great stuff ... and the background particularly impressive.
So, one guesses that Louis' route to sainthood lies via the road to Jerusalem?
So, one guesses that Louis' route to sainthood lies via the road to Jerusalem?
The Lives of the Saints
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Thank you, Densley and Mike! I appreciate having you guys here so much.
Thanks! Oh, and I'll try to do the same with the future ones, although in some cases sources may be less easy to come by. I kind of want to help a reader who might be new to the game to find his way through the dynasties and political formations of various periods and regions, maybe help choose a character to play and so on (some of them rather peculiar and not particularly popular in the AAR scene).
If his mother lets him! But road will be pretty much the rest of his life. (Largely unlike the real one, who was more of a stationary good steward but that'd be hard to reproduce in the game.)
Thanks! Oh, and I'll try to do the same with the future ones, although in some cases sources may be less easy to come by. I kind of want to help a reader who might be new to the game to find his way through the dynasties and political formations of various periods and regions, maybe help choose a character to play and so on (some of them rather peculiar and not particularly popular in the AAR scene).
If his mother lets him! But road will be pretty much the rest of his life. (Largely unlike the real one, who was more of a stationary good steward but that'd be hard to reproduce in the game.)
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No problem - I appreciate the fact that you've gone to the trouble of writing this amazing AAR for us
It is a monumental task which is excpetionally executed until now mate ! It is our duty to spread it as long as we can :happy:
The Regency
It may seem to make more sense for Caliph Al-Mustansir to declare a Jihad for Persia if you consider that he was actually born there, in the Fars Province, which is old Persepolis. We wonder if it would be possible to establish a mighty Franco-Mongol alliance. We are also wondering if Prester John might be with them. Time will show if our optimism is well-founded.
'Mum, I need to go! France needs to go.'
'But Louis, you are only 12 years old.'
'But I'm a knight, remember?'
'Oh yes, how could I forget. But you are also a king. If our armies, or rather what we have loyal of them, were to leave now, England or even the Kaiser could enter any day, and the great lords would rise unchecked. One day, Louis, one day. Be patient.'
Waging a crusade costs money and we inevitably check our finances. Better than expected but not much if you had to support a crusade.
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Soon after the Queen's words, even without the King leaving the kingdom the South is set ablaze.
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Apparently, one of the minor counts has managed to support a female claimant against Raymond and is now taking up arms for her. Meanwhile the King of León, a fifty-five years old d'Ivrea, asks for the Queen Monther's hand, which he is not granted, even though he be a Diligent, Kind and Just man (if somewhat lacking in Honesty or Learning but nobody is perfect).
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The advisors of little Charles, the youngest of France but already in charge of a vast duchy due to... some arrangements, as it seems, are not as patient as the Queen Mother. Or it might just be that they are not in charge of a kingdom. Anjou joins the crusade. Louis bites his lip.
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In March dies another trusty vassal, the Baron of Le Puiset, a name somewhat famous in the Holy Land and elsewhere. As he left no heirs, his castle reverts to Louis, who will also need to find a new husband for his widow and feed and clothe his former court (and provide for other needs they might have).
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And we receive another marriage request, this time from Antso of Navarre. We find him to be a Cruel, Lustful man (those traits and stats are random, so this is a historical King Antso), but we would have refused him either way.
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With a new barony in the King's demesne, we can now release the County of Tours to his brother Jean.
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...And before the month is over Joanna of Flanders goes after Artois, bringing war to Duke Robert, the eldest brother of the King, who can do nothing but watch.
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There is now open warfare in both the south and the north.
From the former, also ravaged by heresy, a faithful Catholic baron makes his plea with the King:
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It is granted, with no evidence pointing to the contrary.
As the outnumbered defenders of Artois clash with the invading Flemish force, another request comes in from the King of Navarre, this time for one of the recent widows:
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And then the other, immediately after he is turned down:
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And then another young Lowborn girl from the court:
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Queen Blanche says: 'Louis, please leave the room...'
There is thereafter no more incoming correspondence from Navarre.
...On the other hand, we discover that the young widow Melisende shares the zeal for the faith with the comfortably three years olden King of England and her Gregarious and Trusting personality could be easy on his Kind and Shy, while her temper, perhaps a little too much of it, cut put some life in him.
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We let Henry know about our discovery and he is as appreciative as he is surprised:
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[Historically, he married the sister of Louis's own wife (Richard Plantagenet, the King of the Romans, marrying another and Charles of Anjou marrying the youngest).]
Tiburge, the eighteen years old widow of Baron Philippe, becomes acquainted to the Duke of Nyitra in Hungary, not much of a warrior for his reputation of a Masterful Tactician but a Chaste Man, Unyielding when needed but otherwise Temperate, if somewhat old:
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He asks for her hand and she soon becomes his duchess:
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Come summer, or rather later summer as it is, it is time to cast a stewardly eye on the royal barony of Melun:
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While its needs are many, we decide to expand the city, which provides more economic basis for future growth, as well as livelihood and living quarters for some:
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This leaves us with Agathe to marry away. Duke Reinhold von Urslingen of Spoleto, a papal vassal, is no saint but she is neither. Both are equally Paranoid and Shy, which makes it perhaps not the best idea to combine them but on the other hand they should be able to understand each other, and he is not a man of vain ambitions, so he might keep an eye on her and make sure her penchant for Intrigue does not get out of hand:
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But he balks out at the last moment:
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It may seem to make more sense for Caliph Al-Mustansir to declare a Jihad for Persia if you consider that he was actually born there, in the Fars Province, which is old Persepolis. We wonder if it would be possible to establish a mighty Franco-Mongol alliance. We are also wondering if Prester John might be with them. Time will show if our optimism is well-founded.
'Mum, I need to go! France needs to go.'
'But Louis, you are only 12 years old.'
'But I'm a knight, remember?'
'Oh yes, how could I forget. But you are also a king. If our armies, or rather what we have loyal of them, were to leave now, England or even the Kaiser could enter any day, and the great lords would rise unchecked. One day, Louis, one day. Be patient.'
Waging a crusade costs money and we inevitably check our finances. Better than expected but not much if you had to support a crusade.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Soon after the Queen's words, even without the King leaving the kingdom the South is set ablaze.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Apparently, one of the minor counts has managed to support a female claimant against Raymond and is now taking up arms for her. Meanwhile the King of León, a fifty-five years old d'Ivrea, asks for the Queen Monther's hand, which he is not granted, even though he be a Diligent, Kind and Just man (if somewhat lacking in Honesty or Learning but nobody is perfect).
