "prequel" AAR?

 

[unmerged(20077)]

Ooh, I like this idea! Any chance we'll see a CK "prequel" AAR?

The CK portion has been over and done with for a while now and in any case it was a bit weird and annoying in places.

 

[Semi-Lobster]

Good start impaler, convert any provinces to Irish before EUII started or have you been generally content with action in Britain and Scandanavia?

 

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Fiachna II, the War of Scotland and the Grand Petition


Fearann cloidimh crioch Banba - Sword-land is Ireland
biodh slán cáich fá chomhardha - Let all men challenged be
go bhfuil d'oighreacht a Fiaidh bhFáil - To show their claim to the Stone of Fál
acht foirneat gliadh dá gabháil - But by conquest and by war

If Irish overlordship did not sit happily with many Scots, the English were equally ill at ease with the situation. Having conquered Wales and fresh from victory over the Dauphin of France, the English king Henry made a determined attempt to subjugate Scotland. Ireland was obliged to enter the war as both powers struggled for control of Scotland and Norway too joined the war, but the defeat of the Norwegian expedition attempting to land in Northern England marked a turning point; the old alliance was fatally undermined and within months Sweden had broken its ties to the Norwegian crown. English forces captured Dublin and Fiachna was proclaimed to have been killed. In fact he was not dead, and in 1423 returned to recapture Dublin and inflict a series of defeats on the invaders. But Irish victories at home had no effect on the superior armies England could make use of in Scotland and soon almost half the country was in English hands. England's payment of ransom to Fiachna did not mask the fact that the war had, in strategic terms, been an English victory and an Irish defeat. The war led to conflict among the Irish: it had strengthened the nobility on whose armies Fiachna had had to rely and this in turn led to popular discontent of which the Grand Petition to the King of 1442 was the most obvious sign. The petitioners, led by Eoghain Mac Mathgamhna, demanded the abolition of various feudal dues and taxes recently revived and the right to trial by royal rather than local officials, but chiefly it called for the abolition of a practice known as "Coign and Livery" whereby the local population was required to supported any troops raised by their lord. There was outrage among many of the nobility when the king actually agreed to meet the demands of the petition: they pinned their hopes on Feilim Mac Carthaigh, Duke of Munster, who might have raised open rebellion, but his sudden death in 1444 ended any hopes of a successful plot. Fiachna himself died two years later.


England soundly beat France in the opening war, unfortunately. They then attack Scotland. Even with the improved manpower from not getting conquered and split into tiny chiefdoms in CK, I can't match England for troops, especially when they're a cheating AI country and they own half of France to boot. Although I briefly have control of the Irish Sea and land a little army to run around plundering, the English turn it around and capture Meath, at which point a ****ing Political Crisis gets handed to me. Thank you very much. I build an army large enough to defeat them and then chase them around increasing my war score, but money is getting too low to carry on indefinitely and it's a waste of time anyway because I can't get across the sea either to attack back or help the Scots. I'm obliged to grab 50d for peace in 1424 and Scotland cedes the Grampians and Strathclyde the following year. Norway was not much help. It's time to look to France for allies. Hardly has the war ended when I get Petition for Redress. I decide to take the large number of stab hits in exchange for +1 centralisation. War is looming again when Ceadach replaces Fiachna as king.

 

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Semi-Lobster - no, no additional provinces have Gaelic culture apart from the Canary Islands; apparently it rarely happens in the CK 1.04 beta version.

 

[unmerged(3523)]

I plan to follow this one. Good start! I especially like how you brought the history of the CK era into the beginning to set the stage.

 

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Thanks.

 

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Ceadach and the War of England

Ár a thraí cath co-mhart ann. - - Havoc its strain of battles shared death there.
Isin cath iar ngall ro bhris comhlonna - - In this battle after foreigners broke the treaty
for sléacht slúaigh. Silster ria slúaghaibh - - by destruction of it. The hosts will defeat them
Síabraí, íath fir fomnaí, - - O fey hosts, land of guarding men,
cuifí ciathaí, fir gan rogain. - - birds of prey rain down on men without choice.
Léantar gala. Fordám aisid, - - Hold, you foreigners: one company fears,
fordám cloisid, forandíchráighid. - - another company listens, they sorely tormented
fir duibh. Béic finn nointam! - - They gloomy men: roaring ninefold bright are we!


