This is going to be a very long AAR then...yeah most def
also I was about to ask about the other cadet branches
Expect an update sometime tomorrow and then some updates throughout the week at really strange times of day.
The Piast History of Europe, 1066 - 1370
- Thread starter Martellus.
- Start date
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Expect an update sometime tomorrow and then some updates throughout the week at really strange times of day.
This is going to be a very long AAR then...
Expect an update sometime tomorrow and then some updates throughout the week at really strange times of day.
I've seen u post at about 4AM, where are you located?
The East Coast of the US.
That's what I meant by strange times (because most people don't write AARs at 4 AM).
Kazimierz VII:
1167 - 1180
King of Poland: 1176 - 1180
Kazimierz VII was one of three Polish child-kings, and was probably the least significant in terms of Polish history out of all three. He ended the Prussian revolt that began under Kazimierz VI's rule and effectively ignored the demands of the Polish Confederation. In his rather short four year rule, few significant decisions were made and Polish territory remained effectively unchanged. His death was the end of Kazimierz V's issue in line for the Grand Duchy of Franconia, ending Piast attempts at bringing that particular part of the Holy Roman Empire under its control. He would be the last Polish king descended from Wladyslaw I Mazowiecki (rather than Boleslaw III Smialy).
Kazimierz VII was born in 1167 to king Kazimierz V and Grand Duke Mechtild I of Franconia, in Frankfurt (then part of the Grand Duchy of Franconia). He was then moved to Krakow until his father's death less than a year later, and then returned to Frankfurt. Despite his mother's best attempts, he clung to Polish customs and did not even learn German. He was tutored by a Piast in secret in addition to the normal studies he received; this was likely the reason for him both holding on to Polish customs as well as his rapid understanding of various languages (the Polish king and his immediate heirs had traditionally learned German, Russian, and Latin, in addition to Polish). He would be elected king due to the fact that there was really no other viable successor, as none of Kazimierz VI's sons had the popularity in the court to succeed their father immediately. Kazimierz VII was intelligent and soft-spoken, as well as the son of a revered king.
Whatever the case, Kazimierz VII came to the throne in 1180, and almost immediately became an insular king. He ignored the demands of the other Piast houses; most importantly, he did not provide monetary or military assistance to Norway against an Icelandic revolt. He preferred to rule Poland itself, and had very little interest in expanding the already-large Polish kingdom to faraway lands he was not interested in.
The only other notable event of Kazimierz VII's rule was the establishment of a short-lived anti-papacy in Italy. The Polish king there, Jan I (later stylized as Ioannis II) sought to claim Rome for himself and limit the Pope's secular influence to small holdings around Italy. Naturally, the ruling Pope, Donus II Tivoli, had no desire to give up his seat as ruler of Rome, especially as his rule had gradually been reduced over the last 100 years from central Italy to the area surrounding Rome. Jan I thus chose to appoint an antipope, stylized Sergius V Trapani, during the Third Crusade. He would be the first of two 'Peschieran' antipopes, and would begin the Polish domination of the Papacy. Surprisingly, Kazimierz VII actually took the opportunity to move closer to the Church, calling for an end to the Peschieran antipapacy and giving his support to the Pope. Unfortunately for him, his word had very little sway after his abandonment of Norway to the rebelling Haukadalur family.
Clockwise from top left: Religious and secular interests clash in Italy, Kazimierz VII ignores other Piast kingdoms, Ioannis II or Jan I of Italy, the antipope Sergius V
Kazimierz VII would die in 1180, largely unloved and mostly forgotten by his now-incapable mother and uncaring family. He was widely unpopular with Polish nobility, and, in a way, his death signified the end of an older era: two family lines as equals. After the end of Kazimierz VII's rule, all kings of Poland would be close descendants of Boleslaw III and would be distant ancestors of the almost-extinct line of Wladyslaw. Although he had done little during his actual rule, his poor decisions caused the Piast electors to almost completely avoid child-kings when it was possible, and would even occasionally elect older and less competent kings in favor of younger ones due to a lack of 'experience'. However, The negativity Kazimierz VII is often viewed with cannot be transferred over to his successor, Kazimierz VIII, who fathered two emperors and brought Rus under the wings of the white eagle.
Russia huh?. also you like the name Kazimierz
did you alter them?
I do quite like the name Kazimierz/Casimir - it's my middle name after all
I didn't directly alter the names- I set the chance of hereditary first name to be much higher (you do this in the common/cultures file or something if I remember correctly), and I just try to keep the Kazimierz lines going.