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The advisors of little Charles, the youngest of France but already in charge of a vast duchy due to... some arrangements, as it seems, are not as patient as the Queen Mother. Or it might just be that they are not in charge of a kingdom. Anjou joins the crusade. Louis bites his lip.
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In March dies another trusty vassal, the Baron of Le Puiset, a name somewhat famous in the Holy Land and elsewhere. As he left no heirs, his castle reverts to Louis, who will also need to find a new husband for his widow and feed and clothe his former court (and provide for other needs they might have).
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
And we receive another marriage request, this time from Antso of Navarre. We find him to be a Cruel, Lustful man (those traits and stats are random, so this is a historical King Antso), but we would have refused him either way.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
With a new barony in the King's demesne, we can now release the County of Tours to his brother Jean.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
...And before the month is over Joanna of Flanders goes after Artois, bringing war to Duke Robert, the eldest brother of the King, who can do nothing but watch.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
There is now open warfare in both the south and the north.
From the former, also ravaged by heresy, a faithful Catholic baron makes his plea with the King:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
It is granted, with no evidence pointing to the contrary.
As the outnumbered defenders of Artois clash with the invading Flemish force, another request comes in from the King of Navarre, this time for one of the recent widows:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
And then the other, immediately after he is turned down:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
And then another young Lowborn girl from the court:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Queen Blanche says: 'Louis, please leave the room...'
There is thereafter no more incoming correspondence from Navarre.
...On the other hand, we discover that the young widow Melisende shares the zeal for the faith with the comfortably three years olden King of England and her Gregarious and Trusting personality could be easy on his Kind and Shy, while her temper, perhaps a little too much of it, cut put some life in him.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
We let Henry know about our discovery and he is as appreciative as he is surprised:
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[Historically, he married the sister of Louis's own wife (Richard Plantagenet, the King of the Romans, marrying another and Charles of Anjou marrying the youngest).]
Tiburge, the eighteen years old widow of Baron Philippe, becomes acquainted to the Duke of Nyitra in Hungary, not much of a warrior for his reputation of a Masterful Tactician but a Chaste Man, Unyielding when needed but otherwise Temperate, if somewhat old:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
He asks for her hand and she soon becomes his duchess:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Come summer, or rather later summer as it is, it is time to cast a stewardly eye on the royal barony of Melun:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
While its needs are many, we decide to expand the city, which provides more economic basis for future growth, as well as livelihood and living quarters for some:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
This leaves us with Agathe to marry away. Duke Reinhold von Urslingen of Spoleto, a papal vassal, is no saint but she is neither. Both are equally Paranoid and Shy, which makes it perhaps not the best idea to combine them but on the other hand they should be able to understand each other, and he is not a man of vain ambitions, so he might keep an eye on her and make sure her penchant for Intrigue does not get out of hand:
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But he balks out at the last moment:
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Another nice update - shame about not being able to go on Crusade, but what can you do?
Another nice update - shame about not being able to go on Crusade, but what can you do?
Thanks, and yup, while I could send the armies over and perhaps even not lose if I got backstabbed, I didn't want to depart from history so much or incur unrealistic risks. Right at the time, there should be a successful German crusade taking place, regaining Jerusalem and Jaffa and more, so the Pope's timing was impeccable. I wanted to let Frederick II and his wife Isabelle Queen of Jerusalem have it and introduce Louis to the crusading scene in late 1240-ies after consolidating and building up his kingdom as he historically should have, maybe a war with England if they would declare it, or something.
like the way you can make an essentially 'domestic housekeeping' update engaging, and kudos for playing for a plausible outcome rather than whatever the game engine would allow you to manage
Seems fair enough - I await any future Crusading eagerly
So does Louis!
Thank you, I appreciate that. About half of the entire AAR was supposed to be that, if not 2/3 or 3/4, as it should historically be. But I thought I wouldn't have had the money to keep building and upgrading the holdings throughout the kingdom while holding feasts and fairs (historical Louis didn't like hunting, while there's a specific mention that he held feasts and celebrations like every normal king, when knights were made etc.). In hindsight, I probably should have, especially to get Just from feats and Charitable from fairs, both of which traits are pretty much his trademarks, except it's likely that there would have been no Kingdom of Jerusalem to protect in short order – up to 4-5 holy wars including independent Antioch and Tripoli with almost enough independent Ayyubid emirs to have someone without a valid truce to declare war at any given time and draw all the others in. But I might have played more historically throughout just to see, who knows what would have happened. I have a lot of regrets about this game. Additionally, I have a kind of nagging suspicion that the game might have a mechanism to spawn a larger number of peaceful events if nothing's going on in terms of warfare to fill your time and attention.
The Regency Continues
The second week of September brings mixed news, some good, some bad. The good news is that Mélisande (quite a fitting name for the wife of a crusading king, is it not?) leaves for England. Naturally, we are not happy simply that she leaves but she has surprisingly found a new place in life, one that nobody would have expected and so early after her life seemed to have come crumbling down. We trust and hope that her marriage to Henry will be a source of comfort too. She asks for some time to pray at the grave of her deceased husband Baron Louis. Henry is touched and responds by telling her to bide her time and assuring her of his own prayers in his private chapel (Henry is a rather Shy person, while fervent in his faith).
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The bad news is that the advancing Flemings outnumber about two to one the soldiers of the Duke of Normandy, who have made an inroad into their territory behind their backs and are now sieging Yperen just as the Flemings proceed with the siege of Artois. If Johanna were to order an immediate turn, she would be able to rout them and if somehow their manoeuvring allowed to avoid slaughter, they would still be dislodged from the siege, losing all progress that has been made. At the same time, in Paris, about one hundred kilometres away, we can but pray about it. Sometimes the authority of a king does not reach far from his castle.
But there are some things the king can do. If not to end then to avoid such unecessary bloodshed in the future. Some of them quite unorthodox. Louis receives word that another blow is to be dealt to his same brother, as the Countess of Eu, last of the house de Normandie, plots to engineer a claim on the birthright of her forefathers.
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King Louis, while a knight, reaches not for the sword but for the pen:
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He penned it himself. Nobody knows what he wrote but a reply is forthcoming:
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Queen Blanche is impressed.
From farther lands we receive word that the Kingdom of Denmark, Valdemar II, has granted the Teutonic Knights the County of Vodi.
