I actually feel like I wasted time on this... but I shall still wait to see your aar with DV when it begins... 
I allways waste time on reading aars, but I enjoy it.
I allways waste time on reading aars, but I enjoy it.
The Grand History of Croatia - A Mega Campaign AAR
- Thread starter CountArach
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Ahhhh, screw it! I can't let this die!
I started it to write a story, not play the game!
Consider this AAR brought back to life!
I started it to write a story, not play the game!
Consider this AAR brought back to life!
I try and keep about 25 years ahead. That way I have a general feeling for where things are going.
Heh, good to see you continue with it, but I do know what you mean. At times the vanilla game really punctures the historical atmosphere. Which is a shame because in other aspects it captures it brilliantly. And yes, DV is great fun.
I read the summaries and the last two chapters so now I can follow this. Really I wanted to read this completely, but I dont have the energy. Maybe later.
Its looking good so far and its always interesting to read mega campaigns. I´m glad you didnt abandon this!
If you play 25 years ahead the story how you remember the events? Do you write them down or take screens? Great AAR!
Its looking good so far and its always interesting to read mega campaigns. I´m glad you didnt abandon this!
If you play 25 years ahead the story how you remember the events? Do you write them down or take screens? Great AAR!
I've just read the whole AAR, and I must say I'm glad you've decided to continue it
@ stnylan - Yeah, it does lean a bit too heavily on the "what if" sidde of the argument.
@ Auray - Welcome aboard! I take A LOT of screenshots - 20-70 per chapter depending on if there is a war.
@ asd21593 - Thanks
@ Capibara - Welcome aboard!
@ Auray - Welcome aboard! I take A LOT of screenshots - 20-70 per chapter depending on if there is a war.
@ asd21593 - Thanks
@ Capibara - Welcome aboard!
I just bought CK and DV, and I was looking for some nice grand campaign AAR. I'm glad I found yours, because I'm loving it. Please don't give up.
For the record, I may do an AAR myself when I'm more experienced. Right now, I failed twice as Duke of Porto, then applied DVIP, and now there's no more Duchy of Porto (it's been absorbed by the Duchy of Galicia, I think). I was bent on trying to form Portugal, so I tried to play as Count of Braganza, only to die without heirs. Only then I decided to browse the forums for "newbie-friendly" dinasties to play... I'm now playing as Duke of Apulia (well, not anymore... now it's "King of Sicily", thanks) and it's been fantastically fun.
For the record, I may do an AAR myself when I'm more experienced. Right now, I failed twice as Duke of Porto, then applied DVIP, and now there's no more Duchy of Porto (it's been absorbed by the Duchy of Galicia, I think). I was bent on trying to form Portugal, so I tried to play as Count of Braganza, only to die without heirs. Only then I decided to browse the forums for "newbie-friendly" dinasties to play... I'm now playing as Duke of Apulia (well, not anymore... now it's "King of Sicily", thanks) and it's been fantastically fun.
I'm glad you don't let Croatia die. Vanilla CK can be annoying sometimes (and DV without the latest patch too... stupid Irish dukes ALWAYS swearing loyalty to the king of Poland...) but eventually things will derange from reality even further in any case. And besides, in many cases they also get straightened out eventually. Germany having a crusade into France and all
@ Wolfox: If you want to form Portugal in 1066, Galicia might not be a bad choice. They ruler might not be Portugese, but if you plan a bit, his children or grandchildren might be. The Spanish dynasty name might be a little trickier, though... In any case, Apulia is everyone's favorite first country, and for good reason, too!
@ Wolfox: If you want to form Portugal in 1066, Galicia might not be a bad choice. They ruler might not be Portugese, but if you plan a bit, his children or grandchildren might be. The Spanish dynasty name might be a little trickier, though... In any case, Apulia is everyone's favorite first country, and for good reason, too!
@ Wolfox - I'm glad to hear you are loving it! I have had Apulia recommended to me as well (I didn't take that advice though ) and it seems like a good choice. I look forward to another CK AAR, there just aren't enough these days.
@ Cecasander - Yeah I'll just sit down and let it happen. I must admit that I did 'tweak' the Savegame file a bit to remove the cores in England and Normandy that the Turkish Sultan had acquired and that seemed to help a bit. If things don't enitrely sort themselves out I can still fix it when I transition to EUIII.
New update coming... RIGHT NOW!!!
) and it seems like a good choice. I look forward to another CK AAR, there just aren't enough these days.@ Cecasander - Yeah I'll just sit down and let it happen. I must admit that I did 'tweak' the Savegame file a bit to remove the cores in England and Normandy that the Turkish Sultan had acquired and that seemed to help a bit. If things don't enitrely sort themselves out I can still fix it when I transition to EUIII.
New update coming... RIGHT NOW!!!