Sorry about the lack of an update for most of this week- I forgot to take my computer with me on a business trip and my phone was being all wonky. Expect one tomorrow though.
Kazimierz VIII the Magnificent:
1161 - 1187
Duke of Danzig: 1166 - 1180
King of Rus: 1182- 1187
King of Poland: 1180 - 1187
After the short and weak rule of Kazimierz VII, the centralized and highly competent rule of Kazimierz VIII was a restoration of the old crown's strength. Kazimierz VIII would be one of the last kings before the creation of the Commonwealth, and would begin the inheritance of Rus into the Commonwealth's crown. Even though he was a pious Catholic early in his life (and even crusaded), he would later support the Piast antipapacy, which would, with his help, merge with the formal title and bring the true Papacy under the control of the Italian Piasts. He was also extremely tolerant- even more so than Kazimierz VI- and would begin the creation of a statue protecting various religious minorities which would come to fruition much later. His children would carry the legacy of the Polish crown almost entirely, and every single grand king of Poland-Lithuania was of his line.
Kazimierz VIII was born in Zirmunai (today Vilnius/Wilno), in 1161. He was the son of Kazimierz VI and Eufemia I Czartoryski, and was raised by both pagans and Christians in both Polish and Lithuanian courts. Initially he followed pagan faith, but he was moved to Gdansk after he became its titular duke. There, he was raised by his father for the next 10 years until his death. During the rule of Kazimierz VII, he left Poland and participated in the rather poorly organized Third Crusade under the Duke of Burgundy, one of few major contributors to the Crusade. Although the war was ultimately a failure, combat experience against the Muslims gave him a greater understanding of war and allowed him to become popular in Poland, which largely stayed out of Crusades, before his succession- this was a major factor in his election to the throne.
In 1180, Kazimierz was crowned king Kazimierz VIII after the death of Kazimierz VII, and immediately set out to improve the weakened central crown authority. During the 4 years of interregnum, Polish nobles, who had historically enjoyed great amounts of freedom, regained rights they had not had since the 11th century, including the ability to directly dispute land between one another. This resulted in multiple destructive wars between Prussia and Mazovia until crown authority was reestablished. Kazimierz VIII would give semi-autonomous rights to both Duchies in exchange for a "ceasefire" of sorts- no crown vassals could declare war on each other legally.
The other major development of Kazimierz VIII's rule within Poland was the Statute of Gniezno. Wielislaw VI, the archbishop of Kuyavia, issued a statute that essentially declared a separate Jewish nation-state within Kuyavia. Jewish individuals had similar rights as Catholics within Kuyavia, a separate Jewish court was established, and crimes against Jews were judged by a special tribunal. The statute consisted of around 50 chapters and greatly improved religious equality in the Kingdom of Poland. Kazimierz saw this as a novel way to subdue the public (who occasionally revolted against their noble rulers) as well as entice migration from areas of lower tolerance (West Europe particularly) to Poland, and thus movement of wealth into Poland. He attempted to institute this into Polish law; he was unable to due to resistance from the nobles, who were already bitter from the loss of some autonomy.
Clockwise from top left: Kazimierz VIII at an early age (before his crowning), a portrait of Kazimierz VIII sometime around 1183, Church of St. Joseph in Kalisz
Kazimierz VIII was also an effective and influential king internationally. He began to increase the Piast Confederation's legitimacy, especially after he formally established a council for it that would meet twice or more a year, starting in 1183. Each Piast nation or major substate (kingdoms within the Holy Roman Empire, for example) was to send an envoy to Krakow. They were to meet at specified times within the year and were initially to discuss matters of economy (primarily trade) and government (this included the creation of cadet branches of Piast, succession issues, and military support). This system would stay in place for hundreds of years and is still present today, almost 650 years later. The Piast system helped open borders between Piast nations and ensured there was never a military confrontation between any two Piast crowns (which composed the large majority of Europe in the medieval ages). It also greatly decreased the number of succession crises, to the point where only a few are historically significant.