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Historically, about the same time, Conrad of Masovia let them into Poland.
A further challenge awaits King Louis, as now, albeit thirteen of age, he needs to deal with murder. An Occitan noble under the crown of Aragon plans the demise of his rival within the Kingdom of France. King Louis's authority does not extend that far, nor does the force of his arms. He wins the man over, sparing no expenses, to dissuade him from the crime:
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And Pèire-Bermond sees the error of his ways:
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But not before news reaches the King that over eighteen hundred fresh men are marching to the relief of his brother, including three hundred and sixty-six in excellent spirits sent by the Countess of Eu.
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This leads to a stale-mate in Northern Flanders, with a minimal advantage in numbers to the King's brother while Johanna's forces have made more progress. On the Imperial side of the border, the Flemings' kindred of Brabant are rising against the Kaiser, who sends over fifteen thousand men to Breda.
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A similar stale-mate can be observed in the heresy-torn Tolouse, with an ever so slight advantage to the loyalists, which could change any minute.
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A similar stale-mate can be observed in the heresy-torn Tolouse, with an ever so slight advantage to the loyalists, which could change any minute.
Rumours fall on the head of Thibault the Troubadour in connected with the foiled attempt on the life of Henry de Blois but rumours are not enough:
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A while later Chancellor Rorgon brings the much rejoicing news of a warming-up with the Kaiser's court:
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From that most important direction, France will, for a while, be safe. Otherwise the Kaiser has enough Casus Belli, county by county, to tear Flanders away.
And by 24 August 1228, forces loyal to Robert of Artois, seem to have gained an upper hand. Not only are they moving faster with the sieges in Yperen than their adversaries in Artois but they stand right between the invading Flemings army and their capital at Breda.
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Similarly Raymond seems to be taking the situation slowly under control in Tolouse:
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With peace returning to the land as a hopeful prospect, we can work for the benefit of the kingdom by expanding the city in Péronne in the royal domain, in the County of Amiens, just north of Paris:
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It will be a large city and a hub of trade when the work is done, making sure that coin comes to the royal coffer to fund the necessary expenses of the realm and the crusade which is, sooner or later, to come.
This prompts young King Louis, under the watchful eye of Queen Blanche, to ask some deep questions of his tutor Bishop Ancel:
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And Bishop Ancel replies, not exactly in these words but something along the lines, 'Little would it be worth for a king to say many prayers and act pious and zealous and all that but if he didn't actually take good care of his kingdom, as is his duty.' Later it would be said about Louis that, in words of the English churchman:
Or, he would never engage in trying to look pious when work needed to be done. He would spend a lot of time praying but less than others spent hunting or jousting, for example.
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Soon Louis is about to come of age:
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The second week of September brings mixed news, some good, some bad. The good news is that Mélisande (quite a fitting name for the wife of a crusading king, is it not?) leaves for England. Naturally, we are not happy simply that she leaves but she has surprisingly found a new place in life, one that nobody would have expected and so early after her life seemed to have come crumbling down. We trust and hope that her marriage to Henry will be a source of comfort too. She asks for some time to pray at the grave of her deceased husband Baron Louis. Henry is touched and responds by telling her to bide her time and assuring her of his own prayers in his private chapel (Henry is a rather Shy person, while fervent in his faith).
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The bad news is that the advancing Flemings outnumber about two to one the soldiers of the Duke of Normandy, who have made an inroad into their territory behind their backs and are now sieging Yperen just as the Flemings proceed with the siege of Artois. If Johanna were to order an immediate turn, she would be able to rout them and if somehow their manoeuvring allowed to avoid slaughter, they would still be dislodged from the siege, losing all progress that has been made. At the same time, in Paris, about one hundred kilometres away, we can but pray about it. Sometimes the authority of a king does not reach far from his castle.
But there are some things the king can do. If not to end then to avoid such unecessary bloodshed in the future. Some of them quite unorthodox. Louis receives word that another blow is to be dealt to his same brother, as the Countess of Eu, last of the house de Normandie, plots to engineer a claim on the birthright of her forefathers.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
King Louis, while a knight, reaches not for the sword but for the pen:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
He penned it himself. Nobody knows what he wrote but a reply is forthcoming:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Queen Blanche is impressed.
From farther lands we receive word that the Kingdom of Denmark, Valdemar II, has granted the Teutonic Knights the County of Vodi.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Historically, about the same time, Conrad of Masovia let them into Poland.
A further challenge awaits King Louis, as now, albeit thirteen of age, he needs to deal with murder. An Occitan noble under the crown of Aragon plans the demise of his rival within the Kingdom of France. King Louis's authority does not extend that far, nor does the force of his arms. He wins the man over, sparing no expenses, to dissuade him from the crime:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
And Pèire-Bermond sees the error of his ways:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
But not before news reaches the King that over eighteen hundred fresh men are marching to the relief of his brother, including three hundred and sixty-six in excellent spirits sent by the Countess of Eu.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
This leads to a stale-mate in Northern Flanders, with a minimal advantage in numbers to the King's brother while Johanna's forces have made more progress. On the Imperial side of the border, the Flemings' kindred of Brabant are rising against the Kaiser, who sends over fifteen thousand men to Breda.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
A similar stale-mate can be observed in the heresy-torn Tolouse, with an ever so slight advantage to the loyalists, which could change any minute.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
A similar stale-mate can be observed in the heresy-torn Tolouse, with an ever so slight advantage to the loyalists, which could change any minute.
Rumours fall on the head of Thibault the Troubadour in connected with the foiled attempt on the life of Henry de Blois but rumours are not enough:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
A while later Chancellor Rorgon brings the much rejoicing news of a warming-up with the Kaiser's court:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
From that most important direction, France will, for a while, be safe. Otherwise the Kaiser has enough Casus Belli, county by county, to tear Flanders away.
And by 24 August 1228, forces loyal to Robert of Artois, seem to have gained an upper hand. Not only are they moving faster with the sieges in Yperen than their adversaries in Artois but they stand right between the invading Flemings army and their capital at Breda.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Similarly Raymond seems to be taking the situation slowly under control in Tolouse:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
With peace returning to the land as a hopeful prospect, we can work for the benefit of the kingdom by expanding the city in Péronne in the royal domain, in the County of Amiens, just north of Paris:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
It will be a large city and a hub of trade when the work is done, making sure that coin comes to the royal coffer to fund the necessary expenses of the realm and the crusade which is, sooner or later, to come.