Luckily for Ireland's cause, the situation was not to last too long. The Irish and Scots were already preparing for war again when Fiachna died, to be succeeded by Ceadach, whose well known portrait by Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden hangs in Dublin's Royal Gallery. Spurred on by French victories which saw the English possessions on the Continent restricted to Gascony and Calais, a new attack was launched aimed at driving the English out of Scotland. An Irish army launched an invasion across the sea, marched up the Bristol Channel coast and captured numerous castles in Wales, defeating the English at the Battle of Wells. An English counter-invasion was defeated at Trim and again at Inis Ciarrai; only in Connacht were the English landings to cause any serious problems. Meanwhile the Scots drove out the English from Scotland and invaded Northumberland, although defeated heavily at Berwick. England was overstretched. Exhausted by the war with France, the weak English king Henry VI was forced to sign the Peace of Durham, whereby Scotland was evacuated and the former border recognised, along with Irish overlordship over most of Wales.
Worse was to follow for England when in 1460 Edward IV, a rival claimant to the throne, deposed Henry and attempted to reconquer Wales: despite victory at Telford, he was not able to advance to prevent an Irish army under Ruaidhri Mór O Néill, Count of Tyrone, landing in support of the Welsh while another force disembarked in Morecambe Bay and advanced south, capturing Lancaster. Further North, Scottish forces took Carlisle and advanced to besiege Durham. The Welsh army seized Chester and took control of Lancaster as the Irish moved south to attack King Edward's main army, encamped near Shrewsbury on the Welsh border. The battle at first went well for the English, but O Néill arrived unexpectedly and fell on the English flank with terrible effect. Edward, surrounded, was captured and brought to Conwy Castle a prisoner, having lost a hand and the Irish army moved into the heart of England, taking Derby, Nottingham and Lincoln, cutting the country in two. Edward and several other great nobles of England had to be ransomed and Wales and Scotland received even more territory.


France and England are at war again in the 1440s which suits me. After watching for a while to make sure France (which has just finished a minor annexing spree in the Rhineland) is winning, I declare war on the English again. The Scots move to recapture lost territory, while I manage to sneak an army just large enough to besiege over the Irish Sea past the absurdly large English fleet. In spite of Scottish armies being crap and losing nearly every battle, they do eventually capture the Grampians and Strathclyde back and I take Cornwall and Wales, while defeating small English invasions of Meath and crushing a newly built, breaking morale English army in Bristol. The AI does its usual trick of refusing all peace offers and then making a really generous one itself. We get Wales (which I release as a vassal) and all the Scottish territory back. Not sure if Norway did anything at all.
I'm at war almost continuously as Scotland declares a BB war on France, followed by Norway going to war with Novgorod (which results in a white peace for me). The Scots conquer Normandy, then go to war with Brittany and Castile, resulting in one of those neverending wars as the Bretons capture Normandy and just sit there while France eats them. Then, shortly after an exceptional court painter arrives in Dublin, England declares war on Wales. I manage to get two armies across the Irish Sea before it's permanently occupied by big English fleets, one to bolster Welsh defences and another to start a siege in Lancashire. Richelieu is necessary to get both Scotland and Wales to actually do anything with their sizeable forces. After Lancashire and Northumberland fall, Edward himself is in the Midlands with 4000 men, having lost half his army trying to attack Wales - I send both my armies, about 8000 - to try and kill him, and when the second shows up a few days after the first, the battle swings in my favour and Edward and his army are wiped out, giving me and my allies a free hand - the rest of the English army is away in France. They pay 66d and hand over Northumberland and Lancashire. There follow several years of Wales and Scotland fighting off Spanish landings before I dishonour my useless treaty with Norway by refusing to attack Denmark... Scotland does likewise but the Welsh join in, splitting the alliance. Nevermind, though, I still get a CB on anyone attacking Wales.