It also greatly increased the affluence and merchant class of certain cities; Rawa (today Warsaw), Krakow, Gdansk, Krolewiec, Poznan in Poland were likely the best affected. Gdansk and Krolewiec (sometimes known as Konigsberg) cast off their technologically backwards chains and became important parts of crown economy. Rawa, the effective center of European trade, became one of the largest cities in the world (behind Nanjing, Chang'an, Hangzhou, and Kaifeng, possibly Baghdad, and Constantinople). Maritime trade in the Adriatic and Baltic- a sort of Polish mare nostrum- were also very important, as the water route to Scandinavia was much faster than any land route could be. Cities such as Copenhagen and Malmo moved goods over to Scandinavia from Jylland and Pomerania. In Italy, goods passed from Venice and Milan to Ragusa and Bari, from which they were sent east, to the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). Between the Baltic and Mediterranean trade routes lay Hungary and the 'Danubian' routes that spanned from Krakow to Milan. Between these, Prague and Visegrad were two very important cities that benefited from the increased movement of goods- Polish grain and salt for Italian oriental luxuries, particularly imported silk, spices, and sugar. Being between the two larger trade routes, they enjoyed the overland movement between these different and separate areas.
Dark circles represent trade centers- red circles indicate international significance.
Kazimierz also participated in the usurpation of the papacy. Jan I and his antipope, Sergius V, sought to "reform the Papacy and remove its corrupt parts". In reality, Jan sought influence over both the papacy and the seat of Rome, and hoped to restore the old Empire. Previously, most of House Piast was either not aware of Jan's machinations or opposed it, along with the child-king Kazimierz VII. However, after the increase in strength of the Piast Confederation and a lack of love of the Papacy by Kazimierz VIII, the great while eagle was fully behind Jan's plans to usurp the Papacy. When Pope Innocent II died in 1185, Sergius V entered Rome, but only held onto churches within the county. The castles and cities lay under the control of the Duke of Spoleto, August III. Much later on, they would become a part of the demesne of the Italian king, who would crown himself Roman Emperor in 1304 with the support of his puppet-pope.
Also of note is the return of Sweden into the hands of House Piast. The Duchy of Uppland, Johan II (Jan II), was able to usurp the title after a succession of weak child and woman-rulers and crowned himself King of Sweden in 1185. Initially, the old kings opposed the usurpation and this led to a short civil war. However, after the Battle of Sveg, in which most of the remaining Swedish army crumbled in the face of Polish opposition, the Swedish kings were forced to recognize the strength of the Piast Swedes. Unfortunately, the old crown demesne was absorbed into the lands of the powerful northern pagan tribes. Although Johan's authority was initially fairly limited, his kingdom would eventually greatly expand into both Finland and Sampi, furthering the spread of Christianity northwards and giving Poland an iron grip on the Baltic Sea.
Kazimierz VIII was originally married to Helena Czartoryski, who was a pagan from the Kingdom of Lithuania and of the same family his father had married into. Interestingly enough, she was also the younger sister of his mother by 20 years. They would have 3 children- the two males, although initially pagans, would go on to hold important titles, and one would be Grand King. Helena passed away in 1182, and Kazimierz remarried to Fevronia II Rurikovich of Rus. A strong queen, she was comparable to Eufemia I of Lithuania- she ruled for an exceptionally long period of time, expanded crown lands extensively, and would greatly influence Polish politics.They would have two children, one of which who would become a Grand King of Poland-Lithuania as well. She would actually control most of Kazimierz's sons, including both pagans, and although she was unable to convert any of them to Orthodoxy, she would prevent most of them from being in the line of succession until much later. Fevronia was notable for her resistance to Catholicism and various forms of paganism, and the expansion of Rus northwards. This support and strengthening of the ailing Greek Orthodox Church would be the primary reason for her canonization.
Clockwise from top left: Sergius V later in life as official Pope, the battle of Sveg, c. 1186, Upplander cavalry at Sveg, Fevronia II as a saint
Kazimierz VIII died in 1187, and was succeeded by his younger brother Boleslaw, crowned Boleslaw IV. He was not only responsible for the formation of an organized eastern border that would remain for over 200 years, but also would stabilize the Polish-Lithuanian crown for the same amount of time. In addition to this, the beginnings of religious tolerance in not only Poland-Lithuania but also Europe began through the Statute of Gniezno, which would eventually be accepted for even more religions, including the once-hated baltic paganism. Even the Piast Confederation, the then-defunct Polish organization used for very little, was expanded and greatly influence European politic. Overall, Kazimierz VIII the Magnificent was one of Poland's greatest kings, and likely the most influential of the Medius Poloniae.
I am running out of time for these updates, so I may just start updating once a week...
Expect less updates, especially if I make more of those trade route maps- making dotted lines by hand is a pain.