This prompts young King Louis, under the watchful eye of Queen Blanche, to ask some deep questions of his tutor Bishop Ancel:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
And Bishop Ancel replies, not exactly in these words but something along the lines, 'Little would it be worth for a king to say many prayers and act pious and zealous and all that but if he didn't actually take good care of his kingdom, as is his duty.' Later it would be said about Louis that, in words of the English churchman:
He was too well apprized that piety must be false which neglects any duty which we owe to others, or to ourselves; and the same motive which animated him in the churches, made him most diligent in every branch of his high charge, and was not only the strongest spur to diligence, but also the greatest assistance and support in all his secular employments.
Or, he would never engage in trying to look pious when work needed to be done. He would spend a lot of time praying but less than others spent hunting or jousting, for example.
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Soon Louis is about to come of age:
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He's turning out well - I think it will be interesting to see how he turns out as a proper king. I await the next update eagerly
pretty impressively restrained for a 13 year old, but as DensleyBlair says, now the time to see what he does with less close guidance
Community Service
Just after the half of December (1228), some time between 16 and 21, we receive the news from our chancellor at Kaiser Frederick's court that the Emperor has managed to enact a reform moving the Imperial Lands from full autonomy of the vassals to a limited but clearly existing central authority, which enables him to revoke titles and land from men who do not deliver. We should do the same one day:
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And who knows, maybe one day put an end to their private wars. It seems some of the vassals saw eye to eye with the Emperor, as he would not have been able to put the new law in force without their support. In our Kingdom, as of this date, there are no factions opposed to the crown or distracted by their individual, divisive goals. While individual grudges exist, peace and unity is a real perspective, if not for now then possibly within the life-time of this generation:
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And who knows, maybe one day put an end to their private wars. It seems some of the vassals saw eye to eye with the Emperor, as he would not have been able to put the new law in force without their support. In our Kingdom, as of this date, there are no factions opposed to the crown or distracted by their individual, divisive goals. While individual grudges exist, peace and unity is a real perspective, if not for now then possibly within the life-time of this generation.
With our internal burdens lessened, we turn to Anjou and inquire for news from the Crusade (Brittany is also participating):
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It seems many Christian princes are involved, including four Kings and two Grandmasters (Teutonic and Templar). The grand absentee of this crusade is Kaiser Frederick himself, albeit a man of great ability, energy and culture, called the world's wonder, the stupor mundi, despite the fact that his wife's realm is on the very front line. Blamed by the Pope for the tragic defeat of the fifth crusade, he is supposedly the reason why Pelagius (being the Papal Legate with the Crusade) refused the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Kamil's offer to have the entire Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem restored in exchange for just simply leaving Egypt alone. Frederick not forthcoming, the crusaders ended up leaving Egypt and surrendering Damietta in exchange for their lives. The Pope was not pleased. Somehow Frederick rather than Pelagius attracted the blame.
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[Baroque painting showing the fifth-crusaders dealing with the Tower of Damietta. Source: wiki]
The fifth crusade was remarkable (although not totally unique) in that Kaykaus, the Sultan of Rum, thought on the same side with the crusaders, striking at the Syrian Ayyubids from the north and enabling the crusaders to avoid war on two fronts. For, as you can see, the Ayybudis practically surround and pin the crusader states between themselves and the sea, with the Syrian emirs occasionally independent but dynastically and religiously allied to the Sultan of Egypt nonetheless:
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Not that Kaykaus was a particular friend of the Christians. While he did also come to some terms with the Laskaris Emperors of Nikaia, with the Siege of Sinopa (and the taking of it) he reduced Trebisond to only local importance.
On the other hand, historically, while Frederick did not show up for the fifth crusade and got himself excommunicated in 1227 for failing to fulfil his crusader's oath (regardless that it was illness which stopped him), he would around this time be recovering Jerusalem successfully (mostly or totally through diplomatic action with Al-Kamil) until it was lost again in 1244. That treaty was signed and Frederick was crowned the King of Jerusalem in 1229 (although he was excommunicated, the country under a papal interdict and his dynastic rights were poor, qualifying him to be a regent at best).
An interesting character in the fifth crusade was Francis of Assisi, a poverty-loving humble Christian monk of great spirit, who, perhaps during the short truce when the parties were negotiating, actually went to Al-Kamil's camp, preached Christianity and offered to undergo the ordeal of fire to prove the veracity of it. He returned unharmed.
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[This is Giotto. Again from wiki]
There are rumours that while Al-Kamil did not convert (some sources claim he did, either secretly or on deathbed some years after the encounter), Francis might have found a more receptive ear in the Sultan than in the crusaders themselves.
Back to domestic affairs, however, the relative safety from factions proves to be far from full yet:
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Joinville:
Or this:
Scum hired by this or that group of the King's enemies accost him on the road. Louis as a child yet but nonetheless a full knight resists bravely but there is little a fourteen year old can do against grown men who have made theirs the life of violence, and he yields to save the lives of his outnumbered entourage. They eventually stick a dirty rag in the young king's mouth and he cannot even call for help. Luckily a peasant family saw what happened and ran to the Lord Archambaut, Count of Périgord, and told him of what happened.
Seigneur de Périgord is inclined to waste no breath talking and just charge the whole bunch of them and there is good reason to suspect he would have got it his way but there is one problem: they hold the King. While there is no doubt, in their minds as well, that they will die a gruesome death if they do him harm, there is little doubt that they will suffer either way now that they have been found. It is crucial rather to instill them with conviction that they will suffer less if they turn the King over. Desperate and hounded, they eventually stop at a forest clearing from where they can already hear the distinct voices of Marshal Archambaut and Thibault of Champagne, who for all his love of new land is mighty serious about anyone lifting a finger against his King. Currently the most powerful man (and possibly the most powerful human) in this part of France, the Troubadour is in no mood for singing. 'I will need to talk to him about his vocabulary,' Louis thinks in concern.
Suddenly, they hear barking that does not come from either Archmbaut or Thibault. They know this is game over. They quickly remove the gagging cloth and fall on their knees before the king.
'Majesty, save us! He will feed us to his dogs,' (and write a song about it) they plead.
'And just why should I, pray tell, Sir Knave?'
'Because... errr... this is what God would want you to do?'
'Funny that you would know about that.'
'Majesty, please!'
'But... He does desire not the death of a sinner but rather his conversion. I guess you bunch are feeling very repentant right now?'
There is some kowtowing and pleading and declarations that none of them would ever expect to hear himself making.
