Velky Volhv Wojslawa of the Gryfita Empire - The Empress (1209-1210)
Velky Volhv Wojslawa of the Gryfita Empire - The Empress (1209-1210)
'May I find wisdom in life, and peace in death' - A common ending to prayers given to Morana, taken from the modern Legends text.
Havel Gryfita, the last of the Trinity, was dead.
Over the course of 100 years, the reigns of these three men had uprooted the religious balance of Europe. Now the pagan empire was too big to easily crush, but now also too big to ignore. It is in this setting that Wojslawa Gryfita takes to the stage. The heir that was never meant to be, now thrust onto the global theatre, the first Empress of the Gryfita Empire.
As a small aside, the end of the ‘Trinity Period’ as historians tend to label it, marks the end of the use of the Red Manuscript as a major source of the dynasty. It would still be used sporadically, for Wojslawa would write of her father’s true cause of death within it’s pages, but we move from personal diaries to more standard imperial records. Between the cementing of the new empire and the introduction of the Havellian Library, there was an increase in the use and copying of documents. Thus sources do get a bit more ‘stale’ but no more than usual fare.
But back to our new empress.
The first act of the Empress, after she was crowned in Plock on 6 July 1209, was to announce that her father was to be cremated in a grand ceremony where all those of rank could pay respect to the legendary figure as he departed for the realm of the Gods. She also took the opportunity to give the structure it’s official name, for ‘Panteon’ was just the Polish for ‘Pantheon’ and used only by Havel. She gave the temple the name it has today - The Sanctuary of the Gods.
Born in 1164 to one of Havel’s concubines (who goes unnamed) Wojslawa was given no different treatment than her father’s other children. That is to say, she was raised by officials outside of the palace and maybe met her father a handful of times in her life. It was hardly a recipe for creating familial ties.
Though unlike her siblings, Wojslawa showed little disdain for her father. Upon coming of age, she almost immediately joined the Champions of Perun at the age of 16 and would become a lifelong member. It seemed that she had found her calling, for she would quickly ascend the ranks and gain no small amount of respect.
She was often cited for her bravery and also her ability to quickly pick up and learn new tactics and techniques. It appears that while not invited on Havel’s journey to Byzantium, she did take part in his raid into the HRE when he nearly bankrupted himself. Havel was also the Hero of the Champions of Perun, so would have heard this feedback. What impressed him the most was her studies into organisation and supply, which was the field Havel had composed a masterful treatise on in his earlier life and Wojslawa had taken those teachings to heart.
She also shared some of the personality traits of Havel, mainly the seemingly perfect balance of being a hard-working, good-hearted individual and being absolutely ruthless to those who opposed her. The one stain to her record is that of the numerous times she had killed those who had duelled her. These were often carried out with blunted weapons, so to strike with enough force to kill was both impressive and very intentional.
Because of some or all of these factors, she would be appointed as a Shieldmaiden in 1190, just before Havel left for his journey. It was an honorary title that gave her permission to lead troops into battle, something otherwise completely restricted to her gender. Some suggest that this appointment was a silent way of Havel tapping her on the shoulder as a potential heir, though this has never been proven.
She had also been married to the new King of Lithuania as a reward for earlier valour, but this was quickly declared void by Havel once she was named his new heir, such was the power he had.
She didn’t seem to dislike her father, for she was humbled by being made heir and took to her studies in preparation for this well. She seemed to share that scholarly streak that the Gryfita line had been producing thus far. This is further evidenced by her honouring the agreement she had made with him, proclaiming his eldest son and her half-brother Wanko as her heir. She would take to educating the child personally and harshly.
The final point of note was her piety. She was an ardent worshipper of the Slavic Gods as was to be expected of the Gryfita line and Velky Vohlv, though it was not Perun who received her most ardent worship.
Wojslawa was a fervent worshipper of Morana, the Slavic Goddess of Winter, death, medicine and wisdom. It was a fitting choice given her scholarly intentions, evidenced when she ordered the construction of an observatory within the palace. It would not survive to the modern day and was apparently a modest affair, but the Empress seemed to have a penchant for astrology that she was eager to pursue.
The start of the construction in July 1209 was also when she would first be seen with her father’s blade at her side. This was the blade that Havel had taken from the battlefield during his lithuainian campaigns and had gone on to be his weapon of choice on his now legendary journey to Byzantium. For an unremarkable blade, it was steeped in fame and infamy and would become a key piece of the identity of Gryftitian rulers for centuries to come. It would become known as ‘Thunderheart’, taken after one of the many nicknames Havel had earned in his life. Iit would be the weapon of choice for future emperors heading into battle up until the 16th century.
On 15 July 1209, Havel was cremated within the Sanctuary of the Gods, we see a strange mix of the use ‘Panteon’ and ‘Sanctuary of the Gods’ which suggests the new name had not quite stuck yet, but that is besides the point. The sources all agree that the ceremony was a truly extravagant affair. All vassals were in attendance for both the cremation and the feast afterwards. It was a chance for Wojslawa to cement her authority and in a way piggyback off the fame of her father, for most respected him and would equally respect such a gracious send-off.