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Boleslaw IV the Just:
1175 - 1200
Duke of Danzig: 1180 - 1187
King of Poland: 1187 - 1200
Boleslaw IV was the last formal king of Poland (rather than the Grand King of Poland-Lithuania). His 13-year rule was actually largely uneventful (perhaps excepting the last year of his rule), especially compared to both his immediate predecessor and successor. That being said, his years on the throne are significant for many reasons in terms of foreign events relating to Piast: kingdoms within the Holy Roman Empire (Swabia particularly) began drifting closer to House Piast, Italy began attempts to conquer Aragon and Aquitaine, Lithuania finally came under the dominion of Piast, and the crown of Sweden was officially 'lost' and would not be reacquired for another 100 years or so. In his last years as king, Boleslaw IV also crusaded further north into the Terra Mariana and captured all of Courland.
Boleslaw IV was born in 1175 in Zirmunai, again to Eufemia I and Kazimierz VI. He was the younger brother of both Dytryk I (Dietrich), who would become King of Swabia, and Kazimierz VIII. Boleslaw IV was educated in Poland, unlike his two older brothers. He proved to be an able fighter, but his true interests were in that of the artes liberales. After being tutored by his older brother, Kazimierz, he attended the University of Krakow for some period of time before becoming king. Even after his crowning, his interests in the classics and intellectual pursuits continued, and he would go on to found universities in Zirmunai, Poznan, and Gdansk, all of which still operate today.
He was crowned king in 1187 after the death of his older brother, and would rule in peace for more than 10 years. Boleslaw IV mostly abhorred war and instead took interest in internal affairs. Serfs were given more rights, a slow process that would continue until around the 14th century (when many of these reforms were reversed). More importantly, Boleslaw IV drew Poland further from the Church, electing certain church officials directly rather than allowing the Catholic Church to have jurisdiction over them- most importantly, the archdiocese of Gniezno effectively became a puppet of the Polish crown. Although the Church did not have a say in this (the Pope was effectively a puppet of the Italian king), Boleslaw IV chose to allow Papal election of the Archbishop of Kuyavia. His reasons for this are unknown: perhaps he wanted a continuation of the religious reform made there, or feared upsetting the Pope- even though he did not have much jurisdiction over any machinations of House Piast. It is more likely that a full change to free investiture would have further weakened Papal authority to a point of total anarchy in the Catholic Church- by 1190 heresies were common in many areas of Catholic Europe, especially Catharism in Catalunia and a revival of Waldensian heresy in Hungary.
That being said, Boleslaw IV did not ignore foreign affairs like many of his inwardly-focused predecessors. He mediated the succession of his older brother to the Swabian throne in 1188, only a year after he succeeded to the throne. He secured Dytryk's later marriage to Llucia I of Aragon, which would secure even more of Iberia for the white eagle. The fact that not a single major war broke out in around 10 years is a testament to his ability as a diplomat and largely neutral party. His nickname "the Just" originates from his unwillingness to profit from German trading schemes in the Baltic: German merchants in cities like Bremen and Lubeck (which were under Danish control) had previously come together in a defensive confederation- they called it the Hansa- and felt their profits from Piast trade routes were not enough. Much of Polish trade was overland, as trade routes north were not as profitable as those to Italy and Hungary. Thus, the Hansa offered to ferry goods for Poland for a lower premium than they would for other nations, specifically Norway, Denmark, and Uppland. Instead of taking advantage of this and allowing the German merchants to prosper, Boleslaw chose to expose their lies in a Confederation meeting, causing a drastic reduction in German influence on the Baltic, as well as an end to the short-lived Hanseatic League.
Clockwise from top left: Dytryk I, Boleslaw IV, German merchants alongside Piast ones in Lubeck
After 1192, August VI (stylized Augustus VII) would attempt to use the heresies in Catalunia (and to a lesser extent Aquitaine) to his political advantage, attempting to garner support for wars into these areas. However, Boleslaw IV declined, remarking that it would not be right to steal lands illegally. He instead advised August VI to inherit the lands through legal methods somehow- marriage specifically (Piasts were largely massive proponents of marriage to inherit). Unfortunately, August VI was unable to do so. That being said, his later successor was almost able to inherit the entirety of France (this was ironically responsible for its fracturing around 50 years later).
The political situation in East Europe would drastically change in 1199 with the succession of Kazimierz I Litewski to the crown of Lithuania. He was the first son of Kazimierz VIII and the nephew of Boleslaw IV, although he was only 7 years older. Although Kazimierz was a Catholic, he was widely popular among the pagans of Lithuania, who he patronized and supported with religious tolerance and reform. Kazimierz I of Lithuania was seen as the logical successor to Boleslaw IV and would be named heir very quickly. Even though Kazimierz Litewski was extremely tolerant and perhaps cosmopolitan, his love for pagans did not extend to the Finnish in Letigallia. Eufemia had made gains in the Terra Mariana, but it was still predominantly under Finnish control. In a show of support for Kazimierz, Boleslaw warred for the remainder of Courland. This political move backfired on Boleslaw, as he was incapacitated in battle some time in late 1199.