'Come, upon royal word I shall grant you your lives. Where is my sword?'
'Here, Your Majesty,' they give it to him speedily.
'Cloak?' Louis is visibly having fun.
'Here, here. Faster, please, Your Majesty, faster!' this silences under one unappreciative glance.
'What!? You made a hole in it!'
'Don't focus on that, Majesty, please! I will pay for it!' the man obviously loses touch with reality, but the others keep nodding, 'Yes, yes, we will pay!'
'Shield!' 'And I don't have three hands!' The leading knave actually finds himself squiring for the king and fastening the leather belts.
'Come now.'
***
'Good afternoon, Marechal Archambaut. Good Afternoon, Seigneur Thibault. I thank you for your assistance.'
'Majesty, are you all right?' Thibault wasted no time jumping off his horse and is already inspecting the royal person in the earnest, violating every possible court protocol in doing so. Louis lets him for a while but then pats the Troubadour on his chain-clad bicep (which is about twenty inches round of a harp-stringing arm). 'It's all right, nothing happened.'
The Troubadour's face changes momentarily as he turns it away from the King. 'Now as for this men.'
...They fall on their knees all anew and the pleading, now barely understandable, starts afresh.
Louis allows Thibault to have his time but intervenes shortly.
'Come now, didn't I promise you your lives?'
'Yes! Yes! You did! Your Majesty, you did!'
'And they shall live.'
'But...' Thibault is not convinced and neither is Count Archambault.
'Gentlemen, would you ever break your comital (i.e. count's) word, even to a knave?'
'They shall live.' 'They shall live.'
A loud series of relieved sighs fills the air.
'So, Majesty, can we go now?'
'GO?' Louis expresses his most veritable and complete surprise before Archambaut or Thibault can react.
'But Your Majesty, you promised...'
'Yes, I believe I promised you your lives. And you promised to pay me back for my coat.' Now all of them are suddenly realising how much money that must have been and comparing it against their estimated lifetime incomes from now to death. They chins drop and expressions sadden, they are about to start sobbing for all it seems.
Louis cheers up. 'Lord Thibault, find them an honest job if you should be so kind. A tough, demanding job, as the bill it's supposed to foot is rather high.'
Now he turns on them, 'You will pay it to the poor. And when that is paid, you can keep the jobs. No lazing about or I'll be asking the taylor how much he really charged for it.'
And for a while King Louis wore a stitched coat. (And everybody who looked at it discovered a new love for hard work for the benefit of the realm.)
Just after the half of December (1228), some time between 16 and 21, we receive the news from our chancellor at Kaiser Frederick's court that the Emperor has managed to enact a reform moving the Imperial Lands from full autonomy of the vassals to a limited but clearly existing central authority, which enables him to revoke titles and land from men who do not deliver. We should do the same one day:
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And who knows, maybe one day put an end to their private wars. It seems some of the vassals saw eye to eye with the Emperor, as he would not have been able to put the new law in force without their support. In our Kingdom, as of this date, there are no factions opposed to the crown or distracted by their individual, divisive goals. While individual grudges exist, peace and unity is a real perspective, if not for now then possibly within the life-time of this generation:
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And who knows, maybe one day put an end to their private wars. It seems some of the vassals saw eye to eye with the Emperor, as he would not have been able to put the new law in force without their support. In our Kingdom, as of this date, there are no factions opposed to the crown or distracted by their individual, divisive goals. While individual grudges exist, peace and unity is a real perspective, if not for now then possibly within the life-time of this generation.
With our internal burdens lessened, we turn to Anjou and inquire for news from the Crusade (Brittany is also participating):
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It seems many Christian princes are involved, including four Kings and two Grandmasters (Teutonic and Templar). The grand absentee of this crusade is Kaiser Frederick himself, albeit a man of great ability, energy and culture, called the world's wonder, the stupor mundi, despite the fact that his wife's realm is on the very front line. Blamed by the Pope for the tragic defeat of the fifth crusade, he is supposedly the reason why Pelagius (being the Papal Legate with the Crusade) refused the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Kamil's offer to have the entire Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem restored in exchange for just simply leaving Egypt alone. Frederick not forthcoming, the crusaders ended up leaving Egypt and surrendering Damietta in exchange for their lives. The Pope was not pleased. Somehow Frederick rather than Pelagius attracted the blame.
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[Baroque painting showing the fifth-crusaders dealing with the Tower of Damietta. Source: wiki]
The fifth crusade was remarkable (although not totally unique) in that Kaykaus, the Sultan of Rum, thought on the same side with the crusaders, striking at the Syrian Ayyubids from the north and enabling the crusaders to avoid war on two fronts. For, as you can see, the Ayybudis practically surround and pin the crusader states between themselves and the sea, with the Syrian emirs occasionally independent but dynastically and religiously allied to the Sultan of Egypt nonetheless:
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Not that Kaykaus was a particular friend of the Christians. While he did also come to some terms with the Laskaris Emperors of Nikaia, with the Siege of Sinopa (and the taking of it) he reduced Trebisond to only local importance.
On the other hand, historically, while Frederick did not show up for the fifth crusade and got himself excommunicated in 1227 for failing to fulfil his crusader's oath (regardless that it was illness which stopped him), he would around this time be recovering Jerusalem successfully (mostly or totally through diplomatic action with Al-Kamil) until it was lost again in 1244. That treaty was signed and Frederick was crowned the King of Jerusalem in 1229 (although he was excommunicated, the country under a papal interdict and his dynastic rights were poor, qualifying him to be a regent at best).
An interesting character in the fifth crusade was Francis of Assisi, a poverty-loving humble Christian monk of great spirit, who, perhaps during the short truce when the parties were negotiating, actually went to Al-Kamil's camp, preached Christianity and offered to undergo the ordeal of fire to prove the veracity of it. He returned unharmed.
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[This is Giotto. Again from wiki]
There are rumours that while Al-Kamil did not convert (some sources claim he did, either secretly or on deathbed some years after the encounter), Francis might have found a more receptive ear in the Sultan than in the crusaders themselves.
Back to domestic affairs, however, the relative safety from factions proves to be far from full yet:
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Joinville:
After the King was crowned, there were some of the barons who requested the Queen to grant them certain large territories; and because she would do none of it, they gathered themselves together, all the barons, at Corbeuil. And the holy King told me, that he and his mother, who were at Montl'hery, durst not return to Paris until the men of Paris came under arms to fetch them. And he told me, how, all the way from Montl'hery to Paris, the road was thronged with people, armed and unarmed, all loudly praying Christ to give him health and long life, and to defend and keep him from his enemies.
