The Hauteville Family
The following text is the history of the Hauteville family. The tradition to hire scribes began with Roger Hauteville, count of Reggio and Mesina. Every ruler of the Hautevilles, since Roger, hired a personal scribe to record his life and the important events of the world. Why might you ask? I shall answer with Roger’s word: “So that our kin in the future, would be wiser than we in the past, and so our children would not repeat the mistakes that we so foolishly made”.
*Extracts from the biography of Roger Hauteville, by the anonymous scribe*
1066 The first page
As I join the court of my new liege, the honorable Roger Hauteville, count of Reggio and Mesina, I immedietly can feel the pure joy and happiness, that are so often missing from the nobel houses of today.
My liege is blessed by our beloved Lord with three wondeful daughters and a charming wife. I am happy that I am able to describe the way the children grow and the way my liege turns gray and wise, instead of depicting on intrigues and other low sins that exist in the world today.
The count spends his days arranging the life in his realm, spending lots of time improving the lands and trying to ensure their proper protection. It was today that he ordered the research of a small castle that would be suited to hold off the arab hordes that occupy the Sicilian island.
1066 Later entry
Today my liege described the situation in his realm, to quote him: “So that the future generations may better understand my action and praise them or learn from them, according to how God directs my will”
It seems Roger de Hauteville is quite worried about the arab provinces on the island of Sicily. Even though he has his liege’s protection, offered by his older brother, Duke of Apulia, he is still full of doubts if his lands will survive the next decade. Thus he described his plans to attack fir….
*the page ends and the further text is impossible to read*
*written in small shrift*
My lord did not ask me to write the following, but I feel it might be needed, may God forgive my actions. It seems that Roger is not too fond of his brother and liege, there seems to be hatred, although, very well hidden hatred. I see no reason to why, Roger has been blessed with two titles despite being the second youngest out of eight sons.
1068-1069 The Two Front War
The plans my liege had made to conquer the infidels were simply waiting for a perfect moment. I now know why Roger de Hauteville had disliked his liege. Roger has always wished to purge Sicily, yet he was never able to do battle – his lands were minor even against the many independent sheiks and emirs and even if he was to do battle his victories would be claimed by his brother.
1068 June
The Duke of Apulia declared war upon the county on Capua. Roger de Hauteville quickly sent the forces from Reggio to his lands in Sicily, he thinks that the liege will not make it to Sicily in time to claim the newly conquered lands.
The initial battle in Siracusa ended in a perfect victory, as though Jesus himself was guiding the army that day.
1069 February
My liege is furious, his brother arrived two days before the siege on Siracusa ended and claimed the province as his own. I have never seen my master in such a state….I fear that the life he has been blessed with has ended. The war brought losses in soldiers and knights alike and a very large dept to the treasury, yet it has yielded no benefits whatsoever.
1069 May
The news has come to our court that the Duke of Apulia has died, his eight year old son has taken his role. My master seems to be rather happy with this turn of events. He speaks of a divine hand that has interfered and restored the just way of life, by punishing those that have taken what does not belong to them by right.
My liege continues to gather gold to repay for the passed war, he also collects gold for some reason unknown to me.
1071 Quick Extract
Life continues as gold is being gathered. Roger spends much time with his daughters and family, yet things seem different. My liege is suffering because even though he was blessed by beautiful children, none of them are suitable to become a heir and the new count of Reggio and Mesina. He tries to hide this, but it is obvious, he is not able to enjoy life because of this problem.
Yet it is not all, hatred towards his nephew, the new Duke of Apulia grows ever stronger within him. He does not see justise in a situation where a 10 year old child has everything that righfully belongs to Roger de Hauteville, atleast it is the way my liege sees it.
I have even heard that the gold that is being gathered is meant to eliminate the child and give all the titles to Roger….
1073
This year has been truly a grand one! A heir was born to my liege. I believe that the old way of life shall return, since my master is now content and has even given up the assassination attempts. Perhaps God has been simply testing the family?
1074-1075 A Sicilian Campaign
My liege’s worse nightmare have come true, the mighty Emir of Palermo has declared war upon us. His 6000 men were quickly marching towards our lands in Mesina and were greatly overnumbering the combined forces of Roger de Hauteville, around 2500 in total. My liege ordered the evacuation of the Mesina regiment to Italy and quickly negotiated for peace.
The war continued between the Duke and the Emir. Using the moment Roger de Hauteville attacked an independent Sheik on the opposide side of Sicily and conquered his lands. Now being sure of his strenght, and because the Palermo Emir was severly weaked, Roger joined the war again and seized most of Sicily, including the rich city of Palermo.
He “returned the favor” to the Duke by claiming many of sieges, because the new Duke was still a youngling, Roger de Hauteville could lead the armies and fulfill his dream of conquering Sicily.
1076-1079 The Years of Great Misery
The victory in the Sicilian campaign brought together many lands under the control of my liege. It was a curse as much as it was a blessing, catholic, orthodox and muslim people lived under the rule of the count, I will not even begin to list the cultural differences.
The problem first surfaced in 1076 when the people revolted against the catholic rule. Even though the initial planners were hung and the people admitted to the catholic faith, the revolt still continued. It crippled the richest province in the demense and lasted until 1091.
