A bold gamble, but it seems to have paid off. It seems that Sweitpolk is getting a little old for such things, however.
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Wings of Faith, Wings of Fury - A Slavic Pagan Revival AAR
- Thread starter Superstorm
- Start date
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One's outlook is very different when there is more sand in the bottom of the hourglass than the top. Thank you for the update.
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Thank you! It was a fun little series of events. And yes, it will be quite the bloody battle I am sure. That'll probably have to be more in words than images in-game, but I do have things in mind.
Thank you for reading! It was and he is. He's been through a lot and I've enjoyed playing his journey, but all things must end...
Thank you for the read! Indeed, even more so when you look back and see all the blood mixed in with the sand - and most of it not yours.
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Swietopelk was cunning - amazing victory.
Wonder what will happen with the Seljuks?
Wonder what will happen with the Seljuks?
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Thank you! It was quite the battle. As for them, they are outside the focus of the AAR for now, though I would like to as a project perhaps do a state of the world after Swietopelk's death. Maybe help lay out the land briefly.
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King Swietopelk III of Poland - The Wise, The Apostate (1139-1141)
King Swietopelk III of Poland - The Wise, The Apostate (1139-1141)
“…But there was no reasoning with a mob with a mind of its own. The pagans dragged him by the feet, as a pig to slaughter, to an old tree where hung the limp bodies of others. His screams were drowned out by their demonic chanting.” – An excerpt from the diary of Cyryl Lenart, a priest who escaped the intital purges within the Crownland.
“How will I be remembered? How do I wish to be remembered? A hero? A beast? I grow tired, for the greatest of victories require the greatest of sacrifice.” – King Swietopelk’s last entry in the Red Manuscript before his death. This last entry was only discovered in 1984, after the book was released for general study.
As has been alluded to over the course of Swietopelk’s tale, Latin Christendom was hardly unified. In the scope of our study, it had seen success in the Second Crusade for Egypt and the successful defence of Jerusalem. But over the decades as Swietopelk III made his mark in world history this success and unity would erode.
As of 1139 The Antipapal Crisis between Rome and the HRE had now been going on for three decades and had escalated severely, as in the prior year of 1138 the Eternal City itself would be wrested from the Papal States in a bloody siege. This forced the current Pope in Rome to flee Orbetello and only intensified the pure disdain towards Kaiser Gehard and the other Catholic Kingdoms. With such a seizure, the emperor ensured religious chaos for another 30 years.
Furthermore, the Iberian Peninsula was slowly being conquered by the Almoravid Sultanate which had been emerging as the dominant power in the region. Only a civil war had paused their push forwards. Catholicism was in a weakened state.
Know that the Antipapal Crisis will be discussed in detail in a future piece, for like many topics we have covered, entire books have been written on the period. It is a broad and treacherous topic, for nothing stokes fires as religion, but for now we turn back once more to our King. In this tense and weakened religious climate, Swietopelk III would take full advantage.
By now sizeable gatherings of pagan worshipers had been built up in his Crownland, with reports of small pagan shrines being found in homes or religious violence becoming increasingly more common. More so in Pomerania which even after so long had still largely resisted conversion, were also now resisting much more violently. We know that priests in the area would frequently petition King Swietopelk III for more resources and protection.
For his part, he would be silent on these affairs. After all, he probably played a significant part in the building up of these believers and the resistance. One matter he would not stay silent on, thus providing further historical hindsight and evidence to his actions, would be the remarkable speed at which his efforts in Kiev had borne fruit.
He wrote of his surprise in the Manuscript, dated May 1139 and mentioned his previous attempts had not been as successful so quickly in the past, which in turn betrays his guilt to us in the modern day. It was a rare moment in his later writings of joy, evidently Kiev still had a combination of practicing pagans or at least those more receptive to their teachings. This was mostly done in small innocuous buildings, with stables and wooded areas being the places of choice.
It appeared that Vladimir’s work would be undone with great haste.