Clockwise from top left: The end of Boleslaw IV's competence, the greatest extent of Finnish Livonia (sometimes Letigallia or Terra Mariana), the declaration of war against Livonia, the Cathar flag (often used as the flag of Toulouse as well)
Regnum Poloniae Magnusque Ducatus Lithuaniae, here we go!
I think maybe more people will see this AAR if I don't post my updates at awkward times, so let's see how the response is for this one...
Grand King huh? why not Emperor? or Ceasar?
what template are you using for your maps? me like!
what template are you using for your maps?
me like!
Grand King huh? why not Emperor? or Ceasar?
what template are you using for your maps?
By god that was a fast response.
Emperor (as a title in the medieval ages) was a title that required some form of legitimacy (this is why I allowed for the formation of the Western Roman Empire, which happens later in this AAR). The Holy Roman Empire had Papal legitimacy, the Byzantine Empire had the legitimacy of history (Byzantine Empire is a modern term, they referred to themselves as the Eastern Roman Empire and their Emperor was titled Emperor of the Romans). To crown yourself emperor would be largely unrecognized and a dangerous political move in my game in 1200, as at this point the HRE is still ridiculously powerful- I think they fielded like 4 times my troops at this point. I screwed them up about 10 years after Boleslaw IV's reign though.
For maps, I'm using some template I found on a random website with some paradox maps. I can't find the link but it's somewhere out there.
Nice AAR , and definitely nice maps. They show that some work is being put on this
On the Emperor thing, there was a case of a non-HRE non-ERE King proclaiming himself Emperor in the CK II time period in RL, Alfonso VII of Leon and Castille that proclaimed himself Emperor of all the Spains ( unlike the english wiki "Emperor of all Spain" just because in modern english Spain has no plural ... ). I agree that it does not translate well to your timeline and geographical situation ( being right next to a strong HRE ), but because of that example the legitimacy argument you used is not as strong as that ...
On the Emperor thing, there was a case of a non-HRE non-ERE King proclaiming himself Emperor in the CK II time period in RL, Alfonso VII of Leon and Castille that proclaimed himself Emperor of all the Spains ( unlike the english wiki "Emperor of all Spain" just because in modern english Spain has no plural ... ). I agree that it does not translate well to your timeline and geographical situation ( being right next to a strong HRE ), but because of that example the legitimacy argument you used is not as strong as that ...
Nice AAR , and definitely nice maps. They show that some work is being put on this
On the Emperor thing, there was a case of a non-HRE non-ERE King proclaiming himself Emperor in the CK II time period in RL, Alfonso VII of Leon and Castille that proclaimed himself Emperor of all the Spains ( unlike the english wiki "Emperor of all Spain" just because in modern english Spain has no plural ... ). I agree that it does not translate well to your timeline and geographical situation ( being right next to a strong HRE ), but because of that example the legitimacy argument you used is not as strong as that ...
You are right that "Imperator Totus Hispaniae" was used by some Spanish kings in the High Middle Ages.
According to wikipedia, "The use of the imperial title received scant recognition outside of Spain and it had become largely forgotten by the thirteenth century" (from this article).
So it was more a titular title than anything as fair as I know.
I think there is a lot of examples of this though, not just Spain. The Bulgarian empires (681 - 1018 and 1185 - 1422), the Empire of Trebizond and Empire of Nicaea (Treaty of Nymphaeum-era) all considered themselves "emperors", although they certainly did not have the strength to be successors to Byzantium. The same thing happened with the Latin Empire (also Treaty of Nymphaceum-era).
Thanks for the comment- I do put a fair amount of work into this.
I find the sort of proto-EU hilarious yet fascinating at the same time. And it's all because of Habsburg diplomacy too!
However the possible ludicrousness of this much religious tolerance is at this point in history, it's nice to have an excuse to let my inner idealist have its way sometimes. So for that I thank you.
Overall I think you're doing a marvelous job. I would say you're at the same level of interest (in my opinion) as Mr. Capiatlist's Prussian AAR's.
However the possible ludicrousness of this much religious tolerance is at this point in history, it's nice to have an excuse to let my inner idealist have its way sometimes. So for that I thank you.
Overall I think you're doing a marvelous job. I would say you're at the same level of interest (in my opinion) as Mr. Capiatlist's Prussian AAR's.