Chapter 11 – 1129 to 1132
As will be remembered, recently King Trpimir had become the controller of the Pope, if not officially then in practice. However, all the Kingdoms knew that this Pope was ultimately meaningless and as such he wielded little or no power. On May 8th, 1129 Pope Callisto was found dead in his chambers. The circumstances are somewhat suspicious and for further information it is suggested to read Kalinsky 1988, Janovich 1995 and Herman 2001. Garcia, the Archbishop of Aragon, was raised to the position of Pope in place of the deceased Croatian.
May 8th, 1129 – The old Pope dies and a new one is elected.
On September 22nd, King Trpimir’s illegitimate son Dmitar came of age and, seeing as how he had become something of a gruff diplomat, decided to confront his father over getting land (King Trpimir knew that Dmitar was his son, and vice-versa. Needless to say Ambrosia received quite a shock when she found out). King Trpimir saw that he needed more allies in his own Kingdom. His bastard son would be forced to rely on his father for everything, including some sense of legitimacy. As such King Trpimir granted him the title Count of Pecs. Dmitar’s childhood had not been a happy one and some psychologists have claimed that he was already exhibiting several key signs of Schizophrenia (Yantzee 2002).
During late January and early February of 1130, King Castolov Premyslid of Bohemia came to King Trpimir’s court with his family on a fairly routine diplomatic mission. However, this time he chose to bring his family along. Among them was his cousin Radana Premyslid, a very intelligent young woman of only 16 who was already performing some of the duties of a steward. By this time Ambrosia was getting quite old and King Trpimir often complained of no longer feeling sexually attracted to her. He decided to have a short dalliance with the King’s cousin and unfortunately for King Trpimir she fell pregnant. By all accounts King Castolov was unaware of this, because she lived in a separate part of the castle and claimed to be occupying herself with running the Kingdom.
February 1130 – King Trpimir has a dalliance with the King of Bohemia’s wife.
Regardless of whether or not he felt attracted to her, Ambrosia fell pregnant again in May of 1130. In July sad news arrived at the King’s doorstep. His son Dmitar had taken his own life in a pique of insanity. After much screaming to himself (if his Steward’s testimonial is to be believed) he smashed a window with a chair and jumped out of the castle. It was six storeys to the hard ground below. So the King had inherited his land in Pecs.
The crusade against Burgos in Spain ended with the coming of the New Year (1131). The Kingdom of Denmark had sent many soldiers from their English lands south to attempt to reclaim the land, and they succeeded. On February 21st, King Trpimir’s final child with Ambrosia was born, a daughter named Helena. The child was somewhat sickly in her youth and Ambrosia appears to have caught some illness from it, most likely the Flu. On June 12th, Ambrosia died and her inheritance passed not to her husband, but to her son Nikola, the Duke of Carniola. This was because, technically speaking, the land was independent and not a part of Croatia and as such inheritance followed the normal lines. In this way the land of Ancona had once again fallen into Croatia’s hands.
Ambrosia dies from the Flu. He land goes to Nikola, the Duke of Carniola.
This now meant that King Trpimir needed to find a wife and he knew who he wanted. Sending a messenger north on the fastest horse possible he sent a request to King Castolov to marry his cousin Radana, who already had fathered a child by him. King Castolov was quite happy with these arrangements and accepted. The wedding occurred on June 29th in the same Church King Trpimir had married Ambrosia. By September Radana had fallen pregnant again, with a legitimate child this time.
The King is married to Radana Premyslid.
On April 29th, King Trpimir finally decided that he was secure enough at home to ensure that he would not lose anything by invading more land. As such he turned his eyes back towards the precious northern part of his Kingdom. The County of Veglia was still independent and mostly undefended, especially when compared to the mighty forces that Croatia. The soldiers began marching in immediately. The outcome was inevitable and my June 3rd all of the key towns were either besieged or in the hands of the Croatians.
April 29th 1132 – King Trpimir makes an effort to reclaim Veglia.
On June 10th the child Barbara was born. Barbara was the first child that Radana had legitimately bourn for her new husband and it was a cause of celebration back in the Croatian homeland. On June 26th Veglia was entirely in the hands of the Croatians and finally on June 29th a peace treaty was signed whereby King Trpimir was recognised as the rightful Count of Veglia. Once more Croatia had reclaimed its lands. The land was then granted to Duke Nikola of Carniola, as he was the most local Duke. This acquisition also made him the most powerful.
The leverage that this gave Duke Nikola was instantly tangible and during November he began to negotiate with the Count of Aquileia, Adolf von Zahringen. He had won his independence from the Holy Roman Empire; however it was clear that he could not maintain his independence for long. As such Duke Nikola offered him protection if he would pledge fealty to Duke Nikola and, in turn, King Trpimir. Of course, the Count accepted and the borders of Croatia were expanded once more on November 22nd, 1132.
The Kingdom of Croatia after this period of expansion.
The next chapter shall continue the narrative of Croatia’s history through to 1134, including the great war for supremacy over Southern Germany.
As will be remembered, recently King Trpimir had become the controller of the Pope, if not officially then in practice. However, all the Kingdoms knew that this Pope was ultimately meaningless and as such he wielded little or no power. On May 8th, 1129 Pope Callisto was found dead in his chambers. The circumstances are somewhat suspicious and for further information it is suggested to read Kalinsky 1988, Janovich 1995 and Herman 2001. Garcia, the Archbishop of Aragon, was raised to the position of Pope in place of the deceased Croatian.