Or this:
At this parliament of the barons at Corbeuil, so it is said, those of them that were present decided, that the good knight Count Peter of Brittany should rebel against the King, and further, that when the king should summon them to march against the Count, they should attend in person and each bring only two knights with him; and this to see whether the Count of Brittany would be able to crush the Queen, she being but a foreign woman, as you have heard. And many people say, that the Count would have crushed the Queen and King too, if God had not come to the King's aid in this strait. But by God's grace, Count Tibald of Champagne, (the same who later became King of Navarre) came to serve the King with three hundred knights, and by his aid, the Count of Brittany was brought to the King's mercy, so that, to make peace, he was obliged to relinquish to the King the county of Anjou (so it is said), and the county of Le Perche.
Scum hired by this or that group of the King's enemies accost him on the road. Louis as a child yet but nonetheless a full knight resists bravely but there is little a fourteen year old can do against grown men who have made theirs the life of violence, and he yields to save the lives of his outnumbered entourage. They eventually stick a dirty rag in the young king's mouth and he cannot even call for help. Luckily a peasant family saw what happened and ran to the Lord Archambaut, Count of Périgord, and told him of what happened.
Seigneur de Périgord is inclined to waste no breath talking and just charge the whole bunch of them and there is good reason to suspect he would have got it his way but there is one problem: they hold the King. While there is no doubt, in their minds as well, that they will die a gruesome death if they do him harm, there is little doubt that they will suffer either way now that they have been found. It is crucial rather to instill them with conviction that they will suffer less if they turn the King over. Desperate and hounded, they eventually stop at a forest clearing from where they can already hear the distinct voices of Marshal Archambaut and Thibault of Champagne, who for all his love of new land is mighty serious about anyone lifting a finger against his King. Currently the most powerful man (and possibly the most powerful human) in this part of France, the Troubadour is in no mood for singing. 'I will need to talk to him about his vocabulary,' Louis thinks in concern.
Suddenly, they hear barking that does not come from either Archmbaut or Thibault. They know this is game over. They quickly remove the gagging cloth and fall on their knees before the king.
'Majesty, save us! He will feed us to his dogs,' (and write a song about it) they plead.
'And just why should I, pray tell, Sir Knave?'
'Because... errr... this is what God would want you to do?'
'Funny that you would know about that.'
'Majesty, please!'
'But... He does desire not the death of a sinner but rather his conversion. I guess you bunch are feeling very repentant right now?'
There is some kowtowing and pleading and declarations that none of them would ever expect to hear himself making.
'Come, upon royal word I shall grant you your lives. Where is my sword?'
'Here, Your Majesty,' they give it to him speedily.
'Cloak?' Louis is visibly having fun.
'Here, here. Faster, please, Your Majesty, faster!' this silences under one unappreciative glance.
'What!? You made a hole in it!'
'Don't focus on that, Majesty, please! I will pay for it!' the man obviously loses touch with reality, but the others keep nodding, 'Yes, yes, we will pay!'
'Shield!' 'And I don't have three hands!' The leading knave actually finds himself squiring for the king and fastening the leather belts.
'Come now.'
***
'Good afternoon, Marechal Archambaut. Good Afternoon, Seigneur Thibault. I thank you for your assistance.'
'Majesty, are you all right?' Thibault wasted no time jumping off his horse and is already inspecting the royal person in the earnest, violating every possible court protocol in doing so. Louis lets him for a while but then pats the Troubadour on his chain-clad bicep (which is about twenty inches round of a harp-stringing arm). 'It's all right, nothing happened.'
The Troubadour's face changes momentarily as he turns it away from the King. 'Now as for this men.'
...They fall on their knees all anew and the pleading, now barely understandable, starts afresh.
Louis allows Thibault to have his time but intervenes shortly.
'Come now, didn't I promise you your lives?'
'Yes! Yes! You did! Your Majesty, you did!'
'And they shall live.'
'But...' Thibault is not convinced and neither is Count Archambault.
'Gentlemen, would you ever break your comital (i.e. count's) word, even to a knave?'
'They shall live.' 'They shall live.'
A loud series of relieved sighs fills the air.
'So, Majesty, can we go now?'
'GO?' Louis expresses his most veritable and complete surprise before Archambaut or Thibault can react.
'But Your Majesty, you promised...'
'Yes, I believe I promised you your lives. And you promised to pay me back for my coat.' Now all of them are suddenly realising how much money that must have been and comparing it against their estimated lifetime incomes from now to death. They chins drop and expressions sadden, they are about to start sobbing for all it seems.
Louis cheers up. 'Lord Thibault, find them an honest job if you should be so kind. A tough, demanding job, as the bill it's supposed to foot is rather high.'
Now he turns on them, 'You will pay it to the poor. And when that is paid, you can keep the jobs. No lazing about or I'll be asking the taylor how much he really charged for it.'
And for a while King Louis wore a stitched coat. (And everybody who looked at it discovered a new love for hard work for the benefit of the realm.)
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A very enjoyable update - Louis seems well on his way to a life of saintly living
Thank you as always.
Dear Readers, there are two things I'd like to mention on the editorial side. As you may've noticed I'm using different colours from time to time. You've probably already noticed that the brownish colour is for quotations and the pale green is for comments relating to real world history (it's supposed to stand out immediately). So, for example, when I mention a chronicler in green letters and then switch to brown, it means that I'm referring to real history with some quotations from chronicles, where it's different from how things go in the AAR. I'll still need to come up with a way to separate stories that I adapt from stories that I make up. But normally you can assume I'm making things up on a vaguely plausible basis (like the coronation scene) or the way I imagine to fit the personalities involved, basically like a historical novel vaguely connected to some personality traits established in the sources (like the kidnapping scene, which obviously didn't happen but St. Louis did have a noted sense of humour and could be scary if he wanted to be, as well as having the wonderful ability not to get distracted by a sense of being insulted). After all, this is a game and alternative history rather than replication.