 

[Sir Humphrey]

I have just read this great stuff. Nice show.

 

[Semi-Lobster]

Great read Impaler, I was wondering, I could never finish a CK game (too mant CTD's when saving!!!) I heard the conversion is a bit clunky with everybody having claims on each other

 

[unmerged(3523)]

For some reason I just love hearing about Eire crossing to England and beating the snot out of them. Also I like the history book style combined with the ... uh... orange style.

 

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Semi-Lobster: I never actually played all the way up to 1419 and exported; I got into the 14th century and tried an export and it was utterly crazy, with Granada being labelled as the Seljuks and most of Russia owned by Hungary and so on. I just cut and pasted Northern Europe with some tweaks.

 

[Semi-Lobster]

Semi-Lobster: I never actually played all the way up to 1419 and exported; I got into the 14th century and tried an export and it was utterly crazy, with Granada being labelled as the Seljuks and most of Russia owned by Hungary and so on. I just cut and pasted Northern Europe with some tweaks.

Wow! That's pretty messed up, maybe I shouldn't be trying so hard to finish my Poland game knowing the converter isn't too good

 

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Conall I, Niall and Ireland at Peace

Sídh go neimh - - Peace high as the heavens
neimh go domhan - - heaven to earth
domhan fo neimh - - earth beneath heaven
neart i gcách - - strength in everyone
án forlán - - a full cup
lán do mil - - a fullness of honey
míd go sáith - - honour aplenty
sam i ngram - - summer in winter
gae for sciath - - spear held up by shield
sciath for dúnadh - - shield held up by fort
dúnadh lonngharg - - forts strong in defence
fód di uí - - fleece from sheep
ros forbiur beanna - - woods grown with antler-tips
abú airbí imeachta - - destruction gone forever

The death of Ceadach in 1464 and the accession of Connall I ushered in some respite from the wars in Britain. Conall was not a fighting man, but preferred to concentrate on peace and prosperity at home. The foundation in 1477 of the Dublin School, modelled after that of Bruges, saw painting begin to flourish under royal patronage. Abroad England was weakened by the Wars of the Roses and lost all its French possessions and despite the recapture of Lancaster from the Welsh by Sussex, he was not able to retain control. There followed a war between Scotland and Wales over the region, which was resolved without either side gaining significant territory: the Irish stayed out of the war, King Conall being anxious to avoid any entanglements in foreign affairs. He preferred to cultivate good relations with other nations through marriage rather than military cooperation. At his death in 1493 Ireland had stayed entirely trouble free apart from violent but minor disturbances among the merchants in Dublin and Cork.
Niall sought to continue his predecessor's policy. He avoided conflict in both Britain and on the Continent, instead encouraging the activity of Irish merchants abroad. With the discovery of the New World, much income began to flow into Spain and Portugal, with whom Niall was particularly keen to maintain good relations. Meanwhile Scotland went to war with Wales again, this time capturing from them all the land North of the River Mersey. Ireland again stayed aloof.

Eventually Scotland's war with half of the Western Europe is ended by rebels causing Brittany to simply cease to exist. England attacks Wales, France attacks England. France is at first completely successful, but then gets attacked by just about everyone because they've built up so much BB. I finish a FAA in Meath and expand a couple of fortresses, get Unhappiness Among the Merchants and Corruption and avoid any more wars, building up trade and the treasury in a quiet time.
I've never seen a France like this in 1500, but I gather others have. The government falls as the Iberians advance, with Spain/Castille having gained Maine, England Normandy and Armor and Portugal Artois(!), and so Aragon turbo-annexes most of the south, apart from Dauphine which falls to Genoa. A new war is declared, and Orleans grabs Caux while Provence, Artois and Dauphine revolt away. Spain now takes the rest of Brittany and Calais. By 1500 the King of France owns nothing but Paris and the Massif Central. I wonder if Orleans or someone will end up becoming France? I'm just glad to be out of all this.
Scotland attacks Wales and takes Lancashire. Aragon loses parts of France to a powerful coalition including Castile/Spain and England. France regains Nivernais through a revolt. What a mess. I doubt if Aragon will ever be united with Spain now, except by force. Meanwhile Hannover is doing very well for itself in Germany and in the East, Hungary had done well against the Ottomans, taking Serbia and Bulgaria - until Suleyman showed up and took them all back plus Banat.