May 8th, 1129 – The old Pope dies and a new one is elected.
On September 22nd, King Trpimir’s illegitimate son Dmitar came of age and, seeing as how he had become something of a gruff diplomat, decided to confront his father over getting land (King Trpimir knew that Dmitar was his son, and vice-versa. Needless to say Ambrosia received quite a shock when she found out). King Trpimir saw that he needed more allies in his own Kingdom. His bastard son would be forced to rely on his father for everything, including some sense of legitimacy. As such King Trpimir granted him the title Count of Pecs. Dmitar’s childhood had not been a happy one and some psychologists have claimed that he was already exhibiting several key signs of Schizophrenia (Yantzee 2002).
During late January and early February of 1130, King Castolov Premyslid of Bohemia came to King Trpimir’s court with his family on a fairly routine diplomatic mission. However, this time he chose to bring his family along. Among them was his cousin Radana Premyslid, a very intelligent young woman of only 16 who was already performing some of the duties of a steward. By this time Ambrosia was getting quite old and King Trpimir often complained of no longer feeling sexually attracted to her. He decided to have a short dalliance with the King’s cousin and unfortunately for King Trpimir she fell pregnant. By all accounts King Castolov was unaware of this, because she lived in a separate part of the castle and claimed to be occupying herself with running the Kingdom.
February 1130 – King Trpimir has a dalliance with the King of Bohemia’s wife.
Regardless of whether or not he felt attracted to her, Ambrosia fell pregnant again in May of 1130. In July sad news arrived at the King’s doorstep. His son Dmitar had taken his own life in a pique of insanity. After much screaming to himself (if his Steward’s testimonial is to be believed) he smashed a window with a chair and jumped out of the castle. It was six storeys to the hard ground below. So the King had inherited his land in Pecs.
The crusade against Burgos in Spain ended with the coming of the New Year (1131). The Kingdom of Denmark had sent many soldiers from their English lands south to attempt to reclaim the land, and they succeeded. On February 21st, King Trpimir’s final child with Ambrosia was born, a daughter named Helena. The child was somewhat sickly in her youth and Ambrosia appears to have caught some illness from it, most likely the Flu. On June 12th, Ambrosia died and her inheritance passed not to her husband, but to her son Nikola, the Duke of Carniola. This was because, technically speaking, the land was independent and not a part of Croatia and as such inheritance followed the normal lines. In this way the land of Ancona had once again fallen into Croatia’s hands.
Ambrosia dies from the Flu. He land goes to Nikola, the Duke of Carniola.
This now meant that King Trpimir needed to find a wife and he knew who he wanted. Sending a messenger north on the fastest horse possible he sent a request to King Castolov to marry his cousin Radana, who already had fathered a child by him. King Castolov was quite happy with these arrangements and accepted. The wedding occurred on June 29th in the same Church King Trpimir had married Ambrosia. By September Radana had fallen pregnant again, with a legitimate child this time.
The King is married to Radana Premyslid.
On April 29th, King Trpimir finally decided that he was secure enough at home to ensure that he would not lose anything by invading more land. As such he turned his eyes back towards the precious northern part of his Kingdom. The County of Veglia was still independent and mostly undefended, especially when compared to the mighty forces that Croatia. The soldiers began marching in immediately. The outcome was inevitable and my June 3rd all of the key towns were either besieged or in the hands of the Croatians.
April 29th 1132 – King Trpimir makes an effort to reclaim Veglia.
On June 10th the child Barbara was born. Barbara was the first child that Radana had legitimately bourn for her new husband and it was a cause of celebration back in the Croatian homeland. On June 26th Veglia was entirely in the hands of the Croatians and finally on June 29th a peace treaty was signed whereby King Trpimir was recognised as the rightful Count of Veglia. Once more Croatia had reclaimed its lands. The land was then granted to Duke Nikola of Carniola, as he was the most local Duke. This acquisition also made him the most powerful.
The leverage that this gave Duke Nikola was instantly tangible and during November he began to negotiate with the Count of Aquileia, Adolf von Zahringen. He had won his independence from the Holy Roman Empire; however it was clear that he could not maintain his independence for long. As such Duke Nikola offered him protection if he would pledge fealty to Duke Nikola and, in turn, King Trpimir. Of course, the Count accepted and the borders of Croatia were expanded once more on November 22nd, 1132.
The Kingdom of Croatia after this period of expansion.
The next chapter shall continue the narrative of Croatia’s history through to 1134, including the great war for supremacy over Southern Germany.
@ Enewald - Haha yeah, the other one was getting old. Still, she gave Trpimir like 10 kids.
@ stnyland - Yeah, I'll persevere!
@ Snugglie - Thanks, glad to see you catch up.
@ stnyland - Yeah, I'll persevere!
@ Snugglie - Thanks, glad to see you catch up.