Two, I have enough material to speed up the updates and I could even write 2-3 of them daily (and there will be plenty of material to work with after Louis, in different countries and centuries, some popular and some scarcely visited in AARs--and, by the way, not everybody is at king tier). But I don't want to overload you with information or tire you with new stuff too often. I'd appreciate knowing if the current tempo is all right or if I should speed up a bit or slow down. This is important to me, so please feel free to send me a private message if you don't feel like posting in the thread. Thanks!
another good update, I think the level of detail this format allows you really allows you to develop the material.
as to update speed, well its hard to say what is best. I'd try to keep 3-4 days between posts but that is me being selfish. I struggle to find time to actually read AARs at the moment since a lot of on-forum time is going on moderating related duties (in fact I find myself following far too few), so if you up the speed I guess I'd just fall behind ... but that is utterly selfish way of looking at it.
I like the colour system, its been used by others to good effect to, for example to explain the game mechanics behind a constructed narrative. It also works as a good visual clue if there are bits you can sort of skim over.
as to update speed, well its hard to say what is best. I'd try to keep 3-4 days between posts but that is me being selfish. I struggle to find time to actually read AARs at the moment since a lot of on-forum time is going on moderating related duties (in fact I find myself following far too few), so if you up the speed I guess I'd just fall behind ... but that is utterly selfish way of looking at it.
I like the colour system, its been used by others to good effect to, for example to explain the game mechanics behind a constructed narrative. It also works as a good visual clue if there are bits you can sort of skim over.
Thank you, I'm glad to hear that. This is just to let you guys know I remember about you and the AAR. I am just sick and have a lot of work right now but I should be posting one tomorrow or the day after.
EDIT: It's been a long time, I know, I promised you one for yesterday at the latest but I just can't keep going tonight. There will be one or two tomorrow.
EDIT: It's been a long time, I know, I promised you one for yesterday at the latest but I just can't keep going tonight. There will be one or two tomorrow.
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Mother, I can wait no longer!
On 1 June 1229, our Holy Father Honorius III, may he rest in peace, parts with this world to join the household of Our Father in heaven. His replacement assumes the name of Simplicius II to lead Christendom on earth.
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A little while armies led by Johanna of the Latin Empire abandon Artois and clash into forces loyal to the King's brother, hoping to lift the siege of Yperen. In the resulting battle, the Flemings suffer a particularly bloody setback, two thirds of their hosts remaining dead on the field or missing in action. Only one of three thousand who had left reports back to their leaders. By comparison, Duke Robert loses about one fifth of his men, about the same that was his advantage in numbers over the Flemings.
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While this may seem like a crushing victory, the struggle is far from over yet and the tidings of war may still bring a surprise. Unless the parties can be persuaded to agree to a white peace without territorial or monetary gain or declaration of a winner in the conflict.
At the same time, nobles of France, from grand vassals of the crown to petty lords ruling one castle, call up their private retinues and the sky south of Paris is soon dotted with pennants and spear tips. This includes the counts on the English side, the small Limousin and the powerful Count Hugh of Lusignan, who is a duke in all but name.
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Englishman:
Something is brewing. Meanwhile the King can only rely on levies, his own or of the loyal vassals, whichever those are.
But the king is not sitting idly waiting. One of his first actions brings fruit and the burgh at the demesne lordship of Melun expands into a large city in its own right thanks to royal funding.
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Conscious of his own limitations, the King undertakes to invite a famed German steward of the illustrious von Aigle family, not particularly happy in his current employ by a bishop somewhere in the Holy Roman Empire, to oversee the royal domain of France. The King's offer is not met with understanding, though:
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Instead, an unlikely candidate is found in a Russian prince disgruntled over not receiving part of his dynasty's patrimony as old customs of their land dictate; in fact, pretty much the same as those which still govern the inheritance of Frankish nobles and are followed by vassals of the King and their vassals. Vladimir Vsevolodovich proceeds from the mighty hub of Rostov, once a Varangian fortress guarding the Volga trade, now an important Russian centre of political power, nowadays eclipsed by either Novogrod or Kiev (as well as others, perhaps), while it has not always been so. Its most recent iteration is a spin-off from Vladimir, which replaced the original Rostov a couple of decades back.
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Managing estates is not as prestigious as holding them, even of another, but to be second after the King of France in the royal demesne is no insult to the honour of a proud prince clad as a warrior in his chainmail, although a scholar in his own right and currently on council duty far from the battlefield. Besides, he could use time off from his home country and his cousins and uncles. Together with his red-haired wife, which is not as strange considering that she too is a Rurikovich (probably a more distant relation that many couples among the vassals of France with different family names) and Varangians do not look like Slavs.
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Not unlike the origins of the current Kings of England, a descendant of the same men who used to plague the estuaries and coasts of France now joins the council table of the King of France to manage his holdings and bring prosperity rather than plunder. He is a just man, although prone to anger and somewhat too desirous of material wealth, which he may have found little of in his life for a man of his position. Still, his reputation piety exceeds his temporal prestige. He takes a seat next to Count Archambaut, himself not a man lacking illustrious pedigree.
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Joinville (of a very adult King Louis, about 40 perhaps).
But the difference between the king's will and the practice of life is still visible to all save those who know not much of either. The nobles of France keep plotting their schemes as if there were no annointed King above them.
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It does not become a relative of the de Lusignans who fight in the Holy Land, no matter what one says about their human failings, to conspire bloody murder!
Speaking of the Council, Bishop Ancel of Fleury, the King's own tutor, requests to be appointed the Chaplain of the court, with his minimal advantage in ability over the current incumbent, Bishop Robert of St. Savin:
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But as we compare the two men, it turns out that for Bishop Robert little good can be said other than his learning and the courage of his character, which is otherwise marred by cruelty, a profound lack of justice, and envy, as opposed to the brilliance of Bishop Ancel, a diligent and zealous servant of God and mystic, who actively practices charitable works and his only failure is inclination to anger. It is perhaps not a desire for self-aggrandisement but eartnestness for the good of the royal household and those associated with them, which motivates his claim.
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Be it granted! And in time to send him to the south.
The south, which is still, or perhaps again, torn by war, in addition to heresy, with, apart from native quarrelers, soldiers roaming through the land on orders from the King of Aragon, whose word used to carry much more sway there. Also England is rising and even banners of Castille can be seen.
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On 25 April 1230 the day brings the King's sixteenth birthday. While he continues to defer to his mother's wise counsel, Queen Blanche's regency is over!
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Englishman:
It would later be said that ambition had no part in Louis's undertakings. But there is one ambition that he does have:
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'Mother, I can wait no longer!'
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On 1 June 1229, our Holy Father Honorius III, may he rest in peace, parts with this world to join the household of Our Father in heaven. His replacement assumes the name of Simplicius II to lead Christendom on earth.