Later that year in November, the recently evicted Pope Stephanus X would call for a Crusade for Castille. The Third Crusade would see the Catholic powers, sans the HRE, prepare to strike back at the Almoyvaryd Sultanate to retake the Iberian Peninsula. This was an attempt to regain authority and assert his position, which was shaky to say the least after losing Rome itself.
Poland was at face value a potent ally, with a King well known for his martial ability. It must have been a concern then when for the next two years Swietopelk III would be silent on the matter and instead manage his realm and lands as if no Crusade was being readied. Correspondence would arrive in May 1141 urging for the committal of the King, with the Crusade itself being officially launched in June.
Being pressed, the King would not send forces directly to support the Crusade, opting instead to send significant financial support. He would suggest his own poor health and religious violence in his borders as his reasons, both of which were correct but not exactly the truth. The real reason why would become very clear as the Crusade was in its final stages of preparation.
On the 21 July 1141, a date most with even the most basic understanding of the topic will have memorised, the proverbial die was cast.
The Swietopelkian Decrees completely upended the religious laws of Poland and threw the nation into a period of total anarchy for years to come . The document itself a fascinating legal text which survives today, though for our purposes we will simply summarise the key changes it imposed.
Most prominently it made the worship of the Old Gods, or Paganism, the state religion. Calling it a ‘religion’ at this point may be incorrect, more a set of traditions but it still led to the second point.
All Christian temples and monasteries were to be closed and the properties seized alongside eall wealth. They would be repurposed into places of worship for the Pagan Gods until further notice. In one stroke Swietopelk intended to cripple the religious elite.
Thirdly, all teachings of the Bible at places of learning would cease immediately and only pagan priests approved personally by the King would be allowed to teach religious studies. This restriction on religion was the preamble to the most controversial change.
For any person considered a noble or landed gentry or anyone in prominent positions to retain said privileges, they would need to abandon Christianity and worship the Old Gods. This was to be proven by undertaking animal sacrifice. Power in medieval times worked from the top down, so this aimed to enforce the new situation on those with the power to disrupt it.
Finally, it stated that anyone found to be in breach of these rulings, as per the previous decree introduced in 1132 which allowed for the revocation of lands and titles of heretics and heathens, (remember that?) anyone found to resist would be considered in breach of law. They would be imprisoned and those that evaded capture would be considered outlaws.
Swietopelk had not outlawed Christianity itself, but made it as disadvantageous as possible to continue practicing it.
The path he took was quite like how Julian the Apostate, the last pagan Emperor of Rome, tried to tackle Christianity. He aimed to push the faith out of the governing classes and make it politically irrelevant, for executing them all was impossible and impractical. History has shown that the intense persecution of Christianity only made it stronger.
Latin and Greek Christianity were affected by this Decree, but not the Jewish. An oversight? An act to sow division? The influence of Nachman? We may never know.
Following the decree there was widespread confusion and destruction. Not amongst his vassals, for they had all bar one also renounced Christianity with no resistance at all, which does indicate that they were either a member of the Warriors, pressured into doing so or saw the more material benefits of no longer paying tax to the Pope. The reasons are their own and we may never know the true feelings of many at the time.
The chaos was saved for the priests and bishops and officials who resisted the Decrees. With startling speed, the major temples in the King’s Crownland were stormed and seized by garrisons of men that must have been placed beforehand to respond so quick. Despite the order for those who resisted to be imprisoned, many were simply killed – either by the garrisons or pagan mobs who the former did little to stop. Then, men and even women pagan priests would be waiting by the wayside to take residence and begin preaching to the Old Gods. The administrative and educational sectors of the Kingdom endured the same and it seemed that many quickly found themselves in rather wealthy positions while others perished. Death tolls are hard to find but many thousands would die resisting and more still imprisoned.
Not all vassals, despite coming out in support of their King, would be as harsh on their Christian populations. Again, exact denominations are challenging but the Crownland and area around it, the Baltic Coast and Kiev would become predominantly pagan. Over half the realm would abandon their faith, or at least lie and practice it in secret as they were made to perform sacrifice or turn over holy texts.
