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God forbid! The Umayyads have crushed any resistance to their overlordship of Iberia ... Dark times lie ahead for Christianity!

Could you show us what happens when they enact their special decision 'Avenge the battle of Tours'? I have unfortunately not been able to play the game due to terrible mismanagment of familial relationships.

In other news, at least I know what I want to do: I'm going to buy this game for a great friend of mine to enjoy as a surprise ;)
 
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God forbid! The Umayyads have crushed any resistance to their overlordship of Iberia ... Dark times lie ahead for Christianity!

Could you show us what happens when they enact their special decision 'Avenge the battle of Tours'? I have unfortunately not been able to play the game due to terrible mismanagment of familial relationships.

In other news, at least I know what I want to do: I'm going to buy this game for a great friend of mine to enjoy as a surprise ;)
I'm not sure if I get told when/if they do that, but I'll keep an eye out. :) And your friend will be extatic! ;)
 
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Nice start. Haraldr did well for himself and got Norway off to what appears to be a good start.

The maps are interesting and cool.
Thanks! He did indeed do well, if not as fast as I'd expected. :)
 
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Great achievement, but hell, being captured in battle? The end was not so good. Let us hope that Halfdan will be better! Or at least, can run faster! :D
 
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Great achievement, but hell, being captured in battle? The end was not so good. Let us hope that Halfdan will be better! Or at least, can run faster! :D
To be honest, I'm not sure what happened. I was slightly losing, like 30%. Fought a losing battle, then suddenly in the middle of that got told I'd lost. I got no popups saying I was captured, but it is the only explanation. I went with it anyways. :D

I'm now on my fourth ruler by the way. Will write the next chapter soon. :)
 
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Oh neat! Are you thinking about doing a long term Asatru run?
 
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Oh neat! Are you thinking about doing a long term Asatru run?
I had a plan from the get go, which was to eventually convert to Christianity. But I had not expected what was to happen. More of that in the upcoming chapter!
 
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Chapter II - Halfdan I (911-938)
Halfdan I (911-938)

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Halfdan I, was a defining force in the history of Norway. A tragic man in many ways, his rule would see the future of Scandinavia altered forever.



Family

Halfdan was a man haunted by sorrows. Already before his ascension, he had lost two wives and one son. And they would not be the last of his troubles. He was through his life married to three women, the last of them, Sigrid, the only one to become his Queen. He also held three concubines in his time, of which we know little.


With his wives and concubines, Halfdan bore fourteen children that we know of:

Ulfr

Haraldr

Rögnhildr

Asa

Sif

Skuli

Kolbjörn

Arnbjörn

Gunnhildr

Bengt

Botulfr

Holmger

Ofeig

Anders

None of these children would succeed him as king.

His reign

The reign of Halfdan I was dominated by wars, personal grief and religious strife. It begun badly with him already having lost two wives and a son in short succession not long before his father died. Additionally, the rumors of him being the love child of Queen Rögnhildr and jarl Eskild never truly faded, giving doubts about his legitimacy to rule.

Within a year after he became king, his new Queen bore the first of many illegitimate children. She was a serial adulterer, but the King loved her dearly and forgave it all – time and time again. It did cause him mental harm, though, as he became a flagellant and wounded himself in the process, something that would haunt him to his grave. To add insult to injury, his daughter eloped with a commoner, bearing his child. This greatly grieved the King.

In 919 AD, in an effort to distract himself and enlarge the kingdom at the same time, he declared war on Iceland to subjugate the jarldom under the Norwegian crown. This started badly, with his favorite son dying in battle against the Icelanders and, a couple years later, most of the army dying in the Icelandic fjord.

Sensing weakness, the king of Sweden declared war on Halfdan, wishing to take one of his jarldoms for himself. Between the war with Iceland and Sweden, Halfdan’s forces were spread thin. And disaster struck, time and time again. While the armies mostly won, the victories were hard won and time and time again his heirs died in battle with the enemy. A total of seven heirs perished between 919 AD and 926 AD, when the last of the two wars were ended. Both ended in a hard fought white peace.

In 930 AD, disaster struck again. The Catholic Pope sensed weakness and announced a Crusade for the kingdom of Pommerania, of which Norway controlled half. It is theorized this Crusade was part of an elaborate plan by the Pope to win Norway for Christ, as it was widely known that Halfdan was positive to the southern religion.