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A little while armies led by Johanna of the Latin Empire abandon Artois and clash into forces loyal to the King's brother, hoping to lift the siege of Yperen. In the resulting battle, the Flemings suffer a particularly bloody setback, two thirds of their hosts remaining dead on the field or missing in action. Only one of three thousand who had left reports back to their leaders. By comparison, Duke Robert loses about one fifth of his men, about the same that was his advantage in numbers over the Flemings.
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While this may seem like a crushing victory, the struggle is far from over yet and the tidings of war may still bring a surprise. Unless the parties can be persuaded to agree to a white peace without territorial or monetary gain or declaration of a winner in the conflict.
At the same time, nobles of France, from grand vassals of the crown to petty lords ruling one castle, call up their private retinues and the sky south of Paris is soon dotted with pennants and spear tips. This includes the counts on the English side, the small Limousin and the powerful Count Hugh of Lusignan, who is a duke in all but name.
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Englishman:
During the minority of this good prince the kingdom was entangled in many domestic broils, and distracted with intestine seditions and wars in every part, insomuch, that it seems a miracle of providence that the queen, with all her prudence and diligence, should have been able to preserve the state entire, or that the king should be able afterwards to compose and settle it in the manner he did, reigning for some years with his sword always in his hand, yet almost without bloodshed.
Something is brewing. Meanwhile the King can only rely on levies, his own or of the loyal vassals, whichever those are.
But the king is not sitting idly waiting. One of his first actions brings fruit and the burgh at the demesne lordship of Melun expands into a large city in its own right thanks to royal funding.
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Conscious of his own limitations, the King undertakes to invite a famed German steward of the illustrious von Aigle family, not particularly happy in his current employ by a bishop somewhere in the Holy Roman Empire, to oversee the royal domain of France. The King's offer is not met with understanding, though:
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Instead, an unlikely candidate is found in a Russian prince disgruntled over not receiving part of his dynasty's patrimony as old customs of their land dictate; in fact, pretty much the same as those which still govern the inheritance of Frankish nobles and are followed by vassals of the King and their vassals. Vladimir Vsevolodovich proceeds from the mighty hub of Rostov, once a Varangian fortress guarding the Volga trade, now an important Russian centre of political power, nowadays eclipsed by either Novogrod or Kiev (as well as others, perhaps), while it has not always been so. Its most recent iteration is a spin-off from Vladimir, which replaced the original Rostov a couple of decades back.
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Managing estates is not as prestigious as holding them, even of another, but to be second after the King of France in the royal demesne is no insult to the honour of a proud prince clad as a warrior in his chainmail, although a scholar in his own right and currently on council duty far from the battlefield. Besides, he could use time off from his home country and his cousins and uncles. Together with his red-haired wife, which is not as strange considering that she too is a Rurikovich (probably a more distant relation that many couples among the vassals of France with different family names) and Varangians do not look like Slavs.
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Not unlike the origins of the current Kings of England, a descendant of the same men who used to plague the estuaries and coasts of France now joins the council table of the King of France to manage his holdings and bring prosperity rather than plunder. He is a just man, although prone to anger and somewhat too desirous of material wealth, which he may have found little of in his life for a man of his position. Still, his reputation piety exceeds his temporal prestige. He takes a seat next to Count Archambaut, himself not a man lacking illustrious pedigree.
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Joinville (of a very adult King Louis, about 40 perhaps).
We, Louis, by the grace of God King of France, do ordain that all our Bailiffs, Sheriffs, Provosts, Mayors and t all others, be they who they may, and be the matter what it may, do take this oath that so long as they shall hold office or bailly, they will do justice to every man without exception of persons, to poor and rich alike, to stranger and friend alike, and will maintain such usages and customs as are good and tried. And if any matter occur in which the bailiffs or sheriffs or others such as serjeants or foresters act contrary to their oaths and be attainted of so doing, it is our will that they be punished in their goods and in their persons, according as the offence demands, and the bailiffs shall be punished by us, and the rest by the bailiffs.
(...)
These oaths shall be taken publicly.
And because it is our will that these oaths be firmly established, we will that they be sworn in full assize, in the face of all men, both clerics and laymen, knights and serjeants, notwithstanding that they may have already taken the oath to ourselves; so that they may shun the sin of perjury, not only for fear of God and us, but from worldly shame.
(...)
These oaths shall be taken publicly.
And because it is our will that these oaths be firmly established, we will that they be sworn in full assize, in the face of all men, both clerics and laymen, knights and serjeants, notwithstanding that they may have already taken the oath to ourselves; so that they may shun the sin of perjury, not only for fear of God and us, but from worldly shame.
But the difference between the king's will and the practice of life is still visible to all save those who know not much of either. The nobles of France keep plotting their schemes as if there were no annointed King above them.
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It does not become a relative of the de Lusignans who fight in the Holy Land, no matter what one says about their human failings, to conspire bloody murder!
Speaking of the Council, Bishop Ancel of Fleury, the King's own tutor, requests to be appointed the Chaplain of the court, with his minimal advantage in ability over the current incumbent, Bishop Robert of St. Savin:
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But as we compare the two men, it turns out that for Bishop Robert little good can be said other than his learning and the courage of his character, which is otherwise marred by cruelty, a profound lack of justice, and envy, as opposed to the brilliance of Bishop Ancel, a diligent and zealous servant of God and mystic, who actively practices charitable works and his only failure is inclination to anger. It is perhaps not a desire for self-aggrandisement but eartnestness for the good of the royal household and those associated with them, which motivates his claim.
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Be it granted! And in time to send him to the south.
The south, which is still, or perhaps again, torn by war, in addition to heresy, with, apart from native quarrelers, soldiers roaming through the land on orders from the King of Aragon, whose word used to carry much more sway there. Also England is rising and even banners of Castille can be seen.
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On 25 April 1230 the day brings the King's sixteenth birthday. While he continues to defer to his mother's wise counsel, Queen Blanche's regency is over!
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Englishman:
By her care he was perfectly master of the Latin tongue, learned to speak in public, and to write with elegance, grace, and dignity, and was instructed in the art of war, the wisest maxims of government, and all the accomplishments of a king. He was a good historian, and often read the works of the fathers.
It would later be said that ambition had no part in Louis's undertakings. But there is one ambition that he does have:
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(Joinville: 'I deal thus with you, in order that my followers may see that I will not uphold them in any of their wickedness.')
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'Mother, I can wait no longer!'
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