The sources we have for this period are chaotic and filled with emotion. Both sides of the religious spectrum accused the other of committing atrocities against religious enemies. Pagan and Christian mobs would band together, killing those who they perceived as a foe. Priests who barricaded themselves in their churches found themselves entrapped as men outside set them ablaze. Towns would grow silent as all who lived inside were afraid to leave, lest they be killed. In this time of persecution, being accused of resisting the Decrees was enough to have you hung – what better way to be rid of an enemy?
And remember the statue of Svetovid missing from Arkona? It would be dredged up from the coast and placed in the exact same spot where the temple once stood. Sweitopelk III had sealed it in a box and sunk it into the sea.
Pagans slaughtering priests resisting the Swietopelkian Decrees, from the Hochheim Legendarium circa 1327. It depecits the murder and martydom of Iwan Majeski, a prominent priest based in Poland in 1141.
This was not the Slavic Faith as we would think of today mind. This was disorganised and disunited. Many of the new preachers and priests would have their own personal pantheon that they would follow, from their secret practice in the time of Christian rulers or the Gods that they most identified with when they themselves were converted.
It is hard to say if Swietopelk III had reformation on his mind. He made no mention of such a task throughout his Manuscript. It could be that he had no intention or perhaps he intended for his son to take up the task. By now Wratislaw was in his late thirties and had studied every piece of Christian, pagan and even Jewish literature he could get his hands on and was a masterful scholar on the practices of theology, there would be no one better prepared to attempt such a monumental challenge.
And come August, he would be King. Swietopelk III coincided the decrees with a second crowning ceremony, where he renounced his crown given by the Pope and instead placed a new crown on his head. For such a significant event, it was small and could not hold a candle to his Hollow Crowning. Very little is even said about this crowning from our available sources. So it hints at his deteriorating health, as it would be his last public ceremony.
Swietopelk III would die suddenly, 11 days after his Decrees in his sleep on 1 August 1141. It is suspected that the decades of war and strife had left him in poor health and that in his last months it was Wratislaw leading the final charge of the Warriors of Perun. His Manuscript writings themselves become sparser and more fatalistic. Just as Julian the Apostate centuries ago, he died before he could continue his work in earnest.
His death would come as a surprise to most to all but Wratislaw, maybe becoming too good at hiding a side of himself away from others. He would not see where his faith would go, nor would he be able to reconcile his children or strengthen support for Wratislaw as a King and not just a religious leader. His death would mean anything but a peaceful transition, both of the crown and of his faith.
Wratislaw would retain the Crownland and the Crown. Ratibor would get his father’s remaining Baltic lands and Swantibor, who goes criminally unmentioned by most sources, would inherit Kiev.
And so ends the tale of King Swietopelk III, not with a grand exit but a sudden and abrupt departure as his Kingdom underwent religious upheaval. He had risen from a pagan Duke sandwiched between unstoppable major powers, to a King who had masterminded the return of paganism.
To Slavic believers, he would be known as ‘the Wise’, the first of the Gryfita Trinity who had struck a blow against the machinations of Chernobog, who halted the Christians from stamping out their ancestral beliefs. To Christians he would be known as ‘the Apostate’, a devious schemer who had betrayed and murdered his way into power, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of people through his Decrees.
Both are correct. Thus, to this day debates rage about if he was ‘good’ or ‘evil’ individual with said debates often turning into passionate shouting matches. My view?
It is hard to be concise. However, good and evil are irrelevant concepts to historians, we must assemble the facts and present them as they are with our own commentary and factually supported suggestions. These are always stained with some degree of bias, but it must not taint the history. I ask that you form your own view and I thank you for sticking with me on this tale - know this is only the beginning.
Now we turn to my favourite of the Trinity, Wratislaw ‘the Dove’ Gryfita. We will examine how he manages a religiously chaotic kingdom, a brother who despised him and a crippling life-long medical condition.
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An excellent send-off to Swietopelk, setting up future issues very nicely!
The reinstatement of paganism went surprisingly well, at least with the nobles. I suppose religious unrest will remain an issue as I'm sure the peasants haven't come around yet, and certain dukes are probably false pagans.