This authority would be quickly tested. Havel’s personal power had been so great, even in a relatively decentralised empire, that rebellion and internal strife amongst the nobility was mostly unheard of. Peasant and religious rebellion was a different story, but arguably the least dangerous type of rebellion.
The first test was not aimed at her directly, but did highlight the lack of central authority that was common amongst the feudal nobility. In August 1209, a duke named Wanko (not Havel’s son) under the Kingdom of Lithuania declared rebellion against the current Queen Adjela, Wojslawa’s sister-in-law. The conflict had been brought about by high taxes, introduced by Wojslawa’s now late husband. A woman on the throne meant it was easier for a vassal to raise a grievance, simply because of the previously discussed connotations common at the time.
Part of the Havellian Law Code allowed for the ruler of the empire to demand that such a conflict be ceased immediately. It was one of the few centralising reforms that Havel had managed to sneak through into his code and it would prove it’s use. To refuse meant a valid reason for imprisonment and intervention.
Empress Wojslawa quickly sent word to the rebelling Wanko, demanding that they make peace or risk such action. Surprisingly, we actually have the reply sent back to the empress, which has Wanko open the reply with ‘To the sweet valkyrie’. This was either a show of genuine affection, or a very tongue in cheek way of showing respect. Nonetheless, he deemed the demand reasonable and quickly made peace. Thus Wojslawa had shown that she was able to project her power outside of the Crownland.
Though it would not always be so simple. In only three months time, another rebellion broke out, this time in Ruthenia, the portion of the empire to the east of Lithuania. Another row over tax, another letter sent demanding a cessation of hostilities. Only this time the rebelling vassal, who also refers to Wojslawa as a ‘sweet valkyrie’ would ask for payment in exchange for peace.
Wojslawa’s bluff had been called. It is likely that she did not want to send her own forces into the conflict or escalate it further, for a simple reason - she knew what would be coming. She was under no illusion that the Catholic powers that surrounded her were eyeing the empire for weakness. She shared Havel’s concern of a crusade being called, meaning wasting resources such as manpower on internal strife only offered a greater target. If nothing else, wars of expansion denied lands to their enemies. Nothing was gained from fighting within the empire.
The money was paid and the war ended, though at a cost outside of just money. It set a precedent that if a vassal was to revolt, then they could just demand to be paid off in coin or favours. The payment was a short-term solution that would introduce a long-term problem. Still, the fact her demand was not outright rejected does suggest there was some respect for her word.
The support was far more concrete within the Elder Council. They had barely been consulted for their rubber stamp in the election of Wojslawa and the selection of her heir, though they were still a measurement of overall support for the Empress. The council was mostly composed of shamans and all came out in open support of Wojslawa, speaking in public and spreading word of their approval. They certainly had a vested interest in keeping their spiritual liege happy anyway and Wojslawa’s reputation, alongside that of her father’s, would keep them towing the line.
Even with the (relative) support of her vassals so far, the Empress would face a problem that could not be simply threatened into submission. In Febuary 1210, her half-brother Snowid, who Havel had put on the throne of Pomerania, declared victory in his war against Sweden.
The Empire’s neighbour across the Baltic Sea had been steadily declining in power and not due to any direct intervention on it’s part. Sweden had faced a series of weak kings, encroachment from all sides, Danes and Finnish alike and the general discourse that such turmoil brought. It had become so dire, that they had lost the capital of Uppland in 1208, which sounded the death knell to its neighbours.
King Snowid of Pomerania had been one of the first to hear this bell and jumped at the chance. He had done so in Havel’s reign. though this was when Havel’s health was deteriorating and unable or uninterested in meaningfully acting on the move. The former was more likely, as for all his strengths, he had set another precedent - that of holy war.
To go to war required a reason, a casus beli, as it was known. Minor border disputes and raiding were common in a time before borders were set in stone, but to seize sizable portions of land needed something more concrete. Swietopelk had laid claim to the throne of Poland through familial ties. Wratislaw had mostly dealt with wars within his borders and raiding. Havel however, through the reformation of the Slavic Faith, had then conquered vast tracts of lands on the sole basis that victory empowered the Gods and there could be no better reason. He had encouraged his vassals to do the same; Theologically to empower the Gods, pragmatically to cement support for the new religion.
This had allowed him the moral and legal justification to found his empire. In turn, it allowed his vassals to justify through the same means. Once individual vassals could muster the resources to launch a full-scale invasion, then those on the borders of the Empire were spoilt for choice. This in turn increased their own power (upon success), promoted further invasions when allowed and in turn their potential threat to their liege. All the while, there was no way for the Velky Vohlv, the spiritual leader of the Slavic Faith, to prevent expansion through this cause and not damage their own authority.
It was for this reason that Empress Wojslawa would declare her own holy war, seperate from the actions of her half-brother, to secure land in her own name and win some glory. Although the conquest would not be her biggest focus, for the 'Lady of Morana' would prove herself a devout student.
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