Rise of the Rurikid - A Kievan Rus AAR
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It was worth the wait! 
Great sweeping story.
Mitrofan/Gregory will go down in history as the Great Bear of Kiev indeed! Those Pagan Wars were long and brutal but a new and stronger Orthodox kingdom emerged. Does the conversion now mean more unified succession laws have been or can be enforced? What is the current situation with Gregory’s heir(s)?
Great sweeping story.Mitrofan/Gregory will go down in history as the Great Bear of Kiev indeed! Those Pagan Wars were long and brutal but a new and stronger Orthodox kingdom emerged. Does the conversion now mean more unified succession laws have been or can be enforced? What is the current situation with Gregory’s heir(s)?
*
I still can't change from gravelkind both because I have yet to switch to feudal and because of my house rule but I have actually turned from elective gravelkind to normal gravelkind, will probably mention it in the next update. As for his heir, Alexei, he's a bit mediocre but certainly nothing to complain about. Perhaps not someone in possession of the genius of some of the previous rulers but I am optimistic about him. The other sons of Gregory are still too young for me to really judge the merit of but they seem decent enough.
It was worth the wait!
Mitrofan/Gregory will go down in history as the Great Bear of Kiev indeed! Those Pagan Wars were long and brutal but a new and stronger Orthodox kingdom emerged. Does the conversion now mean more unified succession laws have been or can be enforced? What is the current situation with Gregory’s heir(s)?
I still can't change from gravelkind both because I have yet to switch to feudal and because of my house rule but I have actually turned from elective gravelkind to normal gravelkind, will probably mention it in the next update. As for his heir, Alexei, he's a bit mediocre but certainly nothing to complain about. Perhaps not someone in possession of the genius of some of the previous rulers but I am optimistic about him. The other sons of Gregory are still too young for me to really judge the merit of but they seem decent enough.
Part 8 - The Blessings of the Apostles
The Great Bear Gregory had truly shown himself the epitome of Christian virtue. His conversion, while guided by realpolitik, had been genuine and he had gone from yet another Rus warrior-king to one of the most lauded men of the cross in Europe, dedicating his life towards understanding and following the Bible as best as he could. Those who knew him from the time when he was called Mitrofan barely recognized him for he was a changed man. A warrior of Christ, who had spread His Word to the northern reaches of Europe.
But what is a warrior of the Lord without an enemy to fight? The Khazars, eternal enemies of the Rus and heathens as well, have had it easy for too long. While the Pagan Wars raged they countinued to try and raid and seize Rus lands for themselves and now that the kingdom has been rebuilding itself they have begun to expand eastwards. Under the rule of the Hekel clan, always the forefront of the Khazar attempts at subjugating the Rus, they may still pose a threat to Kiev, still only a river away from their lands. This can not be allowed and for the sake of the safety of the capital and the salvation of the Khazar souls war must once more break out.
The Khazars have however not been idle since their last stinging defeat, when lost Moldova and their last foothold into the west. They have aquired a new vast army by which they mean to drive the warriors of Kiev back across the Dnieper. But even so they could not match the strength or numbers that the united Rus can muster. On the battle of Sharukan the 11 000 Khazar horsemen were assailed by 18 000 Rus warriors, and though they fought valiantly they could not stand against the righteous futry that met them. They were crushed and with them any hope of a Khazar victory in this war fell. Once more The Rus were granted their victory, once more the border was pushed further east.
But the Khazar wars would not end quite yet, Voin and Hradyzk would also fall to the Rus, the Khazar splinter state were by no means safe from the wrath of those who follow the true faith. With the main might of the Khazars broken the two following wars were made far easier and both the Kozar and Ryn were forced to cede more territories along the river. But with Kiev's safety secured for the time being Gregory now felt that he had achieved his military goals. The Kingdom had been greatly expanded in all directions and it was time to further develop the lands that he had secured, starting with the establishment of a proper line of fortifications all along the nomadic border.