Waiting for the Crusade to be declared was also a good move because otherwise you probably would have been the first target. That's still a danger, but you have 40 (?) years to prepare.
That HRE is also terrifying! I would not want to mess with them!
The reinstatement of paganism went surprisingly well, at least with the nobles. I suppose religious unrest will remain an issue as I'm sure the peasants haven't come around yet, and certain dukes are probably false pagans.
Waiting for the Crusade to be declared was also a good move because otherwise you probably would have been the first target. That's still a danger, but you have 40 (?) years to prepare.
That HRE is also terrifying! I would not want to mess with them!
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Thank you for reading! It has been a crazy journey, it had gone well with the nobility and that is the main area of concern in keeping power. That was my intention, to avoid the Crusade and getting stomped straight away - and I believe the cooldown between the crusades are 30 years.
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I was surprised that Swietopelk was only 54. Crusade cool down is 30 but that is only minimum. Next will not be announced on 30th anniversary and then preparation so could be 35-40 between end and begin. I would think Pope would like his home and go after Rome (not crusade but something). Expansion to the East. Thank you for the update
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Well, the Slavics are public now.
Interesting juxtaposition of views - and, indeed, both are correct... good and evil are often subjective.
Soon there will be one Slavic faith (reformation soon?)
Interesting juxtaposition of views - and, indeed, both are correct... good and evil are often subjective.
Soon there will be one Slavic faith (reformation soon?)
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I very much enjoyed that chapter; it seemed very realistic and compelling that the revival of Slavic paganism should have led to so much bloodshed.
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Now this AAR I like. I look forward to seeing how the legacy of Swietopelk continues after his death, in a time of such monumental change.
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Yes, often under someone tied to a stake!
Said flames!?
You must have been a little surprised by that happening so soon after the big declaration - 54 isn’t too old. At least it gives his son time to do post-succession and conversion consolidation and still have the possibility of a longer reign, I suppose.
I’d say ’effective’ and a hero to some, a nightmare to others!
Sounds like another ripping yarn, as has been that of his father.
Yes, they look pretty forbidding.
He led a full life, didn’t he?
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Thank you for reading! There are probably more important targets in terms of moral value and remember that the Catholic faith at the moment is going through a huge schism. We shall see just how long it takes for them to get their act together...
Thank you for reading! They are public and currectly going through a revolution. Bias is natural in any source and Swietopelk was quite the interesting character. Reformation is my goal and we shall see how I can go about doing it.
Thank you for reading! Very few revolutions are bloodless and I find that the religious reveal mechanic is rather basic, as such an action would probably cause chaos to those areas not in on it, so I added a little bit of bloodshed as was so common during the time.
Thank you! It was quite the inconvienent time for him to die, but I figured that such a thing would add a splash of flavor to things. Just how will his crippled son manage in a time when strength is needed?
Thank you for reading! It was a suprise, though I think he led a full and tiring life, which I tried to portray a little. Heavy weighs the crown and act upon the throne and it will act upon you. For his son, quite the challenge remains...Yes, often under someone tied to a stake!
Said flames!?
You must have been a little surprised by that happening so soon after the big declaration - 54 isn’t too old. At least it gives his son time to do post-succession and conversion consolidation and still have the possibility of a longer reign, I suppose.
I’d say ’effective’ and a hero to some, a nightmare to others!
Sounds like another ripping yarn, as has been that of his father.
Yes, they look pretty forbidding.
He led a full life, didn’t he?
I am also a little bit late in saying this, but thank you to all for reading this far. Swietopelk led a varied life and I wanted to portray his actions in good detail. I was recently the Weekly AAR Showcase and the support means a great deal.
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King Wratislaw of Poland - The Dove (1141-1142)
King Wratislaw of Poland - The Dove (1141-1142)
“My spine may be crooked. But my will, my will shall not be bent so easily.” – King Wratislaw’s alleged response to the ultimatum posed to him by the rebel lords, December 1142
King Wraitslaw can suffer from not being remembered as well as his father or his son. This is not due to his lack of importance, far from it, for he would accomplish much in spiritual matters. It is just that this cannot be as tangible or ‘interesting’ to the average reader as his father’s meteoric rise or his future son’s conquests and reformation, though he would consolidate the former and facilitate the latter.