Yes, I am using the Habsburg system. I get some really, really inbred people later on (fortunately not in my main line, but the cadet branches...). The Confederation was made just because of how much of Europe really came under Piast control.
Actually, I modeled the religious tolerance off of actual edicts. The statute of Kalisz (c. 1264) did something very similar to what I described in my statue of gniezno: it effectively created an autonomous Jewish nation within Kalisz and gave them special courts for their laws, as well a special court for crimes against Jews. There was a reason Poland-Lithuania avoided wars of religion, after all.
Thanks for the comment.
For those of you who care:
I am very busy right now, and my swim practices just started. They unfortunately take up a little more than 4 hours a day, so I'm a bit pressed for time now.
Here's a "teaser", though:
It's not one country though.
It's just two.
A lot of stuff happens in the first 10 years of Kazimierz XI's rule, so I think this update is going to be fairly long. I figure I'll get it out either tomorrow morning or Saturday morning, depending on how long I write.
See you guys (sort of?) tomorrow, if my sleep-deprived self doesn't go to bed by then.
I am very busy right now, and my swim practices just started. They unfortunately take up a little more than 4 hours a day, so I'm a bit pressed for time now.
Here's a "teaser", though:
It's not one country though.
It's just two.
A lot of stuff happens in the first 10 years of Kazimierz XI's rule, so I think this update is going to be fairly long. I figure I'll get it out either tomorrow morning or Saturday morning, depending on how long I write.
See you guys (sort of?) tomorrow, if my sleep-deprived self doesn't go to bed by then.
Kazimierz IX the Founder:
1182 - 1216
King of Lithuania: 1199 - 1200
King of Poland: 1200 - 1216
Grand King of the Commonwealth: 1200 - 1216
Kazimierz IX was the first King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the most influential in its history. He would be the most tolerant king any European country had ever seen, and drastically altered religious outlook within Poland-Lithuania. He would overhaul his economic ties with other nations and bring the Holy Roman Empire into the fold of House Piast for the first time, as well as completely destabilize the massive Central European nation. Most importantly, he was the immediate impetus for the formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which would survive to this day as one of the most powerful forces in Europe- only threatened by a few calamities in its existence- and the premier power in Europe for over half a millennia.
Born in 1182 in Witebsk to Kazimierz VIII (then duke of Danzig and Helena Czartoryski, he was the first son of the couple. Interestingly enough, Helena was the younger sister of Eufemia I (she was born in 1140, Helena was born in 1160). Thus, Eufemia was both the aunt and grandmother of Kazimierz IX. As the child of the first child of Eufemia, he was first in line to inherit the throne of Lithuania. Raised in Poland under Kazimierz VIII and Boleslaw IV, he acquired much of their religious tolerance and mostly distanced himself from the Catholic Church (although he was much more zealous than either of the two and did petition the Pope for both indulgences and advice).
The Polish main line
After Eufemia I's death in 1199, he became the first Piast king of Lithuania. Even though he was a Catholic, his Lithuanian ancestry was well-known and he was extremely tolerant towards their paganism- a hallmark of the medieval Piasts. He also gave much authority to the Lithuanian nobles, who resented Eufemia's heavy-handed rule. Kazimierz would be given the nickname Litewski (the Lithuanian) in Poland, since he was the first of the Kazimierz line in Lithuania. He would call on Boleslaw IV to assist in conquering Courland from the Finns in Letigallia in 1199, and here Boleslaw became comatose- whether this is fortunate or not is for you to decide. He died shortly later, and on August 16, 1200, Kazimierz Litewski was crowned Grand King Kazimierz IX of Poland-Lithuania (Polish numbering was still used). In his early rule, he managed an extremely unsafe Commonwealth- the Lithuanians threatened to rebel, and the pagan Jakusz I Czartoryski (who was given the crown in 1200), who was a fervent crown supporter and an earlier advisor of Kazimierz, had trouble keeping his vassals under control. And only about half of "Lithuania" was pagan- the other half was Orthodox Catholic, and many nobles attempted to secede numerous times. Kazimierz was on very shaky ground in this early period, but his success allowed the Commonwealth to survive practically without major rebellion. To quell much of the Lithuanian unrest, he gave significant regional autonomy to Jakusz and the Lithuanians, allowing the old kingdom's system to persist, but collecting an increased tax and giving each Duke elector status (to determine Grand King of the Commonwealth). A de facto system of religious freedom between Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Baltic paganism was established until it was legally ordained, and Jews were tolerated as well. Each party- the Catholic Poles, pagan Lithuanians, and Orthodox Russians- understood that as divided kingdoms they would never achieve the same glory they could as a united state. This feeling, developed in this early Commonwealth, was forever cemented in the Forty Years War less than twenty years later.