In the south The Abbasid Caliphate, Always encroached upon by the Egyptian Tulunids, the Armenians and the Indian Pratiharas, finally collapsed under the strain, their empire is no more, a relic for another time. The Tulunids meanwhile experienced a serious Shia revolt in their Abyssinian territories, threatening their once great Red Sea Empire. In the west the Karlings further splintred and divided while still holding hegemony over much of the west that wasn't controlled by the Umayyads or Idrisids. The Norse conflict between the followers of the old faith and those of Christ countinued without any end while Gregory lived. And while the Radenos of the Roman Empire countinued to uphold their old empire the Balgarskos countinued to expand their reach as they shake their old Khazar oppression off.
But Kiev itself was concerned with other things, for both good and bad news came to it. The good news were that Gregory's missionary work countinued excellently, more and more people converted to the true faith, churches were built, monastery orders, particularly the Community of Saint Basil, an order that the king himself belonged to, flourished. Relics from the south were brought to Rus lands. It was clear that the Cross had come to the land to stay. Howeverthe bad news were that through illnesses and unexplained accidents most of Gregory's children had died, leaving few grandchildren, none of which survived for long themselves before they were taken by illnesses. This left Demid as the sole heir of the Kievan Rus, last and, perhaps, least of Gregory's children.
What did not help matters was that Gregory's work ethic, while commendable were driving him towards his grave, he abstained from eating more than the minimum amount of food and water, he stayed up long into the nights, praying and working and he never allowed himself any rest. As his wife died from a long illness that had left her thrashing around and he was left with only one son and daughter left he went into a deep depression, chose to completely dedicate himself to the monk life and become celibate. He also became increasingly malnourished and the stress of his job was getting to him. He started to grow roses within Kiev as a way to alleviate the stress and personally walked amongst the people preaching his faith, most probably didn't even recognize that it was the king that the spoke to, an old and world-weary man with bags under his eyes, thin and dressed in a simple cloak. But those that claimed that one simple pust fo wind would kill him underestimated the Great Bear, for the strength of his youth was still with him, and he was made of sterner stuff than most could anticipate. He countinued to live on and walk amongst the people as he had done before when yet more news fromm the Middle East reached his ears, the new Caliph, the tribesman who had overthrown the Abbasids, had apparantly called for another Islamic era of expansion, he had announced that it was now time for an era of Jihad.
But this was not the concern of Gregory, whose life finally seemed to catch up to him. He had prevailed for longer than anyone could reasonably anticipate, to the millenial anniversary of the Lord's birth. He was 73 years old when his body finally gave up on him. And as he laid in bed he considered it 73 years well spent. He had saved the Rus time and again, and in more ways than one. He had done all that could be expected of him and more. His only sorrow was that he had outlived so many of his children. Now the monk-king went to his final rest and so he leaves Demid, called by many Demid the Unready, as his only son and heir and the unenviable responsibility of living up to his father's legacy.
But while the Prussians expanded westwards, the Roman Empire once more fell to civil war and the Muslim stranglegrip over Iberia seemed to have finally ended the Rus mourned their fallen king, for there would probably never be another like him. Strong and wise but also deeply caring for his people. He was an exemplar of the faith, a representative of all the virtues a good Christian should have. A blessed soul in Heaven. It should then come as no suprise that he was declared the Patron Saint of the Kievan Rus. The man who worked so hard to convert them all. Gregory the Apostle he would be known as, but to the Rus he would always be remembered as their Great Bear.
But what is a warrior of the Lord without an enemy to fight? The Khazars, eternal enemies of the Rus and heathens as well, have had it easy for too long. While the Pagan Wars raged they countinued to try and raid and seize Rus lands for themselves and now that the kingdom has been rebuilding itself they have begun to expand eastwards. Under the rule of the Hekel clan, always the forefront of the Khazar attempts at subjugating the Rus, they may still pose a threat to Kiev, still only a river away from their lands. This can not be allowed and for the sake of the safety of the capital and the salvation of the Khazar souls war must once more break out.
The Khazars have however not been idle since their last stinging defeat, when lost Moldova and their last foothold into the west. They have aquired a new vast army by which they mean to drive the warriors of Kiev back across the Dnieper. But even so they could not match the strength or numbers that the united Rus can muster. On the battle of Sharukan the 11 000 Khazar horsemen were assailed by 18 000 Rus warriors, and though they fought valiantly they could not stand against the righteous futry that met them. They were crushed and with them any hope of a Khazar victory in this war fell. Once more The Rus were granted their victory, once more the border was pushed further east.