Before we continue, I confess a bias towards King Wratislaw. In the sense of fairness, I will admit this is due to a combination of my theological background and in part due to my own physical condition – hence the narrative of the cripple overcoming their condition is quite appealing to me as a person.
But I declare my bias beforehand. Wratislaw does not share the same frankly wild story as his father or his son, so our time with him will be relatively brief. Still, while he is a personal favourite of mine, I intend to show him as neutrally as possible. With that preamble, let us summarise his life until his father’s sudden death.
Wratislaw, until he became King at the age of 37, had always been in the background of his father’s rise to power. Scholarly and intelligent, he would spend much of his youth by himself reading and researching a vast array of religious texts, both pagan and later Christian and Jewish, seemingly out of genuine interest. His father, through looting or taxing, had always been wealthy and so he was afforded every chance possible to learn more.
Despite his crippling condition there was certainly a familial bond between father and son. It is suspected that he would act in his father’s stead in the Warriors of Perun when he was away as well as being the official reagent when Swietopelk III became King. He was also made Court Chaplin and would spend many years in Rome, devouring any knowledge he could and impressing the Papal officials with his knowledge of theology. It was a posting he was suited for and was grateful for. Swietopelk III would pass over his second and third child and this could also be reason for the fierce dislike between Wratislaw and Ratibor which ended with the latter plotting to kill him.
It would also be his father that would give him his famous nickname. It would be the catalysis for why today doves are considered a sacred animal and killing one taboo. The reasoning behind the name is not clear, the stories range from him being so engrossed in his studies that birds would happily perch on him, to him simply keeping them as pets. Regardless, Wratislaw would adopt the name with grace.
Wratislaw would become King on the 1 August 1141 after his father’s death. As was customary to their family’s beliefs, Swietopelk’s body would be ritually cremated in a grand ceremony in Plock and his ashes interred the following. This would become the standard funerary practice of the Slavic Faith, to allow the soul to travel to the afterlife.
All vassals attended the funeral, including High Chief Andrzej, who if you remember was the first recorded high-ranking member of the secret society. He and Swietopelk III must have been close friends, for Andrzej would offer his support and protection to the new King, according to the wishes of his father. It seemed that even in death Swietopelk III was leaving an impact on the living world.
Such aid would be sorely needed. Despite his unmatched theological knowledge, Wratislaw’s health had been deteriorating all his life due to the complications of his hyperkyrosis that seemed to worsen with age. It made simply moving a great challenge, let alone managing a kingdom that was still going through religious upheaval.
While learned in multiple faiths, Wratislaw was a firm pagan and ratified the Swietopelkian Decrees. Violence between Catholic and pagan mobs would continue unabated to varying degrees, though often worse in the Crownland and the Baltic Coast.
Most surprisingly of all, there would also be accounts of pagan mobs attacking each other over religious disagreements. This may seem odd to our modern eyes but as mentioned before, paganism back then was not so much of a religion. Rather, it was a catch-all name for the broad range of practices carried out by believers. Different pantheons, different rituals and different understandings of the faith were common and would lead to a conflict of ideals not unlike those suffered by Christians with Orthodoxy or Arianism. The broad appeal provided by such a wide range of beliefs available to the common man had allowed the Warriors of Perun to bring in a large array of believers and now those believers were clashing. Even the term ‘Old Slavic Paganism’ is a gross simplification. Their greatest strength would prove to also be their greatest weakness.
We know he had read the Red Manuscript at some point in its entirety, for many of the stories that appear within it would appear ad verbatim in the first official holy text of the Slavic Faith. He knew the power of a codified holy book, an official hierarchy of priests and a unified pantheon. After all, he had seen first-hand the resplendence and power of the Catholic Church during his time in Rome and one need only look to anywhere else in Europe to see how far the faith (despite the ongoing Antipapal Crisis) had come because of it.