 

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Conall II and the Break with Rome

Crádh ort, a Dhoiminic Ui Dhomhnaill - - Woe to you Dominic O'Donnell
Nach mairg ariamh a chonnaic thú - - Alas for anyone who ever saw you
Bhi tú 'do shagart Dia Domhnaigh - - You were a priest on Sunday
'S ar maidin Dia Luain 'do mhinistir. - - And on Monday morning a minister.

Pill, pill, a rúin ó - - Come back, come back, love
Pill, a rúin ó is ná h-imthigh uaim - - Come back and do not leave me
Pill ort a chuid den tsaol mhór - - Come back my share of the World
Nó chan fheiceann tú'n ghlóir mur' bpille tú - - You will not see glory unless you come back

For several years, religious controversy had been simmering in Ireland. The seeds of the discontent went as far back as the 12th century with the reformation of the Irish church along more Roman lines under Donnchadh I. Pressure from Rome for further change, such as the absorbtion of the order of the Ceili Dé, or Culdees, and the reduction in autonomy of Irish monastic communities had aggravated the problem. In November 1530, a crowd of protesters had taken control of Armagh Cathedral, and in Dublin and Cork some of the clergy took the side of the Culdees against the Pope. Conall was hestitant about taking action, but events elsewhere decided him - Scotland invaded Wales, layed siege to Cardiff and killed Maredudd, Prince of Wales. Conall was angered by this action involving two countries which were technically dependencies of the Irish Crown; he wrote to the Pope seeking to have James V deposed as a rebellious vassal. However, he had already been outmanoeuvred by James, whom the Pope recognised as King of Scotland, although the Welsh situation remained unresolved. Conall was outraged by this and moved to finally take sides with those who resisted the demands on the Irish churches. When the Pope issued a Bull condemning Conall the following year, Conall formally broke with the Catholic Church, declaring the Church of Ireland independent.
Conall's move caused turmoil initially. In some cities abroad, Irish merchants were expelled or persuaded to renounce their loyalty to their king. More dramatically, Diarmait Count of Urmumhu raised an army of Catholics against Conall in Leinster and the rebels, numbering some 12000, moved towards Dublin, but at the battle of Luimneach were decisively defeated. Diarmait and his associates were executed, their lands confiscated and measures taken to reinforce the royal army and bring the rest of the Irish churches under the new system as quickly as possibly - ironically the rebellion had served only to increase royal authority.
Conall's action also seems to have encouraged Henry VIII in England to break with Rome and go further still by declaring himself head of the Church in England. There were contrasts between Irish and English forms of Protestantism: Henry's dissolution of the monasteries confiscated their property, whereas Conall strengthened the position of many monasteries and where Henry made himself 'supreme governor' of the Church of England and appointed his own bishops, Conall styled himself 'protector' of the Irish Church and abolished bishops altogether, but the two former antagonists seemed to be moving closer to an alliance against the still Catholic Scots, although this was reversed when the Catholic Queen Mary succeeded Henry's young son Edward in 1553.

Yes, a Protestant Ireland! If you'd played a game of CK, you wouldn't like the Pope much, either... TWELVE stab hits for this! Is that a record? I tailored an event to make 3 Irish provinces turn Protestant first, so this wasn't as mad as it may sound at first. With low stability anda random event there's a rebellion in Leinster, which amazingly my forces put down first time. Even more amazingly, both missionaries - in Leinster and the Canaries (paid for by the money bonus) succeed! This might seem like an unusual way to go, but frankly things were getting boring, and I was also annoyed by the possibility of Portugal grabbing the Canaries under ToT rules. England becomes Catholic again in 1553, scuppering my plans for kicking the Scots out of Wales.