But the Khazar wars would not end quite yet, Voin and Hradyzk would also fall to the Rus, the Khazar splinter state were by no means safe from the wrath of those who follow the true faith. With the main might of the Khazars broken the two following wars were made far easier and both the Kozar and Ryn were forced to cede more territories along the river. But with Kiev's safety secured for the time being Gregory now felt that he had achieved his military goals. The Kingdom had been greatly expanded in all directions and it was time to further develop the lands that he had secured, starting with the establishment of a proper line of fortifications all along the nomadic border.
In the south The Abbasid Caliphate, Always encroached upon by the Egyptian Tulunids, the Armenians and the Indian Pratiharas, finally collapsed under the strain, their empire is no more, a relic for another time. The Tulunids meanwhile experienced a serious Shia revolt in their Abyssinian territories, threatening their once great Red Sea Empire. In the west the Karlings further splintred and divided while still holding hegemony over much of the west that wasn't controlled by the Umayyads or Idrisids. The Norse conflict between the followers of the old faith and those of Christ countinued without any end while Gregory lived. And while the Radenos of the Roman Empire countinued to uphold their old empire the Balgarskos countinued to expand their reach as they shake their old Khazar oppression off.
But Kiev itself was concerned with other things, for both good and bad news came to it. The good news were that Gregory's missionary work countinued excellently, more and more people converted to the true faith, churches were built, monastery orders, particularly the Community of Saint Basil, an order that the king himself belonged to, flourished. Relics from the south were brought to Rus lands. It was clear that the Cross had come to the land to stay. Howeverthe bad news were that through illnesses and unexplained accidents most of Gregory's children had died, leaving few grandchildren, none of which survived for long themselves before they were taken by illnesses. This left Demid as the sole heir of the Kievan Rus, last and, perhaps, least of Gregory's children.
What did not help matters was that Gregory's work ethic, while commendable were driving him towards his grave, he abstained from eating more than the minimum amount of food and water, he stayed up long into the nights, praying and working and he never allowed himself any rest. As his wife died from a long illness that had left her thrashing around and he was left with only one son and daughter left he went into a deep depression, chose to completely dedicate himself to the monk life and become celibate. He also became increasingly malnourished and the stress of his job was getting to him. He started to grow roses within Kiev as a way to alleviate the stress and personally walked amongst the people preaching his faith, most probably didn't even recognize that it was the king that the spoke to, an old and world-weary man with bags under his eyes, thin and dressed in a simple cloak. But those that claimed that one simple pust fo wind would kill him underestimated the Great Bear, for the strength of his youth was still with him, and he was made of sterner stuff than most could anticipate. He countinued to live on and walk amongst the people as he had done before when yet more news fromm the Middle East reached his ears, the new Caliph, the tribesman who had overthrown the Abbasids, had apparantly called for another Islamic era of expansion, he had announced that it was now time for an era of Jihad.
But this was not the concern of Gregory, whose life finally seemed to catch up to him. He had prevailed for longer than anyone could reasonably anticipate, to the millenial anniversary of the Lord's birth. He was 73 years old when his body finally gave up on him. And as he laid in bed he considered it 73 years well spent. He had saved the Rus time and again, and in more ways than one. He had done all that could be expected of him and more. His only sorrow was that he had outlived so many of his children. Now the monk-king went to his final rest and so he leaves Demid, called by many Demid the Unready, as his only son and heir and the unenviable responsibility of living up to his father's legacy.
But while the Prussians expanded westwards, the Roman Empire once more fell to civil war and the Muslim stranglegrip over Iberia seemed to have finally ended the Rus mourned their fallen king, for there would probably never be another like him. Strong and wise but also deeply caring for his people. He was an exemplar of the faith, a representative of all the virtues a good Christian should have. A blessed soul in Heaven. It should then come as no suprise that he was declared the Patron Saint of the Kievan Rus. The man who worked so hard to convert them all. Gregory the Apostle he would be known as, but to the Rus he would always be remembered as their Great Bear.