Note the locations of Kazimierz II Pruski and king Kazimierz II on the previous chart and this one
By 1205, the Commonwealth was stable enough that the Lithuanians were willing to commit their troops to a war, or some sort of engagement. An opportunity had presented itself when civil war broke out in 1205, after Borzywoj II (Borivoj) claimed the throne of the Holy Roman Emperor for his uncle, Boleslaw (sometimes Boleslav or Boleslaus). He attributed this claim to the multiple marriages of daughters of earlier emperors to Piast ancestors. Although many of the northern regions of the Holy Roman Empire joined Borzywoj, the emperor was actually able to hold them off and defeated a combined Saxon-Bohemian force at the battle of Karlsburg. At the yearly Confederation meeting, the Bohemian envoy pleaded for support from the other Piast nations. Poland rose up and joined Bohemia, most others did the same. Only Castille did not provide troops, afraid of a surprise attack by the extremely powerful Andalusian Sultanate.
But, by that fateful meeting, Polish troops were already marching into Bavaria, the heartland of the war-ravaged empire. As Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian troops poured from the north and Italian troops went though Savoie and Burgundy, the emperor because extremely overstretched. The two largest armies in Bavaria were met by two larger Polish armies on the 12th of April at Leuchenberg and Reichenstein, and both German armies were crushed primarily due to the immense size difference between armies.
Clockwise from top left: Cesarz Boleslaw I, Kazimierz IX's effigy at the Wawel Cathedral, the battles of Reichenstein and Leuchenberg- mostly decided by numbers, not skill of troops
The war ended shortly afterwards, and on the 2nd of June, 1205, Boleslaw was crowned Cesarz Boleslaw I. He was a fairly strong ruler and suffered minimal revolts from the south of Germany- the supporters of the Bavarian duke and former emperor, Ludolf I. At the Piast Confederation in 1206, the Cesarz's seat was situated next to the Grand King's, suggesting their political closeness- even their flags were standardized to be the same. In this meeting, the beginning of the first zenith of House Piast began. Castille, feeling threatened by Andalusian strength in the south of Iberia (they had recently conquered nearly all of Portugal), petitioned to become a legal part of the Holy Roman Empire. They would limit their independence in exchange for an additional layer of protection and political safety that even the Confederation could not bring. This idea caught on with various surrounding kingdoms, but for some the reasons were different: Italy, for example, wanted a screen to cover their attempts at taking Aquitaine and Toulouse. Hungary, under the ambitious queen Dobronega I, sought to conquer the old Etelkoz as well as much of southern europe. Danish nobles felt they could resist attempts at Polonization by joining the Germanic nation. All had their reason, and many joined. By 1109, every Piast-held territory south of Scandinavia and west of Poland was part of the Holy Roman Empire, now looking much more like a successor to the old Rome.
Clockwise from top left: the royal banner of Poland-Lithuania, adopted by practically all Polish nations- The Czartoryski Pursuer and the Piast Eagle are both on the coat of arms, Castillan troops assaulting Valencia, the agreement with Byzantion over south Europe
This restoration of the old Rome was further enhanced by Hungarian conquests (of most of Croatia alongside Italy) and diplomatic successes (they brought Bosnia, Serbia, and Bulgaria under the rule of the Imperial throne) that reached all the way to the Eastern Roman Empire. This was mediated by not only the Byzantine Empire (a much weakened crown), but also the Orthodox Patriarch, Ioannes VII Piast. The 'Eye of the World' now watched to the West as it had done more than a millennia before, and as Byzantion crumbled the new Polish empires rose in its place. Italy was also able to acquire Aquitaine, Toulouse, and Gascogne through some vaguely written documents claiming Occitan ancestry to the Italian line of Piast. Aragon was inherited in 1212 to Dytryk I of Swabia and became a constituent part of the HRE immediately. Both Spanish Kingdoms almost succeeded in driving the Arabs off of the Iberian peninsula by 1211, leaving only small areas around Seville and Gibraltar uncontrolled. In Poland, Kazimierz IX took the title of king of Halych-Volhynia and forced the old queen, Fevronia I, to swear fealty in exchange for crowing her Queen of Wschodrus (East Rus). In 1209, his first wife (who was Duchess of the massive Principality of Rostov) died, and their only daughter, Malgorzata, inherited the entire land and also swore fealty to Kazimierz IX . This was the first zenith of the Piast empire, and would last until the arrival of the Mongols in 1216. The two states were nominally under the control of Kazimierz XI alone, especially after Boleslaw had what is thought to have been a stroke and became confined to bed in 1210. This single empire stretched all the way from Malta to Totma (near Vologda), and was by far the largest single European Empire. The Roman Empire was around 6.500.000 square kilometers; The Piast Empire at is greatest extent in 1210 was around 7.600.000 square km. Larger than even Rome and defying most common convention in speed of growth and organization, it was the largest European empire ever constructed.