He would thus begin his magnum opus at the start of 1142, collating and collecting every tradition and story and legend that he could find into a singular text. The beginning of The Legends. He would also invite those priests receptive to small gatherings to discuss and debate more grander matters of theology and seek accord among them, The beginning of the Wiece – The Councils. He would attempt what Vladamir the Great and Julian the Aposate once tried – to bring unity to his faith.
This task would become his singular purpose. He would spend much time locked away in the castle libraries, pouring over texts and documents or meeting with priests. In truth, he was more a scholar than a king and cared little for governing, leaving it mostly to his council or royal officials. A combination of his disability and possibly general disinterest.
With the King often sequestered away in his tomes, there was little to stop factions from forming. It was a stark shift compared to his father. Swietopelk III had taken a firm personal hand in matters of governance, be that in war, diplomacy or finance. He had seen to be strong, commanding and yet affable, while his son wiled away in books and with priests as religious violence echoed all around.
Many vassals once loyal to his father, many having even taken orders from Wratislaw while his father was away from the Warriors, soured in opinion of him quickly. Many, including his brother Ratibor, despised his crippled nature. Such a deformity was thought to be unbecoming of the title of King. Swietopelk III had left a stunning legacy to follow up on and to them, a cripple could not hope to match him.
Furthermore, Swietopelk III unknowingly or not had weakened the authority of kingship in Poland. He had seized power because of his claim, the weak position of the Piast dynasty and the silent approval of it lords. Wratislaw had two brothers and others who could claim the throne, he showed little authority unlike his father and was beginning to be seen as lesser by his vassals.
Finally, self-interest would often win out over loyalty. This was not always case, such as with Andrzej but this could be the exception rather than the rule. Given his condition, he was perceived as weak and power is often based on perception.
His project also raised alarm. Disunity in the traditions practiced extended to the upper echelons of nobility as well. They had all acted under the understanding that being ‘pagan’ meant being free to worship how they wished, without any interference or deference to a superior on religious matters. Many would have joined with such a guarantee offered by Sweitopelk III and however slim a chance at the time, King Wratislaw was threatening that. Whether this feeling was for genuine belief or self-serving desire, a schism not too dissimilar to the Antipapal Crisis was quickly brewing.
The next year saw little improvement. Wratislaw would spend little time governing and more time on his religious work with mixed success. The collection of so many texts was an astronomical task for someone crippled as he was and just as with the nobles, the priests willing to discuss reform were few and far between.
Wratislaw did try to appease the various vassals towards the end of 1142, but it was a case of too little too late. His condition, the religious disagreements among the populace and the lords and the growing popularity of his brother Ratibor all coalesced into his vassals banding together and issuing an ultimatum on 25 December 1142 – grant the council more power, or face rebellion.
It is suspected that Ratibor was the invisible hand behind this, for he was popular and far more alike to his father in ability. By offering the leading nobles his backing to increase the power they wielded on the Council, they would in turn either pressure or convince Wratislaw to abdicate in favour of him.
Most assumed that Wratislaw would not have the courage to face such a demand with force, though to the surprise of everyone, he would refuse vehemently. There was now only one way to resolve the impasse.
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The rebels are in a very weak position, if the King can only exploit it. Their forces are scattered all over Poland, while the King's men are mostly concentrated in one place and should be able to easily divide and break them.
And "the Dove" is not so weak as the coalition thinks.
And "the Dove" is not so weak as the coalition thinks.
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Thank you for reading! It does looks scary for sure, but certainly winnable. Divide et Impera. I was surprised with just how quick Wratislaw lost control of his vassals but it makes for some good conflict!
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And so conflict begins...
And it looks as if the Reformation is coming
And it looks as if the Reformation is coming
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The High Chieftess has a bigger army than the Prince. If you can separate the traitors on the battlefield, they can stand together on the gallows. Thank you for the update
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Thank you for reading! It was a very quick rebellion but I was happy to roll with it, though it did quickly expand as we will see.
Thank you for reading! I like the randomness of CK2 sometimes, throws you a curve ball. And we shall see how Wratislaw does next week...
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