Merry Christmas everyone, and for posterity's sake I wish to show what traits Mitrofan had before he decided to change his name and his Life and what Saint Gregory had by the time he died:
Small wonder the guy was made a Saint.
Small wonder the guy was made a Saint.
Well, both a Great Bear and a Saint - one of the more outstanding leaders of the era indeed. It will be interesting to see how his son fares - at least he has no brothers to contend the succession. He does need an heir though, and quickly.
He has managed to aquire quite a few sons since his brothers died. I'm not entirely sure if they are all actually his but the bloodline does seem to be relatively secure for the time being.
Part 9 - Nomadic Troubles
The Islamic World had been pushed back for a while, beset from all sides by other faiths and divided against itself as different sects and branches struggled against one another. Now it had been united in purpose once more to drive the infidels back in a new era of Holy War, Jihad. Already both the Sunni and Shia had banded together to drive back the expansionist Armenian kingdom.
Demid however was quite busy with other matters, or to be precise he was not very busy at all, having become quickly bedridden. From having previously been hale and hearty his body began to rapidly deteriorate, hindering his ability to walk and finally driving him unconscious. After that death was not much of a suprise and so Demid left this world and his kingdom to his children, with Kiev going to Gregory II while Novgorod, Vladimir, Chernigov and Galicia-Volhynia beace their own Rus states, dividing the Rus people once more, and between children to boot.
Meanwhile the Jihad against Armenia had proven itself a success and many of the Armenian holdings outside of the core of the country were lost, ending perhaps this admirable attempt to reclaim the Middle East for Christendom. At the same time some news from the Far East report unusual unity amongst the nomads north of China, not that this was likely to ever affect Kiev...
Indeed Kiev had greater concerns than some horselords for as was inevitable she was now once more at war with her kin, for Gregory II had now launched a campaign to seize Novgorod from his brother and unite the Rus once more, thinking, perhaps foolhardily, that this was the best way for him to show his worth to his people and the Rus as a whole. King Lev of Novgorod had already proven himself unable to save his people from the pressure of outside forces and so he would need to be replaced by a more worthy king.
Of course said outside forces would make the war rather easy to win, more problematic was the loss of Ingria to the Norse in the bargain, and so Gregory II would begin to war with them as well for the return of that rightful piece of Rus land. But it would be he who ended that war for news reached him of another Khazar incursion in the south and as he marched forward to meet them there he met his doom. Gregory II passed away as well, slain by those Turkic barbarians. And so Feodor of Vladimir took on the reigns of Kiev as well, and restored the previous ruler of Ingria while at it.
But this would not, must not, be the end of the wars that Feodor undertook for just as the Norsemen were driven back news reached him of a far more dire threat, the threat of the Khazars. While Feodor had inherited Kiev Iziaslav of Chernigov had been made king of Novgorod and perhaps that was a task that he was not up to, for as the other brothers were busy with their own issues he was experiencing the full, brutal, onslaught of yet another Khazar invasion of his lands. And now, just as peace once more settled in Vladimir (with the exception of a few border conflicts with the Kolans), Chernigov surrendered. Of course peace while Khazars held sway over Rus was intolerable and so war erupted between the two, for Eastern Europe had only room for one empire.
This would be a long and brutal war, because for every battle the Rus won they were driven back in another and for every Khazar slain yet another seemed ready to rise to the occasion. Feodor led his people to many a victory in this war, but the majority seemed rather pyrrhic, with losses aplenty even against numerically inferior foes. With yet more Roman internal conflicts in the south and the Armenians driven back by the renewed Muslim onslaught many seemed to have lost their faith and heresy and disorder flourished in Rus lands.
But even in hours as dark as these victory is still possible, and sometimes arrives from unlikely locations; the great Khazar Khagan was suddenly slain by one of his own followers and in that simple moment their empire broke, the Böri broke away under their leader Harukkah, he who had brought down yet another Bulanid, and Rus was once more united, or at least almost. Ingria had fallen once more while Feodor's gaze had been away and he had still one brother-king left in Galicia-Volhynia.