You can figure this one out yourself
After 1211, Kazimierz IX mostly just sought to hold the Commonwealth and Confederation together- a great task in and of itself. He gave monetary and military assistance to the semi-independent Duchy of Uppland in their conquests of southern Finland and northern Estland, which further shrunk the once-significant Finnish Kingdom of Letigallia. Even just after the loss of the crown title, the Duchy was still more powerful than Sweden itself, as bickering dukes prevented it from taking advantage of the weakness of its smaller neighbour. France was mostly in the same position: while the Germanic states fell apart, France had no less than 3 usurper rebellions at once, and four lines of House Capet ruled France in under 15 years. These weakened states would soon come under control of House Piast, and the second acquisition of Sweden would be a semi-permanent one. Norway largely isolated itself from the Confederation- the Norwegian king, August III, had dreams of conquering Scandinavia, something the Confederation did not really support. This explained his loss of Iceland and Orkney in 1213.
Kazimierz was initially married to a Russian princess Feodora. She was the daughter of a minor Russian count, but was known for her beauty and diplomatic ability- she was a sort of "szara eminencja" for Kazimierz, always assisting him in difficult diplomatic decisions. For example, she convinced him to oppose Sisinnius II- an extremely zealous pope- until his death in 1214 and the succession of Adeodatus III, who was a more tolerant man. Although he did not approve of the tolerance in Poland he did not have prerogative to fight it- he was far too busy attempting to mandate the Holy Roman Empire, and didn't have much interest in opposing the tolerance in Poland. Feodora actually became the Duchess of Rostov, which was a misleading title- the Principality of Rostov went from Hlynov to the north and Crimea to the south. They only had one daughter together, and after the death of Feodora in 1209, Kazimierz IX remarried to Stanislawa Czartoryski, one of 6 daughters of the Lithuanian king Jakusz I. They would have 3 children, and the third son, also named Kazimierz, would become one of the greatest saviours of Christianity alongside the likes of Charles Martel, and its champion in the middle of the 13th century- during the Forty Years War against the Golden Horde.
Kazimierz XI died in 1216 and was succeeded by his half-brother Mieszko, crowned Mieszko III. His death in 1216 roughly coincided with the arrival of the Golden Horde and would set Poland on a crash course to war with the Mongols. His reign was relatively long, but was very significant as Kazimierz set precedents for the rulers that followed him. His son and immediate family would allow for the survival of Poland in the face of insurmountable odds- in the face of the Mongol hordes. Although the First Piast Empire would not last, the Commonwealth would survive through the Mongol invasions and enter its position as Cesarz Europy; an honor it would hold to this day.
An update at a normal time!?
what is this I don't even
EDIT: Of course I forget something...
Also, for those of you who are wondering how this happened in game: I decreased the malus for "I am a King!" when you offer vassalization from 5 (never) to 4. Since all the kings were Polish Catholics who were of House Piast and Boleslaw was a pretty cool guy, they all swore fealty to him when he asked. It made for a pretty interesting game, but then it collapsed
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How long does it take you to do all those maps? And it was nice to see one with images of the other countries around. I was curious as to what the rest of the world looked like.
Thanks for the comment!
It usually takes me around 2 hours total to do all the maps and pictures for my AAR. The map with all the countries took a bit longer because it is a bit more detailed than my other ones.
I'm thinking I will do these sort of world maps for every twenty years (starting in 1110 to 1370) and I will put them in a separate chapter somewhere between me going on about the cadet branches and me finishing the story of the main line of House Piast, so expect to see more at some point.
Also, because I haven't responded to these other comments I apparently didn't see:
I hope it is/was
It did right afterwards, but when you combine the armies of that massive HRE and my Commonwealth, it was something like 500000 (before you consider mercenaries). Both Kazimierz and Boleslaw had really high martial, and were mostly well respected by their vassals. This kind of prevented any form of organized revolt from really working. Not so right after the death of Boleslaw (I'm probably going to go into more depth on the massive interregnum the HRE had later on)!
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