Assembling the Storting, Halfdan proposed a radical proposition: For the whole realm, him and his family to convert to Christianity. There is no doubt Christianity was seen in a positive light before this, and sources claim the first missionaries came to Norway already in the late 600s. But it stunned the world when Halfdan sent word to the Pope that he, his house and eleven out of his fourteen vassals with families were ready to be baptized. Norway was won for the Christian God.

In an even bigger surprise to everyone, Halfdan then a year later announced his support for the planned Crusade to liberate Pommerania from the heathen – a category he had himself been part of merely a year before. The Crusade was launched in 932 AD, and Halfdan’s forces contributed heavily to the eventual victory in 935 AD, although his army had to retreat after a harsh defeat a year before. The kingdom of Pommerania was awarded to the rising power of Bavaria.

In 935 AD, as soon as the Crusade was over, Halfdan declared holy war for the jarldom of Skåne against pagan Sweden. The war was not easy, but his forces were on the offensive when Halfdan I died peacefully in his sleep June 28th, 938 AD.

He would be succeeded by his half-brother Helgi.

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Norgesveldet and Europe at the death of Halfdan I in 938 AD.


Aftermath

Halfdan I’s reign is a watershed moment in European and Norwegian history. By adopting Christianity, the King began the total transformation of the religious setup of Scandinavia, which by this point had been a stronghold of Asatru, although there were smaller Christian communities in the area before this.

With the conversion came a time of Crusades and holy wars that would, in time, transform the area and her population.

To modern day Norwegians, especially the Christian population, his importance cannot be overstated.
 
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Aquitaine and bavaria are doing well. Bulgaria too. Norwegian christianty might be a prelude to them getting more involved in European affairs now they can marry into their courts?
 
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Aquitaine and bavaria are doing well. Bulgaria too. Norwegian christianty might be a prelude to them getting more involved in European affairs now they can marry into their courts?
Definitely will become more active, yes. :)
 
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One does seem to lose a lot of people in battle. I think there is a lot of "leading from the front" as it were.

Quite the play turning Christian just then.
 
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Overall a successful king, but what a tragedy to have watched so many of his sons die before him, one by one. (Did any actually outlive him?)
I'm not sure, but I don't think so... Inheritance is Scandinavian elective, which means the heir might merely be a relative.
One does seem to lose a lot of people in battle. I think there is a lot of "leading from the front" as it were.

Quite the play turning Christian just then.
Yeah, many deaths. Much sorrow. :( Some great heirs.

Btw, played to my fifth ruler. Encountered a huge bug. Means this ruler will get some... interesting challenges during his rule. Say. I more. ;)
 
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Btw, played to my fifth ruler. Encountered a huge bug. Means this ruler will get some... interesting challenges during his rule. Say. I more. ;)

I had a hilarious one before the game even properly started. This game is going to ve amazing, I can tell.

A number of challenges???
 
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One does seem to lose a lot of people in battle. I think there is a lot of "leading from the front" as it were.

Yeah, I've seen that too. I'm doing an African run, and since Orisa is a gender-egalitarian faith I had a lot of concubines die charging into battle. (The number one leading cause of death!)
 
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I had a hilarious one before the game even properly started. This game is going to ve amazing, I can tell.

A number of challenges???
Well, it all boils to one big problem - potentially. Can't say more without letting on too much. ;)
Yeah, I've seen that too. I'm doing an African run, and since Orisa is a gender-egalitarian faith I had a lot of concubines die charging into battle. (The number one leading cause of death!)
Hehe, it is indeed dangerous out there!
 
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Wow very cool!
I loved this opening chapter and it's always good to see your AAR
Let's hope Helgi is able to continue the legacy forward!

I loved the crusading. Scandinavians influencing future German and Polish culture

It's extremely good that you clearly stated his whole family here so that there's no confusion

I also loved the full map screenshot which gives a good global perspective

Looking at the map I saw Fezzan and I can't help but remember a Banu Khattab Fezzan AAR that a certain guy called @lad wrote a year ago!
 
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An excelent founder for your dynasty and a slightly less impresive heir. Lets hope those English lands are eventually recaptured.

I have to admit to being disapointed to see such an early conversion to Christianity. Still I am sure you have a grand plan in mind. :p
 
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Nordic lords losing their heirs to wars (and epidemics) seems to be common thing or at least it was in CKII. Looks like it may have carried over to CKIII.

Halfdan did well despite his rocky start. Becoming Christian is something that will have a profound impact on the kingdom.
 
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