Demid however was quite busy with other matters, or to be precise he was not very busy at all, having become quickly bedridden. From having previously been hale and hearty his body began to rapidly deteriorate, hindering his ability to walk and finally driving him unconscious. After that death was not much of a suprise and so Demid left this world and his kingdom to his children, with Kiev going to Gregory II while Novgorod, Vladimir, Chernigov and Galicia-Volhynia beace their own Rus states, dividing the Rus people once more, and between children to boot.
Meanwhile the Jihad against Armenia had proven itself a success and many of the Armenian holdings outside of the core of the country were lost, ending perhaps this admirable attempt to reclaim the Middle East for Christendom. At the same time some news from the Far East report unusual unity amongst the nomads north of China, not that this was likely to ever affect Kiev...
Indeed Kiev had greater concerns than some horselords for as was inevitable she was now once more at war with her kin, for Gregory II had now launched a campaign to seize Novgorod from his brother and unite the Rus once more, thinking, perhaps foolhardily, that this was the best way for him to show his worth to his people and the Rus as a whole. King Lev of Novgorod had already proven himself unable to save his people from the pressure of outside forces and so he would need to be replaced by a more worthy king.
Of course said outside forces would make the war rather easy to win, more problematic was the loss of Ingria to the Norse in the bargain, and so Gregory II would begin to war with them as well for the return of that rightful piece of Rus land. But it would be he who ended that war for news reached him of another Khazar incursion in the south and as he marched forward to meet them there he met his doom. Gregory II passed away as well, slain by those Turkic barbarians. And so Feodor of Vladimir took on the reigns of Kiev as well, and restored the previous ruler of Ingria while at it.
But this would not, must not, be the end of the wars that Feodor undertook for just as the Norsemen were driven back news reached him of a far more dire threat, the threat of the Khazars. While Feodor had inherited Kiev Iziaslav of Chernigov had been made king of Novgorod and perhaps that was a task that he was not up to, for as the other brothers were busy with their own issues he was experiencing the full, brutal, onslaught of yet another Khazar invasion of his lands. And now, just as peace once more settled in Vladimir (with the exception of a few border conflicts with the Kolans), Chernigov surrendered. Of course peace while Khazars held sway over Rus was intolerable and so war erupted between the two, for Eastern Europe had only room for one empire.
This would be a long and brutal war, because for every battle the Rus won they were driven back in another and for every Khazar slain yet another seemed ready to rise to the occasion. Feodor led his people to many a victory in this war, but the majority seemed rather pyrrhic, with losses aplenty even against numerically inferior foes. With yet more Roman internal conflicts in the south and the Armenians driven back by the renewed Muslim onslaught many seemed to have lost their faith and heresy and disorder flourished in Rus lands.
But even in hours as dark as these victory is still possible, and sometimes arrives from unlikely locations; the great Khazar Khagan was suddenly slain by one of his own followers and in that simple moment their empire broke, the Böri broke away under their leader Harukkah, he who had brought down yet another Bulanid, and Rus was once more united, or at least almost. Ingria had fallen once more while Feodor's gaze had been away and he had still one brother-king left in Galicia-Volhynia.
Believe it or not this AAR is not dead. I've simply had some real life difficulties that caused me to postpone it indefinately. Hopefully this will not happen again
Welcome back. No worries - real life is important after all.
So Kievan Rus nearly re-united. And then some decisions.
So Kievan Rus nearly re-united. And then some decisions.
Yes, welcome back, I’m glad you are able to continue after your necessary break. That was a nasty period following the break-up of the empire and the rise of the Khazar threat. It seems to have been handled - for now.
Though if those Mongol hordes come, the Rus will need to be united to deal with them: the constant breaking up on succession and reforming will be their death. Will reform finally be contemplated as that time draws near? Or will they carry on with their traditional succession laws for the foreseeable future?
Though if those Mongol hordes come, the Rus will need to be united to deal with them: the constant breaking up on succession and reforming will be their death. Will reform finally be contemplated as that time draws near? Or will they carry on with their traditional succession laws for the foreseeable future?
I promised until the 12th Century after all, hopefully the Mongols will either have encountered problems before arriving to me or it will be at a time when I am more United rather than divided. Either way though it does mean added pressure for the Rus principalities.