The situation worsened in 1077 as there were severe tensions rising, as the nobles did not agree with the catholic rule.
Besides these troubles there was also a large dept burdening the treasury, one that was made during the war and hindered any progress in the demense. The count was forced to borrow gold, yet this had conciquences as the pope excommunicated Roger de Hauteville and claimed him a heretic, in these troubled time Roger become ill and later even lost his health to pneumonia.
///OOC this was just a strain of bad luck, a 1000 ducat dept, half of the provinces revolting, -40% from a large demence and the inability to give away titles. Not to mention the 33% chance to get pneumonia, 10% to get heretic and 5% to get excommunicated and GETTING THEM ALL///
In these years the count became more and more involved in the everyday life of his suffering demense, he did his best to try and solve the problems, yet things became worse with every day. The joy that was once filling the castle was now only a ghostly imagine of itself. The count almost never spoke to his daughters, his wife or even his only son.
The dream he had to unite Sicily had become his curse.
1080 The birth of a Duke
In this year the Count finally become a duke, yet it did no bring an end to the suffering. The family of the Hauteville’s was breached and it would never become whole again.
Yet Roger did not loose love against his close ones, despite the fact that he spent very little time with them. It was time for the oldest daughter to marry and Roger did what was best for her, she was married as far away from Sicily as possible. The new Duchy was cursed by the entire catholic land because of the herecy accusations and the excommunicated status of Roger de Hauteville. Shortly after the start of the year two of the daughters, Mathilde and Emma, were married to Geneva and Rome. To stay close to the see that would always remind them of home and their father.
Roger de Hauteville never saw his daughters again….
*There seems to be lack of information regarding the youngest daughter, but it is most likely that she as well was married away*
1081
The Duke of Apulia and the count of Salerno have become allies and are threatening the borders of Sicily. My liege has plotted a grand intrigue and killed the count of Salerno, his lands went to the Duke of Apulia as the count had no son. Having lost his ally, the Duke of Apulia had no choice but to come to his uncle and merge an alliance with Sicily.
1084 – 1085
Religious tensions in Trapani lessen and my liege is able to stop the revolt in the province after some negotiations
1089 The Royal Marriage
Grand celebrations took place in the “cursed duchy”, as people called it by now, the only son and heir to the Dukedom, Godfrey de Hauteville, married a daughter of the King of England!!!.
1091 The revolt in Palermo ends and normal life seems to return to the Island of Sicily. Yet the army is still only around 5000 men, compared to 12 500 in the duchy of Apulia, the income is also largely hampered.
1095 Restoration
By this year the Duchy of Sicily had raised itself from the ashes, through succesful economical decisions all lands were now firmy under the Duke’s control. The income grew four times and the army now composed of 12 000 men.
Roger de Hauteville now looked across the waters in Apulia’s direction.
1096 Assassination
Roger Borsa de Hauteville, the current Duke of Apulia and Roger’s nephew was quite an inadequate army leader or simply put, he did not know the difference between a sword and a spear. Yet his bastard brother and marshal was more than a honorable foe. Yet it remains a mistery to this scribe, how such a healthy man had suddenly died in his own bed….
Despite the death of his marshal, Roger Borsa de Hauteville went to attack Rome to challenge a claim to a county in Egypt. Such a move of the Duke challenges the saness of the Duke.
It must be noted here that France, Catille, Papacy and The Holy Roman Empire had all sent their forces to conquer Jerusalem. In the resulting war the Kingdom of the Fatimids was wiped from the face of the earth. As such, Rome and it’s surroundings were completely unprotected.
1097 June – 1097 April
In this small period of time the two rival Duchies of Sicily and Apulia clashed. They had equal armies of around 12 000 men both, yet due to complete lack of ability to lead the army, Roger Borsa de Hauteville duke of Apulia was utterly crushed and force to give up the title of Apulia and most of his lands. He got to keep two counties and his secondary titles as the Duke of Ca,pania and Calabria.
1097 – 1100 The death of a genius
The spectacular strategic success formed a great Duchy, but did not bring success. In the following three years the entire domain exploded with rebellions, with only no vassal remaining loyal. By 1100 all the vassals had been defeated, hung or forced into exile, many Hauteville’s fell in those years. What followed was even worse than the actual war, the economical and military collapse led to rebellions and unrests. The army shrunk to 5000 from a potential of 25 000 and the income dropped from over 35 to less than 5.
Roger de Hauteville had fulfilled his dream, he united southern Italy into a kingdom and defeated the infidels, he did this for the simple people and all the catholics. Yet such a virtues dream brought only misery, people blamed him for war, famine and suffering and the entire world saw him as a heretical ruler with no place among rightful catholics. He had become an enemy to all, by doing what was right….he had not the place in this world any more.
His last words were: “How can I help them if for each good deed they hate even more?”
On February the 7th, King of Naples, Duke Sicily and Apulia, Roger de Hauteville stepped of the cliff into the mercy of the waves. He was a man understood by none and loved only by the few.
*Only decades laters was the role of Roger de Hauteville discovered and admired by the Italians*
Thank you for reading it
A quicj note, I have never before written an AAR, so please, if the story is interesting and you wish to see it continue, then please, comment, critique – it is always appreciated.
The next update will include the current state of the world and then the rule of the next generation of Hautevilles